Headquarters:
Necron Overlord
Overlords are the supreme masters of the Necron race, and amongst the most formidable characters in the Warhammer 40,000 game. It’s up to you whether your Overlord is a stately, lead ‘em from the back type (resurrection orb), a technological assassin (mindshackle scarabs and a tesseract labyrinth), or a rampaging close combat bruiser (phase shifter and sempiternal weave). All of these combinations can be a real headache for your enemy -- especially when he’s backed up by a suitable retinue of Lychguard or Necron Warriors. When you’re a Necron Overlord, it’s good to have your minions about you -- if only so they can applaud.
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Necron Overlord 4 4 5 5 3 2 3 10 3+
Unit Composition: 1 Necron Overlord
Unit Type: Infantry (Character)
War Gear: Staff of light
Transport: May select a Catacomb Command Barge as a dedicated transport.
Imotekh the Stormlord
Imotekh is a grand strategist, and cares not for sullying his hands with the personal slaughter of primitives (unless it’s amusing). In the early turns of the game therefore, you’ll want him marshalling your forces from the rear, sending his fearsome lightning bolts arcing through the enemy ranks. This is particularly effective as Imotekh can keep Night Fighting in play for a prolonged period, allowing your Necrons to advance largely unmolested by the enemy tanks and heavy weapons. As the battle goes on, Imotekh’s patience will tire and his lightning storm will end -- at which point, you’ll want to get him in close where his Staff of the Destroyer (hits everything under a 2D6″ line with a Strength of 6 and AP 1) can rip the heart out of a tough enemy unit.
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Imotekh the Stormlord 4 4 5 5 3 2 3 10 2+
Unit Composition: 1 (Unique)
Unit Type: Infantry (Character)
War Gear: Bloodswarm nanoscarabs; Gauntlet of fire; Phase shifter; Phylactery; Sempiternal weave; Staff of the Destroyer
Transport: May select a Catacomb Command Barge as a dedicated transport.
Trazyn the Infinite
Ah, Trazyn, everyone’s favourite mad librarian. If you want an Overlord that’s almost impossible to kill, Trazyn’s your man-shaped robot. Why? Because if he’s removed from play, he can come back by taking the place of another character in your army. This, combined with that fact that Trazyn is also a scoring unit, can be a real headache for your opponent.
Trazyn’s also no slouch in combat. Whenever his empathic obliterator kills an enemy, it has a chance to kill all other enemies of the same type in the same combat -- perfect for Ork mobs. This isn’t so useful against characters, but that’s why Trazyn also carries a clutch of mindshackle scarabs -- why kill an enemy when you can take over his mind and have him kill for you…?
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Trazyn the Infinite 4 4 5 5 3 2 3 10 3+
Unit Composition: 1 (Unique)
Unit Type: Infantry (Character)
War Gear: Empathic obliterator; Mindshackle scarabs
Cryptek
A Cryptek is one of the most flexible units in the Necron army list, and it’s simplicity itself to tailor one to meet your needs. You’ll certainly want to upgrade him to one of the five Harbingers. My favourite is the Harbinger of Despair, with his teleport-enabling Veil of Darkness, and terror-inducing Abyssal Staff. That said, there are plenty of other combinations waiting to be unleashed. Harbingers of Destruction add some anti-tank firepower, as well as enabling you to dispel or induce Night Fighting (through the Eldritch Lance and Solar Pulse respectively). Harbingers of Eternity grant re-rolls to their unit and sap the fighting ability of enemies (Chronometron and Aeonstave) whilst Harbingers of the Storm excel at blasting deep-striking and charging enemies with bolts of Strength 8 lighting (Ether Crystal and Lightning Field). Finally, Harbingers of Transmogrification use their mastery over the living rock to slow and stun their enemies (Seismic Crucible and Tremorstave). Armed with this knowledge, all you need now do is sit back, steeple your fingers, and cackle manically to yourself as you plan how your Cryptek can best humble your foes.
Still can’t decide which to use? Then take several Crypteks and form them into a Royal Court to accompany your Overlord -- that way, you can sizzle, slow, sap, terrify and electrocute your enemies in one go…
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Cyrptek 4 4 4 4 1 2 1 10 4+
Unit Composition: 1 Cryptek
Unit Type: Infantry (Character)
War Gear: Staff of light
Necron Lord
As the backbone of your Overlord’s Royal Court, Necron Lords can form a hard-as-nails bodyguard, or lead units of Necron Warriors, Immortals, Lychguard or Deathmarks. For smaller games, you’ll want to use them in the latter role, giving your mainstay units a little extra punch. In bigger games, where points aren’t quite so tight, give your Overlord the retinue he deserves -- pile all of your Necron Lords into the same Royal Court and go hunting for enemy characters and super-elite units.
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Necron Lord 4 4 5 5 1 2 2 10 3+
Unit Composition: 1 Necron Lord
Unit Type: Infantry (Character)
War Gear: Staff of light
Elites:
C’tan Shard
The C’tan may be broken servants, but they’re no less effective for all that. They’ve got a Greater-Daemon-menacing profile, and that’s before you purchase the two mandatory C’tan powers. These are where your C’tan Shards really come to life -- you can grant them ranged attacks (the tank-busting Transdimensional Thunderbolt comes to mind) close combat abilities (like Entropic Touch, which rots the armour of your opponent’s troops) and weird game-changing mad science abilities (like Lord of Fire, which makes flamer and melta weapons explode!). There’s loads of freedom in creating a fragment of Star God that suits your playing style, so just dive in and try a few out.
The Nightbringer
If the Nightbringer is my C’tan Shard, I’ll normally go for Gaze of Death and Transdimensional Thunderbolt as its power.
The Deceiver
When I want my C’tan Shard to represent the Deceiver, I normally choose Grand Illusion (redeploy D3 units) and Swarm of Spirit Dust for its powers.
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
C’tan Shard 5 5 7 7 4 4 4 10 4+
Unit Composition: 1 C’tan Shard
Unit Type: Monstrous Creature (Character)
War Gear: Necrodermis
NECRON LYCHGUARD
Lychguard are close combat heavies, and excel as bodyguards for your Overlord, or shock troops fit to sweep the foe aside. If you’re expecting heavy firepower, make sure your Lychguard are upgraded with dispersion shields -- not only do these provide a 4+ invulnerable save, they can also rebound hits onto nearby enemies. Otherwise, stick with the mighty warscythe -- Strength 7 attacks with no armour saves makes quick work of anything short of a Land Raider.
NECRON TRIARCH PRAETORIANS
The Praetorians are one of the few versatile units in the Necron army, geared up as they are for both melee and ranged combat. Whilst their weapons are short-ranged, Triarch Praetorians are also jump infantry, and so rarely have long to wait before they can begin the killing. If in doubt, stick with the default armament of rod of covenant -- Strength 5, AP 2 shots can solve an awful lot of problems.
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Lychguards 4 4 5 5 1 2 2 10 3
Unit Composition: 5 Lychguards
Unit Type: Infantry
War Gear: Warscythe
Transport: May select a Night Scythe as a dedicated transport
Triarch Praetorian
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Triarch Praetorian 4 4 5 5 1 2 2 10 3+
Unit Composition: 5 Triarch Praetorians
Unit Type: Jump Infantry
War Gear: Rod of covenant
NECRON IMMORTALS
Immortals are the ideal Troops choice for a Necron Overlord who means business. Every Immortal is as tough and skilled as a Space Marine; granted, they’re not quite as quick-witted, but the extra resilience of Reanimation Protocols (dead models get back up on a 5+) and the massive firepower of either the Gauss blaster or Tesla carbine (your choice) more than makes up for it. Whether you’re storming the enemy’s defences, or hunkering down on an objective, you’ll be glad to have some Immortals at your beck and call.
NECRON DEATHMARKS
The Deathmarks are shadowy assassins who excel at turning up just when your opponent wished that they hadn’t. Deathmarks are at their best when deploying from Deep Strike, and unlike other units in the game can do in your opponent’s turn -- they just have to wait for an enemy unit to arrive from reserve! Better still, as soon as the Deathmarks arrive, you can have them mark a single enemy unit you don’t like the look of. From that point on, any Deathmark unit that shoots at that unit (or attacks it in close combat) will Wound on a roll of 2+.
Necron Immortals
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Necron Immortal 4 4 4 4 1 2 1 10 3+
Unit Composition: 5 Immortals
Unit Type: Infantry
War Gear: Gauss blaster
Transport: May select a Night Scythe as a dedicated transport
Deathmarks
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Deathmark 4 4 4 4 1 2 1 10 3+
Unit Composition: 5 Necron Deathmarks
Unit Type: Infantry
War Gear: Synaptic disintegrator
Transport: May select a Night Scythe as a dedicated transport
Flayed Ones
Flayed Ones are your berserker combat troops. With 4 Attacks each on the charge, your opponent simply can’t afford to ignore them. Whilst you’ll not often want to Deep Strike your Flayed Ones, you’ll almost always want to Infiltrate them close by a suitably vulnerable unit of heavy weapons troopers. With careful positioning, you can keep your Flayed Ones out of the line of fire, and their 4+ armour save and Reanimation Protocols should prevent most of the damage from the shots that do get through. After that, it’s a simple matter of loosing your Flayed Ones into the fray and laughing manically…
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Flayed One 4 1 4 4 1 2 3 10 4+
Unit Composition: 5 Flayed Ones
Unit Type: Infantry
Troops:
(Necron Immortals and Deathmarks see above)
Necron Warriors
Necron Warriors are the heart of your legions; they’re tough, dependable and put out lots and lots of firepower. Whilst Necron Warriors might not have quite the same staying power as Immortals, they’re still better fighters than many of their foes, and almost impossible to shift without a lot of time and effort on the part of your opponent. Furthermore, the gauss flayer’s knack of auto-glancing vehicles (on any armour penetration roll of a 6) means that there are very few enemies who can weather a volley from a phalanx of Necron Warriors.
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Necron Warrior 4 4 4 4 1 2 1 10 4+
Unit Composition: 5 Necron Warriors
Unit Type: Infantry
War Gear: Gauss flayer
Transport: May select a Ghost Ark or a Night Scythe as a dedicated transport
Dedicated Transports:
NECRON GHOST ARK
The Ghost Ark is a transport vehicle and repair platform all in one -- not only can it scoot your Necron Warriors around the battlefield, it can replenish their numbers once casualties are suffered (D3 each turn, if anyone’s interested). It’s also a very effective anti-infantry vehicle, able to deliver two blistering broadsides of 5 or 10 gauss flayer shots each turn. As you might expect, this can make the Ghost Ark a particularly enticing target for your opponent. Happily, and like many Necron vehicles, the Ghost Ark has an array of quantum shielding that boosts its front and side armour values until it suffers a penetrating hit.
BS Front Armour Side Armour Rear Armour
Ghost Ark 4 11 11 11
Number: 1 Ghost Ark
Type: Vehicle (Open-topped, Skimmer)
Wargear: Quantum Shielding; Two gauss flayer arrays
Transport Capacity: 10 Models
Special Rules: Living Metal; Repair Barge
NECRON CATACOMB COMMAND BARGE
For the Necron Overlord who wants to take the fight direct to the foe, the Catacomb Command Barge is the only way to go. Not only does the Command Barge grant your Overlord the protection of its armour and quantum shields, it allows him to attack any enemies it moves over -- just the thing for a spot of summary execution. Worried that your opponent might disable the Catacomb Command Barge? Don’t be -- your Overlord can expend Wounds to prevent immobilised and weapon destroyed results.
BS Front Armour Side Armour Rear Armour
Catacomb Command Barge 4 11 11 11
Number: 1
Type: Vehicle (Open-topped, Skimmer)
Wargear: Quantum Shielding; Tesla cannon
Special Rules: Living Metal; Sweep Attack; Symbiotic Repair
Fast Attack:
Necron Destroyer
Even by the standards of other Necrons, Destroyers are a little bit mad -- essentially, they want to scour all life from the galaxy. Happily, this means that they’ve grafted some really big guns onto their bodies, making them an excellent fire support unit for the rest of your army. A small unit of Destroyers close by your phalanxes can give them extra oomph -- particularly against Space Marines and other high-armour enemies.
Necron Destroyers
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Necron Destroyer 4 4 4 5 1 2 1 10 3+
Unit Composition: 1 Destroyer
Unit Type: Jump Infantry
War Gear: Gauss cannon
Heavy Destroyer
Heavy Destroyers provide long range firepower for a Necron army. Their speed and weapon range makes them perfect for sniping enemy vehicles and elite units. At strength 9 and AP2 the Heavy Gauss Cannon will penetrate even the thickest armour. Your Heavy Destroyers can also be used to give you an advantage in the deployment phase. By deploying a Heavy Destroyer first you can wait and see where your opponent puts his own choice before committing a more expensive unit like a Monolith. Again, using a single Heavy Destroyer, you can push your opponent right back into his deployment zone. By deploying your Heavy Destroyer as far forward as possible you will force your opponent to deploy his units 24″ back into his own table half, your Heavy destroyer can then turbo boost to a more sensible position on the first turn.
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
Heavy Destroyer 4 4 4 5 1 2 1 10 3+
Unit Composition: 1 Heavy Destroyer
Unit Type: Jump Infantry
War Gear: Heavy gauss cannon
Heavy Support:
The Monolith
The Monolith has long been a much-feared opponent, and now it’s deadlier than ever. Whilst it’s tempting to deploy the Monolith at the start of the game, it’s almost always wiser to keep it in reserve -- that way you can Deep Strike it onto an enemy-held objective. Once the Monolith has scoured the foe from the immediate area (try and eliminate melta weapons first -- they can be a real problem) you can then use its eternity gate to teleport in a suitable scoring unit and take the objective for yourself. When the enemy counter attacks, simply switch the eternity gate into its portal of exile mode, and suck the primitives to their doom!
BS Front Armour Side Armour Rear Armour
Necron Monolith 4 14 14 14
Number: 1
Type: Vehicle (Heavy*, Tank, Skimmer)
Wargear: Eternity gate; Four gauss flux arcs; Particle whip
Special Rules: Deep Strike*; Living Metal
NECRON DOOMSDAY ARK
For those Necron Overlords who can never have too much firepower, the Doomsday Ark is a truly invaluable vehicle. Like the Ghost Ark, it has quantum shields and two gauss flayer broadsides. Unlike the Ghost Ark, it has a massive doomsday cannon (bwahahahahaha!). This gun really is as good as it sounds, putting out a not-so-subtle Strength 9 AP 1 Large Blast if the Doomsday Ark doesn’t move -- ideal for taking the starch out of some Terminators, or slagging down an enemy tank.
BS Front Armour Side Armour Rear Armour
Doomsday Ark 4 11 11 11
Number: 1 Doomsday Ark
Type: Vehicle (Open-topped, Skimmer)
Wargear: Doomsday cannon; Two gauss flayer arrays; Quantum shielding
Special Rules: Living Metal
NECRON ANNIHILATION BARGE
The Annihilation Barge is nothing less than a massive gun platform, and when the massive gun in question is a tesla destructor, that’s no bad thing. As with all tesla weapons, the destructor scores two extra hits every time it rolls a 6 To Hit, which can quickly turn a troublesome volley into a unit-obliterating salvo. Where the tesla destructor really shines however, is when you fire it into a clump of enemies -- after the first shot is resolved, the lightning bolts have a chance of arcing through any other nearby units. This does include friendly units, mind, so pick your initial target with care…
BS Front Armour Side Armour Rear Armour
Annihilation Barge 4 11 11 11
Number: 1
Type: Vehicle (Open-topped, Skimmer)
Wargear: Quantum Shielding; Tesla cannon; Twin-linked tesla destructor
Special Rules: Living Metal
