Chaos Summoning Army

[Veloces]

I am curious about finding the best way of doing a chaos army focused solely on summoning is. Would it be Sorcerers, Heralds, Horrors, or is there a better way.
I'm not overly fussed about having a competitive deck for competitions, although having some advice on competitive methods or strategies are not unwanted. 
However I'm more interested in a bit of a wacky list intended to have fun in casual games by drowning my opponent in all things chaos. 

[General Ravensong]

Sorcerers are cool, but run into the issue that most summoning spells require 3 warpcharges to go off, and anytime a non daemon rolls a double when casting a daemonology power they perils so if you don't roll 4,5,&6 exactly you're suffering for it. A combination of Heralds and Horrors seems to be the best option for not killing yourself while you do it.
Oddly (or fittingly) enough, Eldar actually make great summoners too, since they have wargear that negates perils and Eldrad can regenerate power dice every time he casts a power.

[Noctus Cornix]

Crimson Slaughter Prophet of the Voices. I use it all the time and its so much fun.

[King Jackal]

Yep, Prophet of Voices Sorcerer, Heralds and Horrors.

 

In IA13 there is a nice 'Legacy of Ruin' that allows rerolls on Malefic psychic tests dependent on how many HP the equipped vehicle has left. 

Eg. 3 HP left, 3 rerolls in that turn. Can put it on a Super Heavy too

[miteyheroes]

I fancy doing a summoning army themed around the Forge of Souls and Tzeentch. At 1,500pts would Fateweaver (mostly for that 1 re-roll), 4x level 3 heralds (all going Malefic), 2x11 horrors (going Malefic), and 3 soulgrinders (for non-psychic offense and attacking vehicles) be reasonably effective? That's 20 warp charge dice, before any extras have arrived...

 

Or should I go for the 2xflying princes instead of the grinders? I do love grinders, but princes would bring me another 6 psychic levels...

 

I think that Fateweaver can't use the Malefic himself, but he'll still be swooping around giving me lots of warp charge dice, that lovely re-roll, and generally being a target.

[40kChrista]

I believe the new-ish demon FAQ actually has Fateweaver with Demonolgy on both heads but I can't remember if it's specifically Malefic or not.

[miteyheroes]

So it does! Excellent... http://www.blacklibrary.com/Downloads/Product/PDF/Warhammer-40k/7th-faq/Chaos_Daemons_v1.2_Oct14.pdf

[Lagrath]

I got 3rd in battle points at a very large 40k tournament in July with a summoning list. I am also planning on running summoning stuff at a smaller tournament this weekend.

 

Here are my general tips:

 

1) Don't focus exclusively in summoning. You will lose. You need a bunch of other stuff, like anti-air and shooting (which daemons, including summoned units, are notoriously bad at). I think if the stuff that adds warp dice and summons is 1/3 to max 1/2 of your points, you are fine.

 

2) The most effective summoning batteries are horrors of Tzeentch with mastery level 3 Heralds of Tzeench in the squads. I would do 2 heralds per horrors squad, and buy the horrors at 11-13 or 16-18 in squad size.

 

3) I have had good results with a "linebacker" design for list building. Your tzeentch squads are squishy, and your summoned stuff can't assault the turn it comes on, even if you succeed in bringing it on. I have two nurgle soulgrinders in front, sometimes with a plaguebearer squads with FNP and a souped-up herald of nurgle (who can become a real beatstick in combat with the right items). You move everything 6+ inches a turn up the center of the board, giving the soulgrinders (or plague hulks, or maulerfiends) a 4++ with cursed earth and summoning out in a wide radius with your summoning spells. GIves strong board control to make up for lack of mobility.

 

4) Burning Chariots are pretty handy for 100 points and chariot shenanigangs. Unfortunately they crowd out the heavy slot, so sometimes I take a second Combined Arms detachment. Deep strike the chariots to no-scatter within 12" of your horrors via cursed earth, and now you can tank on the chariot and the rider with 4++ on both. The chariots can either throw down an ap 3 torrent flamer or shoot d3 lascannon shots at short range...fast, cheap, versatile, and relatively durable if you reserve it.

 

5) If you are playing unbound or bring in allies, you can take a (non daemonic) CSM vehicle and add the death of kasyr lutien upgrade for a measly 15 points. This thing will exponentially improve your summoning so well it's not even funny. Not only does it radically improves the success % of every malefic spell, but it also cuts down on the % of perils and the % chance that your opponent can Deny the Witch it. The earlier poster was wrong- it's EVERY TIME you cast a malefic spell within 12" of the vehicle, for as many dice as the vehicle has hull points left. This includes successes. So if you throw two dice for a warp charge 1 ability and you get a 4 and a 1, you can re-roll the 1 with no downside just to make it harder for your opponent to dispel. If you rolled two 6's, you could re-roll one die to avoid the perils. The only downside is that if you choose to re-roll one or more dice on a cast that failed and the power still fails, the vehicle takes an auto pen hit.

 

I think the best options are 1) put it on a rhino, and you now have a 50-point super-battery. Hide it behind terrain or move it up the field with your army behind a big walker and ring it with horrors so it can't be assaulted and melt'd, or 2) take a Typhon Super Heavy Tank with ceremite armor and give it the upgrade...now you can re-roll NINE dice every malefic power, which you will never need, and you won't run out of hull points. Ring it with horrors to prevent assault. For your HQ, you can take a warp smith if you want, hide him behind the Typhon and have it repair it for hull points and immo/weapon destroyed.

 

Hope that helps.

[Teetengee]

If you feel like abusing some rules, spamming some henchmen squads with one psyker and two unupgraded warriors is a way of adding some cheap power dice but is wrong on every level.

[Lagrath]

I got second place at a tournament a few days ago with a summoning list. You can read the report here, if interested:

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/279118-army-log-hexfleet-virules-nurgle-csm-daemons-and-rh/page-2

[jimjimjimmyjim]

Actually eldar are the best summoners in 40k atm.

 

The anath stone reduces casting by 1wc on a farseer this works quite well. Plus the ghost helm allows them to ignore the effects of perils that would normally threaten them.

 

But you need to back them up with a reasonably solid unit. I find harlequins work well, but it doesn't end there, next you need to take 5 spirit seers thru iyanden, giving them a multiple options of telepathy powers, this offers you a decent use of the psychic shriek, shrouding, invisibilty powers, also a shadowseer is useful too if invisibility fails, but also taking runes of battle to do the -3 malediction to enemy units, this maximises the output of of psychic shriek, also terrify goes a little but further, this is the best way to get round 2++ tzeentch as well!

 

The farseers priority is to summon horrors. The horrors then are used to summon heralds and more horrors. Using the herald to get the grimoire and glyph. But mainly to put down more power dice. The farseer will just get the ball rolling after that you will find the best thing to do is stay away from your summoned units as they cause you to have the one eye opened rule.

 

After summoning horrors and heralds start summoning combat type units. Screamers are great and so are drones.

 

This type of play earns you a douche bag title but you end up dominating the board.

 

Also only throw one dice at each wc1 power its not worth using anymore than this and also potentially maximises your psychic output to save dice for your summoning powers. It takes an average of 9 dice to succeed with a wc3 power!

[miteyheroes]

Has anyone tried:

Detachment 1:4 x Tzeentch Herald, Level 3; 2 x 11 Horrors

Detachment 2:4 x Tzeentch Herald, Level 3; 2 x 11 Horrors

Detachment 3: 1 x Tzeentch Herald, Level 3; 1 x Tzeentch Herald, Level 1; 2 x 11 Horrors

 

It's unlikely to make you friends. But you have 40 Warp Charge dice and 34 rolls on the Daemonology table in a 1500pts army. You can basically tailor your army entirely, depending on what the opponent brings to the table...

[jimjimjimmyjim]

I have done something similar in no comp events but it hasn't impressed anyone by any amount.

 

Its not something that makes you friends, but also causes you to have long boring games

[Chaeron]

I fancy doing a summoning army themed around the Forge of Souls and Tzeentch. At 1,500pts would Fateweaver (mostly for that 1 re-roll), 4x level 3 heralds (all going Malefic), 2x11 horrors (going Malefic), and 3 soulgrinders (for non-psychic offense and attacking vehicles) be reasonably effective? That's 20 warp charge dice, before any extras have arrived...

 

Or should I go for the 2xflying princes instead of the grinders? I do love grinders, but princes would bring me another 6 psychic levels...

 

I think that Fateweaver can't use the Malefic himself, but he'll still be swooping around giving me lots of warp charge dice, that lovely re-roll, and generally being a target.

 

 

Has anyone tried:

Detachment 1:4 x Tzeentch Herald, Level 3; 2 x 11 Horrors

Detachment 2:4 x Tzeentch Herald, Level 3; 2 x 11 Horrors

Detachment 3: 1 x Tzeentch Herald, Level 3; 1 x Tzeentch Herald, Level 1; 2 x 11 Horrors

 

It's unlikely to make you friends. But you have 40 Warp Charge dice and 34 rolls on the Daemonology table in a 1500pts army. You can basically tailor your army entirely, depending on what the opponent brings to the table...

 

Both of these sound lethally excellent - I'd love to see you run these!

[jimjimjimmyjim]

Fare weaver has access to maelific read the new FAQ

[jimjimjimmyjim]

Tzeentch DPs are unreliable too

[Lagrath]

As I have said in another thread, don't forget that Fateweaver and Be'lakor can now roll on the Fighter Aces Leviathan tables. 1/3 chance to give ++1, which combined with Cursed Earth would give either FMC a 2++ (re-rollable in the case of Fateweaver).

[jimjimjimmyjim]

Where does it say they can be fighter aces?

[Lagrath]

The new Leviathan supplement

[jimjimjimmyjim]

I thought that was a nid supplement only

[miteyheroes]

It's got a specific Fighter Ace table for each race, so there's a Chaos Daemon-specific one. Any one FMC can be upgraded, costs just a bit more than an Exalted Reward, makes you either very good at Vector Strikes, +1 inv save, or +1 wound.

 

It also includes Cities of Death rules, 12 new missions (6 echoes of war, 6 cities of death), plus a bunch of Tyranid rules.