Hellcult questions

[Wokeg]

I'm sorry if something like this is somewhere else but I couldn't see it anywhere

 

So I'm relatively new to the gaming side of 40k and I have a few questions about the hellcult

 

1st how does a hell cult formation work do all units have to move as 1 (within unit coherency) or can they separate? and by extension if 1 unit is assaulted do I get over watch with the other 2 units?

 

2nd if I take typhus as a HQ can I make the cultists in the hell cult zombies?

[Sception]

1) the units are still separate units since the formation doesn't say otherwise, so you deploy, move, shoot, and assault separately with each, though you'll want to keep the brute near at least one of the cultist units to benefit from the cover save.  If only one of the units is charged, you do not get to over watch with other units in the formation

 

2) if you read typhus's zombie rule closely, you'll find that any chaos cultist unit 'in the same army as typhus' can be upgraded.  The cultist units don't have to be in the same detachment, so yes, you can upgrade hell cult cultists into zombies if typhus is in your army, even if he's in your allied detachment.  Since they're already fearless, they don't get as much out of that upgrade, though.  Or, more to the point, they don't get anything out of being part of the helcult formation, and even with the cover save the helbrute doesn't exactly justify his inclusion if the cultist units he brings are already fearless, especially considering that they don't fill obligatory troop slots.

 

on that note - the helcult as a formation is its own detachment, so will not benefit from bonuses that only apply to a given detachment. Ie, they don't cause fear if your primary detachment is crimson slaughter, and they don't fill any troop slots.  However, even though they don't fill troop slots, they are still 'troops' units, and as such are scoring.

[Wokeg]

Thanks.

 

Is the FnP zombies get not worth losing the ranged weapons they have (I mainly play against MEQ's so they don't generally do anything in my experiance)

[Sception]

Arguably.  What it arguably isn't worth, if the cultists are already fearless anyway, is the 250 odd points spent on typhus.

 

Or, more to the point, if the cultists don't get anything out of the helcult formation, then it isn't worth taking the formation, since the brute isn't really worth bothering with on its own, even with a fancy cover save.

 

Especially if rumors of vehicles not getting cover saves against infantry in 7th ed are accurate (which they probably aren't, but just wanted to point out that if that happens 'these cultists are fearless' really would be the only point to that formation).