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A friend of mine offered to sell me his AdMech: Cult Mechanicus codex and one of each kit that is out (built as Corpuscarii Electro-Priests, and Kataphron Battle Servitors - Destroyers) for $100.

I would have to strip and repaint almost everything.

Is this a good deal? Should I do it? Do I need to buy into Skitarii to make the army decent? Help me out Dakka!

He's selling you a box of Electropriests and a single box of Kataphron, is that right?

If that's the case--it wouldn't be a bad start(I haven't used Electro-Priests yet myself, but I haven't been exceedingly impressed by them aside from the sculpts), but be aware that you're going to want quite a bit more stuff to bring it up to a decent point.

As well as Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Priest Dominus and Adeptus Mechanicus Kastelan Robots.

I'm getting everything that is out for the army so far.

 FenixPhox wrote:
As well as Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Priest Dominus and Adeptus Mechanicus Kastelan Robots.

I'm getting everything that is out for the army so far.

Alright, that's a lot better.
The "one of everything out so far" followed by just things built a certain way threw me a bit.

Are you wanting to field this as a Detachment or are you willing to split it down into formations?

I'm not sure yet, I've barely read any of the codex but from what I remember the formations were pretty cool.

I can give you a brief rundown of the formations, if you'd like.

Sure, that would be cool.

Just to give you a brief rundown, with nothing huge in regards to the rules(gotta save something for you to be excited about, right? )

Cohort Cybernetica:
Tech-Priest Dominus
2 Kastelan Robot Maniples(4 robots and 2 Datasmiths, minimum)
Restrictions: Fielded as a single unit. Counts as 3 units for the purposes of VPs and Canticles.

Elimination Maniple:
2-3 units of Kataphron Destroyers
1-3 Kastelan Robot Maniples
No restrictions.

Numinous Conclave:
2-3 units of Fulgurite Electro-Priests
2-3 units of Corpuscarii Electro-Priests
Restrictions: You must have an equal number of each type of unit in this Formation.

Holy Requisitioner:
1 Tech-Priest Dominus
2-3 units of Kataphron Breachers
No restrictions.

I love them and want to start up an army

the robots and heavy sevitors are the only units I want and a dominus od course

(forgive poor spelling) this is my wish list

Dominus with Raiment of the Technomancer

3 units of 3 Kataphron Destroyers
heavy grav cannon and phosphor blaster

2 unit of 2 Kastelan Robots
twin linked heavy phosphor cannon and carapace mounted heavy phospor cannon
datasmith

They're very good and can put out some downright painful shooting phases. TBH I'm surprised there hasn't been as much crying about them as Eldar got. Your basic troops chew through wraithknights like paper to a shredder. Not many armies troop choices can do that.

Using them with the Skitarri gives you even better synergy, and to to be honest that's basically what you're supposed to do. The Cult Mech HQ benefits affect both AdMech books.

riburn3 wrote:
They're very good and can put out some downright painful shooting phases. TBH I'm surprised there hasn't been as much crying about them as Eldar got. Your basic troops chew through wraithknights like paper to a shredder. Not many armies troop choices can do that.

Your "basic troops" also cost 50 or55 points per model.

"Not many armies' troop choices do that" either.


Also not to mention that for those points costs, you're looking at a 3+ armor save(Breachers) or 4+(Destroyers) with 2W and T5.

Using them with the Skitarri gives you even better synergy, and to to be honest that's basically what you're supposed to do. The Cult Mech HQ benefits affect both AdMech books.

Only if you're using the formations which grant Canticles or Doctrina Imperatives to both, to be honest. "Master of Machines" isn't a bad special rule, but given that half of the Skitarii units(Rangers and Vanguard) are 1W--you're not going to get to use that special rule too much.

 Kanluwen wrote:
Just to give you a brief rundown, with nothing huge in regards to the rules(gotta save something for you to be excited about, right? )

Cohort Cybernetica:
Tech-Priest Dominus
2 Kastelan Robot Maniples(4 robots and 2 Datasmiths, minimum)
Restrictions: Fielded as a single unit. Counts as 3 units for the purposes of VPs and Canticles.

Elimination Maniple:
2-3 units of Kataphron Destroyers
1-3 Kastelan Robot Maniples
No restrictions.

Numinous Conclave:
2-3 units of Fulgurite Electro-Priests
2-3 units of Corpuscarii Electro-Priests
Restrictions: You must have an equal number of each type of unit in this Formation.

Holy Requisitioner:
1 Tech-Priest Dominus
2-3 units of Kataphron Breachers
No restrictions.

I so wish that elimination mantiple allowed a Dominus

Bump yourself up to 3 units of Kastelan Robots and you can do one of each!

Alright you guys sold me on this, looks like AdMech will be the way it goes,lol.

Dont forget the war convocation formation!
1 skitarii battle maniple
1 cult mechanicus battle congregation
1 imperial knight oathsworn detachment
Perks:
All models have canticles if the omnissiah
Reroll warlord trait
All gets hot! Weapons now do not have gets hot!
All upgrades are free (I.E give your rangers/alphas 3 plasma caliviers and all your battle servitors the plasma cannon thing!!!)
Enjoy the trolling

The Battle Servitors start with the Plasma Culverin, so you would have to not take advantage of the free upgrade to Heavy Grav Cannons...

 Kanluwen wrote:
The Battle Servitors start with the Plasma Culverin, so you would have to not take advantage of the free upgrade to Heavy Grav Cannons...

Well yeah i suppose so but who doesnt want a 2 shot plasma cannon that doesnt have gets hot!?

 Kanluwen wrote:

riburn3 wrote:
They're very good and can put out some downright painful shooting phases. TBH I'm surprised there hasn't been as much crying about them as Eldar got. Your basic troops chew through wraithknights like paper to a shredder. Not many armies troop choices can do that.

Your "basic troops" also cost 50 or55 points per model.

"Not many armies' troop choices do that" either.


Also not to mention that for those points costs, you're looking at a 3+ armor save(Breachers) or 4+(Destroyers) with 2W and T5.

Using them with the Skitarri gives you even better synergy, and to to be honest that's basically what you're supposed to do. The Cult Mech HQ benefits affect both AdMech books.

Only if you're using the formations which grant Canticles or Doctrina Imperatives to both, to be honest. "Master of Machines" isn't a bad special rule, but given that half of the Skitarii units(Rangers and Vanguard) are 1W--you're not going to get to use that special rule too much.

True, still doesn't change my original point that they have amazing shooting and beat face.

commander dante wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
The Battle Servitors start with the Plasma Culverin, so you would have to not take advantage of the free upgrade to Heavy Grav Cannons...

Well yeah i suppose so but who doesnt want a 2 shot plasma cannon that doesnt have gets hot!?

Someone who wants to Snap Shoot or Overwatch, since it's Blast?

Well you guys convinced me, here is my newest army. Now I just need to get it to a legal list, lol.

The Electropriests are beyond bad without allied transport. Other than that it's quite good. The only bad units in the codex (they should be considered one codex) are Ironstrider Balistarii, and Ekectropriests.

the_scotsman wrote:
The Electropriests are beyond bad without allied transport. Other than that it's quite good. The only bad units in the codex (they should be considered one codex) are Ironstrider Balistarii, and Ekectropriests.

Ironstrider Ballistarii are far from "bad".

Electropriests, eh. I've seen them be okay but it very much relies upon a board having 50-60% LOS blocking terrain.

 Kanluwen wrote:

the_scotsman wrote:
The Electropriests are beyond bad without allied transport. Other than that it's quite good. The only bad units in the codex (they should be considered one codex) are Ironstrider Balistarii, and Ekectropriests.

Ironstrider Ballistarii are far from "bad".

Electropriests, eh. I've seen them be okay but it very much relies upon a board having 50-60% LOS blocking terrain.

No, they really are that bad

They're overpriced autocannon syndrome in the extreme and represent everything that was wrong with the old way GW approached giving the Imperials firepower. They're terrible and inefficient against infantry, light vehicles, monstrous creatures and flyers. You can't just slap the twinlinked rule on the gun and suddenly it's good. Equally, just because their fancy high strength and cognis special rule dress them up as looking like they'd be good at the aforementioned roles in some far flung, contrived theoryhammer, doesn't mean it'll translate.The volume of fire is still miniscule in volume, they're still AP4, they're still a joke compared to other sources of that same firepower and especially compared to Xenos dexes. Hell - at least when I use Sentinels in my less competitive IG lists I'm getting AV12 and they only cost 45 - making them actually feasible and half-decently cost efficient at tying up units.

Yeah, they can take Lascannons, but then your bumping that ridiculous inefficiency up by another degree of magnitude or two.

 Mr.Omega wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:

the_scotsman wrote:
The Electropriests are beyond bad without allied transport. Other than that it's quite good. The only bad units in the codex (they should be considered one codex) are Ironstrider Balistarii, and Ekectropriests.

Ironstrider Ballistarii are far from "bad".

Electropriests, eh. I've seen them be okay but it very much relies upon a board having 50-60% LOS blocking terrain.

No, they really are that bad

They're overpriced autocannon syndrome in the extreme and represent everything that was wrong with the old way GW approached giving the Imperials firepower. They're terrible and inefficient against infantry, light vehicles, monstrous creatures and flyers. You can't just slap the twinlinked rule on the gun and suddenly it's good. Equally, just because their fancy high strength and cognis special rule dress them up as looking like they'd be good at the aforementioned roles in some far flung, contrived theoryhammer, doesn't mean it'll translate.The volume of fire is still miniscule in volume, they're still AP4, they're still a joke compared to other sources of that same firepower and especially compared to Xenos dexes. Hell - at least when I use Sentinels in my less competitive IG lists I'm getting AV12 and they only cost 45 - making them actually feasible and half-decently cost efficient at tying up units.

Yeah, they can take Lascannons, but then your bumping that ridiculous inefficiency up by another degree of magnitude or two.

You want to know where Ironstrider Ballistarii make their points back? It isn't in "theoryhammer" or any nonsense like that.

I've, as of now, utilized a squadron of 2 Ballistarii to great success when I've been fighting Tau with one reason and one reason only coming in to such a resounding success for the Ballistarii:
Precision Shots on an Autocannon.

Read that again:
Precision Shots on an Autocannon.
That Cadre Fireblade bunkered in a unit of Fire Warriors? Guess what--if I roll 6's to Hit, you're having to do Look Out, Sirs.
The same thing can apply with Lascannons on the things, but I've only been running them as Autocannons for the time being.

Also, please note that I'm not saying "OMG THEY'RE AMAZING AND YOU NEED TO FIELD TWELVE OF THEM!"--but the bad rap they've gotten is silly. They're perfectly fine for the games most people are going to play in.

 Kanluwen wrote:

 Mr.Omega wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:

the_scotsman wrote:
The Electropriests are beyond bad without allied transport. Other than that it's quite good. The only bad units in the codex (they should be considered one codex) are Ironstrider Balistarii, and Ekectropriests.

Ironstrider Ballistarii are far from "bad".

Electropriests, eh. I've seen them be okay but it very much relies upon a board having 50-60% LOS blocking terrain.

No, they really are that bad

They're overpriced autocannon syndrome in the extreme and represent everything that was wrong with the old way GW approached giving the Imperials firepower. They're terrible and inefficient against infantry, light vehicles, monstrous creatures and flyers. You can't just slap the twinlinked rule on the gun and suddenly it's good. Equally, just because their fancy high strength and cognis special rule dress them up as looking like they'd be good at the aforementioned roles in some far flung, contrived theoryhammer, doesn't mean it'll translate.The volume of fire is still miniscule in volume, they're still AP4, they're still a joke compared to other sources of that same firepower and especially compared to Xenos dexes. Hell - at least when I use Sentinels in my less competitive IG lists I'm getting AV12 and they only cost 45 - making them actually feasible and half-decently cost efficient at tying up units.

Yeah, they can take Lascannons, but then your bumping that ridiculous inefficiency up by another degree of magnitude or two.

You want to know where Ironstrider Ballistarii make their points back? It isn't in "theoryhammer" or any nonsense like that.

I've, as of now, utilized a squadron of 2 Ballistarii to great success when I've been fighting Tau with one reason and one reason only coming in to such a resounding success for the Ballistarii:
Precision Shots on an Autocannon.

Read that again:
Precision Shots on an Autocannon.
That Cadre Fireblade bunkered in a unit of Fire Warriors? Guess what--if I roll 6's to Hit, you're having to do Look Out, Sirs.
The same thing can apply with Lascannons on the things, but I've only been running them as Autocannons for the time being.

Its not theoryhammer Mr.Omega, its just theoryhammer

Running through on Battlescribe, I'm getting an average 0.246 dead Cadre Fireblades each time the two Iron Striders fire per this theory, running on the basis that they're in 4+ cover, with more average 5+ cover giving a marginal increase to 0.307. Given this is Tau, I'd then put the odds of the Ballistarii evaporating at about 90% to be honest if the Tau player has the slightest inkling of concern

Basically, you got lucky. Using rare anecdotes like that doesn't really show anything - 30 Guardsmen with Lasguns have the potential to kill an entire unit of 30 Orks in a single shooting phase, it doesn't mean you should take them as the odds of that are astronomical and that are far better means to the same end

In addition the Cadre Fireblade is pretty much ideal for the scenario, being T3 (and thus vulnerable to ID), a killpoint and having a 4+ save - how often does a near ideal target like that pop up? What if they don't pop up, what use are the Ironstriders then? You're aware that the Iron Strider investment is almost double the cost of the Fireblade?