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Home Made boilerplate Unit: Tyranid Carnifex Mere
Tue, 02/23/2010 - 02:52
http://www.siegeworld.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_...
Yes, those are both 40K scale Carnifex - the one on the left is a standard original metal Carnifex. The other is a kit bash plastic Carnifex with a "bit" of GS sculpting...
And I shall LOL now.
Tue, 02/23/2010 - 16:27
#2
OK, this is a Wraithlord. No problems there. In Apocalypse, it is perfectly fair to bring a Wraithlord in your Tyranid army. Wraithsword == two sets of Scything Talons. :D
The issue is with the Synapse. Wraithlords don't pass Wraithsight if there is a synapse creature within range, they pass if there is an Eldar psyker within range. In my minotaur data sheet, The Shadow In the Warp rule doesn't apply to friendly Tyranid psykers. Since they'll be used in a Chaos army, the odds of a friendly Tyranid psyker being in range is very small, so I just made it work against everyone, friendly or not.
You have three options. 1) Decide that this is a new data sheet and change the rules however you want. This will require a points adjustment. 2) Declare that the Mere always fails Wraithsight. 3) Add a new unit to this data sheet, essentially a Mere 'helper' that is actually a Warlock with a few specific pieces of kit. #1 is the easiest and #3 is the most fun.
The flavor text is a little confusing. You mean that it having one less wound is what made it less useful? Compared to two more toughness, I don't think that should translate into being less durable. Maybe it's because of the Wraithsight. The Hive Mind gave it vastly improved reflexes and because of that it is hyperactive and easily distracted. A carnifex is meant to be a battering ram, not a tactical, thinking machine.
It's like installing Windows 3.1 or DOS on a 3GHz machine with 4MB of RAM. Sure, I suppose some things will run faster, but it will be a terrible user experience all around.
Love the model!
Matt
Tue, 02/23/2010 - 16:55
#3
Meh - Wraithlords are not subject to Instinctive Behaviour - Lurk, either. But all new codex creatures get that rule, unless they are synapse.
The helper idea would work, but Warlocks can come in large squads. I thought the Tyranid synapse was a close enough equivalent to an Eldar psyker.
The model was one of two created for the Tyran Table we did at last year's Toronto GD. They are *significantly* larger than a standard plastic carnifex - mostly due to the upright position, but also due to the opening of the chest and sculpting in the extra ribs, etc. Those claws are original sculpts (two versions...). The idea of using the orignal models, in todays gaming environment, was less than ideal - as Josh noticed, they should be HUGE, and representing humanitys first experience with them, they would grow larger as the telling went on... thus these models were created.
Tue, 02/23/2010 - 20:02
#4
Accommodator wrote:
Meh - Wraithlords are not subject to Instinctive Behaviour - Lurk, either. But all new codex creatures get that rule, unless they are synapse.
The helper idea would work, but Warlocks can come in large squads. I thought the Tyranid synapse was a close enough equivalent to an Eldar psyker.
Sure, it's pretty close and fits in with the Tyranid codex, but now that you are using the rules from the Tyranid codex it is no longer a Wraithlord and needs to be balanced along with the other units in the Tyranid codex on an Apocalypse battlefield. If you make your rules such that they are exactly like using an Eldar Wraithlord, then you don't have to test or balance anything. Putting in the Synapse stuff means it is now your unit, not Phil K's or Robin C's, and any fault with it is now yours.
Of course, I have no problems making up units from scratch and defend them all over the internet. My usual defense is simply to add a couple hundred extra points. In our unlimited-point games we don't even ask for army totals to be more accurate than +/- 500 points, so it doesn't really matter.
If the exercise is about putting a Wraithlord in a Carnifex suit, then you need to use all of the rules that the Wraithlord has. If the exercise is about making a new Tyranid unit, then you've done a fine job (and the model is nuts).
Cheers!
Matt
Wed, 02/24/2010 - 03:22
#5
By that exactness criteria, the Minotaur Infantry fail as well - the Gladiator, the Power Glaive and Ripper are buy one, the entire squad must take it options in the Tyranid codex.
Doesn't matter, the flexibility gained is offset by the more limited selection given in that boiler plate.
Wraithsight kicks in when not in 6" of a friendly psyker. Doesn't say Warlock, or Farseer, or Eldar. Guess that depends on the definition of 'Friendly'. Easy enough to change to 'Friendly Psyker'. ^_^ (Let's see now, Hive Tyrant, Zoanthrope, Tervigon... and Broodlord. (Ewww.) Hierophant. Dominatrix.)
Plasma spray seems a bit lacking.
Maybe make it a small blast template?
I didn't realize the extent that the carnifex models had grown over time.
That old metal model was huge when it was released in the 90's.