Legion of the Damned tactics?

[Deiros]

Hi! I have used the LotD only 2 times in 5th edition only, looking to use it as my new annoying choice to drop on my enemy.

 

Today I saw someone run an interesting "viable" tactic against another Space Marine player with his own DIY chapter so I can't tell what codex really (but will know on my next visit).

 

LotD 5 man Squad worth 225pts

Sgt with Power Axe + Plasma pistol

Plasma Gun

Plasma Cannon

 

They did surprisingly better than I imagined (dice rolls helped a bit), his Sgt. issued a challenges and managed really nicely. That 3++ save allowed him to survive good damage . He challenge his devastators first since he arrived pretty close to them and wiped them out and than he challenged a tactical squad and did some damage with that plasma to other things and he finally died of to combined shots from a predator and another tactical squad. It took the other player considerable effort to get rid of them as the LotD Sgt. turned out to be an amazing duelists because of his save and a way to land with plasma or melta into your opponent backfield. Note that his opponent was bunkered behind his Quad gun creating some sort of "gun line".

 

I was wondering if anyone else has reviewed LotD as a viable choice and used now that duels are a big thing and plasma/melta is still important.

[jeffersonian000]

The best use I've found for LotD is to drop them into your opponent's deployment zone, and blast away! They are a mildly survivable forlorn hope unit they can slowly walk along pumping out plasma or melt every turn until they die, which causes huge disruption to your opponent's plans. They simply have to be dealt with, just cannot be ignored.

 

SJ

[Hymirl]

But for that cost you can have 5 terminators with an assault cannon! (Almost) Doing the same thing probably as effective if not more. I like the fluff of the LatD but they cost too much, their upgrades cost too much and slow and purposeful has some real downsides too.

 

Although I agree that dropping a minimal squad in as a disruption tactic is probably the best use of them.

[Gideon999]

Hard to compare them to termi's though. Tactical termis have 2+ but only 5++, the LotD have 3+ (a huge difference really) but also come stock with 3++ (also a huge difference). Both are relentless and can have some epic guns. LotD also have a more reliable deep strike.

[Krimsonkilla]

run that squad in th OP with a terminator libby with gate and enjoy! also take a look at seahawks thread on Lotd, sold me into using them :whistling:

[Deiros]

Yes but if I take a libby plus a termi squad that is at least 300points bare bones minimum and this includes an HQ choice that I would not just drop in my enemy backfield to get slaughtered.

 

LotD are better right now than Drop Poding a dread or teleport a unit of termies.

 

Termies have 2+/5++ saves, LotD have 3+/3++ almost everything someone is going to shoot at your termies is going to be at least Str 4-8, forcing you to make at best a 3+ armor save or fall back to a 5++ in worse case, while the LotD always have 3 save regardless. Unless your dropping in front of Fire Warriors or something with weak ranged weapon like IG than the termines 2+ is better, but let's face it most thing will hit you with a Str 4 weapon minimum. LotD does require a lot of resources to get rid of for what I have seen and it's very painful to even challenge them to battle of the Sgt. is kitted for combat.

 

At least that was my experience today, I played a small(ish) game 1725pts. I drop them behind a tac squad and "next" to the Dreadnought babysitting them with and asscan + DCCW. I made that dread go kaboom and he panicked, since it was his deployment zone objective. We were both experimenting stuff but still the shock and awe effect they achieve, he had to bring his assault squad to save his tac squad and it costed him his Assault sgt. +3 more marines. To bad I couldn't kill all the tacs and assault marines but the damage was done. I won that game do to scouts sniper and surprisingly the ccw scouts.

 

To his credit he complicated my life with Kantor and sternguard holding midfield objective.

 

Edit: Got a link to the thread, I remember reading something about them a while ago, just this is a new edition and wanted to see how people are fearing with them in 6th edition.

 

This is not a debate thread of what is better than LotD, since the role a tactical terminator squad has is not the same a LotD squad has (or maybe it's just me).

 

I'm just looking for how people who have used (and still use) LotD in 6th edition with the many rule changes.

[Naminé]

I just want to point out, since two people have mentioned it already;

Legion of the Damned do NOT have a 3+ armour save. They only have a 3++ The entry in the Codex states that 'their save is invulnerable' and also their wargear does not list Power Armour.

 

Minor point perhaps, but important against Null zone :wub:

[Iron Father Ferrum]

LotD are better right now than Drop Poding a dread or teleport a unit of termies.

 

 

Nonono, Dreads are still better. You might be able to more accurately deep strike LOTD, but they do still scatter and can still mishap. Podding anything is a much more reliable method of deep striking because it allows you to get danger-close to the enemy lines without worrying about mishapping.

[Krimsonkilla]

well my plan is a 5 man Lotd squad with triple plasma (pistol, gun, and cannon) with a libby to ship them around the board with gate.... if i get suck on a turn i can null zone to help the plasma! i just think redeepstriking is what they need to negate their slow and purposful rule.

[jeffersonian000]

well my plan is a 5 man Lotd squad with triple plasma (pistol, gun, and cannon) with a libby to ship them around the board with gate.... if i get suck on a turn i can null zone to help the plasma! i just think redeepstriking is what they need to negate their slow and purposful rule.

 

The Libby needs to be in TDA, so he can arrive with the LotD. If not, the Libby has to join the LotD after they arrive. Also, I'd recommend a Storm Shield and Vortex, just to be a dick.

 

SJ

[carnosaur93]

wont attaching a librarian make them scatter as normal?.. since he does'nt have the special rule for re-rolling and all that

 

also, i must honestly agree that they seem pretty bad for their price...

[UnkyHamHam]

Haha, here we go again.

 

We discussed this already over here http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...howtopic=266898 for your viewing pleasure :P

 

TLDR, the Librarian will not make them lose their re-roll.

 

Also, Carnosaur, don't forget they all have 2 base attacks, and the sarge is WS 5! Give him an power axe and let him tank challenges, and then load up on plasma and melta. I've been able to make them do pretty good when I run them.

[jeffersonian000]

LotD are much better this edition than last. Makes me think they were planning 6th when they wrote most of the 5th ed codexes.

 

SJ

[Axagoras]

How did they get better in 6th?

[Montuhotep]

Full 10 man squad; Multi-Melta, Plasma gun, sarge has combi-Melta and Powerfist.

 

Horrendously expensive, it is true, but I love these lads - get good deep-strike rolls and say bye-bye to tanks, even heavy infantry like Terminators can, if the dice gods are willing, have problems with them. Key is to use them aggressively, not wimp out and hide. As said above, if supported right with say a drop pod or two they can form the core of a problem in your opponent's back line that he just has to deal with.

[Krimsonkilla]

well my plan is a 5 man Lotd squad with triple plasma (pistol, gun, and cannon) with a libby to ship them around the board with gate.... if i get suck on a turn i can null zone to help the plasma! i just think redeepstriking is what they need to negate their slow and purposful rule.

 

The Libby needs to be in TDA, so he can arrive with the LotD. If not, the Libby has to join the LotD after they arrive. Also, I'd recommend a Storm Shield and Vortex, just to be a dick.

 

SJ

 

 

 

yep, thats the plan!

run that squad in th OP with a terminator libby with gate and enjoy!

[UltraTacSgt]

Has anyone run them in a cheaper setup?

 

I couldn't help but feel like once I get up to 200-230pts that I would rather have 5 tac terms and an assault cannon. Though for under 200pts you can get reliable DSing, w/ a strong invuln, and an above average marine stat line. This unit would be used as a distraction/harassment unit to drop onto a weaker enemy unit, flank, or weak-point to charge enemies and generally hold the trigger down until the last man was off the board.

 

That said, my main question is has anyone ever run them dirt cheap?

 

It seems like running them 4 bolters and a HB for 165pts, or add a PW to the sgt for 180pts, would allow them to be dropped in using the re-roll to get in close to an enemy and rapid fire advance their way onto an enemy unit. Against rear armor of 10 or 11, they would have a decent chance to get lucky glances/pens on pure volume of fire, if you had to get desperate and send them at armor.

 

I plan on DSing 5 Tac terms onto an enemy flank to do the same thing when appropriate, so the LoTD would possibly have these Tac Terms as support.

 

Any thoughts?

[RootBeer]

My experiences with LotD are pretty bad.

 

They cost boat-loads of points, they die to lasguns just as easily as every other marine, their wargear is outrageously expensive, they cannot fire on over-watch due to slow and purposeful, they suck in close combat (except the sgt, if you shell out points for him) so the opponent can send a lame squad of dudes into them to tie them up. First time I used them they got murdered by GUN DRONES in close combat...Sad Days.

 

The only thing I think is okay about them is that they can be a mobile multi-melta fire-base.

 

Thunder Hammer Storm Shield terminators are a better choice for pretty much the same points after wargear.

 

I love their fluff and the models, but these guys just don't cut it. They will have a very hard time making their points back.

[jeffersonian000]

I've seen LotD use to good effect as a distraction unit. Just drop them in the enemy camp, and start taking out targets. Your opponent has to deal with them, which opens out room for your other units to manuaver. Yes, there are other choices that can do the same job, but the LotD do it with style!

 

SJ

[RootBeer]

I've seen LotD use to good effect as a distraction unit. Just drop them in the enemy camp, and start taking out targets. Your opponent has to deal with them, which opens out room for your other units to manuaver. Yes, there are other choices that can do the same job, but the LotD do it with style!

 

SJ

 

I love how LotD look, I love their fluff, but they just cost way too much to be a distraction unit. for the same price as a 5 man squad of LotD with power weapon, multimelta and a meltagun, you can run 3 land speeders with multi-melta & flamer, 5 man assault terminator squad, ironclad dreadnought with drop pod, 6 sternguard, all with combi-meltas and drop pod...the list goes on and on and on.

 

I just hope that they will be updated in the next book we get to be at least usable. They are too cool not to be used.

 

In the mean time, the best thing to do is probably use them as a distraction unit. Try to draw a lot of plasma fire against them. Avoid blobs of imperial guard or firewarriors as they will eat these guys up.