N18 Orlock Genestealer Hybrid list I'm noodling on

Tubal

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Feb 28, 2023
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A local group is starting up a new campaign, and last time I played Necromunda wasn't this millennium, so I'm pretty hyped for it!
We're playing a Dark Uprising campaign and I'm not entirely sure what this entails, but that's probably fine. :p

I'm doing an Orlock genestealer hybrid gang, almost entirely because I always liked genestealer hybrids, and I like the look of Orlocks the most. Not sure that they synergise well but w/e...

A question I have is if the Extra Arm I'm allowed to give Juves is worth it?

30 creds for an extra unarmed attack that is Rending?

Is there a Book of Ruins Errata that adresses that there's at least two slightly different Extra Arm rules?...



I'm still reading up on stuff, but a preliminary starting gang could look like this:

NameTagsPrice
Leader105
Psyker40
Plasma Pistol5
Chainsword25
Road Sergeant80
Grenade launcher65
Autopistol10
Arms Master95
Shotgun25
Wrecker55
Flail20
Wrecker55
Flail20
Greenhorn35
Fighting Knife, autopistol25
Greenhorn35
Fighting Knife, autopistol25
Gunner45
Autogun15
Gunner45
Autogun15
Gunner45
Autogun15
Gunner45
Autogun15
Total:960

Comes out to 960 creds, so there's some wiggle room still. 🤔

I'm going for numbers more than gear here. I might trade in some people for armour on the bosses, and better guns.

The Wreckers would be converted and be hybrid forms with either wings or climby limbs, but use the rules for jump boosters... and I hope to heck they live long enough to get WS boosts. Optimally I should probably get them some guns...

I should also probably get the one Aberrant I'm allowed.
 
You get a single specialist at creation, I'd switch the grenade launcher out to a gunner specialist (you'll be able to pick his advancements). From there I'd favor a bolter for the road Sargent. Bolters are great for putting it some pain!

I've found a quick hands legendary name and munitioneer on the captain makes that bolter way more reliable than you'd expect. It also would help the Captain's plasma pistol. I see that you have psyker on the captain but with him equipped so expensively you won't want to take the time to cast powers... Also I was nothing but disappointed in the chain sword, I want to like it but it can't parry power weapons and the power pick it even power knife end up being better/cheaper.

I've played a fair bit of orlock, not stealers so take the above with a grain of salt.
 
The two specialists thing is me skimming through the rules. 😅

Very good point about the psyker. 🤔
Ugh, the captain is the best fighter of course, so spending 40 creds to make me choose between fighting or something else seems expensive. Telekinesis - Assail could be useful, but... So would some armour or whatever.

I'm probably better off making a close combat leader to support an Abberant/Wrecker/Juve team, and a Sergeant and a group of gangers to provide fire support. 🤔 (or the other way around)
The old guard and the new hybridized blood.
 
Redid the gang with a little more thought put in...

The idea is basically that the Leader hangs back with the grenadier and uses Group Activation to volley fire anything they see.

Meanwhile the Road Sergeant leads the Abberrants and Juves around to assault, and the Wreckers fill in where needed.

Still being frugal with the gear, but I spread some armour around, and the Aberrant got a power pick because it sounds flavourful, and should be pretty devastating hopefully.

If I get through the first couple of battles without losses the priority is probablty to buy more wargear...

UnitGear and OptionsPriceTotal Price980
Money Left20
The Old Guard
Road Captain105
Boltgun55
Mesh armor15
Gunner45
Grenade launcher65
Flak Armour10
Gunner45
Autogun15
Greenhorn35
Fighting Knife15
Stub Gun5
The New Blood
Road Sergeant80
Autopistol10
Fighting Knife15
Mesh Armor15
Greenhorn35
Fighting Knife15
Stub Gun5
Greenhorn35
Fighting Knife15
Stub Gun5
Wrecker55
Flail20
Autopistol10
Flak Armour10
Wrecker55
Flail20
Autopistol10
Flak Armour10
Aberrant95
Power Pick40
Mesh Armor15
 
Wow those fighting knives are so spendy! I'd consider dropping the greenhorns to just stub guns. Even just one would let you upgrade the Sargent to an arms master for better bottle checks.

I'd go into the campaign gear light and stash heavier maybe buy the fighting knives game two or three after you know for sure you want them. Keep a mental log of if you'd rather have the knives or some armor. Expensive bullet soaks should be carefully considered...
 
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Skip the Flak armor. Any fighter worth giving armor should get Mesh Armor. Flak Armor only becomes a consideration if you reduce the price to 5cr.

Also, Greenhorns are generally terrible. I'd ditch them and their expensive-ish gear to add Gunners with Autoguns.

I see that in your current iteration you're at one Road Sergeant and a Captain. I'd go back and retool the list so that you have the Captain, an Arms Master and a Road Sergeant. It may hurt your numbers a little bit, but it's entirely worth it.

The Aberrant is great as is.
 
Wow those fighting knives are so spendy! I'd consider dropping the greenhorns to just stub guns. Even just one would let you upgrade the Sargent to an arms master for better bottle checks.

I see that in your current iteration you're at one Road Sergeant and a Captain. I'd go back and retool the list so that you have the Captain, an Arms Master and a Road Sergeant. It may hurt your numbers a little bit, but it's entirely worth it.

So both of you suggest upgrading to an arms master, but earlier I was told I got 1 specialist at creation. Gangs of the Underhive, says 2, but is not repeated in House of Iron as far as I can see. Is there an actual limit? 🤔
The rule about having more gangers than other types seems to be replaced by having to have more Gang Fighter (x) than others, and Juves and wreckers both have that.

The knives really are expensive... They give the juves an extra attack, and it's not unarmed, and I intend to get them into a lot of trouble so it could come in handy. Changing it to clubs might be almost as good. There might be a Palanite gang in the campaign, but I don't know that armour will be very common. 🤔

Might just ditch the armour and spend money on mesh for anyone who manages to get a stat increase. 😛
I kinda want to Greenhorns specifically because they have more close combat potential than gangers. 😅
 
Unless your arbitrator has changed the rules the construction has no hard limit. Just the soft limit of gang fighter (x). The gene stealer stuff is older so has some references to older building. The aberrant I think just functions outside the soft limit and just his credits impact your ability to meet the above soft limit.

A specialist is a fancy gunner (costs no points, still has gang fighter, allowed better gear, and advances by choice rather than random every so many experience).

Really think about running the numbers on unarmed it is pretty good and the cost of the extra attack (hitting on a 5+) is not great. You will regularly end up moving up and shooting any way. Charges are very difficult which is why I'd recommend just don't spend the creds yet and play a game or two with an eye of if they'd matter. I'm prone to grabbing a different colored die and rolling it alongside the actual dice to see if a difference happens just telling my opponent the extra die is nothing, just for SCIENCE!.

Finally never take clubs they allow a save to be better (lower) than it actually is. Ie Mesh saves on 4+ against it.
 
List is now nailed down and I probably won't change anything unless my planned conversions go to heck. :D

W5a50H0.png



In the end I decided on a slightly more ranged approach, especially for the Wreckers (they DO have terrible WS), and spending a little more on combat shotguns for the ranged group.

On the opposite end I felt I was using way too little of the genestealer hybrid part of the rules, so I gave a juve an extra arm!

The double autopistols on the wrecker is a gamble... it'll either work amazingly or not at all......

I also named everyone! I went with a mix of... imperial biker(?) names for the gangers, and over the top names for my wreckers (who will be converted to be hybrids) and the aberrant (who IS a hybrid). The children of the stars are here to lead us to greatness, and need names that fit their great purpose.
 
Some thoughts.

I think you're confusing champions with specialists, Road Sergeants and Arms Masters are champions (confusingly Arms masters sometimes get referred to as specialist champions, ignore that).

At gang creation you can include as many champions as you want, but for every champion in the gang you need to have someone with the Gang Fighter rule (typically a ganger, juve or prospect). In campaign play only your leader and champions can make post battle actions (take an injured model to the doctor, visit the trading post, work a territory etc) so the more you have the more you can do in the post game sequence.

A good rule of thumb is to start with at least two champions, if you can get more in without drastically reducing bodies even better, champions are some of your best models so having more is good.

Specialists are a special type of ganger, they're not listed separately in the gang roster, they're an upgrade that can happen to a normal ganger when he gets enough skill points to roll on the advancement table (think more like Mordheims "Lads got Talent").

A ganger who becomes a specialist can take better weapons (for most gangs it means special weapons, for Orlock it means special and heavy weapons) and uses the champion/leader advancements list so can gain skills, at gang creation you can, for free, make one of your gangers a specialist ganger, so its always worth doing that.

In terms of the list, Greenhorns are expensive for their horrible statline, wreckers do everything they can do, but better, id ditch all your greenhorns and either get an extra ganger or beef up your guns.

Extra arm on a greenhorn is just extra wasteful, the best use of extra arm is acting as cheap suspensors for a heavy weapon, which greenhorns can't equip. The extra attack is nice but not on a model with a base 5+ ws.
 
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