Unit of the Week II - Immolator

[Aqui]

It's rather late, but welcome to "Unit of the Week II - The Immolator!

Unit of the Week I - The Exorcist

So, I was able to get one Immolator before they were finally taken from the "active" model list. Whilst they can still be built from the Exorcist, the extra cost and lack of the plastic dome means that "proper" ones are harder and harder to come by at a reasonable price I do in tend on making use of the two spare turrets and making my own variants, however.

My intended load out will be with the Melta, more so at the moment as I lack Melta in any significant quantities for now. Ironic for a Moderator to lack Melta If I ever need to use one of the other weapons, they are easily replaceable just by push fitting them.

My "proper" one will also be used to carry my Canoness and Command squad.

What do you use yours for? Fire support? Something similar to how I intend? Or do you use them differently?

[*Furyou Miko]

Mine are usually fire support attached to 10 or 20-strong units. I rarely use them to actually transport anything unless I absolutely need to have a diminished squad or even a lone character a long way over there swiftly.

 

Not that the transport really gets you more than about 6" extra movement.

[Servant of Dante]

Mine are usually fire support attached to 10 or 20-strong units. I rarely use them to actually transport anything unless I absolutely need to have a diminished squad or even a lone character a long way over there swiftly.

 

Not that the transport really gets you more than about 6" extra movement.

You probably know better than I, but I appreciate the extra survivalbility a transport supplies, and while an immilator may not be practical for a BSS (although it IS and Immolator, so it's automatically cool) I have had some fun with a HF Immolator with a command squad with five HFs. I burned some sternguard, unfortunately, not before they shot all of my seraphim.

 

Also, if you go for the heavy flamer (i know, not the optimal choice, but still my favorite) or you're just out of range, you can go flat out for 18" of movement.

[CaptainHelion]

I tend to take Immolators for static squads like SCS and Retributors, and then use them as fire support much like Miko suggests. No-one likes a TL-Multimelta hanging out in midfield.

[GogglesDown]

Outflank and deliver your Dominion squad. As with any tank I also use them to block line of sight or streets to help reduce incoming small arms fire into my BSS or prevent them from being assualted.

[Naminé]

Immolators are the biggest facilitator we have to build a MSU, mechanised list.  They're cheap razorbacks with extra protection (shield of faith) and some strong weapons choices, and it's honestly a very hard call to not select them as the go-to transport for any small squad.  The twin-linked heavy flamer is nice but limits the range at which the immolator can be effective, so it becomes quite a situational choice; likewise the heavy bolter used to be better in the last codex because of the range and all the re-rolls... without that re-roll to wound it doesn't have much damage potential.  It's because of this that most people go for the Multi-melta, but also a 30" range S8 AP1 twinlinked shot is actually pretty good for our army.

 

They are good for chasing flyers and forcing jinks, since you actually have a decent chance of hitting and hurting them (and driving 12" means you can keep up with them since you're snapfiring anyway).  Most of all, people find them scarier with the melta option on top, which makes them a good choice for melta dominions because it's two scary units to target instead of one.  You also get that redundancy if you whiff your shots or when you're rolling well you can engage 2 targets instead.

 

A dozer blade is easily the best upgrade for an Immolator, purely to keep it moving and so you can hide it in cover without fear.

 

As others have said, Immos do better when they're empty.  Their transported unit can shoot and it reduces the 'target' on the transport, allowing it to survive longer.  Personally, I feel the Rhino is a better front-line vehicle but the Immo is great for disruption and harassment, as well as potential killing power.  They can do all sorts of things on the back line such as provide cover, tank shock weak units or protect weakened squads and transport them at full speed around the battlefield.

[*Furyou Miko]

You probably know better than I, but I appreciate the extra survivalbility a transport supplies, and while an immilator may not be practical for a BSS (although it IS and Immolator, so it's automatically cool) I have had some fun with a HF Immolator with a command squad with five HFs. I burned some sternguard, unfortunately, not before they shot all of my seraphim.

Also, if you go for the heavy flamer (i know, not the optimal choice, but still my favorite) or you're just out of range, you can go flat out for 18" of movement.

Sure, it does give survivability to smaller units, but I don't tend to run smaller units.

Mostly the last part was a gripe about how slow vehicles are in this game, and how they're apparently incapable of performing a crash stop these days.

[grendal1989]

So Immolators IMHO are great. Period. Full disclosure, I usually run very mechanized MSU with probably too much melta. So thats what colors my opinions/observations.

I cannot count how many times their shield of faith has kept them as an annoying threat that the enemy just can't leave alone.

 

Taking them as mobile fire support/interference for larger squads gives you flexibility to harass while your squad either camps objectives, or is slogging around. I've even used them to block up line of sight in a pinch.

 

However, for smaller squads of BSS they provide an extra layer of protection to your obsec objective grabbers that can be a threat to just about anything. Also they are an easy way to keep fairly reliable anti-vehicle power when you are packing F/HF in your little squads so you are ready for a variety of threats(which is how I run my BSS that  are for back field protection).

 

I typically only upgrade the Immolators for my melta Dominions (they get outflank with it and they can threaten things within 24 in of the side board edges). So Dozer blades keep them from stopping on difficult terrain to get at their target, and Laud Hailers are the main reason I pass the Ignores Cover AoF (i rarely seem to pass without them). Typically I dont give them anything else since I would rather just take more bodies.

 

Oh, and as others have said they are pretty good flyer defense. No flyer wants to take a potential melta hit and since it hits 1/3 of the time they are very likely to jink. I once convinced a friend not to play elysians by playing a proxy game where he brought lots of flyers and my normal amount of Immolators chased them around the board, moving 12" each time, and kept blowing them out of the sky(that +2 on the pen chart really hurts flyers). Maybe not the most efficient use if they have vehicles to immolate, but it is an option they have.

[Servant of Dante]

You probably know better than I, but I appreciate the extra survivalbility a transport supplies, and while an immilator may not be practical for a BSS (although it IS and Immolator, so it's automatically cool) I have had some fun with a HF Immolator with a command squad with five HFs. I burned some sternguard, unfortunately, not before they shot all of my seraphim.

Also, if you go for the heavy flamer (i know, not the optimal choice, but still my favorite) or you're just out of range, you can go flat out for 18" of movement.

Sure, it does give survivability to smaller units, but I don't tend to run smaller units.

Mostly the last part was a gripe about how slow vehicles are in this game, and how they're apparently incapable of performing a crash stop these days.

Sure. I only was able to get one immilator before they stopped making them, but I'm looking into doing the rhino conversion with exorcist bits.

Since I only have 1 sisters transport, my lists include a blob of 20 sisters. Either way it's just satisfying to have a squad of 20 models with 3+ saves.

I'm not sure that all vehicles need to actually be allowed to move farther, but they would certainly move faster if they where allowed to fire a weapon at full BS and/or disembark after moving a full 12".

[bkde]

I use to run mass MSU with seven or eight TLMM immos. Loved them. Switched over to Rhino's now, the lack of fire points and having to disembark girls to shoot was the downer. Still, it was fun rolling 8 TLMM vehicles 18" forward turn one.

[Noeh]

So far I only have one immolator...but that's because it was a pain in the butt to scratch make a turret from land raider redeemer sponsons. That and I don't really have the points to spare. I could probably just find something else to bring instead.

[grendal1989]

We are fortunate from a modeling perspective that they are so easy to make. A razorback and multimelta/HF/HB bits from anywhere, with the turret mounted more toward the front. Holy bits and/or fleur-de-lys transfers and you've got yourself an immolator.

[Servant of Dante]

We are fortunate from a modeling perspective that they are so easy to make. A razorback and multimelta/HF/HB bits from anywhere, with the turret mounted more toward the front. Holy bits and/or fleur-de-lys transfers and you've got yourself an immolator.

I will be using the extra turrets from my 2 Exorcists.

 

At some point (maybe next week?) I'd like to see a unit of the week discussion about what exactly is wrong with Celestians, and what can be done to make them useful (as in a rules re-write by the community).

[Aqui]

We are fortunate from a modeling perspective that they are so easy to make. A razorback and multimelta/HF/HB bits from anywhere, with the turret mounted more toward the front. Holy bits and/or fleur-de-lys transfers and you've got yourself an immolator.

I will be using the extra turrets from my 2 Exorcists.

At some point (maybe next week?) I'd like to see a unit of the week discussion about what exactly is wrong with Celestians, and what can be done to make them useful (as in a rules re-write by the community).

The main point of the "Unit of the Week" topics (from my point of view at least) is to discuss how units are to use and where possible, try to gather information on how to make them better (if that is possible) using the rules we have Rewriting rules is okay, but would be better in either a topic of its own or in the "Special Projects" section (such an endeavour would deserve one, so it stays focused )

As for unit of the week for next week, well I haven't decided yet

[Servant of Dante]

well, I guess I'll just have to start a topic myself. Of course, I'm going to keep it here on the SoB forum.

[Ficinus]

Throwing Dominions in a MM Immolator and scouting it twelve inches forward into/behind terrain can terrify an opponent into acting irrationally first turn.  I imagine two or three would be major psychological warfare.  Outflanking them is an option too, if you know you're going second and don't want to use them as a distraction or bait.

[grendal1989]

Throwing Dominions in a MM Immolator and scouting it twelve inches forward into/behind terrain can terrify an opponent into acting irrationally first turn.  I imagine two or three would be major psychological warfare.  Outflanking them is an option too, if you know you're going second and don't want to use them as a distraction or bait.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. The main thing with scouting them is that you really have to know when to do it(obvious statement is obvious I know). Otherwise they get shredded and they are kind of important to the army(again I have only done it with small squads of Melta in Immolator).

 

However, scouting with them definitely gets them up in the enemy's face which can lead to them making bad decisions. Actually, on my first game out with them at a local RTT, I faced a necron player who basically said that it was sad that the sisters were the bottom tier army. So when I got first turn, I deployed my Immolators of Dominions along the edge of deployment, and he deployed his monolith on his deployment edge opposite my soon to be scouting Immolators. Long and short, the melta dominions were delivered in melta range of the Monolith, destroying it, and their Immolator proceeded to immobilize a floaty transport of Necrons. This gave me enough time and destraction to move up to the objectives.

[*Furyou Miko]

I don't really think its fair to discuss Dominions here since they completely change the way the Immolator works with their Scouts rule :p

[ValourousHeart]

True enough, but some only field immolators is as dominion transports.

 

The unit is also a dedicated transport, so any discussion would have to include cross over with the units that it was bought with.

 

I suggest that we postpone the repressor discussion until after we discuss the infantry units.

[Minigiant]

Sorry to disrail. So can Immomolators and Rhinos all be built/magnetised from an exorcist kit?

[Servant of Dante]

Well kinda the immolator kit has been discontinued but the exo kit is an immo kit plus the metal parts but is missing the little clear plastic dome

[*Furyou Miko]

Sorry to disrail. So can Immomolators and Rhinos all be built/magnetised from an exorcist kit?

Yes, except for the clear canopy.