Advice on Skyclaws please

[plasmaspam]

Hi there - I'd be grateful for any advice you might offer on the best loadout for a 5-man skyclaws squad. Am painting them up as a gift for someone, but as a DA player I have no idea on the better loadout and tactics for them.

 

Cheers,

p.

[Kasper_Hawser]

Not to different from any other assault squad, two flamers and one powerfist on the regular joes, and a combi weapon on the sergeant. The sergeant can also take storm shields and Frost weaponry (extra strength power weapons).

 

Usual chainswords and bolt pistols is also useful as Sky Claws also gain +1 attack on the charge for a potential whopping 3 attacks on the charge with chainswords. This applies to the sergeant as well who gets 4 attacks, though I rather put a frost weapon on him.

 

One thing they can do but Assault squads can't is take special weapons like plasma and melta too, but Blood Claws shoot at BS4+ so not recommended, though certainly viable.

Edited September 14, 2017 by Kasper_Hawser

[plasmaspam]

Nice one, cheers.

 

I think then I'll go for pistols and swords, a flamer, and a frost axe plus combi-melta on the sarge for a anti-personnel melee squad.

[Araith]

My current setup is similar, but somewhat cheaper.

 

2 flamers & power axe

WG: combi-flamer, frost sword

[Rune Priest Jbickb]

I gave actually liked mine with melta guns. Pricy, but functional, even with the 4+. I didnt get much milage from tge flamers.

[Araith]

How do your skyclaws typically act in relation to the rest of your army?

[Rune Priest Jbickb]

I tend to run them as a support unit for my grey hunter Razorbacks, trying to cleanup whatever they don't kill. They operate well in this roll for me. I have simply found that putting 3 melta guns in a highly mobile squad seems to be pretty effective and they tend to get ignored, also tgey feel a bit more versatile with that loadout. Where as the flamers seemed to be lackluster. I have yet to try plasma but I do intend to at some point.

[Araith]

So the same role as mine. Interesting. I'll give melta a try then, on them instead of the grey hunters they support.

 

So you see plasmaspam, different load-out are possible. Perhaps their special weapons can be magnetized? Then your friend can vary with this gift squad himself.

[jerrys]

It seems important to point out:

 

The guy with the combi in a skyclaws pack is a sixth guy -- the wolf guard pack leader, who is not an upgrade of one of the 5 other guys. (nominally they have reassigned some of the wolf guard veterans out of their elite squads to lead the other packs.)

 

If you're making a pack of 5, there can be:

 - 0-2 normal guys with either plasma pistols or special weapons (usually flamers, though now that I think about those plasma pistols...)

 - 1 pack leader (like the sergeant) with a power weapon (I would do a power axe).

If you want to add the 6th guy (wolf guard pack leader), he can take a power weapon and a combi.

 

Also in case you are into that kind of thing: the skyclaws and normal pack leader usually have red/yellow pattern on their right pauldron, while the wolf guard pack leader has a black/yellow pattern.

[Rune Priest Jbickb]

Ah yes good catch Jerrys I should have mentioned that but did not make it clear.

 

Araith. Could be my opponents army choices as well. So far in 8th i have fought guard (tanks more than troops), chaos, a couple marine flavors, and mechanicus with knight. Generally flamers are less ideal versus these armies so that could be coloring my experience

[plasmaspam]

Hmmm....

 

i didn't consider the Wolf Guard 6th-man thing, thanks jerrys.  Is a sarge with Power Axe and Plasma Pistol legal then?  i can kitbash a 6th man - again thinking Frost Axe and Combi-melta.

 

jbickb - i plumped for Flamer based on 1d4chan tactics advice, based on the Skyclaw BS being low - am i being too cautious?

 

Araith - a group of us are doing this for a kid who's quite sick at the moment, building a unit each to send to him so he can play games whilst he's in treatment.  I'm intending just sending all the unused parts for future use.  i've never done magnets before and wouldn't know where to start!

[Rune Priest Jbickb]

Keep in mind just my personal experience and play style.

 

I find flamers lack luster this addition, at least infantry based ones. 1-6 strength 4 hits with no AP just doesn't seem to impact the board like a strength 8 AP -4 even if it hits 50% of the time. Now the points certainly reflect this so this isn't a balance statement, simply a personal preference. I seem to get more mileage from the meltagun.

[jerrys]

  Is a sarge with Power Axe and Plasma Pistol legal then?  i can kitbash a 6th man - again thinking Frost Axe and Combi-melta.

 

Yes, those are both fine. (If the "blood claw pack leader" has a plasma pistol, then only 0-1 of the normal guys can have a plasma pistol or flamer.)

(The BCPL could have a frost axe too instead of a power axe, if you want.)

[Kasper_Hawser]

I suggest you keep them cheap as chips to max out potential attacks via chainswords. Except for the blood claw with powerfist AND the Wolf Guard with power fist. This will be one of the few cases the powerfist guy can get an extra attack on the charge.

 

If on budget, Frost sword or Frost Claw is cool on the Wolf Guard Pack Leader too, as he also has the Berserk Rule for +1 attack.

 

One last suggestion for synergy, bear in mind that Lukas the Trickster will give them +1 to hit in both range and melee. If you can escort a Rhino/Land Raider holding Lukas and additional blood claws, preferably hiding behind the Land Raider, they can then charge together with disembarked Lukas and Blood Claws for maximum carnage. Powerfists will be hitting on 3+ which is good enough, and rest will be hitting on 2+ which is super awesome if its a full mob of 15 Blood Claws. Then jump over and join in the fun, hopefully finishing off whatever the Blood Claws charged first.

[Gherrick]

I have yet to see how to get a character to be able to charge after a unit charges, as there is rarely any room left to be able to get the character into base to base. Unless you are having the character charge first, but then the overwatch might be enough to kill the character, especially ones like Lukas who have no invul save.

[Kasper_Hawser]

I have yet to see how to get a character to be able to charge after a unit charges, as there is rarely any room left to be able to get the character into base to base. Unless you are having the character charge first, but then the overwatch might be enough to kill the character, especially ones like Lukas who have no invul save.

 

OK, then don't charge Lukas but make sure he advances near enough for when the other squads make their charges. Besides, its easy. You don't HAVE to put everyone in BTB, just enough to tie in combat and consolidate around, leaving room for other squads and characters to join in.