Ultimate Chaos Thunderhawk Payload

[Joah from Alberta]

I've went over the Apocalypse Thunderhawk rules last night and believe that the ultimate Chaos Thunderhawk payload is the Tide of Spawn.

 

Maybe you guys can give me your thoughts on the matter but these are the rules that I have uncovered.

 

The Thunderhawk can hold 30 - 1 wound infantry. 10 - beast/cavalry. 3 - monstrous creatures (let rip the 'fexes!!!).

 

Models transported in a flyer may disembark only if they are jump infantry. Pg. 95 Apocalypse.

 

Hover Mode. When you're about to move Thunderhawk you can declare it's movement as either skimmer or flyer. Transported troops may disembark normally.

 

Now on to the Tide of Spawn pg 174 Apocalypse.

 

Blessing of the Gods. The Tide of Spawn starts in reserve. As soon as the Tide becomes available from reserves (Apocalypse turn 2 or 3 your choice) it will replace a single unit that includes an Aspiring Champion. Each Spawn replaces a CSM which is removed as a casualty. If there are more CSM then the whole squad is removed. Once deployed, the tide cannot move anymore in that turns movement phase, but from the shooting phase they are free to act as normal. So they can charge 12" right?? *If the CSM are inside a transport when they are transformed, the Tide must immediately disembark.

 

Points : 150 Note that the normal points cost of the Spawn models as stated in Codex Chaos is not paid. Does that mean I get 10 spawn for 150 + 165 = 315 points??

 

Do the Spawn stay in the Chaos Thunderhawk hold until it reverts to hover mode? If such is the case I should only ever transport 10 CSM allowing for vacant space to hold the Tide of festering Spawn.

 

Do the spawn leap to their death in an emergency disembark when the Chaos Thunderhawk is in flight mode?

 

Either way, I think 30 Spawn with a possible 240 S5 attacks is the ultimate Chaos Thunderhawk payload.

[Khestra the Unbeheld]

It's not, it's just trying to figure out if it's nastier to drop a bunch of Spawn where the T-Hawk has to hover to disembark them, or to drop a bunch of Raptors while the T-Hawk is on the move. :huh:

[Joah from Alberta]

Actually, the drop run of raptors for Chaos in Apocalypse is redundant as it is effectively deep striking a deep striking unit (as our raptors can deep strike innately).

 

So, off the top of my head, the best gambit for the Chaos Thunderhawk is to hover (12") into a long firing lane (much like the queen movement on a chess board perhaps). On the following turn, unleash the Tide. Although, one might argue that the Tide can come out while the transport is flying. I dunno what the ruling is on that one. But the more gentlemanly method would be the hover disembark.

[Khestra the Unbeheld]

Spawn aren't jump infantry, so the T-Hawk would have to hover to disembark them. Nothing under Tide of Spawn grants them jump capability.

 

30 Raptors that Deep Strike without scatter, though. . .mmmm. . .

 

The Spawn are a heck of a lot cheaper, even if you can only have, what, ten of them? A Spawnbomb would be a funny thing to see, though.

[Joah from Alberta]

Thirty spawn per one Chaos Thunderhawk. Three squads of 10 CSM. Three Tides of Spawn in reserve.

 

Actually, I was initially very excited at the prospect of 15 (max load) jump infantry and the Chaos Thunderhawk drop run as described pg 95 Apocalypse. I think in my mind I have a picture resembling the Imperial probes from Empire Strikes Back launching from the star destroyers belly and jetting off to all directions of the frozen horizon. I have 11 Khorne jump infantry and 6 bat-wing jump infantry in my Chaos arsenal. They shouldn't scatter out of a flying transport ... but, "... (much in the same way as a bomb), and then rolling for scatter."

 

Interestingly enough, the paragraph ends with "Normally, infantry may only embark or disembark from a flyer using the Hover Mode rule (see page 94)." The key word gentlemen "normally" (well, they misspelled it normaly, but ...) The use of the precedence "Normally" I believe is a permissive clause allowing for the inverse of the applied rule in that: Abnormally, infantry may not only embark or disembark from a flyer using the Hover Mode rule. (I believe this is a valid logic function <cursor blinking>.)

 

So what condition would make this rule abnormal. Well, the Tide of Spawn states "If the CSM are inside a transport when they are transformed, the Tide must immediately disembark." How chaotic is that.

 

Suddenly the picture of the imperial star destroyer is replaced by an image of a Reaver ship dropping hulking talons of murderous blood bombs.

[Khestra the Unbeheld]

So they start out as CSMs and become Spawn after the disembark? If they start as Spawn, they're Beasts, so only 10 would fit in the T-Hawk.

 

I've been wondering if someone would end up doing a Khorne warband designed around the Reavers, though I don't think even Berserkers would eat human flesh. Too bad they dumped Lost & Damned, those guys would have been perfect.

[DeathsHead]

I've been wondering if someone would end up doing a Khorne warband designed around the Reavers, though I don't think even Berserkers would eat human flesh. Too bad they dumped Lost & Damned, those guys would have been perfect.

 

What? Berzerkers above eating human flesh? Hell, I can imagine human flesh being a staple on many Imperial worlds, not to mention amongst ANY sort of Chaos Marines!

 

Are we talking about the same Dark Millennium here?

[Khestra the Unbeheld]

With the exception of the Possessed, I don't think any Astartes, Chaotic or otherwise, would soil their systems eating people. Blood drinking, yes. Nibbling on someone's thigh, I don't believe so. I don't know of any fluff source that depicts the direct consumption of human flesh by an Astartes, though I could be mistaken. :)

 

Now, what goes in the soup is another story entirely. :P

[davidren2401]

With the exception of the Possessed, I don't think any Astartes, Chaotic or otherwise, would soil their systems eating people. Blood drinking, yes. Nibbling on someone's thigh, I don't believe so. I don't know of any fluff source that depicts the direct consumption of human flesh by an Astartes, though I could be mistaken. :mellow:

 

Now, what goes in the soup is another story entirely. :P

 

I remember a white dwarf article around the end of the eye of terror campaign. It was written from the perspective of a Cannoness, she was making a report to the inquisition declaring that her order would never again fight along side the LOYALIST space marine chapter the Flesh Tearers because of several acts of barbaric canabalism she witnessed first hand in the trenches. If that's what the loyalists are up to . . . .

[Hally]

If you're just out to load it with cheese, why not put 10 Abbadons in it? That would totally kick some ass.

[Joah from Alberta]

You better kneel on the day you see a Chaos Thunderhawk spewing out 30 Chaos Spawn, for that would be an awesome sight and a blessed day.

[Somar]

SOYLENT VIRIDIAN IS PEOPLE!

 

Somar

[Corrupted]

Three winged Daemon Princes, IoT, Warp Time and Winds.

[Joah from Alberta]

Only thing that can come out "normally" while a transport is flying is jump infantry.

 

I think the balance issue of having 30 spawn froth over from the unfathomable height of a Chaos Thunderhawk is legit. You either hover in and let loose your 30 CSM to allow for their immaculate transformation or you fly in 12" from the enemy and force the spawn out on the next turn. At 12" from the enemy your transport becomes quite a target priority and allows your opponent a chance to deal with the impending situation before being s-pawned.