House Pelletier Walks - A WIP

[librisrouge]

I am actually hoping too. Knights are the only GW 40k pieces that actually have me wanting to paint in a very long time.

[librisrouge]

I was hoping to post some painting update...but I can't.

 

I can, however, show off the latest knight of House Pelletier.

 

http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/xx141/librisrouge/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-02/d23c49fa-56f6-45b9-9f9c-5869b306ce03_zps883ad815.jpg

 

I think I'll call him legs.

 

The boys and I will be going to a tournament this Sunday. I'll be sure to post some reports about how well four knights and twenty infantry do in a competitive setting.

[Azekellon]

I'd like to see the insanity ranged by three of these supported by LRC's and ranged Terminators... 

Edited February 11, 2015 by Azekellon

[librisrouge]

 

That is a beautiful thing considering Land Raider spam and terminators were two of my goto lists when I played Space Marines. I suddenly wish I could team up with me-5years for a team tournament.

Edited February 11, 2015 by librisrouge

[librisrouge]

Well, the Castigator took its initial run in a tournament today. It was an LVO practice event for our local shop team and I didn't do too bad, considering the full tilt competitiveness that was on display.

 

The Castigator did well but it suffered from a few things. Being a LoW for the event meant that it carried all the problems that Escalation gave LoWs before they realized that it was insane and overkill. Thankfully, it never cost me the game but it did mean that the Castigator got an extra amount of attention it doesn't need. It survived two out of three games but was beaten up quite a bit in both of the games it survived and I had to be protective of it. That meant I couldn't really let it stretch its legs.

 

Just some snippets, detail will follow in full battle reports:

 

Game 1- There were a total of eight knights at this event. I had four and this guy had three. Knight Off!!!! He supported his Knights with marines, mainly bikers and some guys to sit on objectives. The Castigator ate about half the bikes because his gun rocks for that sort of thing. I'd love to see him rock a traditional marine force. He was also bullied around by a Knight Paladin and lost 5/6 hull points to its fire. I was able to back up enough though that I could wear the paladin down with glances before some scion help finished the job. I was surprised how much that gun could do against a fellow Knight but I really missed having a D weapon when CC loomed. He cannot go toe to toe with other Knights, don't try.

 

Game 2- He didn't survive turn 2. Some drop podding IG came in an I was lucky to have even a hull point left after their melta. He was the target since it netted additional secondary points. He then killed the IG command squad but was finished off by flyers afterwards.

 

Game 3- I went agressive and it panned out. Deflagrate finished off a Daemon Prince (hitting on 5s sucks) and his guns actually forced off a Hell Turkey. While it was nice to see him able to fight in melee, and he can so long as other knights or high invul save enemies aren't around, I'm still most impressed with his gun. He pilled on the wounds and then used melee to supplement. What I'd give to be able to field him in the Questoris 30k list as an Arbalaster.

[librisrouge]

The actual tournament report thread.

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/304403-house-pelletier-lvo-practice/

[WarriorFish]

The Knights sound like they did quite well, some back up from the Scions helped turn the tide but against certain armies your limited numbers will always struggle. What are you taking away from the practice runs?

[librisrouge]

Exactly what you put, that my limited numbers will make this a struggle. I need to kill and kill fast, evening the scales, and use my Scion deep striking to secure objectives as best I can, even if that means letting some targets live. I might...sigh...have to drop the fourth Knight but I like adding Scions and I don't think there is much else in their codex I'd add besides more Scions (not a terrible idea mind you) but that doesn't seem like too much of an improvement. Enemies that can handle Knights well can handle three better than four so those added Scions would have to do a lot of work to make the difference.

 

As far as anti-air, I continue to wish Scions could field Vendettas. In high point games, I'll ally IG and put some elite spot Scions in flyers for transport. Sadly, 2500 does not happen often. If FW makes an AA Knight, I would probably piss my wife off and buy it fast.

[Dark Bjoern]

But you have the option for AA with the FW knight list. Let a Preceptor and an Arbalester work together and you can have a knight with the Interceptor and Skyfire special rules. Choose a Styrix for the Arbalester and you have 5 shots with S8 at 45"

[librisrouge]

I wish. Sadly, though perhaps reasonably, my LFGS does not mix 30k and 40k. If that were the case, I would gladly ditch the Adlance and field, roughly:

 

Knight Lancer Seneschal

Knight Archeron Perceptor

Knight Paladin Scion Martial

Knight Castigator Arbilester

 

Flavor to taste and add Imperial Army or small legion group to fill in any remaining points.

Edited March 10, 2015 by librisrouge

[Dark Bjoern]

I find that the Archeron is a poor choise as a Preceptor. I would use the Archeron as a Scion Uhlan. An Archeron is made for short range battle and CC. I think flanking he would be more usefull.

[librisrouge]

Just double checking, the Perceptor is the one that grants overwatch and interceptor, right?

 

If so, my use for it would be Drop Pods. Melta would have to come down inside of Hellstorm range, getting the unit torn up before it could hurt the Knights. Overwatch is also sweet for 1d6 hits from S7 AP 3.

 

I would keep it close to the Castigator if I was concerned about flyers arriving from reserves.

[librisrouge]

No painting update, sadly. I was planning on hitting a knight and ten scions hard on spring break but then my children ended up sick. Sad week all around.

 

I do have a great event coming up. The FLGS is having a 'casual' (as in less rule restrictions) 2k event this month and is allowing 30k, as long as there is not 30k/40k crossing (no adlance in a questoris list or Codex: Space Marines allied to Astartes Legions, for example.) I'm going to run a five knight list:

 

Knight Seneschal Lancer

Knight Perceptor Paladin - Questoris Battle Cannon

Knight Martial Errant

Knight Martial Paladin - Rapid Fire Battle Cannon

Knight Arbilaster Castigator

 

Before people cry about this being a casual tournament and me taking five knights, I have ok'd it with the organizer and the other causal tournies, even at 1k, have featured superheavies and other similar. Plus, I asked in public so at least half the players know it is coming... we will see how many meltas they take.

 

In other news, I acquired from...places...a Knight Archeron and a Knight Magaera, so I now have all the 40k knights in my household. If 30k gets total acceptance at the store I may need to pick up a Styx but I'm going to wait.

[WarriorFish]

I look forward to hearing of how you do, good luck :tu:

[librisrouge]

Story Time!

 

The Glorious History of Knight House Pelletier

“Honor Unto Death.” – House Motto, Age of Strife and Great Crusade Era

 

Located on the world of Caledfwlch Prime, the Knight House Pelletier stands as the premier house of their world’s approximately fifteen knight houses. Founded, as so many other Knight Worlds were, during mankind’s colonization of the far stars, the knights have looked after the people of their world since time immemorial, a task made all the more challenging by the proximity of their world to the dreaded Eye of Terror.

 

Age of Strife

“The Eldar are blight upon the galaxy and a challenge to the supremacy of mankind. Their technology, though formidable, is not though compared to the might and honor of a knight. Let us teach these filth what mankind can do, and show the Astartes what real warriors are.” –Seneschal Gorwin, Before the Battle of Breal Plains (attributed)

 

During the Age of Strife, when the indomitable brotherhood of mankind was pulled asunder by vicious warp storms, alien predation, and techno-treachery, the Caledfwlch system, long viewed as only valuable for its mineral wealth, found it abandoned and cut off from all other world save those of the enigmatic Eldar. It was during this period that the animosity between House Pelletier and that species of vile xenos would first come to blossom.

 

Nary would a year pass without the Eldar coming upon the planet looking at its human inhabitants as sport, or worse chattel. Due to the frequency of these attacks, the knights of the planets various houses would have to maintain a state of constant readiness, a task made more difficult by the fact that, unlike many other Knight Worlds, Caledfwlch possessed few of the natural fauna that could test the mettle of a knight. It was the Eldar that an Aspirant Knight would cut their teeth upon and many did not survive the experience, even if their armor could be reclaimed for future warriors.

 

Indeed, it looked as though the knight houses upon Caledfwlch would eventually expire, unable to match the technological might of the Eldar without replenishment of their own, when hope sprung anew. During a night like many other, the Eldar struck again. This time, unlike before, they were met not with just the arrayed might of the knight houses but also with fire from the heavens. The Great Crusade had come upon Caledfwich and the bonds of brotherhood reestablished with the greater mankind.

 

It was the Primarch Lorgar, at the head of him mighty legion of Word Bearers, which had helped to liberate Caledfwlch, and bring them news of the God-Emperor that sought to bring light and hope to all of mankind. With this mission, the knights of House Pelletier were in like mind and they immediately bent knee to far off Terra.

Knights from Caledfwich would spend most of the Great Crusade amongst the fleets of the Word Bearers legion, proving their valor again and again. It was against the forces of the Eldar that House Pelletier most relished deployment and the Word Bearers took advantage of this, consistently reassigning knight to fleets most likely to encounter Eldar worlds and warhosts. By the time of the Betrayal, House Pelletier was bleed out and weary of the constant war but was unable to return to their beloved home, which lay still under the ministrations of the Word Bearers.

 

The Horus Heresy

“Turning Away From Wickedness.” –House Motto, Post-Horus Heresy

 

The Word Bearers had laid out their plans for the knights under their charge carefully. Divided amongst multiple warzones and forbidden from returning home without leave of their Astartes overseers, many of the knights were easily felled when the Word Bearers true colors were shown. Of all the knights, only Scion Artemis, heir to the house and first lance, had the foresight to see the direction the Word Bearers were going in a take steps to ensure the survival of his house. While many of his knights would be deployed in isolated battlefield, finding rapier batteries pointed at their unshielded rears, or slain in their sleep by wide eyed cultist, Scion Artemis and his immediate household had secured, in secret, a bulk transport headed toward Terra. It did not take much to persuade the scared and insane navigator to change course.

 

Arriving on Caledfwich, Scion Artemis and his meager eight fellows found a world transformed. Where once there was open plains and stout forests, now were erected altars to daemons and spiteful things of darkness. Once his people had been noble and strong, exemplars of mankind but now they were slaves, their backs bent in forced labor. To his credit, Scion Artemis shed only a single tear at the sight of his once beautiful home. Sadness and mourning would wait for later, now called for anger and wrath.

 

Knights are not subtle war machines, and in his fury Scion Artemis was not a subtle man. Devoid of orbital subport, Scion Artemis instructed the transports crew to land near his ancient hold. Upon landing the few remaining knights of House Pelletier strode forth to cleanse their planet. The Grand Cleansing, as it would come to be known, is too long a tail to be recounted here. In general though, with each victory, the army of Scion Artemis grew. His people, true to their heritage, shrugged off the yoke of bondage and came to support their returned lord and master. Sacristans and artisans repaired their few suits between battles while hastily formed militia units ensured that captured holds and villages were not immediately retaken by the traitor astartes and their accursed allies. Foul temples were cast down and burned with melta and flame.

 

Here another great change would come across the knight house. Devout in the worship of the God-Emperor, as the Word Bearers had taught them, the knights did not take the treason of the Word Bearers as joined to their previous teachings. In fact, the knights undertook the cleansing of their home as a holy crusade, an extension of the Great Crusade even. Songs of faith and devotion bellowed from loud speakers hastily affixed to knight chassis drowned out fell dirges to daemon gods. Pre-battle prayers came to become standard parts of maintenance routines. Many of the traditions still held strong to today were established in those dark years of reconquest.

While the victory over the occupying Word Bearers was not swift, it was ultimately certain. Most of the traitor forces on the planet came from Imperial Army units that had followed their masters into damnation. Additionally, Primarch Lorgar was too occupied with the greater conflict to be concerned with sending reinforcements to some backwater mining world. Still, House Pelletier holds it as proof of the righteousness of their cause that not a single knight armor was lost in the conflict.

 

Scourging

“Beaten does not mean dead. Even a beaten warrior still has his life to give for the God-Emperor.” –unattributed.

 

Much of the conflict in the wider Imperium went on without House Pelletier after the Horus Heresy. While the enthronement of the God-Emperor and the prospering of the Lecto Divinitatus was seen as admiral by the house, they had lost too much to Horus and his minions to engage the enemy on any large scale. Most of the work in the early years went to the simple rebuilding of their world and reconstitution of their knight houses. Despite that, House Pelletier was always willing to send some aid to any worth cause to request their assistance, even if it was only a single knight. Calls for help against the Eldar or traitor forces, particularly the hated Word Bearers, were almost always answered.

 

The Turning

“I have been asked, ‘What now?’ by members of my house. 'We had been hurt, surely hurt too much to continue. The Emperor cannot ask more from us than what we have given.' I tell them this, the Emperor can always ask more from us. He can ask for everything and, as knights, we will give it to him. We will give it all, for the glory of mankind. Let none doubt our faith, let none doubt our honor. With those two things, I can die knowing it was a life well spent.” – Scion-Commander Andrew

 

Life on Caledfwich continued that way for millennia. The houses built up their might, answered calls to war, and fought the noble fight to keep the Imperium alive. House Pelletier always marks with pride that a warrior of their line had fought against each of the Despoiler’s Black Crusades.

 

The 13^th Black Crusade was to mark House Pelletier’s first conflict it had entered at the same strength it had during the Great Crusade. The new head of the house, Scion-Commander (a recent traditional title instituted during the time following the Age of Apostasy) Helmgard ordered the full deployment of his house to the Cadian gate, leaving only a scant two knights to defend their home world. Revenge for their betrayal would finally be theirs, a revenge ten thousand years in the making.

In the darkness of the Age of Imperium, somebody should have known it would not be that simple. Upon the planet of Gezail the knights of House Pelletier stood against an army of traitor guard, a hundred suits of knight armor versus thousands of battle tanks. Glory and honor would be there’s.

 

As the lead elements, composed primarily of Paladin and Errant units began to close with the traitor forces, betrayal struck. Scion-Commander Helmard had turned his back from the benevolent light of the God-Emperor and dragged the majority of his house with him. Decades ago, during a ‘failed’ Alpha Legion assault on Caledfwich, Helmgard had been struck by a daemon weapon wielded by a foul Chaos Lord. A chunk of that weapon had embedded itself in the Scion-Commander and had to be ritually removed. Years of cleansing ceremonies and even an audit by the Inquisition had deemed the house free of taint. That proved to be untrue.

 

Composed of the knight that would not turn from the Emperor, the lead forces were now caught between the enemy and their erstwhile kin. Acting quickly, the third son of Helmgard, Andrew, took command and made the decision to turn back and engage his own family. He knew it was suicide but he was not going to let even one traitor from his own house walk from that field to besmirch their name, not if he could help it.

 

The fight was as little as a dozen knights against over eighty. By all marks it was indeed suicide. Andrew was a veteran knight himself though, having long since earned the title of Seneschal, and knew that they had no choice but to close with the traitors and rely on the chaos the battlefield and their Ion Shields to protect them from enemy tanks.

 

They fought like gods.

 

Chainblade met chainblade, fist on lance, and gatling bolt cannons and lighting guns blasted armor plating at point blank range. Explosions as knights detonated their reactors leveled a countryside that is radioactive to this day. In defiance of odds, the loyalist were heaping a rough tally upon the enemy and achieved kill ratios that instructors only dream about achieving.

 

In the end, Andrew closed with the treasonous Helmgard. The Scion-Commander’s lancer was damaged, the arm containing his shield blown off by the last round from Andrew’s now empty battle cannon. Still, Andrew’s armor was damaged as well. Much of the armor had been blown of or destroyed in the conflict. Faith and prayer kept the machine from falling apart. Helmgard, on the other hand, possessed a formidable machine and had already slain two of his enemy.

 

Helmgard, now lost to his devotion to the Dark Gods, had grown arrogant, simply striding forth and charging his adversary. Scion Andrew, no longer needing his weapon, took the blow upon his cannon arms, entangling his foes lance in the wreckage of his weapon and the hip joints it pierced afterwards. Had both combatants been mortal men, and not warriors in towering armored suits, the blow would have been mortal and the battle over. As it was, Helmgard temporarily found himself without a weapon, a situation that Scion Andrew took full advantage of, driving his chainblade deep into the enemy’s superstructure and coring the throne mechanicum inside.

 

With this, the backs of the traitor forces were broken. Traitor knights, now convinced that their gods had abandoned them, turned to run, only to be gunned down by mechanicum manned guns on the hive wall. The traitor guard, overawed by the apparent prowess of their enemy, fled the battle. By the time the enemy reasserted discipline over their army the hive was reinforced by a crusade company of astartes from the Black Templars chapter, a demi-legion of titans, and the arrival of the Cadian 333^rd regiment.

 

Only five warriors of House Pelletier survived the fighting. They had no functional suits left.

 

Despite that, the mechanicum would honor the knights that had defended their hive against the enemy, even willing to oppose their own. Order were sent to Mars and other forgeworlds. A dozen suits were commissioned and dispatched to Caledfwich. The suits that could be repaired would be. The suits of the traitors were cleansed in atomic fire.

 

House Pelletier was damaged, greatly so, by this second betrayal. Like before though, though house was not bowed. They had emerged victorious and took faith that it was the divine support of the God-Emperor that allowed them to do so. New knights would be trained. Promises would be kept. Honor demanded it.

 

House Pelletier walks.

[librisrouge]

Tournament Summary:

 

I went against Necron Warrior spam, which worried me, but I was able to blast his fast elements and charge the slow ones, barely not losing a single Knight and coming out on top.

 

I followed this up by facing Iron Hands. They had THAT chapter master, four dreads (two venerable, one contemptor, and one deredeo), and grav cents, amongst others. It did not go well in the early game. His CM did four hull points on turn one with a lucky orbital bombardment. I the charged said chapter master and proceeded to do...nothing. This followed up with the lancer dying and doing nothing with the explosion. The rest of the game evened out a bit with me losing a Knight a turn (damn grav cents) but starting to wreck him back. On the last turn, I have one hull point left on my paladin and he has only the deredeo. If I survive, or the game ends, we will tie. He shoots, I live, I do nothing back but the game continues, he shoots, I blow up, and am tabled. He wins by one point, with one model left. A real brutal game of attrition.

 

I played some SW last. He had some min troops choices in stormwolves, supported by three min thunderwolves squads (SS/PF on all), and a thunderlord and three iron priests on thunderwolves. I was quite a bit afraid because of all the flyers plus almost the rest of the army was fast and able to hurt me in melee. Thankfully, most of my fear was unfounded because I was able to out range his early ground forces to the point where melee was even out a lot. His flyers came on and damaged me a bunch but did not kill anything. I spread out and bait him with the tempting target of my warlord's rear, which he will need to go into hover to hit. He takes the bait, killing the lancer and a paladin, but loses one to an explosion and the other two were in charge range of two knights that just finished off some iron priests. He is now down to a few troop models hiding out of LoS and I have three, albeit damaged, knights. I'm ahead on maelstrom so we basically just wait out the turns and I get some points and the win.

 

I end up getting third place, out of ten players, with the guy I lost to taking fourth. Not too bad.

 

What I learned:

• The lancer's range 18" is a lot more limiting than I thought and often kept him from acting on turn one at all.
• The perceptor's intercept ability was very limited by walker's limited line of sight. Not an unbalanced ability at all.
• Arbalaster having skyfire was nice but I'm not sure it is really game changing. That being said, it didn't come up much and Tank Hunters was far more valuable, letting him just wreck lighter armor.
• The Questoris Battle Cannon is fun as heck. I only rarely found myself wanting the additional strength but always liked the additional shot.
• Objective Secured Knights is a blast.
• Without Adamantine Lance, people are A LOT less inclined to consider knights broken and not one player commented negatively on my army.

One observer tried to bash me for having a knight army but no less than three other players rose to my defense and basically told him to shove it. It was kinda cool but our area plays at a much higher level of army (fluff players are sometimes openly mocked here, though mostly in jest) so its a nice change of pace from places on the internet that rail on knights as op.

[marshall Egregorius]

I like the color scheme. The yellow on the right pauldron of the knight in the foreground in the picture on post #20 needs to be evened out a bit, though.

[librisrouge]

Yeah, all of the yellows are still works in progress. I'm going to be doubling down on painting for the month and a half I have off this summer and try to get a bunch of models done. First thing I'll be doing is another layer on all of the yellows.

 

Can anybody recommend a good paint sealer that works on GW models? All the ones I'm finding will completely melt plastic (or at least warp it.)

[librisrouge]

Cannot wait until I get my new codex and knight this weekend. From all of the rumors, it looks like my 1850 army will be...

 

Knight Paladin

Knight Paladin

Knight Warden

Knight Gallant

Knight Castigator

 

...with no upgrades planned at this time because it only leaves 20 points and I don't know all of the options. A lot of people are probably going to go off on why I don't have more upgrades, like carapace weapons (which do look sweet), but I think fitting in a fifth knight (the whole reason I'm taking a Gallant) is worth the loss in other weapons on other models. I'm still waiting on a few things:

• New FOC rules for knights
• Whether knights are LoW (this will be BIG if knight players want to go to tournaments)
• Point costs of heirlooms
• Whether you have to upgrade one to a seneschal and if that costs points now

Edited May 6, 2015 by librisrouge

[marshall Egregorius]

Out of curiosity did you buy the original codex IK? What are your thoughts on the new dex after a year?

 

Sorry for the possible thread derail. Just curious.

[librisrouge]

I'll be honest, it will depend on what the new book contains.

 

If it looks exactly like the old book + 3 new knights (in the sense that 'new' means more arms) + relics, then I'm severely disappointed with GW. However, it looks like that won't be the case. Most reports have two new detachments, five formations, and some still hint at a freeblade or two. This is a significant improvement on the part of GW and I think I won't be disappointed...as long as knights aren't LoW.

 

The thing to keep in mind is that this is different than if GW released marine codices so close, back to back. Marines are already a fully fleshed out army that only needs to be kept up to date. Knights were an experiment on both a new faction and a new unit type getting acceptance. An experiment that was largely successful. This means that GW needs to follow up and feed the beast they've created with more to work with than, "You can field 1-3 knights." 7th edition is all about detachments and formations, of which knights had one of each, and most armies get a few (or a lot) of each to choose from in assembling their forces. Now knights will be able to play the same edition games that the rest of factions (that have up to date codices) get to.

[marshall Egregorius]

Thank you for your thoughts.

[Red Skullz]

Yeah that was insightful, thanks :) I'll never run a full knight list but I'd like 1-2 more than the one I own today.

[CommodusXIII]

I'm happy with getting a new Codex. The old Codex was almost entirely overwritten by 7th Edition, and a new one is sorely needed. Yes, the old one has only been out for a year but the alternatives are either continuing to use a broken book or delaying the initial Knight launch. I'm glad to have gotten as much time with the Knights as I have. Both Codices will now have places of honor on my shelf.

[marshall Egregorius]

I'm happy with getting a new Codex. The old Codex was almost entirely overwritten by 7th Edition, and a new one is sorely needed. Yes, the old one has only been out for a year but the alternatives are either continuing to use a broken book or delaying the initial Knight launch. I'm glad to have gotten as much time with the Knights as I have. Both Codices will now have places of honor on my shelf.

 

I was unaware of the over-writing of the previous codex. thank you for that tidbit commodus.