Lychguard

Lychguards are the elites and often bodyguards and powerful protectors of Necron Lords, Overlords and Phaerons. They are like the Necron version of the Space Marine Honour Guards.

Overview

9ft and 2 tons of pure metallic rape comin' at ya!

Before the Bio-transference the royalty of the Necrontyr race was guarded by the Lychguard, bodyguards who would obey their lords without question, skilled warriors in their own right. Upon their transference into their immortal frames and no longer having to worry about the petty necessities many organics must concern themselves about on a daily basis such as food and fatigue, they became vastly more lethal and even further proficient in their tasks of guarding their masters.

They possess nearly identical bodies as their Overlord masters; just with less bling covering their suits and other small details. They maintained their full personalities and sentience in their transference into their new bodies with one exception, they cannot disobey any order given to them by their lord, other than this they possess full free will and thinking. Combining titanic strength, unmatched durability (to the point of easily shrugging off heavy bolter fire thanks to their armored Sempiternal Weave and their ability to repair even the most horrific injuries in mere moments), unlimited endurance, a mind of cold logic, tactical reasoning and technology that defies all laws of the universe; with all that in mind, they are among the most dangerous warriors one can ever encounter in a galaxy that knows only war.

They are not without weaknesses, however. Physically their only weaknesses are their weight and their lack of speed and agility when compared to most others. They are proud, aloof and in many ways egotistical and can almost always be found in the thickest of the fighting or wherever another army's elites are located. They have an unnatural desire for dueling and (with the notable exception of the Novokh Dynasty's "Slaughterers") always seek the perfect strike, a strike that will fell their foe in one fluid motion. They will pursue this "perfect kill" even if it means standing still in the middle of a fight waiting for the perfect moment to strike. For many others this would be suicide but thanks to the Lychguard's unmatched durability and physiology this is only rarely a problem. They are a counterpart of sorts to Triarch Praetorians; Praetorians specialize in high speed hit and run tactics whereas Lychguard's specialization lies in raw brute force and staying power.

Lychguard also act as emissaries and lieutenants, presumably when the Royal Warden isn't available or hasn't been given tabletop stats yet (i.e. pre-9E). They are additionally tasked with not only protecting their Overlords directly but indirectly as well in the form of exposing rogues within the Royal Court who possess certain ambitions that go against their Overlord's desires. Not even a Necron Lord can give orders to a Lychguard as they obey only one master - an Overlord.

Wargear

Suprising amount of artwork for these guys.

In the fluff, Lychguard wield a wide array of weapons though most are centered around melee combat.

Hyperphase Sword- The Necron equivalent of a power sword, these weapons phase in and out of reality and possess cutting power that surpasses most other power weapons of its class. Rather than cutting through armor like most power weapons, these weapons just teleport past armor. Still can't phase through storm shields/iron halos/invulnerable saves, or, for some reason, terminator-equivalent armor. It can be that these blades are too narrow to pass through 30cm thick termie armour. Granted, it looks nothing like a sword (although if you look at it in a way, its an alien and futuristic take on the Egyptian Khopesh), but it still hits like a bus running the speed limit.

Warscythe- These terrifying and (in the eyes of other races) huge and unwieldy weapons are the trademark weapons of the Lychguard. The Warscythe possesses a blade that can slice through all known forms of armour and force fields as if they weren't even there. This, combined with their heavy weight, means that they can easily cut through tank armour as well. and with the good old +2S you wont regret it. In the crunch, this manifests as an absolute rod of cheesiness with +2S (you'll just go Novokh, then pop 3 CP for Eternal Protectors (cuz there's guaranteed to be an Overlord nearby) Blood Rites, and Disruption Fields, so now you have a unit of Lychguard that each get 5 swings, at Strength 9 AP-4 D2. Say your prayers to your god, for you meet him today.

Back in the 5th you paid for a Lord with a cheap war scythe, now with the 7th price drop and increase on the War scythe, you now pay for a Warscythe and its holder. Wont complain.

Dispersion Shield- Often used in conjunction with the Hyperphase Sword, Dispersion Shields protect the wielder from all but the most destructive weapons (I.E orbital defense lasers) and make the Lychguard utterly immune to almost all small-arms fire and many heavy vehicular weapons. Additionally, beams, rays and bullets are not absorbed and dispersed by the shield's power field like with Imperium storm shield or Tau shield generator, but rather bounce off it and Lychguard are skilled enough to aim this bounced shot back to the asshole who fired it (sadly this bounce-back has been removed). The downside is that the wielder trades sheer offensive might and speed in favor of defense and durability. Still give your Lychguard the power sword/ shield combo and send it against any CC unit. As long as they are in a Reclamation legion. Is handy to keep all those ap 3 away from your overlord/cryptek that cover behind these guys. And with the 7th price drop they are totally worth it.

Gallery

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  You mess with our Lord, you mess with us.