Are Primaris Psykers and Astropaths Overpowered?

[Akrim]

Nah i think the price is accurate. Astropaths are not that great, sure they provide buffs but nothing game breaking.

 

Unfortunately they probably will get adjusted similar to GWs "In response to community feedback" (whining) - destruction of Commissars. It was enough that Conscripts went from 20-50 to 20-30. But MEQ players were still losing their monacles, FAQ it. Two weeks later Nids out of the chute with fearless everything, lol!

 

I wont slag off Dakkadakka too much theres some good posters but unfortunately some blow hards too. The "My record (*against my 6yo brother) is 556-0" or "I havent played since 4th ed but this is whats wrong with 40k" crowd.

[TheShredder]

I think the one that makes me raise my eyebrows is the Neurothrope. For 30pts more than a Primaris Psyker, it gets:
- Fly
- T4
- a 3+ invulnerable
- Shadow in the Warp
- Synpase
- Can manifest 2 powers per turn
- Heals wounds on itself or friendly zoanthropes within 6" whenever it kills models with Smite

- Rerolls 1s on all psychic tests
- Allows nearby Zoanthropes to also reroll 1s on all psychic tests

So for less than the cost of a Primaris Psyker and a Commissar combined, you get a Psyker that can cast 2 powers per turn, has a Fearless aura (with better range than a Commissar), T4 and a 3++, rerolls 1s on psychic tests and can heal up if it suffers Perils or such.

All I'm saying is that, if I could choose between a Primaris Psyker and a Neurothrope, I'd pick the latter every time.
 

I wont slag off Dakkadakka too much theres some good posters but unfortunately some blow hards too. The "My record (*against my 6yo brother) is 556-0" or "I havent played since 4th ed but this is whats wrong with 40k" crowd.

 

The worst one I've seen is from a guy on TheDarkCity.net, whose signature is basically: 'I'm a literal genius with an exceptional IQ, so if you disagree with me, you're probably just too stupid to understand.'

 

(I'm paraphrasing here, obviously, but not nearly as much as you might think.  )

[Thorakitai]

I think the one that makes me raise my eyebrows is the Neurothrope. For 30pts more than a Primaris Psyker, it gets:

- Fly

- T4

- a 3+ invulnerable

- Shadow in the Warp

- Synpase

- Can manifest 2 powers per turn

- Heals wounds on itself or friendly zoanthropes within 6" whenever it kills models with Smite

- Rerolls 1s on all psychic tests

- Allows nearby Zoanthropes to also reroll 1s on all psychic tests

 

So for less than the cost of a Primaris Psyker and a Commissar combined, you get a Psyker that can cast 2 powers per turn, has a Fearless aura (with better range than a Commissar), T4 and a 3++, rerolls 1s on psychic tests and can heal up if it suffers Perils or such.

All I'm saying is that, if I could choose between a Primaris Psyker and a Neurothrope, I'd pick the latter every time.

 

 

I wont slag off Dakkadakka too much theres some good posters but unfortunately some blow hards too. The "My record (*against my 6yo brother) is 556-0" or "I havent played since 4th ed but this is whats wrong with 40k" crowd.

The worst one I've seen is from a guy on TheDarkCity.net, whose signature is basically: 'I'm a literal genius with an exceptional IQ, so if you disagree with me, you're probably just too stupid to understand.'

 

(I'm paraphrasing here, obviously, but not nearly as much as you might think. )

Like I pointed out on the previous page, compared to other psykers, primaris psykers are about the right price. So unless they all go up at least 50%, then that will tell us that GW considers the ability to cast smite to be worth 40 or 50 points alone, and everything that might differentiate psykers to be basically meaningless.

 

What will eventually happen I suspect is that cheap psykers will be effectively removed from the game one by one as smite spam lists switch armies (next up, Eldar and 45 point spiritseers, followed by nids, then probably orks) until all but the psykers with other good abilities (Magnus) cost within 10 points of eachother. Then the problem will be solved because only the psykers that paid for a bunch of other stuff too will be worth their price.

 

For guard in particular, with any luck the weaker smites (astropaths, wyrdvanes, eldar warlocks, most grey knight stuff) will be left alone, and we can take 3 astropaths for the 3 good powers (and brigade filling) and call it a day. Who needs smite when you can bring more guns and more bayonets?

[Akrim]

I think the one that makes me raise my eyebrows is the Neurothrope. For 30pts more than a Primaris Psyker, it gets:

- Fly

 

Lol this one IS strange. The things levitate slightly, I would hardly call it flight but whatevs...

[CoffeeGrunt]

Huh yeah, both it and Zoeys have FLY.

[TheShredder]

 

I think the one that makes me raise my eyebrows is the Neurothrope. For 30pts more than a Primaris Psyker, it gets:

- Fly

 

Lol this one IS strange. The things levitate slightly, I would hardly call it flight but whatevs...

 

 

Yeah, I raised my eyebrow at that as well. 

 

That said, I *think* some of the old illustrations might have shown them flying quite high, but I could be misremembering. 

[Plasmablasts]

If the problem is Smite spam, how about this for a matched play solution?

 

The first casting of Smite in each psychic phase uses the normal profile; every subsequent casting that turn uses the weaker version (single mortal wound) which GKs and TSs have.

[Feral_80]

It would just work great if every smite beyond the first increased the casting value by 1.

[duz_]

Or smite is just done on 1 D6 and no super smite.

[Imperator Deus]

 

 

Hey, take a psyker inquisitor and you get a commissar and a primaris psyker rolled into one!

 

Lol, good point! I don't know how I missed that!

[TheShredder]

Or smite is just done on 1 D6 and no super smite.

 

Which would make the Primaris Psyker pointless, as he'd have no meaningful advantage over the (much cheaper) Astropath. 

[Halfpint100]

We will find out in a few weeks when chapter approved comes out

[H311fi5h]

I think they should rework the AM psykers completely, make the Astropath 25 points with a 2D6 but single wound smite, and the Primaris 70 points with two powers.

[shandwen]

Primaris seems fair, the osteopath seems slightly undercosted. Rules wise they seem reasonable.