salvation for dreadclaws

[henrywalker]

I've just read stronghold assault and the updated rules for the sky shield landing pad. Specifically the ready for take off rule. Basically a flyer can be deployed on the landing pad and so can do stuff on turn one. This suddenly changes the dread claw from an assault in maybe turn three or four or even five into a certain assault in turn two. Start on the pad with a 4+ save then take off and fly towards the enemy in turn 1. turn two move another 6 inches, get out 2 inches and charge up to 12, you'd be very unlucky not to have a nice juicy target. Am i missing something here because this seems too good to have not been mentioned before. 

[incinerator950]

I think the problem still is cost.  We'd rather just have the turn 1 drop pod than the frilly dreadclaw, even if it costs more, can fly around.  Plus in order for this to work, we need the pad on top when we could have other things.

[Sception]

This certainly helps both the claw and the kharybdis.  However, it's also very much against the intent of what those models are supposed to represent, so it remains a highly unsatisfying answer to their problems.  As mentioned, cost remains an issue, as even with this trick (and I would certainly characterize it as a 'trick'), the claws are still very expensive for what they deliver, imo, and the ad's ability is probably better (and more thematically) used with a drake or, if you're looking for transport ability, a storm eagle.

 

Still, a very clever observation even so.  I'll have to proxy it out at some point.  Turn two assaults with a kharybdis full of melee dudes would certainly be interesting.  Then again, the kharybdis's points problem is even worse then the dread claw's.  For now, anyway.  I fully expect the claw to pick up watered down versions of the KAC's rules in IA:3, and see a hefty and totally unwaranted price hike as a result.

[Warsmith Aznable]

I think I'd rather just take some Space Marines in a Drop Pod as allies under Come the Apocalypse penatly, since deploying outside of 12" isn't a problem when you're dropping in the enemy's backfield. It would give me something useful to do with my Dreadclaw conversion, anyway.

[Disciple of Fulgrim]

I have to agree with Max on this one - unless IA:3 totally changes how our Claws work (which probably won't happen) their real salvation is that we can now use them as "counts-as" Drop Pods. With a little imagination and creativity, this opens up a bunch of workable and fluffy options for making the kinds of CSM lists that I've wanted to play for years.

[Sception]

I do expect IA:3 to significantly change how our claws work, but I expect it to change them to work like the kharybdis, and to cost a lot more for the 'privilege', possibly over a hundred points.  It won't really be an improvement.