Which BA HQ choice?

[firestorm40k]

Greetings Sons of Sanguinius!

 

My step-son has decided to collect a Blood Angels army, and at the moment I’m helping him to plan what he wants in it. So far it’s a mix of stuff that he thinks are cool (Devestator Squads), stuff that I think are pretty core to playing Blood Angels (Death Company & their Dread :P ), and stuff that comes under both (Baal Predators!).

 

I must admit, the one area that neither of us really have much of an idea of where to go is the HQ. Now, I’ve played against BA fielding Mephiston, and he is a beast. I originally suggested he takes him (less models to buy/paint), however he rightly points out that Mephy uses a lot of points, which could be used on other things.

 

I took him through a demo game recently, borrowing someone else’s miniatures, and we used Dante – to be honest, I don’t think he seemed that impressed with him either. He was more impressed with the accompanying Sanguinary Guard unit, however.

 

So this week we’re trying another game, and for the HQ we’re using a standard Captain, with Jump Pack & Lightning Claw, with a squad of Sanguinary Guard accompanied by a Sanguinary Priest with Jump Pack.

 

I think that the style of play my step-son is trying to go for, based on what he’s already chosen for the army, is to create a static fire-base (Tac Squad & Devs), with the DC & DC Dread in Storm Raven to counter/assault, plus using 1 or 2 Baal Preds to encircles his opponent.

 

At the moment I’m thinking that Captain + Sang Guard + Priest is a unit that can support the fire base, or the DC assault, as needed. That’s if my step-son wants to play that way!

 

If any of the experienced BA players have any advice regarding HQ units both myself and my step-son would be grateful!

 

Thanks for looking! :(

[ArdezFurioso]

I'm not, by any means, an experienced player, however I do have a favorite HQ that usually works out well for me.

 

Librarian! He costs 100 Pts and has some good possible upgrades. If you want to boost a termie squad, he can do that =D, if you want to jump pack with him and a squad of assaults he can do that too! You can also hook him into a 5man assault squad and pop them into a tank at the start of the match.

 

Also, he can have 2 powers to choose from =D

 

You can make him good for assaulting or good for range! Whatever you prefer! So for a whopping 125 points you can have a Libby with Blood Lance, and Shield of Sanguinius hooked onto a 100 point assault squad(with 90 pts of extra men, and probably 25 other pts spent on upgrades for the squad) and jump around the battlefield pwning people.

 

Libby is the most verastile out of the HQ options, and one of the cheapest for what it can do. A good all around unit for any army =D

 

Enjoy, hope I could help. If he doesn't want to specialize, I'd take the Libby.

[Drachnon]

Mephiston is expensive but I haven't seen a game where he wasn't worth his points. Though some list support him better then others.

Librarians in general are always good as HQ give them a JP and put them in an assault squad and their can function as force multiplier in close combat as well as bringing their own power weapon.

If you plan on DC I would still go with a Reclusiarch, stick him with the DC and anything they charge will die. Don't take Jump packs though as those are expensive.

[JamesI]

Librarians are a great choice.

 

Reclusiarchs work well if he wants a DC threat anyway.

 

Since he is already using sanguinary Guard, consider Dante (makes them troops)

[Black_Sky]

Dante is a scalpel, and a mighty effective one in the hands of a master. Some people get amazing results with him, I rarely make him worth his points :(

 

Mephiston is a beast! He's like Space Wolves: Forgiving for the beginner. In the hands of a master he's like a brick. Tied to a Rhinocerous. In a chinastore. During an earthquake.

 

The Librarian is an all-time favorite for many Blood Angels players. If your step-son likes playing firebase, he is by far one of the better choices, as he is an excellent mid-field support choice, but not great in assault. Blood Lance, Fear and Shield are some of the best powers in this situation.

 

If he enjoys fielding the Storm Raven and Death Company. You should contemplate running either a Reclusiarch or Lemartes with them. Both add tremendous hitting power to an already hard hitting unit.

 

The humble Captain is rarely worth his points, but the dual claw kit is by far one of the better options when it comes to hurting your opponent. And there is the problem with the Captain, putting models out of business is the only thing he can de, while both the Libby and Chappies boost the combat performance of whatever they are running with.

[Claws of Corax]

Mephiston is a beast! He's like Space Wolves: Forgiving for the beginner. In the hands of a master he's like a brick. Tied to a Rhinocerous. In a chinastore. During an earthquake.

 

Interesting mental image :P

 

Meph is indeed a lot of point, but mark my words every point is worth it. Not only is he a beast in combat, his psychic hood can be helpfull to stop other psykers firing off nasty powers. His only real weakness is against Grey Knights.. even then he has a better chance than most against them.

 

Claws

[Morticon]

Some great stuff here -> http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...howtopic=215235

 

Check out the mephy thread there.

[firestorm40k]

Thanks all for your responses :lol:

 

From what you've said, I like the sound of the Librarian - it sounds like he can bring flexible support to the rest of the force, whether it's through shooting attacks or bolstering assault units. I will suggest to my step-son that he considers using one as his HQ choice.

 

Further down the line I will advise him to add a Reclusiarch to accompany the DC squad, but at the moment I'm aiming to get him to 1,500 points then build on that.

[Kaika87]

Thanks all for your responses :lol:

 

From what you've said, I like the sound of the Librarian - it sounds like he can bring flexible support to the rest of the force, whether it's through shooting attacks or bolstering assault units. I will suggest to my step-son that he considers using one as his HQ choice.

 

Further down the line I will advise him to add a Reclusiarch to accompany the DC squad, but at the moment I'm aiming to get him to 1,500 points then build on that.

 

If he wants to run a Librarian for the army overall (which is a fantastic choice) along with a Reclusiarch for the Death Company, I would strongly recommend taking the Elite-choice Chaplain instead of the Reclusiarch. He's cheaper by 30 points at the loss of -1 BS, -1 Wound, -1 Initiative, and -1 Attack, but he still buffs the DC with the re-rolls. A bargain in my book.

 

But the best part is that the same model can double as a Reclusiarch or a Chaplain.

[Tamwulf]

Heya! Skip to the bottom if you don't want to read the wall of text. ;)

 

I'm the original poster/author of the Mephiston thread, and there is some fantastic information in there on all kinds of HQ's, not just Mephy. In particular, there is a lot of discussion about taking a Librarian and Honor Guard

 

My personal opinion, and it's based on what my local area is like/the armies I face, Mephiston is the way to go.

 

Trying out The Sanguinor has been an exercise in futility. No mater how I try, I just can't get this guy to really do anything. My opponent's treat him like they would a model wearing Terminator Armor with a T-hammer/Storm Shield, and those are the type of tactics that kill the Sanguinor. To make things worse, he isn't an Independent Character, so you can't "sluff off wounds", and you really can't hind him. At best, he is a distraction, at worst, he does nothing except a minor buff to a random sergeant, and provides an "overkill" bonus of +1 attacks to an army that is already very, very good in close combat.

 

I have had better success with Astro-Boy... I mean Astorath. Yes, he makes Death Company better when he attaches to them, but I have found he works the best when attached to an Assault Squad with Jump Packs. His Shadow of the Primarch ability to increase the Red Thirst chances is great. He is also no slouch in close combat either. So far, he has been my second most successful HQ behind Mephiston.

 

Commander Dante is a hard HQ to use. His Tactical Precision and Surgical Strike rule are great for the unit he joins. Add him to a Sanguinary Guard or Honor Guard, throw them into a Storm Raven, and let the good times roll! The Death Mask of Sanguinius is a nice :cuss to an opponent's Independent Character, but I've found most players don't like it not because it cripples a IC, but because there is nothing they can do about it. There are no conditions, he doesn't have to be on the table, etc. etc. You pick one enemy IC and give him the finger. In other words, he is a dick HQ. :)

 

Tycho, as in regular Tycho, not the Death Company Tycho (that one... just avoid/don't use that one) is a great secondary HQ. I wouldn't use him as a main HQ simply because we have so many better options for just a few points more. My favorite tactic with him is to add him to a unit of Sternguard in a Drop Pod. Very, very good shooting unit, and not too bad in close combat.

 

I love Gabriel Seth and his model. He doesn't really add anything to an army though. Doesn't affect the Force Organization, doesn't buff or debuff any units, doesn't add anything to any units... he's pretty much a "Super Solo". He is awesome against horde armies, and he can pretty much tear up any vehicle with Blood Reaver. The cool factor of this guy is off the charts! "Blood Reaver"- the name of his two handed chainsword. Whirlwind of Gore, Ferocious Instincts... it just doesn't get any better then that!

 

That's it for the named guys. After that, you come to the Librarian, Reclusiarch, and the humble Captain. Of those three, the Librarian is the best choice. The ability to take Psychic Powers that can buff up your army or his unit, he has a Force Weapon, has a Psychic Hood... for his points and the things he can do for your army, he is the best non-named HQ for the army. The Reclusiarch just doesn't really do enough. For his points, you can take two Sanguinary Priests, and you'll get much further mileage out of them. The Captain... is so mediocre and plain that he just doesn't do anything worth while for his army. No special rules, no Combat Tactics, no special wargear, not particularity good in close combat compared to other choices... he is just mediocre, and for his points, you can field a Librarian instead.

 

My List of Best to Worst HQ's

Mephiston

Astorath

Librarian+Honor Guard, or Furiso Librarian

Dante

Gabriel Seth

The Sanguinor

Tycho (Regular)

 

Captain, Reclusiarch, and Death Company Tycho all share the bottom of the list.

[Redo]

How old is your step son? I have the feeling he is not an adult gamer. If he is a little younger go with the Reclusiarch. He is easy to use. Put him in the Death Co. and attempt to get the charge. That certainly works well with counter assault.

Furthermore a Reclusiarch looks cool and is resilent. By that I mean he can hold his own in combat, whereas a Librarian whilst cheaper is certainly weaker and if I know younger gamers they identify with their main character. ie they are the central piece and do not want to see them die.

Just my take...