Knight Paladin - The Knight Paladin is the archetypal Knight walker, usually armed with a large calibre Battle Cannon and a giant Knight-sized Chainsword. The Battle Cannon possesses a long range and is capable of piercing even a true Titan's armour. The Chainswords used by Knight Paladins are described as being easily as destructive as the close combat weapons used by the larger Warhound-class Scout Titans, capable of harming even an Imperator 's armour plating.

Weapons

Knight Errant - The Knight Errant is based on the same body as the Knight Paladin, but serves a more specialised purpose. Armed with potent Thermal Lances, it is highly suited to attacking large targets such as Chaos Titans and even Mega-Gargants, vaporising steel and flesh with equal ease. Like the Knight Paladin, the Knight Errant is also equipped with a close combat weapon supplementing its visor-mounted Shock Lance, although this pattern's most traditional armament is a Power Gauntlet. With such a weapons load-out, the Knight Errant is capable of inflicting notable punishment upon the largest of vehicles.

Weapons

Knight Lancer - The Knight Lancer is a variant of the standard Knight suit that has been designed for speed and agility. The Knight Lancer is most usually used to perform scouting actions, outflank enemy forces and distract them while heavier units can position themselves to attack. The Knight Lancer is equipped with a Battle Cannon to give it long range fighting capability, but its true armament is the Power Lance. The Power Lance is a relatively simple upgrade to the standard Shock Lance that is mounted on other Knight patterns. It operates by intensifying the bolt of energy normally expelled from Shock Lances, changing it into a searing arc of lightning capable of rending all but the strongest of armour plating and causing havoc in enemy ranks. The Power Lance has a very short range, but its nature makes it the perfect weapon for hit-and-run attacks.

Weapons

Battle Cannon (750m; S/–/–; 3d10+15 X; Pen 10; Clip 20; Reload 3 Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3], Reliable)

Knight Crusader - The Knight Crusader alongside its counterpart the Knight Castellan are the heaviest types of Knight manufactured by Mechanicus Forge Worlds. These Knights are slower and less nimble than their kin, but benefit from much heavier weaponry and increased firepower as well as considerably thicker and sturdier armour plate. Because of their great bulk, the Crusader and the Castellan cannot move fast enough to generate the charge needed to fire a Shock Lance. Instead, they are used in a fire support role, providing covering fire for the other Knights and allowing them to charge in and engage the enemy in melee, whilst also picking off threats to the main force from a safe distance. The most common and notable feature of these Knight patterns is the modified shoulder-mounted Quake Cannon -- a massive artillery piece most often found on Warlord-class Titans or mounted on Imperator-class Titans' carapace hardpoints, capable of destroying Titans and entire buildings alike. The Knight Crusader supplements its Quake Cannon with a twin-linked Lascannon, used to destroy armoured targets at extreme range. Coupled with the Knight Crusader's excellent frontal shielding, this combination makes for a deadly fire support unit.

Weapons

Quake Cannon (Vehicle; 1500m; S/–/–; 3d10+20 X; Pen 20; Clip 20; Reload 4 Full; Accurate)

Knight Castellan - The Knight Castellan is identical to the Knight Crusader in every respect but one: rather than using Lascannons, the Knight Castellan supplements its weaponry with a multi-barrelled Autocannon. Although this weapon is relatively short-ranged, the hail of shells it delivers can easily cut down swathes of most enemy infantry and light vehicle units, or strip a Titan of its Void Shields in an instant.

Weapons

Quake Cannon (Vehicle; 1500m; S/–/–; 3d10+20 X; Pen 20; Clip 20; Reload 4 Full; Accurate)

Knight Baron - The Knight Baron is piloted by a superior warrior with razor-sharp combat and Knight-handling skills. A Baron Knight usually leads a Knight squadron into battle. As a sign of their command and societal status, every Baron uses a Knight custom-built to their exact specifications. This Knight pattern's armour plating is thick and resilient, and heavily decorated with House symbols and fluttering pennants in the colours of the Baron's estates. A Knight Baron is usually armed with a Battle Cannon and the destructive Power Lance, usually only found on Knight Lancers -- which also means that despite its exceptional sturdiness, the Knight Baron's armour is light enough to allow the machine to move fast enough to generate the charge necessary to operate the weapon, and to keep up with the charging Knight Lancers. In battle, the Knight Baron leads the assaults of his kinsmen, crashing through enemy lines like a bolt of lightning with his followers hacking into the foe around him with redoubled pride and fervour.

Weapons

Battle Cannon (750m; S/–/–; 3d10+15 X; Pen 10; Clip 20; Reload 3 Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3], Reliable)

I wish I knew enough about vehicles to really give solid feedback, but I can say that I'd pilot one.

Makes me wonder, since the creation of the Dreadnought, why hadent the space marines been outfitted with at least one of these per Chapter, they make Dreadknights look like ****.

Makes me wonder, since the creation of the Dreadnought, why hadent the space marines been outfitted with at least one of these per Chapter

Personal assessment? Because the Post-Heresy Space Marines are not frontline infantry anymore, but elite shock troops whose tactics as an organisation depend on high mobility - "shock & awe" and "smash & grab" - and their equipment is geared specifically for this job. It's the same reason they don't have any superheavy tanks like Baneblades or bombers like the Marauder, but rely exclusively on the lightly armoured (compared to the Russ and Chimaera), but fast and dependable Rhino-chassis for their armoured columns, and nimble open-topped speeders for close air support.

I assume these Imperial Knights are simply way too slow to move around, taking hours to deploy on a world and requiring larger, slower landers than the comparatively fast Thunderhawks that can deliver their troops to the surface in under a minute if flying on full burn. Marines are the scalpel, not the hammer. If you can afford the time it takes and want maximum power projection, call in the Imperial Guard. Both the IG and the Marines work best when augmenting each other, anyways.

I'm afraid I don't have anything to add for the OP, though. I know too little about this element of the setting and wouldn't feel comfortable just poking in the dark.

Personal assessment? Because the Post-Heresy Space Marines are not frontline infantry anymore, but elite shock troops whose tactics as an organisation depend on high mobility - "shock & awe" and "smash & grab" - and their equipment is geared specifically for this job. It's the same reason they don't have any superheavy tanks like Baneblades or bombers like the Marauder, but rely exclusively on the lightly armoured (compared to the Russ and Chimaera), but fast and dependable Rhino-chassis for their armoured columns, and nimble open-topped speeders for close air support.

I assume these Imperial Knights are simply way too slow to move around, taking hours to deploy on a world and requiring larger, slower landers than the comparatively fast Thunderhawks that can deliver their troops to the surface in under a minute if flying on full burn. Marines are the scalpel, not the hammer. If you can afford the time it takes and want maximum power projection, call in the Imperial Guard. Both the IG and the Marines work best when augmenting each other, anyways.

I'm afraid I don't have anything to add for the OP, though. I know too little about this element of the setting and wouldn't feel comfortable just poking in the dark.

The way i see it the Knights are a few meters taller then dreadnoughts, so even if the Knight weighs double the dreadnought it could be transported into battle the same way. ( orbital drop or gunship towing)

Maybe they are prohibited from using them as their design is shock troops. Maybe the IG insisted that the Astartes not be given such ressources.

Alex

Makes me wonder, since the creation of the Dreadnought, why hadent the space marines been outfitted with at least one of these per Chapter

Personal assessment? Because the Post-Heresy Space Marines are not frontline infantry anymore, but elite shock troops whose tactics as an organisation depend on high mobility - "shock & awe" and "smash & grab" - and their equipment is geared specifically for this job. It's the same reason they don't have any superheavy tanks like Baneblades or bombers like the Marauder, but rely exclusively on the lightly armoured (compared to the Russ and Chimaera), but fast and dependable Rhino-chassis for their armoured columns, and nimble open-topped speeders for close air support.

I assume these Imperial Knights are simply way too slow to move around, taking hours to deploy on a world and requiring larger, slower landers than the comparatively fast Thunderhawks that can deliver their troops to the surface in under a minute if flying on full burn. Marines are the scalpel, not the hammer. If you can afford the time it takes and want maximum power projection, call in the Imperial Guard. Both the IG and the Marines work best when augmenting each other, anyways.

^This.

Knights are almost exclusively owned and piloted descendants of ancient settlers, the only knights you see in the imperium today are Knightly Houses who have allied themselves the imperium and are outside the regular chain of command. Some Houses however hire their knights out to the highest bidder (which could very well be the inquisition).

They would also be hard to field in any large quantity because there is no STC in their production so it would be a long and arduous process to create each one.

That said, i really like this idea and have been thinking about it myself.

As to obtaining them in-game: maybe a squad of Knights are found on a lost or deserted world and the Deathwatch find them? Maybe put a few Knightly Houses on the Crusade roster and have them fight alongside the Battle Brothers on a few missions?

Great job on the stats!

I double-checked on some of your stats; what I have found is that while there are minor differences to a direct TT-to-DW conversion, they are pretty good! I would have simplified the Ion Shield though and have given it a straight 40 or 45% Force Field rating in one facing - with an overload probability of say 5% or whatever (small arms fire doesn't count). Also note that under current rules the facing protected by the Ion Shield can be changed (Free Action?).

You also need to consider close combat. How many attacks does a Knight have? The Imperial Knight has a profile similar to Dreadnought, so you might want to cross-reference that.

Alex

The way i see it the Knights are a few meters taller then dreadnoughts, so even if the Knight weighs double the dreadnought it could be transported into battle the same way. ( orbital drop or gunship towing)

Well, a few meters can be the difference between " it fits " and " it doesn't "..

But ak-73 provided a good possible explanation, too - it might be similar to the restrictions imposed by the Imperial Navy, just for ground forces. This might explain the absence of superheavy tanks as well.

Or maybe the Marines themselves are of the opinion that they do not need such vehicles, or that they might even be a hindrance, considering Astartes combat doctrine. The most powerful tool is not always the right tool for the job.

That being said, the background is malleable, as we are shown time and time again - there's no reason not to simply cook up some fluff yourself if you think that Space Marines should have access to Knights, or Baneblades, or even Titans, as far as your personal interpretation of the setting is concerned. For the RPG, however, I would advise talking it through with your group. Common ground is important!

I am pretty sure that the Codex Astartes does not support this.

That said, the Deathwatch works for the Inquisition and they certainly could request the support of an Imperial Knight.

Compare with Warhound Titan.

Alex

Don't forget that the Fuedal lords who control and pilot the Knights will be powerful men in their own right. Some might be planetry governors, all will be respected. Plenty of opportunity for RPGing with internal house politics.

Adventure Seed

A newly re-discovered medieval world was initially of only moderate interest to the Administratum. The locals seemed amenable to joining the Imperial Cult. However it has now come to the attention of the Imperial Authorities that the reason for the dominance of the ruling family is that they have a squadron of Knights in their Vaults. They are fully operational but have not been used in centuries. This would not be a problem except certain cadet branches of the ruling family are a cuase for concern. Either they exhibit physicial deviancy (mutuation) or hold to certain heretical beliefs that are sympathetic to xenos.

While the Adeptus Sororitas purges the noble family the Deathwatch Kill Team must secure and hold the Knight Vaults before the pilots have a chance to power them up and man them. The Knights themselves are too valuable to be destroyed out of hand and destroying them should be considered a last resort.

Wait, a "few meters" taller than a Dread? Uh, you mean "double" don't you? Put the TT models next to each other, and the Knight Paladin is double the height of an Astartes dreadnought; the Dread literally is only up to the Knight's waist or so. Knights are superheavy walkers, and I can see them not being part of a marine chapter simply because the marines are an elite strike force that, quite often, has to do rapid response.

Please note that Great Crusade era space marine Legions are another matter. Back then, the marines had it all, including their own fleets, superheavies (Fellblade, Spartan), the works.

Don't feel qualified to nit-pick the stats. If there are Quake cannon stats in Only War (which has some Baneblade variants) you might go with those...

Cheers,

- V.

Wait, a "few meters" taller than a Dread? Uh, you mean "double" don't you? Put the TT models next to each other, and the Knight Paladin is double the height of an Astartes dreadnought; the Dread literally is only up to the Knight's waist or so. Knights are superheavy walkers, and I can see them not being part of a marine chapter simply because the marines are an elite strike force that, quite often, has to do rapid response.

Please note that Great Crusade era space marine Legions are another matter. Back then, the marines had it all, including their own fleets, superheavies (Fellblade, Spartan), the works.

Don't feel qualified to nit-pick the stats. If there are Quake cannon stats in Only War (which has some Baneblade variants) you might go with those...

Cheers,

- V.

TT models are not exact comparisons, the dreadnought is in between 5-8 meters (shortest 5 meters), The most common type of a Knight is about nine metres tall(extract from http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_Knight ).

Remember, TABLETOP MODELS ARE NOT TO EXACT FLUFF SCALE!!!

Although the point about model size comparison is certainly correct, I also feel I have to point out that the wikis, both wh40k as well as Lexicanum, are somewhat unreliable and should not be used as sources in their own right. If you want to argue the non-existing canon*, I recommend using them as an index to hunt down the original source, but considering who the editors are, "it says so on this wiki" is essentially the same as "this fan said so" on some forum like this one.

Speaking of "fans saying so", let me say the following ... In GW's fluff (or more specifically, White Dwarf issue #255 and page 32 of the Dark Millennium supplement) Dreadnoughts are "two to three times the height of a man", so about 3-5 meters I reckon (which makes sense, if you just look at the size of the sarcophagus which is said to contain the 7-feet-tall body of a Marine, in relationship to the rest of the vehicle).

Even if the smallest Knight is 9 meters as per this wiki entry, Vandegraffe's assumption about it being "double" the size doesn't seem too far off...

* this, on the other hand, also means that there is no "exact fluff scale" and, as mentioned above, that we are all free to make up our own numbers anyways, as countless novel authors and RPG designers did before us, in case we dislike the original idea

Well, it may not be the best reference material out there, but I've found this piece of artwork from GW's What's New page very helpful in putting the Imperial Knight into perspective size-wise:

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/wnt/blog.jsp?pid=13800006

Sure, it may suffer from the same problems as all the other Fluff out there, but without referencing the codex or the companion book I think it does the trick as well as any other source

Knight Paladin - The Knight Paladin is the archetypal Knight walker, usually armed with a large calibre Battle Cannon and a giant Knight-sized Chainsword. The Battle Cannon possesses a long range and is capable of piercing even a true Titan's armour. The Chainswords used by Knight Paladins are described as being easily as destructive as the close combat weapons used by the larger Warhound-class Scout Titans, capable of harming even an Imperator 's armour plating.

Type: Walker

Tactical Speed: 10m

Cruising Speed: 50 kph

Manoeuvrability: +5

Structural Integrity: 65

Size: Enormous

Armour: Front: 40, Side 37, Rear 32

Carry Capacity: None

Crew: One Pilot

Renown: Hero

Weapons

Battle Cannon (750m; S/–/–; 3d10+15 X; Pen 10; Clip 20; Reload 3 Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3], Reliable)

Reaper Chainsword (melee; 3d10+20 R; Pen 10; Tearing)

Shock Lance (Front Facing; Range 40m; S/–/–; 4d10+10 E; Pen 10; Clip N/A, Shocking)

Boltgun (Front Facing; Range 90m; S/3/-; 1d10+5 X; Pen 4; Clip 240; Reload 2 Full; Tearing)

Okay, let's have another look at this and make it airtight, production-grade quality. I am going through a list of potential points for criticism. Feedback by you guys would be appreciated:

• Maneuvrability and Speed: The Paladin is known for its agility. So one could argue for even higher maneuvrability. LRs have +20 after all.
• Rear armour: The rear armour in 40K is the same as the side armour, so one could argue that Rear should also be around 37, at minimum 35.
• Battle Cannon: It can be fired twice in 40K, which would translate into a ROF of 3 or 4 here. Also the stats for the Battle Cannon in OW are 3d10+10 Pen 8; I recommend a middle ground as per my conversion guidelines: 3d10+15 Pen 8. The reason for that is that Krak Missiles have 3d10+10 and are basically too weak as such.
• Reaper Chainsword: Now this is really, really too weak. It's a D weapon, comparable to the Turbo-Laser! The Turbo-Laser does 4d10+30 Pen 20. You need that to be able to hurt titans.
• By default, the Paladin comes with Heavy Stubbers - not Bolters and Shock Lance.
• Ion Shield: I am a bit conflicted about this. The new Ion Shields apparently cannot be overloaded anymore, they don't work by blocking attacks (like void shields) but apparently by weakening them into ineffectiveness.

Overall I like Marrok's design, I just would like to give it some final polish. Your thoughts, guys?

Alex

Increasing maneuvrability seems reasonable. The Battlecannon RoF increase seems reasonable, possibly to an S/2/- profile with either a smaller clip and a 2Full reload (if the Knight is handling its own reloads, the Clips-on-a-Mech model) or a larger clip and a 10Full reload, for a more typical vehicle magazine.

I'm tempted to suggest that Ion Shield defensive strength be reduced by half of the penetrating damage, at least on the heavier models of Knight. This gives the Ion Shield a little more staying power while still making it a temporary asset.

I'm also tempted to think that this belongs more in the Rogue Trader or Only War areas, as those game systems are more likely to feature Knight Houses- but that's okay.

The LR having +20 was BS. That was Land Speeder, d'oh! This makes more sense. I guess the benchmark for both speed and maneuvrability is the Warhound. Since the Warhound has +0, +5 for the Paladin seems okay. But the Paladin should keep up speedwise, if stats I have found on the net are not misleading. So a speed of 15m/60kph isn't entirely unreasonable.

ROF: I am just following here the aprroximate guidelines on how at least small arms work. Consider the HB: Heavy4 versus -/-/6.

Ion Shield: One has to make a design decision here. If one were to translate the new crunch into DW rules, the closest approximation would be a directional Rating 45 Force Field with no chance for overload.

Alex

HB is Heavy 3 in the TT, not heavy 4 (unless things have changed dramatically). The assault cannon is Heavy 4.

I'd say that the battle cannon is more comparable to the terminator missile pack, as each relies on a single, large munitions rather than a hail of small munitions. The terminator missile pack is Heavy 2 on the table top, and the Cyclone missile launcher has an S/2/- profile in Core.

Comparing a (rapid-ish fire) tank gun to a heavy machine gun seems rather like apples and oranges to me. At least the battle cannon and the missile launcher is closer to Fujis and Granny Smiths.

I am okay with Ion Shield as just another force field.

someone has bean in to the Battletech and lifting ideas from the Pre-4SW game universe, FASA as getting ready to have the time skip and move on to the Clan Wars setting around the time 40K RT came out, they just had to finish the 4SW story line..

Warhammer 40K ripped off ideas from other settings? I'm shocked! I like how they are reframing that stuff within their own grimdark setting though...

I'd say that the battle cannon is more comparable to the terminator missile pack, as each relies on a single, large munitions rather than a hail of small munitions. The terminator missile pack is Heavy 2 on the table top, and the Cyclone missile launcher has an S/2/- profile in Core.

Comparing a (rapid-ish fire) tank gun to a heavy machine gun seems rather like apples and oranges to me. At least the battle cannon and the missile launcher is closer to Fujis and Granny Smiths.

The Cyclone Missile Launcher is a particularly bad piece of gear for comparison though. That is because DW keeps single-shot weapons in 40K SS while it roughly doubles the ROF for weapons with more than one shot in 40K. The Deathwatch designers had to decide between either doubling the ROF of a regular ML (which 40K players are used to) or applying their usual conversion standards which would have taken ROF at least to 3, if not 4. They went for S/2/-; if they hadn't, the artifacts of the system would have become more visible. This is particularly terrible for the Cyclone because Krak missiles are underpowered by 1d10 already and now they lost also regarding ROF...

Compare the Autocannon instead: Heavy 2 into S/3/-.

Multi-laser: Heavy 3 into -/-/5.

Ripper Gun: Assault 3 into S/-/6

Assault is usually converted into TT ROFx2, Heavy/Rapid Fire is TT ROFx1.5. Of course only approximately. There is... wiggle room!

[Edit]

Another thing is the Auspex. The Warhound has Enhanced Auspex Arrays. Would you give the Knight a similar Auspex? Or a slightly less capable version? Personally, I am a bit wary of always applying the principle of scaling all systems to size...

Also, SI has been modeled correctly by Marrok. In TT, the Warhound has 9 and the Paladin has 6 hull points. In ROB, the Warhound has 90 SI, so 65 for the Paladin seems to be adequate!

Plus, I have assigned a Crew Rating of 40. Sounds fair?

Alex

I would give a well-maintained Knight the same Auspex that a well-maintained Warhound has.

Re: RoF discussion- I'm a proponent for boosting krak missile damage, but that's a separate discussion. I'm fairly content with the way RoF is handled, because all of the weapons you use as an example are (thematically speaking) high-RoF weapons, as opposed to the one-shot hammer nature of a battle cannon or missile launcher. There are absolutely weaknesses in the system (you mean if I fire a full-auto, long burst I am likely to hit with more bullets over time than if I fire single shot? WTF?) but those are weaknesses in the core system itself. I actually feel that the multi-laser and the HB, were they accurately modeled, would have a much higher RoF profile... and no bonus to hit when firing a long burst. However, any such house-rule would be clumsily applied initially, so I use what already exists because it's good enough.

If I wanted to play a much more simulationist game, I'd develop a hack for Shadowrun rules. Everything is point-based, and there is both tech and magic/psionics, so kitbashing something together wouldn't be impossible. To do so, however, would waste all of the effort that FFG (and Black Industries before them) put into developing the game and system.

Having said all that , your example of the autocannon does make me thing that the Knight might be using an autocannon-writ-large, if you will, so the S/3/- profile isn't beyond imagining. Seems a bit over-the-top compared to the thermal lance though.

Here's another version, quite similar to mine:

http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/101290-imperial-knight-titan/

• I'll use S/3/- for now , purely based on my guidelines. If I find that too powerful compared to other knight weapons, I'll scale it back to S/2/-. Experience taught me to go with the guidelines first and modify later if necessary.
• I added Fear(X) as in the above version because it causes Fear in the TT now. And it kinda makes sense. Not quite sure which level. Fear(3) seems not entirely unreasonable. Doesn't get that much scarier for its enemies than a Knight Titan.
• Because the Knight is a fair bit smaller than the Warhound, I reduced Auspex range from 5 km to 3.5 km, aye? Kept the same +20 bonus though. Seems like fair compromise.
• I also realized that the Titans lack a Crew Rating. I assigned a Crew Rating of 40 - it has WS/BS 4 in the TT after all.

I expect the other models be easier once you have modeled the first one fairly correctly. Although having 6E crunch for all of them would help.

Alex

Why boltguns? Don't they have heavy stubbers in TT?

IG has them, not SMs.