A Newbie's basic questions regarding a HH Army

[Leonite]

Hello Brothers of the bygone age of Crusades and Heresies! (Of both Horus and Dornian, if one so wished). I am a 40K player, have been for many a year, and I know that next year I will be making a trip to Warhammer World with plenty of money, and to stop myself buying an army and not saving money up afterwards, my aim is to purchase a Horus Heresy army. However, I have a few questions to ask first, and the reason I ask this now is directly related to the first question.

 

-My birthday is coming up and I have family in England. I plan to have them order Horus Heresy books from Forge World. Am I losing out on anything major to make a Legion Space Marine Army list if I get the two smaller books as opposed to the three big ones? If so, what am I missing out on?

 

-I am aware that the basic Legion list allows you to take Chaplains and Librarians. I would like to know however how many Legions could conceivably have the former. The latter I can probably guess using independent research in regards to the presence of Psykers before Nikea.

 

-What restrictions, if any, do certain Legions have beyond those of Psykers and Chaplains?

 

-How well do the Legion specific options play?

 

If this is the right area to ask then I hope to hear from you all soon. I really do like the look of the FW HH models and want to go full authentic with them

[Grotsmasha]

By skipping Tue big books you are only missing out on Fluff, both the Campaign and specific Legions within each book. In regards to Chaplains, post Nikea their primary role was the enforcement of the Edict. Most Legions had some form of Chaplain-type role. Blood Angels have Wardens for the Black Rqge/Red Thirst.

 

Cheers,

Jono

[Leonite]

Thanks Grotsmasha. To be honest in this digital age I think I can research the fluff in Wiki's and the like. Unfortunately that brings up a new question.

 

-Are the presence of Chaplains or Librarians exclusive? So, say, if I had an Ultramarines army, would it be realistic to have both a Librarian and a Chaplain in the same force? I probably won't, mind you. My thought is to have a Chaplain, a HQ Apothecary, and a couple others to represent those that lead my section of the Grand Company.

 

-On That note, are the restrictions on Terminators the same as 40k? As in, first company types only? And is there some in each Grand Company?

[Balthamal]

IMO if you don't opt for the bigger volumes you're missing out on a lot because they're the best books to have ever come out of GW let alone FW. But if money is a factor then I'd plump for the smaller ones, at least you'll be able to get an army together with them if gaming is your primary goal.

 

Now to your other points: Since the Crusade army list is meant to represent the Legions as they were throughout the majority of the Unification Wars and Great Crusade, there isn't really any restrictions on Chaplains/Librarians (Word Bearers always had them and well, the Thousand Sons were a Legion of Librarians more or less) although in the case of the former they're quite different to their 40k role (tending to the spiritual health of a chapter etc etc) and Chaplain would probably cover a number of roles/ranks within all the Legions (Blood Angel Wardens, Dark Angel Redemptors, Wolf Priests)

 

Legion specific restrictions only kick in if you opt to play a Legion's Rite of War (Think Chapter tactics but much cooler and wide ranging). They'll usually involve specifics units and changes to the force org as well as requiring mandatory units and preventing taking others. 

 

I can't speak for every unit since I haven't seen them used but based on the few that I have, some are inherently better than others but if what you're looking for is to put together the best point for point army then HH probably isn't for you. But as with the beauty of HH armies by including the Legion specific units you're not losing anything and any shortcomings can be made up for with other options from the list. Based on my own experience, I can say that Night Lords Terror Squads are expensive but very fun to play and the damage they can dish out is great.

 

For your thoughts on a Grand Company, there's nothing wrong with a Chaplain or Primus Medicae leading a few squads, expediency in battle certainly would even encourage it.

 

As far as Terminators go, it varies between Legions. Some reserve the armour for their elites (like the Thousand Sons Scarab Occult) or make wide use of it throughout the Legion and have dedicated units attached to companies/chapters/battalions etc etc. The fact that Terminators can be taken as troops with a particular Rite of War and are always counted as scoring units (or objective secured would be the 7th ed translation) means that you're far more likely to see them around.

 

Hope this helps :)

[Leonite]

Balthamal, thank you. Actually, to be honest... uh, well, I'm never concerned of point for point. My armies are all what I think looks good, but also themeatic for the force. It's just that I like a LOT of the unique unit's I've seen.

 

Now, I understand that I'll be missing out. The problem is not only Money though, but also... well, I'm Australian. I can't have the three books with me in my Luggage... mainly because my family won't let me live it down as last time I brought the then latest Big Rule Books for Fantasy and 40k. And then broke my carry on bag. I don't know if the three big books will get sent or the two, I'm leaving it up for my family in England to choose, but I will find a way to read the piece of fluff. There's probably some site or another out there with the info. 

 

That and I'll probably be getting 7th Edition on my trip anyway. I haven't bought it yet and it's so much cheaper to get the stuff in the UK.

[Phalanx Warder]

I have found a good way to get around the forgeworld price tag is to do a group order, it will cut down the individual cost and help you reach that all important free shipping! I did what you are now planning to do and I found that I damaged some of the resin on the way back to my home. I do not recommend that you do this but the choice is yours. For the most part you can get away with just about anything that you want to in a HH army as long as you don't break basic rules (ie: no destroyers in certain legions), many of the traits of 40k marines would be present in the legion to begin with!

[Leonite]

I have found a good way to get around the forgeworld price tag is to do a group order, it will cut down the individual cost and help you reach that all important free shipping! I did what you are now planning to do and I found that I damaged some of the resin on the way back to my home. I do not recommend that you do this but the choice is yours. For the most part you can get away with just about anything that you want to in a HH army as long as you don't break basic rules (ie: no destroyers in certain legions), many of the traits of 40k marines would be present in the legion to begin with!

... juuuust to make sure, which Legions allow them?

[Castiel]

So far as I can see from a quick skim of the Legion rules only the Salamanders can't take them so far.

[Balthamal]

Salamanders certainly whilst a good chunk of the other Legions frown upon their use. The only ones (thematically at least) so far who don't seem to have an issue with using them are the Death Guard, Night Lords and World Eaters although I only include Night Lords in that because the ones on the FW are painting in NL colours

[Leonite]

Makes sense, if you're being Space!Batman, what better way to spread terror than with a Destroyer Squad?

 

Along with everything else, I mean.

[Slips]

I'd say Alpha Legion use destroyers as they see fit and have no qualms with using what they have at their disposal.

 

The Legions I'd see as "not using them thematically" would be: A larger Part of the Blood Angels (ie; not those who would become Flesh Tearers, for example), Ultramarines (same case could be made for them with some of their to-be successors), Space Wolves, Thousand Sons, Imperial Fists (even thought they have an informal shoulder badge for them), White Scars and pre-slaanesh Emperors Children.

 

Rules-wise, only the Salamanders can't take them, so make of that what you will.

 

As per your question on Terminators, its on a Legion per Legion basis. Do note however, they are MUCH more flexible than their 40k Counterparts, essentially letting you have assault and tactical terminators in the same squad. You're also not limited to Power Fists, Lightning Claws and Thunderhammers as weapons and only Imperial Fists and Salamanders have Storm Shields.

 

You can Also make their combi-bolters combi-weapons for a cost, improving their flexibility. Not to mention 1 in 5 being able to take : Heavy Flamer, Reaper Autocannon and a Plasma Blaster.

 

There are also Legion Specific Terminator Units that can take much more Specialized or otherwise unaccessible gear such as Alpha Legion Larnean Terminators being able to take Conversion Beamers (for whatever reason).

 

They also have the option of Cataphractii Terminator Armor, which, while giving slow and purposeful, boosts their invulnerable save to a 4+

As an aside, Terminators are the best way to start a Horus Heresy Army since they are very Points Dense and as stated above, much more flexible. Though do note, only Imperial Fists, Night Lords and Sons of Horus with Abaddon Terminators can deep strike. The rest have to footslog it or get a transport.

 

 

For Chaplains, they don't have a Rosarius so you need to pay extra for an invulnerable save. That said, they are (iirc) cheaper than their 40k Counterparts.

 

Librarians are the same though I'd rule for them being unable to (unless they're, say, Word Bearers or Thousand Sons) to take Melefic Daemonology.

 

For Legion Specific Options, most - if not all - are worthy of consideration. While some aren't as attractive as other options, all can be made to work if you give it enough thought.

The only notable as being "ehhh" are the Justaerian Terminators which are overcosted for what they do.

 

Other General units to think about if you are considering them in your force are : Assault Marines, Breacher Marines and Destroyers. Sadly these are all overcosted for what they do but are by no means worthless. You'll just have to go "All In" if you want to make a force using them work.

 

Stand out units that nearly all but the most specialized lists use are : Tactical Marines (kinda obvious), Apothecaries (especially for 20 man Tactical Squads), Contemptor (-Mortis) Dreadnoughts, Master of Signal Consul, Primus Medicae Consul, Sicarian Battle Tank and Predator Squadrons.

 

There is actually a good post over on 1d4chan about the Horus Heresy and it gives a rather good summary of what you have at your disposal and how good they are compared to other alternatives.

[Balthamal]

It's specific in the Librarians army listing that they can only take Biomancy, Divination, Pyromancer, Telekinesis and Telepathy so no Daemonology at all for now

[Castiel]

They also have the option of Cataphractii Terminator Armor, which, while giving slow and purposeful, boosts their invulnerable save to a 4+

As an aside, Terminators are the best way to start a Horus Heresy Army since they are very Points Dense and as stated above, much more flexible. Though do note, only Imperial Fists, Night Lords and Sons of Horus with Abaddon Terminators can deep strike. The rest have to footslog it or get a transport.

The bolded is not quite true, any Legion using the Orbital Assault RoW can deep strike terminators. Also Perturabo allows deepstriking for Terminators too.

[Slips]

@_@ I apparently Need to read up.

 

Orbital Assault has never really been on my Radar as an option for me so i've never been familiar with it.

 

The other is a Primarch :p Something I doubt a Horus Heresy Beginner would be integrating into their force from the get go... Though I admit I didn't see that part in his rules.

[Castiel]

Yeah, Perturabo is a bit of an expensive way to get Deep Strike :P

[Leif Bearclaw]

I'd say Alpha Legion use destroyers as they see fit and have no qualms with using what they have at their disposal.

 

The Legions I'd see as "not using them thematically" would be: A larger Part of the Blood Angels (ie; not those who would become Flesh Tearers, for example), Ultramarines (same case could be made for them with some of their to-be successors), Space Wolves, Thousand Sons, Imperial Fists (even thought they have an informal shoulder badge for them), White Scars and pre-slaanesh Emperors Children.

 

Rules-wise, only the Salamanders can't take them, so make of that what you will.

 

Have to disagree on a few of these. If the Fists or EC frowned on Destroyers, I would have expected it to come up in Extermination/Betrayal. As for the Wolves, I see nothing in thier 30k portrayal that would indicate apprehension/reluctance to use Destroyers.

[Raktra]

The other is a Primarch Something I doubt a Horus Heresy Beginner would be integrating into their force from the get go...

Brother please, all the cool guys come here for the Primarchs B)

[Leonite]

I'd say Alpha Legion use destroyers as they see fit and have no qualms with using what they have at their disposal.

 

The Legions I'd see as "not using them thematically" would be: A larger Part of the Blood Angels (ie; not those who would become Flesh Tearers, for example), Ultramarines (same case could be made for them with some of their to-be successors), Space Wolves, Thousand Sons, Imperial Fists (even thought they have an informal shoulder badge for them), White Scars and pre-slaanesh Emperors Children.

 

Rules-wise, only the Salamanders can't take them, so make of that what you will.

 

As per your question on Terminators, its on a Legion per Legion basis. Do note however, they are MUCH more flexible than their 40k Counterparts, essentially letting you have assault and tactical terminators in the same squad. You're also not limited to Power Fists, Lightning Claws and Thunderhammers as weapons and only Imperial Fists and Salamanders have Storm Shields.

 

You can Also make their combi-bolters combi-weapons for a cost, improving their flexibility. Not to mention 1 in 5 being able to take : Heavy Flamer, Reaper Autocannon and a Plasma Blaster.

 

There are also Legion Specific Terminator Units that can take much more Specialized or otherwise unaccessible gear such as Alpha Legion Larnean Terminators being able to take Conversion Beamers (for whatever reason).

 

They also have the option of Cataphractii Terminator Armor, which, while giving slow and purposeful, boosts their invulnerable save to a 4+

As an aside, Terminators are the best way to start a Horus Heresy Army since they are very Points Dense and as stated above, much more flexible. Though do note, only Imperial Fists, Night Lords and Sons of Horus with Abaddon Terminators can deep strike. The rest have to footslog it or get a transport.

 

 

For Chaplains, they don't have a Rosarius so you need to pay extra for an invulnerable save. That said, they are (iirc) cheaper than their 40k Counterparts.

 

Librarians are the same though I'd rule for them being unable to (unless they're, say, Word Bearers or Thousand Sons) to take Melefic Daemonology.

 

For Legion Specific Options, most - if not all - are worthy of consideration. While some aren't as attractive as other options, all can be made to work if you give it enough thought.

The only notable as being "ehhh" are the Justaerian Terminators which are overcosted for what they do.

 

Other General units to think about if you are considering them in your force are : Assault Marines, Breacher Marines and Destroyers. Sadly these are all overcosted for what they do but are by no means worthless. You'll just have to go "All In" if you want to make a force using them work.

 

Stand out units that nearly all but the most specialized lists use are : Tactical Marines (kinda obvious), Apothecaries (especially for 20 man Tactical Squads), Contemptor (-Mortis) Dreadnoughts, Master of Signal Consul, Primus Medicae Consul, Sicarian Battle Tank and Predator Squadrons.

 

There is actually a good post over on 1d4chan about the Horus Heresy and it gives a rather good summary of what you have at your disposal and how good they are compared to other alternatives.

Quoted for relevance to my general plans. The first thing is, I always planned to include quite a few Apothecaries, essentially theming it as being a specialist medical group within the Grand Company working with that cohort/chapter/company/etc. I've always loved the Apothecary as a concept.

 

Secondly, my plan was likely going to not include as many tanks. My Chaos Space Marine Army has 2 Predators, A Land Raider, 3 Dreadnoughts and 2 Rhinos. I'm a little sick of Vehicles.

 

Thirdly, in regards to Breacher Squads and Destroyers, I'm to understand they are essentially designed for close ranged destruction, and specializing in armor and troop destruction. Am I right?

 

Fourthly, In regards to the Capatchii Terminators, what Transport would you recommend for them? I ask because without one, I severely doubt them being useful aside from being a mobile heavy weapons/Objective holding squad. 

 

And lastly are there any units out there that you guys would regard as "Not worth it"? Or is it opinion based largely?

[Slips]

First : If you can afford them, Apothecaries are very much so worthy additions to nearly any squad. If they can't take one, your other option is a Primus Medicae which can join (nearly) any squad, Terminator or not.

 

Second : Well, so long as you plan to play 2k points or under, that shouldn't be a problem. Above that and well, it might start to hurt. Vehicles like Sicarians (and Venators), Fire Raptors, Whirlwind Scorpius, Predator Squadronds, Land Raiders (especially Spartans) and all the other Lords of War will make short work of any Foot Sloggers. Consider that at 2.5k You can make a List that has 5 very good flyers in it (2 Fire Raptors and 3 Storm Eagles), maybe even more if you trim some fat.

 

So, you should have SOME tanks or Vehicles. Contemptor Dreadnoughts and their Mortis Variant are very good "bang for your buck" units as are Sicarian Battle Tanks.

 

Third : Not Really. Destroyers are meant to be used as a support squad. Rad Missiles reducing Toughness by 1 when hit by them is a game changer if you have a unit to assault the same target in the same turn. They then go around just rad-missileing any and all infantry if they can to give your boys a leg up.

 

Breachers do what they're named for best : breach and clear ops. They truly shine in Zone Mortalis or Similar scenarios where there will be no -- or very limited use -- of vehicles. Because a full squad costs roughly twice that of a 20 man tac squad, they make for VERY juicy targets in games that boast tons of Artillery or anti-MEQ solutions.

 

That Said, neither are really made for tackling armor. Destroyers only have Rad Missiles in their Launcher which are effectively useless against anything that isn't infantry. Breachers have -1 inch to their charge distance due to their armor special rule. While the same rule makes them tougher, if the Blast or Template is AP3 or lower, its just as good as normal power armor. You also have much better and more cost-effective solutions to the jobs you've proscribed to these two units.

 

Fourth : For any Terminator Squad that numbers over 5 Terminators, your only option for a Transport is a Land Raider Spartan. A VERY worthwhile investment. While it is a VERY expensive addition to any force, at 5HP, Av14 All around, Armored Ceramite (bye bye melta USR), Flare Shields (-2S to Blast and Templates or -1S to anything else shooting at its front arc) and 4 Twin-Linked Lascannon shots, its a glorious killing machine. Oh, did I mention it has a troop Capacity of 25? HELLO 10 TERMINATORS AND TDA EQUIPPED HQ's Charging at some very unfortunate victims!

 

Other Options to consider is the Caestus Assault Ram and Kharybdis Assault Claw. Both can be summarized as to being Flying Land Raiders. They cost a little bit more than one but being flyers and having other goodies, they can be worth it if the focus of your force is an Air Force or Drop Assault.

 

Fifth : units that are not worth it. DISCLAIMER : THIS IS MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION. 

1. Destroyers. Can arguably be made to work if you play to their strengths, though for what they bring vs their cost, other units can probably do it better.
2. Assault Marines. base cost at 10 marines being that of a 20 man Tac Blob, under, say, 2.5k points lists, you will have a hard time using them correctly. 20 man Assault Marine  blobs might sound nice but they are also giant, fragile, fire magnets.
3. Breacher Squads. As stated before, a specialist unit not suited to open field engagement with a lot of Vehicular support and Dakka.

Will not get into Legion Specific units since thats another can of worms and would take an entire post in and of itself.

 

If you want, the post on 1d4chan is quite comprehensive and gives rather good explinations as to why thing do/don't work : http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Space_Marine_Legion_List_(30k)#Unit_Analysis

[Hyaenidae]

The other is a Primarch Something I doubt a Horus Heresy Beginner would be integrating into their force from the get go...

Brother please, all the cool guys come here for the Primarchs

Feth that, brother. I've come here to kill all the Primarchs.

[Leonite]

First : If you can afford them, Apothecaries are very much so worthy additions to nearly any squad. If they can't take one, your other option is a Primus Medicae which can join (nearly) any squad, Terminator or not.

 

Second : Well, so long as you plan to play 2k points or under, that shouldn't be a problem. Above that and well, it might start to hurt. Vehicles like Sicarians (and Venators), Fire Raptors, Whirlwind Scorpius, Predator Squadronds, Land Raiders (especially Spartans) and all the other Lords of War will make short work of any Foot Sloggers. Consider that at 2.5k You can make a List that has 5 very good flyers in it (2 Fire Raptors and 3 Storm Eagles), maybe even more if you trim some fat.

 

So, you should have SOME tanks or Vehicles. Contemptor Dreadnoughts and their Mortis Variant are very good "bang for your buck" units as are Sicarian Battle Tanks.

 

Third : Not Really. Destroyers are meant to be used as a support squad. Rad Missiles reducing Toughness by 1 when hit by them is a game changer if you have a unit to assault the same target in the same turn. They then go around just rad-missileing any and all infantry if they can to give your boys a leg up.

 

Breachers do what they're named for best : breach and clear ops. They truly shine in Zone Mortalis or Similar scenarios where there will be no -- or very limited use -- of vehicles. Because a full squad costs roughly twice that of a 20 man tac squad, they make for VERY juicy targets in games that boast tons of Artillery or anti-MEQ solutions.

 

That Said, neither are really made for tackling armor. Destroyers only have Rad Missiles in their Launcher which are effectively useless against anything that isn't infantry. Breachers have -1 inch to their charge distance due to their armor special rule. While the same rule makes them tougher, if the Blast or Template is AP3 or lower, its just as good as normal power armor. You also have much better and more cost-effective solutions to the jobs you've proscribed to these two units.

 

Fourth : For any Terminator Squad that numbers over 5 Terminators, your only option for a Transport is a Land Raider Spartan. A VERY worthwhile investment. While it is a VERY expensive addition to any force, at 5HP, Av14 All around, Armored Ceramite (bye bye melta USR), Flare Shields (-2S to Blast and Templates or -1S to anything else shooting at its front arc) and 4 Twin-Linked Lascannon shots, its a glorious killing machine. Oh, did I mention it has a troop Capacity of 25? HELLO 10 TERMINATORS AND TDA EQUIPPED HQ's Charging at some very unfortunate victims!

 

Other Options to consider is the Caestus Assault Ram and Kharybdis Assault Claw. Both can be summarized as to being Flying Land Raiders. They cost a little bit more than one but being flyers and having other goodies, they can be worth it if the focus of your force is an Air Force or Drop Assault.

 

Fifth : units that are not worth it. DISCLAIMER : THIS IS MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION.

1. Destroyers. Can arguably be made to work if you play to their strengths, though for what they bring vs their cost, other units can probably do it better.
2. Assault Marines. base cost at 10 marines being that of a 20 man Tac Blob, under, say, 2.5k points lists, you will have a hard time using them correctly. 20 man Assault Marine  blobs might sound nice but they are also giant, fragile, fire magnets.
3. Breacher Squads. As stated before, a specialist unit not suited to open field engagement with a lot of Vehicular support and Dakka.

Will not get into Legion Specific units since thats another can of worms and would take an entire post in and of itself.

 

If you want, the post on 1d4chan is quite comprehensive and gives rather good explinations as to why thing do/don't work : http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Space_Marine_Legion_List_(30k)#Unit_Analysis

I'll take a look. Although I will note, my plan is not to battle other 30K. I plan to use it in my usual GW store and with friends. While bringing both books and clearly explaining beforehand of course.

 

All this being said, what do you say about the viability of units in a 1k-1.5k army? I understand if it's not much, but my idea here is to simply gather up an army to enjoy, but not need to spend hours in each confrontation. This is also hypocritical of me because I bought my Land Raider for my chaos force when I had 1K points at most but whatcha gonna do.

 

At the moment the idea I'm starting to get is that of a footslogger army, two big blocks of Tacticals, followed by a squad of support (probably Devastators, or Termis) followed by some Capatchii and maybe a Dreadnought or two. Maybe replace the Dreadnought with a Bike/Jetbike squad to add some speed and versatility to it.

 

EDIT: And with an Apothecary in the main squads of course. Which leads me to hopefully the last question, although it might be explained in the article: Can Medicae Primus take Terminator Armor or Bikes?

[depthcharge12]

 

 

The other is a Primarch :P Something I doubt a Horus Heresy Beginner would be integrating into their force from the get go...

 

Brother please, all the cool guys come here for the Primarchs B)

 

Feth that, brother. I've come here to kill all the Primarchs.

 

"..I come here not to praise primarchs...but to bury them!"

[Slips]

A 1k - 1.5k Force Can work but to make it "work" it will have to be VERY Focused and not a "take all comers".

 

That said, knowing which Legion you're eyeing up will help us in your list building/purchasing endeavors.

 

A Primus Medicae is essentially a 40k Apothecary + Captain. So yes, He can take Terminator Armor, Legion Specific Gear for Characters, Power Weapons Galore, Bikes, Jet Bikes. Look up the Centurion Consul entry in the books. His is one of the least Limited entries and one of the most flexible consul sub types.

 

If you couldn't tell I REALLY like the Primus Medicae (not because I like the band Primus too) :P

 

That said, if your making a footslogging force, then have everything foot slog because at 1k-1.5k. If you want to integrate Terminators into a list like this I'd look at legions that can provide a cheap Deep Strike Option. So, Imperial Fists or Night Lords would be the easiest, since taking a Preator in sub 2k games makes for a VERY expensive HQ since they are base 100 points. Whereas a Consul is base 50 points with each sub type costing between 35-45. Thats before Upgrades too.

 

In such a list you'll also want to have 15-20 man sized Tac Blobs with attached Apothecary can run you between 200-300 points per squad. And you need two of them mandatory, ouch.

 

Look up the AoD List area and look at the 1k-1.5k lists people have come up with. They may give you a better idea as to what to expect your list will look like.

[Leonite]

The thing with my ideas is that, themeatically, I'm attracted to a small group of Legions, those of the Salamanders, Night Lords, Emperors Children, Blood Angels, Thousand Sons and Space Wolves. At the same time I want to use ones that won't be too difficult to make (eliminating Thousand Sons and their egyptian armor), that won't be too expensive (elminating Space Wolves and the fact I'd need to combine those sprues with the Legion ones), and that aren't already in my chaos army (Emperors Children and Blood Angels in the same unit, Traitor Blood Angels turned Emperor's Children)

 

That leaves me with the Salamanders (who I've always liked from a visual standpoint since 3rd Edition and Chaplain Xavier) and the Night Lords (entirely due to Lord of the Night). I could also do Imperial Fists if needed. I mainly want to have an army with infantry, but not relying on any big vehicles. I already have a mostly tough foot slogging Iyanden Eldar army, this one I want to try and make... different. Terminator's could help there.

 

EDIT: To elaborate on the Iyanden army, it's in assembly, but focuses on a lot of big, tough units. In 1K points it has two squads of 5 Wraths, one squad being Blades, the other being Guard, supported by 10 Dire Avengers and some Striking Scorpions, a Wraith Lord, and Spirit Seers. With the army I want to make I want to try something similar, and yet different to this. With the Eldar Army, I do plan on getting them Vehicles. For this Space Marine one? I want to make it clear that they fight on their feet.

 

It's why I've considered Bikes or Jetbikes. I'm aware that they might be expensive in 1K-1.5K, but they could provide the mobile support I need.

 

(Also I really like the Firedrake models XD)

 

EDIT 2: Alternatively I can see myself going for an army with an Elite Core and supported by strength of numbers. As a result, Iron Hands aren't off the table either.

 

So to recap: Iron Hands, Salamanders and Night Lords. Infantry based.

[Slips]

Iron Hands would be the most durable Foot Slogging force you could make right now since infantry have -1S to shooting done to them.

 

That said I've come up with a test list. The only Legion I see it not working for are the Salamanders due to fluff reasons, but really you could make it work anyways.

 

1500 Points.

 

HQ: 

-Forge Lord Consul; Scimitar Jetbike, Cyber-Familiar, Refractor Field, Power Weapon (axe), Augury Scanner. 175

 

Troops:

-Legion Tactical Squad; 17 Marines, Artificer Armor, Melta Bombs, Power Weapon (axe), Legion Vexilla. 255

-Legion Tactical Squad; 17 Marines, Artificer Armor, Melta Bombs, Power Weapon (axe), Legion Vexilla. 255

 

Elites:

-Legion Apothecarion Detachment; 2 Apothecaries, Augury Scanners. 100

 

Fast Attack:

-Legion Javelin Attack Speeder Squadron; 3 Javelins, 3 Twin-Linked Lascannon (1 each), 3 Multi-Meltas. 285

-Legion Jetbike Sky Hunter Squadron: 10 Jetbikes, 2 Volkite Culverins, Sky Hunter Sergeant (may not be needed), Melta Bombs, Power Weapon. 430 Split this squad in two if you need flexibility, attach your HQ here.

 

So, here you go, a Foot Slogging list that has very rapid support elements. If needed, the Jetbikes can swap the Culverins for Plasma Cannons or Multi Meltas (for a cost, may need to shuffle things around). And the Javelins can swap their MM for the base Heavy Bolter or a Heavy Flamer as needed. You can also trade the Lascannon for the stock Missile Launcher which may be more useful to you depending on the situation.

 

A rather low Body count but should be able to deal with anything you may encounter barring mass flyers. 1 or 2 might give you some trouble so consider cutting the Jetbike Squadron in half and using the points saved for a Contemptor-Mortis Dreadnought for Anti-Air and more focused Anti-Armor if needed.

 

Jetbike marines are also a 2+ armor Save base and T5. The HQ will also have a 4+ invulnerable (due to the Cyber Familiar) essentially making him a very fast TEQ unit. 

 

Forgelord may not be the best option either, Strongly consider a Primus Medicae to give the Jetbikes FNP (5+) on top of the aforementioned benefits. With (5)10 of them + Primus Medicae you could have a very tough, very mobile hammer unit to your Tac Squads Anvil and have the Javelins be support to fill in any gaps.

 

Edit: I also have a Wraithdar Iyaden army so I know the feels, but shush about filthy Xenos, tis not the place for such talk!

 

Edit:2 Augury Scanners are also a big finger to anything trying to infiltrate or deepstrike near you since each one creates an 18" bubble of "no infiltrate" and if anything deepstrikes within, you gain interceptor. Ouch.