Superheavy spearhead question

[spu00sed]

I think this is where the question should go.

 

The new spearhead rules have a spearhead that allows you to take a single superheavy spearhead. However if you don't place it in reserves it suffers an automatic penetrating hit before the battle starts.

 

My question is:

 

Would powerfields/void shields absorb the hit?

 

The rules for powerfield/void shields say they have to be attacked first, unless the attack comes from within 12" of the superheavy.

 

The rules have an automatic penetrating hit, but no range. Though in the rules text it says "This represent enemy weapon strikes on the vehicle before the game begins"

 

To me this implies long ranged firepower, so they would just knock down a powerfield/void shieled.

[Grey Mage]

Id say no range, no fields personally. It just takes the hit... no saves or shields.

[thade]

They're doing this to balance out the super heavy's presence in a game where it would otherwise be purely overpowered (or over-costed). Deploy it in cover and hope for a Shaken/Stunned result. :P

[Frosty the Pyro]

They're doing this to balance out the super heavy's presence in a game where it would otherwise be purely overpowered (or over-costed). Deploy it in cover and hope for a Shaken/Stunned result. :)

Or a weapon destroyed result, i mean who cares if a baneblade has one less heavy bolter?

[Grey Mage]

They're doing this to balance out the super heavy's presence in a game where it would otherwise be purely overpowered (or over-costed). Deploy it in cover and hope for a Shaken/Stunned result. :)

Or a weapon destroyed result, i mean who cares if a baneblade has one less heavy bolter?

Well remember, your opponent gets to decide... though primary weapons do get that nifty 4+ save against such results.

[Vor]

They're doing this to balance out the super heavy's presence in a game where it would otherwise be purely overpowered (or over-costed). Deploy it in cover and hope for a Shaken/Stunned result. ;)

 

Super-heavies are not as all powerful as people make out. Sure, if you get lucky it could dominate, but if you get lucky with a Broadside and a Hammerhead you can dominate. I used a Warhound on Thursday in a Spearhead game, it made slightly over its points back then wiped out all my army (a 4k army!) bar two squads of vets and 2 already weapon destroyed basilisks in a 33" reactor meltdown :) Had the Tau and Nids put all their heavy fire on it and not tried to wait for the Zonethropes to arrrive from Deep Strike before trying to wipe the thing out, they could have killed it turn 1, in the end, when turn two started, it had 1 structurepoint left from just the Tau shooting it. I was able to raise a shield again which helped it live till turn 3 though.

[BladeEncarmine]

At 4k a side, though, even armies without a Super Heavy can concentrate enough firepower to take down an isolated Super Heavy or Gargantuan Creature, as you're basically playing Apocalypse at that point.

 

In smaller games, however (1500 to 2500), that same Super Heavy can be much harder to take out with the arguably lesser amount of anti-tank fire playing around at 2k compared to 4k (unless you're playing against a Dark Eldar dark lance spam army or something along those lines). Meanwhile, the amount of concentrated fire the Super Heavy can bring to bear against a single portion of your line can be hard to recover from.

 

Vagaries of luck and army composition aside, any unit is only as good as its general and how much luck plays a part in your match.

 

*EDIT - Just realized I didn't answer the question*

 

In my opinion, since the spearhead says that the Super Heavy suffers an automatic penetrating hit, void shields, powerfields and ;) Eldar Titan Holofields don't come into play, since it specifies the hit is applied to the vehicle.

[Frosty the Pyro]

They're doing this to balance out the super heavy's presence in a game where it would otherwise be purely overpowered (or over-costed). Deploy it in cover and hope for a Shaken/Stunned result. :)

 

Super-heavies are not as all powerful as people make out. Sure, if you get lucky it could dominate, but if you get lucky with a Broadside and a Hammerhead you can dominate. I used a Warhound on Thursday in a Spearhead game, it made slightly over its points back then wiped out all my army (a 4k army!) bar two squads of vets and 2 already weapon destroyed basilisks in a 33" reactor meltdown :) Had the Tau and Nids put all their heavy fire on it and not tried to wait for the Zonethropes to arrrive from Deep Strike before trying to wipe the thing out, they could have killed it turn 1, in the end, when turn two started, it had 1 structurepoint left from just the Tau shooting it. I was able to raise a shield again which helped it live till turn 3 though.

warhounds are crazy fast, why did it blow up on your side and not on theirs?

[Isiah]

Rules items only. Tactics and batreps elsewhere please unless they apply to the topics specific rule issue.