Codex Review: Relics

Greetin’s all to da secund part of the Codex review: Wargear, da Relics! A Relic is a supa spushal piece ok Orky kit full of Orky mumbo jumbo or Mekboyz secret gubbins an’ whatsits. Powahful bits that are dead killy when used propaly! So listen’ up an’ see what bits and bobs is best fer takin’!

One thing to note is I will be reviewing both Relics from Codex: Orks and Waaagh! Ghazghkull at the same time, so if there is anything I mention that you cannot find in the Main Ork book that is why.

Gifts of Gork and Mork:

Da Dead Shiny Shoota- Deadly, Shiny, and very shooty this weapon lives up to its name in strides. A Kustom double barreled shoota that always fires on full auto, (knowing Orks it probably can only fire on full auto) spraying down enemy units with a barrage of bullets. However the gun kicks like a bull Grox, so it’s not unusual for the stray bullet or ten to go into a nearby mob of Orks.

Da Dead Shiny Shoota (or DSS for short) works similar to a shoota; having a range of 18”, S4 and AP6, however it is better as it is Assault 6 and twin linked, so this gun can put out a lot of bullets, perfect for the more Dakka obsessed Warboss. The only real drawback is the “Stray Shot” special rule. Simply put, for every shot you miss (after re-rolls for twin linked) you roll a further D6, for each roll of a ‘1’ a unit of Orks that is within 6” of the target gets hit instead. That is of course if you think of the idea that your Warboss kills some random boy then it’s a boon more than a drawback. Overall this Relic has a rating of B

Da Finkin’ Kap- Not exactly Orky in nature, Da Finkin’ Kap was a piece of training equipment taken from a Schola Progenium that was combined with a snazzy Ork hat that showed the great plans and strategies from the Imperial Guard to whatever Ork set it atop their head. Flashing random scenarios and reports, any Ork keen enough to understand what he was seeing could incorporate these plans into his own army and crush the humans, using their own strategies against them.

Da Finkin’ Kap is an interesting Relic as it allows the Warlord to generate an additional Warlord trait from the Strategic Traits table. So while not outright powerful it could grant your army an advantage on a more strategic level, combined with the first Warlord Trait generated this could lead to your army having a major advantage and even enable them to outmaneuver your opponent. Overall this Relic has a rating of A

Da Fixer Upperz- Once belonging to a well known Mek that could seem to repair any vehicle, no matter just how wrecked and non-functional it was; these tools have been stolen, sold and re-stolen so many times no Ork truly knows if the tools they posses are the realy Fixer Upperz. But Orks being Orks, the sheer belief that these tools will do the job holds true.

Da Fixer Upperz are a decent Relic that has a low points cost and lets a more repair focused mek do his job better. Allowing repairing on a 3+ instead of a 5+ this can keep a Battlewagon or even a Stompa going strong even after getting blasted by enemy anti-tank weapons. Paired with a few Grot oilers and you’ll have nothing to worry about. Overall this Relic has a rating of B

Da Lucky Stikk- Originally owned by what could only be described as the luckiest Grot to ever live, well until he was sat on and killed by his master. Da Lucky Stikk is a Bosspole that is infused with unnaturally good luck and seems to keep the bearer from harm and misfortune everywhere they go. That is until of course the luck seems to stop and the wielder meets a serious of unfortunate event that leaves them less alive then how they woke up that day.

Da Lucky Stikk is most undeniably the best Relic in the Ork codex, if not the best Relic in the entire game. Granting a +1 WS bonus to the wielder and whatever unit he joins it works great as a combat boosting upgrade, but the real treat kicks in after that. In addition to +1 WS the wielder may also re-roll any failed to-hit, to-wound, or saving throws he takes. This leads to a particularly nasty Warboss that always seems to hit, wound and make his saves. It does come with a price however. If you fail three re-rolls in a single turn (Note this is player turn not game turn) the wielder is automatically removed from play with no saves allowed. Of course that is a small chance of happening and well worth all the benefits. Overall this Relic has a rating of A

Headwhoppa’s Killchoppa- A seemingly normal looking Big choppa that has a tendency to always find a way to decapitate whomever it hits. Originally belonging to Grand Warboss Headwhoppa, this weapon has found its way to the hands of many different Ork tribes. Whether by intervention from Gork, Mork or even Khorne who knows for sure, one thing can be said however is this, many heads will fly and it will bring many cheers from the Boyz watching as a head goes sailing into the air before falling down into the enemy forces.   

A more interesting Relic, the Killchoppa acts like a normal Big choppa, however any roll to wound of a 6 gains the Rending and Instant Death special rules. Perfect for any Warboss that likes to kill anything bigger than himself, this Relic will sure make combat more interesting when heads start to fly. Overall this Relic has a rating of C

Warboss Gazbag’s Blitzbike- Once owned by a notorious Speed Freek Warboss, this Kustom bike has been modified , sold, stolen and re-sold so many times that it’s hard to tell where one Mek’s modification started and another ones ended. At the bikes for however it is still a monster sized bike with a large jet engine and Kustom dakkablastas than can turn anything it shoots at into a bloody pulp.

Similar to a normal Ork Warbike this Relic grants the wielder a 4+ armour save and counts his cover save as being 1 higher in a turn in which he went flat out. In addition he may flat out 18” rather than 12” and the Dakkagun is replaced by a more powerful Dakkablasta that has a 24” range with S6 AP3 and Assault 3 Twin linked, this Relic is perfect for any biker boss that wants more speed and even more Dakka. Overall this Relic has a rating of B

Orkimedes' Kustom Gubbinz:

Choppa of Da Ragnarork- A Big choppa that is said to be the very embodiment of Orkiness, Orkdom, and Orkitude, this weapon gains more power the more it fights until it reaches the point of pure Ork power and will unleash massive amounts of Waaagh1 energy that can destroy mountains with a single swing.  

Starting out like a typical Big choppa this weapon will increase in strength every player turn it kills models in close combat. Whenever one or more casualties are removed the Strength will increase by 1 and AP decrease by 1 until the max of +6 strength and AP 1, making this one dead killy Big choppa. Overall this Relic has a rating of B

Big Bosspole- Said to be the original Bosspole carried by the most fearsome Ork Warboss that ever lived, Ghazghkull Thraka, this has been sold off to so many times over the years to different Warbands it’s hard to tell which Warboss has the true Big Bosspole, or if it really existed in the first place. Orks being Orks however, believe the tales and the Waaagh! Energy flows and the effect is still the same.

A rather simple Relic that makes the bearer and any unit he joins Fearless, it’s a good replacement for a standard Bosspole and makes sure the Boyz stay stuck in a fight. Not particularly powerful or granting multiple abilities it is still a useful piece of equipment. Overall this Relic has a rating of C

Da Supa-Cybork- What could only be described as a perfect blend of Ork physiology and technology, Da Supa-Cybork is an Ork that is the epitome of Orkiness. Far larger and stronger than the nastiest Meganob, Da Supa-Cybork caries the largest of weapons into battle, blasting away with kannon sized guns as if they were nothing.

More of a Wargear Relic than a weapon, Da Supa-Cybork grants the Feel no Pain, Eternal Warrior, and Relentless special rules. However the downside is the relic has a hefty price tag and doesn’t do all that much when realistically a Warboss on a Warbike will be immune to almost all instant death, gain Relentless, and a Painboy would grant not just him but his unit Feel no Pain. Falling short of actual practical use in the Codex there aren’t any weapons a Warboss can take that he would need relentless for. A neat idea but you’ll be hard pressed to find any of the special rules actually coming into effect short of Feel no Pain, Overall this Relic has a rating of F

Da Killa Klaw- A massive Power Klaw made from the deadly Iron claw wielded by a Khornate Soul Grinder, this Klaw has a reputation for being dead killy and glows with a red aura that seems to fill those nearby with dread.

Yet another Relic that falls short of potential greatness, Da Killa Klaw is a a normal Power Klaw that can substitute all its attacks for one attack that causes instant death. While seeming nice the fact is a Warboss is already strength 10 with a Klaw, and short of monstrous creatures there are few things he cannot already instantly kill. Being 15 more points than a typical Power Klaw this Relic doesn’t seem worth taking as using it practically will almost never happen. Overall this Relic has a rating of D

Mega Force Field- A Kustom force field that is said to be built from pieces of the shield generator that protected the massive Space Hulk ‘Wurld Killa’ afterit crashed on Armageddon.

Following the same rules as a Kustom force field with the difference of a 4+ invulnerable save to all models within 6” rather than a 5+, this Relic is perfect for those Ork Meks that like protecting their inventions from enemy fire. Overall this Relic has a rating of B

Kill-Dakka- Kill-Dakka is the prototype of the perfect weapon built by Big Mek Orkimedes, constantly being tweaked and worked on this weapon changes every time it is used but it can be said for sure it is impressive and dead killy.

A Ranged weapon that has a random profile this Relic falls short of being good and more so into the “possibly useful” range. The main downside being that the weapon has a random profile and you won’t know what it does until the beginning of the game, this could mean that you have a weapon that is almost useless on the model you took it for. Having a chance of being Heavy or short ranged it is more than possible you get stuck with a choice that you won’t end up using. Effectively being a variant of  a Deffgun, Skorcha, Supa shoota, Zapp gun, Grotzooka or Bubblechukka it is not something that you couldn’t easily get elsewhere in the army for less points and more reliability. For the point cost this Relic is just too random to be worth taking every time, if at all. Overall this Relic has a rating of D