Editing Warhammer 40,000/9th Edition Tactics/Adeptus Mechanicus (section)

===Heavy Support===

*'''Kastelan Robots''': More slot-efficient than the Dunecrawler, as you can get 6 in a unit. (Spamming them is a trap though, since they're extremely vulnerable in the Fight phase; 2-4 is enough.) They still have the same Monstrous Creature statline, can reflect guns back at their shooter (for a Mortal Wound now), and are fast (8") but relatively expensive (85ppm).  They rock a 5++ against ranged attacks that, on a nat 6, inflicts a mortal wound on the shooting unit, so there may be situations where you'd rather take the invuln than the better armor save, in the hopes of dealing a mortal wound.
**Worse than a properly equipped (Neutron Laser and 2 Cognis Heavy Stubbers) Onager Dunecrawler at shooting ''everything'', but better in melee.  However, radically easier to buff, since a nearby Datasmith lets them count as {{W40Kkeyword|core}}.
**They do make an incredibly good [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|Distraction Canifex]].  
**Alternative opinion: Spam all you want! The fact that 9th edition allows vehicles to shoot at units they are in melee with means your bots can flame and light up your targets with ease. Just be wary of anything that can "robot rock" your bots into the ground in a single melee phase. They can't shoot shit if they're already dead.
*:<tabs><tab name = "Aegis Protocol">Sv2+, the Protocol that the robots enter the battle in.</tab><!--
--><tab name = "Protector Protocol">Great for shooting, bumping up their BS to 3+ but banning them from moving. It's recommended if you are going shooty, deck them out with triple phosphor.</tab><!--
--><tab name = "Conqueror Protocol">WS2+ and re-roll charges. If you are going punchy, get Fists and the Incendine Combustor. Kastelan Fists in melee will punch holes in virtually anything, so consider fists if you live for the image of your robots ripping tanks in half.</tab><!--
--><tab name = "Kastelan Fist">Your base CCW is A3 WS4+ S6 AP0 D1, improving to WS2+ under Conqueror Protocol.  Each arm can mount a Fist instead of a gun.  The first arm will bring you to A4 WS4+/2+ S10 AP-3 D3 and the second will up that to A5, so the second arm is a lot less useful than the first.</tab><!--
--><tab name = "Kastelan Phosphor Blaster">Instead of a fist, each arm can take a gun, which is 24" Heavy 3 S6 AP-1 D2, Ignores Dense Cover.</tab><!--
--><tab name = "Heavy Phosphor Blaster">The longer-ranged shoulder weapon, clocking in at 36" Heavy 3 S6 AP-2 D1, Ignores Dense Cover.  Incapable of hitting anything as hard as the Combustor does, but can shoot things much farther away.  Take this with arm phosphors for maximum long-range murder.</tab><!--
--><tab name = "Incendine Combustor">The shorter-ranged shoulder weapon, clocking in at 12" Heavy 1d6 S5 AP-2 D1, Automatically Hits.</tab><!--
--><tab name = "Notes">A critical difference here between {{W40kKeyword|LUCIUS}} and {{W40kKeyword|Stygies VIII}} when deep striking is that the former deep strikes in after it's too late to change Protocols outside of Binharic Override (costing a second CP for the unit), so unless you're willing to shell out the CP, you'll be in Aegis Protocol on the turn you arrive. Be certain if you do this that they are where you need them to be for the rest of the battle, as they will no longer be able to move.</tab><!--
--></tabs>
*'''[[Onager Dunecrawler]]''': Your best bet at dealing with heavy armor, and with plenty of solid options for the '''Turret'''. They come with a 3+/5++. They can no longer squadron, so taking a few will eat your Heavy Support slots. Very cheap at 100 pts per model for what it brings.
**While the Skorpius Disintegrator may have greater shooting utility, volume, and consistency, the Onager has the durability, due to the disintegrator lacking an invulnerable save. Additionally, it can babysit your backline ranger units and provide the {{W40kKeyword|DATA-TETHER}} keyword.
**Each Dunecrawler can choose 1 turret weapon, either Smoke Launchers or a Broad Spectrum Data-Tether, and can take an optional extra cognis heavy stubber.
*:<tabs><tab name="Daedalus Missile Launcher, Gatling Rocket Launcher, and Twin Icarus Autocannon">All weapons are range 48", type Heavy, and get +1 to hit {{W40kKeyword|Aircraft}}. Heavy 1 S7 AP-3 D1d6, Heavy 5 S6 AP-2 D1, and Heavy 4 S7 AP-1 D2, respectively.</tab><!--
--><tab name="Eradication Beamer">36" Heavy 1d6 S8 AP-3 D2, Blast, and can change profiles for 18" but AP-4 and D3.  D6 shots is quite random, but blast does help it a bit. On average it will fare decently well against both vehicles and infantry. S8 means it will wound t4 targets on a 2+, and t7 vehicles on a 3+ (same as the Neutron Laser). The dissipated beam is rather interesting in an anti-MEQ role, punishing non-MSU squads due to AP-3 D2 at 36" range. The focused beam became more reliable as well, cranking up AP and Damage one point further to a potent AP-4 D3. Begone TEQ and light vehicles! A*D averages against the three Blast targets:  7/8/12 at long range, 10.5/12/18 at close range.</tab><!--
--><tab name="Neutron Laser and Cognis Heavy Stubber">48" Heavy 1d3 S12 AP-4 D1d3+3, Blast and 36" Assault 4 S4 AP0 D1, respectively. The Neutron Laser's average A*D is 10/15, and is usually your best gun against anything in the game. Always remember: you only receive 1d3 shots, make them count! Consider using an [[Enginseer]] to awaken the machine-spirit and keep the Dunecrawler in its top bracket. ''Without my Enginseer, my Neutron Laser is useless. Without my Neutron Laser, my Enginseer useless. I must fire my Neutron Laser true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me.''</tab><!--
--><tab name="Twin Onager Heavy Phosphor Blaster">8 shots at S6 AP-2 D2 and ignoring dense cover is good for deleting MEQ units, not a bad choice by any means.</tab><!--
--><tab name= "Cognis Heavy Stubber">A straight-up addition, now free, so take it. This is the one that the Skitarii is firing from out of the hatch in the pintle mount and is separate from the Neutron Laser weapon option (which includes another cognis stubber coaxially mounted to the Neutron Laser). At 36" range it will rarely be out of targets. You're mounting it on a t7 3+/5++ chassis that has easy access to repairs, as well as numerous other defensive buffs, it will last a while to get its shots off.</tab><!--
--><tab name= "Broad Spectrum Data-Tether">Gives one forge world {{W40kKeyword|SKITARII CORE}} unit within 6" +1 LD. More importantly, it grants the selected Skitarii unit the {{W40kKeyword|DATA-TETHER}} keyword. Great addition for a backline Crawler that can babysit your Ranger units.</tab><!--
--><tab name= "Smoke Launchers"> Gives your Crawler the {{W40kKeyword|SMOKESCREEN}} keyword. Consider the alternative, a Broad-Spectrum Data Tether.</tab><!--
--></tabs>
* '''[[Skorpius Hover Tank|Skorpius Disintegrator]]''': If it’s mobile firepower you’re after, you’ll want the Skorpius Disintegrator. You can choose one of two turret options, but both come baseline with 3 Cognis heavy stubbers and a prow-mounted disruptor missile launcher that packs a highly explosive wallop: 36” Heavy d6 S7 AP-2 Dd3, Blast. Random attack volume and damage make it unpredictable but it is a ''decent'' weapon nonetheless. It also comes with a broad spectrum data-tether and imperatives. It has the exact same stats as the Skorpius Dunerider, except for an additional point of toughness (T7). 
**Probably the most critical difference when deciding between this and the Dunecrawler is the invuln save, or rather lack thereof on the Disintegrator. So in summary, the Disintegrator has better firepower for the cost than the Dunecrawler but is less durable, which means it can be shot off the board dishearteningly quickly.  
*:<tabs><tab name="Ferrumite Cannon">48” Heavy 3 S8 AP-3 D3. An excellent option for reliably blasting chunks from enemy vehicles, monsters or elite, multi-wound infantry, thanks to no randomness in shots or damage. This weapon does statistically less damage than the dunecrawler's neutron laser, but don't forget your other guns: the dunecrawler is 125 for 2 stubbers and a neutron laser, but the disintegrator is 145 for 3 stubbers, a missile launcher, ''and'' the ferrumite cannon.  That means a Dunecrawler is more efficient against T8+ or targets with very good saves, while a Disintegrator with a Ferrumite is better against medium targets - typically T4-T7 with a 4+ or worse save or T3 with a 3+ or worse save.</tab><!--
--><tab name="Belleros Energy Cannon">36” Heavy 3D3 S5 AP-1 D2, Blast, can hit things out of LOS, making this a waste of your time because none of the tank's other guns can ignore LOS and the BEC isn't worth the cost if you're going to hide this thing behind terrain and lob pot-shots.  </tab><!--
--></tabs>