Jolemai Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 In the current edition of the game, the ways of forming a Blood Angels army are myriad. However, there is no dedicated guide or review and towards that end, this discussion will focus on all the ways to manipulation your Reserves suitable for Faction: Blood Angels. The aim of this article is to 1) share and impart our collective knowledge to our fellow captains and 2) to get some discussion going on the lesser-known potential boons to our forces. I want this thread to remain in flux and will happily edit the first post as people reply with their own ideas so we can get the optimal use out of each unit.Further discussion guides can be found from post #6 onwards on the BA resource thread. Manipulators Below is the list of Datasheets that have special rules regarding reserve manipulation. Whilst there are some non-BA Battle Brother options available to us (such as Cato Sicarius, Officer of the Fleet, etc), this review will focus on those which can fit within our Detachment FoCs (i.e. those with Faction: BA and Fortifications). Captain Karlaen Availability Model and rules are found within the Shield of Baal Deathstorm boxset. Alternatively, a naughty copy can be Googled... Rules States as per a Codex: Adeptus Astartes Blood Angels Captain. HQ choice TDA, iron halo, storm bolter, The Hammer of Baal (melee, STR x2, AP 2, Concussive, Master-crafted, Specialist Weapon, Unwieldy) ATSKNF, Counter-attack, Furious Charge, IC Warlord Trait: Strategic Genius (+1 to any Seize the Initiative roll, re-roll any Reserve Rolls whilst Karlaen is alive) Use To make use of Karlaen’s Strategic Genius, he will need to be your Warlord. However, he need not be on the field, only alive to make use of it. In short, guard him well until all of your Reserves have arrived. His re-rolls is army wide (as opposed to Detachment-wide) and thus, this offers great flexibility when using Allies or Formations (For example, Centurions in a Drop Pod or the Adeptus Astartes Stormwing) and interestingly, this applies to both successful and failed Reserves Rolls – great for holding back that Stormraven until the anti-air has been dealt with or even for keeping Karlaen himself out of harm’s way! The other part of his Warlord Trait is always useful and this can be further improved by taking a Callidus Assassin or running Corbulo. Rather than delaying Karlaen’s arrival, the best way to keep him alive will depend on his retinue. Whilst the obvious choice or retinue is a squad of Terminators (be it via Teleport or in a Land Raider), I would avoid this to make better use of his Counter-attack trait. Arriving via Deep Strike with a squad of jumpers adds a charge deterrent, as does arriving with a squad from a Drop Pod. Even though Counter-attack only works for Karlaen himself, it still makes a squad of Death Company becomes quite fearsome; but to be honest, so would a Tactical Squad with a combi-flamer. The point is, think best how to use Counter-attack. Comms Relay Availability The rules can be found within the Stronghold Assault book. Alternatively, a naughty copy can be Googled... Rules Battlements and Battlefield upgrade only. Either deploy on Battlements or on Battlefield within 6” of Fortification Offers a 5+ cover save Unengaged model within 2” can re-roll Reserves Rolls Use The Comms Relay is an upgrade for any of the following: Aegis Defence Line, Imperial Bastion, Wall of Martyrs: Imperial Bunker, or Wall of Martyrs: Firestorm Redoubt. However, regardless of the choice and the side which purchased it, the Comms Relay remains a piece of battlefield debris and thus, any army with a model within range can use it. That said, the choice of parent Fortification can influence how you play. The three bunkers encourage a small, static firebase from which it can lay down covering fire as Reserves arrive. The Aegis Defence Line can be used in this manner, but it can also be placed in no-man’s land. Doing so gives cover for fast moving armies (i.e. jump, bike) and somewhere for them to move to in the first turn (seeing how you will be taking advantage of the Comms Relay from turn two – Angel’s Fury Spearhead Force aside), or a place for Scouts to occupy – imagine the following scenario, the Objectives have been placed and during your Deployment, you form the Aegis Defence Line around a key Objective and subsequently, plonk your Scouts there. As for the re-rolls, it doesn’t specify whether or not they apply to successful and failed rolls, so discuss that one with your gaming group. Finally, when bought as an upgrade for an Aegis Defence Line, this is the cheapest option available to us. Corbulo Availability The rules can be found within Codex Adeptus Astartes Blood Angels. Alternatively, a naughty copy can be Googled... Rules As per Corbulo’s entry in Codex: Adeptus Astartes Blood Angels Far Seeing Eye (provided Corbulo is still alive, he do one of the following once per game: re-roll the dice to Seize the Initiative, re-roll a single scatter dice, re-roll a single dice used for a To Hit, To Wound or a saving throw, re-roll the dice to see if a unit arrives from Reserves) Use During our previous Codex’s lifetime, the most common use for Corbulo’s Far Seeing Eye was security for that key Reserves Roll. For our current Codex, the use of Far Seeing Eye was clarified and fortunately, security for that key Reserves Roll remains one of the better uses for it. Generally, you’d have a Fireraptor or a Stormeagle/Stormraven (and cargo) in Reserve and this is to help you get it on in turn two. The trouble is, using Corbulo has become less straightforward with the current edition. He still has no real place in a jump list, which means we are looking at a hybrid or mech list. Assault Terminators are no longer the best place for him, neither are deathstars, adding him to a Razorback squad is too fragile – especially as you need him alive to use his ability, having him as the cargo in a Stormraven/Stormeagle could work but you’re asking for trouble, suicide Sternguard is out, etc, etc. In summary, Corbulo’s Reserve Manipulation ability is a back up option and you really need to build a list around him anyway – so take something else as the primary choice. Damocles Command Vehicle Availability The rules are found on page 186 of Imperial Armour volume two War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes – Second Edition (IAv2SE). Alternatively, a naughty copy can be Googled... The model can be found here. Rules Teleport Beacon (units arriving by teleport [via Deep Strike] do not need to roll for scatter if they arrive within 12”) Command Vox Relay (whilst the Damocles is on the table, the controlling player can add 1 to or subtract 1 from the result of any Reserve Roll they make) Use A cheap and non-FOC unit makes this tank rather appealing as a Reserves manipulator. As it needs to start on the board to make use of the Command Vox Relay, ideally you will want it out of sight and preferably on/near your baseline – basically somewhere where your opponent can’t nullify it before its job is done. The relay will work with any Reserve Roll you have to make and will stack with some, but not all, of the other options on this guide. Whilst in many cases this will result in your Reserves arriving on a 2+ in the second turn, there are many cases where delaying their arrival – such as delaying your Flyer to allow your opponent’s to arrive first – make a lot of tactical sense. Therefore, this is a rare and powerful tool. Also, it can work well with Terminators and the other bonus, the Damocles’ Teleport Beacon. Take the following scenario: the Damocles is at the back of the field, has fired off its Orbital Bombardment, and you only have Terminators left to arrive. You can delay their arrival for a turn and move the Damocles into a batter position, so that next turn, the Terminators can arrive without needing to scatter. A niche case, but it highlights what can be done should you look outside of the box. Further information, rules and tactics for the Damocles can be found on the Imperial Armour Discussion: Tanks thread. Dante Availability The rules can be found within Codex Adeptus Astartes Blood Angels. Alternatively, a naughty copy can be Googled... Rules As per Dante’s entry in Codex: Adeptus Astartes Blood Angels Warlord Trait: Descent of Angels (units of type Flyer, Jump and Skimmer within Dante’s Detachment can re-roll failed Reserves Rolls.) Use Discussions about Dante, his deliver system(s),his prowess and so on will always be discussed (in fact, they are a hot topic right now), so I’m not going to go into that now; this discussion will focus on utilising his Warlord Trait. Obviously he will need to be the Warlord and as such, he will become a high priority target – so guard him well. Interestingly, if you start him off the board at least you can use his Trait to land where you want to... The question is, what should we place in his Detachment to make the most of this? Whilst we have the options of taking six Flyers (nine in a FTSF), flyer spam isn’t the best option we have. However, as a rule of thumb having redundancy is always a good choice so let’s say we take two. One could be a Stormraven (with a Dread and cargo – but only if you’re feeling flush with points and have a plan) and the other could be a Fireraptor/Xiphon. An alternative choice would be a Stormeagle or Caestus Assault Ram instead of the Stormraven. In short, a gunship and a transport makes a nice combo. Two Gunships could also work, as potentially could two transports but then that’s a lot of points in the air... In general, we have some decent flying choices to choose from and getting them on early benefits everyone (apart from your opponent that is). Skimmers tend to have two roles: suicide and “gunship”. A typical suicide Land Speeder is equipped with two multi-meltas and arrives via Deep Strike (and thus, taking advantage of both parts of Dante’s Warlord Trait). Otherwise, your fire support Land Speeders are sitting at long range from the start (and thus, not making use of Dante) or hiding from the first turn and being used as a counter punch. In the above link, there are two other Skimmer choices and of the two, the Javelin will enjoy Dante the most with its Outflank rule. Imagine turning up where you want with a Land Speeder on steroids and being equipped with a twin-linked lascannon, multi-melta and two hunter killer missiles... Finally, there are the jump troops. Sadly many view a pure jump army as a poor choice these days but don’t let that dissuade you from trying it or even taking some! Jump “Meltacide” offer more mobility for subsequent turns than their Drop Pod-borne counterparts, whilst VAS with shields or Death Company can cause a problem if not dealt with. In fact, we have five jump units that when combined with both parts of Descent of Angels and, say, a Sanguinary Priest with The Angel’s Wing, we can put out something unexpected which needs to be dealing with – just support this stuff as best you can! If I were to build a list revolving around Dante’s Warlord Trait as my many form of Reserves Manipulation, I’d use some from each category, but supported on the field as well by implied “better targets” – Oh, and take our that Interceptor first!!! Land Raider Prometheus Availability The rules are found in IAv2SE on page 59. Alternatively, a naughty copy can be Googled... The model is available here. Rules Improved Comms (+1 to the controlling player’s Reserves Rolls that will not stack with any other bonus) Use Simply put, this tank offers AV14 protection to your Reserves manipulation. Even though it doesn’t stack with any other bonus, +1 to Reserve Rolls will make it a huge target and the higher armour protection means we can play it more aggressively than a Damocles – especially as it looks as if the model must be in play to use the bonus. As it is a Land Raider, we do have it confirmed that Terminators can take this tank as a Dedicated Transport which makes it a great choice for any Archangel Detachment and/or Formation. Further information, rules and tactics for the Prometheus can be found on the Imperial Armour Discussion: Land Raiders thread. Land Raider Proteus Availability The rules are found in IAv2SE on page 56. Alternatively, a naughty copy can be Googled... Regular model is available here or the armoured version can be found here. Rules Explorator Augury Web (At the start of the owning player’s turn you select one of the following modes: Disruption Mode [opponent suffers -1 to their Reserves Rolls] or Relay Mode [owning player may re-roll any successful or failed Reserves Roll]. Note that multiple Explorator Augury Webs do not stack) Use A pricey upgrade to a variant Land Raider, this offers a different set of rules and therefore tactics to the Damocles and the Prometheus. Depending on the circumstance, one can opt to re-roll your own Reserve Rolls – which can be of huge importance depending on the scenario presented – or you can opt to delay their Reserves – a great choice if they have an “all eggs in one basket” choice waiting in the wings. In short, this tank arguably offers the most varied choice out of the three tanks and all that in an AV 14 package. Finally, as it is a Land Raider, we do have it confirmed that Terminators can take this tank as a Dedicated Transport which makes it a great choice for any Archangel Detachment and/or Formation. Further information, rules and tactics for the Proteus can be found on the Imperial Armour Discussion: Land Raiders thread. Skyshield Landing Pad Availability The rules can be found within the Stronghold Assault book. Alternatively, a naughty copy can be Googled... Rules Fortification slot. Unusual Terrain Type. Top is deemed open ground, but you move in difficult terrain to get on or off it (generally accepted to be via the legs) Landing Pad Configuration (Changeable by a model in base to base, done in the Movement phase before Reserve Rolls. Options are Shielded [4++ if on top] or Unfurled [Deep Strikers don’t scatter if land on it, Jump, Jet, Jetbikes and Skimmer needn’t make a difficult terrain roll to get on/off it]) Options include those from the Obstacles list and Ready for Takeoff (a Flyer with Hover type can deploy here. However, it cannot Zoom in the first game turn) Use To become a Reserve Manipulator, the Skyshield needs the Ready for Takeoff upgrade. To make use of this, we need something with Hover and the following Flyers qualify: Caestus Assault Ram, Fire Raptor Gunship, Stormraven Gunship and Storm Eagle Assault Gunship. (Note that while the Thunderhawk Gunship and Transporter also have Hover, they don’t fit on a Shielded Skyshield.) So, you place your Shyshield in your deployment zone and place your Flyer of choice on the Pad. In the first turn it gets a 4++ (unless it’s a Thunderhawk) and it acts like a Fast Skimmer (fire all if stay still, fire two if move 6-12”, 18” Flat Out and so on). So here’s the tradeoff: is it worth getting the firepower at least one turn earlier, at the chance of your Flyer being blown up easier when everything (including Skyfire) will hit it at BS? That will only depend on who or what you are up against but some things like a Fire Raptor make the decision easier. Oh, as it is terrain, it can’t be popped (so 4++ all game if you want) and feel free to take 2+ Detachments each with their own Skyshield and dedicated Flyer... Rhino Primaris Command Tank Availability The models and rules are currently a Warhammer World exclusive. Alternatively, a naughty copy can be Googled... Rules Orbital Array (At the start of the owning player’s turn from the second turn onwards, you are presented with two choices: you may call an Orbital Strike once per game or, you may Coordinate Reinforcements [one unit is Reserves arrives automatically]) Use Given that you need to field this with the Land Raider Excelsior, it is the most expensive Reserve Manipulator on this discussion. However, the bonus it gives to a unit in Reserve is huge and that (plus everything else it can do) is why the cost is so high. Now, the Stormraven is universally adored and the temptation to fill it with a deathstar and a Dreadnought is a big one. However, many don’t like this with comment abound such as “too many points off the board which might not arrive until turn four”, and so on. This main drawback is ignored by the Primaris as your Stormraven will be arriving on the second turn which allows your units to potentially assault from turn three onwards. Whilst this isn’t soon enough for some, it’s better than nothing. Alternatively, we can use it to bring on something like a Fire Raptor gunship or even something as simple as a Drop Pod for those times when a unit needs that extra support or to claim an Objective in Maelstrom games. As a Rhino chassis model, the Primaris needs looking after – especially given that the buffs it can do so it’s likely to be in the thick of things. Be smart with it and keep it near the Excelsior. Further information, rules and tactics for the Primaris can be found on the Datasheet Discussion: Command Tanks thread. Summary So there you have it: seven Faction-specific methods to manipulate Reserves for Blood Angels. Please reply should you have anything to add, along with your own views and experiences so that we can help our fellow generals on to greatness (and wins). Or better yet, if there’s anything you feel I should add! 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CaptainHelion Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Great write-up, Jol! A solid read. The more I think about it, the more I'm certain I need IA2.2 Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/314569-army-building-discussion-reserves-manipulation/#findComment-4190247 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morticon Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 IA2.2 is the most amazing resource a BA player could want! Highly, highly recommended! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/314569-army-building-discussion-reserves-manipulation/#findComment-4190422 Share on other sites More sharing options...
gav1892 Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Ive always liked the idea of the Damocles but could never see how it would fit into my army until now Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/314569-army-building-discussion-reserves-manipulation/#findComment-4190427 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morticon Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Ive always liked the idea of the Damocles but could never see how it would fit into my army until now Damocles is awesome, awesome. If you play Ravens its so, so beneficial. The orbital is also incredible. If you consider Legion of the Damned as support, then its also pretty awesome for the teleport-support! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/314569-army-building-discussion-reserves-manipulation/#findComment-4190437 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlo Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Guess I'm converting a Damocles :P Also really tempted by a sky shield for my Caestus... But obviously that's a lot of points then. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/314569-army-building-discussion-reserves-manipulation/#findComment-4190493 Share on other sites More sharing options...
evildrcheese Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 FYI, Counter Attack doesn't confer to the unit, the exact wording is... "If a unit contains at least one model with this special rule, and that unit is charged, every model with the counter-attack special rule in the unit gets +1 Attack until the end of the phase." Some special characters do confer it to the unit (See Uriah Jacobus from Codex Adepts Sororita), but otherwise it's only the model with the special rule. D Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/314569-army-building-discussion-reserves-manipulation/#findComment-4191754 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolemai Posted October 8, 2015 Author Share Posted October 8, 2015 Cheers :) Will update it when I'm next at a desktop... Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/314569-army-building-discussion-reserves-manipulation/#findComment-4191829 Share on other sites More sharing options...
evildrcheese Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 No worries. Nice write up by the way. D Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/314569-army-building-discussion-reserves-manipulation/#findComment-4191871 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlo Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Damn, I thought Karlaen did that. Shame. He's still cool though, just not as cool. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/314569-army-building-discussion-reserves-manipulation/#findComment-4191873 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolemai Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 Cheers Will update it when I'm next at a desktop... Updated! Any other errata or anything else anyone feels I should add, feel free to reply below :) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/314569-army-building-discussion-reserves-manipulation/#findComment-4192458 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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