Inquisitor Tactica

[Inquisitor Fox]

To be honest, this exists because too often I see people state that an Inquisitor is useless or not effective on the table top. Having used an Inquisitor Lord as my HQ since the Witch Hunters Codex was available, even now that the Codex may be being replaced I have to strongly disagree. Here are a few of my thoughts and observations which I hope will let other peopel re-evaluate Inquisitors themselves. Much of this is copy/pasted from previous writings of myself, however I have also expanded various sections with new observations. I also tend to run a close combat WH Inquisitor retinue, as I believe the DH one is better balanced towards shooting. As this is my own experience, I have written it from a WH close combat perspective however a lot of it applies equally to a DH retinue.

 

Addressing the most common use of a DH retinue I have seen, it is a psycannon armed Inquisitor/Inquisitor Lord often with The Emperor's Tarot and/or a psychic hood, a combination of Sages and Mystics, then Gun Servitors armed with heavy bolters, plasma cannon, and/or multi-meltas. This provides anti-deep strike capability as well as a solid firebase to support forward operating units.

 

Now the first question is why take an Inquisitor at all? Several reasons, first of which is the ability to unlock assassins and orbital strikes as options within the codex. Second is the ability to add Land Raiders to a WH list without losing Sisters. Heavily armored, and bearing potent twin-linked lascannons these are a powerful tool to have in your toolbox. Third, it's a potential counter-charge unit that is often overlooked or forgotten. Used in conjunction with assassins (DCA's or an Eversor), or other close combat units like Seraphim, Repentia, Arcos or Penitent Engines they can cause a lot of wounds that bypass armor saves. Fourth, they'll never see it coming, and wont know what to expect.

 

Both WH and DH still have superior psychic hoods that affect an entire tabletop. This is more critical in a WH army as there isn't another source for them. Although the Sister's have some innate protection, it isn't quite the same as a Ld 10 tabletop wide counter. Thus, this is a piece of wargear that should not be overlooked. Another option is Penitants or hexegrammic wards, however these affect just the Inquisitor's own unit, whereas the psychic hood helps the entire army. As such, and in the interest of leaving my pool of henchmen for other more useful options, I go with the psychic hood.

 

I'll start by saying that technically speaking my own Inquisitor Lady and Retinue is NOT min/maxed by any means. It's a bit of a cross between fluffy and effective, but most importantly is composted of models I like the look of and have found to be reasonably effective on the tabletop. I have a few other ideas for conversions that I will most likely do at some point to add to the retinue and swap out some of the other models, particularly among my acolytes, as I work on rounding out more fluff for my Inquisitor and crew. There are lots of things I Could do to make it more effective, like changing weapons on the Inquisitor, cutting out a lot of wargear and the like. I play for mostly fun though so I haven't worried about it. The advice I give will be more for doing the min/maxing, then I'll go into my retinue at the end.

 

There are very few differences between an Inquisitor as an Elites choice, and an Inquisitor Lord as an HQ. The major changes are: the number of wounds, attack and leadership characteristic of each, whether the model starts with carapace or power armor, and the special rule of Iron Will. Of these, I view the Iron Will rule as the most major change. The other mechanical difference is the maximum number of henchmen allowed: HQ choices get more. Otherwise this entire topic applies equally to both choices.

 

Survivability for an Inquisitor is harder than say, a Space Marine, but there are several tricks which help render them hard to touch. First, there is the Retinue rule in the BRB, which makes them an untargetable squad upgrade as long as their retinue is alive, since their retinue is a bodyguard. Second, the fact that they can have power armor and a rosarius (WH) gives them a 3+/4+ armor save. Yes, a DH Inquisitor can have a 2+/4+ but they don't have chiurgeons. Chirugeons allow the Inquisitor to ignore the first unsaved wound suffered each round, if you have 2 or more it even ignores an Instant Death wound. Spiffy! Also an Inquisitor can allocate any wound inflicted on the Inquisitor to an Acolyte instead before any saves are attempted. You are limited to one wound per acolyte allocated in this fashion. Crusader henchmen (a WH unique bit) come with a 4+ invulnerable save which is also useful in terms of wound allocation. What this boils down to is I almost always have my Inquisitor and 1 to 4 or so members of the retinue alive at the end of the game, often without any wounds on the Inquisitor.

 

Psychic powers give several options for an Inquisitor geared towards close combat. I would look at Hammerhand, His Will Be Done, and Scourging. Personally I go with His Will Be Done and Scourging. His Will Be Done is best paired with a high number of power weapon attacks in my experience, whereas Hammerhand can substitute for a strength boosting anti-armor capability, however the lower strength of an Inquisitor compared to say Space Marines (Grey Knights) mean that it isn't very effective against anything more heavily armored than a Rhino. Scourging is simply an assault shooting attack, albeit a very useful one.

 

Another question is weapon outfitting for the Inquisitor. You have three main choices: power weapon, eviscerator, and force weapon. Power weapons and a second close combat weapon allow for a lot of attacks at a high initiative and weapon skill that bypass armor. Eviscerators allow for a higher strength and somewhat effective anti-armor capability. Eviscerators do, of course, force you to strike last. Your retinue (as described above) can help keep you alive long enough for these blows to still show up though. Force weapons allow for potential insta-gibs, which is useful as more and more models are losing Eternal Warrior status. The downside to a force weapon is the inability to use a psychic power such as His Will Be Done in the same round. Thankfully it doubles as a power weapon, although if you never use the potential insta-gib you'd be better off just taking the cheaper power weapon. Digital weapons are a useful piece of wargear for an easy extra attack. More dice rolled is good as it just might cause a wound and force a save.

 

In my own experience, having a transport for the Inquisitor and retinue is key, particularly for an assault oriented retinue, as otherwise toughness 3 with a majority of 4+ or 5+ saves can be a little squishy. Personally I go the full monty and purchase a Land Raider. Why? Because the WH FAQ undedicates the Land Raider letting it carry anyone, it's AV14 all around, and comes with two twin-linked lascannons, which is a heck of a boost to anti-armor capabilities for the Witch Hunters. It's transport, protection, intimidation, and anti-armor all in one. The fact I blinged it out with Forge World bits and now it looks cool is just a bonus.

 

In terms of a melee retinue there are two major approaches: Power weapon spam, or monster-hunting. Both center around the following henchmen: 3 acolytes, 3 warriors, 2+ chiurgeons, 1+ familiar. The familiar is really there just for the inherent +1 initiative. The two chiurgeons are fairly critical in terms of wound prevention and keeping your Inquisitor alive, along with the acolytes. The warriors are some of your main offensive punch, they will either be crusaders or combat servitors depending.

 

For power weapon spam the acolytes need to be armed with power weapons. This leaves an few points per acolyte for wargear, often carapace armor or some combination of grenades. Note it is really easy to differentiate acolytes to help abuse the wound allocation system. The warriors will be crusaders. This gives you 18 power weapon attacks on the charge, half of which are at WS4. The warriors come with frag and krak grenades, and a 4+/4+ save. Add this onto the power weapon attacks from the Inquisitor and you're looking at a lot of potential pain.

 

Monster-hunting relies on acolytes armed with mancatchers, which some points per acolyte in wargear (just enough for power armor). The key here is in eliminating the attacks of monstrous creatures or independant characters to render them mostly harmless. Warriors should be combat servitors as they get power fists instead of power weapons, although they're WS3 instead of 4 and have less attacks.

 

My own retinue list is currently as follows:

 

Inquisitor Lord w/ Bolter stake-crossbow, force weapon, auspex, digital weapons, frag grenades, hexagrammic wards, melta bombs, psycannon bolts, psychic hood, psyocculum, rosarius, His Will Be Done, Scourging

2 Acolytes with shotgun, bolt pistol, carapace armor, frag grenades, krak grenades

Sage

2 Crusaders

Combat Servitor

Familiar

2 Chirurgeons

 

Land Raider with extra armor, hunter-killer missile, pintle mounted storm bolter, searchlight, smoke launchers

 

The Familiar and Sage exist for their permanent stat ups and the fact that they are easy throwaway henchmen. They do not need to be alive to affect the abilities of my retinue. The chiurgeons keep the Inquisitor alive. The acolytes I mostly went for look of the model and the fact they can shoot the shotguns out of the Land Raider on an assault. Fluffwise I have an ex-arbites and an ex-guardsmen.. so I haven't messed with them too much. My own retinue is perfectly sized to fit in a Land Raider.

 

If I take an Instant Death weapon shot I assign the first wound to the Inquisitor.. she has her 4+ ward save, and if she flubs it the chiurgeons nullify the wound. If my disposable sage or familiar are still present they get the second and third insta-gib shots, followed by crusaders (4+ invuln again). Small arms fire is kind of shuffled around to whomever is deemed disposable at the time. Between careful wound allocation and the Land Raider, the retinue tends to be pretty survivable.

 

The benefit to an Inquisitor and retinue is, in my opinion, that it is an under-dog unit that people consistantly underestimate and disregard as a threat. Pairing this unit up with say, Seraphim or Arco-flagellants is a mincemeat combo that people won't see coming. I've tended to have people regard my Seraphim as more of a threat and ignore the retinue, to their regret.

 

I will admit that there are other options in the Codices that may be more effective per point, cheaper, or do the same job. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference, and whether you feel the benefits to an Inquisitor are worth the points investment. To each their own, I feel at least that having one is fun, fluffy, and effective.

 

There have been many games where my Inquisitor has survived numerous turns of massive amounts of firepower or melee attacks directed at her and her retinue, often to hold an objective (some scenarios or games didn't care as to whether or not it was a Troops choice), stall a combat, engage a high risk enemy character or simply inflict a large number of power weapon wounds. In short, I've found my own retinue very effective on the tabletop, but as much of it is technique and personal preference as well as opponents not being familiar with how effective it could be.

 

That and it's fun, and that's really the whole point.

[Ice warrior]

Very well said I might add ;) . You should mention the combo with Inq lord (divide pronouncement?) and Culexus assassin, it's very effective. Furthermore I need to add the option which I use, power stake, very handy and good against "super" cc psychic characters ;)

 

I will add more later

[Chengar Qordath]

As INP said, WH Inquisitors are much better for assault, primarily thanks to Crusaders and Chirugeons.

 

DH Inquisitors, on the other hand, tend to do much better at shooting than assault, especially since they have to pay Space Marine prices for melee weapons. They're some of the only regular Imperium HQs that have access to heavy weapons, and the Incinerator and Psycannon are both very potent options. Access to mystics also makes a good Inquisitor Lord and retinue one of the best defenses in the game against deep striking units.

 

Ordo Malleus Inquisitor Lord and Retinue

Inquisitor Lord with Psycannon, and Psychic Hood

Plasma Cannon Gun Servitor, 2 Heavy Bolter Gun Servitors, 2 Mystics, 2 Sages

Cost: 224 points

Transport: IA2 Chimera w/Multi-laser, Heavy Bolter: 55 points

 

It's a bit expensive, but you get a mobile bunker that can put out a ridiculous amount of 36" firepower and provides enough deep strike defense to devastate anything that drops in too close (a re-rollable plasma cannon shot is particularly vicious against most deep-striking infantry).

[Justicar Valius]

^^^

That + sanctuary = a daemon player that will never play you again

[Ice warrior]

I have been playing with idea of taking imperial guard chimera(nice 5(sorry my bad) shooting points) and mounting inquisitor unit in it, with 3 heavy bolters warriors, making it a neat heavy support base with 15 heavy bolter shots when immobile :devil:

[ArmouredWing]

Hmmm, although there are some interesting concepts in this thread I'd say one crucial element that isn't explored sufficiently is value for points compared to some of the other options in the 'hunter codexes.

 

For me an =][= serves only effectively serves a limited number of purposes and of those I'd only consider a minority to be truly effective in the game.

 

So I'd agree that they are the option for unlocking assassins, LR's and (in the case of WH =][=) anti psyker wargear, whilst also enabling a player to field an additional HS unit in terms of HB servitors & PC servitors but of those options the only effective uses in recent times have been for the anti psyker wargear and the addition of HS infantry options. I'm not even going to mention orbital strikes because apart from specific games such as planet strike or CoD their effectiveness is incredibly limited.

 

In the current edition both assassins and hunter LR's are reduced in their effectiveness. Assassins are a lot more vulnerable due to the unit reaction/'pile in' when an assault has been initiated and LR's are not comparable to their non 'hunter counterparts from the SM/CSM lists out there.

 

In terms of the below HQ =][=, there are a few reasons why I'd be reluctant to run a loadout like this apart from when I was experimenting with my list.

 

Inquisitor Lord w/ Bolter stake-crossbow, force weapon, auspex, digital weapons, frag grenades, hexagrammic wards, melta bombs, psycannon bolts, psychic hood, psyocculum, rosarius, His Will Be Done, Scourging

2 Acolytes with shotgun, bolt pistol, carapace armor, frag grenades, krak grenades

Sage

2 Crusaders

Combat Servitor

Familiar

2 Chirurgeons

Land Raider with extra armor, hunter-killer missile, pintle mounted storm bolter, searchlight, smoke launchers

 

The big thing for me with this is the massive point sink it represents and what you'd have to sacrifice to run this in a list. Looking at it and not having my codex to hand I'd have to guess that it rattles in somewhere in the 400pts+ region once the retinue and psychic powers have been added into the mix. The LR alone costs more than 280pts.

 

I don't doubt that this represents a nice fluffy unit but it's not a difficult unit to deal with and is in itself diffult to wield. I've run a similar unit in a LR now and again and their results have always been less than impressive. The LR is not a foolproof method for deployment, true in this case it does have an ample weapons loadout to shrug off a number of weapon destroyed results but the key result for this vehicle is immobilised. As soon as that happens the =][= has got to hoof it to target where he can be met by any number of specialist units equipped to deal with it.

If the =][= is used as a support unit then, again, for my tastes it's way too expensive for what it can acheive. If I spend that many points on a unit I want it to be able to deal with a target on it's own without having to redirect valuable resources to assist it in nailing a target.

 

Compared to what you can do with a canoness in terms of loadout and equivalent points there's no contest. Add the points up and put together a SoB HQ of the same value then pit them against each other and my money would be on the SoB unit every time.

[WAR]

Very nice INP when I do break out the =I= I usually use him to scream obsceneties at my friends ..... I mean stop their psykers

[Validar]

let us face it - Inquisitors, inquisitor lords and their henchmen is not the most effective unit in the game in cost vs. usefullness terms.

 

As it is stated in the first post, that doesn't make them completely useless! Even if they are sub-par compared to other units in other codices on the paper, they can do some serious damage in the game.

On top of this they're a fluffy unit, if you care for the fluff, and a unit with a lot of cool minis and conversion options!

 

Now, this may be a tad offtopic, but I'd like to ask anyway:

How do you guys convert your inquisitors and henchmen? You talk about inquisitors with psycannons, in power armor and so on, even though such minis have not been produced by GW.

 

How are you converting it? Got any cool tips/hints? Do you buy them somewhere else?

[Inquisitor Fox]

My intention wasn't to try and argue that in a purely competative point value maximizing scenario that an Inquisitor is a more effective choice than a Canoness or Grey Knight Grand Master. In truth, they perform different roles and have different missions upon a tabletop!

 

You are correct, that retinue is spendy. The current incarnation the last time I used it (I removed the Auspex as it hasn't come up much at all) was 350 points, then 285 for the Land Raider (I use the IA2 vehicles and points costs). I have lately been debating removing a few more of the wargear pieces that don't seem to come up at all such as the meltabombs, force weapon => power weapon, although the bolter-stake crossbow is modeled and is a large reason why I bought that model, it is a little spendy with the psycannon bolts. I'm still experimenting between that and Scourging. I may treat it as a bolt pistol in a few games and see how it goes. Also there's the pistol and grenades on the acolytes that could be removed to shave off another 8 points. This would allow me to get it down to about 300 points if I needed to. The Land Raider has always worked out well for me, perhaps it's just the area and terrain in which I play. I'm always happy I have it and haven't had too many difficulties. I've also been debating using Hammer of the Witches instead of Scourging for a while to really play up on the pskyer beat down, especially with the new edition of psykers cropping up in the new Codices (Guard, 'Nids, Space Wolves, Blood Angels).

 

Where I see the 300 points as being worth it is ensuring my Inquisitor lives throughout the entire game. I think she's only fallen once, and that was in a large scale Lucky 13's Apocalypse game where she was the target of half a table edge worth of artillery since she was shutting down pretty much the entire Tyranid army by nixing all of their brain bug nuking since it's a psychic power (albeit one that doesn't take a test.. it was still listed as a psychic power in the last Codex). This angered the Hive Mind and they invested a silly amount of shooting at her and her retinue dug into cover in a building :D They lasted multiple turns before she finally went down.

 

With the PotMS corrections in the GW FAQ's and IA2, I haven't noticed a serious reduction in effectiveness of my Land Raider versus other players. Again, this could be due to the area in which I play (we folks from around the greater Seattle area are a fairly laid back sort as a general rule). Your mileage may vary.. these are just my own observations and experiences.

 

The difference I see in general is that an Adepta Sororitas Heroine or Grey Knight Hero is designed to be a Hero.. to go forth and run toe to toe with big nasty things and beat them down in the name of the Emperor. An Inquisitor is an entirely different beast. They are an army commander and general, as opposed to a front lines hero. They typically are in a more supporting role, advancing after the front line, plugging holes, providing psychic protection or utilizing other utility powers (such as Divine Pronouncement, Purgatus, Hammer of the Witches) and wargear (Psychic Hood, Liber Heresius, Inquisitorial Mandate). It's a distinct tactical shift that some playstyles favor.

 

This is not to say that they are not effective or cannot be effective, merely that when comparing themselves to a more close combat specialist they'll come in second place. Would I send my Inquisitor up against a Hive Tyrant in close combat? No, as I would expect them to lose. However, they would put out a better showing than many people, including my opponent, would probably expect them to and could make a difference for several combat rounds depending on how they were set up (like with the Man-catcher example).

 

An Inquisitor and retinue is more of a geshtalt effect with the rest of the army rather than a force in and of themselves. Similar to many support classes in MMORPGs or other RPGs, the Inquisitor functions best by assisting the rest of the army in doing it's job. I like mine to be set up for close combat to support my other, much more shooting focused units (ISTs, Sisters, Exorcists, Land Raiders, etc) when it isn't blocking psykers from functioning. Done this way, it is a satisfactory counter-charge unit, especially supported by other units like Seraphim or DCAs and the like. I am a firm believer in that we don't have many dedicated true assault units like say, Harlequins or Striking Scorpions. Instead we have units that are capable in an assault, but should go after already weakened units from shooting, or units of small numbers like artillery crews or small heavy weapons teams.

 

If you want a shining star that will cleave through the enemy army like butter, a WH or DH Inquisitor is not it. That's the job for the Heros and Heroines of our Chamber Militants. Inquisitors perform an equally valuable, but not as prima donna role upon the table. Simply because they are not the optimum choice though doesn't mean they can't be effective. It's all about what your particular army and playstyle needs in order for it to synergize correctly.

 

In terms of modelling, a lot of the weapons options are not made by GW unless you bits together a figure. In truth, I use the Inquisitor model that technically is in carapace armor and simply have them use a 3+ save. Consider it Artifacer Carapace Armor or something :P I've never had a single person mention anything about it one way or the other. For the Inquisitor I'm crafting for my DH force (expanding from the ample supply of ISTs I have, and the single unit of Grey Knight Termies I already possess by adding 2 PAGK squads) I am taking a psycannon armed PAGK, a plasma gun armed Kasrkin, and will be doing a weapon swap (which will require sacrificing the PAGK, but sometimes you must do these things in the name of the Emperor) and changing the head. My acolytes are actually old pewter Space Marine Scouts with shotguns (I always liked those models) and doing head swaps with some old Catachan Lieutenants (a model which I did a head swap and bits adding to make a Guard Officer). The Chiurgeons, Crusaders and Familiar I used the standard GW models for as I liked them. I'm considering using a few IG Medics for Chiurgeons. My Combat Servitor is actually a Necromunda Cyber Mastiff. I'm considering redoing my Acolytes to better represent their fluff... using a Necromunda Enforcer sergeant and arming him appropriately, then working up a converted IG model for the other. I haven't quite figured out the gun servitors yet... I'm considering using the heavy bolter sergeant from the IG Catachan range with a head swap for one, and possibly Necromunda heavies for some of the others.

[Warhorse47]

Thanks to all of you for helping to clarify many points. I am looking to add an Inq & retinue from DH just to fight infiltration. Next time you are in the Fang, ales on me!

[Inquisitor =D=]

I had an idea for an =][= layout.

 

Elite Inquisitor; Null Rod, Hellpistol, Digital Weapons.

5-9 Stormtroopers w/ Meltaguns or Plasma

+ Rhino w/ Smoke

 

Its basicaly replacing the stormtrooper's normal sargent with a better one. :ph34r: Thoughts?

 

=]D[=

[the jeske]

My intention wasn't to try and argue that in a purely competative point value maximizing scenario that an Inquisitor is a more effective choice than a Canoness or Grey Knight Grand Master

what ??

Inq are good for one thing and one thing only , to get mystics and that is all[and one doesnt need a lord for that or rather one should never take a lord for that].

A LR taken for lascanons , why I ask ? taking guard is cheaper [and cant be stuned ] in a WH/DH army and every other imperial army has better source of anti tank.

An inq unit as counter unit . First of all you need a LR for that, what more or less kills the idea of a INQ as a viable choice . But lets go in to actual stats. for 400 pts you get a unit that at best can tar pit a basic sw/chaos or BA unit for max 3 hth phases[a canoness can do the same only you get 2 for 400 pts and a GK HQ actually has a chance of wining] , against any better hth unit they just die [and 400pts costs almost as much as 5TH/SS termis in a LR] . after one counter the inq unit will be no longer usable as a counter unit. A INQ "counter unit" does exactlly nothing against [other then die] MC and has huge problems with walkers [and considering the number of drop dreads there is always a chance to end up with one in hth].

 

as the hood goes . . both inq and the gk gm have unlimited range . but the GK GM always has ld 10 and he doesnt cost 400+pts per unit .

 

Again, this could be due to the area in which I play (we folks from around the greater Seattle area are a fairly laid back sort as a general rule).

ok so the article was about laid back use off inq [your more or less can do what ever you like ] or purely competative, because am lost here ?

[Inquisitor Fox]

@the jeske: You're assuming that an Inquisitor only exists in a DH army. A WH Inquisitor doesn't get mystics, nor do they have access to a psychic hood on Adepta Sororitas. In addition, there are quite a number of useful psychic powers available to a WH Inquisitor that give them a lot more uses other than deep strike prevention, which they cannot do as their retinue options are different than the DH version.

 

Edit: The article is about how to turn an Inquisitor into a unit that can do something other than stand around and look ornamental. Pure power gamers in a cut throat competative environment often go for the pure, simple close combat IC's. Most people assume that Inquisitors are worthless, or only have one single use. This is false.

 

I have a lot of experience playing with my WH Inquisitor, and this is designed to show what I have learned and ways that an Inquisitor and Retinue have a lot more uses than what people think they do. Most people make the same assumption you do, that all Inquisitors are Daemon Hunters units armed with two mystics. This is the uneducated opinon based on inadequate incomplete information and lack of experience. This is designed to correct that by showing what could be done.

[Walter Payton]

My anti-'nid Tactic is an Inquisitor Lord with Hammer of Witches, Brazier of Holy Fire and a Power Stake, four Veteran Guardsmen with flamers, two acolytes with Braziers of Holy Fire and a Chimera with a flamer on it.

 

I don't care if you have 30 Hormagaunts, four flamers, with an option on three more for when it really matters will sort them out.

 

Let the Galaxy Burn indeed...

[Inquisitor Fox]

@Brother-Captain Alecto: You mean three veterans, right? Not four?

 

Only the DH special character Inquisitor, Coteaz, can have four of one type of Henchmen.

[Justicar Valius]

Brother Captain Alecto, isn't it cheaper to take a burninators IG command squad?

[Inquisitor Fox]

If he did that he couldn't have a psychic hood and Hammer of the Witches, which has a tabletop range, doesn't require LoS, and starts making psykers take perils of the warp tests. Considering pretty much every Tyranid Synapse critter is also a Psyker, well.. I'm sure you can see the potential there.

[ArmouredWing]

I'd have to say that playing a Sisters force it's a rare consideration indeed to fork out points for a psychic hood when they already benefit from 'Shield of Faith'. Alright, it is a 5+ 'psychic' save which isn't necessarily as effective as a psychic hood can be but it doesn't suffer from only being used once per turn and also enables sisters to effectively shrug of force weapon wounds with their inv sv (canoness' in particular).

 

As for hammer of the witches against nids? Well, I did used to consider using it in this fashion but with the new nid dex having made a distinction between 'Synapse' creatures and 'Psyker' creatures it's not as useful as it once was. Throw in the additional 'shadow in the warp' effect and it becomes significantly riskier when accounting for the reduces effectiveness.

 

As I said, for my money the best loadout for an inquisitor is metal storm or, failing that, go straight for =][= lord karamazov for a nice MC inquisitor on the table (and the benefit of the inquisitorial mandate).

[Inquisitor Fox]

The reason I do it is it gives me effectively two saves against the same power :D There is no rule specifying that by utilizing my psychic hood I forgo the Sisters Shield of Faith, ergo I get the psychic hood attempt, then in addition the 5+. I also tend to utilize ISTs in my list (mostly the transports (Chimera and eventually Valkyries utilizing IA2) and fluff/visual of them), and also if you play with Arco's or Penitent Engines (assassins, Sisters Repentia, any inducted forces, etc), the psychic hood is able to protect them. Since they don't benefit from Shield of Faith this is the only way to grant them some sort of psychic nullifying protection.

[- 7eAL -]

Again, this could be due to the area in which I play (we folks from around the greater Seattle area are a fairly laid back sort as a general rule).

ok so the article was about laid back use off inq [your more or less can do what ever you like ] or purely competative, because am lost here ?

Competitive or casual gaming does not come into the matter: the misunderstanding between the two of you here arises because you are thinking and speaking from two completely different approaches.

 

 

My intention wasn't to try and argue that in a purely competative point value maximizing scenario that an Inquisitor is a more effective choice than a Canoness or Grey Knight Grand Master

what ??

Inq are good for one thing and one thing only , to get mystics and that is all[and one doesnt need a lord for that or rather one should never take a lord for that].

A LR taken for lascanons , why I ask ? taking guard is cheaper [and cant be stuned ] in a WH/DH army and every other imperial army has better source of anti tank.

An inq unit as counter unit . First of all you need a LR for that, what more or less kills the idea of a INQ as a viable choice . But lets go in to actual stats. for 400 pts you get a unit that at best can tar pit a basic sw/chaos or BA unit for max 3 hth phases[a canoness can do the same only you get 2 for 400 pts and a GK HQ actually has a chance of wining] , against any better hth unit they just die [and 400pts costs almost as much as 5TH/SS termis in a LR] . after one counter the inq unit will be no longer usable as a counter unit. A INQ "counter unit" does exactlly nothing against [other then die] MC and has huge problems with walkers [and considering the number of drop dreads there is always a chance to end up with one in hth].

 

as the hood goes . . both inq and the gk gm have unlimited range . but the GK GM always has ld 10 and he doesnt cost 400+pts per unit .

Pykkonnen believes that although the Inquisitor is not cost effective or successful in direct combat against other close combat units, this avenue does should still be covered. The Tactica addressed Inquisitors without overlooking Inquisition purists who will not take Grey Knights or Sisters of Battle. I would also suggest that we try to avoid the prohibitive belief that players only care about the Chambers Militant - something I have come to see as a form 'Chamber Militant snobbery' more or less similar to 'American supremacism'.

Pykkonnen's main thrust, however, is that the Inquisitor's use is primarily at range, defensive, and especially for psychic abilities - for which competitive cost effectiveness is basically incalculable. This is the same purpose that most Assassins serve, although they are geared for offensive close combat. An Assassin can contribute very little strength offensively - an Assassin cannot single handedly destroy most enemy units except perhaps Grots, Fire Warriors, Conscripts and Necron Warriors.

 

As a countercharge unit the Inquisitor would not be charging into an enemy alone, but moves into an existing close combat. Heavy duty assault units such as hammer-shield Terminators usually hop out on a target to hit something. Assuming a player has had the foresight to place the Land Raider and the Inquisitor within reasonable distance, and assuming that the squad that is attacked by the enemy assault unit survives one phase of close combat, then the Inquisitor jumps out of the Land Raider to countercharge. They are not just hitting the enemy assault unit: they have avoided receiving a charge, they have achieved numerical superiority by joining a friendly unit, and if the first phase of combat was not a massacre, then they are facing a weakened enemy. Calculations based on direct combat are not effective for calculating a defensive tactic or strategy.

 

Even as a countercharge unit, the Inquisitor must also be equipped specifically to deal with the enemy they intend to engage. A Daemonhunter Inquisitor is indeed ineffective against Monstrous Creatures and Walkers. A Witch Hunter Inquisitor however, has the assistance of Acolytes with mancatchers. If a squad is attacked by a drop Dreadnought, unburrowing Trygon, spore Carnifex or possibly even the Swarmlord, then the Acolytes with mancatchers should be put into base contact as quickly as possible: they will cut the Monstrous Creature's attacks in half, or better. Again the Inquisitor and its retinue have avoided receiving the charge, so even a Trygon wil have its attacks cut in half, a walker to only one attack, even the Swarmlord to only one attack, so on and so forth, and any charge-based abilities such as the Trygon's unburrowing attack will be avoided as well. Thereafter, Warrior powerfists can be used to whittle away the creature's wounds or slowly glance a walker to pieces. A Chirurgeon will ignore one wound caused by the enemy - in good cases, this will be the only wound caused by the enemy.

In this situation, even a Grey Knight Grand Master would need to make two to three saves per turn while a Canoness will need to burn at least two Faith points per turn for Spirit of the Martyr and Hammerhand or Divine Guidance.

 

In any and all cases, the Inquisitor embarked on the Land Raider may still serve a cost effective purpose through the liberal use of psychic powers. In this manner, the Inquisitor is also relatively safe from attack. Again calculations for this tactic or strategy are not effective. The Land Raider may simultaneously kite around taking shots at enemy armour and into the enemy backfield.

 

Of course this may still be 400 point dedicated to countering one enemy unit - depending how long it takes to kill or destroy the enemy unit in question. Where this force is dedicated is entirely dependent on the player's strategic and tactical foresight. If the enemy plan relies on a death star like the Swarmlord or a Tervigon, or putting Mephiston into close combat, then the Inquisitor should wait for this event to happen. Bait and switch. If the Monstrous Creature, character or walker reaches close combat as planned, then the Inquisitor can countercharge. If the Monstrous Creature, character or walker fails to achieve its plan, then no harm is done and the Inquisitor is free to harass enemy objectives guarded by basic Troops, or pick off the wounded. This is what is called a Xanatos Gambit: a plan or trap that relies on the apparent success of the enemy plan. Whether the enemy plan succeeds or fails, the player ultimately stands to gain a favorable outcome. Again the value of a successful Xanatos Gambit is incalculable.

Anyone who plans to field an Inquisitor successfully needs several parts: a poker face, a serpent tongue, an eagle eye, a gambler's wit, and a mind like a steel trap. No mistakes are permissible.

[ArmouredWing]

Anyone who plans to field an Inquisitor successfully needs several parts: a poker face, a serpent tongue, an eagle eye, a gambler's wit, and a mind like a steel trap.

...and an opponent who has the tactical accumen of a toenail.

 

There are a couple of dead obvious problems to my mind when considering these loadouts. Firstly, even if you have every quality described above the degree of success is far too reliant on how lucky your dice rolls are (in terms of damage sustained to the transport and unit) compared to the level of success achievable. If the LR gets nailed, which will inevitably happen, then the squad is neither robust enough to weather the storm on foot nor mobile enough to get into the right place at the right time.

 

The second issue is in terms of the overwhelming lack of versatility that this build presents a player with. It's built for a specific purpose, a specific target but doesn't have the ability to move in on a target and obliterate it outright in a single turn (in the same way a CC termie squad could) or bring a target closer to it thus effectively increasing the effective assault range of the squad (in the way that a double lash/berzerker squad can).

 

The key for this loadout to be successful is in either of the above, well used, examples. It does one thing and it doesn't do it very well. When compared to the other potential options such as a Canoness or GK's what they lack in a single aspect they more than compensate for in their overall abilites and versatility. When folks talk about what this unit can do, such as dealing with a dread or MC they are forgetting to consider how many points they are committing to eliminate said target and in every case the target they have asigned this unit to deal with cost a fraction of the points whilst being more than capable of holding their own against this unit or, as could be the case, sacrifice the assaulted target to ensure that the =][= unit is left in the open for the shooting phase.

 

As fluffy as an =][= unit like this is it doesn't get away from the fact that it is very much a one trick pony and the one trick it can do isn't enough to make it a common option. By all means field it if you want to try out the loadout, just don't be disapointed if you find a significant chunk of your points fail to acheive anything.

[Gentlemanloser]

If you play WH and want an IL for the Hood, why not ally in a GKBC with one instead? Give him a Psycannon and you're good to go. Shooty and CC all rolled into one, and probably better bang for your buck than a Cirurgeon backed WHIL.

 

(If you're playing INQ only here, your GKBC is the GKGM who is also an Inquisitor... Job done. :o )

 

If you're WH and want Mystics, why not ally in a DH Inq with 2? Who can also unlock a LR for you, if you so wish one.

 

WH Inquisitors and IL are useful only if you're a WH who wants to use an Assassin, or for the Specific WH Psychic Powers. Which aren't that hot. Maybe the anti Psycher one.

 

I wouldn't touch a DH Inq Lord with a barge pole unfortunately.

[breng77]

I wouldn't touch a DH Inq Lord with a barge pole unfortunately.

 

what if you wanted a hood and mystics?

[calypso2ts]

I played an Inq Lord instead of a second Canoness a few weeks ago at a tournament. I only drew one player who was using Psychic powers (1k sons round 1) but between the Hood and Shield of Faith I shut him down completely. I played this loadout:

 

Inq Lord - Hood, Scourging

3x Gun Servitor w/ H Bolters, Plasma Cannon

1x Familiar, 1x Sage, 1x Acolyte

 

I ran everything naked pretty much and in each game his shooting managed to make back the points. This also opened an assassin which (someone said is not killy) is a unit that needs to be used correctly. You cannot throw them at a 10 man tactical or Warrior Brood and expect to win. Instead she took out Ahriman in the open one game, a Big Mek in the backfield on Turn 2 and a 5 man Combat Squad with Lascannon deep in my enemys deployment zone. They can definitely be worth the points, but what they are not (Inq or Assassins) is TH/SS terminators that will smash just about anything.

 

Further, if you are a power gamer then don't play a WH army, it is not nearly powerful enough to justify it. I am not saying it is not good, but there is too much luck involved in a lot of cases. Go play Orks or Guard.

[Gentlemanloser]

what if you wanted a hood and mystics?

 

GKBC/GM and Elite Inq.