Sternguard Weaponry (Updated w/ Pic)

[bmcsw007]

I put together a Sternguard combat squad from some extra Space Marines I had for paint testing. I gave the Sergeant a sword (power weapon) and storm bolter, 1 Vet a melta gun, 2 Vets bolt guns, and 1 Vet a plasma gun. I am thinking of changing the plasma gun to a bolt gun so I can take full advantage of the special ammo. Any suggestions or advice???

[ShinyRhino]

Your canned response from the majority of people will be:

 

"Get rid of the powersword and stormbolter. Replace with a powerfist and combiflamer. Replace the meltagun and plasmagun with combimeltas. The end."

 

The sergeant won't be able to fire any of the special ammo, as stormbolters are not "boltguns" in the context of the Special Ammo rule. Combibolters, however, are "boltguns" in the context of the rule.

[awfulawful]

Get rid of the powersword and stormbolter. Replace with a powerfist and combiflamer. Replace the meltagun and plasmagun with combimeltas. The end.

 

The sergeant won't be able to fire any of the special ammo, as stormbolters are not "boltguns" in the context of the Special Ammo rule. Combibolters, however, are "boltguns" in the context of the rule.

[MagicMan]

Combi-weapons will depend on what you're facing.

 

I use a buttload of combi-flamers because i fight Ork Horde alot.

 

 

A Powerfist is a better upgrade than the sword though, if you're going to upgrade. And sadly the stormbolter can't use the special ammo so i wouldn't use it at all....

[bmcsw007]

I wish I could upgrade to a power fist and combi weapons but like I said, I am making this squad from left over bits. I can change the storm bolter back to a bolt gun, so I will do that. What about the plasma gun and melta gun, any way of making a combi out of parts???

[JamesI]

Not sternguard specific advice:

 

Never give a model a power sword and stormbolter/combi weapon. Always go with lightning claw or powerfist instead.

 

I've run sternguard with lightning claw/combi weapon on the sergeant and it worked fine.

[ShinyRhino]

I wish I could upgrade to a power fist and combi weapons but like I said, I am making this squad from left over bits. I can change the storm bolter back to a bolt gun, so I will do that. What about the plasma gun and melta gun, any way of making a combi out of parts???

 

There are a whole bunch of tutorials for making combibolters of various sorts online. Do a Google search for "combimelta tutorial" and you'll find a dozen to choose from.

You can always run the squad as it is now, and simply multipurpose the models. If you don't use the sergeant in a give game, he can always lead a tactical squad instead. Or, shove the meltagun into a tactical squad. The white helmet and pad rims won't really be all that out of place in a tac squad.

[fivepointedstar]

heres my loadout:

10 man squad with SGT w/ PF and bolter, 2 Combi-Bolters ( ANY as all equal same points use per mission requirements ie use magnets.) 2 ML's and the rest with bolters. that equals a heap of points but worth it.

[bmcsw007]

Ok, I found a good conversion to make a combi melta. I am still working on the combi plasma. I do have a heavy flamer from a terminator, and 5 power fists from terminator parts. Can I use the flamer and fists in any ways???

[bmcsw007]

Also, if the Sgt had a bolt pistol and power fist, would the bolt pistol get the special ammo???

[Elric the Silvercoat]

No on the bolt pistol using special ammo and I have been thinking of using a Heavy Flamer from Termies to up on two guys for a Sternguard squad just havn't really fiqured out how to do it yet.

[fivepointedstar]

I still never understood the use of a heavy flamer on a shooty squad they are the " best of the best" ranged fighter in the Chapter yet they are issued a Heavy Flamer I wouldn't field one unless playing Space Hulk style battles, or city fights.

[MagicMan]

Fluff-wise Astartes are close range shock troops. The Best of the Best ranged fighters are still only mid-range fighters, they aren't snipers. Makes sense to have a heavy flamer for boarding actions/room to room clearance etc.

 

Plus on the board its effective and fun screaming WHOOOOOOOOOOOOSH when you burn up mobs of Orks/Guard/Tau/Eldar.

 

Say hellllllllo to Mr Yellow.

[Shadowstalker Grim]

Whenever I think of combi meltas I feel a bit cheated by GW, they really arent common, appearing in perhaps 2 sets. The only other way to get them is to DIY and in all honesty I use most of my special weapons (particularly meltaguns) so really combi-meltas are a little harder to come by unless I specifically buy them or the parts to assemble them which is something I dont really want to do...

 

 

Despite the lack of these weapons for my troops, I'd agree with most statements in that combi-weapons are indeed one of their best choices as they are not only cheap but allow your unit to diversify, however it depends on what you're tasking them to do and they can operate without them perfectly fine!

[bmcsw007]

Yea, sitting here all day reading the replies, reading the codex and thinking. I might just go with 3 bolt guns, 1 heavy flamer from a terminator, and my sgt w/ power sword and storm bolter (this way in smaller games can use him as a normal sgt also).

[Yotakka]

posted a hair after op made his decision

[MagicMan]

Yea, sitting here all day reading the replies, reading the codex and thinking. I might just go with 3 bolt guns, 1 heavy flamer from a terminator, and my sgt w/ power sword and storm bolter (this way in smaller games can use him as a normal sgt also).

 

 

No no no no, no Storm Bolter for the Sternguard Sergeant. Seriously, you'll be paying points for an upgrade that makes his gun worse.

 

And a Storm Bolter on a Tactical Sergeant costs 10pts, its not worth it. Go for a regular bolter.

[bmcsw007]

.....aarrrggghhhhhh... I like the way it looks..... BUT, if tactically it is better to go with a bolt gun, OK.

[Warbringer]

Combies and Heavy Flamers are the only really options for sternguard

[MagicMan]

.....aarrrggghhhhhh... I like the way it looks..... BUT, if tactically it is better to go with a bolt gun, OK.

 

 

It does look rocking, i will agree with you.

 

 

In the end if you really like the way it looks, go for it. But the Bolter is a better option.

[bmcsw007]

any other suggestions...? I don't want to cut up my 1 melta gun I have, I want to keep it for my tactical squad.

[Shadowstalker Grim]

Might I offer a suggestion? Give the guy a storm bolter and make it count as a regular bolter? As long as you make it clear to your opponent then it should be fine.

 

You can justify it fluffwise by saying its a specially constructed stormbolter thats been fitted to fire special ammo rounds, but as the stormbolter wasn't designed to fire them it will not allow the weapon to fire on the move as the storm bolter can, making it act like a regular bolter but more impressive and veteran like....a rather long winded bit of fluff but it sounds logical in my head!

 

 

On the meltagun front I'm afraid I dunno, I'm in a similar boat. If it helps, I'm giving my meltagun to my tactical squad and my sternguard can make do without. They are veterans after all, they should be able to improvise!

[DarkGuard]

One option I haven't seen listed (forgive me if it had, I skim read) are heavy weapons. For a small squad you could easily slap a couple of left over missile launchers or lascannons or plasma cannons or whatever and stick them in cover. The options are very cheap, especially when compared to Devs, and kraken bolts help make up any range difference. Not my favourite option, but others like it.

 

As for close up, I feel for a small 5 man squad you need a heavy flamer. No debate here sorry :P. IMO a small 5 man squad only have 10 bolt gun shots at most. What will that do against hordes, even with hellfire rounds? With a heavy flamer though their damage output against such enemies increase, and it still dents MEQ.

 

As for combis, IMO combi-flamers are ok, but not great. You have dragonfire bolts, so you're already ignoring cover at times. Against hordes I'd prefer to have a heavy flamer or two which can always fire and are more powerful, as opposed to a couple of combi-flamers which are weaker and can only fire once. Combi-plasma do ok, again they suffer a little like combi-flamers as Sternguard have AP3 Vengeance rounds, allowing them to take down MEQ, plasma just gives them one instance of higher strength. On the plus side it's handy for TEQ, MCs and tanks, although hellfire rounds deal with TEQs and MCs to some extent by forcing a lot of saves.

 

Now we come to combi-meltas. These IMO are the best combi, as they allow Sternguard to deal with something they normally struggle to deal with, tanks. In particular AV14 and walkers which are either not effected or minimally effected by their krak grenades. And melta is also good against MCs and TEQs, not quite as good as plasma, but still good. This IMO is why it's the best, special ammo takes care of everything except tanks, which are then taken care of my combi-meltas, which can also cover the weaker areas of the Sternguard squad's anti-infantry.

 

As for combat weapons, I know you've said you've got limited parts, but a power fist or lightning claw would be better than a power sword. Or nothing. Seriously, keep the cost down, their only 5 men so will probably die quickly in combat, nothing wouldn't be a bad shout for Sternguard, I know I give nothing except maybe a combi to my Sternguard sergeant in small 5/6 man squads, he only gets a power fist in 7+ squads.

 

Now for shameless self-promoting, if you want some more ideas feel free to check out the Sternguard section in C:SM 101, the link helpfully provided by Grim or myself, or the Sternguard Tactica found in my sig as well, the first lists quite a few builds including those for small squads, why the latter may say a bit more on my views on Sternguard weaponry than the 101 and this post say.

[bmcsw007]

After getting advice from everyone yesterday I went home and put together my Sternguard. I went with 4 bolt guns and 1 heavy flamer. Also I gave my Sgt a power fist. The power fist and heavy flamer are both terminator parts. Below is a picture I took late last night (sorry it's dark). The heads I sprayed white and will attach after painted. It's a rough picture but more will follow. As for the melta, I'm going to give my Sgt melta bombs so they will have that in their favor.

 

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff516/BMCSW007/2011-10-20_22-57-32_839.jpg

[DarkGuard]

Looks good, and thanks to the presence of the heavy flamer in the squad and the white helmets they should be instantly recognisable as Sternguard. If I were you I'd try and stick a few purity seals on them as well, just to give more of an elite feel to the squad. Also, if you have spare storm bolters from Rhinos, the ammo clips from one can make good Sternguard ammo clips for two models, while scopes that are supplied in the Tactical squad set are good ideas, just giving ideas on anything to help them stand out more :P.

 

As for the squad composition, it looks good. Personally I feel a combi-melta would be a better use than meltabombs. For example, if a Land Raider moves 6" you're hitting on a 4 with no AP1, whereas with a combi-melta you're still hitting on a 3 with AP1, which makes all the difference. In this sort of squad I'd normally if I could put two to three combi-meltas on the normal guys. However, that's up to you, give it a play test and if you find you need them it's not a hard conversion on the models you've already made. If not then that's also good.

 

I like the heavy flamer conversion, looks like my heavy flamer conversions, did you use the article found on this website? Or project page? I remember using that for mine. Glad to see you've taken the heavy flamer, it is IMO the coolest weapon option for Sternguard. Only two other infantry units in the Codex can take heavy flamers (not counting Vulkan), Terminators, and LotD. The former often take cyclones a lot more, while the latter aren't often used and I believe most people prefer plasma and MM on them to take advantage of relentless. So that leaves Sternguard, and it fits on them. Their strength is anti-infantry and the heavy flamer builds on that strength. Plus it looks cool, and in a 5 man squad as I've already said it helps keep them good against anti-infantry with their lack of boltguns.

 

As for transport, a Rhino or Razorback will do well. The Razorback gives them some added firepower, but at more cost, while the Rhino allows them to fire that heavy flamer from the top hatch. Personally I'd use a Razorback with TL-HB or TL-AC and sit it behind the main line, pushing forward to plug up gaps and clean off enemy squads.

 

Hope the squad works out well for you.