Adeptus Mechanicus¶
This page is a work in progress!
Special Rules¶
Adeptus Mechanicus vessels follow all rules for Imperial Navy vessels except specifically as outlined by the following.
Leadership¶
While the Adeptus Mechanicus have dedicated starship crews, they are led by senior Tech Magi of their order rather than the nobility of the Imperial Navy. They follow a hierarchy as completely different from the Navy as is the Adeptus Astartes. Consequently, they use a leadership table different from other fleets. To determine base leadership for a given vessel, roll a D6 against the following table:
| D6 ROLL | LEADERSHIP |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ld 7 |
| 2-3 | Ld 8 |
| 4-6 | Ld 9 |
Any vessel that rolls a 6 when determining base leadership may select any one desired refit from the Mechanicus Gifts table instead of rolling for it randomly (this does not mean you get an extra one!). This option cannot be used if the vessel embarks an Archmagos Veneratus.
Attack Rating¶
The Adeptus Mechanicus have a starting attack or initiative rating of 2.
Boarding Actions and Hit-and-run-attacks¶
While Mechanicus vessels have companies of Skitarii Troopers embarked aboard in place of Naval armsmen, the vast majority of their crews will be made up of techpriests with little combat experience and servitors hardwired to their posts. Though they may conduct hit and run raids normally, the attacker may re-roll the dice if desired during boarding actions as well as Hit and Run attacks against Mechanicus vessels, but the second roll stands. Mechanicus vessels (including battleships) do not normally utilize assault boats or boarding torpedoes.
Firing Upon Friendly Hulks¶
Every attempt will be made to recover a Mechanicus vessel that is lost. However, they will not allow their holy technology and precious knowledge fall into enemy hands. Unlike other fleets, Mechanicus vessels can take a leadership check to fire upon their own vessels that have been hulked to deny them to the enemy. This rule only applies to Mechanicus vessels shooting at Mechanicus drifting hulks, and not Imperial Navy, reserve or allied vessels in the fleet.
Vessels of the Adeptus Mechanicus¶
As the ability to efficiently produce long-range lance weaponry by Mars was perfected in late M37, the need to reserve these complex and expensive weapons for only a relatively small number of their own hulls no longer existed. To avoid raising the concern of the Imperial Navy, The Adeptus Mechanicus does not utilize any battlecruisers in their own fleets, though they still produce them for the Imperial Navy as required.
These improvements are already included in the point cost assigned in the Adeptus Mechanicus Fleet List.
Every Mechanicus cruiser (not light cruiser) is equipped with a single 60 cm range dorsal lance battery firing left/front/right.
Gifts of the Omnissiah¶
Adeptus Mechanicus vessels represent the very apex of Mankind's technical prowess, and they have access to resources and technology unavailable to the vast majority of the Imperium.
All Mechanicus capital ships add +1 to a given vessel's original turret value.
Mechanicus capital ships must also roll a D6 once against the Mechanicus Gifts table. These improvements are already included in the point cost assigned in the Adeptus Mechanicus Fleet List. Re-roll any refit that is not applicable to the vessel.
| D6 ROLL | MECHANICUS GIFT |
|---|---|
| 1 | Emergency Energy Reserves: When crippled, the ship only reduces turrets, shielding and weapons by 25% rather than 50%. The vessel still counts as crippled in every other respect. |
| 2 | Advanced Engines: The ship gains +5cm speed, as well as +1D6 when on All Ahead Full special orders. |
| 3 | Repulsor Shielding: Ignore all negative effects of having a blast marker or gas clouds in contact with the ship's base as it applies to leadership, movement and repairing critical damage. This effect goes away if the ship suffers “Shields Collapsed” critical damage. |
| 4 | Fleet Defence Turrets: Up to two turrets on the ship are exchanged for fleet defence turrets capable of protecting itself or any one other vessel within 15 cm each ordnance phase, adding +2 to the turret strength of the ship it is defending (this does not alter bomber attack rolls when used to defend another vessel). These otherwise work exactly as normal turrets do in all other respects. |
| 5 | Gyro-stabilized Targeting Matrix: Ship weapons are reduced to 75% instead of 50%when on [All Ahead Full], [Come To New Heading] or [Burn Retros] special orders. Nova Cannon still cannot fire. |
| 6 | Augmented Weapon Relays: Weapon batteries shift left on the gunnery table before all other modifiers are applied. Lance hits count double on rolls of a 6. |
The Quest for Knowledge¶
Quick to incorporate recently-rediscovered technology before it is approved for widespread use, Adeptus Mechanicus vessels place great reliance on archaeotech that have much higher power requirements and correspondingly smaller overload tolerances and redundancy than those equipping comparable Imperial Navy vessels. Their ships are crewed with a very high proportion of repair servitors and tech adepts intimately familiar with the workings of their vessel. Mechanicus vessels always add +1D6 to their rolls when attempting to repair critical damage. However, because these ships are commonly relied upon to test untried and sometimes Xenos technology for extended periods of time, Mechanicus vessels will on occasion suffer adverse, unanticipated consequences that in some cases may endanger the entire ship and its crew. In addition to any subplots that may be taken normally as desired, a fleet including any Adeptus Mechanicus capital ships must roll a single D6 against the following subplot table:
| D6 ROLL | QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Extended Duty: The Quest for Knowledge can be long and arduous, sometimes seeing the fleet deep in unexplored space far away from logistical support for exceedingly long periods. Roll a D6 for each Mechanicus capital ship. On a 1 it takes D3 damage, on a 2 it suffers -1 Ld to take [Lock On] or [Reload] special orders. Rolls of 3+ have no effect. You must destroy or cripple more enemy ships than you lose. (+1/0 renown) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Xenos Logic: Due to unforeseen phenomena, the complex workings within the capital ships of the Adeptus Mechanicus have become unreliable at best and catastrophic at worst. Roll a D6 for each Mechanicus capital ship in the fleet. On a 1, 2 or 3, roll against the critical damage table. (+2/-1 renown) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Mimic Drive: The Adeptus Mechanicus encounter partial STC plans for a drive capable of imitating the signature of a capital ship. Add a cruiser to the fleet, keeping its identity a secret. This vessel actually has all the characteristics of a transport ship and is worth zero victory points. If it is fired upon by the enemy, then the mimic drive is proven to be effective. (+1/-1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Sacred Vessel: The ship is an example of or contains much valued archaeotech and must be protected at any cost. Choose one Mechanicus capital ship in your fleet. This vessel cannot be crippled or destroyed. (+1/-1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | The Prize: Reliable sources have confirmed that an enemy ship contains an extremely valuable example of archaeotech, or possibly remnants of a working STC system! Even if the ship is only crippled, it will grant an easier venture to capture it. Nominate one enemy capital ship. You must cripple or destroy it. If the ship explodes, no renown is gained or lost. (+1/-2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Experimental Ship: Recovered ancient technology or alien artefacts are sometimes retrofitted to a ship to change its performance in one way or another. Sometimes the results are beneficial, but very rarely can such devices be accommodated without significant cost or sacrifice to the vessel. Pick one cruiser in the fleet. This vessel has been recently fitted with an experimental system that has not yet been tested operationally. These modifications are in addition to any refits taken normally by a Mechanicus vessel. Roll a D6 on the following two tables to see how the ship has been altered (Re-roll any result that cannot be applied to the vessel). This ship must not be crippled or destroyed so that it can be examined to review its performance. (+1/-1)
|
Weapons of the Adeptus Mechanicus¶
The Forge Worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus have at their disposal weapon fabrication techniques too complex and difficult to maintain for widespread deployment throughout the Imperial Navy, though they are far less restricted from applying these special weapons to their own vessels.
All Adeptus Mechanicus cruisers (not light cruisers) with armour 6+ prows can replace their prow torpedoes with a Nova Cannon for +20 points, even if this option is not normally provided for a given cruiser class (such as the Gothic). A Mechanicus Retribution battleship can make this trade for +10 points.
Adeptus Mechanicus cruisers that would normally be equipped with 30 cm Weapon Batteries can incorporate plasma-boosted batteries that increase their range to 45 cm for +10 points. With the exception of choosing between prow torpedoes or Nova Cannon, Mechanicus vessels can take any combination, all or none of these improvements as desired.
Adeptus Mechanicus Endeavour and Endurance light cruisers may replace their prow torpedoes with a single 30 cm range dorsal lance battery firing left/front/right for no cost. They can also upgrade their prow armour to 6+ at no cost. However, if this option is taken, their turning radius is reduced to 45 degrees.
Escorts¶
You may have any number of Adeptus Mechanicus escorts in the fleet, chosen from the fleet list on the next page. Note that these are taken from both the Imperial Navy and Space Marines fleet lists, but they must be taken for the point costs listed on the fleet list and not from their basic profiles. These vessels count as Mechanicus vessels and use all rules that Mechanicus vessels do, but do not have access to the Mechanicus Gifts table, nor do they get any boarding action bonuses Space Marine escorts may have. Unlike their capital ships, Mechanicus escorts do not have the +1 turret as part of their point cost and do not get this refit automatically.
They however may each purchase +1 turret for +5 points.
If taken, all the escorts in a squadron must take this refit, not just individual escorts in the squadron. Escorts must be painted to match the Mechanicus fleet to be of the Adeptus Mechanicus; you cannot take Imperial Navy or Space Marine vessels painted for another fleet and call them Mechanicus vessels!
Reserves and Allies¶
Adeptus Mechanicus vessels can be used as reserves in any Imperial Navy or Space Marine fleet list. Contrariwise, Imperial Navy vessels from any fleet list can be used as reserves in a Mechanicus fleet, following all normal rules for these vessels. No more than one reserve vessel can be taken for every three capital ships in the fleet. For every three cruisers, one reserve cruiser-class, battlecruiser or grand cruiser may be taken. For every three battleships, one battleship-class vessel may be taken. Vessels taken as reserves count respectively toward the total number of cruisers and battleships allowed in a Mechanicus fleet. Ships that can be allied with Imperial Navy vessels, such as the Demiurg and Rogue Traders can also ally themselves with Mechanicus vessels normally, even if reserves are also used.
Space Marines can also be used as reserves in a Mechanicus fleet that does not include regular Imperial Navy capital ships or alien vessels of any type. They can be taken in the ratio of one strike cruiser for every three Mechanicus capital ships, and one battle barge for every three strike cruisers.
Mechanicus vessels cannot be placed in squadrons with Rogue Trader, regular Imperial Navy or Adeptus Astartes vessels. Mechanicus re-rolls cannot be used on these vessels, and other fleet commander re-rolls cannot be used on Mechanicus vessels.
An Adeptus Mechanicus fleet commander can only be embarked on a Mechanicus ship.
Mechanicus starships are rare and precious vessels, and they will not be expended lightly, regardless of the circumstances. When used as reserves in other fleets, Mechanicus vessels that are crippled will attempt to disengage whenever possible, otherwise they will move toward the closest table edge. Those in capital ship squadrons will disengage when half or more of the vessels in the squadron are crippled. There are no restrictions on how many reserve Imperial Navy, Space Marine or Rogue Trader escorts are included in an Adeptus Mechanicus fleet, as long as Xenos vessels and reserve Space Marine vessels are not included in the same fleet. Escorts taken in this manner must be taken from the same fleet list reserve capital ships are being drawn from.
Campaigns¶
The Mechanicus refit that ships earn at the start of a campaign are the ones they keep until they are destroyed. In the course of a campaign, Mechanicus vessels can only earn additional refits from the standard Imperial Navy refit table or the Space Marines reinforcement table. They cannot continue to gain refits from the Mechanicus Gifts table. Adeptus Mechanicus vessels are far too rare and precious to be carelessly expended in the fires of war. However, those vessels so engaged will always receive priority when requiring repair or rework at shipyards throughout the Imperium. When calculating repair points at the end of a battle, the Adeptus Mechanicus fleet will always have +1 Repair point for every 10 renown or portion thereof the fleet commander has earned. When rolling appeals, Adeptus Mechanicus vessels get a +1 roll modifier to earn refits but a -1 roll modifier to earn reinforcements or Space Marines. Space Marines can be earned in this manner in a fleet that contains regular Imperial Navy vessels, but not one that contains alien vessels of any type.
Even the most junior tech-adepts are typically far more familiar with the workings of their vessel and the capabilities of its weapon and defensive systems than comparable Imperial Navy officers and ratings, though this does not necessarily correlate to how well their vessels are utilized in combat. Because even senior Mechanicus techpriests tend to approach challenges in terms of engineers rather than tacticians, it is sometimes difficult for them to appreciate the finer aspects of tactical discipline in the heat of battle. However, the resources they are able to call upon when repairing and refitting their vessels are the envy of even the most senior Imperial Navy commanders. Additional refits earned by renown in the course of a campaign as listed on the following table are at no cost to the vessel they are applied to, and they are separate from refits earned by appeal, which must be paid for normally. Unlike normal refits, these free refits may be taken from the Mechanicus Gifts table if desired (this is the only way a ship can ever earn more than two refits form the Mechanicus Gifts table). However, they can only be applied to the fleet commander's flagship, they must be rolled randomly, and no refit can be used more than once (re-roll the result). Should that vessel be lost, those refits are lost as well and do not follow the fleet commander to his new flagship. However, Mechanicus fleet commanders still have access to the number of refits they earned, and can roll randomly against the Mechanicus Gifts table the number of refits they are entitled to and apply them to their new flagship.
Mechanicus Promotions¶
| Renown | Title | Ld | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | Explorator Techpriest | 7 | 1 re-roll |
| 6-10 | Magos Errant | 8 | 1 re-roll, 1 refit |
| 11-20 | Magos Explorator | 8 | 2 re-rolls, 1 refit |
| 21-30 | Aspiring Archmagos | 9 | 2 re-rolls, 1 refit |
| 31-50 | Archmagos Explorator | 9 | 3 re-rolls, 1 refit |
| 51+ | Archmagos Veneratus | 10 | 3 re-rolls, 2 refits |
Fleet List¶
Fleet Commander¶
0-1 Mechanicus Archmagos¶
You may include 1 Mechanicus Archmagos in your fleet, which must be assigned to a capital ship and replaces its Leadership with the value shown. If the fleet is worth 1,000 points or more, a Mechanicus Archmagos must be included to lead it. A Mechanicus Archmagos must be embarked on an Ark Mechanicus if one is included in the fleet.
Archmagos Explorator (Ld 8) ................................................. 50 pts
Archmagos Veneratus (Ld 9) ................................................100 pts
A Mechanicus Archmagos can elect up to any one desired item from the Adeptus Mechanicus refit table for their own ship as part of their point cost, in addition to (and before) the refit the ship rolls for normally. If the second refit rolled is identical to the one selected, the commander can select the second refit as well! The benefit a Mechanicus Archmagos brings with it cannot be combined with a refit selected because the ship rolled a 6 when determining base leadership, meaning in one-off games a ship will never have more than two refits from the Mechanicus Gifts table. If you wish to give a Mechanicus Archmagos any fleet commander re-rolls, you'll have to pay for them.
One re-roll ................................................................................+50 pts
Two re-rolls ............................................................................+125 pts
Capital Ships¶
The Adeptus Mechanicus will only use warships from the following classes, applying all the rules described beforehand. The cost listed below replaces the original cost for these vessels when used as Adeptus Mechanicus ships. The Omnissiah’s Victory may not take any Mechanicus Gifts refits, as its Mechanicus Gifts are already included in its point cost and special rules.
Battleships¶
You may include 1 battleship for every three cruisers in the fleet.
(0-1) Omnissiah’s Victory (pg. 124) ............ 415 pts
Emperor class battleship (pg. 51) ...............400 pts
Retribution class battleship (pg. 52) ........... 380 pts
Oberon class battleship (pg. 54) .................. 370 pts
Cruisers¶
Dictator class cruiser (pg. 65) ...................... 255 pts
Tyrant class cruiser (pg. 67) ......................... 220 pts
Gothic class cruiser (pg. 68) ........................ 215 pts
Lunar class cruiser (pg. 69) .......................... 215 pts
Endeavour class light cruiser (pg. 70) ........ 125 pts
Endurance class light cruiser (pg. 72) ........ 125 pts
Defiant class light cruiser (pg. 74) .............. 130 pts
Escorts¶
You may include any number of escorts in your fleet in squadrons of 2–6, taken from both the Imperial Navy and Space Marines f leet lists for the point costs listed below but otherwise unmodified from their normal profiles.
Nova Class Frigate (pg. 105) ........................... 45 pts
Firestorm Class Frigate (pg. 77) .................... 40 pts
Gladius Class Frigate (pg. 106)....................... 40 pts
Sword Class Frigate (pg. 80)........................... 35 pts
Falchion Class Frigate (pg. 78) ...................... 35 pts
Hunter Class Destroyer (pg. 107) .................. 35 pts
Cobra Class Destroyer (pg. 82)...................... 30 pts
Ordnance¶
Attack carriers may use any combination of Fury interceptors and Starhawk bombers. They may not use assault boats, even if their Imperial Navy counterparts may have access to this type of ordnance (such as Emperor battleships). Mechanicus vessels equipped with launch bays may also take torpedo bombers for +10 points per launch bay. All Adeptus Mechanicus capital ships that utilize torpedoes use ordinary torpedoes (not boarding torpedoes) and can be equipped with refitted torpedoes as described in their rules on pg. 19.