Tanks!
The Hammerhead is one of the most dangerous tanks in the 40k game, although it's less dangerous now with the 5e defensive weapons nerf.
As a baseline, it has similar armor to a Predator (13-12-10, compared to the Pred's 13-11-10). Then you start adding things to keep the HHead alive and killing things, and it very rapidly becomes one of the most survivable tanks in the game. Always under a 4+ cover save, able to hide in terrain without having to make Dangerous Terrain tests, and forcing any engine damage to be re-rolled (making the tank nearly unkillable on a glancing hit (1/36 chance of engine damage killing the HHead, as opposed to any other skimmer's 1/6).
Now, let's talk about weapons: The Ion Cannon is 60" range, Strength 7, AP3 (punches power armor like that's it's job), 3 shots. That's 25% more range, same strength, better AP value, and 50% more shots than an Autocannon. All of this is really impressive, until you look at the Railgun.
The Railgun (on a Hammerhead) has 2 fire modes: Solid Shot, and Submunition. Both have the same range, 72". The submunition is a Strength 6 AP4 large blast. This is comparable to a Whirlwind or a Griffon in 40k. This mode is ideal for removing hordes of infantry, especially with the 5e blast weapon rules (always scatters somewhere).
The Solid Shot is a dedicated vehicle killer. It's a Strength 10 AP1 single shot. It reliably punches Land Raiders and Monoliths 1/3 of the time (AP1 weapons no longer auto-penetrate, but are instead more likely to kill the vehicle.) A Rhino can't even stop the shot under 3e/4e vehicle rules. Sadly, the Cheddar Eldar have equipment that can largely ignore this powerful weapon. Against any other race, the Railgun is the king of the vehicle-mounted weapons for the purpose of killing other vehicles.
and the IA3/Forgeworld weapons: twinlinked longbarrelled burst cannon: 36" range, S6 AP4, Assault 3. (why? Ion Cannon is better.) Missile Pods: 36" range, S7 AP4, Assault 4. (half the range of an Ion cannon, worse AP, more shots) Twinlinked Fusion Cannon: 24" range, S8 AP1, Heavy 1 Blast Melta. (painfully short ranged, but might be useful for vehicle killing) Twinlinked Plasma Cannon: 48" range, S7 AP2, Heavy 2. (Ion cannon is better range and has one more shot, but this kills Termies)
I'm also going to talk about the Skyray here, since the base chassis is the same.
The Skyray originally appeared in Imperial Armour 3 as a Seeker Missile platform with some capability against aircraft. It carries 2 networked markerlights, and 6 missiles. Additionally, it cannot carry more seeker missiles, while almost every other vehicle in the Tau force can.
It's worth mentioning that under the 40k Seeker rules, you need to first hit the aircraft with a Markerlight (on 6s, unless it's the Skyray's OWN markers, then 3+), then you need to hit with the Seekers (IA3: 4+ vs aircraft). The effective AA markerlight bubble around a Skyray in 40k is only 24" (usually translated to 30cm for special weapons), and significantly reduced effectiveness within 24" around any other unit.
Then there's the secondary weapons systems, which applies to both the Hammerhead and Skyray: In 4e, you have 3 choices: 2 Burst Cannon, a Smart Missile System, or Gun Drones. Please note that there are 2 burst cannon, not one twinlinked. They're all pretty much the same, except that the Gun Drones are considered passengers that can fire out using their own ballistic skill, not vehicle-mounted weapons. My preference has always been the Smart Missiles, but any attempt to have mobile armor in 5e requires you to use Gun Drones if you want to fire everything on the move.
Heavy Support: The Hammerhead and Skyray are Heavy Support choices, competing with each other, Broadsides, and Sniper Drone teams.
_________________ "For the Lion and the Emperor!"
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