New to Templars... Help needed

[Slave to Darkness]

So I have taken the plunge and decided to join the ranks of the Templars (well homebrew chapter of Knights) and was wondering about a few things.

 

1. Whats the best loadout for a Crusader squad in a footslogging force?

 

2. Are Scouts better off in mixed units or as dedicated units themselves?

 

3. Las/Heavy Bolter Land Raiders, worth taking or would I be better off sourcing the Crusader weapons off the internet?

 

4. Stratagems and Warlord traits etc, what works best for the Templars?

 

I'm wondering because I have not played against Templars since start of 6th ed, so I'm a bit out of the loop in regards to whats good or not. 

 

Also, what other units would be worth taking in a footslogging force, please don't recommend Primaris though, cant stand the idea of those Abominations sullying the ranks of my Knights (fluffwise they are very vocal about Primaris being a bastardisation of the Emperors work, and doubt Gullimans right to rule, hell they even doubt he spoke to the Emperor).

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. 

[Blender]

Welcome to the Eternal Crusader Slaves to Darkness! I hope you enjoy your stay here.

 

As for your questions I could give some advice:

 

1. If you're running a 15 man - 20 man footslogging unit, then you can either go the shooty route or the melee route. The shooty route just give them all bolters (taking advantage of beta bolter rules maybe a heavy weapon that doesn't suffer too much from movement like a heavy bolter), a combi for the sword brother and an assault special weapon either a melta or plasma gun are popular choices. 

 

If you're going with the melee route, then I've seen some brothers on the forums run their 15 man squads with power axes, power fists, melta guns/flamers and just run them up the board all decked out in close combat weapons. There really isn't a single best option because it depends on who you're fighting and the style of play you want either shooting or combat. Keep in mind Black Templars is a space marine army that follows a shooty codex. So until we get our stand alone, most of your stuff will deal damage by shooting. If you want close combat, i recommend deep striking in assault terminators or company veterans in a drop pod with power swords and storm shields. Fluffy but competitive. 

 

2. Scouts or neophytes as we call them here have their uses. If taken alone, in scout squads, they are useful for being cheap and denying enemy deepstrikes on the board. When taken in the crusader squad, you use them as ablative wounds to take shots from lascannons that would otherwise kill your more precious marines, while your marines take the weaker firearm wounds with their better 3+ save. I suggest trying both styles of neophytes and deciding which fits your playstyle better. 

 

3. Landraiders are not in a good place right now. If you want to take a land raider make it at least two, cause one would get shot off the board on the first turn. Most would suggest landraider crusader but I think the classic phobos landraider have their own place. Just make sure you take them in numbers so you can spread your risk of losing one across the board.

 

4.I like datalink telemetry, the one that when enemy deepstrikes you spend some CP to have a turn shooting at them. Hellfire shells from infantry heavy bolters are a reliable way of getting mortal wounds. When using devastators with cherub with heavy bolters they hit on a 2+ from the sgt's signum, and the cherub lets them shoot twice using the hellfire shell strategem once. Our 4+ deny a psyker ability once per turn is pretty useful. Flakk missile is like the heavy bolter strategem but against flyers is pretty good too.  Warlord traits: master swordsman. Give it to your captain/marshal with thunderhammer or teeth of terra and watch the 6's generate more hits that generate more attacks. 

 

For foot slogging, I have run some MSU crusder squads with lascannons, buffed by company ancient, marshal and lieutenant. So they can shoot get rerolls, and if they die, they can shoot again lol. I prefer shooting cause it is a reliable way of dealing damage. I just have a few dedicated assault units that are used to devastate the enemy backline/distract. 

 

I hope my post helps you, not everyone would agree with my options but from what I read online, and my own experiences, this is what I find to work reliably. 

[Sword Brother Adelard]

(fluffwise they are very vocal about Primaris being a bastardisation of the Emperors work, and doubt Gullimans right to rule, hell they even doubt he spoke to the Emperor).

Is this your personal Crusade fluff?

[Marshal Valkenhayn]

My personal load out is 14 melee crusaders 7 normal 7 neophytes with knives), a chaplain with plasma pistol, and a lieutenant with power axe and plasma pistol all inside  a LR Crusader. You can swap the chaplain for a Marshal with Teeth of Terra or relic blade, or give the lieutenant a power fist. Either way, 2 characters and 14 crusaders are about the right balance of survivability and board coverage for your points. If you want, swap out the Sword Brother's chainsword for a special weapon, but unless you're running black tide I wouldn't bother giving the heavy weapons or special weapons crusader anything special.

 

You can drop the lieutenant and put in a champion, or just go 15 flat crusaders and 1 character, but I've personally found that to perform less well.

 

To answer your questions directly, though:

 

1: I'd do 4 crusaders and 5 neophytes with chainswords/knives, and 1 SGT with power fist and storm bolter. But that's only if you are going hard foot slogging. IE, 6 squads or so. doing it this way lowers the cost a touch and makes it harder to lose squads from morale.

 

2: Don't bother with solo scouts. It's not fluffy and you aren't playing a competitive army anyway. Pure BT are bottom tier. Build lists for fun and for good fights. Get used to lamenting the psychic phase as your 50 percent chance to deny a single power proves to be vastly underwhelming. Enjoy charging headlong into things nobody else would ever dream of, and pump your fist with zeal if it somehow turns out for the better.

 

3: Go crusader. It's over priced, and not having access to Bolter Drill anymore makes me sigh, but the Templar Bomb out of a Crusader isnt' a bad move if you pick your target right. Both Crusaders and the LR Crusader specialize in aggressive anti-infantry, so it works out alright.

 

4: I've had some success putting one of the above Templar Bombs on the field, then also putting down a stormraven with a Helbrecht, Lieutenant, 5 company vets with power swords and combat shields, and an ironclad dreadnought with melta/Chainfist and hurricane bolter. What you do is, put Helbrecht, the Marshal with teeth of terra, the dreadnought, and the company vets in a vanguard detachment. Make it sword brothers. Make the Marshal your warlord, give him the special warlord trait. Then put him in the LR and Helbrecht in the Stormraven. it's about the most dangerous split you can make. Unless your opponent is playing an actual tournament list, there is a chance they will put everything into the Stormraven and it will live. That gives your LR Crusader an entire turn of life to get your boys across the field, and the Stormraven is fast enough to drop your vets in the best spot turn 2. It's also a decent amount of guns early game. You can add in other things as desired with the remaining points. i tend to run backfield gun squads. Stormbolter SB and 3 bolter brothers with a lascannon is my usual 5 man shooty crusader team. I used to rund double plasma + lascannon with them, but they couldn't make their points back against hoard armies, and elites tend to be cagy and out range them. Best to keep them cheap. Sometimes they get completely ignored and the lascannon shots are clutch in a victory.

[Slave to Darkness]

 

(fluffwise they are very vocal about Primaris being a bastardisation of the Emperors work, and doubt Gullimans right to rule, hell they even doubt he spoke to the Emperor).

Is this your personal Crusade fluff?

Yep,close ties to a Hereticus Inq who thinks Guilliman is a Xenos sleeper cell, or some kind of liability due to Eldar friends. Loyal to the Imperium, not to Guilliman. What happened last time a Primarch had control?

 

 

As for the other comments, Ill get round to replying later, using dodgy wiifii in Tescos atm.