Demon Prince

[Obliterator]

As the title states, how do you guys (and gals) get rid of a winged demon prince with a Witchhunters army? Preferably before he's done wrecking my tanks :devil: .

 

I'm currently fielding the following:

• flying nun with an eviscarator, book, cloak, mantle etc.
  
• 4 rhino's (EA & SL) with 10 Sisters (meltagun, heavy flamer and veteran with book)
  
• 2 exorcists
  

This comes out at about 1250 points (we're doing sorts of a 'tale of x gamers' tournament, started out at 500 points and add 250 points each month).

 

While I usually do OK, those winged princes cause me a fair amount of headaches. At 12" move and 6" charge you can't outrun them, you can't shoot them to bits from a distance unless with the exorcists (which means 2-3 turns max, forgoing shooting at the other elements of the opponents army), and you can't take them in CC unless you're going to use the Canoness and give her a 2++ save for a lot of turns, again taking her away from juicier targets.

[Eddie Orlock]

As the title states, how do you guys (and gals) get rid of a winged demon prince with a Witchhunters army? ... you can't take them in CC ...

When I played whitchhunters I took them in Melee. Now, my prefered method was to swamp them with cultists and a priest packing five evicerators and being stubborn on leadership 10. This may not be an option for you.

 

I also used a book of stubborn and evicerator armed battle sister superior with enough back-up dancers to waste its time and eventually bring it down. Being invulnerable can help, but really, just a large squad of meat-shields can do the trick.

 

If you're weathly and they tend to charge in unsupported you might unleash the two churgeon, three mancatcher acolyte, monster-hunter retinue on it and add a land raider to your army as a counter shock delivery method.

 

At some level, I just accepted that these monsters will get something, and I just worked to lower the value of what they ate. Classic tar-pit tactics. It's similar to what I do now with my Orks.

[Sister Rosette Soulknyt]

Well if its of use lots of Melta guns, a few Dominion squads works for me, Evescerators are fine, but you wont be there long enough to wield it at Initiative of 1.

Go with Excorsists, Melta Weapons and a WH Inquisitor with full retinue with mancatchers.

[ArmouredWing]

There's lots of physical stuff you can do in terms of what you choose but ultimately it's how you use them.

 

I've not faced DP's on a regular basis, in fact the oly time was in the ToS last year but I do know they perform very much liked (4th ed?) flyrants on the table. That being the case your list is pretty sound (lets face it Oblit you've been around the block enough to know how to put a good list together, so I'm not going to insult your rep there! heh heh heh) I'd be tempted to run your troop units with doubled up spec weapons (2 meltagun squads, 2 flmr/hvy flmr) but ultimately the key is going to be tactics and weight of fire.

 

I have to say that I find by far the most effective tactic with my sisters is 'denied flank' and by placing units predominantly on one side of the table whilst also holding back a couple in reserve to bring in as and where I need a bit more punch. Now in terms of how this would work against DP's I would deploy my exorcists either one each side of the table (deploy first) or both on one side of the table (deploy second) furthest away from the greatest threat. The principle is you need to create as big a killing ground as possible for your exorcists to be able to pump shot after shot into them. However you're doing this with the aim of weakening the DP's. If you kill them, then great but in the event that you don't use your sisters + DG to deal the final blow.

 

I guess the basis is make your opponent do the work, draw them in and for every step they take make them suffer.

[WarriorFish]

Agreed, weight of fire is nearly always your friend - especially for the finishing move after some Exo attention. With fast moving heavy CC hitters you need to accept that short of the Emperor himself hovering over your shoulder it's going to hit your lines and cause trouble. When and where is something you can control to a degree.

 

Maybe luring the DP with an easy kill/quick charge (like a Rhino) before blasting it to bits in your next turn. If he falls for it then great but if he figures it out then he'll spend his turn moving into position elsewhere or whatever and not charging you. Of course, he'll likely be charging next turn but each turn he's out of assault that's two less assault phases for him to cause casualties.

[Obliterator]

The Inquisitor with mancatcher retinue sounds like something I might like, I think I'm going that route for my final 1750 list, maybe also with the 1500 list. Until then I'm going to try that split deployment, just break up my army in 2 halves, and make him work for the distance he needs to cross. Unfortunatelly, the decoy Rhino won't work, my Exorcists have build up a considerable rep in the club :P

 

Thanks for the feedback all!

[Panzerkopf]

This will run counter to all conventional wisdom but try Repentia with a Priest. As long as you don't get charged, you'll get a lot of rerollable hits dealing high-strength wounds to the ugly critters. I was able to kill a Greater Daemon in one turn of combat like that. Retributors with multi-meltas may also come in handy.

[GodwynDi]

A personal choice of mine that I field for hunting, instead of the FNoD, I field a Canoness with retinue in an immolator. 7 eviscerator attacks on a charge, 3 of which reroll to hit or a blessed weapon for another reroll, a melta shot and inferno pistol right before the charge, and at 6 models it is usually able to get an invuln save from turn 1. Even being charged, with the invuln they have enough ablative wounds to keep the 2 melee models alive for awhile. They can usually manage to take down any monstrous creature short of a C'Tan.

 

This is usually the unit that has to hold down TH+SS terminators as well. Which is usually a combat still going on when the game ends.

[Obliterator]

7 eviscerator attacks on a charge, 3 of which reroll to hit .

I think I must be overlooking something, but how are you rerolling Eviscarator attacks without a priest attached?

[Eddie Orlock]

I think I must be overlooking something, but how are you rerolling Eviscarator attacks without a priest attached?

Multiple wielders, each with master crafting.

[calypso2ts]

I usually just run a Nun into her after an Exorcist softens him up. With 3.5 average shots, 2.16 hits, ~2 wounds before saves (if it has cover dont even bother), 1.6 wounds an exorcist means two will almost eat the whole thing. I still prefer to blow tanks first though.

 

A Canoness with Celestian Retinue works as well, 5 Eviscerator attack w/o the charge is pretty nasty. You can even forgo the invuln for a turn or two and sacrifice some Celestians to him first.

[Obliterator]

I think I must be overlooking something, but how are you rerolling Eviscarator attacks without a priest attached?

Multiple wielders, each with master crafting.

Ah, I see. But that would still only be 2 rerolls, not 3, right? 1 for the Canoness, 1 for the Celestian VSS. The remaining 4 spots in the Immolator would be needed for the 4 regular Celestians, and those can't take an Eviscarator, right?