Goatboy here again completing the Necron Triarch Gang with a review/breakdown of the Triarch Stalker. If you want to read more tactics check out the Tactics Corner.
The Triarch Stalker has always been a support model since its release. It was designed to help out their fellow Necron infantry by increasing their ballistic skill and bring to bear devastating weaponry that can do more than just glance armor to death. Its purpose is to look over the Necron army and make sure they have correct target priorities given to them from their Praetorian counterparts who are scouting ahead.
Overview:
This unit is a great buy if you plan on running large blobs of Necron Warriors. The ability to give a +1 to every non vehicle Necron units Ballistic Skill within 6 inches is pretty impressive. It also has some pretty strong weapons with a multi-melta like weapon as well as a large blast option. You can also purchase a unit of these and with a front armor value of 13 most of the time they can tie down units that can’t easily break through. I have taken a lot of hull points when 2 large units of warriors with a Stalker supporting them shot at a single Knight. In fact the Knight didn’t live and fell down in a sea of green glowing slag!
Wargear:
The Stalker has 2 upgrade options available to it. Both cost points to upgrade with one being a Particle Shredder (Str 7 Ap 4 large blast) and the other being a Twin Linked Heavy Gauss cannon (Str 9 Ap 2 Single Shot). I personally like to leave them at their default settings as a 2 shot Multi-Melta is pretty powerful and helps the Necrons by giving them some AP 1 action. A Imperial Knight has to think twice about closing in on a Necron army with one or two stalkers supporting it. The Stalker is also available as a squadron as well so you can increase the overall foot print to help more of your Necron force.
Special Rules:
As I stated earlier this unit gives a +1 Ballistic skill upgrade to all non vehicle Necron units within 6 inches of the Stalker itself. This bonus does not confer when doing Snap Shots due to GW’s nature of not giving bonus’s to overwatch actions. The Stalker also has Living Metal, Move Through Cover, and Quantum Shielding. The shield is helpful as the game has devolved into either kill you with one shot shooting or massed strength 7 shooting. This means you will probably always have your Armor 13 value. This is helpful as you can get stuck into combat and keep a unit there for a bit as they try and “break” through your magical science shielding. Move through Cover is there as you are a spider creature and you need to get over, through, and around any obstacle easily.
Tactics:
As I have stated earlier this unit is more of a helpful option in the Necron book. It takes up an Elite slot which is something that isn’t too heavily used in most Necron armies. It really brings your army benefits if you are utilizing large masses of warriors/shooting units that can benefit from aiming better. This isn’t a unit you build an entire army around as while it has a decent gun, it just isn’t going to kill enough. It does give the Necron army access to a Melta effect which is always helpful when you need to pop rhinos and have your Warriors kill the troops inside with massed gauss. I think if it had Smash or some other combat potential it would be a great help as a second/third assault wave for a Necron army.
These guys also go with Destroyers like PB&J! Destroyers and Heavy Destroyers have Preferred Enemy, and so with +1BS, they get a 2+ reroll to hit, making them ultra reliable. Having a few units of these bad boys near the Triarch makes for a very powerful combo.
The ability to bring these guys in units was the biggest change. Used to be basically free FB since it had no jink against anti-tank guns, but with 3 in a unit spaced out at the 4″ coherency, you can really get them to stick and boost your dudes.
These guys are so good, especially in the Judicator Battalion. I am a big, big fan of the Triarch.
I love them in combination to gain the +1BS:
a) 1 Stalker (with Twin Linked Heavy Gauss cannon) + 2 Heavy Destroyers. And this set on each flank. Gives you a lot of long range heavy fire power. As you said, the Destroyers with theyr Preferred Enemy fits perfectly with the Stalker! They coud move back into cover after shooting. And if this set gets under fire, the opponent has to decide at which unit he’ll shoot.
b) 1 Stalker (with heat ray) + a big unit of Immortals with Gauss (or other shooting infantry) + a Cryptek with chronometron (very important, if you don’t have a Decurion). With this durable set you can just walk (slowly) through the middle. Just watch out, that the infantry doesn’t block the Template of the heat ray and that the Stalker doesn’t get into close combat.