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. -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 function as Weapons Batteries, with the following exception: -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.

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.

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: 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: 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 (Somtaaw excluded) ship 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. -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 (Whole section needs to be re-written, because I can’t write worth a shit) 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 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. Taiidan Empire Vessels Escort Class Kudaark-Class Assault Frigate – 30pts

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 45cm 3 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. Sajuuk Cor Ion Cannon Frigate – 30pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Escort/1 25cm 90 Degrees 0 5+ 1 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Ion Beam Weapons 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. Tiifal 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. 0-999 points 0-3 may be taken, 1000-1999 points 1-6 may be taken, and so on. Heavy Escort: This ship can sustain critical hits, and their effects. 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 Destroyer – 100pts

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 Guided Missile Destroyer – 95pts

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- 999, 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. Qwaar-Jet Heavy Cruiser – 205pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Battleship/10 25cm 45 Degrees 0 5+ 3 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. Saarkin-Cho Fleet Carrier – 180pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Cruiser/8 25cm 45 Degrees 0 5+ 2 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Prow Launch Bay Varies 6 F 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. Kiith Somtaaw The return to Hiigara was not joyous for the Somtaaw. Although a few of their number were awake during the journey from Kharak, employed in the care and maintenance of resource collectors, the vast majority of Somtaaw survivors were Sleepers during the journey. When they were awakened on Hiigara, many were horrified to hear that the families and loved ones they left on Kharak were gone, and that there was no hope of return. Of a kiith that had once been so strong, very few survivors remained; only 15,000 Somtaaw awakened on Hiigara, less than a twentieth of their number, and the vast majority of these were men.

Somtaaw's fortunes were further complicated by a political conflict with Kiith Naabal, which made a bid seven years after landfall to absorb the Somtaaw survivors as a vassal clan. Somtaaw flatly refused this proposition, and the debate between Somtaaw and Naabal supporters in the New Daiamid has already been cited by many as a history-making event. During the Somtaaw/Naabal debate, dispossessed members of many Kharak's devastated kiithid joined the Somtaaw as family members, swelling their ranks from 15,000 to nearly 25,000 in a few short months.

The matter was eventually decided in favor of Somtaaw by a very narrow margin in the Diamid and only after the Somtaaw managed to convince the disenfranchised kiith to threaten a general strike over the issue. While many of the established Kiith accused Somtaaw of further undermining the ancient social systems for their own benefit, the result was Somtaaw was granted access to the Mothership Station for a period of six months. Mothership access for other lesser Kiith soon followed. In their time, the Somtaaw built two enormous mining ships, the Kuun-Lan and the Fal-Corum, which were both launched, fully manned, within 45 days. In the final days of their control over the Mothership's PDA, Kiith Somtaaw triumphantly built one final ship, the Clee San, a top-of-the-line deep space research frigate. Students of history will note that the names of all three vessels derive from the names of temples along the old Shimmering Path: Kuun-Lan, "Purifying Flame", Fal-Corum, "Silent Wayfarer", and Clee San, "Truth Seeker.”

Since then the Somtaaw have explored many neighboring systems to Hiigara. Although their numbers are small, they've set up several mining stations to collect rare elements, and they sell the fruits of their labors to all clients allowed by the current Hiigaran trade regulations. Like all our kiithid, their ships are bound to respond to any call to arms, when Hiigaran space is violated. But beyond the Somtaaw's duty to Hiigara, they live free and bend knee to none but their own kiith'sa…maintaining a centuries-long tradition.

Due to their independence from traditional Hiigaran lifestyles, the Somtaaw regularly sell their services as mercenaries, often times taking payment in mineral rights to asteroid fields and new technologies instead of currency. Their interactions with the Imperium of Man on a political scale have been practically non- existent – being a small empire on the fringe of the Segmentum that keeps to itself, the need for the Imperium to ‘reclaim’ their space is low on the list of priorities, and so many remain unaware of their existence. However, unscrupulous (or desperate) Fleet Admirals, Rogue Traders and Inquisitors have made frequent use of their mercenary services whenever they needed additional ships for defense of an isolated world, an expedition into unknown space or for whatever clandestine operation an Inquisitor might launch that would need…plausible deniability. The Imperium is not the extant of Somtaaw’s wandering – the Tau Empire has made overtures of alliance in the past, but due to the fragmented nature of Hiigaran politics, no official accord has been reached. However, due to the their mercenary appetites, it is not uncommon to see Tau fleets bolstered by a pair of Deacon-class Destroyers and a swarm of strike craft launched from one of their massive, blocky Shaman-class carriers. There have also been reports of the Adeptus Mechanicus being sighted alongside Somtaaw ships, but whether this was in the spirit of cooperation, or an orchestrated takeover of alien technologies is anyone’s guess. The ships of Kiith Somtaaw are tough, no-nonsense vessels – heavily armored from the front, and more versatile than those of other Kiith, often mounting numerous types of different weapon systems. While still smaller than vessels of a comparable designation, they possess a surprising durability for their size and pack a mean punch. Fleet Rules

The Somtaaw follow all rules found in the Battlefleet Gothic rulebook and all rules listed in the previous section, except where specified below:

Crippled Status See Above Wide-Band Sensors See Above Mass Drivers See Above

Ion Beam Weaponry See Above Ordnance Due to their strife with the other Kiith, Somtaaw doesn’t have access to the same types of strike craft. Thanks to the aid of the Bentusi, Somtaaw was able to develop the Acolyte Fighter and Mimic Bomber “in-house,” completely independent of other Kiith. The Acolyte is a quick and maneuverable fighter, armed with a linked pair of Mass Drivers and a pair of a missiles in the wingtips. This loadout lets them perform quite admirably in the anti- fighter role, and since their introduction they’ve distinguished themselves nicely. In Battlefleet Gothic terms, they function as simple Fighters.

The Mimic Bomber is a bit more grim than it would first appear – “bomber” is a polite way of saying “suicide craft.” Armed with a holographic projector and their vessels packed with quantum explosive charges, the forlorn pilots of the Mimic Bomber fearlessly crash their vessels into enemy ships, letting the impact of their bomber lead the way and delivering their payload directly into the enemy vessel. However, the holographic projector is not powerful enough to mimic something as large as the enemy vessels they typically face, so in Battlefleet Gothic terms they function as simple Bombers.

-All Kiith Somtaaw Launch Bays come standard with Acolyte Fighters and Mimic Bombers, which operate as typical Fighters and Bombers in all respects. In addition, Launch Bays may be upgraded with the following for +25pts per Launch Bay for ACV’s (replaces Acolyte Fighters), and/or +25pts per Launch Bay for MCV’s (replaces Mimic Bombers):

-ACV, Speed 30cm: Known as the Acolyte Composite Vehicle, this craft is quite literally just two Acolytes attached together to form a Corvette. However, this merging had a number of positive benefits – aside from twice the firepower and durability, the sharing of power cores meant that the ACV was capable of generating a focused Electromagnetic Pulse, powerful enough to disable vast swathes of an enemy ship. When ACV’s remove another Ordnance marker by contacting it, roll a dice. On a roll of 4, 5 or 6 do not remove the ACV’s, they remain in play. Note: an ACV 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. ACV’s are also capable of performing Bombing Runs, as if they were a bomber squadron. All bombing runs performed by ACV’s subtract 1 from the dice rolled to determine the amount of hits rolled against the target vessel. You cannot remove an ordnance marker and perform a bombing run in the same ordnance phase. -MCV, Speed 30cm: Following the success of the ACV, an attempt was made to connect two Mimic Bombers – an attempt which was quite successful. Not only was the explosive power of the Mimic doubled, the combined strength of the two holographic projectors means that the MCV can successfully impersonate enemy vessels, letting it come significantly closer to the enemy before they are noticed. In game terms, MCV’s may not be targeted with enemy Weapons Battery or Lance fire unless the squadron being targeted is within 15cm of an enemy warship. When an MCV 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.

Sentinel Screens The Somtaaw were not the first to see the value of shielding their craft in sheaths of energy, but lacking access to the Defense Field technologies of the Taiidan, they were forced to come to a different solution. By way of perfectly aligned remote drones that could project energy fields between them, the Somtaaw could create a usable shield system for their larger craft at minimal cost. The downside to this was that the drones themselves, while nearly impossible to target due to their small size, were still quite fragile, and concentrated fire could burn out their emitters or destroy them entirely. Still, the benefit of having a means to block incoming fire made the somewhat ‘ablative’ nature of their protection worthwhile. In Battlefleet Gothic, all Somtaaw ships possess Sentinel Screens. This counts as a Shield system that possesses a set value, much like the shield systems of other Battlefleet Gothic vessels. It functions like a shield in all respects, except where noted below: -If a ship with a Sentinel Screen sustains more than three times its current shield strength in hits in a single attack, treat the vessel as having suffered the effects of the “Shield Collapse” critical hit. This critical effect takes place after having reduced the damage of the attack via shield points as normal. This effect, like the original critical effect cannot be repaired by any means, as it represents the Sentinel Screen being blown clean apart and scattered from its parent vessel.

Battle Hardened The fight against the extra-galactic entity known as The Beast forged Kiith Somtaaw into a Hiigaran legend - having stared down and defeated a millennia-old bio-mechanical creature intent on consuming everything in its path, there is very little that can frighten them. To represent this, Kiith Somtaaw vessels add +1 to the roll if you decide to randomly roll leadership values for your ships, giving a potential value between 7 and 10. Kiith Somtaaw Vessels Escort Class

“Dervish” Class Multibeam Frigate – 55pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Heavy 25cm 90 Degrees 1 5+ 1 Escort/2 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Starboard Small Ion 15cm 1 R Beam Port Small Ion Beam 15cm 1 L Dorsal Small Ion Beam 15cm 1 F/L/R Ventral Small Ion 15cm 1 F/L/R Beam Heavy Escort: This vessel can sustain critical hits, and their effects. The Dervish class frigate is built around an accelerator helix, and uses a multi-path beam splitter to direct the charged ion stream to any or all of its focusing turrets. The turrets themselves are solid state devices that use magnetic fields to focus and direct the ion beam in a large firing arc. Using the cold vacuum of space to keep functioning at super cooled temperatures, the focusing turret is highly efficient and capable of a high rate of fire. While these Ion Beams lack the range of beams fired from craft like Deacons, this lack is more than made up for by the increased coverage and increased rate of fire. “Hive” Class Advanced Drone Ship- 45pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Heavy 25cm 90 Degrees 1 5+ 1 Escort/2 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Fore Twin Mass Drivers 30cm 2 F Drone Bay 15cm Special All Around Heavy Escort: This ship can sustain critical hits, and their effects. Drone Bay: Hive ships carry 6 Swarmer Drones into battle. Swarmer Drones are small, rapid craft armed with a small mass driver, and are put to excellent use in clearing the skies of enemy strike craft. The Drone Bay can be used once per turn: during your movement phase, choose one friendly vessel within 15cm – that vessel gains +2 to its turret value until the start of your next turn. This ability may be used on the host ship. Multiple hive ships may not combine their Swarmer Drones on the same friendly ship. “Minion” Class Heavy Tug – 40pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Heavy 25cm 90 Degrees 1 6+ Front/5+ 0 Escort/2

Originally a construction tug designed to move bits of scaffold, the Minion had be refit for combat duty as a sort of “problem mover.” With a ram that’s nearly solid metal and a hull packed with thrusters and afterburners, the Minion can leap ahead and shove an opposing ship out of position, either pushing a brawling enemy vessel way out of range, or chasing down a carrier and shoving him into the waiting guns of your fleet. Special Rules: The Minion Tug moves +5d6 on AAF special orders. When the Minion comes into contact with an enemy vessel, do not roll for Ram damage from the Minion (the enemy ship still rolls for their return damage). If the Minion survives the ram, he does not move off but instead remains in contact with the enemy ship and pushes it 10cm in the direction the Minion Tug was travelling. This push effect continues in BOTH movement phases, at the end of said phase. The enemy ship cannot execute turns until the Minion Tug is destroyed, or the Minion’s controlling player moves it away from the enemy ship. The pushed ship cannot target the Minion Tug, but other ships may do so freely. Enemy ships with more than 6HP cannot be pushed by a single Minion Tug. However, if 2 or more Minion Tugs successfully Ram a vessel with more than 6HP, the vessel will be moved as normal. Minions cannot move Battleship class vessels. (This page could use some suggestions, feel free to post ideas on the BFG threads.) “Deacon” Class Destroyer – 160pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Light 20cm 45 Degrees 2 6+ Front/5+ 1 Cruiser/6 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Starboard Mass Driver 45cm 4 F/R Turrets Port Mass Driver 45cm 4 F/L Turrets Dorsal Guided Missile 35cm 4 All Around Battery Prow Ion Beam 45cm 2 F Weapons

When the great Crusade against the Beast was in its darkest days, Kiith Somtaaw found itself desperate for heavier firepower and the capital ships to carry it. While research into Bentusi design philosophy would eventually bear fruit in the awe-inspiring Dreadnought, it would not have come in time had the Deacon Destroyer not been pushed into service. The Deacon was originally intended to be heavy transport, but when the demands of war hit the Somtaaw fleet hard, the design was quickly modified while still on the drawing board. The Deacon’s lading booms were scrapped and replaced with heavy ion beams in a fixed forward mount, while the four side mounted point defense turrets were replaced with heavy Mass Drivers to give all- around firepower. The most innovative addition was the dorsal-mounted missile turret, which gives the destroyer a full 360 degrees of long range hitting power – capable of tearing apart enemy ships before they can get into range to return fire. “Shaman” Class Carrier – 250pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Grand 15cm 45 Degrees 3 5+ 2 Cruiser/10 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Fleet Defense Mass 30cm 6 L/F/R Driver Battery Port Launch Bays Acolytes: 30cm 4 All Around Mimics: 25cm Starboard Launch Bays Acolytes: 30cm 4 All Around Mimics: 25cm The Shaman Carrier is slow to maneuver and may not use the All Ahead Full or Come to New Heading special orders. Special Rules: The Shaman may purchase launch bay upgrades as described in the Somtaaw fleet rules.

The Shaman-class Carrier has been in development for some time before it was finally brought to battle. Theis carrier was based on Kiith Somtaaw’s first foray into heavy ship construction, the Chieftain-class Ore processor, and follows the same no-frills approach to capital ship design. The engineers upgraded the Chieftain’s main power plant to support a military-class drive system and a PDA construction bay. The Shaman is not an elegant carrier, but it is durable, efficient and crewed by the best that Kiith Somtaaw has to offer. The two outboard bays are capable of launching and retrieving multiple wings of strike craft simultaneously, while the inboard bays have heavily reinforced doors, capable of taking multiple lance strikes and still protecting the fragile construction and maintenance equipment within.

“Archangel” Class Dreadnought – 315pts

Type/Hits Speed Turns Shields Armor Turrets Battleship/12 20cm 45 Degrees 4 6+ Front/5+ 2 Armament Range/Speed Firepower/STR Fire Arc Starboard Mass Driver 45cm 8 F/R Turrets Port Mass Driver 45cm 8 F/L Turrets Dorsal Ion Beam Turret 60cm 2 L/F/R Ventral Ion Beam 60cm 2 L/F/R Turret Prow Guided Missile 35cm 8 F Battery The Archangel Dreadnought is slow to maneuver and cannot use the All Ahead Full or Come to New Heading special orders. Field Allowance: You may purchase one Archangel per 1250pts, e.g. 0-1250pts, you may take 0-1 Archangel Dreadnoughts, 1251-2500pts, you may take 0-2, etc. The Archangel combines the best attributes of the Avatar Heavy Cruiser and the Taiidani Missile Destroyer, and shields it all in a hull of curved, bonded armor plate that deflects more damage than it absorbs. With 4 heavy turrets backed by a massive prow missile bank, the Archangel initially had a powerful offensive punch, but was still vulnerable to flanking maneuvers that brought enemy fire in from the rear. This problem was solved rather dramatically with the addition of two heavy Ion Beam turrets, which covered the top fore and bottom aft firing hemispheres. Once released, the Archangel has proved devastating to Beast and Imperial forces alike, despite the fact that it takes a crack crew to keep her power systems under control. (To come – fleet lists and mercenary rules, plus fleshing out the Taiidan and adding the Kushan)