30k Vehicle/Automata Concepts - The Manufactorum

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

IHF, I went back to your first post, and looked at what you had for the Solar Auxilia, and noticed the Thureos. I might just take my "idea" and run my chimeras as counts as for this vehicle which you have so graciously given rules.

 

In my little group, the only ones of us considering 30k would be fine with some homebrew stuff.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

 

 

However, like you said, there is some leeway considering the Chimera due to the Legion Basilisk / Medusa, and I've already capitalised on that for the Legion Grendel & Sphinx. And I have actually been working on something along the same lines for the Solar Auxilia / Imperialis Militia.

Ok. I'm interested to see what you come up with. My own thoughts were a fast vehicle with a pintle mounted multilaser/heavy bolter/flamer and the hull weapon. The turret on my 40k chimeras could be explained away as simply being an armored cupola (local world variation).

 

Yeah to be honest I think the only design that I'll personally do will be the Bellephron - partially because I don't want to overuse a hull that isn't really supposed to be around in great numbers in 30k, and due to the sizeable number of different tanks based of that hull, I don't really want to do anything that might be too similar to existing stuff.

 

Probably not that useful, but the Thureos Armoured Transport would be pretty similar to what you have in mind rules-wise, but having your tanks count as a homebrew vehicle seems a bit pointless

 

 

 

The working title is the Bellephron Strike Tank, and aesthetically it's pretty much a Macharius-style take on the Chimera chassis, inspired by the homebrew Mortian Tank. It will only have a turret weapon - no hull-mount - and it'll be a fast attack squad. I'm currently musing over the turret weapon, and I might go in the direction of the Conqueror Battle Cannon, but it's still in development. I've made a pretty decent start on the illustration, but I don't have it with me here at Uni, so it'll be a while before I can post anything image-wise.

That would be a pretty interesting thing to see. Especially to see how it would differ from the Crassus. I do wonder why the Macharius isn't present in 30k though, since the STC had to be rediscovered and the tank was known during the heresy it would seem... Not to mention the availability of the Macharius (and variants, like the Crassus and Praetor) as an Optional LoW in the Legions Astartes lists...

 

 

What makes you think the Macharius was known during the Heresy? The part in the FW books that allows their use states that it would be to represent less widespread patterns of vehicle and unique local designs / modifications?

 

 

 

Fluff-wise, I think you can get away with variants on the Chimera based of the idea that different human societies spread across the Galaxy will have retained incomplete STCs for the Chimera, but the fragments required to form a complete STC weren't discovered until after the Heresy, so the full Chimera couldn't be produced, and the variants would probably be difficult to manufacture / have mechanical issues.

Yeah. Like I said, a simple chimera hull with an armored box welded in the back with a cupola/pintle mounted heavy weapon with the fast rule was pretty much what I was thinking, maybe accounting for the lasgun arrays, though you could just make those firing ports...

 

As for the Valkyrie/Vulture, It was just a thought. I can't understand why FW didn't open 30k to more of it's model range (even former models).

 

Personally, I think FW are doing a fantastic job of demonstrating the difference between the Imperium of 30k and that of 40k - 10,000 years can cause considerable change even within a stagnant culture like the Imperium of Mankind - the Imperial Guard and the Exertus Imperialis are very different beasts, and lost of previous fluff for a whole host of vehicles had stated that they were discovered / created in the intervening years between the Heresy & 40k.

 

It's really a matter of whether they wanted to create a small add on to 40k that allowed you to represent Heresy-era forces, or an entire setting in which to place your armies. Having gone for the latter, I think their approach works fantastically with the background - after all, for me, the lore is what it's all about.

 

That said, I can understand frustration at what seem to be relatively stripped-down lists compared to their 40k counterparts, but considering their limited production capacity, having to build this stuff from the ground up will naturally place limiters as to the breadth of options that will be available.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Yeah to be honest I think the only design that I'll personally do will be the Bellephron - partially because I don't want to overuse a hull that isn't really supposed to be around in great numbers in 30k, and due to the sizeable number of different tanks based of that hull, I don't really want to do anything that might be too similar to existing stuff.

 

Probably not that useful, but the Thureos Armoured Transport would be pretty similar to what you have in mind rules-wise, but having your tanks count as a homebrew vehicle seems a bit pointless

Your bellephron idea sounds really intriguing to me none the less.  I did see your Thureos entry, and it is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. On one hand I agree that a homebrew vehicle is a bit pointless, but on the other I really like customizing army lists to account for possibilities that either GW/FW never thought of, or to represent a force that isn't exactly a standardized force. Because I too prize fluff, and there are certain possibilities for things that I can imagine within the 40k framework and those are usually things I include in my own fluff.

 

And since I would never try to use anything homebrewed without my opponent's consent, I also try to do as much as I can to maintain an "official" force.

 

 

What makes you think the Macharius was known during the Heresy? The part in the FW books that allows their use states that it would be to represent less widespread patterns of vehicle and unique local designs / modifications?

 

The Fluff I've read on the Macharius has it as an STC design, and well, the Imperium isn't really noted for being innovative, and when something "new" is introduced, it seems to be something actually old that was lost and forgotten until recently. I don't know, maybe it wasn't known during the heresy, maybe before, since no new STC's have been created...

 

 

Personally, I think FW are doing a fantastic job of demonstrating the difference between the Imperium of 30k and that of 40k - 10,000 years can cause considerable change even within a stagnant culture like the Imperium of Mankind - the Imperial Guard and the Exertus Imperialis are very different beasts, and lost of previous fluff for a whole host of vehicles had stated that they were discovered / created in the intervening years between the Heresy & 40k.

I too think that FW is doing an amazing job. I wouldn't be putting any thought into it if I didn't. You are correct of course about the changes that can happen in 10,000 years. I have noticed that the Imperial Guard is very different from the Imperial Army, and I can actually appreciate those differences. I was really just curious more than anything else. I have no problem working around the established rules I just like to create stuff...

 

 

It's really a matter of whether they wanted to create a small add on to 40k that allowed you to represent Heresy-era forces, or an entire setting in which to place your armies. Having gone for the latter, I think their approach works fantastically with the background - after all, for me, the lore is what it's all about.

I agree. 30k has some great fluff, and great rules, but it's the missions, and the scaling that really has me fascinated. I can play small kill team sized games of zone mortalis and play the street to street and house to house fights, or the large, campaigns. 40k doesn't really do that much.

 

 

That said, I can understand frustration at what seem to be relatively stripped-down lists compared to their 40k counterparts, but considering their limited production capacity, having to build this stuff from the ground up will naturally place limiters as to the breadth of options that will be available.

I can completely understand that. I also didn't exactly choose the most friendly army to switch over. My Raven Guard will be easier to swap over and build up as a 30k force (especially considering I started with BaC).

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Just thought I give you a peek of what I'm working on at the moment - I'm going over some of my earlier (rougher) photoshopped stuff in the new lineart style in preparation for a blog I'm currently setting up, which includes doing multiples to display weapon options I couldn't depict before.

So here's the Solar Auxilia's Thunderer Assault Tank with laser destroyer, as well as the new background blurb I've written for it (as above, I'll also be doing a version with a demolisher cannon & one with a quad-multilaser):

Auxilia Thunderer Assault Squadron:

Principally produced from retrofitted Thureos transports and manufactured in limited numbers, the Thunderer is primarily fielded within the Tank Detachments of the Solar Auxilia in support of mainline Leman Russ and Malcador squadrons, deployed to provide firepower in particular theatres of war. For this purpose, the Thunderer is a remarkably flexible tank, featuring a modular frontal weapon mount which can be refitted between engagements, allowing it to function equally well as an infantry fighting vehicle, tank hunter, heavy ordnance carrier or siege assault vehicle, providing Solar Auxilia Cohorts with an array of specialist assault vehicles without the need for an extensive armour pool.

Edited October 21, 2016 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Just a little tease for an upcoming Mechanicum Stratos-Automata unit: say hi to the Perditax (this is a composite image photoshopped from the larger concept page, so when I post that, the overall design will become more clear)

[Marshal Rohr]

Dude. Amazing.

 

 

Now if only you could decide something like the sith fighters as a hellblade precursor. I'm dying to scratch one up.

[depthcharge12]

Just a little tease for an upcoming Mechanicum Stratos-Automata unit: say hi to the Perditax (this is a composite image photoshopped from the larger concept page, so when I post that, the overall design will become more clear)

I'll be in my bunk....

:drool:

[Marshal Rohr]

Is lineart a brush style in photoshop? Your angles and lines are stellar and no matter how hard I try with a ruler and protractor I can get that level of precision.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Thanks guys

 

Dude. Amazing.


Now if only you could decide something like the sith fighters as a hellblade precursor. I'm dying to scratch one up.

 

Well, this is kinda my design for a Hell Blade / Hell Talon precursor, as you've probably noticed - the reason it's Automata rather than piloted is that I couldn't see a Talon / Blade being fielded by non-Mechanicum 30k forces, but it could fit into the AdMech aesthetic pretty easily.

 

Fluff wise, the Talon and Blade are both the product of Xana II in 40k, so I thought it would make sense for only Xana to have access to the full STC during the Great Crusade, and this being disseminated to other Forge Worlds composing part of their compact with the Imperium. I think it makes sense with the relatively late emergence of the Hell Talon / Blade in 40k that the Dark Mechanicum would be decreasingly capable of producing / maintaining Cybernetica Cortex over time just like the AdMech, so producing a number of piloted aircraft utilising components of the same design in a less technically demanding manner.

 

Is lineart a brush style in photoshop? Your angles and lines are stellar and no matter how hard I try with a ruler and protractor I can get that level of precision.

 

No idea to be honest, as I've never used Photoshop - the Perditax is entirely hand drawn pencil work, although when I'm producing designs based off existing vehicles, I overlay an existing image in GIMP using the brush tool and my graphics tablet, but I just find that for entirely new concepts, physical pencil work is a faster process (although only for smaller pieces - being left handed means I need to use my graphics tablet for any larger images / shading).

[Akuro Adennyciia]

Anything Imperial Knight or Volkite related is awesome. First thing that comes to mind is one of the old designs from epic, Hulked over with a massive cannon coming out of the back. Could probably also manage a knight nearly the size of a warhound. Some really good things here, and ideas on the Mastodon are also great.

[Slips]

Anything Imperial Knight or Volkite related is awesome. First thing that comes to mind is one of the old designs from epic, Hulked over with a massive cannon coming out of the back. Could probably also manage a knight nearly the size of a warhound. Some really good things here, and ideas on the Mastodon are also great.

*cough*

*cough*

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Ladies & Gents, I've a brief announcement to make:

I've started a blog!

 

The Manufactorum:

My 30k/40k/AoS Design Blog

 

 

It's purpose is to catalogue my designs, as well as provide a place where I can post concepts outside the 30/40k and 'Armies of Humanity' Remit.

 

But don't worry, I'll keep posting my designs here, as well as their design process - the blog will only be for the finished concepts.

 

The first post has three units for the Mechanicum's Prefecture Magisterium, the second has three units for the Legio Cybernetica - I will be posting them over here, but considering that it's only just been launched, the Blog will get a head start.

 

Thanks for looking, and thanks for all the support you've given me over the years - without you folks, this wouldn't have happened

[nefarious squirrel]

Slick blog IHF, look forward to a collection of your visions. In one easy place for inspiration! :)

[Marshal Rohr]

Can't wait to see where you take it next man! Very cool.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Thanks everyone - just thought I'd leave this here:

I was just having a look at the Warlord Titan's Arioch power claw, and musing at what the Vulkan Mega-bolter might look cool attached to, so I couldn't resist making a quick edit of what my idea might look like.

The hack-job edit is ugly as hell, but I think the Macrocarid Destructor might be a cool idea?

[Nakuth]

Thanks everyone - just thought I'd leave this here:

I was just having a look at the Warlord Titan's Arioch power claw, and musing at what the Vulkan Mega-bolter might look cool attached to, so I couldn't resist making a quick edit of what my idea might look like.

The hack-job edit is ugly as hell, but I think the Macrocarid Destructor might be a cool idea?

Dang. Now I want to see a Macroarid Annihilator, too. All the lascannons!

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

So, as promised, here's the full Perditax rules, background & illustrations:

PERDITAX CLASS STRATOS-AUTOMATA:

Although similar analogues existed in the arsenals of a handful of separate Forge Worlds, suggesting a shared lineage, the Perditax Stratos-Automata only entered service with the Mechanicum at large when the design was ceded by the Vodian Consistory of Xana as part the treaty that brought the Forge World into the fold of the Imperial war machine. A single stage void to atmosphere interface craft, the Perditax is armed and armoured to be equally potent in both spheres of combat, and capable of engaging both mobile fighter craft and stationary or ground-based targets, though its limited operational range compared to dedicated void fighters relegates it to a primarily defensive role out of atmosphere.

This versatility may be the key to the Automata’s prevalence in the latter days of the Great Crusade, despite Xana’s unenviable reputation amidst the other enclaves of the Mechanicum, with the Stratos-Automata carried in the launch bays of most Forge Worlds’ expeditionary vessels. Whether fielded to defend the vessels of the Mechanicum or to assault the military of a non-compliant world, the Periditax’s nature as a Stratos-Automata enables it to achieve aeronautical feats impossible for any living pilot, bringing ruin to whatever target it is assigned.

Perditax: BS: 4 Armour (Front/Side/Rear): 11/10/10 HP: 4

Unit Composition:

* 1 Perditax Class Stratos-automata

Unit Type:

* Vehicle (Flyer, Hover)

Wargear:

* Twin-linked hellfire plasma carronade

* Twin-linked missile launcher with ignis-frag missiles

* Flare shield

* Ramjet diffraction grid

* Infra-red targeting

Special Rules:

* Koios Cybernetica Cortex

* Agile

* Deep Strike

* Supersonic

Options:

* The Perditax Stratos-automata may exchange its missile launcher’s ignis-frag missiles for one of the following:

- Krak missiles

- Rad missiles

* The Perditax Stratos-automata may be equipped with any of the following:

- Ground tracking auguries

- Chaff launcher

Koios Cybernetica Cortex:

To accommodate the reaction speeds and navigational abilities required by void and atmospheric combat, the koios cortex removes a number of behavioural locks found within the cybernetica cortex of most other automata, granting the stratos-automata a degree of independence necessary for its role, but which cuts dangerously close to the level of self-awareness possessed by the reviled ‘abominable intelligence’ in the eyes of more outspoken facets of the mechanicum.

A model with a Koios Cybernetica Cortex has the Machine Creature and Programmed Behaviour special rules as provided by a Cybernetica Cortex, ignoring the ‘Methodical’ provision of the latter, and when applying the ‘Target Priority’ provision of this special rule, the controlling player may always attempt to target the nearest enemy Flyer or Flying Creature rather than just the closest enemy model when this special rule comes into effect. Additionally, any such model ignores results of Crew Shaken and Crew Stunned.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Something I mentioned in the past which I've been working on for a while:

AUXILLIA BELLEROPHON STRIKE TANK:

Fast Attack strike tank, comes in squadrons of 1-3 for Solar Auxilia & Militia (as well as 40k Imperial Guard)- front armour same as Chimera, side & rear are higher, only armament is turret mounted conqueror battle cannon with co-axial multilaser (can't take pintle mount).

As you can probably tell, it's heavily inspired by the Macharius' aesthetic, I thought that with the Chimera's relatively low chassis (for a 40k tank), it might be cool to see what it'd look like as an MBT

Edited December 4, 2016 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Boop: rules & background:

 

AUXILIA BELLEROPHON STRIKE SQUADRON:

 

Conceieved as a fast strike vehicle, the Bellerophon was a relatively late addition to the arsenals of the Imperailis Auxilia, designed by the forge-wrights of Vannaheim as a fusion between the widespread Leman Russ template and an incomplete STC which had spawned a number of successful vehicle patterns in use with the Legiones Astartes.

 

While undeniably resilient and bearing staggering firepower, the Leman Russ was known to suffer against more agile opponents, and most patterns were ill-suited to long-range operations. Although Solar Auxilia regiments fielded modified Leman Russ tanks in dedicated ‘Strike’ configurations to mitigate these issues, many regiments of the Imperailis Auxilia utilised a number of war machines of local and diverse design to act as rapid strike and flanking forces to function as a counterpoint to the Leman Russ’ ponderous but inviolable advance.

 

The Bellerophon was proposed to function as a standard issue alternative to such patterns of armoured vehicle, configured for highly mobile combat as well as extended operations. Despite the huge numbers of the Tank produced in the waning days of the Great Crusade, the immeasurable size of the Excertus Imperialis meant only those divisions in the leading edge of the Crusade’s hosts received the tank in significant numbers.      

 

Bellerophon:                   BS: 3   Armour (Front/Side/Rear): 12/11/11 HP: 3

 

Unit Composition:

* 1-3 Bellerophon Strike Tanks

 

Unit Type:

* Vehicle (Tank, Fast)

 

Wargear:

* Turret-mounted conqueror cannon

* Co-axial-mounted multi-laser

* Search light

* Smoke launchers

* Auxiliary drive

 

Special Rules:

* Explorator Adaptation

 

Options:

* Any Bellerophon may take any of the following:

            - Hunter-killer missile

            - Dozer blade

            - Extra Armour

Edited December 1, 2016 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[Marshal Rohr]

Dude you read my mind! I was gonna use the Taurox Cannon to give it a panzer III profile, but this is too awesome.

[depthcharge12]

Dude you read my mind! I was gonna use the Taurox Cannon to give it a panzer III profile, but this is too awesome.

Panzers vor! Blitzkrieg ist best krieg!

[Black Cohort]

The tank is awesome, but I feel like it would be better leaving a front hull mount heavy bolter or heavy flamer, most guard vehicles have one, including self-propelled artillery.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Dude you read my mind! I was gonna use the Taurox Cannon to give it a panzer III profile, but this is too awesome.

 

Dude you read my mind! I was gonna use the Taurox Cannon to give it a panzer III profile, but this is too awesome.

Panzers vor! Blitzkrieg ist best krieg!

 

 

Haha, it was kinda designed with the DKoK in mind

 

The tank is awesome, but I feel like it would be better leaving a front hull mount heavy bolter or heavy flamer, most guard vehicles have one, including self-propelled artillery.

 

The reason I went for a central cabin with no hull-mount was to differentiate it from a fast version of a Solar Auxilia Leman Russ (as in - hull mount, turret mount with coaxial weapon) - as another MBT-style tank, ensuring it was sufficiently different from the Leman Russ was pretty high on my list of priorities.

 

Plus, I just like the look of the central cabin - with it's angled walls in addition to the rear track cowling, it gives the tank quite an aggressive, sleek style which I like.

[Marshal Rohr]

A Coax Heavy Stubber could be cool. Guderian said that's the most important part of a tank. Edited November 30, 2016 by Marshal Rohr

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

A Coax Heavy Stubber could be cool. Guderian said that's the most important part of a tank.

 

The idea was to have the 30k version with a Multilaser as is, and the 40k Version has a Heavy Stubber instead