Necromunda Review: Miscellaneous Equipment

Continuing my reviews of all things Necromunda here is Miscellaneous Equipment!


Auto-repairer

If you roll up one of these and you have the credits - buy it. If you don't have the credits - sell something and then buy it! It is just that good. A 4+ ignore for any failed ammo rolls is a huge in-game effect, and it doesn't even add to your gang rating.

On the downside it does require the post-game action of a Heavy and a Ganger.

Personally, even if I had a really bad game and took a lot of casualties, I would still rather work the auto-repairer than a territory. A few extra credits from working a territory isn't going to impact my next game as much as an auto-repairer does.

A final thing to remember is that this item can be destroyed if the gang owning it lose the "raid" scenario as defenders. Although this does mean it can be worth trying raids against a rival who makes use of an auto-repairer.


Bio-Booster

By using a bio-booster, a character's first injury roll is modified to become a 1-3 for flesh wound instead of just a 1.(Note that this only applies to the first roll per game, so if you get hit by a weapon with a high damage (say a meltagun) then the the first dice roll will be affected, but the others will roll as normal.)

Very expensive at 50 credits, I don't tend to use these I would rather spend the credits on more gang members or weapons.


Bio Scanner

At first glance it seems an expensive gadget with little practical use. But if you find your gang defending a lot of rescues or raids then it comes into its own.

A 360° bubble triple the owners initiative that auto spots hidden models regardless of line of sight. You place a high initiative ganger with one of these near the captive/gateway and you basically auto spot the raiders.

Also has application in normal gangfights to "spot" hidden models so other gang members can fire on them once they are located.




Blindsnake pouch

A nice simple item which gives the owner a 4+ special save against overwatch shots. Best used on a high value gang member that will be advancing across the board. This stacks really nicely with the stealth skill "sneak up" for a gang member who is all but immune to overwatch.












Clip harness

A cheap item that is also common, so you can always buy them even on gang creation.

If a ganger with one of these doesn't move in its turn it has "clipped on". As long as you don't move or fight in close combat the effect remains. When you get shot and are pinned you never have to test for falling within 1" of an edge.

Every heavy and long range ganger should have one of these.


Concealed blade

A decent chance to escape either with your gear or not, but a small chance of dying in the attempt. Nice and cheap. If you doubt your chances of a successful rescue then you should invest in these for high value gang members such as your leader or heavies.









Filter plugs/Respirator

The former grants re-rolls against toughness tests from gas, the latter allows you to ignore it altogether.

If gangs in your campaign begin using gas grenades invest in these.

Also can be used offensively if you have gas grenades, see the post here for those tactics.


Grav chute

Makes a ganger never suffer fall damage. Note this will work even if the owner is currently "downed". If you use it to jump down levels your ganger still uses up "movement" as he descends. So if a normal ganger equipped with a grav chute jumps down 6" they can't shoot as they moved more than 4" but could move 2" after landing to complete a 8" run.

Situational but worth it if you climb up high a lot, playing king of the spire???


Grapnel

This can be used to move rapidly across the board ignoring the needs for ladders. The model must make a ranged shot at the place you want to travel to with a -1 to hit. Next turn the model winches itself to that position and does nothing else that turn. So it would be advisable to winch to a protected area with decent cover or something blocking line of sight. It has a range of 16" which isn't great considering the restrictions the rules place on the grapnel. At 30 credits I don't see this as that useful an item unless your board has lots of multi level terrain and very few ladders.


Infra-Red Goggles

These allow a fighter to spot hidden enemies at triple their initiative x3 in its arc of sight. With a +1 to the roll for spotting intruders during a raid or rescue. They also allow the model to see through the darkness without penalty If you play using the rules for darkness (and why wouldn't you??) then these are a great item to get hold of.



Isotropic fuel rod

These turn any territory you want into a settlement. Which will earn 30 credits when worked with the chance to gain a free juve each game. They cost 50+4D6 credits so they are best bought early in a campaign to make sure the start to pay themselves off. If you have an "Old ruins" or a "Slag" territory then this is ideal to make more credits long term.



Mung Vase

Rare trade item gambling... I personally never buy these I'm not much of a risk taker with my credits! I prefer safer investments.









Medi-Pack



Medi-packs cost a lot but they are more than worth it. If a model equipped with a medi-pack ends its turn in base to base contact with a model that is "down" then the recovery roll for that model is modified to 1-4 Flesh wound 5-down, 6-OOA. Which is a huge improvement, it keeps your important fighters active for longer. If I get hold of a medi-pack I like to give it to a Juve that has leveled up in a way that they have not gained much in the way of combat ability. Techno skills are great, as you will likely want to keep a fighter with them out of harms way. Try to keep the owner of the medi-pack out of line of sight from enemy shooting if at all possible.




Photo-Contacts/Photo-Visor

The primary function of these items is to protect against photon flash grenades. Contacts make you immune to being blinded, and the visor makes you immune to them altogether. They have an additional effect of allowing you to see through darkness at varying levels contacts see 18" and visors 24" into the darkness.
If other gangs are using photon flashes, buy these to counter them. Are you using the rules for darkness yet? Buy these to make life easier.


Silencer

These can be attached to stubguns, hunting rifles, autopistols, autoguns and autosluggers. They silence the weapon (duh) so it will never raise the alarm during a raid or rescue. (Although if the shot fails to take the target model down they will still raise the alarm as normal)
They can also be used in a normal game to allow a fighter that is hiding to shoot without revealing their location. On a roll of a +4 after the shot is fired the fighter remains hidden.
These work great on hunting rifles hidden up on a higher level, perhaps deployed via vents.


Ratskin map

Rare trade gambling again! But this time with much better odds and a better pay off in terms of game play.
There is a small chance it will be useless, but it is most likely to provide a modifier to the scenario roll. For the rest of the campaign... if you have a chance to get one I suggest you buy it.







Screamers and Stummers

Screamers help defenders in raid and rescue scenarios. Every time a attacking fighter moves roll a D6, on a 6 they set off the alarm. Stummers reduce the chance of setting off the alarm by -1 and also cancel out screamers altogether. These are well worth picking up, being cheap anyway I think its always worth buying them if you have the spare credits.


Suspensor

50 credits to make a heavy weapon able to move and shoot but at -1 BS. If your heavy has good BS then this can be worth it, I however never seem to get a heavy that can shoot straight so I give this one a miss. I find it just adds even more cost to an already very expensive fighter, but other people always pick them up...


Stinger pouch

A item that is a fail safe to taking an injury. If the owner is "down" at the end of the game and the roll to see if they take an injury results in a +4 the stinger pouch comes in handy and the model doesn't take an injury but the stinger pouch is used up.

What are your thoughts on these items?
What would you like covered in my next post?
Let me know in the comments below!