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  1. Kind of what the title says, though I'm not really asking about it. Instead I've calculated when it's worth it to fish for critical hits when you've got rerolls and when not to and thought I'd share it with the class! This is specifically impactful for marines because of OoM. For this exercise I want to show when it's worth fishing for critical hits, and when it's not, in regard to Lethal Hits, Sustained Hits. To start I wanted to establish that I am referring to 'fishing' as the practice of rerolling all dice rolls that do not score critical hits, including normal hits, instead of just failures to hit. Of course this only applies where rerolls are allowed. Sustained hits Sustained hits are only mathematically worth fishing for when the sustained number is equal to or greater than your to-hit number. For example, sustained hits 2 is worth fishing if you have a 2+ to hit. If your sustained hits number is 1 less than your to-hit number there's statistically no point to rerolling as your chance of hitting, including the sustained hits, is exactly 1. For example, inceptors have SH 2, which is one less than their 3+ to hit, which means that if you roll enough dice the number of total hits will equal the number of dice rolled. In other words, fish if you feel lucky, don't if you don't. The probability is that the results will be the same. If your sustained hits number is 2 lower than your to hit roll, it's not worth it. For example, a Heavy Bolter (with SH1) firing at BS 3+ is not worth fishing for. Lethal hits Lethal hits are a bit trickier as you need to factor in both the to-hit roll and the to-wound roll. If the chance of landing a successful wound from an attack with lethal hits (without rerolls) is greater than the chance of landing a successful wound per regular hit, then fishing is worth it. This is less often than you'd think. For each combination of to-hits and to-wounds, see the tables below. Combined lethal and sustained hits. These are trickier still... and I really don't feel like going into detail about how I calculated the results! You may ask about the effect of twin-linking... im not going to do the math for these, but I think that would swing the numbers slightly in favor of not fishing. Anyone who wants to prove or disprove that can knock themselves out! Moving on, let's see what happens when you throw 5+ crits in the mix. I'm not going to calculate sustained or LH individually as I don't think that's going to happen often enough to be worth my time. We want to know about lieutenants/biologis' with fire discipline! I thought about doing dev wounds, but the occasions where you have rerolls to wound on a dev wound weapon are few and far between. That said, it's most useful on targets that are wounded easily but would be getting a good save against a normal wound. Shooting at Saint Celestine with a gladiator reaper's main cannon would be a good example. Anyway, I hope this has been useful.
  2. - WELCOME BACK - With the release of 9th edition and our shiny new supplement it seems we've good reason and cause for some new discussions relating to our units. Every week we'll feature a new unit available to the 6th with the purpose of discussing the tactics, use, and synergies around them. The Space Wolves are also about legends, sagas and great deeds as well so each week will also kick off or feature a showcase for you bloodclaws and longfangs alike to show off your units and inspire your battle brothers. These discussions will be archived to allow for reference by the new and old as well! Note, this isn't to overly focus on any nerfs, etc, from previous editions; the rules are as they are so try to unlock its potential for those who wish to use them all the same. Similarly, this thread is only for using the option being discussed; if you feel something is a better choice make your case in a constructive way. - Week 1 - - Drop Pods - How do Space Wolves best use Drop Pods? Wargear? Which strategems are worth throwing out? Any solid unit combos? What say you fearless Warriors of the Rout? And please post your finished orbital death taxis here!
  3. Grey Knights take it once more at recent tourney! Army list winners: https://spikeybits.com/2020/10/top-3-40k-army-lists-fall-brawl-tournament.html All GK infantry, over 75 models, including a Brotherhood Champion, 10 Interceptors, 15 Purgation, 20 Strikes....AND 30 Purifiers! So cool to show GK army has potential for a variety of competitive builds now. Even surpassing runners up: - 3rd Place DA Deathwing Army (majority Terminator models) - 2nd Place Necrons Army (the beastly Silent King included) Again, so cool!
  4. The good folks at Goonhammer have finally updated their very comprehensive Space Wolves Tactics article. This is a must read for Space Wolves players. I do think they undervalue Bjorn the Fell-handed, but otherwise, it is excellent analysis. Val
  5. Hey pack, I just picked up a Primaris Librarian from my flgs relatively cheap and turned him wolf (pics soon, when I resurrect my plog). This might be a bit of an untimely discussion, as things might change very soon. But still... what are your favourite Rune Priest builds (normal/ njall/ "jötunn" (
  6. Hello fellow Wolflords, I recently watched a tactics video on Wulfen and Thunderwolf Cavalry (Anvil of War), and the guy was very much against taking Wulfen with just the Wulfen Claws. Which kind of got me thinking... What if he's wrong
  7. This is another channel I follow regularly, although my favourite is the Brits, these guys posted an excellent video on terrain and how they go through setting up the best table possible to play on that creates a fair and exciting match. Here's the link. It's a great video and I'm posting it here for my GK bro's who really need help protecting their troops and getting the best possible fair game of 40k in! This has helped me and my gaming group greatly and creates a fairer matchup and fun for both people. As always, take it with a grain of salt and do what you want, but it's well worth checking out.
  8. ++HORMAGAUNTS++ We have a new unit of the week! This week it's Hormagaunts, one of the Iconic Tyranid troop choices, and tarpitter supreme. What are you thoughts here folks? How best would you use a unit of them? To compliment a list, or to build a list around? Will the beta rules affect your list(s)? What size unit? Will you be running multiple units? What Hive Fleet Traits, Adaptations and Stratagems do you prefer and how much does it depend on the above choices? Are you buffing this unit? If so, how? Over to you.
  9. As part of the self righteous series of articles, I'm going to talk about my favourite unit in for Ultramarines, the Chapter Champion. This is a big one for us here. The Ultramarines have a superb character for an elite slot for a very competitive points cost. Due to how he is a unit selection in his own right, he deserves his own discussion and this will be a great place to build a community well of ideas. Equipment Already well equipped with a Master-crafted Power Sword and a 2+ save, there are plenty of choices to make him even more formidable. Personally I feel weapons are what he needs as he is only S4, with the Blade of Triumph being the stand out choice above the Burning Blade due to D3 over D2. The AP of both weapons will carve through the majority of targets that they will face, with invulnerable saves cutting into the effectiveness of high AP. Potential for the Tarentian Cloak of course, as it will give him a 5+ invulnerable save and regenerating, though as he only has 4 wounds it isn't necessarily a great choice. Consider he does already have a 2+ save so against any weapons AP-3 or worse he doesn't need such an invulnerable save. So I would save the Relic slot. The Helm of Censure is reasonable if you can get him up against Astartes but against characters he'll be re-rolling things anyway. In short, give him the Blade of Triumph and enjoy it. Warlord Traits There are a few choices here and these can change his use somewhat. The obvious one I favour is The Imperium's Sword, since its benefits are very obvious in building a combat offensive character. An extra strength and attack will be quite powerful and potentially mean you don't even need a weapon Relic upgrade when striking infantry. The additional attack will help the weapons of any stripe so this is definitely a solid choice. There is some utility as a counter attack force using Nobility Made Manifest which could be useful, though I imagine piling into a combat with a unit when the Champion is about to smash face won't always need to happen. Lastly, I had an idea will discuss this at the end as a potential build I considered recently... Martial Paragon build Although potentially CP heavy (you're likely giving a Chapter Champion a Relic remember) there is the option to grant this model 2 Warlord Traits and create a fairly unique build. The Martial Exemplar and Paragon of War Warlord Traits can combine to create a model that can produce quite a few Mortal Wounds. Firstly, Martial Exemplar relies on opponents attacking a Chapter Champion which will happen since he will be on the front line. Thanks to his Skillful Parry rule, any rolls of a 1 or 2 will activate this ability. Sure, it's only on a 4+, but a 3rd of all attacks will make that attempt. Each one will tally up. The Paragon of War Warlord Trait is more straightforward since it works on 6s to wound. Having a native 5, Shock Assault and The Champion's Blade will mean 7 chances to generate a Mortal wound. This build might work well with Digital Weapons since it is a free additional attack and hits on a 2+ for a Mortal Wound. Ultimately I don't think this will be game breaking but is quite interesting and likely fun. I'd actually suggest this is an infantry blender, since you get a large number of attacks, but S4 is fairly weak so perhaps sticking to a nice Relic sword would mean when you don't score Mortal Wounds you'll still have a good kill count. In game use This model can be the tip of a spear or a solid counter attack as needed by your list and preferences. I am making the assumption you are using the Blade of Triumph, simply because it is so powerful and the stand out top choice. As such, there are few targets a Champion can't threaten in this game. Characters are obviously the best units for a Chapter Champion to target but hitting on 2s with a S6/7 (explaining that later) will hurt just about all infantry, including the dreaded Custodes and Grotesques thanks to Damage 3. I'd even consider charging a Chapter Champion into a Knight character since he can finish one handily enough. Against infantry you are looking at a large number of attacks too, which will be surprise and worry many opponents. I like to stick him into a transport and give him some bodyguards. He will be carving through enemies so something survivable is all you need. Things with Storm Shields will be the first port of call I feel.
  10. Continuing the Masters of the Chapter series with possibly the most effective of the bunch, the Master of the Forge. Master of the Forge - Overview A Techmarine is already a great choice for Space Marines, since they are so cheap in points, taking up a mandatory HQ slot whilst also happening to be effective at what they do. Honestly, for 45pts (the cheapest cost one can be fielded) you'll not find better value in the Codex. Try. Go away and take a look. Find it? Nope, didn't think so. We should go over the stock standard options in depth and consider the roles of a Masters of the Forge before we talk about Warlord Traits and Relics, though the over all role may change when you consider these options. A Master of the Forge can have basic equipment with the Servo Arm, which is likely what you'll consider optimum if you fancy a support role for your inexpensive character. If he's fixing vehicles that act as fire support, this is definitely the most cost effective option. After all, why throw investment on a character to have him never use? However, that isn't to say a Servo Harness or power weapon/Relic of some kind is totally wasted on the Master of the Forge, as battles often get close and deadly. The guy is already cheap so why not if you got the points spare and expect Blood Angels or Genestealer Cults getting close? Since he's supporting vehicles, this could be where the Warlord Trait Master of the Machine can be considered an excellent investment. Giving ALL Chapter vehicles within 6" a lovely +1 to hit (both shooting and close combat) will likely see opponents chewing their bottom lip with consternation, especially if one of the vehicles is a Dreadnought with Wisdom of the Ancients. Has your jaw ever dropped when you see just how many shots a Repulsor gets? Or a Land Raider and it's Lascannons? Get obnoxious and support them with a character that gives bonuses to hit as well repairs them a flat 3 a turn! On the flip side of this playstyle would be Warden of the Ancients as Warlord Trait, fully equipped with a Servo Harness and marching up the table alongside some heavy hitting Dreadnoughts. Thanks to the benefits we get from the Tactical Doctrine, Ultramarines armies can select a multitude of different ancient heroes to assail an opponent, all of which can lay down a hail of fire as they get close enough to charge the enemy. Don't forget to repair Dreadnoughts as you go, whilst using Strategum support such as Duty Eternal to elongate the survivability of the Master of the Forge's charges. I consider faster moving Dreadnoughts an ideal choice in this regard, since they can put pressure on an opponent right away. The Contemptor and Redemptor Dreadnoughts are a nice pairing, or better yet a pair of Contemptor Dreadnoughts charging forward under the supportive fire of the Redemptor, since the speed of the former will see them hitting the enemy soon. Special mention goes to the Forge World Dreadnoughts. Relic Contemptor Dreadnoughts are excellent choices to march up the table and assault things alongside a Warden of the Ancients, whilst a Leviathan and Deredeo can blast the enemy to the warp under the guidance of a Master of the Machine. Healing 3 a turn on a Leviathan that is taking half damage is a joy to behold and will make your opponent do that uncomfortable smile and eye twitch we all get sometimes playing 40K. I don't consider it prudent to take more than a single Warlord Trait on him, since it will be a Strategum you cannot use elsewhere whilst costing you another Command point for the pleasure. At that point, if you're putting that much investment into your Techmarine I just have to consider the 10th Company recruiters must have picked up Neophytes from the Iron Hands in the Land Speeder Storm by accident! As you can tell, the wargear you grant your Master of the Forge I consider secondary to the mission of supporting your army appropriately. However, don't forget the Master of the Forge had a BS2+ as well as a 2+ save, so fire that bolter, throw that grenade and remember; he is a Space Marine. Other Warlord Traits are down to preference but I don't recommend any if I'm honest. The Master of the Forge Warlord Traits should be all a character like this requires. The one exception I might consider is using Exemplar of the Chapter to grant him Iron Will, which should keep him alive a little longer if he's moving up the table for a fight. That would mean he is your Warlord, but then in this circumstance I presume you've surrounded him with Dreadnoughts to back up your investment. Other than that, remember a combat character is going to give you more bang for your credits, so only consider this if you've got a very specific playstyle in mind. The Techmarine being cheap is an advantage so consider a cheap Master of the Forge his advantage; stick to support. Relics Starting with the Master of the Forge specific Relics, we have the Endurant Protector. If your Master of the Forge is getting stuck in, working alongside a Dreadnought assault force with Warden of the Ancients, a boost to toughness and a 4+ invulnerable save will go a long way to keep him alive longer. The other Master of the Forge Relic is the Mortis Machina. It's not a bad weapon but really feels wasted on a model with Techmarine stats. If you give it to a model with a Servo Harness, you're wasting 2 attacks, if you charge your Master of the Forge into a Dreadnought you have to remember you only have WS3+ on this model. However, with a spate of hits and a clutch of wounds, you can cause a little extra damage to a vehicle which is nice. If I'm honest I wish I could give this to a Captain since axes are cool and this would provide quite a buff. Ultimately, the 2nd specific Relic isn't quite as hot a choice and neither are particularly useful on a Master of the Forge supporting vehicles with Master of the Machine. Tighter games need to manage points and Command Points well, doubly so in tournaments. Consideration of other Relics must be given and there are a couple that are solid in the hands of any Master of the Forge. First up I consider the Primarch's Wrath to be very well suited to this model. Hitting on a 2+, with Tactical Doctrine in effect, means your top Techmarine can still contribute to the battle whilst fixing vehicles safely behind the main conflict zone. This is an excellent weapon and one more people in Ultramarines circles should consider - damage 2, 4 shots (most of the time) at Strength 5 AP -2... the bargain this weapon provides is unmatched at zero points. The other contender here is Vengeance of Ultramar. Replacing a mere 2pt weapon, this gun will give you a volume of fire that will make people think you've appropriated Tau tech! Personally I'd save this for a Paragon of War Biker Captain simply because 12 shots on that platform is pretty nasty, but you definitely haven't made a mistake if you plum for this upgrade. Remember the Tactical Doctrine helps quite a bit here, so you can put down 8 shots at range and expect some to stick. The Seal of Oath is, as always, a powerful option and since the Master of the Forge is often supporting your fire support units, he will do very well with this Relic. Other options I don't feel make the cut, however. Why take pistols when you can give the aforementioned Relics to a Master of the Forge? If he's getting close enough to use a pistol, he probably needs protection, in which case the Endurant Protector wins out over things like Articifer Armour, The Armour Indomitus and the Tarentian Cloak as a 2+ save still has a 5+ against AP-3. At only 4 wounds, you're better off preventing them than healing them. Likewise, close combat weapons are will be difficult to justify on such a character. Does he need the Teeth of Terra when he's hanging behind vehicles? The Mordant Machina is still a powerful weapon remember and for a model that prefers shooting to close combat, you're just wasting potential here. Similarly a support character like this won't make much use of the Helm of Censure or the Honour Vehement, since his role is to make assist vehicles rather than fight on the front lines. Give such things to other characters if you have to. Summary Ultimately, a Master of the Forge is a solid selection in an Ultramarines list that includes vehicles. Repairing a guaranteed 3 wounds a turn is just about worth the Command Point investment alone, let alone the Warlord Traits he can have. My advice is play cheap where possible and don't chuck Relics or Wargear on him he'll never use and try not to get him killed by counter charging a unit. You're better off backing away, shooting them with his bolter and some supporting units. In a game where force multipliers can make an army of mediocrity roar like lions, the Master of the Forge can be considered one of the best choices available.
  11. This topic is for discussion of the Command Point upgrade for the Apothecary character as seen in the Faith and Fury Supplement; Masters of the Chapter. Chief Apothecary - Overview Although an inexpensive selection, an Apothecary is an ELITES choice which is either easy to include or difficult if you have limited additional HQ choices you wanted to include in your list. For most, a Chief Apothecary can be a great addition to an army. A health warning... it's unlikely your Apothecary will be your Warlord and thus will cost 2 Command Points (CPs) if you want to get the best use out of him as you WILL want him to take a Warlord Trait. 3 if you want his Relic as well as other Relics. That is a lot for an army that isn't a Brigade! More on this in a bit. I'd say, despite being multiple wound models, Primaris basic infantry are not the right choice to accompany an Apothecary. Do you really want to use CPs just to bring back a couple Intercessors? Same goes for a couple Tactical Marines. Where this model shines is support of expensive, elite models and units that are already very survivable. Consider providing Medical Attention to 2 separate units with multiple wounds where possible to raise dead models from each in a single turn, though remember they will have a single 1 remaining at this point. Aggressors will love this guy! Bringing back from the dead a model a turn (fairly likely thanks to Selfless Healer) then healing him is absolutely amazing and Aggressors can really benefit from the Healer's Aegis since they don't have a 2+ save or invulnerable. Remem Centurions also enjoy a Chief Apothecary, though don't need the Healer's Aegis very often since they have a 2+ save anyway. Remember, AP-3 will still leave them a 5+ save. Bringing back one of these big boys above 1 wound will be very effective especially if they're hanging further away from the opponent so took a deal of effort to drop a model in the first place. Our poor old friends Terminators and their variants are now something that can be quite effective alongside a Chief Apothecary. Bringing back from the dead a model a turn will make it difficult for opponents to easily remove them, thus maintaining their offensive capacity for longer as well. Over a period of a few turns a remnant Terminator squad can get back up to combat effectiveness quite easily. Just plan the teleportation of Terminators carefully as if the Chief Apothecary can't reach them he's useless for them. Drop Pods are something to consider but only as a tag along - don't pay the points just for him. This ties in with the last types of units that really benefit from this character, which is highly survivable models. Company and Vanguard Veterans, Terminators especially Cataphractii and Assault Terminators, can all have high invulnerable saves and thus be difficult to remove. An opponent will find it frustrating to kill off 5 Vanguard one turn only for 2 to rise from the dead, pick up their Storm Shields and join their brothers in the fight! 1 wound models with Storm Shields will enjoy a Chief Apothecary most of all I feel, since 2 at a time can be resurrected and thus an opponent will have to factor that into their target priority. Special mention should go to the fact a Chief Apothecary can, with Selfless Healer, give D3 wounds back to 2 different characters or 2D3 back to the same character in a turn. This could be very entertaining and effective with a high wound character already, so Terminators and Gravis characters both spring to mind. A Cataphractii Captain going from 1 wound to 7 in a turn is too funny to miss whilst a Librarian and Lieutenant could both be boosted up in wounds in a single turn. Relics Out of all Relics available, only the Healer's Aegis stands out as a viable choice for him. Offensive weapons like the Teeth of Terra or Acquital are nice and all but really you have already spent 2 CPs on him and do you not need that offensive output on other characters? Same goes for defensive Relics really. The Tarentian Cloak will keep him alive longer, particularly a Primaris Apothecary, bit again, if he's in the fight he's going to die anyway. Especially of left alone. Save that CP/Relic for one of your HQ characters. The exception here is if you are running Aggressors. I can see the point in the Healer's Aegis for these guys. Think carefully about CP usage at this point but if it helps then go for it. I believe it is fairly easy to get models within 1" of him and you don't even need the whole squad to be to benefit the unit (i.e. the first 3 tank the shots). In summary, this upgrade makes a simple Apothecary much more effective a choice yet isn't an auto-include. Have a planned place for him and add him to your army accordingly. Ultimately, this character is strategic. He is expensive in CP usage and you won't find the benefit in every army you play. Use him alongside units that really are elite or tough and he'll amplify their survivability and thus offensive capacity quite well.
  12. So, I was thinking about running a unit of maybe wolfguard with this load out: jump pack, storm bolter, storm shield (maybe a leader with thunder hammer or combi-melter as Well). I think the idea of elite jump troops is just kind of appealing to me, but are they a viable option? Point cost would be 128 with the combi-melter on the leader. I know our elite-slots are crowded already, but maybe they have some value as they are not that expensive and fairly versatile
  13. Cult of Magic "Dedicated to the pure and unfettered use of sorcery." Psychic Power: Astral Blast WC: 6 This is a 9" smite / Infernal Gateway type power requiring the closest unit, but causing D3 mortal wounds on the "UNIT" (not model) and any units within 3" suffer an additional wound. Warlord Trait: Devastating Sorcery When your Warlord inflicts a Mortal Wound with a Psychic Power, add 1 additional Mortal Wound to the total. Sorcerous Arcana: Add 1 to your Psychic tests. The implications of this power are obvious. Any mutli target, or splash type of damage power becomes that much more powerful with this Warlord Trait. The fact the Cult comes with its own splash damage power is an easy but effective combo. Note that Astral Blast is still quite short at 15" with the Thousand Sons Legion Trait. This may require an extra support power supplied by another sorcerer. For me that's been "Warp Time". Bouncing your Warlord into danger range, and pulling him back, is pretty critical until you can properly create a buffer between him and your opponent. The other power that comes to mind with such an ability is Infernal Gateway. Naturally this is available to your Daemon Princes and is also a power that causes D3 (potentially more on a 12+ test) and then additionally every unit within 3" suffers another D3 (+1) thanks to your Trait. There are tools to allow you to add even more to your psychic test results giving a stronger chance of a 'super smite' causing D6 plus 1 Mortal wound to the target. (I have in fact done 7 mortal wounds to a Vindicator with 7 wounds left... it's a long shot, but quite satisfying at the right time!) So what are you favourite combo's with Magic? Do you take a larger detachment with this ability? Or a simple detachment?
  14. Let's take a look at the Stalker tank. In the current state of play, do we think collectively (and individually) it is worth while? I've always liked the look of the thing and the rules seem to finally have been connected with the points cost sufficiently. 6 shots per models that are all Autcannon stats, on a Toughness 8 platform, seems pretty good for 95pts. Having the benefit of a Strategum against models with the Fly keyword is also going to cause problems, especially if the vehicle isn't T8. The major drawback for me in 8th edition was the penalty to hit for shooting at targets that didn't have the fly keyword. Although there are many armies replete with models with fly, when points are tight and your Marine list requires every unit to perform as well as possible in a close game, the penalty to hit came be painful. However, there are some great options for the Stalker to be more utilitarian and thus effective for its investment. All Chapters can make use of the Chapter Master, which is a big investment if you're only using the re-rolls on 2 Stalkers but if said vehicles are benefiting along with something else then it's a no brainer. Other options include Chapter specific benefits or characters too, such as various special characters and Relics like the Seal of Oath. Ultramarines are particularly spoilt for choice here since they get a few Strategums that assist these vehicles as well. Chaplains can give a single Stalker +1 to hit which isn't terrible though I suspect you'd like to use that on a Repulsor, Land Raider, Devastator squad or Hellblasters. Finally we have the Master of the Forge with the Warlord Trait Master of the Machine, that all Chapters can utilise. Granting +1 to hit to both vehicles are once directly compensate when targeting units with the Fly keyword. The major benefit of the Master of the Forge is hanging around with a parking lot of vehicles blasting away won't waste the other potentials of the character, who is cheapest in the army and there to fix vehicles anyway. I intend to trial these vehicles further this year alongside a Master of the Forge and suspect their use will be more substantial than most give credit for.
  15. Since the FAQ dropped I've been hammering out flexible lists (Emperor bless Battlescribe) and trying to come up with answers in competitive play. Now, it's important to mention my preference in competitive play is likely different to that of many people. I'm there to win, but my way. I ensure my list interests me, has theme and is fun for me to play. This usually resulting in slightly less optimised lists since fun to me means varied. I am a good player and if I took the latest netlist like anyone else I reckon I could win tournaments. So with the above being said, I usually aim to win a few games minimum and have some close games against the rest. Even if I'm not going to win, I would like some cinematic moments and my opponent going away with a bloody nose. On that basis, here is what I've worked on at 1750pts, likely to be played at events like Throne of Skulls. I might discuss 2000pts later, for use in other events including ITC events. Let me know what I was thinking with the list: • The firepower comes from the Hunters, Devastators and Deredeo plus a spread throughout the Tacticals. • The list generates a surprising number of Mortal Wounds. 2 Librarians, one of which channelling into the Chief Librarian, both dish out pain including D6 super Smite on an 8 potentially. There are also 2 Heavy Bolters in there for Hellfire Shells and a Missile Launcher for Flakk Missiles, just in case. - The list has a Captain for supporting either the Devastator squad or Sternguard as required. Folk don't often like Relic Pistols but his Sunwrath Pistol is actually very much useful. His mobility is key. - Strategum support is key to this list. I will often use Transhuman Physiology to keep alive my characters and even the new rules for Duty Eternal are still useful. I expect to use Hellfire Shells, Flakk Missile, Masterful Marksmanship, Gravitic Amplification and Skyfire in many games. I also to use Martial Precision against certain opponents to net an automatic Lascannon hit. - The attacking force is the 2 Rhinos with Sternguard and Chapter Champion in one, the Devastator squad in the other and Captain suppoeting. The Contemptor plays distraction and runs forward with this force. - Psychic power is a neat trick on the list. The Chief Librarian has a decent chance at getting off both of his powers thanks to Psychic Mastery and Empyric Channelling. This brings me more Command Points and the capacity to target characters, as well as source for Mortal Wounds and messing with an opponent's movement. - Note I lost the Aiolos Missile Launcher and Ironclad to make room for 2 Hunters. They've performed brilliantly in every game for me, through virtue of Toughness 8 and super accurate Lascannon shots. Over all, I am happy with the list. I don't think it'll win any LVOs anytime soon but I think people will be surprised how effective it is. It can afford to lose Troops and still have board control, whilst having plenty of vehicles to saturate fire selection for an opponent. Crucially it has redundancy in capacity. Take out the Hunters and the Deredeo and I likely will have gotten close enough to hurt you with Rhino squads and Contemptor. Take out the Troops choices and you aren't concentrating on the rest moving forward. Take out the attacking force and the supporting fire will whittle you down. Knights are a danger as always but I think with the Seal of Oath I can deal with one quickly and poor attention into a second. The Chapter Champion is a wild card in that people don't expect him to do much and yet he can be charging turn 3 or even 2 fairly often. Whatever he hits will hurt and he can help deal with a Knight with the character keyword (which they all have). Lists that worry me most are Astra Millitarum tank and artillery divisions that get 1st turn, Tau castles and Ork gun lines with Lootas. *** So let me know what everyone thinks on this. What do you think I should be worried about? How do you propose I deal with the armies I am worried about? Is there anything you like here or dislike?
  16. This week we welcome discussion of the Cult of Time. I joked on my blog that this is the Cult of the Timex. (Anyone remember those ads? Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'?) See the Relic for details! Psychic Power: Time Flux Warp Charge: 5 If only we could take Obliterators, right? That would be abusive I suppose... kind of like restoring a dead Grav Centurion would be... wait a minute.... Anyway, the power is good, solid and there's not a lot of hidden value in it. This is straight up a fun power that works well with big squads, or multiple squads of multiwound models, especially Scarab Occult Terminators. I myself have not, in 6+ games, had more than one model come back, but it's possible. Just keep in mind that this can only happen on an unmodified test of 9+. I hear a few guru's online talking about manipulating the result for additional models. It's good to see a nice, low cost Cult power. This makes it more plausible for your Scarab Occult Sorcs to use this instead of smite, since they should all know the ability anyway. Warlord Trait: Immaterial Echo Another play on the "9+" cast bonus. Except this time it can be a modified result. This is pretty liable to proc with Cabal in place, or simply re rolling 1's (via Magnus, etc). I've had it pop up once in a while, and usually it's a Smite that comes into play for 'free'. Sorcerous Arcana: Hourglass of Manat. This is powerful. I've used this on a Daemon Prince and when your opponent knows this, it can have a psychological effect on how they approach him. The reality is it can be tricky. That is to say dying in your opponent's shooting phase, could simply mean getting back up, and dying in his Assault Phase. As a side note, I've had it ruled in tournaments that IF this kind of power is on your warlord, then the first time he dies it does award your opponent Slay the Warlord. So please check with your local TO for this ruling. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Overall Cult of Time is worth taking. There's some value in using this in certain lists over others, but again the sticky situation that is our "cult / detachment" restriction makes it tricky. Are you going to include your Scarab Occult in your CoT to heal them? Or are you going to include them in... Duplicity to hop them around the board? Tough call. Unfortunately most of these Cults will have the same decision making challenges since the design is not all inclusive. Nevertheless the ability to take a small detachment with a Sorc HQ, and at least one squad of Scarab Occult seems valid. What do you think? Is there a better use of it? Better units to benefit from it? Or is this never going to see play in your lists? Let's hear what you think of CoT.
  17. Welcome to the Eternal Crusade! This book has been something people wanted for four editions and to see it finally happen has gotten a lot of people rather excited and both new and old are going to be digging into the codex. As such I'm going to endevour to keep this updated with changes as they happen so this first post can be relevant for some time to come. If any sections change they'll be marked with the date they were last updated, as will the title of the thread. Who are the Black Templars? A second founding chapter hailing from the lineage of Rogal Dorn and first led by the first Captain of the VII Legion Sigismund, the first Emperor's Champion the Black Templars are not known for walking in the footsteps of the Imperial Fists or even paying basic lip service to the Codex Astartes. They organize into squads not based on length of service or specific assignment, but rather common cause and the needs of the mission. But you're not here to find out some rote description anyone could read off a wiki, so I present the words of Baldemort ( ) instead for he has done the chapter more justice in a few short minutes of description than I could far more words: "It is often said that the Ultramarines are the most numerous, have over sixty percent or more of all Space Marines before the Indomitus Crusade and the Primaris Marines. It is said that they have held the walls of the Imperium for all that time. For ten thousand years. It is said that they are the true defenders of the Imperium. That without them, the Ultramarines, that the Imperium would have fallen. Aye, maybe. Hard to refute by way of logistics. A good defense is key after all. But I would like to pose another vision: The Imperium stands today due to the Eternal Crusade! For the best defense is not the best offense, the best offense is the best defense. Fight them on their ground, in their space. Ravage their worlds. Strike first. Strike hard. The Ultramarines are professional soldiers. They are trained and organized, but they are not knights! They are not the burning fire that frees nations and eradicates dictators. The Ultramarines hold the walls; it is the Black Templars who sally out! And I say the forces of Chaos, Xenos, Heretic, Mutant, and Witch have not eroded the Imperium because they have been on the back foot. Because of the Eternal Crusade! The Black Templars are one of the most efficient recruiting and training factions within the Imperium. Their losses are staggering, but their war is eternal. Just think of how many enemies of the Imperium they have taken down. Taken out. Neutralized before they ever smashed against the walls of Ultramarines chapters. They equip their men with vast factorums within their vessels. They recruit the best from where ever they purge and move on. They are trained in the crucible of battle. The Crusade is as every bit as efficient as Ultramar, and every rapacious as any splinter from a Hive Fleet of Tyranids. They come. They see. They conquer. They move on! This. This is why the Imperium still stands! This! Because the Black Templars leave the Ultramarines and the others to defend the Imperium. For them the Scouring never ended. As the Great Crusade never ended. It was not complete. And it is only the Black Templars who keep the fires of the Crusade alive. It is only the Black Templars who are true to the wishes of the Emperor. And it is only the Black Templars who keep the Emperor's dream alive!" Why Play Black Templars? There should be only one reason to play the Templars: because they set your soul alight with the flames of zeal and you wish to bring the Emperor's wrath down upon the foe, but if you're just here for a more competetive breakdown I'll do my best. Black Templars have all the strengths of Codex: Space Marines, minus Librarians of course, along with six unique datasheets, six extra warlord traits, six extra litanies, several relics, as well as Vows which supplement the Doctrines from the codex by providing bonuses to the army (along with drawbacks as well). They are more melee focused than the vanilla codex fitting them in with the ranks of Blood Angels, Space Wolves, and White Scars geneseed chapters, though less focused on hit and run tactics or punishing the opponent for daring to get too close but rather they're more about the sustained assault where they can grind the foe down through a sustained assault. Black Templars are one of the two loyalist chapters who can drown the opponent in ceramite (the other being Space Wolves), this build being classically refered to as the "Black Tide", and even with Primaris we can take 60 bodies in Crusader Squads for less than you would if you took 60 Intercessors or Tactical Marines thanks to both variants of Crusader squads being supplemented with Neophytes who hit just as hard as the Initiates do in melee despite being less armored and having worse leadership (Firstborn Neophytes also have one less wound). This build best exists as a form of skew list, but it's incredibly striking to see on the table and is a long time favorite of many older players for the visual it creates. Supplement Breakdown For the purposes of the breakdown I'll be covering both the supplement and the codex, discussing everything relevant to the army as completely as I can and describing the roles those items can fill. This is not to grade the competitive nature of any item as looking at how strong something is on paper alone can lead to overlooking potential choices and combos for specific list building or playstyles strictly because those things aren't "competitive" on paper. If you want to be the best (or just win games more often) you can't just rely on what looks to be the best on paper, you need to be willing to experiment, try new things and look past the obvious stuff in the book and think about the roles various units can fill and flex into them as the meta shifts over time. So that's what I aim to do here. Sadly due to the main codex being a tome capable of knocking out a Warlord Titan if dropped on it I won't be deep diving into the codex proper. I will try and touch onto some of the things that stand out to me from there, but there is no timely way to break that codex down in its entirety in a timely manner, so I suggest that after getting a feel for the Black Templar supplement that you take some time looking at the codex again with the special rules and options we have in mind. Chapter Tactic Righteous Zeal: Re-roll advance and charge rolls for units with this tactic; ignore wounds inflicted by mortal wounds on a 5+ A strong bonus allowing us to make it into combat sooner and more consistently and giving us much needed protection from moral wounds, something that has become increasingly prevalent as the ways to generate mortal wounds increases in the game. Also one of the chapter's sources of anti-psyker protection by blunting any mortal wound generating power the psyker is able to get off. Vows Anyone familiar with Codex: Space Marine supplements will be familiar with the idea of "super doctrines", but for those looking at Black Templars as their first Marine army: Codex: Space Marine supplements usually have special doctrines for the chapter that the army gets in addition to any other bonus from Doctrines that the army would get that turn. Black Templars don't get those. Instead they get one of four Vows chosen at the end of the Read Mission Briefing step (so after both players have constructed their lists and the board has been set up). There are also some ways to trigger a unit to gain an additional vow and unless otherwise stated both the effects of the Vow and Passion apply to that unit. This means if you have a unit under two Vows for any reason they'd also be restricted by the Passions that come with those vows. Suffer Not the Unlean to Live: Each time a model in a unit with this vow makes an modified melee to-hit roll of 6 against a non-Vehicle unit the attack automatically wounds the target. Passion: Each time a unit with this Vow declares a charge they must charge the nearest unengaged by Black Templar units non-Aircraft unit within 12". Previously the Knights of Sigismund special rule this bonus is back to help Templars hunt Orks, Wraith Constructs, Tau Suits, Plague Marines and Tyranid monsters. Best paired with as many bonus attacks as you can bring this makes it easier to drag high toughness models down through volume of attacks. Doesn't work against vehicles, and comes with a harsh stipulation to charge specific targets that could force you to fail charges by being required to declare long charges you can't make due to engaged units being in the way this requires a meta of big stompy things, and a lot of careful movement. Probably best against Death Guard since their slower movement means it's harder for them to manipulate your charges as easily if you're trying to get as much of your army engaged as possible. Uphold the Honour of the Emperor: Models with this vow have a 5++ and can't be wounded on unmodified to-wound rolls of 1-2. Passion: Units with this vow can't gain the benefits of cover against enemy attacks. One of the obvious winners of the book and likely to be seen in most lists (unless GW nerfs it to not apply to vehicles in the future) since it gives a much needed invulnerable save to our vehicle options, as well as allowing us to never be AP'd out of a save like many other chapters can. The diet version of Transhuman across the entire army only adds to the durability by making it harder to wound us. Also pairs well with Crusader squads of either type since they're not likely to be able to get cover due to their size, allowing them to weather more punishment while they move in to punch the enemy in the face. With chainswords. The inability to benefit from any kind of cover means that you'll need to play smarter around controlling line of sight to your units. Additionally this turns off camo cloaks completely since those require you to "recieve the benefits of cover" so be aware if you like to run Scout Squads, Eliminators or other Phobos units in your crusade. Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch: Once per battle during the first movement phase, if there are any Psyker units in the opponent's army units with this vow may add 3" to their movement characterstic. Each time a model in this unit makes a melee unit against a Psyker unit re-roll to-wound roll of 1. Passion: Units within 18" of an enemy psyker can't perform actions. Highly situational, but great for getting a jump on armies like Thousand Sons and Grey Knights (or Eldar) who like to bring a number of psykers this helps us punch them harder as well. Not the strongest ability we have, but the re-roll to-wound rolls of 1 can free us up from needing to bring Castellans for the re-roll in a psyker heavy meta. If you think you might need to take this one just don't choose secondaries that require actions to gain points to prevent your opponent from gaming your list out of points. Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds: Units in engagement range of enemy units gain the benefit of the Assault Doctrine instead of the active doctrine. Each time the unit fights add 1 to the attacks characteristic of models in the unit. This does not stack with bonus attacks from Shock Assault. Passion: Units with this vow can't fall back. If you aren't taking this vow, you'll be finding ways to turn it on if only for the ability to flex into the Assault Doctrine while the army remains in the Tactical Doctrine, but the ability to get bonus attacks during multiple turns spent in combat is always a win making this a great vow for when we need to grind down the enemy in melee through volume of attacks (looking at you Orks, Necrons). The inability to fall back can, and likely will, get units killed, or just let the opponent keep feeding units into combat with our engaged units while they run around scoring points elsewhere. Stratagems Supplement Devout Push: No longer allows us to drift into combat, but still provides a double pile in, or the ability to grab objectives on your opponent's fight phase. Vicious Riposte: Potential mortal wounds back while dying in combat. Situational, and possibly best popped on full sized Crusader squads rushing into melee blender units like Incubi. Crusader's Wrath: Army must be in the Assault Doctrine during your command phase to activate, but if you do until the start of your following command phase to-wound rolls of 6 increase the AP of pistol and melee weapons used by 1 which stacks with the Assault Doctrine. Ever want Astartes Chainswords that can cleave at -3AP? This is how you do it. For the Emperor's Honour: Force an enemy character to fight one of your characters in engagement range until the end of the fight phase. Ever want to force Abbadon to fight your Emperor's Champion like your channeling Sigismund himself? Best used to force beat stick characters to attack a character while a larger unit buries it in attacks. Bombastic Delivery: Allows a Black Templar Chaplain to automatically inspire a litany they know, and then recite one additional litany. Keep 2CP on the side for this one because with the army's reliance on Chaplains (at the least our reliance on Grimaldus) it's good to be able to use this one at a moment's notice to ensure that we can get a key litany off when we really need it. With 13 total litanies chances are there is at least one that'll support how you want to play so being able to use them at will is always worth the CP, much less the ability to then attempt to get a second litany off as well. Revered Repositories: A Sergeant or Sword Brother model can get one of the following relics: Witchseeker Bolts, Sword of Judgement, Skull of the Cacodminus, Master-crafted weapon, Digital weapon. We can only use this stratagem once, and we can't use it to give a model two relics, or duplicate an existing relic but this still allows some great flexibility in the army. Heir of Sigismund: A Black Templar Character that is not named character who is your warlord can have a second warlord trait, but it must be taken from the Black Templars Warlord Traits table and you can't take the same trait twice. Ever want to see how hard you can make a heretic explode? Wonder no more because the answer is here for 1 CP. Champion of the Feast: Choose a Sergeant or Sword Brother in your army add 1 to the mode's attacks and wound's characteristic and improve their weapon skill by 1. RIP. AND. TEAR. Templar edition. Expect to see this on Bladeguard Veteran Sergeants, Terminator Sergeants, or on Vanguard Veteran Sergeants just to ensure that the maximum amount of pain is dished out. Abhor the Witch: If an enemy psyker within 24" of a Black Templar unit passes a psychic test and a Deny the Witch attempt is made, deny that power on a 4+. Still strong, but less strong against Grey Knights and Thousand Sons who have ways of preventing you from deny their powers. Tenacious Assault: 4+ to prevent an enemy Infantry or Beast unit from falling back. We like being in combat, this keeps them from leaving combat. Everybody wins. The enemy wins death, but a prize is still a prize, right? Strength of Conviction: Objective secured for a Black Templar unit until your next command phase. Endless possibilities of denial with this one, especially with durable units like Bladeguard Veterans or Thunderhammer/Stormshield Terminators who will force the enemy to work harder than they want to shift them back off the objective. The Emperor's Will: A Black Templars Infantry unit that Advanced this turn can shoot with Pistol, Rapid Fire or Assault weapons, and Assault weapons do not gain a penalty to hit from Advancing. Move fast and shoot like you're taking a Sunday stroll. Always a win. Shock and Awe: You you like Land Raider Crusaders? Good. This lets you make a normal move with a Land Raider Crusader and then disembark the unit inside. The unit won't be able to move again after disembarking that phase, but it can still charge later in the turn meaning you can drive up a Land Raider, unload Terminators or your other favorite Firstborn melee unit into the enemy lines and start smashing face. Exemplars of the Crusade: Choose a Sword Brethren unit during the Fight Phase. Until the end of the phase when models in that unit roll an unmodified 6 to hit scores 1 additional hit. For context Sword Brethren have 3 attacks base, which means a unit of 10 with Astartes Chainswords can do 50 attacks a turn (3 base + 1 Chainsword + 1 for Shock Assault/Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds) averaging 41.33 hits without re-rolls (33.33 hits + 8 bonus hits). Obviously less appealing the less attacks you get, but even the base 30 attacks the unit can throw out should still see 5 bonus hits on average making this well worth the CP. Heretic's Pyre: Costs 2 CP if the unit has the Mk. X Gavis keyword, otherwise costs 1. Basically flame weapons in the unit gain the benefits of Blast: against units of 6-10 models do a minimum of 3 attacks, and against units of 11+ models make the maximum number of attacks. 2 CP for a unit of 3 Flamestorm Aggressors to do 36 flamer hits automatically? Well worth it if you need to thin some hordes. Incendiary Shells: Shooting phase only. Astartes Shotguns in the unit become Damage 2. While this seems like the best pick for this might be a Crusader squad as you can bring 8 in the Primaris Crusader Squad or 10 in the Crusader Squad, this is probably best used on the humble Scout Squad. 10 shotguns and the ability to be dropped near the enemy or stuff 5 into a Land Speeder Storm is more a better place to spend the CP since they can more readily get into the enemy lines and put the shotguns to use early game unlike Neophytes in Crusader squads. Codex Honor the Chapter: Assault Intercessor Squad in engagement range can fight again. Probably the biggest reason to take Assault Intercessors over the cheaper Crusade Squads beyond the ability to run them in smaller numbers in an Impulsor. Transhuman Physiology: Are you taking Primaris? Then you're using this. Costs 1 CP for units of 5 or less, and 2 CP otherwise. Great for keeping large bricks of Primaris Crusaders alive thanks to forcing your opponent to not wound on better than a 4+. Rapid Fire: Intercessor or Veteran Intercessor Squad from the army can shoot again. If you're taking Intercessors or Veteran Intercessors then it's worth keeping this in mind. Especially if you need to clear a screen so a nearby melee unit can charge a key target instead of being forced to charge what's left of the screening unit. Gene-wrought Might: A Primaris unit selected to fight automatically wounds on to-hit rolls of an unmodified 6. We get this as a vow, but not only does this work on vehicles, but it doesn't come with a Passion that restricts where units charge and should always be kept as a option when dealing with tougher enemy models that you need to force as many saves on as possible each turn. Power of the Machine Spirit: Essential to keep around if you plan on running Land Raider Crusaders, but also good on Repulsors (if Repulsors ever come down in points). Wisdom of the Ancients: if you're running a Dreadnought it's worth keeping this in mind as a way to flex into helping core units within 6" re-roll hit rolls or wound rolls of 1. Great for any army, but even better for Black Templars who can trade those Castellans away for more Chaplains if you keep this in your back pocket. Commanding Oratory: 2 CP and you auto-inspire one litany that hasn't been recited by a friendly model this turn. That's right, we have two ways to force litanies through any turn we want. Steady Advance: Only useful for counting stationary after a normal move, this still allows you to get heavy weapons tucked away in Infantry squads moved into better position without sacrificing your ability to hit the opponent. Adaptive Strategy: Always handy to keep around since it allows us to flex a core unit into all the doctrines. More situational since we can take a vow to be in the Assault Doctrine while in melee, but worth having for those games we need a different vow. Orbital Bombardment: You don't even have to use this one but rather remind your opponent that you have it before rolling off before deployment to force them to not castle up. And if they do castle up, drop hell on them. Shock and Awe: Yes, there really are TWO stratagems with the same name. Good job GW. Lets us turn off Overwatch for a unit within 6" of a unit with the Adeptus Astartes Shock Grenades or Land Speeder Storm keywords and then force that unit to subtract -1 to hit until te start of our next turn. Probably not going to see use unless we're running Shotgun Scouts in a Storm, but worth knowing about due to GW naming two stratagems the same thing. Smokescreen: Important for one reason: Firstborn Crusader Squads with any Neophytes in them have the Smokescreen keyword and can force a -1 to hit against the unit shooting them giving the Crusader squad a bit more durability since their Neophytes only have 1 wound each. Litanies Before diving into the litanies proper, there are two things worth noting: a Chaplain can only know Litanies of the Devout (from the Black Templar supplement) OR Litanies of Battle (from Codex: Space Marines). They can NOT mix and match litanies, so if you want both you'll need two different Chaplains. And Grimaldus only takes Litanies of the Devout. This does not apply to Litany of Hate which all Chaplains still get as normal. Supplement Litany of Divine Protection: One Black Templars Core or Character unit within 6" of the Priest gains a 5+ FnP. Not my first pick, but if you want you can make a 20 man Primaris Crusader Squad have a 5++/5+++ and be unable to be wounded on 1s/2s. Nurgle eat your pus-filled heart out. Psalm of Remorseless Persecution: One Black Templars core unit within 6" making melee attacks does 1 mortal wound when rolling to-wound rolls of an unmodified roll of 6. Maximum 6. Great on units with high volumes of attacks like 20 deep bricks of Crusaders with Chainswords, or 10 model units of Sword Brethren with chainswords. Plea of Deliverance: Black Templars Core or Character unit within 6" of the Priest stops being affected by ANY psychic powers and are not affected by ANY psychic powers until the start of your next command phase. Useful for shutting down smite engines, but also fun for team games since you can look your partner dead in the eyes and shut off the buffs they gave you because you don't need their dirty witch powers. Fires of Devotion: Black Templars core or character unit within 6" of the Priest adds 1 to the attacks characteristics of models in the unit. Want to do 60 Chainsword attacks with 10 Sword Brethren? How about double piling in a Primaris Crusader Squad and doing 100 attacks? Chainsword go brrrrrr indeed. Pair with Gene-wrought might if you need to get past high toughness values and watch things melt under the bucket of dice they'll need to roll for saves. Feverant Acclamation: A Black Templars Core or Character unit gains an additional Vow. RAW this does not end, nor does it prevent you from stacking all four vows onto a single unit. I expect an FAQ on this, but until then enjoy seeing if you can get all four litanies onto a unit of Sword Brethren in a single game. Hard mode is to not use EITHER stratagem to force litanies to go off when doing this. Oath of Glory: Priest can fight first if it's in engagement range at the start of the fight phase, Crozius, artificier Corzius or Relics that replace Crozius do 2 additional hits on to-hit rolls of unmodified 6s, priest gains +1 strength. Codex Catechism of Fire: <Chapter> Core or Character within 6 of the Priest. If you want to maximize your shooting, this helps by forcing more wounds through by adding +1 to wound rolls if the unit shoots the closest target. Great for units that can maximize their shooting to clear screens or force elite units to take more saves. Exhortation of Rage: <Chapter> Core or Character within 6" of the Priest. +1 to wound in melee? This is one of the biggest reasons to take the Litanies from the codex since we can throw buckets of attacks but don't innately wound or hit easier. Recitation of Focus: <Chapter> Core or Character withing 6" of the Priest gets +1 to hit when shooting. Pair with Catechism of Fire to maximize your output. Canticle of Hate: <Chapter> Core or Character unit within 6" of the Priest gets +2" to charge, and an additional 3" when piling in. Pair with Devout Push to allow you to move up to 12" by piling in 6" twice. The other big reason to take the codex litanies since it makes charges easier, allows us to really push into the enemy lines, or completely encircle the enemy unit with a large Crusader squad. Warlord Traits Note: The Emperor's Champion doesn't have a set Warlord trait but can choose any of the Black Templars Warlord Traits. Supplement Epitome of Piety: Allows your warlord to attempt to deny one psychic power as if they were a psyker, and gives them +1 to deny. Grimaldus' trait (the servitors don't count as the Warlord for the purpose of the trait). Good second trait, or a trait to put onto a character who isn't your warlord via a stratagem, but not my first pick unless you constantly see Psykers in your meta, or Grimaldus is in charge. Paragon of Fury: After the Warlord completes a charge they gain +1 strength and roll a D6 for each enemy model in Engagement Range of it and on a 5+ the enemy suffers a mortal wound. RAW they don't stop gaining strength each time they charge since it doesn't have an end state, but that is likely to change in the future. Until then enjoy the additional 2-3 points of strength you can likely pick up every game. Master of Arms: If the Warlord is in engagement range of any enemy units it fights first. Additionally the Warlord has +1 added to their attack characteristic (no this doesn't trigger more than once). Decent as a second trait if you're double dipping traits for a warlord, or as a way to let the Emperor's Champion reap more when using their Sweep Attack. Inspirational Fighter (Aura): Black Templar Core units within 6" of the warlord making a melee attack improve their AP characteristic by 1 on an unmodified roll of a 6. This stacks with the Assualt Doctrine. This does not say it stacks with Crusader's Wrath which might be worth an FAQ. If it can enjoy your -4AP Chainswords. Front-Line Commander: +1 advance and charge rolls for the warlord, additionally each time a Black Templars Core unit declares a charge against a unit that the Warlord is in engagement with add +1 to their charge roll. Helbrecht's trait. Good for Helbrecht, though less synergistic. Good thing for Helbrecht that units generally want to follow him into combat thanks to his other rules. Oathkeeper: Warlord is eligible to heroically intervene 6" horizontally and 5" vertically and can heroically intervene up to 6". Great for Larping as a Space Wolf. Codex Imperium's Sword: Warlord re-rolls charges (we already do that), and if the Warlord made a charge move or heroic intervention in the same turn it fights (and until the fight is resolved) the Warlord adds +1 to their strength and attacks characteristics. Pair this with Master of Arms or Paragon of Fury to stack further attack or strength bonuses on this and gain either a free shoulder check on the charge or a fight first ability. Iron Resolve: +1 wound, 6+++. Situationally good on a secondary warlord character like a Castellan. Champion of Humanity: No. Just take an Emperor's Champion instead. Rites of War (Aura): <Chapter> Core or Character within 6" of the Warlord gains objective secured. Good for sticking on a Chaplain who hangs out with Sword Brethren, Terminators or Bladeguard. Better as a secondary warlord trait though so there is less of an incentive for your opponent to go after this character first. Relics Supplement Crusader's Helm: +3" to aura abilities (max 9"), in your command phase one Black Templars Core unit within 9" is considered to be in the Assault Doctrine until your next assault phase. More situational now that the entire army can slip into the Assault Doctrine by getting into engagement range under the correct vow, but still a good choice if you need to stretch out an aura of re-rolls across more combats. Witchseeker Bolts: Special bolter ammo that lets the bearer make a single bolter shot that ignores Look Out Sir for when targetting Psykers and does d3 mortal wounds on a successful hit roll in addition to any additional damage. Best paired with an Eliminator Sergeant to let you reach out and touch a psyker before they can be a real threat. The Aurillian Shroud: Once per game you can unveil the shroud during your command phase, granting the bearer an aura of 4++ to Black Templars Core Infantry units within 3" until the start of your next Combat Phase. Put it on a character between two large blocks of Crusaders and force your opponent to be unable to them. Ancient Breviary: Chaplain rolls one additional dice when attempting a litany and discards the lowest. Great choice for a support chaplain to ensure they can get litanies off without spending CP (or being Grimaldus). Skull of the Cacodominus (Aura): Enemy psykers within 12" have -1 to their psychic tests and suffer a perils on a roll of any double. Additionally once per battle you can unveal the skull to gain an ADDITIONAL aura of -1 to psychic tests with a range of 18". Yes they do stack. And yes Grey Knights lost their +1 to cast bonus army trait in this last codex update. Enjoy making them fail to cast more often. Against Thousand Sons it merely resets them back to their roll (assuming no other bonuses) since they get an innate +1 to cast. Sword of Judgement: S+3, AP-3, D3 sword that replaces a Power Sword, Master-crafted Power Sword, or Relic Blade. If you're making a beatstick you're probably taking this. Or using the bit off the upgrade sprue to replace the Judiciar's sword with something more chapter appropiate. Adamantine Mantle: Bearer gains a 5+++. I'm not especially fussed about this one with all the other ways we have to buff durability (plus I'd rather take the Sword of Judgement), but if you need to keep a character alive it's an option to up their durability. Artificer Armour: Bearer gets a 2+/5++ save. Not bad, but Indomitus Armour also gives a 2+ and we can get a 5++ from one of the vows so this is more if you want a better save for a second model and the first already took the Indomitus Armour. Master-Crafted Weapon: One model the bearer has (that does not have the Master-crafted word in it's profile) gains +1 damage. Best paired with the new autoplasma or autoflamer since it applies to both profiles for maximum effect. Digital Weapons: Bearer gains +1 additional attack using the close combat profile in the core rulebook. If it hits the target suffers a moral wound and that attack sequence ends. Splash mortals each attack isn't bad (especially if you hit on 2+) but I feel like this prevents us from taking some of our more interesting weapon options. Probably best on a Sergeant if at all. Aquila Immortalis: +1 to bearer's toughness and attacks characteristics. Not going to lie, for a pure buff relic I do like this one since if both makes the bearer harder to kill and ups their fighting potential. Stack with the warlord traits to up the number of attacks the bearer gets to add +3 to the bearer's base profile and blend away! Perdition's Edge: S+3, AP-2, D2 weapon that replaces the Power axe or master-crafted power axe. Also does 2 mortal wounds on an unmodified to-hit roll of a 6 (and then ending the attack sequence). Nice option if you like power axes and lots of attacks. Breath of the Throne: Combi-flamer or auto-flamer replacement with 12" range, Assault D3+3, S5, AP-1, D2. It's a heavy flamer that hits at least 4 times each time it shoots. Not bad, but not my first choice for any model really. Tannhauser's Bones: Each time an attack is allocated to the bearer the damage characteristic of that attack is reduced to 1. Great for making characters that your opponent just can't kill easilly, but watch out for buckets of dice being thrown your way since you'll still go down to massed failed saves. Codex Benediction of Fury: S+2, AP-2, D3, unmodified to-wound rolls of 6 inflict 1 mortal wound in addition to normal damage. Replaces a Crozius Acranum and is best on a more aggressive Chaplain who is expecting to end up in combat. Reliquary of Gathalamor (Aura): Enemy Psykers in 18" have -1 for psychic tests and if they fail roll a d6, on a 4+ they suffer D3 mortal wounds. Pair with the Skull of the Cacodominus to create a -3 to psychic tests for a turn and force psykers to not cast or suffer a potential D3 mortal wounds. Standard of the Emperor Ascendant: +3" to the bearer's Astartes banner ability, and allows you to re-roll moral tests for <Chapter> core units within the range of the banner's ability. Great for supporting large Crusader squads and ensuring models don't break as easilly. Teeth of Terra: S+1, Ap-3, D2, +3 attacks for the bearer and now available to Primaris Castellans thanks to the new wargear options! The Armour Indomitus: +1 wound, 2+ save, once per game 3++ until the end of phase. The classic for characters you want to keep alive in the thick of it, now even better since the army can have an always on 5++. The Burning Blade: S+3, Ap-5, D2 and replaces a power sword or master-crafted power sword. Honestly just not as good as the Sword of Judgement since D3 is more relevant than D2 thanks to the numerous ways of reducing damage, as well as many things you'd want to use the AP-5 on having an invulnerable save negating at least 2 points of AP. The Shield Eternal: Replaces a storm shield, relic shield or combat shield. Grants a 4++, adds +1 to the bearer's armour save, and grants a 5+++. If you need to create an anvil this is a solid way to do it. Less good to give to the Primaris Captain with a Relic Shield since he has a 4++ already, but still a good pick if you need to add a layer of durability to a model. The Vox Espiritum: No. Take the Crusader's Helm. It does what this does plus has a bonus ability. Tome of Malcador: Put it on the pyre. Relic Bearers Available to a Black Templars army as long as it contains at least one Black Templars Chaplain unit this allows us to sprinkle up to eight additional relics into our army for a small points cost per relic. Each Black Templars Core Infantry or Black Templars Biker unit may only have one of the relics, none of the relics may be duplicated and the model must be distinct but does NOT have to be the unit's Sergeant or Sword Brethren meaning we can still take other relics in on them. The designer's note in the codex recommends using some of the unique bits in the Chapter Upgrade kit to represent these relics. Beastpyre: 15", Assault D6, S6, AP-2, D1 BLAST replacing a flamer or Pyreblaster. +10 points. As much as I love flamers, especially ones with ridiculously good statlines and rules like BLAST, no. Not for +20 points over the cost of an initiate for buy the Pyreblaster AND this upgrade to it. This is great, but honestly I'd rather take something else more affordable so I can take another Initiate or Neophyte instead. Bones of Mordred: Each time the bearer makes a melee attack on a to-wound roll of an unmodified 6 the bearer inflicts +1 mortal wound in addition to normal damage. +10 points. Overcosted at this price since it's not going on a character model and if you go all out and get 6 attacks with a Chainsword Sword Brethren you'll average 1 mortal wound. Pass at this cost. The Crux Obsidian: Attacks allocated to the bearer subtract 1 from the damage characteristic (to a minimum of 1). +15 points. Nice upgrade for a Storm Shield terminator or for a Sergeant you want to live after the rest of the squad has died. Be careful though because even if you pass the saves that model must keep making saves, meaning your opponent can bait this out and then use lower strength weapons to force you to fail saves by weight of dice. Fist of Balthus: Power fist replacement with Sx2, AP-3, D3. +10 points. Hits harder than a Thunderhammer, and has no penalty to hit. Enjoy casting fist with this as the bonuses are definitely worth the points bump. Holy Orb: Once per battle the bearer can select one enemy unit within 6" and visible to the bearer. Roll one D6 and on a 2+ that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. ADDITIONALLY, even if the mortal wounds fail, the target unit fights last. Note that because this is NOT a grenade you can throw it into combat, the bearer's or someone else's! At +15 points it's pricey but worth the points since it's more reliable than the Judiciar's aura and it frees up an Elite slot for other options. Icon of Heinmann: Attacks allocated to the bearer with AP-1 or -2 become AP0 instead. +15 points. Pricey, easy to bait out so best left on a unit with good invuls, likely on Bladeguard or Stormshield/Thunderhamer Terminators. Light of the Emperor's Grace: +1 Leadership for models in the unit, bearer gains an aura of -1 to psychic tests for psykers in 12". That's right, we can stack up to -4 to psychic tests within 12" for a whole +10 points for this and two more relics (one of which can be taken on a Sergeant or Sword Brethren). Even the aura of -3 can force psykers to give you a wide berth in order to avoid the increased chances of perils and getting hit with mortal wounds for failing to cast. If you go this route take all three on biker models so you can use your increased mobility to hunt witches. Sigismund's Seal: Nominate an enemy unit on the battle field, each time a melee attack is made by the bearer's unit against the target unit you gain re-roll to hit and re-roll to wound for those melee attacks. Good, but good luck getting your opponent to let you connect with your beatstick unit. At +20 points I'd skip this one completely honestly. Chapter Approved Rules Supplement Bathe your Blade in the Blood of Your Foe: Select a Black Templars character and your opponent selects a character (if either character doesn't have a character they instead select their Warlord). Score 5 points at the end of the battle for each of the following conditions: 1. Enemy character was destroyed. 2. Enemy character was destroyed as a results of a melee attack. 3. The Black Templar who was chosen was the one who made the attack that destroyed the enemy character. I'm not going to lie, this is a fun one to pick, but it's not a competitive one since your opponent can play around it to deny you the points. So great for casual/narrative games, less great if you want to win a tournament. Allow Not the Worhship of Unclean Idols: Score 4 points at the end of the Battle Round if you control one or more objective markers that were controlled by your opponent at the start of the Battle Round AND a Black Templars Chaplain is within range of that objective marker. I'm going to be honest: unless you're maxing out all your Chaplain options, no. And even if you are, still no. This requires you to go second to even score it with any amount of consistency and even then you'd need to have Chaplains right next to the enemy unit you just pushed off the objective meaning they won't likely be alive to help claim it back again next turn. Basically this is a worse (albeit thematic) Shock Tactics. Skip it outside of special scenario narrative games with friends. Carry Out Your Vows: 4 victory points at the end of the Battle Round if you destroyed more enemy units via melee attacks than they destroyed friendly Black Templars units (max 12 points this way) with an additional +3 Victory Points at the end of the battle if you complete an objective based on the vow you chose. This one will put you on a Crusade to complete, much less even attempt to max successfully. It's not bad, but it's hard and will fail spectacularly against some match ups. Great for fun, but don't count on it for tournament play. Codex Oaths of Moment: Score Victory Points per oath completed each battle round (destroy an enemy character, vehicle or monster for 1VP; don't fail a morale test or fall back for 1VP; score 2VP if an Adeptus Astartes unit from your army is wholly within 6" of the centre of the battlefield). Popular for a reason since it buffs Marines for being Marines, but definitely a must have for Templars who have to avoid any action based secondaries due to one of our vows (or alternatively never use that vow). A standard for most matched play games for sure. Black Templars Armoury Thanks to the new models and upgrade sprue Black Templars get options not available other chapter as detailed below. These options are in addition to any options that exist on the respective datasheets in Codex: Space Marines. Marshal Black Templars Primaris Captain who is not equipped with a master-crafted power sword, it's bolt pistol and master-crafted auto bolt rifle can be replaced with one of the following: 1 auto-flamer and 1 master-crafted power-sword 1 auto-flamer and 1 master-crafted power axe 1 auto-plasma and 1 master-crafted power-sword 1 auto-plasma and 1 master-crafted power axe I'm more partial to the auto-flamer since it can be swapped for a relic if you want, but it also means you can use the "Oh Emprah, he crusadin'" Castellan model as a Marshal. Castellan Black Templars Primaris Lieutenant can replace their master-crafted auto bolt rifle with: 1 combi-flamer and 1 master-crafted power axe to represent the Blanche Castellan, or they can trade their bolt pistol and master-crafted auto bolt rifle for one of the following: 1 heavy bolt pistol and 1 Astartes Chainsword 1 heavy bolt pistol and 1 master-crafted power sword 1 auto-plasma and 1 Astartes Chainsword 1 auto-plasma and 1 master-crafted power sword You may remember that I mentioned the Teeth of Terra some time back, this is why: one model from the Sword Brethren can instead be built as a Castellan which allows them to have a chainsword which can be upgraded to the Teeth of Terra relic for maximum Crusading! Regardless of what load out you go with for melee, I'm more partial to the heavy bolt pistol, though for shootier Templar players the auto-plasma will likely look decent. Additionally since the Castellan is still a Primaris Lieutenant, that means you can take two in a single force org slot giving even more options! Vehicles Black Templars Gladiator Lancer, Gladiator Reapers, Gladiator Valiant, Impulsor or Repulsor Executioners have the following option: If this model is not equipped with an ironhail heavy stubber it can be equipped with 1 multi-melta. Black Templars Repulsors have the following option: Instead of being equipped with an ironhail heavy stubber, this model can be equipped with 1 multi-melta. Honestly this option looks most attractive on the Impulsor who can be put into an army with a free 5++ (via Vow) and instead take a Bellicatus Missile Array for additional fire support for the army to give your units a decent little gunboat escort that's far more affordable than our other Primaris transport options right now. Units High Marshal Helbrecht Crossed the Rubricon, starting bringing around his attendants to keep the blood of the foe from staining his armour and making sure he always looks good for a holopict. Now sporting EIGHT wounds and 6 attacks base (plus his attendants can make no more than 2 additional attacks with their cleaning rags at S3, Ap0, D1 to humiliate the enemy if they die to it) his bolt rifle brings a melta gun that always damages like it's in half range, and the Sword of the High Marshals can either make twelve attacks at S+2, Ap-3, D1 or make his standard 6 attacks at Sx2, AP-3, D3. BUT THAT'S NOT ALL! Helbrecht has retained the Crusade of Wrath (giving +1 Strength to Black Templar Core units in 6" of him), and comes with the Rites of Battle and Chapter Master rules we normally see paired on Chapter Masters these days. Basically he's 160 points of beat stick who makes the Templars around him hit harder and will likely see a place in many armies. Chaplain Grimaldus Also crossed the Rubricon, Grimaldus has gone up to 5 wounds, 4 attacks, and now acts as a single unit with his servitors (who must have attacks to allocated to them first with 1 wound each making the total wound count for the unit 7). As the servitors die you lose the relics they hold (Banner: d3+3" Advance rolls; Remnant: 6+++ to units within 6"; Sceptre: Grimaldus gains +1 when attempting to incite a litany). Grimaldus still shares his Ld9 out in a 6" bubble to other units, and once per game he can attempt to stand back up on a 4+ the first time he dies with 3 wounds remaining (because he is too angry to die) and he can attempt to deny one psychic power as if he were a psyker (as the warlord he does it twice, otherwise he only can do it once). All in all it looks like a great bundle for 140 points but there is a major issue right now: RAW Grimaldus counts as 4 characters for Assassinate because the Servitros don't have their own keywords making them all characters. This needs a FAQ or else poor Grim will have to be too angry to die...on the shelf. The Emperor's Champion No longer available in "Classic" flavors we only have the "New Coke" based on community reactions to the model. No longer forced to take a pre-set Warlord trait (and honestly none of them are great on him) he's 100 points of beatstick glory with 5 wounds and 5 attacks. Sadly he lost any rules pertaining to enemy Monsters but the Black Sword now comes in Sweeping (S+3, AP-3, D2) and Thrusting strike (Sx2, AP-4, D3, -1 to hit) flavors. No longer the mandatory inclusion he once was in the last codex, he will likely see inclusion in a number of lists for being a cheap beatstick who can go after enemy support characters like a slasher villian: and if he catches them chances are he's going to leave a horror scene behind afterwards. Primaris Crusader Squad Starting at around 178 points (depending on loadout) for 10 models (1 Sword Brother, 5 Initiates and 4 Neophytes) and able to go up to 20 models (1 Sword Brother, 11 Initiates, and 8 Neophytes) for 356 points (before paying for loadout options) they aren't as flexibile as the Firstborn Crusader Squad, but their Neophytes come with 2 wounds standard and the unit has the Primaris keyword allowing them access to Primaris only stratagems it's a not a weak option. The Iniitiates come standard with auto bolt-rifles for +1ppm, but can instead take heavy bolt pistols and Astartes chainswords for free (and 2 for every 10 models can take a power fists instead of a chainsword for +10ppm allowing you to put up to four power fists in a unit of 20). Neophytes come with regular bolt pistols and Astartes chainswords but can swap for Bolt carbines (24" range, Assault 2 bolter profile) or Astartes Shotguns (18" range, Assault 2 bolter profile) all of which are included in the Neophyte's point cost. The Sword Brother can have a Heavy Bolt Pistol and Power Sword or Power Axe. The Heavy Bolt Pistol can be exchanged for a Pyre pistol (Pistol D6, S3, AP-1, D1, autohits). Honestly I like the squad tooled up for melee the most, but I have to say I am a little sad you can't use the extra power weapons from the sprue with the Initiates, nor can the Sword Brother take the weapon options available in the Sword Brother kit, or even a chainsword. I know that unit options are far more limited than they used to be (as we can see when looking at the classic Crusader Squad who can take so many wargear options that you could make a nigh infinite number units of them and never duplicate your load out from one unit to the next) but they were so close to greatness for what we're working with. That said the base of the squad leans into shooting or melee rather solidly and can perform both roles solidly and makes a good backbone for a Primaris crusade thanks to coming in cheaper than the Intercessor troop options thanks to the Neophytes in the squad. Crusader Squad 5-20 models with Initiates now costing 18ppm, and Neophytes costing 13ppm they still have all the previous wargear options they had access to and benefit from the Smokescreen keyword. Initiates have 2 wounds, 1 attack base and Neophytes have 1 attack and 1 wound. They punch softer than Primaris Crusaders in terms of volume of dice, but their depth of options and tactical flexibility is going to keep them around for some time into the future, assuming GW brings the upgrade set back. Sword Brethren Starting at 88 points for 4 models (putting them a mere 3ppm over Primaris Initiates) each model brings 2 wounds and 3 attacks to the table, and comes standard with a Heavy Bolt Pistol and Astartes Chainsword, but any number of them can have a powersword instead. The rest of the wargear options swap for the chainsword are limited to 1 per 9 models or less, or 2 if the unit contains 10 models: Thunder hammer 2x Lighting Claws (it's one set that goes on one model) Power Axe Power Maul Plasma Pistol (replaces Heavy Bolt Pistol instead) Pyre Pistol (up to 2 models for 9 or less, up to 4 models at 10 models, replaces Heavy Bolt Pistol) Looks like a mess, right? Here's the thing: the best way to this unit is to NOT go all in an all the special weapon options we have available and instead build around chainswords or power swords and take the one or two sets of the special weapons we need for the role we're flexing them into. Dealing with a lot of GEQ hordes? Chainswords and Lighting Claws with Heavy Bolt Pistols. MEQ? Power Swords, Lighting Claws, and possibly plasma pistols. Basically our best use for this squad is to build for the sort of things we want to throw them at and ignore the other options. Those left over bits can be used in other squads to splash some alternate Templar weapons onto Sergeants, or you can magnetize the entire unit so you can always swap to whatever you need in this part of the meta cycle. It's a flexible unit that can be kitted up for any job and is the only unit in the supplement who is not affected by the Vow's Passion. Additionally they can also combat squad, making them the able to be taken in a unit of 10 and split up into two units with different jobs to keep our investment in slots down. They won't outfight Bladeguard or out manuever Vanguard Veterans, but they definitely have a place in most lists as a toolbox unit that can be used to handle a number of jobs, or just kept cheap with chainswords and thrown into enemy units where they can Rip and Tear like the best of them. ++NO PITY++ ++NO REMORSE++ ++NO MERCY++ [RESERVED FOR FAQS]
  18. Probably not super-optimised because there are some models I just don't have (I would also proxy the Redemptor), but I hope this could perform reasonably... What Dou you think? ++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Imperium - Adeptus Astartes - Space Wolves) [77 PL, 11CP, 1,500pts] ++ + Configuration + **Chapter Selector**: Space Wolves Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) Detachment Command Cost Gametype + Stratagems + Relics of the Chapter [-1CP]: Number of Extra Relics + HQ + Bjorn the Fell-handed [10 PL, 180pts]: Multi-melta Captain on Bike [6 PL, 105pts]: Black Death, Bolt pistol, Hunter, Power axe, Warlord Lieutenants [4 PL, 80pts] . Lieutenant in Phobos Armour: Morkai's Teeth Bolts + Troops + Blood Claws [6 PL, 90pts] . 4x Blood Claw: 4x Astartes Chainsword, 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades . Blood Claw Pack Leader: Astartes Chainsword Blood Claws [6 PL, 90pts] . 4x Blood Claw: 4x Astartes Chainsword, 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades . Blood Claw Pack Leader: Astartes Chainsword Incursor Squad [5 PL, 115pts]: Haywire Mine . 4x Incursor: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Occulus bolt carbine, 4x Paired combat blades . Incursor Sergeant + Elites + Bladeguard Veteran Squad [10 PL, 175pts] . 4x Bladeguard Veteran: 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Heavy Bolt Pistol, 4x Master-crafted power sword, 4x Storm Shield . Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant: Heavy Bolt Pistol Redemptor Dreadnought [9 PL, 180pts]: 2x Storm Bolters, Macro Plasma Incinerator, Onslaught Gatling Cannon + Fast Attack + Cyberwolves [1 PL, 15pts]: Cyberwolf Cyberwolves [2 PL, 30pts] . 2x Cyberwolf: 2x Teeth and claws Thunderwolf Cavalry [7 PL, 185pts] . Thunderwolf Cavalry: Storm shield, Thunder hammer . Thunderwolf Cavalry: Lightning Claw, Storm shield . Thunderwolf Cavalry Pack Leader: Storm shield, Thunder hammer + Heavy Support + Long Fangs [7 PL, 185pts]: Armorium Cherub . Long Fang: Multi-melta . Long Fang: Multi-melta . Long Fang: Multi-melta . Long Fang: Multi-melta . Long Fang Pack Leader: Astartes Chainsword, Meltagun + Dedicated Transport + Drop Pod [4 PL, 70pts]: Storm bolter ++ Total: [77 PL, 11CP, 1,500pts] ++ Created with BattleScribe Edit: Sorry, wanted to post this in the army list sub+thread actually...
  19. I had an interesting game yesterday against Imperial guard, it was fun, but sadly a big loss for Death guard. My main problem with the opposing list was that he brought so many tanks and artillery which I could not make a serious dent in. So what I wonder is how to take care of tank lists. His army was roughly Tank commander (Leman Russ Punisher) 2Leman Russ demolishers 1 manticore 1 Colossus Vulture Gunship with Gatlin cannons. Bullgryn supported with a shield wall psyker. Some token imperial guard infantry units My list was weak against his from the start, I knew that, my only reliable way to take care of a high toughness heavy armoured unit is with my poor pbc, which was down to the last bracket after his first turn, he went first btw, hiding against artillery is hard. So I wonder how will we be able to take care of those targets, I fear both their new codex and a heavy tau list. Are the Blighthaulers a good option? Cower hoping is not an option against as their artillery and fliers will tear death guard to shreds no matter were you are standing. I was thinking of using cultists as meat-shields for our characters, and teleporting in terminators. So what are our options against tanks, PBC and Blightghaulers only?
  20. (apologies if this should be in Tactica, but I felt that this would be more relevant in the general Adeptus Astartes section of the board because it's only about Marines) So, this came to me while I was in the shower this morning (I know, shower thoughts are best thoughts ), but I realized that Shadowspear gives Space Marine players the ability to deny the ENTIRE BOARD to enemy deep-striking. And it only involves three data-sheets. Those being: Primaris Captain in Phobos Armour Primaris Infiltrators Relic Land Raider Proteus (equipped Explorator Augury Web) Each unit has an ability that stops enemy deepstriking within 12" of it. You could take a patrol with just those, splitting the Infiltrators into two squads, and if you set them up in a straight line with no overlaps (which as you'll see is difficult) means that just between three (technically 4 if you combat-squad) you've got a 24"x120" area of no deepstriking due the wording of the abilities. And that's only 654 points to deny a MASSIVE area of the board to your opponent. Add more of those units to the front and back of the 'line' and the area denial gets even larger. Obviously, not getting any overlap would only work on Apocalypse boards, but even with overlap, it makes a massive zone of board control just by those units being there. So if you're in a meta where people like to deep strike a lot of units....
  21. In this topic we will discuss the various Ultramarines specific Relics available in the Ultramarines Supplement. Note that Special Issue Wargear does have some Ultramarines specific Relics to choose from, but such is the variance available due to Honoured Sergeant as well as the nature of Successor Chapters, I've split the two sections into two separate articles on the matter. I'll open proceedings with a round up of each item and my opinion on the effectiveness of each. This can and likely will be disputed by our esteemed fraternity here but that is good - discussion is to be encouraged! Let us all know what you think and whether there are combinations not mentioned. Without further stalling for time... Relics of Maccragge Sanctic Halo The same old Relic and likely to remain a firm favourite, there are few models this Relic is not worth taking on. (The Cataphractii Captain springs to mind, since a singe deny isn't worth your Relic slot or a CP in my opinion) Primaris Captains might have an extra wound but the lack of a 2+ save, Storm Shield or movement options is quite the drawback. As such they particularly enjoy the benefits of this item. However, it you want a Storm Shield protection but want to keep your snazzy gun as well as beatstick of choice on your Classic Captain, then this Relic is a solid choice for you too. The Soldier's Blade I wanted to like an Ultramarines only sword but this is a hard pass for the majority of models. Worse in every way bar Damage than the Burning Blade (equalling at D2), there are only 2 reasons to take this weapon and they're very specific. The first is the Phobos knife wielder. This is possible but likely you'll be using your Phobos Captain as a sniper and a Lieutenant isn't the most competitive combat monster to use a valuable Relic slot on. The second circumstance is the even more unlikely event you already used the Burning Blade but are desperate for another equivalent. Thing is, you probably could have just forked out 5pts extra to have a Power Fist or Relic Blade at this point. So unfortunately this should be a hard pass. The Standard of Maccragge Inviolate A great Relic is you're planning on using some close combat options. Let's be honest, as an Ultramarines player you're likely not worried about morale so the reason you'll take this Relic is the bonus to attacks. Using choices solely in Codex Space Marines and the Supplement you will need to think carefully about how you are going to get the bearer of this standard (the Standard Bearer, if you will) into position alongside your assault forces. Jump Pack models will leave this one behind and units of Vanguard are the ones you will likely be thinking about most for all the special melee weapons they have available. Of course, there are other options available. A Terminator Ancient is someone who can teleport in just behind the assault force, or alongside Terminators. A big squad of Cataphractii Terminators, for example, will benefit greatly from the attack increase. There is an argument to be made for an Ancient carrying this model with the footslogging core of your list but personally I think Intercessor squads prefer other supporting characters that help all round with their shooting as well as close combat capacity. Still a reasonable choice and 10 Intercessors have 41 attacks alongside this Banner in the 1st round of combat! Transport options will be the key here. Deliver this model up close alongside an assault force and you won't care so much about the lack of a bike or Jump Pack. Special mention goes to the Impulsor which allows a model to move 14", disembark 3", move 6" and likely keep up with any unit you want. Primaris Ancients accompanying Vanguard with Jump Packs are looking to be a likely combination with this Relic. Other interesting opportunities to deliver the model will be Drop Pods, Storm Ravens and even the good old fashioned Rhino, but these methods require a little more planning. Armour of Konor A decent bit of protection for a Terminator clad character. The 4+ Invulnerable save is only really relevant on Librarians and Ancients in Terminator armour since Chaplains and Captains have the same or better. However, all characters, Captains included, will appreciate the ability it comes with - halving wounds caused per attack. This makes a Captain with Storm Shield quite tricky to put down, but really such a Captain will enjoy the Tarentian Cloak even more. Take this armour for a Terminator heavy armour as the next item should be your first pick... Tarentian Cloak This Relic is just superb! It combines the benefits of an Invulnerable save with an apothecary! Consider it on models without invulnerable saves but who already have a 2+ armour save, or models who have plenty of wounds to take advantage of the free wounds return. The reason I suggest not placing it on a model with just a 3+ save and 4 or 5 wounds is because the models die fairly easily. Lieutenants of all stripes, even Primaris ones, don't last long on the frontline with just power armour. Captains have more wounds and built in invulnerable saves so can get away with just 5 wounds. Where this Relic really sings is a Terminator Captain with a 3+ invulnerable, or a Gravis Captain. The former is so well protected it's obnoxious whilst the latter has a massive number of wounds. Consider the juggernaut that is a Cataphractii Captain that has a Relic blade/chainfist, combi weapon of choice and regenerates D3 wounds a turn. This Relic is actually my first pick when it comes to protecting characters. Primaris benefit the most since they all have an extra wound over their fellows so there aren't many picks that won't enjoy the Tarentian Cloak, but remember the role of each model before you give this to a model in your list - you might want something more offensive for your Primaris characters. Especially with super snipers. Put this on your Terminator or Gravis Captain. Vengeance of Ultramar People often dislike a gun for a Relic but this one is actually pretty good. Strength 4 and no AP doesn't scream game breaking but hear me out! This gun re-rolls ALL wounds against anything that isn't a vehicle. Oh and it has 8 shots when rapid firing. For Ultramarines that means, in the Tactical Doctrine, you can move and fire 24" with 8 AP-1 shots that re-roll wounds. Let me say again; re-roll wounds! This will help a model carve through infantry from a distance. Primaris can't use it but really they have fairly good guns already and a selection of Relics in Codex Space Marines to fill any void there anyway. Shame though as this kind of firepower is rare in a Space Marines character, as often it's quality over quantity. Lots of models can use this Relic but hitting on a 2+ is likely the best way to get the most out of it. Techmarines can be quite a thorn in the side of an opponent with just a 2pt weapon whilst he repairs your Redemptor or Contemptor, or Land Raider, for example. A decent pick if you don't need the other options available to Ultramarines more. (we really are spoilt for choice) Helm of Censure An interesting pick if a little superfluous to our requirements as an Ultramarines player. We get many a re-roll after all. However, what this does do is allow an over-charged Combi-plasma to re-roll 1s to hit and wound and crucially against Astartes forces, will wound Toughness 7 models on a 2+! A sniper Primaris could do with this as could anything with a power fist or equivalent. A little skewed against Astartes so this item may see itself relegated to the subs bench or extra Relic. Would you take this over Tarentian Cloak, The Santic Halo or a weapon? Probably not. A spare character with a need to increase its killing potential outside of frequently found re-roll bubbles? Very possible. Treat this choice as such. If you're already using the choice Relic for the army but want to boost some characters then this is a little pick me up to that end. As an example, a Chapter Champion is at his most powerful with the Burning Blade and Imperium's Sword Warlord Trait, but if you've used these elsewhere then you can't go far wrong with this boost to his killing potential.
  22. I've been mulling over this and it looks like one of our "big things". The big knock out punch Strategum that is so important it is once per game. Problem is, I just don't think I can make much use out of it using my combined arms response army. What could we do to get the most out of it, which units benefit most and how to create lists that take advantage of it. The quick answer I feel is "take a lot of bolter troops" but the problem I have with this is such a thing weakens your over all firepower somewhat. Relying on bolters to kill high end targets always ends badly. That said, Centurions, Aggressors and other high rate of fire shots can make the most of this Strategum. We don't want to waste it on say just 5 bolter dudes rapid firing after all! What do folk think about this?
  23. There are varying degrees of experience in the Horus Heresy community but most of all we want to recruit others, so I'm going to start a series of discussions and encourage others to do so that focus on the more mundane questions to the veterans amongst you. The intent behind this is to build a foundation of knowledge for people to draw from and attract others to a friendly and informative guide from fellows from within the community. Starting with the pride of a non-Primarch Legion force and the character and beatstick, let's talk about the Praetor. Questions we can answer - what weapons to give a Praetor, what armour (i.e. what type) and who to run him with? How does this differ from Legion to Legion, or army build to army build, Rites of War included? Please share your thoughts, including your experiences or just your themed preferences if you like. There's room for all sorts here!
  24. Hey guys, I wanted to get some opinions on the 'best' secondary objectives for us. I've been struggling with that part of the game a bit, mostly because I'm so caught up in list building, strategems and all that jazz that I treated them as an afterthought in the past. In general, I'm not a huge fan of the concept in itself and if it were up to me, I would probably drop the whole layer of codex-specific-secondaries from the game tbh. But since they're part of the game, I'll have to get a grip on them, I guess. I have used some of the Space Wolves secondaries in the past, with rather mediocre success. Some of the "Kill-X" objectives seem fun and fluffy, but also situational. I once tried "Oaths..." from the Marine codex, which seemed to provide value a bit more reliably (forgot about moving a unit in the center in each round though, because I'm an idiot). Anyway, what are your recommendations? What is your approach in general? Do you have a set plan for secondaries already in advance, or do you choose depending on mission and or opponent? Thanks in advance, ranulf
  25. With 3 out of the 4 cult marines no longer being in our codex I wanted to discuss how best to utilize them. Them not gaining legion traits sucks, but I still think cult marines are still pretty useful. Here's what I have so far: Berserkers: -Still hit very hard in melee, getting exploding 6s is a very good boost -Fury of Khorne for tough units -Veterans of the long war still really good -+1 Str from mark -Run with a khorne priest to get wanton massacre early Rubric Marines: -+2 shots with flamers make the now 3pt warpflamers threatening -Another cheap psyker on the board -Surprisingly tough with mark of tzeench + all is dust + AoC -Demon shells for -3 bolters -Can be a good backfield unit with warp-born foresight Plague Marines: -The free wargear is very good (3 Plasma guns for free with a 10 man squad) -Pretty tough with Mark of Nurgle + AoC Noise Marines: -Lots of support with EC -+1 Dmg within half range + veterans on sonic weapons is powerful Side note: While not the main topic of this thread I wanted to bring up Confluence of Traitors and cult marines. Because of the wording on the stratagem saying "Until your next command phase, models in that unit have that legion trait" I think it is actually possible to give a cult marine unit a legion trait. My argument for this is that the word "gains/gain" is used when talking about abilities that a unit gets both the before game begins, and last all battle. Where has, "have" is used for when a unit is temporarily given an ability for a turn. I don't actually believe this would work in a real game, and is a case of extremely rules lawyering but I thought it would be interesting to bring up.
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