CDO Forums

Chaos Dwarf Skulltank

I've had some ideas for a warmachine for a while now, which I will include in my army, as a centrepiece.

There's nothing simillar to the skulltank mentioned in the CD fluff, but since CD are the most mechanical advanced race + building other awesome daemon engines, I see no problem for them constructing/fielding such a machine.

I havent play tested it yet, but I tried making it as balanced as possible, maybe it's to cheap in pts...


It's up you to decide! I want your comments, critiques, advices on the rules...
heck, even play test them if you want!

C&C of just the idea of a skulltank is also appreciated. "Is it something CD might build, or does it not fit with the CDs?"


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First I have to show you some of my sketches of the skulltank,
so you have some idea of what your reading about
The picture at the bottom is the most recent/serious sketch, and that is probably what it will look like in the end.





... and now, on to the rules



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I posted these rules on one of my local forums too,
and from the critique i got there, I'll probably make these changes.

* the tank can't march.
* If it tankcharges large targets, the tank itself takes d6 hits,
   with the strength equal to the overrun models toughness.
* remove the free piviot after the tankcharge (It' a bit too BS).


I'm looking forward too hear what you guys think.

/melv

Nice rules. I take it you drew inspiration from the Steam Tank? Again the art was excellent.

We have the technology we can build it

I love the layout is perfect for its aesthetic chaos dwarves.

now only of the lack of leonardo miragliano

Love the idea. We could be the evil steampunk dwarves! I use a skulltank for my Chaos Squat army.

http://www.chaos-dwarfs.com/forum/showth...p?tid=4891

gah, lots of rules

to be perfectly fair, I'd say you need to re-arange the stat line a bit, like by dropping the movement and strenght to bump upit's durability a little, say s,m,t and w 7 on it. Right now, it seems a little fragile for what it is

good job though, 'specialy on the doodles

i like the amok miscast now that the cool rule
the tank look cool to

Wouw these rules are perfect ! skulltank ftw! gogo

While I adore the artwork and am heavily inspired to create my own and perhaps use it as a daemoneater (with a daemonsmith + hailfiregun) in some games...

I have to say the rules seem really really lengthy, which seems to go against the way warhammer works... Most unit special rules don't go longer than a paragraph.

Also, I can't really see the skulltank being able to handle a built-in earthshaker... I just see the ammo as being to large, and the explosions would rip the tank to peices.

Thanks for the C&C!
CheTralfara I'll try to answer some of your questions:

Nah, the rules are not that long, it's probably the large fonts that fools you.

It's true that the most units special rules are not more than a paragraph, but on the more special/rare units/characters, they tend to make deeper rules, to make the model more interesting and funny to play with.
The dogs of war giant is a perfect example of this, the rules for it are two pages long! and those pages are with two columns aswell (as in most army books), so in such format, my rules would easily fit in one page.

This depends on how you imagine the earthshaker itself.
Everyone has their own visions on what an earthshaker would look like.
I've seen earthshakers on this site bigger then a hellcannon, and some converted from a BFSP dwarf cannon (which is indeed small.)

I've imagined it to be somewhat the size of the 5th edition earthshaker (since it's the most official one), only that the thickness of the barrel have been made thinner, making it more portable.

It says in the rules that the black screamer is a heavy modified earthshaker, so just use your imagination.
In that way, it's easy finding the explanations to the questions (fluff- wise).
Example below:

The weapon shoots magical ammunition, enhanched by cd sorcerers/daemonsmiths, making them more powerful.
Therefore the size of the main barrel and bullets has been reduced, but is still more effective then a normal earthshaker.
The experiment of using deamonic energy instead of blackpowder has also proven to reduce the recoil of the blasts.
Modifying an earthshaker into a blackscreamer and making ammunition for it is a very time-consuming, expensive and dangerous process.
Therefore the blackscreamers are only built in the occasions of making a skulltank, It's the only worthy gun for such a behemoth.

hope that cleared somethings up.

/melv

Wouldn't it be more balance wise to use steam tank rules from empire rulebook? It is balanced and it costs defined number of points. Thing is i dont see this S and T values since 5th ed. And this is for a reason. I like concept arts a lot, have you tried to draw Kolossus siege tower?

At first I want to admit that your sketches are amazing!

I would like to see much more of this kind of stuff!

Concerning the rules ... I don't play enough to valuate exactly if the points are really well balanced!

But the rules itself sounds very cool and innovative/new! And not too long!

Well done, except the "tankcharge" this seems much too hard (IMO) ...

              

cant really see the point of the crew miself, apart from that fullmarks!

Having been persuaded by the prettiness of the sketches, I just spent some time I really should have been spending on my Golden Hat entry cleaning this up a bit. Any changes are for the sake of tidiness, clarity, or are mistakes.

0-1 Rare Choice
Chaos Dwarf Skulltank.........300pts/model

Special Rules: Cause Terror, Large Target, Unbreakable, Wheels of Steel, Unfeeling Metal, Tank Charge, Blackscreamer, Bound Daemon

Wheels of Steel: The Skulltank moves as a lone monster, and may ignore difficult terrain (but may not pass through impassable or very difficult terrain). The Skulltank is immune to poison – treat poisoned attacks as normal attacks.

Unfeeling Metal: The Skulltank may only Hold as a charge reaction. After any wounds made against the Skulltank in Combat have been resolved, the combat immediately ends – there is no resolution phase. Instead, move the Skulltank 1” backward, and treat the combat as having ended. If other units are still engaged in the fighting, the combat continues, but is resolved as though the Skulltank had not been involved – ignore any wounds against it.

Tank Charge: The Skulltank charges in a special way. It declares its charge as normal, moves double its movement as normal, but does not stop once it reaches its target – instead, move it its full charge distance in the direction of the target. If this would result in the Skulltank ending its movement within a unit, resolve it in the same way as if it had fled within a friendly unit. The target of the charge may react as normal.
During this charge, any unit the Skulltank contacts must immediately take an Initiative test. Should they fail, they suffer an immediate D6+3 Impact Hits at Strength 8. They must then take an immediate Panic test. Fleeing units do not take an Initiative test, but are automatically struck. If the Skulltank contacts a Large Target, it will cease its movement. While it still causes Impact Hits on the Large Target, the Skulltank will then take D6 S4 hits.

Blackscreamer: A heavily modified daemoncannon, Blackscreamer fires as a Stonethrower with a Strength of 5(10). The Skulltank may Move-and-Shoot with the Blackscreamer. If a Misfire is rolled, do not roll on the Misfire Table – instead the Blackscreamer does not fire, and the Skulltank is treated as having automatically failed the Leadership test for its Bound Daemon at the end of the turn.
After resolving any wounds caused by the Blackscreamer, roll a D6. Any units within this distance in inches from the Blackscreamer’s point of impact may not march or fire missile weapons in their next Movement Phase.

Bound Daemon: At the end of any turn in which the Skulltank has Marched, Charged, Moved-And-Shot or rolled a Misfire it must take a Leadership test. If it fails, the Chaos Dwarf player must roll a D6 and consult the chart below.