(Hena @ Mar. 08 2007,02:58)
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(Chroma @ Mar. 08 2007,03:49)
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The current incarnation of Bio-Plasma attacks are short-ranged, practically close combat effects and, unfortunately?, that's what we have to go by when designing the list.
So, the Carnifex should *not* have a ranged Bio-Plasma attack, other then, perhaps, as a Firefight effect, though a Close-Combat attack is much more likely. Gargoyles also now have Bio-Plasma attacks as "standard", and they don't really need any kind of boost.
OK, but wasn't there still a "Screamer Killer Carnifex" given in the 40k codex? What was it armed with and what range it's weapons were (I would assume they should be about same ...)? I haven't bought the codex for nids.
Screamer Killers under current 40K rules have 2 sets of Scything Talons, Venom Sacs, Bio-Plasma and often times Flesh Hooks (to let it move over vertically impassable terrain). None of which have ranged combat effect, but all of which add up to it being able to destroy infantry or tanks with equal ease. Occasionally you see them with other things like tusks to give them further attacks on the charge to make them more lethal, but that's somewhat rarer. As far as ranged weapons, yeah the only ones they have really are spine banks potentially. Though you can also give them spore cysts to let them dump out spore mines every turn if you want to (Much more effective on some kinda long-range carnifex, though).
To be honest I just can't see myself fielding these guys as they are. With Brood (3) they're not even very easy to use as shock troops where you take, say, a unit of flying Tyranid Warriors and some Gargoyles then use a spore to allow you to spawn a few Carnifexi to assault the enemy at the start of the next turn... About the only thing I could see them being useful for is attaching them to a Synapse node and being placed to defend one of my objectives. And even that seems like it'd be a lacking use of points.