N18 Archeoteks Skills and loadout

[Lunarcruiser]

For a future campaign one gang i am running will be my Proton Skulls Van Saar
I am considering a archeoteck in the mix starting with weapon smith to remore Scace traits and add Plentiful to Non Scace weapons.
The plan is slog on to get enough XP to get a Gadgeteer skill Which allows Plentiful Weapons to gain an number of Traits. (Both Skills apply to some or any of the fighters weapons.)
The skills also mention weapons not spercifically Ranged weapons so can be appled to Melee ones.

Eventually I plan on the Spider Rig, make it Plentiful via Weaponsmith then either a Pulverise or Rending with Gadgeteer.
Which trait would you recomend?

Also I might splurge on Digi Lasers if extra rich (All fear my laser fingers!!!!) Hitting should not be a real problem (4+ is ok and can always be boosted by assists and eventual WS upgrades).
With S1 Digi lasers you would need 6s to wound regard so would you recommend Rending, so If it wounds it is D2 or Shock which automatically wounds but at D1 on a hit of 6?

(THe digi lasers part is mostly theoretical but potentially throwing 10 additional close combat dice to a charging spider rig is appealing, super expensive, from a psycological factor. One opponent is Delaque. They may have Shenanigans so might I Mwahahaha)

 

[Psyan]

Sounds fun. I'd suggest giving him a Boltgun, too, since Plentiful is a particularly excellent trait to have on a weapon with a 6+ ammo roll.

Given the relatively high number of wound rolls you're likely to be making with the Spider Rig, I think Rending would be a useful trait.
As you mentioned, the Digi-lasers wound on 6+ anyway, so putting Rending on them is effectively a weapon profile change from 1W to 2W; that's a pretty nice boost.

 

[Lunarcruiser]

Sounds fun. I'd suggest giving him a Boltgun, too, since Plentiful is a particularly excellent trait to have on a weapon with a 6+ ammo roll.

Given the relatively high number of wound rolls you're likely to be making with the Spider Rig, I think Rending would be a useful trait.
As you mentioned, the Digi-lasers wound on 6+ anyway, so putting Rending on them is effectively a weapon profile change from 1W to 2W; that's a pretty nice boost.

I was thinking plasma pistol. With the shorter range it will encourage closing to hit the foe. The bolter will encourage more long distance combat. I will have other fighters for that.

 

[Psyan]

The Plasma Pistol is definitely good, but since you've already got the Spider Rig, you're missing out on one of it's nicer benefits: The extra high Strength, high Damage attack it would give you in close combat. For the same price, you could have a weapon that is almost as dangerous, but has twice the range and is Plentiful. The earlier in the fight you put that 2+ BS and Ocular upgrade to work, the better.
My approach is that an Archeotek is still primarily a 24" shooter even if I've given him a Spider Rig. The 4" movement, 4+ WS and T3 mean that he's never going to be a serious beatstick in melee combat. I like to use his limited melee ability to punish opponents who overextend themselves in their eagerness to get up close and personal with my sickly gun line.

 

[Lunarcruiser]

The 4" movement, 4+ WS and T3 mean that he's never going to be a serious beatstick in melee combat. I like to use his limited melee ability to punish opponents who overextend themselves in their eagerness to get up close and personal with my sickly gun line.

4". Goliaths manage combat with that. Surely my geniuses can do better than those Muscle bound Tank brains! Seriously though I know it seldom gets Van Saar far but I don't send non neoteks galavanting up field. Opponents come to me to smash my puny rad phaged bodies. I'm thinking a more melee based Van Saar will be like a defense monitor. Slower so opponents come to them, but hit pretty hard (I BFG and Dropfleet as well).
WS 4+. In its own meh I agree. However the Spider rig gives +1 accuracy at both long and Engaged ranges so really it's primary melee weapon is hitting on 3+. That's perfectly fine against gangers juves and many champions. I know Naght ghuls, Stimmers and Murder Tornadoes will put class the Archeotek but that's what thier mate with a plasma cannon is for. Teamwork makes the munitions dream work.
T3. So are most people. Again the targets are the normal folk. Heavy hitters are to be targeted long range by the rest of the gangs. The archeotek is not meant for top tier melee but hunting the plebs who get close. A defensive melee combatant for anyone who survives the mass volley fire.

The plasma pistol is mainly just to take respectable pot shots when out of melee range. Or pin and possibly really hurt those super melee fighters that get too close.
"Do you want to dance with that Hungry Hungry hippo Cult leader? That's what that Ambot we stole is for! Now hold my Wild Snake whilst I pounce on that puny Initiate."

 

[Lunarcruiser]

The Plasma Pistol is definitely good, but since you've already got the Spider Rig, you're missing out on one of it's nicer benefits: The extra high Strength, high Damage attack it would give you in close combat. For the same price, you could have a weapon that is almost as dangerous, but has twice the range and is Plentiful. The earlier in the fight you put that 2+ BS and Ocular upgrade to work, the better.

With the two skill plans the plentiful Bolter can lose the Plentiful and gain one of the gadgeteer traits (I know Plentiful alone would be a better choice with 6+ ammo but a Bolter with Knockback or Shock or Pulverise Bolts just seams proper necromunda bonkers to me ).

Don't get me wrong I get the ranged Archeotek builds and know they work. I was just workshoping the melee angle.

It could be interesting to see what you could do with a Grav Gun. The Knockback is key around the hit roll and can throw the target around even increasing damage to 3 positioned right. Pulverise makes Injury rolls of a D2 no save hit all that much nastier.
Shock and Rending affect the wound roll, auto wounding on a hit of 6 and +1 D on a wound roll of 6 respectively.
Because the graviton Pulse trait says "instead of rolling to wound normally with this weapon" that actually still says the S based roll is a form of wound roll. Just a not normal one. Abnormal cheese is still cheese. (May be posting while peckish).
So a Shock grav weapon on a hit roll of 6 automatically passes its strength check, ignores armour and inflicts D2.
A Rending Grav weapon will make its S test normally and if they roll a 6 on the abnormal wound roll (which is automatically a success regardless of targets strength as normal) and add an additional damage point. Extra nasty.

Plus grav weapons slow down folk so gives you more time to shoot them.

 

[Psyan]

Regarding Goliaths, they're tougher, they have better WS, leaders and Champs usually have Nerves of Steel to help them get to melee and (at least when I do a Goliath list) they still shoot. My typical loadout on a Goliath Tyrant almost always includes a Boltgun or Grenade Launcher on creation.

I don't see the Archaeotek as just a 24" shooter; that niche is already filled most efficiently by the Augmek. I view the Archaeotek as a mad-scientist type (mine is named Saxifrage Russell, if that means anything to you) who can both shoot and do melee mop up; he fills a gap.

Also, I suggest including a Stimm Slug Stash on Spider Rig Archaeoteks; it takes that turn 3/4 charge from being mildly threatening to being actually dangerous to just about anyone.

I'm cautious about putting very short-ranged guns on my heavy hitters. I feel like you need both a high payoff weapon (Meltagun or template) and Hip Shooting to really make them effective. If your strategy involves letting opponents come to you (a very good strategy for VS), that Boltgun gets you an extra turn or two of shooting safely from cover over the Plasma Pistol.

I can see how the Grav Gun could be good choice for the Archaeotek, too. The 18" range is respectable, Knockback shenanigans are fun and you're not tied to keeping Plentiful as your most useful trait option; I may give that a try sometime. The only issue there is price; the Grav Gun costs twice as much as the Boltgun. Then again, if I'm 100% focused on brutal efficiency, I'm probably not taking the Archaeotek.

 

[Lunarcruiser]

Regarding Goliaths, they're tougher, they have better WS, leaders and Champs usually have Nerves of Steel to help them get to melee and (at least when I do a Goliath list) they still shoot. My typical loadout on a Goliath Tyrant almost always includes a Boltgun or Grenade Launcher on creation.

I Tyrant with a combat shotgun myself but otherwise . With the high attacks my Tyrant will head towards a melee primary focus so will end up getting close so thier ranged power will not need to be long range hence the shorter ranged shotgun. (Plus it looks cool as F).

I don't see the Archaeotek as just a 24" shooter; that niche is already filled most efficiently by the Augmek. I view the Archaeotek as a mad-scientist type (mine is named Saxifrage Russell, if that means anything to you) who can both shoot and do melee mop up; he fills a gap.

Love the name. Yeah I see them as a different role to the Augmek. Each Van Saar fighter should have a specific role.

Also, I suggest including a Stimm Slug Stash on Spider Rig Archaeoteks; it takes that turn 3/4 charge from being mildly threatening to being actually dangerous to just about anyone.

I find the burnout chance of Storm Slugs too swingy for me.

I'm cautious about putting very short-ranged guns on my heavy hitters. I feel like you need both a high payoff weapon (Meltagun or template) and Hip Shooting to really make them effective. If your strategy involves letting opponents come to you (a very good strategy for VS), that Boltgun gets you an extra turn or two of shooting safely from cover over the Plasma Pistol.

There are other fighters for short ranged firepower guns in the gang though. For the best short range builds they need Hip shooting or Gunslinger or similar Shooting skills to pull off well. With the Archeotek build having two Tech skills to realise the build that leaves little room to really capitalise on some of the great short ranged weapons. A Hip Shooting meltagun is great but a Augmek can do the job with it for less XP cost than the Gageteer Weapon Smith Archeotek and spread out the credit sink cost of both across the gang. The plasma pistol is much cheaper. If I shell out for a Archeotek bolter, why not gunk bolts for it to slow folk down, and why not shatter shells to gain a Blast capability. It then gets expensive and changed the fighters role.

I can see how the Grav Gun could be good choice for the Archaeotek, too. The 18" range is respectable, Knockback shenanigans are fun and you're not tied to keeping Plentiful as your most useful trait option; I may give that a try sometime. The only issue there is price; the Grav Gun costs twice as much as the Boltgun. Then again, if I'm 100% focused on brutal efficiency, I'm probably not taking the Archaeotek.

The archeotek with Grav gun build would be different to the Spider rig build (although same two Tech skills) Unless the campaign drags on to stupid income sizes I would not want to sink too much credits into one fighter.
As I stated above the if I went Bolter I would add gunk bolts and shatter shells to give the weapon more uses. That pushes it up to 85 credits before any sight. My group also allows all gangs to steal from Enforcers stores so Penetrator rounds are also available. So many fun toys .

After discussing the grav gun on here I am seeing the potential of beefing up a Long rifles in the same manner to create a cheap and properly decent sniper rifle too.

 

[Psyan]

Thus far, I've resisted the urge to put any ammo upgrades on my Archaeotek's Boltgun... though Penetrator rounds are really tempting.

So are you going with the usual Ocular Cyberteknika, or are you going all in on the second Torsonic upgrade for that juicy +2 S?

 

[Lunarcruiser]

Thus far, I've resisted the urge to put any ammo upgrades on my Archaeotek's Boltgun... though Penetrator rounds are really tempting.

So are you going with the usual Ocular Cyberteknika, or are you going all in on the second Torsonic upgrade for that juicy +2 S?

For the Combat Archaeotek I was going to pick a non Ocular one
The Shooting build that we have appeared to create by accident on this thread Ocular. I could possibly drop a Augmek to try both