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With the addition of fortifications in 6th Edition, We are starting to see slightly new lists, which have been tweaked to work in conjunction with the fortifications which have been added into their list.

Commonly, I have seen Aegis defence lines, simply placed for infantry protection at vital central position on the battlefield. I've had a lot of difficulty trying to dig guardsmen out of those things at range...

Moreover, it is not unusual, if admittedly slightly more rare, to see a bastion, placed in an enemy players deployment near an objective, to deny you easy capture of said position. Fortifications aren't able to be glanced to death, and as such, dedicated antitank measures are required to destroy the damn things.

But rarely do I see people fielding Skyshield Landing pads. And I'm baffled. I have personally rewritten my Grey Knights list to include one, as I have stumbled on a deadly way to use them.

For 75 points, the Skyshield Landing Pad offers an elevated vantage point over the battlefield, allowed to be placed anywhere within your table edge. The Skyshield also has 2 player controlled modes that it can be in: Unfurled and Shielded. These modes are controlled by whichever units are in base contact with the Skyshield (the mode being unable to change if both sides are in contact with the Skyshield). In unfurled mode, deep striking units landing on the pad do not scatter. This is already huge as it means ranged units can be deep struck onto the pad, and can rain death down onto the enemy. If the elevated vantage point and no scatter deep striking wasnt enough, the unit on top of the pad can then change the mode of the Pad to 'Shielded' mode, where the outer walls (that strongly resemble an Aegis Defence line) are raised and all models on the Pad are granted a 4++ invulnerable save from shooting attacks!

In my own experience when using the pad, with my GK, I have deployed the Skyshied near centre table, knowing full well the enemy can make use of of its abilities. Using Psychic Communion, I am able to deep strike my terminators and strike squads directly to the centre of the battlefield, where their 24" range is suddenly so much more. Any enemies that have managed to occupy the pad are usually blasted off and if not suffer from heavy overwatch fire when attempting to assault me next turn. From there, I am able to change the Skyshield into shielded mode and enjoy a 4++ invulnerable save for the rest of the game, as no enemy can change the mode until my units are wiped off the Pad. Ranged fire has never dislodged the entirety of my units from the pad, and any dedicated assault units that have made it close have had to make a difficult terrain test to get up the pad and hence strike at initiative 1 (unless they have frag grenades) for the beginning of the combat.

Carefully placing your men on top of the pad can ensure no enemy squad as the room to deep strike safely onto the pad, and especially once shielded, the pad is suicide to try and deep strike onto. But you don't have to place the Pad in centrefield. If you dont need the extra range, You can place it in your deployment and put all sorts of things on it. From Lascannon teams and Artillery for guard, Flakka Dreds for GK, Hammerheads for Tau, Biovores for Tyranids (does anyone actually use those....) etc, you can enjoy the benefits of an elevated, safe firing position and a 4++ all game long.


Last note: There was one game where I fought BA and they managed to land on the pad before me, but didnt change it to shielded mode in time for my vengeance. The ensuing melee atop the landing pad between the assault marines of the BA and the Terminators of the GK was a battle I will never forget

The Sky shield is really a terrible piece of rules writing. 75pts to give my 9 war walkers a 4++ save? A save that I can fortune?
I wouldnt bring that to anything other than a tourney and I usually dont play the softest list in friendlies...

Please do not circumvent our word filter. Thanks. Manchu

I never really thought about that but that would be a great way to get blood angels assault units to get really close to the enemy really fast for assault. but a very good point you have stated. I guuess with how long the line is and granting a 4+cover and a 2+ if you go to ground which is really good, as i am a guard player once it becomes my shooting phase i would give my guard squad get back in the fight and they would get to shoot their turn. The bastion though i really havent seen to many lists with it.

As Tau I think this one works really well as multiple squads of Broadsides can sit upon the pad. Normally I spend about 60 points to give some 4++ to my broadsides, but the sky sheild lets me give it to one or more complete units for 75.

I think the pad is big enough I could probably bubblewrap those broadsides with a unit of Kroot on the pad. Maybe with Krootoxes. The resulting hail of mid and high strength firepower and crazy Overwatch if some fool decides to try to assault up onto the pad should create a nearly unassailable gunline.

I was under the impression that Fortifications had to be placed in your deployment zone, so I do not understand how you are placing a Landing Pad in the center of the battlefield.

Deployment half. So you can place it up to the middle of the board.

The negative is that someone else can take it over if they get there first.

no fortifications are placed on your table half. they dont have to be in your deployment zone. look up the rules for fortifications, as i dont have my brb on me and i dont know the page.

Oops, my mistake, what an oversight. I have already grown accustomed to placing them in my deployment zone. That really opens up the possibility for Fortifications. Thanks for the heads-up!

Yea it wasnt until my last game that I found that out, i always placed the line in my deplyment for the guard.

I've been considering getting some IG allies for my GKs. a Psyker, a veteran squad, and a squadron of LRBTs all hiding on the skyshield with the 4+ invuln.

 Grey Templar wrote:
I've been considering getting some IG allies for my GKs. a Psyker, a veteran squad, and a squadron of LRBTs all hiding on the skyshield with the 4+ invuln.

The problem is that you are still bunched up on one point and restricting your mobility. Even with a 4+, if someone drops some heavy hits on you, you're going to disappear. And a multi-assault against those units would be pretty nasty. Vanguard vets would laugh hilariously.

Who cares. Its not like the LRBTs need to go anywhere. And the Veteran squad can hoof it over to a backfield objective if I need them to grab it.

The purpose is a firebase. My mobile elements are the GKs. The IG are there to shoot big guns.


And as for VVs dropping onto the pad, with 11 infantry models and 3 big tanks. you will have no room, and its difficult terrain to get up there. And you are taking VVs

 Grey Templar wrote:
And you are taking VVs

I agree. There's the problem right there. lol

 pretre wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:
I've been considering getting some IG allies for my GKs. a Psyker, a veteran squad, and a squadron of LRBTs all hiding on the skyshield with the 4+ invuln.

The problem is that you are still bunched up on one point and restricting your mobility. Even with a 4+, if someone drops some heavy hits on you, you're going to disappear. And a multi-assault against those units would be pretty nasty. Vanguard vets would laugh hilariously.

VV wouldnt be able to DS without scatter if it is in 4++ mode

tedurur wrote:
The Sky shield is really a terrible piece of rules writing. 75pts to give my 9 war walkers a 4++ save? A save that I can fortune?
I wouldnt bring that to anything other than a tourney and I usually dont play the softest list in friendlies...

They are banned at most tournaments, both for size and ridicolously overpowered rules. Landing Pad should be at least 150 points.

But you can't say they are OP as everyone has access to them. And it can be hijacked by the opponent.

 Grey Templar wrote:
But you can't say they are OP as everyone has access to them. And it can be hijacked by the opponent.

You certainly can. IG can make a lot more use of those than let's say Tyranids could. The "everyone can buy them!" argument is a shiny trap.

 Sigvatr wrote:

tedurur wrote:
The Sky shield is really a terrible piece of rules writing. 75pts to give my 9 war walkers a 4++ save? A save that I can fortune?
I wouldnt bring that to anything other than a tourney and I usually dont play the softest list in friendlies...

They are banned at most tournaments, both for size and ridicolously overpowered rules. Landing Pad should be at least 150 points.

I haven't seen them banned for being OP, just size. They aren't that OP.

 Sigvatr wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:
But you can't say they are OP as everyone has access to them. And it can be hijacked by the opponent.

You certainly can. IG can make a lot more use of those than let's say Tyranids could. The "everyone can buy them!" argument is a shiny trap.

I don't know, I play shooty Tyranids and I plan to get a Skyshield for them. It's the only fortification I can see using with Tyranids - all nids (other than Zoanthropes & Doom) can benefit from that juicy 4++.

The plan would be to deploy it just in front of my deployment zone, or maybe a few inches farther forward if I'm feeling lucky. Declare it furled. Infiltrate a few broods of Genestealers directly onto it. First turn, walk my Hive Guard and/or shooty Warriors up onto it, and let them enjoy a 4++ for the whole game while having good lines of sight and range to a large chunk of the board.. The stealers are there to protect the shooty elements from being assaulted, and/or for late turn objective grabs. It may not even be possible to draw LOS from most places on the board to stealers up on the pad.

If absolutely necessary, it can be unfurled turn 2 for deepstriking flyrant, harpy, gargoyles etc, although I'd probably just move them on from my board edge rather than deepstrike them anyways. But it is an option.

 Jaon wrote:
and any dedicated assault units that have made it close have had to make a difficult terrain test to get up the pad and hence strike at initiative 1 (unless they have frag grenades) for the beginning of the combat.

This isn't true. Yes, they have to take a test but you only get dropped to Init 1 for moving through difficult terrain - which the Skyshield isn't.

Remember, this thing is also indestructible. No kill point.

It's also a fortification. 3+ cover save. The shield bits can easily obscure any model for 3+ cover. Night fighting turn one? You have 2+/4++. Enjoy.

Park threw squads of long fangs on top, ally for a thunderfire cannon, riflemen dreads. Enjoy that hot mess.

Two doomsday arks on top, 4++ and hide a spider behind them for repairs and to spawn up a defense force of scarabs that will be 100% obscure!

There are plenty of ways to abuse the Skyshield. The more you put on top of it, the more points efficient you are.

QUESTION: what if the pad is full and they deep strike beneath it? Do they mishap if they are directly underneath the opposing models?

I wouldn't say it's over powered, but it's certainly under costed.
I also don't think it deserves the title "godly."

It has one downside that has lead me to take an aegis instead: it's an invulnerable therefore doesn't stack with camo-cloaks or camo-nets. That's the only bad thing I can think of though.

speaking of vehicles and troops on the skyshield. if a vehicle explodes is it considered an enemy shooting attack?

in other words do you still get the 4++ against one of your vehicles exploding?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

TheKbob wrote:
Remember, this thing is also indestructible. No kill point.

QUESTION: what if the pad is full and they deep strike beneath it? Do they mishap if they are directly underneath the opposing models?

If they can fit they can deep strike under it, I would think if they don't fit, like drop pods or MC's, they would mishap.

tedurur wrote:
The Sky shield is really a terrible piece of rules writing. 75pts to give my 9 war walkers a 4++ save? A save that I can fortune?
I wouldnt bring that to anything other than a tourney and I usually dont play the softest list in friendlies...

To be honest that will get FAQ'ed before any serious tournament or straight after one.

 InquisitorVaron wrote:

tedurur wrote:
The Sky shield is really a terrible piece of rules writing. 75pts to give my 9 war walkers a 4++ save? A save that I can fortune?
I wouldnt bring that to anything other than a tourney and I usually dont play the softest list in friendlies...

To be honest that will get FAQ'ed before any serious tournament or straight after one.

Feast is allowing them.

The upside to it being an invulnerable save is it cannot be denied by template weapons.

Remember children deep striking onto a shielded pad is not no scatter, if you can get on their and shield it, you're safe.

I apologize for using the world godly -.-

None the less, as stated in the op, I use it as a fire base on my half of centre table, and rarely do the enemy beat me to it (even if they do, as I also stated, they won't have time to shield it before my deep strikers arrive)

Yes it is a play to win tactic, but if the tactics forum was only for friendly game tactics, I wouldn't post here.

The landing's pad special rule should work exactly like the energy shield terrain piece rule in the BRB:

Every shooting attack that goes through the shield allows the target to take a 4++.

on my gk tactics thread, I also point out that you can abuse a storm raven on top of the pad in hover mode. (forgot to mention but it's actually really really tall so you will have issues with ability to shoot at ground targets and really need some long range guns on that thing like PC or LC or HB's. MM barely makes it to the ground and AC is just too damn high to hit anything)

It's "on top" doesn't need to be obscured. You get 4++ and can stay in hover mode pretty much as much as you want. (good tactic vs other fliers as they hit you normally anyway)

The SM storm talon can also do it's hover strike from up there too. Looks strange as heck but you can do it.

It's also a fortification. 3+ cover save. The shield bits can easily obscure any model for 3+ cover. Night fighting turn one? You have 2+/4++. Enjoy.

This is actually untrue. The profile says it's terrain type is: Unique so it doesn't follow any of the rules for fortification. You treat it as open terrain from the rule book so I'd say all you can get is a 5+ cover from being obscured. Also I can't find anywhere that says you get 3+ for being on a fortification. What page is that on? All I can tell is that you get a 4+ from being behind battlements. Where's the 3+ comming from?

 Sigvatr wrote:

tedurur wrote:
The Sky shield is really a terrible piece of rules writing. 75pts to give my 9 war walkers a 4++ save? A save that I can fortune?
I wouldnt bring that to anything other than a tourney and I usually dont play the softest list in friendlies...

They are banned at most tournaments, both for size and ridicolously overpowered rules. Landing Pad should be at least 150 points.

hmm maybe in Germany, not at all in the states that i've come across

Chaos can use a sky shield very effectively. Any unit with mark of tzeentch are now getting a 3++ while on it. So things like havoks and oblits with MOT are sitting in a pretty good spot.