The battlefields of the 41st millennium are home to some truly awesome war machines. These huge vehicles tower over the battlefield and carry enough weapons to wipe out a typical 40K army in a round or two of shooting! I've yet to meet a 40K player who didn't secretly want to include such a vehicle in their own army, and the following rules allow you to do just that.
Be warned: Super-Heavy Tanks will dominate any game they are used in, and because of this should be saved up for special occasions, rather than being wheeled out willy-nilly for every game that is played.
Using Super-Heavy Tanks
Super-Heavy Tanks fight in their own 'army', fighting alongside another army as a seperate detachment, as described in the 40K rules. In addition you may only include one Super-Heavy Tank detachment in your army for each 'normal' detachment that you field. This limits the use of Super-Heavy Tanks to large games of over 2000 points, as is appropriate for such rare and potentially devastating machines. Of course players that wish to may ignore this restriction and use Super-Heavy Tanks in smaller games, but only if they get their opponents consent first. Super-Heavy Tanks may only be used in tournament games if the tournament instructions specifically say they may be used.
Super-Heavy Tank detachments consist up to three machines of (more or less) the same type. Cobras and Scorpions are considered similar enough to be mixed into the same detachment.
Structure Points
Super-Heavy Tanks are so large that they can absorb damage that would destroy another vehicle. To represent this they must be given two or more structure points, which equate roughly to wounds for other models. Basically, the more structure points a vehicle has, the bigger it is.
Ordnance
Super-Heavy Tanks may fire Ordnance and still fire other weapons. They may fire Ordnance even if they move.
Targeting
Super-Heavy Tanks can engage more than one target unit if desired. Instead of picking a target for the Super-Heavy Tank, pick a target for each weapon on the Super-Heavy Tank. You must declare all of the Super-Heavy Tank's targets before resolving any fire (you can't see how one of its weapons did before deciding what the others are firing at).
Super-Heavy Tank Shock
Enemy infantry must test at -1 to their leadership if they are Tank Shocked by a Super-Heavy Tank.
Lumbering Vehicles
Some Super Heavy Tanks are noted as being lumbering. Lumbering vehicles grind along at a slow and steady pace. These vehicles can move up to 6" a turn. They must always move straight ahead, but can pivot by up to 90 degrees at the end of the move. Lumbering vehicles can fire all of their weapons even if they move.
Super Heavy Tanks and Difficult Terrain
Super-Heavy Tanks treat difficult terrain differently to normal vehicles. For a start, they can ignore low walls, hedges, bushes and rubble – there's no need to test for these at all. Going through other difficult terrain they test as normal. However, if they roll a 1 they are not automatically immobilised, instead they lose D3" of movement, just as if they had suffered an Engines Damaged result on the damage tables (see below). Super-heavy tanks which are skimmers may ignore terrain as they move, but will lose D3" from their move if end the move over difficult terrain and roll a 1.
Close Combat Attacks
Super-Heavy Tanks can tank shock an enemy in the movement phase. If the enemy pass the morale check then the Super-Heavy Tank moves into contact with the enemy unit and must fight a close combat against it in the assault phase. This is the only way that Super-Heavy Tanks can enter close combat (though they can be assaulted by enemy units in the enemies turn as normal). Being in close combat does not stop the Super-Heavy Tank shooting, and it may fire at the unit it's assaulting if desired.
Super-Heavy Tanks are allowed to 'barge into' enemy infantry units rather than stopping when they contact the first enemy model. Keep moving the super-heavy tank until it completes its move, moving enemy models out of the way as required. Any models moved out of the way should be placed back on the table so that they are touching the Super-Heavy Tank as close as possible to their starting location before they were 'barged'. Super-Heavy Tanks can't barge other Super-Heavy Tanks out of the way.
In the assault phase, a Super-Heavy Tank that tank shocked the enemy receives a number of bonus close combat attacks. These bonus attacks represent the chance of the victim either getting stomped upon or crushed under the tank tracks, wheels or what ever, and are only ever received in the Super-Heavy Tank's turn; if the Super-Heavy Tank is assaulted by the enemy in the enemy turn then it does not receive any bonus attacks.
The number of bonus attacks is equal to the number of enemy models or vehicles that are in base contact with the Super-Heavy Tank (i.e. each enemy touching the war machine is attacked once). All bonus attacks count as having a WS of 1 and a strength of 6. Roll to hit and damage normally. All super-heavy tank close combat attacks ignore armour saves, and roll 2D6 for armour penetration.
Opponents that fight a round of close combat against a Super-Heavy Tank and fail to destroy it (quite a likely occurrence!) automatically fall back unless they are a vehicle or another Super Heavy Tank. Super-Heavy Tanks may never pursue or consolidate – they remain stationary.
New Weapon Rules
Coaxial Weapons: A 'coaxial' weapon is one that is fixed beside another weapon of a different type, a bit like a twin-linked weapon but where two different types of weapon are used. For example, a tank might have a turret mounted autocannon with a coaxial heavy bolter mounted beside it. Any type of weapons may be fitted into a 'coaxial' mount. Both weapons must fire at the same target unit, even if fitted to a Super Heavy Tank.
Super-Heavy Tank Damage Tables
Roll on the following tables for glancing and penetrating hits on a Super-Heavy Tank. Ordnance also rolls on these tables, not the Ordnance damage tables.
Glancing Hit
(S+D6 roll equals Armour Value)
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Gun Crew Shaken – One weapon may not shoot next turn (chosen by opponent). |
| 2 | Gun Crew Shaken – One weapon may not shoot next turn (chosen by opponent). |
| 3 | Driver Stunned – May not move next turn. (skimmers drift D6" straight ahead). |
| 4 | Engines Damaged – Knock D3" off the vehicles move (vehicles reduced to a move of '0' are immobilised, skimmers destroyed). |
| 5 | Field or Weapon Destroyed – One weapon or field chosen by opponent is destroyed. |
| 6 | Major Damage – Lose one structure point and roll again on this table. If reduced to '0' damage points then roll on the Catastrophic Damage table instead. |
Penetrating Hit
(S+D6 roll beats Armour Value)
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Driver Stunned – May not move next turn. (skimmers drift D6" straight ahead). |
| 2 | Engines Damaged – Knock D3" off the vehicles move (vehicles reduced to a move of '0' are immobilised, skimmers destroyed). |
| 3 | Field or Weapon Destroyed – One weapon or field chosen by opponent is destroyed. |
| 4 | Major Damage – Lose one structure point and roll again on the Glancing Hit table. If reduced to '0' damage points, roll on the Catastrophic Damage table instead. |
| 5 | Major Damage – Lose one structure point and roll again on the Glancing Hit table. If reduced to '0' damage points, roll on the Catastrophic Damage table instead. |
| 6 | Chain Reaction – Lose one structure point and roll again on this table. If reduced to '0' damage points, roll on the Catastrophic Damage table instead. |
Catastrophic Damage Hit
(S+D6 roll beats Armour Value)
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Damage Control – The player controlling the vehicle must take a Ld test for it (use the 'standard' Ld for the army, i.e. 7 for Imperial Guard). If the Ld test is passed then the damage control systems on the super-heavy tank have contained the damage, and 1 structure point is 'repaired'. If the test is failed your opponent must roll again on this table (which may give you another damage control test, if you're lucky!). |
| 2-3 | Destroyed – The vehicle is wrecked. Mark the destroyed vehicle with cotton wool or remove it entirely. |
| 4-5 | Explosion – Models within D6" suffer one wound on a D6 roll of 4+ (saving throws allowed). Vehicles are unaffected. |
| 6 | Huge Explosion – The tank is vapourised in a huge explosion. Roll 1D3 per original structure point to determine how far the explosion extends in inches. Models in range suffer a wound on a roll of 4+ (armour saving throws allowed). Vehicles suffer a glancing hit on a roll of 4+. |