Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hi there

I'm looking at putting some custom space marine tanks into my army, but i'm not sure on what would make it fair and what points it would cost.

I was thinking of a rhino with a tau railgun on the top basically

I thought maybe it should have to have been stationary in the previous movement phase because of how powerful it is but i'm not sure what rules it should have? It would also have the same armor and hull point values as a rhino.

But most importantly I need to ask you guys what you think a fair points cost these tanks would be each? Thanks

I don't think anything on the Rhino chassis could support the power it takes for a railgun, I don't think any Imperial Tank short of a Land Raider could. It is kinda stealing what little advantages the Tau have left, in any case.

 Lord Magnus wrote:
I don't think anything on the Rhino chassis could support the power it takes for a railgun, I don't think any Imperial Tank short of a Land Raider could. It is kinda stealing what little advantages the Tau have left, in any case.

Stabilizers?
I know that it would be impossible really but it's just something I like the idea of, it kinda goes with the fluff of my army too
Most people I play against/with think it's a cool idea too but we'd need to agree on points costs and rules, but nobody has any idea on how it much it should be

i can picture a LR w/ TL LC sponsons and a Railgun. Railgun is 40 points, total that with a LR w/ Tl LC sponsons and add a 15 point 'cool tax' There you go.

Consider modeling some outriggers like what a big crane or back hoe might use. Also model some big old batteries in the back with some OSL too.

make it gets hot as well.

You don't need Tau tech. Just make a Rhino with Bastion-Breacher Shells (a Rhino/Medusa combo essentially) and you should be OK. You can model it as a light tank destroyer vehicle, like a tracked Stryker MGS.

Or make it some sort of heavyier armour piercing autocannon turret.

S8 AP2 Heavy 3? Not OP strength but it gets a +1 on the damage chart.

Fatlumpthe1st wrote:

 Lord Magnus wrote:
I don't think anything on the Rhino chassis could support the power it takes for a railgun, I don't think any Imperial Tank short of a Land Raider could. It is kinda stealing what little advantages the Tau have left, in any case.

Stabilizers?
I know that it would be impossible really but it's just something I like the idea of, it kinda goes with the fluff of my army too
Most people I play against/with think it's a cool idea too but we'd need to agree on points costs and rules, but nobody has any idea on how it much it should be

If you modeled some extra generator of some form I guess it could be possible, putting stabilizers on the back would also help, as you said. Assuming the armour value is 11 11 10, and the hull points are 3, I think that your best bet is probably to cost it at around 115-20 ish? I would also suggest it be the only weapon on said vehicle, and that it cannot move and fire, and that the vehicle can never move more than 6 inches because the extremely expensive equipment could be damaged.

 AtoMaki wrote:
You don't need Tau tech. Just make a Rhino with Bastion-Breacher Shells (a Rhino/Medusa combo essentially) and you should be OK. You can model it as a light tank destroyer vehicle, like a tracked Stryker MGS.

Bastion breacher shells are far superior to a railgun, it is the same, except a blast, and it gets 2D6 penetration. Also, I doubt that a Rhino could fit a Medusa demolisher cannon.

Buttons wrote:

 AtoMaki wrote:
You don't need Tau tech. Just make a Rhino with Bastion-Breacher Shells (a Rhino/Medusa combo essentially) and you should be OK. You can model it as a light tank destroyer vehicle, like a tracked Stryker MGS.

Bastion breacher shells are far superior to a railgun, it is the same, except a blast, and it gets 2D6 penetration. Also, I doubt that a Rhino could fit a Medusa demolisher cannon.

Thats why I said that nobody needs the Tau railgun: it is an inferior weapon, the Imperium has a much better weapon for the same job . And a Rhino is roughly equal in size with a Chimera, so I don't think that space is a problem. And you can always use the Space Marine shrinker plot power to decrease the size without loss of efficiency (ref.: Lascannon).

Look at the forgeworld destroyer tank hunter kit.

Im imagining it basically like a vindicator with a much longer barrel in the front. A vindicator is already S10 AP1, so youre just making a longer ranged version.

Just go for it with the rail gun.

Rhino is plenty heavy enough to carry the kit, especially if the railgun is fixed - not on a turret.

I would say the front AV s the same as a vindicator but push the points cost up to reflect the idead that SM don't have heavy artillery and the rail gun has an incredible range.
I would suggest 140-150ish points which is comparable with a chaos defiler with Battle cannon. And almost double the cost of a razrback with TL las cannon and transport capacity.
Forget the stationary the turn before rule don't give too much away!

I don't think anyone could complain too much about that.

Railguns don't make a lot of sense with the Imperium, humans don't use single-shot horribly-accurate solid-projectile weapons, they use rapid-fire solid-projectile weapons, lasers, and ordnance. Maybe make it a really big lascannon? Either that or make it a direct-fire Earthshaker.

I'm liking the idea of making it use stabilizers and remain stationary to fire, though.

 AnomanderRake wrote:
Railguns don't make a lot of sense with the Imperium, humans don't use single-shot horribly-accurate solid-projectile weapons, they use rapid-fire solid-projectile weapons, lasers, and ordnance. Maybe make it a really big lascannon? Either that or make it a direct-fire Earthshaker.

I'm liking the idea of making it use stabilizers and remain stationary to fire, though.

The last time I looked this "big lascannon" idea came to me, but I have NO idea how to but it in game, it would be much better than the railgun IMHO, make the weapon sorta cool rather than unfluffy meh..

From what you're saying, you want something like this;

Decimator-pattern Razorback...............................................120 points
NAME BS FA SA RA HP Decimator 4 11 11 10 3

Wargear:
Smoke Launchers
Hull-mounted Induction Cannon

Transport Capacity:
1 model, may not carry Terminators.

Options:
As Rhino for codex points values.

WEAPON RNG S AP SPECIAL Induction Cannon 48" 6 1 Heavy 1, Poisoned 2+, Armourbane, Finicky

Finicky: The technology used in the Induction Cannon does not scale well, and without constant attention by a trained initiate of the Machine Cult has a horrible tendency to overheat. Unless the Decimator is carrying a model with Blessings of the Omnissiah, it suffers Gets Hot! on a To-Hit roll of a 1 or 2.

The Decimator-pattern Razorback forgoes the majority of its transport capacity in order to mount an enormous magnetic induction/laser weapon - essentially, a massively scaled up needle rifle, similar to the weapon used by many mercenary and private security snipers. The weapon fires an ultraviolet laser pulse modulated to punch holes in heavy armour then follows it up milliseconds later by a venomous barb that cuts into the target's flesh before dissolving to release a horrifying array of toxins directly into their bloodstream. Although the tank was originally designed by the Storm Wardens chapter to fight off a Tyranid incursion, it has since spread through their close ties to the Adeptus Mechanicum and one or two can be found in most Imperial armouries.