To throne of skulls (I) march! (update: painted lord)

[nurglez]

So, I used to play deathguard, from the end of 3rd to after I got bored off the 5th edition codex.

With a new codex, new options and new hope, I have decided to finish the army I started all that time ago.

I have 21 metal plagues, in varying states, 3 of the classic rhinos (they so cute) a beat up landraider missing its weapons, 20 dv cultists in bits and a forgefiend and heldrake assembled. I also have my lord on a palanquin base coated.

Current lists is:

Lord, palanquin, mark of nurgle, power maul, combi melta, melta bombs, sigil, gift
7 plague marines, 2 melta, combi melta. Power weapon (undecided, sword or axe probably)
Rhino, dirge caster
7 plague marines, 2 plasma, combi plasma
Rhino, dirge caster
2x10 cultists, flamer in each
Heldrake, bale flamer
Forgefiend
Landraider, dirge caster
5 havocs, 4 autocannons, veterans, combi bolter

I would really like the MKIIB landraider to ride around in, as I'm in love with how it looks, but I'd rather not buy a 4th landraider.
This will be the first fully painted army I've made myself in ages, and I'm not great at getting painting done...

So I need to assemble and paint 14 plague marines and 20 cultists as well as create some autocannon havocs and clean up 3 tanks and paint 5 vehicles, quite a tall order. But I'm up to the challenge

I'll post some pictures of my lord soon, had him in another thread but guess I'll just keep all my progress in here

[Azekai]

Sounds good, Nurglez- your other stuff looks great, so I can't wait to see how this project turns out!

[nurglez]

Well, this is as far as I have gotten with my Palanquin lord.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/nurglez/utf-8BSU1BRzA2NjUuanBn.jpg

 

Need to decide on a scheme for the rhino hatch, add loads of detail and also decide what colour to paint his helmet (thinking a nice dirty silver/metal colour).

 

I was also considering painting the havocs (when I eventually get them) like Iron warriors, and to have 1 of the squads of cultists as their, menials. The other squad to be painted like nurgle cultists. Both the helfiend and forgefiend shall be painted nurgley, as I like the idea of calling the baleflamer a slime launcher :)

[Gubnutz Da Grim]

He looks good. Like what you have done with the nurglings and the rhino hatch. Looking forward to seeing what you churn out. As for the slime launcher, pure awesome.

 

Gub

[nurglez]

Right, I've been slowly gathering the pieces I need to make my army. Am awaiting 10 melee cultists, 10! assault cannons, 2 heavy bolters and some iron warrior shoulder pads via ebay (and gw website for the shoulder pads).

 

I've mostly assembled the combi plasma for one champion, and have a cunning plan for the lord's combi melta (he's using the dark vengeance back pack with the bolter being reloaded with tentacles, so I have an idea...watch this space).

 

I am still yet to actually assemble any of my troops, so instead I started work on a second lord, as I just love making chaos lords (and a possible alternative over my palanquin lord).

 

Currently held together with blue tac of course :)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/nurglez/utf-8BSU1BRzA2NzguanBn.jpg

[Voodoo_Prince]

What are those claws off? If you don't mind me asking?

[nurglez]

Lamenter from B&C has a website called Master of the Forge (worth checking out) and he designs some conversion bits including these. I picked them up from anvil industries

[nurglez]

Right, I'ts been slow on the progress due to mechwarrior online being released as an open beta, considering I've only been waiting around 10 years for this game my army has had to take a slight break.

 

I haven't had that many more test games, and am still not fully decided on my list (as I'm not totally happy with my lord choice).

 

7 plague marines, 2 plasmaguns, combi plasma Rhino Dirge Caster

7 plague marines, 2 meltaguns, combi melta Rhino Dirge Caster

2x10 cultists, flamer

Heldrake, bale flamer

5 havocs, 4 autocannons, twin linked bolter

Forgefiend 2 hades autocannons

Landraider Dirge Caster

1294 points

 

This is the core of the list and I'm happy with it

 

Option 1:

 

Lord, nurgle, blackmace, sigil, palanquin

EA on landraider

Veterans of the long war on havocs

 

Option 2:

Lord, nurgle, terminator armour, power axe, black mace, sigil, boon

EA on landraider, MB on the plague champions

 

Option 3:

Lord, nurgle

Sorcerer, nurgle, +2 ML

 

Option 4:

get rid of the landraider

lord, mon

Daemon prince, mon, +3 ML, blackmace, armour, wings, spell familiar

 

I'm rather partial to option 2 now (even though I quite like my lord on palanquin model), although I'm also considering option 3 (which The jeske is favouring too).

 

I've almost finished creating my havocs (using the Insane Psychopath pattern autocannon's), which as I mentioned previously I shall be painting up as Iron Warriors (as the first ever chaos models I painted were Iron Warriors and Nurgle doesn't do heavy weapons I thought it would make sense for my autocannon havocs to be IW "allies", and I do intend to paint the rest of my undivided stuff as IW), I still need to assemble the champion and give them heads, as well as painting obviously.

 

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/nurglez/utf-8BSU1BRzA3MzQuanBn.jpg

 

I've also mostly assembled my combi weapon champions for my plague marine squads, they aren't perfect but they will do.

 

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/nurglez/utf-8BSU1BRzA3MzcuanBn.jpg

 

I would really like the MKIIB landraider to ride around in, as I'm in love with how it looks, but I'd rather not buy a 4th landraider.

 

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/nurglez/utf-8BSU1BRzA3MzUuanBn.jpg

 

Well, yeah I bought a MKIIB landraider off ebay (for around £50 as opposed to £74 from forgeworld). As you can see it is painted a dark green colour, yet has blood angel doors. I will probably just deface the doors and act like my army stole it and defiled it (stealing a relic like the MKIIB from an enemy should be a fun bit of fluff, shame the only friend I have who plays Angels paints them as Angels Sanguine and I don't fancy my chances of painting exactly half the tank red).

 

So I still have tons of work to do, and 3 months to do it.

I've received another pair of DG terminator shoulder pads, so I can create the lord from option 2 (just need a mace and an axe, shouldn't be that hard to make). Still need to assemble the plague marines and cultists, and of course paint/repaint 40 infantry, 3 tanks a walker and a flyer... Lucky my tabletop painting standards aren't too high :P

[nurglez]

Right, So i've more or less finished the havocs now, they just need a little bit more care and then I can paint them. While they will be Iron warriors I want them to be... slightly nurgley. I shall be trying them out with the mark of nurgle and veterans of the long war. So Iron Warrior colours but with a dirty feel to it, hopefully.

 

 

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/nurglez/utf-8BSU1BRzA3NDcuanBn.jpg

 

The guy in the middle will be rather scratched up, to represent a heavy bolter marine who was totally awesome back with the 3.5 codex. He was standing on top of a building and his unit got charged by 2 genestealers. They ripped apart his friends, but he survived and smote one down using the heavy bolter as a club. The next turn he did the exact same thing and stood proud over the corpses :)

 

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/nurglez/utf-8BSU1BRzA3NDguanBn.jpg

This guy is running forward, using the khorn berzerker legs (I'll try for a better picture once he's painted).

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/nurglez/utf-8BSU1BRzA3NDkuanBn.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/nurglez/utf-8BSU1BRzA3NTAuanBn.jpg

This is the champion, equipped with a combi bolter (as I had 4 spare points and think it add's character to him). I'm quite proud of the little servo pistol and may add to it (a targeter or blade attached) but I will probably leave it as it is.

 

I intend to drill out the bolter barrels, but I'm not sure that I will drill out all the assault cannon barrels, as I tried on a test and didn't like it with the drill I have at the moment.

 

I may drill them out if I find the right drill bit for it, but it's not that important to me.

 

Next on my work station is a chaos terminator lord, equipped with the black mace and power axe (I've decided to aim for option 2).

I need to sort out the arms and decide if I want to create a unique special mace or just use the basic one from the chaos terminator's box set (or just add a few spikes to that). I will also slowly but surely be gluing the plague marines together, they are the metal ones so I've been putting it off (as I so much prefer plastic).

[MrSocks]

These look excellent! and I feel for you, I'm in a very similar position with my army for throne!

 

Terminator Lord looks down right stunning, can't wait to see him painted!

[nurglez]

Well, I always have the fall back option of taking my Draigowing, although I'd much rather take chaos as, well, my profile picture is my actual back and the first tattoo I got :D

 

I've also booked the week off from the Monday before throne of skulls, So i have 5 days to frantically paint anything that isn't painted.

I'm hopeful that I will have everything painted by then, but I had holiday to take and know how much I procrastinate over painting, hell I even paid someone to paint the 15 paladins in my 18 model Draigowing army, true story bro.

 

If you and your group get down to ToS early enough should try and get a game in, group of us and group of you, and gaming vs new opponents is always great, it's why we pay to head down to ToS!

[nurglez]

Right I had 3 games with my current list yesterday.

 

I went with option 2:

 

Lord, nurgle, terminator armour, power axe, black mace, sigil, boon

7 plague marines, 2 plasmaguns, combi plasma Rhino Dirge Caster

7 plague marines, 2 meltaguns, combi melta Rhino Dirge Caster

2x10 cultists, flamer

Heldrake, bale flamer

5 havocs, 4 autocannons, twin linked bolter, veterans of the long war, mark of nurgle

Forgefiend 2 hades autocannons

Landraider Dirge Caster

1499

 

First game was against Commander Sasha's Skavenids, kill points and short table edge deployment. There was a lot of terrain on the board, and this screwed up my long range firing. Highlights of the game was taking out his flyrant with my landraider, lascannon to the face as he failed his jink save. I lost quite badly.

 

Second game was vs Orks. crusade and diagonal deployment. I seized the initiative and went for it, but due to his speed he managed to hide and then take out my forgefiend first turn (loota's in a battlewagon firing hurts, 45 shots needing 6's to hit plus long rage ouch). Highlight was his battle wagon charging through a wall to crush my landraider with his deff rolla, however I then returned the favour and took out his battle wagon, but 14 loota's survived the explosion. I managed to flat out a rhino within range to counter overwatch and then wiped them. Next turn my Lord jumped off the top of the landraider to wipe out a depleted ork squad threatening my home objective. He rolled 5, 5 and 4 for his difficult terrain assault move. However, Ghazza did the exact same thing the next turn and squished my lord good as he had waaarghed and had a 2+ invulnerable. I just won thanks to it going to turn 7, but would have lost on turn 5.

 

Third game was scourging, and dawn of war deployment. I foolishly went round the long way as I was scared of imobolising myself. Had the game gone on to turn 7 I may just have managed to win, as I just took to long to threaten the objectives in his deployment zone. I managed to kill the flyrant with my Landraider again, he seems to be good at it. I foolishly tried to assault the unit holding his objective which was 9 inches away instead of a biovore that was 3 inches away. Had I charged the biovore I would have easily killed it (as it was wounded) and then consolidated onto the objective.

 

After these games, I have made these changes.

 

Lord, nurgle, terminator armour, power axe, black mace, sigil, boon, blight grenades, melta bombs

7 plague marines, 2 plasmaguns, combi plasma Rhino Dirge Caster

7 plague marines, 2 meltaguns, combi melta Rhino Dirge Caster

2x10 cultists, flamer

Heldrake, bale flamer

5 havocs, 4 autocannons, twin linked bolter, veterans of the long war

Forgefiend 2 hades autocannons

Landraider Dirge Caster, dozer blade

1499

 

My lord didn't do brilliantly and died in the first 2 games, but he tried fighting models that were str10 so didn't really have a chance. His black mace gave mixed results but I do still like it (got 10 attacks one fight, nice ;) )

[Chaeron]

Lord, nurgle, terminator armour, power axe, black mace, sigil, boon, blight grenades, melta bombs

 

Saw this pointed out elsewhere, but: you can only choose one thing from the Special Issue Wargear list, and therefore you can have either Blight Grenades or Sigil of Corruption - but not both.

[nurglez]

"A model can take up to one of each of the following"

 

Pretty sure I can take several choices from it, but not 3 melta bombs or 2 jump packs.

[Kol Saresk]

The restriction is on the Chaos Artefacts because they can only give up one weapon to take one of the Artefacts.

[Chaeron]

Haha, my fault gents - it was late and I made a mistake - you're right, up to one of each!

[nurglez]

No worries, made me worry there for a second :tu:

[Chaeron]

Worst thing was, I'd even picked up the Codex to check - silly me, apologies my friend.

 

In terms of strategy - what do you do with the Lord? I'd be interested in seeing how he runs alone - but my concern is that he's not that mobile compared to other elements of your army. Other than that, it's certainly positive! Do you prefer the Baleflamer and Hadesfiend over their respective alternate options too? My Forgefiend is currently a triple Ecto - but I'm perhaps regretting supergluing it now when I should've used magnets...!

[nurglez]

Lord goes in the landraider with the meltagun plagues, to give them some much needed cc punch. Baleflamer is just awesome. Many games of using a dreadknight with teleporter and heavy incinerator taught me how useful a torrenting str 6 ap4 flamer is, considering the baleflamer is ap3 makes it so much better.

 

The hadesfiend is pretty decent most of the time, generally survives games due to the range of him, and can shoot flyers out of the sky, he generally averages out 3-5 hits when shooting at ground targets and 1-3 hits when shooting at flyers (of course he has only hit once when shooting at a ground target and missed several times in a row shooting at flyers but this is a dice game so go figure).

 

If I had a spare 25 points I'd happily give him the ecto head, but I just can't afford it.

 

I do feel the ectofiend has a place in chaos armies, just I'd rather not have something that cant shoot flyers at all (a few of my opponents use vendetta's/storm ravens and I'd like to at least have a chance to damage them with most of my army).

[nurglez]

Right, quick update :)

 

My heldrakes have been falling apart, due to the heavy wings and join (I tried pinning but one of them failed).

 

So I need to work on the heldrake. I recently came across this Heldrake conversion (dubbed the helrazor by the creator)

 

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u14/DavHod42/IMG_6862.jpg

 

warseer thread

 

It seems a rather simple conversion that I rather like, as I really like the hellblade.

 

So I shall attempt an inferior copy. Not sure I like the placement of the baleflamer, but we'll see. I much prefer converting to painting, which isn't a problem unless you have a tournament in 3 months...

 

So far I've attached one of the front prongs to the drake ;)

[Captain Idaho]

Liking this thread and your army list matey. Any more play testing?

 

Landraiders are pretty good at delivering troops against most armies, so I like the Chaos Lord with unit to do an assault. Reckon the Black Mace is worthwhile over a simple power maul, since you will probably win your combats against hordes anyway?

[nurglez]

Well I quite like the feel of the palanquin, however for its points it just doesn't seem worth it (especially as most thibfs that kill my lord do it via instant death).

 

Also having terminator armour, black mace and a power weapon is only 10 points more then the same set up in power armour, and I do like mu termie lord :P

 

Started my helrazor pattern heldrakes, still a bit of work to do on them but I'm loving their look so far. I'll add some pictures soon :D

[Vesper]

I really dislike the Chaos Land Raider as it feels overpriced and pretty useless (no POTMC, which is good to the point its retarded, and capacity of only 10 when everyone has 12). Due to the fact that we don't have any drop pod equivalent because we're Chaos marines (?) and no teleport homer (the dimensional key doesn't work), I'd rather footslog or teleport while crossing fingers than use our Land Raider. Too bad it's our only assault vehicle.

 

The Black Mace is indeed decent. But it still feels quite pricey to me (when not on a DP) as the Brand of Skalathrax just seems to be better (against hordes and Meq) in every situation. That's 15 points cheaper, and with some effort, you could gather 25 for that ecto head.

[nurglez]

Well I'm still play testing, a friend suggested dropping the Hadesfiend for a second heldrake.

 

I do like the mace though, and it does seem like a decent nurgley weapon too. Brand is nice but I'd prefer it on a power armoured lord, as he can stick in a rhino.

 

I'm pretty sold on the landraider, been using 1 with my deathguard chaos for awhile and I love it, as without it the rhinos are even more tempting targets.

[Vesper]

Well I'm still play testing, a friend suggested dropping the Hadesfiend for a second heldrake.

I'm not sold on fiends too. Yet, that may be a good idea to consider taking some bikers or obliterators instead of a second heldrake. I'd think about it.

 

Then, the brand feels super nurgley too ! Could be some kind of SM-sized baleflamer or something. :tu: