My feelings on it are more or less limited ot the fluff. I tend to view it as positive. Alot of people, I suspect, simply were mad because the new edition shattered alot of the preconceptions they had formed to fill in the gaps about the Necrons. Some for example had complained that the Dolmen gates took away their 'across the galaxy in the blink of an eye' FTL which had been long believed to be inertialess drive... even though it was never explicitly stated as such, nor was the means of travel across the galaxy stated. Some were upset because they felt the 3rd edition Necrons were more ominous, darker, mysterious... even though another way to look at it is that they were space zombies with little or no personality except for the C'tan, and there were only four of those. And really, 3rd was mainly 'space undead robot analogues feeding the giant space god vampire analogues' which is HARDLY any better or worse than Tomb Kings in space. At that, the Codex (and the rulebook) had skewed the canon in a sufficiently vague way that at least some (or most) of the fluff could be inteprreted so as to harmonize with much of the previous fluff (or at least didn't explicitly forbid it.)
Besides, I fucking hate arbitrary distinctions like 'NEWCRONS' and 'OLDCRONS', because of the inherent 'resistance to change' that implies. It kinda reminds me of alot of the nostalgai-driven rage about 40K compared to 1st edition, or regarding the Squats. I mean I have a fondness for first edition because its quirky as hell and different, and the style and humoour were much more in evidence. And I like the Squats just becuase.. but times change, and just because I like something doesn't mean that it is inherently, objectivley 'Better'.
And honestly, the idea that the old Necrons were somehow more ominous and nasty just because they were more.. ambiguous and mysterious is kinda silly. I mean fuck, there's millions of tomb worlds, and billions (or trillions) of necrons at a minimum. They're stealing people to experiment on them to gain back squishy bodies... but experiment on them in brutal, horrifying and painful ways. They have no regard for the lesser races - much like the Eldar they view themselves as superior. They fucking killed their 'gods' and bound them to servitude with their own powers. They've build planet sized mobile constructs, played around with time and space, and created devices that can blow up freaking stars. I dont know about anyone else, but I consider that nasty, ominous and damn chilling, especially since they're set on reclaiming what is theirs. And at the same time there is some good in the bad. They can be quirky, perverse, or even bizarre. THere's traces of humor in the new Necrons (Trazyn the Infinite, for example.) There's even more scope than simply 'fighting' - they can be dealt with, or even allied with, which makes them more complicated than interactions with the old Necrons. There is even a bit of tragedy and nobility in their story, which makes them far less the 'evil' fucks they were 3rd edition. And even more, the fluff betwen 3rd and 5th is not totally irreconcilable, nor is 5th irreconcilable with alot of the pre-5th edition Necron stories either. The fact it may only be a C'tan 'Shard' rather than the actual C'tan doesn't really change things from a story perspective - that whole 'myth and legend' aspect so heavily apart of 40K, after all. And combining the two, I feel, adds even more depth and complexity - not only do you have the 'new' Necrons vying for power, but you may have the 'old' C'tan ruled factions (or rather Shard ruled) still out there, causing trouble.
So, having laid all that out, we dive into the 5th edition Necrons. Like them or hate them, they're here to stay. I'll be covering it in 3 parts, since this is one of the bigger analysis (only the IG one is bigger lol)
Page 5
Implied scope of the Necron force, although "billions" is not exact.Yet if billions of Necrons have been destroyed by the passage of eternity, countless billions more remain to see their dominion reborn.
Page 5
Mechanical organs? Are they just meatbag forms made out of shiny morphing metal? Also the means to destroy Necrons - more damage goes in than goes out, basically. Same probably applies to their ships and such too.Given time, severed limbs reattach, armour plating reknits and shattered mechanical organs are rebuilt. The only way, then, toa ssure a Necron's destruction is to overhwhelm its ability ot self-repair, to inflict such massive damage that its systems cannot keep pace.
...
..the Necron will often simply 'phase out' - automated teleport beams returning it to the safety of the stasis crypts, where it remains in storage until such time as repairs can be carried out.
Also interesting is the "automated teleport beams" - that implies some sort of transponder or beacon probably - when the beacon goes out (due to damage) the teleport beams activate.
Page 5
Necron phase out.Should a fallen warrior fail to phase out, it self-destructs and is consumed by a blaze of emerald light. Outwardly this appears little differnet to the glow of teleportation...
Page 6
Necrons are billions of years old, and the "Stasis crypt/torch ship" thing is pretty much lifted almost entirely from the previous codex, page 24. The only major difference is the dynasties thing being added, and the removal to references of living metal shielding them....billions of years before Mankind evolved on Terra.
...
Using stasis-crypts aboard slow burning torch-ships, they began to colonise other planets. Little by little, the Necrontyr dynasties spread ever further, until much of the galaxy answered to their rule.
Page 6
Given that the preceding quote says that the Necrons conquered 'much of the galaxy' they must have had an empire spanning thousands, if not tens of thousands of light years. Given that their tomb worlds were pretty much pan-galactic we can consider this a safe bet. The interesting thing is, this is pre-C'tan Necrons, so they must have some form of FTL travel, even if its fairly slow (tens or hundreds of c at least). It's not certain of course, but its quite likely still.In but a span of centuries, the Necrontyr were pushed back until they were little more than an irritation...
Page 6
Another change, despite the living metal 'incarnation" (STar god version of daemonic possession I guess) they are not instantly chowing down on Necrons mindlessly, or seeking to control them.. they're much sneakier now.Some Necrontyr actively sought the C'tan's favour and oversaw the forging of living metal bodies to contain the star-gods' nebulous essence.
...
..the C'tan took the shapes of hte Necrontyr's half-forgotten gods, hiding their own desires beneath cloaks of obsequious subservience.
Page 7
This is something that echoes the Planetkill short story "Phobos worked in Adamant"Colossal bio-furnaces roared day and night, consuming weak-bodied flesh and replacing it with enduring forms of living metal. As the cyclopean machines clamoured, the C'tan swarmed about the biotransference sites, drinking in the torrent of cast-off life energy and growing ever stronger.
Page 7
Does this mean the Necrons were a warp-sensitive race originally?In that moment, he knew with cold certainty that the price of physical immortality had been the loss of his soul.
...
... the soulless Necrons reborn in their place.
Page 7
And apparently unbreakable? Apparently the Silent King could choose to break them, but feared the repercussions were he to do so.The biotransference process had embedded command protocols in every mind, granting Szarekh the unswerving loyalty of his subjects.
Page 7
C'tan power.. apparently this is what they're capable of after they've snacked on the souls/life essences of an entire galaxy-spanning race (billions, trillions, perhaps quadrillions of necrontyr.)..the empowered C'tan were nigh unstoppable and unleashed forces beyond comprehension. Planets were razed, suns extinguished and whole systems devoured by black holes called into being by the reality warping powers of the star gods.
Page 7
They gained access to the Webway. This primariyl seemed to be of offensive benefit, allowing them to carry the war to the Old Ones themselves. It does not neccesarily mean this is the ONLY form of FTL the Necrons have, or that they have lost others.Necron Legions finally broached the webway and assailed the Old Ones in every corner of the galaxy. They brought under siege the fortresses of the Old Ones' allies...
PAge 7
This really makes the C'tan seem like the realspace version of Chaos Gods and daemons really.. the whole "part of the fabric of reality" bit and such.. and the shards kinda emphasize that, considering that warp entitites are basically a gestalt of thoughts/feelings/souls of living beings incarnated to consciousness.The Necrons focussed the unimaginable energies of the living universe into weapons too mighty for even the C'tan to endure. Alas, the C'tan were immortal star-spawn, part of the fundamental fabric of actuality and therefore nigh impossible to destroy. So was each C'tan instead sundered into thousands of fragments.
...
Each C'tan shard was bound within a tesserect labyrinth, as trammelled and secure as a genie in a bottle.
Also note the tesserect labyrinth. The really interesting thing is the "energies of the living universe" - it makes it sound like the Necrons tapped the Force or something. Or maybe the warp? Who knows. Either way it begs the question - did they overwhelm them via brute power, or exploit a weakness in doing this? We do know that the C'tan had basically exhausted themselves defeating the Old Ones, which allowed the Necrons to pull this off (it flat out states they couldn't have taken them at full power.
Page 7
No Enslaver plague explicitly this time, but that doesnt mean it wasn't a factor either. Basically the Necrons did it to avoid the Eldar, and wait them out so they could re-awaken and reclaim the galaxy.The Mantle of galactic dominion would soon pass to the Eldar...
...
.. thus come to hate the Necrons...
...
... the Necrons, weakened during the overthrow of the C'tan, could not stand against them. Yet the Silent King knew that the time of the Eldar would pass...
...
.. the remaining Necron cities to be transformed into great tomb complexes shtreaded with stasis-crypts.
...
..he destroyed the command protocols by which he had controlled his people.
Page 8
Fate of tomb worlds. Some malfucntioned, some destroyed by deliberate or accident or nactural occurances, some looted. that some had their necron tombs crushed or damaged by tectonic activity suggests it was buried somewhere in or close to the crust.For many the [malfunction] results were minor, such as a disruption to the operation of the Tomb World's chronostat or revivification chambers, causing the inhabitants to awaken later than intended...
...
Cascade failures of stasis-crypts destroyed millions, if not billions, of dormant Necrons. Some Tomb Worlds were destroyed by the retribution of the maraudering Eldar, their defence systems overmatched...
...
Tectonically unstable planets crushed necron strongholds slumbering at their hearts; stars went supernova, consuming orbiting Tomb worlds in their death trhoes. And everywhere, inquisitive life forms scrabbled and fought over the bones of the Necron Territories....
Implied scope of NEcron worlds in the millions or billions as well, which subsequent sources tied to 5th have corroborated to varying degrees.
Page 8
Billions of Necrons at least.Even now, at the close of the 41st Millenium, billions of Necrons still slumber in their tombs..
Page 8
Severed worlds.. Probably a reconciliation of old Necron fluff (the old codex and some of the older stories, Apocalypse, etc.)With but the slightest flaw in the revivification cycle, the engrammic pathways of a sleeper scatters and degrades. In most cases, these coalesce over time to restore identity and purpose, but it is a process tha can take decades, or even centuries, and cannot be hurried. Sometimes recovery never occurs and the sleeper is doomed forever to a mindless state.
There are thousands of Tomb Worlds scattered throughout the galaxy whose halls are thronged with shambling automatons, Necrons whose minds fled during the hibernation, and whose bodies have been co-opted by a Tomb World's master program in an attempt to bring some order to their existence.
Basically the 'Crons who were soulless, lifeless, emotionless killers and harvesters and all around killer doombots. Of course they make up a minority of th eoverall worlds mentioned later (millions of tomb worlds, althoug how much of a minority depends on how one defines "thousands") but at the same time this is suggestive of the number of tomb worlds in current activity (Thousands at least, not including the non-Severed worlds.)
Page 8
the net result of all this of course is that there's a massive caste system enforced among the 'Crons.. and that destroying the whole command protocol thing was pretty silly (since it would seem the majority of the population either was already basically robot zombies, or were more prone to that.) - the Silent King basically just doomed his people to yet another cycle of conflict and strife, which is going to pretty much hamper their efforts to reclaim their empire methinks. Of course, he was also gullible enough to deal with the c'tan and end up with his entire race as soulless metal space zombies, so we may actually have a Necron version of Sarpedon in play...there were not resources enough to provide all Necrontyr with bodies capable of retaining the full gamut of personality and awareness.
..
..the finest bodies went to individuals of high rank...
...
For the professional soldiery, the merely adequate was deemed appropriate. As for the common people, they received that which remaind: comparatively crude bodies that were little more than lobotomised prisons. Numb to all joy and experience, they are bound solely to the will of their betters, their function meaningless withoug constant direction. Yet even here a tiny spark of self-awareness remains, enough only to torment the Necron with memories and echoes of the past it once knew.
On the plus side it gives the 'Crons more character.. you have warriors, leaders, workers, etc. They're not all mindless killbots now. On the other hand you have to wonder why they get so upset about Severed Worlds if most of their commoners are little better too. Overall though I don't mind it, its pretty grim and horrific a fate all told and it leaves alot of room for some general nastiness of the sort associtaed with the old Necrons.
Page 8
The Dolmen gates as artificial webway portals. Again this emphasize that the benefit of the webway was largely offensive (allowing them to launch attacks on the Old Ones more effectively.)In the closing years of the War in HEaven the tides began to shift when the Necrons finally gained acess to the webway.
...
through a series of living stone portals known as the Dolmen Gates, the Necrons were finally able to turn the Old Ones' greatest weapon against them, vastly accelerating the end of the War in Heaven.
The portals offered by the Dolmen Gates are neither stable, nor so controllable as the naturally occuring entrances to the webway. Indeed, in some curious fashion, the webway can detect when its environs have been breached by a Dolmen Gate and swiftly attempts to seal off the infected spur until the danger has passed. So, Necrons entering the webway must reach their destination quickly, lest the network itself bring about their destruction.
..
Many Dolmen Gates were lost or abandoned during the time of the Great Sleep, and many more were destroyed by the Eldar. Those that remain grant access to but a small portion of the webway, much of that voluntarily sealed off by the Eldar to prevent further contamination. Yet the webway is immeasurably vast, and even these sundered skeins allow the Necrons a mode of travel that far outpaces those of the younger races.
Also interesting is another refernece to the "aware" nature of the webway, itse organic self-healing capability and its ability to fight back against perceived invaders. I think it might have done so against Chaos, but apparently it will do so against Necrons as well. Rathre odd that it hasnt against humans (EG Jaq Draco invading the webway.)- it must be conditioned only to attack specific entities.
Also the Dolmen gate concept introduces an interesting question - was the golden throne and the gate there a Dolmen Gate? Given that the Void Dragon was defeated on Earth, this is quite possible. On the other hand, the Golden throne was also a stasis device and a means of amplifying psychic powers... which isn't something you'd expect Necron tech to do. It may be that this was a Dolmen gate the Emperor modified to provide both the stasis and psychic-boosting properties (the mechanisms of the Dolmen/webway gate that shielded it might also act to facilitate safe tapping of the warp, for example, and the gate itself would be a strong fount from which to draw upon. Likewise, the "timelessness" of the webway would be the ideal sort of stasis to presreve the Emperor - it would prevent him from aging in aw ay, yet keep him aware so that he could act.)
Lastly, the webway offers them teh fastest means of indepednent travel - this excludes teleport/wormholes they use (which require a means of entry and exit at both ends, or a beacon to home in on) and it doesn't include means of FTL they may have that are slower than the webway.
Page 8
Technically this should be meant to imply they don't have any ftl other than the webway except: we know about the teleport beams nad wormholes (which can be excused as they require locations between two points be established - unless they dispatched a ship or crew to provide the anchor point or beacon, they would in fact remain isolated.) That isn't hte only problem - the silliness is - why would lack of psykers prevent them access to the warp? We know of lots of races without natual psykers (the tau, for one) who can access the warp for travel. We know that you can navigate short distances in the warp via computer. Even if you can't there is still the tau ether drive, which no doubt the Necrons could emulate if not improve upon. As masters of folding space and dimesnional manipulation stuff, they could also emulate the Narvahl abilities.As a race bereft of psykers, the Necrons are incapable of Warp travel, and without access to the webway, they would be forced to rely once more on slow-voyaging stasis-ships, dooming them to isolation.
And if that wasn't enough.. we know from Hellforged and Dark Creed that they have some starship travel ability (possibly the inertialess drive, or it may be osmething else) that allows them to move through space (it may still be slower than the webway) - so however you look at it this quote is conditional.
It is also interesting how they note "psykers" in general rather than navigators. Usually its the latter who are required for warp travel at all (even though psykers and sorcerers can technically do it, although not as good as Navigators. We know the Salamander,s the Avenging Sons, the Thousand Sons, etc. have all navigated the warp to a limited degree without navigators.
As have Ork WEirdboyz and Eldar Seers and Farseers, although Weirdboyz are far from teh most reliable means of navigation. And of course, dAemons can do it. ) It does suggest that astropaths or other human psykers could be used to do at least short-range warp hops though.
Also while the Necrons have souls, they clearly don't have psykers. This suggests that if they do have a connection to the warp, its a very tenuous one., much as with the tau.
Page 9
This particular bit of fluff reflects strongly about the pre-5th edition stuff.. mainly derived from Apocalypse and such (The command levels and whatnot.) as well as perhaps reflecting earlier stuff (like the Great Warding, the old version of necrons as harvesters/killers, etc.) It offers yet another dimension as well as a retcon to earlier fluff without outright ignoring it (and yet another way in which the Necrons can be a danger to themselves or others, as the Master program can take charge and do things its own way. Hell maybe it can even gain sentience or coopt its masters? That might explain Hellforged for example.)The Colossal amounts of energy generated [during revival] are detectable across great distances...
..
defence lies in the hands of the Necrons servitor robots - the Canoptek Spyders, Sarabs and Wraiths. Initially dehse defneders will be directed by the Tomb World's master program, whose complex decision matrix allows it to calculate an efficient response to any perceived threat. As the threat level rises, so too does the intensity of the master program's coutnermeasures, prioritising the activation of the Tomb World's defensces and the revivification of its armies according to the situation at hand.
...
..until the first legions have awoken - at which point the Master program surrenders command to the Tomb World's nobles.
Page 9
Again this tends to reflect the stuff mentioned in the core rules for 5th, as well as the Apocalypse stuff on Necrons (the Gold, Silver, Platinum Lords, control programs, etc.)When a large population centre of a younger race has evolved or expanded close to a Tomb World, the encoded programming delves deep into its archives and armouries in order to conduct an aggressive defence. Such Tomb worlds are the ones that have expanded their spheres of influence most rapidly...
Page 9
Diplomatic and exploratory NecronsSome Necron Lords send diplomatic emissaries to other worlds, negotiating for the return of lost territories and artefacts, or cast off into the stars, searching for distant Tomb Worlds not yet awoken.
Page 9
Most Necrons are, in other words, militant jerks. There's still lots of variation to be had with that line, but this bascially comes across as yet another way to allow for the "old" fluff to have its say in recent canon without diluting the whole "Tomb dynasty" dynamic they go for. You still have the potential for the harvesting/stealing of living beings, the soulless, emotionless, killer necron exterminators, but you also have room for some Necrons playing the Deceiver (which may explain some of the stories, for example, since the Necrons now have personalities.) or other stuff.The vast majority of Tomb Worlds, however, take a more aggressive tack, launching resource raids, planetary invasion, or full-blown genocidal purges.
..
Some Necorns attack in the full panoply and spectacle of honourbale war, rigorously applying their ancient codes of battle. At others, every possible underhanded tactic is employed, from piracy and deception, to assassination and subornation. On other occasions, the campaign is less a martial action than a systemic extermination..
Page 9
Which means that the 'Crons are basically on the same level as other aliens like the Orks - no real unity, no coordination, just a bunch of numerous small, independent mini empires fighting amongst themselves or others. This tends to mitigate the seriousness of their threat compared to, say, the Tyranids, but leaves them on the threat of Orks (potentially dangerous if they unify in large numbers for decisive action, but mostly an annoyance that drains resources with numerous, smaller conflicts with the Imperium.)Yet, with the Triarch long gone and huge numbers of Tomb Worlds lying desolate or dormant, there can be no galaxy-wide coordination, no grand strategy that will bring about Necron ascendancy.
Whether this would change with a new Triarch, or the return of the Silent King, its up for debate. As it stands, its the same as with the Orks " shoudl they ever unify.." sort of thing.
Page 10
Hundreds or thousands of Dynasties, with thousands having been destroyed. This menas hundreds/thousands of Necron Tomb Worlds t least, although with the millions of tomb worlds the implied scope of a dynasty can be significant (scores of worlds to hundreds/thousands, depending on the number of Dynasties assumed.)Before the coming of the C'tan, there were many hundreds of Necrontyr dynasties.
..
Through the Wars of Secession, the rebellion against biotransference, the War in Heaven, and the Great Sleep, many thousands of royal dynasties were destroyed. It is impossible to say how many survived, save that they number in the hundreds, or possibly thousands.
Page 10
Er, what? As I recall most 'Crons tend to settle on dead or mostly dead worlds, so why would the 'Crons be consuming huge chunks of the population undefeated? Did they change their mind and set down in inhabited worlds?Many of its dormant Tomb Worlds were devoured by Hive Fleet Behemoth, and countless others have been ravaged during the Imperiums counterattack against the Tyranids (in the galactic southeast.)
Page 10
This is a good thing.. how? I'm not sure making the Necrons into mindless psychos who want to make skin cloaks is a brilliant plan......the Oroskh Dynasty are heavily infected by the flayer virus - the result of a deliberate contamination conducted by Pathfinders from the Altaioc Craftworld.
Page 11
Necron dynastic structure. It seems that any dynasty can easily be expected to control multiple systems (dozens of systems? Hundreds?)Highest of the Necron noblees are the Phaerons, the rulers of entire dynasties including many planetary systems. Beneath these are the Overlords, who rule clusters of Tomb worlds within their Phaeron's domain. Lower still are the Lords, each charged with the keeping of a single core or fringeworld.
Page 12
Minimal forces of a Necron "Lord"Even a noble who lacks for a Royal Court commands a Legion of Necron Warriors, a few phalanxes of Immortals and Deathmarks, as well as a Phalanx of Lychhguard.
Page 12
It's possible to capture and reprogram lesser necrons.By this time the Khansu Dynasty was lost forever, its nobles destroyed in the War in Heaven, its Warriors and Immortals seized by other dynasties and reprogrammed to their service.
Page 12
Assuming a roman "Legion" we might be talking 3-6000 (about the size of an IG regiment), we're talking 300-600 thousand Warriors. I'd guess given previous estimates we're talking at least a few tens of thousand sof Immortals and such.As even the smallest of Tomb Worlds has at least two-score nobles of lesser rank, an Overlord can commonly draw upon at least a hundred Legions of Necorn Warriors, should he have need.
Page 14
Necron territorial stratification. The importance seems to be more of ties of blood or dynastic status rather than any sort of industrial or resources (except crown worlds, which benefit from all the rest.) - this also means you could have a fringeworld that is actually more valuable resource or industry wise than a coreworld (althoguh this seems counter-intuitive.)Crownworlds were once hubs of galactic power, buttressed by tithe and tirbute sent from elsewhere within their dynasties. With access to such great resource-wealth, crownworlds were able to construct the most reliable stasis-crypts.
..
Next in importance are coreworlds, planets which togehter form the heart of a dynasty. The rulers of core-worlds would inevitably be close kin to the regent of their crownworld, ensuring a bond of dynastic loyalty between the often diverse planets.
...
..fringeworlds are planets of tertiary importance, not viewed as being of high enough stats to be numbered amongst a dynasty's coreworlds. Fringeworlds were often poor or distant colonies, able to contribute to the wider realms only in terms of manual labour or as a location for penal institutions. Some fringeworlds will once have counted amongst the coreworlds of a different dynasty.
It also implies some significnat territory per Lords, typically. (more than half a dozen worlds or so?)
Page 14
Some crownworlds seem to have their own Webway acess.Ordering Mandragora's Dolmen Gates reactivated, he sent forces to seize many corwrolds...
Page 14
Phaseout seems to be an ideal defense.Due to a devastating fault in a dimensional stabiliser array, the crownworld of Gheden is half-phased into a pocket dimension for all but a few hours of its stellar orbit.
...
..their world is almost entirely impervious to assault.
Page 14
I suppose this is a necron version of FTL sensor/detection.....the Oracle Chamber, wherein the bulbous head of an ancient alien prophet is kept alive through a combination of stasis fields and temporal stabilisers. The prophet's thoughts are projected as multifaceted holographic images which, in theory, show events yet to unfurl. That said, the creature continually rails against his ghoulish imprisonment and obfuscates the images so that the mislead as often as they are truthful.
Page 14
Given that "millions" of tomb worlds have been mentioned this could imply a great many Eldar/Exodite colonies - hundreds of thousands or millions, perhaps.only the Eldar see the Necrons for the threat they truly are - and even they cannot be sure how many Tomb Worlds slumber in the darkness.
..
Many such worlds were seeded with life and adopted as homes by outcasts and Exodites.
Page 14
Again implies "soullessness" implies warp-soul stuff.The Children of Isha hold soullessness to be the very worst of all fates, and the Necrons therefore provoke an abiding terror that the Eldar can never truly suppress.
Page 14
It implies the Eldar might actually believe they can fight the Necron threat, suggesting their numbers are comparable to the 'Crons (or not dramatically weaker.) - or, at least, comparable to the curent Necron threat.For the seer council of the Altaioc Craftworld, however, ta time of terrible vindication is at hand. The Eldar of Altaioc remembered whilst their peers forgot. They recovered the fragments of the great map, spread their networkds of outcasts and Exodites even wider and waited for the ancient enemy to return. So it is that whilst most craftworlds are re-honing half-remembered strategies, Altaoic is reaching its hand, assailing the Necrons on their own territory, sabotaging their Tomb worlds and ambattling their legsion..
Page 15
A Necron supernova device... implies some FTL performance, although its probably tied to the whole "fundamental forces" thing. I suspect however, that the mechanism is incredibly complex givne the whole "chain reaction/micormanagement" thing suggests that the entire device is intended to manipulate/control forces that are beyond the ability of most people/necrons to comprehend usually (it takes alot of balancing and careful manipulation to avoid unintended consequences and such.. perhaps its a form of probability manipulation?)Crafted by artisans of the Oruscar Dynasty long before the onset of the War in Heaven, this web of hologram and living metal is beyond price for its artistic value alone.
..
The tiny pinpricks of glowing light suspended within the impossibly intricate matrix record the positions of every star in the galaxy. Snuff out one of these lights and its physical counterpart will go supernova long millenia before its destined time, bringing fiery oblivion to all nearby worlds.
Such an act cnanot be performed without consideration, however, as each star destroyed in this fashion upsets the fundamental forces of the galaxy, setting off a catastrophic chain reaction. Only with further manipulation of the Celestial Orrey can these forces be returned to their proper balance, and this invariably takes many thousand sof years of constant and precise micromanagement.
..
..they (the Court of Thanatos) see themselves as gardeners of creation and dispassionately use the Orrey in a precise and sparing manner, pruning the galaxy only out of need to prevent it from becoming wild and overgrown.
Page 15
Assuming they don't just send fleets through the Dolment gates, this may imply starships can travel back and forth between distant star systems in no more than a few months, since its unlikely flayers can last mor than that without fresh meat.Every few solar months, when no more meat remains...
..
..Valgul announces a new Time of Bounty, and despatches the fleets of Drazak to raid nearby worlds.
this might also be one possible explanation for Necron 'Harvests' from earlier fluff.
Page 15
I guess that implies necron fighters can reduce a whole settlement of some kind to craters...low flying squadrons of Night Scythes flit over the landscape..
..
It is not uncommon for entire settlements to be overwhelmed and harvested within a single night with only a large and barren crater to show where people once lived and worked.
...
As darkness descends, curfew begins, blast doors are sealed and sentries set. Yet every few nights another settlement vanishes..
Page 15
Apparently the Webway also served as an important industrial route for the Necrons. This makes you wonder if they can use wormholes or teleport in that way... and if not why that isn't the case since they can transport armies..... Trantis was only ever intended as a way station for resources and raw materials. It lacks the ability to use more than a fraction of the plunder form the planet below and was to ship the excess to toher nearby coreworlds.
...
..Trantis' portion of the webway has become sundered from all others..
Page 16
That may refer to sublight travle, but prowling intervening space at sublight speeds isn't of much good really.Thaszar's vessels have already begun to prowl both the webway and realspace, and the galaxy will surely come to rue the day he awakened.
Page 16
A master program acting in the role of a Lord. Reminds me of the situation in Hellforged.When radiation storms ravaged the Tomb World of Sarkon, they destroyed forever the memory engrams of every Necron interred therein. With its charges thus rendered mindless, the complex's master program took charge of their bodies. Little realising its own systems had also been damaged, the master program observed the quiet order it had brought to Sarkon and resovled to carry it far and wide.
..
Takarak's defences were swiftly overwhelmed, and the Sarkoni Emperor (for thus was how the master program now thought of itself) erased the minds of Takarak's inhabitants and claimed their bodies...
...
.. another three Tomb Worlds have been overcome in this manner, and the Sarkoni Emperor has begun to extend its will across other, non-Necron worlds, using mindshackle scarabs to bring any unruly living creatures under its direct control.
Also note using the mindshackle scarabs for mind control duties.
Page 16
Hard to believe that psykers are a requirement for warp engines, considering that lots of humans use them for short range navigation and travel (unless a psyker is needed to *create* the engines, but that only means the Necrons would have to harvest them from another race, which shouldn't be difficult.)As creatures long without any kind of spiritual essence, the Necrons cannot project their minds into the Warp or harness its power to any degree. They are unable to use the Warp to journey across the galaxy and are thoroughly bereft of psykers.
Page 16
These remind me both of gellar fields, as well as the effects created by the collapse of a void shield, as well as Abnett-grade untouchables. This could mean untuochables were meant to generate a naturally occuring null field matrix. That void shields can do similar as the shields (perhaps, given the void shields are warp based in nature, invoking a null field to collapse the voids, which also cuts off psykers.) and gellar fields in general would further reinforce the Mechanicum/Dragon of MARs based connections between human and Necron tech...many Tomb Worlds are shielded from psychic disturbnaces by vast null field matrices. Developed during the War in Heaven, these emit energy that destabilises a psyker's connection to the Warp, rendering him unable to utilise his full power. Similarily, Daemons in the presence of null field matrices have a tendency to flicker in and out of existenc,e as if unable to maintain a solid foothold in reality.
..
..the Null field matrix has also proven to have a deleterious effect on Tyranids. The vassels of hte Hive Mind are not immune to the unsettling soullessness of the Necrons, and the null field matrix only serves to exacerbate this effect...
Page 16
Limits of null field tech. Suggests it's not used effectively outside of a Tomb world. Then again we know the Necrons have had widespread Warp-nullifying technology (Nexus Arrangement, The Great Warding/Cadian Pylons, etc.)A null field matrix requires incredible amounts of power to function properly, and is a fragile machine that must be hidden away at a Tomb World's very heart to prevent its destruction.
Page 17
Necron 'hyperspace' abilities.. I take it to mean some sort of pocket dimension or folded space type thing, rather than FTL stuff.The hyperspace corridors connecting Moebius' countless crytps take the form of an ever shifting maze, ensuring that no journey through the catacombs is ever the same twice..
Page 17
Implied construction rate for stasis ships.IT wsa from this coreworld's (Seidon) stardocks that the torhc ships set out into the stars, carrying colonists beyond the boundaries of Necrontyr space. Throughout the War in Heaven, the wharves of Seidon continued to ply their trade, but instead sent expeditionary forces in search of fresh worlds to conquer. Every thirty-three weeks, another vast stasis-ship woul launch from the dockyards at Seidon, carrying a legion of Immortals to some distant planet.
..
..for every thirty-three weeks that pass, another legion of Immortals depart on their perilous journey into the unknown.
Page 17
Yet another way I suspect they reconcile the old Necron approach of harvesting with the new fluff. Still in its own way its pretty damn grim and as horrific as the old stuff.. even moreso because we know the reasons.Their aim is apotheosis, the undoing of biotransference's curse by transferring their consciousness into the bodies of other sentient creatures.
...
it has ever been unclear wehther the Necrons need to take over other bodies, or clone new ones for their eternal minds to inhabit.
..
..the Legions and fleets of Zantragora scour the galaxy for fresh subjects, following strict search patterns lest they somehow miss a world whose inhabitants hold the key. Hundreds of thousands of samples, both living and dead, are taken from every planet in the search pattern. Sealed in stasis-sleep, these are conveyed back to Zantragora to feed the never-ending series of autopsies, gene-splicing, tissue mutation and molecular deconstruction that typifies the quest for apotheosis.
Page 17
There are millions of tomb worlds. This suggests trillions of Necron military forces at least, probably more. And doesnt include all the other types (the menials and such.) I have to say that as car as scope and threat goes, that makes for a nastier enemy for the Imperium than the earlier fluff did.These tomb worlds represent no more than a handful of the many millions spread throughout the galaxy.
Page 17
Implies that the Necron forces are buried pretty damn deep below the planet (or at least deep in the crust.)Who can say how many far-flung outposts of Man have their foundations set upon a planet long-ago claimed by an immeasurably older civilisation, inhabitants blissfully unaware of the slumbering horror at their planet's core.
Page 20
Necron regeneration in action against Orks. Several implications can be held from this:Even as the last necron fell, the regeneration of the first triggered, drawing upon hidden power reserves to reknit broken limbs, repath critical circuits and return the warrior to full function. Thus even before Skullkrak's jubilant shout had finished echoing off the cliffs, the Ork Warboss found himself surrounded once again by the reanimated forms of those he had hacked paart only moments before.
..
Decapitated heads were reclaimed by grasping hands, and severed arms scrabbled across the sand in search of their sundered bodies.
...
the Warboss had taken to smashing his opponents into as amny, and as small, peices as possible to delay their inevitable reassembly.
..
..downed Necrons were failing to regenerate, as vital components were swept out into the seething waters of the bay.
- Damage to the critical components can hamper recovery, although to do that you have to get inside the target (the water in question is highly acidic...) The regeneration procss requires internal power. I suspect Necrons that are constantly supplied power (beamed energy, I believe they are constnatly provided anyhow) this isn't an issue.. but if they are on their own internal reserves regeneration is probably finite. The method of destruction also affects recovery - I suspect Necrons reduced to puddles of slag are harder to repair (if not impossible) - which makes thermal weapons like meltaguns rather useful.
Page 20
Monolith cremates a Warboss, his orks (unknonw number, presumably double or triple digit) in a single flash. I would gather we're talking somewhere in the gigajoule range at least (single for sure.. a couple Orks would be a ton or so of flehs at least) and more probably double or triple digit (scores or hundred of Orks, especially allowing for the toughness and mass of Orks compared to humans.)..a slab-sided Monolith heaved its way to the surface Gunfire scattering off its armoured flanks, the inexorable machine glided slowly towards Skullkrak and his remaining boys. There was an ear-splitting whine, teh crystal atop the monolith glowed a piercing white and then all that was left of the Orks was a pile of smouldering ash.
Page 20
Three months for the AdMech to mobilize and deploy some sort of force to investigate/assault a Necron Tomb world. 3 Sectors is at least 600 LY, not including any distances between sectors (hundreds or thousands of LY extra between sectors).. at least thousands (2400c) if not tens of thousands of c minimum, and that implies rapid deployment."recommend activiation of mindshackle cluster..."
..
..issued the necessary interstitial command. "It is done. If the subject performs as expected, we have three months to prepare."
Shortly thereafter, three sectors distant, Tech-Priest Dreicon Brudac began preparations to investigate a reported cache of xenos technology...
Also we get more or less a rapid (near instantaneous) transmission back and forth betwene the mindshackle scarabs and the tomb worlds over that same distance - implied comms speed.
Page 21
Death rays vs autocannon/lascannon defenses. Note the anti-aircraft defence lasers.Zahndrekh's first attack wave was a dozen squadrons of Doom Scythe fighter craft...
...
death rays raising great furrows of twisted metal and stone as they ploughed through bastions, ferrocrete walls...
...
Hydra Flak Tanks and defence lasers scoured the skies, driving off or blasting apart many of the Necron Aircraft.
Page 21
Teleport assault!Small arms fire scattered across the Night Scythes' armoured hulls as their flickering invasion beams delivered Zahndrekh's assault troops into the heart of the humans' defences.
PAge 21
PArasite ships.The Megalith was no ordinary war engine, but a vast floating fortress.
..
.. chunks of the Megalith's understructure broke away...
..
They were no mere wreckage, but Monoliths detacching from the mother ship's hull.
Page 21
Megalith invasion beams can deploy tens of thousands of troops and entire vehilces...teleport beams activated, delivering Doomsday Arks, legions of Necron Immortals..
Page 22
Retrieval teleporters.For every crippled Necron that reassembled itself and rejoined the firing line, another succumbed to critical damage and was whisked away by retrieval teleporters.
Page 22
Tomb world locales many "miles" below the surface of a planet. Nice to know this meshes with Caves of Ice earlier (well then again it Meshes with Hellforged and most other sources we know involving Necrons. Big shock, huh?)Long did the Eldar Walk in the darkness, through dusty vaults and chambers that had not bene seen by the living...
...
Deeper and deeper into the tomb the Eldar went, until in a colossal vaulted chamber many miles beneatht he surface, Imotekh sprang his trap..
Page 22
The quantum fields are fixed defenses as well.Without warning, quantum force fields flickered into life at the chamber's exits, sealing the Eldar within.
Page 24
Wait.. no mechanism or central repository for information at all in the Imperium? No established historical record? What the fuck did we see in fhte 5th edition core rules back in 2008? you know? Time of Ending? Nova Terra Interregnum? What about that vast astropathic network? The Inquisition? How about how the Administratum on Terra collects and processes/files all the information they recieve from the Imperium? I'd think the exact opposite would be true - the problem is they get SO much information, it's hard ot tell what is useful and what isn't. The only exception to that are cases where messages are lost, worlds are destroyed without messages being sent, etc... the data would be lost in that case.Humanity is widespread throughout the stars and encounters the Necrons with some frequency, but there is no mechanism by which the experiences of one embattled world can be shared with the wider Imperium. Even if there were, by what means would the data be catalogued? Hundreds of human worlds are depopulated or destroyed every year, and if their fates are noted at all, the cause of their demise is rarely discovered. There is no single repositioriy of information in the Imperium, no established historicla record - in a galaxy-spanning civilisation so shrouded in ignorance, it would be remarkable if it were otherwise.
Also note the "hundreds of worlds" destroyed every year. I think there's reference to hundreds (Thousands) of worlds being discovered annually, which means that there is a rough equalibrium, at least. Funny thing with that, if there are 200 worlds.. over a 10,000 year period they have lost 2 million worlds.
Page 24
There's comment on general arrogance of humans but, really, how does this justify the previous "no centralized repository for data/no way to collate information?" This sounds like they in fact are aware of and know of possible encounters, its just that they had no way to accurately or reliably sift out and identify the data. Or in some cases the data was lost or noone was around to report it. That actually sounds like there is a place, it is just overworked and doesn't do it in an intelligent manner. Which actually is.. the Adminsitratum. Shock.Some Imperial scholars hold the slaughter at Sanctuary 101 in 897.M41 to be the first contact with Necrons. Such men do so in ignorance of the many millions of encounters that, though predating the Sanctuary 101 event, went entirely unremarked because no one survived to make not of them, the records were lost or deemed mythic, or simply took place on a world where the inhabitants made no distinction between differing alien perils.
Page 24
Interesting that he thinks that if he pulls all the 'Crons together they can defeat the 'nids. That might say something about the size/scope of the Necron forces (EG being far greater than trillions, perhaps.) Or maybe it means that the true scope of the Tyranid threat is exaggerated - it isn't so much they have huge numbers already, but its that the numbers they do have have the potential to grow out of control unless they are crushed rapidly.Having encountered the tyranids in the intergalactic void, he recognises the threat they pose to the Necrons' apotheosis - if the Tyranids devour all life in the galaxy, the Necrons will never find living bodies to house their consciousness.
...
Working with the surviving Triarch Praetorians, he begins a pilgrimage across the galaxy...
...
It is the Silent King's wish that the younger races' flawed attempts to destroy the Tyranids do not simply feed the Hive Fleets beyond the point where even a united Necron people have any hope of victory.
Also it sounds alot like he wants to find new bodies to steal for the Necrons to inhabit.
Page 24
Gravitic beam weaponry in action. I imagine the capital ship versions might behave a similar way...Valeria unleashes a pulse from her graviton beamer that reduces the Necron Lord to mangled and fused scrap.
Page 24
Necron weaponry blows up a planet. Whether a single weapon or the results of all the cannons is up for debate, as is the exact parameters (was it disintegrated, blown apart, melted/vaporized? How long did it take?) It at least shows the Necrons can make some pretty compact planet-destroying weapons in some manner if they choose, anyhow.In exchange for several dozen functioning doomsday cannons, 'Eadcrumpa agrees to leave Suranas and seek plunder elsewhere...
...
..'Eadcrumpa is unable to resist his urge to investigate the doomsday cannons' systems. One breached containment core later and 'Eadcrumpa, his Waaagh! and the planet Eden PRime are erased form existence.
Page 25
Some Necrons are targeting the poor Tau now. White Scars make an appearance and get hier asses kicked as well.At Nemesor Zanhdrek's instruction, the armies of Gidrim invade the Tau world of Cano'var, routing the planetary defenders after two weeks of campaigning.
Page 25
Necron Lord is repairing sword wounds from a Space Marine in moments.Khan's sword is quicker and guided by a desperate fury, but Obyron's body repairs any damage within moments.
Page 25
White Scar steals a tau ship and drags off an Eldar to save him. So much for "FILLLTHY XENOSSS" all the time, eh?..Zahndrekh has been watching the fight from afar and, impressed by Khan's skill and bravery, orders Obyron to stand aside and let him leave. Dragging the crippled Nightspear behind, Khan finally escapes to the surface, finds a still functioning Tau craft and leaves Cano'var far behind.
We also get a good example of the "honourable" Necron attitude in effect.
Page 25
at least (potentially) 913 Explorator fleets.Explorator Fleet 913 strays into territory controlled by the Tomb World of Gheden..
Page 25
City-sized Tomb ship (judging by devastation... kilometres long? Tens of km?) and the Eldar have a stealthed (unmanned?) listening post that the Imperium had no idea about but the Necrons could easily detect.The Shadow-shrouded world of Athonos is wracked by severe earth tremors. The cause remains a mystery until a colossal Tomb Ship captained by the pirate king, Thaszar the Invincible...
...
The Athonosian planetary capital lies in ruins, but the rest of the planet survives relatively unscathed as the Tomb Ship heads into the stars, towards the Tomb World of Zapennec, pausing only to obliterate a holo-stealthed Eldar listening post hidden in near orbit.
Page 26
This possibly refers to them creating new troops via biotransference. Also note the self-replicating swarm of scarabs (dozens) which can hide in a techpriest's brain... a swarm of mindshackle scarabs burst bloodily from the explorator's brain to feast on the governor and his guests. From there, the mindshackle scarabs multiply and swiftly infest Burr's military echelons.
...
The dissolution furnaces roar day and night...
Page 26
Necron systems seem to be rather densely populated.Though the main Tomb World is overwhelmed and obliterated, the Silver Skulls are quick to regret their hasty assault, as secondary bases throughout the system whir into life.
PAge 26
the beginning of an ability we see often used later.Anrakyr seizes control of the battle-barge's still-functioning weapon batteries and turns their fury on the defenders..
Page 26
weak points of forge worlds. Much like Hive worlds they are dependent upon subordinate/secondary production units (raw materials, foood, etc) to maintain their outputs...Imotekh finally breaks the stalemate by launching a series of attacks on Hypnoth's supply worlds, Praedis-Zeta and Nyx.
And this is Codex material mind, this is the 'real' canon that cannot be dismissed by saying 'its just a BL book' 