"Excellent! The Triarch Stalkers have come. Now there shall be a reckoning with our arrogant inferiors."
A Necron Triarch Stalker in battle
Triarch Stalkers are a form of hexapedal combat walker utilised by Necron Triarch Praetorians in battle. Like an enormous mechanical spider, a Triarch Stalker looms over the battlefield with its multiple slicing limbs and devastating weaponry. Triarch Stalkers are often piloted by a high-ranking Triarch Praetorian and are primarily employed against enemy heavy armour and to provide close fire support to other Necron units.
Role[]
A procession of Triarch Stalkers covered by air support of Necron Doom Scythes and Night Scythes
While the Triarch Stalker can mount a wide array of anti-infantry and anti-armour weaponry, it is most commonly employed as a dedicated tank-hunter that roams far ahead of the main army. When a Triarch Stalker advances, it does so with a speed and surety that belies its jerking gait. Indeed, it can cover all manner of terrain with a deftness and precision seldom found on the walkers of less advanced races. Able to navigate dense jungle and mountainous terrain as swiftly and sure-footedly as open plains, Triarch Stalkers can easily outmanoeuvre more cumbersome tracked vehicles, the better to unleash their withering firepower against the thinner armour presented by the target's flanks and rear. As such attacks are much more effective when the enemy is taken unawares, Triarch Stalkers rarely indulge in sustained fusillades. Instead, they prefer to employ hit-and-run tactics; launching one or two salvoes of fire and then skittering away onto the shadows before the enemy can react to their threat.
On those occasions when a Triarch Stalker is deployed in the heart of Necron battle lines, its main function is to provide close fire support, and it is typically equipped with a Heat Ray -- a multi-purpose fusion weapon. If an enemy tank stalls the main Necron attack, one focussed blast from the Triarch Stalker's Heat Ray is sufficient to end the threat. Similarly, if dug-in enemy infantry is hampering the Necron advance, a Triarch Stalker can break the deadlock. The pilot simply sets the Heat Ray to dispersed beam, and sends clouds of scorching plasma swirling into every crevasse to boil the enemy alive.
Should the Triarch Stalker's firepower prove insufficient for the task at hand, it can instruct nearby Necron phalanxes to add their firepower to its own, and even transmit targeting data to ensure these augmentative volleys are as accurate as possible. Only the toughest and bravest of foes can withstand such a barrage -- others are driven screaming from the battlefield, or mown down by the pinpoint salvoes.
Such a difference does a Triarch Stalker's presence make that habitual foes of the Necrons have learnt to prioritise its destruction. To guard against this, each Triarch Stalker is protected by layered Quantum Shielding. Though a determined assault can still breach these potent energy fields, it normally buys the Triarch Stalker enough time to withdraw. With their durability thus enhanced. Triarch Stalkers are increasingly deployed at the head of vanguard forces to bear the brunt of the enemy's counterattack until the main body of the Necron army reaches the battle zone. They are as much of a symbol of the Triarch's power as they are deadly warmachines in battle.
Notable Formations[]
- Lawbringer Phalanx – When the vermin of the lesser races run wild, a thorough scouring is required – often on a planetary scale. In such times, the High Judicators who guide the Triarch Praetorians in their work will breach their ancient vaults and retrieve an Apotheosis Orb. An Apotheosis Orb is similar in function to a Resurrection Orb, but vastly superior in form and function. Whilst the orb functions, nearby Praetorians can use its energy to infuse themselves and their weapons with fresh strength and resilience. Triarch Praetorians are implacable warriors under normal circumstances; the presence of an Apotheosis Orb transforms them into a nigh-unstoppable crusade. Only by shattering their leading Triarch Stalker, in whose control panel the Apotheosis Orb is nestled, can the foe have any hope of victor. A Lawbringer Phalanx formation typically consists of a single Triarch Stalker leading two or more squads of Triarch Praetorians.
Armament[]
A Triarch Stalker armed with a Heat Ray
Triarch Stalkers are primarily armed with a main weapon located under its main hull. This weapon can be any one of the following:
- Heat Ray - A Heat Ray is a weapon that can either be fired in a focused beam, which can devastate armour with fusion-based Melta energy, or in a dispersed beam which acts like a Flamer and can burn enemy troops out of cover.
- Particle Shredder - A Particle Shredder functions by emitting a stream of miniscule anti-matter particles that detonate explosively on contact with matter. Particle Weapons are incredibly reliable, needing only enough energy to maintain the containment field that prevents the anti-matter from detonating within the weapon’s mechanism, which is composed of normal matter. Blasts from a Particle Shredder can cover a wide area, and are effective against both infantry and light vehicles.
- Twin-linked Heavy Gauss Cannons – Heavy Gauss Cannons are devastating weapons best used to penetrate heavy armour. They are the same weapon as that mounted on a Heavy Destroyer.
All Triarch Stalkers are also equipped with the following:
- Targeting Relay - Triarch Stalkers are equipped with advanced targeting relay systems to transmit targeting data and enhance the accuracy of other Necron units shooting at the same target as the stalker.
- Necrodermis - The armour of Triarch Stalkers is made up of the same living metal Necrodermis that makes up all Necron bodies and vehicles. Its remarkable regenerative properties allow it to automatically repair damage to itself; whether this is the regeneration of parts of its hull, the reknitting of metal plates, and the reconnection of circuits and other delicate systems to bring its weapons online again. Many a foe has celebrated prematurely after landing a solid hit on an Triach Stalker only for it return its lethal firepower after a few moments of repair.
- Quantum Shielding - Triarch Stalkers are protected by a layer of Quantum Shielding which exists only at the moment of deflection. It can deflect the first shot that would otherwise penetrate the Triarch Stalkers armour, after which it cannot be used again for some time.
Ordo Xenos Departmento Analyticus Technical Specifications[]
The technical specifications for this Necron unit have not been obtained or released by the Ordo Xenos.
Sources[]
- Codex: Necrons (5th Edition), pp. 9, 23, 39, 81-82
- Codex: Necrons (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 51-52, 158
- Imperial Armour - Volume Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus, pg. 99
- &_requestid=366316 Games Workshop Catalogue - Necron Triarch Stalker
- Warzone: Damnos, pg. 61
Gallery[]
