Power Sword Vs. Lightning Claw

[CheeseWhiz]

well guys, have at it. Which would you rather put on an assault-based captain/chapter master? I like both over the hammer, axe, or fist for the ability to keep the intiative five. I generally tend to think that re-rolling wounds with a strength four weapon beats out the extra attack from the power sword. Plus the rule of cool helps this case too :p what are your thoughts?

[Ultramarine vet]

Forget the power sword and lightning claw.

Instead, get a chapter relic. I suggest the Teeth of Terra or the Burning Blade. They are incredible! A captain with the Teeth of Terra and artificer armor can easily singlehandedly destroy an entire Chaos Space Marine squad. Berserkers included. Its crazy!

[BassWave]

I agree that the Teeth of terra is very fun to use :D

 

Relics aside, I like the lightning claw over the sword. Re rolling to wound is nice, but asthetically I think the lightning claw is way cooler. Specifically the one with the bladed fingers. As an added bonus, it pairs nicely with a fist in order to get extra attacks.

[hallodx]

The more base Attacks your character has, the better LC is. What are you building and what do you want he do anyway?

[Captain Idaho]

If points are tight then Relics might not be good, but a Relic blade straddles the line between cheaper weapons and Chapter Relics.

 

If you're adamant about paying only 15pts then go with the Lightning Claw.

[GreyCrow]

The more base Attacks your character has, the better LC is. What are you building and what do you want he do anyway?

 

Completely agree with that ! It's better to reroll on 3 hits rather than 1 after the To-Hit roll.

 

On sergeants I would recommend the power sword to get more attacks. On Chapter Masters, the LC seems like a better deal !

[CheeseWhiz]

That was my thought as well GreyCrow. I tend to shy away from the relics for games under 2000 simply because I subscribe to the "bros before bullets" philosophy and cant justify the higher points cost on them. My chapter master tends to run around with either a bike command squad or regular bikers and I've found that he's outnumbered far less often than I'd like, rendering the Teeth of Terra moot. As far as army wide goes. I usually give my sergeants power axes so I have some AP2 in the fight and therefore keep the initiative 5 on the Chapter Master/Captain (which has won me more assaults than I'd care to do the math for in a primarily marine meta.

[Ultramarine vet]

Very well. If chapter relics are out of the question, then I say lightning claw. You might lose an attack but you are much more likely to wound. The shred special rule is great.

 

Then again, you can pay 10 points for digital weapons and get a power sword. You would gain the extra attack assuming you give him a pistol, and you can re-roll 1 failed to wound, which is better than nothing in my opinion. 

[minigun762]

On a related note but with more expensive choices, how does the Burning Blade compare with PF/LC?

 

Same # of attacks, and you get your AP2 @ I5 instead of I1.

Drawback is no instant death and 15 points more expensive.

[Captain Idaho]

The Burning Blade is superior on the whole, since you get more attacks than a Relic blade and wound on a 2+ at initiative 5. However, the cheaper options generally do the job so it's hard to justify.

 

Very well. If chapter relics are out of the question, then I say lightning claw. You might lose an attack but you are much more likely to wound. The shred special rule is great.

 

Then again, you can pay 10 points for digital weapons and get a power sword. You would gain the extra attack assuming you give him a pistol, and you can re-roll 1 failed to wound, which is better than nothing in my opinion. 

If you're paying for those digital weapons you're paying the same points as a Relic blade... ;)

[Ultramarine vet]

The Burning Blade is superior on the whole, since you get more attacks than a Relic blade and wound on a 2+ at initiative 5. However, the cheaper options generally do the job so it's hard to justify.

Very well. If chapter relics are out of the question, then I say lightning claw. You might lose an attack but you are much more likely to wound. The shred special rule is great.

Then again, you can pay 10 points for digital weapons and get a power sword. You would gain the extra attack assuming you give him a pistol, and you can re-roll 1 failed to wound, which is better than nothing in my opinion.

If you're paying for those digital weapons you're paying the same points as a Relic blade...

That.....is true. Though I always pay for digital weapons because I roll lots of 1s. :D

[minigun762]

The Burning Blade is superior on the whole, since you get more attacks than a Relic blade and wound on a 2+ at initiative 5. However, the cheaper options generally do the job so it's hard to justify.

 

 

Was curious and ran the numbers of a BB Captain vs PF/LC Captain.

Ignoring I5, the BB is never a better option but is very often equally as good.

The PF does start to show it's value fighting T6+ units.

Really, the BB is strongest if you're planning on murdering Terminators who aren't packing S8 weapons.

[Captain Idaho]

It's all about striking at initiative if you're fighting "equal" opponents. Thinning the numbers before they strike on a 2 plus is golden, as is the flexibility to hurt a multitude of other units (like Terminaters, monstrous creatures, Orks) in an all comers list.

 

However due to the cost it's hard to justify.

 

As such I'd probably go power fist and lightning claw out of the 2 options.

[CheeseWhiz]

Agreed Captain Idaho, also there's that unfortunate bit about the Burning Blade wounding the wielder as well.