Evil Eye Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 I'm reworking a lot of my massive and diverse pile of shame into mini-forces to work with my favoured ruleset (4E core with a mix of 3E, 3.5E and 4E books). Notably, my long-languishing and barely painted Emperor's Children are going to be remade into a small home-grown Slaaneshi warband, the Ogre Brethren, run with the 3.5E Chaos book. One model I'm working on for this force is a Contemptor Dreadnought, which I'm intending to either just counts-as a Chaos Dreadnought or use the Chapter Approved VDR to more properly represent a Contemptor. (Still WIP. And yes, the sarcophagus conversion was a pain. Looks cool though!) The only slight question I have is what to run his conversion beamer as. I selected it very much for rule of cool, as frankly it's such a nifty looking weapon. I'm torn between 3 options. 1: Simply run it as a counts-as existing gun option in the 3.5E Chaos Dreadnought codex entry (thinking either plasma cannon or blastmaster) and handwave it as it being a weird Chaotic tech-heresy energy weapon that behaves in a similar way to whatever it "counts-as". Obviously the simplest option, if a little dull. 2: "Backport" the conversion beamer rules from whenever they were first introduced (which I believe was 5th edition, so still eminently doable) and use those rules; people willing to play old rulesets tend to be a lot more forgiving of homebrew content and retrofitting later units/wargear into their favourite edition, so it's definitely not out of the question. 3: Use the VDR weapon customization rules to take one of the existing options (see option 1) and "tart it up" a bit to better represent a rare Chaos-tainted archaeotech weapon. A nice compromise between the two options as it differentiates the weapon from a stock option without having to actually homebrew/backport anything. The missile launcher will just count as a havoc launcher, FWIW. Anyway, thoughts? Brother Christopher, LameBeard, Trokair and 3 others 4 2 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazer Rackham Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 Think the casket looks great - how did you do the welding? Was it sprue goo? On the guns, I'd just backport. I wouldn't have a problem with it, but I prefer WYSIWYG as opposed to counts-as for models. Evil Eye and jaxom 2 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114199 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Eye Posted June 4 Author Share Posted June 4 Thanks! The "welding" is actually a gap I still need to fill, actually, but I may very well give it some weld beads when I get round to it! As the process ended up inadvertently destroying all the rivets on the chest, I'm considering doing some sculpting/texturing to give the impression the main torso hull "glacis" is a big metal casting. Certainly beats re-applying all those rivets... Mazer Rackham 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114207 Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadlessCross Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 I'd probably try to find a PDF of an Imperial Armor book that does Chaos vehicles. I'm 90% sure the rules for Conversion Beamers were there for the Chaos Contemptors. If not allowed just use it as a TL Lascannon I guess? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114243 Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1SB Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 I love your conversion, Brother Eye, and I love Conversion Beamers, as I recently described here: Use VDR rules (from that White Dwarf, ya?) because if you don't use them for this, what are they good for? It's totally legit. In 30k, Conversion Beamers are REPRESENTED to have different Strengths (and AP, etc.) based on distance. But in the lore, it's based on how much material, like just all the clouds of dirt and dust particles being kicked up, is between the gun and the target that the conversion beam supercharges. Your Dreadnought, being an ancient veteran of the long war, figured out ways to manipulate that. (And in the story I linked to, the purpose is that the wielder CAN and SHOULD manipulate that, that's its mechanics.) Since this is an Emperor's Children Dreadnought, he may consider himself an artist, like a painter and his Conversion Beamer his brush. He'll just turn these swirls of dust into masterpieces of destruction. He's mastered the weapon in ways even Ordo Reductor Techpriests like me never figured out. If it was any other Legion, I might not recommend this, but I think it's uniquely suited for him. It gives him a little bit more panache. He'd be like, "PerFECT~iooooon." Evil Eye and Marshal Mittens 2 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114291 Share on other sites More sharing options...
gideon stargreave Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 1 hour ago, N1SB said: masterpieces of destruction. Symphony of destruction Xenith 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114300 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teetengee Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 I'd use it as a blastmaster, to be honest, because if I sit across from you and see a weapon on a EC dread that doesn't match the usual ones I'm assuming it's sonic. Dr_Ruminahui 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114316 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenith Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 4th ed had rules for the conversion beamer which a techmarine/MotF could take, I'd check the SM codex, maybe 40pts so? Deus_Ex_Machina, Evil Eye, roryokane and 1 other 3 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114318 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solution Trokair Posted June 6 Solution Share Posted June 6 I really like how the conversion of the sarcophagus changes the look compared to normal contemptors. What part did you use. Rules wise, as others have said, backporting a Conversion beamer from whenever it had rules should not be a problem given how similar 3rd through 7th were as a rules set. As for rules, either normal dread or vehicle design rules should work fine. You are presumably playing this is with friends in a relaxed environment so house rule as you need as long as it is fun for everybody involved. If you do go normal dread and are not importing conversion beamer rules then I would lean towards using it as a the sonic weapon, simply because those are more wired tech than the other options, so something that looks outside the normal Marine weapon look would fit better. Dr_Ruminahui 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114480 Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1SB Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 Tbh I totally forgot that conversion beamers were there, I thought it was only resurrected in 30k. Good call Brother Xenith, that would probably be the best starting point, Brother Eye, because I think it'd be easier that way. Evil Eye 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114482 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Eye Posted June 6 Author Share Posted June 6 Thanks all! Having found the rules for the conversion beamer (first appearing in the 5E Marines book I believe) I will likely be going that route. Probably going to house-cost it on a regular Dreadnought at 25 points; due to the whole "nutty as a fruitcake" thing and the chance of being forced to fire at the closest target I can see a weapon that gets better at long range not being very reliable, so 25 seems reasonable as a balance between the power of the gun and the erratic behaviour of the platform. The sarcophagus is a combination of a regular Dreadnought casket plate and the Contemptor blank chest plate, with a lot of styrene and cutting. I have since done some more work with Tamiya quick type putty and Mr Hobby Dissolved Putty to add weld seams around the casket and to texture the hull to look like a massive cast metal component, as if the original parts had to be replaced with Dark Mech "aftermarkets". Must take some photos! N1SB and Trokair 2 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114493 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Eye Posted June 6 Author Share Posted June 6 As promised, ssome better photos! Mr. Dissolved Putty used for the casting texture, Tamiya Quick Type Epoxy for all sculpting. Realm of Chaos style funny faces/leering gargoyles. Absolutely obligatory IMO. Finally, a knife was used to score "flame cuts" on the edges of the hull. This combined with the other modifications IMO makes the hull look like it's been manufactured after the fact, either by a rather disreputable traitor forge world or by the Ogre Brethren's smiths themselves with limited materials, to replace the heavily damaged original parts, thus is much cruder and lumpier than the (comparatively) clean original Contemptor parts. Trokair, Viridia, phandaal and 2 others 2 3 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114605 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deus_Ex_Machina Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 That´s E.T.´s face on the right shoulder pad. Now he can´t call home anymore. Evil Eye 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114637 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenith Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 Looking great! As an aside, it was a weapon option for a master of the forge - I guess in 5th ed then, but bring heavy blast you could only really use it of the MotF took a bike, leading to some interesting conversions! Forge world then made an official model, I guess the first of the modern conversion beamers for the badab war https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Armenneus_Valthex Evil Eye 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114642 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Eye Posted June 6 Author Share Posted June 6 11 minutes ago, Xenith said: Looking great! As an aside, it was a weapon option for a master of the forge - I guess in 5th ed then, but bring heavy blast you could only really use it of the MotF took a bike, leading to some interesting conversions! Forge world then made an official model, I guess the first of the modern conversion beamers for the badab war https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Armenneus_Valthex I absolutely adore that model. Especially the mechandrite "flails", those are so cool. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114645 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viridia Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 That looks fantastic! (even if poor ET's face pushing out of the right shoulder is creepy as anything) Evil Eye 1 Back to top Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/386057-how-to-field-conversion-beamer-in-354e-rules/#findComment-6114661 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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