Welcome back to another fun filled Tactic’s corner with the ever lovable, Goatboy. Today I want to chatter on about the C’Tan Shard named the Nightbringer. The supposed “oldest” of the C’Tan shards, this guy is one of the grand boogie man of the Necron old days. As usual you can read up on some more tactics at Frontline Tactics Corner.
The Nightbringer was one of those old models that caused a lot of random trouble back in the day. His new incarnation has some useful abilities as he gets an extra shooting attack that is both pretty damaging as well as useful in keeping this expensive jerk alive. I always thought his model was one of the cooler old school GW figures as he had a ton of flavor with his Scarab base and his aggressive stance as he comes to take what he wants and bring you into the night!
Wargear:
The Nightbringer comes with the Necrodermis which grants him a 4+ Invulnerable save and makes every model within d6 inches take a Str 4 Ap 1 hit when he dies. He also has the powers of the C’Tan which you see below.
1 – Antimatter Meteor – 24″ S 8 Ap 3 – Assault 1 Large Blast – This seems ok – just short ranged and not being Ap 2 it won’t kill a rhino.
2 – Cosmic Fire – 24″ S 6 Ap 4 – Assault 1 Large Blast Ignores Cover – This one is decent as well since it ignores cover.
3 – Seismic Assault – 24″ S 6 Ap 4 – Assault 10 Strikedown – You get a rule we never care about but a lot of shots so isn’t terrible. Should be AP 3.
4 – Sky of Falling Stars – 24″ S 7 AP 4 – Assault 3 Large Blast Barrage – This is a lot better as we all know Barrage can be good to snipe out guys.
5 – Time’s Arrow – 24″ D AP 1 – Assault 1 Precision Shots – It needs to be assault 2 as only having one D shot just won’t be worth it.
6 – Transdimensional Thunder Bolt – 24″ S 9 Ap 1 – Assault 1 Tesla – This one needs to be 3-4 shots to be worth it. Could be great at popping Rhinos but again just rolling 1d6 to get your powers hurt.
Special Rules:
The Nightbringer is an MC like all the other C’Tans – he has Smash, Relentless, Move Through Cover, Fear, and Hammer of Wrath. He also has Eternal Warrior, Fearless, and Fleshbane as his new Special Rules. He comes standard with Immune to Natural Law like the other C’Tans so he can move through everything and is only prohibited from stopping on something he can’t stand on/in. He also has a power called Gaze of Death. This lets you choose a unit within 12″ and have them make a leadership test on 3d6. For every point it fails by the unit takes an AP 2 wound that ignores cover. If anyone took a wound the Nightbringer regains a lost wound. This is pretty good as it doesn’t roll to hit and ignores any of the “aiming” rules for 40k – thus it could hit anyone in combat, etc.
Tactics:
Usually if I see a C’Tan on the table top, it is this one. He has some extra protection abilities with the Gaze of Death as well as some decent close combat potential with the Fleshbane rule. He is as weak as the other named C’tans so he has lost a wound and a toughness point due to getting a name like the Nightbringer. I wish he still had his Deepstrike ability as he could easily be used as a “bomb” in a Necron Army as you drop him close and let him Gaze someone to death. I do think you could use him with the Burning Conclave with an upgraded Cryptek with some kind of teleport power to get him across the table and make him a little bit tougher to deal with. As is, walking across the field is a bit tough to do with all of the crazy firepower out there.
You cna also take him as an Auxiliary in the Decurion Detachment, which does help to provide a strategic choice for using him, as he unlocks the detachments command benefits!
Formation: Burning Conclave
Cryptek #1 – Spanky the Spankerson – The God Shackle
Cryptek #2 – Sir Benedict Tumberbum – Veil of Darkness
Nightbringer C’Tan
This lets the C’Tan be Strength and Toughness 8, have FNP, and get a Teleport across the table top. Plus the Crypteks give you 4 Extra Wounds to work with as well. It probably isn’t good but it seems fun to actually build and paint. And you can scream across the table top: “you Ready to taste the Night!”
How are you all using your Nightbringer?
[yop_poll id=”32″]
If there was a way to make the Nightbringer less random with shooting then it would be more usefull.
Also.. why is your Burning Conclave legitimate? You are grabbed two relics from two different sources within the same formation. Dont know it top of my head but i doubt that i legal.
Some supplements replace the relics from their main book, some don’t. The Necron relics from SoB are among the ones that don’t have an exclusive restriction.
I keep thinking the Gaze of Death has to be good since it hits everyone, including fliers and invisible death stars. And yet I can never make the conclave work in a list.
Yeah, slow speed and a 4++ just doesn’t cut it, anymore.
Why would the Nightbringer not just be a gargantuan… It makes no sense!
Easily the best out of the C’tan. Gaze of Death is extremely strong, and would be broken if the Nightbringer itself was more worth the points.
The Conclave is great with the Nightbringer, though. I kit mine out a bit more – since taking relics from one list don’t restrict the other, I bring one Cryptek with Veil of Darkness and God Shackle, and one with the Solar Staff. Teleport across the board, be pseudo-invisible for a turn, shoot and Gaze stuff.
A Nightbringer Conclave can sort of be equated to a GC – but without the goodies like 12″ move, Stomp, or immunity to Poison/Sniper. But, he has relatively decent shooting (I would kill for a relic that let me just pick the power, though), Gaze is pretty great when you can just jump somewhere and use it, and WS6 Fleshbane MC means you win pretty much all combats that don’t involve D.
I love it. In an environment that doesn’t have GCs/SHVs like NOVA or something, I honestly believe it is one of the strongest things, given that it’s relatively cheap and powerful for the points.
Yeah, I think what you just described is definitely the best way to use him.
Does frontline consider gaze of death a shooting attack or special ability in thier ITC format thing as that is what I mostly play