Bolter Storm Raven?

[IndigoJack]

Flyers can elect to have skyfire or not at the beginning of the turn. If a flyer opts to use skyfire, all ground targets are fired at using snap shots. You cannot fire blast weapons as snap shots. Therefore, if you use the MM to fire at the air, you cannot use mindstrikes or plasma cannons. PotMS lets you fire an additional weapon at full BS, however, when using skyfire, shots fired at ground targets are always snap shots.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

 

I'm not sure which SR model you have, but mine certainly doesn't have a  360 firing arc. Additionally, if you opt for skyfire, any shots you fire at the ground are snap shots, and templates can't be snap fired. So no MM at the air, and PotMS at the ground. If you want PCs, take servitors. There are more useful weapons you can take with no additional point cost.

Fine, 270 degree then. Still, given its height, you'll see most targets just fine. I agree though, plasma servitors are a better source. However, if you don't feel the lascannon will be useful later on, the twin plasma turret is still a great weapon. Free swap after all. 

 

 

Except PotMS allows you to fire at full BS. its the machine spirit shooting, not the pilot trying to track multiple targets. You can skyfire the mm with potms and use the pilot to fire the PC and mindstrikes at a bunched up target

I'm inclined to agree with you. I'd have to check the wording on Machine Spirit though

[IndigoJack]

 

 

I'm not sure which SR model you have, but mine certainly doesn't have a  360 firing arc. Additionally, if you opt for skyfire, any shots you fire at the ground are snap shots, and templates can't be snap fired. So no MM at the air, and PotMS at the ground. If you want PCs, take servitors. There are more useful weapons you can take with no additional point cost.

Fine, 270 degree then. Still, given its height, you'll see most targets just fine. I agree though, plasma servitors are a better source. However, if you don't feel the lascannon will be useful later on, the twin plasma turret is still a great weapon. Free swap after all. 

 

It's really closer to 200 degrees. There's a nice big blind spot in the back that's easily exploited. You can also free swap for a TLAC, which can be used against both flyers and ground targets. The idea of paying for hurricane bolters and psybolt ammo is that at 12" you're getting more firepower than a strike squad for only 50pts. There are lists that I can see this being used effectively, although probably not at point levels lower than 1850. My point was never that it is a superior option, just that it can be a viable one. 

 

 

 

Except PotMS allows you to fire at full BS. its the machine spirit shooting, not the pilot trying to track multiple targets. You can skyfire the mm with potms and use the pilot to fire the PC and mindstrikes at a bunched up target

I'm inclined to agree with you. I'd have to check the wording on Machine Spirit though

 

"Shots resloved at a zooming flyer can only be resolved as snap shots (unless the model or weapon has the skyfire special rule, as described on page 42). Template, blast and large blast weapons cannot hit flyers in zoom mode.

 

...Flyers choose whether or not to use the skyfire special rile at the start of each shooting phase. They don't have to use the skyfire special rule, but if they do, all weapons they fire that turn are treated as having the skyfire special rule." P.81, BYB

 

"Skyfire - a model with this special rule, or that is firing a weapon with this special rile, fires using it's normal ballistic skill when shooting at flyers, flying monsterous creatures and skimmers. Unless it also has the interceptor special rule, it can only fire snap shots against the ground." P.42, BYB

 

"Snap Shots ...If a model is forced to make snap shots rather than shoot normally, then its ballistic skill is counted as being 1 for the purpose of those shots. Some weapon types, such as template and ordnance, or those that have certain special rules such as blast, cannot be fired as snap shots." P.13, BYB

 

"Power of the Machine Spirit - In a turn in which the vehicle neither moves flat out nor uses smoke launchers, the vehicle can fire one more weapon at its full ballistic skill that normally permitted. In addition, this weapon can be fired at a different target unit to any other weapons, subject to the normal rules for shooting." P.40, BYB

 

So here's the scenario, you have a storm raven with multi-melta and plasma cannon, and you elect for it to have skyfire at the beginning of the shooting phase so you can melta the zooming heldrake in front of you. Since you've opted to use skyfire this turn, you'd have to opt for your plasma cannon to fire at a ground target, since you can't fire blasts at a zooming flyer. But since you're using skyfire, any targets on the ground have to be fired at using snap shots, since the storm raven doesn't also have the interceptor special rule. But then there's the fact that you can't fire blast weapons as snap shots. All PotMS lets you do is fire an additional weapon at full ballistic skill and at a separate target if you choose. It's still the storm raven that has the skyfire special rule, not the pilot. This is not a difficult concept to grasp, just a quick look at the rules clears it up.

 

The plasma cannon is the worst option for the storm raven because it has to be fired as blast and it really limits the storm ravens flexibility. Even the typhoon missile launcher is a better option since it can be fired at both ground and air.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Eh. I'm not generally taking Ravens to kill enemy Flyers persay, although it is a good role for them. If I wanted anti-Flyer Flyers I'd just bring Allied Vendettas. Raven is more of a support transport/gunship. I agree the twin-las is 90% of the time gonna be better (never pay for the Typhoon), but plasma cannon is still a nice option against ground targets. Nobody likes AP2 blasts on a fast platform.