Editing Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Skitarii (section)

===Heavy Support===
*'''Ironstrider Ballistarii''' - If you were thinking about using Dragoons for shooting, you might want to consider this as a superior alternative. They come with Twin-Linked Cognis Autocannons and the ''Precision Shots'' rule instead. You may replace the Autocannons with Cognis Lascannons if you want to go tank or TEQ hunting. Ballistarii are still blisteringly fast with Dunestrider and Crusader, but they don't have the incense cloud to protect them, so keep them at arm's length from your opponent, preferably obscured behind their own cover.
**In a pinch these could be used as fast moving Anti-Aircraft platforms. With Twin-Linked Cognis weapons at BS2, they have a ~55% chance of landing a hit on an enemy flyer, which is better than anything with BS3 & Skyfire, and since you get Lascannons a single hit is far more likely to down a vehicle in one shot than the Autocannons or Flakk Missiles you'll find everywhere else. This also leads to very accurate overwatch, but how the fuck did you let the enemy get that close to you?
** The ballistarii are the weakest unit you have in terms of survivability (Coming from an army of T3 models).  Tall, AV11 all around, no save of any kind, Open-topped, and your opponent WILL want them dead.  If you use them, keep them as far back as you can.  The Ironstrider Cavaliers formation negates this just a bit by allowing you to shoot through some Dragoons without giving your target cover and allowing your big guns some...but only a 5+ and a bad Outflank roll could leave you in a bad spot. Then again, that bad Outflank roll is very unlikely, since Acute Senses grant a reroll.
**The Ironstrider Ballistarii is presented as a cheaper alternative to the Onager Dunecrawler, trading survivability and CQC epicness for speed and balls-out firepower. A Ballistarii with a lascannon will run you 75 points, in comparison to a Dunecrawler with Neutron laser, which will cost 115 points; a 4 man squad of lascannon ballistari will be overall cheaper than a squad of 3 Neutron Dunecrawlers and have about the same anti-tank capability at the same range. While lascannons are slightly weaker than neutron lasers, lascannons don't scatter and these are cognis AND twin-linked. It's probably best to take the Ballistari against fast, but weak vehicles (Orks, Space Marines Dark Eldar) and Dunecrawlers against strong vehicles (Tau, Imperial Guard, Eldar). If you're dealing with infantry of any kind, Sydonian Dragoons trump both vehicles.
*'''Onager Dunecrawler''' - The bastard child of a Deff Dread and Defiler, the Onager is a big, ugly, heavy weapons platform above all else. They have a special ability in that they all have a 6++ save, which gets boosted by 1 up to a 4++ for every other Onager within 4" that is in the same unit. It can be kitted out with the following weapons/items:
**'''Eradication Beamer''' - Stock weapon on the Onager and overall, not a bad one. It basically gives you a range of effectiveness and most armies would want to back away their strong, expensive units from your death walker tanks so they don't get hit with S10 AP1 zaps. And if those nasty units are not getting close to your squishy metal humies, your dudes survive longer!
**'''Cognis Heavy Stubber''' - comes as a package deal with the Neutron Laser, as well as being a purchasable upgrade, and makes for a nice albeit milquetoast support gun. Snap-firing at BS2 is nothing to sneeze at, though.
**'''Icarus Anti-Air Array''' - Still decently effective against ground targets for a 125pt anti-air rape machine, you get ''all three'' of the guns described in the Icarus array above--aren't you so lucky? Priciest of the options, but fills a much-needed anti-air role otherwise absent from a stand-alone Skitarii list. Taking this means losing the ability to take Smoke Launchers, though, so at least pair up the Icarus Onagers for a 5++ Invul.
**'''Neutron Laser''' - Be wary of spending the 25pts for this upgrade because you're trading away the likelihood of reliable damage with the Eradication Beamer (if your opponent is insane or stupid enough to let it that close) for absolutely murderous damage (and a cognis heavy stubber!). Arguably the deadliest of the Onager's guns because of that straight S10 AP1 48" punch; if you're taking these, you don't need Ballistarii with lascannons, except as makeshift Anti-Air.
**'''Phosphor Blaster''' - Facing a lot of MEQs? This is a great fire support tool for your gunline for a bargain. Additionally, as long as 3 are alive and close together, 3 AV12 walkers stomping towards you should survive well enough for the price. Tau players will hate you for bringing these and melting their little battle suits.
*** Really, leave the Phosphor Blaster at home. 15 points ''and'' giving up the Eradication Beamer already stings, but once you see that Cult Mechanicus Castelans do the Phosphor thing way better, the gun looks out of place on an otherwise very cost-effective model.
*** While the above is partly true, the onager is still the best way to use HPB for its support role: with 15pts less than a single Kastelan you get a well rounded supporting machine, sporting the aforementioned HPB, a data tether, a mindscanner probe and a cognis heavy stubber for some lucky potshots. All the while, it has the possibility of going with multiple single model units and shooting fairly better than the Kastelans. Really is a matter of battleplan: you want to have some countercharging scary behemoths that can blast MEQ to kingdom come while nerfing any unit they cannot annihilate? Go Kastelan. Want to have a huge, vesatile, hard as bricks firebase with split fire? Go cohort cybernetica. Want just a way to make charges easier and prepare some camping pussies and jinking pansies for the storm of plasma/lighting arcs/anti-material transuranium rounds (getting the added benefits of +Ld1 and defensive grenades bubble)? Bring in 2-3 cheapish onagers as single units. If you lack the HS slots, just buy a couple more squads of Vanguards, you'll hardly regret it.
*** The Phosphor Blaster seems a weird choice at first but a possibly overlooked part is that it's twin linked and isn't a blast and so does not scatter, Combined with Imperatives it pulls its weight since it's going to struggle to miss its target already and even at lowered ballistic skill will still have a fair chance of hitting the target. It's arguably the most reliable weapon of all the onager guns and has the nice bonus of synergy with your other units (sicarians and dragoons re-roll charges, rangers vanguard and ironstriders worry less about camping carls making their cover saves).
**'''Cognis Manipulator''' - It's like a servo-arm...except it's on giant spidertanks and grants IWND. Sx2 (so S10) and AP1 on a 1 attack model. It is godly, but seems tuned for solo Onagers where not having a 4++ from buddies makes IWND a nice option. Painfully expensive though.
**'''Mindscanner Probe''' - This pretty much covers your lack of krak grenades.  If any enemy completes a charge against a friendly unit within 6" of your spidertank, they no longer get bonus attacks on the charge. Useful given how poorly Skitarii fare in Assault phases.
*** While the ''War Convocation'' Formation is already godly, what it does to the Onagers is unbelievable. You know the comments about the Cognis Manipulator being way too expensive to justify? Well, now you can get them for free! On a full unit! So not only does your wall of AV12 Walkers have a 4++, they also all have IWND and charge with 6 S10 AP2 Attacks total. You know, just in case whatever you shot with those Neutron Lasers happens to still be alive. Also pairs well with the Conqueror Imperatives, since BS isn't too important for their Blasts and WS6 on these guys looks really terrifying.