Arming the Legion of the Damned...

[ShinyRhino]

Let's say someone has a gun to your head, and is forcing you to run a squad of ten Legion of the Damned (because that seems to be the only way to get folks to run them, lol).

How would you arm them?

 

They look to be a good unit for dropping in and squishing or tarpitting backfield firebases like Heavy Weapons Teams, Pathfinders, artillery of any type, Lootaz, etc etc.

These sorts of units love to hide in cover, and with a 3+ Invulnerable and rerollable scatter, the Legion feels like they could drop danger-close and reroll a bad scatter, or take saves against wounds caused by Dangerous Terrain (deepstriking into Difficult). These squads also tend to not have much of an armor save, or much close combat ability. Min/Max'd squads, like 5x Missile Long Fangs, or 4x heavy weapon Devvies tend to lack ablative wounds, as well.

So, what sergeant, special, and heavy would you select for these guys, of any?

Flame weapons seem tempting, as they can be used up close and personal. You'll need to risk mishaps to use them most effectively, though. However, a squad with a combi-flamer, flamer, and heavy flamer can make any squad cry for its mom.

Or, you canmake them into TEQ bashers with a load of plasma. Combi-plasma or plasma pistol, plasma gun, and plasma cannon? Adios, Long Fangs squad!

Or, do you go for melta? Combimelta, meltagun, and multimelta can slag a whole squadron of LRBTs or Basilisks in one volley.

The heavy bolter seems to be a bit of a wild card. More bolt shots is nice, but when you're typically within rapid fire range when you land anyways, yu really only gain +1S for your shots, +1AP, and +1 extra shot over a standard bolter. Definitely hard to justify its points.

Then,t here's the close comabt weapon on the sergeant. In a 10-man squad, it might be worth buying a powerfist, since you're likely to get to use it in combat, though a power sword and meltabombs can be just as good.

Or, do you just go naked? 10 bolters, nothing else, since the heavy and special weapons are so crazy expensive on an already crazy exepnsive squad?

 

What do you folks think?

[Gaz1858]

I run between 5 and 6 LOTD and to be honest ive fiund their 3+Inv to be awesome. I run either a PW(i have the Sgt Centurious model) or PF plus Meltagun and Multi-Melta.

 

They can drop down re-rolling if neccessary and take down a big armoured target or main unit. I try to use them against Dreads and Termies where their higher I and 3+ invulnerable should keep them going. I once had this unit stand up to 5 termies and a dread on their own and in the end (after my MOTF charged in and wrecked the dread) i still had my sgt left and one Legionnaire while all his termies and dread were gone.

 

They are a good unit to use i believe. If a little expensive, rather them than Sternguard.

[Brother Xeones]

Well, if my life were in mortal peril as you say, I'd probably run the following:

 

5-man LotD with Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Combi-flamer and Powerfist

I'd be running them with a librarian in TDA with Gate and Avenger in a Vulcan list in lieu of the squad of tactical termies w/ HF that I'm running now.

 

Yes, it's ridiculously expensive, but rerolling scatter for Gate would be incredibly useful when I'm away from the beacons on my Pods and a 4 template alpha-strike, 3 with twin-linked flamey-ness and one with AP3 is going to leave a mark methinks. :P

 

Of course, the reason I don't run this unit now is that 1) it is so expensive, and 2) even with Gate, I just don't like running a squad that has slow and purposeful with template weapons.

 

Edit: I might mention, the rest of the list would look like:

 

Vulcan

2x Ironclad Dreads in pods w/beacons

2x Tacs w/ FL, MM, PF and Combi-melta in Rhinos

1x Tac w/ FL, MM, PW and Combi-flamer in Pod

 

2x MM/HF Speeders

2x Dakka Preds

[DarkGuard]

I'd go with how Gaz1858 uses them and arm them with a combi-melta, meltagun and multi-melta. 3 melta shots when you hit the floor, at potential close range against a tank you don't like should take out that horrible Land Raider or Vindicator. Of course, a Dreadnought in a pod can do the same.....

[DerekLee688]

I'd probably go with eight total with Plasma Cannon(s). I mean if I'm running them, then they're going after MEQ or TEQ; against anything else they are overkill.

[Captain Idaho]

I would probably go Multi-melta and Plasma gun for 3 anti-power armour shots and the ability to blat tanks too. Not sure on the size of the squad, am thinking 6 but 8 screams to me as more effective. Sure they are expensive but that is because they are shooting unit with the tenacity of a Terminators (almost).

[Meatman]

What makes them be able to re-roll scatter?

 

 

I'd take plasma cannon and plasma gun, with powerfist for relentless plasma fun ;). Extreme anti-MEQ or TEQ and can hit back hard if they get in combat, but I would keep them out as much as possible.

[Jackelope King]

I've been wanting to try an idea that's more than likely awful and pure LOLHammer, but were I forced to use Legion of the Damned, I'd use them as escorts for a Vortex of Doom-bomb Librarian. Deep Strike the squad in (Librarian wears Terminator Armor so he can deep strike too with the squad), pop off a Vortex, and then Gate of Infinity to another part of the battlefield on the next turn and repeat. Legion of the Damned let you reroll the Scatter Dice if the Gate of Infinity accidentally pitches someone into the Warp, so yay for that little rule.

 

It's stupidly-expensive, easy enough to counter, not terribly killy, and very beholden to the whims of the dice. LOLHammer at its finest.

 

This kind of stupid marine tricks squad would probably operate opposite another identical squad in an ambush-style army, with a small mech presence midfield that these deep strikers are designed to ambush. I think the really low modelcount for such an army would be its Achilles Heel and basically doom it in serious play.

[DerekLee688]

There are plenty of things that can deepstrike and deliver melta for one or two vehicles, but there arn't many things that can deliver a plasma template. The unit is relentless and has plenty of supplemental anti infantry firepower, plus two standard attacks each and the invuln save to survive counter attack or return fire.

 

In standard games they'll be your big point gamble. Relying such a large chunk of your army to reserve rolls and scatter of any kind is a little too risky for my taste. Does the boost in survivalbility and relentless really make up for the relative loss of firepower compared to sternguard? I don't have my codex on hand but what is the cost of a unit of eight of either one with as much plasma as you can fit plus a pod to deep strike?

[Brother Xeones]

Does the boost in survivalbility and relentless really make up for the relative loss of firepower compared to sternguard? I don't have my codex on hand but what is the cost of a unit of eight of either one with as much plasma as you can fit plus a pod to deep strike?

 

The answer to your question is 255 for the sternguard squad you listed. I gave them plasma guns instead of cannons because I assume you wanted them to be able to shoot on the turn they disembark from the pod. Alternatively, LotD clock in at 285 for 8 men, no transport, one plasma gun and one plasma cannon.

 

FYI, the difference in price between the two is enough to give the other 6 sternies each a combi-plasma. This is why most people just don't take LotD. They are such a cool idea, but tactically, there is almost always something else in the marine codex that can do the same thing better or for cheaper.

 

That's not to say I'd never use them, I still think they are cool --in fact the fluff for my DIY chapter has a LotD flair to it, but I just can't bring myself to use them normally.

[TyrionTheImp]

I'd probably arm my Sergeant with dual power Fists, just for comical purposes. Yup, that's right, he's got 3 I1 S8 attacks now, not just 2! Fwahahaha!

[Brother-Captain Isaac]

4 on the charge MUAHAHAHAHA

 

Why not just stick Calgar in with the squad as well? Termy armor! Let's all deepstrike in the field and quadriple P-Fist everything! LOLhammer in it's most primitive form.

[Giga]

I'd prolly run them with meltagun and multimelta, as the sort of a termicide squad.

 

Although, I'd really never take them unless someone was really placing a gun against my head, or I was really bored. :/

[Brother-Captain Isaac]

Yeah, I would take Tac Termies. For one thing, they can start on the board, are relentless without having to crawl around, and have a better save (unless your opponent is spamming plasma, but that's what Raiders are for), and come with a P-Fist on each of them. Why not? Termies are so much better than LotD for only 10 more points apiece. Even then I might leave them at home, and just take a pair of RifleDreads XD

[ShinyRhino]

Yeah, I would take Tac Termies. For one thing, they can start on the board, are relentless without having to crawl around, and have a better save (unless your opponent is spamming plasma, but that's what Raiders are for), and come with a P-Fist on each of them. Why not? Termies are so much better than LotD for only 10 more points apiece. Even then I might leave them at home, and just take a pair of RifleDreads XD

 

*bang*