Neither aircraft can shoot at the other aircraft. The Cloud blocks Line-of-Site
The Hell Blade can fire on the Thunderbolt if it is within two inches of the edge of the cloud. The Thunderbolt can only fire on the Hell Blade if
he is within two inches of the edge of the cloud
The Hell Blade and the Thunderbolt can only fire on each other if they are within the short range band
around and moved by the air currents of Rutilus This may require them to be towed back into place periodically. Some of the larger platforms will have built in stabilization systems in the form of engines or propellers. However, for the
purposes of the game, they are considered as immobile as any other ground target.
Aerial Platforms on Rutilus
Ground installations and Defenses use the following rules on Rutilus:
• All Ground Installations are assumed to be mounted on floating platform.
• All normal rules for placing Ground Installations and Ground Defense apply.
• Ground Stations are immobile
• Ground targets can be assigned an altitude by rolling a d6-1.
• Ground Defenses stationed higher than 0, can add their altitude bonus to the platforms altitude as if they were stationed on terrain
• Bombs can be dropped on an aerial platform as normal
The Platforms of Rutilus
As mentioned in the Terragraphic Record of Rutilus; the planet is a Gas Giant. That means there is no “ground” for ground defenses and installations can be stationed on. Since several scenarios and squadron lists make use of ground targets, this is an important aspect of gaming on a Gas Giant.
This has no real impact on the effects of altitude bands. The altitude of 0 represents crushing depths of pressure, and any plane that goes to 0 or below is still considered destroyed. Likewise, any plane that goes above altitude 9 is still considered leaving the Crimson Path and moving to reach orbit. If a plane does not have a Rocket Booster, then it will stall and crash as normal. Ground targets are assumed to be placed on a small, buoyant platform. Such platforms began to spring up across Rutilus after the exhaustion of the planet’s rare gases. These platforms often started as Drone Harvester staging areas,
however as the Feud of the Red Clouds intensified they began to be used for air defenses, augur stations, navigation points, and other purposes.
These platforms are not tethered to any
The Adeptus Mechanicus
The Priesthood of Mars is an organization bent to the purpose of gaining and cataloging technological knowledge. It holds a virtual monopoly on all advanced knowledge within the Imperium of Man. The Forgeworlds and
manufactorums produce the equipment that supplies the Imperial Guard, the great ships of the Imperial Navy, and the tractors used on backwater agri-worlds. The organizations Tech- priests are vital to the production and
maintenance of the Imperium’s technology. The Adeptus Machanicus is a religious organization, focused on devotion to the
Machine God, and his representative in the form of the Emperor; the Omnissiah. It is this strange divine connection that binds the Adepts of Mars to the Imperium of Man. However, despite being part of the Imperium, the Adeptus
Mechanicus is given a great deal of latitude. The red robed adepts often police their own ranks, choose their own recruits, can spread their own religious dogma, and even raise their own military forces.
These military forces are known as the Skitarri, or Tech-guard. They are charged with defending the priesthood of the Machine God from defilers, renegades, and the xeno. They are independent from the normal Imperial chain-of-command; and instead only answer to their Tech-priest masters. This unique situation arises from the ancient pacts bound by the Emperor himself, as the Omnissiah; with the ancient orders of the Machine-God.
Skitarii is the Adeptus Mechanicus approved official term for all of its military forces, with the exception of the unique Titan Legions. It is a term equivalent to “The Imperial Guard” as it encompasses all infantry, and armor assets. There is little standardization or central
command of Skitarii across the Mechanicus, as
each individual regiment is the personal army of a particular Magos.
The title of Skitarri also extends to the air assets within a Adeptus Mechanicus’ Magos forces. Within the organization, they are often referred to as Equites. This is distinct from the infantry and Armor, which are referred to as Hyspapists and Cataphractii respectively.
The military assets of the Adeptus Mechanicus include augmented humans and the bio-
mechanical constructs referred to as Servitors. A Servitor is a mindless drone of flesh and metal. There are varying degrees of functionality, but at its heart, a Servitor can not process functions beyond what it has been programmed for. The altered and fragmented brain of a servitor functions poorly when forced to operate beyond its programming. Operations beyond a Servitors limits will lead to a state of mindlock. The symptoms of which can be rambling sentences, loss of functionality, or physical ticks; whiel the Servitor struggles to process information it is not capable of processing.
Adeptus Mechanicus Pilots
The Equite pilots of the Adeptus Mechanicus can take two primary forms. The most common type of pilot is a sophisticated pilot servitor
programmed with additional combat algorithms and sub-routines. Not surprisingly, they do not make the best combat pilots, and never “learn” from their flight times. However, they are
becoming more common during the Feud of the
Red Cloud to replace the attrition in Equite pilots during normal combat operations.
Most Equite Servitors are hardwired into their craft. Depending on the Magos, some may have a greater level of human parts than others. For example, Magos Cy-Belle prefers to hardwire the Servitor’s brain directly into the craft to connect the controls directly into the logis-engines of the servitor’s organic brain. Magos Deanarus tends to use mostly humanized bodies, with their limbs hardwired directly into the controls of the craft. The difference in styles is mostly a matter of preference.
Skitarri in Aeronautica Imperialis
Servitor planes use the following rules in games of Aeronautica Imperialis. They assume you are using the Experience Rules in the Investigation of
Bin Mazar sourcebook:
• Servitors are the default pilot for all Adeptus Mechanicus aircraft
•Servitor pilots have a Pilot Skill of 5+ • Servitors never gain experience
•Servitors can never perform the following: Advanced Tailing Emergency Maneuvers Yo-Yoing Sustained Burst Extreme Maneuvers Eject
The following rules apply to all Skitarri pilots • Any Adeptus Mechanicus/Skitarri plane can upgrade to a Skitarri pilot for +5 points • The have a Pilot Skill of 4+
Rapid Defense Deployment
As the situation on Rutilus deteriorated and the Feud of the Red Clouds escalated, it became obvious that many of the outer harvester
platforms were poorly defended and easy prey. The protections of these stations would prove vital as they were the sole source of income for vital war supplies. All factions began trying to build-up their defenses quickly.
The easiest way to do this was to quick drop ground defense systems to existing platforms. The Valkyrie Sky Talon proved to be ideal for this. The Sky Talon was able to fit Blitzen AA guns, Hydra Platforms, and Sabre Platforms to their undercarriage ready for deployment. Later, as the Furor Imperialis Crusade fleet began to be a factor, Space Marine Thunderhawks and Storm Eagles were able to do the same with the Helios Typhoon Missile platform.
Using such methods, platforms that had
previously been undefended could quickly arm themselves. It was even possible to arm a platform in the face of incoming fire. This was demonstrated in the early days of the war when Magos Breaton rapidly militarized the harvest platforms for Station Epsilon. However, it ended up weakening Epsilon for the Ork invasion.
Rapid Deploying Ground Defenses
The following rules will be used when rapid deploying a Ground Defense on an Aerial Platform of Rutilus:
• The only Ground Defenses that can be rapidly deployed are:
-Hydra Platforms
-Sabre Platforms (All variants) -Blitzen AA Gun
-Hyperios Typhoon Platform -Hyperios Platform
• Each Ground Defenses counts as 1 for Transport capacity.
•The only aircraft that are capable of rapidly deploying a Ground Defense are:
-Sky Talons
- Thunderhawks (Space Marine and Chaos variants)
- Thunderhawk Transporters - Storm Eagles
• Ground Defenses can be deployed by using the rules for landing troops. They are never “Jump Troops”
• The Ground Defense is placed right behind where the aircraft landed as soon as the aircraft lands.
• The Ground Defense can be used the turn following the successful landing.
• If the Transport is destroyed while carrying the Ground Defense, the Ground Defense is also consider to be destroyed. A Ground Defense destroyed this way counts for full Victory points. Experience is only awarded for the plane.
• Once deployed, the transport aircraft and the Ground Defense are treated as two separate entities for game purposes.
Eldar Aspect Pilots
Since the days of the Fall, all Eldar have been plagues by the hunger of Slaanesh. The
Thirsting Gods desires would tug at each Eldar’s soul, draining it overtime. The Exodites, defend against She-Who-Thirsts with their elaborately constructed World Stones that trace their humble planets. Dark Eldar use less subtle and far more twisted means to stave off the Chaos gods machinations.
The Craftworld Eldar temper their emotions using a very structured and ritualized lifestyle known as the Eldar Path. A Craftworld Eldar uses the Path as a focus for his mind and spirit. The Eldar bends their considerable mind, body, and will towards enhancing and improving upon their chosen Path.
There are many Paths on a Craftworld. The most commonly known are related to the Eldar’s Warhosts. The Aspect Warriors of the great temples are the Paths most easily recognizable to outsiders. However, there are also much less warlike and mundane Paths to choose. A Path represents a form of lifestyle choice.
It is not uncommon for an Eldar to walk many Paths during their lifetime. An Eldar is free to choose and move between Paths. It is a sign of personal growth and development to change
Paths, and is symbolically made through complex rituals.
The Path of the Pilot has many Aspects. Many Craftworlds have specific Aspect shrines
dedicated to the teaching of combat related flight techniques and rituals. Such pilots strive to attune themselves with their machines, and seek to make it an extension of their body. Their very flying comes to embody the teachings of their Aspect shrine. The most famous example in the Old Guard Stars is the Star Phoenix Aspect Pilots of the On’Elusia Craftworld.
The majority of Aspect pilots were adherents to the Path of the Pilot prior. During this time, their focus would often become more attune to the Song of Khaine, and their spirit would lead them to the Aspect Shrine of their Craftworld. After fulfilling their needs at the Shrine, they would simply move on to a new Path in the future. However, some Aspect Pilots become so consumed with the Aspect, they become mind locked on the Aspect path and become Exarchs.
Aspect Pilots in Aeronautica Imperialis
Aspect Pilots assume you use the rules for Experience found in the Investigation of Bin
Mazar sourcebook:
• Aspect pilots cost +3 points per aircraft • Aspect pilots gain experience as normal, and have a Pilot Skill of 3+
• Aspect pilots can perform all the special maneuvers usually reserved for an Ace pilot immediately upon purchase
• Exarchs must be a Double Ace and costs an additional +10 points above Double Ace Status. An Exarch can re-roll any failed Pilot Checks once. The second result must be abided by.