Sicaran Battle Tank

One hell of a tank I say.

The Sicaran Battle Tank was an awesome heavy tank that was used by the Space Marine Legions near the end of the Great Crusade and during the Horus Heresy. Created by the combined brainstorming of Ferrus Manus, Roboute Guilliman and some Adeptus Mechanicus Magos members (with the help of some elements derived from Rhino and Land Raider STC's), the Sicaran was designed to be a fast moving tank hunter that would compliment both the Predator Tank and Land Raider. In fact, it was so good that Horus himself made sure that a large number of these tanks were at his and the Traitor Legion's disposal before he got on with his rebellion.

Armed with two Herakles Accelerator Cannons, two sponson-mounted Lascannons (as well a forwards mounted Heavy Bolter), nicely armored, swift for its size, and equipped with systems that allows it to hit fast moving objects and right where it would hurt the enemy most, the Sicaran Battle Tank was a valuable asset for the Marine Legions.

Given that one of it's creators (Guilliman) is still alive and the Sicaran was made from the best bits of at least two completely different STC vehicles, the Imperium could still do that to gain a huge advantage over their enemies. Sure enough, the Primaris Marines ended up getting a new superheavy ripoff of this tank. Still, we wish Games Workshop took the Sicaran as an inspiration for future Imperium tanks, making the metal boxes float again is ok and all, but sloped armor would be a great technological recovery too. Or just accepting that playing Legos with Imperial tech is totally not-heresy because it works and so the Machine Spirits must be cool with it.

The Great Cato Sicarius thinks they are kind of cool. Shares its design with the Legion Arquitor Bombard. Now has a big brother.

Variants

Sicaran Venator

Venator. When a standard Sicaran won't cut it.

The Venator (that's Latin for "Hunter"). Swapping its Accelerator Cannons and Heavy Bolter for a Neutron Laser Projector, this Sicaran variant was even more efficient in its role as tank destroyer. The lack of a turret (which is standard for the vanilla Sicaran Battle Tank) meant that the vehicle had to turn its whole self to face an enemy (which could be fatal when it comes to fighting enemies from multiple directions, especially when taking into account that the reactor for the neutron laser was highly unstable and tended to explode violently if the vehicle was heavily damaged). To understand why it's so good at vehicle rape you only have to look at it's 8th edition stats, a Heavy 3, S 12, AP -4 D6 that can move and shoot with no penalties (all its Heavy weapons can), and if it doesn't outright kill the vehicle in question, that vehicle then suffers a -1 to its shooting rolls until the end of the Sicaran owner's next turn basically letting you bully superheavy vehicles into submission, provided you can get close enough.

During the Great Crusade, its advanced Neutron Laser was specially designed to provide the Legiones Astartes with superior firepower, enabling it to destroy any and all xenos threats that might be encountered by the expanding armies of the nascent Imperium. However, by the time of the Horus Heresy, the Venator proved just as capable as fucking over Imperium vehicles as well. Even despite limited production capabilities and rarity during those times, the Venator proved just too tough and valuable for both sides to just be destroyed. Hence, Venators can still be found in the 41st millennium even to this day (Although they have most likely been mothballed by now).

Anyways, the vehicle can also be armed with a single pintle-mounted, remote-controlled Heavy Bolter to engage infantry that gets too close and two sponson-mounted weapons, which can be either Heavy Bolters or Lascannons. The Sicaran Venator can also be outfitted with the standard Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, just in case if you want even more anti-armor buffs, Extra Armour Plating, a Dozer Blade, an Auxiliary Drive system, a Searchlight, or Smoke Launchers.

Sicaran Arcus

Arcus. For macross missile massacres.

The Sicaran Arcus Strike Tank is one of the more unusual tanks available to the Space Marine Legions. Once the Arcus Strike Tank was one of the most advanced support platforms available to the Space Marine Legion, designed by Roboute Guilliman as a tank capable of filling multiple tactical niches at a time thanks to its wide variety of specialized warheads. However, one of the aforementioned warheads was specifically designed to destroy Battle-Automata like those used by the Mechanicum, and this quickly led them to declare the tank and its specialized ammunition an affront to the Omnissiah.

Due to their refusal to produce or maintain either the Arcus Missile Launchers or their more exotic warheads, these advanced support platforms have degenerated due to lack of maintenance, and their advanced armaments have been replaced with more common rotary launchers. This has done little to blunt the offensive capabilities of the Strike Tank, which is still armed with a twin rotary launcher capable of saturating an area with a hail of incendiary missiles. Now it is used by the Space Marine Chapters that retain examples of this rare pattern as a fast strike tank variant to the more traditional Whirlwind Artillery Tank.

The Arcus Strike Tank looks similar to the other Sicaran-class vehicles, distinguished by its large twin rotary launcher. This weapon shares design traits with other missile launchers in the Space Marine Legions, from the man-portable versions found on Heavy Support Squads to the notorious Scorpius Missile Launcher found on the Whirlwind Scorpius. The mouth of each launcher contains a bundle of missiles and has two huge ammo drums.

At S 5 and AP -2, the Twin rotary missile launcher may not sound that outstanding. However, once you realize it is a Heavy 2D6 weapon with a BS at 3+ (Assuming it is at full health), it becomes a beast of machine with high chances of blowing up low toughness mobs in a single strike, ignores cover, and deals mortal wounds to infantry on a 6+ for good measure. A Heavy 2D6 weapon not sounding good enough for you? Than maybe try out the Arcus' special ability called the Vanguard Strike which change the rotary missile launcher into a Heavy 4D6 at the price of not being able to fire this weapon again until the end of your next turn.

The 30k version, on the other hand, lives up to the concept Guilliman had originally come up with thanks to its ability to fill several different battlefield roles at once. Its Arcus Launcher has a selection of four different warhead types:

• Arcus Warheads: 36", S8 AP2, Heavy 4, Terminal Tracking (re-rolls successful Jink and Cover saves), Cluster Warhead (when scoring a penetrating hit, roll on the vehicle damage table D3 times and pick the highest result). The designated anti-armor loadout, able to wreck vehicles and MEQ/TEQs alike.
• Skyspear Warheads: 48", S7 AP3, Heavy 4, Terminal Tracking, Skyfire and Interceptor. Allows the Arcus to serve as a potent anti-aircraft platform.
• Pyrax Warheads: 36", S5 AP4, Heavy 2, Large Blast, Ignores Cover. Point at hordes and make them die.
• Neutron-Flux Warheads: 24", S7 AP4, Heavy 4, Terminal Tracking, Neutron-Flux (causes Instant Death to all models with the Cybernetica Cortex special rule). This is the one the Mechanicum threw a fit over.

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Sicaran Punisher

Punisher. For when you want to cleanse horde armies.

The Punisher-type Sicaran variant came into general use amongst the various Space Marine Legions in the final days of the Great Crusade, however the Punisher Rotary Cannon it mounts has a far older history. Originally mounted on the now rare Cerberus pattern main battle tanks (getting the feeling the Imperium doesn't know what "main battle tank" means), the punisher had established a reputation as a deadly tool in the eradication of massed conscript infantry or hordes of swarming xenos creatures, limited only by its relatively short range and prodigious appetite for munitions. Married to the Sicaran hull, where the impressive speed of that vehicle effectively negated the short range of the weapon, and the complex feed assemblies developed as part of the various Terran accelerator cannon, the punisher is once again in widespread use among the Legions, though now it is employed against the very warriors it was intended to protect.

A high-speed ‘destroyer’ tank, the Sicaran Battle Tank has seen countless battlefields, complementing the more common Predator and Land Raider designs. This variant boasts the same basic hull shape – very much a case of function over form, though its wide tracks and thick armour give the miniature a certain austere charm – with an imposing Punisher Rotary Cannon bolted to the top, ready to fire a ceaseless barrage of high calibre shells.

The Sicaran Punisher can also be available for 40k which makes it Awesome. Seems that ol'Gully is bringing back his favorite toys back to production. To give you a clue of its power in 8th ed, its Punisher Rotary Cannon is a Heavy 18, S 5, AP -1 D1 beast of a gun. Sure a S 5 may not sound much, but when paired with the tank's BS of 3+ and the ability to reroll 1's if it remains stationary, you can kiss your horde armies' ass goodbye as half of them are going to be wiped out on the first turn.

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Sicaran Omega

Omega. Twin-linked Plasma Cannons for twice the fun.

Retrofitted to allow the Sicaran hull to carry heavier firepower, the Omega is a formidable tank hunter. Basically, another tank-destroying version, the Omega is armed with a pair of massive Plasma Weapons called the Omega Plasma Array. These cannon are fed power by massive arrays of tightly-bound cables and both feature their own ammo feed, as well as 6 plasma flasks. They are powerful enough to contain the firepower that is able to threaten anything from the humble Rhino to even Titans.

Like all plasma weaponry, it’s pretty potent against heavy infantry too – if you’re struggling with Terminators or even Primarchs, this may well be just what you need to take them down.

It utilizes the speed provided by the Sicaran’s engines to apply overwhelming short range firepower in battle, racing forwards to ambush and obliterate the lumbering siege tanks of enemy columns.

Its simplified, some might say crude, systems are all capable of being produced by the lesser forges attached to many Space Marine strongholds, allowing them to replace losses of more complex vehicles even as the various Forge Worlds became isolated by war and mistrust at the height of the Horus Heresy.

Despite the prospect on having a duel wielded heavy plasma cannons as a symbol of unrelenting carnage. The reality is that the rules are incredibly...should I say, underwhelming? It is still a good tank don't get us wrong, but with this crunch, you might as well get the Sicaran Venator in order to sufficiently punch through armor or even better, get a fucking Macharius Omega to turn Titans into Swiss cheese.

The problem with the tank is that the Omega Plasma Array is competing with its fellow Sicaran brothers on the specific niche they are meant to excel. It comes into two firing modes like most plasma weapons. The first is the Plasma Volley, which is a Heavy 6, S7, AP-3 D1 gun that will punch a clean hole through most MEQs and do moderate damage to armored vehicles. This by itself, should be enough to be considered a really good gun....unfortunately we have the Sicaran Arcus which does the job so much better especially with the Arcus Warheads that has a much better range at 36" compared to the 24" of the Omega, a more stronger attack at S8 AP2, Heavy 4 and it has Terminal Tracking which re-rolls successful Jink and Cover saves that can also roll on the vehicle damage table D3 times when scoring with a penetrating hit with the Cluster Warhead assuming its in 30k. Even in 40k the Arcus is much more versatile and is able to lay out a ton of missiles like Macross. The second mode of firing is the Sustained Burn which turns the guns into a Heavy 3, S9, AP-3, D3 plasma lance that can turn tanks inside out but is unfortunately (Like all Plasma weapons) offset with the fact that the tank will suffer D3 mortal wounds on a 1 to hit. On the bright side, any fortunate rolls on a 6 would force the opposing enemy to take an additional mortal wound in place.

As you can see, the Omega is a bit too cut out for what it is worth when there are other tanks much more suited for the job.

The selling point is, of course, that you get two tanks in one that is somewhat worse at both roles. So, it depends on how many tanks you want or can field.

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Gallery

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  The Whirlwind Scorpius' bigger brother.
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  Move over Leman Russ Punisher, there is a new kid in town.
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  When you thought the Macharius Omega was a bad bastard....
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  Hey! Who knew the Orks was so into journalistism? And corporate advertising? Huh, the Orks sure learn from the best.
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  Original STC entry used as basis for the Sicaran Battle Tank circa the third millennium, maybe, oddly enough it's named Predator.
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  Now in plastic!