Anyone have tips Protecting Sanguinary Priests?

[JamesI]

It's 50pts down the drain if you fail one save. Or 65 or even 90pts if you buy him toys. Not worth it.

 

And you cannot just leave him at the back unless you are at maximum distance from the charge targets. They have to move second into combat and will move through models in the same unit.

Find me the rule they have to move second. ICs have to move first when you react. Nothing says they have to move first or second when you charge.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

It just seems very un BA for your Priests to hide all game.

 

0b :D

[igotsmeakabob!!]

I'd never leave them in a transport hiding, but I have no problem positioning them intelligently in a unit. Getting them into combat is very nice, but I won't feel bad about doing my best to keep them away from power weapons.

[JamesI]

It just seems very un BA for your Priests to hide all game.

 

0b :D

I don't disagree. I think my dice cursed me last week because I was hiding my priests. I'm just trying to get people to accept there is no rule saying an IC goes first or second when you charge.

[Brother_Dan'l]

It's 50pts down the drain if you fail one save. Or 65 or even 90pts if you buy him toys. Not worth it.

 

And you cannot just leave him at the back unless you are at maximum distance from the charge targets. They have to move second into combat and will move through models in the same unit.

Find me the rule they have to move second. ICs have to move first when you react. Nothing says they have to move first or second when you charge.

JamesI is 100% correct. Unless the Priest is the closest model to the enemy he charges in any order you choose as long as you follow the squad coherency rule. When you React to a charge or Pile In in subsequent rounds he moves first.

 

I'll usually keep mine to the middle/back of the unit so that I don't have to live in fear of the hidden Power Fist. But that's primarily if he's the only IC in the unit. If I have somebody scarier in the fight I may very well risk sending him in for those 4 S5/I5 power sword attacks. Very few enemies are willing to throw the only fist attacks at the SP when Dante is in the fight as well. Though last night I faced nothing but Mega-Nobz and Nobz Bikers so that wasn't a problem for the other guy. :D

[igotsmeakabob!!]

It just seems very un BA for your Priests to hide all game.

 

0b :D

I don't disagree. I think my dice cursed me last week because I was hiding my priests. I'm just trying to get people to accept there is no rule saying an IC goes first or second when you charge.

Huh. Lookit that. So it's only when reacting? I guess we have discretion over them then.

[Pcm979]

It just seems very un BA for your Priests to hide all game.

 

0b :D

It also seems un BA for them to be slaughtered in the first round of combat. Pick your poison.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

If you know what you're doing it's not a problem.

 

0b

[Vilicate]

One model probably isn't going to just slaughter the priest; unless it's something really nasty like a MC, terminator or Banshee.

[igotsmeakabob!!]

One model, no. A sergeant with a PW.. yes. Two or three marines.. maybe.

[TrentL]

So generally if I"m charging the enemy or reacting to pile in ... make sure my IC are far away from Power Fists since T4 is going to instantly die :D

[igotsmeakabob!!]

Powerfists aren't even your problem. Power WEAPONS will down you in one swing. Remember, they only have 1 wound.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Blood Angels are all about killing everything on the charge. Sure it's not always possible but that is what you should aim at doing. Throwing the priest into the combat really helps. I have found that an assault squad with a power fist & Priest with a lightning claw/power sword can beat down nasty units like Berzerkers, Plague Marines and even some daemons. That's nothing to sneeze at either.

 

Obviously there will be times when prudence takes priority over zeal. Most of the time so far I have not found that to be the case though. I am still debating whether it's better to take a lightning claw or power sword for my Priests. The claw is better versus high toughness units like monsterous creatures.

 

0b :D

[Zarnak]

What I do is use the terrain to my advantage. My priest with AS arrives by Drop Pod, then I use the passage between the drop pod and the piece of terrain to hold the ground against bikes (boyz not nobs) among other stuff), while on the ground the priest is as far away from the enemy as possible at all times.

 

Using this tactic you can block the path to the Sanguinary Priest with your other 5-10 assault Marines and still get FNP.

[Aarkon]

What I do is use the terrain to my advantage. My priest with AS arrives by Drop Pod, then I use the passage between the drop pod and the piece of terrain to hold the ground against bikes (boyz not nobs) among other stuff), while on the ground the priest is as far away from the enemy as possible at all times.

 

Using this tactic you can block the path to the Sanguinary Priest with your other 5-10 assault Marines and still get FNP.

 

 

This is another good tactic, I have done this with Rhinos. I have put two up like walls and made sure when my Assault Marines got out the Priest was in the back. I charged in and clogged the hole between the Rhinos with Marines. My opponent wasn't able to get anyone into contact with the Priest.

 

However MOST of the time I try to keep the Priest in a tank. My deathstar unit of Assault termies with a chaplain usually take on some of the games biggest and baddest so I don't like to toss my little 1 wound IC Priest in the middle of what ever titan fight is going on outside the Land Raider doors lol. :P

[shatter]

Yarr, a lot of the time it's all about prudence and planning.

 

Some situations.

 

1. priest in a rhino is sometimes overly defensive and can cost a squad he's supposed to be protecting because if he'd been in the assault, the enemy would have died outright (or sweeping advance because of combat resolution win/extra wounds etc) with no FnP rolls needed at all or that last Sergent's PF was not FnP-able anyway.

 

2. while a priest in a rhino was overly defensive and the unit took losses because it didn't annihilate the enemy at higher initiative, they're still locked in combat in opponents turn and it doesn't get shot at.

 

3. priest in back ranks doesn't make it into combat, unit gets munched by klaws, he doesn't and gives counter assault unit FC alongside his attacks.

 

4. 1 priest in front rank charges first, getting into B2B contact with 2 ICs, effectively cutting them off, rest of unit FCs into HG and wipes it at higher Initiative. Priest inflicts 1 wound, dies from 4 PW wounds. 2nd 'back-rank' priest and unit, no losses, combat resolution win, points vs points easy win. Chance for Sweeping advance win.

 

5. 2 back rank priests fail to get into CC with unit versus 2 ICs and HG. Simultaneous ICs versus unit costs 4 unit members, enemy HG loses 1 model, ICs lose 1 wound each. HG retaliation crushes assaulters. Priests consolidate to certain doom if sweeping advance etc doesn't kill 'em.

[SGK]

And if you are worried about the IC status of priests use an honour guard the sanguinary initiate gives the same bonuses and is part of the unit and cannot be individually targetted

[Jonny Roxtar]

I thought a rhino was the transport for 1 specific unit. If you join that unit as an IC then you can use the transport but if the unit leaves the transport and the IC doesnt hes effectively left that unit. Is he now allowed to stay in the units transport?

 

Sounds iffy to me. I am new to these rules though just asking for clarification.

[BlackSpike]

I thought a rhino was the transport for 1 specific unit. If you join that unit as an IC then you can use the transport but if the unit leaves the transport and the IC doesnt hes effectively left that unit. Is he now allowed to stay in the units transport?

 

Sounds iffy to me. I am new to these rules though just asking for clarification.

 

Any transport may carry any one unit. While the IC and the squad are together, they are considered one unit and so they may both board the rhino.

If one unit (squad) disembarks, the other may stay aboard, separating them from the squad. One unit is now using the rhino.

 

Dedicated transports have only one restriction about who can use them (usually*): only their own unit may start the game inside them. After that, any unit may jump in and out as they please.

e.g. you may buy a dedicated rhino for a tac squad, but then decide that your other tac squad, or your priest, or your devastators need a ride, No problem, hop on lads! (just don't start turn 1 on board).

 

*Daemon Hunters are more strict in this regard.

[Brother Landrain]

Remember as IC's they must be in Btb to hit AND be hit.

 

So.. add a couple troops to the squad as the Priests escort.

 

After the priest charges, position his escort so that they block additional btb hits on him. As the squad can hit anything in 2" as well as in btb.

 

Its all in the positioning...

[Jawaballs]

It's 50pts down the drain if you fail one save. Or 65 or even 90pts if you buy him toys. Not worth it.

 

And you cannot just leave him at the back unless you are at maximum distance from the charge targets. They have to move second into combat and will move through models in the same unit.

Find me the rule they have to move second. ICs have to move first when you react. Nothing says they have to move first or second when you charge.

 

 

Agreed, show us a page number Samanagol.

 

The best way to protect your IC, as others have pointed out, is to get him away from enemy PW and PF. Make sure you lock down those models by engaging them base to base, then charge your priest last, up against the other side of the target unit. Make sure the dangerous weapons are over 2" away from the model B2B with the priest. Failing that play like Eldar witches and hide him in a transport.

 

Jawaballs

[Talon Darkshade]

I run my priests with PW and that's it. No matter what unit he is in, he is the hole to my donut. I lap my units around him with him dead center. This way if I charge I move the closest of my guys into BtB with the squad's High Int/Pfist/PW whatever and then move him as he comes avaliable into BtB with standard line guy A. I get two things out of this movement:

 

1. He is safe from no armor save or early attacks from squad leaders

2. His Ws are against line troopers and at I5 w/ PW he is thinning out the "red shirts" so that the rest of my squad can thin out the last of the red shirts leaving my SG with Pfist to instant kill whatever big baddy my opponent has hidding in his squad

 

I make him the hole to my donut also for when my opponent out manevers me and gets the charge on me. By being in the middle he does not get a charge on my priest cause he cannot engage him directly. Since we don't have counter charge I don't have to move him and I can gaurentee myself the FnP to mitigate all the +1 A my opponent just got for charging.

 

If I have one with a squad in the rhino the squad will disembark and he will not. For the 6' bubble is now expanded by the hull of the rhino not a simple infantry base. This and he gets protection from the rhino. Should my opponent pop the rhino he will hope out positioned in a way that I get charge on the squad my tacticals are sunk in with the following turn. Granting him those thining red ;) I5 PW attacks.