Search the Community

==Martian Death Ray Club== Come brothers and sisters, gather ‘round the hearth. I bid you welcome to the Martian Death Ray Club. (Which will henceforth be shortened to the ‘MDRC’) We do not care whether you are loyal to the throne or not. Nor do we care if you are man or machine. Say it with me - Choom... Rules of the Club You do not talk about the MDRC. You DO NOT talk about the MDRC. Everything to do with Volkites goes in this thread. If it is not related to Volkites in whatever fashion, do not bring it here. Comparisons are permitted. Talk focussing on entirely different weapons are not. Do not quote-train. Keep your quotes to the point. If you are replying to a particular point to someone’s post, edit the quote down to show that point. If you are quoting someone and there’s a large picture in the quote, cut it out. No-one needs to see that picture more than once. Volkite’s go ‘choom’. They DO NOT go ‘pew-pew-pew’. No shirts, no shoes. If this is your first post in this thread, bring something to the table. A picture, a concept, a theory, a talking point. Whatever it is, lay it on us. Let’s keep this thread interesting. Oh and yes, I realise we really only have three four serious rules. The Purpose of the MDRC Now that we have that out of the way - what, I hear you cry, is the purpose of the MDRC? I shall tell you. But first we shall talk of the weapons that inspired the club in the first place – Volkites. Long gone are the days when a Space Marine went to battle armed with a Volkite weapon as his standard armament. In the waning days of the Great Crusade and in the dark times of the Horus Heresy, Volkite weaponry fast became a rarity on the field of battle. The preserve of the specialist and the privileged, these powerful yet fickle guns burn those they touch with contemptuous ease. Flak armour is no shield against such scarlet rays of doom and even vaunted Astartes power armour is not fully proof against the power of deflagration. Hidden Content Known Volkite Weapon Types Serpenta Hidden Content http://thefirstexpedition.smugmug.com/Other/Bens-blog/i-dRZMv7m/0/O/moritat%201.jpg (Image courtesy of Hyperion, with permission) The smallest of the family, the Serpenta, often is found in the hands of officers and assault specialists, its short range of little issue when you are charging down the enemy. One variant, known as the Incinerator, is mounted in the chest of Mechanicum Ursarax Cohorts. Utilised as an assault or melee weapon, the Incinerator gets vastly more powerful at point blank range, defeating even the heaviest of personal armour in one overpowered blast. Charger Hidden Content http://stonecoldlead.webs.com/wip%20sol%20group.JPG (Image courtesy of Stonecoldlead, permission not sought) The Charger, more befitting the hands of line-infantry, sees service not only with Astartes but also with the mortal soldiery of the Solar Auxilia. The inner workings of the Charger, more capable that the pistol version, allows more shots to be taken and therefore increases the chances of wispy piles of ash on the battlefield. Any Volkite Charger is also known as the ‘Volkite Sentinel’ when pintle-mounted on Triaros Armoured Conveyors. Caliver Hidden Content http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Dmrz-lnkDE/UwI6XNoMkdI/AAAAAAAAFv8/gO33foVqPxo/s1600/DG-VolkiteCalivers01.jpg (Image courtesy of Dave Taylor, permission not sought) The Caliver, through and through a specialist weapon, is a decent, if unwieldy, gun – the Caliver has the range to allow the bearer to stand off and let rip, instead of getting in close and shooting someone in the face. It is cumbersome, no doubt, and is better used from a stable position rather than fired on the move. Blaster Hidden Content The Blaster, a known variant of Volkite weaponry that has survived to the 41st millennium, can perhaps be considered an offshoot of the humble Charger. With a higher rate of fire, the Blaster is an admirable personal arm and is perfect for dealing with lower quality troops. Culverin Hidden Content http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n621/Sinaath_Sanvael/Death%20Guard/DeathGuardVolkiteCulverins_zpsb8a74ccb.jpg (Courtesy of Brother Sanvael, with permission) The Culverin, larger again than the Caliver, can be carried by infantry but also sees service on vehicles. A heavier weapon than its smaller cousins, the Culverin has the range and capability to lay down withering fire into enemy formations from behind the front line. Due to its rate of fire, massed Culverin salvoes are incredibly effective against infantry – especially lightly armoured foes. Demi-Culverin Hidden Content http://www.beastsofwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Leman-Russ-Incinerator.jpg The Demi-Culverin, the first of the Volkite weapons to be solely vehicle mounted. A fearful weapon that can take on light vehicles and heavy troops easily, this version of the Culverin boasts greater strength and a higher rate of fire due in thanks to the stable platform a Leman Russ can provide. Chierovile Hidden Content http://www.belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/styrix-6.jpg The Chieorovile, one of the heaviest classes of Volkites, can usually be found on Styrix knight chassis along with other exotic weaponry such as rad-cleansers and graviton guns. A step up from the Culverin class of Volkite weapons, the Chieorovile can lay waste to any infantry short of those clad in tactical dreadnought armour. Carronade Hidden Content http://belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/glaive-grey4.jpg The Carronade, a beast of a cannon and the heaviest of all Volkite weapons, is mounted upon a Fellblade chassis, on a vehicle known as a Glaive. Be wary of any vehicle that bears this potent cannon, as the beam will travel not just through men but through vehicles too and with terrifying ease. Only the most heavily armoured targets will stop the crimson fire in its tracks, and usually at great cost. Anyway, let us move on. The reason you’ve been gathered here, my fellow devotees to the Martian Death Ray, is to celebrate and revel in that which is the Volkite. The veritable Death Ray we speak of. Its rarity matters not to us, nor does its costly maintenance. No! Such glorious purveyors of ash and dust belie the beauty of the complex Volkite. So, I ask of you my brothers and sisters, bring pictures of your armies and units armed with their beautiful Volkites. Bring concepts and discussion to this, the MDRC, so that we may better know the Volkite and learn from each other. Anything will suffice, so long as they bear the Martian Death Rays. We heartily welcome choom x100 Moritats. We look forward to seeing entire squads toting glorious Volkite tastiness. We want the biggest damn Volkites you got. Badges of Membership For those of you who wish to show your membership to the MDRC, there is a small variety of badges that you can use. There won’t be a proper banner (unless there’s a large demand for one) mainly because of the lack of space in many people’s signatures these days. Here we have the full 100x100 versions: This is the middle set, which can be used in conjunction with some of the kill-claim tokens: Here is the smallest variety, perfect for those of you with very little space left: And finally, for a touch of variety, we have a Volkite ribbon for those of you who would prefer to use a picture with different dimensions: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Concept - Volkite Ordinatus As the first post, I will bring the first item of discussion – a concept. What I am thinking is this; do you remember the Ordinatus that we recently saw with its huge weapon array? Well how about we replace that with... you guessed it, a Volkite cannon. And not just any Volkite cannon. Ooooh no. In my mind there would be a central ‘cannon’ called a 'Volkite Columbiad' (credit for the name goes to Skalpynock) surrounded by three Carronades placed co-axially at the two, six and ten o’clock positions, rotating around the main cannon (because why not? Credit to Slipstreams for that one). This set-up would be subject to change but it would depend on two things. 1) What the actual rules are for the real Ordinatus and its weapon, and 2) Just quite how powerful the Volkite Cannon would be, alongside its three Carronades. By my reckoning, Ordinatus should theoretically be comparable to naval-grade weaponry. The Carronade is powerful, but not ‘Armada Imperialis’ powerful. Hence mounting three on a platform that uses a more powerful primary gun. And, would you believe it, I’m of a mind to say that they all fire at the same time as the main cannon does. Clearly, with the upscaling of armament and the need for the Ordinatii to be a fearsome unit, the main cannon cannot be any strength other than ‘D’, imo. An AP of 2 seems reasonable enough to me, as does a range of somewhere between 60” and 72”. As for special rules, well, Deflagrate and Haywire are a given, I think, as is Heavy Beam and a blast of some kind. The blast itself doesn’t have to be super-powerful so let’s say it has a large blast of 5”... which could be rolled up into the Ordnance 1 Blast rule. That sounds sensible, right? Rules and stats of the Columbiad (full credit to Hesh Kadesh): Volkite Columbiad Range; 144", Strength D, AP2; Primary Weapon 1, Ultra Heavy Beam, Ignores Cover, Deflagrate, Shield Stripper, Concentrated Wave, Targeting Matrix Ultra Heavy Beam; This works exactly like Heavy Beam, with the exception that the beam is 2" wide, and when striking against Super-heavy vehicles, Gargantuan Creatures, or large intact building/fortifications (bastion sized or larger), the attack is only blocked should the model not be destroyed, killed, or otherwise removed from the table. Super-heavy Vehicles, Gargantuan Creatures and large intact building/fortifications (bastion sized or larger) take D3+1 hits in such an event, but suffer -1 to the roll on the Destroyer Weapon Attack table on these hits) In addition, the damage done to transported models is increased to 2d6 S7 AP3 hits with the deflagrate special per unit carried within (units with 31 or more models count as 2 units for this purpose). Against buildings or models with notably different troop transport areas, only those transport areas in the line of the beams effect are hit; those in other sections do not count. Shield Stripper; In addition to the main weapon, a trifecta of Volkite Carronades are synced into the firing sequence in order to strip a heavily protected targets of Void Shields, allowing the main weapon to drill into its target stripped of its ablative bubbles. When you fire a Volkite Columbiad, if you hit a model protected by a Void Shield, work out the distance between the target and the muzzle of the Columbiad. Depending on the distance between the two, you can strip the Void Shields more effectively. Against models protected by a Void Shield, up to 3 additional attacks effect the shields, each one causing D3 S8 AP2 hits with the Haywire Special rule against the Void Shield. The amount of attacks is dependent on range from the muzzle of the Columbiad and the point at which the heavy beam comes in contact with the hull or base of the model, whichever is closer; if it's 48" or closer, 3 hits are sustained, 2 hits between 48" and 96", and between 96" and 144", only a single hit is sustained. Any left over hits are ignored; effectively the damage is already included the Destroyer damage of the main weapon. Any model being reduced to 0 Void Shields as a result of attacks by a weapon with this special rule must reroll any successful rolls to restore Void Shields. Concentrated Wave; This weapon may only be fired every other turn (i.e if it fires in one shooting phase, it may not fire in the next), unless the beam crosses the base or hull of one model that was crossed the previous shooting phase. This model must be a Super Heavy Vehicle or Gargantuan Creature, as only threats of significant nature and size are considered worthy of the attention of a Magos at the helm of an Ordinatus piece. Note that if such a model starts Zooming or Flying after being hit in the previous, they are taking evasive action, and due to the slow tracking speed of the main gun, they do not count if they're under the beam. Targeting Matrix; due to the nature of the threat posed by enemy Titans, and the size and energy signature produced by such monstrous god machines, then an Ordinatus piece may be kept ready to ambush once it's picked up on its threat radar. If an enemy army contains one or more models held in reserve with some variant of the Towering Monstrosity special rule (or by agreement with your opponent of an equivalently sized model), then the Ordinatus piece may elect to forego firing its main gun until a model as noted arrives on the battlefield. This weapon then gains the Interceptor rule, but it must target such an enemy model the first time it shoots. Rite of War concept: Sol Crusader