Warhammer 40,000/10th Edition Tactics/Adeptus Mechanicus
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This is the current 10th Edition's Adeptus Mechanicus tactics. 9th Edition Tactics are here.
Why Play Adeptus Mechanicus[edit]
I’m gonna warn you right now. 10th edition is NOT a good time to be an Ad Mech fan right now. Most of our units are in the toilet when it comes to points, statlines, or both, and the vaguely good ones are those generally out of favour in 9th's meta. Rage and borderline unplayability ahead.
Pros[edit]
- Doctrina Imperatives are no longer limited to one use per battle, though their functions have been heavily changed to emphasise advancing toward the enemy DZ or staying in your own.
- Like most 10th ED armies, the army got simplified. We no longer require 9000 IQ and a table of rule interactions to play - the buffs are easier to understand, you just need to know how to use them.
- A couple of our units have been buffed - Castellan with Datasmith have 4+ FNP, and Cawl is vaguely useful after 9th nerfed his abilities.
Cons[edit]
- Your Skitarii have been beaten with a nerf bat repeatedly, dropping from their previous T3 BS3+ Sv4+/5++ statline to T3 BS4+ Sv5+/6++ (A.K.A.: Cadian Shock Troops, except with a shitty invulnerable and no Orders)... and they cost two times more.
- And you need them within 6" of most of your units to make them remotely viable. FUN*
- Aggressor and Bulwark Imperatives have been relegated to Stratagems that can only affect one unit, rather than the army-wide boost-nerf combinations they were in 9th.
- Despite being simplified, we're still a finesse army. If you get caught using the wrong Imperative at the wrong time, the opponent can (and usually will) walk all over you.
- Our Index is a burning dumpsterfire of badly written rules and heavily nerfed stats. And then the Munitorum Manual, for some utterly fucking insane reason, gave us a general increase in points across the board despite us being nerfed into the basement again.
- Tech-Priests (barring the Enginseer) can't repair anything.
- The Kastelan bots now need to make a 50/50 leadership test to get a buff.
- Our Rusties got kicked down to WS4+ while their blades were nerfed to AP-1, rendering them near useless in melee and crippling their former role as MEQ blenders.
- Unit sizes have been changed at random, with Skitarii being reduced to 10 models per unit. Not "minimum ten models per unit", only ten models per unit at all times. Weapons are also violently incoherent in their rules, such as the arc rifle sometimes having devastating wounds and other times not.
- The stratagems are subject to numerous ifs/buts, like only taking place in a specific phase, stance, and unit.
- The Detachment rule is complete shit and actually helps your opponent in some cases, due to the effect of the mortal wounds on armies like Sisters or Dark Angels.
- Lascannon Ironstriders are now BS4+ and have only ONE shot, giving them a 50/50 hit chance and crippling their role as anti-armour in a vehicle-centric edition. The Autocannon 'striders aren't much better, either.
Skub[edit]
- Our codex releases relatively early, in Winter 2023. While the index is a burning dumpster fire and the Munitorum Field Manual reads like it was written by someone with a grudge against us,
copium addictssome people are holding out hope that it unfucks our rules or at least gives us viable options beyond the goddawful current detachment.
Faction Rules[edit]
- Doctrina Imperatives: No longer restricted to once a game, you can pick one of two doctrines each turn.
- Conqueror Doctrine: All of your guns gain Assault and improve their AP by 1 against targets in the enemy DZ, the latter of which is the big deal.
- Protector Doctrine: All of your guns gain Heavy for that accuracy bump when immobile while any ranged attacks against your units within your DZ have their AP reduced by 1.
Detachments[edit]
Rad-Cohort[edit]
Special Rules[edit]
- Rad-Bombardment: What better way to show what this detachment means than by blasting the board in radiation? On the first turn, your enemy has to choose between either going to cover or standing firm; going to cover makes the unit battle-shocked, but standing firm requires you to roll a d6 for each unit inside their DZ and dealing d3 MWs on a 3+. On every turn afterward, any units still within the DZ must roll a d6 and suffer a MW on a 3+.
- Notably, this actually buffs several other armies. Necrons get extra movement from resurrection protocols, Sisters of Battle get a +1 to hit if they're below starting strength, and Dark Angels get all sorts of buffs when battle-shocked.
- In other words, your opponent gets to choose whichever of the two options will hurt them less, against some armies it might actually help them, and all they have to do is move out of their deployment zone to negate it..... FUN
Stratagems[edit]
- Aggressor Imperative (1 CP): When you have the Conqueror Imperative active, you can have one Skitarii unit charge after advancing.
- Bulwark Imperative (1 CP): When you have the Protector Imperative active, one Skitarii the enemy tries to shoot will get their invulnerable save boosted to a 4++.
Wargear[edit]
- Enhanced Data-Tether: Lets the unit refund a CP on a 5+ when you use a stratagem on them.
- Omnispex: Grants the unit [Ignores Cover] on their guns.
Unit Analysis[edit]
Characters[edit]
- Skitarii Marshal: Can only lead the sadly broken Skitarii, giving them re-rolls to hit and the ability to use Strats that other units may have used that turn, even when battle-shocked.
Tech-Priests[edit]
- Cybernetica Datasmith: The only thing you need to make your Kastelans worthwhile. Anyone can snipe out the Datasmith, but the Kastelans at least provide this goon with a 4+ FNP. For some insane reason, you need to make Leadership tests in order to give these robots any of their buffs (+2 attacks to guns, +2 attacks to melee weapons, +1 to Toughness) that are the reason you even bought this fucking idiot. Oh, and did we mention that attaching him to your Baymaxes gifts them his INFANTRY keyword, with all the weaknesses that implies.
- Technoarchaeologist:
- Tech-Priest Dominus:
- Tech-Priest Enginseer: The only tech-priest to fucking remember that they're meant to fix shit. Like any dedicated mechanic, they get Lone Operative when they're within 3" of any vehicles (despite any retinues they can join) and can heal d3 wounds off any nearby vehicles. While they have an okay set of attacks between their axe and servo-arm (and technically are the same statwise aside from the arm getting [Extra Attacks]), seeing a vehicle die within 12" fills the Enginseer with such a rage that it doubles the number of attacks the axe makes.
- Tech-Priest Manipulus:
Epic Heroes[edit]
- Belisarius Cawl: With the many bumps to tanks and monsters, Papa Cawl has now pretty much been relegated to a small monster at T8 W10. Fortunately, this seemingly unimpressive statline is backed by a 2+/4++ save that heals d3 wounds each turn and gains the Lone Operative rule when he's next to other AdMech units, letting him be bubblewrapped in Skitarii.
- The Solar Atomiser pretty much gives you a single gun that can demolish terminators and punch holes in tanks with shocking ease. In melee, he'll be relying on the S8 AP-2 D2 axe for fighting. Aside from that he has an S5 AP-1 Arc Scourge that has Anti-Vehicle 4+ and Devastating Wounds to make it a lot more threatening against the odd tank and an array of Mechadendrites that 2d6 S4 attacks.
- Cawl shows that canticles are now tied to the character than a single universal set, and for him these all give a 6" bubble. Invocation of Machine Vengeance lets units re-roll hit rolls of 1, Mantra of Discipline lets them re-roll Leadership and Battleshock tests, and Shroudpsalm gives units Stealth.
Battleline[edit]
- Skitarii Rangers: Now with 5+ armour save and 4+ BS, because fuck you. The one reason you bring these over the Vanguard is because they get Scouts 6" and the ability to cap points and keep them under your control, at least giving your troops one less thing to worry about. The tragedy, of course, lies in how their Galvanic Rifles are now just long-range bolters at S4 AP-. It doesn't matter how accurate they might get with Conqueror Imperative, these guns are still pointless against anything with a good save.
- Their Arc Rifle gains a bit of an edge against vehicles thanks to having [Rapid Fire 1], [Anti-Vehicle 4+], and [Devastating Wounds] to bolster their decent statline. The Plasma Caliver remains powerful due to its 30" A2 BS4+ S7 AP-2 D1 -> S8 AP-3 D2[Hazardous] when overcharged. The Transuranic Arquebus remains the sniper - [Precision] and [Heavy] with 36" A1 BS4+ S7 AP-2 Dd3.
- Arc Rifles will often be better than Plasma Calivers even against tough monsters and the like due to the incredible power of Devastating Wounds], provided you get to within 15". For example, both weapons will hurt a T9 Sv2+ W10 Screamer-Killer the same amount, but the Arc Rifle won't make you take a Hazardous test.
- The Omnispex remains valuable by letting their guns ignore cover while the Enhanced Data-Tether gives you a chance to refund CP after using a strat on them.
- Skitarii Vanguard: Now with 5+ armour save and 4+ BS, because fuck you. Their radiation seems to make more use for them, as this makes a 3" bubble that makes any non-vehicle units inside it reduce the OC of each model in it by 1, so an OC of 2+ per model will generally be mandatory to cap anything near them. Their Radium Carbines are the better gun compared to the rangers, having a bunch of shots and [Anti-Infantry 4+] to at least threaten GEQ.
Infantry[edit]
- Sicarian Ruststalkers: Adds +1 to Advance and Charge rolls. Even better is that when they're within 6" of a friendly Battleline unit, they add +2 to those rolls instead, making mid-range Skitarii into slingshots.
- Sicarian Infiltrators
- Pteraxii Skystalkers
- Pteraxii Sterylizors
- Kataphron Breachers
- Kataphron Destroyers
- Servitors: Wanna know just how badly the rules-writers shit the bed when writing the rules for this army? just look at the Servitors. It is unknown who, in what place, in what state of mind would ever consider it acceptable to make these goddamn things get a 6+ BS that improves into a 5+ when attached to any Enginseer. There is no excuse for making these things utterly incapable of using any guns or even throwing a punch with a 5+ WS. The fact that all of your guns already have [Heavy] already on them just removes part of the value of the Protector Imperative on them. The fact that the servitors loaned out to the Space Marines are actually better at shooting than these is just a travesty in itself.
- Secutarii HoplitesHH Legends: Your dedicated melee wall, blessed with a 4++ save as well as a free use of a Heroic Intervention strat each turn with the added perk of re-rolling the charge when protecting a {[W40kKeyword|Adeptus Titanicus}} titan. Their Arc Lances give you something pretty easy to weaponize against tanks with [Anti-Vehicle 4+] and [Devastating Wounds] while also getting [Lance] when used in melee.
- Fortunately, as they're able to be joined by any heroes who can join Vanguards, they're considered one of the more synergistic options to join a Marshal in melee.
- Secutarii PeltastsHH Legends: Come with Galvanic Casters that can switch between either lightweight Flechette shots with [Assault] to always fire on the move or Hammershot rounds with [Heavy]. Whichever one you fire, your attacks also make the enemy take -1 to hit until your next turn.
Electro-Priests[edit]
- Corpuscarii Electro-Priests
- Fulgurite Electro-Priests
Mounted[edit]
- Serberys Raiders:
- Serberys Sulphurhounds:
Vehicles[edit]
- Skorpius Disintegrator
- Onager Dunecrawler: M8 T10 2+ Save W11 Ld 7+ OC 3 with 4+ Invulnerable and ability to ignore terrain that are 4" or less during Movement.
- Eradication Beamer: 36" A1d6 S9 AP-2 D2, with Blast and Sustained Hits D3 with Heavy to improve its BS if it sits still; can change to 18" for AP-3 and D3 Mostly the same as last edition beyond a few minor tweaks, though the Sustained Hits D3 makes it even swingier than before.
- Daedalus missile launcher: 48" A1 S10 AP-2 D6+1, with Anti-Fly 2+, BS 4+. Dedicated AA in edition where Flyers aren't very good. Paired with...
- Icarus array: 48" A6 S8 AP-1 D2 with Anti-Fly 4+, Twin-Linked, BS4+. Numerous shots with good damage, but don't rely on it to kill MEQ.
- Heavy phosphor blaster: 36" A3 S6 AP-1 D1, with Ignores Cover, BS 4+. You can't mount it on Onager, why is it in the list?.
- Neutron laser: 48" A2 S16 AP-4 D6+1 with Blast and Heavy, BS 4+. Look at it, an actual gun with an actual chance to shoot if you're standing still!
- Twin Onager heavy phosphor blaster 36" A4 S6 AP-1 D2, Ignores Cover, Twin-Linked, BS4+. Icarus is better.
- Kastelan Robots
- Ironstrider Ballistarii
- Sydonian Dragoons
Dedicated Transport[edit]
- Skorpius Dunerider: A landboat with space for 12 models. Pretty much only useful for your Skitarii, Sicarians and Electro-Priests as nothing else can fit in here. Pretty much only has Cognis Heavy Stubbers for shooting, so you're best served by moving as fast as possible - after all, the Dunerider can unload its passengers after advancing and these shouldn't be shooting anyways.
- Terrax-Pattern TermiteHH Legends: An inverse drop pod, this is your only deep-striking carrier, capable of fitting 12 models. While it's not as mobile, it's got more effective sponsons (combi-bolters, heavy flamers or twin volkite chargers) on top of the Melta Cutter to chop through light tanks. If you need to destroy anything bigger, you'd need to get into melee for the drill to rip them apart.
Aircraft[edit]
- Archaeopter Fusilave
- Archaeopter Stratoraptor
- Archaeopter Transvector
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