Games Workshop has revealed another new Warhammer 40k T’au Empire miniature, the Kroot Lone-Spear, via the Warhammer Community website. This scouting loner rides a creature called a Kalamandras, a lizard-like beast with chameleonic skin.
This is the latest of several T’au Empire reveals for Warhammer 40k, following on from the Kroot Hunting Pack box set and new models for Kroot Hounds. Games Workshop teased the Lone-Spear’s silhouette during its winter previews, but this is our first glimpse at the full miniature.
When we saw the teaser silhouette we guessed that the Kroot would be riding on another Krootiform sub-species, but the Kalamandras looks to be equal parts cat, lizard, and salamander, without the birdlike quills and beak associated with the Kroot and their offshoots. Whatever else it is, it’s clearly a Very Good Boy.
According to a Warhammer Community post from Monday, the Lone-Spear has two weapon options, explosive-tipped javelins and the Kroot long gun.
Explosive-tipped javelins “can blast apart armoured troops… and a lucky hit on a tank can do significant damage”. WarCom states they’re a “convenient weapon to hurl while riding at speed”, suggesting they have the Assault weapon ability.
The Kroot Long Gun has long range, good ballistic skill, S6, AP-2, and Damage 3. WarCom states it “can even pick individual soldiers out of crowded fortifications, striking down medics and weapon teams”, suggesting it has the Precision weapon ability.
Lone-Spears act as force multipliers for other Kroot units with their Advanced Scouting ability. Once a Lone-Spear has an enemy unit with a shooting attack, other Kroot units can re-roll rolls to hit that target until the end of the turn.
This will be useful in allowing Kroot to act as a standalone Warhammer 40k faction without the benefit of the marker light support available to other T’au Empire units.
The WarCom post specifies that Long-Spears will be “in the second wave of releases” for the Kroot, after the army box set which drops with early access to the T’au Warhammer 40k Codex.
If you’re a fan of big aliens springing up where you hadn’t expected them, make sure you check out this absurdly awesome Warhammer 40k Tyranid carnival float, which invaded the small town of Torelló earlier this month.
Source: Wargamer
