April Preview #5: Tohaa Kaeltar Specialists

[Update 22-may-2015: Rules!]

The Tohaa get a new reinforcement in the form of the Kaeltars Specialists. Not much is known about the unit right now but it comes with a litter of Pokétohaa… Tohámon? Whatever floats your boat.

[Rules]

On the 21st of May, Corvus Belli released the rules of these Tohaamon trainers. In one word: WOW!

Let’s take a look at their profiles first!

Thanks to Doremicom and his awesome DiRT articles! 🙂

Ranging between 15 and 26 points, these are cheap Light Infantry, considering the tools they bring to the table; Chain of Command (combined with high WIP stats), Flash Pulses and the choice between Combi Rifles or Light Shotguns. With AVA2, you can literally bring two CoC models, which will make it very hard for your opponent to put you in Loss of Lieutenant. Not a bad toolbox, but here comes!

Corahtar Discipline Lv1, and the profiles come equipped with SymbioMates or SymbioBombs (no mix-ups).

What’s Corahtar?

Corahtar is Pheromone Magic, and the Kaeltar are Bio-wizards of some sort. With Corahtar Tohaa can use pheromones to control others. This is a big part of Tohaa culture, as they communicate through smell. Humans have a hard time picking up on the subtle conversations, but they do understand (smell) when the Tohaa start verbally bitchslapping.

What are SymbioMates/Bombs?
SymbioMates and SymbioBombs are singular use attachable equipment. You can attach these critters to any Tohaa model equipped with Symbiont Armour during Deployment. Since the Kaeltar themselves lack Symbiont Armour, these little frogs are meant for other units in the Tohaa force. They have to be assigned to the Symbiont Armoured model during Deployment. Keep in mind that the model has to be on the table. No Hidden Deployment or Aerial Deployment with these froggies.

This assigning is a entirely new mechanism in the game!

A SymbioMate (the blue ones with the claws) are easy to explain; they deny the effects of a hit with a weapon with Fire Ammunition. The Symbiont Armoured model doesn’t have to roll ARM saves and no guts-checks. The SymbioMate is filled with fire extinguisher. When you get hit by Fire Ammo, the SymbioMate is removed from the table.

Looking at Tohaa’s notorious flammability when equipped in Symbiont Armour (they die instantly when succesfully hit with fire), this is an AMAZING addition to any Tohaa force!

A SymbioBomb is a whole different beast! These critters open up a whole new level of play for the Tohaa forces. It reminds us of hacking in other armies, but it’s actually a pheromone based technology. I like to call it ‘Phacking‘. SymbioBombs function as a little toolbox, and come with various offensive and support tools.

The SymbioBomb is a single use only model. You spend a short skill/ARO to active it, and it runs the pheromone tactic before vanishing from the table. All things work on Zone of Control, so the SymbioBomb has no need for a Line of Fire. Their skills only work on targets with a Wound Attribute. So no STR attributed models to stink off the battlefield.

What can the SymbioBombs do exactly?

Their skills consist of the following:

Endgame – Two Damage 14 attacks on a single model, or one attack per model on two different models within Zone of Control. These work on the WIP attribute of the model the SymbioBomb is assigned too, and for every hit, the target needs to roll on his BTS attribute.

Eraser – A regular WIP roll. If the roll is successful, the opponent has to BTS save a Damage 16 attack. When successful, this attack Isolates the target.

Hellzone – Hellzone is applicably similar to Endgame, but instead the user benefits from a WIP +3 MOD, and the attack uses DT Ammo (two BTS saves required per successful hit). Causes Immobilization (not only on Heavy Infantry, anything with Wound attribute).

Nimbus Sphere: Regular WIP roll, causes a Circular Template Nimbus Zone.

Mirror Ball: Regular WIP roll, causes a Circular Template White Noise Zone.

Since the attacks are considered ‘Comms attacks’ the target is able to use Reset and also can force a Face-to-Face roll out of the attack.