Necron Frequently Asked Questions - Do I Give My wraiths guns?

 

Free hugs

There are plenty of commmon necron questions - wraith loadouts is one of them.

The one that I see a lot of is "do I put guns on my wraiths?"  I'll answer that, and I'll also go into the melee loadout while I'm at it.

Guns? No*. But why?

Wraiths are 35pts base, regardless of melee options.  You can pay 5pts to pick up a particle caster (S6, AP0, 1 damage, 12" Pistol 2) or pay 10pts for a Transdimensional Beamer (S4, AP-3, 3 damage, 12", Assault 1).  The particle caster is some decent incidental shooting, and the beamer will knock a hole in something.  

So, why are we leaving them at home?  Four reasons reasons.

1) BS4+ - wraiths just aren't that accurate.  A full squad of 5 (you can take six, but that gets ugly for blast) hits with 5 particle caster shots, or 2-3 beamers.  You're paying 25-50 points for that.

2) Charge range - if you're about to charge, and want to soften up your target, remember that dead models increase charge distance.  Remember that you paid to do this.

3) Wraith Form - you move through terrain without penalty.  This, on top of your T5/3W/3+/4++ defensive profile, means that you can avoid exposing yourself to fire, period.  At 3W, you're relying on your statline more than Reanimation Protocols to not die.

4) How Often You'll Shoot - You might get one turn of shooting.  So, the ideal scenario for wraiths is to sneak up on a target, then charge through terrain and tag it.  If you survive the enemy's turn after that, you should be trying to engage something else and possibly pushing deeper into enemy lines.  You can fall back and charge.  Anyone that knows what Wraiths can do is going to prioritize killing them once they're exposed.

*if you're paying power level, knock yourself out with a gun since points don't matter.

But X makes guns good!

I have seen a few arguments for bringing guns on Wraiths.  I don't really buy them.  It boils down to the fact you're paying points for crappy shooting.

"But shooting can do damage" - Yep.  Absolutely can.  Wraiths aren't reliable at it.  

"But I can shoot those pistols in assault!"  - You can, but how often are you going to do it?  Shooting pistols in assault matters when you're stuck in assault.  Wraiths don't HAVE to be stuck in assault.  Unless you're hitting something that's hidden to everything but the wraiths, you're probably better off falling back, shooting at it with other stuff, and then seeing if it's alive to worry about.

"But the beamer does 3 damage and that's neat" - It does, if it hits and wounds.  A given beamer has a 20% chance to kill a primaris marine, between BS4+ and S4.  It goes up to a little over 50% if you spend a CP on the Techno-Oracular targeting stratagem.  I seriously think you can find better places to spend that CP.

"But I can get to BS3+ with a technomancer and canoptic control node!"  - Absolutely an option.  This is neat if you're doing power level, I suppose.  However, the real fun/mean way to do that is bring a node and a failsafe overcharger to make those Wraiths go from WS4+ and 4 attacks base to WS3+ and 5 attacks base.  That's just bloody hilarious.  And also doesn't really care about the guns.

Opportunity Cost

Opportunity cost is a $20 term for saying "you brought X instead of Y."  Or, you should compare what you're giving up to get a thing.  Assuming we're paying points, you're looking at 25-50pts for the guns, or the following -

2-4 Necron Warriors

1-3 Immortals

1/3 to most of a Lokhost Heavy Destroyer

~1 to ~2 Lychguard

~1 to ~2 Praetorians

1-3 Scarab bases

Basically, you can fill out other units, or start paying towards something beefier.  Wraiths are unique in that they're a tar pit / potentially killy unit with obscene mobility, but lean into their strengths.

A Note on Scarab Melee Options

While we're here - the melee options are free, and there are two of them.  You can take Vicious Claws, or Whip Coils.  Claws mean you swing 4 times at S6, AP-2, 2 damage.  Whip Coils mean you'll swing 8 times at S4, AP-1, 1 damage.

So, what do you pick?

I lean towards the claws.  Why?  The Necron codex doesn't have a lot of decent multi-damage weapon options (unless you want to drop 1d3 or 1d6, you're looking at Praetorians or assault Destroyer types).  Claws excel at stabbing Marines to death.  They can also do a number on vehicles as well.

This isn't to say Whip Coils are bad - it's just that the Necron book has plenty of options for a volume of low-AP anti-infantry attacks.  Whip Coils also are liable to bounce against targets with decent saves or higher toughness.

Necron Frequently Asked Questions - Which Cryptek(s) Should I Take?

 

We are spoiled for choice when it comes to supporting HQs - the real trick is "which ones should I take, and when?"  The follow-on is "Are there cryptek-specific Arkana worth it?"

The Chronomancer is, without a doubt, the easiest to get mileage out of - but don't sleep on the others.  Except maybe the Plasmancer.

MVP - The Chronomancer

Unsurprisingly, this is a common sight.  The utility is straightforward - you give a <DYNASTY> unit a 5+ invulnerable save, and a re-rollable charge.  Your prime candidates are Scarab swarms and Warrior units.  You make a tarpit unit or a core troops unit even tougher.  

The Chronomancer-specific Arkana is the Countertemporal nanomine, which lets you halve the advance and charge rolls of a unit within 18."  Depending on the unit, you might actually keep them out of a charge.

ADDENDUM - Orikan the Diviner - so if you pay another 30pts over the regular Chronomancer, you get Orikan.  He's got a couple things over a regular Chronomancer.  The most useful thing Orikan does is let you put that 5++ and re-rollable charge on any unit, not just a Dynasty unit - so if you're bringing Praetorians, Orikan's worth a thought.  Otherwise, Orikan might go into his Empowered profile later in the game and be a slightly uglier beat stuck, but that's about it.

The Technomancer - Friend to Infantry and/or Canopteks

Ah, the Technomancer - AKA the old-school cryptek model.  Your baseline ability is with this guy is bringing back 1d3 warriors a turn, or one CORE infantry unit.  It's not as wide-open an ability as, say, an Apothecary, but it's in the baseline cost of the unit and you don't have to pay CP to do it, which is solid.  You can easily get 13-36pts of infantry back a turn.  In reality, getting Warriors or Lychguard back is where this gets good.

From there, you gotta decide whether you stay cheap, or you tech into the Canoptek Control Node or the Cloak.  The Cloak gives you speed, and lets you repair stuff.  The node gives your Canoptek units +1 to hit.  Combine this with the failsafe overcharge node, and THEN it gets real - wraiths and scarabs get ugly when you start hitting on 3s and get +1 to attack.

The Canoptek buff build is pretty reasonable if you tech into a couple Canoptek units.

ADDENDUM - Illuminor Szeras - this guy is technically a technomancer.  Think of him as a naked Technomancer with better shooting, and the ability to use his reanimation powers twice.  If you're going to use him, you're also bringing a couple units for him to buff with his random augmentation.  It's neat, but don't gamble on it.  I'd consider a couple Warrior blobs, and Lychguard, and maybe go from there.

Plasmancer - The Gradual Grinder

Do you like mortal wounds?  That's what this thing does.  It's about all this thing does.  It hands them out reasonably reliably.  

I like this thing for its simplicity, but that makes it a little bit tougher to use.  You'll get the most mileage out of it by sticking it behind a large unit, and just letting it roll mortal wound dice.

The problem with it is, of course, opportunity cost - you're giving up slots that could make your army more durable.  Your major Arkana is more range on mortal wounds.  It's not bad, but it keeps the Plasmancer as a one-trick pony.

The Plasmancer isn't bad - it fills a slot in our army that otherwise, only C'tan and a couple stratagems fill - but you could do better with that slot.  And if you are going to bring one of these, you want to bring it in a larger army so you can hide behind stuff and take your time.

Psychomancer - The Toolbox

The psychomancer gets a bad rap for two reasons.  First off, the kit is not the easiest to build.  Second, it's a wonderful toolbox - but versatility means you pay for stuff you don't use.  You need to get within 12" of an enemy unit during your turn, and then during your morale phase, you can pick from fur fun things - no actions, no ObSec, half advance/charge, or no Overwatch/Set To Defend, and the unit Fights Last.

So, the problem with this is range and timing.  Turning off ObSec can be huge, especially since we specialize in beefy blobs of Obsec bodies.  

Turning off actions is hilariously situational at that range - it will be scenario specific, more than anything.  People build around Scanners, but if someone's familiar with the Psychomancer, they may or may not skip out on the scenario-specific objectives.

Cutting advance and charge rolls can help, but if you're within 12" of them, well, the Psychomancer and the screening unit are still in charging and shooting range.  It's a potential disruption tool, though.  

Making them Fight Last without Overwatch is another nasty thing - that last ability takes setup, but you're playing close.  It's situational, but someone's worried about the charge.

Arkana-wise, it's worth picking up the Atavindicator as well - it's essentially a Smite, though you roll 3d6 and compare to a non-Vehicle target (...note, there's not a character restriction here) and if you beat leadership, it's 1d3 mortal wounds.  

Addendum - The Cryptothralls

These guys are in here because of Crypteks, but you need to keep in mind they do more than turn off snipers.  They are cheap units that can perform actions and hold objectives.  Never underestimate how useful that is.  You can absolutely justify taking 1-2 units of Cryptothralls and never keeping them near the crypteks themselves.

Necron Frequently Asked Questions - Reapers or Flayers?

 The good ol' internet is FULL of lots of questions about necrons.  The most frequently asked question is 'Gauss Reapers or Gauss Flayers' but there are some others.  So, let's take a look.

Reapers or Flayers

Flayers are S4, AP-1, Rapid fire 1, 24" range.  Reapers are S5, AP-2, Assault 2, 12" range.

Short version - reapers are uglier, but need you to think a little more and build a little bit around them.  Flayers are more user-friendly, but give up strength and AP.  Reapers will do more work for you, and you're going to user large squads of warriors in the midfield.

STRENGTH - first off, S4 vs S5 is pretty significant.  Most infantry is T3-T4; reapers are better at wounding them.  Reapers also wound T8 on a 5+ - not always relevant, but bloody important when it DOES come up. (mostly vs. tanks, occasionally monsters.)

AP - not a huge discussion, really - AP-2 beats AP-1.  You have a stratagem to ignore cover vs. a target as necrons for 1CP; use it.  AP matters.  Beefy infantry tends to carry a 3++ or 4++ save - you  want to go against that, rather than their 0+ to 2+ save.  Reaper AP wins out.

RANGE - Here's where people get hung up on stuff.  Flayers shoot single shots at 24", double-tap at 12".   Longer range sounds easier to use, and it is. Let's be real - shooting S4, AP-1 shots past rapid fire is plinking, it's not meaningful damage output.  You average 20-man squad of warriors puts about 3 wounds on a marine stat line outside of rapid-fire.  

UP CLOSE - the meat and potatoes of the comparison is "does S5, AP-2 beat out S4, AP-1 at 12?" and the answer is 'yes' based on pure math.  Assuming equal squad sizes and hit numbers vs. marines, a flayer squad drops 11-12 wounds on a marine statline in range, whereas reapers drop 6-7 wounds.  If you go to T5, the reapers win hands-down.  If you start plinking at vehicles, reaper AP carries the day.

GETTING PAST THE WARRIOR DATASHEET - No army exists in a vacuum.  Neat, so what next?  What matters?

1) Getting into range - first off, most of the fighting Warriors do is going to happen either in your deployment zone or in the mid-board.  Second, 20 dudes with a Veil of Darkness is HILARIOUS.

2) Royal Warden - you're probably bringing `1-3 squads of warriors in a Necron army.  You should consider a Royal Warden to let them fall back and shoot after a charge, especially since you do your best damage within easy charge range.  For extra fun, bring a squad of Lychguard in your list, and let the enemy just guess which thing gets veiled.

3) Dynasty - Mephrit's +3 range makes the reapers a LOT more user-friendly.  15" range is a huge step up.  Nephrekh isn't bad either for the speed.

SHOULD I MIX REAPERS AND FLAYERS IN THE SAME SQUAD?

No.  Don't mix.  Ever.  This is a trap.  You have a squad that is confused in what it wants to do.  Reapers want to walk up and fire, advance and fire at -1BS, or just advance to get into position to fire next turn.  Flayers want to advance if they can't range anything, or walk/stand still and shoot.  The only time both weapons are happy is when you can walk into 12" range and fire.  Make your squads specialists, and go from there.

SHOULD I MIX REAPERS AND FLAYERS IN THE SAME ARMY?

The answer is 'maybe.'  If you're bringing like 3x20 warriors in an army, there's room to consider 2x20 Reapers and 1x20 Flayers.  You will end up with a potential traffic jam, but the flayers might be able to plink and contribute.

SHOULD I USE FLAYERS FOR A BABYSITTER SQUAD SINCE THEY CAN PLINK?

So, if you want a squad to sit on a backfield objective, you should ask yourself a question - do I want 10 warriors or 5 immortals to do it?  The immortals are cheaper, and while you have fewer wounds, you are T5/3+ base.  I'd lean towards immortals because of cost, and it's easier to hide five guys.  Warriors are built to run in squads of 15-20 to capitalize on their durability.  T4/4+ isn't much until it keeps coming back.  If you do go immortals, consider Gauss - it's cheaper, and the Tesla stratagem just needs a shot that you can get from, y'know, a Command Barge or something.

Thoughts on Tomb Blades, or Math Is Weird Sometimes

So, let's say you want your space undead fast and shooty - why not combine them with a bike?

Well, why not - but man, once you read the sheet, you've got some options to think about.  There's the question of which of three guns, and whether or not you're going to add any defensive upgrades onto these things.  After we look at those, we'll look at the Dynasty options.

The Guns

You have three options for guns, and you can mix and match if you really, really want to - you can go with the base Particle Beamer, the twin Gauss Blaster, or the twin Tesla Carbine.  Real talk here - my initial impression is the Gauss Blaster with that sweet AP-2, but we'll take a look at math and see what works out here.

I'm going to make some assumptions about math here - 

1) Run shots without help

2) Run another set of shots with My Will Be Done

3) Run shots in and out of rapid-fire range (when applicable)

4) Run shots in and out of Mephrit's bonus AP range

5) Shots against T3-4 infantry

6) Compare vs. variety of armor saves (2+, 3+, 4+, 4++) for common infantry targets

I'm going to compare the beamer and the gauss rifle.  Note that the tesla carbine has four shots and needs to pull off at least a six and a couple of hits to get the same number of hits as a particle beamer - so its output is similar to or lower than a particle beamer.

The Particle Beamer

Assault 6, S5, AP0, 18" range

Base shots - 6 shots > 4 hits > 2.66 wounds > 0.88 vs 3+, 1.33 vs 4+, 0.44 vs 2+

MWBD - 6 shots > 5 hits > 3.33 wounds > 1.11 vs 3+, 1.66 vs 4+, 0.55 vs 2+

With Mephrit bonus - 

6 Shots > 4 hits > 2.66 wounds > 1.33 wounds vs 3+, 1.77 vs 4+, 0.88 vs 2+

Mephrit + MWBD

6 shots > 5 hits > 3.33 wounds > 1.667 wounds vs 3+, 2.22 vs 4+, 1.11 vs 2+

The Twin Gauss Blaster

Rapid Fire 2, S5, Ap-2, 30" range

NOTE - AP-2 is the same vs 2+ armor saves and 4++; but when you factor in Mephrit, you get -3AP in rapid-fire, so any saves worse than 4+ armor don't matter

Non-Rapid-Fire - 2 shots > 1.33 hits > 0.88 wounds > 0.59 vs 3+, 0.74 vs 4+, 0.44 vs 2+/4++

Rapid Fire - 4 shots > 2.66 hits > 1.77 wounds > 1.18 vs 3+, 1.48 vs 4+, 0.88 vs 2+/4++

MWBD Non-Rapid-Fire - 2 shots > 1.667 hits > 1.11 wounds > 0.74 vs 3+, 0.92 vs 4+, 0.55 vs 2+/4++

MWBD Rapid-Fire - 4 shots > 3.33 hits > 2.22 wounds > 1.48 vs 3+, 1.85 vs 4+, 1.11 vs 1+/4++

 Mephrit Rapid-Fire - 4 shots > 2.667 hits > 1.77 wounds > 1.18 vs 2+, 1.48 vs 3+, 1.77 vs 4+ armor, 0.88 vs 4++

Mephrit MWBD - 4 shots > 3.33 hits > 2.22 wounds > 1.48 vs 2+, 1.85 vs 3+, 2.22 vs 4+, 1.11 vs 4++

What does the math tell us?

The particle beamer's got volume of fire over the other weapons.  This gives you two things - first, you're more reliable just because you throw more dice; second, you get more wounds and force more saves.  The twin gauss is technically a little more effective, but really pulls ahead when you go Mephrit and go My Will Be Done into 2+ armor.  

On Range

So, let's talk about range - first off, you're on a platform with a 14" move and the FLY keyword.  Odds are good you can get into the range you want, unless you're digging a unit out of the corner.  So, let's look at the weapons.

Particle beamer - it's the shortest range at 18", but you're at full effect at 18 inches.  That gets you charged by jump troops, but foot troops are a bit far unless they can advance and charge.

The twin tesla carbine is full effectiveness at 24" - you're arguably the least effective gun, but you're definitely safe - very little in the game gets to you from 24" away in assault.  

The twin gauss blasters really need to leverage rapid fire to do the work - having a 30" range is neat, but rapid fire is the difference between 'incidental gunfire' and 'closed-casket funeral' - 15" is definitely in range to get tagged if someone wants to make it happen.  

Stratagem Considerations

There are two base stratagems Tomb Blades care about, plus the Mephrit-unique one.  Tomb Blades can pay a CP to turn rapid-fire weapons into assault 2, or fire assault weapons without penalty - obviously this is a little better for the tesla and particle beamer.

The other stratagem is just good for necrons in general - Disintegration Capacitors say we auto-wound on 6's to hit.  This again favors volume-of-fire weapons, so the assault weapons pull ahead here.

Finally, we've got Mephrit's Talent for Annihilation - the first three 6's to wound do mortal wounds in addition to normal wounds.  Again, we like volume here - so once again, the assault weapons pull ahead here.

It is worth noting that you could take a single tesla carbine for malevolent arcing - you just need one tesla weapon to target something.  For 5pts, it's an option to get mortal wounds.

Other Gear

You start with a 25pt model - you can go up to 30 if you upgrade from the particle beamer to either option.  You can proceed to dump plenty more points into these guys, but I question whether you'd do that.  Defensively, you are a T5, 2W, 4+ model that takes a -1 to hit vs. ranged combat. 

You can pay 3pts to go up to a 3+ save, or buy a 5++ save for 5pts.  You can also pay 3pts to ignore cover.  You could even, if you wanted to, mix and match the saves.  I think I'd rather get the 5++ or go without - volumes of AP-1 and AP-2 aren't hard to find, but 5++ will at least slow down higher-damage weapons.

I'd consider the nebuloscope's perk for tesla - yes, particle beamers like it as well, but the point of the particle beamer is cost.  Nebuloscope's take that away.

The Configurations

Keep It Cheap - particle beamers, nothing else - take 6-9 for 150-225pts in a unit, throw 36-54 dice at stuff, laugh.  Run mephrit.

Some Quality - Buy gauss, shadowlooms - 33pts a model, pay 198 for 6ea.  You're reasonably durable, you don't care if the inevitable rapid-fire fun coming back is ugly.

Necrons in 9th - Brainstorming Builds, Part 2 - C'tan shards and you

Right in the wallet

 I've had some thoughts on how I'm going to organize my Necrons in the new edition.  One question you should ask yourself is of course "Do I want to build around a piece of a star god that we captured and weaponized?"  Do you like mortal wounds?  Do you like dictating the flow of battle around one big piece that's terrifying and beautiful?

If you said 'yes', then you're in the right spot.  We've got four options - The Nightbringer (for chopping up stuff), the Deceiver (because pre-game redeploys are fun), the Void Dragon (who hates vehicles and is pretty choppy), and you can take a Transcendent C'tan shard if you want to go cheaper and have vaguely custom options.

We'll take a look at what they have in common, how they differ, and then employment of them.

Common Traits

I. Durability

Necrodermis + Living Metal is what draws a lot of the attention here.  You have 9 wounds at T7 and a 4+/4++, but the kicker is that Necrodermis means you can lose a max of three in a phase and you get one back during your command phase.  You aren't worried about a volume of fire all at once, but the trick is that you can be papercut to death.

How nasty this is depends on the matchup - there are seven phases in a turn. - Command, Move, Psychic, Shoot, Charge, Fight, and Morale.  We can pretty safely discount command and morale as phases where you see wounds happen.  Movement matters if they have bombers, as those just need to move over you to threaten mortal wounds.  The psychic phase, if applicable, should make you think about positioning relative to psykers - our psychic defenses are somewhat limited beyond Spyders, a stratagem, and killing psykers.  The charge phase gets a mention just because overwatch happens here; a lucky shot or a good overwatch can knock off wounds.

II. Mobility

They're 8" move with the FLY keyword.  It's not slow, but there's really no other way to speed them up.  You get no buffs from the rest of the army because of keywords.  The only way to go faster is to advance and hope for a good roll, but you'll maybe want to do that once because they turn off your Powers of the C'tan.

III. Powers of the C'tan

There are six basic powers, and each C'tan knows two.  You pick when you build, but can spend a CP to change out a power.  Note that the named shards have a unique power + a normal power, whereas the transcendant shard picks two.  These are all damage-dealing powers with short to medium range; you're looking at 9-24" range.  If you're not quite sure what you want, Antimatter meteor is pretty reliable for damage output with minor targeting restrictions, and Transdimensional Thunderbolt has solid range.

Note you can also pay a CP to use another random power - you use your powers, and then drop 1d6 and immediately use that power.  There are worse ways to use CP than on more mortal wounds.

IV. Brawling

C'tan are all pretty nasty in melee, and outside of the Void Dragon, no one picked up a gun.  You have a heap of attacks hitting on 2+ - the exact type of melee output depends on the shard you picked.  Note that you can also ignore invulnerable saves with the Entropic Save stratagem.  If someone kills you, you might also explode into mortal wounds.  At least that probably won't happen during deployment.

In general, a C'tan's game plan is move up, unload powers, charge, punch stuff to death, unload powers, try not to die.  It's not exactly subtle, but it does dictate the flow of battle because it's likely to last at least a couple turns.

V. List-building restrictions

Note that you can only fit one C'tan per detachment.  You can take multiple, but you're down 600-700pts and some CP for them at that point.  My initial preference is to take 0-1, but I suspect we'll see double-C'tan lists.

The C'tan Themselves

Shard of the Nightbringer

This is getting the most press.  The Nightbringer is all about murder in the assault phase.  Drain Life is half your money-maker here - enemy models can't ignore any wounds they would lose.  This turns off stuff like Disgustingly Resilient and Necrodermis.  The half is the six attacks with the Scythe of the Nightbringer.  Either you try to clear a horde with the Reaping Sweep - you make two attack roles at AP-3 and 1 damage, which is a nice dozen dice - or the Entropic Blow, which is a beefy S14, AP-4 1d6 damage that ignores invulnerable saves.

This makes the nightbringer great at crushing vehicles - on the charge, you can expect to do an average of 14.5 damage to a T7 or lower vehicle.  If you go into something T8, that drops a little lower - but you're still dropping 4-5d6 of damage straight to the wounds, unless the dice laugh at you.

The nightbringer can also do reasonably well at trashing smaller units - a dozen attacks with the sweeping blow is good for 8ish wounds. 

His unique power - Gaze of Death - is noteworthy for being able to target characters.  You drop 3d6, and each 4+ on those inflicts 1d3 mortal wounds.  It's a little swingy and short-ranged, but mortal wounds are mortal wounds.

At the end of the day, the Nightbringer is at its best tearing vehicles apart and shredding smaller units - or forcing larger ones to fall back.

The Nightbringer should watch out for melee opponents that can do 3 wounds a phase reliably, and anything that can mess with wound roles - Transhuman Physiology in particular is annoying, as the nightbringer really wants to wound on 2+ or 3+ vs. multi-wound infantry.

 Shard of the Deciever

This is the thinking ovelord's C'tan shard.  Grand Illusion lets you redeploy up to three NECRON units in your deployment zone, or put them into strategic reserves.  This guy also has deep strike, unlike the others.  You redeploy before the first battle round begins, so you get to react to whoever has first turn.  This will almost always be useful, because it makes your opponent worry.

The Deceiver also has a nice defensive ability in Misdirection - attacks targeting it take a -1 to hit penalty.  Given the way that you can inflict no more than -1 to hit, this isn't as big a deal for some melee weapons like powerfists, thunderhammers, and other stuff - but it's not a bad thing at all.

Melee-wise, the Deceiver is decent and reliable.  It has five attacks with S7, AP-3, 3 damage fists.  It's not nearly as out-and-out murderous as the Nightbringer or the Void Dragon, but it's plenty workable vs. infantry and light to medium vehicles, but maybe don't go trying to kill a night.

The Deceiver's unique power - Cosmic Insanity - is fun enough.  It's your Ld10+1d6 vs. the opponent's Ld + 1d6, and they take mortal wounds based on how much you beat them by.  Supporting this guy with flayed ones isn't the worst you could do, as they're about your only leadership debuff in the book.

Shard of the Void Dragon

If you hate vehicles, and like punching stuff to death, this is your god-pokemon.  It's the only one that starts with a gun -  the Spear of the Void Dragon is essentially a lascannon that goes from 1d6 to 3+1d3 vs. vehicles.  If you manage to shoot over a unit, that unit might take a hit as well, which is a neat extra.  Or just a really dead guardsman.

The Dragon isn't a slouch in melee, either - S9, AP-4, 1d6 damage (or 3+1d3 vs. vehicles).  The dragon also gets another 1d6 S6, AP-2, 1-damage swings with random Canoptek blades, so you've got something vs. larger units.

The other reason you go after vehicles is this is how the void dragon shard heals itself - kill a vehicle, drop 1d6, and regain a wound on 2+.

In case it isn't obvious, the Void Dragon murders armor - you're doing 4-6 damage per hit.  Average damage on a charge is 12.5 unless you found a random T9 vehicle.

If you're fighting infantry, be mindful of how many you're trying to kill in a given phase and how many wounds they have; 5+1d6 attacks isn't going to kill a fresh squad.

Voltaic Storm is a pretty reasonable power - against infantry, it's 1d3 mortal wounds on a 2+.  Now, if you're close enough to hit a vehicle, that goes up to 1d6 mortal wounds AND halves the number of wounds on the vehicle for purposes of the vehicle's profile.

Transcendent C'tan

First off - these are 280pts, vs. the 350 for named shards, so if you think you're getting less, there's a reason.  You can tailor them a little - Fractured Personality lets them pick one, or roll for two at random and re-roll if you get doubles.

Your melee damage is lesser than the named shards - you swing five times at S6, AP-4, 1d6 damage.  You're workable vs. infantry, and can help mop up vehicles.  Your best source of damage output is taking Cosmic Tyrant and firing off two C'tan powers a turn.  

The other traits are so-so at best - you can get some defense vs. a charge, slightly better melee power (+1S, +1A), or a deep strike.  On the face of it, I like Immune to Natural Law, since it means wound rolls of 1-3 always fail - but this only really comes into play for S8+ weapons, and only really, REALLY inconveniences S14+, as you're already T7.  You shouldn't be punching healthy melee knights anyway.

Where Shards Fit in a List

If you bring a Shard, you're building around it - named ones run you 350, and the regular one runs you 280. 

Command Points

Save a few CP for these guys - you'll want to make that first charge, and you'll probably want to use Dimensional Destablization for extra wounds.  You may or may not end up needing Entropic Strike - so that's anywhere from 1-4CP in a couple turns.

Deployment

Consider deploying them last, for two big reasons - first, you want to pick your targets and you're a melee unit; second, Necrodermis is something the opposition plans around - make them deploy as much as possible before you pick your spot.

The Deceiver gets a mention here - you can redeploy 3 units, including the Deceiver.  It doesn't matter quite as much, but I'd still probably deploy the Deceiver.  The redeployment option is also why, if I were going to take two C'tan, I'd probably take the Deceiver + one other, as placement is going to be crucial for them.

Your List

In general, the C'tan all want to operate with some support - they can hand out mortal wounds at short-to-medium range, and tear up stuff in melee.  You should probably build a balanced list - the C'tan is a missile you're firing at a couple enemy units and the enemy's plan.  Deploy near some of your anti-infantry support, as you'll want them to soften up your charge target, or clear a hole for you to charge something juicy.  

Additionally, consider taking Protocol of the Undying Legions for turn two - getting two wounds back on living metal is bound to be demoralizing to the opponent, and may keep you alive for another turn.  The longer the C'tan is alive, the more disruptive it is on the table.

I waffle between saying that the shards need to be built around individually, and thinking that they're all close-ish enough to appreciate a balanced list.

New Necrons - Command Protocols and You, Initial Thoughts

 

Command Protocols are a brand-new addition for Necrons in 9th edition.  On the one hand, flexible army-wide buffs sound kind of neat.  On the other hand, that customization is going to make you do some decision-making, and that can go wrong.  I'm going to take a swing at de-mystifying Command Protocols for the average Overlord here.

Once you look at your list, you can make a reasonable guess at a protocol order list, and then go from there - the enemy list might get a vote, but I suspect you'll change few things.

What Do I need to do for Command Protocols to Work?

You need to meet several criteria -

1) Army is from the same DYNASTY

2) have a living NOBLE on the field at the start of the round

3) units must be within 6" of a CHARACTER to benefit from it

Bottom line - it's not hard to get a benefit from this.  You are probably going to have a NOBLE as an HQ choice unless it's a tiny game, and most of our NOBLE guys aren't itching to get into melee.

Remember also that if you've got some isolated units (for whatever reason) they aren't getting protocol support.

The Challenge and the Perk of Command Protocols

You have six protocols - and you pick five, in any order, to be in effect for the game.  If you go past five turns, then the last protocol is in effect for turn 5+.

Note that the Szarekhan-specific warlord trait, The Triarch's Will, lets you double up on a Protocol.  Note also that if you bring the Silent King, he is required to be your warlord, and he takes this trait by default.  Doubling up on a trait can be helpful.

The Protocols And Their Uses

There are six protocols.  Each has two effects.  You pick one, but each of the main Dynasties favors a Protocol and thus gets both.  If you picked a custom dynasty, you don't have to worry about it, because you don't favor it.

In general, the protocols fall into either 'useful at a predictable point in the battle' or 'might be situationally useful.'

1. Protocol of the Eternal Guardian - favored by Nihilakh

Directive 1 - gain light cover if you didn't move

Directive 2 - may hold steady/set to defend if you are not already engaged

USAGE - This is defensive/situational - are you stationary outside of cover?  Are you expecting to get charged?  It's not bad, per se, but you're gambling on knowing when you're hunkering down outside of cover (...which is an iffy move and depends on the board) or when you're getting charged (which depends on the enemy, which may be 'never' or may be turn 1-3).

Note that Nihiliakh doesn't need this as much if they're already in their deployment zone, unless they're getting charged.  Fluffy, sure, but not as important.

2. Protocol of the Sudden Storm - favored by Nephrekh

Directive 1 - +1 to movement

Directive 2 - may perform an action and still shoot

USAGE - Directive one is a reasonable first-turn choice unless you know you're getting charged turn 1.  Get as much ground as you can.  Directive 2 is situational - you take it if you're going to perform actions, and you've got a better option for earlier turns.

3. Protocol of the Vengeful Stars - favored by Mephrit

Directive 1 - +1 AP on unmodified 6s to hit in shooting

Directive 2 - no cover benefits for target if firing w/in half range

USAGE - This is situational either way.  You need to be unloading with massed firepower to get something out of it.  This is unlikely to be an early-game power; it's more of a 'nice to have' than anything else.

4. Protocol of the Hungry Void - favored by Novokh

Directive 1 - +1AP on unmodified 6s to hit in melee

Directive 2 - +1S on melee attacks when charging, charged, or making heroic interventions

USAGE - Situational.  If you're melee-focused, you're probably aiming for turn 2 charges (unless you think the enemy is running into the midfield and will let you get a turn one charge, in which case go ahead).  

5. Protocol of the Undying Legions - favored by Szarekhan

Directive 1 - Each time this unit uses its living metal ability, regains an additional wound

Directive 2 - Each time you roll reanimation protocols, re-roll one dice

USAGE - I'd say the earlier you use this, the more you'll get out of it.  Most armies are going to hit you the hardest on either turn 1 or 2.  This is an easy ability to slot in there.

The only thing that might make me think a little harder about this is a C'tan and my matchup - some armies can put damage on them in more than one phase, and getting 2 wounds back vs. 1 wound may be the difference in keeping a C'tan around another turn.

6. Protocol of the Conquering Tyrant - favored by Sautekh

Directive 1 - +3 to aura abilities, max of 12"

Directive 2 - may fall back and shoot, but takes a -1 penalty

USAGE - I'm a little 'eh' on directive 1.  Directive 2, though - if you think you're going to take an assault on some shooty troops on a given turn, then this can be money.  This is probably a turn 2 (if you're using veil on a warrior blob) or turn 3 power for that, depending on matchup.

Sorting The Directives

Solid early-turn picks - 5. Undying Legions, 2. Sudden Storm.

If you're not sure, Sudden storm will help you get positioning and Undying Legions will help you take a punch.  

I'm Going To Hurt You This Turn - 3. Vengful Stars, 4. Hungry Void

If you're pretty sure you're going to unload on a given turn (either by shooting or by assault) you pick the appropriate protocol.  It's a bit of a gamble, but odds are this is turn 2 or 3.

I Think I'm Going To Get Into A Situation Here - 6. Conquering Tyrant, 1. Eternal Guardian, 2.2 Sudden Storm

Conquering Tyrant's great if you think you're going to get charged and need to fall back, otherwise it's 'eh'.  Eternal Guardian's useful if you're going to stand still in the open or get charged that turn, but I'm not sure you can necessarily predict those without seeing the field or just messing up.  The second part of Sudden Storm may be situationally useful - but again, the situational stuff all competes with more generally useful abilities.

Thoughts on Picking The Directives

The first three turns are likely to be the easiest to predict turns and the most important turns.  You know what the board looks like, you know what the armies look like, and you can make guesses about deployment.  Turns 4-5 are either going to be mop-up or harder to guess, depending on how the dice and the plays have gone.  I'll refine this as I get more games in.

Shooty Necrons w/ assault elements vs. Shooty army

Turn 1 - Undying Legions (for resilience)

Turn 2- Sudden Storm

Turn 3 - Vengeful Stars

Turn 4 - Hungry Void

Turn 5 - Whatever you feel like

The idea is to take the hits on turn one, move up, open up, mop up, and then hopefully win or be dead.

Shooty Necrons w/ assault elements vs. Assaulty Army

Turn 1 - Vengeful Stars

Turn 2 - Conquering Tyrant

Turn 3 - Hungry Void

Turn 4/5 - whatever you feel like, probably Undying Legions and then Eternal Guardian

The logic is that they'll move up - hopefully you deployed in a manner to avoid a turn one assault.  Shoot them, get assaulted, fall back and shoot, then punch them and hope it worked.

Assaulty Necrons

Turn 1 - Sudden Storm

Turn 2 - Hungry Void

Turn 3 - Undying Legion

Turn 4 - Vengeful Stars

Turn 5 - whatever you feel like

Move up, charge.  Turn 3/4 could be swapped out; it's a matter of how many guns you brought for mop-up work.

Closing Thoughts 

My gut says that there's a few camps on protocols.  Some folks are probably all "OMG what do I do, too many options!" and some are all "It's not marine doctrines, ergo it's garbage."

I think once you look at them, and split them into "generally useful" and "situational" and look at your list, you figure out an order of operations pretty quick - especially once you realize you should worry mostly about the first 2-3 turns.

Necrons in 9th - Build Theme Brainstorming and The New Book - Part 1 - Core, Cults, Canopteks, and Those Other Guys

 

I've seen a little bit of Necrons in 8th and pre-codex in 9th.  I think the biggest challenge is zen, here - you should empty your cup, so to speak.  This is a new book, an army re-work, and a fine time to start 'crons.

I'm going to start with the keywords.

Army Keywords to Organize Around

You've got a couple questions to ask yourself in the new book -

1) What keyword(s) to build around? Core, Destroyer Cult, Canoptek, or a mix?  And don't forget Dynastic Agents, which don't really benefit from any of the previous keywords.

2) What dynasty?

3) Big centerpiece unit (C'tan Shard, Silent King, Lord(s) of war), yes or no?

I think the biggest adjustment is going to be getting used to buffs and how they revolve around the Canoptek, Core, and Destroyer Cult stuff.

Core Units - The Buff Bots

This is probably what a lot of folks have laying around.  You're either CORE, or you buff it.  There are a LOT of Cryptek arcana, so I'm limiting this to core-specific powers.  

As a rule, most of the stuff here tends to be 1-2 wound infantry that relies on volume of fire to do work.  Also, all your Troops choices live here.  The bulk of your characters live here as well.

Overlord, Catacomb Command Barge - Relentless March is good for +1 movement as an aura, and My Will Be Done is your targeted +1 to hit buff.

Lord - You get the overlord's Relentless March aura, and you get The Lord's Will, which is good for re-rolling 1s to hit.

Royal Warden - it's Relentless March yet again, but more importantly this HQ will let one unit fall back and shoot or charge.  This is obviously more situational, but still useful.

Technomancer - It brings back a Core infantry unit a turn, or 1d3 warriors.

I. Core Units

A lot of this shouldn't be a surprise.

Warriors - shouldn't be a surprise, it's a troops unit.  You do all your work via volume of gunfire, and you're either 15-20 man blobs, or 10 guys in a Ghost Ark.

Immortals - Like Warriors, it shouldn't be a surprise.  You get more durability (T5, 3+ vs. T4/4+) but you're 5-10 man squads vs. 10-20.  As with warriors, your work is done via volume of gunfire.

Lychguard - Now we're cooking with gas.  One way or the other you're looking at getting into a fight.  Either you went for durability with sword and shield, or you just want to hurt things with scythes.  Mobility and accuracy are great here.

Deathmarks - I guess core fits.  These guys exist to tag characters with sniper rifles.  You CAN buff these, but they don't have as many shots as other core stuff, and you want unmodified 6s for mortal wounds.

Tomb Blades - it's another volume-of-fire unit, with some decent durability baked in - they have an innate -1 to hit vs. shooting, and can get a 5++.  Your issue might be positioning, but each model is kicking 4-6 shots.

Core unit helpers

Some gear/units/stragems interact with CORE units explicitly without being a CORE unit in and of themselves.

Ghost Ark - it heals warriors.  It takes up space.  It has 10 flayers.  

Night Scythe - it carries 20 CORE models.

Veil of Darkness - it moves a character (that doesn't have to be CORE) and a unit of CORE infantry via deep strike.

Monolith - it can deploy CORE infantry from reserves.

Dimensional Corridor - a CORE INFANTRY unit pops into reserves and out of a Monolith for 1CP.

The Deathless Arise - for 1CP, your technomancer uses Rites of Reanimation again.

Hand of the Phaeron - listed here because an Overlord gets to use My Will Be Done twice.  Gotta pay 2CP prior to the battle, though.

Primsatic Dimensional Breach - pop out of a Night Scythe or Monolith, but you do it without as many restrictions for placement.

Relentless Onslaught - rapid fire guns auto-wound on unmodified 6's to hit.

Disruption Fields - +1S for a fight phase.

Reconstitution Protocols - that Ghost Ark brings 1d6 warriors back instead of 1d3.

II. The Destroyer Cult

The Destroyer Cult units tend to be beefy multi-wound fellows that prefer quality of attacks over massed small arms fire.  Also, they're apparently psychotic and live for murder.  You can definitely build around the Cult for some nasty murder bots, but any Troops are still core.

As a rule, the Destroyer Cult units generally re-roll 1s to hit, and the Destroyer HQs grant them re-roll 1s to wound.  Almost everything here's got an 8" move, so this is your more elite/speedy wing rather than your silver tide of bodies.

Destroyer Cult-specific Supporting HQs

Skorpekh Lord - you get United in Destruction, which is a re-roll aura for wound rolls of 1.  This is basically your one buff for HQs.  Otherwise this thing's 'buff' is its ability to thrash things in melee.

Lokhust Lord - You get the same United in Destruction aura, but but can also bring a resurrection orb.

Technomancer w/ Phylacterine Hive, Canoptek Cloak - you get to bring back a Cult unit once per battle with this Arkana.  It's a 20pt piece of wargear that'll bring back a 35-70pt model.  Worth thinking about, especially as the cloak lets you pace destroyer units and repair 1d3 lost wounds.

Destroyer Cult Units

Hexmark Destroyer - who likes a half-dozen BS2+ pistols that re-roll 1s to hit?  Re-rolling wounds on an S6 attack isn't bad, but this guy likes to fall out of reserves and shoot stuff.  With 18" on the pistol, you can probably benefit from the aura.

Skorpekh Destroyers - choppy tripods.  All they really want outside of an HQ friend is a defensive buff, which they have via a -1 to wound stratagem.

Ophydian Destroyers - take the Skorpekh destroyers - drop a point off the armor save and toughness in exchange for deep strike, and here you go.  

Lokhust Destroyers - we're back to guns here.  Each one packs a three-shot S6 gun with AP-3 and 1d3 damage.  Everyone knows how sick these things are, so consider cover and a Chronomancer or other defensive buffs.

Lokhust Heavy Destroyer - It's the bigger, heftier, meaner cousin of the Lokhust Destroyer.  You get to choose between 3d3 shots at S7, or one S10 shot at 3d3 damage.  

Destroyer-Specific Gear/Stratagems

The Destroyers carry a lot of their buffs with them, as they're a beefy, mobile force.

Extermination Protocols - you only get to re-roll wounds in shooting, but you already have a re-roll of 1s to hit.

Burrowing Nightmares - Ophidian-specific, but it lets them dip off the board and pop up the next turn.  Either you're repositioning for a charge, or grabbing an objective.  Or pulling shenanigans.

Whirling Onslaught - Skorpekh destroyers (or the lord) pay 1CP to make anyone trying to hurt them take a -1 to wound.  Since you're already T5 (or T6 for the lord), this is pretty significant - small arms go to a 6+ to wound, and heavier weaponry goes down to a 4+ to wound.

III. Canopteks

This is your third big chunk of keywords - like Destroyer Cults, you don't have troops.  Most Canoptek stuff has multiple wounds per model.  They tend to be beefy but not super accurate (WS/BS4+ for the most part), but you can work around that.  You also have an army-specific objective that Canoptek units can help with in Ancient Machines.  You also generally have assault weapons when you do have guns.

The Technomancer - Technically all the Crypteks have the Canoptek word, but this choice can bring a Canoptek Control Node, which is good for +1 to hit rolls.  Hitting on 3's is a lot more useful for your guys, trust me.  The Phylacterine Hive gets a nod here, as again it'll bring a 35-70pt unit back if given the opportunity.

Canoptek Units

Canoptek Reanimator - you're bringing this to try to keep stuff alive, and hoping that it draws fire.  I guess it technically has weapons, but they're token at best.

Cryptothralls - They're in this bin because of the keyword.  They get their biggest buffs from being near a Cryptek, and exist to make snipers work for their shots.  They also can do more damage and take a few more hits than most folks think, for a 2-model unit.

Canoptek Spyders - Now we're talking.  If you want to have some fun, you can absolutely bring a 3-Spyder squad with guns and put them near a Technomancer w/ control node.  At that point, they're ~70 points a model, but crank out five S8, AP-3, 2 damage attacks in melee and each have a dozen S5 shots.  If you don't drop one, it can get repaired.  If you drop one, the Hive can bring back a T6, 6W model.  I personally want to take a 3-man squad with a Technomancer and a Chronomancer for the laughs.

Canoptek Scarab Swarms - they're cheap.  They're fast.  They're 4 wounds a stand.  You can take 3-9 in a unit.  They auto-wound on 6s to hit.  If you bring a couple large units, this could get funny - I wouldn't expect them to kill a hall of a lot of stuff unless a full squad hits it - but that's a LOT of wounds to get through.  You can also Self Destruct for mortal wounds at the cost of CP.

Wraiths - This is your speedy tie-up unit that may stick around, and even hurt something.  T5, 3W, 3+/4++ on a 12" move that doesn't care about terrain?  They're throwing out either four S6, AP-2, 2 damage attacks or 8 S5, AP-1 one damage swings.

Canoptek Doomstalkers - Hey, someone else found the Doomsday cannon!  You've got a dozen T6 wounds on a 3+/4++.  You've got reasonable mobility, but moving means firing at a weaker profile.  You can also lend a hand in Overwatch for stuff within 6" - which is to say, your screens.  You're basically committing to a control node for these, since d6 shots at BS4+ is kinda sad.

Canoptek Gear/Stratagems

Enslaved Protectors - One Canoptek unit gets to heroically intervene.  Everyone but the reanimators and Doomstalker care about this, since they're all reasonably choppy.

Fail-Safe Overcharger - +1 attack for Canoptek units nearby.  Or, +1d3 if it's a Monster (IE - the Spyders).  You get to use this more than once.

Phylacterine Hive - as mentioned above, this is just great fun with Spyders, but the Wraiths won't mind either, assuming they're in range.  Really though, I think you bring this with the Spyders.

IV. The Other Guys - Dynastic Agents, Triarchs, Vehicles, etc.

There are some other units out there that don't fit into the three previous ones, because they just don't have the keywords.  Other than your various special characters, this includes the following -

Flayed Ones - these guys have no extra keywords.  They do have a fight-twice stratagem, though.  They are kind of self-contained, when it comes to stratagems.

Triarch Stalker - Here's our first triarch entry.  These are actually army support - as long as it shoots at something, you get to re-roll ones.

C'tan Shards - they have a handful of stratagems out there that buff them.  They...don't really need it.

Triarch Praetorians - They're beefy jump-infantry that like to stab things.  They are neither Core nor Dynasty, so that does lock them out of some buffs.  However, the Silent King has a special spot for them and is more than happy to let them re-roll hits and wounds.

All Vehicles Other Than The Ghost Ark (Annihilation Barge / Doomsday Ark / Doom Scythe / Obelisk / Tesseract Vault)  - These tend not to have any interaction with CORE units.  There are other stratagems that interact with them, and other gear - but that's not in the scope of this particular post.

Conclusion of Part 1 

This post is already a bit beefy.  I think step one of getting to used to the codex is sorting stuff into bins.  Outside of a crazy theme list, odds are you're going to include some core choices, and buffs for those.  The Destroyer cult units are reasonably self-contained and don't need a lot of buffs.  The Canopteks either take up space really well, or you bring a Control Node Technomancer and wreck stuff.

There's a lot in this new book to unpack.

Codex: Necron Run-down

I'll preface this by saying I tried to play Necrons in 5th briefly, and it didn't work out well. To be honest, they need a revision to hang in 5th, as they cannot effectively destroy vehicles.

That being said, the first thing we have to deal with in the Necron Codex is...

Special Rules
'We'll be back...'
This is kind of the necron flavor-rule. Any time a Necron fails a save, it falls over. At the beginning of the next turn, it stands up on a 4+.

Conditions...first, if the unit died to Instant Death or close combat attacks that ignore armor saves, it is ineligble for WBB. There also has to be a similar unit nearby, IE: Warriors need friendly Warriors to stand back up. This means you want two of any kind of Necron nearby, as, say, if you split off some Destroyers to go nail something they won't be able to get back up if they all get splatted.

Lords are immune to that requirement, though.

Phase Out
If you have 25% or fewer of your starting Necrons are alive after WBB rolls, you lose automatically as the Necrons teleport away to repair.

Notes
Basically, you need to bring buddies, and bring lots of Necron units to keep your phase-out up, since most enemies WILL have an eye towards phasing you out.

HQ
Necron Lord
This is the most customizable guy in the codex. He's so-so at melee with an almighty 3 attacks at WS4, I4. He CAN pick up a weapon that ignores armor and invulnerable saves, though. The real notes you need to take on the lord are on the lord's gear. He is T5 with 3 wounds on a 3+ armor save, and he can buy a 4+ invulnerable. He is, though, limited to 100 points of Wargear, and he's also 100 naked.

Veil of Darkness
One per army. The lord and any units attached my deep-strike anywhere on the board in lieu of a move. Popular with shooty units, like Immortals. It gives the army some of its deceptive mobility. It COULD theoreticalyl save you from losing combats, but it won't.

Resurrection Orb
This is pretty much a staple on the Lord. It means you can ignore the 'instant death' and 'ignore armor save attacks in CC' limits on We'll Be Back. It's a short-range AOE, though, with 6". It does apply to the Lord himself, though.

Phylactery
Neat in that it gives the Lord a chance of standing up with multiple wounds back. Doesn't actually INCREASE the odds of standing back up, though.

Gaze of Flame
Everyone loses the bonus charging attack in melee. The LAST place you want your Necron units is in melee, and this won't really do much for you in the long run. There's a faint chance a non-melee unit will fail to beat and sweep you, which might make it useful there.

Disruption Field
Glance any AV on a 6. Since most vehicles are AV10 rear, this is usually useless. Since the Lord can take a Warscythe which gives him 2d6+strength armor penetration, well, there's no real point to giving the Lord this.

Destroyer Body
Lord moves as a jetbike, and goes to T6 where he can't be insta-killed. This would be cooler if the Lord had other units worth keeping pace wit hhim.

Buildouts
Res Orb is pretty much a staple.
Destroyer Body + Scythe = tank hunter; he goes for rear armor and tries to assault tanks to death.
Orb + Veil of Darkness = 200pt lord that drags a shooty unit around. NASTY, but a pricy bit of the army to lose to Mishaps.
Lord + Orb = 140pts. Basic support lord.

Overall
the Lord is kind of mandatory. Honestly, I'm inclined either towards the Res Orb (and perhaps Warscythe) lord, or the Destroyer Body model. Most of the rest of the upgrades are pricy and don't really generate a ton of return.

Elites
Pariahs
Pros
Ignore all saves in melee. T5, 3+ armor save, pack a gun that cranks out S5 shots out to 24". Any enemy within 12" has Ld7. Psykers should never get close to this thing, because they get hosed.

Cons
1 attack each. Not Necrons, so no WBB. 36 points a head, and not very durable for that.

Overall
They're expensive, and while they LOOK scary in melee, there's no good way to get them there, and they don't get back up. Some folks like to use them as bodyguards for the Lord, but they're just not that effective. You can get the same gun for cheaper on Immortals. Admittedly, there are some tricks you can use with the Soulless special rule involving making people take Ld tests, but it's just not enough to make the unit that cool. Plus, they're stupidly expensive in terms of money.

If you see them, treat them as Immortals save that you'd probably rather shoot them. If they have initiative on you on the charge and you're a small unit, they might actually win; I think a handful of them might actually be able to take Terminators. That doesn't make them good, though.

Immortals
Pros
T5, 3+ armor save. Each carries an S5, AP4 Assault 2 gun that hits out to 24". They are mobile firepower.

Cons
Get used to 'dies in assault' on the cons section. WS4, I2, base 1 attack? It's going to lose in melee. T5 is the one saving grace, but it's no defense against a determined assault because Immortals tend to come in smaller units. (5-10, I'd wager).

Overall
Immortals will peg infantry and even threaten monstrous creatures with lots of shooting. They can't bag armor. They're not bad at 28 a head; they're probably the top Elites choice in the codex. As such, they're a target worth attending to.

Flayed Ones
Pros
Infiltrate, Deep Strike, Move Through Cover. They have a variety of ways to try to get into melee. Terrifying Visage means that on a failed leadership test, the enemy unit only hits the Flayed Ones on a 6.

Cons
...no power weapons. 2 attacks each at I4. When you get down to it, they're essentially assault marines with WBB in lieu of a pistol and jump pack. They can't take out anyone with armor, and they can't take out anyone with T5 or better, and they can't reliably get the charge. Also, S4 on rear armor 10 means they aren't killing vehicles.

Overall
...A bit useless, really. They need some actual killing power in melee, and the only way you could get a power weapon in there is with a Lord, who's good points after bad and removes the unit's special deployment options. Beyond that, they're a footslogging unit that wants to get into hand-to-hand, and that's a big problem.

Troops
Necron Warriors
10-20 in a squad.
To be honest, they're basically I2, Ld10 bolter marines that cost a minimum of 180 points for the minimal 10 guys. You NEED them to get numbers up, but the guys really just aren't that good.

They CAN glance any armor on a six, but glances won't kill anything outside of open-topped vehicles. They are also footslogging, meaning that they're either moving 6" and shooting 12", or standing still and shooting 24" once. They HAVE to sit on your objective, but they also have to get to other objectives.

Better yet? They die in assault. I2, Ld 10, one attack each at WS4, S4. If they get assaulted, they're going to lose, and then they're going to get swept, and that's going to make WBB a bit more difficult.

And better than that? You're taking 20 of them in your army, minimum. To be honest, the troops flavor the army (since you're taking 2-3 of them), and Necrons at this point do not have a lot of options for troops. Warriors just have problems doing much because they are slow, shorter-ranged, and have guns that are basically special glancing bolters.

Fast Attack
Wraiths
Pros
S6, I6, 3 attacks each, 3+/3+ saves. Move like jetbikes, have frag grenades, and move through terrain.

Cons
41 a head, max three in a unit. Plus, each Wraith is $20.

Overall
Wraiths are pretty nasty, BUT they are expensive and come in small units. There's a decent chance that they'll get killed off before they get where they're going. Furthermore, a good set of saving throws totally neglect the few wounds they crank out with only WS4 to go with that. Wraiths also compete with Scarabs and Destroyers for Fast Attack slots.

Destroyers
Without a doubt, they're your best Fast Attack choice.

Pros
BS4, each carries a 3-shot, S6, AP4 gun with a 36" range. Moves like a jetbike; may move and shoot.

Cons
Model is $20 a head, you want 6-10. T5, 3+ save, a single wound. MUST be taken in numbers to survive. Like most Necron units, you want two units of Destroyers near each other so the enemy must level all of them in a turn in order to deprive you of WBB rolls.

Overall
These guys are adept at wounding infantry and lightweight (AV10-11) vehicles. They're mobile guns, and good at it. Using them is a significant investment in points, as the two minimal 3-Destroyer units cost 150 each. I would suggest units of 4-5 just for sake of durability.

Scarab Swarms
These are your distraction units.

Pros
LOTS of wounds. 12pts for a 3-wound base. Fearless. Moves like a jetbike. Gets a 3+ cover save when you turbo-boost them at something. You can buy Disruption Fields so they can try to swarm vehilcles.

Cons
Not really going to kill anything other than Grots, but it can slow down anything that can't insta-gib them. WS2 and S3 means that even with 3 attacks, they're not going to kill much, especially when the unit gets worn down. They are also vulnerable to Instant Death; S6+ hits drop a scarab base outright.

Overall
They're a tarpit; no more and no less. No Retreat! is fairly harsh on them, so don't expect them to actually kill much. Theoretically they could get that 'glance vehicles on 6+' deal in Disruption Fields, but you're better off with more scarab bases, since usually they're best going after units.

Heavy Support
Tomb Spyder
Pros
The biggest thing it does is remove the distance requirement for WBB. They are also S6, T6, Fearless, and can get a gun. Additionally, they can crank out a Scarab Base, and thanks to the rules so long as there's only one scarab base, it's ablative wounds. However, it's also only going to soak a few wounds due to wound allocation.

Cons
WS2 with three S6 attacks in melee. Can't really shoot, either, since it can get a couple anti-infantry shots at BS2. Creating scarabs can sometimes be fatal.

Overall
The utility comes in the whole WBB alteration. One to two is enough for your force, if any.

Heavy Destroyer
Pros: T5, Jetbike, BS4 Lascannon equivalent

Cons: 1-3 per unit.

Overall: It's the ONLY thing in the codex that can effectively deal with AV greater than 11. You can't get a lot, and you might want to consider a Tomb Spyder to keep them coming back. They're almost essential for delaing with the heavy armor, BUT, they have a 36" range and STILL have to pen and roll the damage results you need. At BEST, your army is cranking out 2 hits on 3 targets, which won't kill them all. Still, it's the only real way to get penetrating hits on tanks in your army, and in larger games I'd say you should consider them, or prioritize killing them.

Monolith
Pros
AV14 all around. Nasty shooting; can deep-strike. Ignores melta and extra dice against armor penetration. Ordnance shot. Can teleport troops AND give them a re-roll on WBB. May Deep Strike, and reserve troops through that. Fires d6 shots at EVERYONE within 12".

Cons
235 points of 'I'm not a Necron and I don't count towards phaseout.' While they HAVE an ordnance shot, you can't use it if you're using the 'lith to make your necrons more durable. Deep Striking is risky and denies you use of them for some time. People are used to gunning down AV14, to an extent. Taking multiples eats into your points. Only gets to move 6" a turn.

Additionally, the model is HUGE. You aren't going to hide it.

Overall
The 'lith is hellishly expensive. it CAN make your force more durable and give you options, and it is durable, but in practice it's going to crank out close-range shots IF it gets there, and generally make your guys a little more durable by washing them through the portal each time.

The C'Tan
These are 300 and 360pt characters you can take as HQ units. They are hellishly powerful, BUT have some serious drawbacks.

C'Tan in General
Ignore terrain. Ignore armor saves. Ignores invulnerable saves. Explode when killed. Fearless. 4+ invulnerable save. T8. 5 wounds. Monstrous Creature. In other words, it loves special rules and has a lot of them. I mean, it's a god walking on the battlefield. Oh, and if for some reason a Callidus Assassin tries to shank a C'tan with a C'tan Phase Blade, the C'tan absorbs it (...not that it matters, because the C'tan would promptly snap the Callidus in half).

The Biggest Con
C'tan are TALL. I'm talking like a 4" tall model. It CANNOT really hide. It doesn't really need to worry about getting cover saves with a 4+ invulnerable, but the only thing that can realistically shield it is the Monolith. Cover saves don't matter because they have a 4+ invulnerable anyway.

The Nightbringer
360 points for this guy. S10, 5 melee attacks, WS6, I4, a 24" lascannon shot. His special abilities deal with hordes. 'Gaze of Death' slaps a large blast template over him and everyone under it eats an S4 hit with no armor saves. Etheric Tempest blows back folks with unmodified strength below 4.

The Nightbringer is a wrecking ball, pure and simple.

The Deciever
300 points. Only S9, WS5, but I5 as well. His abilities are more tactical in nature, as opposed to the Nightbringer's "I AM THE GRIM REAPER OF DEATH". Decieve says 'Hey, you, take a pinning or morale check even if you normally auto-pass that.'

Grand Illusion means the Necron Player can roll to re-deploy units at the beginning; on a 4+ the unit they designate gets to redeploy and they get to roll again. The whole ARMY can get redeployed like this.

'Dread' means that a unit takes a leadership test and if it fails they only hit on a '6' in assault. The Deciever cannot actually be in assault when he does this, though.

'Misdirect' means that the Deciever can fall back from an assault at will; the enemy cannot consolidate back into it.

Can you do the C'tan C'tan?
If the enemy can bring a lot of S7+ fire to bear, the C'tan is going to die. You don't want to know what Lootas do to your 300+ point model. A 4+ save is NOT going to keep it from eating wounds, and T8 only protects you against so much. The enemy KNOWS you want to get that thing in melee because they KNOW the C'tan is absolute death in melee against just about anything. The enemy also knows that the C'tan moves 6" a turn, so the C'tan is a bit ponderous.

The Deciever has a lot of neat options, but still, it's slow and not going to get into the assaults it wants to. In general, it's the only real CC threat in the army, and it's expensive. I'm not sold on its effectiveness, because I've taken them a few times and they draw fire and explode violently. There just aren't enough targets that REALLY want your high-strength fire.

Deficiences in the Necron Codex In General
Vs. Vehicles
There are simply no good ways to KO vehicles for the Necrons. Destroyers can do well enough vs. AV10-11, but something like a Dreadnought is a death sentence for anything in the army. The only things that might take out vehicles in melee are Wraiths, Destroyer Lords with Warscythes (for the 2d6+5 AP), and C'tan (S9-10+2d6 = Ow).

Triple Land Raiders is going to make Necrons Cry. Even light mech (lots of rhinos/immolators) is going to give the Necrons trouble.

In Assault
Necrons have no good assault units outside of C'tan. Scarabs can sometimes hold things up, but that's so you step back and shoot the unit. Flayed Ones are a joke, and Wraiths could be lethal if they were cheaper and more numerous. Pariahs WANT to be assaulty, but just can't do enough damage even if they are S5 and ignore all your saves.

Plus, the bulk of the units are I2. They are going to lose, and they MIGHT get away from Orks.

Overall
The Necrons have some good anti-infantry units, but as I've said, they just can't take vehicles out with massed glances. They die in assault, and We'll Be Back is a bit complicated. I like the fluff and all, but the army just can't reliably hang in 5th.

If you're playing Necrons I salute you, as you've an uphill challenge against anyone who brings vehicles.

If you're playing against Necrons, I recommend you blow away anything that's got a Destroyer body, then prioritize anything with the Necron special rule. Do be worried about C'tan and Monoliths if they get close to you, though.