Sternguard soldiers

[DarkGuard]

The combi flamer is redundent, you have two heavy flamers and dragonfire/hellfire rounds. Those points would be better spent on a combi-melta, I believe three is the amount you need to effectively kill a Land Raider, two hit, both pen, and one fails while the other blows it up. If you want to keep the combi-flamer I'd try to remodel to put it on someone else, you don't want to put a combi and power fist on the Sergeant, too many points, and while you have spare guys its better lumping the other upgrade on one person so you're less likely to lose both with one failed armour save.

 

If you swap the combi-flamer to a combi-melta you have a very similar squad to the one I use in my Libby list, where I run 9 with power fist, 2 heavy flamers and 4 combi-meltas in a Rhino with dozer blade. The only reason I still have that squad with so many people an upgrades is because I don't have a better use for the points I would save by using the smaller unit.

[Meatman]

The combi flamer is redundent, you have two heavy flamers and dragonfire/hellfire rounds. Those points would be better spent on a combi-melta, I believe three is the amount you need to effectively kill a Land Raider, two hit, both pen, and one fails while the other blows it up. If you want to keep the combi-flamer I'd try to remodel to put it on someone else, you don't want to put a combi and power fist on the Sergeant, too many points, and while you have spare guys its better lumping the other upgrade on one person so you're less likely to lose both with one failed armour save.

 

If you swap the combi-flamer to a combi-melta you have a very similar squad to the one I use in my Libby list, where I run 9 with power fist, 2 heavy flamers and 4 combi-meltas in a Rhino with dozer blade. The only reason I still have that squad with so many people an upgrades is because I don't have a better use for the points I would save by using the smaller unit.

 

 

5 is the actual number.

 

2/3 to hit times 21/36 to penetrate times 1/2 to kill = 19.44444%

To kill on a glancing hit: 2/3 times 5/36 times 1/6 = 1.5432%

 

Added together = 20.98764% chance to kill a raider.

 

1 over that to find the number required: 4.76 meltas.

So rounded up, is 5 meltas to reliably kill a raider.

 

 

I wouldn't give them 5 though, as it tempts you to go hunting for them, and as OP said, he doesn't want to do that. I agree however, that 3 is a good backup number.

Yes, a lot of people don't like math hammer, but I did an A level topic on statistics, so I like math hammer. Deal with it :D

[Shadowstalker Grim]

Math-hammer has its uses, I cannot deny (though it removes some of the mystique for me, so I tend to call a good result 'luck' :(, course it never hurts to know what your chances are in a fight)

 

Sternguard are a primarily infantry hunting unit, adding in combi-melta weapons makes them diverse, but they shouldnt be tank hunters. There are other units, better units really. Sternguard are expensive and aren't priced like a throwaway unit. If I wanted a throwaway anti-tank, i'd take a multi-melta bike or speeder to just go hunt a tank...save sternguard to take on their primary targets, tough infantry and MCs.

 

Is there anything else in the codex that can match their ability to take on these targets as effectively?

[DerekLee688]

There isn't alot of choices when chasing that magical 5 number of Melta shots. An attached IC with combi-melta+bike in a Combi-melta serg./2xMG/MMAB bike squad will net you 5 mobile shots. 3xMMAB will only give you 3 mobile shots but woking with MM range not MG. Land speeders can mount 2x MM each but usning them is a whole new can of worms. Command squad with x4 MG + IC combi-melta, but requires Rhino/Razorback/pod/LR/bikes to make it mobile.

 

5x combi melta costs the same as a single sternguard marine and gives the magical number of melta shots to an anti-infantry unit. So an eight man squad with PF and 5xCombi-meltas costs the same as 10x and is much deadlier in IC combat, elite hunting, and tank hunting. This is the true generalist unit.