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Ok, Ive been out of the game for a while now. I was reading a couple of the 40k Topics and I keep seeing reference to Death star this and death star that. Now before the flaming starts, I am savvy to what the death star is, but how is it being related in a 40k sense?

A death star is a unit (or units) which basically are really hard core and kill anything they come into contact with (like the death star in the movies).

They generally also take a large number of the points in an army.

From what I've been able to pick up, it's a Fantasy term used to refer to a unit that has a lot of point sunk into it but can pretty much wipe out armies on it's own. 40k players use it the same way.

It is a big powerful bruiser that looks like the end of the world.
But all it takes is some specific flaw that allows it to fail.

Ex:
10 Warlocks on jetbikes with Fortune Seer.
Anvil and Hammer of the eldar army.
Problem: fortune doesn't always work and then you just have some MEQ's.

10 Hamminators.
Anvil and Hammer of the SM army.
Problem: slow.

Nob Bikers of doom.
Wound allocation and uber power claws.
Problem: PBS, Difficult terrain forcing weapon equivalents

Some units it's due to lack of fearless.
Etc.

Ahhh thanks for the clarification

And then you have the ultimate hammer unit: 10 TH/SS Blood Angel Terminators w/ attached Librarian and Sanguine Priest, both w/ Terminator Armour and in the Librarian's case a SS. 2+/4++/FNP, Psychic Hood, Furious Charge. Beat that.

EDIT: Wait, forgot the Land Raider Crusader with Multi-Melta.

LR's can be popped and it doesn't fit 10 TS with libby and priest in termy armor...and that Deathstar is not fearless without a Chappy.

Alright, six terminators. And Leadership 10 is better than fearless.

I got one I've been experimenting with:
9X Mega Nobz
1X Mad Dok Grotsnik

Mega Nobz: 2+ armor, Power Klaws, TL Shootas
With Dok they become: 2+ armor, 5+ invuln(5 points per model) Fearless and FnP.

Petty stout.

@Mortified Penguin:
Morale Tests/Pinning.

Termies would rather take the no-retreats than allow the slim chance of dealing with them in any other way besides shooting them or getting into combat with them.

If fallback if a possibility then a Death Star it is.

i agree that fearless is better then L10, mostly for the example of This deathstar unit, Thunderwolf calv, the fact that they are L10 dosnt stop em from being worthless if they get pinned or they run from one thing, and someone keeps a rhino within 6" (cause they keep running then from a 35 point model! and yes.....it was done to me :( )

Ghaz & lots of mega-armoured nobs in a looted rhino. Zoom upto your chosen victims, bebuss, kill everything...

Sanctjud wrote:@Mortified Penguin:
Morale Tests/Pinning.

Termies would rather take the no-retreats than allow the slim chance of dealing with them in any other way besides shooting them or getting into combat with them.

If fallback if a possibility then a Death Star it is.

Pinning is made of fail, and let's be honest here, if you're taking 25% casualties on a unit with 2+/3++/FNP in a Land Raider then something has gone very, very wrong. And hey, if the unit gets shot to death, that's an assload of high Strength/low AP attacks that aren't going towards your assault squads in Razorbacks/Rhinos.

Cost wise, a unit of five Hammernators with Chaplain, Sanguinary Priest and Librarian with Terminator armour and, in the Librarian's case, a storm shield, all in a LRC with MM is 830 points. It has Furious Charge, Feel No Pain, re-rolls to hit on the charge, and Fearless. Beat that.

Mortified Penguin wrote:

Sanctjud wrote:@Mortified Penguin:
Morale Tests/Pinning.

Termies would rather take the no-retreats than allow the slim chance of dealing with them in any other way besides shooting them or getting into combat with them.

If fallback if a possibility then a Death Star it is.

Pinning is made of fail, and let's be honest here, if you're taking 25% casualties on a unit with 2+/3++/FNP in a Land Raider then something has gone very, very wrong. And hey, if the unit gets shot to death, that's an assload of high Strength/low AP attacks that aren't going towards your assault squads in Razorbacks/Rhinos.

Cost wise, a unit of five Hammernators with Chaplain, Sanguinary Priest and Librarian with Terminator armour and, in the Librarian's case, a storm shield, all in a LRC with MM is 830 points. It has Furious Charge, Feel No Pain, re-rolls to hit on the charge, and Fearless. Beat that.

I would much Rather have my Squad of Deathwing Terminators with mixed weaponry, Belial, and a Term Lib. Would have a Company standard (+1 to Attack), infinite range psychic hood, apothecary(4th edition), Heavy Flamer, TH/SS, and LC's. Thats some wound allocation for you. They are all in a LRC. Mine already comes with a multi-melta for the same price as yours =D!

Also, if I'm in range for the charge, you are getting a H.Flamer in the face, and an average psychic template shot of Str 5 AP 3. Since I'm all power weapons, I have no problem with your FNP.

Also, All my Terms and HQ are already fearless. I would much rather have my Scoring terminators than a Term Chappy.

Right, let's get some mathhammer in here before this turns into a spectacle.

BA:

5 Hammernators, Term Chaplain, Term Librarian w/ SS, Epistolary, Unleash Rage and Might of Heroes, Term Sanguinary Priest = 635 points

DA:

Belial, Term Librarian, Term Apothecary, Term Standard Bearer, 3 Terms; 1 w/ TH/SS, 1 w/ twin LCs, 1 w/ PF/HF = 550 points.

Okay, assuming DAs get the charge and Hellfire, and BA player gets MoH and Unleash Rage.

Belial gets 5 attacks, 3.33 hit, 1.66 wounds, 0.553 dead.

Next, the LC terminator, apothecary, standard bearer, Chaplain, Sanguinary Priest and both Librarians (the BA lib has only one wound, due to Hellfire) go.

LC Term: 4 attacks, 2 hit, 1.5 wounds, 0.5 dead.

Apothecary & Standard Bearer: 8 attacks, 4 hit, 2 wounds, 0.33 dead.

Chaplain: 2 attacks, 1 hit, 0.5 dead.

Sanguinary Priest: 2 attacks, 1 hit, 0.5 dead.

DA Librarian: 4 attacks, 1.33 hit, 0.66 wounds, 0.22 dead.

BA Librarian (w/ Might of Heroes roll of +2 Attacks): 4 attacks, 1.77 hits, 0.88 wounds, 0.44 dead.

Finally, the rest go.

PF Term: 4 attacks, 2 hit, 1.66 wounds, 0.55 dead.

DA TH/SS Term: 4 attacks, 2 hit, 1.66 wounds, 0.55 dead.

BA Hammernators: 10 attacks, 4.44 wounds, 2.22 dead.

DA Wound Total: 2.703.

BA Wound Total: 3.66

EDIT: FETH! Screwed up the points costs. I blame it being 9 AM.

I know the BA's are going to win the fight .

You weren't mathhammering the fact that they were 4th edition stormshields... only 4++ saves =P

I was actually. But I digress, my point was made.

It appears that there are not too many deathstar units out there in the 40k universe.
That's good to hear.

If you math hammered in 5th edition stormshields (one would go on the term lib), it would be closer =P