Imperial Knights House Traits & Stratagems

[PiñaColada]

Since we know the Imperial Knights codex is imminent I thought I'd start a thread where we could speculate and wishlist for the house traits & stratagems we'd like to see in the new 'dex. I'll rattle some traits off to begin with, feel free whether you like them or not and add your own ones to the thread. Which ones do you want to see, which ones do you think we'll see (if any)? Note: this is pure speculation and meant to be fun

 

Traits:

- All knights get the super heavy walker rule (to help out armigers), can also consolidate in any direction not just towards nearest enemy unit

- Roll 3d6 when charging, discard the lowest die

- +1 Weapon Skill

- Can recieve canticles of the omnissiah

- +1 Ballistic Skill if firing all of it's weapons at the same target

- 5+ Feel no Pain against mortal wounds in the psychic phase

- On the roll of a 4+ the unit takes d6 mortal wounds when charged by a knight (d3 for armigers)

- Overwatch hits on 5+

 

Any of the above you like? Which one would you prefer? Do you have any other traits (or stratagems) in mind?

[Midlight]

I think something that would allow you to receive a full d3 healing from tech priests for mechanicus aligned houses would possibly be quite nice

[PiñaColada]

I think something that would allow you to receive a full d3 healing from tech priests for mechanicus aligned houses would possibly be quite nice

I just sort of assume/hope that will be amended in the codex, as well as the big knights getting a 2+ save.

[LegionOfMars]

Personally, I’d like a better invulnerable save. Rotate ion shields helps but a natural 4++ going to a 3++ with the stratagem would be much, much better.

[domsto]

i would like to see a price drop on the new Armiger Warglaives or a buff on there guns.

They are just mehhh right now

[ImperialSquishiness]

Baby Knights getting a flanking speed rule for advancing. Or getting to deploy as outflanking. The history and fluff has armigers running around the flanks of their Lord to protect them, so one of these would make sense.

[Vel'Cona]

I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of the rules/options for Armigers as of yet.  The full kit is likely to add another sprue of options (perhaps melee or gun swaps?), and Knightly Houses will obviously have an impact on all IKs as a whole.  Unfortunately, without more rumours it's purely wishlisting but anything that would make IK more accurate (re-roll 1s to hit, or better yet add 1 to hit in certain scenarios) would be absolute cash.  Right now the biggest issue for the big guys is their output does NOT = their cost, despite how many shots their upgraded guns get.  For example, you can get 3 LRBT for the same cost as 1 Paladin (just about) and you get more BC shots and more Wounds, with roughly the same durability.

 

The lack of Strategems is a massive issue for IK, as well, though their high base cost will make it a challenge to get a lot of CP (since you'll be limited on the number of Detachments you can logically squeeze in).  Therefore, I suspect IK will get special Detachment-building rules a la Dark Eldar w/ Patrol Detachments to account for the extremely small model count of pure-IK armies.

 

But this is just my thoughts; GW has been full of surprises lately so I suspect the new IK codex is going to turn more than a few conventions on their heads.

[Mileposter]

With it being its own Codex, I'm strongly hoping for a set of rules that separates Knights from AdMech. I don't mind a Stratagem or two utilizing AdMech, just like it's vice versa right now, but leave the Household Rules about the Households - Not AdMech.

 

I know some Houses being AdMech aligned makes pure separation impossible, and I wouldn't suggest it... But there are Imperium Houses as well and they need to be able to stand on their own.

[Vel'Cona]

I'm inclined to agree.  I feel that Mechanicus and Imperial-aligned Knights should have equal capability.  I'd argue for Imperial-aligned to be more about offense (Crusader or "Heroic" style) and Mechanicus-aligned to be more defensive (repairs and shield buffs, for example).

[Lysere]

With it being its own Codex, I'm strongly hoping for a set of rules that separates Knights from AdMech. I don't mind a Stratagem or two utilizing AdMech, just like it's vice versa right now, but leave the Household Rules about the Households - Not AdMech.

 

I know some Houses being AdMech aligned makes pure separation impossible, and I wouldn't suggest it... But there are Imperium Houses as well and they need to be able to stand on their own.

 

That's why the Machine spirit Resurgent stratagem needs to be available to all knights, otherwise it'll be too much of a power disparity.

 

I don't have any specific ideas about households but I'm hoping they make the warlord traits and bonuses a bit better than other armies due to the low model count. I mean +1A sounds decent but it should be more than that. Curious to see how many households we actually get and what the new relics will look like.

[ImperialSquishiness]

A trait along the lines of doubling remaining wounds when it comes to damage tables would be sweet. Makes them a lot more durable then.

[Mileposter]

A trait along the lines of doubling remaining wounds when it comes to damage tables would be sweet. Makes them a lot more durable then.

Might be a little too much if it's a Household bonus... But I could see it being a valuable Warlord trait.

[PiñaColada]

I think it's going to be very interesting to see how they choose to make questor imperialis, questor mechanicus and freeblades unique. Hopefully we'll get multiple viable traits for each one. I do wonder if they're going to give all knights machine spirits resurgence or if the non-admech aligned get another really strong stratagem. 

[hermanista]

My thoughts

 

+6 range on weapons

Count remaining wounds as models for objective secured purposes

 

I think we'll see something more outlandish that we hadn't thought of yet, because of the cool factor the Drukkari have, so I wouldn't be surprised if something crazy appears.

 

I still think price drops are coming across the board

 

And plasma weapons for armigers

[LegionOfMars]

I still think price drops are coming across the board

And plasma weapons for armigers

I’d like to believe, mainly due to a 2000 point game only consisting of 4 knights otherwise.

 

Plasma for the armigers would be great, similar to the Plasma on the destroyer, a D6 S 7/8 -3AP weapon hitting on 3’s!!!

[ImperialSquishiness]

+1 CP if taken in a super heavy auxiliary detachment would be nice. Some sort of CP farming ability too as a pure Knight army won't have much more than 6 if points stay the same.

[PiñaColada]

I sort of hope that the armigers get some sort of flail or whip weapon for crowd control, that it functions roughly like titanic feet so they end up with 9 or 12 attacks instead. Give them that and like a titanic version of the auto boltstorm gauntlet and they'd make for an interesting unit in my opinion.

[Vel'Cona]

I sort of hope that the armigers get some sort of flail or whip weapon for crowd control, that it functions roughly like titanic feet so they end up with 9 or 12 attacks instead. Give them that and like a titanic version of the auto boltstorm gauntlet and they'd make for an interesting unit in my opinion.

 

+1 for suggesting giving a Super-Heavy Walker a morningstar. :)

[General Strike]

Maybe we will get a character Knight that adds CP. I would like some point drops to the Chassis, I want to have five full knights in a list. I also would like some stratagems that do repairs, add to shielding, and allow us to shoot twice in a turn. Relics would be cool too, like a 3++ shield relic, enhanced weapon relics, etc. I also wouldn't complain if they added knight house troops, using MT with the knight house key word. The last one is a stretch though.

[House Taranis]

Maybe we will get a character Knight that adds CP.

If these Characters are the Princeps or High Kings of famous Houses, like Terryn, Taranis, Hawkshroud, Raven etc., then that could add a lot of fluff to army lists, as before now, taking a full Exalted Court has meant you have some Knights, it means little else.

Having some troops would be nice, like soldiers of the homeworld of that House that could fil out Knight lists. I guess we'll have to wait for the codex.

[Mileposter]

For myself, I'm doubting that we'll get our own troops with any uniqueness. The focus is meant to be on the knights, and it's clearly already confirmed we're getting new Knight models.

 

But I wouldn't be too surprised if they gave Knights Armies something like the Genestealers have - the ability to take one detachment of Guard for a detachment of Knights.

[MrSingularity]

For myself, I'm doubting that we'll get our own troops with any uniqueness. The focus is meant to be on the knights, and it's clearly already confirmed we're getting new Knight models.

 

But I wouldn't be too surprised if they gave Knights Armies something like the Genestealers have - the ability to take one detachment of Guard for a detachment of Knights.

 

There's nothing stopping you from running a detachment of Guard with your detachment of Knights right now ...

[Mileposter]

There's nothing stopping you from running a detachment of Guard with your detachment of Knights right now ...

And have them count as Guard, certainly. I was meaning something a little more creative - like their having the HOUSE keywords or something, therefore counting towards Knights stratagems or some such, just like the Genestealers swap out keywords. Something that's different than "I have some knights, and I also have some guard".

 

I was merely doubting that we'll get troop models or something extravagant like that.

[Vel'Cona]

 

I was merely doubting that we'll get troop models or something extravagant like that.

 

Since the flavour of the 'dex is "big stompy robots" it'd be a bit counter-intuitive from a marketing standpoint to put out standard Infantry models.  Not to mention GW seems more interested in bolstering their AoS ranges at the moment rather than 40k.  To be fair, IK could use a bit more variety but I feel like the Armiger + the new "heavy" IK are going to add plenty on that score.

 

In the minimum, I'd hope that the new Strategems will make certain IK builds more viable and shore up weaknesses (such as horde clearing).

[Nusquam]

I can definitely seeing an AdMech house getting "Double wounds for WS/BS bracket" HOUSEGHOLD rule; I meant Wraithknights and Scorpions get it, bane-chassis can as well.

 

I can also see for HOUSEHOLD rules:

• Reroll wounds against vehicles and monsters
• Reroll hits of 1 if moved under half
• 6+++ and Blessed Autosim(or +1 to current autosim rolls)
• Advance and fire with penalty or advance and charge

 

A "tracer round" stratagem for adding +1BS to a knight that hits something with a heavy stubber, like the old coaxial rule. Another is some sort of networking Ionshields like one of the old formations or perhaps two Armigers can buff one knights ionshield(either to a max of 3++ or reroll 1s).