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Kiith Somtaaw
The return to Hiigara was not joyous for the Somtaaw. Although a few of their number were
awake during the journey from Kharak, employed in the care and maintenance of resource
collectors, the vast majority of Somtaaw survivors were Sleepers during the journey. When they
were awakened on Hiigara, many were horrified to hear that the families and loved ones they left
on Kharak were gone, and that there was no hope of return. Of a kiith that had once been so
strong, very few survivors remained; only 15,000 Somtaaw awakened on Hiigara, less than a
twentieth of their number, and the vast majority of these were men.
Somtaaw's fortunes were further complicated by a political conflict with Kiith Naabal, which
made a bid seven years after landfall to absorb the Somtaaw survivors as a vassal clan. Somtaaw
flatly refused this proposition, and the debate between Somtaaw and Naabal supporters in the
New Daiamid has already been cited by many as a history-making event. During the
Somtaaw/Naabal debate, dispossessed members of many Kharak's devastated kiithid joined the
Somtaaw as family members, swelling their ranks from 15,000 to nearly 25,000 in a few short
months.
The matter was eventually decided in favor of Somtaaw by a very narrow margin in the Diamid
and only after the Somtaaw managed to convince the disenfranchised kiith to threaten a general
strike over the issue. While many of the established Kiith accused Somtaaw of further
undermining the ancient social systems for their own benefit, the result was Somtaaw was
granted access to the Mothership Station for a period of six months. Mothership access for other
lesser Kiith soon followed. In their time, the Somtaaw built two enormous mining ships, the
Kuun-Lan and the Fal-Corum, which were both launched, fully manned, within 45 days. In the
final days of their control over the Mothership's PDA, Kiith Somtaaw triumphantly built one
final ship, the Clee San, a top-of-the-line deep space research frigate. Students of history will
note that the names of all three vessels derive from the names of temples along the old
Shimmering Path: Kuun-Lan, "Purifying Flame", Fal-Corum, "Silent Wayfarer", and Clee San,
"Truth Seeker.”
Since then the Somtaaw have explored many neighboring systems to Hiigara. Although their
numbers are small, they've set up several mining stations to collect rare elements, and they sell
the fruits of their labors to all clients allowed by the current Hiigaran trade regulations. Like all
our kiithid, their ships are bound to respond to any call to arms, when Hiigaran space is violated.
But beyond the Somtaaw's duty to Hiigara, they live free and bend knee to none but their own
kiith'sa…maintaining a centuries-long tradition.
Due to their independence from traditional Hiigaran lifestyles, the Somtaaw regularly sell their
services as mercenaries, often times taking payment in mineral rights to asteroid fields and new
technologies instead of currency.
Their interactions with the Imperium of Man on a political scale have been practically non-
existent – being a small empire on the fringe of the Segmentum that keeps to itself, the need for
the Imperium to ‘reclaim’ their space is low on the list of priorities, and so many remain unaware
of their existence. However, unscrupulous (or desperate) Fleet Admirals, Rogue Traders and
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Inquisitors have made frequent use of their mercenary services whenever they needed additional
ships for defense of an isolated world, an expedition into unknown space or for whatever
clandestine operation an Inquisitor might launch that would need…plausible deniability.
The Imperium is not the extant of Somtaaw’s wandering – the Tau Empire has made overtures of
alliance in the past, but due to the fragmented nature of Hiigaran politics, no official accord has
been reached. However, due to the their mercenary appetites, it is not uncommon to see Tau
fleets bolstered by a pair of Deacon-class Destroyers and a swarm of strike craft launched from
one of their massive, blocky Shaman-class carriers.
There have also been reports of the Adeptus Mechanicus being sighted alongside Somtaaw ships,
but whether this was in the spirit of cooperation, or an orchestrated takeover of alien
technologies is anyone’s guess.
The ships of Kiith Somtaaw are tough, no-nonsense vessels – heavily armored from the front,
and more versatile than those of other Kiith, often mounting numerous types of different weapon
systems. While still smaller than vessels of a comparable designation, they possess a surprising
durability for their size and pack a mean punch.
Fleet Rules
The Somtaaw follow all rules found in the Battlefleet Gothic rulebook and all rules listed in the
previous section, except where specified below:
Crippled Status Homeworld ships rely heavily on automation and redundant systems, causing them to continue
fighting at a higher level than one would expect, even as they sustain crippling damage.
Homeworld ships, when reduced to 50% of their starting Hit Points, suffer the following effects:
-Speed reduced by 5cm
-Mass Driver battery strength reduced by 25%
-Ion Beams are not effected by crippling
Otherwise, their ships are unaffected by Crippled Status.
Wide-Band Sensors Ships of the Homeworld Systems mount numerous banks of extremely advanced sensor systems,
a holdover from their days of wandering the galaxy, looking for a home. These sensors are
extremely adept at picking out the smallest fluctuation in space, and greatly assist the ship in
both maneuvering and combat. This has proven extremely useful when dealing with the
profusion of astrological phenomena, and the more slippery opponents like the Eldar. These have
the following benefits:
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-All Homeworld ships apply a -1 modifier to any roll on either the Eldar Holofield or
Dark Eldar Shadowfield chart, when rolling to see if their weapons have struck the target.
This includes Mass Drivers, Ion Beams and Guided Missile Systems.
-Homeworld Ships without shields do not suffer damage when moving through Blast Markers,
and can make a leadership check to avoid damage from Gas Clouds. Escorts and Frigates may
reroll that check.
Mass Drivers The denizens of the Homeworld Systems use Mass Drivers as their primary kinetic weapon.
Utilizing super conductive layered cylinders of heavy elements, they generate a powerful
electromagnetic field to accelerate projectiles to an incredibly rapid speed. While the projectile
itself is small compared to the types of weapons used by their enemies, the speed with which
they impact their target is more than sufficient to cause severe damage. This speed, and the
generally superior targeting systems available to the denizens of Homeworld space, makes
hitting any target in range a relatively simple function.
In Battlefleet Gothic, Mass Drivers require a number of special rules:
-Mass Drivers never use the gunnery chart – the dice listed on the weapons profile are the
dice rolled against the target, regardless of range. Determine the to-hit number based
upon the target’s armor value as normal, but do not modify the number of dice used
based upon range, column shifts, firing through blast markers, etc.
-Mass Drivers are treated as Lances when used against Eldar Holofields and Dark Eldar
Shadowfields, modified by the ‘Wide-Band Sensors” rule above.
-Critical Hits: Mass Drivers require two 6’s to be rolled per one roll on the critical hit
chart. For example, a Skaal-Tel rolls 6 dice and scores 4 hits. Checking for critical
damage, the player rolls those 4 dice, and two of them are 6’s. Therefore, only one roll is
made on the critical hit chart, instead of the usual two. This is to represent the small-
caliber nature of the rounds being fired.
-In short, treat Mass Drivers as a Lance that hits on armor value, and requires two
6’s to score a crit.
Ion Beam Weaponry Through the use of an accelerated particle beam, Ion weapons can bore through even the
toughest capital ship armor. Requiring large amounts of power and space aboard a vessel to
function, these weapons are limited to only a limited selection of ships. An Ion beam can be
maintained for far longer, and over a greater distance, than the average Lance weapon utilized by
other races, at the cost of striking power.
-In Battlefleet Gothic, Ion Beams function as lances in all respects, except for the rules
for Crippling as listed above.
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Ion Accelerator Helix The Ion Accelerator Helix, found exclusively on the Dervish-Class Multibeam Frigate, is the
penultimate anti-ordnance weapon, allowing the Dervish to strike out at anything in range, at any
angle. Rapid-firing and with extremely accurate targeting, it is capable of annihilating vast
swathes of strike craft and torpedoes with ease. However, the strength of the beams is roughly
half that of typical Ion beams, which means that its power against vessels of capital class is
significantly reduced.
-The Ion Accelerator Helix fires exactly like a Necron Star Pulse Generator (with the same
restrictions). Due to smart targeting software, Ion Accelerator Helix’s never affect friendly
vessels or friendly ordnance markers.
Hive Frigate Drone Bay The Hive Frigate Drone Bay is a unique device, being a cavernous construction center and
housing bay for six AI-controlled drones. Each drone mounts a Mass Driver the likes of which
grace the turrets of Heavy Corvettes, giving them a serious punch in an incredibly maneuverable
package. When deployed en-masse, they can very easily disable an enemy vessel of similar size,
and even threaten Capital Ships when multiple swarms converge on one unlucky captain.
The Hive Frigate Drone Bay functions as a Launch Bay in some respects, but requires a number
of special rules:
-The Hive Frigate Drone Bay is activated and resolved in the Shooting Phase, not the Ordnance
Phase.
-The Drone Bay counts as Strength 1, for the purposes of determining the number of markers
launched. Each marker represents the collected Drone swarm.
-The Drones launched from the bay are Speed 30cm.
-After you launch the Drone Squadron, move it 30cm directly towards an enemy ship.
-If the Drone Squadron passes over an enemy ordnance marker, they will remove each other as
normal.
-If/when the marker comes into contact with the base of an enemy ship, treat it exactly as if a
standard bomber squadron had done so – conduct defensive turret fire, and then a bombing run
as usual if the marker survives.
-You may only conduct one Drone Bay attack per shooting phase, per Drone Bay. The Hive
Frigate Drone Bay may NOT be used in the Ordnance Phase.
-If the Drone Marker does not reach an enemy ship (whether due to distance or interception by
moving over an enemy ordnance marker), it is removed from play and the attack fails.
-The Hive Frigate Drone Bay reloads automatically, and does not require a special order to do so.
-A Squadron of Hive Frigates MAY combine their Drone markers into a wave, if they so desire.
Note that all interception rules still apply.
Ordnance Due to their strife with the other Kiith, Somtaaw doesn’t have access to the same types of strike
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craft. Thanks to the aid of the Bentusi, Somtaaw was able to develop the Acolyte Fighter and
Mimic Bomber “in-house,” completely independent of other Kiith. Also, thanks to their self-
sufficiency in the form of manufacturing systems, producing these fighters and bombers in the
field is a simple matter.
The Acolyte is a quick and maneuverable fighter, armed with a linked pair of Mass Drivers and a
pair of a missiles in the wingtips. This loadout lets them perform quite admirably in the anti-
fighter role, and since their introduction they’ve distinguished themselves nicely. In Battlefleet
Gothic terms, they function as simple Fighters.
The Mimic Bomber is a bit more grim than it would first appear – “bomber” is a polite way of
saying “suicide craft.” Armed with a holographic projector and their vessels packed with
quantum explosive charges, the forlorn pilots of the Mimic Bomber fearlessly crash their vessels
into enemy ships, letting the impact of their bomber lead the way and delivering their payload
directly into the enemy vessel.
-Homeworld Systems ships with launch bays never needs to issue the Reload Ordnance special
order – it is considered to pass automatically.
-All Kiith Somtaaw Launch Bays come standard with Acolyte Fighters, Speed 30cm and
Mimic Bombers, Speed 25cm which operate as typical Fighters and Bombers in all respects. In
addition, Launch Bays may be upgraded with the following for +25pts per Launch Bay for
ACV’s (replaces Acolyte Fighters), and/or +25pts per Launch Bay for MCV’s (replaces Mimic
Bombers):
-ACV, Speed 30cm: Known as the Acolyte Composite Vehicle, this craft is quite literally
just two Acolytes attached together to form a Corvette. However, this merging had a number of
positive benefits – aside from twice the firepower and durability, the sharing of power cores
meant that the ACV was capable of generating a focused Electromagnetic Pulse, powerful
enough to disable vast swathes of an enemy ship.
When ACV’s remove another Ordnance marker by contacting it, roll a dice. On a roll of 4, 5 or 6
do not remove the ACV’s, they remain in play. Note: an ACV can only remove one enemy
marker per Ordnance phase. Against Ordnance with this same ability, it is possible that neither
marker will end up being removed. If this happens, either marker is free to move away next turn,
or may stay in place and attempt to remove the enemy marker again. ACV’s are also capable of
performing Bombing Runs, as if they were a bomber squadron. All bombing runs performed by
ACV’s subtract 1 from the dice rolled to determine the amount of hits rolled against the target
vessel. You cannot remove an ordnance marker and perform a bombing run in the same ordnance
phase.
-MCV, Speed 25cm: Following the success of the ACV, an attempt was made to connect two
Mimic Bombers – an attempt which was quite successful. Not only was the explosive power of
the Mimic doubled, the combined strength of the two holographic projectors means that the
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MCV can successfully impersonate enemy vessels, letting it come significantly closer to the
enemy before they are noticed.
In game terms, MCV’s may not be targeted with enemy Weapons Battery or Lance fire unless
the squadron being targeted is within 15cm of an enemy warship. When an MCV squadron
makes an attack against a warship, each squadron that survives defensive turret fire inflicts 3D3
attacks minus the turret count of the enemy vessel.
Sentinel Screens The Somtaaw were not the first to see the value of shielding their craft in sheaths of energy, but
lacking access to the Defense Field technologies of the Taiidan, they were forced to come to a
different solution. By way of perfectly aligned remote drones that could project energy fields
between them, the Somtaaw could create a usable shield system for their larger craft at minimal
cost. The downside to this was that the drones themselves, while nearly impossible to target due
to their small size, were still quite fragile, and concentrated fire could burn out their emitters or
destroy them entirely. Still, the benefit of having a means to block incoming fire made the
somewhat ‘ablative’ nature of their protection worthwhile.
In Battlefleet Gothic, all Somtaaw ships possess Sentinel Screens. This counts as a Shield system
that possesses a set value, much like the shield systems of other Battlefleet Gothic vessels. It
functions like a shield in all respects, except where noted below:
-If a ship with a Sentinel Screen sustains more than three times its current shield strength in hits
in a single attack, treat the vessel as having suffered the effects of the “Shield Collapse” critical
hit. This critical effect takes place after having reduced the damage of the attack via shield points
as normal. This effect like the original critical effect cannot be repaired by any means, as it
represents the Sentinel Screen being blown clean apart and scattered from its parent vessel.
Battle Hardened
The fight against the extra-galactic entity known as The Beast forged Kiith Somtaaw into a
Hiigaran legend - having stared down and defeated a millennia-old bio-mechanical creature
intent on consuming everything in its path, there is very little that can frighten them. To represent
this, Kiith Somtaaw vessels add +1 to the result if you decide to randomly roll leadership values
for your ships, giving a potential value between 7 and 10.
Fleet Defense Mass Driver Batteries
Fleet Defense Batteries are a combination of Mass Driver and Fleet Defense Turret. The Fleet
Defense Battery may be fired in the shooting phase as a standard Mass Driver battery OR used in
the Ordnance phase to support a friendly ship within 15cm in their Defensive Fire against enemy
Torpedoes or Attack Craft. If the weapon fires in the shooting phase, it MAY NOT be used in the
Ordnance phase for Defensive Fire purposes. If used in the Ordnance phase, it contributes +3 to
the turret count of the target friendly vessel. Otherwise Fleet Defense Batteries follow the same
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rules for standard Mass Driver weapons.
-Note that Somtaaw Ships do not suffer from the Minimal Crew special rule-
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Kiith Somtaaw Vessels
Escort Class
“Dervish” Class Multibeam Frigate – 60pts
Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets
Heavy
Escort/2
30cm 90 Degrees 1 5+ 2
Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc
Ion Accelerator Helix 15cm 1 All Around
Heavy Escort: This vessel can sustain critical hits, and their effects. When destroyed, do not roll
on the Catastrophic Damage chart – just replace the ship with a blast marker.
Ion Accelerator Helix: See rules above.
The Dervish class frigate is built around an accelerator helix, and uses a multi-path beam splitter
to direct the charged ion stream to any or all of its focusing turrets. The turrets themselves are
solid state devices that use magnetic fields to focus and direct the ion beam in a large firing arc.
Using the cold vacuum of space to keep functioning at super cooled temperatures, the focusing
turret is highly efficient and capable of a high rate of fire. While these Ion Beams lack the range
of beams fired from craft like Deacons, this lack is more than made up for by the increased
coverage and rapid rate of fire.
Typically used to provide cover from strike craft for larger ships, the Dervish can be pressed into
an Anti-Capital role. The results have been lackluster, as its Ion Beams lack the range and power
to safely tackle larger vessels, and as such they tend to be used for such purposes only as a last
resort.
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“Hive” Class Advanced Drone Ship- 45pts
Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets
Heavy
Escort/2
20cm 45 Degrees 1 5+ 1
Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc
Fore Twin Mass
Drivers
30cm 2 F
Drone Bay 30cm Special All Around
Heavy Escort: This ship can sustain critical hits, and their effects. When destroyed, do not roll
on the Catastrophic Damage chart – just replace the ship with a blast marker.
Drone Bay: See rules above.
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“Minion” Class Heavy Tug – 55pts
Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets
Heavy
Escort/2
25cm 90 Degrees 1 6+ Front/5+ 1
Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc
Fore Mass Driver 15cm 1 F
Heavy Escort: This ship can sustain critical hits, and their effects. When destroyed, do not roll
on the Catastrophic Damage chart – just replace the ship with a blast marker.
Admantium Prow: The armored prow of the Minion is meter upon meter of solid, reinforced
metals, giving the vessel an extreme punch when ramming, especially when combined with the
massive set of afterburners the vessel possesses.
When the Minion successfully rams an enemy ship, treat its hull value as 4, meaning it would
roll 4d6 when determining the damage from the ram attack. Additionally, any ship rammed by
the Minion with hull points equal to or less than 8 is immediately moved 10cm in the direction of
the ram. This movement can only happen once per turn per enemy ship, regardless of the number
of ram attacks conducted by friendly Minion’s against the same vessel. After the ram, assuming
the Minion has survived, it is free to fire its weapon in the shooting phase, and to move off next
turn (assuming it survives!).
Originally a construction tug designed to move bits of scaffold, the Minion had be refit for
combat duty as a sort of “problem mover.” With a ram that’s nearly solid metal and a hull
packed with thrusters and afterburners, the Minion can leap ahead and shove an opposing ship
out of position, either pushing a brawling enemy vessel way out of range, or chasing down a
carrier and shoving him into the waiting guns of your fleet.
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“Deacon” Class Destroyer – 160pts
Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets
Light
Cruiser/6
20cm 45 Degrees 2 6+ Front/5+ 1
Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc
Starboard Mass Driver
Turrets
45cm 4 F/R
Port Mass Driver
Turrets
45cm 4 F/L
Dorsal Guided Missile
Battery
35cm 4 All Around
Prow Ion Beam
Weapons
45cm 2 F
When the great Crusade against the Beast was in its darkest days, Kiith Somtaaw found itself
desperate for heavier firepower and the capital ships to carry it. While research into Bentusi
design philosophy would eventually bear fruit in the awe-inspiring Dreadnought, it would not
have come in time had the Deacon Destroyer not been pushed into service. The Deacon was
originally intended to be heavy transport, but when the demands of war hit the Somtaaw fleet
hard, the design was quickly modified while still on the drawing board. The Deacon’s loading
booms were scrapped and replaced with heavy ion beams in a fixed forward mount, while the
four side mounted point defense turrets were replaced with heavy Mass Drivers to give all-
around firepower. The most innovative addition was the dorsal-mounted missile turret, which
gives the destroyer a full 360 degrees of long range hitting power – capable of tearing apart
enemy ships before they can get into range to return fire.
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“Shaman” Class Carrier – 250pts
Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets
Grand
Cruiser/10
15cm 45 Degrees 3 5+ 2
Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc
Fleet Defense Mass
Driver Battery
30cm 5 L/F/R
Port Launch Bays Acolytes: 30cm
Mimics: 25cm
4 All Around
Starboard Launch Bays Acolytes: 30cm
Mimics: 25cm
4 All Around
The Shaman Carrier is slow to maneuver and may not use the All Ahead Full or Come to New
Heading special orders.
Special Rules: The Shaman may purchase launch bay upgrades as described in the Somtaaw
fleet rules.
The Shaman-class Carrier has been in development for some time before it was finally brought
to battle. This carrier was based on Kiith Somtaaw’s first foray into heavy ship construction, the
Chieftain-class Ore processor, and follows the same no-frills approach to capital ship design. The
engineers upgraded the Chieftain’s main power plant to support a military-class drive system and
a PDA construction bay. The Shaman is not an elegant carrier, but it is durable, efficient and
crewed by the best that Kiith Somtaaw has to offer. The two outboard bays are capable of
launching and retrieving multiple wings of strike craft simultaneously, while the inboard bays
have heavily reinforced doors, capable of taking multiple lance strikes and still protecting the
fragile construction and maintenance equipment within.
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“Archangel” Class Dreadnought – 315pts
Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets
Battleship/12 20cm 45 Degrees 4 6+ Front/5+ 2
Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc
Starboard Mass Driver
Turrets
45cm 6 F/R
Port Mass Driver
Turrets
45cm 6 F/L
Dorsal Ion Beam Turret 60cm 2 All Around
Ventral Ion Beam
Turret
60cm 2 All Around
Prow Guided Missile
Battery
35cm 8 F
The Archangel Dreadnought is slow to maneuver and cannot use the All Ahead Full or Come to New
Heading special orders.
Field Allowance: You may purchase one Archangel per 1250pts, e.g. 0-1250pts, you may take 0-1
Archangel Dreadnoughts, 1251-2500pts, you may take 0-2, etc.
The Archangel combines the best attributes of the Avatar Heavy Cruiser and the Taiidani Missile
Destroyer, and shields it all in a hull of curved, bonded armor plate that deflects more damage
than it absorbs. With 4 heavy turrets backed by a massive prow missile bank, the Archangel
initially had a powerful offensive punch, but was still vulnerable to flanking maneuvers that
brought enemy fire in from the rear. This problem was solved rather dramatically with the
addition of two heavy Ion Beam turrets, which covered the top fore and bottom aft firing
hemispheres. Once released, the Archangel has proved devastating to Beast and Imperial forces
alike, despite the fact that it takes a crack crew to keep her power systems under control.