NECRON RULES

The Necrons, an alien race ancient beyond imagining, are awakening from their sixty-million year dormacy to plauge the living once more. Thousands of immortal, soulless warriors have risen from dusty stasis-tombs, intent on preying on the teeming spieces of the galaxy. Their miraculous technology was far in advance of any contemporary equivalent long before the Eldar, reckoned the oldest among races, had even come into existence. Although the Imperium of Mankind has only recently acknowledged the Necron's reappearance, their monstrous Gods feasted upon collosal stars before the planets themselves were born.

Silent mechanical warriors that specialise in terror attacks, the Necrons prey on every other race to use them as cattle for their Gods and masters. Humanity must prepare itself to battle the arcane powers that Necrons possess, with their efficient weapons and phase shift technology, they are an elusive opponent from another time, and another world.

Necrons are somewhat slow and steady on the battle field. They move suredly, but never hurridly. Necrons never gain or use CPs in any way. They merely continue their ghostly march down the halls and rooms of their tombs, or even Space Hulks. All Necrons are immune to any form of terror and some psychic effects as noted on the Ranged Weapons Table. Necrons can not be controlled by the psychic attack card.

Self Repair

Many Necrons possess the ability to self repair even some of the most horrendous battle field damage. Their skin and skeletal bone structure is comprised of a living metal that meshes wounds together and keeps the Necron alive to fight later rounds of battle. Countless enemy squads have stood over charred piles of Necron Warriors only to watch them self repair and stand up again to fight. Only the surest of firepower will sufficiently blast them into fragments from which ressurection is impossible.

Ranged weapons marked with NR (no repair) on the Ranged Weapons Table do not allow a Necron to self repair. Hits from these weapons are enough to prevent the Necron from reforming. Similarly, if a Necron is killed in close assault by a weapon or creature that has the NR ability on the Close Assault Table, then it can not self repair. These close assault attacks are sufficient enough to rip apart a Necron beyond the chance to self repair. All automatic kill effects are considered to be NR weapons.

When a Necron with self repair is killed from an attack that does not prevent self repair, place the Necron model face down, off the board, near the square that it was killed. At the start of the next Necron turn each Necron that was killed is checked to see if it self repairs. The Necron must be within six squares of a living Necron of the same type. The Necron player then rolls a dice and must score equal to or higher than its self repair roll to live again. If the Necron makes the self repair roll, then it returns to 'life' again. It may then immediately return to play onto the square that it was killed. If this square is blocked, then the Necron may return to play in an adjacent square if available, otherwise it may not enter play and is destroyed. A Necron will immediately suffer from the effects of any section effect markers that are in play as it returns to the board. Once a Necron has returned to play it is considered prone and it must pay the appropriate amount of APs to stand up and continue its turn as normal. All regenerated Necrons are placed prone on the board before the Necron player starts his turn.

If a dead Necron laying face down off the board is in a section that takes a section effect hit, then the Necron will be destroyed if the section effect does not allow self repair.

Phase Out

If the Necron force is ever reduced to 25% or less of its original number, then it mysteriously phases out leaving ghostly smoke in its wake. The opposing force will usually score an immediate victory (depending on the mission goals) as the Necrons vanish into thin air. Pariahs are not counted as part of the Necron force for the phase out rule to take effect. The phase out test is taken at the start of the Necron turn before any self repair rolls are made.

Introducing Necron Warriors

Warriors make up the core of a Necron force and are used as front line troops in assaults. Although they do not move very fast and they are slow with close assault blows, they make no sound and eerily march at a steady pace with only the echoes of their footsteps preceding their arrival. They are reasonably well armoured and wield the deadly Gauss Flayer which is capable of destroying any target that it fires upon. However, probably the most unnerving aspect of their composition is their ability to stand up moments after receiving a hit that would kill most creatures with flesh and blood.

Necron Warriors have 4 APs and need to roll a 4 or higher for their self repair roll.

Introducing Immortals

Immortals were among the first servants of their gods to give themselves over to eternal life. Casting off their flesh and their souls, they are giants with gleaming bodies that wield the lethal Gauss Blaster. Tougher and stronger than Warriors, Immortals are elite troops in a Necron force and they are used with precision in most attacks.

Immortals have 4 APs and need to roll a 3 or higher for their self repair roll.

Introducing Flayed Ones

Flayed Ones are twisted, ghoulish terrors of the night. Thin and wiry, they adorn themselves with the wet hides of their victims as a sign of derision for the flesh that they once cast off from themselves. They attack with long taloned claws that can strip the skin from their prey in seconds. They are nightmarish creatures of horror that cause revulsion in close assault. Any enemy model that can be struck with terror which is in close assault with a Flayed One must subtract 1 from its close assault roll. The model is not actually struck with terror, but it is distracted by the gruesome visage before it. Models that are not affected by terror do not suffer from this close assault penalty.

Flayed Ones have 4 APs and need to roll a 4 or higher for their self repair roll.

Introducing the Necron Lord

The Necron Lord not only leads the Warriors into battle, it is also the focus of all the mysterious Necron energy that shimmers about a battlefield. Glowing fires of soulless fury burns in its eye sockets as they radiate their endless millenia of power about them. They are often garbed in the crumbling attire of their former lives as a symbol of mockery to all creatures that bleed from cut flesh. Necron Lords are capable warriors that wield a Warscythe and are often equipped with an array of unforgiving wargear that is ruthlessly efficient, allowing the Necron Lord to carry out his murderous plans with ease.

The Necron Lord has 6 APs and needs to roll a 3 or higher for its self repair roll. Note that the Necron Lord can attempt a self repair roll regardless of how far it is from any other Necron.

Introducing Wraiths

Wraiths are floating killers that coexist in the real and immaterial world. They shift in and out of phase with their flittering movements and are able to drift along a corridor faster than most other Necrons. Their spines are extremely elongated and fluid, enabling them to strike out in close assault and deliver fatal shocks with their claws and tail. Wraiths do not use ranged weaponry as they are built to deliver extreme pain with their hands which are constructed sharper than scalpels.

Wraiths are able to move through closed doors, bulkheads, crates, rubble and other features, with no movement penalty. They do not have LOS through a closed door until they have moved through it. Wraiths can not move through a square that is occupied by another model (friendly or foe) and they can not end their turn being 'inside' a solid object. They can move past a Proximity Plasma Grenade without detonating it, through a Power Field Generator and they can also move through a Miasma. Other section effects block a Wraith's movement as normal - a Wraith can not move into a Flamed section, Vortex, Stasis, etc.

Wraiths have 6 APs and need to roll a 3 or higher for their self repair roll.

Phase Shifting

Wraiths are able to aviod many lethal attacks aimed at them as they phase in and out of realspace. When a Wraith is hit with a ranged weapon, the firing model must roll to score another hit to check if the shot actually killed the Wraith while it was phased in the material plane. This second hit roll is not actually a shot, it does not use extra ammunition and it does not count as an action. In addition, the second hit roll does not jam overwatch or malfunction any weapon. The second hit roll purely determines if the original shot actually killed the Wraith. If the original shot misses the Wraith then there is no need for the second hit roll. A model firing at a Wraith can take as many shots as it likes, but it must always make a second hit roll for shots that hit to determine if the Wraith is killed. Naturally, more powerful weapons are more likely to kill a Wraith as opposed to weaker weapons that may hit a Wraith, but not actually kill it. Weapons and effects that automatically kill a Wraith do not need a second hit roll. They hit the first time.

A Wraith's ability to phase shift also works during close assault. If a Wraith loses a close assault, it may have phased out just in time to avoid the killing blows. Both models roll for a second round of close assault to determine if the Wraith was able to phase out. If the Wraith loses again, then it is killed. If the second round of close assault is drawn, or the Wraith wins, then it manages to phase out and avoid being killed. The second round of Close Assault is not actually a combat as such, it is only used to determine if the Wraith was actually killed from its previous loss. The second round does not count as an action and the opponent can not be defeated in any way during the mock second round of close assault. If the original close assault was drawn, or the Wraith won, then naturally there is no need for the second round of close assault.

A Wraith will be killed in close assault (no need for a second round) if it loses to a Patriarch, Hybrid Psyker, Hive Tyrant or Zoanthrope (all Psychic), or if a model armed with a Force Weapon channels some psi energy into the blow. Psychic opponents are able to reach into the immaterial world and sever the Wraith's life energy. Note that a model with a Force Weapon must have augmented the original blow with some psi energy to guarantee a kill against the Wraith, otherwise it will have to roll for a second round to check that the Wraith did not phase out. Augmented psi energy is able to slice a Wraith apart.

Wraiths are elusive creatures that are able to cheat death many times over. It is particularly demoralising for enemy troops to kill a Wraith and then watch it regenerate minutes later to stalk them once more.

Introducing Pariahs

Pariahs are elite Necron troopers who are able to interfere with enemy Psykers' abilities to effectively channel from the Warp. A Pariah is armed with a Warscythe making it a very competent opponent in close assault and ranged firing.

However, a Pariah is at its best when it is confronted with enemy Psykers. A Pariah is considered to have an infinite supply of force and aura cards at its disposal that it may use (within the normal psychic rules) against any enemy psychic effect that targets it. This effectively means that a Pariah will automatically nullify an enemy psychic attack that is directed towards it as the casting model will eventually run out of force cards to reinforce its own attack. In other words, a Pariah is immune to all psychic effects as it automatically dispels the effect. In addition a Pariah that walks into an existing section effect (if the effect does not block movement) will dispel the effect as it walks into the section. Enemy psykers feel the disturbing presence of a Pariah and know that they can not affect it with their powers. They know that it is futile to waste their powers on a Pariah as they will be anulled by the skeletal horror. Note that a Pariah can not use the aura ability to prevent death by normal weapons, it can only nullify psychic effects.

Furthermore, a Pariah can use this nullifying ability even if a Zoanthrope is using a Psychic Scream to silence all other Psykers. It is important to note that a Pariah is NOT psychic. It is able to nullify all psychic attacks against it. In addition Force weapons can not channel psychic power when used against a Pariah. They may be used normally as a close assault weapon as they are still powerful weapons in their own right, but they can't take advantage of the psychic might that can be pumped through them.

When an enemy Psyker first gains LOS to a Pariah it is struck with terror. Psykers are not indominable, and even the most powerful feel a sick sense of loss when confronted with a creature that they can not affect. The Psyker can only defend itself in close assault or defend itself with force or aura cards until its next turn. It loses all remaining APs and can not use CPs, just as the normal rules for striking terror dictate. Even the mightiest of Grey Knights and the most bloated Patriarchs will stop at the first sight of a Pariah. They find it disconcerting that a creature with no presence in the Warp can exist and are momentarily shaken. Enemy Psykers that survive a turn being struck with terror will not be affected for the rest of the mission as they manage to keep their fears in check.

Unlike other Necrons, Pariahs can not self repair. Once they are killed, they are dead and take no further part in the mission. They are not counted as part of the Necron force for the phase out rule to take effect, but they will phase out with the rest of the force if it does so. Example: A Necron force initially consists of 16 Warriors, 4 Immortals and 4 Pariahs. Even though there are 24 models, the Phase Out rule works on 25% of 20 as the Pariahs are excluded. At the start of each Necron turn if there are 5 or less Warriors/Immortals (regardless of the number of Pariahs remaining), then the whole force will phase out and probably lose the mission.

Introducing Destroyers

Destroyers use anti-gravity technology that allows them to drift across a battlefield providing long range heavy support. A Destroyer is basically the torso of a Warrior that has been fused to a heavily armoured skimmer platform. The platform supports a Gauss Cannon for often needed massive firepower against larger enemy targets. Destroyers are able to withstand greater punishment from targetted weapons, however, they are not as well shielded against section effect weapons.

A Destroyer occupies four squares on the Space Hulk board sections, just as a Chaos Dreadnought does. This means that it can not travel down narrow corridors that are only one square wide. It must stay in the wider corridor sections or rooms where it has some freedom of movement. This is important to consider when playing missions that require the Necron force to enter play using only one square wide entry passages, as the Destroyer will not be able to enter the board.

A Destroyer has LOS from all of its four side squares and its FA projects in a 90 degree arc from the four squares in front of it. A Destroyer can be seen or targetted by an enemy if any of its four squares can be seen or targetted.

Destroyers are not slowed by rubble on the Space Hulk. Their ability to hover above the surface of the Hulk allows them to drift over rubble without hinderance to their movement, but they are not allowed to drift over any other model at all whether they are friendly, foe or prone.

Heavy Destroyers are similar in all respects to a Destroyer. The only significant difference is that they are armed with a Heavy Gauss Cannon. This weapon is extremely powerful and can bring down small buildings with ease. It is not commonly found in tight confines as it has a relatively slow rate of fire due to the massive amounts of energy that it withdraws from the skimmer platform to recharge it.

Both Destroyers and Heavy Destroyers have 6 APs and they need to roll a 3 or higher for their self repair roll.

NECRON WARGEAR

Disruption Field

Disruption Fields allow the claws of a Necron to grasp and pulse with an unnatural energy. Their claws are able to seemingly warp the armour and skin of all that they touch and tear apart the defences of an enemy during close assault. Disruption Fields give Necrons some useful power in close assault combat that compensates for their lack of speed. Flayed Ones in particular are able to benefit from the extra arcane might of the Disruption Field.

Gauss Flayer

The Gauss Flayer is the most basic of Gauss weaponry. It is the standard weapon used by the Necron Warriors, being very reliable and ancient in its design. When fired it produces a focussed bipolar magnetic field and anything that the weapon hits is pulled towards the gun on a subatomic level. Simple combat attachments on the gun aid in close assault, but the true power of the weapon is the fact that it can destroy most medium to large sized targets with one hit.

Gauss Blaster

The Gauss Blaster has twin linear accelerator chambers, giving the weapon a deadlier punch than the standard Gauss Flayer. The Blaster is usually carried by elite troops who use it with devastating effect. As well as being the oldest technology in the galaxy, it is also one of the most reliable.

Gauss Cannon

Usually mounted on Destroyers, the Gauss Cannon is a heavy support weapon that is capable of ripping apart enemy vehicles and armoured columns. It is a weapon that is not often seen on Space Hulks, but it is sometimes used to guard vital chambers within stasis tombs.

Heavy Gauss Cannon

The Heavy Gauss Cannon is the pinnacle of Gauss weaponry. They can only be mounted on Heavy Destroyers and they provides the ultimate firepower against any enemies daring to stand before a Necron force.

Nightmare Shroud

Necron Lords sometimes wear Nightmare Shrouds to summon unspeakable horrors into their enemies' minds. They can activate the Nightmare Shroud for 1 AP during their turn and the effect lasts until the end of their turn. Any model that gains LOS to the Necron Lord will be struck with terror as per the terror rules, lasting until the start of the model's next turn. The Nightmare Shroud can never be activated during an enemy's turn for any reason as the Lord needs to generate the initial propogation of wavelike dread that eminates from the Shroud.

Phase Shifter

A Necron Lord may possess a Phase Shifter which works exactly the same way as a Wraith's ability to phase shift. The Necron Lord seems hazy and indistinct, as though he were not completely corporeal. Ranged weapons must make a second hit roll to see if they kill the Lord similar to a Wraith. Enemies in close assault must roll for a mock second round to see if they kill the Lord, again, similar to a Wraith. The Phase Shifter does not give a Necron Lord the ability to move through solid objects like a Wraith. It is a protective device against all types of attacks only.

Resurrection Orb

The Necron Lord is able to augment the self repair systems of all Necrons within six squares of him (including himself). Any Necrons that are off the board and are within range of the Lord may attempt self repair rolls even if they were destroyed by a weapon labelled as NR, or in close assault with an enemy who has the NR ability. The Resurrection Orb can be a powerful tool to help the Lord regenerate his fallen Warriors even after they have been subjected to catastrophic damage. If the Lord is destroyed and fails to self repair then the Orb becomes useless. A Vortex of any type or a Conversion Beamer will still prevent a Necron from trying to self repair as they leave no remains to regenerate.

Veil Of Darkness

The Necron Lord can summon a dark etheral breeze that twists about him, then envelopes him and teleports him to any other square within a range of 12 squares. He can teleport through any section effect at all, including psychic section effects, even a Miasma. The Lord can only teleport himself and the effect is immediate. However, the cost of such rapid transportation is high. If the Necron Lord uses the Veil Of Darkness then he can do nothing else for his turn. It must be the only action he takes, effectively costing all of his APs. If the Necron Lord has taken any single prior action then he can not use the Veil Of Darkness during that turn.

Warscythe

The Warscythe is built for use in close assault where its blade is able to phase through real space and penetrate into the armour of a vehicle. Warscythes can quite easily shear the legs from a Dreadnought, or cleave Terminator Armour in two. In addition the Warscythe also has a Gauss Blaster built into the shaft. Only powerful Necron characters use a Warscythe as it requires a higher level of skill to wield with full effect. The Warscythe uses the Gauss Blaster statistics on the Ranged Weapons Table.

NECRON TURN SEQUENCE

Note that the following Necrons will not be introduced into Space Hulk:

Monolith - yeah, right!

Scarab Swarms - too weak and no Tomb Spyder to support them.

Tomb Spyder - too big and useless for narrow corridors.

Return to Index Page

Last revised: September 18, 2004.