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I'm thinking about getting a Damocles Command Rhino for use with my full company in Apocalypse.  I don't have IA Vol II so (without posting full rules of course), is it any good?  What does it do (again, without posting exact rules if possible)?

Thanks,

Ozymandias, King of Kings

So no one has ever used one of these bad boys?

Ozymandias, King of Kings

As I recall, the Damocles allows you the option of purchasing an orbital strike functionally similar to the Daemonhunters'.

right. It's an HQ selection that opens up a Orbitial Strike to the army. It also functions as Improved Comms, allowing a re-roll of a reserve.

I could definitely see it used in an artillery-heavy army with three Whirlwinds. Couple that pie-plating with the Orbital Strike from the Damocles Command Rhino, and you can be putting down a ton of indirect firepower.

I'd like to consider it for my Templars in larger games. As an army with no Devastators or Whirlwinds, the heavy supportive firepower is greatly welcomed.

CK

Not having my IA book to hand..
Teleport Homer and Re-roll on Reserves (I think)
The two points options are IIRC:
Imperial Navy Air Support - various choices of craft
Orbital Bombardment - various choices of type.

So yeah, it's a dead handy HQ choice to have. I've just got one for my Apocalypse Space Wolf army.

Algeroth, don't you find it a bit useless in an Space Wolf Apocalypse army? They can't deepstrike, you don't roll for reserves, and the Orbital strike and flyers are available anyway. It doesn't seem to add anything to the army.

In regular games its nice, but kind of pointless for Apocalypse.

Space Wolves can Deepstrike... But need to be in Drop Pods.... they just won't Teleport. Strange rule if you ask me, but there ya go.
To my knowledge, the Damocles options are "as well as" any extras you get in Apocalypse. So it's not entirely useless.

Per FW IA2: pg 78 under TELEPORT BEACON:

Teleporting troops may reroll scatter and distance dice for their deep strike.
NOTE this is only for teleporting troops, not other methods of deepstriking.

If the SW can only DS via pod, then the only thing the Damoc gives you is access to 0-1 Navy and 0-1 orby strike.

OOPS, it does act as improved comms so that could be beneficial.

IMHO, the biggest downfall is that it must be the 2nd HQ slot. I'd like it alot more if it could be the only HQ slot for the army.

Algeroth wrote:Space Wolves can Deepstrike... But need to be in Drop Pods.... they just won't Teleport. Strange rule if you ask me, but there ya go.

The Space Wolves don't teleport because they are extremely superstitious and distrust any "magic" that doesn't come from a wolf priest or similiar authority figure. They prefer the honest methods of drop pods and thunderhawks. Story wise it makes good sense to me, the Space Wolves remind me of dwarves in their attitudes and foibles.

Flagg07 wrote:Per FW IA2: pg 78 under TELEPORT BEACON:

Teleporting troops may reroll scatter and distance dice for their deep strike.
NOTE this is only for teleporting troops, not other methods of deepstriking.

If the SW can only DS via pod, then the only thing the Damoc gives you is access to 0-1 Navy and 0-1 orby strike.

OOPS, it does act as improved comms so that could be beneficial.

IMHO, the biggest downfall is that it must be the 2nd HQ slot. I'd like it alot more if it could be the only HQ slot for the army.

Yes very true. I am aware of the "No Teleport" rule for SW. If I recall correctly, the "will not teleport" rule was introduced into the 2000 SW Codex. Prior to that they could use teleport the same as any other terminator force. ( And I still think it's a naff rule )
However, for Ozymandias this is still a plus point as his terminators would benefit from it.

As for HQ Slots... I get compulsory HQ per 750 points of army. That's a lot in a 10,000 point force. Ozymandias on the other hand, as you pointed out, might well be hamstrung by that HQ slot being taken.

I have a soft spot for the Land Raider Prometheus. It can be taken for a Command Squad or Terminator Command squad.

You get the reroll, but miss out on the teleport homer and orbital strikes (though you havw to pay extra for that anyway.

As a bonus its the only way of getting a Land Raider transport for a Command squad without using up an HS slot.

Most of all it has decent firepower and is not as confused in its targeting role as a standard land raider. The only downside (other than 270pts) is that you cannot get one with psycannon bolts!

Agree with your points on the Prometheus, I always wanted to use one in my GT armies. However, unless I am mistaken and my army has been illegal this entire season, a regular land raider can be a transport for a terminator command squad in the HQ force org.

Yes it can, but that is a terminator command squad, not a command squad.
Besides terminators have other reliable ways of crossing the board.

I personally think you get get more out of a regular command squad, larger cheaper, with decent options. Give them a Captain or chaplain and you have a good assault unit.

a good assault unit that is ridiculously slow. And weak, for the amount of points poured into it.

By the time you've paid for you commander, his goodies, the squad, their goodies, the vet sarge, the medic/champion/bearer or some combination, and all the other crap, you end up with a 250+ point unit that still is a bunch of 3+ saves. Terminators deliver superior, mobile firepower at mid-range (read: Assault Cannon, Rending), and still can pack a whallop in close combat. At about a 50% cut in numbers, I'll take a Terminator Command Squad over a Power Armored counterpart every day of the week.

CK

I love the Damocles.

It is a perfect accompaniment to a Lysanderwing style army.

The "Improved communications" of the Damocles is a bit redundant with the Lysander led force(unless you use preliminary bombardment), but the "Teleport beacon" is where its at. The teleport beacon makes teleport homers a non needed item. Basically the damocles saves me the price of upgrading two scout sergeants to vet status, plus I get additional benefits from the Damocles.

The ability to take naval air support in the form of a vulture with heavy smart bombs is pure icing on the cake. And very fitting for the lysander theme as well.

I do always give my damocles a set of EA and smoke. I know it is hidden most of the time, but if a speedy eldar army gets in behind you before lysander and his tactical dreadnought armor cronies arrive, then the damocles is a waste if it doesnt have some semblance of protection.

as far as what it does exactly?

It is a 60 point rhino that can be upgraded with the normal crap, but has no transport capacity and no weapons.

It must be the second HQ choice in a SM army.

Special rules are:

"Improved Communications" Which allows you to reroll a reinforcement roll per turn and to reroll the dice to see what is hit by a preliminary bombardment.

"Teleport Beacon" allows a reroll scatter and distance dice for a teleporting unit via deepstrike. It can only be used in scenarios where deep strike is allowed.

In addition to the two rules above, the damocles may coordinate the efforts of a Orbital bombardment or imperial navy air support.

The orbital bombardment is an normal in the =][= codecies.

The imperial navy air support allows you to choose a lighting, thunderbot or a vulture for normal points in IA:1.