Which HQ ?

[Chaos_Lord888]

So... What is the best HQ choice (generic or named) for the BA now and why ? Since I'm new to the BA, I really have no idea.

[Frater Cornelius]

People are still testing. But I guess it will come down to a choice between Sang Priest or Corbulo and Librarian or Mephiston, depending on list and play style. I am leaning towards JP lists, so I will probably look at SG, Librarian and Dante as LOW.

[Chaos_Lord888]

But what are the advantages of the Sang Priest ? His blood chalice seems quite... normal...

[Theduke08]

But what are the advantages of the Sang Priest ? His blood chalice seems quite... normal...

+1 WS and FNP seem like pretty solid benefits to me.

[JamesI]

My favorites right now are the priest, Corbulo, Astorath in a jumpy dc list, the librarian.

 

Dante is awesome, but a LOW.

[Frater Cornelius]

WS5 might not look like much. I thought so too, until I started using Champions of Fenris and my TWC became WS5. You will learn to love it. Most armies are WS4. It will be a blessing.

[Orblivion]

WS5 and FNP are solid bonuses, and Priests are dirt cheap even with a jump pack.

[Cronhour]

People are still testing. But I guess it will come down to a choice between Sang Priest or Corbulo and Librarian or Mephiston, depending on list and play style. I am leaning towards JP lists, so I will probably look at SG, Librarian and Dante as LOW.

A unit with a priest Dante and a Liberian with sanguinary powers will likely handle anything they charge, and Dante with the primaris cast on him will thin out most units charging them before they get to strike.

 

For foot lists i'm looking at corbulo with meph as a secondary, jump packs will be priests and Libby's

[Karhedron]

Different HQs synergise with different units. Priests are cheap and give good bonuses. They work best with high-value units like Sanguinary guard, Terminators or veterans as the FNP will protect your investment and the +1WS will be boosting more attacks with better weapons.

 

Astorath turns the Death company from good into great by giving rerolls to hit and wound on their huge number of attack dice.

 

Dante is a beast in combat and one of the best combat characters in the game (with points to match).

 

I am not a huge fan of librarians as their powers can be denied a bit too easily for my tastes. In a single force org chart, we can get a maximum of 5 mastery level (Mephy + a level 2 librarian). Eldar can easily get 20+ mastery levels in a single detachment (Eldrad, Shadow council and Warlocks in squads). For me, psychics are a case of "go big or go home". Librarians work well if your opponent has no psykers of his own but against psyker heavy armies they will be left struggling to cast and even their defensive abilities will be stretched.

[Jolemai]

I guess I'm the only one who wants to run make DC Tycho work then?

[Karhedron]

Tycho got hit in the wotsits with the nerf bat. Overpriced and underpowered, I think he is strictly for fluff fans now.

 

Normal Captains are fighty but do not provide much in the way of buffs for the men they lead. Might be worth considering if you want a CC leader and cannot afford Dante (or cannot take a LoW).

[Cronhour]

Different HQs synergise with different units. Priests are cheap and give good bonuses. They work best with high-value units like Sanguinary guard, Terminators or veterans as the FNP will protect your investment and the +1WS will be boosting more attacks with better weapons.

 

Astorath turns the Death company from good into great by giving rerolls to hit and wound on their huge number of attack dice.

 

Dante is a beast in combat and one of the best combat characters in the game (with points to match).

 

I am not a huge fan of librarians as their powers can be denied a bit too easily for my tastes. In a single force org chart, we can get a maximum of 5 mastery level (Mephy + a level 2 librarian). Eldar can easily get 20+ mastery levels in a single detachment (Eldrad, Shadow council and Warlocks in squads). For me, psychics are a case of "go big or go home". Librarians work well if your opponent has no psykers of his own but against psyker heavy armies they will be left struggling to cast and even their defensive abilities will be stretched.

Does astorath give rerolls to hit and wound or just wound?

[Dhx711]

Every chaplain including Astorath gives rerolls to hit on a charge. Astorath is the only one that also gives the death company Rerolls to wound on a charge.

[ElectricPaladin]

My 2¢? I think that most Blood Angel armies are going to be bringing two HQs, outside of points levels where that would be prohibitive, the reason being that Blood Angels have both excellent close combat options (and, unlike codex Marines, we are likely to use them!) and excellent support for said close combat options. My thoughts are as follows (in rough order of strength & versatility):

 

1. Captain + Priest = Probably the best combo. With the support of a priest, a captain is WS 7, I 6 and S 5 on the charge. Model him with an inferno pistol (may as well make some use of BS 5) and either a lightning claw or a power sword (which you can use either the artifact sword, a relic blade, or an ordinary power sword) and you've got yourself a very versatile combination. Artificer armor if you can afford it. Have them join a unit of sanguinary guard for a profusion of 2+ armor 5+ FNP bodies; you don't need another character to take challenges, it's your opponents who will be afraid to challenge you. Or put them both on bikes and the armor drops to 3+ but FNP combines very nicely with T 5!
2. Chaplain + Priest = Although someone less potent than the captain, the chaplain is no slouch in combat, and the combination of +1 WS and Zealot is pretty tasty. Like the librarian + priest combo described below, consider putting these guys in a unit with a minor character who you can shove into challenges if need be, since although chaplains are alright in a fight, you have got two support characters.
3. Captain + Librarian Dreadnought = Everything I go on to write below is true of this unit, but it's slightly better because at least the librarian is a dreadnought, so he fails to do anything in the psychic phase, well... he's still a dreadnought.
4. Captain + Librarian = Potentially stronger, thanks to the power of the various Sanguinary Discipline powers, but much less reliable. All it will take is a couple of bad psychic rolls or going up against a dedicated psychic army that can shut you down in the psychic phase and you will not be having fun.
5. Chaplain + Librarian = Feels weird. Not sure what I think about this. No real synergy.
6. Priest + Librarian = Potentially very strong, if your libby is lucky enough to get Unleash Rage and can get his powers off. Look to attach them to a unit that has a decent character in it, like a vanguard veteran sergeant or a blood champion, so you've got someone you can beef up and send out to fight challenges for you. Situational, however. Will fall flat against opponents with superior psychic defense.
7. Priest + Librarian Dreadnought = I see the appeal, but if I'm going to bother bringing a priest, I want to pair him with another HQ who can benefit from the FNP he offers.

 

The other possibility is to make a sort of a double-hammer list with two support HQs, each of them supporting a different squad tailored to their strengths. A priest with some sanguinary guard and a chaplain with some death company, for example. This runs the risk of becoming very expensive, but it might do work. Of course, in that case you risk having your support IC challenged out from under you, which would suck.