One New Stratagem per Major Faction

[L30n1d4s]

Stratagems truly are the "secret sauce" of 8th edition, and one of my favorite parts of the game right now (also, I think they are the main reasons that Codex factions are stronger than Index factions at the moment).

 

 

Based on this, for both increased fun/diversity playing the game and to give each army even more competitive options, below are my ideas for giving every major faction one additional Stratagem:

 

 

 

 

Space Marines -- Air Defense Network (1CP) -- Select any combination of two Stalkers, two Hunters, or one of each of these Tanks that are within 12" of one another at the start of your Shooting Phase. These vehicles double the Damage for any shooting attacks they make against enemy units with the Fly keyword during this phase.

 

Dark Angels -- Ravenwing Teleporter Homers (1 CP) -- Use at the beginning of your Movement Phase. Select a Ravenwing unit. Any Deathwing unit with the "Terminator" Keyword that arrives on the battlefield via Teleportation Strike in that same movement phase may arrive anywhere more than 3" from any enemy units, as long as the unit is also entirely within 6" of the selected Ravenwing unit.

 

Blood Angels -- Sky-borne Shock Troops (1 CP) -- After deployment, but before the first player turn begins, you can select a Blood Angels Assault Marine unit. For the rest of the game, that unit has the "Defenders of Humanity" special rule.

 

Space Wolves -- Battle Lust (1 CP) -- Select a Blood Claws Infantry or Biker unit at the start of your Movement phase. That unit adds +D3" to its movement and charge distances for the rest of the turn (roll one dice for both distances)

 

Grey Knights -- Purifying Inferno (2 CP) -- Select a friendly Grey Knight Purifier unit or Castellan Crowe at the beginning of the Psychic Phase. Until the end of the phase, any successful casting of Smite by that unit effects all enemy units within 3" (or within 6", if the friendly unit is within 6" of a friendly Brother Captain or Brother Captain Stern), instead of just the nearest enemy unit.

 

Death Watch -- Purge the Unclean! (1 CP) -- At the start of a friendly Shooting or Fight phase, add +1 to all to Wound rolls for a selected Deathwatch unit until the end of that phase.

 

Astra Militarum -- High Value Target (1 CP) -- Select a Militarum Tempestus Infantry unit at the beginning of your shooting phase. Provided that it directs all of its shooting attacks at the same target, it may add +1 to the number of shots for any of the non-Grenade weapons it shoots with that turn.

 

Adeptus Sororitas -- Hymn of Destruction (1 CP) -- Select an Exorcist that is within 6" of two other Exorcists at the start of your Shooting Phase. All three Exorcists shoot 3+D3 shots for their Exorcist Missile Launcher (instead of D6 shots) and change the Damage characteristic to 1 +D3 for their Exorcist Missile Launcher until the end of the phase.

 

Imperial Knights -- Conquering Behemoth (1CP) -- Select one Imperial Knight at the start of a friendly Shooting or Fight Phase. For the rest of the Phase it adds +1 to all to Hit rolls it makes.

 

Adeptus Mechanicus -- Deathsprint (2CP) -- Select a Sicaran Ruststalker unit at the beginning of your Movement phase. Until the end of the turn, this unit gains +3" to its Movement, Advance, and Charge distances.

 

Craftworld Aeldari -- Heirs of Khaine (2CP) -- Select a Phoenix Lord unit at the beginning of any Fight Phase. That unit doubles its attack characteristic until the end of that Fight phase.

 

Drukhari -- Raiders of the Night (1CP) -- After deployment, but before the first player turn begins, select a friendly Drukhari unit. This unit may Move and Advance as if it was the Movement Phase.

 

Harlequins -- Master of the Dance of Death (1CP) -- Select a friendly Harlequin unit with the "Character" key word at the start of any Fight phase. Until the end of that phase, the selected Harlequin Character adds +1 to any to Wound Rolls it makes and to the Damage characteristic of any of its melee weapons.

 

Orks -- Nob Rampage (1 CP) -- Select a friendly unit of Nobz, Nob Bikerz, or Mega Nobz at the beginning of any Fight Phase. Until the end of the phase, add +1 to their attacks characteristic.

 

Necrons -- Inescapable Destruction (1CP) -- Whenever you select a Deathmarks unit to shoot, you may use this Stratagem. Until the end of the current phase,  add +1 to any Wound rolls for shooting attacks by this Deathmark unit.

 

Tau -- Riptide Hailfire (2CP) -- Select a Riptide that is within 6" of two other Riptides at the start of your Shooting Phase. As long as none of the models have moved, they each may choose to shoot one of their weapons twice during the chosen Shooting Phase.

 

Tyranids -- Lictor Ambush (1CP) -- Select a friendly Lictor at the start of your Fight Phase that is within 6" of two other friendly Lictors. Until the end of the phase, all three Lictors gain +D3 attacks and +1 to the Damage inflicted by their melee attacks.

 

Genestealer Cult -- Psychic Locus (1CP) -- Select a friendly Genestealer Cult Magos at the start of your Psychic Phase. Until the end of the phase, this Magos may re-roll any failed Psychic tests.

 

Chaos Space Marines -- Infernal Shield (1CP) -- Select any Chaos Space Marine unit at the beginning of one of your turns with the "Daemon" and Vehicle keywords. Until the start of your next turn, increase the units Invulnerable save to a 3+.

 

Death Guard -- Touch of Father Nurgle (1CP/2CP) -- Select a Death Guard single model unit in your army before deployment that does not already have the Disgustingly Resilient rule. This unit gains the Disgustingly Resilient rule for the rest of the battle (if the unit has 10 or more wounds, then it costs 2CP for this Stratagem instead of 1CP).

 

Thousand Sons -- Assault from the Warp (1CP/2CP) -- Select a unit of Rubric Marines before deployment (this costs 2 CP is the unit includes more than 10 models). This unit is placed in Reserve and may subsequently be placed anywhere on the board that is more than 9" away from enemy units at the end of any friendly Movement phase.

 

Chaos Daemons -- Blessings of the Blood God (1CP) -- Select a Chaos Daemon Khorne Character with less than 10 wounds before the game begins. For the rest of the game, any friendly Chaos Daemon Khorne units within 6" of this Character automatically Advance 6", instead of having to roll a D6 for the Advance distance.

Edited January 12, 2018 by L30n1d4s

[Wargamer]

Space Marines pay 1CP for a hugely situational boost. Knights pay 1CP for a universal boost.

 

That seems wrong.

[L30n1d4s]

Well, Space Marines already have plenty of good Stratagems, and while highly situational, makes their AA Tanks useful (which I think they struggle to be right now) against armies with lots of "Fly" units. Also, this might actually be less situational than you might think, since more and more armies with lots of "Fly" units are taking the lead in the meta (i.e. Blood Angels with Jump Infantry, Magnus and Mortarian everywhere for Chaos players, all Eldar Tanks and Jetbikes, Space Marine Fire Raptors with a points decrease from Chapter Approved, improved Dark Angel Flyers, Flying Hive Tyrants, etc. etc.... not to mention, a bunch of the upcoming Codices will have lots of "Fly" units like Tau Skimmers and Battelsuits, Necron Skimmers, Custodes Skimmers, Thousand Son units on Discs of Tzeentch, and so on).

 

As for the Knights, they need as much help as they can get in competitive terms, so a Stratagem that boosts the ability of a single Knight for a single phase is something I think would make them more viable. If you really want to, you could make it a 2 CP ability, but a pure Imperial Knights army will have very few CPs to begin with (most likely just 4 CPs, in most scenarios), so they could only use this Stratagem a few times anyway.

 

So, you are right, the CP costs for these two are a bit unfair, when compared "head to head" with one another, but when put in the context of each Faction overall, then I think it is a bit fairer.

Edited January 12, 2018 by L30n1d4s

[Claws and Effect]

I really hate the fact that Marines have so many Strategems that require multiple vehicles to unlock. They really don't need any more of those.