On this page:
Deathstrike Missile variants
| [Content from Epic 40,000 #4 page 18, 19 and 21; and from Epic 40,000 #9 page 20.] |
[Experimental rules] by Greg Bak [Originally titled It's All in Your Warhead, in two parts]
For some time there has been turmoil over the use of the Imperial Guard Deathstrike Missile Launcher. In my opinion the main problem is the missile is too powerful, and therefore needs to be toned down (1D6 Death Ray shots can be very painful, especially if your opponent fields three or four). But how is this accomplished without turning one of the Imperial’s mightiest weapons into just a popgun?
Andy Chambers offered some options in White Dwarf and I believe in the first issue of Firepower. His solution was to either set a limit of one Imperial Deathstrike per game or use the Deathstrike missile as having 1D6 Anti-tank shots instead of Death Ray. Neither solution really appealed to me. I never like restricting models that the army list offers and the Anti-tank shots seemed too weak for a weapon that rips the fabric of warp space.
So what to do? Well my friends and I have experimented with some house rules that I feel not only solve this problem but also offers more variety to the Deathstrike missile and maybe a surprise or two for opponents of the Imperium. In addition I have included extra warhead options for artillery units. Most of the ideas come from the original Space Marine rules, first out in the late 1980s. I hope you enjoy these rules as much as my friends and I do.
Using Deathstrike Missile variants
Death Strike missiles are long range cruise missiles fielded by armies of the Imperium. The weapon is most famous for its Vortex warhead, but other variants are available. When an Imperial Guard Army Detachment selects a Deathstrike Missile Launcher or a Titan is fielded with a one shot missile, the owning player must write down which warhead he wishes the missile to be armed with before the battle starts. When the weapon is fired at his target, the warhead type is revealed, and resolved as per the system rules listed below.
Vortex warhead
When detonated this weapon opens a hole between our universe and the warp. Units to close to this hole are sucked in and forever lost.
Rules: Treated as Distortion Cannon. Place a special Barrage template and roll D6x5. If score beats the target’s base speed, you’ve hit (a natural 6 is always a hit, a 1 is always a miss). War engines take a single critical hit, ignoring shields. If the target can only survive one hit, it is destroyed. The Vortex template remains in play until it dissipates. Roll D6 at end of turn: 1–2 field dissipates, remove from play. 3–4 field remains in place. 5–6 field moves 2D6cm in a random direction.
Some Eldar players may feel this takes away some of their technological edge; it doesn’t. First, the missile is a one shot weapon, while Distortion Cannons can fire away all day. Second, human generated vortexes are a bit more unstable, and thus may randomly move across the battlefield as per the above rules, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Third, it tones the Vortex down from 1D6 Death Rays, which alone should keep any Eldar player happy.
Warp warhead
When fired this weapon activates a small warp drive engine allowing it to make a warp jump. Although the warp jump is short, lasting only seconds, it allows the missile to re-appear inside its target, bypassing shield defences and any attempts to shoot it down.
Rules: Treated as a Death Ray. Always roll 1 die, needing a 2+ to hit. Hits always cause critical hits on war engines.
This is a great anti- war engine weapon, as it will bypass void shields and power fields and automatically causes a critical hit. However, Eldar holo-fields still work at full effect.
Haywire warhead
When this weapon detonates, it creates a tremendous electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) that overloads radios, targeting systems, weapons loaders and shield generators.
Rules: Roll D3 Disrupt attacks. If the target has active void shields, power fields or holo-fields the first Disrupt hit will render all remaining the shields non-operational for one turn; they return to play at the start of next turn. The remaining Disrupt hits place one Blast marker on the target as normal.
Another excellent anti- war engine weapon with less punch but more flexibility. The weapon lowers the shields of your target, so another weapon or unit can deliver the killer blow. It can also be used to good effect on non- war engines for its Blast marker effect.
Stasis warhead
When this weapon detonates it creates a stasis field, which freezes time and with it any unit trapped within its radius.
Rules: Place a special Barrage template. All units under the template cannot move, shoot, be targeted by other units or fight in close combat or fire fight until the stasis field dissipates. Roll D6 at end of the turn. On a 1–2 the field dissipates, on a 3–4 the field remains, and on a 5–6 the field moves 2D6cm in a random direction.
An excellent weapon to take a war engine out of the game for several turns so you can focus your attention on other targets. It is a bit unpredictable though, but such are the risks when you mess with Father Time.
Surface-to-air Missile (SAM) warhead
This warhead turns your Deathstrike Missile Launcher into a flak system, but one with unlimited range.
Rules: Treat the Death Strike as a Flak weapon, with firepower 2, with unlimited range. Unlike other Deathstrike missile systems, the SAM can reload, one turn after it fires (turn 1 fires, turn 2 reloads, turn 3 ready to fire again).
This Warhead is a true defensive system often used to defend other Deathstrike launchers from those nasty flyers. The reload rule makes flyers attack SAM positions to remove the threat they pose to them. The one turn reload delay gives the rules game balance.
Plasma warhead
When this warhead detonates, a large amount of plasma is spewed over a wide area. Plasma is very effective at armour penetration, thus causing much destruction on the battlefield.
Rules: Place a Barrage template over the target. Any units under the template area are treated as being attacked by an Anti-tank weapon and thus are hit on a roll of 4+. After all to-hit rolls are resolved the template is removed.
This weapon is very effect against highly armoured units or Stubborn infantry in good cover. Although it does not have the same potential lethal effects as a Vortex warhead it is a safer and more predicable weapon (it won’t move).
Modelling tips
To help you keep track of which missile has which warhead, paint either your missile or launchers with slight variants (different colour warheads, fins, number them, etc). As for the barrage templates, many remain on the board and some of you might want to create your own templates. For most, I use templates from the original Space Marine game, but if these are unavailable to you or simply too two-dimensional for you, here are some ideas:
- Vortex: Cotton wool, ‘puffed’ out to the right shape and painted blue and black.
- Stasis: A clear plastic or glass disk (bottom of plastic wine glass).
- Haywire, Plasma: Use a normal Barrage template as the results are worked out immediately.
- Surface-to-air Missile, Warp: No template required.
Summary of Deathstrike Missile variants
| Name | Firepower | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vortex Missile | (1) | Treat as Distortion Cannon. Place a special Barrage template and roll D6x5. If the score beats the target’s base speed, you’ve hit (a natural 6 is always a hit, a 1 is always a miss). War engines take a single critical hit, ignoring shields. If the target can only survive one hit, it is destroyed. The Vortex template remains in play until it dissipates. Roll D6 at end of turn: 1–2 field dissipates 3–4 field remains, 5–6 field moves 2D6 cm in a random direction. |
| Warp Missile | (1) | Treat as a Death Ray. Always roll 1 die, needing a 2+ to hit. Hits always cause critical hits on war engines. Bypasses shields and power fields. Cannot be shot down. |
| Haywire Missile | (1) | Roll D3 Disrupt attacks. If the target has active void shields, power fields, holo-fields, or force fields then the first Disrupt hit will render the shields non-operational for one turn; any remaining Disrupt hits place a Blast marker as normal. |
| Stasis Missile | (1) | Place a special Barrage template. All units under the template cannot move, shoot, be targeted by other units or fight in close combat or a fire fight until the Stasis field dissipates. Roll D6 at end of turn: 1–2 field dissipates, 3–4 field remains, 5–6 field moves 2D6cm in a random direction. |
| Surface-to-air Missile | (2) | Treat as a Flak weapon, Firepower 2, with unlimited Range. Unlike other Deathstrike [variants], the Surface-to-air Missile can [be reloaded] one turn after it fires (turn 1 fires, turn 2 reloads, turn 3 ready to fire again). |
| Plasma Missile | (1) | Place a Barrage template over the target. Any units under the template area are treated as being attacked by an Anti-tank weapon and thus are hit on a roll of 4+. After all to-hit rolls are resolved the template is removed. |