6th Edition Player Primer to 7th Edition Codex [HQ]

[SvenONE]

Greetings everyone.  I know it's early, but I've been poring over the leaks religiously and just gobbling up all of your thoughts on the book.  I've decided to begin a series of reviews of each category in this codex.  This is meant to be geared towards players who played in 6th, maybe missed the 7th edition changes, and are now returning to a 7th edition book, in a 7th edition ruleset.  This isn't written in the stone of The Rock and is meant to be a jumping off point.  I intend to update thoughts as this book ages keeping up to date with any FAQs (though they are rarely seen these days), and ideas that people may have.  The DA board has always been a great source of information with a lot of great views out there, both agreeing and opposing ones might I add.  This topic will be organize each entry as follows:

• 6th Edition Uses
• 7th Edition Uses
• Grade change from each edition
• Final Verdict/Tips

Message to the mods: I've done my best to not to break point cost reveals (to which I don't think I have very many), feel free to censor anything that may have gone too far.

 

Without further ado, I present to you the HQ section.

 

Belial:

 

6th Edition:  Belial’s primary function was to run full Deathwing lists.  But his FOC changing ability also allowed for a little more flexibility when running a CAD with DWT becoming troops, this freed up your Elite slots.  This ability, combined with 7th edition rule changes regarding objectives, also allowed Deathwing Landraiders to become Objective Secured.  He also had access to a TH/SS or LC setup for no cost.

 

He also didn’t scatter when deepstriking allowing for some surgical battlefield positioning.  He also carried a teleport homer, which meant that if you stuck him in a Landraider instead of deep striking, all your DWT could come down around it without scattering.  On turn 1 to prepare for a turn 2 Charge.

 

7th Edition: Belial is a hot topic for two reasons. The first is that he lost one of the main reasons you would ever take him.  Unable to make terminators troops, you are now forced to pay the troop tax when running a CAD.  This also means that terminators lost Objective Secured.  In short, DA’s elite slots just got VERY crowded.  Without going too far into the rules, the other reason Belial has lost a bit of steam is because of the Deathwing Detachments in general.  Their dubious rules basically require that you still pay a tax other other models to field them.  This of course is an insult to DA as SMs Strike Force Ultra basically has all the rules Deathwing USED to have.

 

His 6th edition Warlord trait hasn’t changed in title, but has in rules.  Marked for Retribution became The Hunt, and Marked for Retribution is now a re-roll ability in challenges.

 

6th Edition Grade: A-

7th Edition Grade: B-

 

Verdict:  Belial really took a hit in this codex.  His cost hasn’t changed and he’s lost a major ability and gained a minor one.  The Sword of Silence is still a great weapon and will help a lot against MCs and the like, but he’s the type of HQ who is run with friends.  For the fact he’s no longer needed to change the FOC, an Interrogator Chaplain or Company Master in TDA with various wargear loadouts is probably a better bet.

 

Sammael

 

6th Edition: Sammael IS A BOSS.  He was expensive but he did it all, and has the best hair of all our HQs.  He enabled you to run a full Ravenwing list freeing up your FA slots.  He had a great statline and rules, and he came with the only AP2 weapon at initiative in the whole book (bane of the traitor rules excluded).  One of his biggest draws was that he was the only Eternal Warrior in the book.  His Warlord trait was OK but highly situational.  While he was seen most often with RW-only lists, he could still really go in any list you made.

 

7th Edition: Like Belial, Sammael lost his FOC ability, however unlike Belial this isn’t felt as hard due to the flexibility of RW formations available to this new codex.  I don’t know if I’ve seen a model with this many Special Rules before.  He has, Grim Resolve and Ravenwing and indirectly comes with the Deathwing rule.  I imagine this was strictly done to prevent him from being in a Deathwing detachment/formation.  With the Rapid Maneuver trait being improved, he actually gains distance when charging into difficult terrain.  A nice little bonus is that he can fire both his weapons now in the shooting phase.

 

Sableclaw was also improved. It gained the Ravenwing and Grim Resolve special rules (which helps even more so considering twin linked) and he has basically been given Vector Strike.  Yes you read that right, he can attack while in the movement phase with an AP2 sword that Ignores Cover.  Expect to get the rule book out a lot with this though, he’s a Vehicle, Skimmer, Fast, and Character.

 

6th Edition Grade: A

7th Edition Grade: A++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Verdict:  Supreme Grand Master Sammael -- err I mean, Grand Master of the Ravenwing, Sammael -- May be pricy but he is worth every penny.  It’s almost sad how you look at Belial, Azrael, and Sammael and the fact they are all basically within 10 points of each other and one of them sticks out so so so much more than the other 2.

 

Interrogator Chaplain:

 

6th edition: The Int Chaplain was a common HQ for me.  With a statline similar to to the Company Master he cost slightly more due to carrying a Crozius and (presumably) having the Zealot special rule (despite the fact that Inner Circle made it partially redundant).  You could give him any type of equipment or relic.  He was a solid choice and his customization options allowed him to be taken with just about any squad.

 

7th Edition:  With no change in cost, the Int-Chaplain gained the Fear USR.  Fear has always been one of those lukewarm kind of abilities, but teamed up with an INTERROMANCY Librarian who has Seed of Fear, that actually could pay off for once.  His customization options still stand with the improved Shroud of Heroes, you can increase his survivability even more.  What’s more, it seems that according to his entry he can take a Power Fist by itself without having to trade a weapon in.  He can then also take items from the Melee/Special Wargear sections.  Unless FAQed, RAW this means that he can purchase a Power First, then trade his Bolt Pistol or Crozius in for a Lightning Claw and now have 2 specialist weapons granting him a +1A.  This would give him 5 Hatred powered attacks on a charge, with Shred if using the LC. Pretty solid.

 

6th Edition: B

7th Edition: A+

 

Verdict: The Interrogator Chaplain is an iconic and fluffy DA HQ.  His versatility and customization options basically let him be as good, if not better than Belial depending on what you are looking for.  He’s good enough to go in any squad.

 

Asmodai:

 

6th Edition: Asmodai was I believe added back into the codex despite being removed in the 5th edition.  He was relatively cheap, but lacked any real role.  He lacked the support options of any of the other Unique HQs, and could be considered dead last as far as combat prowess.  What he did have over the other Chaplains was the Fear USR.  His weapon is basically an Instant Death chainsword with the specialist weapon rule, so you can’t even benefit from an extra attack.

 

7th Edition: Asmodai was left largely unchanged.  He still has The Hunt warlord trait, but since this was changed in 7th, it’s more or less wasted on him as he only has a bolt pistol.  Replacing the old Hunt trait, he was given a new special rule that awards D3 victory points for killing a warlord.

 

6th Edition: F

7th Edition: F, Not even once….

 

Verdict: It’s almost as if GW forgot he was there and put him in because they had a stockpile of his models laying around.  You know they remembered him because they consciously added that special rule.  Maybe there’s a Tau Commander, Imperial Gaurdsman or Cultist squad he can bully around, but he’s absolute garbage.  He costs 30 points more than an Interrogator Chaplain, which basically means that’s how much GW considers the comically named Blades (despite it being just one) of Reason to be worth.  For 10 points more you can give an Int Chaplain the Monster Slayer.  Maybe next time Asmodai...

 

Librarian:

 

6th Edition:  Being the only Chapter with access to Divination which, at the time, had Prescience as a 1WC ability; Librarians were a common sight in a lot of DA lists.  With access to a bike and a Power Field Generator, they were beloved by all.  They didn’t really have a drawback because they were so cheap and came with the bonus of Psyker Powers.

 

7th Edition:  While stats and cost of the Librarian remain unchanged, a LOT has happened in the world around them.  Globally, the 7th edition rules added the psychic phase which, in my opinion, punishes inherently low Warp Charge armies like DA and Vanilla.  The combined factors of:  Prescience being made a WC2 ability, Psyker powers being harder to cast, and that EVERYONE now has access to Divination has really taken the wind out of the Librarian’s sails.  Adding insult to injury, the Vanilla Codex can take a better Librarius Conclave with better rules and no obligation to take that teacher’s pet Tigirius.

 

LIbrarians did gain the DA specific Interromancy tree and can also roll in the Daemonology trees.  Mastery Level 2 become 10 points cheaper, which makes so much of a difference.  Taking terminator armor is also 5 points cheaper if you don’t want to take a storm bolter, so this means a Mastery Level 2 terminator is basically 15 points cheaper than the previous edition.

 

In our own codex, the biggest hit for them was the removal of the Power Field Generator.  They were the cheapest carriers of it after the Techmarine, and it was an easy way for them to gain an Invulnerable save and provide one to those around them.  They can still take the Conversion Field, but it’s no storm shield.

 

6th Edition: A

7th Edition: B

 

Verdict: You’re still going to have fun with a Librarian.  However, through no fault of their own, they just aren’t as good as they used to be.  If you’re going to use one I suggest manning up and bringing the Conclave (DA) as a formation in a greenwing heavy setup.  Even then there’s some debate about taking the DA vs Vanilla Conclave.

 

Ezekiel:

 

6th Edition: Ezekiel was a bargain mid-ranged priced HQ who provided support and was able to go beat up the other mid-ranged priced HQs and well equipped Sergeants out there.  He came with Artificer armor, a named master-crafted force sword, was ML3 and gave a nice WS bonus to his friends around him.  Whether at the front lines with terminators, or in the mid-field surrounded by Tactical Marines, Ezekiel was always a solid HQ choice.

 

One of his only real drawbacks was that his Warlord Trait wasn’t really very useful because he’s not really warlord-slaying-type material that usually meant he needed friends who were capable of doing this (Deathwing).  He came with Mind Worm, which was a garbage ability, so he only got to roll twice for Psychic Powers.  That master-crafted force sword also had the downside of being two-handed, so it basically cancelled itself out.

 

7th Edition: Ezekiel probably got the most out of this edition aside from Sammael.  His sword is no longer two-handed, his Warlord Trait was changed to a new and improved trait that gives a fearless bubble, and he no longer is forced to know mind worm, which means he’ll be able to get 3/6 of the Interromancy powers.  So if you’re following, every drawback he had in 6th edition is gone.  His Book of Salvation was changed from WS to give +1A (marginal change, see math below).  The best part? His cost is unchanged.

 

6th Edition: A

7th Edition: A++

 

Verdict:  The Holder of the Keys is a great candidate for a Warlord or a supporting HQ.  He fills a support role extremely well.  The change from +1WS to +1A is interesting.  The wording says that you get +1A at the start of the Fight-Sub Phase and it lasts to the end of the phase, RAW, this means that every Fight Sub-Phase you’re getting +1A.  This is in comparison to something like Hatred which stipulates “for the first turn“ etc. etc..  It’s worth noting that statistically the +1A vs the +1WS isn’t all that different.  So if the +1A is only supposed to last for 1 fight sub-phase then it’s actually a nerf.  Ezekiel obviously has mobility issues, so he needs to be in a transport of some kind or embedded deep within some tactical squads.  Here’s some Math:

 

5 DWT charging TH/SS Terminators with at full strength out of a landraider

+1WS = 15 Dice, 8 pass

+1A = 20 Dice, 8 pass

 

So there isn’t all that much of a difference, and if you put him with DWKs, he’s doing more for them than he would last Edition since they are already WS5.

 

Here’s a comical setup for you:

Ezekiel + Command Squad with Power Swords and Chapter Banner, put them in a landraider and charge something for a total of 41 AP3 attacks (Ezekiel has 6 attacks, the Command Squad has 35).

 

Company Master:

 

6th Edition: The Company Master was a blank canvas for your hero of the 41st Millenium.  Most people probably ran one because he came with Dark Vengeance.  Whatever kind of list you wanted to play he was there.  One of the only things he couldn’t do, was ride a space marine bike, but he was still able to take a jump pack if you wanted him to ride along.  The Mace of Redemption was a great weapon to carry since you didn’t have to trade your bolt pistol in for a storm shield.  In some respects the Monster Slayer of Caliban was ok, but it still cost to much to really justify.

 

7th Edition:  The Company Master like the Int Chaplain didn’t change cost or stat wise.  Most of the changes to him come in the form of better wargear options this time around.  He still can’t ride a bike, but there are ways around that.  With the fact he’s required for a Demi Company, you should feel comfortable using him and prepare to see a lot of them on the table.  

 

6th Edition Grade: B

7th Edition Grade: A

 

Verdict:  The Company Master looks so much better now that we don’t have Sammael/Belial/Azrael blinding us with their extremely powerful FOC abilities.  The CM will always be there for you.  An ideal bully load out? TDA, Storm Shield, Shroud of Heroes, Relic Blade.  He’ll be 35 points cheaper than Belial and get a better Warlord Trait.  If you want to spring for it, you can get a Mace of Redemption and still be 15 points cheaper than Belial.  You’ll also have the chance to gain Furious Charge as a Warlord Trait, making you S8 AP3 3++ swinging at Initiativeand a chance to also Blind and Concuss everyone in the process…. Oh Belial...

 

Chaplain:

 

I’m not going to write a lot for the Chaplain since he’s the same as 6th edition.  Considering the cost and the restrictions of the Demi Company, it’ll be up to personal preference.  He’s not as cheap as a Librarian, and he’s not as robust as a Company Master.  A Chaplain just isn’t really a model to build a list around and he doesn’t really synergize with anything in particular.  He may have less stats than Asmodai, but at least he doesn’t cost as much.  If you own a model, sure give him a try.

 

6th Edition Grade: C

7th Edition Grade: C

 

Techmarine:

 

I’ve never really considered a Techmarine to be a true HQ.  Similar to the Chaplain, you’ll bring one when a formation might require it.  If you’re running a lot of vehicles, sticking him on a bike and attempting to repair things isn’t a bad bet.  Like the Librarian he lost a lot of steam with the loss of the Power Field Generator.  For some reason, they also gave him a Power Axe in addition to his Servo Arm, not sure what’s going on there.  Bolster defenses combined with a Darkshroud sitting nearby some ruins makes for a nice cover save though and the Hammer of Caliban formation, while expensive really packs a punch.

 

6th Edition Grade: C+

7th Edition Grade: C

 

Azrael:

 

6th Edition: Azrael like Sammael and Belial had FOC changing abilities.  He cost a ton and was essentially a tax for being able to bring Bikes and Terminators as troops.  But in the right unit he wasn’t bad.  A popular build that emerged from these forums was putting him with a bunch of Vets and Ezekiel in a drop pod and setting him loose.  His table wide LD combined with stubborn basically made your army “fearless”, but if you were taking Terminators this was a wasted skill, I’ve also argued that giving them LD10 when the army was already stubborn was a waste.  An army that’s always rolling 8 or 9s on LD will pass 70%+ of the time, with LD10 and stubborn it’ll be 90%.  While it is a 20% increase, is it really worth a 200+ point HQ?

 

He lacked Eternal Warrior so you still needed to keep him away from things that could hurt him.  He was able to choose his own Warlord Trait and provided a 4++ invuln the unit he was with.  He wasn’t the worst HQ, he just had a bit of an identity crisis with a bunch of rules that fit different situations for different games, and because of his cost you probably didn’t see him a whole lot.  His model is also old as hell metal.

 

7th Edition:  Azrael is a contentious discussion, perhaps even more so than Belial.  Azrael has now been moved into the Lord of War spot.  As with Belial and Sammael, he lost his FOC changing abilities.  His officially named Lion’s Wrath lost Blind and just became a regular old Combi Plasma.  His 6+ FNP has been upgrade to a standard FNP.  The Lion’s Helm has clarified its language a little more to state that it’s invulnerable save now applies to the vehicle Azrael is embarked on as well.  The helm also gained the old rules of the perfidious relic, giving him Adamantium Will and Fear.

 

Additionally, he’s gained a special rule to modify Seize the Initiative rolls.

 

6th Edition Grade: A (big games only)

7th Edition Grade: D (still big games only)

 

Verdict: GW signed Azrael’s Death Warrant by moving him to the Lord of War slot much to the chagrin of DA players just about everywhere.  I’m not sure what criteria GW uses to classify LOWs, but it must just be “expensive” and “big name”.  This is the same category that is touted to house towering monstrosities and war machines (p119 BRB).  If he remained in the HQ slot he could be worth something in a 1850-2000 point game.  I’m hoping that a FAQ will come out showing that it was a misprint and he’s actually below 200 points.  Other than running an Unbound list, there’s no longer a situation where he can be brought by himself.  You will always be paying for another HQ in order to bring him, and even then he would eat into whatever budget you may have planned on taking for that HQ.  To my knowledge he is the only Lord of War in the Imperium who lacks Eternal Warrior.  That’s all I need to say about him, before I get mad!

 

Command Squads:

Command Squads have moved from their “HQ but not really” slots to the Elites role.  So I will post their review there in due time.

[Ultra Magnus]

Sven-

 

Great write up and I agree with your analysis 100%.

 

This section is part and parcel as to why some of us are less than thrilled with this codex even if the overall power level has improved. The special HQ's really define much of the flavor and character of an army and most of ours seem to have been neutered for all practical purposes. Azrael & Belial hardly live up to their reputation (and point costs) and as for Asmodai, well why did they even bother? He was never taken in 6th and if GW was going to take the time to refresh our codex why couldn't they have at least made him usable? The fact that they gave Fear to the regular IC and that he is still demonstrably better with the relic mace for the same point cost just seems like a total missed opportunity for what is a pretty iconic Dark Angels character.

 

That said Sammael and Ezekiel came out in great shape and I am sure will feature prominently in 7th edition lists. Exekiel essentially picking up another psychic power after Mind Worm's move to a primaris power just make him so strong.

 

The generic HQ's also improved if only due to the ability to secure the Shroud of Heroes and now a Relic Blade at reasonable costs but the loss of PFG for the libby and tech marine really stings. I got really excited when the CSM codex came out and it showed him having 2 hit points. If only I had known the massacre that was coming to our special war gear selection. 

[Polythemus]

nice post have to agree with a lot of your points. Belial should probably go down in points as you rightly point out. Azreal is cool but not good enough. "adamantium will" should be worth 2 pts tops. it may be nice to have a landraider with a 4++ but i dont know.

[Darkangeldentist]

Many thanks for taking the time to write this up and some very helpful insights and evaluations. I do not however agree with you on all points but this is more a subjective difference of opinion in your final grade I suspect.

Couple of points I think were missed.

• Relevant to all who were familiar with the previous book is the change to the Deathwing special rule which now grants hatred (Chaos space marines) instead of preferred enemy.
• Interrogator chaplains and Asmodai gained preferred enemy (Chaos space marines). This in addition to Deathwing and Zealot.
• Asmodai is WS 6. This doesn't change his woeful grading but is the one thing semi-useful thing he gained from the last book.
• Belial and Azrael are our only HQ choices with 4 attacks base. Not much perhaps but a notable difference from our other options.

As to the grading you have given our characters...Belial's review seemed a lot more negative than the B- grade suggested even though it's still a drop from what you had him during 6th. Asmodai...I can't really defend him and agree that he's a poorly thought out and designed character which is a crying shame considering his history, background and model. The only other grade I want to mention is Azrael who I think still rates at least a C. His cost is unchanged and I always tended to field him with another HQ anyway, even at 1500pts. Ezekiel and Azrael were and are still a great partnership to lead an army and although expensive bring a lot to each other and the table.

I'd like to add a bit regarding the change to the DA wargear section and in particular the relics for which there's been a things change. First and foremost is Foe Smiter. This has gone from a lacklustre souped up storm bolter to a heavy bolter competitor and arguably is better in most circumstances. Add the potential benefit from The Hunt warlord trait and we've a serious ranged threat from our HQ. The lion's roar is mostly unchanged but again, The Hunt gives it a situational bump in potential. Mace is still awesome and got a very tiny buff against Chaos as it now goes to AP 1 against chaos space marines. Monster slayer is still very unreliable and the mace should trump it nearly every time but there's more competition from a relic blade option here. Shroud of heroes is an item to get off the shelf and is a cheap easy thing to make our characters last a little bit longer and when on a bike but that little bit more obnoxious when running about by themselves. Interrogator chaplains with this on a bike are very tempting. Lastly a new item but one that bears some discussion is the eye of the unseen. This looks overpriced on the surface of it (to me it did) but preferred enemy is a powerful ability and to be able to drop it into any unit the character joins against any foe is great.

All in all the new relics have me looking at my company master closer than ever before and I'm keen to get them on the table. As your review said SvenONE he's an A now.

[Solrac]

I don't agree with the grading on the Techmarine. He has gained quite a lot of stats for only minimal points. That in itself is huge compared to the Techmarine of last edition irrespective of it's uses and battlefield role.

[Elios Harg]

Not that it really changes his grade, but Ezekiel giving attacks instead of WS makes him both more useful to himself (since he was already hitting most on 3s) but also to other ICs and more importantly Deathwing Knights.

 

Also, I'm with Solrac that despite the loss of the PFG and actually taking a slot now, the techmarine is vastly improved. Particularly, since my main usage of him previously was to tank with his 2+ armor save (works better now since he has 2w). Also, the axe lets him choose between an extra attack (he has a pistol now) at S5 AP2 or no extra attack at S8 AP1 as TH servoarm I specialist.

[Master Sindiferous]

I agree with your break down. Great thing is I have been running a company master and GW squad to secure objectives and/or an aegis defense line with quad gun to support my DW assaults, when I didn't run a squad of bikes. Also used 3 speeders to support bikes before and new Codex gave me more love for this as well.

 

Lastly oh so happy I can finally use my counts as Belial with thunder hammer storm shield as a regular CM even swapping TH for power sword saves points for added Dhakka elsewhere.

 

The more I read the more I am liking how I can change tactics to actually develop a battle and not just jump straight into one. Using RW as a feint or flanking force and GW to secure advantageous ground or an objective leaves me with enough points in a normal game to throw DW in with a librarian and CM potentially right on target depending on my homers from RW to take primary objectives. Will be so sweet. Let you all know once Imtry it out.

 

Can't wait to get my Codex. Hoping it's tomorrow.

 

Never Forget! Never Forgive!

[Belfast]

One thing worth adding about the company master is that should you choose to go with a Demi company or Lions blade strike force, he pairs very well with the assault marines you're already taxed with. This adds a pretty potent mobile beat stick without needing to rely on dw or rw. For example

 

Company master - 180pts

Shroud of heroes

Art armor

Jump pack

Storm shield

Mace of redemption

 

5xassault marines - 130

Jump packs

1x eviscerators

Power weap

Melta bomb

(Can also add in a flamer for 5pts)

 

That's a very mobile unit with a lot of killing potential but the 310pt price tag might be a tad steep for only 8 wounds

 

However, you can take them all with just jump packs and 2 melta bombs for 200 pts which is pretty dang good for 20 ccw attacks on the charge

[ANGRYMARINE]

I don't agree with the grading on the Techmarine. He has gained quite a lot of stats for only minimal points. That in itself is huge compared to the Techmarine of last edition irrespective of it's uses and battlefield role.

 

I have to agree, I've seen (and played!) games where his cover-boosting has had a heavy impact on the outcome of a game.