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What do you guys think? Is a royal court better when used as a single solid, nigh on indestructable unit, or is it better split up and supporting various troops and elites?

Using Lords to split down and boost other units is worthwhile, just for a Res Orb, MSS, Warscythe and a 2+ save, but thats over 100pts. Crypteks are helpful in places with VoD.

Nigh on Indestructible? Lords have the same statline as Lychguard. The problem is a Royal Court can get real expensive real quick.

I would say a split down, but only when it is necessary. They are a good, helpful unit but are outclassed by others in the codex. Such as Wraiths, Vehicles and Troops. Other things are more worthwhile for the points.

 phantommaster wrote:
Using Lords to split down and boost other units is worthwhile, just for a Res Orb, MSS, Warscythe and a 2+ save, but thats over 100pts. Crypteks are helpful in places with VoD.

Nigh on Indestructible? Lords have the same statline as Lychguard. The problem is a Royal Court can get real expensive real quick.

I would say a split down, but only when it is necessary. They are a good, helpful unit but are outclassed by others in the codex. Such as Wraiths, Vehicles and Troops. Other things are more worthwhile for the points.

well i say nigh on indestructable because last time I used them my royal court managed to keep 5 monsterous creatures in CC for 4 turns (then the match ended)

It's far from being nigh indestructible. You only have a few 1 wound models. Cover them in mass small arms fire and the Court will fall despite their 2+/3++ saves...and each lost Lord will be about 70 points.

This being said, he still is a strong unit. It's a deathstar, but a rather fragile one.

I usually run a Destrocourt (4xDestro + 1 Chrono w/ 1 Lord / Overlord w/ Orb) and it's incredibly effective. Terminators, MC, light vehicles, all fall alike. But despite a re-rollable 2+/3++, you still have Necron Warriors with rocket launchers at a premium. I always make sure to get them behind cover of any sort, preferably an Aegis Defense Line as the Chronotek can take care of the Quad-Gun and thus make the court a high-priority target.

It's a very effective, but fragile unit.

 Sigvatr wrote:
It's far from being nigh indestructible. You only have a few 1 wound models. Cover them in mass small arms fire and the Court will fall despite their 2+/3++ saves...and each lost Lord will be about 70 points.

This being said, he still is a strong unit. It's a deathstar, but a rather fragile one.

I usually run a Destrocourt (4xDestro + 1 Chrono w/ 1 Lord / Overlord w/ Orb) and it's incredibly effective. Terminators, MC, light vehicles, all fall alike. But despite a re-rollable 2+/3++, you still have Necron Warriors with rocket launchers at a premium. I always make sure to get them behind cover of any sort, preferably an Aegis Defense Line as the Chronotek can take care of the Quad-Gun and thus make the court a high-priority target.

It's a very effective, but fragile unit.

this is something that has always confused me. there seems to be so many lists out there that have a few or more of 1 kind of cryptek, but then when i look in the codex it says only 1 of each choice of wargear can be taken (i.e. only 1 lance, only 1 chronomotron or whatever its called etc)
how is it possible to take more than one... unless im misunderstanding destro and its not a harbringer of destruction xP

Yamsx wrote:

 Sigvatr wrote:
It's far from being nigh indestructible. You only have a few 1 wound models. Cover them in mass small arms fire and the Court will fall despite their 2+/3++ saves...and each lost Lord will be about 70 points.

This being said, he still is a strong unit. It's a deathstar, but a rather fragile one.

I usually run a Destrocourt (4xDestro + 1 Chrono w/ 1 Lord / Overlord w/ Orb) and it's incredibly effective. Terminators, MC, light vehicles, all fall alike. But despite a re-rollable 2+/3++, you still have Necron Warriors with rocket launchers at a premium. I always make sure to get them behind cover of any sort, preferably an Aegis Defense Line as the Chronotek can take care of the Quad-Gun and thus make the court a high-priority target.

It's a very effective, but fragile unit.

this is something that has always confused me. there seems to be so many lists out there that have a few or more of 1 kind of cryptek, but then when i look in the codex it says only 1 of each choice of wargear can be taken (i.e. only 1 lance, only 1 chronomotron or whatever its called etc)
how is it possible to take more than one... unless im misunderstanding destro and its not a harbringer of destruction xP

Any amount can be upgraded to the Harbringer, but only one can take any special wargear, they all still get the new weapon standard.

 phantommaster wrote:

Yamsx wrote:

 Sigvatr wrote:
It's far from being nigh indestructible. You only have a few 1 wound models. Cover them in mass small arms fire and the Court will fall despite their 2+/3++ saves...and each lost Lord will be about 70 points.

This being said, he still is a strong unit. It's a deathstar, but a rather fragile one.

I usually run a Destrocourt (4xDestro + 1 Chrono w/ 1 Lord / Overlord w/ Orb) and it's incredibly effective. Terminators, MC, light vehicles, all fall alike. But despite a re-rollable 2+/3++, you still have Necron Warriors with rocket launchers at a premium. I always make sure to get them behind cover of any sort, preferably an Aegis Defense Line as the Chronotek can take care of the Quad-Gun and thus make the court a high-priority target.

It's a very effective, but fragile unit.

this is something that has always confused me. there seems to be so many lists out there that have a few or more of 1 kind of cryptek, but then when i look in the codex it says only 1 of each choice of wargear can be taken (i.e. only 1 lance, only 1 chronomotron or whatever its called etc)

how is it possible to take more than one... unless im misunderstanding destro and its not a harbringer of destruction xP

Any amount can be upgraded to the Harbringer, but only one can take any special wargear, they all still get the new weapon standard.

is the lance not special gear? since it's an upgrade from the staff?

Yamsx wrote:

 Sigvatr wrote:
It's far from being nigh indestructible. You only have a few 1 wound models. Cover them in mass small arms fire and the Court will fall despite their 2+/3++ saves...and each lost Lord will be about 70 points.

This being said, he still is a strong unit. It's a deathstar, but a rather fragile one.

I usually run a Destrocourt (4xDestro + 1 Chrono w/ 1 Lord / Overlord w/ Orb) and it's incredibly effective. Terminators, MC, light vehicles, all fall alike. But despite a re-rollable 2+/3++, you still have Necron Warriors with rocket launchers at a premium. I always make sure to get them behind cover of any sort, preferably an Aegis Defense Line as the Chronotek can take care of the Quad-Gun and thus make the court a high-priority target.

It's a very effective, but fragile unit.

this is something that has always confused me. there seems to be so many lists out there that have a few or more of 1 kind of cryptek, but then when i look in the codex it says only 1 of each choice of wargear can be taken (i.e. only 1 lance, only 1 chronomotron or whatever its called etc)
how is it possible to take more than one... unless im misunderstanding destro and its not a harbringer of destruction xP

There are basic Krypteks who come with a Staff of Light. Necrons can then upgrade them to e.g. Harbringers of Destruction.

Upgrading them to a different sort of Krpytek does not count as an upgrade! Thus you can have up to 5 Krypteks of Destruction per Royal Court.

Each special Kryptek has access to special war gear. Destroteks can buy a Solar Pulse and / or Flaming Gaze.

Solar Pulse and Flaming Gaze are special war gear. You can only buy 1 (one) Solar Pulse and 1 (one) Flaming Gaze per Royal Court.

In WH40k, Necrons can buy up to 2 HQ units. If you buy 2 Overlords, you may buy 1 (one) Royal Court for every (!) Overlord in your army.

Thus when you have 2 Overlords, you may have up to 2 Royal Courts.

Since these 2 Royal Courts are individual Courts, each Court may contain 1 Kryptek with special wargear. Court 1 may have a Destrotek with Solar Pulse and Court 2 may also have a Kryptek with a Solar Pulse.

Hope that clears stuff up a bit, else, feel free to ask

 Sigvatr wrote:


There are basic Krypteks who come with a Staff of Light. Necrons can then upgrade them to e.g. Harbringers of Destruction.

Upgrading them to a different sort of Krpytek does not count as an upgrade! Thus you can have up to 5 Krypteks of Destruction per Royal Court.

Each special Kryptek has access to special war gear. Destroteks can buy a Solar Pulse and / or Flaming Gaze.

Solar Pulse and Flaming Gaze are special war gear. You can only buy 1 (one) Solar Pulse and 1 (one) Flaming Gaze per Royal Court.

In WH40k, Necrons can buy up to 2 HQ units. If you buy 2 Overlords, you may buy 1 (one) Royal Court for every (!) Overlord in your army.

Thus when you have 2 Overlords, you may have up to 2 Royal Courts.

Since these 2 Royal Courts are individual Courts, each Court may contain 1 Kryptek with special wargear. Court 1 may have a Destrotek with Solar Pulse and Court 2 may also have a Kryptek with a Solar Pulse.

Hope that clears stuff up a bit, else, feel free to ask

And suddenly I feel much more confident against Tough monsters....... my god I wish I had known this before.
so I can have a squad of 1 (cheap) overlord and 5 destroteks for only 265... cheaper than one of my usual shard choices, with the power to fire 5 eldrich lances...... sounds almost over powered...

My tip: take 4 Destroteks and 1 Chronotek with Chronometrum and a Timesplinter Cloak. The Chronotek allows you to re-roll 1d6 per phase (!). You may re-roll a to-hit / to-wound roll from any of the Destroteks, you may re-roll armor saves and in combination with the Cloak, you also get a re-rollable 3++. It's a very powerful combination, especially against tough terminators and stuff like Paladins as they get instantly killed by S8 and have no armor save vs the Eldritch Lance's AP 2.

In small point games up to 1000, I usually take such a Court and put my HQ in it along with the Weave (to get the 2+) and a Regeneration Orb (remember: you may also re-roll 1 RP roll per phase!).

 Sigvatr wrote:
My tip: take 4 Destroteks and 1 Chronotek with Chronometrum and a Timesplinter Cloak. The Chronotek allows you to re-roll 1d6 per phase (!). You may re-roll a to-hit / to-wound roll from any of the Destroteks, you may re-roll armor saves and in combination with the Cloak, you also get a re-rollable 3++. It's a very powerful combination, especially against tough terminators and stuff like Paladins as they get instantly killed by S8 and have no armor save vs the Eldritch Lance's AP 2.

In small point games up to 1000, I usually take such a Court and put my HQ in it along with the Weave (to get the 2+) and a Regeneration Orb (remember: you may also re-roll 1 RP roll per phase!).

well I am in a 2010pt game tomorrow so I might try taking 2 full courts see how they do, or 1 full lord court and 1 full cryptek court (both will have a chrono in though). see how they do, after all im vs'in a lot of monsterous creatures and terminators in the match. what you think? worth the points? also why will i need the cloak if i have an overlord and their saves?

The Timespliter cloak is cheaper than the Phase Shifter, but if you have the points spare, feel free to get it on the Overlord as well and do not get the Cryptek upgrade.

A Destrocourt is a good choice in such a case as Necrons are very limited in regard to AP 2 shooting.

If your meta is very heavy on 2+/MC, I'd recommend getting 1-2 Doomscythes.

...and while most of the internet community consider them being overpriced and ineffective, if you can, give Heavy Destroyers a shot. They have S9 AP 2 shots and may now re-roll all failed rolls to hit and wound. Their mobility was nerfed and 60 points / HD is a lot yet they are good at their job.

Another important point you might have not realized yet:

Krypteks are characters and thus in 6th, they have the Precision Shot rule. If any Destrotek rolls a 6 on a To-Hit roll, you may decide which model in the enemy unit gets hit. I had great success by e.g. killing the melta guys first in order to take the pressure off my Annhilation Barges.

And again, I can't stress that enough: keep them safe! They have the statline of a Necron Warrior and even with your Overlord and his 2+ in the front, massed low S fire will take them out. I usually bring a ADL with a quad gun in order to get them the 4+ cover save and, of course, the Quad-Gun. The Quad-Gun provides you with 4 more high S shots and the Chronotek takes good care of it.

Careful with melee troops though. You have 0 melee protection and are likely to lose the entire squad in the first turn of combat.

 Sigvatr wrote:
The Timespliter cloak is cheaper than the Phase Shifter, but if you have the points spare, feel free to get it on the Overlord as well and do not get the Cryptek upgrade.

A Destrocourt is a good choice in such a case as Necrons are very limited in regard to AP 2 shooting.

If your meta is very heavy on 2+/MC, I'd recommend getting 1-2 Doomscythes.

...and while most of the internet community consider them being overpriced and ineffective, if you can, give Heavy Destroyers a shot. They have S9 AP 2 shots and may now re-roll all failed rolls to hit and wound. Their mobility was nerfed and 60 points / HD is a lot yet they are good at their job.

Another important point you might have not realized yet:

Krypteks are characters and thus in 6th, they have the Precision Shot rule. If any Destrotek rolls a 6 on a To-Hit roll, you may decide which model in the enemy unit gets hit. I had great success by e.g. killing the melta guys first in order to take the pressure off my Annhilation Barges.

hmmmm I suppose points wise it makes more sense but i like to have my overlord at the front as he has the most wounds and wont be took down by a random shot
destroyers are next on my buying list, i don't think theyre overpriced at all 2 s9 ap2 preffered enemy shots for 60 pts sounds great to me

never been interested in necron vehicles though

and as for CC what about if theyre with 4 lords too? or a lychguard squad infront

Unfortunately, Heavy Gauss Cannons only have 1 shot, not 2.

CC-wise, 5 Lords with Warscythes will rock a lot, but keep in mind that you will drastically increase the points cost for the unit and make it a target for pie plates / small blasts.

ah, but still 1 shot like that isnt bad, would be useful for all the crap im always vs'in

Anyone tried putting a cryptek court in a Ghost Ark? Buy it for a warrior squad, then hop in first turn. Keeps them nice and safe, while providing a good mobile fire platform (while it supports foot warriors)

In the same vein, has anyone tried running naked Staff of Light crypteks in an ark? Scoot forward into range quickly, then unload 15 str5 AP3 shots a turn at any nearby MEQ unlucky enough to be nearby. Or for the same price, some StormTeks for even more shots.

 McGibs wrote:
Anyone tried putting a cryptek court in a Ghost Ark? Buy it for a warrior squad, then hop in first turn. Keeps them nice and safe, while providing a good mobile fire platform (while it supports foot warriors)

In the same vein, has anyone tried running naked Staff of Light crypteks in an ark? Scoot forward into range quickly, then unload 15 str5 AP3 shots a turn at any nearby MEQ unlucky enough to be nearby. Or for the same price, some StormTeks for even more shots.

y'know what that might be a great idea! but whats the rules on vehicles been destroyed with units inside? what's the survivability?

i have tried that with 3 DestroTeks and 2 TremorTeks. It wotked wonders on my friends Wraithlords.

I have also ran a couple of different Deathstar Builds around ScytheLords:

5 Lords all with WS, SW, PS
2 have Res Orbs, 4 have MSS.

Often accompanied by an Overlord w/ the above + TLab to one-shot a dakka'd MC.

They are effectively hammernators that trade 1 S to strike before hammernators, have a decent chance to make the hammernators hit themselves, and have AP1 Armourbane

EDIT the points are insane though, only used that particular build at 3000 points.

Every model takes a str4 ap- hit if the vehicle explodes. Nothing terrible.
4+ to wound,
4+ to armour save
5+ to get back up again.

@IHateNids
Hahahahaha, NOOOOOO.
Res orb sets reanimation at 4+. it does NOT give +1 for each orb.

An Obyron StarCourt seems like it could be pretty brutal.

Obyron,
Lord with Res Orb, Gauntlet of Fire, Weave
2-4 Lords with Weave, Gauntlet/Scythe/Shackles
Chronotek with Chronometron.

Deepstrike in, flame a bunch of stuff (or pair up with Zahndrekh and deep strike on their turn), then assault the bejeesus out of stuff.
Itd be like, 500 points and Demolisher templates would be the mother of all hard-counters. Comparable to Lysander/Assault Terminator bomb though.

I know, I checked my dex & edited the post


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 McGibs wrote:
Comparable to Lysander/Assault Terminator bomb though.

And mine isnt? XD

 IHateNids wrote:
i have tried that with 3 DestroTeks and 2 TremorTeks. It wotked wonders on my friends Wraithlords.

I have also ran a couple of different Deathstar Builds around ScytheLords:

5 Lords all with WS, SW, PS
2 have Res Orbs, 4 have MSS.

Often accompanied by an Overlord w/ the above + TLab to one-shot a dakka'd MC.

They are effectively hammernators that trade 1 S to strike before hammernators, have a decent chance to make the hammernators hit themselves, and have AP1 Armourbane

EDIT the points are insane though, only used that particular build at 3000 points.

i regularly use a similar build on 2000pt matches

I would as well, but i need my APlow pie plates (Monos/DDAs) cos my FLGS is dominated by MEQ and griblies

I'm always vs'in CC, monsterous creature or big unit types and thus i take my little royal court death squads

 Sigvatr wrote:
It's far from being nigh indestructible. You only have a few 1 wound models. Cover them in mass small arms fire and the Court will fall despite their 2+/3++ saves...and each lost Lord will be about 70 points.

This being said, he still is a strong unit. It's a deathstar, but a rather fragile one.

I usually run a Destrocourt (4xDestro + 1 Chrono w/ 1 Lord / Overlord w/ Orb) and it's incredibly effective. Terminators, MC, light vehicles, all fall alike. But despite a re-rollable 2+/3++, you still have Necron Warriors with rocket launchers at a premium. I always make sure to get them behind cover of any sort, preferably an Aegis Defense Line as the Chronotek can take care of the Quad-Gun and thus make the court a high-priority target.

It's a very effective, but fragile unit.

Dude, just the semp weave and phase shifter alone puts the lord at almost 100 points.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Sigvatr wrote:

...and while most of the internet community consider them being overpriced and ineffective, if you can, give Heavy Destroyers a shot. They have S9 AP 2 shots and may now re-roll all failed rolls to hit and wound. Their mobility was nerfed and 60 points / HD is a lot yet they are good at their job.

They can re-roll failed rolls of a 1 on the dice. Nothing else. Still good, but not great.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 McGibs wrote:
Anyone tried putting a cryptek court in a Ghost Ark? Buy it for a warrior squad, then hop in first turn. Keeps them nice and safe, while providing a good mobile fire platform (while it supports foot warriors)

In the same vein, has anyone tried running naked Staff of Light crypteks in an ark? Scoot forward into range quickly, then unload 15 str5 AP3 shots a turn at any nearby MEQ unlucky enough to be nearby. Or for the same price, some StormTeks for even more shots.

What's really nice is if you take Zahndrekh (you can take a regular lord too, but after upgrades they'll end up being more than zahndrekh), stick him with an almost fully naked court (so, 5 lords with staff of light, 4 crypteks with staff of light, 1 cryptek with veil of darkness), now you have a squad that can get certain USR's every turn, 30 precision shots, cracks MEQ and floats around the board. Just stick zahndrekh in front, lords behind him, crypteks behind them (stack your saves, basically) and everyone has a 4+ to get back up. All for under 500 points. The range sucks, but it's a great harasser unit.

They can re-roll failed rolls of a 1 on the dice. Nothing else. Still good, but not great.

Well, considering they are BS4 and wound just about anything on a 2+...it's pretty close to re-roll to both. You cause an AP 2 wound about 75% of the time versus 55.56% for your bog standard Laz Cannon...that's pretty great.

What's really nice is if you take Zahndrekh (you can take a regular lord too, but after upgrades they'll end up being more than zahndrekh), stick him with an almost fully naked court (so, 5 lords with staff of light, 4 crypteks with staff of light, 1 cryptek with veil of darkness), now you have a squad that can get certain USR's every turn, 30 precision shots, cracks MEQ and floats around the board. Just stick zahndrekh in front, lords behind him, crypteks behind them (stack your saves, basically) and everyone has a 4+ to get back up. All for under 500 points. The range sucks, but it's a great harasser unit.

This is along the lines of an Idea I've been playing with, except in a GA, replace the Veiltek with a Chronotek, and the staffteks with either lance or stormteks. Majority T5,4+/RO 4+, GA to hide in (and the Zandy's 2+/3++ Chrono'd saves) and can basically melt both troops and vehicles alike. Start it off kind of conservatively and plummet vehicles from 36" range, then close in for the kill in later rounds. The wall I keep running into is the "waisted firepower" of the Lords SoLs until they get close...still like the idea of diversifying it's capabilities.

ShadarLogoth wrote:

They can re-roll failed rolls of a 1 on the dice. Nothing else. Still good, but not great.

Well, considering they are BS4 and wound just about anything on a 2+...it's pretty close to re-roll to both. You cause an AP 2 wound about 75% of the time versus 55.56% for your bog standard Laz Cannon...that's pretty great.

What's really nice is if you take Zahndrekh (you can take a regular lord too, but after upgrades they'll end up being more than zahndrekh), stick him with an almost fully naked court (so, 5 lords with staff of light, 4 crypteks with staff of light, 1 cryptek with veil of darkness), now you have a squad that can get certain USR's every turn, 30 precision shots, cracks MEQ and floats around the board. Just stick zahndrekh in front, lords behind him, crypteks behind them (stack your saves, basically) and everyone has a 4+ to get back up. All for under 500 points. The range sucks, but it's a great harasser unit.

This is along the lines of an Idea I've been playing with, except in a GA, replace the Veiltek with a Chronotek, and the staffteks with either lance or stormteks. Majority T5,4+/RO 4+, GA to hide in (and the Zandy's 2+/3++ Chrono'd saves) and can basically melt both troops and vehicles alike. Start it off kind of conservatively and plummet vehicles from 36" range, then close in for the kill in later rounds. The wall I keep running into is the "waisted firepower" of the Lords SoLs until they get close...still like the idea of diversifying it's capabilities.

If you're talking straight heavy destroyers, ya, but I was not. I was referencing the rule they have.

Ya, you can use a ghost ark too but you're still limited to 6" movement at that point, and still being able to fire anyway. That coupled with their short range, that's why I suggested the veil instead.

Sure you can take storm or lance teks but that's not the point of what I suggested. You take the destruct teks and you're removing 66% of the cryptek firepower. The point of the unit I suggested was weight of fire, not pure firepower. If you want pure firepower, there's a much different and better way to go about it, but you won't have has many wounds forced upon the enemy.

Zandrekh makes for an awesome addition to the Destrok as well. All of his special abilities come at an extra price of 5 points (!) compared to a regular Overlord with the same equipment and he takes the same place a regular Overlord in such a court would do. At the same time, your S8 AP2 shots now even get the USR Tank Hunters...scary.

Having zandrekh almost nullifies your combat protection though, i'd prefer a normal overlord pimped out with all what zandrekh has plus a warscythe, mindshackle scarabs and a bunch of lords

Yamsx wrote:
Having zandrekh almost nullifies your combat protection though, i'd prefer a normal overlord pimped out with all what zandrekh has plus a warscythe, mindshackle scarabs and a bunch of lords

That's another kind of Court then. I was specifically talking about the Destrocourt, you seem to think of a Deathstar Court. The problem with a bunch of lords is that they massively increase the points cost.

1 Lord with Warscythe and MSS already comes at 60 points, thus "a bunch" of a 3 Lords would be 180 points. Keep in mind that those 180 points cannot do anything in the first few turns and only serve as a protection if the Court should come to fight in melee. On top of that, add the normal Overlord with Warscythe and MSS and let's see how that turns out:

530 points. That's not that far away from 1/3 of your regular 1850 points match, spent on a unit that cannot even score. It's a huge fire magnet especially for blasts and mostly consists of 4+ armor saves. Massed low S fire will take the court out.

In case of melee protection, I'd much rather take a unit of Lychguard. They are more mobile and can support different units while being more resilent than Lords.

 Sigvatr wrote:

Yamsx wrote:
Having zandrekh almost nullifies your combat protection though, i'd prefer a normal overlord pimped out with all what zandrekh has plus a warscythe, mindshackle scarabs and a bunch of lords

That's another kind of Court then. I was specifically talking about the Destrocourt, you seem to think of a Deathstar Court. The problem with a bunch of lords is that they massively increase the points cost.

1 Lord with Warscythe and MSS already comes at 60 points, thus "a bunch" of a 3 Lords would be 180 points. Keep in mind that those 180 points cannot do anything in the first few turns and only serve as a protection if the Court should come to fight in melee. On top of that, add the normal Overlord with Warscythe and MSS and let's see how that turns out:

530 points. That's not that far away from 1/3 of your regular 1850 points match, spent on a unit that cannot even score. It's a huge fire magnet especially for blasts and mostly consists of 4+ armor saves. Massed low S fire will take the court out.

In case of melee protection, I'd much rather take a unit of Lychguard. They are more mobile and can support different units while being more resilent than Lords.

good point, I don't often think about points. However if you are vs'in a CC army I think the lords could do a good job. also depends what you have to attract fire elsewhere in your army.