30k Vehicle/Automata Concepts - The Manufactorum

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Many of you folks are probably familiar with my work editing FW's vehicle / armour designs based around my DIY X^th Legion Clan.

 

However, I keep coming up with ideas for potential Mechanicum / Legion units that I've been wanting to share for a while now, but there just aren't enough relevant designs to edit together decent images. Instead, I've decided to compile a number of basic concept sketches to outline how these units would appear, and I thought I'd share them with y'all alongside some basic rule ideas & the fluff that would explain their place in 30k.

 

These units will mainly be vehicles / automata, and they'll all be based around themes presented in existing models & background.

 

I have no idea how regularly I'll be updating this thread, it really depends on when interesting concepts pop up, but at the moment I've got a considerable back-log of ideas to get started with.

 

Anyway, let me know if you think this is interesting enough for me to keep going or not

Edited February 14, 2022 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Images/ProductCategories/LordsofWar.jpg

MECHANICUM QUESTORIS KNIGHT VIGILANT:

The Legacy of the dying days of the Age of Technology, the first records of the pattern of Knight know as the ‘Vigilant’ also describe the collapse of galactic human society as the Age of Strife began. Called upon to safeguard the fragmenting vestiges of order, the Knight Households unleashed their weapons against their own kind, and many of their war-engines were adapted to augment their anti-personnel capabilities, resulting in the Vigilant chassis. Whilst many of these Knights would continue to defend their subjects through the horrors of Old Night, atrocity seemed to shadow their use throughout history, with many Households using them as terror weapons to ensure their continued dominance against any who would seek to oppose them.

As the Great Crusade continued to unite many Knight worlds under the Mechanicum’s fold, the Knight Vigilant became a vital component of offensives across many fronts, cutting a swathe through the xenos hordes that opposed the Imperium’s dominance, its similarity to many of the most common Knight patterns, and the ready availability of its primary munitions ensuring it continued to serve until the Heresy. During the apocryphal civil war, the worst horrors of the Knight Households’ reigns were relived, as Knights Vigilant in service to the Dark Mechanicum slaughtered loyalist Imperial Army forces with impunity, and ‘pacified’ resistant Imperial populations on worlds claimed by the Warmaster’s forces, the howling screams of their baleful War sirens heralding the deaths of millions of loyalists.

Knight Vigilant: WS: 4 BS: 4 S: 10 Armour: 13/12/12 I: 4 A: 3 HP: 6

Unit Composition:

• 1 Knight Vigilant

Unit Type:

• Vehicle (Super Heavy Walker)

Wargear:

• Twin-linked avenger bolt cannon
• Twin-linked heavy flamer
• Augury Matrix
• Ion shield

Special Rules:

• Household Rank
• Death Tempest
• (Super-heavy Walker) Fear, Hammer of Wrath, Invincible Behemoth, Move Through Cover, Relentless, Smash and Strikedown

Options:

• The Knight Vigilant may exchange its twin-linked heavy flamer for:

-Twin-linked Irad cleanser

-Twin-linked Volkite caliver

Augury Matrix:

The Knight Vigilant chassis features an advanced sensory array that enhances its anti-infantry capability, featuring myriad devices that can detect the thermal-signatures, olfactory markers and electromagnetic indicators of almost any organism, amongst a range of more obscure detecting mechanisms. The unit gains the Night Vision and Preferred Enemy (Infantry) special rules. In addition, ranged attacks made by the unit ignore any cover save bonus granted by the Shrouded special rule.

Death Tempest:

In a turn in which the Knight Vigilant does not move, its Avenger Bolt Cannon may be fired with the following type: Heavy 7 + 2D6. However, if it does so, it looses the twin-linked special rule.

Dark Mechanicum:

If taken as part of Dark Mechanicum detachment, the Knight Vigilant gains the following options:

• The Knight Vigilant may exchange its twin-linked heavy flamer for:

-Two mechadendrite flails

• The Knight Vigilant may purchase the following equipment:

-Blood Dirge

Mechadendrite Flail:

Range: - S: 8 AP: 3 Special: Melee, Concussive, Rending, Flail

Flail:

Grants the bearer the Rampage special rule, with the requirement that any additional attacks granted are made with the weapon that possesses the rule.

Blood Dirge:

Based loosely upon the War Sirens featured upon almost every class of Titan, the Blood Dirges were created by the Dark Mechanicum using malign practices unknowable to any without their fold, rendering each shrieking cry produced capable of sending even the most stalwart warrior into fits of maddening terror.

Fear tests taken against the unit suffer a -2 Leadership penalty.

Yeah, this obviously originated when I saw FW's Cerastus Knight with the twin Avengers, and I thought it'd be cool to add to the 'normal' sized Knights. I was inspired a bit by the section in Extermination about the RG survivors on Isstvan V, with the Dark Mechanicum constructs searching the wastes using dark technology to find their quarry. I also really liked the idea of these big, clunky, creepy knights with too many eyes searching through the rubble of a ruined city, searching for survivors. In terms of how it looks, I wanted something that tied in with the whole nobility theme of the households, but could easily become quite sinister in the right context - even the glorious Knight Households have some unpleasant history.

Edit: fixed Blood Dirge & Mechadendrite Flail

Edited March 13, 2015 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[marine7312000]

A great start. I especially like the sketch. I'll take a closer look at the rules later.

[BassWave]

I like the overall design and idea brother, especially the creepy head.

 

 

I know you made the rules for funsies but knights already cause fear. Maybe the blood dirge would cause -3 leadership modifier for fear tests instead?

 

Also brother I must be blunt, but a strength 4 flail on a super heavy?? I can hear the cries of traitor players already :p In all seriousness though, that sounds pretty weak considering this is a walking building we're talking about. Also why would a cc weapon cause pinning?? I like the idea of the flails, but it needs some refinement.

 

I'm looking forward to what other mechanical creations you come up with :D

Edited August 22, 2014 by BassWave

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

I like the overall design and idea brother, especially the creepy head.

 

 

I know you made the rules for funsies but knights already cause fear. Maybe the blood dirge would cause -3 leadership modifier for fear tests instead?

 

Also brother I must be blunt, but a strength 4 flail on a super heavy?? I can hear the cries of traitor players already In all seriousness though, that sounds pretty weak considering this is a walking building we're talking about. Also why would a cc weapon cause pinning?? I like the idea of the flails, but it needs some refinement.

 

I'm looking forward to what other mechanical creations you come up with

 

Yeah, I made a few oopsies rushing to get this done :P

 

I've fixed the Blood Dirge to confer a -2 Ld penalty.

 

In terms of the Mechadendrite Flail, its now S8, & I've swapped pinning for rending (the original idea was combatants getting ensnared in the tentacles, but I realized its useless in CC) - I figured the S8 Defiler scourge was a similar weapon, and although it could be higher strength, the pair of them auto grant +1 Attack, with D3 extras to the bargain.

 

Out of interest - would swapping rending & shred for Fleshbane be too OP? After all, it is an anti-infantry vehicle?

Also, with the vehicle already having Preferred Enemy: Infantry, is Shred worth it? Would swapping it with Concussive to simulate the pinning idea be better?

[Russ Brother 92]

Having had a very brief look - I would say that swapping shred for concussive would be a good move (imagine these flails smashing a marine through gateways or knocking a primarch to the floor), it carries the theme across well and enhances it whilst still being situational enough to act as a downside (you have to get the beast into cc where it's normally most vulnerable).

 

I can't wait to see more... We are watching brother.

[Hyaenidae]

Daddy needs a fast medium tank packing a ton of autocannons for holding breaches in fortress walls for follow up forces.

 

Mr. Fanatic, make it so.

 

 

:P

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Having had a very brief look - I would say that swapping shred for concussive would be a good move (imagine these flails smashing a marine through gateways or knocking a primarch to the floor), it carries the theme across well and enhances it whilst still being situational enough to act as a downside (you have to get the beast into cc where it's normally most vulnerable).

 

I can't wait to see more... We are watching brother.

 

Thanks for the input, tis done - I also realised that Fleshbane would be crazy powerful combined with preferred enemy infantry: "Its always wounds on a 2+, and uh, I get to re-roll 1s "

 

Daddy needs a fast medium tank packing a ton of autocannons for holding breaches in fortress walls for follow up forces.

 

Mr. Fanatic, make it so.

 

 

 

Hmmmm, I'm struggling to think of an appropriate chassis - although there is always this option - just take the autocannon sponsons :P

Also, part of the reason I designed the Orthrus was with the idea of it melting massive holes in fortress walls so tanks could just roll on through

[Huh, I should probably compile all the existing designs somewhere on this thread - gah]

 

If I think of anything appropriate, you'll be the first to know

 

Just to let you know, the Iron Warriors get an honourable mention in the next attempt at rules - the idea being that they developed a form of Explosive Reactive Armour using the Mass-reactive tech from bolter rounds, explosives, and a load of plating :P

 

The next unit being....Lucifer pattern Dreadnoughts. Think a Mk IV Dread mixed with a Castellax & a dash of Contemptor

[Hyaenidae]

I was imagining something along the lines of a leman russ bastardized with a predator, with a huge (possibly unstable) engine. Turreted Quad Kheres assault cannons, designed to rush forward and hold the breach open for the big boys to catch up and penetrate the enemy defenses.

 

4 out of 5 voices in my head say this is a good idea.

 

 

:P

[Hyaenidae]

Got it. A Valdor chassis. The big ass energy coils on it's sides fit the image of a overpowered engine beautifully.

 

Now... what turret would work....

[Slips]

A turreted cerberus cannon? Though granted thst thing is huge but hey its not 30(40)k if its not overdone in some respects

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

I was imagining something along the lines of a leman russ bastardized with a predator, with a huge (possibly unstable) engine. Turreted Quad Kheres assault cannons, designed to rush forward and hold the breach open for the big boys to catch up and penetrate the enemy defenses.

 

4 out of 5 voices in my head say this is a good idea.

 

 

 

Got it. A Valdor chassis. The big ass energy coils on it's sides fit the image of a overpowered engine beautifully.

 

Now... what turret would work....

 

Well, the standard Malcador is a fast Vehicle, so that could easily work (also the normal chassis would give you sponsons, too - maybe heavy flamers for breach clearing?)

 

I'd imagine it with a massive blast shield mounted (that curves upwards in a similar way to the standard basilisk shield) just before the ends of the tracks.

 

In terms of the turret, how about a larger cross between the armoured Proteus Turret  & the malcador turret - recessed into the top of the blast shield, so it would kinda look like a massive, mobile bunker.

 

Wait, did you say quad kheres? Might be a bit big?

 

What about a twin kheres with a co-axial reaper autocannon? The autocannon barrels are each mounted to the outside of the kheres barrels, and can be upgraded to a twin-linked lascannon.

 

In terms of a name, I think the Mastiff is appropriately brutal?

 

A turreted cerberus cannon? Though granted thst thing is huge but hey its not 30(40)k if its not overdone in some respects

 

The Cerberus Neutron Laser Projector has a hugely long barrel, I don't think there's a turret heavy enough to mount that outside a falchion / shadowsword - plus, that's kinda exactly what the Valdor is for.

[Hyaenidae]

Nay on sponsons. I'm seriously thinking this as a near-suicide vehicle. 

 

As for turret armament, how about 2 twin linked Accelerator light autocannons? Shrink down a sicaran's turret, add two more barrels?

 

I'd like to avoid using the Malcador chassis, as I'm planning on having six of them in my Iron Warriors.   :D

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Ah cool - in terms of use, am I right in thinking its a kind of mobile beachhead? Powers forward as quickly as it can, sits on a choke-point, chugs out a load of rounds to clear a path for following troops. Maybe it gets blown up, maybe it doesn't - they're simple to repair & there's plenty more where they came from.

 

In terms of avoiding the malcador chassis, the valdor & the malcador use the same basic chassis - I guess you mean the lack of sponsons & a different turret arrangement to the malcador's distinctive design? After all, the basic chassis was really common throughout the great crusade, and the Imperial Army used it, so it must have been more disposable than most Legion vehicles - I'd assume it would be a relatively early pattern vehicle, as it seems pretty simple in terms of wargear & would have been useful in many warzones.

 

For the turret, I'll upload a couple of sketches showing what my current image of the tank's front looks like when I'm done with the Lucifer Dread - once you've got an idea its hard to dislodge :P

 

As for weapons, I'd imagine the turret would have 2 neighboring weapon mounts, each capable of taking a single twin-linked heavy weapon, or a single larger weapon (e.g a kheres, flamestorm cannon, heavy conversion beamer, etc.) - I'll give it a number of eventual options

 

I like the idea of a heavily armoured prow, but quite a fragile looking engine & aft sections - everything on the tank apart from the blast shield / turret is there to get it into the front lines

[Hyaenidae]

If I'm honest, I'm not a huge fan of energy weapons when it comes to my Iron Warriors. Ballistic or missile based weaponry would be awesome, though.

 

You're right, the Malcador and Valdor have the same hull. Huh. I guess I had the Valdor in my head because of the huge nuclear generator on it, which I thought would be perfect for an overcharged and unstable engine (also, because if it went critical, it could cause a larger gap in the wall to be made. Win-win  :P )

 

A mobile beachhead, yes, but a temporary one. Kinda like the Jaws of Life, it's meant to hold the breach open for as long as needed. A dangerous and explosive blend of speed, firepower, and (frontal) survivability.

[Nakuth]

Sounds like you need a Heresy era version of the Malcador Defender. Replace the five heavy bolter hard points on the 'turret' with Kheres assault cannons. It also comes with a limited traverse demolisher cannon. Maybe just reinforce the frontal armour, too.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

If I'm honest, I'm not a huge fan of energy weapons when it comes to my Iron Warriors. Ballistic or missile based weaponry would be awesome, though.

You're right, the Malcador and Valdor have the same hull. Huh. I guess I had the Valdor in my head because of the huge nuclear generator on it, which I thought would be perfect for an overcharged and unstable engine (also, because if it went critical, it could cause a larger gap in the wall to be made. Win-win )

A mobile beachhead, yes, but a temporary one. Kinda like the Jaws of Life, it's meant to hold the breach open for as long as needed. A dangerous and explosive blend of speed, firepower, and (frontal) survivability.

Yeah, I'd imagine with all the punishment these things take, repairing energy weapons would be massively time consuming - conventional weapons, not so much

Sounds like you need a Heresy era version of the Malcador Defender. Replace the five heavy bolter hard points on the 'turret' with Kheres assault cannons. It also comes with a limited traverse demolisher cannon. Maybe just reinforce the frontal armour, too.

Ah,not really - all its firepower & armour is frontal - have a look:

Just a basic idea of its appearance - obviously ignore the massive flamer & the sponsons. Maybe the gun-slot would be a bit larger, and obviously ther'd be some detail on the shield & a viewing port for the driver - I'd also imagine a dozer blade similar to that on the Proteus coming from the base of the shield.

What do y'all think?

[Hyaenidae]

Perfection.

[Hyaenidae]

Dude dude dude.

 

tri-linked long barrel fragmentation cannons, loaded with Dragonfire scattershot.

 

Your cover save in invalid.

 

 

Also, single shot mortar tubes located on the sides of the hull (like the Gorgon transport), loaded with Phosphex mortars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm a sick individual....

[Slips]

Heck at this point, why not just throw a Demolisher Cannon on the thing? Or a Typon's Dreadhammer cannon? Nothing says "F YOUR WALLS" than jamming a 7 foot diameter (?) cannon up to it and pulling the trigger.

[Hyaenidae]

The point of this vehicle is, the walls are already down. A breach has been created. Now, something is needed to rush forward at stupid-fast speeds to engage the enemy and keep their heads down and their counter-attack shaken and unformed, while the rest of the forlorn hope can get into the breach and engage.

[Slips]

Well...a big cannon popping through an already broken wall could do that...though it is its own vulnerability in the respect.

 

Maybe a larger Dozer blade that splits down the middle to then anchor itself on the other side of the wall? Maybe have a hatch open to let troops pass through?

[Hyaenidae]

Okay, stay with me here while I try to get the image in my head out into text:

 

A section of the wall goes down.

 

Four of these Mastiffs, starting in hull-down positions, rush forward from well concealed and well protected tank scrapes.

 

Atomic reactors go into overdrive as the Mastiffs line up side-by-side, and drop their siege plows into the earth, rushing for the newly made gap.

 

The plows create passable terrain for follow on forces, literally a highway straight into the heart of the enemy, smashing aside rubble and corpses.

 

After passing through the gap, the vehicles split into a herringbone pattern, still with their plows down, and open fire on anything moving.

 

The incinerary scattershot sets fires and ruins line-of-sight for direct fire weaponry lined up on the gap, and pins down counter-attacking forces. The Phospex mortars do the same to middle range targets, and split defensive lines with impassible alchemical fires.

 

The lowered plows, the mastiffs having come to a stop, have created raised earthworks from the remains of the enemies' own defensive walls, giving incoming friendly infantry cover and defensive positions for crew served weaponry.

 

The Mastiffs hold in place as friendly Breachers and Spartans enter the gap and pour deeper into the enemy fortification.

 

All your base are belong to us.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

So... yeah... Wow.

 

Enemy commander upon seeing this happen:

 

http://i.imgur.com/GvMN5N1.gif

[Hyaenidae]

So, what you're saying is "awesome"....  :P