Quick question regarding techmarines and servitors

[Shiodome]

A simple question. the servitors entry in the new codex says you can take 1 squad of servitors for every techmarine in your army. so can you take 'ablative' servitors for your thundercannon techmarine? the thundercannon techmarine having no upgrade options at all, it looks as if it's intended to be taken just as a solo marine with his gun... but it's so ridiculously fragile i don't intend to bother with it unless i have some way of increasing it's survivability.

 

and are servitors a kind of independant character in reverse... you attatch them to a techmarine when deploying, and they can leave the techmarine during the game? it all seems a bit unclear to me atm. (i've read the new codex a few times, but don't own it yet, so it might have been clarified somewhere that i missed)

[Mordekiem]

Thunderfire cannon is unit type: Artillery and nowhere does it indicate it or the Techmarine gunner is an IC. So no, they cannot join another non-IC squad.

 

In fact, it is debatable that the techmarine gunner with the thunderfire cannon even allows you to take a retinue of servitors. While he is a techmarine, the actual unit is a thunderfire gun and the unit consists of one techmarine gunner along with the cannon.

[nighthawks]

servitors, like the command and honor squads, are not a retinue nor necessarily attached to a techmarine, but a squad that may be taken without taking up an FOC slot.

 

you may have one unit of servitors per techmarine or master of the forge in the army.

 

the techmarine gunner that is purchased with the Thunderfire cannon DOES benefit form the IC and Blessing of the Omnissiah rules if the artillery piece is destroyed, and is indicated as having bolster defenses from the start. thus a Techmarine gunner in full servo harness is a techmarine in all rules senses I can find.

 

so I would say that a squad of servitors may be taken for each thunderfire techmarine gunner, as well as regular techmarine and master of the forge.

 

BUT, the servitors are not ICs, and cannot attach to any unit (though ICs can attach to them) so they cannot join the techmarine gunner until the thunderfire cannon itself has been destroyed, at which point the techmarine may joint THEM. not ablative armour, but an FOC-free unit of models...

[Mordekiem]

servitors, like the command and honor squads, are not a retinue nor necessarily attached to a techmarine, but a squad that may be taken without taking up an FOC slot.

 

you may have one unit of servitors per techmarine or master of the forge in the army.

 

the techmarine gunner that is purchased with the Thunderfire cannon DOES benefit form the IC and Blessing of the Omnissiah rules if the artillery piece is destroyed, and is indicated as having bolster defenses from the start. thus a Techmarine gunner in full servo harness is a techmarine in all rules senses I can find.

 

so I would say that a squad of servitors may be taken for each thunderfire techmarine gunner, as well as regular techmarine and master of the forge.

 

BUT, the servitors are not ICs, and cannot attach to any unit (though ICs can attach to them) so they cannot join the techmarine gunner until the thunderfire cannon itself has been destroyed, at which point the techmarine may joint THEM. not ablative armour, but an FOC-free unit of models...

After getting a chance to re-read the unit description on pg 73 I agree with nighthawks. I only had the unit entry to go by before and it is unclear. I think pg 73 clears things up nicely.