Halo 2 Covenant army list - LoC's version

[Lordofchange]

Right then, so the original microsoft word version, complete with tables and pictures, didn't come out quite so well - as such, i've converted it into a "forum version" with the WS and the like set out as they were in such other codexes, like Necromancers. Anyway, i've added some design notes below, and i'd be very happy for people to suggest changes to balance it, etc, and let me know if i've missed something. I'm sure i have every mentioned covenant soldier except the Drinol (removed from Halo 2, as such i've not put it in). One thing - i don't want people to write out rules for new units for me, but suggestions for things i've missed and balancing ideas, etc, will be useful. Anyone willing to playtest will be appreciated, and if anyone knows of a website where you can host word documents, please tell me. Anyway, in full forum format, below begins the codex!

Covenant Armoury

Any covenant independent character may take 150 points worth of wargear from this list. Squad leaders are limited to 75 points. Weapons do not count towards the wargear limit.

The first value is for characters with one wound. The second is for characters with more than one wound.

Single handed weapons

Close combat weapon – 1pt
Plasma pistol – 3pts
Plasma rifle (not useable by grunts) – 6pts
Needler – 7/9pts
Pair of Needlers (counts as two single-handed weapons, elites only) – 25/30pts
Brute plasma rifle (brutes only) – 10/12pts


Two-handed weapons

Energy sword (elites only) – 30/40pts
Carbine (not useable by grunts) – 8/10pts
Gravity hammer(brutes only) – 20/25pts

Wargear

Handheld energy shield – 10pts
Plasma grenades – 7/13pts each
Energy garrotte – 10/15pts
Enhanced cooling vents – 5pts
Light energy shield – 15pts
Heavy energy shield – 15/20pts
Overshield – 15pts
Active camouflage – 15pts
Ghost – -/35pts
Spec ops visor – 10/15pts
Honour guard upgrade(elites and brutes only) – 30/-pts
Monocular – 10pts

Characteristics

Cleansing flame – 10pts
Hotshot – 10pts
Brawler – 15pts
Sniper – 15pts
Unorthodox (brutes only) – 8pts +weapon
Zealous(elites only) – 15pts





WEAPONS
Plasma pistol - Rng: 12” Str: 3 AP: 6 Pistol

Plasma rifle – Rng: 18” Str: 4 AP: 5 Assault 2

Brute Plasma rifle – Rng: 18” Str: 4 AP: 5 Assault 2(4)

Needler – Rng: 18” Str: D6+1 AP: 5 Rapid fire

Carbine – Rng: 30” Str: 4 AP: 4 Assault 2

Fuel Rod Cannon – Rng: 36” Str: 8 AP: 3 Heavy 1 blast

Brute Shot – Rng: 36” Str: 6 AP: 4 Heavy 2

Beam Rifle – Rng: 48” Str: X AP: 4 Heavy 1, sniper

Plasma Cannon – Rng: 48” Str: 7 AP: 3 Heavy 2

Scarab Main Gun – Rng: 72” Str: 10 AP: 1 Ordnance 1 blast

Plasma Blaster – Rng: 36” Str: 5 AP: 4 Heavy 3

Plasma Mortar – Rng: 60” Str: 9 AP: 2 Heavy 1 blast


SPECIAL RULES

WEAPONS

Plasma pistol: Plasma pistols may fire a charged blast instead of firing normally. If the player so chooses, he may forfeit the normal plasma pistol shot to fire a single shot at double strength and AP 4. Unfortunately, firing the weapon like this can cause fatal overcharging on the pistol’s battery, and as such, each shot counts as suffering from the “gets hot!” rule. Note that grunts may not use this charged blast.

Brute plasma rifle: Brute plasma rifles have an incredibly high rate of fire compared to their standard counterparts. To represent this, instead of firing the standard 2 shots, the wielder of the brute plasma rifle may fire 4 shots. Unfortunately, the incredible speed at which the weapon fires can cause huge heat to build up, and as such, the weapon fires with the “gets hot!” characteristic when firing at the higher fire rate, overheating on any to hit roll of a 1.

Needler: The main damage of the needler is not done by the actual impact of the exploding single shots – successively more damage is done as more needles impact and explode simultaneously. As such, the strength of a needler is randomly generated (D6+1) before every firing. If two needlers are wielded, then the strength becomes 2D6. Note that if a needler is fired at a vehicle, its strength will be counted as 4.

Brute Shot: The brute shot is not only a powerful grenade launcher – it carries a vicious blade perfect for eviscerating foes. As such, models carrying a brute shot also count as being equipped with a power weapon. Note that the brute shot counts as one two-handed weapon when selecting wargear, the power weapon is part of the brute shot itself.

Energy sword: The energy sword – many have come to fear it’s powerful crackle as it powers up from a seemingly ominous handle. It is a blade of pure power, able to cut through any material, and becoming a whirlwind of death in the hands of an experienced elite. The energy sword counts as a power weapon with the rending ability. It also confers the furious charge ability on any model wielding it.

Gravity hammer: A favourite of high-ranking brutes, the gravity hammer crushes enemies without remorse. A gravity hammer counts as a thunder hammer.

Scarab main gun: In addition to any other effects, any unit taking casualties from a Scarab main gun must pass a pinning test or be pinned for their subsequent turn.

Shade Weapons Platform: A Shade is a weapons platform, usually used by grunts, that is often employed to lay down covering fire whilst floating alongside a squad. It employs a fixed energy shield for extra protection. The shade is equipped with a plasma blaster, and must be given to one squad member – all of his weapons are replaced with the plasma blaster and he gains the benefit of a handheld energy shield.

WARGEAR

Energy shield: Elites make use of energy shields to provide themselves with further protection from enemy fire. They are set into two classes, light energy shield and heavy energy shield. The light energy shield offers the model a 4+ armour save, the medium energy shield offers a 3+ armour save, and a heavy energy shield offers a 2+ armour save, but may only be used by independent characters.

Handheld energy shield: Often carried by jackals, but can be used by almost any covenant warrior to provide additional protection. A handheld energy shield offers the wielder a 5+ “feel no pain” save, to be taken after all other saves are failed. If this save is failed, the shield cannot be used again.

Plasma grenades: When activated or “lit”, plasma burn blue and hiss ominously, and seem to be able to differentiate between inanimate objects and hostiles, sticking to potential targets with unbreakable force. They explode shortly afterwards in a fatal blast of plasma. During the shooting phase model equipped with plasma grenades may throw them at any unit with a model within 6”, instead of firing a weapon. They will always hit on a 4+ (due to their sticking ability). For every grenade that hits, the enemy takes a strength 5 AP 3 hit, rolled to wound as normal. Note that plasma grenades are single-use and must be bought separately if you wish to use them in consecutive turns.

Energy garrotte: None understand how the covenant managed to induce plasma into a “wire”, but the results were the stealthy and incredibly deadly energy garrotte. Often used by spec-ops elites, they can be used to throttle and burn a foe in a matter of seconds, but are also a mark of prestige, marking out an experienced warrior. A model with an energy garrotte gains +1 attack.

Enhanced cooling vents: In order to decrease risk, many covenant tweak the cooling vents on their weapons to decrease the temperature. A model may add enhanced cooling vents to any of their weapons (even the ones without the “gets hot!” characteristic, if they so wish). Enhanced cooling vents allow a wielder to re-roll one armour save per turn, caused by an overheating weapon, per turn. Note that this only counts if the weapon with the vents was the one to overheat – for example, if an elite was carrying twin plasma pistols, one with vents and one without, and fired with the one without vents, then any “gets hot!” result would not receive a reroll.

Overshield: A model with an overshield gains a 5+ invulnerable save. The model must have an energy shield of some sort (not a handheld energy shield) to be equipped with an Overshield.

Active camouflage: Used by elites to sneak in close for the kill, active camouflage is often used by energy sword-wielders to deadly effect. Active camouflage confers the infiltrate ability on the wearer. In addition, any enemy wishing to shoot at them must test for night fighting.

Ghost: The model is mounted on a ghost. This counts as a jetbike, and equips them with twin-linked plasma blasters, in addition to any other weapons. Note that due to the need to control the ghost with one hand at least, ghost-mounted models may only ever be equipped with a single one or two-handed weapon.

Spec ops visor: Offering the wearer night-vision capabilities, increased sharpness of vision and an integral zoom function, the spec ops visor is often used by spec-ops elites on scouting missions. The spec ops visor grants the wearer the ability to re-roll one missed to hit roll for shooting per turn, and confers the night vision ability.

Honour guard upgrade: The elite or brute is fit to wear the armour of an honour guard, and is often seen guarding the prophets when not leading his squad to victory. Any model with the honour guard upgrade takes the statline of an honour guard.

Monocular: A monocular is used to scope out enemy troops, but can also be used as somewhat of a makeshift sniper scope. The monocular may be taken as an upgrade for any ranged weapon available from the armoury, and adds D6” to the range of the weapon. This is rolled before the weapon is fired every turn.

CHARACTERISTICS
Note that no model may have more than one characteristic. Characteristics may be given to any model with access to the armoury.

Cleansing flame: The trooper has become incredibly proficient with plasma grenades, and has even got to the point in which he can place a grenade in the most devastating area of a squad. The trooper’s grenades hit on a 3+.

Hotshot: The trooper is brutal with his plasma weaponry, unloading reams of fire until their plasma weapon overheats before simply discarding it and switching to another to continue the barrage. The bearer of this characteristic may re-roll any armour saves that were the result of overheated weapons, OR may choose to fire any weapon from the following list twice, once per game – plasma rifle, plasma pistol, beam rifle. The specifics of this characteristic are chosen before the game begins.

Brawler: The trooper is a master of the energy sword or even the butt of a gun, and has neglected ranged combat somewhat. The model gains +1 WS and +1 attack, but suffers from –1 BS.

Sniper: The trooper is a sniper by nature, taking out enemies before many of their comrades even see them. They may add +1 to their ballistic skill characteristic. If the model is carrying a beam rifle, then they do not gain the ballistic skill buff – instead, they may use the “BOOM! Headshot!” rules, as detailed under the Jackal rules.

Unorthodox: Brutes have been known to collect the weapons of their enemies as trophies, and while this is deemed heretical by the elites, the brutes often find that they work better than their own weapons. A brute with this characteristic may select one weapon from the Space Marine or Imperial Guard armoury, at the points cost listed – if two costs are listed, the higher must be chosen.

Zealous: Elites follow the codes of honour exclusively, as laid down by their forefathers who were venerated nearly as much as the prophets are now. As such, they will often halt a combat to fight an honour duel with a respectable enemy. An elite with this characteristic may, before any blows are struck, challenge any one member of the enemy squad to a duel. The models are set aside and fight a combat against each other as normal, but may not be attacked by any other model at this point, although the other members of the requisite squads may fight each other as normal. The victor of the duel’s side automatically wins the combat, even if under the normal rules they would have lost.


HQ

0-1 Arbiter – 80pts
Strong of will and strong of arm, the Arbiter is the blade of the prophets – his orders come directly from them. He is anonymous under his mask, inspiring fear in his enemies and awe in his allies as he does the work of rooting out the heresy that could threaten the covenant.
WS: 6
BS: 4
S: 5
T: 4
W: 3
I: 5
A: 4
Ld: 10
Sv: 3+

Independent character: Unless accompanied by a spec-ops team, the arbiter is an independent character. He may not take an honour guard.
Options: The arbiter may take any equipment allowed for elites from the Covenant armoury.
Zealous unto death: The arbiter automatically has the “zealous” characteristic and is Fearless.


Elite Counsellor – 70pts
The counsellors are the most high-ranking of elites, answerable only to the prophets themselves. They are politically adept and incredible warriors, at close range or at a distance. Engaging them is an incredible risk – often their honour guard, making the unit even more deadly, will accompany them.
WS: 5
BS: 5
S: 5
T: 4
W: 3
I: 5
A: 4
Ld: 10
Sv: 3+
Independent character: Unless accompanied by an honour guard, the arbiter is an independent character.
Options: The Counsellor may take any equipment allowed for elites from the covenant armoury.
Fearless: The Counsellor has fought battles across the galaxy. He is fearless.
Honour guard: A Counsellor may be accompanied by an honour guard.




Brute Chieftain – 90pts
Brute Chieftains are vicious, bloodthirsty, sadistic and immensely strong. As such, they make the perfect leaders for a race of creatures with the same characteristics. They avoid ranged combat, preferring the swirling melee of close assault in which to snap the bones of their prey.
WS: 5
BS: 5
S: 5(6)
T: 4(5)
W: 3
I: 3
A: 3
Ld: 10
Sv: 4+

Independent character: Unless accompanied by an honour guard, the brute chieftan is counted as an independent character.
Options: The brute chieftain may take any weapon available to brutes in the covenant armoury. He may be equipped with a brute shot for +25 points.
Enraged: A brute chieftain in full battle-rage is near impossible to stop. As such, brute chieftains are fearless and suffer from the “brute rage!” (see the entry for brutes) special rule when down to their last wound.
Tough: Brutes have an incredibly resilient physiology, treating what would be a kill shot for any other organism as a simple flesh wound. They must literally be torn to pieces before they die. As such, brutes gain the “feel no pain” ability.


Honour Guard Retinue – Brutes – 37pts each Elites – 33pts each
Note that the honour guard may only be taken as a retinue for Brute Chieftains and Elite Counsellors. They do not count towards the total number of units in an army – they occupy the same unit slot as the independent character they are attached to.
While fighting amongst their warriors, high-ranking elites and brutes will often search for particularly talented warriors and mark them out for a position in the honour guard. They receive extra training, access better weapons and wear more ornate armour, becoming a deadly force in their own right – and with the addition of a leader, even moreso.
Brutes:
WS: 4
BS: 3
S: 5
T: 4
W: 2
I: 3
A: 3
Ld: 9
Sv: 4+

Elites:
WS: 5
BS: 4
S: 4
T: 4
W: 1
I: 5
A: 3
Ld: 9
Sv: 4+

Number/squad: Brute Honour guard squads consist of 3 – 9 Brutes. Elite honour guard squads consist of 4 – 9.
Options: Brute Honour guard squads are equipped with brute plasma rifles or carbines. Elite Honour guard squads are equipped with Twin plasma rifles (count as a twin-linked plasma rifle) or carbines. Honour guard squads may upgrade to the following weapons:
Elites: One Elite in every four may be equipped with a beam rifle for +10 pts, a pair of needlers for +20 pts or an energy sword for +25 pts.
Brutes: One Brute in every three may be equipped with a brute shot for +15pts.
Race relations: Honour guard must be species specific – i.e. Brutes may only form retinues with Brute Chieftains, and Elites may only form retinues with Elite Counsellors.
Characteristics: The entire Honour Guard squad may be equipped with a characteristic as listed in the wargear list, at the listed points per model.
Brute Rage!: Brute honour guard squads suffer from “Brute Rage!” as detailed in the brute entry.
Transport: Honour guards and their attached characters may be mounted in a shadow for +70pts.


ELITES

Brutes – 27pts each
Brutes are simian creatures, muscular and brutal in their actions, and are constantly vying with the Elites for the Prophet’s favour. Brutes are immensely strong and a daunting prospect to face in combat – often the final brute in a squad will go berserk and destroy everything in sight if it’s comrades are struck down. They disdain energy shields and only wear them when absolutely necessary – worryingly, they do not appear to need them.
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 5
T: 4
W: 2
I: 3
A: 2
Ld: 8
Sv: 4+

Number/pack: Brute packs consist of 4 – 10 brutes.
Weapons: Brutes are equipped with either brute plasma rifles or carbines. Up to three Brutes may upgrade their current weapon to a brute shot for +25 points. Brutes may be equipped with plasma grenades for +8pts each per model, or frag grenades (actually an advanced covenant version) for +1pt per model.
Options: One brute may be upgraded to a sub-chieftain for 15pts. He gains +1 attack to his profile and may select wargear from the armoury.
Tough: Brutes have an incredibly resilient physiology, treating what would be a kill shot for any other organism as a simple flesh wound. They must literally be torn to pieces before they die. As such, brutes gain the “feel no pain” ability.
Brute rage!: For unknown reasons, when all of a brute’s comrades are killed the survivor is driven mad with rage and will attack anything in sight, throwing down their weapons and using their teeth and claws to feast upon the enemy. The last remaining brute of a squad will suffer from “brute rage” for the remainder of the game; he will no longer be able to make any shooting attacks, but will instantly move D6+6” every turn towards the closest enemy unit, and charge if he is in range. He will gain double attacks in the first round of combat, and must always sweeping advance if he wins the combat.
Shadow: Brutes may be mounted in a shadow for +70pts.






Special operations (spec-ops) team – Grunt: 8pts each Elite – 20pts each
Mobilised when the prophets need something done quickly and cleanly, the spec-ops team consists of the highest-ranked elites and grunts equipped with the best range of weapons. In the past, they have been used to quell uprisings, assassinate foes and even kill radical prophets, their active camouflage shielding them from the naked eye. Often they are led by a mighty arbiter, in which case they are usually employed to deal with heretics, although appear on the battlefield frequently too.
Grunt:
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 7
Sv: 5+

Elite:
WS: 4
BS: 4
S: 4
T: 4
W: 1
I: 5
A: 2
Ld: 9
Sv: 4+

Number/squad: 3-15 grunts. The squad must include 1 elite for every 3 grunts.
Options: Elites are equipped with plasma rifles, while Grunts are equipped with plasma pistols. Spec-ops teams must select a configuration, which is added to their standard cost, as detailed below:
Demolitions: The spec-ops team is specialised for an anti-vehicle/fortification sabotage role. Up to two grunts may replace their standard weapons with fuel rod cannons and all elites may select plasma grenades for 6 points per model - +30pts
Ranged: Up to half(rounding up) of all the elites in the squad may switch their plasma rifles for beam rifles - +20pts
Fire Support: Two grunts or one elite may crew a shade platform, as detailed in the wargear list - +30pts
Close range: One elite may replace his weaponry with an energy sword. In addition, two grunts may replace their standard weaponry with needlers - +40pts
Active camouflage: All members of a spec-ops team count as being equipped with active camouflage, as detailed in the covenant armoury.
Arbiter’s charges: The spec-ops team may be taken as a retinue for the arbiter, in which case they form a unit with, and take up the same unit slot as the arbiter. Spec-ops teams used as retinues may not take the Fire Support configuration.





0-1 Engineers – 12pts each
Engineers are mysterious creatures, supported by a number of air sacs contained within their floating, balloon-like bodies, that use deft tentacles and highly advanced brains to fix covenant vehicles. Their tentacles split into cilia when needed, used to deftly and efficiently fix vehicles, although they are physically weak and are unsuited for full-scale combat.
WS: 2
BS: 2
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 4
A: 1 (fore-beast = 2)
Ld: 10
Sv: 5+

Number/squad: 3 – 10 builders.
Options: Engineers use only their tentacle-cilia. These count as a pair of close combat weapons. One engineer may be upgraded to a fore-beast for +7 pts.
Keening wail: When threatened, Engineers let out a screech, believing their enemies will destroy their beloved technology if they are killed. As such, any enemy squad is within 6” of an Engineer must test for pinning once per turn, until it moves outside this range.
Mindless: Engineers seem practically unaware of what is happening around them, oblivious to raging battles and screaming bullets, content to simply tinker with their technology. Engineers count as Fearless.
Builders: Engineers can disassemble and reconstruct any technology in a matter of seconds, fixing any problems and often making the technology better than it was in the first place. Engineers may fix a damaged vehicle during a turn. In order to do this, the Engineers must move into contact with a vehicle that has suffered a weapon destroyed or immobilised result. They must spend one full player turn in contact with the vehicle, and at the end of the turn, roll a dice. If the value on the dice is equal to or less than the number of engineers in contact with the vehicle, then all damage done to the vehicle is removed. Note that a roll of a 6 always fails.


Spectre squadron – 70pts
Spectres are mobile fighting platforms sporting, in addition to the driver, an elite turret gunner and two elites riding “shotgun” so that the vehicle can even fight in close combat. It is a deadly combination of speed, firepower and ingenuity that, when employed correctly, can lay down withering plasma blasts with a devastating close combat punch.
WS: 4
BS: 4
S: 4(5)
Front: 11
Side: 10
Rear: 10
I: 5
A: 3

Number: 1-3 spectres.
Type: Covenant skimmer, Tank.
Weapons: Plasma cannon.
Fighting platform: The spectre fights in close combat like a dreadnought – it can be assaulted and locked just like any other infantry. Attacks from the spectre ignore armour saves.

TROOPS



Grunts – 7pts each
The workhorse of the covenant army, the grunts are small, methane-breathing creatures with stumpy limbs and a spiteful attitude to boot. They breathe through a pipe leading to a methane tank on their back, allowing them some versatility in harsh environments, and attack with surprising tenacity – although if their leading elite goes down, they will often run for cover.
Grunt:
WS: 2
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 6
Sv: 5+

Elite:
WS: 4
BS: 4
S: 4
T: 4
W: 1
I: 5
A: 2
Ld: 9
Sv: 4+

Number/squad: 5-15 grunts. Grunt squads over 10 grunts must include an elite.
Options: Grunts are equipped with plasma pistols. 1 grunt in every 5 may be equipped with a needler for +8pts. An Elite may be added to the squad for +20pts. The Elite comes equipped with a plasma rifle and may select items from the covenant armoury. If the squad contains an elite, one grunt may crew a Shade weapons platform for +15pts.
Our leader!: Grunt squads are frequently deployed with Elite leaders, in order to keep the grunts under control in battle. If, for any reason, the Elite is killed, the grunts must take a leadership test or fall back towards the nearest cover, automatically regrouping when they get there. Grunt squads without Elites do not have to take this test.
Transport: Grunts may be mounted in a Shadow for +70pts


Jackals – 13pts each
Jackals are avian creatures, slightly higher up in the covenant pecking order than grunts. Jackals often carry portable energy shields that deflect all but the most powerful and accurate of shots – as such, Jackals can be incredibly useful for holding fixed territory and the like. They are also famed for their skill with a beam rifle.
WS: 3
BS: 4
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 3
A: 1
Ld: 7
Sv: 5+

Number/pack: 5-10 Jackals.
Options: Jackals come with plasma pistols and handheld energy shields as standard. Any Jackal may exchange both his energy shield and plasma pistol for a beam rifle at +8pts.
Infiltrate: Jackals are skilled at sneaking to a forward position without being spotted. As such, Jackals may infiltrate.
*Boom* Headshot!: Jackals are superb shots with beam rifles – high-ranking jackals even practice sniping without the use of a scope to increase their accuracy. As such, any Jackal with a beam rifle may use the “*Boom*Headshot!” special rule, meaning any roll of a 6 to hit will ignore armour saves.
Rangers: Jackals are used to working under fire and away from the main body of the army. They are stubborn.


TRANSPORT: Shadow – 60pts
The shadow is a devastating mix – able to carry troops to their designated positions, and tear apart the enemy with its turret-mounted plasma cannon. Unfortunately, the sheer weight of it’s cargo entails that it be thinly-armoured in order to decrease mass – as such it is horribly susceptible to small-arms fire.
BS: 4
Front: 11
Side: 10
Rear: 10

Type: Covenant skimmer, Tank.
Weapons: The shadow is armed with a turret mounted plasma cannon.
Transport[/b]: The transport can transport up to 10 elites, 10 grunts or 5 brutes.
Fire points: 2 – left and right side, one passenger may fire from each.


FAST ATTACK

Ghost squadron (see Ghost rules in armoury) Elite – 33pts each Brute – 38pts each
Ghosts are anti-gravity “bikes” often used by the covenant to harry convoys and cut down light infantry. They are crewed by a single Elite or Brute, and are incredibly fast and manoeuvrable – unfortunately, the ghost’s armour is thin in order to incorporate its enormous fuel cell, and as such it offers only scant protection.
Ghost Elite
WS: 4
BS: 4
S: 4
T: 4
W: 1
I: 5
A: 2
Ld: 9
Sv: 4+

Ghost Elite Zealot
WS: 5
BS: 4
S: 4
T: 4
W: 1
I: 5
A: 3
Ld: 10
Sv: 4+

Ghost Brute
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 5
T: 4
W: 2
I: 3
A: 2
Ld: 8
Sv: 4+

Ghost Brute chieftain
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 5
T: 4
W: 2
I: 3
A: 3
Ld: 9
Sv: 4+

Number/squad: The ghost squad consists of 3-10 Ghost mounted elites or 3-10 Ghost mounted Brutes.
Options: Elites: Each Elite is equipped with plasma rifle or carbine, in addition to the twin-linked plasma blasters of the Ghost. One elite may be upgraded to a Zealot for +15pts. The Zealot may select additional equipment from the armoury.
Brutes: Each Brute is equipped with a brute plasma rifle or carbine, in addition to the twin-linked plasma blasters of the Ghost. One brute may be upgraded to a Chieftain for +12pts. The Chieftain may select additional equipment from the armoury.
Race relations: Ghost squadrons must be either all-brute or all-elite – races may not mix.


Drones – 12pts each
Drones are basically huge insects – they were originally used for maintenance of covenant starships, but have recently been deployed in combat situations, with superb results. Their ability to fly indefinitely in low gravity and for short times on a planet’s surface, combined with their sealed carapaces which allow them to survive vacuum, make them a versatile enemy, that many races would (wrongly) underestimate.
Drone:
WS: 3
BS: 3
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 4
A: 1
Ld: 8
Sv: 5+

Swarm-captain:
WS: 3
BS: 4
S: 3
T: 3
W: 1
I: 4
A: 2
Ld: 10
Sv: 5+

Number/swarm: Drone swarms consist of 8-30 drones.
Options: Drones are equipped with plasma pistols. Any drone may be equipped with a needler for +6pts. One drone may be upgraded to a swarm-captain for +12pts, and may select items from the armoury.
Wings: Drones flit from place to place on powerful insectoid wings. Drones move as Jump Infantry.
Hive Mentality: Drones are assigned to a swarm for life – they will be with their unit until death. As such, they quickly develop somewhat of a “collective mind” allowing for devastating coordination. As such, any swarm with a Swarm-captain may re-roll all failed tests for falling back, but not pinning, etc, as long as the Swarm-captain is alive. If for any reason the swarm captain is killed, the squad must pass a leadership test or immediately fall back.


Elite Ranger
When enemies are dug in or hiding in an area surrounded by hard vacuum, the Elite Rangers are deployed. Each one is equipped with a powerful anti-gravity pack, allowing them to fly in both vacuum and atmosphere, and are given the best of medium range weaponry to tear the enemy apart from the sky. The typical Elite Ranger has a reckless streak a mile wide – he will fly through storms of gunfire, roaring in triumph all the while.
Elite Ranger:
WS: 4
BS: 4
S: 4
T: 4
W: 1
I: 5
A: 2
Ld: 9
Sv: 4+

Zealot:
WS: 5
BS: 4
S: 4
T: 4
W: 1
I: 5
A: 3
Ld: 9
Sv: 4+

Number/squad: The Elite Ranger squad consists of 5-10 Elite Rangers.
Options: Elite Rangers are equipped with twin plasma rifles (counts as a single plasma rifle for the purposes of shooting, two close combat weapons for the purposes of close combat). The unit may upgrade to hard vacuum shields(counts as a medium energy shield) for +7pts per model. One Elite Ranger may be upgraded to a Zealot for +15pts. Zealots may select items from the armoury.
Anti-grav packs: Elite Rangers move as Jump Infantry.
Into the fray!: Elite Rangers are close combat veterans. As such, they are often awarded the coveted energy garrotte for their actions. Elite Rangers may buy an energy garrotte, offering +1 attack, for +10pts per model.


Banshee Squadron – 60pts each
Banshees are covenant close-support flyers – they skim the air on high-speed jets, hosing their enemies with waves of plasma and knocking out light vehicles with their integrated fuel rod cannons. They are incredibly manoeuvrable, and tear infantry to pieces, their characteristic engine scream a death throe for many.
BS: 4
Front armour: 10
Side armour: 10
Rear armour: 10

Number/Squadron: 1-5 banshees.
Type: Fast, skimmer (see below)
Weapons: The banshee is equipped with a twin-linked plasma blaster and a fuel rod cannon.
Mid-air flier: The banshee is somewhat of a cross between a flyer and a skimmer, providing close support at low speeds. It moves like a normal skimmer, and may only suffer glancing hits from close combat attacks (actually shooting attacks from a closer range). It is damaged and targeted by ranged attacks as normal.
Boost: The banshee may forfeit firing weapons in the shooting phase in order to add 6” to its movement.




HEAVY SUPPORT

Hunters – 100pts each
Hunters, while they may appear to be hulking behemoths, are actually a colony of worm-like organisms encased within armour. They carry a deadly fuel rod cannon modified for an increased fire rate mounted onto one arm, and a mighty shield created from a near unbreakable material on the other. A threat at both long and close ranges, they always attack in pairs, further enhancing their deadliness.
WS: 4
BS: 4
S: 7
T: 6
W: 3
I: 3
A: 3
Ld: 10
Sv: 2+

Number/Squad: 2 Hunters.
Weapons: Each hunter is equipped with a modified Fuel Rod Cannon (counts as a fuel rod cannon with assault 1 instead of heavy 1).
Monstrous creature: Hunters are huge and powerful, capable of ripping open tanks and crushing troops with ease. Hunters are Monstrous Creatures.
Brood Brothers: Hunters are connected deeply with their brood brother that they are deployed with. The death of their brother enrages them deeply. As such, if one Hunter in the squad is killed, the remaining hunter will immediately suffer from “Brute Rage!” as in the Brute entry.
Expanded coherency: As hunters are huge and monstrous, it is not practical for them to remain within the constraints of a normal squad. As such, they must only maintain a coherency of 4”, rather than the regular 2”.

Wraith – 150pts
The Wraith is the main battle tank of the covenant – protected by thick, energy-dispersing armour on the front and equipped with a huge plasma mortar for bombarding targets and twin plasma rifles for point-defence, it can cut swathes through infantry and vehicles alike. It is also fairly manoeuvrable for it’s size.
BS: 4
Front armour: 14
Side armour: 12
Rear armour: 10

Type: Covenant skimmer, tank.
Weapons: The Wraith is equipped with a plasma mortar and a twin-linked pintle-mounted plasma rifle.
Boost: Instead of firing it’s plasma mortar, a wraith may boost in the movement phase, adding 6” to it’s maximum movement.
Indirect fire: A Wraith may fire its plasma mortar from behind cover if it so wishes. It may not fire this way if it has moved, and shots will scatter D6”.

0-1 Phantom strike: 50pts
The Phantom is a massive dropship, designed to strafe targets on the ground whilst ejecting troops from its main gravity lift. It is equipped with a triple plasma cannon, deadly enough to cut down nearly any enemy while it disgorges its cargo.
Deep Strike: A phantom allows one unit of Honour Guard, Grunts, Jackals, Hunters or Brutes to deploy using the deep strike rules, even if it is not permitted by the mission.
Incoming!: As the phantom drops it’s troops, it will lay down a constant rain of plasma from it’s turrets. As such, on the turn the unit deep strikes, nominate two enemy units within 24” of the hole of the ordnance template – these enemy units take 3 plasma cannon hits (as in three shots) each, rolling to hit(at BS 3) and wound as normal.

0-1 Scarab: 500pts
The Scarab is a mighty war machine – it is a four-legged walker, over thirty metres tall, strong and heavy enough to crush all that stand before it, with a massive, eye-like plasma cannon at it’s prow that immolates all under it’s gaze. Often used for assailing fortified positions or simply crushing cities, the Scarab is luckily rarely mobilised…and when it is, few survive to report the sighting.
WS: 5 (see below)
BS: 5
S: 4(see below)
Front armour: 14
Side armour: 14
Rear armour: 14
I: 5(see below)
A: 10(see below)

Type: Walker, war machine.
Weapons: Scarab main gun, 2 x plasma blaster.
Structure points: 3
Transport: The scarab can transport up to 10 elites, 20 grunts or 10 brutes.
Close combat: Close combat with a scarab itself is difficult, if not impossible – even the most powerful of weapons simply scratch it. The most effective close combats are boarding actions to kill the crew and immobilise the scarab, and as such, all close combats will be fought in the following manner, instead of the normal war machine close combat rules; any close combat is fought as if fighting a dreadnought (the boarders are actually fighting against the elite crew) – as such, the scarab’s attacks will be dealt with the requisite weapon skill, initiative and attacks characteristics as mentioned above, and all attacks back will be made against the armour of the scarab. If the scarab loses the combat, it loses one structure point and may not fire its main gun for a turn. Note that a scarab cannot be locked in combat, and it’s attacks do not ignore armour saves.

Design Notes

Arbiter
Basically an enhanced elite counsellor – I figure counsellor’s are more across the board, but an arbiter is more ceremonial so would be up close with something like an energy sword, that being the ceremonial weapon.

Elite Counsellor
Basically an alternative to the Arbiter – no real disadvantages except a toned-down statline.

Brute chieftain
I could see a chieftain getting blown away by a lascannon, so kept his instant death toughness 4. His points value may be a little high though – opinions?

Honour Guard
These guys are interesting – I could see them being devastating at range or up close. I decided not to make them a group of specialists like a command squad, but still deadly if needs be – they can all have a characteristic. Also, it’s a bit of a gamble – obviously if your expensive sword elite gets into combat, it’s gonna lay down the hurt – but it’s also gonna cost you a lot if he’s gunned down, only being a squaddie after all.

Brutes
The points cost looks too low, but it’s not – they can be killed, and have worse profiles than big mutants, which cost less. Of course, feel free to state your opinions. They are more versatile, but heavy weapons will eat them alive, fitting with the brutes in the game.

Spec-ops
These have a specific role that you pay for, which decreases their effectiveness, but that’s the point – spec-ops teams are not multi-role, they’re suited for their objective. With an arbiter at the helm and a few energy sworders, it’s gonna be pricey but it’s gonna hurt. I’m pretty happy with these.

Engineers
Just an interesting touch, more filler for mechanised armies than anything – but could clearly be used by a decent player to pin enemy units.

Spectres
I felt the covenant deserved a “true” dreadnought, the spectre is also sucky as a vehicle and transport so they got that. The power weapons represent the high speed of the spectre.

Grunts
Cannon fodder. Nuff said. The elite is there to defend them and offer support…don’t see him lasting long though.

Jackals
Basically fulfil the role of scouts, but are good at dealing with armoured targets, especially if given beam rifles. Can also use charged plasma shots.

Shadow
A transport that packs some punch against infantry and light vehicles. Does the main gun need toning down/transport capacity decreased?

Ghosts
These are obviously death to medium infantry, and the speed with which brutes and elites can get into combat on these is incredible. Still, I think the points value is fairly balanced – I took away the toughness bonus normally given by bikes to represent the thinness of the ghost’s armour and volatility of the power core (anyone who’s played halo 2 will know what I mean), and as such they seem fairly balanced.

Drones
Mainly a highly manoeuvrable speedbump with their high numbers, the ability to give them a large amount of needlers can cause pain. To balance this fact, needlers are relatively expensive.

Rangers
Your standard jump pack troop, fights more like an elite unit than standard infantry – I went against giving them superior shooting as then they’ll just get used like warp spiders – sparingly.

Banshee
An interesting one here – large amounts can harry troops, others can strafe vehicles with the fuel rod cannons. Or both. May be slightly unbalanced, but I didn’t think it fit in with the banshee for it to be attacked in combat – rather, the troops would spend the assault phase blasting it with small arms as it dived down to attack.

Hunters
Pretty much a weaker hive tyrant – they might seem cheap, but have to be bought in pairs, meaning a hefty 200 points for a squad that will lose it’s shooting privileges at 50% casualties.

Wraith
A big tank. This had to be done – the covenant have very few proper anti-tank weapons, and as such will rely on the wraith to do it’s job – so it has to be good at this. Originally was an ordnance blast, but that was a little too excessive, so I dropped in favour of slightly less devastating (not necessarily to vehicles) blast template, without the scatter when direct.

Phantom strike
Only 0-1 to prevent the “drop pod army” style – made more interesting by adding fire support on the first turn. May be a little overpriced.

Scarab
Ok, not really feasible for anything but large games, but it’s basically a titan and the same applies for them. One big gun for anti-vehicle, smaller ones for point defence. Thinking of actually lowering the points for this beast – the gun can be neutralised by an attacking close combat force, and the point defence plasma blasters won’t be firing much – and it is only a walker.








So, have a read through, and give your opinions - obviously you don't even need to have played Halo or Halo 2 to comment on an army list - but please don't rant about it if you don't like Halo. There will be some fiction and a little background to go with this soon, so watch this space!



LoC

EDIT: Bolding, slight format change

[Pancakes]

Wow I like it all except one thing.

It's a bit hard to read the stats for the weapons.
CAnt wait to see teh actual trrops.

[The Marquis]

Very good, well researched and a full list, just a few suggestions:

Grunts seem overpowered - not for the points cost, but they are not quite 'fodder', really, so possibly they could be even worse (they are comparable to Eldar guardians). I mean, they're meant to be funny, really.

What about 'red' elites, as a characteristic upgrade, say +1 T/S, or I, or banshees as an upgrade option.

Plasma grenades - although they are like this in Halo, no other army has offesive grenades like this, so maybe they could count as eldar plasma grenades, and melta bombs. This seems only fair.

Generally though, all very well balanced and variable. Great Job, LoC.

TM

[Lordofchange]

Originally Posted by The Marquis

Very good, well researched and a full list, just a few suggestions:

Grunts seem overpowered - not for the points cost, but they are not quite 'fodder', really, so possibly they could be even worse (they are comparable to Eldar guardians). I mean, they're meant to be funny, really.

What about 'red' elites, as a characteristic upgrade, say +1 T/S, or I, or banshees as an upgrade option.

Plasma grenades - although they are like this in Halo, no other army has offesive grenades like this, so maybe they could count as eldar plasma grenades, and melta bombs. This seems only fair.

Generally though, all very well balanced and variable. Great Job, LoC.

TM

Well, thanks very much for the kudos. I worked hard on it, and it's nice to see people appreciate my work!

The point on grunts: I figured that the strength 3 more represents them using their plasma pistols up close, and the toughness the extra bulk provided by the methane pack. I toyed with making them lower toughness, even playtested them against a mate - but it's just not worth it. They get torn apart by basic infantry weapons (i based this on heroic/legendary stats here, so grunts can actually take a little damage) and basically it makes taking an elite worthless - he's on his own by the end of the second turn. The problem is the stiffness of troops choices with the covenant - my only real other choice of troops was elites, and i think they suit better as elites choices (ironic, huh?). If grunts become...well, crap, people will only take Jackals - and while they have their plus sides, i imagine players will want more flexibility than just Jackals, as grunts have some advantages over them - for example, they're cheap and have the potential to do damage.

As for plasma grenades, i will change them - they're slightly too complex, i was thinking maybe doing it in the same manner as 'nid hunter krak grenades, except the hit chance is based on their initiative (as it'd obviously be easier to stick a plasma grenade to an uberslow ork than a blur of an archon).

The red elites I'd rather leave out - i was tempted to go into all the colours, but if you look at the ranks, there's around eight different colours for each race - i figure that elite's abilities do not increase significantly enough to prompt a stat increase until you get to Zealot level (gold elite) or specops, and of course honour guard. As for the banshee as an upgrade option, i'd prefer to leave that out too - obviously it's not such a good idea to give things with an armour value to a squad leader or something, and I left the fuel rod cannon out of the armoury to prevent it being abused by low ballistic skill - something that will happen if i make the banshee available.

Anyway, thank you for your kudos and comments, all are appreciated - watch this space for a flood army list based somewhat on this, and a heretic army list variant of this one!

LoC

On a loosely related note, i'd also like opinions about the hunters - they are, with the elite counsellors, my favourite enemy in halo, and definitely were my favourite covenant creature to make rules for in the army list - the idea of twin walking tanks with fuel rod cannons gets me somehow=). Oh, and just to explain the assault characteristic - in halo 2 the hunters were given, rather than a fuel rod cannon, a more energy beam-like weapon that was infinitely more accurate and deadly. As such, they were given the ability to move and fire due to their strength and the deadliness of the weapon.

[Lordofchange]

OK, plasma grenade rules have now changed:

Plasma grenades: When activated or “lit�, plasma burn blue and hiss ominously, and seem to be able to differentiate between inanimate objects and hostiles, sticking to potential targets with unbreakable force. They explode shortly afterwards in a fatal blast of plasma. For the purposes of attacking vehicles (including walkers) plasma grenades count as melta bombs. In addition, a model may exchange all of it's attacks in close combat to make a single "special" attack with a plasma grenade. This attack hits on the roll of a 6, has a strength of 8 and ignores armour saves.


LoC

[Riptor]

Damn you... i now officially hate you...

The reason?? Because now im not gonna be able to help myself from making an army from this list... time to find things that look like halo stuff... any suggestion on Elites, Grunts, Spectres and hunters. Thanks for the time you took to make this army list... prepare to have a battle report of these taking on my friends armies. =P

Pos Rep for you, for the thought put in.

[Lordofchange]

New Unit added

Heavy Support

0 - 1 AA Needler battery - 70pts
An immensely large version of the handheld needler, the AA Needler fires a single needle, twice as big as a man, directly up into swarms of aircraft. It then explodes into thousands of smaller needles which pepper aircraft and explode, causing massive structural damage. While not a particularly precision weapon, it has proven the death of many flyers and even ground targets when required.

Type: Emplacement, immobile(see below)
Front: 12
Side: 12
Rear: 12
BS: 4

Unit: The AA Needler battery consists of 1 - 3 AA Needler platforms. These are deployed independently of each other at the same time.

Armament: Each AA Needler battery is equipped with a macro-needler. The stats for the macro-needler are as follows:

Rng: 36" Str: 7 AP: 4 Ordance 1 blast, pinning

Each macro-needler is in an AA mount (note that it can still be fired at ground troops). When fired at flyers, the macro-needler gets D3 shots at each flyer.

Towable: The platform can be towed by a wraith or a spectre. The vehicle must move into contact with the plratform, and may tow it up to 6" per turn. The towing vehicle may disengage at any time during the movement phase. Normal shooting rules apply, but when towed, only the towing vehicle or the platform may fire - not both.

Well, what do you think? These came up in First Strike once, and i've fleshed it out a little, but i figured it added a little diversity.

LoC

[halokid]

Im pretty newbish to this site but where do you go to test the Halo game. Also it looks really sweet can't wait to play it!:w00t:

[Lordofchange]

Ok then, i was looking through the list and suddenly realised that I haven't included vehicle upgrades. This is where i entered a conundrum - the covenant are imitative, not innovative (making them, for once, unlike the tau) so vehicle upgrades would be rather tricky - but I'm sure even the dumbest of covenant engineers would know that if you added more armour the tank wouldn't die as easily, etc. Anyway, below are some covenant vehicle upgrades - I'd like some feedback on them, as the list is ready to come together as a proper PDF soon. Anyone willing to playtest the list will be greatly rewarded (repmobile!) and I need some feedback - I'd rather this not die, what with all the work I've put into it. Anyone wishing to join the design team please drop me a line, and anyone with any opinions should post them and I'll take them into account. Anyway, upgrades:

Extra Ceramic - 25pts: On occasion, covenant vehicles are bulked up with extra armoured ceramic to prepare for siege actions, or simply to protect from small-arms fire. While this is effective, it is often at the cost of speed due to the extra weight and overbalancing the plates cause. Any vehicle with extra ceramic gains +1 armour value to all of it's facings, but loses the ability to boost.

Plasma Bomb - 15pts: The vehicle is equipped with a failsafe system connected directly to it's powerful plasma reactors, and when times are dire, this can be detonated, killing anything that would threaten the vehicle. During the covenant shooting phase, or when the vehicle is destroyed, the covenant player may choose to detonate the reactors of the vehicle. The vehicle is automatically destroyed, and any enemy unit with a model within D6" inches of the exploding vehicle takes D6 hits with a strength equal to the exploding model's front armour value. Armour saves are allowed as normal, and any vehicle hit in this manner may only be glanced. Note that this overrides all other methods of explosion, i.e. a "vehicle annihilated" result on the ordnance table.

Pintle-mounted plasma rifle - 10pts: The vehicle may be equipped with a single pintle plasma rifle in addition to it's other weapons. Normal firing restrictions apply.

Blades - 5pts: In order to assist during tank shock, covenant vehicles often mount sharp blades on the front of their vehicles - these are crude, but devastating. Any enemy unit failing their leadership test from tank shock from a vehicle with Blades takes D6 strength 5 hits, normal saves apply.

Plasma Charge - 25pts: On occasion, Covenant have known to overcharge their vehicle's plasma drives and then vent the energy into the weapon, creating an immensely powerful blast which can kill nearly anything it is directed at. Any covenant vehicle may apply overcharged plasma to ONE of it's plasma weapons at the beginning of the game - this includes any weapon with the word "plasma" in their name, but nothing else. This weapon, at the cost of all other weapon systems on the vehicle, may fire with +1 S(to a maximum of 1 and the "blast" characteristic. Weapons that already fire with a blast may use the ordnance template instead. If fired in this manner, the vehicle may not move or use any other weapons that turn. Also, if a 1 is rolled to hit, the weapon suffers a catastrophic overheat and may not fire for D6 turns.

[Illishan]

Perhaps give the beam rifel the necron Gaus ability. Kinda like a head shot? idk. Just sounded cool in my head. Perhaps I should have kept it there :oP