New techpriest model in Kill Team

[Prot]

Well I’ve finally read the info on him and now I see he won’t have an aura, and his specialization comes in the form if the aforementioned “magnalance”.

 

So he’s a techpriest that has swapped the servo arm for a melta/plasma gun of some sort.

[Suzuteo]

I hope it's something along the lines of a Firesight Marksman.

[Battybattybats]

Where does it say that’s the sole difference?

[Gederas]

Hmm... So any guesses on how much the Kill Team box he comes in will cost? I'm thinking a little bite more than the standard Kill Team set boxes (so around 60 USD?).

 

I really want this new Tech Priest. He's so cool looking!

[Magos Takatus]

The Magnalance looks pretty intimidating but I'm curious about the other weapon. It reminds me of the Dominus upgrades from Mechanicus as well as the collars of the Electro Priests. I keep speculating how it will work but sadly I can only guess at what it does. I think the Magnalance will be my chosen weapon but I'll probably try to cram the other weapon into some kind of Tech Priest conversion. The big question for me is how many sleeps until I can buy it? :p

[Charlo]

I'm hoping he's another HQ for when we don't want to spend as much as a Dominus, but want more than a slot filler with an Enginseer. I'm expecting him to have an aura purely because he's deep in analysis with the little screen and could direct people around, hopefully its more interesting than reroll 1s to wound, but that would be serviceable.

 

The mode is awesome though. Yes I thought he was shushhing too. It's great to see a tech priest with some honest to Omnissiah organics on it, as opposed to just full metal.

 

ALSO: how much do we recon this set will cost? The standard Kill Team Starter sets are £37.50, but this one has a commander in too. Fingers crossed it'll only be £37.50 too but I'm guessing we'd be looking at £45 or similar?

[Prot]

I don't do currency conversion very well, but I am a little worrisome about the price. We get some basic terrain tossed in and a squad of 5 Infiltrators, so I'm thinking 100 bucks CAD. Which is probably about what you're thinking Charlo.

[MajorNese]

As the standard killteam boxes have a cheaper squad than this new box, I doubt it will retain that level when adding a commander, unless the terrain is a lot cheaper. My guess would be closer to a Start Collecting box, whatever that is in your currency.

 

Quite annoying, that they force us to buy units and terrain (that we already have or don't need) by not offering the character separately for a while.

[Frostglaive]

Personally I'm okay with buying the full box for the Manipulus... at least for the moment. Gives me some terrain I actually like, and lets me get some Ruststalkers into my army....

 

Yes, I said Ruststalkers, not Infiltrators. I know they're the bane of our codex's existence, they suck, if I run them I'm a fool, blah blah blah. They look fun, they're cheap, I want some. (Rant over).

 

But yeah, I agree. I think it'll cost around the same as a Start Collecting box instead of a regular Kill Team box. Here's hoping (first step to disappointment here) that it'll be at least a little cheaper though.

[Vel'Cona]

I'm not a huge fan of this model.  Why is he miming picking his nose?

[MajorNese]

I'm not a huge fan of this model.  Why is he miming picking his nose?

The other (mechanical) hand mirrors the one you are seeing, so he's not picking his nose. The perspective on the GW photo is a bit misleading, check the event photos instead.

[Subtle Discord]

I'm not really fond of this model, however, I actually end up liking it for just that reason. Does that make sense?

 

Some of the elements don't work for me; he's just a bit too rotund for my liking and some of the gubbins feel a bit tacked on. But it's so divergent and different from the current Dominus that I like the variety he brings. I've got a large conversion/build project that I think he'll fit into quite nicely, so it's kinda odd that a part of me isn't that fond of the model but I still like it too.

[Heliomanes]

Absolutely agree with you, Subtle Discord. There's a lot of him I don't like, but that adds to him having an air of being a true eccentric, beholden to his own tastes and projects - which is exactly how I picture Magi in the fluff.

[Magos Takatus]

You've pretty much articulated what I think about him. He's a bit chunky and I'm not fond of the dunce hat but the second head is far more to my tastes. I'm fond of both the weapon designs. I also like that each Magos that Game Workshop has produced has been wildly different in design, the bizarre snail guy that Forge World produced included.

[Prot]

I agree. To me there’s a difference between him being ‘unattractive’ and a poor sculpt. I think he’s going to make a fine character piece for the army.

 

My only change would have been to remove the steepled fingers for the reasons every one has mentioned.

 

I like that this guy is character. Some of the marine stuff lately has been bordering on too cartoonish for me.

[Magos Takatus]

I agree. To me there’s a difference between him being ‘unattractive’ and a poor sculpt. 

 

 

An interesting concept. My opinion of Nurgle models is a good example. The sculpts can be very impressive technically but manage to be repulsive to look at.

 

I guess seeing the model from different angles is going to make a lot of people's opinions for this model. I might pick up a spare model when it's available separately and try crashing it into some Nighthaunt models and see if I can make something interesting out of it. I'll buy the boxed set to assemble him as stock first though.

[MajorNese]

Let's wait for the full view of the model. With just the front perspective, we haven't seen a considerable part of that guy. And he might be overdetailed with all the servo arms and mechadendrites, but removing details is much easier than adding new ones. Each of my datasmiths for example have some appendages and cables removed, but different ones for each, creating a bit of variety for a mono sculpt.

 

As pretty much everyone has spare dominii around through Forgebane and Start Collecting, there should be enough leftovers to convert that guy if truly necessary. I for one will use the second weapons option to convert a spare dominus, to essentially get 2 manipulii from one sprue. Cut a dominus' torso from the lower robes parts, turn them 180°, and you'll get a considerably different pose than the standard hunched one.

[Vel'Cona]

Really comes down to rules.  If he's worth using (ie. not just a Dominus expy) we'll make excuses to field him regardless of what he looks like.  Well, at least some of us will :P

[Prot]

Really comes down to rules.  If he's worth using (ie. not just a Dominus expy) we'll make excuses to field him regardless of what he looks like.  Well, at least some of us will

 

Honestly if he's just a simple tech priest with a decent ranged weapon instead of a servo arm, and the same points (roughly) as a Techpriest, I'll probably use him. Most of my Techpriests are largely Force Org filler and don't get to use the Servo anyway. There are times where it comes in handy and they are disposable, but still I'd rather have a ranged weapon on the guy.

[Charlo]

 

Really comes down to rules.  If he's worth using (ie. not just a Dominus expy) we'll make excuses to field him regardless of what he looks like.  Well, at least some of us will

 

Honestly if he's just a simple tech priest with a decent ranged weapon instead of a servo arm, and the same points (roughly) as a Techpriest, I'll probably use him. Most of my Techpriests are largely Force Org filler and don't get to use the Servo anyway. There are times where it comes in handy and they are disposable, but still I'd rather have a ranged weapon on the guy.

 

That's a good point. A gun is better than an arm in 99% of cases.

[DanPesci]

If he has a 'lieutenant' price cost where he sits between the dominus and the engineseer that'd be fairly neat...obvious thing there would be losing -1 to hit bubble and gaining +1 to wound bubble/reroll to wound.

 

What i think may happen though is he has same base costs/stats/abilities as the dominus, and just has different wargear options.

 

I often run two dominus in my force, so having a different flavour HQ priest in there will be nice. Mine always sit back fixing my onagers, so having an actual ranged weapon on one could be very handy indeed.

 

Didn't like the model at first, but then much preferred that second image (the other head looks much better for me).  I need more sicarans anyway so will probably pick up this box when it drops.

[Black Knight]

The Tech-Priest Dominus is our main all rounder, it doesn't excel at much accept buffing and support. It is a little boring but thats what they are, they are HQs not elite warriors(They would rather be sniffing data than lift a finger in combat). I would think this one will be everything ranged, so they can go two ways. It will be either an OP ranged char with no buffing abilities and as such should be an elite slot or it will be a HQ and have ranged? rerolls on hit and or wound with a reasonable ranged support weapon.

 

Remember we have our +hit strategem so I am hoping +wound personally, that way it can replace my enginseer and actually do something. You always hear that Enginseers are cheap but they really are a total waste of points as they can repair and thats it, good luck having it do anything offensive wise. I would rather spend another 20-30 points and have something in that slot that can actually do something. Repairing is really becoming something that doesn't matter much when the models you want to protect are focused in the first turn.

 

Please let it be a cheaper, buffing ranged HQ with a fancy potatoe cannon, we have enough ranged firepower.

 

 

 

... and then give us the opposite combat version and call it a Vanguard Alpha or even better a TP- Biologist that buffs the radioactive weaponry!

[MajorNese]

Yeah, I'd be fine with a ranged version of the dominus - hit reroll bubble, and fancy gun that works at long range. Buff some backfield onagers/arquebus dudes/dakkabots while still contributing with their own weaponry, unlike the dominus that practically has to get rather close.

 

Or an elite slot guy, with just a great gun and reduced points compared to the HQs. I'm already tempted to use UR-025 to hold backfield objectives while being a cheap untargetable character and still shoot someone 24" away (unlike the datasmith, who costs the same in points, but doesn't have range).

 

Considering the manipulus is called a tech-priest just like the dominus and his name and pose suggest calculations of sorts, the support aura (manipulating nearby units to manipulate the outcome) seems rather probable. But repairs seem probable too anyway, given that every single character in our codex can repair stuff (but with different wording/effectiveness every time).

[Xisor]

Now hold on a moment.

 

The Tech-Priest Dominus isn't an all-rounder *in principle*, they're the crystallisation of efficient war.

 

... Aren't they? Or have I got the very wrong end of the stick?

 

The diligent bodgers are Tech-Priests, competent but only there to make up numbers.

 

The Dominus, according to 7th & 8th Dex is some master of war. A pinnacle warrior of awesome potency.

 

I kinda feel like they should be potent combatants.

 

The point of protocols and data-tethers is that everyone else is a node or endpoint being augmented by micro-technomanagement remote-controlled from an Ops-Room somewhere off-site.

 

The Dominus is the only senior/hierarch techpriest of combat pedigree who's actually on-site, and their interest is combat perfection.

 

Or have I misremembered that?

 

Secutors are a breed apart too, so a Secutor Dominus would fit the bill for what I'm remembering, except for the indication I'm sure that the Codex makes about the Dominus being - without actually mentioning it - basically a Secutor.

 

The actual *commander* or decision-maker type is in orbit or something.

 

(Which always bugged me with Cawl's introduction. In principle, he doesn't sound like a Dominus, as much as someone who's Matrixed in Kung-fu shortly before battle. So actual "career" Archmagos Domini would be as to Cawl as a Dominus is to the Engineseer. [Or some other middling representation of a Techpriest "caught unawares" by combat... an Inquisitorial Acolyte, perhaps.] In terms of specialism, maybe the analogy from the Space Marines is better: Cawl seems like a senior librarian or Apothecary who's been afforded the battlefield command [or who's so singular/wild/remarkable, they've taken it anyway, or once had it and are dusting off the old skills etc]. But an actual Archmagos Dominus, someone who hasn't diverted most of their career to designing endless varieties of bolt weapons or adding extra organs to the Emperor's genetic work, would suitably dwarf Cawl. Like Abaddon's background vs Fabius's - they've done different things with their aeons-long lives, maybe. Or is Cawl just that good, that in amongst doing Guilliman's work and faffing about with Blackstone, that he's also the archetypal Dominus despite doing mostly not Dominus stuff?)

 

Anyway, I digress.

 

I love the daft new model.

 

I rather agree that the gut plate might actually be a knee-plate/laptop over a recumbent Priest.

 

I love the steeped fingers.

 

As per the above tirade of mine, I'd appreciate it if Manipulus were merely a subtype of Dominus.

 

Or additionally if Dominus was properly/explicitly reworded (or my shoddy memory corrected) to be a mere "battlefield all round sortof competent leader".

 

Either way, I'm excited. But the excitement is tempered by huffy pedantry.

 

Just like a TPM would approve of, I'm sure...

[Magos Takatus]

I agree entirely regarding the Dominus being a combat specialized tech priest. His role in the army is supposed to be combat oriented but compared to other armies they do seem to have more utility than most armies characters. I would certainly like to see different specializations of combat priests though.