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Best Auxillary or ‘Speciality’ HQ


Schlitzaf

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Accepting Captain/Liutanent combo is the basic Marine ‘buffers’ for filling the Battlalion HQ. For your Speciality or 3rd Slot in Brigades what is the best option?

Generic (All or Most) Chapters:

Chaplain

Librarian

Techmarine

 

(Chapter Specific)

Chronus (UM)

Telion (UM)

Lukas (SW)

Sanguinor (BA)

Sanguinary Priest (BA)

Emperor’s Champion (BT)

Ravenwing Liutanent (DA)

Themed Chaplain and Dreadnoughts (Various)

 

I might have missed a few but in general I’d say the best ones, fill a niche army role that is sometimes but not always a buffer. Like Emperor’s Champion is by far imho one of the best Auxillary Options atleast just as good if not better then the three generic options.

I think you can't go wrong with a Librarian (witch for you) in any list. Denial and Smite will always have a place no matter what powers you pick.

 

Chaplains and Techmarines I feel need the context of your list. You won't get the most out of your Techmarines without vehicles, but they can be tooled as the cheapest HQ. And obviously you won't get the most out of your Chaplain without an assault element. But conversely, rerolls are still rerolls and always help.

 

I make use of Chronus and Telion a lot, but usually when I'm going for a theme. I would kill for Dark Angel Talonmaster in C:SM.

Biker Techmarines can pack a ludicrous amount of dakka (Harness, twin bolter, plus either stormbolter/combibolter) whether they have vehicles to repair or not, give them the relic chainsword too and they're a decent backfield threat and able to clear out chaff from an objective singlehandedly.

 

Jump chaplains are cheap enough to go with a unit of backfield harassers like the Vanguard vets.

 

Chronus does very well in a Spearhead as he counts as the HQ and as one of the heavies required, plus his never degrading 2+ BS gets some mileage out of a fully equipped predator.

 

Telion is quite nice with a gang of scouts, and he's a nice threat to baby characters on his own but he's not amazing.

 

Librarians, well.... for me they're way too overpriced for the terrible powers marines have. The deny is useful but there are cheaper options out there if you're willing to soup a detachment.

Even without vehicles to repair the Techmarine can be geared on the cheap if you're just trying to fill a detachment requirement. If you're looking for actual utility, then you need to look at your list to see not only what will support your needs best but also what will fit in the best in terms of tactics, transport capacities, etc. Our Librarians for example all have relatively short range powers so they'll want transports at least to start in, but if you don't have a spare slot in Rhino or Razorback, you might need to consider an alternative like finding points for a bike or jump pack.

Why so little love for Lieutenants?

You can take loads of them even with the new  rules, they're dirt cheap, can take Jump Packs and can be geared from dakka to punchiness to everything in between and you can put one next to any and every unit you might want to give a better chance to kill.

 

They're rather flexible, it seems, so just to buff or fill a slot, I'd take one - or a few - in a heartbeat.

I usually take a LT with Stormbolter and Chainsword. Dirty cheap, good firepower and fantastic for supporting Devs or a Predator.

 

I was thinking about giving a chance to LT with jumppack and Teeth of Terra as a cheap alternative to Captain with jumppack TH/SS.

 

Maybe now the jumppack versions could be played with no DS, moving and supporting bike squads or assault marines

I don't plan on using models in my Primaris army. Why . .?

 

Because for only 17 points I can get a Captain. With Primaris one "advantage" is you're not duplicating data sheets, so the Rule of Three is less of an issue if you make good mission/unit match ups. I don't expect everyone to agree with my logic, I even contradict it somewhat by rejecting the use of the Ancient and Apothecary. I believe the advantage of a Captain over a Lieutenant is worth the "sacrifice" an Intercessor.

 

That is how much I believe the reroll "1"s to hit is that much more important/valuable than the reroll to wound is. Never mind he's a better shot, though that is nice with the plasma pistol/power fist captain, merely the fact that you are going to get a potentially much greater chance to reroll hits than you are wounds nd that is especially important in a Primaris army that uses a lot of plasma.

Why so little love for Lieutenants?

You can take loads of them even with the new rules, they're dirt cheap, can take Jump Packs and can be geared from dakka to punchiness to everything in between and you can put one next to any and every unit you might want to give a better chance to kill.

 

They're rather flexible, it seems, so just to buff or fill a slot, I'd take one - or a few - in a heartbeat.

Did you read the OP? A Liutanent/Captain combo your pretty basic setup for a SM List/Battlelion Hence Why I didn’t mention it. I was asking for the non-Liu/Captains folks run.

 

Why so little love for Lieutenants?

You can take loads of them even with the new rules, they're dirt cheap, can take Jump Packs and can be geared from dakka to punchiness to everything in between and you can put one next to any and every unit you might want to give a better chance to kill.

 

They're rather flexible, it seems, so just to buff or fill a slot, I'd take one - or a few - in a heartbeat.

Did you read the OP? A Liutanent/Captain combo your pretty basic setup for a SM List/Battlelion Hence Why I didn’t mention it. I was asking for the non-Liu/Captains folks run.
And did you read my post?

 

My very first sentence "Why so little love for Lieutenants?" was a question directed at you as well.

One of my points was how many of them you can take - which applies especially when you fill 2 of 3 slots with them and take 2 'Liutanents' per slot.

Obviously, I haven't made that clear enough.

 

So I'm sorry if my post wasn't what you were expecting to hear and if I'm not part of the crowd you're addressing here - won't make the mistake again.

Lieutenants AREN'T specialty or auxiliary HQ's. They are a core Commander style HQ, like a Farseer or Company Commanders. More specifically they are core 'buffer' every SM List should start with (well 1 Lieutenant and 1 Captain equivalent). When the option is available of course. They are amazing....so I'm confused why do you say there is no love?

If we include chapter specific units then I'd like to mention the Sanguinary Priest. An Apothecary with a +1S aura (especially with the BA trait) is just too good.

Also depending on the available powers of course the Librarians. It's hard to beat them utility wise. Even if the powers are just mediocre they still have smite and buff your defense against enemy psyker.

Thanks to the latest FAQ Chaplain Dreadnaughts can now take Plasma Cannons. That's not so much shooting that you can hang back with cheap troop screens, but it could find some use for someone. Character Rule + some moderately powerful shooting. Heavy Plasma overcharged is only a mortal wound, not 'remove model'

Lieutenants AREN'T specialty or auxiliary HQ's. They are a core Commander style HQ, like a Farseer or Company Commanders. More specifically they are core 'buffer' every SM List should start with (well 1 Lieutenant and 1 Captain equivalent). When the option is available of course. They are amazing....so I'm confused why do you say there is no love?

Only 14(?)pts cheaper than a captain, no isv, less synergy with infantry(plasma,fist,etc). Since 1 captain usually cannot cover most squads, these make lieutnant less attractive than other choice e.g. 2nd captain.

 

Unless you have many static back-rank support, like 3+ predators for killshot, then he became a must.

Chaplain dreadnought gets my vote just because they are such a carnifax. I'm planning on running one with a bunch of company Veterans and the salamanders relic. T8 character that can't be targeted easily and if you keep the vets close they can tank the few wounds that get through. Throw them all in a stormraven and you can deliver them right at the sweet spot. If you want get a librarian around with might of heroes, 5 s16 punches from a t9 monster

Bray'arth Ashmantle. No contest.

 

S8, T9, 8W, 2+/5++/4+++

 

Hits at S16 in melee with -4 AP and d6 damage. Has a pair of heavy flamers that hit at S6 and deal 3 damage per hit. A 2d6 pistol attack that autohits with a 2" range.

 

He's a virtually unkillable murder machine.

 

Downsides:

 

-he's slow, so you'll need a Lucius drop pod for him.

-has no aura ability

-can't be Warlord unless he is the only HQ.

 

Put a Techmarine behind him and watch him tank a whole army's shooting.

  • 2 weeks later...

EC is obviously a beast.

 

Another hero I constantly use in BT lists is a JP Chaplain with Helm accompanied by several units of melee deep strikers to make a full Vanguard Detachment (in case of 2 units, the third one are cenobyte servitors). BT deep strikers have a good chance to charge right after landing and with the Helm I basically guarantee that every unit which will successfully charge will be covered by Chaplain's aura. Especially nasty with Thunder Hammers, makes these 50% more effective :)

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