Unit of the Week: Terminator Assault Squad

[Jolemai]

Welcome to part three of the Blood Angels Unit of the Week Series!

Following the release of the 8^th edition Codex, there is no better time to discuss all the units we have access to. Each week a different unit will appear, with the idea being that we discuss how best to use that model on the battlefield. Where part one will focus on the unique BA units and part two will focus on BA units that are new to this edition of the Codex, part three will discuss how to get the best use the generic units from the past that are still with us (and that many of us have in our armies still).

Note, this isn't to lament any nerfs, etc, from previous editions; the rules are as they are so try to unlock its potential for those who wish to use them all the same. Similarly, this thread is only for using the option being discussed; it matters not if you feel something is a better choice as such comments aren't constructive to the topic and shall be removed.

Without further ado, here's this week's entry:

Terminator Assault Squad

Assault TDA, Spagunk

What are you thoughts here folks? How best would you use a Assault Terminators?

• To compliment a list, or to build a list around? Will the beta rules affect your list(s)?
• Will you be running multiples? MSU or full squads? Combat Squads?
• Footslog, transport, or Teleport Strike?
• What weapon choices do you prefer and how much does it depend on the above choices? How are you using the Teleport Homer?
• Are you buffing this unit? If so, how?
• Stratagems of note?

Over to you

Nb: Please note that Cataphractii Terminator Squad, Tartaros Terminator Squad, and Terminator Squad will be covered in a separate entry

Edited June 7, 2019 by Jolemai

[Jolemai]

Should you want your model on display here (or on another thread from the series), then submit a photo here please.

[t-dog1996]

In terms of loadout, I would actually say that, unlike in previous editions, I would go with Lightning Claws over the TH/SS setup. It gives them an extra attack, making them more useful against the hordes you see so often these days. 16 attacks is a lot more than 11 when you're trying to take out a squad to get a crucial victory point, especially when you're rerolling to wound. Against most infantry the S8 D3 and AP-3 is kinda redundant, and against vehicles we have better options. Taking Lightning Claws also keeps the cost down. Loss of the 3+ invuln kinda hurts but it's not so serious IMO.

 

In terms of getting them into combat, I think ultimately a Land Raider is likely the only viable way to deliver these guys. Teleport Strike isn't reliable enough with Descent of Angels not usable for them, and if they footslog they will likely get shot off the board before they can do anything useful, especially with only a 5 inch move. I would go for a Land Raider Crusader in most cases as this gives them the option to have a character come along with them. 

 

On that front, I would go with a Chaplain. The +1 strength from a Sang Priest is less important with lightning claws as we have the Red Thirst and you're rerolling wounds, but those extra hits will go a long way.

[Zephaniah Adriyen]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Termies. I've only got one Terminator unit, and it ain't even Loyalist, but MMMMMMMMMMM.

 

Ahem, anyway. I'd run Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield. Instant delet to any target you put them on, and 3+ invuln is so sweet. Teleport in, instantly charge, wreck face.

[t-dog1996]

Teleport in, instantly charge, wreck face.

 

Well that's just the problem. Your odds of making a 9 inch charge aren't fantastic even if you use command reroll on one of the dice. Too much risk of leaving a massive point sink dead in the water. A Land Raider is a big investment regardless of pattern, but it can do a fair bit of face wrecking itself and provides a reliable delivery system.

[Zephaniah Adriyen]

I mean, I've pulled off the teleport>charge>wreck strat running Blightlords and Typhus together before, and they're even harder to recover from a failed charge. Half the Advance rolls, plus reduced base movement.

[dice4thedicegod]

Yeah, but a 9” charge will come off about one time in four (28% chance). You don’t want to base a strategy/army build around those kinds of odds

[The Unseen]

Yeah.

Like, using Descent of Angels on a unit of DC with a charge reroll from lemartes is the closest we can get to a charge from deep strike you can build around, since that sits just above 90% success rate if your also willing to spend 1 cp for a reroll if you roll like 1,3,4.

And even that I'd call more a calculated gamble.

 

I'd say using either a land raider, or stormraven would be the go to.

Both tough enough to survive some attention, fast enough to get there turn 2, and shoot some stuff along the way, allowing the termies to get to beat things faces in.

And it's gotta be ss/hammer, twin LCs I'd I'd rather run on Vanguard Vets.

[Arkhanist]

For twin LC, I'd be thinking cataphractii as the 4++ means they don't feel the loss of the storm shield so much. TH+SS is unique to Indomitus Assault Terminators and is such an iconic loadout for us in particular. Deep strike on turn 1 and charge turn 2 (if the 50/50 turn 1 charge failed ) was somewhat viable, but now it's a good chance they won't charge until turn 3 with the deep strike change I think they need a ride. Stormraven full of assault terminators with a Furioso dreadnought mag-locked to the back is definitely thematic with the opportunity for maximum Angelic artwork, even if it has the biggest bullseye in your army painted on it!

[Charlo]

What makes Thunderhammers so good is the flat 3 damage. You want them hitting big stuff to make it worth it.

 

Lightning Claws are OKAY, but I think that role can be done elsewhere, cheaper.

[Panzer]

I'm personally not a fan of Thunderhammers on WS3+ A2 models as it means you only hit once per model on average which is really not a whole lot for how much they cost. Then again I'm also not a fan of Lightning Claws because even with the additional attack and the wound re-roll they are not enough to properly deal with hordes in time.

So it really comes down to the Stormshield for me. Unfortunately it does nothing against AP-1 weapons which there are plenty of in the game, even multi-damage ones, so Terminators still die quickly no matter what. AP-2 is pretty rare and AP-3 is mostly Plasma which again comes with D2 which means a 1/3 chance per wound for a Terminator to die which is still a whole lot better than the 5+ save other Terminators have against it.

 

I think Assault Terminators are in the worst spot for us, not just because they are not that great in general, but also because they have other units to compete with like Sanguinary Guard. If I had to use them I'd go with Stormshields and use them as distraction Carnifex. Drop them down where the opponent doesn't want to have them and let them look dangerously while the rest of your army threatens other parts of the board. If they happen to make the charge out of reserves and without ending up in a screen then that's the cherry on the top but nothing anybody should rely on unless they baked their dice.

Add in a Standard of Sacrifice for taste but plan ahead and prepare to use it together with other units as well once the Terminators are gone.

[t-dog1996]

I'm personally not a fan of Thunderhammers on WS3+ A2 models as it means you only hit once per model on average which is really not a whole lot for how much they cost. Then again I'm also not a fan of Lightning Claws because even with the additional attack and the wound re-roll they are not enough to properly deal with hordes in time.

So it really comes down to the Stormshield for me. Unfortunately it does nothing against AP-1 weapons which there are plenty of in the game, even multi-damage ones, so Terminators still die quickly no matter what. AP-2 is pretty rare and AP-3 is mostly Plasma which again comes with D2 which means a 1/3 chance per wound for a Terminator to die which is still a whole lot better than the 5+ save other Terminators have against it.

 

I think Assault Terminators are in the worst spot for us, not just because they are not that great in general, but also because they have other units to compete with like Sanguinary Guard. If I had to use them I'd go with Stormshields and use them as distraction Carnifex. Drop them down where the opponent doesn't want to have them and let them look dangerously while the rest of your army threatens other parts of the board. If they happen to make the charge out of reserves and without ending up in a screen then that's the cherry on the top but nothing anybody should rely on unless they baked their dice.

Add in a Standard of Sacrifice for taste but plan ahead and prepare to use it together with other units as well once the Terminators are gone.

 

I disagree over the Lightning Claws, but for sure TH/SS build could work as a distraction carnifex. People do have a tendency to panic when they see things like that. Even so, 205 points is a lot for a unit that's only there to draw fire.

[Indefragable]

A 2W 2+/3++ unit will hold out a surprisingly long time with no additional support. My perennial Black Templar frenemy used to drop a squad of TH/SS termies (or two, depending on how competitive we were being) into my backlines. They would soak up so much fire it was not even funny.

 

Add in the 5+++ of the Standard of Sacrifice...

 

Any Assault termies greatly benefit from the Terminator Ancient w/ the SoS upgrade. Now they are re-rolling all To Hit, are +1Ld (why not?) and get 2+/3++/5+++. That will really infuriate an opponent. You may even survive the march up the board to smack something.

 

If you want to go Lightning Claws, I highly recommend Corbulo as well for the +1S and exploding 6's. I made another post about just how utilitarian S5 is, and AP-2 with a bunch of attacks, re-rolling To Hit and To Wound will really hurt some folks.

 

Build:

Hidden Content

Brother Corbulo

Mephiston

Terminator Ancient

-Standard of Sacrifice

Terminators (of any flavor) x 6

-dual Lightning Claws

Land Raider Crusader

-Multi-melta

-Storm bolter

-Hunter-Killer Missile

 

863pts

 

I like to couple with Killshot Predators and Razorbacks for armor saturation.

 

Presents a fun alternative to have an excuse to use models you may have while also being crunchy enough to do damage when used appropriately.

 

Alternatively, go 5x Termies and throw in 2x stock Company Vets to eat wounds for Meph+Corb and/or be the mooks if/when the LRC goes boom.

 

[Vermintide]

Ahhh, assault terminators. I've posted a couple of times about these dudes already, because it's sort of a pet project of mine to make Terminators great again :D For Blood Angels especially, if you're a fan of the old school 40k look and feel, I think Terminators should be more or less mandatory.

 

To start with, I think TH/SS is the way to go. As other people have pointed out, we already have great anti horde melee units in the death company, SG, and so on. Thunder hammers are just simply one of the best character/vehicle killing weapons in the game, and that 3++ can be pretty tough to shift. If your opponent drowns you in small arms, sure, you're gonna lose a couple of guys each turn, but much like the Necron Wraiths, these guys have the potential to seriously frustrate an opponent and take a lot of the heat off of the rest of your army.

Secondly, I think the key to using these guys, is that you should go deep, and take at least 10. Yeah, they're expensive, but a squad of 5 of them is just underwhelming, whereas 10 or more starts to look pretty frightening. You benefit from this in multiple ways- Firstly, they're even harder to remove, and you have more bodies to soak up the inevitable casualties. Secondly, your suppporting characters will become exponentially more valuable. A terminator captain brings 5 extra attacks with a hammer of his own at higher WS (with the Hammer of Baal of course), or a chaplain letting you reroll your 1s and 2s (and given the Artisan of War to make his crozius in to a mini-hammer) is amazing for these guys. A librarian can cast Rage to give them all an extra attack- That's potential for an extra 30 wounds with one power. Thirdly, if you're deep striking, you can split them into combat squads, and vastly increase your chances of making at least one charge.

 

Deep striking is the one aspect I'm undecided on with these guys. In the games I've used them in, I've had just about the same level of success by footslogging and advancing them as I have deep striking them. One of the major flaws is that they have no supporting stratagems or psychic powers to help them make a charge. I feel like Blood Angels should really have been given a generic "add 3" to charge" or "re-roll railed charges" type of stratagem/power that works on any unit.

One of the things I'm planning to do is write a cheesy list featuring 10 Assault Terminators, supported by all three Terminator characters. It's a considerable investment of points, but when keeping the troops choices lean, I can still fit two Dreds, a Predator, a blob of Hellblasters and a large contingent of Death Company at 2000pts. With a few more tweaks I think I can even fit in a second Chaplain for the DC. It might not be the most competetive list in the world but on paper I think it has some major killing potential.

[The Unseen]

Something else I realized, maybe a Storm Eagle would be worth it to transport these guys? Got a capacity of 20, which is more than enough for a meaty squad and a support character. Faster than a Land Raider, and about as durable? (+1 Toughness vs -1 To be Hit is comparable, and changed depending on what weapon is shooting at you)

 

I'm kinda tempted to try a unit of 8 hammers with a terminator ancient in a casual game. Just a great big brick of them to dump in the opponents face turn 2.

[Spagunk]

Nothing to add other than I posted my assault termies in the showcase thread in the bigger size as the gallery is working properly again.

[FormelyKnownAsSmashyPants]

I’ve said this about other units, but what are people’s thoghts for a mixed load out on these guys. A couple of TH/SS and a couple of LC guys, then either TH/SS or LC on the sarge? Maybe throw in a Chplain, eve just in power armour and a Sang Priest, in a LR of choice.

[Charlo]

The problem with mixed is that the weapons are *so different*. TH will annihilate normal infantry but waste the multiple damage whereas LC will inflict a few wounds here and there but not enough to crack the tough stuff.

 

The advantage however is you can save some points and tank small arms on the LC and high ap shots on the shields...

[Quixus]

What are you guys thinking of loading a squad in a Stormraven instead of a Land Raider?

[Captain Antargo]

For my Assault Terminators I would give them Thunder Hammers and Storm shields giving them that extra power and 3+ invulnerable save!

[dice4thedicegod]

In a stormraven, TH&SS is probably a good way to go - as you have more chance to drop where you want and the raven is good at clearing screens. Out of a classic landraider, I think I’d prefer claws (let the landraider shoot big things, while the terminators kill middleweight opposition and stop the LR getting based)

[Quixus]

I agree with you on the Phobos Land Raider, but the Cursader is pretty much only good for chaff clearing.

[dice4thedicegod]

I think that the crusader was just about playable when they got beta bolters but not now. Nowadays stormraven > crusader, no question.

[RyanT2112]

Build with Storm Raven Gunship (built for anti-Horde)

 

1 Chaplain (standard)

1 Brother Corbulo (+1 Str, 1 Reroll per turn, 6s generate extra attack aura)

4 TH&SS Terminators, Sgt gets Lightning Claws -- That's 8 TH+SS attacks for the big stuff, STR 10, AP-3, 3 DMG meaning they can wound anything T8 on 2s on the charge.

 

Chaplain helps rerolls 1s and 2s -- Sgt helps clear some of the 'swarm' -- Chaplain and Corbulo support.

 

If you want to get even more fun, add a jump pack librarian to deep strike with him on turn 2 and cast Unleash Rage on the Terminators. Now they all get +1 attack.

 

If you want to get more mean, start your Sanguinary Ancient (with Banner of Sacrifice) on your table side in the middle of some stationary Intercessors on an objective -- Turn 2 AWoF to move him 9" away from an enemy, Terminators do the charge (from disembark+move) - Characters follow - Now you also use 3d6 charge for your Ancient and he's in.

 

You can swap the Ancient (durability) for the Sanguinor (+1 attack)

 

Now you've got +1 attack aura, +1 attack psychic power, reroll all failed hits (except 3s)..... I mean ouch.

Edited June 7, 2019 by RyanT2112

[Jolemai]

Build with Storm Raven Gunship (built for anti-Horde)

 

1 Chaplain (standard)

1 Brother Corbulo (+1 Str, 1 Reroll per turn, 6s generate extra attack aura)

4 TH&SS Terminators, Sgt gets Lightning Claws -- That's 8 TH+SS attacks for the big stuff, STR 10, AP-3, 3 DMG meaning they can wound anything T8 on 2s on the charge.

 

Chaplain helps rerolls 1s and 2s -- Sgt helps clear some of the 'swarm' -- Chaplain and Corbulo support.

 

If you want to get even more fun, add a jump pack librarian to deep strike with him on turn 2 and cast Unleash Rage on the Terminators. Now they all get +1 attack.

 

If you want to get more mean, start your Sanguinary Ancient (with Banner of Sacrifice) on your table side in the middle of some stationary Intercessors on an objective -- Turn 2 AWoF to move him 9" away from an enemy, Terminators do the charge (from disembark+move) - Characters follow - Now you also use 3d6 charge for your Ancient and he's in.

 

You can swap the Ancient (durability) for the Sanguinor (+1 attack)

 

Now you've got +1 attack aura, +1 attack psychic power, reroll all failed hits (except 3s)..... I mean ouch.

 

Re-roll the 3s on the thunderhammers too. Trouble is, this is the the whole "too many eggs in one basket" argument and you'll likely get focused (Stormraven strategies to come in another article). Sadly, I really struggle with this setup :(