What is bikestar ?

[runningmonkey]

Hi guys new to the forum

I have 3 40k armys Chaos black legion, Tua, and a Ravenwing army

I have a quick question I had heard the term bikestar and have no idea what it is? could anyone help?

[Wolfshade]

A bikestar is a deathstar on bikes.

That is a powerful unit, often joined by a character which makes the unit uber.

Often these are quite expensive units and the character's special rule works in synergy with the rest of the unit they are in.

[Arkhan Land]

A More Specific Example Would be Taking an Eldar or SM or CSM Leader+Retinue on bikes, if you can work in some sort of Feel No Pain like from an apothecary or a gods blessing or some other source essentially you run around the board with a Jink Cover Save and FNP as a backup while mercillesly firing upon, assaulting, then depending on the specific unit also using Hit and Run to break away from said assault to do it again next turn. Not to mention the +1 to toughness given by bikes

OVER AND OVER AND OVER

[Power Klawz]

The key component to a bikestar (or any deathstar type unit really) is its durability. Since its going to cost a silly amount of points you need to make sure you don't lose them to a single lucky battlecannon shot or what have you. The most egregious of these end up with 2+ rerollable invulnerable saves, which functionally makes them unstoppable.

Other less impressive bikestars exist, like Nob bikers with a painboy and KFF big mek, throw in a warboss if you're feeling froggy. That's a lot of toughness 5 wounds rolling around with great cover saves, an invulnerable save to shooting and FnP. They can dish out decent amounts of twin linked firepower and whatever they charge turns into jelly. Not quite as unkillable as a 2+ rerollable, but sturdy enough so long as you don't plan on charging a line of demolishers.

Some basic metrics that I find interesting.

Average number of MEQ bolter shots to kill 1 toughness 4, 2++ rerollable model: 111
Average number of MEQ plasma shots to kill 1 t4, 2++ etc.: 67
Likelihood of a demolisher cannon killing t4, 2++ etc: 2.3%

MEQ bolter vs. nob bikers w/kff and fnp: 40 shots to kill 1 nob (if jinking for 3+ cover save)
MEQ plasma vs. nobs: 16 shots to kill 1 nob
demolisher vs. nobs: 56% chance to kill

As you can see, the 2+ invulnerable with rerolls is basically a broken mechanic.

[YorkNecromancer]

The classic examples are things like an Iron Hands Chapter Master. To quote 1D4chan on the subject:

on a bike, with Artificer Armour, the Shield Eternal and a weapon (usually a Thunder Hammer), as well as Digital Weapons. This gives him 4 wounds,toughness 5, a 2+ armour save and a 3++ invulnerable save, 6+ Feel No Pain, 5+ It Will Not Die, Adamantium Will, and Eternal Warrior. If you take a Thunder Hammer - and there's really no reason not to, you're paying so much for him as it is that there's no point in trying to save points - you'll be hitting at strength 8, AP2 with Concussive, and you won't need to worry about initiative as you're not going to die anyway. While he won't win against everyone - notably, he'll (mathematically) lose against Be'lakor, Skarbrand, Abaddon, and a Waaagh-buffed Ghazghkull - he's still dead 'ard and dead killy.

Also of note is the fact that he managed to go head-to-head with Darnath Lysander and the two punched each other out, despite Lysander's S10.

One should strongly consider putting him in a Scout biker squad in the beginning of the game. For 54 points minimum you can give him Scouts, allowing him to start 12" closer to enemy and give him a few extra T5 wounds as well. Don't expect the scouts to survive with 4+ armor but if they do, consider tooling them for harassment w/ AGLs and a melta bomb.

If you're not facing high Toughness/Initiative units or want extra unit killing ability you can also take the Burning Blade in lieu of a thunder hammer. Thunder hammer most of the time is more optimal however, as well as being cheaper.

There's also the Clan Raaukan version, which is even more of a nightmare:

although he can't take the Shield Eternal any more, he can now take the even better Gorgon's Chain. This piece of gear doesn't take up a weapons slot, unlike the Shield, and not only do you get 3++ and Eternal Warrior, you ALSO get +1 to your Feel No Pain! The only downside to this is that its effectiveness decreases as you take wounds, first losing the Feel No Pain boost, then the Eternal Warrior, and then having its 3++ decreased to a 4++. However, you're unlikely to get that far, and if you regain wounds with your IWND, you get the previous levels of the Chain back! As it doesn't take up a weapon slot, you can use that for a Lightning Claw - giving you an extra attack and the chance to strike at initiative - and replace his bike's boltguns with the Betrayer's Bane, an infinite-use Combi-Melta (throw in the Tempered Helm to re-roll ones in the shooting phase for extra rage) Betrayer's Bane is already Master-crafted, but Tempered Helm WILL come in handy if you equip your cheap biker HQ's Command squad with bikes and grav guns (or put him with grav cents, he can always split off and murder an entire unit by himself. This becomes even more hysterical if you roll Master of the Ambush and infiltrate the entire unit). And if you also got the Warlord Trait that gives you an EXTRA +1 to your FnP, then your opponent may as well save himself the trouble and surrender.

If you field it, they will die. Almost nothing short of a Daemon Prince of Nurgle wielding the Black Mace can even touch this guy, and even then the Daemon Prince might lose given one bad roll.

But if you really want to make someone's life a living hell, ally together a Clan Raukaan force and a Codex:SM force (fluff it as the Iron Hands and a successor chapter) to bring both of these characters together (smash bros). Or, if you're feeling particularly devious, field the Forge World Salamanders apothecary Master Harath Shen; seeing as he gives the unit a 4+ FNP that's increased to a 3+ by the Gorgon's Chain. He also gives you access to a Command squad for extra goodness although he doesn't have a bike and so reduces the squads mobility... But then again, with a lucky warlord table roll you're rocking 2+/3++ then 2+ feel no pain(!!).

Stick either of these characters in a large unit of SM bikers and you're good to go, with a unit that's ungodly fast, toughness 5 and re-rolls to hit with bolter shots. Not to mention that if it's got attack bikes added, it has highly mobile multimeltas instead of simple meltaguns.

Bikestars cost a LOT of points, but they get the job done.

[Wolfshade]

Some basic metrics that I find interesting.

Average number of MEQ bolter shots to kill 1 toughness 4, 2++ rerollable model: 111
Average number of MEQ plasma shots to kill 1 t4, 2++ etc.: 67
Likelihood of a demolisher cannon killing t4, 2++ etc: 2.3%

MEQ bolter vs. nob bikers w/kff and fnp: 40 shots to kill 1 nob (if jinking for 3+ cover save)
MEQ plasma vs. nobs: 16 shots to kill 1 nob
demolisher vs. nobs: 56% chance to kill

As you can see, the 2+ invulnerable with rerolls is basically a broken mechanic.

That's crazy. I had never given too much ponderance to the values, now if there is someway to make artificier armour re-roll-able.

[YorkNecromancer]

Hopefully not. In percentage terms, 2++ re-rollable equates to a 97% chance of avoiding ALL damage.

I mean, 2+ with rerolls Which is fine for things like shooting or assault, where there are absurdly few units which are that accurate, and when they are, they're usually one shot, meaning that yes, there's going to be the very high likelyhood of damage, but it's mitigatable. On armour? I can't even believe it's not been disbarred as a thing that can exist yet. The idea that there's only a 3% chance that you can hurt the thing? Ridiculous, and utterly broken. The only possible justification I could see would be in something like a game of Apocalypse, but let's get real. Even Horus doesn't have 2++ with a re-roll. Whatever does is LITERALLY TOUGHER TO KILL THAN THE WARMASTER HIMSELF. THE WARMASTER WHO WAS SO HARDCORE THAT IT TOOK A PRIMARCH AND THE EMPEROR HIMSELF TO STOP. NO-ONE SHOULD BE TOUGHER THAN THAT. GAME/FLUFF SEGREGATION BE DAMNED, THE VERY IDEA IS STUPID IS STUPID.

Nothing in the game should be functionally indestructible. It's just no fun to play against, and anyone who needs to win that badly?

They're a terrible, terrible human being.

[40kGamer]

2++ rerollable is beyond any doubt the worst game mechanic in existence. GW not fixing it shows a serious lack of care for their own product.

[runningmonkey]

Massive thanks for all the informative reply, Great forum!

The main reason behind my question was for my ravenwing army am yet to play a game with them as am just in the building process and as its a full bike army I thought it may have something to do with that.

@Yorknecromancer, Totally agree, I don't play competitive just really for fun, I never really played against any death star type army and I didn't know what the term meant until last week (tho I would like to play against such an army to see how I fare) But yes agree when army and IC get to powerful it takes the fun out of the game (am yet to play against knights and I here there a hard army to crack! )

[Reaper45]

So what would a Chaos SM (Slaanesh) or a vanilla marine Bikestar look like?