Mystics

[xpalpatinex]

I’m beginning to play with Daemon Hunters now (after a long break from 40k) so I’ve been planning and painting my army along with reading way to many online tacticas.

 

I’ve read a bunch here about using mystics to protect your lines from deepstrike/drop pod melta threats. I’m just looking for some practical advice on using them…weapon load out, placement etc… While reading the codex they seemed useful but I still fear hordes of deepstriking/drop podding melta suicide squads ruining my careful Land Raider plans.

 

They seem decent to me and a solid addition to my army but I want to know more.

 

It seems like protecting a land raider would be extremely difficult as wherever you place the mystics and Inquisitor retinue the land raider is screening some area for the enemies to drop into and still slag the vehicle (since it is such a large vehicle). Does this mean you’re running multiple Inquisitors?

 

Also, what are you arming the retinue with? Veteran guard with meltas have a short range (6”) for the effective 2d6 penetration…and would gun servitors with MM work better?

 

Thanks for any help on this very specific subject.

[Justicar Valius]

now right your basic inquisitor has a psycannon, 1/2 mystics, 2/1 sages, 2 heavy bolter servitors and a plasma cannon servitor.

 

or skip the 2 heavy bolter servitors and add a chimera and make 2 mystics and 2 sages.

 

And you can give your inquisitor sanctuary and you will make daemon players cry.

[number6]

The cheapest deep-strike defense is an Inqusitor and two mystics in a Rhino. Ideally your LRCs will be facing in a direction such that they can unload on anything that wants to get too close.

 

You can upgrade your Inquisitor from there. I strongly recommend a multi-melta servitor so you have another anti-armour platform. The DH can never have enough of that. Where you go from there (a Chimera instead, a psycannon and/or a psychic hood on the Inquisitor, etc.) depends on how many points you want to invest. I wouldn't invest in too many more guns unless you have access to an inducted IG platoon Chimera. Those vehilces are fantastic infantry shooting platforms.

 

The second part of deep-strike defense, however, is screening. You should be employing melta ISTs in Rhinos (or borrowed IG Chimeras). Keep your IST units on your LRC's flanks so that any deep-strikers can't get within double-dice melta range of your raiders and, hopefully, give those raiders a cover save at the same time. Better to sacrifice an IST unit than the raider and whoever is riding inside.

[xpalpatinex]

I see, so you're counting on the LR to do the actual shooting and the inquisitor and mystics are just there as enablers.

 

I'm still curious about the position of these because I feel like with a 4d6" range on the mystic we are looking at an average of 14" of detection area. With the size of the LR, it seems like it would be hard to cover all your angles when placing the Inq Rhino behind it.

 

 

The second part of deep-strike defense, however, is screening. You should be employing melta ISTs in Rhinos (or borrowed IG Chimeras). Keep your IST units on your LRC's flanks so that any deep-strikers can't get within double-dice melta range of your raiders and, hopefully, give those raiders a cover save at the same time. Better to sacrifice an IST unit than the raider and whoever is riding inside.

 

I'm not really sure how this works with protecting from deep strikers. The AV is the same all around so a meta dread could deep strike from any direction on a suicide mission. are we assuming something like this? With a single big LR in the middle with one rhino on each side housing Metla IST's and a single rhino behind with the inquistor/Mystics? This gives no cover from the front right?

 

------------------

----R LRLR R---

----R LRLR R---

--------R--------

 

R = Rhino

LR = Land Raider

 

I'm just curious how to deal with the area in front of the LR for suicide melta defense in this scenario.

[number6]

It's the sides of the raiders that need the most protection, because that is where the LRC's firepower is weakest. If someone wants to drop right in front (or right behind) your LRC in hopes of popping it (say with a MM dreadnought), well then your mystics (which are always nearby) will allow your LRC to fire it's MM at the dread before it gets to do anything.

 

Or if, say, a squad of melta sternguard pop out in front (or behind) the LRC, you've got all that firepower (minus, at most, the assault cannon) to blast the occupants.

 

The mystics will be discouraging any smart opponent from dropping directly in front or behind a LRC. It's only the flanks you need to worry about. You just need to make sure you keep melta guns out of double-dice range.