The Taiidan Empire Fleet Rules

The Taiidan Empire

Fleet Rules Homeworld Systems ships follow all of the rules found in the Battlefleet Gothic core rulebook, except for where specified below:

Minimal Crew Homeworld Systems ships have little in the way of crew, as the majority of their ships are automated and AI-driven. Combined with a lack of training, this makes their crew distinctly incapable of taking the fight to the enemy in-person.

-Unless otherwise specified, Homeworld Ships may never perform Boarding Actions, nor Hit and Run actions. They may still defend against such actions, if applicable.

Crippled Status Homeworld ships rely heavily on automation and redundant systems, causing them to continue fighting at a higher level than one would expect, even as they sustain crippling damage. Homeworld ships, when reduced to 50% of their starting Hit Points, suffer the following effects: -Speed reduced by 5cm -Mass Driver battery strength reduced by 25% -Ion Beams are not effected by crippling Otherwise, their ships are unaffected by Crippled Status.

Wide-Band Sensors Ships of the Homeworld Systems mount numerous banks of extremely advanced sensor systems, a holdover from their days of wandering the galaxy, looking for a home. These sensors are extremely adept at picking out the smallest fluctuation in space, and greatly assist the ship in both maneuvering and combat. This has proven extremely useful when dealing with the profusion of astrological phenomena, and the more slippery opponents like the Eldar. These have the following benefits: -All Homeworld ships apply a -1 modifier to any roll on either the Eldar Holofield or Dark Eldar Shadowfield chart, when rolling to see if their weapons have struck the target. This includes Mass Drivers, Ion Beams and Guided Missile Systems. 2

-Homeworld Ships without shields do not suffer damage when moving through Blast Markers, and can make a leadership check to avoid damage from Gas Clouds. Escorts and Frigates may reroll that check.

Mass Drivers The denizens of the Homeworld Systems use Mass Drivers as their primary kinetic weapon. Utilizing super conductive layered cylinders of heavy elements, they generate a powerful electromagnetic field to accelerate projectiles to an incredibly rapid speed. While the projectile itself is small compared to the types of weapons used by their enemies, the speed with which they impact their target is more than sufficient to cause severe damage. This speed, and the generally superior targeting systems available to the denizens of Homeworld space, makes hitting any target in range a relatively simple function. In Battlefleet Gothic, Mass Drivers require a number of special rules: -Mass Drivers never use the gunnery chart – the dice listed on the weapons profile are the dice rolled against the target, regardless of range. Determine the to-hit number based upon the target’s armor value as normal, but do not modify the number of dice used based upon range, column shifts, firing through blast markers, etc. -Mass Drivers are treated as Lances when used against Eldar Holofields and Dark Eldar Shadowfields, modified by the ‘Wide-Band Sensors” rule above. -Critical Hits: Mass Drivers require two 6’s to be rolled per one roll on the critical hit chart. For example, a Skaal-Tel rolls 6 dice and scores 4 hits. Checking for critical damage, the player rolls those 4 dice, and two of them are 6’s. Therefore, only one roll is made on the critical hit chart, instead of the usual two. This is to represent the small- caliber nature of the rounds being fired. -In short, treat Mass Drivers as a Lance that hits on armor value, and requires two 6’s to score a crit.

Ion Beam Weaponry Through the use of an accelerated particle beam, Ion weapons can bore through even the toughest capital ship armor. Requiring large amounts of power and space aboard a vessel to function, these weapons are limited to only a limited selection of ships. An Ion beam can be maintained for far longer, and over a greater distance, than the average Lance weapon utilized by other races, at the cost of striking power. -In Battlefleet Gothic, Ion Beams function as lances in all respects, except for the rules for Crippling as listed above. 3

Fleet Defense Batteries Fleet Defense Batteries are a combination of Mass Driver and Fleet Defense Turret. The Fleet Defense Battery may be fired in the shooting phase as a standard Mass Driver battery OR used in the Ordnance phase to support a friendly ship within 15cm in their Defensive Fire against enemy Torpedoes or Attack Craft. If the weapon fires in the shooting phase, it MAY NOT be used in the Ordnance phase for Defensive Fire purposes. If used in the Ordnance phase, it contributes +3 to the turret count of the target friendly vessel. Otherwise Fleet Defense Batteries follow the same rules for standard Mass Driver weapons.

Ordnance The Homeworld Systems fleets places an extremely high level of importance on the production and use of Strike Craft, to the point of basing fleet doctrine around their application. This belief, coupled with the fact that the majority of their carrier craft have their own manufacturing facilities, means that an enemy will often times find himself inundated with hostile fighters, bombers, and corvettes to the point of absurdity. Launch Bays and Strike Craft -Homeworld Systems ships with launch bays never needs to issue the Reload Ordnance special order – it is considered to pass automatically. -Homeworld System launch bays come equipped automatically with Light and Heavy corvettes (excluding the Somtaaw, they have their own craft). Their rules are as follows: -Light Corvettes, 30cm Speed: Light Corvettes are not as nimble as the fighter craft of other races, but their omni-directional weaponry and intrinsic toughness sustain them well over extended combat. When Light Corvettes remove another Ordnance marker by contacting it, roll a dice. On a roll of 4, 5 or 6 do not remove the Light Corvettes, they remain in play. Note: a Light Corvette can only remove one enemy marker per Ordnance phase. Against Ordnance with this same ability, it is possible that neither marker will end up being removed. If this happens, either marker is free to move away next turn, or may stay in place and attempt to remove the enemy marker again. -Heavy Corvettes, 20cm speed: Heavy Corvettes carry a pair of large Mass Drivers that would not be out of place on an Escort-Class warship, packing a serious punch against anything they target. When a Heavy Corvette squadron makes an attack against a warship, each squadron that survives defensive turret fire inflicts 3D3 attacks minus the turret count of the enemy vessel. Any Homeworld Systems ship (Somtaaw excluded) with Launch bays may purchase additional types of Corvettes to launch, at the points cost listed below. These do not replace the existing Light and Heavy Corvettes, but instead add another option to launch. 4

-Repair Corvettes, Speed 20cm, +15pts per launch bay: A squadron of Repair Corvettes provides +1d6 to the End Phase critical damage repair rolls for any ship whose base it contacts. This bonus is cumulative among multiple squadrons, but each squadron can only affect one ship per turn. The squadron is removed once their repair roll bonus is used, but may be launched again next turn as normal. -Minelayer Corvettes, Speed 25cm, +20pts per launch bay: At the beginning of your Ordnance phase, you may replace a Minelayer Corvette squadron with an Orbital Mine token. Mines move 10cm per ordnance phase directly toward the nearest enemy ship, and roll 4D6 against any enemy ship that it contacts. Minelayer Corvettes removed in this manner may be launched again next turn.

Guided Missile Weapons Used only on a few vessels, Guided Missile Weapons are nonetheless a critical part of Homeworld fleet doctrines. Equally viable against capital ships and escort squadrons thanks to its cluster munitions, few fleets leave their home port without a dedicated missile ship in tow – their ability to manufacture their own munitions makes them excellent for long campaigns in dangerous territory. In Battlefleet Gothic, Guided Missile Weapons require a number of special rules: -A Homeworld ship with Guided Missile Bays never needs to issue the Reload Ordnance special order – it is considered to pass automatically. -A Homeworld ship with Guided Missile Bays can launch a spread of missiles, using torpedo tokens, equal to the strength of each Missile Bay every turn. Missile spreads move 35cm per Ordnance Phase and are allowed to make one 45 degree turn at any point in their movement, but only once per phase. However, due to the short burn time of the missile’s notably smaller engines, roll a dice after each spread of Guided Missiles has moved or attacked – on a roll of 6, the spread has exhausted its fuel and is removed from play. -Missile Spreads DO NOT ignore shields, unlike torpedoes, but are still subject to defensive fire. -Unless mentioned above, Missile Spreads follow the same rules as torpedoes in all other regards.

Escorts and Frigates The ships of the Homeworld systems are, compared to their enemies, of a vastly different scale – what the Taiidan consider their most powerful vessel, the Qwaar-Jet Heavy Cruiser, is barely up to the standards of a traditional Battlecruiser to the rest of the galaxy. The reason for this is simple – until coming into contact with the other races of the galaxy, they simply had no need for 5 vast, kilometer’s long ships. Nowhere is this failing more evident than in their Frigate-class vessels. Considered a mainstay of almost every fleet in the Homeworld Systems, frigates are the most numerous class of vessel produced by the various factions in that sector of space. However the basic line frigate of, for example, the Taiidan Empire is roughly half the size of the smallest escort available to the Imperium, the Cobra Destroyer. This discrepancy caused a radical rethinking of fleet tactics, at least when dealing with the galaxy at large. Traditionally, the job of the Frigate was to support larger vessels and pounce on weaker enemies. The sudden realization that THEY were the weaker force this time around forced the Kiith and Taiidani to start pairing their Frigates together, no matter the operation in question – while a single Frigate would get destroyed rather quickly by even the smallest of their enemies, a pair working in concert will definitely leave their mark. When modeling any of the escort options available to the following fleets, be aware that every ship you purchase is actually two or three, all sharing the same space on the flight stand. As a tip, the fighter craft flight stands from Star Wars Armada (the angled three-prong stands) work wonderfully in this regard, letting you place multiple small frigates on each stand very easily.

Taiidan Empire Vessels

Escort Class “Kudaark” Class Assault Frigate – 35pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Escort/1 30cm 90 Degrees 0 5+ 1 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Mass Drivers and 30cm 2 L/F/R Plasma Bombs

The Kudaark class of assault frigates are the workhorses of the Taiidani fleet. The Kudaark's four heavy turrets give excellent coverage, while dual forward-facing plasma bomb launchers give it the ability to devastate any capital ship in its path. Directly behind the massive engine housing is the only arc where the Kudaark is incapable of directing any firepower.

The Kudaark is named after a large burrower from the northern forests of Taiidan. In addition to its immense claws and surly disposition, the creature also has an array of spines along its snout which it can expel in a painful barbed cloud. Since the array of heavy turrets on the Taiidan Assault Frigate is arranged around the nose section, it made for a logical comparison, as approaching the creature or the frigate head-on is a definite tactical error that one only makes once. The forward weapon placement was intended to give the Assault Frigate maximum firepower when attempting to punch through enemy formations. The standard maneuver is for three Kudaarks to blast their way past an enemy fleet, then wheel around quickly to bring their heavy firepower to bear from the opposite quarter while keeping their vulnerable rear arc away from hostile guns. 7

“Sajuuk Cor” Class Ion Cannon Frigate – 35pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Escort/1 25cm 90 Degrees 0 5+ 1 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Ion Beam Weapon 45cm 1 L/F/R

The Ion Beam is the single most powerful weapon technology developed by Taiidani science. The frigate hull can barely support the entire length of the particle acceleration unit, but it offers the quickest and most economical way to put this devastating weapon into battle.

The design sequence was so rapid that the frigate entered frontline service still under its project name, "Weapon X," but within days of its first combat trials, crews had renamed the frigate "Sajuuk Cor"—an ancient phrase that translates roughly into "God's Wrath." Given the power of the weapon system, Sajuuk Cor crews were drawn only from veteran personnel, and quickly became some of the most driven members of the fleet. Where the obvious vulnerabilities of a ship with only one forward firing weapon would dictate cautious deployment, Beam Frigate crews operate as hunter/killers, and will often plow their frigates through formations of enemy fighters in order to pin a capital ship in a web of deadly blue-white cutting beams. While this tactic can be devastatingly effective, it drastically lowers the survivability of the Beam Frigates and, despite numerous disciplinary charges against zealous captains, there seems to be no increase in caution amongst Sajuuk Cor crews. Attempts to mix in greener or more cautious personnel has either had no effect, or produced an unacceptable drop in combat efficiency.

As a result, fleet commanders have no choice but to assign escort vessels like Tiifal defense frigates to cover the Sajuuk Cors as they dive into the thick of things, hunting the largest enemy vessels on the scope.

“Heeshk” Class Support Frigate – 30pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Escort/1 20cm 45 Degrees 0 4+ 1 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Mass Driver Battery 30cm 1 L/F/R Dorsal Launch Bay L. Corvette – 30cm 1 All Around H. Corvette – 20cm

Special Rules Specialized Launch Bay: Space is limited on the Heeshk Class when it comes to strike craft capacity. Therefore, when selecting a Heeshk Class for your fleet, make a note on your fleet list stating whether the Heeshk is carrying Light or Heavy Corvettes. During the game, the Heeshk Class can only launch that type of strike craft. The Heeshk Class CAN purchase Launch Bay upgrades for the points cost listed below. If so, you may only launch that type of strike craft: -Repair Corvettes, 20cm, +15pts -Minelayer Corvettes, 25cm, +20pts Originally intended as a second-line repair frigate, the Heeshk Class has lately been pressed into service as a front-line carrier, as a means to provide quick and easy access to strike craft. Only able to support a single wing of strike craft, it nonetheless performs its role admirably, launching and refueling its strike craft in a rapid manner. However, it was never intended for the Heeshk Class to be a combat vessel, and so it was never fitted with the armor and engines of ships like the Sajuuk Cor or the Kudaar. It therefore fares quite poorly when exposed to direct enemy fire, despite its capable (if small) Mass Driver Battery. 9

“Tiifal” Class Defense Field Frigate -35pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Heavy 25cm 45 Degrees 2 5+ 0 Escort/2 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Defense Field Emitter 20cm 3 Charges All Around Field Allowance: A maximum of 3 Defense Field Frigates may be taken per full 1,000 points, e.g. 0-1000 points 0-3 may be taken, 1001-1999 points 1-6 may be taken, and so on. Heavy Escort: This ship can sustain critical hits, and their effects. When destroyed, do not roll on the Catastrophic Damage chart – just replace the ship with a blast marker. Defense Field Emitter: During the movement phase of your turn, assign 0-3 Defense Field Charges to any friendly ship within a 20cm radius. The targeted ships are granted one Shield point per charge given, to a maximum of: -Escort/Heavy Escort: 2 max -Light Cruiser/Cruiser/Battlecruiser: 3 max -Battleship: 4 max Any number of Defense Field Frigates can share their charges with the same targeted friendly ship, up to the listed maximums. Defense Field Frigates can never benefit from their own shield charges, but can be targeted by other Defense Field Frigates as normal. The shield points granted by a Defense Field Frigate to friendly vessels expire at the end of the turn, and do not persist on said vessels. Any shield charges expended by the Defense Field Frigate are automatically ‘recharged’ during the maintenance phase and may be ‘spent’ next turn as normal.

Capital Class “Skaal-Tel” Class Destroyer – 120pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Light 25cm 90 Degrees 0 5+ 1 Cruiser/6 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Mass Driver Turret 45cm 3 L/F/R (Twin) Mass Driver Turret 45cm 3 L/F/R (Twin) Twin Large Ion Beams 45cm 2 F

The Skaal is one of the deadliest predators that roam the southern wastes of Kharak, and was the greatest threat to the safety of caravans until it was deliberately hunted to the edge of extinction. The male of the species, the Skaal Tel, is a vicious clawed hunter with heavy scales and poison sacs that can blind or kill an unwary opponent at a distance. Though it masses nearly ten times that of an average humanoid, it is still able to keep up with a warrior at full run. The Skaal Tel hunts for its mate and cubs during the breeding cycle and is capable of dragging its kill back to the den from over a hundred kloms away.

This predator is a fitting namesake for one of the deadliest vessels ever built for the Taiidani fleet. The Skaal Tel is so massive it mounts two parallel ion cannons and backs this up with four heavy rail guns on two modified turrets. Second only to Heavy Cruisers in terms of raw firepower, the Skaal Tel Destroyer can direct a devastating amount of destructive energy in its forward arc, and two Destroyers operating in concert can vaporize an enemy frigate in a matter of seconds.

To successfully engage a Skaal Tel, you must learn from the warriors who hunted its namesake on ancient Kharak. Attack in a group, from all sides, and use your fastest and most maneuverable assets to draw the beast's attention while you concentrate your attacks on its flanks.

“Skaal Fa” Class Guided Missile Destroyer – 105pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Light 25cm 90 Degrees 0 5+ 2 Cruiser/6 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Starboard Guided Missile 35cm 6 L/F/R Pods Port Guided Missile Pods 35cm 6 L/F/R Fleet Allowance: You may purchase 0-2 Skaal Fa Guided Missile Destroyers per 1000pts fielded, i.e. 0- 1000 you may purchase 0-2, 1001-2000, you may purchase 0-4, etc. This craft follows the Guided Missile rules listed above in the Fleet Rules section. Sweep The Skies: The Skaal-Fa is well known for being able to keep up a steady rate of fire, but during an emergency they can launch their entire complement of guided missiles in one powerful, violent burst. Once per game, during your Ordnance phase, you may use a Sweep The Skies maneuver – to do so, fire the Guided Missile Pods as normal, but treat each Pod as having a Firepower/STR of 9. This ability lasts for one turn, and after using this ability, place a token or marker next to the ship to represent it as being Out of Ammo; a ship that is Out of Ammo may not fire in its next Ordnance phase, as it is too busy manufacturing new Ordnance, but may fire as normal in the phase after that one.

One of the most specialized ships in the fleet, the Skaal-Fa launches vast swarms of guided missiles at an astounding rate, filling the skies with lethal munitions. Thanks to its internal manufacturing systems, the Skaal-Fa can continue to produce new missiles indefinitely, as long as it is provided with raw materials from the rest of the fleet.

“Qwaar-Jet” Class Heavy Cruiser – 235pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Battleship/10 20cm 45 Degrees 0 5+ 2 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Starboard Heavy Mass 45cm 6 F/R Driver Battery Port Heavy Mass Driver 45cm 6 F/L Battery Dorsal Dual Ion Beam 60cm 2 F/L/R Turret Ventral Dual Ion Beam 60cm 2 F/L/R Turret The Qwaar-Jet Heavy Cruiser is slow to maneuver, and cannot use the All Ahead Full or Come to New Heading special orders. The largest combat vessel produced by the Taiidan Empire, the Qwaar-Jet Heavy Cruiser possesses immense long-ranged firepower, capable of destroying smaller vessels in a single salvo. However, like most Taiidan vessels it carries no shield generators, so Admirals must take special care to make sure these vessels are placed just where they are needed and supported by the rest of their fleet – an unescorted Qwaar-Jet is easy prey to swarms of strike craft and lighter vessels.

“Saarkin-Cho” Class Fleet Carrier – 195pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Cruiser/8 20cm 45 Degrees 0 5+ 3 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Prow Launch Bay L. Corvette – 30cm 6 F H. Corvette – 20cm Fleet Defense Mass 30cm 5 All Around Driver Battery -The Saarkin-Cho Fleet Carrier is slow to maneuver, and cannot use the All Ahead Full or Come to New Heading special orders. Fleet Defense Mass Driver Battery: See fleet rules at beginning of section. Ordnance: The Saarkin-Cho comes equipped with Light and Heavy Corvettes that it may launch in any configuration from its launch bay. If you wish, you may purchase additional types of attack craft at the points cost listed below: -Repair Corvettes, Speed 20cm, +15pts -Minelayer Corvettes, Speed 25cm, +20pts Remember that these are in addition to the Light and Heavy Corvettes, they do not replace them. Considered by the Taiidan to be the core of the fleet, the Saarkin-Cho Fleet Carrier is a vital asset, being the single largest provider of strike craft for the Taiidani forces. Big and heavy, bristling in defensive turrets and Mass Driver batteries, and filled with its own strike craft manufacturing facilities, the Saarkin-Cho can pump out a new squadron in less than an hour, even in a combat situation.

Taiidan Empire Defense Fleet

Protectors of the Homeland Taiidan fleets very rarely venture from their home space, so this fleet list represents a typical defense force that might be fielded against invaders.

Leadership Leadership is determined normally for Taiidan fleets.

Re-rolls A Taiidan fleet may purchase re-rolls, but they are purchased for the fleet as a whole, rather than being considered Fleet Commander re-rolls. The fleet gets one re-roll and can purchase extra re- rolls at the cost shown. One extra re-roll: +25pts Two extra re-rolls: +75pts

Capital Ships -Skaal-Tel Class Destroyer: 120pts Your fleet may include any number of Skaal-Tel destroyers, as they form the core of Taiidan Defense Fleets.

-Skaal Fa Guided Missile Destroyer: 105pts You may purchase 0-2 Skaal Fa Guided Missile Destroyers per 1000pts fielded, i.e. 0-1000 you may purchase 0-2, 1001-2000, you may purchase 0-4, etc.

-Qwaar-Jet Class Heavy Cruiser: 235pts You may purchase one Qwaar-Jet Heavy Cruiser for every three Capital Ships purchased, in any combination, i.e. you purchase two Skaal-Tel Destroyers and one Skaal Fa Guided Missile Destroyer – this allows you to purchase one Qwaar-Jet Heavy Cruiser.

-Saarkin Cho Class Fleet Carrier: 195pts Remember that you can purchase upgrades for the Sarrkin Cho’s launch bays, at the costs listed in its entry.

Escorts Your fleet may include any number of escorts, in any combination, unless otherwise noted.

-Heeshk Class Support Frigate: 30pts

-Tiifal Class Defence Frigate: 35pts A maximum of 3 Defense Field Frigates may be taken per full 1,000 points, e.g. 0-1000 points 0-3 may be taken, 1001-1999 points 1-6 may be taken, and so on.

-Sajuuk Cor Class Ion Beam Frigate: 35pts

-Kudaark Class Frigate: 30pts