Plasma Pistols: Ever worth using?

[Drudge Dreadnought]

Plasma pistols always seem to be the weapon that isn't really worth using due to the points. And yet they are cool and i'd very much like to use them. I'm wondering if anyone ever does, and how they justify the cost considering you can get a plasma gun for the same price, and combi weapons on champions for cheaper. Having champions carry them in either vanilla or plague marine squads seems like a nice idea, but a combi melta is cheaper and better unless you can get 2 shots off. They also seem like they could be nice on berzerkers to add even more punch to their already brutal charge, but would they make their points back?

 

It seems plasma pistols really need a boost. Having them add +1 str in cc or let you claim the extra cc attack for powerfists or claws or somethinig similar would be really nice. Otherwise they just need to cost like 5 points, or have some sort of buy 1 one get one free deal or decreasing cost the more you take.

[walpurgisnacht]

Last I checked all plasma was a gamble unless you got the dreadnought armament cannon or pintlemounted on rhino or bike. Personally, I like them. The plasma pistol is great against weak armour vehicles and termies. Granted maybe one good shot before conflict, but it has the capability of easily tripling its point kill\cost ratio. Besides berzerkers can take only PP's as heavy slots...unless there was a FAQ. hurries off to check

[Megalodon]

As much as I love PP's the new point value is way too high. I still use some on occasion because I have a few champs armed with them, but really should replace them with BP's.

[Drudge Dreadnought]

If you could still fire them twice if you hadn't moved their point cost would be somewhat justified i suppose.

[JamesI]

In my opinion, a plasma pistol is never worth using.

[BrainFireBob]

They're not terribly worth it in 5th. I run the odd champion with them, in squads of less than 10, to "makeup" the second assault weapon, but that's about it.

[chillin]

Since a csm can now fire his plas gun (or melta) then drop it and fight with bp & ccw, the plas pistol became the worst special weop. Maybe it would be worth 10 pts...maybe.

I'm thinking more like 7 or 8.

[Hellios]

When you could stand still and fire 2 shots off I would run 3 in a unit of Khorne Berzerkers <_< so many nid players have moved up with a carnifex to my berzerkers expecting a few bolt shots and then for me to charge in (survive that then kill me :'), but instead they found my berzerkers standing still and unloading 6 plasma shots into the monsters, which would often kill it and there is always a chance of a wound from bolt fire as well B). :S not so good if you can't fire twice :S but still useful on berzerkers to a certain degree just to give them more punch.

[Allerka]

Berserkers are about the only unit they're worth taking on, or maybe a Champion in a PM squad. Everyone else can pretty much take better.

 

I use them on my 'zerkers sometimes (even magnetized the hands so I can switch between BP and PP as desired for games), which gives them some added punch against heavy targets or armor, as the Champion in my squad has a PW instead of PF.

[Night Stalker]

To make it work, it need to cost 10 points max.

 

Anyway, check my nearly finished Codex: Night Lord project - where plasmas are useful. Just check my signature :lol:

 

It does not change a fact, that i use plasma pistol equiped chaplain from my fallen chapter sometimes. It is overcosted anyway, and look amazing, so why not make him even less cost effective ?!

[minigun762]

Berserkers are about the only unit they're worth taking on, or maybe a Champion in a PM squad. Everyone else can pretty much take better.

 

I use them on my 'zerkers sometimes (even magnetized the hands so I can switch between BP and PP as desired for games), which gives them some added punch against heavy targets or armor, as the Champion in my squad has a PW instead of PF.

 

I agree with this. Beserkers, being unable to carry anything heavier, are the only units that can really make the most of them. Even then its questionable whether you want them, the nice thing is you can have them on the non-Skull Champions so if you do overheat and die (only a 5.5% to do FYI) you're not losing your Champion.

 

I'd do it in bigger games (2K+) where I had some extra points laying around.

[L0NEW0LF]

i do tend to take 2 in my bezerkers squads, never take them on the skull champ anymore.

[Chaplain Invictus]

In chaos armies, only if I have it on the model already...

[Artemis360]

Its ironic that you opened this topic now because just last sunday I had a game of T-sons vs dark angels where the dark angels had an assault squad with 3 plasma pistols and no powerfists or power weapons. I thought this was suicide but by the end the squad killed my daemon prince and 2 obliterators, entirely with pistol fire and never got into combat once! (my Daemon prince seems to have a weak point in his armour that attracts bolt pistol shells in all his games). I told my opponent straight out that he'd totally changed my opinion of plasma pistols.