How many Dreadnoughts are too many?

[Token]

So, my marines can build Dreads and perhaps TDA's too. But how many Dreads, fluffwise, would be logical? They are perhaps worse in Spacehulk missions, becaurse of their size and cant climb ladders.

I was thinking 5-10 per Company, does this sound about right?

 

Please excuse grammar, Spelling mistakes and such.

[Panzer]

Dreads are basically walking tanks. Ask yourself how many tanks are reasonable and you'll have the answer.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Under the assumption each company needs enough transports to transport the entire company's worth of Marines at once, and remembering the Stormraven has a transport capacity for 12 Marines PLUS one Dreadnought, I feel eight Dreadnoughts are sufficient for the average Iron Hands company.

 

Feel free to increase the number for the prestigious 1st Company, which has access to Thunderhawks that can transport multiple Dreadnoughts AT ONCE.

[Panzer]

Too bad Dreadnoughts grew out of Drop Pods this edition. ^^

[WarriorFish]

10 per Company is reasonable for a Chapter that can provide for them I reckon. Plus Dreads are cool so arguably there's no such thing as too many ;)

[Closet Skeleton]

Clan Rakuan had 7 dreadnoughts while the average is 2-4 Dreadnoughts per company for a normal chapter. Circa 999.M41 the Ultramarine 9th company had 7th dreadnoughts while the 5th company only had 1 while Blood Angels reserve companies generally only had 1 each. The Iron hands have more active dreadnoughts but not exceptionally more. I doubt any Clan Company has more than 10 dreadnoughts and would expect them to range between 6-9.

 

Venerable Dreadnoughts are not part of Clan Companies and instead make up Chapter Command (the Iron Council), so any Venerable Dreadnoughts deployed with your Clan forces would be over the number in the company.

 

The BA chapter has 51 Storm Ravens and 39 Thundhawks (3 of which are transporters which seems like too low a ratio), the Ultramarines have 31 Thunderhawks. That's not enough Storm Ravens to drop the whole chapter down at once but it is enough for all the battle companies. Iron Hands don't have a separate armoury section but that doesn't mean their companies have more vehicles than other chapters. Clan Rakuan has its own Thunderhawks so they aren't limited to the first company. Two thunderhawks and 4 Storm Ravens would be enough to transport an entire company and would only be able to carry 6 dreadnoughts.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

It's a trick question. There's no such thing as too many Dreadnoughts.

[Spinsanity]

How many is too many?

 

18

 

During the Third War for Armageddon, a combined force of 17 Omega Marines and Angels Porphyr dreadniughts held off an ork dredmob.

 

Therefore 17 is enough, 18 is too many.

 

 

[Panzer]

That's ... not how you define too many lol

[Bjorn Firewalker]

It's a trick question. There's no such thing as too many Dreadnoughts.

You are correct. Ferrus Manus' sons deserve no less than 10,000 Dreadnoughts.

[Token]

Good to see input on this.

I guess 10 per company could be ok then. How many could a Thunderhawk carry? Three? Four? That should make typical marine rapid deployment possible.

How big is a Sarcaphagus? Could they have some special type of Dreads, being piloted by undamaged marines? Perhaps not.. Perhaps to much diffrence from normal Dread lore.

 

Please excuse grammar, Spelling mistakes and such.

[Jacques Corbin]

Ok, if 10 per company, how is the best breakdown between regular, venerable, ironclad, contemptor, and the various forge world variants?

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Of the "Venerable," I suspect only 10-20% of the Chapter's Dreadnoughts qualify for the honorific- the same ratio as that of "Veteran" to regular Marines. Of the Venerable, the number of Contemptors, Leviathans, and other Forge World exclusives would depend on the Chapter's history, prestige, and relations with the AdMech. My guess is the First Founding (the Iron Hands themselves) got the majority of the Contemptors and other heirloom frames, while the Sons of Medusa (viewed with suspicion due to them being founded by those exiled for the side they took in the Moirae Schism) would be lucky to have a single Contemptor in the entire Chapter.

 

This supposition excludes incidents of dumb luck, e.g., the Sons of Medusa exploring a Space Hulk and finding the wreckage of a Great Crusade-era warship within it, and 100 Great Crusade-era Leviathan pattern Dreadnought frames within that wreckage.

[Token]

Iv been thinking about the veteran status of Iron Hands marines, or my successsor chapter, could they be taught Matrix style, so they learn advanced skills in minutes through a implant or something?

 

Edit: So they could for example have more Venerable ones..

 

Edit 2: I Think characters in Dreadnoughts are cool too, like a Librarian Dread, or Chaplain Dread. But it is only Blood Angels and successors that have such Dreads? Would it be possible, in the current edition, to have both Iron Hands marines and Blood Angels marines in the same army on the table top? Not sure how that would work, input would be good.

But answering Corbin, maybe less Venerable then others? Not sure if my marines can build all Dreads.

 

Please excuse grammar spelling mistakes and such.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Iv been thinking about the veteran status of Iron Hands marines, or my successsor chapter, could they be taught Matrix style, so they learn advanced skills in minutes through a implant or something?

 

Edit: So they could for example have more Venerable ones.

Doubtful. If they could enhance Dreadnoughts this way, they should also be able to enhance Marines to "Veteran" status the same way- and THEY WOULD, because the advantages this offers are too great to ignore. If such a process exists, it's likely to only work on a fraction of a percent of Marines- one reason the Minotaurs only have one Asterion Moloc, instead of 1000 Superior Marines, each of whom had a name that's "a byword for destruction and slaughter in the Emperor's name."

Edit 2: I Think characters in Dreadnoughts are cool too, like a Librarian Dread, or Chaplain Dread. But it is only Blood Angels and successors that have such Dreads? Would it be possible, in the current edition, to have both Iron Hands marines and Blood Angels marines in the same army on the table top? Not sure how that would work, input would be good.

You may have to do what I'll do, and write your own biography, stats, and Special Rules for an Iron Hands Librarian Dreadnought.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Marine aspirants do receive some training and education via hypno-indoctrination, but it can only impart knowledge, not motor skills or muscle memory. The hypno-indoctrination can for example teach someone how to operate a Chainsword, but it can't teach them a technique for strikes or parries; this is why we constantly see Space Marines sparring against servitors or each other. They need to manually develop skills just like anyone else. Ergo, you cannot "program" veterancy, it must earned the hard way on the battlefield.

 

As for alternative Dreadnoughts, the only character type we have available is the Chaplain from FW. Only BA and GK have psychic Dreadnoughts at the moment which is a travesty in my opinion. You can run an Iron Hands detachment and a BA detachment in the same army, though you have to watch your keywords when figuring out which stratagems, psychic powers, and special abilities affect which units.

[RandomMarine]

I regularly run Culln the risen as my warlord in my IH successors chapter

[Token]

That Culln dread looks cool, know where the rules for him is?

Ok, matrix style shouldnt work.

Good to hear you can combine diffiernt factions in the same army.

Where are the rules for the Chaplain dread?

 

Please excuse grammar, spelling mistakes and such.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Chaplain Dreadnought is in the Forge World Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes. I forget if Culln the Risen is in there too or not.

[Harrowmaster]

Chaplain dread (nor any of the other FW dreads or weapons) have models anymore fyi. 

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Ebay, buy/trade groups, convert your own. It still has rules, which means its payable.

[Harrowmaster]

Ebay, buy/trade groups, convert your own. It still has rules, which means its payable.

 

Of course but it's harder to get, especially if you play at tournaments or GW stores.

[RandomMarine]

That Culln dread looks cool, know where the rules for him is?

Ok, matrix style shouldnt work.

Good to hear you can combine diffiernt factions in the same army.

Where are the rules for the Chaplain dread?

 

Please excuse grammar, spelling mistakes and such.

His rules are downloadable on the fw product page. He's rock hard and can potentially do 20 @ S18 + D6 wounds in CC

[HighMarshalAmp]

Ok, if 10 per company, how is the best breakdown between regular, venerable, ironclad, contemptor, and the various forge world variants?

To taste, thank God. Imagine GW trying to pinpoint the numbers of every type of unit for even the 2nd company - the fanbase would not be amused and it's much more fun to have some room for variation when building your own collection.

 

As for the best breakdown, idk, maybe 10 Leviathans?

[Token]

I might try to do a Chaplain Dread conversion. That World Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes sounds interesting.

 

Culln seems mighty, but how can he get 20 attacks and such? Is he Iron Hands, or can any chapter use him?

 

Please excuse grammar, spelling mistakes and such.