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So. Feel free to roast me for this idea, but here we go.
I was doing some math the other day and realised you can squeeze an inordinate amount of d6 autohit weapons on a Stormlord. 4 Twin Flamer sponsons, 5 command Squads of 3 Flamer and a Heavy Flamer. This gives you 15D6 s4 flamer autohits and 13D6 s5 ap-1 heavy flamer autohits at 8". And that's before the 3 stubbers, twin heavy bolter, and the main vulcan. The flamers, statistically just are not hitting with anything less than 30 automatic hits, and even then, its a struggle. Chances are you get like 50. similar for the Heavys, on average you get 45. Between them, you kill 15 Intercessors or Terminators on average, meaning this Salamander's Nirvana of a gunboat is essentially charge proof, excepting Overwatch proof units like the Raven Guard and Blood Angel relic jump packs and such. Even then, they get to fire the 8D6 heavy flames at you next turn in any case which is still painful.
Either you run a Vanguard with the command squads and just an Aux super heavy detachment, or squeeze a couple more commanders in and run it as a Vanguard and a supreme command for a second CP. Alternatively, just take some troops and run a normal battalion with the command squads as well, for the cost of 3 infantry squads you get a 3rd CP.

The other set of options is 6 heavy weapon squads on the back. 18 teams take up 36/40 capacity but count as single models for the firing deck. That's a lot of autocannon, or mortar fire right there.

Too many ways to deal with Flamers from command squads ie blocking movement and shooting it over 2 turns.

You can only take 9 HWT via rule of 3. The Mortars work just as well outside of the Stormlord so there is really no need to put them in one.

Mass Grenade Launchers might be decent against hoards as they have no hit penalties from moving but you're giving up orders in order to stuff them in a stormlord.

Can Units on the firing deck fire while the Stormlord is locked in combat? Steel Behemouth says its weapons. Embarked units arent its weapons.

Issue #1: Stormlord is nowhere near as tough as knight but with huge target sign painted over it. With armies geared to one shot knights...

Issue #2: Whatabout units that ignore overwatch? One comes along and bye bye.

13 wounds to T7 3+ vehicles. Certainly nasty but not that much of overkill that you won't fail that sooner or later so any army with couple such vehicle can first charge them and when you fail charge in with main stuff. Not that it really is needed as it's been blown to bits by guns before that(see problem 1).

Even orks can shoot that down and they can lob in grot screens front of it. You get to torch some cheap grots before you get blown up. Good use of points!

Ah, I was forgetting rule of 3 there.
Ok swapping 2 command for 2 veteran squads, just there will be lads stuck below deck.
The whole thing does fit in under 1000 points, though, and most armies would struggle to fit another lord of war against it except other guard. That said, plenty of armies have a heavy combat monster or walker that would be a game ender. Other than Knights, an obvious threat, the orkanaughts, Wraith Knights and Lords of Skulls are the obvious big threat.
As for screens, you can mitigate the wasted shooting since you fire off squads one at a time.

Steel Behemoth does not let the passengers fire, no. Still 8d6 heavy flamers isn't anything to sniff at.
As I led with, this whole idea is quote silly, I do understand. Smashfucker/Slamguinius would do a number on this over a few turns. As a vast distraction carnifex in a huge game though I can see it being quite a diversion. It also is wasting the BS3 potential of vets.
Potentially, a combination of plasma guns and autocannons across Veteran, Command, Heavy Weapon squads may well be the smarter thing to do. The odd heavy flamer in the veterans could be a fun surprise on a charging enemy.

ive run 2 shadowswords with HBs sponsons and a Banehammer with full HF sponsons a number of times in the past. The problem (besides cost ) is the fact that players will avoid charging it from less than 9 inches. I would use it mainly as my go to Attack Vehicle. Its fun and can hurt but its not to competitive. put a few Command squads of Plasma vets in them for extra Dakka fun

Kai Calimatinus wrote:
Ah, I was forgetting rule of 3 there.
Ok swapping 2 command for 2 veteran squads, just there will be lads stuck below deck.
The whole thing does fit in under 1000 points, though, and most armies would struggle to fit another lord of war against it except other guard. That said, plenty of armies have a heavy combat monster or walker that would be a game ender. Other than Knights, an obvious threat, the orkanaughts, Wraith Knights and Lords of Skulls are the obvious big threat.
As for screens, you can mitigate the wasted shooting since you fire off squads one at a time.

It's not h2h you should be worried. It's guns. People are gearing up to shoot knight off in one round. How you think stormlord survives that?

And screens? Flamers don't have long range. They have ONE unit. 10 model will create over 20" long wall you won't advance. Next layer is behind that. Your flamers have range to reach...Those 10 chaff.

As I led with, this whole idea is quote silly, I do understand. Smashfucker/Slamguinius would do a number on this over a few turns. As a vast distraction carnifex in a huge game though I can see it being quite a diversion. It also is wasting the BS3 potential of vets.

Over few turns? Those will one shot the thing. In the odd case opponent doesn't simply shoot it down...It's not like with 1000 pts you will have much in form of bigger threat.

tneva82 wrote:

Kai Calimatinus wrote:
Ah, I was forgetting rule of 3 there.
Ok swapping 2 command for 2 veteran squads, just there will be lads stuck below deck.
The whole thing does fit in under 1000 points, though, and most armies would struggle to fit another lord of war against it except other guard. That said, plenty of armies have a heavy combat monster or walker that would be a game ender. Other than Knights, an obvious threat, the orkanaughts, Wraith Knights and Lords of Skulls are the obvious big threat.
As for screens, you can mitigate the wasted shooting since you fire off squads one at a time.

It's not h2h you should be worried. It's guns. People are gearing up to shoot knight off in one round. How you think stormlord survives that?

And screens? Flamers don't have long range. They have ONE unit. 10 model will create over 20" long wall you won't advance. Next layer is behind that. Your flamers have range to reach...Those 10 chaff.

As I led with, this whole idea is quote silly, I do understand. Smashfucker/Slamguinius would do a number on this over a few turns. As a vast distraction carnifex in a huge game thougAh I can see it being quite a diversion. It also is wasting the BS3 potential of vets.

Over few turns? Those will one shot the thing. In the odd case opponent doesn't simply shoot it down...It's not like with 1000 pts you will have much in form of bigger threat.

Besides the invulns, a knight has about the same durability doesn't it? T8, 26W 3+.
On double checking Stormlord has a couple more wounds actually. Invuln is handy of course, and does toughen up the knight a little to heavier AT options.
The thing with the captain is he doesn't die. He puts out a good number of attacks, but needs his own squpport cadre to get a dozen or whatever we can do in 8th. Unnles he wounds with 9 hunder hammer hits he can't one shot it.
I see what you mean with chaff screens though they'd have to get their chosen sacrifices manouvered themselves of course. Mind there is still a a few stubbers and the twin heavy bolter for whatever they're worth but the full vulcan deleting squads father away too. I can see the second squad waiting to be chaff getting wiped out too. Without tank shock you have to rely on the fear of being charged by a tank, but their melee is really not inpressive, despite good S and usually AP due to awful WS.

I mean, in a 2000 point game, you have a whole other force of Russes, Infantry screens, fire support and some sentinels going to objectives and doing their job. Or a couple detachements of marines or something. In a just a 1000 pt game you can't fit much more than a single knight and a basic detachment either. Other than the two massive knights, what are they dealing with? ~7 battle cannon hits and 2 stubbers, ~3 thermal cannonshots and some krak missiles. Given the better BS, yes, a knigbt will outgun the stormlord- the Avenger and the Vulcan aren't meant to be tough vehicke killers but thr math doesn't support one shotting. Ok the Dominus, yes that laser and the harpoon are insane.

Other than hyper competitive mortal wound dealing and mathemarical CP use for most damage, I don't see how most any army can "one shot" the superheavies on wach others teams like people keep mentioning.

Oh no. Also going to throw out an idea for screens... Tallarn. Stormlord and 2 squads, like 8 flamers worth, but outflanked.
I'd probably rather do 4 bolter sponsons while its in fire support of mobile units, in practice, just the mathammer looked so crazy to me

Kai Calimatinus wrote:
Besides the invulns, a knight has about the same durability doesn't it? T8, 26W 3+.

Which is my point. 24 wounds actually. So with the inv save they are tougher. And people make their armies so that they one shot those so how do you think happens when all those guns point at the stormhammer?

The thing with the captain is he doesn't die. He puts out a good number of attacks, but needs his own squpport cadre to get a dozen or whatever we can do in 8th. Unnles he wounds with 9 hunder hammer hits he can't one shot it.

5+d3 attacks, hits on 2+ etc. Attack twice(original d3 for attacks count here). Rerolls to hit. +1 to wound. That thing can one shot knights...Averages out 28 wounds. MORE actually as you can reroll the d3 if you roll 1 which results in average of 4.666666 attacks for that rather than 4. BTW rolling 1 for that d3 attacks means average of "mere" 24 wounds so you aren't safe then either.

I see what you mean with chaff screens though they'd have to get their chosen sacrifices manouvered themselves of course.

Orks have this thing called "da jump". I have used it to create 62" long wall 9" from enemy DZ turn 1. Without fly that is basically "don't walk over that". Tyranids have super fast gaunts which have no trouble.

It sounds cool but it's basically rock paper scissor. Some armies will be screwed, others screw your list. And most tournament lists have no trouble screwing this one up. It's too reliant on one big model in game where that model is not particularly tough.

I forgot that attack twice part of Mr Slam. That does it certainly.
Did not know that about orks. An effective wall right there.

I'll give it a go if a friend wants to and report back their results at least.
Its funny this conversation versus ten years ago where we all got mad we might see some superheavies. Now that we know how to deal with them in "normal" games, and lethality has increased over the years, they don't exactly form an army of one anymore.