Triarch Stalker – Full Plastic Kit (1 per box)
Tomb Blade – Full Plastic Kit (3 per box)
Canoptek Wraith – Full Plastic Kit (3 per box)
Canoptek Spyder – Full Plastic Kit (1 per box)
Nemesor Zahndrekh – Finecast
Vargard Obyron – Finecast
Illuminor Szeras – Finecast
Destroyer Lord Upgrade Pack – Finecast Bits
Heavy Destroyer Upgrade Pack – Finecast Bits

Necron Triarch Stalker $47.00 / 37€
Necron Tomb Blades (3) $41.25 / 32.50€
Necron Canoptek Wraiths (3) $47.00 / 37€
Necron Canoptek Spyder $33.00 / 26€
Nemesor Zahndrekh $19.25 / 15.50€
Vargard Obyron $16.00 / 13€
Illuminor Szeras $21.50 / 18.50€
Necron Destroyer Lord Upgrade Pack $10.00 / 8€
Necron Heavy Destroyer Upgrade Pack $8.25 / 6.50€

75hastings69 wrote:Couldn't see this on the thread (although I didn't go through every page!) early next year youll be getting a second wave of necrons - entries in the codex not covered by this release, 4 vehicles, a walker and 2 aircraft, also new tomb spiders IIRC.
Can't recall of the top of my head about the vehicles, the walker Artwork shows a large spider with a necRon driver and scorpion tail over the head blaster type thing.

75hastings69 wrote:I've already posted on the necron rumour thread that these items will be part of the second wave on necron models released early next year. The jetbike type necrons are also amongst the new kits.

Captain Ventris wrote:Recieved information/rumors today. As stated by Dr.Pie himself the wave 2 is planned. Was told it will arrive late feb./early march and will be the following kits:

- Doom/Night scythe (plastic kit) 1 model
- Canoptic Wraiths/Spyders (Plastic kit) 3 models
- Iluminor Szeras (Finecast) 1 model
- Anrakyr the Traveler (Finecast) 1 model

Also release of a Battleforce consisting of the following:

- 16 warriors
- 4 scarab bases
- 5 Immortals/Deathmarks
- 1 Ghost/Doom ark

Take with salt as I always do...

yakface wrote:


PLEASE READ THIS ALL BEFORE ASKING QUESTIONS IN THIS THREAD! There is a LOT of information here that will probably answer your question.


NOTES ON NEW NECRON FLUFF

There is a dramatic change in the fluff in this codex from the previous incarnation of the Necrons. Read more about it here:

Spoiler:

The Necrontyr's empire was massive at one point, but the different Lords in the empire started to turn against each other in civil war. To prevent this from happening the overall ruler of the Necrons (the Silent King) started the war against the Old Ones specifically to give them a common enemy to fight against to prevent his empire from destroying itself. Of course, the Old Ones ended up kicking their butts and in desperation, the Silent King found the C'Tan and agreed to the Deceiver's pact without realizing what he was doing. However, after the Necrons helped the C'Tan to kill off the last Old Ones, the Silent King then ordered the Necrons to turn on the C'Tan in vengeance and utterly destroyed the C'Tan into tiny shards. This war agains the C'Tan weakened the Necrons overall so much they decided to go into stasis to avoid the vengeance of the Eldar (the C'Tan had killed the Old Ones, but not all their children).

Now that the Necrons have reawakened in the 41st millennium, their goal is no longer to 'harvest' souls for the C'Tan (the C'Tan shards are now their slaves) as it was in the old book, but rather to reestablish the great Necron empire that spanned the galaxy before the war with the Old Ones began. However, the overall hierarchy of the Necron people is gone for the most part, leaving each individual Empire to once again rule for itself. This means each Tomb World (or cluster of Necron worlds) is essentially a separate little empire to itself, with a full backstory and idiosyncrasies. While Necron warriors are pretty much just automatons and Immortals not too much better, every other higher Necron being is now much more like an actual person, as their essence is simply trapped inside a metal body.

So there is lots of crazy nuance to Necron culture that was never present before. The codex now has plenty of 'quote' boxes featuring memorable quotes from Necron Lords like other races have in their books. There are some Necron Lords who honor valor in battle, there are a few Necron Lords who trade with other races, and although an uneasy alliance apparently, yes Necrons and Blood Angels did end up fighting against a Tyranid Hive Fleet together. Oh, and there is definitely plenty of reason to have Necron vs. Necron action now (as the old feuds between competing Necron Lords flare back up again).

All in all, it is a major tonal shift. While part of me recoils from it, the other part of me thinks that Necrons as they were had no distinct 'character' that each player could choose to get behind. Yes, the race as a whole had 'character' in how it was organized and functioned, but there was never any really good reason that a player should have his Necron force painted and modeled 'X' way as opposed to another player with his Necron army looking 'Y' way. People certainly painted their Necrons in different (neat) ways, but there was never really any good fluff giving players inspiration to do so.

The only real 'personality' in the old book was the Deceiver, and that frankly wasn't the Necrons, it was their god. The mindless mission that all Necrons were on was basically really similar to Tyranids...the Necrons were coming to harvest every living thing in the galaxy (yawn).

This new incarnation, love it or hate it, gives the Necrons a whole wide array of personality and every single empire has different goals and motives (not to mention paint schemes, markings, etc). Some Necron Lords are obsessed with finding the perfect flesh bodies to transfer their sentience back into. One Necron Tomb World was damaged during the great sleep and erased all the Necron sentience and has started basically commanding its Necrons like true robots (and is actively attacking other Necron worlds to take them over and keep growing), and there are of course dozens more little stories. The Silent King, who put himself into exile (for his unforgivable crime against his people) by leaving the galaxy after defeating the C'Tan encountered the Tyranids in the void between galaxies and has returned to spur the Necrons into action against the Tyranids (realizing that if the Tyranids wipe the galaxy clean of biological matter, then the Necrons will never find a form to transfer their minds back into).

Oh, and the biggest rival of the Necrons is now actually the Altaoic (sp?) Craftworld. Apparently they are the only Eldar who stayed true on the original path to seek out and destroy Necron Tomb Worlds while the rest of the Eldar got all caught up and destroyed in their decadence and then the Fall. Altaoic rangers have traveled the galaxy far and wide over the millennia (ever since the Necrons went to sleep) to track down and destroy or hamper Tomb Worlds from reawakening.

So with this new direction there is now tons of different possibilities for players to make Necrons forces different from each other and there are neat new takes on 'nemesis' races like Eldar & Tyranids to drive gaming plots as well as good reason for Necron on Necron battles.

And as for totally destroying the background of the C'Tan, the codex does allude to the fact that there are lots of unaccounted for C'Tan shards still allegedly cast around the galaxy. The Necron are always trying to hunt them down and imprison them (in pocket dimension prisons), but this does still leave the door totally wide open for a shard of 'The Dragon' to be on Mars and for shards of 'The Deceiver' to have done all the crazy things that's been written about him in novels. Essentially, the full power C'Tan were massively, massively powerful, and the 'shard' versions of them are closer to the idea of what we had in the last codex anyway (something that can be killed/banished on a battlefield).

So while it is a little shocking to have such a massive fluff change hit, I do think it is probably the right way forward to create a more fully realized faction. But I do think it is probably going to be a massive turn-off to those players who absolutely adored the old fluff for the army.

Regarding the previous fluff saying that Necrons went into hibernation due to a massive 'Enslavers' invasion, in the new fluff they only really briefly mention that the wars unleashed some nasty things from the Warp, but they literally do not mention the Enslavers anymore. Read more about it here:

Spoiler:

It is very clear that the Eldar empire is the main reason they go into hibernation, having some sort of premonition that the Eldar can and will eventually crumble as all living beings and empires do.

It was a fairly solid plan, except a lot can go wrong when you're sleeping for 60 million years, and apparently billions of Necrons have been killed by simple, normal shifts in the galaxy in that time (stars going supernova, tectonics crushing tombs, etc)...but what they didn't predict was how poorly they'd all awake from the sleep. All Necrons were supposed to wake up at once, but that didn't happen. Some Necrons woke up during all periods of history (including the Horus Heresy) and many still haven't woken up. And in some cases those that wake up have suffered terrible afflictions (like the Flayer disease).

Since there are any number of strange and undocumented Tomb Worlds now, there is totally space for you to come up with whatever backstory and motivations you want for your personal Tomb World, much like every other codex allows players. Of course, there are also dozens of tiny little story snippets (as there are in every new codex) that give you plenty of inspiration to create and play armies as well. For example, say you really like the whole 'automaton' feeling the army had in the old codex. Well, in the codex they have a story telling of one Tomb World that during hibernation accidentally erased all the sentience from the sleeping Necrons and decided to 'take them over' and has since decided this is the way forward for the Necron race and is actively attacking other Necron Tomb Worlds to collect more bodies for the cause. Basically the only sentient brain in that whole army is the Tomb World itself (it even has given itself a name). So you could definitely use this backstory as 'your' Necron force and stick with more of a simple, robotic feel to your army.

Bits of the fluff talk about other races & systems paying 'tribute' to the Necrons...here's my speculation based on what I read:

Spoiler:

Necrons have always felt like they got the short end of the stick. When they were Necrontyr, they had a crappy planet and that drove them to invent technology and get the hell off their planet...but they still wanted to prove they were the best so they set about trying to creat the greatest galactic empire. And they did...but then as always happens, their empire started to creak and moan, so the war against the Old Ones started with naturally the belief that the Necrontyr would destroy the Old Ones and emerge even greater than before, the true heirs to the galaxy. And in fact they hated the Old Ones if for no other reason than because they had the secret for immortality (what the Necrontyr wanted more than anything) but wouldn't share it. And once the war started, naturally the Necrontyr couldn't beat the Old Ones despite their superior technology, as the Old Ones had access to the Webway which meant they could escape anytime they needed.

So eventually the Old Ones (and the races they created) were kicking the crap out of the Necrontyr. And so in the frustration of again getting the short end of the stick, they made the pact wit the Deceiver and sold their souls for immortality and power. But again, they felt shafted because they had essentially been tricked into doing this. So after the C'Tan had killed the Old Ones, they again wanted to take their rightful place as rules of the galaxy but they knew that would never happen as long as they were slaves to the C'Tan, so they turned on them as this is the only way they'd ever be free.

But of course that battle against the C'Tan did tremendous damage to them and thus they decided to use their immortality to 'outlast' the Eldar empire (which they did).

So now that they're back awake (mostly), although they've lost their main command structure as a people that sort of drove them forward towards any single goal, I think their goal is still to do what they always wanted...to rule the galaxy, to be the supreme beings. And this isn't exactly the same as humans, who basically want to eradicate all Xenos and populate all the planets themselves. Necrons more than anything (I think) want to be in control. They want to be worshipped by others. They finally want to get their due as being the rulers. So while they most certainly plan to destroy any force that gets in their way, I also get the distinct feeling from the new fluff that (with at least some of the Lords) they are perfectly okay with leaving existing planets/systems under alien control, as long as those people pay them tribute. Even though I have a hard time imagining what tribute the Necrons would really need (being robots and all), I don't think that's the point. The point is that the other races are paying them fealty and recognizing the mastery of the Necrons, which is precisely what they've always wanted.

NECRON ARMY-WIDE SPECIAL RULES

Spoiler:

• We'll Be Back from the previous codex has been replaced by Reanimation Protocols (sorry I keep accidentally calling it Resurrection Protocols in some of these teasers). It now works at the end of each phase, but only on a 5+. You now remove models and place a token or marker next to the unit to remind you how many rolls to make (although you could just use the downed models as markers, but the important thing is you know that these markers don't affect gameplay at all), and any rolls you do make at the end of the phase allow to put one model back into the unit. The rules are very clear about when/how models that return to play via RP are placed and if the entire unit is wiped out then the unit is gone and no RP rolls can be taken. Similarly, if the only model left in the unit is a character (such as a joined IC or a Cryptek/Lord) then these models alone are not sufficient to allow the other models to attempt their RP rolls. Nearly every non-vehicle unit in the game benefits from RP (as opposed to the old WBB, which only worked for 'Necrons'), except for the C'Tan shards.

Reanimation Protocols returns the model to play with a single wound unless they have a Phylactery in which case they come back (the first time they get back up) with D3 wounds.


• Ever-Living. This is basically just an additional Reanimation Protocol rule that characters have to describe how they're placed back on the table. Only characters (including basic Lords & Crypteks) have this rule, no squads do. The only real thing to note about it is that if the model wasn't joined to a unit when it went down, then if it returns to play it must be placed within 3" of the spot it fell. So characters are the only models it really matters where their 'marker' is placed when they are removed. So in some situations, such as an enemy unit killing a character with Ever-Living in CC and then consolidating on top of his marker, it would be entirely possible to prevent him from returning to play (as they can't if you are unable to place them within 3" of the spot they went down).


• Entropic Strike. This is mainly a Scarab rule, but it also applies to a few other weapons in the army as well. Basically if a model suffers an unsaved wound from an Entropic weapon then it has it armor save immediately changed to '-'. Obviously this would only apply to multi-wound models as any other type of model would be dead if it suffered an unsaved wound (ignoring the argument about whether a wound stopped by 'Feel No Pain' still counts as an unsaved Wound or not). Against vehicles, for each hit by this weapon type means at the end of the phase you roll a D6 and on a 4+ the vehicle's armor value is reduced by '1' on all facings. If a vehicle is reduced to '0' on any facing then it becomes wrecked immediately.


• Living-Metal. Not just for the Monolith anymore! Many vehicles in the codex have this and it basically allows the vehicle to ignore a Shaken result on a 2+ and a Stunned result on a 4+. These rolls are made immediately when the vehicle is damaged so this is nowhere near as good as the Grey Knights ability to remove Shaken/Stunned results.


• Quantum Shielding. This adds two to the front/side armor values of the vehicle until the vehicle suffers its first penetrating hit, then this bonus is lost for the rest of the game. The way it is written, I would say that when hit by Lance weapons, an area protected by Quantum Shielding would still not count as being higher than AV12.


• Phase out is gone (good riddance, I say ).


• There isn't any Force Org shifting around in this codex at all unlike most other recent codexes (so taking any special character doesn't allow you to take a unit in a different section of the Force Org chart at all).

NECRON ARMY-WIDE WEAPON NOTES

Spoiler:

• Gauss Weaponry does NOT have rending. It retains the 'auto-glance' on a penetration roll of a '6' rule, but has otherwise has lost the 'auto-wound' on a roll of a '6' regardless of Toughness that it used to have. The Gauss Cannon is now apparently Assault 2 & AP3 (I'm assuming the Strength is still 6).


• Telsa Weapons. With these weapons for every '6' rolled to hit the 'target suffers 2 additional automatic hits'. Whether or not that means the target suffers 2 or 3 hits in this case is a bit ambiguous, but I think the word 'additional' means that its actually 3 (one for the original hit for rolling the '6' to hit and then another additional two for a grand total of 3). The big daddy version of this weapon found on a lot of the heavier vehicles is the Tesla Destructor (and is almost always twin-linked to really maximize the chance to get those extra '6's to hit). All Tesla weapons are 24" and AP '-', but the Destructor is S7, Assault 4 and 'Arc' (which means you roll a D6 each unit, friendly and enemy, within 6" of your target and on a '6' they are struck with D6 S5 AP- hits as well). While the AP '-' keeps this weapon from being a premiere light vehicle killer, I think with all the potential S7 shots this can theoretically kick out, it still going to be pretty good at zapping vehicles.

The weapons go in order from lightest to heaviest as: Tesla Carbine -> Cannon -> Destructor.


• Particle Weapons. These are basically the blast weapons of the Necron army (with the exception of the pistol variant) with no special rules. They all have a pretty high Strength and a mid-range AP.

The weapons go in order from lightest to heaviest as: Particle Caster (pistol) -> Beamer -> Shredder -> Whip.


• There aren't any weapons that ignore invulnerable saves in the codex either...however there are quite a few little special abilities scattered about that simply remove models from play if they fail a certain kind of test, which does effectively ignore invulnerable saves (and any other kind of save too).


Confirmed via White Dwarf 382:

• Gauss Flayer: 24", S4, AP5, Rapid Fire, Gauss
• Gauss Blaster: 24", S5, AP4, Rapid Fire, Gauss
• Synaptic Disintegrator: 24", SX, AP5, Rapid Fire, Sniper
• Tesla Carbine: 24", S5, AP-, Assault 1, Tesla

OVERALL ARMY ORGANIZATION



HQ

• Imotekh the Stormlord (Lord of the Sau):

His fluff:

Spoiler:

The most powerful Necron Overlord currently. Imotekh's Tomb World awoke with many of its rulers still in hibernation. The lesser Lords that awoke decided not to manually wake up their superiors as they each tried to vie for control of the world. After a decade of civil war, one lesser Lord got the idea that he could awaken a great general and use him to rally everyone else to his cause, and so he woke up Imotekh, who was instantly appalled at the state of the Tomb World. He raised his own army and quickly decimated all of his competitors to the throne and took over never to look back.

The only true rival in his kingdom is now Nemesor Zahndrekh, but he is still wildly loyal to Imotekh (likely believing him to be some great Royarch of old).

Imotekh is perhaps the galaxy's greatest strategist and his attacks are often made across whole systems simultaneously, not just on isolated planets. Although his attacks may seem almost magical to some, in truth it is cold hard logic and probabilities in play, something that Imotekh is a master of, along with a great understanding of his foes' minds. His logic is so flawless, that the only way an enemy can get an advantage on him is to be truly random...something Orks actually do innately, which is why Imotekh hates them above all else. Imotekh has one and only one goal: to wash clean the galaxy of all its lesser races, leaving the Necrons to remain supreme.

Imotekh knows that logic and precision can only accomplish so much. Therefore, he uses weapons of terror and confusion against the enemy including having his forces advance under a storm-darkened sky (not explained how he does that, but I'm guessing some sort of Necron tech is in play) as well as implanting some foes with 'bloodswarm nanoscarabs' whose presence in their bodies draws Flayed Ones to them like flies to crap.

His empire is growing at an extremely fast rate, faster than any other Necron Overlord. Of course, this expansion has also means that his Empire has begun to be noticed in a serious way by the Ultramarines, Iyanden Craftworld & even the Tau Empire (as all 3 are apparently fairly close to the borders of his expanding domain).

If there is one flaw with Imotekh, it his need to utterly humiliate his foes in order to truly display his superiority, and leave them alive to know their shame at being defeated (although typically with a limb removed as a grim reminder of their loss). However, this hubris has led to allowing vanquished foes to survive now with further knowledge about how to fight him and Necrons in general. The fluff hints that perhaps damage during hibernation is to blame, but which trait is due to this damage? Is the need for personal glory the glitch or is it the grand strategic vision?

Imotekh is armed with a few pieces of 'standard' wargear (that generic Overlords can also be equipped with): Phase Shifter & Sempiternal Weave (which together give him a 2+/3++ save), Phylactery & Gauntlet of Fire (which is a CC weapon that allows 'to hit' & 'to wound' rolls in combat to be re-rolled and can be used in the shooting phase as a very standard template weapon).

For non-standard wargear, he has 'Bloodswarm Nanoscarabs' which make you randomly pick one enemy non-vehicle unit in the army (going to need that random number generator again!) and any Flayed One packs aiming to Deep Strike within 6" of this enemy unit don't scatter.

He also carries the 'Staff of the Destroyer' which cannot be used in CC (so no +1 for having two weapons in CC) but allows a once per game shooting attack that is S6, AP1, Assault1 and fires a 2D6" straight 'line' out from Imotekh's base and hits enemy units underneath like the Doom Scythe's Death Ray (each unit under the line suffers as many hits as models in that unit that are actually under the line).

For special rules, if his close combat attacks bring down an enemy Independent Character or Monstrous Creature then you get 2 Kill Points instead of 1...but if you're playing a campaign then any models 'killed' this way gain 'preferred enemy' against Imotekh in subsequent games in the campaign (as he lets them go after defeating them).

He is also is able to steal the Initiative in games on a roll of 4+, unless playing against Orks (in which case you can't even attempt to seize the Initiative).

He has a special rule that makes the first turn of the game be night fighting no matter what the mission and he can try to extend the rule into further turns by rolling higher than the current turn number on a D6...in addition, while the Night Fighting rules are in effect at the start of the Necron Shooting phase you roll a D6 for each unengaged enemy unit and on a roll of '6' suffer D6 S8 AP5 hits (as they are hit by lightning strikes). Vehicles get hit on their side armor.

And as a nice combo to this there is a Cryptek ability called 'solar pulse' which allows (once per game) at the start of any turn (friend or foe) for the Night Fighting rules to be cancelled for that turn (or apply if the Night Fighting rules weren't in effect when the pulse was launched...although Night Fighting created by a Solar Pulse does not generate Lightning Strikes against enemy units).

So I could see an army based around this using Night Fight (with Lighting Strikes, of course), and then any turn they REALLY need to shoot, you can use the Solar Pulse to cancel out the Night Fighting effects on your own turn, which still leaves them affecting enemy shooting on their turn! Seems like it could be quite nasty indeed! Oh, and he can try to seize the Initiative on a 4+ except against Orks (who confound his logic). But of course, he is also over 200 points naturally...basically the big uber-Ghazghkull style guy in the codex.

Can take a Catacomb Command Barge and/or a Royal Court.

Confirmed in WD 382, his cost is 225 points.


• Nemesor Zahndrekh & his loyal bodyguard Vargard Obryon:

Their Fluff:

Spoiler:

This is a Lord whose mind was damaged during hibernation and he still thinks he's fighting the wars of secession against his fellow Necrontyr (not even realizing he is a Necron now).

Therefore, he still practices honor and valor towards his enemies and tries to capture opposing generals instead of kill them. He would also never use Deathmarks, Wraiths, etc, as these are not honorable (assassins). Of course, they also say his subordinates have no such compunctions, so it explains how you can still have these units in an army with him.

Even though most of his subordinates would like to see him removed because he's obviously crazy, he is still a military genius and he still has a bunch of loyal followers as well, including his long-standing bodyguard Obyron, who takes care to clean up whatever messes Zahndrekh's delusions get them into (like he always arranges for enemy prisoners to be executed while 'trying to escape' for example).

Zahndrekh has the gear to give himself a 2+/3+ save (which generic Overlords can do as well if they take the same gear). He also has a Rez Orb, Particle Caster (pistol) and Void Blade (Rending & Entropic).

His special rules are all based around his tactical acumen and they allow him at the start of each Necron turn to pick a friendly unit and give them a special rule: Counter-Attack, Furious Charge, Hit and Run, Acute Senses, Stealth or Tank Hunters (which they get until the start of their next turn).

He ALSO gets to pick one enemy unit on the table within his line of sight to lose ALL of those special rules listed above until the start of the next Necron turn.

When he is on the battlefield, any number of Necron units in reserve waiting to Deep Strike may choose to enter play immediately after any enemy unit arrives from Reserves. In other words, basically the same ability the Deathmarks have.

Vargard Obyron does not take up a HQ slot if in the same army as Zahndrekh. He has an uncharacteristic WS6 (as well as a 2+ save) along with a Warscythe.

He also has the Ghostwalk Mantle, which is a Veild of Darkness that can be used to pull his unit out of close combat (leaving the enemy to consolidate immediately), and if he choose to arrive within 6" of Zahndrekh, he does not scatter. Furthermore, if Zahndrekh's unit is ever assaulted and Obyron is not part of that combat, then he immediately teleports into the combat, leaving whatever unit he is in, even if he is already fighting combat or embarked in a vehicle.

Finally, he has a special rule that means he keeps track of any misses enemies roll against him in CC (not counting those that are successfully re-rolled). Each 'miss' that occurs before he swings in combat gives him a bonus extra attack that round of combat, up to a maximum of 6.

These guys are not cheap (although at least individually still not as expensive as the Stormlord), but they've certainly got some interesting potential.

Nemesor can take a Catacomb Command Barge and/or a Royal Court.


• Illuminor Szeras:

His fluff:

Spoiler:

It says that while the C'Tan provided the knowledge for the bio-transference of the Necrontyr race into Necrons, it was Szeras that actually made it a reality. He saw it as just one step towards the ultimate evolution into gods of pure energy (I guess what he saw the C'Tan as and wanted to be that).

So even today he continues his tireless studies into understanding all facets of life, presumably seeking the elusive secret that would allow him to become a 'god' in his eyes.

To do this, apparently he feels he needs to test on living beings, so he's constantly needing fresh subjects culled from invasions. Through his research he has come up with some the greatest advancements in technology for the Necrons, so his services are much sought after.

He is a Cryptek special character, so has a much more less powerful statline then the other special characters that are essentially super-Necron Orverlords. Despite being a 'Cryptek' in the fluff, he's still just a regular HQ choice (and you can't take a Royal Court for him because he isn't an Overlord).

For Wargear, he has an Eldrtich Lance and Gaze of Flame (Assault and Defensive Grenades for him and his unit).

His one unique special rule is that he upgrades a single Warrior or Immmortal unit with a random upgrade (you roll a D3 to see which ability gets picked...I mistakenly reported earlier that he upgraded D3 units, but that actually isn't the case. He only upgrades one unit)

The upgrades are: T5, BS5 or S5.

Definitely one of the more ho-hum named characters from a gameplay perspective, but he's also the cheapest by far, although the fact that you can't take a Royal Court for him does seem to make his uses even as a cheap HQ choice likely questionable.

Cannot take a Catacomb Command Barge or a Royal Court (as he isn't an Overlord).


• Orikan the Diviner:

His fluff:

Spoiler:

Orikan is the master 'astromancer' in the Necron race and is roughly equivalent to what Eldrad is to the Eldar (although I think Eldrad is superior to him in terms of future predictions).

Since Orikan knows so much about the future, he tends to treat other Necrons with scorn and disdain and this has made him less than popular and many would like to see him destroyed. Unfortunately, his skills are fare too useful for anyone to actually go through with that.

Unlike a Farseer, it seems as though his ability to predict the future is largely based on sheer calculations of even the smallest minutiae. However, unforeseen events, especially those based around the truly unpredictable nature of the warp can and do confound him. In order to maintain his reputation, he has access to some rare chronomantic abilities, which he uses to actually go backwards in time to change past events slightly to make sure his predictions actually come true.

Of course, every time he does this, naturally all sorts of other terrible unforeseen events also tend to occur based on what he changed in the past, but as long as his prediction came true, he cares little for any other destruction he causes.

Just as with Illuminor Szeras (the other 'Cryptek' named character) he has lesser stats than the Overlord style named characters. He does have a phase shifter though (3++ save).

His weapon is the 'staff of tomorrow' and its basically a staff that hits his opponents an instant before he actually swings it! That means he gets to re-roll 'to hit' and 'to wound' rolls, and it is a power weapon.

He has a special rule called 'Lord of Time' that allows him on one turn (and only one turn) to re-roll all unsuccessful reserve rolls that turn (unsuccessful rolls MUST be rerolled that turn, he doesn't get to choose).

He has another special rule that means all enemy units count as moving through difficult terrain on the first turn and if they are actually moving through difficult terrain then they have to choose the lowest die from the two they roll for difficult terrain. This obviously seems like a good ability to combine with the C'Tan manifestation that makes all difficult terrain count as dangerous!

The last ability he has is called 'The Stars are Right' and basically represents the fact that Orikan has predicted that at some time during the battle the stars will align and he will reclaim a portion of his ancient power (presumably from before when he was a Necontyr). He rolls a D6 at the start of each of his turns and if the die roll is less than or equal to the turn number then he has ascended to his 'empowered' state and gets a totally new statline that has S/T7, A/W4, etc...suspiciously similar to a C'Tan profile some would say.

Of course, you have to keep rolling at the start of each turn and if you ever roll less than or equal to the turn number again, his power recedes and he drops back down to his old statline (which could mean he instantly dies if he had already suffered more wounds than his 'lesser' profile has on it).

Points-wise, this guy is nowhere near as cheap as Illuminor Szeras, but compared to the rest of the named characters, he is still the cheapest.

Cannot take a Catacomb Command Barge or a Royal Court (as he isn't an Overlord).


• Anrakyr the Traveller:

His fluff:

Spoiler:

A Necron Lord whose goal is to unite the Necron Empires again. He travels to Tomb Worlds still sleeping and kills the 'lesser' inhabitants that may live there unaware they are on a Tomb World, the 'price' for this service is to claim a tithe from the newly awakened legions. Some Necrons see him as a golden crusader others don't want reunification and would rather see him dead.

He has a special rule that allows the Necron player to pick an enemy vehicle each shooting phase within 18" and on a D6 roll of 3+, the Necron player is able to fire with that vehicle as if it were his (counting as not moving for the shooting attack and ignoring any shaken/stunned results on it)...in other words he 'hacks' into the vehicle and momentarily takes control!

He also has a Tachyon Arrow, which is like a super hunter-killer missile. A one-time use S10 AP1 single shot that has unlimited range (Overlords & Destroyer Lords have the option to take this as well).

I can't imagine too many people ever taking this guy over the Stormlord (although he is 50 pts cheaper), but that ability could just do some crazy things, especially in Apocalypse games where you could shoot with an enemy titan or other super-heavy vehicle!

Can take a Catacomb Command Barge and/or a Royal Court.


• Trazyn the Infinite:

His fluff:

Spoiler:

He is a Necron who woke very early and is fascinated with studying and collecting history. His tomb world is filled with secret trinkets including (I quote) 'a giant of a man clad in baroque power armor' (start your wild theories here!). He even will attack other Necron tomb worlds to capture artifacts from them that he doesn't think they deserve.

He has a special weapon whose affect happens after a round of combat in which he has killed an enemy and after all blows have been struck on both sides. Given that this is not a power weapon (and he just has 3 Attacks), it is not a sure thing that he will kill anybody in combat!

But if he does, roll a D6 for every model (friend or enemy) that has the same name on their characteristic profile as one of the models that he killed that turn. On a 4+ those models take a wound (armor/inv saves can be taken as normal).

Example: If the he kills an Ork Boy in close combat, roll for all other Boyz in the same combat, and on a 4+ those models suffer a wound, but NOT the nob (as he has a different name on his profile). It would seem that if he was fighting against another Necron player, then this rule has the potential to hurt his own forces if the same type of units were facing off; if he was attached to a unit of warriors that was fighting against an enemy unit of warriors, for example.

He is also a scoring unit (because in reality when he's 'claiming' an objective he's really seeking to claim a hidden Necron artifact nearby, it says).

Also, anytime he is removed as a casualty, roll a D6. On a 1, he is removed as normal (but would still get a chance to use Reanimation Protocols as usual I presume as he has that special rule too), but on a 2+ you randomly choose another model from all the friendly Lychguards, Crypteks, Necron Lords and Overlords on the table (not counting named versions of those) and remove that model and replace it with Trazyn, who counts as returning to play with the same amount of wounds the model he replaces had. And it even specifies that he only gives out Kill Points when he doesn't return this way.

He also has Mindshackle Scarabs (which is a piece of wargear that other character-type models in the army have access to). These allow the bearer to randomly pick one enemy model in base contact before any attacks are made in CC that turn. That model must pass a Ld test on 3D6. If it fails the test, it instead does D3 attacks on its own unit using the weapons/special rules of the Necron player's choice (if the model has different weapons or kinds of attacks).

So while not a powerhouse or a character that boosts the ability of your army, he is a HQ that is a scoring unit which can give you a few different tactical options.

Can take a Catacomb Command Barge but CANNOT take a Royal Court.

Confirmed in WD 382, his cost is 175 points.


• Necron Overlord: Generic DIY Necron Overlord (guy who rules a Tomb World) with plenty of options. Can ride on a Catacomb Command Barge and/or take a Royal Court.

Generic Overlords start with a Staff of Light (regular CC weapon that also has a 12" S5, AP3, Assault 3 shooting attack). They can exchange (and in some cases pay more points for):

• Warscythe
• Gauntlet of Fire
• Hyperhase Sword
• Voidblade

I think I've discussed all those weapon options before in other unit descriptions, so I won't bother going over them.

They also have the option to take any of the following Wargear:

• Phylactery
• Mindshackle Scarabs
• Sempiternal Weave
• Tesseract Labyrinth (one use only. choose a character or monstrous creature in base contact and instead of making CC attacks the victim must roll under its remaining wounds on a D6 or be removed as a casualty with no saves allowed).
• Tachyon Arrow
• Resurrection Orb
• Phase Shifter


• Destroyer Lord: Basically the same as an Overlord but with Preferred Enemy against everything (Destroyers now hate everybody). CANNOT take a Royal Court.

Destroyer Lords come stock with the Warscythe and have the same weapon options as the Overlord (except they can't get the Staff of Light).

The only wargear choices Destroyer Lords have are:

• Sempiternal Weave
• Mindshackle Sacarbs
• Tachyon Arrow
• Resurrection Orb



• Royal Court: 0-5 regular Necron Lords (lieutenants to the Overlords) as well as 0-5 Crypteks (can take 0-5 of either or both, for a minimum of 1 model or a maximum of 10). Crypteks are masters of Necron technology, whose abilities sometimes appear like sorcery to other races, but they do not have any psychic powers...all their abilities do not require a psychic test or anything like that (nor are they ever referred to as psychic powers in any way). Any member of the Court (Lord or Cryptek) can be split off at the start of the game to lead a unit of Warriors, Immortals, Lychguard or Deathmarks (but only one per unit).

The Royal Court does not take up a HQ slot but may only be taken one per each Overlord (including the named ones) you take in the army.

Crypteks vs. (basic) Lords in the 'Royal Court': both have more like squad leader stats then character stats (1 wound each for example) with both of their base points are in the exact same range as an IG Commissar, for example. However, all of the upgrades for these guys clock in the 5 to 45 point range (each option) with probably a 15 point median for their gear, so you can imagine that these guys will very quickly eat up your points if you give them many (or any) upgrades.

These (lesser) Lords come standard with Staff of Light but can upgrade it to (for a number points):

• Warscythe
• Gauntlet of Fire
• Hyperphase Sword
• Voidblade


And they can take any of the following gear (for a number of points):

• Sempiternal Weave
• Mindshackle Scarabs
• Tesseract Labyrinth
• Resurrection Orb
• Phase Shifter

Of all those weapons and upgrades only the Rez Orb benefits the unit. The rest of the upgrades just give the Lord extra benefits in combat or armor save.

So really, if you're looking to make the Lord improve a unit by leading it, besides adding some CC punch to the unit your only real choice is the Rez Orb and the Rez Orb is on the high end of the points scale for their wargear so it isn't exactly a steal to get a Rez Orb into a unit (which for those who aren't keeping up boosts that unit's, and only that unit's, Reanimation Protocols to a 4+).

Crypteks can be taken plain jane if you wanted (with only a Staff of Light), but if you want to upgrade them at all, then you have to select a 'discipline' that they follow. There are five disciplines to pick from and each one costs some amount of points to take, with the only benefit being that you get an upgraded weapon instead of the staff of light that fits into that discipline's role (all but one of these upgraded weapons are improved shooting attacks).

The 5 Disciplines are: Harbinger of Destruction (described as 'plasmancers', weapon is Eldritch Lance, wargear choices are Gaze of Flame & Solar Pulse), Harbinger of Eternity (able to read the future, weapon is Aeonstave, weargear choices are Chronometron & Timesplinter Cloak), Harbinger of Transmogrification (described as 'geomancers', weapon is Tremorstave, options are Seismic Crucicble & Harp of Dissonance), Harbringer of the Storm (described as 'ethermancers', weapon is Voltaic Staff, options are Ether Crystal & Lightning Field) & Harbringer of Despair (described as 'psychomancers', weapon is Abyssal Staff, options are Nightmare Shroud & Veil of Darkness).

Now, once you've chosen a discipline to upgrade to, you're allowed to give the Cryptek one (or both) of the listed wargear options. HOWEVER, the rules state that 'each of the wargear options can only be chosen once in each Royal Court'. So the only way you're going to get more than one Veil of Darkness (for example) is to take a second Royal Court and even then you're only getting a second one. So you will be able to spam these items.


Harbinger of Destruction
• Weapon: Eldritch Lance (36", S8, AP2, Assault 1)
• Potential Wargear: Gaze of Flame (Assault/Defensive Grenades for the unit) & Solar Pulse (covered in Imotekh's rules above).


Harbinger of Eternity
• Weapon: Aeonstave (a regular CC weapon except: Any model that suffers an unsaved wound from it loses 'fleet' if it has it and reduces its WS, BS, I, & A to '1' for the rest of the game).
• Potential Wargear: Chronometron (The bearer, or his unit, can re-roll a single D6 each phase) & Timesplinter Cloak (3++ save).


Harbinger of Transmogrification
• Weapon: Termorstave (36", S4, AP-, Assault 1, Blast weapon that causes an enemy unit hit by it to count as moving in difficult terrain in their next movement phase).
• Potential Wargear: Seismic Crumble (A single enemy unit picked at the start of the enemy's assault phase has its assault move reduced by D3" if attempting to assault the Cryptek's unit) & Harp of Dissonance (Unlimited Range, S6, AP-, Assault 1, Entropic).


Harbinger of the Storm
• Weapon: Voltaic Staff (12", S5, AP-, Assault 4 weapon that hits vehicles like Haywire Grenades: roll a D6 and 2-5 = glancing hit, 6 = ).
• Potential Wargear: Lightning Field (Enemy units assaulting the Cryptek's unit immediately suffer D6, S8, AP5 hits) & Ether Crystal (Any units arriving by Deep Strike within 6" of the Cryptek D6, S8, AP5 hits. If there is more than one Ether Crystal within range then you just increase the number by 1...so a total of D6+1 hits).


Harbinger of Despair
• Weapon: Abyssal Staff (Template, S8, AP1, Assault 1, roll against target's Ld instead of Toughness, does not affect vehicles).
• Potential Wargear: Nightmare Shroud (Each Necron shooting phase, pick an enemy unit within 18" and force them to take a morale test) & Veil of Darkness (Same as before but cannot be used to pull the unit out of combat).


So in general I think the basic Lord is what you take if you're trying to give the Royal Court some CC punch (or give a unit some CC punch)...besides the obvious Rez Orb choice, of course! Instead, if you're wanting to upgrade your unit to have some unique abilities and a specialty shooting weapon in it, then the Cryptek is the way to go.

Neither Lords nor Crypteks are ICs…they are assigned to a unit at the start of the game or are kept together as a Royal Court unit. The lesser Lords & Crypteks cannot take Catacomb Command Barges and they have no option to take Destroyer bodies.



DEDICATED TRANSPORTS


• Night Scythe: Fast, skimmer (not open-topped). A variant of the Doom Scythe fighter that is a 15 model flyer transport with the 'supersonic' 36" flat-out move that the new flyers (that are really skimmers) have. Can carry jump infantry models (taking up 2 spots each), Jetbike models (taking up 3 spots each) and fire all its weapons even when moving at cruising speed. Has living metal, but not quantum shielding. AV 11/11/11 like most Necron vehicles. Has a Twin-linked Tesla Destructor as its weapon.

The transport is done by a wormhole gateway on the underside, the only access point. If the Night Scythe is destroyed, the embarked unit is not deployed, but instead goes back into reserves to arrive normally (i.e. it can't deep strike even if the unit has that rule). This can suck pretty bad for an expensive unit to suddenly get sucked back into Reserves, but remember as long as you have at least one Monolith in your force, you can use its Portal to pull that unit out of Reserves at the start of your next movement phase, so it isn't all that bad!

The artwork basically just shows the craft as a crescent shaped vehicle, with barrels sticking out from underneath for the weapons. This artwork for the Night/Doom Scythe looks very similar to what you see flying in the background of some of the first wave release covers.


• Ghost Ark: Open-topped, non-fast skimmer. 10 model transport (It can only carry Necron Warriors, Lords, Overlords, Crypteks and Special Characters), AV11 with quantum shielding and living metal. Also is able to regenerate D3 Warrior models to one unit within 6" each Necron movement phase (but cannot take the unit above its starting size). Has a Gauss Flayer array (5 Flayers) on each side is allowed to fire at different enemy targets. Not entirely clear whether a weapon destroyed takes out a whole array or not, but I'm leaning towards yes. 115 points, confirmed in WD 382.


• Catacomb Command Barge: Open-topped fast skimmer that is a one-man vehicle for most ICs. AV11 with quantum shielding & living metal. Also the character can lose wounds to negate immobilized or weapon destroyed results. Also has a Tesla Cannon (which can be upgraded to a Gauss Cannon). Can make 3 sweep attacks over a single enemy unit it passes over when it moves (vehicles are hit on their back armor). These attacks hit on a 3+ at combat speed, 4+ otherwise. On a to hit roll of '6' you choose which model in the unit his hit by the attack.

When you combine this Sweep Attack with the S7 attacks most ICs have with a Warscythe (for example), this could potentially be a bit nasty…note that Trazyn's special ability to nuke all the same type of model in a unit will not work as a sweep attack because of the way it is written (he needs to be locked in combat to use it).



ELITES

• Deathmarks: 24" range rapid-fire AP 5 sniper unit that can choose to Deep Strike in immediately after any enemy unit arrives from Reserves (which just allows the enemy to fire at them first?)...teleporting in from a pocket dimension to target their prey. They can also mark a single unit as their 'target' which allows them to roll to wound on a 2+. Beautiful models from the pics leaked, but at 19 pts per model (confirmed in WD 382) I can't see them ever being used except to see those great models on the table. 5-10 in a unit and can be transported on a Night Scythe.


• Lychguard: Traditionally these have been the bodyguards for the Overlords. 5-10 in a unit. Come standard with Warscythes (+2 Strength Power weapon...there is no built-in shooting weapon on the Warscythe anymore) but the entire unit can replace their Warsythes (for 5 points more) with Hyperphase swords (power weapon) and Dispersion Shields (gives them a 4+ invuln that when passed, reflects wounds caused by shooting onto any enemy unit within 6"…does not redirect blast/templates though). They can be transported on a Night Scythe. 40 pts per model (confirmed in WD 382_.


• Triarch Ptaetorians: These used to be effectively the 'police' (my term) of the main Necron ruler (the last of which was the Silent King) to help enforce his will onto the Lords of the Empire. They are known to respect great warriors and honor valor and have sometimes ordered Necron Overlords to stop attacking a foe they deemed worthy of respect (much to the Lord's chagrin). 5-10 in a unit. They are Jump Infantry (wearing gravity displacement packs) with a 6" AP2 S5 weapon that is also a power weapon. The entire unit can swap that out for Void Blades (a weapon with Rending and the same Entriopic ability that Scarabs have) and Particle Casters (a S6 AP5 pistol weapon). No transport option. 40 pts per model (confirmed in WD 382).


• C'Tan Shard: Fluff-wise, these are shards effectively controlled by the Necron (even though they have most shards locked away in pocket dimensions). Each shard represents only a portion of the power and consciousness of the C'Tan and therefore in battle the C'Tan may not even think to utilize some of its power because the portion of it that knows it has 'X' power simply isn't there. This is essentially what explains why they only have access to 2 special abilities in battle.

Basically, the Necrons know they cannot fully destroy the C'Tan (only shatter them into shards) and are deathly afraid one of them will get their full power back together and take their revenge back on the Necrons for betraying them. So the Necrons are generally hunting down the shards and locking them in inter-dimensional prisons. However they somehow have the ability to force these shards to fight for them (presumably through the Necodermis the shards reside in), although in gameplay terms there are no additional rules to represent that the shard is essentially a prisoner.

1 per FOC slot taken. WS/BS5, S/T7, W/I/A4, Ld10, 4+ Invuln save. Each shard must take 2 of the 11 listed ability choices that basically shape what kind of C'Tan shard you're fielding. No ability can be taken more than once in the army (even if you take 3 C'Tan shards in the army). Also has Eternal Warrior and ignores all terrain penalties. Still explodes D6" when they die.

These abilities each cost a different point value (between 10 & 50 points), they are:


• Can make their CC attacks Entropic.

• Can place a large blast over themselves at the I1 step of combat and all models touched by it suffer a S3 hit with no armor saves allowed. If one or more unsaved wound is caused by this attack, the C'Tan gains a single wound back (but cannot go above its starting wound values). Kills caused by this attack do NOT count towards combat resolution.

• Can redeploy D3 units after deployment and scout moves are done, including moving units into/out of reserves.

• Make all Melta/Flamer fired within 12" basically suffer from 'gets hot' except that if a '1' is rolled then the firing model is removed automatically with no save possible. On vehicles, an exploded weapon counts as 'destroyed'.

• Make all enemy vehicles moving within 6" of the C'Tan count as moving through difficult terrain. Deep Striking units landing within 6" auto-mishap if their scatter roll is a double (regardless of whether they 'hit' or not).

• Counts as having both Assault/Defensive Grenades & Stealth.

• During the C'Tan's Initiative step pick one enemy model in base contact. That model must pass an I test or be removed with no save possible.

• Makes all difficult terrain count as dangerous for the enemy army and makes existing dangerous terrain cause wounds on '1' or '2' instead of the normal '1'.

• Shooting Attack: 24", S4, AP-, Assault 1, Large Blast

• Shooting Attack: 18", S4, AP-, Assault 8

• Shooting Attack: 24", S9, AP2, Assault 1


As awesome as some of this sounds, you have to temper that with the fact that shards are nearly 200 points with no options, and once you factor in the two manifestation upgrades, you're talking about a unit that is somewhere between 200-300 points (depending on which two manifestations you take).

Every indication I get from the codex is that you'll just use the existing models to represent C'Tan shards, because if you think about how they're described now, a 'shard' is really much closer to what the old codex's power-level was for a C'Tan.


• Flayed Ones:

Flayed Ones were an entire Tomb World 'cursed' by the C'Tan they killed with a degenerative disease that makes them go crazy and crave flesh (despite not being able to actually eat it, they try anyway). Flayed Ones are sickening to regular Necrons who are afraid they may end up like that eventually, and Flayed Ones presence on the Battlefield is not asked for (they just warp in on their own) and after the battle is over Necrons often try to hunt down and destroy any Flayed Ones they can.

3 Attacks base (and no additional CC weapons). Can infiltrate or Deep Strike. No transport options. 5-20 in a unit. They do not have any other special rules (like the 'terrifying visage' they used to have). 13 points each (confirmed in WD 382).


• Triarch Stalker: Concept Sketch shows a Triarch Praetorian sitting in an open-topped cockpit that is riding on a Necron-style giant almost scorpion walker set of legs. Very cool looking IMHO.

1 per FOC slot chosen. Has a variable heat ray (which can be upgraded to a couple of other weapons) that can either be fired as a template or as an Assault 2 S8 24" Heavy2 Melta weapon. Has a Targeting relay which means that any enemy unit hit by the Stalker gets a counter placed by it that allows all other Necron units shooting at the same unit that phase to count as being twin-linked. AV11 & open-topped, but does have Quantum shielding, Living Metal & Move Through Cover. Can upgrade its Heat Ray for a Particle Shredder or twin-linked Heavy Gauss Cannon (both of which cost more points).

Its got WS/BS4, S7, I2, & 3A.



TROOPS

• Warriors: You know them, you love them. Described as being basically automatons, with very little (if any) sentience.

5-20 per squad and can be transported on a Ghost Ark or Night Scythe (as long as the squad is small enough to fit into those respective transports.

They have the same basic statline they had before except they now have a 4+ save. Now before you go crazy, also note that their points cost is 13 points (confirmed in WD 382), which is almost a 1/3 price drop (down from 18 points). That means you get nearly 1/3 more Warrior models in the army for the same amount of points...it also makes losing an entire unit due to sweeping advance, not nearly as painful.

I know a lot of cynical people will hate this and accuse GW from simply making the change to sell more Warrior models, and you could be right. But personally I was always hoping they were going to make Necron Warriors not quite as tough and dump the points cost on them, so you could really take a ton of them...given in my mind they are supposed to be more like a shambling horde of undead robots than some sort of small elite force of super-warriors (but that could just be me).

So this change alone totally changes the army from out of the 'MEQ' umbrella and makes their base statline unique in the game (which is good, IMHO).


• Immortals: Immortals are said to have the ability to at least speak, but still aren't too much brighter than Warriors. These were Elite warriors of the Necrontyr before the conversion (not sure who the rank and file troops were if the Warriors were the non-combatants and the Immortals were the Elite soldiers?).

5-10 per unit. Immortals have lost their T5 (down to T4), but keep their 3+ save. However, their points cost has dropped to 17 pts a model (confirmed in WD 382), which is an 11 point drop (more than 1/3 a drop from the previous cost of 28 pts)! Can exchange their Gauss Blasters (which are now a rapid fire weapon) for Tesla Carbines (24" S5 Assault1, 'Tesla') Can be transported on a Night Scythe.





FAST ATTACK

• Canoptek Wraiths: Protectors of the Tombs while the hosts slumber.

1-6 in a unit. Jump Infantry who ignore terrain (don't take tests). Still have a 3+ invulnerable save and 3A base with Rending. 2 Wounds, but only I2. Any model can take one of a few different upgrades including a Whip Coil (nearly identical to a Tyranid Lash Whip), particle caster (S6 pistol) or a Exile Beamer (12" ranged HEAVY weapon that kills a randomly chosen model in the target unit unless it passes a Strength test). Roughly the same amount of points they used to be.


• Canoptek Scarabs: Scarabs are 15 points (confirmed in WD 382). 3-10 in a unit. They are now Fearless Swarms, have Entropic Strike as well as getting Reanimation Protocols. They are also beasts now. I can see this unit being spammed in a lot of armies because it can literally tear apart any vehicle if enough of them get into combat with it. Basically any vehicle that didn't move the previous turn that finds itself within charge range of a full Scarab squad is absolutely dead (since they have 3 Attaks, 4 on the charge and each hit reduces the vehicle's armor by 1 on a 4+)!

And even if they don't manage to wipe out a vehicle with their attacks (say they get unlucky or the swarm has been whittled down), then you're still looking at a vehicle with severely weakened armor that can then likely be taken out by any shooting unit in your army in a following shooting phase.


• Tomb Blades: Jet Bikes. From the artwork, these look like Necron warriors fused into a flying crescent throne carrying a weapon harness in their arms that is base twin-linked Tesla Carbines. The fluff says that they are pre-programmed with a bunch of different flight patterns and vectors that the onboard Warrior chooses from on the fly. this mitigates the fact that a Warrior has poor coordination, but since the programs are so advanced, in reality they act basically like any other similar unit in an enemy army despite the fact that their 'pilots' are much slower to react.

1-5 in a unit. The entire unit can upgrade their weapons (Twin-linked Tesla Carbine) to a couple different choices (twin-linked Gauss Blaster or Particle Beamer). The entire unit can take any of the 3 options: Nebuloscope (increases BS to 5), Shield Vanes (increased armor save to 3+) & Shadowloom (Stealth). No dedicated transport option (although they can embark on a Night Scythe or get teleported through a Monolith's portal).


• Destroyers: New fluff that says Destroyers are infected with some kind of degenerative virus that causes their sole purpose in life to be to kill their enemies. As such they hate everyone and have the Preferred Enemy special rule against everyone (as do Destroyer Lords).

First the good news: Destroyers have gone down to 40 points (confirmed in WD 382). The bad news is that you can only have 1-3 in a unit (yes you read that right). They are Jump Infantry now. Any model in the unit can upgrade to a Heavy Destroyer (bumping them up to 60 point each, confirmed in WD 382)…so there is no longer a separate unit for Heavy Destroyers you just choose to upgrade some or all of them within the existing Destroyer unit. The Gauss Cannon and Heavy Gauss Cannon are now Assault weapons (to correspond with Destroyers now being JI). The Gauss Cannon has had its AP improved to 3, but lost one shot (down to 2). The Heavy Gauss Cannon is effectively the same (except for being an Assault weapon).

And let's not forget, before Destroyers tended to be the only mid to long-ranged threat in the army. That doesn't have to be the case anymore so I'm guessing that it won't be quite as big a problem to have the smaller units as it would have been fielding them at that size with the old codex.



HEAVY SUPPORT

• Doomsday Ark: Variant of the Ghost Ark transport. One per FOC slot taken. Open-topped, non-fast skimmer, AV11, Quantum Shielding, Living Metal. The Doomsday cannon has two profiles, one for if the vehicle did or didn't move that turn (with the non-moving one being 72" range S9 AP1 Large Blast). The moving profile only has a 24" range and a S7 blast. Basically described as gunboat whose strategy is to hit first and destroy the enemy before they can fire back. Also has the same two Gauss Flux Arrays that the Ghost Ark does, which can be fired at different targets than each other and the Doomsday Cannon. 175 points, confirmed in WD 382.


• Annihilation Barge: Described as anti-infantry support platforms. Variant of the Catacomb Command Barge. One per FOC slot taken. Open-topped, non-fast skimmer, AV11, Quantum Shielding, Living Metal. Has a twin-linked Tesla Destructor & a Tesla Cannon, but can upgrade the cannon to a Gauss Cannon. Not exactly sure why you'd want to do that except for the extra range (36" for the Gauss Cannon as opposed to all Tesla weapons which are 24" range). 90 points, confirmed in WD 382.


• Monolith: One Monolith per FOC slot. It is a skimmer, but also a new vehicle type called 'Heavy' which means the vehicle cannot move faster than combat speed but always counts as stationary when firing.The Gaus Flux Arc on the Monolith no longer automatically hits every unit within range, instead each one fires separately and can hit four different targets (which can be different targets from the rest of its shooting). Has 4 Gauss Flux Arcs and each Arc is now just a straight up 3 shot weapon (instead of a random number of hits). Particle whip is now just a straight up S8, AP3, 24", Ordnance, large blast. Oh, and if the Monolith is put into Reserves, it must arrive via Deep Strike.

200 points now (confirmed in WD 382), which comes along with corresponding nerf in invulnerability (were you not expecting that?). Still AV 14 and still has Living Metal (although again that only helps remove Crew Stunned/Shaken now). Can still Deep Strike but apparently no longer has invulnerability from Mishaps (although in the final version of the codex this may have changed based on some of the author's comments on the GW website). The portal can be used to either transport any non-vehicle friendly Necron unit on the table (that isn't engaged in combat) through it or to suck enemy models within 6" to instant death who fail a Strength Test (one or the other can be done each shooting phase). No bonus to reanimation protocols is present when a unit goes through the Portal. The Portal can also be used to pull a unit out of reserves as well (instead of teleporting a unit on the table). A unit that is teleported through the Monolith's portal counts as disembarking from a moving vehicle (despite the fact that the portal teleportation happens before the Monolith moves).

At the end of the day, this is still an AV14 vehicle all around, which is pretty imposing in the current game. Unfortunately all of its weapons are really close range, which means it will also now tend to be in Melta range...


• Doom Scythe: Pure fighter variant of the Night Scythe. One per FOC slot taken. Non-open topped fast skimmer. AV11 with Living Metal (but no Quantum Shielding). Is supersonic (36" flat-out) and can fire all its weapons when moving at cruising speed. Has a twin-linked Tesla Destructor & a Death Ray, which allows a 3D6"; line to be drawn (with one end of the line being within 12" of the vehicle) and causes a number of hits on every unit crossed by the line equal to the number of MODELS in the unit that are under the line (so if the unit has 5 models crossed by the line, it would suffer 5 hits). Oh and did I mention that these hits are S10 AP1? Nasty indeed! And the Tesla Destructor is no slouch either! But at nearly 200 pts for an AV11 vehicle, to get within 12" to unleash this beast will probably be a bit rough.


• Tomb Spyders: The artwork makes them look much more flying and nimble, like giant Scarabs.

1-3 can be taken per FOC slot (but only together as a unit, they aren't individuals like they were in the last codex). They can now repair vehicles like a Techmarine, Big Mek, etc. Can take an anti-psychic defense against any power targeting a friendly unit within 3" (which nullifies the power on a 4+). Can still create Scarab Swarms, but only into existing swarms on the table within 6" of the Spyder creating them (the created Scarabs no longer form a unit with the Spyder) and they still take damage if they roll a '1' while doing so. Can take Whip Coils (by giving up a close combat weapon and a +1 to repair vehicles) which is like a Tyranid Lash Whip. Can take 1 or 2 Particle Beamers (by removing its CC/fixer arms) to do so. They have a WS, BS & Wounds of 3 and are slightly reduced in points, but have lost an Attack (although they do start with two CC weapons unless you upgrade the arms to other stuff).

yakface wrote:
As I've now got my hands on the retail codex (as many people have), I thought it would be a little fun to post a summary of the differences between the 'rumors' I posted before of what the codex would contain and what is in the actual book, as a way to perhaps see how the army design changed from an earlier concept to the final one.


ARMY-WIDE SPECIAL RULES

• The Wording for Entropic Strike definitely changed, as the original version did say 'at the end of the phase' when it came to degrading vehicle armor, so clearly they decided they wanted Scarabs and other models with Entropic Strike to be even MORE deadly against enemy vehicles (and without raising the points cost of anything with the ability).


WARGEAR

• Gauss Cannons did drop from 36" to 24". I guess that they really did want reinforce the super-short range shootiness of the Necrons and once they upped the max squad size for regular destroyers they were probably didn't like that people would build whole armies around Destroyers to get a bunch of longer ranged shots.

• I did get how Quantum Shielding worked wrong, but that's only because the older version had a very bad typo in it that made it unclear whether or not glancing hits also removed the shielding. So I don't think this was so much a change, but rather just cleaning up the wording of the rule.

• The 'Exile Beamer' changed into the 'Transdimensional Beamer', but yet somehow it remained a Heavy Weapon (so the Wraiths cannot move and shoot it)? Craziness, IMHO!

• The Warscythe did indeed gain the extra D6 for armor penetration against vehicles, which is huge. But the Warscythe did go from being a free swap for an Overlord's Staff of Light to a 10 point upgrade, so obviously this was a change made (and not just an oversight in the original version). Interestingly, the points cost for Lychguard remained the same despite the buff to their standard weapon, which makes me think that perhaps the return of the bonus penetration was done primarily to help boost the desirability of fielding Lychguard carrying Warscythes.


HQ

• Overlords and some named characters gained the 'Phaeron' rule (or the ability to take the rule in the case of a basic overlord).

• Imotekh went up 5 points from his original cost, but gained 'Phaeron' (which is a 20 pt upgrade for a basic overlord). Also, Imotekh's abilty to generate a bonus Kill Point when killing an IC or Monstrous Creature morphed into just an extra D3 casualties towards combat resolution...I've got to say, I'm really sad to see this rule change. I know it would have been pretty rare for him to get this bonus as he's not that great in combat, but I think the extra Kill Point would have been a really good reason to gamble with putting him into CC. As it stands now, the extra combat resolution bonus is hardly a good reason to ever risk putting him into CC against an enemy character. So overall, it does seem like they felt Imotekh was a bit too powerful (or else that Kill Point rule was too situational since it wouldn't affect 2/3 of games)?

• Nemesor Zahndrekh went down 5 points, but lost his Void Blade for a Staff of Light (bummer). I guess they were really trying to differentiate him from his bodyguard Obyron.

• Oirkan went up 15 points, but got a Transdimensional Beamer (which normally gots 15 points, so it makes sense).

• Anrakyr went down 5 points despite the fact that his Warscythe improved its armor pen abilities.

• Trazyn went up 15 points but gained 'Phaeron'.

• Regular Overlords went down by 5 points but gained the ability to take 'Phaeron'. Hyperphase sword went from 10 points to a free swap. Warscythe went from a free swap to 10 points.

• Destroyer Lords did have the option to take a Staff of Light, so I'm not sure how I misread that before!


TROOPS

• Necron Warriors did go up from 12 to 13 points each.


FAST ATTACK

• Wraiths went down by 5 points, but lost Reanimation Protocols. The particle caster option also dropped by 5 points.

• Scarabs stayed the same cost, but lost Reanimation Protocols although gained a ton of power (against enemy vehicles) through the Entropic Strike boost to compensate.

• Tomb Blade particle beamer upgrade went down 10 points.

• Destroyers went up 5 points, and increased their max squad size from 3 to 5 (although still only 3 are able to upgrade to Heavy Destroyers). Of course, their main weapon also dropped its range by 12" as well! Oh, and the cost for upgrading to a Heavy dropped by 5 as well, meaning Heavy Destroyers were effectively 60 points previously just as they are in the final version.


HEAVY SUPPORT

• Tomb Spyders probably went through the biggest change...their name changed to 'Canoptek Spyder' for starters (instead of 'Tomb Spyder Phalanx'). Their base cost remained the same, but they lost Reanimation Protocols. They previously came equipped base with two 'Dissection Claws' which were basically just two CC weapons (which meant that Spyders would have the bonus attack in CC if they didn't upgrade at all). You could exchange either (or both) Dissection Claws for Fabricator Claws at 10 pts each, and if you had 2 Dissection Claws you then had a +1 on your roll to fix vehicles (so basically a 4+). Now it just costs 10 points to get Fabricator Claws and the best the roll can be is a 4+.

You could also exchange one Dissection Claw for a Whip Coil for 10 points (an option that is sadly not in the final release). And you could exchange one or both Dissection Claws for Particle Beamers (20 pts each), which mean you could have had two separate Particle Beam shots for an extra 40 pts if you wanted. Now you just have one upgrade option to a twin-linked Particle Beamer for 25 points.



So there you have it. A (hopefully) complete breakdown of exactly where my rumors differed from the final release version and some insight on how GW did some final tweaks on some units.

Heinrich Kemmler wrote:Warriors and immortals are troops.
- save 4+ for the warriors
- 2 Variants of equipment for the immortals,
- sniper teams immortal
- Many variants of pariahs with weapons that kill the mother of all deaths
- 2 Kits which are support vehicle / troop carrier, one of which will be a mix between a machine of The Phantom Menace / the old DEldar's raider / a boat of the Egyptian antiquity.
- fail cast flayers all ugly.

Monolith, Warriors and Destroyers stay the same price and the same composition. 12 Warriors & 3 scarab bases.
Also, i haven't seen any mention of the Eternal Life rule, which allows whole units to get up again. No idea how it works, though.
(...)
Also, the Cryptec is slightly less expensive then the Overlords, the flayed ones however are 35€, thats 9€ more then rumoured.
(...)
35 ->Euro<-. 35 Euro for the Flayed ones. Not Pound. And Ferrox is correct, everything that's 20.50 gbp transtales to 26 Euro.
Ah, Immortals and Deathmarks ARE one kit. Just to clear this one out.

Afaik, no. Nothing is supposed to happen this weekend. Preorders should start with the WD next saturday.
However, due to the leak, GW retail stores have started to accept preorders already and are showing pictures and infos on a handout. Therefor they might be showing them 'early'.
(...)
Both C'tan models will be redone in finecast, 5th of November. Both C'tan sculpts and both the current Lord Models will be redone in Finecast aswell. Destroyerlord and Heavy Destroyer remain a Plastic/Metal Hybrid Kit for the time being.
(..)
We also keep forgetting it's a 6th Edition Codex. Destroyers with Preferred Enemy show that pretty good. Some things will appear strange or won't make any sense at all.
(...)
I also forsee, as I said befor, that the full potential of the new Codex will show with the 6th Edition rules. Otherwise I cannot explain several things. Like the Destroyers. Or the rapid fire sniperrifles. If what I heard is true, Deathmarks will be a real pain in the ass starting July.
(...)
Units may shoot once immediately after a deep strike movement.
Rapid fire weapons may be fired twice at max range if shooting unit didn't move that turn, or once at maxrange/twice at 12" if they moved.
Preferred enemy will work on shooting.
Take it with a lot of salt, though.

ghost21 wrote:only with overwatch

T7 or T8 won't make that much of a difference come July. Same goes for the Gauss ability to wound everything, no matter what the toughness.

GrumpyJester wrote:Speaking of the White Dwarf: I never found anything on the Warscythe rolling 2D6 against armour. It most definitely states that Warriors are 13 points however, separately when discussing the Warrior and in the army lists for the battle report. Some other point values that can be learned from the battle report are:

- Necron Lord @ 45 points
- Necron Cryptek @ 35 points and 55 points (depending on wargear no doubt)
- Lychguard @ 40 points...however, one squad of 5 was +25 points more expensive...could be that the shield option is +5 points.
- Deathmarks @ 19 points...not that bad, actually.
- Flayed Ones @ 13 points (and no mention at all of the "Fearsome Visage" rule or something they used to have)
- Warriors @ 13 points
- Ghost Ark @ 115 points
- Immortals @ 17 points regardless of weapon
- Scarabs @ 15 points per base
- Destroyers @ 40 points
- Heavy Destroyers @ 60 points
(...)
I didn't mention those because I thought their point costs were already clear...Doom Ark @ 175 points and Annihilation Barge @ 90 points. Necron Overlord in Command Barge @ 210 points.

75hastings69 wrote:Couldn't see this on the thread (although I didn't go through every page!) early next year youll be getting a second wave of necrons - entries in the codex not covered by this release, 4 vehicles, a walker and 2 aircraft, also new tomb spiders IIRC.
Can't recall of the top of my head about the vehicles, the walker Artwork shows a large spider with a necRon driver and scorpion tail over the head blaster type thing.

BramGaunt wrote:Looks like Yakface was wrong about a few details.

Warscythes DO roll 2D6 against Armour.
Destroyrs are 1 - 5
There is Artwork for All units.
Wraiths and Spyders really look alike, so I guess they are in for a dual Kit.
Crypteks Can be the same Heralds even in one court, but each upgrade is unique
The lychguards shields do work against templates. The hits are reflected, but the template stays were it is.
(...)
Heavy destroyers aadly are only 3 per squad. You can still have 2 regular destroyers to eat up fire.
Destroyer lords are their own HQ choice and do have preferred enemy, T6, 3 wounds.
(...)
Btw, Overlords can get a cool upgrade to make the unit they join Relentless.
Praetorians are fearless.
(...)
What I tell you is as accurate as Mr. Ward wrote it.
Destroyer Weapons are assault weapons.
Gauss Cannon is S5, AP 3, ass 2.
Spyders are 3 per unit, have 3 wounds ans S/T 6 and can get a S6 ap5 rwinlinked Blastweapon. They are of course still MCs. A2 only, though. (...)
The deciever is (currently) able to make fearless units flee, or to pin them down.
The ghost ark has to roll a D6 for repairs. You get to repair anyway, bot on a roll of 1 you suffer a glancing hit. One unit of warriors can be repaired by several arks.
(...)
Someone iver at dakka please tell yakface that I take my info out of the actual book. He is not the only one that is well connected.
Reanimation takes place after morale. A unit that was forced to retreat may not reanimate.
(...)
I don't have a Codex in the meaning of owning one. But I had about 2 hours access to one. I took a few notes for myself, but I am not going to post any big reveals here - there aren't many left anyway. Yakface did a marvelous job.
I checked mostly the stuff that interested me the most.
The story how Inquisitor Valeria got her Necron wargear is most exquisit.

Dying...to...find out the cost of Triarch Stalkers.

less then 10 immortals, but more then 10 warriors.
And the giant necron with c'tan shard wasn't from me. There is no Necromancer. The only walker in there is the awesome Triarch Stalker, an he doesn't look like a Necron.
Also: Wraiths, Scarabs and Tomb Spyders have NO reanimation Protocols. Because they are no Necrons.

How many DCCWs does it have?

Sadly none. It's CC abilities are average at best. It's main Function is to mark targets for twinlinked fire.
(...)
It's a heavy flamer.
It can be upgraded to a S7 ap4 5" Blast for very few points, or it can have a twinlinked Heavy Gauss Canon.

On the C'tans Flaming Death ability that makes Melta and Flamer 'get hot':
1st: It applys to your own units aswell, so stay away from your Triarch Stalkers with it...
2nd: You roll a D6 each time any Melta or flamebased (speak: using the flame template) is fired within 12". On a roll of 1, the Model is removed from play (weapon destroyed if it's a vehicle). Shots are not fired if a 1 is rolled. Twinlinked does not help. So basically, 1/6 of all Melta/Flamer near the C'tan will die.
The powers are all reasonably priced. The Fragment itself is less then 200 pts aswell.

I guessed Small blast but thats even better.

No, it's the 5 Inch blast for the Triarch Stalker. It's called a Particlesomething. Not the Big particle something that the monolith has, but bigger then the smaller particlesomething that the jetbikes can have.

The jetbikes can be taken in units of 5. They can be upgraded to BS5, can have a 3+ AS (4+ base) and can have the Stealth USR. Yak already covered this. They can switch the twinlinked teslaweaponthingy-the-immortals-have to a twinlinked Gauss Blaster or to a particleboomstick (I cant read my own handwriting what the exact name is...) S6 AP 5 Blast weapon.

Sounds as though wraiths are constructs like scarabs and Spyders now. Makes me wonder how similar in look the new ones will be to the existing models when they arrive.

If they follow the artworks, not that much. Scarabs are the same, but the other two are really different.
Wraiths look like small metal Trygon, basically, and Spyders... well, they still have the same back, but more smaller legs in front.
(...)
If my memory doesn't play any tricks to me it's the wraiths that have the coils, not the spyders. But great idea... oo
As long as I didn't skip anything, its Wraiths only. Any model in b2b strikes at I1.

Twin linked Tesla is a big difference to what the immortals carry - more chances for extra hits, plus greater mobility to get the shots to where they need to go. Squad size will be the limiting factor here, however.

Up to 5. They are only a little priceyer than immortals at base, but really add up on points if you buy the fancy toys.

that is eating me up. I'm telling myself that it doens't mean there are some hidden tricks or twists we don't know about.
But my unconcsious mind keeps telling me otherwise.

Look, man. I am only human. I make mistakes. But I passed on only things for the past... what, 6 hours? that I -read- in the actual -book-. It was not my book, but a genuine book still. I don't have it with me here or I'd gladly share anythign with you. My brain is usually pretty occupied after work, so I took some notes, but since I have a fair share of paperwork I was not that enthusiastic. I've been a little selfish there and read mostly fluff (which I enjoyed). Maybe next time I get around I can have a better look at rules, though most things are out there now.
Night Scythe is fewer points then the Ghost bark

Howard A Treesong wrote:I don't like some of the Necron HQ. Their legs are far too big, shouldn't they be thinner and more skeletal? Also, far far too much gubbinz on them. They are robots fer chrissakes, what's with all the bling?

Howard A Treesong wrote:I don't like some of the Necron HQ. Their legs are far too big, shouldn't they be thinner and more skeletal? Also, far far too much gubbinz on them. They are robots fer chrissakes, what's with all the bling?

The Doomsday Ark on the other hand looks great. I've seen a few comments that people hate it, I think it looks like the Cylon Resurrection Hub from BSG.

Not sure why Necrons need a traditional transport though, don't they just beam in and out?

I think the Necrons have lost something about them. I preferred it when they all looked the same and had much fewer units. Then they were like an army of the undead, all metal robots in unison with only slight differences. Now all the units look markedly different - there are heavy weapon robots, and sniper robots, and ones wearing human flesh, and ones with halberds, and ones with some other sorts of halberds and they are all sculpted differently.

I guess it's so there are lots more shinys for GW to sell but really I think it make the army look a lot more rag-tag than unified, which I though worked a lot better for necrons.