Codex: Transformers

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The following is a fan effort to incorporate the Transformers as an army in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game. With /tg/'s closet love for Transformers, I feel this is at least somewhat appropriate. And in reality, it's not really that difficult to shoehorn these guys into the fluff. Even better, you could use all the old toys as models!

The rules will follow G1 continuity the most, but supplements can be made for Beast Wars, Animated, Prime, the Unicron trilogy, or even the Michael Bayverse*BLAM* Heresy!

Any suggestions for rules, units, etc.? Please feel free to use the Discussion section to suggest it! Please do, these rules are very barebones, so community input and playtesting is mandatory.

Introduction

The biomechnical race known as the "transformers" have existed since time immemorial. Their origins have been lost to the reaches of time and space, never to be remembered again. Though their race is dwindling and their home world lost, they have eked out an existence for themselves in this galaxy. They now wander they galaxy gathering their energy source located on millions of planets, known as "energon."

Millennia before humanity's Age of Strife, eons before the Dark Age of Technology, the transformers waged an apocalyptic civil war on their mechanical home planet of Cybertron. The population was divided into two factions: the Autobots led by the valiant Optimus Prime, and the Decepticons led by the gladiator-turned-revolutionary Megatron. Though the Decepticons eventually pushed the Autobots out, the end result had incalculable losses. Millions of cybertronians perished, and the now dead planet of Cybertron was devoid of all its energon supplies. Realing from the scope of this tragedy, both Autobot and Decepticon scattered across the galaxy to look for more energon and secure the survival of their race.

What exactly happened after the end of the war is unclear and lost to the sands of time, but many senior transformers like Optimus and Megatron claim they took their battle to ancient Holy Terra. How viable these claims are is uncertain, but the Imperial Inquisition will never say that Holy Terra itself was once the stomping ground from a civil war among xenos.

Records are again lost of what happened to the transformers race in the meantime between their civil war and the Great Crusade. It is suggested they adopted a nomadic lifestyle and wandered the Galaxy, occasionally squabbling with each other. What we do know, however, is that the opening of the Eye of Terror reawakened something. Something so catastrophic and evil that it would make an Imperial Exterminatus fleet pause. Even the most diabolical of cybertronians would reconsider whispering its name; Unicron, the Chaos Bringer, the transforming planet that devours entire worlds. Both Imperial authorities and Traitor Legions alike are unsure what exactly Unicron is. Theories range from lost Dark Age technology, a minor Chaos God physically manifested, or even a renegade C'tan shard. His location is unknown, though some daemon worlds within the Eye of Terror are known to vanish without a trace. It is possible Unicron wishes for a place at the table of the Dark Gods, and he is gathering power as we speak.

Though with the coming of darkness, there is light. The spiraling Warp energy somehow reignited the snuffed Spark of Primus; the core of the transformer homeworld Cybertron. Now new cybertronians are being born, and the Autobots and Decepticons now have a reason to fight once again. A mass exodus is underway to reclaim the planet, or at least defend it from outside forces.

Special Rules, Warlord Traits, Etc.

• Biomechanical Organism
  • Transforming is a fundamental part of cybertronian biology. Even in their earliest days, cybertronians could transform from a bipedal humanoid form to an alternate vehicle mode. The vehicles come in all shapes in sizes, but they all give a distinct advantage in combat. Any model or unit with this special rule can choose to transform from a Primary or Alternative form at the beginning of the Movement Phase. You must declare what unit or model is transforming one at a time. Each unit or model with this special rule has an alternate stateline in their profile. You may choose during deployment or if they're in Reserves what form a unit or model starts in. If you choose to transform, it must follow these guidelines:
    • They must stay in that transformed mode until the beginning of the next friendly Movement Phase.
    • If a unit with this special rule chooses to transform, the whole unit must do so. In addition, if they choose to transform into a vehicular mode, then they count as a vehicle squadron for that turn.
    • If the model is locked into combat as a vehicle, then it cannot attack back unless stated. It must instead wait until the next fight sub phase in order to transform to its Primary form to attack back. Otherwise, it can ram and tank-shock as normal.
    • If a vehicle squadron takes 25% casualties in the Shooting Phase or looses an Assault Phase, they must test Leadership using the leadership value later in their Primary profile. If they fail their test, they must move their full speed back and attempt to move Flat Out
• Alignment:
  • Autobot: If your Warlord has this special rule, then it cannot have any units with the Decepticon alignment in the same detachment.
  • Decepticon: If your Warlord has this special rule, then it cannot have any units with the Autobot alignment in the same detachment.

Warlord Traits

• 1. Armored Flesh: The Warlord receives a 4+ invulnerable save. If your Warlord already has an invulnerable save, then they receive +1 to that save.
• 2. Indomitable Will: The Warlord and any units within "18 of the Warlord receive the Stubborn special rule.
• 3. Master of Logic:: Warlord and d3+1 units gain the Outflank and Acute Senses special rules
• 4. Crafted by Unicron: Warlord's melee weapon receives one of the following special rules on a d3 roll. However, your Warlord must issue and accept challenges.
  • 1. Master-Crafted
  • 2. Shred
  • 3. Concussive
• 5. Mechanical Master: Warlord may choose to transform again at the end of the Psychic Phase with no penalty.
• 6. Unstoppable Construct: Warlord receives the Rage and Zealot special rules.

Armory

Weapon Table	Range	S	AP	Type
Energon Blaster	24"	5	5	Assault 2

Allies Matrix

	Transformers: Autobots	Transformers: Decepticons
Imperium	Allies of Convenience	Desperate Allies
Chaos Daemons	Come the Apocalypse	Come the Apocalypse
Chaos Space Marines	Desperate Allies	Allies of Convenience
Dark Eldar	Desperate Allies	Battle Brothers
Eldar	Allies of Convenience	Desperate Allies
Harlequins	Allies of Convenience	Allies of Convenience
Necrons	Come the Apocalypse	Come the Apocalypse
Orks	Desperate Allies	Desperate Allies
Tau Empire	Battle Brothers	Desperate Allies
Tyranids	Come the Apocalypse	Come the Apocalypse

Units

Troops

Droids

125 Points

Primary	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Droids	4	3	5	5	3	3	3	7	4+
Droid Commander (Character)	5	3	5	5	3	3	3	8	4+
Alternative	BS	F	S	B	HP
Car	3	11	10	10	3

• Unit Composition: 3 Droids, 1 Droid commander
  • May add up to 3 more Droids for 30 pts/model
• Unit Type: (Primary) Infantry, Very Bulky/ (Alternative) Vehicle Squadron, Open-topped
• Wargear: Energon Blasters