BA Codex 0.2 Speculation/Discussion

[Xerxus]

The disembarking unit can not activate DoA, realistically it could benefit from +1" charge range and a CP reroll. Not reliable enough imo.

[Panzer]

You don't go for melee units with Drop Pods. Those all already can deep strike on their own. You go for early board control with Tacticals and stuff.

[Aothaine]

You don't go for melee units with Drop Pods. Those all already can deep strike on their own. You go for early board control with Tacticals and stuff.

 

Totally agree here. Board control is what it is all about. You want something resilient and thorny. Something that will put a chink in the enemies plan.

 

 

Though I think this will work a lot better with CSM. Get that drop pod that carries like 15 marines in it to drop turn one. Ouch time.

 

edit: Something I have considered in the past is also to use drop pods a way to block and control where your opponent can move. You can also use them to control objectives around the board. I think drop pods have been under utilized prior to this "turn one" drop rule though. But I'm also one of those flamer loving weirdos and still think flamers are one of the best weapons in the game. Hence why I have three devastator squads with four heavy flamers and a combi flamer on the sgt. :D 

 

When ever you can take some of the randomness out of this game you gain advantage. Auto-hit weapons are super strong. I wonder if it might be worth it to run three 10-man devastator squads with the flamers in those pods that can drop turn one. 30 marines with 12 heavy flamers and 3 flamers dropping on your front line on turn one is no joke. Sure they won't be able to fire that first turn. But your opponent knows what is going to happen turn 2. 

[Gingerninja]

Winter SEO went trough the Chaplain Litanies and if we get them the Canticale of Hate on Astorath and a big blobb of DC could be pretty good.

Canticale of Hate adds 2" to charge and allows a 6" pile-in and consolidate.

 

Imagine Forlorn Fury 15 DC (fearless with Astorath), then UWOF Astorath, I can see the DC kill alot then, especially now when they get 5 attacks on the charge.

[Dont-Be-Haten]

A lot of optimism. I like it.

[Morticon]

Oh. My. God.

[Semirhagge]

Anyone hear about points on infiltrators or Incursors? Or does anyone have a link for a preview/review video that’s easier to understand than Winter SEO or Dark Artisan?

[Gingerninja]

19pts per model for Incursors including warhead. So 95pts for a 5-man squad.

[Semirhagge]

That’s amazing! I also hear Tacticals are down to 60 bare bones. And if the drop pod rule holds true it could be fun!

[lazyj]

Thunder hammers (at least on characters) are up to 40 points each now. 

[Panzer]

Ouch, but justified I guess. They're the best melee weapon on characters by far.

[Frater Antodeniel]

I just watched the White Scars supplement video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS5K004krwI), and i can see a good sign of what will be normally be added to our own codex, which is the Special Issue Wargear (think Relics for Successors and Relic-2 for Blood Angels), and by the look of it, and by comparing it with the Ultramarine supplement, we should see added to our codex :

 

- Adamatine Mantle

- Artificer Armour

- Master Crafter Weapon

- Digital Weapons

 

- And 4 other more specific Blood Angels Special Issue Wargear (with one of them certainly being the rare Bloodshard Bolts.)

 

--------------------------------------

 

Plus following the new Space Marines codex + Supplement trand, maybe, with some hope (for one can still hope^^), something to represent the more Violent Blood Angels successors...something like a Flesh Tearers Supplement. (The is a precedent with the Shield of Baal supplements.)

[Indefragable]

Winter SEO went trough the Chaplain Litanies and if we get them the Canticale of Hate on Astorath and a big blobb of DC could be pretty good.

Canticale of Hate adds 2" to charge and allows a 6" pile-in and consolidate.

 

Imagine Forlorn Fury 15 DC (fearless with Astorath), then UWOF Astorath, I can see the DC kill alot then, especially now when they get 5 attacks on the charge.

 

Saw somewhere that Chaplain Litanies of Hate are:

"Used at the start of a Turn, on a D6 roll of 3+:

 

0. Re-roll all To Hit in combat (every Chaplain auto knows this)

A. Mantra of Strength: +1S +1A +1 +1D to the Chaplain

B. Litany of Faith: 5+++ FNP in 6" bubble

C. Catechism of Fire: unit in 6" bubble gets +1 To Wound if they are attacking closest enemy unit

D. Exaltation of Rage: extra attack on 6+ To Hit in melee

E. Canticle of Hate: +2 charge range in 6"

F. <name unknown>: +1 To Hit for shooting

 

Predictions, based on the idea that we eventually get the above and/or something similar in a new Codex for us:

-generic chaplains with jump packs could provide a lot of utility for us

-Lemartes would be even DOPER to drop in next to a DC bomb, giving +2 to charges + re-rolls?

-I would be willing to be that Reclusiarchs/Head Chaplains/whatever they are called (Astorath, Grimaldus, Cassius, Asmodai, et al) either get them to go off on a 2+ or can cast 2 at at time

-the pessimistic side of me thinks that Lemartes will be locked into having to use his one prayer on either re-roll to hit OR re-roll to charge

-Mass of Doom is definitely getting folded into this somehow

 

VERY interested to see how some of this may/not stack with what we already have

 

Thunder hammers (at least on characters) are up to 40 points each now. 

 

yipes.

 

There's a strategem/relic in the new SM codex that prevents the model from being wounded on a 1-2-3 To Wound roll. There was some other strategem that came out as well. I have a hunch that those, pluse the TH price hike, are meant to give relic blades and other weapons and actual reason to exist over the currrently-way-too-useful TH. I'm thinking they want to make Relic Blades be for taking on characters while TH are for going after big stuff

[Xerxus]

From my understanding Canticle of Hate can not be activated by a chaplain that is not on the board.

[Indefragable]

From my understanding Canticle of Hate can not be activated by a chaplain that is not on the board.

 

That would be quite useful.

[keeblerartillery]

*squeals in 3 unpainted drop pods and loads of old marines*

[Captain Antargo]

What about the Death company rules, what about their updates!

[Blindhamster]

What about the Death company rules, what about their updates!

 

wait for a codex i guess!

[Captain Antargo]

I wish I could!

[Charlo]

 

 

Vanilla codex leaks reveal Drop pods can deep strike turn 1.

 

BROTHERS, COMMENCE STEEL RAIN!

*weeps in Primaris*

Screw em.

 

I'm seeing drop pods deploying forward onto objectives with a free space created by scouts.

 

Tactical squads and the like, double devastator squads in a pod, some vets and a captain in another to make a solid firebase.

 

If we get the Grav wound re-rolls strat that will be excellent and a 7th Ed throwback!

[keeblerartillery]

Meltacides viable again? Fragiosos come back to life?

[Leonaides]

Maybe heavy meltas in dev squads to account for deployment ranges...?

[Panzer]

Meltacides viable again? Fragiosos come back to life?

 

Maybe not Fragiosos since they still have to drop out of flamer range, but DC Dreads with Magna grapple will be fun against unscreened vehicles. :D

[Hintzy]

The new drop pod rule allows for a full blown null-deploy. I wasn't around for that when it existed earlier. Is it worth looking into again? That feels like a prime candidate for an FAQ though. You can also keep pods in reserve past turn 3, which could be highly useful for maybe dropping empty pods on objectives late game.

[Bonzi]

My friends and I got together today to do a partial test of some of the solidly confirmed newer rules. We played 1250 my BA vs my friends Salamanders. We used current point costs and units but added in Shock Assault for all infantry and dress and my friend used the Salamanders expanded chapter tactic from the new codex.

 

We learned a few things:

 

#1. Shock Assault is a fantastic addition for space marines. In the hands of Blood Angels it's truly horrific in it's potency but it makes a nice balance out for Bolter Drill which doesn't really greatly help aggressive and mobile armies. This rule makes even unarmed Infiltraitors a force to fear for anything but dedicated assault units.

 

#2. The Salamanders new durability rules from their CT make them daunting to shift with small arms fire when they're in cover.

 

#3. Suppressors are pretty underwhelming. Both of us ran a squad of three and neither of us got much milage out of them. Their weapons are great but their volume of fire vs cost is poor and the models themselves are far to frail and die to easily. I think without a points drop these guys will be overshadowed by the upgraded Inceptors with their higher fire rate, better toughness and increased wounds and freedom of movement.

 

Eliminators do work. Knowing they are getting more options and play styles is gonna make these guys a common sight to see on the battlefield. For BA these guys offer affordable objective campers who can start breaking down castle buff characters which is a big help as Captain Smash and friends are usually to busy busting higher priorities to chase individual characters.

 

Infiltraitors are surprising. I wanted them for aggressive placement and screening options but their guns do some heavy lifting. Don't be fooled by the lack of AP, that ability to wound on a 6 to hit puts these guys wound efficiency way up. Paired up with a Phobos Libby throwing Scryers Gaze on them and they were wrecking Salamander Intercessors wholesale. I am extremely interested in Incursors and trying out Reivers as well with the new Vanguard powers and warlord traits.

 

That's the big takeaway's. I'm actually excited for even out PDF errata we will get to tide us over. Even if it's only Shock Assault and new Vanguard units, those items alone fill in huge holes in the options BA have via Primaris since we do less gunline building. These small changes are going to have an outsized effect on our Chapter compared to what this means for others. Our Codex may fly high indeed if we get even a fraction of the love were seeing for the adherent chapters.