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Bringing these big boys back to the 41st Millennium. The hereteknical semi-sophont machine spirits inside have become daemons in the 10,000 years since Prospero burned, and their armaments have gained inferno shells, but they otherwise function pretty much as they used to. I'm honestly kind of confused as to why Forge World haven't produced datasheets for units like these or the AdMech 30k models; it seems like it couldn't hurt sales. I originally used the Kastellan statline as a basis for these, but downgraded them back to the original 4 wounds, 2 attacks when I realized how hard it was to distinguish 6 wound, 3 attack stompy robots from... well, regular Hellbrutes. Instead they're basically the Thousand Sons' answer to Obliterators. The old, relatively cheap ones, not the 115-point monstrosities, I mean. So more like an answer to Havocs, I guess; each robot is about four times as tough as each Havoc, but only slightly more shooty while costing three times as much and needing to be babysat by another unit.

Also, they could use a snappier, more Chaos-y name for the 41st Millennium, so... how do Aethermind Automatons sound? Crystalmind Construct was the other option, but it doesn't sound quite so Thousand Sons.

Aethermind Automatons (Heavy Support, Power Rating 5)

M 2", WS 3+, BS 3+, S6, T7, W4, A2, Ld 10, Sv 3+

This unit contains 1 Aethermind Automaton. It can include up to 4 additional Aethermind Automatons (Power Rating +3 each). Each Aethermind Automaton is armed with achean claws with built-in inferno boltguns, and a mauler inferno cannon.

Weapons

Aether-flame cannon: Range 36", Heavy D3, S8, AP-3, D3, Abilities: If you roll one or more unmodified hit rolls of 1 for this weapon, the bearer suffers 1 mortal wound after all of this weapon’s attacks have been resolved. Each time you make a wound roll of 6+ for this weapon, the target suffers 1 mortal wound in addition to any other damage.

Built-in inferno boltguns: Range 24", Rapid Fire 2, S4, AP-2, D1

Mauler inferno cannon: Range 24", Heavy 5, S6, AP-2, D1

Achean claws: Melee, S+1, AP-2, D2

Wargear Options

Any model may replace its soulreaper cannon with an aether-flame cannon.

Abilities

Warp-flux Shield: All models in this unit have a 5+ invulnerable save.

Crystalline Clarity: This unit does not suffer penalties for moving and shooting Heavy weapons.

Sorcerous Control: When this unit Advances while within 6" of a friendly THOUSAND SONS PSYKER, add 6" to its Move characteristic for that Movement phase instead of rolling a dice. In addition, it can still shoot and/or charge that turn, despite Advancing.

Psi-Locus: When a friendly THOUSAND SONS PSYKER successfully uses a psychic power while within 12" of an Aethermind Automaton, you can resolve the power (for the purposes of range and line of sight) as though it had been manifested by that model rather than the actual psyker. If such a psyker suffers Perils of the Warp, this unit immediately suffers D3 mortal wounds.

Keywords

Faction: CHAOS, TZEENTCH, HERETIC ASTARTES, THOUSAND SONS

Keywords: VEHICLE, DAEMON, DAEMON ENGINE, AETHERMIND AUTOMATON

Points Costs

Aethermind Automaton: 40pts

Achean claws: 10pts

Built-in inferno bolters: 4pts

Mauler inferno cannon: 11pts

Aether-flame cannon: 21pts

Realized that a better comparison point was Centurion Devastators, not Havocs or Obliterators. These guys aren't infantry, can't ignore cover, and need to be babysat if you want them going anywhere – otherwise, they're pretty much the same in terms of durability, role, loadout, and so on. So I did a slight recosting/rebalancing – not much was needed, actually, just a bump up in power and points for both of the ranged weapons.

Mauler inferno cannon is now Heavy 5 and costs 11pts

Aetherflame cannon is now Damage 3 and costs 21pts

Achean Claws got bumped down to D2 power axes at 10pts

Inferno bolters had the normal 2+2pt cost added

This leaves an anti-infantry Aethermind Automaton rolling in at 65 points, and handing out 3.69 (Guard), 2.88 (Orks), and 1.92 (Marines) wounds per turn. A Centurion Devastator with a similar loadout lands 4 (Guard), 4.33 (Orks), and 2 (Marines) wounds per turn, and costs 70 points.

An anti-vehicle Aethermind Automaton costs 75 points, and will inflict 2.77 (Terminators and most vehicles) or 1.65 (Land Raiders) wounds per turn. A Centurion Devastator with a missile rack (no lascannon) costs 85 points, and lands 3.14 (Termies), 3.02 (most vehicles), or 1.77 (Land Raiders) wounds per turn.

So they're 5-10 points cheaper, but about as durable (against anything but lasguns or meltas, anyway) and less blasty - much less blasty, against units in cover - in return.