Mantis Warriors

[Ahazra Redth]

I am new to the game, and am interested in creating an army based on my favorite legion, the Mantis Warriors. I was wondering if it would be possible to take the Mantis Warriors with the White Scars chapter tactic, as they are a successor legion.

 

I also have a few specific characters I would like to represent in my army, so does anyone have suggestions for a list incorporating these guys-

Khoisan Neotera- Chapter Master

Ahazra Redth- Chief Librarian 

Shaidan- Not sure exactly what this guy is but I loved him in Warrior Brood

Sergeant Magdir- Leads a squad of Devastators

Sergeant Honir- Leads a squad of Terminators

Blader- A Veteran Marine

Sergeant Ruinus- Another Devestator squad

Aegir- Chaplain

Soron- Assault squad

Edited February 8, 2016 by Brother Tyler
Tags edited

[deathspectersgt7]

Shaidan is a Librarian.

[Ahazra Redth]

Thank you for that. Do you remember what weapons he had? I think it was a mace and a bolter, but I'm not sure. Can a librarian take those?

Correction. It was a force staff I was thinking of. 

Edited October 7, 2015 by Ahazra Redth

[TheHyperion]

Welcome! It is possible to run the mantis warriors as successors to the white scars, however you would be unable to use the characters and rules for them which forgeworld has provided. Of you havent you should take a look as they are free online

~Sapphon

[Ahazra Redth]

Really? I didn't even know they had their own chapter tactics. Are they any good? Where can I find them?

[RolandTHTG]

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-GB/Downloads
Badab Characters V2 and Chapter tactics V2. 

Technically for the last book, but materially unaffected by the minor changes in the new book. 

Ahazra Redth has some really neat tweaks (very good special power and warlord trait)
The Chapter tactics are Infantry oriented, granting Infantry  Mover through cover, Hammer of wrath, and if charging from cover, Furious charge. 

They also get to reroll Sieze the Initiative

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-GB/Downloads
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/resources/fw_site/fw_pdfs/Warhammer_40000/Forge_World_Space_Marine_Chapter_Tactics_V2.pdf
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/resources/fw_site/fw_pdfs/Warhammer_40000/Forge_World_Space_Marine_Badab_Characters_V2.pdf (Redth is page 14)

[Ahazra Redth]

I didn't even know those existed, but will certainly try it out. I'm still a little bit confused on how I should run Redth though, which is weird because he's my favorite named character in the game. If I take him and an honor guard in a LR and cast Mirage on his unit, would the LR the effects of Mirage?

[Lucien Eilam]

Technically for the last book, but materially unaffected by the minor changes in the new book.

Except that everyone already has access to Divination, so that's not a bonus any more.

If I take him and an honor guard in a LR and cast Mirage on his unit, would the LR the effects of Mirage?

Dude, it's the very first sentence : "Mirage is a blessing that targets the psyker, as well as any unit he has joined or vehicle in which he is being transported."

[RolandTHTG]

I completely forgot about the divination change. Yea, that kinda hurts.

[jpwyrm]

As matter of fact, now that White Scars got some new Formations and a new Detachment, I think it's kinda pointless to use the old Mantis Warriors CT (unfortunately I would add). In fact, using the Stormlance demi-company with Stormbringer squadron, along with a Shadow Force formation (Raven Guard one, but can be used with any CT), it's now possible to field quite a fluffy Mantis Warriors army. Here's a breakdown of my thoughts on this:

 

Scarblade Strikeforce and Stormlance demi-coy

 

Rerolls on Hit-and-run checks - for me, H&R is the quentessential guerrilla Special Rules in 40K. Mantis Warriors are guerilla tactics specialists so for me this is perfect.

 

Mobile Fire base - It's like H&R but in the shooting phase AND you can hop out then inside a dedicated transport too! This is awesome and will make a Mantis Warriors army quite mobile and dynamic to play.

 

Clear and Sweep - probably my favourite Special Rule name in the game! And it's good on the tabletop to booth! So your units don't get Objective Secure like a Battle Demi-coy. Fine by me, if I kill the objective Secure unit in my way, I can't be contested and this SR helps a lot with that! It's like having a Tactical/Devastator doctrine for everyone shooting at objective sitters. Couple that with Mobile Firebase and this means you can shoot down an Objsec unit holding an objective with extreme accuracy and then move in to claim said objective. Nice Synergy if you ask me!

 

Finaly, the bonus on Hammer of Wrath is a bit like their FW Chapter Tactics so I guess that's good too.

 

Stormbringer Squadron

 

Locate and Secure - remember the "no-Objective secure" argument just above? You can mitigate that with this formation!

 

Outrider support - nice bonus though it's quite circumstantial and probably won't save you that often...

 

Rapid Deployment - ... is central in the Mantis Warriors way of war, so this one is great for them! 

 

Shadow Force

 

Okay, this is a Raven Guard formation, but since you can use it with any CT, it's all good. For me, this is how I would represent the veterans that survived the brutal conflict of the Tranquility Campaing during the Badab War. I would paint these guys in the old Tranquility camo pattern Since I love it and I think it works well both as a camouflage and badge of honour. As for the rules:

 

Scout

Move through Cover

Acute Senses

 

All theses matches the mental picture I have of the Tranquility Vets - stealthy powered armoured scouts sniping ennemy officers and launching surprise attack out of nowhere. 

 

The units themselves are also perfect for the theme - all Veterans along with a captain (with the Hunter's Eye to make sure the Sternguards can be portrayed as Snipers and Primarch's Wrath to take advantage of the BS bonus) and a Landspeeder for long range scouting.

 

The way I see it, this is good news for Mantis Warriors players!

[Ahazra Redth]

I was wondering about how the new formations would affect Mantis Warriors...

But the real question is where do my Dreads fit in there?

[Lucien Eilam]

But the real question is where do my Dreads fit in there?

 

You could take regular Battle Demi-Companies as one or both of your 1-2 Core choices in a Scarblade Strike Force (competing with the Stormlance Battle Demi-Company and the Hunting Force). Each Battle Demi-Company gives you a 0-1 slot for a unit of Dreadnoughts (regular, Ironclad or Venerable).

 

Strike Force Ultra can also be included in the Scarblade Strike Force. That includes 1 mandatory Venerable Dreadnought.

 

Otherwise you'll need a separate CAD or another Formation that allows them, like the Ravenhawk Assault Group. The new White Scars-themed Formations naturally don't include Dreadnought slots.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Lucien Eilam

[Ahazra Redth]

I'm thinking I'll take a demi-company and the stormlance demi-company, for fluffiness and to have a dread.

Makes sense the new White Scars formations don't have dreads, though, as they never use them. It has something to do with claustrophobia, I think.

Thanks for the advice, though.

[Ahazra Redth]

If I'm using Mantis Warriors w/ White Scars CT, I can take WS relics, right? Specifically Banner of the Eagle?

[Lucien Eilam]

If you're using White Scars Chapter Tactics, your army is White Scars for all intents and purposes. The fact you've painted them green makes no difference at all.

 

You won't be able to use the Mantis Warriors special characters in that case though, unless you take another Detachment for them with Mantis Warriors Chapter Tactics.

[Ahazra Redth]

Yeah, I'm probably just going to go with White Scars CT to be able to build semi-competitively (hopefully) 

[Sete]

So Raptors can use RG relics and formations, and Mantis warriors can't use WS ones? Can't explain that.

[jpwyrm]

Raptors can't use the RG Relics either, unless Forgeworld has released an update on the Basab War Chapter Tactics.

[Sete]

Since I dont have the book, does it say, white scars and sucessors? Or RG and sucessors?

[RolandTHTG]

It just says WS and RG respectively, but I remember one of the Raptors players had emailed FW and they said he could use the RG-exclusive formations. 

[Sete]

Ah ok my mistake then. I knew I had read it somewhere.

[IronFather84]

Actually what the sons of corax and sons of the great khan detachments say is that units must be "drawn from Raven guard/white scars." Technically speaking raptors and mantis warriors are drawn from their respective founding chapters. It doesn't say they have to have those chapter tactics. Though I would like to see that email that was mentioned.