3k Night Lords Terror Assault Drop Pod Army (New Player)

[gmaleron]

Hello everyone, after taking some time to finish up my 40k projects (Farsight Enclaves Tau and Elysian Drop Troops Imperial Guard) I have gotten the itch to put together a Horus Heresy force and have decided to go with the feared VIII Legion, the Night Lords! Now this is my first attempt in a long time at putting together a Horus Heresy list so please any and all players I would appreciate the feedback. Thanks!

 

RITE OF WAR:

 

Terror Assault

 

LOW:

 

-Konrad Curze

 

HQ:

 

-Consul

*w/ Jetpack, Primus Medicae, Power Fist, Artificer Armor, Trophies of Judgement, Refractor Field, Volkite Charger

 

(*OR*)

 

-Consul

*w/ Jetpack, Artificer Armor, Librarian (Mastery Level 2), Nostraman Chainglaive

 

ELITES:

 

-Contemptor Dreadnought Talon

*w/ x1 Chainfist, x1 Dreadnought CC Weapon, x2 Gravitation Guns

-Legion Dreadnought Drop Pod

 

-Contemptor Dreadnought Talon

*w/ x2 Dreadnought CC Weapons, x2 Gravitation Guns

-Legion Dreadnought Drop Pod

 

-Contemptor Dreadnought Talon

*w/ x2 Dreadnought CC Weapons, x2 Gravitation Guns

-Legion Dreadnought Drop Pod

 

TROOPS:

 

-x10 Terror Squad

*w/ x10 Volkite Chargers, CC Weapons, x1 Power Fist

-Dreadclaw Drop Pod

 

-x10 Terror Squad

*w/ x10 Volkite Chargers, CC Weapons, x1 Power Fist

-Dreadclaw Drop Pod

 

-x10 Terrnor Squad

*w/ x10 Volkite Chargers, CC Weapons,x1 Power Fist

-Dreadclaw Drop Pod

 

FAST ATTACK:

 

-x10 Night Raptors

*w/ x10 Nostraman Chainglaives, x1 Melta Bomb

 

HEAVY SUPPORT:

 

-Deathstorm Drop Pod

*w/ Drop Pod Assault, x5 Krak Launchers

 

TOTAL ARMY: 3000 POINTS

[Balthamal]

Welcome to the darkness brother. Flaying halls are 3rd on the right and the gallery of bones is up the stairs at the end of the hall. OK to business.

 

Firstly, while I like the all pod army, and it's very fluffy, it might stuggle given that ok, they'll land turn 1, have a pretty good shot at going where you need them to go and assault out of the following turn, but if they get shot to :cuss that means zero cover and no assault next turn, especially true for the dreads.

 

You don't really want to take 5 Terror Squads, 3x10 all with delicious volkite or 3x9 with apothecaries in pods is fine :), use the spare points maybe for some terminators (remember very few of the legions can deep strike them)

 

For the contemptors, give them a ranged weapon, chainfist is more than enough to break a tank especially with grav thrown in but mitigate the fact that you could be left chasing the armour around, a clever opponent will simply back away and shoot the thing to scrap before it gets close enough to do damage

 

I like Storm Eagles but in the days of Deredeo Dreads they get butchered, if anything I suggest getting one yourself, thereby taking care of you're own anti air and having long range anti armour thrown in too. Plus HS really is the best slot and being restricted to one, it's crazy not to use it.

 

Maybe use a Master of Signal to get the reserves on quicker since you'll be forced to keep some of the pods back

 

Tactics wise, getting 3 pods 1st turn is nice, have Sev and a terror squad go gunning for the big boys (not terminators) and a dread to take care of the pesky sicarans or scorpius whirlwinds that everyone loves :)

[Caillum]

Woah. 5 Terror Squads is going to be nasty against any infantry-heavy armies out there! :) Having said that, you might not need THAT many, even for a 3000 point army. Volkite chargers are amazing, but I'd go for normal Drop Pods as it will save you a lot of points (and money). If you still want to use Dreadclaws for their brilliant mobility, maybe drop the volkites and keep the Terror Squads inside until you want to Assault.

 

You have the right idea with the dual graviton Contemptors, but remember that a chainfist is a Specialist Weapon so you won't have an extra attack from the Dreadnought CC weapon. If you send the 2 of them down 1st Turn, they should take out normal tanks. 3 will kill a Spartan.

 

You might face problems against Super-heavies. Cool list though!

[gmaleron]

I appreciate the responses guys and thanks for the welcome! I am definitely okay with dropping a Terror Squad or x2 and potentially add more Dreadnoughts or some other stuff to mix things up. I will admit I am building this army with more of a "fluff" theme in mind but at the same time no one wants to keep getting their ass kicked game after game so I would want it to be somewhat competitive. Based on your guys advice the following is a good core set for my army:

 

-Sevatar

 

-x2 Contemptor Dreadnought Talons

*w/ x1 Dreadnought CC Weapon, x1 Gravitaion Gun, TL-Lascannon

 

(*Or Something along those lines*)

 

-x3 Terror Squads (x9-x10 man strong)

*w/ Volkites, CC Weapons, x1 Melta Bomb, x1 Nostraman Chainglaive

-Dreadclaw Drop Pod

 

(*Also is it better to take Apothecaries with these guys or should I just get another Terror Squad guy?*)

 

Now for someone who is wanting to do a "pure" Drop Pod/Air Assault kind of list what would you guys recommend? Since you guys mentioned the Deredeo Dreadnought should I throw him in a Dreadclaw as well with the Plasma Cannonade? Also I would like to stay with Dreadclaws for my Terror Squads at least (have play tested it and honestly being able to stay alive with the +1 to saves thanks to their Night Fighting Shenanigans is awesome) on top of I love the model. Other then that have it guys, and thanks again!

[Caillum]

Pretty much the basis of all strong Terror Assault lists!

 

Caestus Assault Rams are a very solid option for your 1 Heavy Support slot. Magna-melta can always shoot thanks to Machine Spirit and it can transport 10 Termintors into a hot-spot pretty well. Fits the Claw Assault aspect of the RoW too. And being tougher than a Fire Raptor means it holds up better against Deredeos and the like.

 

Apothecaries are best in big squads or important squads, though they're useful no matter what. Getting FnP costs 35 points more than a Terror Squad Executioner, but they also have 1 less attack. I'd only take one in Sevatar's unit but whatever you decide to do is the only answer that matters. ;)

 

Yeah, the Night Fighting bonus makes everything better, but especially Dreadclaws and Xiphons!

[gmaleron]

Would I even bother taking an Assault Ram since Sevatar allows Terminators to Deep Strike in with no scatter within 6 inches of him (or in this case the hull of the Dreadclaw) thanks to his special ability?

 

And also I am curious about Night Raptors, would it smart to maybe take squads of 8 and put them in Storm Eagles to Assault out of, or a big blob of x15 kitted out with Chainglaives?

[Balthamal]

Stick with the Anvilus Autocannons for the Deredeo, you want them breaking armour not blobs of infantry, 

 

If you do opt for Terminators you'll have to weight up the potential uses of them: Deep strike and be fair game for a turn, or Ram and assault out of although bear in mind the ram could bite it before getting them where they need to go. 

 

For me, Night Raptors are only really useful as a backup to Konrad, although when used correctly they can be pretty awesome (and getting +3 HoW on a good charge can be hilarious

[Caillum]

^^ This. :)

 

Sevatar's ability is helpful, but a nuncio-vox does that too. Like Balthamal said, after teleporting in the Termies will have a turn sitting there in the open before they can assault, so consider giving them all Cataphractii for defence & combi-plasmas to ruin a unit. Alternatively, if you put Sev in the Caestus with the Terminators, they will wreck face for less points.

 

Jump Infantry can't embark on a transport, so the first idea's out unfortunately. A squad of 10-15 makes a great bodyguard for Curze, who is a massive force-multiplier for the Terror Squads. I'd probably only use them with him too. Don't kit out the whole Raptor squad with chainglaives/power weapons - put a few in and keep them at the back, using the stock standard guys as meat-shields.

[Balthamal]

I'd go so far as saying that if Terror Assault is your thing you're better off running Konrad rather than Sevatar, purely from the force multipliyer effect. But then again Sev's rules are cool and his model is outstanding

[Caillum]

I'd go so far as saying that if Terror Assault is your thing you're better off running Konrad rather than Sevatar, purely from the force multipliyer effect. But then again Sev's rules are cool and his model is outstanding

I've come to the same conclusion lately - Sevatar is so awesome, but doesn't really do anything for Terror Assault. Perfect for PotL Terminators!

[gmaleron]

Hmm I see what you guys mean, thank you again for the feedback btw! I do love the Sevatar model so I am thinking about even running him as my Praetor just because he looks so damn sexy! I have thought about taking Conrad to as his model is just as good (I may want a helmet for him but would probably be a bad idea, just have a thing about not wearing helmets on the battlefield!). A few more questions if I may:

 

-I thought you could put Assault Marines in transports because they only count as "bulky" and take up x2 slots?

 

-Better to take x10 Terminators in an Assault Ram over say a Deredeo in a Dreadclaw Drop Pod?

 

-If I take Conrad throw him in a giant squad of NIght Raptors?

 

-For my Contemptor Talon Dreadnoughts should I take the Dreadnought Drop Pod or throw them in Dreadclaws?

 

Thanks again for the feedback!

[Caillum]

1. A commonly missed restriction. Page 80 of the BRB states that unless specified, only Infantry (not including Jump or Jet Pack Infantry) can embark on a transport.

 

2. Both are good in different ways. Deredeo is highly recommended by many people, so that might be best.

 

3. Yes. He can join any unit, but he'll lose mobility in they're not Jump Infantry. Annoyingly, he can't ride in a Drop Pod like he did in Unremembered Empire.

 

4. Because you want a 1st Turn graviton strike, a Dreadnought Drop Pod is better because it will hopefully hit accurately having Inertial Guidance System. A Dreadclaw, on the other hand, is super-mobile and guranteed to get something into close combat Turn 2, but it doesn't have IGS.

 

All list-building is a balancing act - you want anti-infantry, anti-tank, anti-air and anti-Deathstar/Spartan/Primarch. No list is perfect, and even really strong lists will eventually be beaten by someone who has played against it enough. And remember the rule of cool - if you like it, you'll find a way to make it work!

[gmaleron]

Oh rule of cool is the whole reason that I am doing Night Lords in the first place!

[Balthamal]

Personally, a Deredeo. Heavy Support is a gold mine, you simply must make use of it and Deredeo covers quite a few bases - don't stick it in a pod, waste of points and exposes it to unnecessary fire - stick it in the backfield and blow holes through things.

 

Night Raptors or Assault Marines are mandatory for Konrad - he's the Primarch with the highest mobility atm (Corax aside) so don't handicap him with footsloggers. Plus Night Raptors can chew throw blow squads with a fair degree of success if needed and getting that all important +1 to wound for outnumbering can be huge, especially with Konrad's boosts 

[helterskelter]

Night raptors also bring onslaught to the table so if RNGesus is on your side you can get +3 on the charge, which combined with extra ccw can be particularly nasty. Even better if you can hit while night fighting.

Then add Curze

Then take your opponents unit off the table.

Maybe

[gmaleron]

Sorry I don't have a book yet (going to be ordering it soon) but what dose Onslaught do? And what/who is RNGesus?

[Caillum]

Onslaught is +D3 attacks on the charge instead of 1. You really want to charge with Night Raptors!

 

RNGesus is a play on words from Random Number Generator. If you are good at rolling jaggy dice (like Fantasy Daemon players always rolling their 5+ Ward Saves) you have RNGesus on your side. :)

 

The Legiones Astartes Gamer Collection is really good. If you are a collector, the big proper books are amazing too, but for £50 it's worth having the rules all compiled together.

[Balthamal]

Without going into too much detail, having Konrad run with the Night Raptors for Terror Assault gives you guaranteed night fighting turn one, a 1/3 chance of it on the second turn by which time you're looking to be in assault.

 

Any squad they run into is taking a fear test at -3LD, which even with a vexilla can be a pretty big ask so right away they should be WS 1 meaning they're hitting on 5s, instantly reducing their ability to wreck you in return. Then you have a potential 33 HoW attacks with a +1 to wound for outnumbering (D3 x 10 for the NR and D3 for Konrad himself).

 

Then (assuming you run them stock) you've got 30 attacks that hit on 3s and wound on 3s. On the charge Kurze has 7 attacks at I8 WS8 S6 (re-rolling failed wounds) at AP2 and he even has a decent chance of killing 3 before charging with his knives.

 

Anything short of a Terminator blob will die to that without exception. 

[gmaleron]

I actually really like that idea. Drop Pods come down giving my opponent targets he needs to focus on right in his face while Konrad rushes up the table with a blob of Night Raptors. Could be pretty nasty and more importantly (at least to me) would allow me to get both special units of the Night Lords so my army would look badass! I will be editing the above list soon, thanks again for all your input guys!

 

EDIT:

 

Okay guys I edited the above list based on what you guys were telling me and I think it came out okay. Idea is:

 

-x7 Drop Pods total thanks to me adding the Deathstorm Drop Pod, this will enable me to bring in x4 pods on the first turn and depending upon my opponent what I decide to bring on.

 

-Konrad runs with a squad of x10 Night Raptors all kitted out for death and flaying goodness.

 

-x3 Contemptor Dreadnoughts all with Grav and CC weapons to give me some anti-armor options in both shooting and CC.

 

-x30 Terror Squad guys kitted out with Volkite goodness, Sergeant has a Power Fist for those vehicles I may come across.

 

-Last but not least and the big question mark with this list is my Consul (*I will be using the Sevatar model because its just badass!). Leaning towards the Primus Medicae so I can give my Night Raptors FNP but was thinking some Psychic shenanigans wouldn't be out of place either.

[Balthamal]

Key to most games of 40k is target saturation. Either you have enough things that your opponent can't kill them all before you get to lay some hurt on him/her in return or you have things that are so stupidly tough they can shrug off pretty much everything before you get to unload like flare shield spartans. 

 

Having 3 pods down on the first turn, 2 with contemptors in presents a good example of that. Assuming you bring the dreads and a terror squad in, that'll mean your opponent has 1 turn to kill them stone dead, after they've already had a turn with being shot at by them, because other wise they'll wreck face, especially in assault which shifts the focus from the midnight clad tide of death bouncing up the board.

[Caillum]

I like it! :) But take a Chaplain as your Consul (neither the Primus Medicae nor the Librarian are able to be a compulsory HQ - check the FAQ). Chappy will give much needed re-rolls to Curze and the Night Raptors. Plus with Curze having Hit & Run, they can leave combat and go back in with re-rolls again! And magnetize the jump pack so you can swap it for Sev's standard power pack when you want to use him!

 

Then you have a potential 33 HoW attacks with a +1 to wound for outnumbering (D3 x 10 for the NR and D3 for Konrad himself).

Balthamel, that's a very liberal interpretation of the rules. Nowhere does it say that the Night Raptors get D3 Hammer of Wrath attacks, only D3 attacks. Hammer of Wrath specifically says that it doesn't benefit from other special rules, so Onslaught doesn't boost it. Curze gets D3 HoW, but that doesn't transfer either... Unless I've missed something, coz that would be amazing if Night Raptors had that!

[SkimaskMohawk]

Also its only models who make it into base contact using their pack in the assault phase. Getting the full amount is almost impossible with a large squad