Battle Report: Hive Fleet Vespae vs Khertet Dynasty
PROLOGUE
Veil's Reach. What was once the line the Imperium had held against the Necron forces has now become a wasteland drained of life any and all life save a few pockets of resistance from ex-Militarum resistance fighters. The Tyranids threat was merciless, descending upon the world in endless funnels of vanguard organisms as colossal feeder tubes drank dry what little remained of the planet's oceans. For both the Imperium and the thralls of the Silent King, Veil's Reach was a lost cause. Despite this, there was one who knew that this threat could not be ignored.
Nemekh the Summoner, Phaeron of the Khertet Dynasty and leader of the Necron forces within the Orberus Sector came to the conclusion that, whilst the total and utter destruction of the Imperial planet would in fact work in their favour, the Tyranids may yet spread to other more valuable worlds to the Silent King's cause, though they and their forces were far too valuable to risk warring with what had realistically become more of a menace than the focus of their main objective.
Night Scythes screeched in the skies of Veil's Reach, guided by the Technomancers of the Khertet Dynasty under the direct orders of their Phaeron. Invasion Beamers pierced the heavens in great digitised torrents, materialising the recently revived Skorpekh Lord, Szarazs the Crimson into existence upon the planet's surface, followed by the corrupted Destroyer Cult that he himself cursed with the will to destroy. Nemekh cared little for the fate of these accursed creatures, they just needed the damnable things to thin the Tyranids numbers long enough to slow their advance.
THE ARMY LISTS
The Khertet Dynasty
Detachment: Annihilation Legion
- Warlord
- Wargear: Enmitic Annihilation, Hyperphase Harvester, Flensing Claws
- Wargear: Lord's Blade, Resurrection Orb
- Wargear: Enmitic Disintegrator Pistols
- Weapon Modifiers: Enmitic Disintegrator Pistols - +1 Strength, +1 AP
- Wargear: Staff of Light, Resurrection Orb
- Battle Trait: Endless Legions (Necron Codex)
- Crusade Relic: Crimson Medallion of Bastior (Crusade: Tyrannic War), Sigil of Sol (Crusade: Tyrannic War)
- Wargear: Staff of Light
- Battle Scar: Deep Scars
- Wargear: Plasmic Lance
- Weapon Modifiers: Plasmic Lance - +1 BS, +1 Attack
- Battle Trait: Lead from the Front (Crusade: Pariah Nexus)
- Battle Scar: Fatigued (Crusade Core Rules)
- Wargear: 3 x Gauss Cannons
- Wargear: 1 x Gauss Destructor
- Wargear: 1 x Gauss Destructor
- Wargear: 1 x Gauss Destructor
- Wargear: 10 x Warscythes
- Wargear: 10 x Tesla Carbines
- Battle Traits: Undying Revenants (Necron Codex), Will to Serve (Necron Codex)
- Wargear: 10 x Flayer Claws
- Wargear: 6 x Skorpekh Hyperphase Weapons, 2 x Plasmacytes
- Weapon Modifiers: 1 x Skorpekh Hyperphase Weapon - +1 Strength, +1 Weapon Skill
- Battle Trait: Battle-Scarred Resistance
- Wargear: 3 x Ophydian Hyperphase Weapons
- Wargear: 3 x Vicious Claws, 3 x Particle Casters
- Wargear: 3 x Feeder Mandibles
- Wargear: Doomsday Blaster, Twin Gauss Flayers
- Weapon Modifiers: Doomsday Blaster - +1 Damage, +1 Ballistic Skill
- Battle Trait: Self-Replicator Nodes (Necron Codex)
- Wargear: Twin Tesla Destructor
- Warlord
- Wargear: Psychic Scream, Neurotyrant Claws & Lashes
- Wargear: Psychic Overload, Massive Scything Talons
- Battle Trait: Armoured Biomorph (Tyranids Codex)
- Wargear: Grasping Tongue, Ravenous Maw, Shovelling Claws
- Wargear: Bio-Plasmic Scream, Screamer-Killer Talons
- Wargear: Bio-Plasmic Scream, Screamer-Killer Talons
- Wargear: 2 x Carnifex Crushing Claw, 2 x Carnifex Extra Scything Talons, 2 x Chitinous Claws & Teeth
- Battle Traits: Ranged Resistance (Tyranids Codex), Hardened Defences (Crusade: Pariah Nexus)
- Wargear: Warp Blast, Chitinous Claws & Teeth
- Wargear: 10 x Barblaunchers
- Wargear: 10 x Fleshborers
- Wargear: 3 x Flamespurt
- Wargear: Rupture Cannon
- Wargear: Rupture Cannon
- Wargear: Bio-Plasmic Cannon
- Battle Trait: Enhanced Senses (Tyranids Codex)
- Weapon Modification: Bio-Plasmic Cannon - +1 Strength (DJ: Should be two mods, have informed the player since)
PREGAME SET UP
Phase two is finally here, and my next opponent was a Tyranids player yet again but with a difference. Whereas Hive Fleet Ex Umbra focused on the Vanguard organisms, I knew before the match ups were even set that Hive Fleet Vespae was a monster mash force with a large focus on big bugs. Keeping within the narrative theme, I decided to use the Annihilation Legion detachment for funsies, plus it made sense narratively.
The terrain set we used didn't have much in the way of cover which was concerning as I spied Zoanthropes and Tyranofexes on the other side of the board. We were using the Custom Battle scenario "Perimeter Ambush" and my opponent won the roll off to determine attacker/defender, electing to be the attacker and thus get first turn. We then declared our formations and my opponent announced that his Neurotyrant would be attached with his Zoanthropes and, predictably Old One Eye went with the two Carnifexes. I on the other hand placed my Lokhust Lord (Zharakeph the Fallen) with my Lokhust Destroyers, my Technomancers (Peletesz the Wretched) with my Wraiths, my Plasmancer (Rakantyr the Baleful) with my Immortals in a Night Scythe and of course Szarazs himself went with the meaty unit of Skorpekh Destroyers. Nemekh who was "definitely not present in the battle and was 100% not included in my army just to farm CP and make some stratagems free to use" went solo.
For deployment, my opponent placed two Screamer-Killers, a Maleceptor and a Tyrannofex to his left flank, whilst on his right flank was an Exocrine and a Haruspex. Everything else set up in the opponent's midfield with the exception of his Gargoyles who were set up in Deep Strike. I meanwhile set up my Lychguard, Lokhust Destroyers, Doomstalker and Flayed One on my right flank, the latter of course infiltrating a little forward on the battlefield. On the left flank I had set up my Wraiths. With exception of my Night Scythe, Immortals, Plasmancer, Ophidian Destroyers and Hexmark who were set up in reserve, the rest of my army set up mid field including Szarazs himself who was ready to go up the center to face the foe head on.
With everything in place it was time for my opponent, as per mission parameters, to go first.
BATTLE ROUND 1
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| The monstrous bio-organisms gather... |
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| The Doomstalker targets the Tyrannofex |
On the Tyranid's right flank, the Haruspex finds itself hungering for necrodermis (DJ: I know it doesn't make sense in the lore but go with me here) and advances towards the Wraiths as the accompanying Exocrine spewed bio-plasmic ichor at them, reducing the Canoptek unit down to four Wraiths. The Wraiths, in retaliation attempt to engage the Haruspex before it can get the first strike but they fail to make the charge.
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| The Wraiths fail to charge the Haruspex |
A Necron Night Scythe screeches overhead to beam in the Immortals from a nearby Tomb World. Spouts of living lightning strike the nearest Screamer-Killer, but their attacks only inflict minor damage on the beast. The Lokhust Destroyers add their firepower but also inflict negligible damage. The nearby Flayed Ones, having lost two of their number to small arms fire, skulk back into the shadows, awaiting their chance to strike.
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| The Immortal reserves drop down from their Night Scythe |
Szarazs resists his urge to charge headlong into the enemy, his strategic mind pulling through to the surface as he commands the Khertet Skorpekh to hold their ground. The nearby Lokhust Heavy Destroyers meanwhile combine their firepower and kill the already wounded Tyrannofex with their Gauss Destructors.
BATTLE ROUND 2
(DJ: Sooooo... I forgot to take a start of round battlefield shot here, my bad! I'll try to explain each unit's movements as best I can.)
The Carnifexes continue their rampage towards the Skorpekhs, hoping to crush them below their chitinous feet, whilst the nearby Screamer-Killers take out a couple of the Lokhust Destroyer with their bio-plasmic scream before rushing them in combat and wiping them all out save their Leader, Zarakeph. The second Screamer-Killer smashes the nearby objective as directed by the will of the hive mind.
On the other flank, the Haruspex charges the Wraiths and thanks to it's many feeder mandible wipes out the entire squad with the exception of the Technomancers, Peletesz.
In the middle of no-man's land, the Night Scythe and the Immortal unit are unceremoniously blasted apart by the combined efforts of the Tyrannofex, Barbgaunts and Maleceptor, alongside two of the three Lokhust Heavy Destroyers.
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| Dinner time for the Haruspex |
Having goaded the Tyranid's into advancing, the Skorpekhs charge forward, engaging the Carnifexes in combat and, thanks to the ferocity of their leader Szarazs, takes out two of three monsters leaving only Old One Eye. The Flayed Ones follow suite and charge a Screamer-Killer that had been heavily weakened by the Lokhust Heavy Destroyers, and by taking advantage of the Spoor of Frailty stratagem, cut the beast down in a flurry of claws.
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| The Skorpekhs launch an assault on the Carnifexes |
The Lychguard charge the Screamer-Killer locked in combat with Zarakeph, but their combined attacks barely wound it as Zarakeph is torn apart by the beast.
Whilst the main battle rages elsewhere, the Hexmark and Ophydian Destroyers phase in just outside the Necron lines. The Ophydians make a mighty charge at the Barbgaunts and cut down a large portion of them, severely reducing the group's effectiveness.
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| The Destroyer reserves descend |
BATTLE ROUND 3
The Gargoyles descend into Necron territory, swarming the objective there as the the Pyrovores destroy the objective closest to them.
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| The Gargoyles swarm one of the Necron home objectives |
On the front lines, the second Screamer-Killer is brought down by detonating scarabs, latching onto the beast and blowing great chunks out of it's flesh before the Lychguard finally behead it. The Haruspex's ravenous advance chews up the Necron Technomancer forcing him to phase out. Meanwhile Old One Eye meets Szarazs in single combat after taking out the remainder of his followers and the two rapidly regenerating monsters find themselves at a stalemate as they tear chunks out of one another with equal ferocity.
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| Szarazs and Old One Eye lock horns in single combat |
With little else left in their forces, the few remaining Lychguard move valiantly towards the Gargoyles whilst the Scarabs swarm towards the Maleceptor. Meanwhile the Opydian Destroyers finish off the Barbgaunts and consolidate into the Pyrovores using the Pitiless Hunters stratagem.
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| The Ophydians slice their way through the Barbgaunts |
LAST TWO BATTLE ROUNDS
.heic)
I'll wrap this up real quick as not much happened in these turns.
Old One Eye finally beats Szarazs in single combat early on as it's regenerative abilities out classes that of the Skorpekh Lord's reanimation protocols, the Gargoyles destroy their objective and subsequently takes out the Lychguard after being charged by them. "Definitely not Nemekh" gets wiped out after being shot by the Exocrine, leaving only the Scarabs, Ophydian Destroyers and Hexmark still alive. The Ophydians finish off the Pyrovores and tunnel back into their deployment zone. In a last ditch effort they charge the Haruspex but are also consumed by the feeder organisms.
When we got to the final battle round, my opponent had two objective markers and I had only one Hexmark Destroyer that could do anything, so with my opponent able to destroy a fourth objective without fail (which is all he needed to win) we shook hands and just assumed the Hexmark was not going to survive the last turn.
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| Old One Eye and the Maleceptor loom over the final objective to destroy |
HIVE FLEET VESPAE VICTORY!
75 VP - 40 VP
POSTGAME ANALYSIS
Don't you just hate regenerating units?
I joke of course, but you know what isn't a joke? Old One Eye's regeneration. Every Command Phase, including my own. And Games Workshop felt the need to nerf Resurrection Orbs and Warriors from their Index counterparts!
Generally speaking, I think I did a decent job in this battle but fighting a monster mash list is difficult at the best of times. I won't argue with taking out a Tyrannofex, two Carnifexes and two Screamer-Killers though, I wasn't expecting to do even that to be honest. My Skorpekhs exceeded expectations here, destroying both standard Carnifexes in a single round of combat largely due to their leader Szarazs and Plasmacyte expenditure. I did make sure to direct Szarazs's gun at the Barbgaunts as I advanced though as I was well aware of the Carnifex Blistering Assault ability and I was not having them just move into combat with my Skorpekhs - I needed that charge or they were as good as dead. The Skorpekh Lord's Crimson Harvest ability was also a key component in my strategy.
Otherwise, I probably should've held my Scarabs back on my right home objective and prevented the Gargoyles from swooping down, and whilst I vastly underestimated the Haruspex's pure destructive power (seriously, you don't want to be in combat with this thing) the Wraiths failing their relatively easy charge was a little frustrating and certainly didn't help to slow it down.
My Ophydian Destroyers were absolute stars though, taking out two units between the three of them. My original plan for them was to use them to destroy objectives if I won the roll off to see who was attacked/defender, but as I didn't win that roll off I used them as a surgical strike team, not what they excel at admittedly but they performed the role admirably.
I think my main take away from this battle is I need more Skorpekhs for an Annihilation Legion list, and whilst I made a few mistakes during this battle I don't think I made enough for me to not be happy with how my army performed. I lasted longer than my opponent's previous match ups before being tabled so I can at least take solice in that at least!
EPILOGUE
The shattered necrodermal bodies the Khertet Dynasty Destroyer Cult littered the battlefield as the monstrosities of Hive Fleet Vespae continued their unstoppable advance. In the eyes of other, less learned creatures, this attack on the hive mind's forces could be deemed a failure, but it was not victory that was of import here; the Destroyer Cult was merely let loose to slake their need for destruction, a victory would have been but a welcome boon. The Tyranid advance had been slowed if only a little, the carcasses of their monstrous kin was evidence of that.
The hulking form of Szarazs the Crimson lay battered and beaten upon the dead Carnifexes; his optimised form bested by the regenerative organism the Humans referred to as "Old One Eye", and yet a flicker of Wych fire burned in the Skorpekh Lord's optics for the millenia old hatred that lived within his cognitive engrams was not so easily extinguished.
Szarazs rose up from his bed of death with a sickening, metallic snapping sound as his body activated his Resurrection Protocols. Static laiden binaric screeches burst forth from his already corrupted vocal enactors, damaged as they were in the melee to a point where even the nano scarabs that resided in his body were unable to repair fully.
"Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!" Szarazs shouted to no-one in particular as he lurched forward. "Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!"
The minions of his cult responded immediately to their master's call as a chorus of digitised screaming rose from the broken forms of Necrons. His loyal Skorpekh guard were the first to arise, followed by the serpentine Ophydians Destroyers, then the rest. They began to follow Szarazs in his aimless compulsion for killing; some hobbling on still repairing limbs, some dragging themselves along the ground until they could stand up on their own, spider like feet. If there were anyone to watch such a horrifying scene they would realize that Szarazs was not merely chanting his words inanely, but rather it was a call to arms; a command to others of his ilk to seek out and eradicate anything in their path.
"Destroy!" The Skorpekh Lord blurted out once more.
"Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!"
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