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Land Speeder Vengeance

2019-05-21T16:20:29Z

2600:1006:B110:124D:D8A2:1357:1755:6D24: /* The Speeder itself */

[[File:Darkshroud and Nids.jpg|300px|thumbnail|right|I'm gonna catholic space statue you to death, you oversized tick!]]
The [[Dark Angels]] are known for hogging several technological marvels for themselves and their [[Dark Angels#The Unforgiven|Unforgiven]] successors that for some reason never quite reached the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] like most such discoveries are meant to....because the Angels are not good at sharing shit.

The origins of the Vengeance have to looked back to the 36th Millennium (no specifications if it was early, middle or late). Back then the Dark Angels stumbled upon an STC belonging to a bigger, bulkier Land Speeder with far more superior lift-engines that could allow the machine to be outfitted with weapons normal Speeders wouldn't be capable of lifting. The Dark Angels had, for a long time, an ancient weapon in the armory of The Rock. An ancient plasma-storm battery that was catching dust and its owners didn't know what to do with it...until they found the aforementioned Speeder STC. They mounted the plasma weapons on it and so the Vengeance was born. Since its creation it served the Ravenwing as a very much needed mobile weapon platform.

==The Speeder itself==
[[File:DA Vengeance Model.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|Guys, listen, I'm gonna put two Plasma Cannons on this here Land Speeder. It's gonna be great. Guys, I need you to see this. It can't go wrong. Guys?]]
To briefly describe the Land Speeder Vengeance, if a normal [[land speeder]] could be compared to an [[Bike Squad|assault bike]], the Vengeance is a flying tank. It is a larger version of the Land Speeder with more dakka that serves as a quick response heavy weapons platform. Its speed can let it fly to a trouble spot quickly and its plasma storm battery can make melted smears of the enemy in an equal amount of time. The downside: it's a 140 point Land Speeder. 50 for the Speeder, 90 for the plasma, and no protection on your AV10 flying kill-machine beyond a basic jink. Deploy it wisely. It'll also glance itself to death in a few turns due to the fact that <s>the Imperium</s> everyone lost the capability to install cooling systems on vehicles somewhere around 6th edition. Which is weird both because the weapon was made back during the Great Crusade when plasma weapons worked great and because the Dark Angels use properly cooling plasma weapons.

Alternatively, you can really hurt someone's feelings by including this in a Support Squadron and having Interceptor and Supporting Fire on a chassis that <s>can forgo</s>skips normal shooting (because it nuked some late arrivals a minute ago) in order to make your opponent forget you're playing MEQ and not the pointy-eared bastards.

Hop forward to 8th edition and... it's a lot better. First off, it has a good amount of wounds but not enough to qualify for a degrading statline, which is awesome. The Plasma Storm Battery is one of the few Plasma weapons that is Damage 2/3 depending on if you supercharge or not and has pretty large fire output which is boosted further with the help of Weapons Of The Dark Age and an Assault Cannon on top of that. This is the Dark Angel's Plasma fetish going too far. But they don't care. Still looks awesome too...

==Darkshroud Land Speeder Vengeance==
[[File:DA Darkshroud Model.jpg|300px|thumbnail|right|The Darkshroud variant of the Vengeance.
It's like a fast moving force-field-generating catholic statue projecting zealotry so asinine it can protect you from certain death. Stick it with your Fast Attack troops as close as possible.]]
The Dark Angels also like to kit their Vengeances out sometimes with a holy relic instead of a deadly super weapon. This is not just for show and tell however; the relic, called the stone guardian, is a potent arcane creation capable of creating a barrier known as the 'Shroud of Angels' which cloaks the Vengeance in an aura of darkness that can repel even the worst of enemy fire. This does come at a two-fold cost, however. First off, [[Heresy|the statues are soaked in Warp energy, and the stormclouds are caused by said Warp energy]]. Second, you're dropping the most powerful weapon on the vehicle, so it is a bit of a toss up between more protection for your army or more heavy firepower. Decisions, decisions....

Actually, it's usually a pretty easy one: are you running more Ravenwing than everything else? If yes, take the Darkshroud. You'll thank us later when your basic bikers get a 3+ jink save and your Black Knights get a 2+. Otherwise, feel free to splurge for that Vengeance and go to town on anyone bold and foolish enough to run TEQs against you.

Taking Black Knights? Make room for this. No, really. Between Ravenwing's jinking and the Darkshroud screwing with opponents' overwatch, your Black Knights will give your opponent some [[DISTRACTION_CARNIFEX|bad choices]].

In 8th edition... goodbye 2+ re-rollable jink and hello -1 to hit bubble. That sounds bad at first until you realise... 1) Dumping this thing next to a unit helps it against a lot of small-ar fire power, 2) The jink was nice but your weapons consisted of a Heavy Bolter/Assault Cannon hitting on 6s because you jinked (also did nothing against Ignores Cover stuff) and 3) Never underestimate a -1 To Hit bubble, especially if you like overcharging plasma weapons. Or you will be sorry.

{{Dark Angels}}

Nephilim Jetfighter

2019-05-21T16:13:43Z

2600:1006:B110:124D:D8A2:1357:1755:6D24:

[[File:Nephilim Jetfighters.jpg|right|250px|thumb|One of the few aesthetically pleasing planes from the SPESS MEHREENS.]]
The '''Nephilim Jetfighter''' is the [[Dark Angels]]' air superiority fighter. It is flown by the [[Ravenwing]] to allow their ground-bound battle-brothers to focus on <s>catching [[Fallen Angels]]</s> SHOWING THEIR DEVOTION TO THE EMPEROR without having to worry about getting attacked from the air.

The Jetfighter was added to the Dark Angels' [[Codex]] in [[6th edition (Warhammer 40,000)|6th edition]] to help set them apart from the other [[Space Marine Chapter|Chapters]] of [[Space Marines]] that get their own codices. The [[lore]] justification is that the Dark Angels had the Jetfighters for longer, but only recently found the [[STC]] pattern of a superior engine that made them practical to use (though given that the Nephilim is neither Supersonic nor Fast, the previous engine must have been really bad to force the Dark Angels to keep them grounded).

Also what the [[Stormtalon]] ''should'' have looked like. With the [[Corvus Blackstar]]. The Nephilim shares the distinction of being one of the few non [[Great Crusade]]/[[Horus Heresy]] era Astartes aircraft that doesn't look like a metal box with wings and engines stuck on it.

Nephilim Jetfighters pack a twin-linked set of [[heavy bolter]]s and six "blacksword" missiles (36" S7 AP3, named because of their black smoke trail -- which is a lot more sensible than the [[Blood Angels]]' "bloodstrike" missiles), with a choice of twin-linked [[lascannon]]s or an [[Avenger mega bolter]] in the nose. Not the most difficult of choices. Though, having twinlinked lascannons in place of the standard heavy bolters would make more sense given the mega bolter. Can help conserve ammo and soften particularly hard targets for the bolter to finish off.

This fighter is excellent proof that if the different organizations of the Imperium would learn to share and not be selfish assholes, the Long War would be Long Over by now. Seriously, the Dark Angels use this thing to mow down every enemy air craft, even Eldar (the ones who get 40-1 kill-death ratios against Lightnings). Do they share this with the Guard? Hell no! They don't even share it with other Space Marines.

The jerkasses could at least give the Guard and the Navy the data for making damn blacksword missiles. Screw the Mechanicus, they have enough toys to dickslap. Besides, if they got it no one would hear of it again for a few centuries, if ever.

==Dark Talon==
[[File:Dark_Talon.jpg|right|250px|thumb|{{Blam|FWOOOOOOM!}}]]
A variant of the Nephilim, in the same way a Darkshroud is a variant of the Land Speeder (both are rocking the "Bolt a bunch of kickass masonry to the hulls" look). It's got a Rift Cannon (a STRENGTH 10 AP 2 BLAST), two Hurricane Bolters and a Stasis Bomb. It lost the '''Hover Strike''' special rule but it gets ''Strafing Run'' base.

All complaints about this thing are gone. It doesn't need to "Hover" any more, so it can drop a can of derp on a unit, then use the Rift Cannon to obliterate anything (it becomes a Vortex is you roll doubles for scatter) and it can shoot 12 BS5 re-rollable bolter shots to take out hordes. It's weapons may not exactly go hand in hand, it can come on, take out/debuff a unit for your Knights to take care of, then Rift Cannon the heck out of some termis or a vehicle. If your opponent has a couple large squads, the hurricane bolters will take care of them. It may not have any anti-air capabilities, but the Dark Talon got a huge buff in 7th.

==Tabletop Analysis==
The Nephilim and Dark Talon are rather unpopular choices for a Dark Angels army, but their weaknesses have kinda been blown out of proportion. They're not bad, they're just overpriced and [[overcosted]] for what they can bring. 7th edition gave them more buffs, so they certainly aren't bad, more in the realm of iffy.

Both flyers [[Butthurt|suffered the sin]] of being the second "true" flyers out of the gate in the 6th Edition: The Heldrake that preceded it was rapetastically awesome (until the 7th ed FAQ) showing that the design team were still trying to figure out how these newfangled rules work. It was only after "Death from the Skies" came out that pre-existing Storm-talons/ravens became proper flyers as opposed to fast skimmers and they '''already''' had enough firepower to get by in the 6th edition environment, they only really needed ''(and received)'' the "flyer" rule to be added to them.

Anyway, onto the Dark Angels. For 170 pts you get a TL Heavy Bolter, six S7 AP3 missiles with Missile Lock, and an Avenger Mega Bolter. The only problem so far is this isn't the "real" AMB, it's a stripped-down AP4 version. For 5 points you can swap it for a TL Lascannon.

The Nephilim is great against skimmers and other light tanks, but an 175 point investment that can't kill AV14 and takes three or four turns to kill AV12 is just too iffy for most players. That's only [[Rage|25 points less]] than a [[Stormraven]] with the same lascannon + heavy bolter loadout. But the raven has far better missiles, +1 AV all round, ceramite plating, power of the machine spirit also has a transport capacity and can carry dreadnoughts

However, with the advent of the Death from the Skies supplement and the assignment of flyers into set roles, the Nephilim got a buff, mostly as a side effect when you compare it to what happened to other flyers:

Attack Flyers and Bombers no longer have access to the Skyfire rule by default, meaning the Nephilim has little to fear from more heavily armed Stormravens or Stormtalons. Despite being comparatively undergunned for a "Fighter", the ability to immobilise enemy vehicles makes it much more of a threat against its primary target ''(other Flyers)'' It also has more AV & HP than most other Fighters, matched only by the Stormfang Gunship, but the Nephilim is also FAR more maneuverable than the Wolf-interceptor, so does better in a dogfight and turns more easily on the tabletop.

Finally, despite the fact that Fighter craft are now primarily intended for use vs other Flyers, suffering -1 BS when shooting ground targets, the Nephilim keeps the ''Strafing Run'' rule so it gains +1 BS right back again. Meaning it hasn't lost much of its function against ground targets like all other Fighters did with the move into set roles. Whatever that means, because it's guns weren't exactly shattering worlds in the first place.

Now 8th edition: Firstly, it's hell of a lot easier to run this thing as most detachments have at least 2 Flyer slots, secondly, this thing turned from possibly one of the worst Flyers in the game to a really scary unit. Why? All of its weapons got an upgrade in some way; the Blacksword Missiles are now good against 2+ save stuff due to how AP works in this edition and they're no longer finite, the Avenger Mega Bolter went up to 10 shots at Strength 6 AP-1 essentially making it an Assault Cannon with 10 shots and the Twin Heavy Bolter and Twin Lascannon now gain double shots because of 8th edition again. This thing reunites Dark Angels, Flyers and Dakka together. Cool.

===Dark Talon===
As for the Dark Talon, it's far harder to directly compare to any other flyer since nothing else performs a similar role. Dropping your opponent's Initiative and Weapon Skill by 3 is always hilarious, doubly so when you drop a Blind test on his snipers immediately afterwards, but for 160 points the fact it has only one bomb and the lack of AP wasn't doing it any favors. But that was 6th ed; this is 7th ed where it drops a '''S10 AP2 Blast''' that has a 1 in 6 chance of becoming a '''Destroyer Vortex'''. Fucking hell YES!

In 8th edition this was changed again but only because Blast templates no longer exist; it gets D3 shots, S:10 AP:-3 D:3, and anything that takes an unsaved wound has a 2 in 3 chance to suffer D3 additional ''mortal wounds''. Stasis bomb also got tweaked; once per game, pick an enemy unit you flew over, and roll a D6 for ''each'' model. On a 4+ that model takes a mortal wound. [[Rape|Sensing a pattern here.]] Then there's 24 Hurricane Bolter shots at rapid fire range. That is even more sexy than before.

==Gallery==
===Nephilim Jetfighter===
<gallery>
image:NephilimJetfighterProfile.jpg|<center>Front View</center>
image:NephilimJetfighterSideView.jpg|<center>Side View</center>
image:NephilimJetfighterBackView.jpg|<center>Back View</center>
</gallery>
===Dark Talon===
<gallery>
image:DarkTalonProfile.jpg|<center>Front View</center>
image:DarkTalonSideView.jpg|<center>Side View</center>
image:DarkTalonBackView.jpg|<center>Back View</center>
</gallery>
===Conversions===
<gallery>
image:PC120049.JPG|A Nephilim converted to [[Counts As|serve as]] a [[Stormtalon]]
</gallery>

{{Dark Angels}}
{{40k-Imperial-Vehicles}}

[[Category:Dark Angels]]

Xiphon pattern interceptor

2019-05-21T15:53:46Z

2600:1006:B110:124D:D8A2:1357:1755:6D24:

[[File:Xiphon.jpg|thumb|350px|right|One of the few well designed and aerodynamic Space Marine craft. Now barely used today because of... [[Herp|reasons.]] I don't know whether to laugh or cry.]]
First brought into Imperial service in 806.M30 from the Rhadamanthys Enclave and used by the [[Legiones Astartes]] during the [[Great Crusade]] and [[Horus Heresy]], the '''Xiphon Pattern Interceptor''' was a fighter aircraft based on designs so ancient its origins were long lost even in the Crusade/Heresy era (though it could be presumed to date back to when humanity fought the <s>Cylons</s> [[Men of Iron]]). Capable of both atmospheric and space flight, the Xiphon carried two pairs of twin-linked Lascannons and a Xiphon Rotary Missile Launcher into battle, allowing it to destroy both air and ground targets with ease. This firepower, combined with the Xiphon's unparalleled speed and maneuverability, made it a deadly opponent. The problem was, the Xiphon was complex, had limited range, and was ill-favored by the [[Adeptus Mechanicum|Mechanicum]]. Astartes were also pretty much the only ones that could fly the Xiphon effectively, as the fighter's performance put great stress on its pilot that few unaugmented humans could withstand (how anyone flew it before the Astartes came along is anyone's guess. Perhaps automation or cybernetics or powered armor or servitors or inertia dampeners. Lots of options.). By the end of the Great Crusade the Xiphon had largely fallen out of frontline service in all Space Marine Legions except the [[Dark Angels]], [[Ultramarines]] and [[Thousand Sons]], though the demands of the Heresy forced many Legions to press them into service once more. The [[White Scars]] made good use of them during their hit-and-run campaign against Horus' advance. No word at all on how many supposedly survived to 40k, but like many Heresy era stuff, if there's 40k rules for it, then it can be assumed that ''someone's'' still got a few squirreled away.

For those that want to field a Xiphon without paying Forge World, a Dark Angels [[Nephilim Jetfighter]] can be easily converted to fit the bill most satisfactorily, if having the Battlestar Galactica jet isn’t that important.

The Xiphon is named after the "Xiphos", an Iron Age shortsword used by the Ancient Greeks. The name Xiphos apparently means "penetrating light" according to researcher and swordsmith Peter Johnsson - which is very appropriate for something that's basically a flying Predator Annihilator.

== Tabletop ==
The Xiphon Pattern Interceptor is a flyer that is available to all Legiones Astartes armies in Horus Heresy games. In 40k the Xiphon is available to Space Marines, Space Wolves, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, and [[Grey Knights]], but only as an experimental rules PDF.

====[[Horus Heresy]] (30k)====
Now this is why people think twice when they hear "Forgeworld rules." It will also make you think twice when taking Lightnings because this is essentially a souped up Lightning. Comes with Two Twin-linked Lascannons and a Xiphon rotary missile launcher - Heavy 2 S8 AP2 that re-rolls successful Jink and cover saves and rolls d3 times per Penetrating hit, choosing the best one (and AP grants +1 on that table). All that makes this your flying tank killer. AV11 all around, this murderous potential is 'balanced' by costing about as much as a kitted-out Lightning and being extremely limited in its optional wargear: Chaff launchers and Extra Armour for survival and Ground Tracking Auguries to kill [[Land Raider]]s after you've cleaned the skies. And we say ''balanced'' because it comes already equipped with Armoured Ceramite, and Agile grants it a 3+ jink save, enjoy!

====40k====
It’s exactly what you'd expect an interceptor to be: light, fast and good against other vehicles, be they tanks or other flyers. Comes with two twin linked lascannons and a rotary missile launcher. The launcher is two shot, S8 AP2 and forces jink and cover saves to be rerolled, plus when penetrating hits are rolled, it chooses the best of D3 results (adding one for AP2). The Xiphon is a great vehicle hunter, but as mentioned its light. Only two hull points mean it'll go down against a stiff breeze, but with AV11 at least it's immune to small arms bolter fire just like a Stormtalon. If you want a good all-rounder you should take the talon which at least has a hover mode, but this thing is a dedicated vehicle killer.

====8th Edition====

The Xiphon remains a highly competitive flyer and armor-killer, as the changes to twin-linked rules mean its lascannons now put out 4 shots instead of only 2. Unlike most flyers the Xiphon also ignores the penalty for moving and shooting heavy weapons (and being a flyer it has to move a minimum distance every turn), on top of getting +1 to hit against models with the FLY keyword - which is a lot (Raiders, Battlesuits, Wave Serpents, etc).

The missile battery is now: Heavy 3, S6, AP-2, and does an incredible flat 3 damage. Perfect for taking out the lightest of light vehicles...or one-shotting Adeptus Custodes. [[Skub|Alternatively, one can see it as a 3-shot Krak Grenade with buffed damage.]]

The only downsides are that; A - the Xiphon can't take Chapter Tactics, B - you are limited to only taking 3 of them in a typical 2K game, and C - ''Boots on the Ground'', a rule for Matched Play that essentially means if you have nothing left on the board except Flyers and empty Fortifications you're instantly tabled.

====Death From The Skies Update====
With GW's release of Death From The Skies (DFTS) Forge World have released a doc of updates for their non-Codex flyers (currently here: https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/resources/fw_site/fw_pdfs/Warhammer_40000/Death-from-the-Skies.pdf). These rules go a fair way to forcing the <s>BSG Viper</s>...er...Xiphon into it's designated Interceptor role, with the Sky Assassins special rule locking Zooming Interceptor-types into having Skyfire active and the Xiphon, not having the (Hover) sub-type, is always Zooming.
'''As Skyfire is always active the Xiphon is reduced to firing snap shots at any ground vehicle which isn't a Skimmer''', meaning that if you take the Ground-tracking Auguries option you only get Strafing Run's +1BS against Skimmers as specified in the Skyfire USR. Along with Skimmers, Jetbikes, Flyers, FMCs & GMCs are still legit targets with Skimmers & Flyers being quite fuckered by the Xiphon RML's Cluster Warhead rule.

On the flipside, the update gives the Xiphon a Pursuit of 5, meaning it can shift an extra 5" when going Flat Out and combined with Supersonic this tops the Xiphon out at a max move of 41" in a single turn making it the fastest Flyer the Astartes have. The Xiphon is granted an Agility of 4 so it can perform a second 90 degree turn at any point during it's movement on the roll of a 4 or less. Not bad at all; only the Tempest & [[Eldar]] Flyers have better.

"LAWLS, WE DON'T PLAY WITH CRAPPY DFTS RULES, PSYCH!" you may say but as an observational note it's worth considering that core rules from both Escalation & Stronghold Assault were rolled into the 7th edition (current) 40k BRB so for 8th edition all bets are currently off but you never know... And then 8e came along and made it a flyer interceptor as a main role (but at least it can shoot normally at ground targets again).

{{Template:40k-Imperial-Vehicles}}
{{Template:Marines-Forces}}
{{Chaos Space Marines}}

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Space Marines]][[Category:Vehicles]]

Malcador Heavy Tank

2019-05-21T14:39:52Z

2600:1006:B110:124D:D8A2:1357:1755:6D24: /* Malcador Heavy Tank */

[[File:Malcador_Tank_War.png|480px|right|thumb|When even the [[Taurox]] [[FAIL|have less problems than you,]] you know that your tank has done fucked up.]]
The '''Malcador Heavy Tank''' is an ancient pattern of heavy tank, dating to the [[Age of Strife]] (presumably it had some other designation before [[Malcador the Sigillite]] came around and they re-named it for him). Like the [[Macharius Heavy Tank]], it resembles an oversized [[Leman Russ Battle Tank]], but while the Macharius resembles a Russ that has been cut and extended in the middle, the Malcador looks like someone at [[Forge World]] made a Russ out of silly putty and stretched it.

The Malcador was mass-produced for the [[Imperial Guard|Imperial Army]] during the [[Great Crusade]], where it distinguished itself from other tanks by its speed. Some of the Legions also took it into service to support their Fellblades and Typhons. Unfortunately, its drive was always temperamental at best, and between the loss of knowledge that occurred during the [[Horus Heresy]] and ten thousand years of repair and attempted retrofitting, the Malcador of the 41st Millennium is no faster than any other tank and prone to engine malfunction, represented in-game as a fifty-fifty chance of being completely immobilized rather than slowed down by engine damage. In the [[grimdark|grim, dark]] future, a static tank is a dead tank, and so it has since been superseded by the more reliable and cheaper [[Leman Russ Battle Tank]].

That said, the tanks were never destroyed, merely stored (or "moth-balled", as the practice is also known in the real world), and even though their design is out-of-date and ill-understood, they are still made by M'khand and other Forge Worlds in limited quantities to fill the gap between demand for super-heavy tanks and the production of "proper" super-heavies like the [[Baneblade]]. Many armory worlds still have large stocks of Malcador tanks on hand in case they are needed for an urgent engagement, and they are still used by second-line forces such as garrison regiments and [[Planetary Defence Force]]s. This sometimes bites the Imperium in the rear; during the Siege of [[Vraks]], Malcadors were withdrawn from storage and pressed into battle by the traitor forces.

The utility of Malcador tanks in the fluff (as they were used on Vraks) and questionably on the tabletop is as semi-mobile bunkers. Roll them into your fortified gun line, let their forward mounted weapon savage the enemy, and with Lady Luck and Admiral Awesome on your side, your Malcadors and any supporting forces will peel back to another fortified position before the enemy can dish out too much retaliation. In all honesty, though, the Malcador on the table top would need a notable buff in durability for this to be practical. *cough*Jeremy Vetock, are you listening?*cough*

As of 6th and 7th Edition however, the Malcador Heavy Tanks are now Superheavy Vehicles with 5 hull points, making them surprisingly tough. While not quite as indestructible as the famous [[Baneblade]], they indeed fulfill their role nicely as a "Light Superheavy Tank". Because yes, 40k is that ridiculous of a setting to have tanks that can be put soundly into a category like that. As Superheavies, they are totally immune to the entire vehicle damage table. Additionally as a light super heavy they allow to use superheroes rules without your opponent wanting to strangle you for bringing a baneblade to a friendly game.

Like every other tank operated by the [[Imperium of Man]], the Malcador comes in many flavors:

== Malcador Heavy Tank ==
[[File:malcadorbc.jpg|250px|right|thumb|A Malcador Assault Tank. Would have been an okay tank if it wasn't for that fact that [[Rage|the fucking hull turret prevents me from firing at a full 360.]]]]

The original stretched Russ, except it has weaker front and side armor than the Russ and its turret can't spin all the way around. To be fair, during the Great Crusade it was armored enough that anything worth shooting would be within its firing arc anyway. Ambushes by lesser threats than it was meant to fight could be ignored by it, so the lack of a turret became an asset as the armored cover would protect the gun mechanisms from heavy enemy fire. It was a line-breaker after all, not an MBT. The Malcador Assault Tank is a truly ancient design dating all the way back to even the wars that consumed [[Terra]] during the [[Age of Strife]], if anything it can be considered as the [[Papalith]] of Imperial Tanks. It used to be quite good during the Horus Heresy, as its advanced engine made it Fast, and it could mount a [[Demolisher Cannon]] and fire its main cannon at full BS ''and'' make a Flat Out move. By the time of the 41st Millennium, however, the Adeptus Mechanicus have lost all knowledge of how the engine works so they get extra finickiness while moving the same speed as every other tank. The only advantages that this tank has are that its rear armor is slightly better and that it can soak a few more hits since it's a heavy tank.

As you may realize, the Malcador seem to suffer the most in terms of getting the short end of the stick. Other then the numerous problems as listed above, there is also the consideration on how much this tank gets treated in-universe as well. The Malcador was seen as so outdated it was eventually replaced in Legion service by the Land Raider Proteus, and by the time of the Horus Heresy many Malcador tanks had been relegated to the Legions' strategic reserves and second line Imperial Army units, only to be replaced by larger numbers of smaller, more tactically flexible tanks such as the Leman Russ and its many variants. Poor bastard can't catch a break.

In game terms, it really does deserve to have its front and side armour buffed to be on par with the Leman Russ Battle Tank. Its only redeeming quality is that its more survivable thanks to being a super heavy vehicle, though all of its positives end there. Its sponson weapons angles are dreadful, its main gun has limited traverse, it actually has worse armour values than the Leman Russ (as said before), its overpriced for what it brings, and it has the chance to immobilize itself whenever it moves, which if nothing else is crunch that pretty accurately matches the fluff.

Of course, the current rendition of it sets the Malcador's unit type as "Superheavy, Fast Tank", which is hilariously redundant. 7th Edition changed the Superheavy Type to automatically include all of the more specialized rules like Invincible Behemoth, and added default rules for them that didn't require apocalypse. All of this means that the Malcador became immune to all forms of penetrations except for 'Explodes!', gained the ability to Thunderblitz, and move a full 12" while still firing ALL of its weapons.

Ironically, if one was to replace the top casemate with an actual turret (like the one on the Russ), use the alternate box sponsons the Valdor and Infernus use and fix the engine, the Malcador would become a perfectly serviceable Heavy Tank for the Guard, becoming the Panzer IV to the Russes Panzer III. But that would be [[Heresy|tech-heresy]] and also regular heresy, because not being retarded is banned in the Munitorum. This is now even stupider with the release of the [[Aurox Armoured Transport#Carnodon|Carnodon]], which is from the same era as the Malcador and basically it's Medium Tank equivalent, yet manages to have both these.

== Malcador Annihilator ==

[[File:Malcador side.jpg|right|250px|thumb|A Malcador Annihilator. Those are some nasty guns, but only if the enemy is between 11 and 1 o'clock.]]

Like the [[Predator Tank|Predator]] variant of the same name, the Malcador Annihilator has a set of twin-linked lascannons in its turret, though unlike the Predator, these cannons can only turn 30 degrees to either side which would later come and bite it in the ass as its immobile main turret can also prove to be a problem in a chaotic engagement where the lines of battle interpenetrate and the foe's infantry or armor units can take advantage of the Malcador's [[Herp|limited firing arc.]] Oh yeah, it also mounts a [[Demolisher Cannon]] in its forward hull.

The Malcador tank could also be outfitted with a variety of upgrades and attachments, such as Camouflage Netting, Extra Armour Plating, an improved communications system, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, a mine sweeper, a pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber, rough terrain modifications, track guards, a Searchlight, and Smoke Launchers.

The Malcador Annihilator was originally conceived as a field modification carried out on battle-damaged or unfinished production hulls intended to "up-gun" the tank's weaponry and extend its battlefield utility. The pattern's detractors hold that the variant is a hybrid intended to carry out two roles, [[FAIL|neither of which it can fulfill with any real ability.]] The tank is simply too slow and too large to serve as a true "tank hunter" but is not large enough or heavily armed enough (due to the limited supply of shells for its Demolisher Cannon) to be matched against a true super-heavy tank like an Imperial Baneblade in open combat.

Additionally, the Malcador Annihilator also suffers the same fate as almost every other Malcador variant. <u>Its fucking engine.</u> As you already know, the Malcador's main engine plant, a thermic combustor design that is a variant for military use of a common pattern used in industrial and agricultural machinery across the human-settled galaxy, is underpowered in relation to the Malcador's sheer size and mass. This reduces its performance and provides very poor fuel efficiency. Combined this with its stupid design choice and general underpowered firepower for something its size and you will get the Imperial's equivalent of a [[Fail|wet lemon.]] Further exasperating its already shoddy military performance. Still, against other, more conventional armored vehicles when it is part of a larger offensive force, the Malcador Annihilator can still prove its worth in the hands of a skilled crew.

This is, literally, a blatant rip of the French [[Wikipedia:Char B1|Char B1]] heavy tank, though the B1 had an actual turret.

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== Malcador Defender ==

[[File:40287_ced12559c5afcb4ecd338345a4574d30.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Malcador Defender. When you can't pick between a [[Baneblade]] or a [[Colossus (tank)|Colossus]].]]

Recognizing that the mostly-fixed-forward turret was a problem, the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] thought up the Malcador Defender. The turret was given five [[heavy bolters]], each of which covers a roughly 90-degree arc, so the tank can shoot at least one and up to two heavy bolters at anything in any direction (in addition to the sponson weapons--lascannons, heavy stubbers, heavy flamers or autocannons). For anti-armor, they kept the hull-mounted Demolisher Cannon. These tanks were used to horrifying effect to defend breaches in the heretical lines during the Siege of [[Vraks]]. Due to this, the Malcador Defender is arguably (And ironically) the most effective of the Malcador tank variants. [[Lulz|It is more common in many Imperial armories than the standard heavy tank upon which it is based.]] [[YEEEAAAH!|*Cue G.I. Joe theme*]]

Due to the nature of its armaments, it is well-suited to close-quarters combat, trench warfare and urban warfare engagements. In this role, the Defender's Demolisher Cannon can be used against well-fortified positions and enemy strong-points, while its multiple Heavy Bolters can sweep areas for hidden infantry and defend the tank from a close assault. Although the Malcador Defender is very cramped, fitting a large crew of 8 into its tightly-packed and blazingly hot hull, it is as prone to engine problems as the other variants of the Malcador tank, and its battlefield role means that it seldom operates far from support or resupply. This can mitigate the design's inherent problems and its firepower and considerable protection can make it a valuable asset to Imperial forces for both offensive and defensive engagements.

The Malcador Defender can be outfitted with a variety of upgrades and attachments, such as Camouflage Netting, Extra Armour Plating, an improved communications system, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, a mine sweeper, a pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber, rough terrain modifications, track guards, a Searchlight, and Smoke Launchers.

If their armor/hull was just a little thicker all the way around, imagine what they could do against Tyranids or footslogging Orks. With the 6th and 7th editions, maybe they can now. Given their fluff cheapness to mass produce (the Malcador and probably this variant and the annihilator, that is) and therefore it's common use in PDFs and the Tyranids coming...hmmm.

Since it's so dang cheap despite its size (likely due to lacking complex shit like a turret and inertia dampener for a too-big-for-the-turret cannon, so it's really just a metal frame with armored slaps nailed to it) the Imperial Guard should make much more use of it as an Infantry Tank. Emperor knows they could use it. Imagine if those heavy bolters were replaced with plasma cannons and the sponsons with assault cannons. Or autocannons on top and heavy flamers on the sides.

Much as the Annihilator is a OC of the Char B1, the Defender is an obvious rip-off of the Mark VIII. Due to this fact, it's rather surprising the Kriegers don't love them.

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== Malcador Infernus ==
[[File:Malcador_infernus_wip_2.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Behold, one of the worst designed vehicles of the Imperium. Even the [[Dreadknight]] is more practical than this hunk of shit. Just get a normal Hellhound instead. Though god help if you do end up in front of it: that's still a Titan gun!]]

It's an Inferno Cannon taken from a [[Titan (Warhammer 40,000)|Titan]] and mounted on a tank. The Malcador Infernus variant has been mostly replaced by the faster and more reliable [[Hellhound]] in front-line Imperial Guard regiments. When the tech-priests realized that they had run out of room for fuel tanks, they decided to put them in a trailer towed behind the tank. [[FATAL|In retrospect, this was not one of their smarter designs]] though in their defense a few real world tank designers did this as well. Though it has a longer range and higher strength than the mini-Inferno Cannon used by the [[Hellhound]], it has the unreliable engine (compared to the Fast Hellhound), a hull-mounted primary weapon which is disastrously impractical especially for such a close range weapon and has a tendency to explode when catastrophically damaged.

Some Infernus tank crews will use corrosive chemicals as their ammunition instead of Promethium, turning the Malcador Infernus into an oversized [[Bane Wolf]] on steroids. The vehicle is also armed with two sponson-mounted weapons, one on each side. These weapons can be either Heavy Stubbers, Heavy Flamers, Heavy Bolters, Lascannons, or Autocannons. The Malcador Infernus tank can be outfitted with a variety of upgrades and attachments, such as Camouflage Netting, Extra Armour Plating, an improved communications system, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, a pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber, rough terrain modifications, track guards, a Searchlight, and Smoke Launchers.

Immolating enemies is not the only thing the Infernus can do. The massive gout of flames launched from the Inferno Gun is also effective at clearing mines, the sudden heat detonating mine fuses and making large areas safe much quicker than alternative methods.

By the time of the [[Horus Heresy]] many Malcador tanks had been relegated to strategic reserves and second line Imperial Army units, replaced by newer and more powerful designs, although the demands of the galaxy-wide civil war soon brought them back into the fray, while their availability saw them used as test-beds for a variety of new variants designed to plug gaps in supply and resource. During the [[Great Crusade]] and Horus Heresy eras, the elite [[Solar Auxilia]] employed the Malcador Infernus in specialist reserves held at the Cohort level. They were generally deployed to lead advances against enemy forces occupying especially dense terrain, such as trench lines, city ruins or heavily forested areas.

[[Cheese|Do note that this thing is cheese incarnate. You can even upgrade to chem munitions, an S3 AP2 Poisoned(2+) Armourbane hellstorm template that will cover those Terminators in a fine glaze of cheddar.]] With supreme luck you can even pen a Land Raider.

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== Minotaur Artillery Tank ==

[[File:509859.JPG|right|250px|thumb|The Minotaur AKA ''My Anus is a Cannon!'']]

The Minotaur is a rare self-propelled artillery piece used by the armed forces of the [[Imperium of Man]] that can trace its origins back to the [[Great Crusade]] and maybe [[Dark Age of Technology|even earlier.]] The Minotaur was designed as a forward deployment fire support vehicle, and this is proven by the Minotaur's outfitting with an unusual amount of heavy armor and the vehicle's extreme durability.

Some [[Tech-priest]] thought it would be a good idea to take a Malcador chassis (though it could be based on what appears to be an earlier variant, or the original chassis design) and mount two [[Earthshaker]] cannons on it. The cannons are so large that it had to be mounted backwards in order for the tank to remain balanced and not dig into the dirt (this happened in real life with the Archer tank destroyer). Even though it looks goofy, and still has an unreliable engine, this design choice makes it the only tank [[Lulz|stronger in the rear than in the front,]] leaving it less vulnerable to [[Deep Strike|deep-striking]] assault troops. [[FATAL|That and the fact that it can deliver what amounts to a shot from a twin-linked ''basilisk'' point-blank.]] It probably would have been a better idea to put this configuration on a [[Macharius Heavy Tank]] instead, though.

When it needs to move again, it simply drives out forwards through the path it had already made for itself. The Minotaur's deck layout is also unusual, as everything from the engine and drive systems to the weapon and ammunition storage is spaced out evenly over the entire superstructure. The primary weapon system, a massive Twin-linked Earthshaker Cannon, is housed in a wide, centralized axis point, and features a complex hydraulic recoil suppression system. The centralized positioning of the weapon system allows the artillery piece to remain stable while firing its weapons even when positioned on difficult terrain.

The Minotaur is not armed with any other weapons but can be upgraded with a Pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or a Storm Bolter. Despite this, Forge World has given it 2 Heavy Bolters in 8th Edition, likely because they just doubled the weapons of a Basilisk. I guess it has sponsons now?

During the 41st Millennium the Minotaur is a rare relic of war that very few will ever see, with the number of Forge Worlds capable of producing them having dropped steadily over the last millennia. With the steady replacement of this vehicle by the Basilisk, the Minotaur may soon become just another casualty of war. Although it is rumored like always that the Minotaur is stockpiled by those greedy fucks in the thousands inside of Departmento Munitorum storehouses, only specialized siege companies of the Imperial Guard will ever get to deploy their awesome firepower.

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== Valdor Tank Hunter ==

[[File:496832.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The Valdor. For those who want to turn those pesky [[Monolith|Monoliths]] inside out.]]

This variant was not named for Malcador, but for Constantin Valdor, Captain-General of the [[Adeptus Custodes]] during the [[Great Crusade]] and [[Horus Heresy]]. The Valdor tank mounts a Neutron Laser that somehow causes an electromagnetic pulse in tanks it shoots (it's an electrolaser, although the EMP is an afterthought for an already powerful laser weapon), but also risks getting damaged by the feedback if it misses. Because there wasn't enough room in the tank to put shielding around the reactor that powers the laser, the tank is more prone to catastrophic damage and its crew is at an increased risk of getting [[cancer]]. Not that the Imperium cares about tank crews' health.

Initial production runs were channeled to the elite [[Solar Auxilia]], in particular those cohorts operating against foes equipped with heavy tanks or in the case of the myriad xenos enemies still infesting the stars, tank analogues.

While not yet in common use (at that time), Imperial logisticians had projected that its services were likely to be required in ever greater numbers (Oh how they are ''wrong'' given the circumstance of the 41st Millennium), especially where Loyalist Solar Auxilia were called upon to fight the Traitor Legiones Astartes and the heavy armored vehicles they had ready access to. Ancient records found at the Scholastica Bellicose on the planet Mordia show that the Valdor Tank Hunter was most widely used during the [[Great Scouring]] after the Heresy, when the Imperium led the great counter-attack against the Traitor Legions, driving them all the way to the [[Eye of Terror]].

Of all the variants, the Valdor is perhaps the rarest and most expensive of them all. As a result, they are rarely deployed amongst the Imperial Guard's armored regiments. The 1st Cadian Armored Regiment, which helped to defend the Imperial Fortress World of [[Cadia]] in the Cadian Gate, possesses a total of only ''5 Valdor tanks''. During the Siege of Vraks the 88th Siege Army's intelligence officers believed that there was no more than 30 Valdor tanks stored inside of Vraks Prime's vast Departmento Munitorum storehouses, and these tanks were not utilised by the Vraksian Traitor Militia until much later in that infamous meat grinder.

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== Dracosan Armoured Transport ==

[[File:Dracosan.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The Dracosan is also known as the [[-4 Str|roided-up]] [[Chimera]].]]

A Heavy Troop Carrier built on the Malcador hull, the Dracosan was the foremost troop transport for the Imperial Army in the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. It was large enough to accommodate twenty troops, and heavily armored enough to protect them from intense enemy fire. Its protection was greater than the ubiquitous [[Rhino]] and it is equipped with either a powerful twin-linked lascannon or a mighty demolisher cannon at the expense of some of its transport capacity.

The Dracosan was a common sight in the 30th Millennium, being manufactured under compact by several dozen Forge Worlds across the Imperium to standards only usually required of war machines destined for service with the Legiones Astartes. A heavily armed and armored carrier, the Dracosan was large enough to accommodate a fully strength Solar Auxilia Infantry Tercio of twenty auxiliaries, and heavily armored enough to protect them from all but the most intense of enemy fire. Being intended for service in hostile environments and even the void of space, the Dracosan needed to be absolutely air-tight as not to endanger the lives of its passengers and crew.

Equipped with a fearsome array of weapons of its own, the Dracosan could steadfastly defend itself against enemy counter-attack and pound enemy positions to dust before the auxiliaries disembarked to storm what remained of their objective. Given the necessary resources and expenditures to build such an exceptional vehicle, the Dracosan was employed almost exclusively by forces configured in the Solar Auxilia pattern, whether these "regular" Excertus Imperialis units or other forces following the same order of battle, such as the household troops of certain Rogue Traders Militant or, occasionally, the elite retainers of high status Imperial Commanders.

Unfortunately, unlike most Malcador variants, the Mechanicus suddenly went [[Derp|full retard]] and forgot, for the most part, how to construct these things.

== 8th Edition ==
GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE! The Malcador is now actually somewhat good! Now occupying the Heavy Support slot instead of being a Lord of War (with the exception of the Valdor Tank Hunter), Malcadors share most of the Leman Russ' stats, with the exception of a +6 bonus to Wounds and +1 Leadership (woo?). In addition, apparently Big Bobby G. reminded the AdMech how to fix the damned engines, so they move just fine now, and with the elimination of weapon facing, the clunky turret design is no longer an issue. However, they can not be taken in Squadrons and have Forge World's inferior version of Grinding Advance, which simply eliminates the BS penalty for firing the Demolisher cannon that the Annihilator and Defender carry. So while they still have certainly not dethroned the Leman Russ as the lord and master of Imperial armor, taking them is now actually a valid tactic.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Image:Lemalcador.jpg|Someone managed to fix the Malcador by kit-bashing it with a Russ. <s>Why on Terra the Mechanicus doesn't do the same is anyone's guess</s> {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|Modifying tech is ''HERESY''!}}
</gallery>

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Macharius Heavy Tank

2019-05-21T14:22:23Z

2600:1006:B110:124D:D8A2:1357:1755:6D24: /* Macharius Vulcan */

[[Image:MachariusTankArt.jpg|thumb|500px|Double [[Battle Cannon]], all the way across the battlefield. What does it mean? Lots of pain for the enemies of the [[Imperium]], that's what.]]
{{topquote|What I cannot crush with words I will crush with the tanks of the Imperial Guard!|Lord Solar Macharius}}

The '''Macharius Heavy Tank''' is a family of heavy tanks employed by the [[Imperium of Man]], named for [[Lord Solar Macharius]], one of the [[Imperium]]'s finest generals. The pattern itself is actually much older.

It is part of a class of tanks known as "second-generation [[Baneblade]]s" -- since the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] keeps a very tight hold on the Baneblade [[STC]] patterns, supply is extremely limited. Other [[Forge World]]s try to fill the gap in super-heavy tank demand by building heavy tanks of the Macharius and [[Malcador (Tank)|Malcador]] families. Though it is less durable and possesses less firepower than the Baneblade, it is also substantially less expensive [[Things Forge World loves|(in the fluff)]] and more common. Since General [[Vance Motherfucking Stubbs]] discovered that large quantities of Baneblades are prone to going missing, armies that needs lots of tanks (e.g. the [[Death Korps of Krieg]]) tend to use tanks like these.

In appearance and operation, the Macharius is the big brother of the [[Leman Russ Battle Tank]] -- each of the main weapons available to the Macharius chassis is the equivalent of one of the Russ variants. The options for the sponson- and pintle-mounted weapons are also similar.

== Macharius Heavy Tank ==
[[File:Machariusbc.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Macharius Heavy Tank.]]
The main standard variant of the Macharius line of tanks. The Macharius Heavy Tank as you can already imagine, cannot hope to match the [[Baneblade]] in firepower, armor, engine performance or advanced logic-engines due to its smaller size and fewer weapons. Despite these failings it is still a powerful heavy tank and a ''whole load more useful'' than that [[Malcador Heavy Tank|silly looking Malcador;]] to reiterate what has been said before, the Macharius carries very thick frontal armor and twin synchronized Battle Cannons in its main turret. Secondary fire comes in the form of a hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Stubber and two sponson-mounted Heavy Stubbers, although the latter can be switched out for Heavy Flamers or Heavy Bolters. Some tanks will also carry a pintle-mounted Storm Bolter or Heavy Stubber and/or a single Hunter-Killer Missile.

The tank requires a large crew to operate, with the commander, gunner and two loaders in the turret, while the hull seats the driver, comms-operator/heavy stubber gunner, and two sponson gunners, totaling of up to 8 or 9 crew members.

As is common in WH40K, the fluff does not equal the crunch. While the regular Macharius is meant to be a baseline heavy tank, in terms of price efficiency, it struggles competing with its Leman Russ counterpart in terms of sheer utility. A twin-linked battle cannon may sound appealing, but without a Heavy 2 buff, twin-linked sponson weapons, or a modest price reduction, at the end of the day the Macharius is really little more than a bigger, more expensive Russ with twin-linked, with no other gimmicks going for it.
That said, twin-linked weapons alone have stolen victory from the jaws of defeat on more than on a few occasions so the call is yours. ''Frankly, running some psykers with your Russes will do the job for cheaper.''

== Macharius Vanquisher ==
[[File:Macharius_vanquisher.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Macharius Vanquisher.]]

The Macharius Vanquisher is armed with twin-linked Vanquisher Cannons in the main turret. While rarer and harder to manufacture than battle cannons, they are capable of using special anti-tank shells in addition to normal munitions. Fired at very high velocities, the anti-tank shells can penetrate even the thickest of armor, turning this variant into a potent tank hunter. The Macharius Vanquisher features the same secondary weapons as the original with the ability to mount an additional pintle weapon and/or hunter-killer missile.

In contrast to its counterpart, the [[Malcador Heavy Tank#Malcador Annihilator|Malcador Annihilator]], the Macharius Vanquisher is superior in almost every way. Even though the Malcador has that sweet ass twin-linked Lascannons, its unreliable engine, underwhelming armor, lack of a proper turret and disappointing side weaponry means that pound for pound, the Macharius Vanquisher offers more bang for your buck without the hassle of being immobilized because of [[Bullshit|''reasons''.]]

Out of all the Macharius tanks, this is possibly one of the most popular due to the power of the Vanquisher Cannons and the fact that it is a heavy tank which means it is far more sturdier than the common Leman Russ Vanquisher which is important since these big ass vehicles are going to be a giant bullet magnet on tabletop.

The Macharius equivalent of the Leman Russ Vanquisher. When you want a Macharius, this is the one you want 60% of the time. While the Russ's [[Imperial Ordnance#Vanquisher Cannon|Vanquisher Cannon]] is a pure tank hunter (no blast), the Macharius is large enough to carry a second rack of shells that have no extra armor-piercing effect but are 2d6 S8 Ap-2. So in effect the Macharius Vanquisher is more of an honest-to-Emprah heavy Main Battle Tank than the regular Macharius; capable of engaging any enemy on the ground effectively and is ''damn'' hard to kill.

== Macharius Vulcan ==
[[Image:99590105320_Machariuswithvulcanmegabolters01.jpg|250px|thumb|Macharius Vulcan.]]
The Macharius Vulcan mounts the infamous [[Dakka|Vulcan Mega-Bolter]] in its main turret, a fearsome weapon normally found on [[Titan (Warhammer 40,000)|Imperial Titans.]] Firing thousands of rounds per minute, the Vulcan is a highly-effective anti-infantry platform, able to sweep clear trench systems and suppress enemy heavy weapons teams. Since the mega-bolter is fed by a high-speed autoloader, the Macharius Vulcan requires only a crew of six, using the space previously taken up by the two loaders for more ammunition. The lack of penetrative power against fortified targets limits the tank's usage (if only they could use Kraken Bolts), while its main drawback is limited internal storage space.

Able to carry only twenty seconds worth of continuous fire, this monster eats through bullets like a [[Neckbeard]] dining on some [[Meatbread]]. Thus, most crews will fill the tank's stowage bin with extra ammunition and strap on additional ammunition crates to the hull with [[FAIL|predictable]] [[FATAL|results.]] The Macharius 'Vulcan' features the same secondary weapons as the original with the ability to mount an additional pintle weapon and/or hunter-killer missile.

[[Tl;dr]], it is basically a discount [[Stormlord]] that may actually be [[Wat|''superior'']] than its larger counterpart due to the presence of an actual turret, cheaper price and smaller profile. Which then begs the question on why can't the Stormlord afford an actual turret. If the smaller Macharius is able to successfully put a Vulcan mega-bolter on a periscope turret, then surely a much larger tank should be able to do the job just as well.

For when you need 2s to kill space marines. [[rape|With 30 dice.]] When you want a Macharius, this is the one you want the other 40% of the time. Where the Leman Russ Punisher uses non-armor-piercing [[autogun]] shells, the Macharius Vulcan mounts the massive [[Bolter#Vulcan Mega Bolter|Vulcan Mega Bolter]], normally a [[Titan (Warhammer 40,000)|Titan]]-mounted weapon. Can fire its Vulcan Mega Bolter [[dakka|twice at the same target]] if the tank does not move. That's 30 shots at S6 AP3, and you're always going to be in range at 60".

== Macharius Omega ==
[[File:MachariusOmega.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Macharius Omega.]]

Rules.
[https://i.imgur.com/nxF2IeH.png]

You thought the Leman Russ Executioner's [[Plasma#Plasma Cannon|Plasma Cannon]] was bad? The Omega mounts an even bigger gun -- it can fire like the Executioner's gun with a longer range and larger blast. The Macharius Omega is a relatively new addition to the Imperial arsenal, armed with a mighty Omega-pattern Plasma Blastgun. The Omega-pattern Plasma Blastgun, unlike the Ryza-pattern found on Imperial Titans, is a more compact design that is easier to manufacture. The [[STC]] for this weapon was originally discovered by Explorator-Magus Hum’nal in late M39, but a Mechanicus schism over the purity and completeness of its template delayed the testing and eventual deployment of the Omega pattern weapon for centuries.

While this allows it to be mounted on smaller vehicles, it is also highly unstable and more prone to overheating than its larger cousin, which may be why the thing is open toped. The comparable ease with which the Macharius Omega can be manufactured and maintained has more then overcome its shortcomings in the eyes of the Departmento Munitorum, and large quantities of resources have been devoted to the [[Forgeworld|forge worlds]] which produce them such as Lucius, Hellgrace and Dynax Primus. Subsequently, the Omega has proven its worth on the battlefield of Orask, Nicanodes and in counter assaults against the [[Tyranids]] on the Sable Nebula. Still, despite being more stable on a whole, trying to overcharge fire a single "Maximal" blast with even more range, an even bigger blast, and the strength of a [[Lascannon]] will have the risk of suffering a Meltdown if it shoots that way (similar to Gets Hot but with D3 lost hullpoints), so it is best to apply a [[Trojan Support Vehicle|Trojan]] and [[Enginseer]] to prevent catastrophic self-destruction.

Other differences with the Macharius Omega is the removal of the hull-mounted Heavy Stubbers, while the sponsons can mount Heavy Bolters, Heavy Stubbers or Autocannons. It is similarly able to carry a pintle-mounted Heavy Stubber or Storm Bolter and/or a single Hunter-Killer Missile.

All in all, it is basically the [[Baneblade#Stormblade|Stormblade's]] little brother.

Unfortunately, if you want a Macharius Omega now you're gonna have to either convert it or buy it used, as Forge World [[Rage|axed it from their product line]]. You can buy it if your willing to front the costs of producing 10 models.

== What's next? ==
Considering that [[Games Workshop]] seems intent on making the Macharius tank as a compromise between the Leman Russ and the Baneblade, it is worth wondering what new patterns might yet be released. Particularly in light of the new daemon engines that Chaos are getting and the half-ass Baneblades that the SM are getting ret-conned into their arsenals, the IG might need some balancing firepower. Might a Siege Macharius with extra armor standard with heavy flamer/multi-melta sponsons and twin linked demolisher cannons or a heavy anti-aircraft tank with ten twin-linked autocannons be around the corner? Or maybe Forge World will finally give us a model for the mythical Dominus. Because who doesn't love 3 s10 ap3 5" marine-nomming blasts? Stay tuned...

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Macharius Vanquisher.jpg|Its like the Leman Russ Vanquisher, but better.
Image:MmuyQ.jpg|It is as powerful as it is mindnumbingly rare to find.
</gallery>

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