Need help brainstorming homebrew vehicle variants.

[incinerator950]

Right, so to pass the time, Ive decided that I'm going to flesh out some concepts of vehicle modifications, but I can't seem to break writers block.

 

I) Land Raider Desecrator: Wars within and without the Eye of Terror are fought with the savagery of built up hatred embittered for millenia. They are ascostly for the Traitor Space Marines as much as their enemies. The Desecrator was marked after the wanton desecration of a Cardinal World. After sustaining grievous losses, a Steel Brethren Warsmith devised a Land Raider modification to overcome the bunkered zealots of the false Emperor. By removing the Las-cannons with Twin-Linked Reaper autocannons and the heavy bolters with a bale flamer, he had given the vehicle an edge in slaughtering light armor and infantry. This also gave the advantage of adding additional troops, up to fourteen astartes. The Cardinal World was brought low, the population enslaved or sacrificed to defile the holy sites and Chapels of the world before Imperial reinforcements could rescue the planet.

 

II) ** Rhino: The opposite of and a response to Razorbacks, ** are modified Assault Rhinos. Greater need of Land Raiders prompted the modification of existing transports in supply to put troops in closer assault range. By reversing the chassis and modifying the hull for the drivers, ** sacrifice its firing port for space to support a Assault ramp. To compensate for weaker armor, the engines were improved or replaced with stronger warp coil cells to provide better speed and mobility. Transport size was reduced from ten to eight, often remarking the vehicle as Khornate in origin.

 

III) Mulcher Defiler: Air superiority is often the key in turning a battle. When not available or not in favor, it can turn disastrous for Commanders on long marches and positions too dug in to retaliate against airborne harrassers with no surface to air weapons. The Mulcher was a response to increasing demands from Chaos Lords. By modifying Defiler demon engines for a anti-air configuration, with four gargoyle encrusted autocannons loaded with explosive flak rounds and charged by warp energy. To assist in this role, the Defilers have been upgraded with Demon Eye sensory equipment to enhance range trajectory and high speed fighter maneuvers. Its front armor was also upgraded with additional plating, but as a result the battle cannon was removed to compensate for ammunition and heavy weight.

 

Edit: Having to rename things because they're already in use sucks.

[MaliGn]

How about a land raider with baleflamer sponsors and frag launchers, like a mutant chaotic half breed of the redeemer and the crusader? I can see one stuffed full of Word Bearers, burninating their way toward the enemy lines then pouring out amid a rain of explosions to bring the righteous truth to the infidel!

 

Since the last codex we've gained an array of funky weaponry I.e ectoplasma cannons, baleflamers, etc if all appropriate vehicles were allowed to take them as options then that would offset the lack of official varients. Warpsmiths are not constrained by stc's and bolting daemonic weapons onto their old battle tanks sounds like a good starting point. In reality to achieve this shouldn't mean more than a sprue or two, making it quite a small investment as this sprue could go in each chaos predator and land raider box and job's a good one.

[incinerator950]

I had considered a Bale flamer and two Reaper autocannons with an obvious increase in transport capacity. The problem right now is trying to come up with names (for the last hour and a half) that are not already taken, and not reaorting to pseudo latin.

[Tenebris]

I would love to see some sort of flying Helbrute/Defiler, something mecha but brutal, corrupted and with the full weapon array of a Helbrute. 

[incinerator950]

That would be cool. You can do me a favor and name it because that would take me two hours alone. ;)

 

I am considering a Plague specialized drop pod for The Purge. Mainly just a minor swap of the missile launcher with some plague munitions like those vrak mortors.

[MaliGn]

Actually, extra features that granted additional effects could be cool, like granting zealot or even icon effects to embarked squads.

 

Re: names, time to pull out the thesaurus? There's also an argument that they don't need pattern names, just give them the options to add more variety and keep only the base name.

[Tenebris]

Hmm, Eradicator, Throne of Pain, Spirit of Decimation, Ragecorpse, Rapacious, Apostate, ...

[incinerator950]

Ragecorpse will do.

 

@Malign: Pattern names help establish an identity. Also, my modifications have a major impact on the hull super structures more than adding or changing weapons. They become profiled to a certain role, althouh I do want upgrades and modifications for Chaos Phobos patterns.

 

I decided Desecrator will suffice for the Land Raider. However I don't want to share a name with the Tau, as I originally wanted to use Piranha for my Rhino.

[the jeske]

I would love to see some sort of flying Helbrute/Defiler, something mecha but brutal, corrupted and with the full weapon array of a Helbrute. 

Armies of the forge.

 

mantis/jumper type of mecha with impale attack.normal 4+2CCW attacks, can be switched for one small blast D class attack that glances the jumper defiler.

 

Cult defilers.

Dual syren slanesh one.

AV 13 shroud giving nurgle one or a non shroud double torrent poison flamers.

Khorn one with D6 extra attacks and +1A for each HP lost caused.

Tzeench lvl X caster with inv.

 

Forge versions of nurglins/crypt spiders[aka big swarm base]. That can be run as a unit and if a chaos techy joins them, he can blow a base up to fix stuff or curse an additional vehicle[one base per turn].

 

Collared cultists[back to the RT/2ed days] that explode when broken or at any time a chaos player wants.

 

Forge Altars. Think chaos artilery only with random effects. Can be fed cultists or swarm bases for enhanced effects.

 

Grand Altars. imobile Bunker sized vehicles hand out auras to forge vehicles[Can even be random as long as the stuff given out is good].

[Tenebris]

Oh hell yes for the above Jeske. I would love to have those daemon engines in my army. I especially like the altars idea.

 

Still Inci, an assault Rhino is great, but would it not be easier to simply make a thing like the FW Gorgon. 16 models, assault vehicle, 12, 10, 10, with the addition of the CSM vehicle upgrades. It is true that usually we need to deliver berzerkers but I have also found the need to deliver masses of cultists (which pack a punch with MoK and a Dark Apostle), big squads of CSM and even a healthy number of Possessed or Chosen. 

[incinerator950]

Honestly? I just learned of the Gorgons today, and mainly have been trying to come up with something of a Razorback counterpart.

 

A Chaos Gorgon is sufficient in that role too, and I can see Chaos ones being mobile ritual bunkers for summoning.

[Tenebris]

Wohaa that would be an awesome concept, like the Arks of the Necrons. A transport which boosts the troops. I would say give us a Gorgon variant, cheap, up to 100 points for a 12,10,10 vehicle with four hull points and the options of the CSM vehicle upgrades, as well as the upgrades for 25 points for altars or shrines. Make it evoke d6 models per turn to not make it OP and I am a happy CSM if it is an assault vehicle with this profile. At best give it an autocannon turret and the Havoc launcher as options.

[MaliGn]

Wrath pattern rhino, features the assault doors you suggested, plus assault grenade launchers (optional) that can be fired into enemies in cover prior to an assault to remove initiative modifiers. Fill it with possessed and off you go.

 

Scourge pattern predator, spins on mounted hades autocannons and an ectoplasma turret, option to go all ectoplasma for 25pts, also option of a modified mine clearing flail attachment on the front a la the old destroyer blades khornate vehicle upgrade from 3.5 codex.

[totgeboren]

I would like to see a CSM Land Raider with two Reaper autocannons in each sponson, like the FW Fire Raptor. It would tie in nicely with the CSM version of that model too. The front turret should have a twin-h.bolter that you can upgrade to a twin-multimelta. Transport 12 or 16 (because of the removal of the huge generators that the Lascannons use) and I would be happy.

 

I personally don't like the idea of assault transport Rhinos. I could maybe get behind open-topped Rhinos, but even that is stretching the visuals quite a bit.

It would feel more fitting with sponson-less Land Raiders with a transport capacity of 20 instead. Just an all-out assault transport with frag launchers.

[incinerator950]

I planned that too. Actually I am planning my Desecrator to be two twin Reapers with a bale flamer with a 14 man cap.

 

The problem is contemplating not making spkey Spartans or LRCs. Rhinos are easier to build than Raiders, so why I justify the Assault one.

 

You should write out the 20 man Raider though.

[totgeboren]

Well, ok.

Land Raider Idolator: Twin-heavy bolters. May upgrade to twin-multimelta for +X(20?) pts.

Transport capacity: 20 models.

Comes with Frag Assault Launchers and extra armour standard.

May be given equipment from the Chaos Vehicle armoury.

150(?) pts... ish.

 

So a Chaos Land Raider Crusader, or the chaos equivalent. What they do when they can no longer replace or repair damaged weapon systems. Just remove them and use the available weight-caring capacity to add some extra armour.

[incinerator950]

Awesome.

[Dallas Drake]

Tauros assault vehicles, light APCs, limos... or some kind of light transport for cultists!

[incinerator950]

You're not suggesting we use Genestealer Culta, are you?

[Shuggnuggath]

Would be quite cool if cultists could get bikes and trucks for a sort of Mad Max style craziness.

[Strazhakov]

My advice for coming up with names is stealing them...err I mean I get inspiration from Magic cards. That game is so old and has so many cards all with unique names in all manner of combinations and flavours. What really grinds my gears about names in 40k is that the Tyranids stole some cool Latin names for themselves. 

 

No Venator tanks, no Lictor squads, no Carnifex walkers :(

 

 

Since the last codex we've gained an array of funky weaponry I.e ectoplasma cannons, baleflamers, etc if all appropriate vehicles were allowed to take them as options then that would offset the lack of official varients. Warpsmiths are not constrained by stc's and bolting daemonic weapons onto their old battle tanks sounds like a good starting point. In reality to achieve this shouldn't mean more than a sprue or two, making it quite a small investment as this sprue could go in each chaos predator and land raider box and job's a good one.

 

Yes to all of the above. Also Ectoplasma cannons as equipment option for CSM and Havocs would be due.

 

Top of my wishlist is to get back the Sonic Dreadnaught because I can't justify buying it without rules.

Additionally a Land Raver/Noise Raider/Slaanesh Partybus with twin-linked Blastmasters, Sonic blaster, Doom Siren, Dirge Casters and 12 transport capacity. Heck I might convert one anyway. It'll be close to 300 pts so I doubt it would be OP.

[incinerator950]

There's a picture of a khornate black legionaire with a plasma cannon in the codex.

 

Let that sink in.

[Angrypantz]

I've always liked "Mauler" for the name of something (not to be mistaken for the Mauler fiend). I've seen two home brew tanks, one a rhino with side sponsons and the other, a predator with two reaper autocannons.

My wish is that GW takes the time to remodel the VDR so that we can play around with the current kits to make something awesome. (Not that we can't already but I can only really play in store at the moment so finding people willing to play custom vehicles is a little hard )

I've heard that the sponsons for the Stormwolf are the same size as the Land Raider so getting the heavy bolters, multimeltas and missiles should be easy enough (looting the rules for the frost guns and making them suitably chaosy (Warp Cannons come to mind, like Eldar D Weapons but man made) or even equipping chaos sicarians with really outlandish weapons.

(Unlike the Imperium, I see the Dark Mechanicus not being too afraid to dismantle vehicles to find out how they work and then replicating using "evil" technomancy)

[Dallas Drake]

You're not suggesting we use Genestealer Culta, are you?

Haha, no... But they were my first army as a 13 year old back in 1st edition (I think?), only had an awfully painted Magus & some Genestealers but easily the best army GW dropped.

 

Some kind of low AV non tracked transport for Cultists would be boss though, heck AV10 & a heavy stubber would do me :)

[incinerator950]

Let's just steal some Chimeras and give them heavy flamers.