Nova Storm Units: Elite Choices 3

The five Space Marine Assault Terminators are finished!

Featuring 4 Space Marine Terminators with dual Lightning Claws and a Sergeant with a Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield.

Used for shock assault on hard-to-kill targets. Ideal for killing low Initiative Necrons as they're all equipped with power weapons to negate We'll Be Back rolls.

Tau Units: Elite Choice 1

Here's the first of the two XV8 Crisis Suit teams in my Tau Hunter Cadre at the moment.

Consisting of two Suits; a Team Leader with twin-linked Missile Pods a Plasma Rifle and a Shield Drone (not pictured), and a second suit with a Missile Pod and Plasma Rifle with Shield Generator.

Capable of deploying via Deepstrike, moving 6" in the Movement Phase, shooting all weapons (at different target units), then moving another 6" in the Assault Phase, they are a highly mobile team which I envision using for anti-heavy infantry and light vehicle hunting.

The Plasma Rifles can always Rapid Fire or be fired at full range regardless of whether or not the Suits moved as they both have the Relentless rule thanks to being Jet Pack Jump Infantry. At Strength 6 and AP 2 they are good against such heavy infantry targets as Space Marine Terminators as they negate the normal 2+ Armour Save.

The Missile Pods have a range of up to 36" and are Assault 2 weapons; allowing 2 shots per Shooting Phase with Strength 7 and AP 4, allowing some additional fire-power to be landed on hard targets and giving them some bite against lighter vehicles.

They have a 3+ Armour Save and a 4+ Invulnerable Save from the Shield Generator (and Shield Drone), but although they have 2 Wounds each, they will die instantly if they fail a Save against a Strength 8 or higher weapon.

Tyranid Units: Elite Choice 1

Here's the finished Tyranid Zoanthrope.

Although they can be fielded in broods of 3, I currently only have the one. I really wish they'd release them in plastic as I'd buy more but the current metal model is a pain to put together.

A potent Leadership 10 psyker in the game, it is 'armed' with two psychic shooting attacks; a Warp Lance and a Warp Blast.

The Warp Lance has a range of 18" as Strength of 10, with an AP of 1 which allows it to ignore enemy armour saves, and do increased damage against vehicles. In addition it also has the Lance rule which makes any enemy vehicle armour value higher than 12, count as 12!

Warp Blast is a 24" range Assault 1 Blast weapon with S3 AP3 using the small blast marker and is ideal for killing Space Marines. It once killed an entire squad of Ork Nobz in one shot with this power.

It acts as a Synapse Creature and so helps control the lesser Tyranid creatures such as the Termagaunts by allowing any within 12" to ignore their Instinctive Behaviour, and it causes enemy psykers to  take any Psychic Tests on 3D6 instead of 2D6.

There will be more of these in time, it just comes down to getting everything else done first.

Random Update - More Painting

Just finished painting the following units:

• The first Tau Crisis Suit Team, albeit without their Shield Drone.

• The two test Tyranid Termagaunts by painting the bases up - they now match the Zoanthrope.

• The Tau Etheral (HQ unit), also without Drones. This features my first real attempt at blending as the folds of the cloth were too tempting not to try it. I think it looks fine for my first attempt.

Pictures and unit descriptions will follow in due course.

Nova Storm Units: Elite Choices 2

Here's the newly finished 5th Company Dreadnought. A towering metal walker machine piloted by a critically wounded Space Marine, who is now wired into the machines controls and life support until final death takes him.

It's the model from the Assault on Black Reach box set, and is therefore armed with a Multi-melta and Storm Bolter, and a Dreadnought Close Combat weapon.

Being a Walker unit, it moves the same was as Infantry which means it can traverse Dangerous and Difficult terrain the same way, which allows it to enter buildings and other areas where traditional vehicles cannot go.

It can move and fire both weapons, and is most useful in an anti-vehicle or monstrous creature role due to the Multi-melta which gives it a 24" range S8 AP1 shot (with an 2D6+8 for vehicle armour pen. if within half range.)

It has a decent front armour of 12, which all shots are directed against to represent the manoeuvrability of the machine, never retreats from assaults, and can perform Death or Glory! against other vehicles that attempt to Ram it. (A Dreadnought punching out an enemy tank makes me chuckle..)

It is equipped with Smoke Launchers and a Searchlight, neither of which have been modelled on yet, but they will be later when I've found some parts.

In games with no vehicles or other units worth hitting with the Multi-melta, it makes a great tar-pit for large units of fearless but weak infantry (I'm looking at you Termagaunts...) where it cannot be harmed as the minimum Strength needed to Glance the Dreadnought is 6, and can, if it hits, auto kill 4 enemy per player turn. (until the savvy Tyranid player realises that all he need do is move his Synapse Creatures out of range, removing the Gaunts Fearless rule and sending them scampering for cover. That's not happened yet though!)

Nova Storm Units: Elite Choices 1 - Concluded

Here's the second 5 man Combat Squad of the 10 man Terminator Squad that makes up the first Elite choice of the army.

This Combat Squad consists of 4 Terminators with Storm Bolters and Powerfists, and the Terminator with Heavy Flamer and Powerfist. Unlike the first half, their primary use is anti-infantry or heavy shock troops, delivered into the enemy battle lines via the Deepstrike rules.

Capable of laying down 8 Strength 4 shots from the Storm Bolters and 1 Strength 5 Template shots from the Heavy Flamer; all while moving and backed up in assault with of 10 Power Weapon Attacks from the Powerfists which are at Strength 8, and all of which Ignore Armour Saves make this unit an all round threat to anything nearby.

The downside is they can't Assault after arriving by Deepstrike; although they can shoot. They can also take a significant amount of fire due the their 2+ Armour Save and 5+ Invulnerable Save (for those occasions that they are hit by an AP1 Melta weapon or some form of heavy ordinance weapon).

As Marines they have the standard And They Shall Know No Fear rules, along with Combat Tactics.

And finally, here's the unit in it's 10-man entirety:

Nova Storm Units: Elite Choices 1

Here is the first 5 man Combat Squad of the 10 man Terminator Squad that makes up the first Elite choice of the army. The entire squad of 10 weighs in at 455 points!


This Combat Squad consists of the Terminator Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Power Weapon, 3 Terminators with Storm Bolters and Chainfists, and the Terminator with Assault Cannon and Chainfist. Primary use is anti-armour or heavy shock troops, delivered into the enemy battle lines via the Deepstrike rules.


Capable of laying down 8 Strength 4 shots from the Storm Bolters and 4 Strength 6 Rending shots from the Assault Cannon; while moving and the threat of 11 Power Weapon Attacks from the Chainfists and Sergeant's Power Weapon, 8 of which are at Strength 8, and all of which Ignore Armour Saves (16 if they get off the Charge into Assault) make this unit a threat to anything nearby.


The downside is they can't Assault after arriving by Deepstrike; although they can shoot. They can also take a significant amount of fire due the their 2+ Armour Save and 5+ Invulnerable Save (for those occasions that they are hit by an AP1 Melta weapon or some form of heavy ordinance weapon).


Against vehicles their Assault attacks have the same power as a Multimelta, giving them 2D6+8 for Armour Penetration which allows them to Glance AV14 on a 2D6 roll of 6, and Penetrate on 7+. Against AV10 they cause automatic Glancing hits (2+8=10), and will Penetrate of 3+. The Assault Cannon is also good against light vehicles, but only if you get a few lucky 6's to bring the Rending rule into effect.


As Marines they have the standard And They Shall Know No Fear rules, along with Combat Tactics.