Opinion on Chimera Weapons?

[Sahansral]

You can also use the IA2 Rules which makes this a very cheap option. Please bare in mind their not official rules.

 

Speaking of IA2. There's also the option for turret mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolter. I'm using the Chimera as a stationary weapon plattform for my DH-Inquistor with plasma cannon servitor.

[march10k]

since BS3 and all (which makes no sense, aren't these storm troopers?)

 

Uh. No? Chimeras are crewed by bog stock guardsmen, regardless of who rides in the back (such as six ogryns)...

[Skytear]

Hey fellas,

 

How effective are 4 Stormtroopers with special weapons mounted in a Chimera?

Do they blast away good with the special weapons out of the firing points?

 

Has anyone got experience (good bad) or just general comments on that?

 

I'll try it out in my next game, but I thought think-tanking here is always great :)

[Inquisitor Fox]

Two fine points:

 

1) the Chimera doesn't really have firepoints. It has lasguns physically mounted to the hull which are fired by the passengers of the vehicle, or 1 model/one firepoint worth (depending on which codex the chimera is from) may fire it's weapon from the top hatch, making the vehicle count as open topped if anything carried has a save of 4+ or worse.

 

2) Stormtrooper squads only get 2 special weapons per squad, and have a minimum squad size of 5 in an Inquisition list.

 

I've found the front armor (12) is much better than the side and rear (10) so keeping the front towards the opponent is very important. I tend to use my Chimera as a mobile firing platfrom (less useful now that only 1 main weapon can fire on the move), but it's a transport for Guardsmen, so it uses the Imperial Guard Codex for various rules and options. I usually don't have models/passengers firing out of it during the shooting phase.

[Tauren]

My first thought is that they come minimum of 5 to a squad. I would say it depends on the role. Fast moving plasma squad of 10 with a chimera seems more viable, but a chimera for tank-hunting is a bit expensive when you could go with a cheaper rhino mounted dual melta IST group to rush in there and melt some tanks to slag.

[Skytear]

Yes and yes, you're both right.

 

I didn't have my Codex at hand, but 2 Special Weapons and the minimum squad size are what I was referring to,

as well as the DH Chimera, as presented in the FAQ:

 

Chimeras

A DH Chimera has two fire points. An Imperial Guard Chimera has one fire point and six hull-mounted lasguns.

 

A DH Chimera is not described as amphibious. The IG Chimera is.

 

My question was directed at the use of the Codex:DH Chimera with two firing points.

 

And if this would make it more viable for a skeleton ST crew to fire out of it for increased survivability.

So, my question is if the use of these two fire points makes sense.

Sorry if that came across unclear - I'll look up the facts before I post from now on.

 

 

You can move 6'' before having your Troopers fire out.

In any case, open-topped is not good but you get 2 shots out at BS4.

 

 

Yeah, a Rhino stays cheap, but it has only one firing point, so I would say, outout of it and on foot.

And when I move the Chimera 6'', I get to fire the main gun.

 

So you say it stays situational? When facing lots of ST3 gunfire, leave them in there, shooting from said hatches?

If not, get out?

 

What I can see working is a Land Raider shielding that Chimera - most of the guys I play against will always shoot at the Land Raider anyway.

 

I'm just trying for myself to see if two firing hatches are worth using. Thanks for the replies.

 

 

And about being expensive: I'm trying to get the hang about Stormtroopers and Chimeras, to expand my horizon from the pure GK that I've been playing

and lovin for so long. Maybe I'm spoiled by the high point costs of my shiny GKs.

[Inquisitor Fox]

I love my stormtroopers.. the models, the colors, the theme reasons.. they're great ;) Good solid troops.. just don't expect them to be heros, that's what the power armored folks are for. But for more bodies or units of grunts, they're fantastic! Don't assume too much of them, and they wont let you down and will pleasantly surprise you.

 

I tend to stick to either meltaguns, or grenade launchers. Grenade launchers are highly versatile, especially with the new blast template rules, and don't explode your own men like plasma does. They're also assault 24", so can be fired even on the move at maximum range. I love it, some people are plasma addicts. To each their own :P

[Tauren]

Here is a curious question, does the DH chimera retain it's mounted las-guns? Seems to make since because its said in the "fluff" of the unit entry but it doesn't specifically say 6 "hull mounted" lasguns...

 

As for troops, way I see it I would field them 1 of two ways... 10 man squad with 2 plasmas in a kitted chimera. Or a squad of 10 with 2 grenade launchers. The 3rd way is in a rhino with melta-guns but I think I am going to leave that one up to the sisters when I finally buy a squad or two of them.

[Imperator Mos]

Autocannon/Heavy Bolter Chimera. Ten Arbites, melta, grenade launcher, vet with power/plasma, priest with eviscerator and carapace. Try it.

 

Depending on who I'm playing against, my Chimeras might get exchanged for Valkyries. Death from above and all that.

[Captain Malachi]

Here is a curious question, does the DH chimera retain it's mounted las-guns? Seems to make since because its said in the "fluff" of the unit entry but it doesn't specifically say 6 "hull mounted" lasguns...

No, it doesn't, sorry, if it's not in the rules you aren't getting it.

[Tauren]

Hmmm... wonder how bad that is for WYSIWYG if I put those las-guns on there... instead of just leaving the holes empty...

[march10k]

easy...the guns are there, but the batteries died...

[CelestialSon]

A bit of thread necro, i know, but i found the whole thread interesting.

 

I've toyed with the idea of using storm trooper squads as the core of an army, keeping them and their chimeras in cover and providing fire support. I figure a few frag grenades and heavy bolters should thing the enemy out while some inducted IG deal with the armor. Yes? No?

[Tauren]

easy...the guns are there, but the batteries died...

 

"Hey boss the lasguns stopped working..."

 

"Did you bring extra D batteries?"

 

"No?"

 

"Well then I guess your plume outa luck..."

 

...

 

"You know we really should just learn to stick our guns out the port hole instead of mounting a crappier version of our guns into the hole... that requires batteries... that we always forget..."

[Captain Malachi]

Haha, I can just imagine some highly trained inquisitorial stormtroopers saying that, I love 40k humour :lol:

[number6]

A bit of thread necro, i know, but i found the whole thread interesting.

 

I've toyed with the idea of using storm trooper squads as the core of an army, keeping them and their chimeras in cover and providing fire support. I figure a few frag grenades and heavy bolters should thing the enemy out while some inducted IG deal with the armor. Yes? No?

Stormtroopers are little expensive for what you get. In a DH army, they're cheaper than GKs, but they're still expensive enough that it's difficult to make a viable pure DH army with these units as a core. Absolutely it can be done, but a bit more flexibility and potency can be had if you mix in inducted Marines or IG.

 

In a WH army, unless you have fluff or modeling reasons (let's face it ISTs can be very cool, especially Arbites!), it's almost always going to be worth your while to take Sisters instead. Granted, they don't have plasma or Chimeras, but they more than compensate for that, and they only cost 1pt more per model.

[Tauren]

Yea, honestly 1 unit of IST's in a chimera wielding plasma's fill a role that sisters lack in punching power and can run along-side the mounted sisters to tear into the enemy rather well. Plus it gives yet another variation in the army that just has so many modeling options. You will never be bored looking at a daemonhunter/witchhunter army.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

I generally view IST's as support units that can score, not front-line infantry. PAGK do the 'getting shot, holding onto objectives like heroes' role.

 

I generally don't have points for transports (although 2,000 points I start going more 'pure' anyway so IST's generally leave in favour of more PAGK and Landraiders), so I run foot-slogging squads;

 

(2) 6 x IST's, meltagun, plasma gun

(80 points)

 

They're dirt-cheap heavy weapons and completely expendable. I prefer the mix because against heavy infantry the extra shot is handy (cos your hellguns do jack-all except against other T3 push-overs like Guardsman or Eldar Guardians), and against vehicles the melta-gun is awesomeness. I generally run them as a light skirmishing screen ahead of my advancing Knights. Either that, or one of them camps a home objective (not missing a huge amount of firepower), while the other unit and the PAGK advance on the enemy and shoot them to death.

 

If I had the inclination+points to mechanise (it's depressing to watch more nearly 2/3rds of your points go onto two 8-man squads of Knights and two Hellfire Dreads), here is what I would use:

 

Chimera, heavy flamer, extra armour, smokes, 8 x IST's, 2 x meltaguns

(188 points)

 

Reasonably priced, gets you a decent melta-rush unit and a template-spewing transport to run interference once they land on top of an objective.

 

Grenade launchers = redundant: the PAGK have tonnes of S4 pain to dish out, and psycannons = effectively Heavy 3 krak grenade launchers with +12" range and ignoring invul (not to mention Assault within 18"). Plasma guns are good, but anti-tank is a more pressing issue in a DH's army, hence the meltaguns. 8-man is about as big as I'd take IST squads, because they are ultimately just cannon fodder and any concerted attempts to wipe them out will succeed easily (they're not especially better than Guardsman). Likewise, the fire support Chimera kinda died due to the new 'defensive weapon' rules. Multi-laser still = fail, heavy bolter is meh (psycannons already have that long-range AP4 angle covered), heavy flamer lets you clear out the chaff to let the PAGK chew up the tougher stuff (and you don't lose much doing a rush early on, cos you won't be in range usually anyway). Orks and Tyranids hate heavy flamers especially, and you'll nab 1-2 Marines provided you can get 6 under the template (with no more 'partials' it's not hard).

 

Or you could save 30 points, bulk up the squad a bit and just take a Rhino. Weaker overall, but better side armour and no real firepower aside from pintle storm bolter.

 

 

Given that DH's can ally over SoB, I don't think we even need ISTs to be honest. I mean, 10 points more for the squad (10 x IST's vs 10 x SoB), you get so much better Troops. I know Number6 already runs a unit of inferno-pistol Seraphim with his DH's (and they work pretty well), but tough dependable Troops like SoB are also a great addition to the army. When I drop out my Assassins (except the Eversor, he's my star player :tu: ), I'll drop out the IST's too and take dual melta SoB to back up the PAGK.

[Tauren]

Well considering that DH lacks anti-tank in many ways... anti-armor in general, a multi-laser isen't a bad choice for poping armor 10 on a 4. Besides, not like a heavy bolter will make that much of a difference since it doesn't rip through armor much more. That said I am almost considering taking one with my inquisitor fire-base in some lists, makes for more variability in play and is something different. Run an inquisitor with retinue in 1, ist's with plasmas in another, kit them both up and deploy them on the flank. Sisters in a rhino and Seraphim for anti-tank and heavy infantry are another good little unit you can run the chimera's with. Run the chimera's on the left flank facing their 12 armor forward and the rhino covers the weak side armor of the chimera's.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Well considering that DH lacks anti-tank in many ways... anti-armor in general, a multi-laser isen't a bad choice for poping armor 10 on a 4.

 

Against light armour, you already have psycannons on the PAGK with better BS4 and more survivable squad (Shrouding sometimes works at 36"). Anyway, my point with the heavy flamer is that after your initial rush (it's a transport, don't camp with it, use it to move things from A to <_<, you can slow to 6" a turn and torch incoming horde infantry. If it dies, no biggie, you lose a heavy flamer. Don't rely on the fail-laser to do much; it's a terrible weapon and the new rules for vehicle shooting mean it's gotten worse. Heavy flamer isn't firing most of the game anyway, so no great loss.

 

If you gaming group/store allows you to use autocannon turrets on Chimeras, then it can be a useful sniper of light/medium armour, but it's still a waste of it's transport ability.