Anyone using Intercessors?

[templargdt]

I got a pair of boxes and was wondering about it.  I don't have time for Knightfall to do much with them, but still.  Big intercessor/Helbrect/Lieutenant bubble moving up the field?  I was thinking the Assault 2 boltgun for moving up fast with rerolls from Helbrect and then Strength 5 charges.

[Honda]

I use them all the time. I like them, they are solid, if not necessarily flashy troops. Hellblasters are da bomb.

 

Mine tend to be support for my Grimaldus/EC/Crusader bubble.

[Medjugorje]

I always use them with the normal bolt rifle.... Primaris Sword Brother with a Power sword and the special Grenadelauncher.

[Firepower]

Helbrecht seems like a bit much as far as just buffing the shooting of 2 Intercessor squads.  His aura can reap hell if given to more dangerous units.  I love to pop him out of an LRC and give those juicy re rolls to all those lovely guns and whatever stabby goodness rode with him, although the LRC is currently generously overpriced (lookin' at you, Chapter Approved).  Best to use his aura on a unit that will both shoot and stab in the same turn to maximize its impact, and you generally don't want to assault with Intercessors.

 

Anyway, a Captain seems more economical.

[Medjugorje]

think so too. Helbrecht is always with crusader squads to buff their special weapons.

[The Spanish Inquisitor]

I alteady used Helbrecht to buff a LRC. It worked so well that its passengers (15 crusaders unit) didn’t have much to do but finish the survivors.

It was a 1000 points game though.

[templargdt]

Helbrecht seems like a bit much as far as just buffing the shooting of 2 Intercessor squads.  His aura can reap hell if given to more dangerous units.  I love to pop him out of an LRC and give those juicy re rolls to all those lovely guns and whatever stabby goodness rode with him, although the LRC is currently generously overpriced (lookin' at you, Chapter Approved).  Best to use his aura on a unit that will both shoot and stab in the same turn to maximize its impact, and you generally don't want to assault with Intercessors.

 

Anyway, a Captain seems more economical.

I was thinking Helbrect for the full reroll to mitigate the -1 to hit from advancing and shooting.  I could go Captain plus CM upgrade strat but that's a lot of CPs when Helbrect is just sitting there, especially since I painted him for Knightfall...

[Firepower]

I'm all for Helbrecht, but I do think he's somewhat wasted on just buffing Intercessor shooting.   You're welcome to do so, naturally. Even if it turns out uneconomical by your metric in the end, your Intercessors will still have their uses without him so they'll be worth painting up either way.

[Schlitzaf]

Intercessors are basically support squads. Sense Crusaders as FauxDevi or Tide are just better at their intended purpose compared to a generalist Intercessor Squad.

 

What Intercessor are good for, is that in the past we’d run 7-11 man Crusader Fire Support Squads, with Cheap Heavy/Special/Special, to help tide squad or be ‘chaff’ for FauxDevies. Intercessors replaces that role effortlessly.

 

Intercessors with Helbrect? I mean, Helbrect is better buffing AssaultTerm or Aggressors. They nominally play better with Helbrect given unlike tide it’s easier for the whole squad to benefit from the strength 5.

 

My food for thought

[tvih]

Intercessors are basically support squads. Sense Crusaders as FauxDevi or Tide are just better at their intended purpose compared to a generalist Intercessor Squad.

 

What Intercessor are good for, is that in the past we’d run 7-11 man Crusader Fire Support Squads, with Cheap Heavy/Special/Special, to help tide squad or be ‘chaff’ for FauxDevies. Intercessors replaces that role effortlessly.

 

For holding objectives Intercessors are pretty nice since they're harder to displace/remove from the objective except with heavier weaponry.

[SydonianDragoon404]

I use one squad of intercessors to fill my repulsor when Im putting hellblasters inside. That way my hellblasters arent dying if the repulsor dies with them inside.

[Marshal Vespasian]

I love the way they look and they are fun to build and paint.

Intercessors might be a good cheapish way to fill a brigade to get some more CP that actually can do something on the table.

Decided on holding off of any more purchases until CA 2018 and Imperium Nihilus I have been properly read and digested.

 

My main gripe is that they are somewhere between a crusader squad and a Sternguard Squad in the tactical niche they fill.

Same cost as sternguard but less effective vs. MEQ. Cheaper than 5 Crusaders with guns but those will also punch way harder. More durable than both, so there is that.

[Blindhamster]

if the veterans special detachment gives some noteworthy buffs to intercessors, I suspect they'll be a pretty sound option for everyone.

Do crusaders really punch that much harder than intercessors? Intercessors have a better gun and the same number of attacks whilst also being more durable than a crusader. The Intercessor sergeant has more attacks with its power weapon (so it has as many attacks with it as the crusader sergeant and an initiate with a power sword combined).

Crusaders hit harder so long as you stock up on nephytes to get the cheap bodies I guess.

[Marshal Vespasian]

If I equip crusades for range I have 3 special weapons.

 

If I equip them for melee I have weight of dice and the same amount of power sword attacks. Also I think the Look of intercessors works in our armies because they look differently. Where we to field 50/50 crusaders and intercessors they wouldnt be special anymore

[Schlitzaf]

if the veterans special detachment gives some noteworthy buffs to intercessors, I suspect they'll be a pretty sound option for everyone.

 

Do crusaders really punch that much harder than intercessors? Intercessors have a better gun and the same number of attacks whilst also being more durable than a crusader. The Intercessor sergeant has more attacks with its power weapon (so it has as many attacks with it as the crusader sergeant and an initiate with a power sword combined).

 

Crusaders hit harder so long as you stock up on nephytes to get the cheap bodies I guess.

When you take a tide squad of Neo/Init Ratio and double PowSword/Double Flamer.

The Crusader Squad damage output:

Melee Tide

3.40 (Melee) + 2.77 (Range) = 6ish Dead (MeQ)

 

Shooty Tide (Grav/DoublePlasma)

1.55 (Melee) + 5.67 or 5.27 (Range) = 7.2 or 6.8 Dead (MeQ)

 

Intercessor (2 Squads, Double Sword)

3.53 (Melee) + 3.4 (Range) = 7ish Dead (MeQ)

 

Intercessor (1 10 Man)

2.84 Melee + 3.33 Melee = 6ish Dead (MeQ)

 

So two MSU Intercessors > 1 Melee but equal Shooty Tide. But Melee Tide and 10 Men are similar but is just the damage focused is different. The main difference is that when it comes to taking wounds. An Intercessor here are 20 wounds over 10 Bodies while Tide 13-16 wounds over 16 bodies, half of which is 4+. Vs small arm fire (1 Damage), Intercessors are better.

 

But if the opponent uses like overPlasma, or Autocannons, even something like THammers. Crusader Squads become better. As losing 1 models only removes 0.33 damage while losing 1 Intercessor loses 0.55 damage (note worthy here that losing two Crusader Squads (2 Wounds) removes 0.66 damage while Intercessors only lose 0.55 per model.

 

Which is due to how Crusader output is weighted to its specials, and power weapons. Adding around 1.2 damage wounds to MeQ vs the Intercessors adding 0.75 or 1.5 if MSU’ing)).