A (not so) Humble Review of Skitarii as Tempestus Allies

[Master Antaeus]

A (Not So) Humble Review of Skitarii as Allies for Scions

 

Caveat: I have never used any of these units, though I have observed some games, have read the codex thoroughly, and have been doing this long enough that, though I may later change my mind on some matters, most of this will remain correct. You may wonder how I can possibly consider my information reliable under such circumstances. The title of this post will tell you all you need to know.

 

If Imperial Knights are the chocolate for Militarum Tempestus’ peanut butter, then Skitarii must surely be the (red) jelly. Skitarii, unlike Tempestus, are built to be specialized at everything and their only major drawback is that they are extremely slow and lack any sort of fast transport to get them where the action is without getting shot up. They excel at preparing elite infantry for being carved up by high-volume, low AP guns.

 

Pros

-Competitively priced: (in points, anyway), These guys are priced comparatively with our Scions, so you should have a rough idea of what you are casting into the fray when you jam up your opponent with a squad or two of these guys. You might even be tempted to think that, point for point, they are better than Scions. If you were thinking in terms of pure production of enemy casualties, you would be correct, however, what sets Scions apart for their 1 extra point is the spamability of their orders (more on that in a different article), and their ability to deep strike.

 

-Accurate: Doctrina Imperatives can make your Skitarii units magnificently accurate with shooting for 3 turns of the game. It’s like orders, but better in every way in that they never fail, have infinite range and the source of them cannot be killed. You can’t re-use them during the game, but as there are 6 of them (3 that boost BS and 3 that boost WS) you probably won’t need to use them twice. What this means is that if a squad or two is late to your beta strike party, it won’t make too much bother for you.

 

-Flexible: These guys can be kitted out to lower cover saves on units they shoot, lower toughness of units they shoot and snap fire with better accuracy. Basically, everything they do makes life easier for your Scions.

 

-Easy to ally: the Maniple detachment requires you to take 2 troops. As the troops here are relatively inexpensive, this makes it very easy to splice some Skitarii into your Scions army.

 

Cons

 

-Slow: As stated above, without allies, the Skitarii just lumber forward in lock step waiting to get picked off en masse.

 

-Complicated: Every unit in this codex has a pile of special rules and bizarre wargear. Keeping it all straight can be challenging.

 

Upgrade weapons:

 

-Arc Rifle: Rapid fire haywire gun with the range of a bolter and the cost of a plasma gun. 3 of these in a unit will wreak havoc on even large vehicles, particularly when using Doctrina Imperatives.

 

-Transuranic Arquebus: Costs as a power fist. This monster gun fires a transuranium slug almost as far as a battle cannon. It’s Sniper, so it can poke holes in MCs, but it really shines against vehicles with the Armorbane USR. Individual experiences may vary, but Str3 + 2d6 + d3 (sometimes) comes out to around armor 11 on average. It’s a heavy weapon, but that doesn’t matter since anyone who can take it is relentless. I think there are better uses for your points.

 

-Plasma Caliver: costs as 3 meltaguns. This baroque looking plasma weapon shoots as far as a HSLG, but at assault 3 and it still gets hot. Considering you could buy 2 plasma guns that get 4 shots from only 6” closer with the same points, I think you should leave the plasma to your Scions and go with the Arc Rifle.

 

Units you may be interested in:

 

Skitarii Vanguard: 15 points less than a minimum squad of Scions gets you 5 relentless vanguard with Radium Carbines. These carbines generate additional wounds on a wound roll of 6 making them ideal for drowning monstrous creatures and hordes in armor saves. At 3 shots per gun at the range of an HSLG, this unit puts out an appalling number of shots. The unit itself irradiates the area around it, so if anyone is insane enough to charge these guys, their toughness gets reduced by 1. The unit leader can take a Phosphor pistol which, if it hits, lowers enemy cover saves by 1 for the phase. This same leader can take an Omnispex, reducing the unit’s cover again. The omnispex does not translate over to the Scions, but the Phosphor pistol does, letting your HSLGs do their terrible work. They can take normally take 2 special weapons, but can take a 3^rd if the squad is 10 strong. Stat-wise, they are comparable to Scions, but have better leadership and same armor save. For 3 points less than the cost of a Scion. Sigh.

 

Anyway, buy an extra Taurox for these guys from fast attack or dump them out the back of a Valkyrie near a high-value unit that has incurred your wrath. I think the Valk might be better as you have the option of going to hover mode and putting them exactly where you want them, but if points are a problem, the Taurox is your friend.

 

Skitarii Rangers: for 20 points less than a Tempestus comman squad, you get 4 Rangers and an Alpha. The Alpha has basically the same options as the Vanguard and the statlines are the same. They trade the radiation ability for move through cover and their guns are a little different. Their Galvanic Rifles shoot as far as pulse rifles, have the same strength, AP and type of kraken shell bolters. The place these shine is that they are all precision shots. This makes these guys ideal for holding objectives as they can reach out and kill everything important in an enemy unit before the unit gets to them.

 

I know I said the Skitarii need transports, but these guys honestly don’t. Our cheapest transport is more expensive than a minimum squad and their weapons are perfectly serviceable for infantry acting like infantry. I would treat them like space marine scouts: park them on an objective early. Remember, they are relentless, so it behooves you to keep them completely out of sight until a threat presents itself. With a pair of Arc Rifles, you could take down even mounted units (but not more than one) that are trying to sneak around to your objective.

 

Sicarian Ruststalkers: Assault-only murder-cyborgs. I personally don’t care for any unit whose only purpose is assault. It must be stated that they are very good at this with assault grenades, AP2 power weapons (on the second round of combat), the problem is, that all of these great attacks happen at the same initiative as a Tempestor Prime (Post FAQ). This, combined with the fact that there are plenty of dirty tricks your opponent can pull to keep them in one place means your points are probably best spent elsewhere. It is also worth noting that, particularly in a Scions army, there is nothing that can support them in assault unless you dig deeper into allies. Compounding this problem is getting them to where they can do some good. The only assault transport we have reasonable access to is an Inquisitorial Land Raider (too bad they can’t jump into a land speeder storm, that would be awesome). The end result is a unit that doesn’t move fast enough to get into close combat, can’t assault out of any of our vehicles, that hits really hard on the turn just before its weapons become AP2, but don’t worry. They’re good, but not good enough to deal with most units you would want to send them after. They’re probably really good for rescuing Skitarii and those weird crawlers from close combat, but in a Scions army, there are more efficient ways to spend your points.

 

Sicarian Infiltrators: Same statline as the Ruststalkers, but easier to use AND easier to pronounce! These murder-cyborgs trade furious charge for stealth and their all-assault capability for power swords and stub carbines. Stub carbines are great at HSLG range at 3 shots, but if you want, you can trade these weapons for taser goads and flechette blasters. A Taser Goad is like a power maul with no AP that has a melee version of Tesla, or, for those who don’t fight Necrons, on a to-hit roll of 6, it generates 2 more automatic hits. Between that and their flechette blasters that vomit out 5 shots each (strength is half that of a bolter) that have shred and shoot as far as a bolt pistol. This is important as it gives this unit great crowd control; something Scions typically struggle with. Whether it’s worth the fairly steep (5 points shy of a naked terminator) points you will pay to transport and field this unit is something only you can decide.

 

I did not mention earlier that both Sicarian units have mindscrambler grenades. Don’t read the fluff for them, it is highly stupid, but they are basically assault grenades that are also haywire. Pretty good.

 

Sydonian Dragoon: for the cost of 3 plasmaguns, you can get a very delicate, nearly impossible to physically transport walker. This particular walker comes in 2 flavors, this one and a ranged one. You are probably best off getting the ranged one as the CC one requires several in a squadron to be effective. This is not ideal as the model itself is more expensive than a Taurox and you can field them in squadrons of 5. Ouch. Anyway, as tall and fragile as it is, the fact that it must be up front to do you any good makes it prohibitively easy for your opponent to blow up, to say nothing of it actually assaulting, killing three guys and then getting krak grenade back to the stone age. It has a permanent cover save which makes it about as hard to kill as a smoked Rhino with one less hull point. Pass.

 

Ironstrider Ballistarii: Actually, the singular would be Ballistarius, which sounds even cooler. This guy is the cost a melta more expensive (points-wise) than its melee cousin, but it replaces the suicidal pilot with a Cognis Autocannon. Cognis means that it shoots snap shots with 1 better BS, which makes it superior vs flyers and when being assaulted, though with so few shots, you needn’t worry about its performance in CC. Why take this thing? Because its toolbox full of abilities make it a very flexible stopgap for a lot of things that Scions really struggle with. Lynchpin model in a unit? It has precision shots and plenty of range. Flyers baleflaming your face off? Cognis is good against flyers without the problems that skyfire causes. With its range, it can sit further back to stay out of trouble or even hold an objective. If it gets destroyed, it is cheap enough that you will not want to slash your wrists with your hobby knife. Note—it does not have the incense cloud that the Sydonian Dragoon does, so it behooves you to park it in cover somewhere. I should also point out that his model is beautiful in a baroque, art deco kind of way. Like someone pulled all of the shiny panels off of an art deco walker and let the wires hang.

 

Onager Dunecrawler: I’m sorry, every time I look at this thing, I think of a portable outhouse on legs or one of those dunk thanks you see at corporate morale events. Either that or a Defiler that stunted its growth somehow. This ultra-cheap vehicle (10 points more than a Taurox Prime) has the armor of a Valkyrie with slightly more armor on the rear. It’s never slowed by terrain and can’t run, so it will likely fall behind the rest of your army. You can pack 3 of these together into a squadron which you are encouraged to do as it improves the invulnerable save this thing gets. Sadly, the opposite is also true in that, as these things get killed, they will become less effective. I would learn to rely on cover, rather than the invulnerable save, especially since it is never slowed by terrain. Besides, if you’re fielding these alongside the ludicrously expensive Tempestus units, you can probably only afford to field one. Anyway, it comes with a choice of 4 main guns that will inform its purpose on the field.  Also, if you didn't know, Onager is latin for Donkey.

 

-Eradication Beamer: The stock weapon (and therefore cheapest option) on the crawler is the opposite of a conversion beamer, in that its profile is divided into ranges. Unlike the conversion beamer, it does a large blast from far away and is direct shot up close. Also unlike the conversion beamer, it’s max range is twice that of an HSLG. Free!

 

-TL Phosphor Blaster: Heavy bolter statline with one better strength and one better AP. Also has Luminogen which lowers the cover save of the thing you shoot with it (for the next unit that shoots it). Additionally, it lets your units re-roll assault to get to the unit that is now brightly lit. Costs as power weapon.

 

-Netron Laser and Cognis Heavy Stubber: Hits as hard as a weapon can hit without being D and has the best AP possible. Rangeis as lascannon with blast. It has Concussive, but there shouldn’t be much left after the blast. Deletes normal vehicles from the battlefield and will immediately draw your opponent’s attention in ways you might not be comfortable with, considering the relative fragility of the walking outhouse. Costs as Power Fist and comes with an entirely inconsequential Cognis Heavy Stubber.

 

-Icarus Array: Have you ever seen Robotech or Macross when a bazillionty missiles chase the hero and he narrowly avoids them all? This is like that, but your opponent will not get narrowly avoid them. Seriously, this thing could shoot down a marauder in one turn without breaking a sweat. It is three skyfire weapons all bound to one platform. Not sure if weapon destroyed would destroy all of them (I think it would by wording), but it’s got your standard Icarus Autocannon, a Daedalus Missile Launcher which hits as hard as a lascannon minus 2 strength. The Gatling Rocket Launcher dumps 5 shots that ignore cover and hit as hard as an assault cannon at double the range. Costs a bit more than 2 plasma guns. I must confess, I don’t really like the Zoidberg tank (aesthetically or tactically), but this may be the most satisfying gun that isn’t a Punisher in the whole game.

 

Now try to look at an Onager and not think woobwoobwoobwoob!

 

[Father Mehman]

On the Transuranic Arquebus, I get the 2d6 for the Armour Penetration roll and Armourbane USR, but where is the extra d3 coming from? Also, Sniper weapons now have Strength 4 against Armour Value targets (FAQ for BRB and eBook versions of the codex).

 

At one point you talk about the Sicarian Ruststalkers and Sicarian Infiltrators both having Mindscrambler Grenades. Only the Sicarian Ruststalkers have them and that's only if you don't upgrade them with two Transonic Blades, at which point you lose the grenades. The only thing the two units share is their armour type.

 

Sydonian Dragoons and Ironstrider Ballistarii can both have units of 6, not 5. I see you didn't mention the formation which gives the Dragoons and Ballistarii a boost. That's a shame since you can give the Ballistarii a cover save behind the Dragoons, yet they can shoot straight through the intervening model. These two units are great on their own but deadly together.

 

I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud, I'm really only here to help.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I really like the Skitarii, and the rangers seem like a great option for long range fire support. The Ballistarii looks interesting, as does the dunecrawler. The Vanguard seem like a duplication of the scions, so they're a bit redundant. There are better assault units out there than the ruststalkers, so I'd be more likely to go with them (void claws, Arjac's Shield brothers...etc). 

[Pudelhund]

I really like the Skitarii, and the rangers seem like a great option for long range fire support. The Ballistarii looks interesting, as does the dunecrawler. The Vanguard seem like a duplication of the scions, so they're a bit redundant. There are better assault units out there than the ruststalkers, so I'd be more likely to go with them (void claws, Arjac's Shield brothers...etc). 

 

Outside of the context of playing with Scions, the Vanguards are like the most deadly troop choice in the game.  The sheer number of dice coming from assault-type rifles in a ten-man squad is absolutely nuts and can threaten any kind of infantry target effectively (also, double-wounding on sixes).  They can take three special weapons in a ten-man squad, and the two good special weapons gel better with Vanguards than with Rangers, and Rangers are more expensive anyway.  Three Arc Rifles are an amazing anti-vehicle threat and the seemingly-expensive Plasma Caliver is definitely worth it when you consider just how much nine shots of plasma is worth, especially on models with better armor save than Guardsmen and a Feel No Pain bonus.  I won both of my first games of 40K with Vanguards thanks to those Plasma Calivers.  Ripped MEQs to shreds.  The Onager I brought didn't do much by comparison.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I'll take that into consideration.

[Terminus]

Stormtroopers are a pile of garbage compared to Vanguard.

[ThatOneMarshal]

I feel like the only thing that stormtroopers have over skitarrii is their mobility. They can have a transport unlike the skitarrii and you can even take a fast one. You can deep strike them which is great in an IG army because let's face it, we are slow and using deep strike they can try to suicide melta a tank. And they can fly in Valkyries and can grav chute out safely due to move through cover.

 

Everything else the skitarrii can do loads better.

[Terminus]

7th edition army building rules make transport limitations meaningless. You could buy a Sanguinary priest and scout squad, and have the option of 6 drop pods. Suicide melta doesn't really work when you only have 2 shots from the unit, especially with 7ths damage chart. Rangers, although not as good as Vanguard, also have move through cover.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Stormtroopers are a pile of garbage compared to Vanguard.

 

I've not used any of the Skitarii, but I'd have to say you're wrong. Either you're trolling for hate, or you have no idea how to to employ stormies to their full potential. I'm not saying I do, but I see their value, and I was saying that the Vanguard seemed redundant (given their range profile). So be careful when making unequivocal statements like that. Besides, this thread is about the Skitarii's value as allies for a stormtrooper army, so no trolling.

[Master Antaeus]

What he's saying is, point for point, they are better at generating casualties.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

That's bad reasoning, since it's all based on averages and statistics, sure mathhammer says they're better, but mathhammer rarely translates accurately to the tabletop well. It's going to depend on how you deploy them and how you intend to use them. 

 

The vanguard could be more effective as a line unit, put in a transport and run up the middle, dumped out to shoot, while scions deep strike in to hit the back side.

[Terminus]

Pretty sure phosphor pistol has to kill to get the luminagen effect.

 

Strongly disagree about the Ironstriders, especially if you take them as their formation for outflank. The dragoons are great at tying up dangerous shooting elements, can pop vehicles, and otherwise clean up units you don't want to devote special weapon fire to. The balistarii can go for side armor or drop flyers/MCs with cognis.

[Master Antaeus]

Ironstriders are okay.  At $50 a pop, that's a very expensive unit, though.