The Tomb Sentinel is a Necron Canoptek construct built to guard the hidden places of a Tomb World. It’s a modified Tomb Stalker that trades close-combat claws for an Exile Cannon, and it can slip between realities to reach intruders that think they’re safe.
What the tomb sentinel is
Think of it as a Tomb Stalker with a different job. The Tomb Sentinel keeps the same Canoptek body plan, but it swaps the Stalker’s melee focus for the Exile Cannon, so it can hit things at range instead of only up close.
It was designed by the Cryptek master-artificer Toholk the Blinded, on the orders of the Silent King. Before the Great Sleep, the Silent King had them handed out to the Triarch Praetorians so they’d spread across the Necron dynasties.
- Role: guardian and attack construct for Tomb Worlds
- Creator: Toholk the Blinded, a Cryptek master-artificer
- Ordered by: the Silent King, distributed via the Triarch Praetorians
- Based on: the Tomb Stalker, rearmed with an Exile Cannon
Phasing and the Exile Cannon
The Sentinel’s party trick is phasing between realities. It can step out of normal space to bypass defences that would stop a lesser attacker, then reappear inside close confines and tear the place apart.
That combination makes it nasty in tight quarters. Walls, bulkheads and void shields mean less when your enemy can simply not be in the same reality as them for a moment.
The C’tan connection
Some Tomb Sentinels have a second duty that’s far stranger. They can tap the raw elemental energies of a Transcendent C’tan, drawing on the shard’s own power to raise a force shield.
That shield helps shackle the C’tan to a Tesseract Vault. In other words, the construct isn’t just a guard dog for the tomb, it’s part of the cage.
- Draws on a Transcendent C’tan’s power
- Generates a force shield that helps bind the C’tan to a Tesseract Vault
- Seen keeping a Transcendent C’tan under control, and containing one inside a Monolith
Where it fits in the Necron roster
The Tomb Sentinel sits with the Canoptek constructs, the automated workforce and watchmen that keep a Tomb World running while the nobles sleep. Its relatives include the Tomb Stalker, the Spyder, the Scarab and the Wraith.
If you’re sorting out the family tree, the Tomb Stalker is the close-combat cousin and the Crypt Stalker is another related Canoptek. The Sentinel is the one that shoots and phases.
| Construct | Main job |
|---|---|
| Tomb Sentinel | Guards tombs, phases through reality, carries an Exile Cannon |
| Tomb Stalker | Close-combat Canoptek, the Sentinel’s base design |
| Crypt Stalker | Related Canoptek construct |
Key facts
- Tomb Sentinels are Canoptek constructs that guard Tomb Worlds.
- They’re modified Tomb Stalkers, armed with an Exile Cannon instead of melee weapons.
- They can phase between realities to bypass defences and attack in close confines.
- Toholk the Blinded designed them at the Silent King’s command.
- The Triarch Praetorians spread them across the Necron dynasties before the Great Sleep.
- They draw on a Transcendent C’tan’s power to help bind it to a Tesseract Vault.
FAQ
What is a Tomb Sentinel?
It’s a Necron Canoptek construct that guards Tomb Worlds. It’s a heavily modified Tomb Stalker with an Exile Cannon instead of a close-combat loadout, and it can phase between realities.
Can a Tomb Sentinel control a C’tan?
It can’t control a C’tan outright, but it draws on a Transcendent C’tan’s power to make a force shield that helps shackle the shard to a Tesseract Vault.
Who created the Tomb Sentinel?
The Cryptek master-artificer Toholk the Blinded designed it on the Silent King’s orders. The Silent King then had the Triarch Praetorians distribute them across the dynasties before the Great Sleep.