Pure Khorne army advice

[nurglespuss]

Hi there fellow head takers :)

 

I haven't played Chaos Space Marines since the dex before last (my death guard) but have decided to take a step away from my usual 'sensible' armies, and do a completely mental Khornate marine & daemons army. Now I've picked up the chaos marine codex, but wondered at the best builds?

 

Everything in the army will have the mark of khorne (even when a drawback - theme).

so far I've picked up and painted a squad of 6 chosen (dark vengeance but with extra plasma pistol and a heavy bolter), a terminator on a bike to represent a mutilator, and i also have the lord from dark vengeance waiting to make/paint.

 

I would like to have, berserkers, havoks, maulerfiend, spawn, bikes, daemon prince, hellbrute, juggernaughts, blood letters and eventually a blood thirster.

 

that's all very vague i know!

 

so a question or couple:

 

is it worth bolstering the chosen to 9 or 10? And it seems like i can only get a rhino (is there a way to get a dread claw from fw in the armylist?).

 

berserkers, big squads? Or smaller, in transport with karn?

 

maulerfiend, never used it, would it suit a forward racing army?

 

I know the hellbrute isn't popular, but, what's the best assault/close support configuration?

 

finally, any ideas for alternative berserker models? 12 in a bo is a great deal, but, they haven't aged well in my opinion (even though I loved them when they came out :P )

 

cheers!

[Chronotonic]

if you were feeling froggy

 

15 man khorne squads in a land raider 3 of those babies and ride up jump out and slice and dice everything in front of you

 

not a lot of armies in my area can take out a land raider fewer melta weapons this time around and it would be almost impossible to stop 3...plus the 45 stabby guys that are 10,000 years old...

 

I also just keep the heads but if you got the cash the Forgeworld ones are GREAT...

 

I picked up a pack from eBay...from Russia...yeah I know I know...knockoffs but man the detail even for knockoffs is great...the forgeworld ones would be even better...

[nurglespuss]

Great advice thankyou! I also wish cultists could take chimeras :p

 

Also here is a quickly typed backstory.

 

 

The Lords of Metal -or- Tragedy and Revenge.

 

In M.31.82 The planet Gygas issued a desperate distress plea for any and all Imperial aid as the system ships detected the approach of a Tyranid splinter fleet. Before their astropathic choir was silenced by the shadow in warp, a single response was received - Astartes inbound. The Lords of Metal Chapter hit the fleet while still in transit, scuppering bioships and launching daring teleport attacks with the first company, the Skipios. Chapter Master Res-Hakkon had divised a highlyunorthodox, but aggressive attack strategy in consultation with an Inquisitive of the Ordo Xenos. Drop pods, thunderhawks and teleportations struck simultaneously at the exact landing sites of the Tyranid. Fighting was fierce, short and entirely one sided. The Lords of Metal emerged without a friendly fatality. The Chapter were rightly hailed as heroes, and a great monument to the Emperor raised with the Chapter motto 'Be as Metal' inscribed. 

 

The Chapter continued its work with the Ordo for half a century, the chapters already aggressive and fiercely loyal nature made them perfect hammers to strike at the cold alien intelligence. However, like much of Humanity's history, all shining lights are doomed to fail. The events surrounding the fall of the Chapter can be traced to the actions of a single Inquisitive. A hive fleet splintered been tracked to the lost world of Manathax, a colony of traitors and aliens. The inquisitive had actually steered the splinter fleet to the world's system by use of biomarkers taken throughout the previous encounters. The same, now well practiced tactics were employed. However, the planet had already been the target of a far older, darker anymore violent force. A great champion of Khorne, pleased with aggressive atmosphere and potential for violence the planets mixed vile populace descended onto the world with a mighty all conquering force, after relishing the combat for weeks, he saw the opportunity for a mighty tribute to Khorne. 

 

At the Centre of the largest equatorial jungle, a vast amphitheater was raised, and a constant stream of ever more vicious survivors forced go fight in brutal gladitatorial contests. The Tyranid targeted this concentration of life as the main point of assault, the Lords of Metal followed...

 

In the cataclysmic horror that followed, a massive hive tyrant faced off against the mighty Lord of Manathax. The battle field seemed to slow as these titans rained blows upon eachother, until with a mighty roar, the tyrant tore the Lords arm from his socket, casting his heavy warhammer to the feat of the Inquisitor. As the Lord was devoured, the Inquisitor felt an overriding urge to examine what should be a cursed artifact. The hammer was huge, silver, exquisitely crafted and seemingly untouched by chaos. Inscribed upon its head were the words 'Strength in Metal',  immediately the Inquisitor took this as a sign, the tide was turning against them, insanity surrounded what should have been ordered slaughter. 

 

Needless to system that Chapter Master Res-Hakkon had battled his way to the tyrant, Nd had engaged it with his own thunderhammer - foe-breaker. A mighty swing cleft open the monsters jaw, but it's return stroke, ripped the hammer from his grasp, weaponless, he prepared to grab a meltabomb, but instead a streak of silver caught his attention. A mighty silver hammer filled his grasp, and with a roar of rage, he struck the head from the monstrous tyrants body. Leaderless the hordes of creatures became disorganised, and easy prey for khornate follower and marine alike. 

 

The Chaos forces then, incredibly, hesitated before reengaging the Imperial forces, their attention focused on Res-Hakkon. The Lords of Metal hesitated not, and slaughtered them in minutes. By battles end the death toll was high, but for every marine dead, twenty dead enemy surrounded them. Alas, the Inquisitor was among the casualties. Upon making ready to quit the cursed planet, one of Res-Hakkon's honour guard had found his masters hammer, Res-Hakkon politely bade him keep it as a reward, while he retained his trophy.

 

Following this event, the Lords of Metal refused contact with the Ordo, while seemingly engaged on a personal crusade across the local sector. This was taken to be a slight against the Ordo for endangering the chapter so grievously. The real reason was far more tragic. The hammer, was cursed, cursed by Khorne himself. Whosoever should take the hammer would curse himself and all his followers to a life of violence without respite or reason. The Inquisitor had picked up the hammer and dammed a most noble chapter to barbarism and unrelenting bloodshed. The lords of Metal were a changed force, death dealers all, Res-Hakkon managed to focus on one thing, revenge. Revenge against an uncaring universe, an absent Emperor and all life. They made for Gygas - in Res-Hakkon's eyes the starting their misery.

 

The final communication received by Gas before all life was extinguished was a message on repeated loop 'Astartes inbound - We are coming'

[nurglespuss]

Wow that was written on my phone :p ill correct the awful autocorrects etc later ;p

[Trevak Dal]

Regarding the Helbrute, a Flail and Powerfist (with Heavy Flamer) can even up the odds they face against other fighting dreds and enemies.  You want 2.

[trevoroftzeentch]

it isn't easy to be competitive with khorne so keep that in mind.

Try a chaos lord on a juggernaut with the axe of blind fury & Sigil of corruption.

Berserkers are have a hard time being effective without a land raider.

Use cultists as a cheap scoring unit to camp on back field objectives

Heldrakes with baleflamers are any Chaos players best friend.

havocs and/or obliterators the rest of the way

[trevoroftzeentch]

Bikers or spawn to escort The Lord

[Slayer le Boucher]

My usual list is , Khârn wih 8 Zerkers is a LR with Dirgecaster.

One Zerker unit of eight models with pair of LC and bomb, icon of wrath, in a rhino with dirgecaster or whe i feel fancy in a Dreadclaw.

 

One CSM squad of ten, with pair of LC on champ, MoK and ccw for every one , two meltas.

 

With rhino and dirgecaster.

 

A Lord with Axe, Sigil, Gift of Mutation, Jugger.

A squadron of five bikes accompany him, pair of LC on the champ, IoW,MoK, two meltas.

 

A Baledrake.

 

A Maulerfiend

A Defiler with Reaper AC and three CCW.

 

The Juggerlord and bikes are deployed next the fiend, making a very treatening strike force.

 

both are capable of crossing the board very quickly, the Fiend should focus on vehicles like transorts and support vehicles while the bikes and lord takes out HS units like Devs, Centurions etc.

A JuggerAxelord can do an insane amount of damage, its like having a second Khârn.

 

Now you might wonder why CSM in all of this, its true that they are lacking in comparison with Tactics marines due to the absence of ATSKNF and chapter tactics, But they are still a very versatile unit that can give a good helping hand to your zerkers units.

 

They can stil giving out a good firing rate with thier bolters, the meltas can take care of any unwanted threat, and in the next turn they cn give an helping hand to your Engaged zerrkers with four Attacks each.

 

Khârn + zerkers and LR does best what they are spposed to do, but never send them without the possibility of back up in the form of the bikes, the CSM or the other Zerkers.

 

Never forget to use your Rhinos to blck LoS and collect skulls.

[nurglespuss]

Cheers guys for the excellent advice! IM still formulating my list, and in fact picked up a bloodthirster for a crazy cheap 6 quid on ebay :P so will include that winged point sink in my allied daemons (and\or use him as a daemon prince in smaller games).

 

ummmm looks like ill be painting more transports!

[the jeske]

don't take zerkers , take khorn marked csm , they are much better.

take bikes for lord , spawn with MoK are bad.

if you want to take maulers take 2-4 .

Don't take LR squads unless you plan to take 2-3 LRs , and if you do , remember the rather step limitations chaos LR have.

 

it is not worth to take chosen , taking more of them doesn't make them better.

 

2 ccw hellbruts are the best melee set up ones, but dreads and specialy chaos dreads who don't have pods and are av12 . It is better to take 2-4 maulers .

[crucial]

Jeske - why are khorbe marked csm 'much better' exactly? Rhino/infiltrating squads yes because of 2x special weapons but for land raider squads? That ws5 makes them wreck face in a charge. Hitting and wounding on 3's is amazing.

 

Side note - Khârn in a land raider with zerkers has won me tourney games due to one thing: Multicharge! For some reason no one ever expects it and in one turn that zerker Khârn LR squad just made back its points...

[Akhar]

If you multicharge you lose furious charge and rage. In a world were melee is already bad, Khorne Berserkers just got worse.

[oreaper84]

i believe the multi charge reference is to Khârn charging one target and the zerkers charging another. 2 birds with 2 sharpened lunatic face smashing stones. Any time i run a LR i put a bad mama-jama unit in with an equally nasty hq to give me this option. Besides you want Khârn away from you own units if he can help it. In rounds 2+ he tends to start lopping of crimson helmets