Why aren't more of our characters using storm shields?

[Gherrick]

It's always kinda bugged me that of all of the chapters, SW seem to have the most prolific access to storm shields, yet we have very few named characters using them (Arjac and Harold, IIRC). Considering most of our HQs are sporting bolt pistols, for the melee-centric characters I would think better defenses is superior to a single shot. Is there some lore reason for this?

 

And similarly, bolt pistols, really? If wolf guard can all get storm bolters, don't wolf lords deserve a better shooting option to go with their 2+ BS?

Edited April 10, 2020 by Gherrick

[Noserenda]

Because most of the Space Wolf characters pre-date Stormshields as a character option, personally i think they work on Champions like Arjac but for an actual officer they are a bulky distraction from their actual job. Similarly with Bolt pistols, SW characters be old, but Codex characters can get them so it feels more like an oversight there.

[Valerian]

Because most of the Space Wolf characters pre-date Stormshields as a character option, personally i think they work on Champions like Arjac but for an actual officer they are a bulky distraction from their actual job. Similarly with Bolt pistols, SW characters be old, but Codex characters can get them so it feels more like an oversight there.

Yeah, this. Almost all of our named special characters date from the late Rogue Trader era, when Storm Shields weren’t even something power armored models had access to. Like Thunder Hammers, and Storm Bolters, these were options reserved for only for Terminator models (and even these were relatively new additions to the lineup).

 

The “second generation” of named characters didn’t arrive until 5th edition (Lukas, Arjak, Harald, and Canis), and of those, half were given Storm Shields - one in Terminator Armor, and one in Power Armor (riding a Thunderwolf).

 

 

Edit: P.s. also, back in those early days many “Hero” models had access to Refractor, Conversion, and Displacer Fields that gave additional saves, and served a similar role to Storm Shields, without having to actually be modeled. These days, we get Iron Halos (Belts of Russ) and the Rosarius, and the Crux Terminatus as throwbacks to those earlier Fields.

[Psilence]

On the bolt pistol:

 

A .75 caliber projectile penetrating into a target would be enough to ruin most people’s day...

 

And then it explodes.

[Valerian]

 

 

And similarly, bolt pistols, really? If wolf guard can all get storm bolters, don't wolf lords deserve a better shooting option to go with their 2+ BS?

 

Also, Ragnar Blackmane originally had a "custom bolt pistol with a special targeter," that had its own special profile.

[Bryan Blaire]

I don't really get why the named Primaris characters don't warrant heavy bolt pistols, or even Absolver pistols - are they really so out of balance that they'd ruin them by being overpowered? Or even custom pistols. It seems crazy, and a couple of the named Primaris characters do have both custom ranged weapons and custom melee weapons, so I don't really get it.

[Krakendoomcool]

I remember you could have 3 wargear back in the day. Ragnar had Frostfang, his extra special bolt pistol and a free slot. I'd take a displacer field (3++, with random d6" involuntary teleport). Ideally you would want to also take a vortex grenade or virus bomb as well.

[GrFlur]

[...] or virus bomb as well.

 

¿Covid-19?

 

I hope none of us fails the safe trhow ...

[Krakendoomcool]

I think it did effect a model and then the next model within 2". So social distancing was the answer...

 

Woah.

[Valerian]

I remember you could have 3 wargear back in the day. Ragnar had Frostfang, his extra special bolt pistol and a free slot. I'd take a displacer field (3++, with random d6" involuntary teleport). Ideally you would want to also take a vortex grenade or virus bomb as well.

 

That was in 2e.  In Rogue Trader he got his custom bolt pistol and custom chainsword (it wasn't a named weapon yet), and he got rolls on the Grenade Table for 10 points per roll.  

[Leif Bearclaw]

 

The “second generation” of named characters didn’t arrive until 5th edition (Lukas, Arjak, Harald, and Canis), and of those, half were given Storm Shields - one in Terminator Armor, and one in Power Armor (riding a Thunderwolf).

 

Wasn't Harald a 7th (maybe 8th?) edition addition? He definitely wasn't in the 5th ed book and was only added later, seemingly because GW didn't want a generic 'Wolf Lord on Thunderwolf' mini, which is what the model was (I'm 90% sure) initially released as.

[Gherrick]

 

 

The “second generation” of named characters didn’t arrive until 5th edition (Lukas, Arjak, Harald, and Canis), and of those, half were given Storm Shields - one in Terminator Armor, and one in Power Armor (riding a Thunderwolf).

 

Wasn't Harald a 7th (maybe 8th?) edition addition? He definitely wasn't in the 5th ed book and was only added later, seemingly because GW didn't want a generic 'Wolf Lord on Thunderwolf' mini, which is what the model was (I'm 90% sure) initially released as.

 

Harold was at least in 7th, which is when I started.

[Valerian]

 

 

The “second generation” of named characters didn’t arrive until 5th edition (Lukas, Arjak, Harald, and Canis), and of those, half were given Storm Shields - one in Terminator Armor, and one in Power Armor (riding a Thunderwolf).

 

Wasn't Harald a 7th (maybe 8th?) edition addition? He definitely wasn't in the 5th ed book and was only added later, seemingly because GW didn't want a generic 'Wolf Lord on Thunderwolf' mini, which is what the model was (I'm 90% sure) initially released as.

 

 

You might be right.  Canis 5th, and Harold 7th?  No 6e book for the Wolves.  The editions all start to run together after 31 years.

 

V