Rules for Using Super-Heavy Vehicles in Games of Warhammer 40,000
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 it should be saved up for special occasions, rather than being wheeled out willy-nilly for every battle that is played.
Using Super-Heavy Tanks
Super-heavy Tanks fight in their own 'army', fighting alongside another army as a separate 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 opponent's 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 and Super-heavy Flyer detachments consist up to three machines of (more or less) the same type. Baneblades and Shadowswords are considered similar enough to be mixed into the same detachment, as are Marauders and Marauder Destroyers.
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 2 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 vehicles may fire ordnance and still fire other weapons. They may fire ordnance even if they move.
Targeting
Super-heavy vehicles can engage more than one target unit if desired. Instead of picking a target for the Super-heavy vehicle, pick a target for each weapon on the Super-heavy Tank. You must declare all of the Super-heavy vehicle'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
Lumbering vehicles grind along at a slow and steady pace. They can move up to 6" a turn. They must always move straight ahead, but can pivot by up to 90° at the end of the move. Lumbering vehicles can fire all of their weapons even if they move.
War Engines 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).
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 enemy's turn as normal). Being in close combat does not stop the Super-heavy Tank shooting, and it may fire at the unit it is 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 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 (ie, 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 war machine. Super-heavy Tanks may never pursue or consolidate – they remain stationary.
New Weapon Rules
Co-axial Weapons: A 'co-axial' 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 co-axial heavy bolter mounted beside it. Any type of weapons may be fitted into a 'co-axial' mount. Both weapons must fire at the same target unit, even if fitted to a war machine.
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 (chosen by opponent). |
| 4 | Engines Damaged – Knock D3" off the vehicle's move (vehicles reduced to a move of 0" are immobilised; skimmers are destroyed). |
| 5 | Field or Weapon Destroyed – One weapon or field chosen by opponent is destroyed. |
| 6 | Major Damage – Lose 1 Structure Point and roll again on this table. If reduced to 0 Structure 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 (chosen by opponent). |
| 2 | Engines Damaged – Knock D3" off the vehicle's move (vehicles reduced to a move of 0" are immobilised; skimmers are destroyed). |
| 3 | Field or Weapon Destroyed – One weapon or field chosen by opponent is destroyed. |
| 4 | Major Damage – Lose 1 Structure Point and roll again on the Glancing Hit table. If reduced to 0 Structure Points, roll on the Catastrophic Damage table instead. |
| 5 | Major Damage – Lose 1 Structure Point and roll again on the Glancing Hit table. If reduced to 0 Structure Points, roll on the Catastrophic Damage table instead. |
| 6 | Chain Reaction – Lose 1 Structure Point and roll again on this table. If reduced to 0 Structure Points, roll on the Catastrophic Damage table instead. |
Catastrophic Damage
(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, ie 7 for Imperial Guard). If the test is failed, 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 suffer a glancing hit on a roll of 4+. |
| 6 | Huge Explosion – The vehicle is vapourised in a huge explosion. Roll a D3 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+. |
Super-Heavy Flyer Damage Tables
Roll on the following tables for hits on a Super-heavy Flyer. As a flyer, all the Glancing 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 (chosen by opponent). |
| 2 | Gun Crew Shaken – One weapon may not shoot (chosen by opponent). |
| 3 | Pilot Shaken – Roll a D6 immediately. On a 1-3 the aircraft turns 45° left; on a 4-6 the aircraft turns 45° right. The flyer may not shoot again for the remainder of this turn, and must remain facing in this direction when it shoots and moves off the table. |
| 4 | Engines Damaged – From now on there is a -1 modifier to the dice roll made to see if the flyer returns to the table. The modifier is cumulative, so a flyer which suffered two Engine Damaged results would suffer a -2 modifier, etc. |
| 5 | Field or Weapon Destroyed – One weapon or field chosen by opponent is destroyed. |
| 6 | Major Damage – Lose 1 Structure Point and roll again on this table. If reduced to 0 Structure Points then roll on the Catastrophic Damage table instead. |
Penetrating Hit
(S+D6 roll beats Armour Value)
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot Shaken – Roll a D6 immediately. On a 1-3 the aircraft turns 45° left; on a 4-6 the aircraft turns 45° right. The flyer may not shoot again for the remainder of this turn, and must remain facing in this direction when it shoots and moves off the table. |
| 2 | Engines Damaged – From now on there is a -1 modifier to the dice roll made to see if this flyer returns to the table. The modifier is cumulative, so a flyer which suffered two Engine Damaged results would suffer a -2 modifier, etc. |
| 3 | Field or Weapon Destroyed – One weapon or field chosen by opponent is destroyed. |
| 4 | Major Damage – Lose 1 Structure Point and roll again on this table. If reduced to 0 Structure Points, roll on the Catastrophic Damage table instead. |
| 5 | Major Damage – Lose 1 Structure Point and roll again on this table. If reduced to 0 Structure Points, roll on the Catastrophic Damage table instead. |
| 6 | Chain Reaction – Lose 1 Structure Point and roll again on this table. If reduced to 0 Structure Points, roll on the Catastrophic Damage table instead. |
Catastrophic Damage
(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 crew). If the test is passed then the damage control systems have contained the damage. If the test is failed, roll again on this table (which may give you another Damage Control test, if you're lucky!). |
| 2-5 | Crash – The flyer crashes into the table 2D6" away in a random direction and explodes. Models within D6" suffer one wound on a D6 roll of 4+ (saving throws allowed). Vehicles are unharmed. |
| 6 | Huge Explosion – The flyer is vaporised in a huge explosion. This does not affect units on the ground, but other flyers within D6" suffer a glancing hit. Remove the flyer from the table. |