# A 5th Edition Necron Codex



## darklove (May 7, 2008)

I was thinking about what might be useful in a sensible 5th ed. Codex for the Necrons. Not way out bizzarre stuff, but new units and upgrades that would be sensible and balanced.

What about an upgrade to Warrior squads so that one Warrior could become an Immortal with a Staff of Light or Warscythe. That way there would be at least one good CC model per unit.

NOTE: I do not want to discuss anything to do with FNP/WBB because that has been done to death on a million other threads.


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## jakkie (Dec 21, 2007)

sounds interesting. I for 1 would like to see more vehicles in a cron army, perhaps a walker or light troops carrier, like a rhino. (the monolith would be more like a land raider)


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## cooldudeskillz (Jun 7, 2008)

void dragon lol


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## NorthernTau (Jun 24, 2008)

Some sort of mobile sarcophagus could make for a decent walker.

Another HQ (perhaps a little less point extensive) would be nice too.

Many would say another basic troop choice would be nice, but fluff wise that doesn't make sense for necrons. I do like your idea about upgrading warriors though. I suspect GW would make them very costly ...understandably so I guess. A whole squad of warscythe wielding crons *shiver*.


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## Lord Sinkoran (Dec 23, 2006)

eing able to upgrade a warrior to a pariah like a Sgt would be cool. Some form of walker wouldf be ace too. Another HQ maybe make the destroyer lord a seperate HQ choice so you would have one on foot and one with destroyer body. more combat uits would be good aswell Necrons tend to rely on not getting in combat and usually loose when the enemy gets up close and personal. But in 5th ed with no consolidation anymore this doesn't matter as much.


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## darklove (May 7, 2008)

NorthernTau said:


> Some sort of mobile sarcophagus could make for a decent walker.


Isn't that a Dreadnought?

I don't think a Sarcophagus would work with the fluff, because the Necrons are not fleshy beings and are only robotic now, but the idea is cool. 

As another vehicle option, what about some sort of 'harvesting' machine; the Necrons are supposed to be about to begin the Red Harvest again... :scare:

There is also something in the fluff about giant silver elite Necron Warriors, in the final battle against the Eldar gods, something the size of the Eldar Wraith Lord maybe? :good:


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## El Mariachi (Jun 22, 2008)

Well I'm not so sure about the squad leader upgrade, it doesn't really suit their imagery in my opinion but I think we should reasonably expect to see a lower level lord/hq character- a similar role to the one fulfilled by the broodlord for the Tyranids (except with 2 wounds)- a choice which is a bit more viable for smaller games.

I'd like to see more wargear as well, something to help break up the predicatble choices of resurrection orbs and veils of darkness which are ever so prevalent (and to be honest, why wouldn't they be?).

As for a decent walker, I think that's a great idea- I remember there was a great conversion up on the net many years ago before the current range of necrons came out and it was made to look like a scorpion; although I'm not sure as to how well that would sit with the current army as they predominantly use anti-grav technology and GW are trying to make them more than Tomb Kings in Space.

Perhaps a good idea for a unit (although I admit I'm finding it hard to envision new necron units) is something along the lines of scarabs outfitted with all banners of pointy bits and buzzsaws to fulfill a fast assault role to help tie up enemy units whilst the rest of the necrons move into position?


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## cooldudeskillz (Jun 7, 2008)

a necron phylon, new plastic kit:biggrin:


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## El Mariachi (Jun 22, 2008)

Quite likely actually. Cooldudeskillz, you live very close to me. I'm in Whiteley.


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## darklove (May 7, 2008)

I'm in Hampshire too...


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## Maledictus (Jun 11, 2008)

aren't they changing necrons by getting rid of the wbb and phasing and giving them fnp and slow and purposeful.


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## lordmat0 (May 17, 2008)

I don't know anything about necron fluff so this may be a tottal stupid idea but anyways
how about half machine half human/orc choice? or is that what flawed ones are.


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## slaaneshy (Feb 20, 2008)

I had heard that the Tomb Spyder was going to be revamped to be more the size of a Carnifex with various weapon options. If that one gets done, wouldbe awesome!


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

slaaneshy said:


> I had heard that the Tomb Spyder was going to be revamped to be more the size of a Carnifex with various weapon options. If that one gets done, wouldbe awesome!


That *would* be awesome.


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## darklove (May 7, 2008)

Flayed Ones are supposed to be shock troops that cover themselves in the bloody skins of freshly slain enemies - they are entierly metal like standard Warriors.

Pariahs are a melding of Human evolution and Necron technology, but they too are entierly metal as far as one can tell from the fluff. The Pariah gene was seeded in Humans by the C'tan, I think I read somewhere, in order that they might produce a weapon they could use to fight warp powers. 

Orks, on the other hand, were created by the Old Ones to help protect their last strongholds against the C'tan/Necrons and the growing Enslaver menace at that time. There isn't any fluff that I know of about the C'tan directly involved in shaping the Krork (Ork) - which is why Orks have no fear of 'Death', as opposed to Humans and their fear of the 'Grim Reaper'.

I would like any new Necron gear or units to reflect their ancient and absolute mastery of the physical realm. They are able to travel across the vast distances in space without using the Warp. The 'living metal' technology is supposed to be self repairing, but why can a Monolith not repair damage that does not destroy it? I think there should be the option that if the Monolith does not move it can use the Power Matrix to repair some damage (+1 for any weapon destroyed results, or for become mobile again if immobilised).


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## beenburned (May 15, 2008)

Yes, I have always thought the current living metal rules didn't make too much sense fluff wise. Just because it's living doesn't mean that it's invulnerable to pretty much everything - it would mean that it regrows and repairs over time...or at least that's what the name implies.


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## darklove (May 7, 2008)

POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING






beenburned said:


> Yes, I have always thought the current living metal rules didn't make too much sense fluff wise. Just because it's living doesn't mean that it's invulnerable to pretty much everything - it would mean that it regrows and repairs over time...or at least that's what the name implies.



In the Ultra Marine novel _Nightbringer_ they talk about the way that parts of a crashed Necron space ship would regrow and repair itself. One of the main Space Marine characters also has his arm replaced with a Necron arm which is indestructible and fully repairs itself even after being completely smashed up.

All the fluff does indeed suggest that living metal is very much like sentient mercury that flows and reshapes itself.


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## beenburned (May 15, 2008)

Which would suggest what rules-wise? That the speed of repair is so fast that the current rules are accurate, or that my suggestion is closer to the truth?
Or even...a miraculous blending of the two *gasp*

yeah...


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## NorthernTau (Jun 24, 2008)

Maybe a further use of living metal would be a necron version of obliterators, not with multiple ranged weapons of course, but with multiple CC weapons and perhaps one ranged weapon. eg warscythe, staff of light, maybe extra arms with regular claws for extra regular attacks, necron versions of lightning claws, power fists, etc.

Could be neat.

Might not work with Necron fluff, but the problem is there isn't a whole lot they can do to Necrons that will work with _current_ Necron fluff. I suspect they'll open up a new chapter to the necron fluff that will add possibilities for some new cool stuff. Unfortunately Necrons aren't like most armies that are constantly working on developing new and improved troops, vehicles and weapons.


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## beenburned (May 15, 2008)

Yeah, maybe they'll introduce the idea that the current stuff is just the vanguard, and now more of them are waking up, we're starting to see some completely new units.

yeah...


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## darklove (May 7, 2008)

I think that is the idea GW are working with - these guys are small exploration forces not meant to fight major engagements (hence the Phase Out) and are the first to be awoken from the tomb worlds. The next stage would be a full invation force. There is plenty of fluff to support this theory, especially in the Codex.

Also, what I was saying about the living metal was that it does suggest that even the Monolith should have a self-repair function like the Warriors do - if you go by the fluff - and that Necron cyborg versions of other races would not be impossible.


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## NorthernTau (Jun 24, 2008)

Yeah I suppose other races could make use of necron technology, adding it into their research and devopment. But as for other races being incorporated into Necron forces, fluff wise I'm not sure they would ever allow that. Pulling on the skin of dead enemies is one thing, but actually incorporating other races, even slightly, into their ranks such as necron/human or necron/ork cyborgs, doesn't seem to work in my mind.


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## Untitled401 (May 12, 2008)

Since pariah are like an evolved version of necron/human like beings then its possible for the necrons to continue to evolve and adapt. Its possible for there to be different types of necrons that are still dormant, deep under the ground and havent woken yet. 

As for new units, maybe upgrading immortals to thicker armour, terminator armour so that they really are elite and more fitting of the name "immortal". points will go up obviously. Maybe some fast attack would be nice. Units wearing robes that look like the grim reaper, have no legs and move like jetbikes would be awesome fast attack units. Maybe another variant of the destroyer that has a weapon with the similar effects of a demolisher cannon. or a variant of the monolith but smaller and more manuverable.

I dont know, im not a cron player and not very familiar with their fluff


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## darklove (May 7, 2008)

NorthernTau said:


> Yeah I suppose other races could make use of necron technology, adding it into their research and devopment. But as for other races being incorporated into Necron forces, fluff wise I'm not sure they would ever allow that. Pulling on the skin of dead enemies is one thing, but actually incorporating other races, even slightly, into their ranks such as necron/human or necron/ork cyborgs, doesn't seem to work in my mind.


I think you got it backwards. The Necrons have already incorporated Humans into their technology (Pariahs). At the same time, Humans are unable to understand Necron technology because it is so advanced. Fluff in the Codex shows that the energy needed to power even the simple Gauss Flayer (basic Necron gun) is beyond their ability. I also can't imagine the Empire accepting Xeno technology without some serious ethical/moral problems.

Necron technology is supposed to be 60,000,000 years in advance of most other races (apart from Eldar where Necrons are only about 10,000,000 years in advance; and the Old Ones who are their contemporaries) - I would like to see this reflected more in the game.


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## beenburned (May 15, 2008)

Yeah absolutely. I still think it's stupid how most eldar weaponry is weaker then a lot of marine gear, and necrons weaponry is even weaker in comparison. just look at a necron army try to take down a lot of termies and you'll see what I mean.

Also - Why do only tau use railguns? Surely other more advanced races such as eldar would have taken advantage of such devastationg technology. 

Argh I'm going way of topic on a rant...sorry

yeah..


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

There definitely are more Necrons we haven't seen yet. Look at it like this, from a developer's standpoint:

Initial Necron release: Lord, Immortals, Warriors, Scarabs, Destroyers. That was it. No options to speak of... very basic troops by the Codex's comparison. Tip of the spear, so to speak.

Current Codex: Necrons: Adds in Destroyer Lords, two C'Tan, Pariahs, Flayed Ones, Wraiths, Tomb Spyders, Heavy Destroyers, and Monoliths. That's a lot of new stuff in one go, and that's supposed to still be a very "early awakening stage" spread of forces.

Next Codex: I'd expect to see more powerful Lords, bigger dedicated war machine-type Necrons, perhaps the Pylon in the Codex, things like that. It'd make sense that as more and more Necrons awaken, more and more powerful ones wake up as well.


On Necron Tech: Game balance is an issue. If the Necrons could use even a tiny fraction of stuff they probably ought to have, they'd be pretty much unstoppable. Necrons, just in general, probably should be able to teleport around. They phase out, so what's to say they can't do something similar, but phase to a given point on the board? 

Gauss weapons are underpowered in the game, but if you think about it, a Gauss Flayer probably ought to be S5 AP2 or so. Again, not happening on basic infantry unless you want to pay 50 points per model. 

Then there's the whole "the laws of physics don't apply to us because we're just THAT advanced" thing. They'd be totally immune to pretty much all weapons fire, and they'd have phase shifters for when they get into close combat. It's a wargame, after all, and having an invulnerable army, as much as the fluff might justify it, just doesn't work. In all fairness, the Space Marines sort of suffer the same flaw-- Space Marines aren't nearly as powerful in the game as the fluff suggests they are.


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## f74 (Mar 21, 2008)

Crons need some sort of Flyer/skimmer........

And a super Heavy............................


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## darklove (May 7, 2008)

LOL :biggrin:


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## Andy Dudley (Jun 27, 2008)

I wouldn't mind seeing anything along those lines as the necron list is a bit dull. There isn't a lot to you can do with it so even a troop transport would be nice, even though i doubt whether games workshop will do it.


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## darklove (May 7, 2008)

What about a Scarab Swarm retinue for the Lord? 
The Scarabs would form a coherent unit with the Lord in the same way that they do for Tomb Spiders and their spawned swarms. This could be as the effect of a wargear item or as a unit upgrade to the HQ.


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## dizzington esq (Apr 24, 2008)

The apocalypse rule book talks about battle formations and levels of lords, gold, silver etc. Totally believable that the chain of command has some type of rank/structure to it. Just like chain of command in the current military positions, Sgt's/Lt's in command of squads/platoons, Cpt's in charge of multiple squads and finally Col's in charge of multiple Cpt's etc.

Did I mention that I like scarabs...


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

I'd like to see something like a mini-Monolith. It wouldn't be as powerful as a normal Monolith having weaker weapons, AV and the like, but would be quicker (not necessarily a Fast vehicle. But being able to move more than 6" a turn would be grand).

The Apocalypse book talks about those Nodal Grids (or whatever they're called. I can't remember right now). Maybe a simplified version of this could be incorporated into the new Necron Codex. Maybe a rule where if a unit is shooting through an area between two mini-Monoliths the Necrons behind it would get a better cover save because of some sort of energy field projected by the two baby 'Liths or whatever.

I'd also really love to see some reworked rules for certain units, most notably Wraiths and Pariahs. In my opinion Wraiths are the coolest unit in the Necron Codex (don't tell me you don't love that story in the Necron Codex with the Black Templars and Marshal Augustine fighting the Scarabs and Wraiths ) and really need some work to be truly effective at what they're supposed to do - be difficult to kill and deadly in close combat. While they can take a decent beating because of their excellent Invulnerable save, it still isn't very difficult to bring a unit of them down with even a medium amount of firepower. Also, Wraiths lack severely in close combat. Strength 6 Attacks are well and fine, but they have no means of punching through armor. Maybe giving them Rending (I know, I know. Another unit with Rending. Yawn.) would help them with this issue.

Pariahs on the other hand probably wouldn't take too much to fix. They need to have the same rule as the other Necrons as far as getting back up after damage as it doesn't make sense for their best weapon against the powers of the warp to die easier than a normal Necron Warrior. Also, they need at least 2 Attacks apiece with their warscythes in order to be a real threat.

Anyway, I'm tired and I have a flight in two hours. I'm gonna go catnap. Hope I helped a little.

Katie D


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## caljrow (Jun 30, 2008)

id like to see more models. i like the way the necrons look but theres not enough models and i like variety in my army


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## wombat_tree (Nov 30, 2008)

I'd like to see a DCC model cos while wraiths arnt bad theyve only got 4 WS, maby like a scorpion like thing and its tail is a strong poison weapon?


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## MaidenManiac (Oct 2, 2008)

Katie Drake said:


> ...Maybe a rule where if a unit is shooting through an area between two mini-Monoliths the Necrons behind it would get a better cover save because of some sort of energy field projected by the two baby 'Liths or whatever


Stealing the old Towers of Tzeentch are we? 
In Space Marine Epic there was a Tzeentch unit that made all things behind their psycic barrier immune to shooting, well atleast till one of the Towers bit the dirt


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## Daneel2.0 (Jul 24, 2008)

I believe that she was referencing the two special rules for the Necron Phalanx Formation Nodal Grid and Nightshroud. The Nodal grid is an area where psyker powers are nullified and the Nightshroud is a line across which any non-gauss weapon has its strength reduced by 1.

She'll correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure, but I think she was going for a simplified version of these two, condensed into a single special rule.


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## jaren (Jul 7, 2008)

ok so here is my thoughts, have a vehicle, that what you buy on it makes its uses different.

base hull-transport w/ a full warrior squad capacity like a rhino in all aspects but a skimmer

ugrade anti-armour add 50 points and you have a melta like weapon or maybe a las cannon-ish gun

upgrade anti-troop add 25 points and you have your choice of either a template weapon like the deavastaor or a heavy 5 weapon like the tau ion cannon

for sponsons add another 20 points you have lasish sponsons or something and 10 it is heavy bolterish

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idea 2
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mini liths (not sure if this has been covered)
one would have the aoe weapon and the other would have the other, the cost would be half as much if not less and the transportation would not work, though they act as tomb spiders for the wbb rule.


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## CamTheApostle (Oct 31, 2008)

The Son of Horus said:


> On Necron Tech: Game balance is an issue. If the Necrons could use even a tiny fraction of stuff they probably ought to have, they'd be pretty much unstoppable. Necrons, just in general, probably should be able to teleport around. They phase out, so what's to say they can't do something similar, but phase to a given point on the board?
> 
> Gauss weapons are underpowered in the game, but if you think about it, a Gauss Flayer probably ought to be S5 AP2 or so. Again, not happening on basic infantry unless you want to pay 50 points per model.
> 
> Then there's the whole "the laws of physics don't apply to us because we're just THAT advanced" thing. They'd be totally immune to pretty much all weapons fire, and they'd have phase shifters for when they get into close combat. It's a wargame, after all, and having an invulnerable army, as much as the fluff might justify it, just doesn't work. In all fairness, the Space Marines sort of suffer the same flaw-- Space Marines aren't nearly as powerful in the game as the fluff suggests they are.


Well, in the BL novel Dark Apostle...

****We interrupt our regularly schedualed babbling to provide a Spoiler Warning. That is all. Thank you.****

...the Word Bearers encounter a Necron Lord at the very end. He is described as being created from a massive swarm of tiny scarabs that simply meld into each other. Each time he is hit, some of the little scarabs would fly off him and then scuttle back to reform on him. The WB's weapons, including apostle's crozius, (if I remember correctly) didn't really do much to the lord.

As for the necron weapon, I want to point something out. Gauss weapons work by stripping away the atoms of a object, layer by layer. They literally flay the object. They don't penetrate the armour, they slowly disolve it. That said, I think they are pretty true to the fluff right now.

As for what I would like to see in a new Necron list, some of my ideas have already been said, but here they are:
--Some sort of necron walker Monstrous creature that could match a Wraithlord.
--A sort of necron APC. Personally, I would make it a fast vehicle with decent armour (12s?). However, it wouldn't have a troop capacity. Instead, it would contain a teleportation device, just like the monoliths. Put the rhino rush to shame.
--Maybe allowing multiple Monoliths to combine their firepower, much like those eldar prism tanks (the name escapes me atm). Give them longer range or something.
--I like Katie's idea of mini monoliths that produce a sort of shroud or smoke-screen. But what if the cover ability was extended to a sort of bubble (not a screen), providing area cover to surround models (sorta like the ork kustom forcefield).
--Finally, a second troop choice would be nice. Every other new codex seems to have at least two. Maybe by taking a certain type of special lord, you can take different squads as a troop (such as by taking a destroyer lord, you can take a squad of destroyers as troops). Just a thought.


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## Blue Liger (Apr 25, 2008)

A Troop transport like the droid army ones in the 1st StarWars movie would be cool if not a Hover platform that can move 12" is opentopped and has no weapons, so the crons can shoot whilst on it would be a good start. If the Wraiths are to stay as is make them cheaper say 35pts as they only have 1 wound and in combat die easily remeber they don't have a toughness of 6, so maybe rending or they reuce armour saves by 1 to make it easier for them to kill men off, with the new rules of men in CC being takeen from the back it will still allow a horde army such as nids and orks to get thier CC attacks back anyway. I think Falyed Ones should become a troops choice for them too, and Pariahs taken down in points, I mean they have a few good rules but as I see them they are just a slightly more expensive and fearless unit of DE Incubi with less attacks.


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## kungfoomasta (May 8, 2008)

dont eldar have a portal thingy? i want to see something like this for the necrons or at least give the option to deepstrike to the entire army as they just kinda poof in and out taking whatever they want. i would like to see a better version of the C'tan moved to apoc and different lords- (one lv similar to current c'tan but a bit weaker) maby mama n baby tomb spiders. mama gonna eat all who harms their babies. lol mama would be like a carnie while baby as is. all necrons getting the necron rules. and if possible a lord who will survive cc agianst something other than gaunts or guardsmen.


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## Daneel2.0 (Jul 24, 2008)

Things that I think the Necron codex needs.
1. Flayed ones to troops, option to upgrade to rending. From the rumors I've been seeing, this one is probably going to happen. They will move to troop choices, and as gauss moves to rending, the disruption field will also be transitioned to rending.

2. Wraiths with 1 more attack and unit size 2-5. That would give them 4 attacks base, 5 on the charge and with a full squad size of 5 would mean 25 attacks on the charge. None of the attacks are rending, none are power weapon, so even with S6 I don't think it becomes overpowered. Especially for the price. What it does manage is to put them right up there with the same number of attacks that most dedicated CC units get. Their smaller unit size means that they are more vulnerable to casualties, but their higher strength means they will still be able to pound in the damage. Their high movement means they get to combat, but because they can't be in a transport (non exist) they can still be shot all the way there. 

3. Tomb Spyder needs to be redone completely. 

4. Monolith needs to be killable with 8 weapon destroy / immobilize shots. The portal needs to be made large enough to portal full squads with a Lord w/o having to use emergency disembarkation. 

5. I would personally like to see the squad size for the Heavy Destroyers go up, but I don't know how that could be balanced at this time. But having only 3 in the unit makes them a pretty easy nut to crack right now. And since it is the best tank killing option we have, I think it's something that need to be at least looked at.

6. I've thought of several unit types that would be nice to see. The first is to replace the flayed ones in the elite slot and is basically an immortal with a template type weapon. The second is basically the teleport portion of a monolith on an immobile platform. It can deploy in your deployment zone or deepstrike, counts as a table edge for reserves and can teleport a unit 18" (with the standard WBB re-roll). AV14 living armor all around, but no weapon at all. I figure it should cost a little under 1/2 of a monoliths cost. I'd allow units to purchase them like transports (rhino's and what not) so they don't eat at the FO slots. Add to that the BOLS skimmer and you have some decent options.


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