Need help deciding what to build

[Link2edition]

I am a big fan of the admech (one of my first IRL jobs was bolting together prototype robots!) but I never got around to actually BUILDING my dudes, despite many kind people gifting me boxes of admech over the last couple of years.

Well now I want to actually use those boxes, so I thought this community could help me turn them into an army.
I own:
Cawl
Techpriest Dominus
Techpriest (borrowed from my IG)
3x Skittari Boxes
1x Dunecrawler
Kataphron Box
Kastelan Robots Box

I want to run these guys in support of my knight army which is as follows
2x Armiger Helverin
Armiger Warglaive
2x Magnetized knights (can be any variant)
Paladin

Can I cobble these figures together into a competitive 2k army? How would you build given these figures?

[DanPesci]

The dominus i tend to just leave stock in order to save points.

 

With your skitari, it depends on their role. Build rangers for backfield units, or vanguard if you want units that are more suited to going forward with your knights etc. These days id tend towards rangers being the more useful of the 2 (although i run both typed in my list).

 

Dunecrawler is relatively easy to magentise all the weapon options. Neutron laser is anti tank, Icarus array if you need anti-air, and the eradication beamer has its uses for a cheaper build (send it forwards with the knights). Only option ive never used is the heavy phosphor blaster..as the other options are better, and your robots can take more phosphor anyway....

 

speaking of....

 

Kastelans keep full phosphor unless you happen to run the vigilus detachments (which make the fisty ones more usable). The fisty ones can be fun but ive never really had any luck with them.

 

Kataphrons I LOVE breachers at the moment (arc rilfe/hyrdaulic claw), but a small unit of plasma destroyers is also good (again, depends what you need filling) - the kit is again quite easy to magnetise both options (as long as people arent too picky about the 'breacher' armour being on a destroyer etc)

[Link2edition]

I was thinking of using Forgeworld Metalica since I run house raven on the knights. I will just paint Cawl white so I can also run them as mars when I want to.

Thanks for letting me know the dunecrawler is easy to magnetize, I will try that.

Suprised you like the breachers, most of what I have read about them has been pretty negative

[brother_b]

One of the best things about Kataphrons in general is their amazing base size and ability to clog up areas of the board. I used them to screen off some Khorne zekers which held them out of my back lines. There was no way for his zerkers to get past me and hit my back lines. They didn’t make their points back but to me that’s not a true testament to what their value is. I ended up winning the game because I was able to give my onagers another turn of shooting. Vanguards or rangers would have screened fine but would have melted after the onslaught from the zerkers.

 

Heavy grav is expensive but puts out a lot of firepower. I use 3 with Lucius deep strike and love them.

 

The same goes for fist bots, your opponent can’t ignore them. They can tie up more points than they cost. I used mine against bloodletters and some crazy venerable dreadnought. They can punch hard, you can put them into double fight mode and they have long ranged flamers to dissuade charges or at least impact them.

 

I love onagers. The neutron laser can swing good to bad depending on rolls but is a must against heavy armor. The Icarus array is nice but I’ve found it lackluster against heavy armor or high T models. It can knock some wounds off but it’s better to have a neutron onager a long with the Icarus.

 

Lots of rangers and vanguard are always good. I’m not sure I’d load them up with options, at least not all of the squads. TUAs have not really been that good as my opponents try and screen their characters. Maybe that alone is worth it but you can’t move the arquebus and fire so you’ll be static with that squad. Vindicare may be worth it for sniping, save 1 CP and 85 points for him.

 

Infiltrators have been ok. I take the taser goad and flechette blaster load out. They have ripped up low toughness low save units. They’ve had trouble obviously with anything with T4 and higher save. I’ll be building another squad of flechette and one of stubcarbines and power swords to see how they work. Remember your infiltrators are super squishy T3 even though they have 2 wounds.

 

Hope that helps with some insight from my games using admech.

[DanPesci]

I was thinking of using Forgeworld Metalica since I run house raven on the knights. I will just paint Cawl white so I can also run them as mars when I want to.

 

Thanks for letting me know the dunecrawler is easy to magnetize, I will try that.

 

Suprised you like the breachers, most of what I have read about them has been pretty negative

 

They didn't used to be great, but since the points drop in the last CA and the vigilus detachment, for me they're now an excellent troop choice. I think people tend to overlook them in favour of the more obvious high damage output of the destroyers....but for me they are our no1 unit now if you need something to hold the line.

 

However I must note that my list is very much setup around them.

 

I run 2 squads of 6 in a double stygies battalion (so -1 to hit them at range). This also means I have the CP spare to give them both the 5++ inv and use the +1 BS strat every turn on one squad (having them in large squads also means that more models benefit from this).  I then have 2 dominus, one running prime hermeticon to allow them rerolls in combat (which makes them super nasty), and the other with the servitor regen field commander shtick from vigilus.

 

160ish points for 6 x 3+/5++ T5 3W is great (2+ with shroudsalm!). 12 S6 D3 Ap-2  damage shots a turn, which ignore movement penalties is great support fire (i run 3 onagers for dedicated anit vehicle) -  the D6 damage against vehicles too will catch people out, they can tear lighter vehicles to pieces...and help to take those last few wounds off something else your onagers have failed to kill outright.

 

Upgrade them to hydraulic claws for 1pt and you have also now have a unit that most opponents will now think twice before charging. 

 

The dual battalion also means i have spare CP rerolls for the morale phase when needed (as thats the one main danger when running larger units of them)

 

As brother_b noted as well, the large base size means its really easy to cover loads of board with them/force an opponent to have to go through them, whilst keeping them in bubble range of the dominus for reroll joy.

 

Anyway, ill shut up about breachers now :)

[Link2edition]

I am thinking of picking up some more Skittari and getting a whole bunch of vanguard to compliment the Metalica trait. Does anyone have experience with doing that?

[DanPesci]

Although my admech are painted up as a 'near metallica' scheme as i really like the white, ive never actually ran them as metallica as i dont have enough vanguard/guys with assault weapons to make it worthwhile.

 

I think they could make quite a fun 'white horde' list if you took a lot of vanguard (carbines and plasma) and some corpsucari units too (as they also have assault weapons).

 

Leadership may be an issue so you could take tons on min vanguard squads (which would quickly fill out a double batallion).

 

If you take the kastelan detachment thing from vigilus and use the 'strafing run' strat to turn their weapons into assault they'd become a nice mobile shooty unit too under metallica as they'd be firing at full BS then even after moving.

Edited April 6, 2019 by DanPesci

[Link2edition]

This is what I built to try out. I went ahead,and purchased a few,more units. I have the models to add another full unit of vanguard if I want to cut something.

Data tethers on the vanguard to help keep them on the board+for the +2 to hit strategem


++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Adeptus Mechanicus) [74 PL, 8CP, 1183pts] ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Battle-forged CP [3CP]

Detachment CP [5CP]

Forge World Choice: Forge World: Metalica

+ HQ +

Tech-Priest Dominus [7 PL, 94pts]: Eradication Ray, Phosphor Serpenta, Relic: Phosphoenix
. Warlord: Warlord Trait (Metalica): Ordered Efficiency

Tech-Priest Enginseer [3 PL, 30pts]

+ Troops +

Kataphron Destroyers [10 PL, 153pts]
. Kataphron Destroyer: Heavy Grav-Cannon, Phosphor Blaster
. Kataphron Destroyer: Heavy Grav-Cannon, Phosphor Blaster
. Kataphron Destroyer: Heavy Grav-Cannon, Phosphor Blaster

Skitarii Rangers [4 PL, 72pts]: Omnispex
. Ranger Alpha: Galvanic Rifle
. 2x Skitarii Ranger
. 2x Skitarii Ranger (Transuranic Arquebus): 2x Transuranic Arquebus

Skitarii Rangers [4 PL, 72pts]: Omnispex
. Ranger Alpha: Galvanic Rifle
. 2x Skitarii Ranger
. 2x Skitarii Ranger (Transuranic Arquebus): 2x Transuranic Arquebus

Skitarii Vanguards [7 PL, 118pts]: Enhanced Data-Tether
. 6x Skitarii Vanguard
. 3x Skitarii Vanguard (Plasma Caliver): 3x Plasma Caliver
. Vanguard Alpha: Radium Carbine

Skitarii Vanguards [7 PL, 107pts]: Enhanced Data-Tether
. 7x Skitarii Vanguard
. 2x Skitarii Vanguard (Plasma Caliver): 2x Plasma Caliver
. Vanguard Alpha: Radium Carbine

+ Elites +

Sicarian Infiltrators [6 PL, 90pts]
. Infiltrator Princeps
. . Flechette Blaster and Taser Goad: Flechette Blaster, Taser Goad
. 4x Sicarian Infiltrator (Flechette/Taser): 4x Flechette Blaster, 4x Taser Goad

+ Heavy Support +

Kastelan Robots [12 PL, 220pts]
. Kastelan Robot: Heavy Phosphor Blaster
. . Two Heavy Phosphor Blasters: 2x Heavy Phosphor Blaster
. Kastelan Robot: Heavy Phosphor Blaster
. . Two Heavy Phosphor Blasters: 2x Heavy Phosphor Blaster

Onager Dunecrawler [7 PL, 117pts]: Broad Spectrum Data-tether
. Neutron Laser and Cognis Heavy Stubber: Cognis Heavy Stubber, Neutron Laser

Onager Dunecrawler [7 PL, 110pts]: Broad Spectrum Data-tether, Icarus Array

++ Super-Heavy Detachment +3CP (Imperium - Imperial Knights) [43 PL, 3CP, 816pts] ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Detachment CP [3CP]

Household Choice: House Raven, Questor Mechanicus

+ Lord of War +

Armiger Helverins [9 PL, 172pts]
. Armiger Helverin: Heavy Stubber

Armiger Helverins [9 PL, 172pts]
. Armiger Helverin: Heavy Stubber

Knight Crusader [25 PL, 472pts]: Character (Knight Lance), Heavy Stubber, Thermal Cannon, Twin Icarus Autocannon
. Avenger Gatling Cannon w/ Heavy Flamer: Avenger Gatling Cannon, Heavy Flamer

++ Total: [117 PL, 11CP, 1999pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

Edited April 8, 2019 by Link2edition

[Gaz1858]

Hey Link2edition,

 

Deffo a list worth trying and seeing how you go in your local meta.

 

For my experience I have found:

 

1. Kataphrons are over costed and not survivable enough, even with the new Vigilus Detachment. A big points sink

2. Infiltrators I have tried a few times and, again, I dont think they earn their points back really. Some others do like them so see how you go

3. I have not been a fan of the Neutronager as, especially with only one, the D3 shots can really be lackluster. If I run onagers i run Icarus all the time as they are atleast useful against armies without vehicles (daemons, nids, GSC and so on)

4. Enhanced Data Tether on your troops isnt worth it. I think youll want your Onagers hitting at +2 (especially the icarus on ground foes) rather than the troops piddly guns.

 

Outside of the above my go to units for Admech are

1. Kastelans with Phosphor - If you havent got at least 4 in 2K youre missing out. Massive chaff/screen clearance unit plus Mortal wound options (See Cawl)

2. Fulgurite Priests -  Their ability to dish out D3 Mortal wounds and get a 3++ save. These guys can win you games on their own if used right. (look to Termite and Manipulus for combo ideas)

3. Cawl. Mainly because if youre running lotsa bots (which you should be) youre gonna want those bots doing Mortal Wounds with Wrath of Mars. So your also going to want as many shots as possible hitting, therefor...Cawl.

[Link2edition]

Going to stay Metalica for now as I like the fluff, and my knights are house raven which is a close ally of metalica. That rules out cawl.

That said I do OWN cawl, and will be painting him up in white so he will fit in if I decide to run the army as Mars later.

I hear you about the Kataphrons, I could swap them for another vanguard blob and maybe some of the shooty electropriests as they synergize with my forgeworld well.

RE: Data tether - My meta is flyer heavy, so I doubt I will need the icarus for ground targets. You may be right though.

As for the melee priests how many do you run at 2k?

[Link2edition]

Here is one without the Servitors

++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Adeptus Mechanicus) [57 PL, 8CP, 809pts] ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Battle-forged CP [3CP]

Detachment CP [5CP]

Forge World Choice: Forge World: Metalica

+ HQ +

Tech-Priest Dominus [7 PL, 92pts]: Phosphor Serpenta, Relic: Phosphoenix, Volkite Blaster
. Warlord: Warlord Trait (Metalica): Ordered Efficiency

Tech-Priest Enginseer [3 PL, 30pts]

+ Troops +

Skitarii Vanguards [7 PL, 86pts]
. 5x Skitarii Vanguard
. 2x Skitarii Vanguard (Plasma Caliver): 2x Plasma Caliver
. Vanguard Alpha: Radium Carbine

Skitarii Vanguards [7 PL, 86pts]
. 5x Skitarii Vanguard
. 2x Skitarii Vanguard (Plasma Caliver): 2x Plasma Caliver
. Vanguard Alpha: Radium Carbine

Skitarii Vanguards [7 PL, 64pts]
. 4x Skitarii Vanguard
. 2x Skitarii Vanguard (Arc Rifle): 2x Arc Rifle
. Vanguard Alpha: Radium Carbine

+ Heavy Support +

Kastelan Robots [12 PL, 220pts]
. Kastelan Robot: Heavy Phosphor Blaster
. . Two Heavy Phosphor Blasters: 2x Heavy Phosphor Blaster
. Kastelan Robot: Heavy Phosphor Blaster
. . Two Heavy Phosphor Blasters: 2x Heavy Phosphor Blaster

Onager Dunecrawler [7 PL, 112pts]: Broad Spectrum Data-tether, Cognis Heavy Stubber, Icarus Array

Onager Dunecrawler [7 PL, 119pts]: Broad Spectrum Data-tether, Cognis Heavy Stubber
. Neutron Laser and Cognis Heavy Stubber: Cognis Heavy Stubber, Neutron Laser

++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Adeptus Mechanicus) [27 PL, 5CP, 350pts] ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Detachment CP [5CP]

Forge World Choice: Forge World: Metalica

+ HQ +

Tech-Priest Enginseer [3 PL, 30pts]

Tech-Priest Enginseer [3 PL, 30pts]

+ Troops +

Skitarii Rangers [4 PL, 72pts]: Omnispex
. Ranger Alpha: Galvanic Rifle
. 2x Skitarii Ranger
. 2x Skitarii Ranger (Transuranic Arquebus): 2x Transuranic Arquebus

Skitarii Rangers [4 PL, 72pts]: Omnispex
. Ranger Alpha: Galvanic Rifle
. 2x Skitarii Ranger
. 2x Skitarii Ranger (Transuranic Arquebus): 2x Transuranic Arquebus

Skitarii Vanguards [7 PL, 56pts]
. 3x Skitarii Vanguard
. 2x Skitarii Vanguard (Arc Rifle): 2x Arc Rifle
. Vanguard Alpha: Radium Carbine

+ Elites +

Sicarian Infiltrators [6 PL, 90pts]
. Infiltrator Princeps
. . Stubcarbine and Power Sword: Power Sword, Stubcarbine
. 4x Sicarian Infiltrator (Stub/Sword): 4x Power Sword, 4x Stubcarbine

++ Super-Heavy Detachment +3CP (Imperium - Imperial Knights) [43 PL, 2CP, 841pts] ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Detachment CP [3CP]

Exalted Court [-1CP]: Exalted Court: 1 Extra Warlord Trait

Household Choice: House Raven, Questor Mechanicus

+ Lord of War +

Armiger Helverins [9 PL, 172pts]
. Armiger Helverin: Heavy Stubber

Armiger Helverins [9 PL, 172pts]
. Armiger Helverin: Heavy Stubber

Knight Crusader [25 PL, 497pts]: Character (Exalted Court), Character (Knight Lance), Heavy Stubber, Stormspear Rocket Pod, Thermal Cannon, Warlord Trait: Ion Bulwark
. Avenger Gatling Cannon w/ Heavy Flamer: Avenger Gatling Cannon, Heavy Flamer

++ Total: [127 PL, 15CP, 2000pts] ++

[Gaz1858]

As for the melee priests how many do you run at 2k?

 

I run 2 x 10 each in its own Termite with a Manipulus running alongside from Stygies. This allows the units to move the following:

 

Priests - 9" Stygies Stratagem + 3" disembark + 7" move after inc Manipulus bonus + 2d6+1" charge = 20+2D6" Turn 1

Termites - 9" Stygies Stratagem + 9" move +2D6+1" charge = 19+2D6" Turn 1

 

Both of these units can then do turn 1 charges.

Edited April 16, 2019 by Gaz1858

[Link2edition]

Update: I built a unit of Breachers after having a hard time keeping troops alive on objectives. I don't expect them to kill much but I want them to take up space and hold ground. We will see how that turns out for me.

[CENOBYTE]

 

As for the melee priests how many do you run at 2k?

 

I run 2 x 10 each in its own Termite with a Manipulus running alongside from Stygies. This allows the units to move the following:

 

Priests - 9" Stygies Stratagem + 3" disembark + 7" move after inc Manipulus bonus + 2d6+1" charge = 20+2D6" Turn 1

Termites - 9" Stygies Stratagem + 9" move +2D6+1" charge = 19+2D6" Turn 1

 

Both of these units can then do turn 1 charges.

 

I'm interested in picking up a Manipulus for my 2k list as well. He seems to be a great utility HQ. 

 

I was wondering though, isn't his "Bolster Warriors" aura granted in the following turn? So you can't gain the bonus 1" on turn one I thought?

[Gaz1858]

 

 

 

As for the melee priests how many do you run at 2k?

I run 2 x 10 each in its own Termite with a Manipulus running alongside from Stygies. This allows the units to move the following:

 

Priests - 9" Stygies Stratagem + 3" disembark + 7" move after inc Manipulus bonus + 2d6+1" charge = 20+2D6" Turn 1

Termites - 9" Stygies Stratagem + 9" move +2D6+1" charge = 19+2D6" Turn 1

 

Both of these units can then do turn 1 charges.

I'm interested in picking up a Manipulus for my 2k list as well. He seems to be a great utility HQ.

 

I was wondering though, isn't his "Bolster Warriors" aura granted in the following turn? So you can't gain the bonus 1" on turn one I thought?

Hi Cenobyte,

 

His boost works as long as he is in the table. I run him outide the transports so that his aura works from T1. If you put him IN the transport then youd be correct and his boost would not work.

[CENOBYTE]

 

 

 

As for the melee priests how many do you run at 2k?

I run 2 x 10 each in its own Termite with a Manipulus running alongside from Stygies. This allows the units to move the following:

 

Priests - 9" Stygies Stratagem + 3" disembark + 7" move after inc Manipulus bonus + 2d6+1" charge = 20+2D6" Turn 1

Termites - 9" Stygies Stratagem + 9" move +2D6+1" charge = 19+2D6" Turn 1

 

Both of these units can then do turn 1 charges.

I'm interested in picking up a Manipulus for my 2k list as well. He seems to be a great utility HQ.

 

I was wondering though, isn't his "Bolster Warriors" aura granted in the following turn? So you can't gain the bonus 1" on turn one I thought?

Hi Cenobyte,

 

His boost works as long as he is in the table. I run him outide the transports so that his aura works from T1. If you put him IN the transport then youd be correct and his boost would not work.

 

I just re-read the rules. For some reason I thought they said that the affects don't take place until the following turn >.< This is great news! Thanks.