Chapter Champion - Gameplay Article

[Captain Idaho]

As part of the self righteous series of articles, I'm going to talk about my favourite unit in for Ultramarines, the Chapter Champion.

 

This is a big one for us here. The Ultramarines have a superb character for an elite slot for a very competitive points cost. Due to how he is a unit selection in his own right, he deserves his own discussion and this will be a great place to build a community well of ideas.

 

Equipment

 

Already well equipped with a Master-crafted Power Sword and a 2+ save, there are plenty of choices to make him even more formidable. Personally I feel weapons are what he needs as he is only S4, with the Blade of Triumph being the stand out choice above the Burning Blade due to D3 over D2. The AP of both weapons will carve through the majority of targets that they will face, with invulnerable saves cutting into the effectiveness of high AP.

 

Potential for the Tarentian Cloak of course, as it will give him a 5+ invulnerable save and regenerating, though as he only has 4 wounds it isn't necessarily a great choice. Consider he does already have a 2+ save so against any weapons AP-3 or worse he doesn't need such an invulnerable save. So I would save the Relic slot.

 

The Helm of Censure is reasonable if you can get him up against Astartes but against characters he'll be re-rolling things anyway.

 

In short, give him the Blade of Triumph and enjoy it.

 

Warlord Traits

 

There are a few choices here and these can change his use somewhat.

 

The obvious one I favour is The Imperium's Sword, since its benefits are very obvious in building a combat offensive character. An extra strength and attack will be quite powerful and potentially mean you don't even need a weapon Relic upgrade when striking infantry. The additional attack will help the weapons of any stripe so this is definitely a solid choice.

 

There is some utility as a counter attack force using Nobility Made Manifest which could be useful, though I imagine piling into a combat with a unit when the Champion is about to smash face won't always need to happen.

 

Lastly, I had an idea will discuss this at the end as a potential build I considered recently...

 

Martial Paragon build

 

Although potentially CP heavy (you're likely giving a Chapter Champion a Relic remember) there is the option to grant this model 2 Warlord Traits and create a fairly unique build.

 

The Martial Exemplar and Paragon of War Warlord Traits can combine to create a model that can produce quite a few Mortal Wounds.

 

Firstly, Martial Exemplar relies on opponents attacking a Chapter Champion which will happen since he will be on the front line. Thanks to his Skillful Parry rule, any rolls of a 1 or 2 will activate this ability. Sure, it's only on a 4+, but a 3rd of all attacks will make that attempt. Each one will tally up.

 

The Paragon of War Warlord Trait is more straightforward since it works on 6s to wound. Having a native 5, Shock Assault and The Champion's Blade will mean 7 chances to generate a Mortal wound.

 

This build might work well with Digital Weapons since it is a free additional attack and hits on a 2+ for a Mortal Wound.

 

Ultimately I don't think this will be game breaking but is quite interesting and likely fun. I'd actually suggest this is an infantry blender, since you get a large number of attacks, but S4 is fairly weak so perhaps sticking to a nice Relic sword would mean when you don't score Mortal Wounds you'll still have a good kill count.

 

In game use

 

This model can be the tip of a spear or a solid counter attack as needed by your list and preferences.

 

I am making the assumption you are using the Blade of Triumph, simply because it is so powerful and the stand out top choice. As such, there are few targets a Champion can't threaten in this game.

 

Characters are obviously the best units for a Chapter Champion to target but hitting on 2s with a S6/7 (explaining that later) will hurt just about all infantry, including the dreaded Custodes and Grotesques thanks to Damage 3.

 

I'd even consider charging a Chapter Champion into a Knight character since he can finish one handily enough.

 

Against infantry you are looking at a large number of attacks too, which will be surprise and worry many opponents.

 

I like to stick him into a transport and give him some bodyguards. He will be carving through enemies so something survivable is all you need. Things with Storm Shields will be the first port of call I feel.

[mel_danes]

Would pairing him up with the Victrix Guard be a good use case? Together they track wounds for him, and can slay in their own right.

[Captain Idaho]

I think that is a reasonable combat force. Only problem is if you stick the Chapter Champion in a transport you'll leave them behind. Or require a 2nd transport for them.

 

So for the build it will be workable.

 

Ordinary Honour Guard would work in a similar manner, being cheaper and able to hitch a ride in a transport.

 

Hmmm.

 

Maybe the old band can get back together? Honour Guard, the Chapter Champion and Chapter Ancient. Give the Chapter Ancient the Standard of Maccragge Inviolate and you amplify how many attacks they get too.

 

If I went down that route, I'd likely want to get a Company Veterans squad in there with some power weapons for more attacks.

[Joukernaut]

A cheap chaplain would be a decent addition to a small killteam like that. Stick them in a rhino, rush it forward, pop smoke, get stuck in after the rhino eats overwatch, get shot to bits next turn, maybe the champion can survive due to the character rule andget stuck in again.

[Riddlesworth]

Am I right in thinking that successor chapters dont get access to chapter champion, Victrix guard etc. Or is it just the named characters like Calgar that are excluded?

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

I don’t think they have access.

[Kallas]

Am I right in thinking that successor chapters dont get access to chapter champion, Victrix guard etc.

 

You are correct. They are specifically <ULTRAMARINES> and don't have a <CHAPTER> option.

 

That said, depending on your area you might be able to run your Successor as Ultramarines (obviously you'd be using the UM Chapter Tactic). My area is pretty good for allowing counts as.

[jonjacob]

The are not useable due to keywords?

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Use F&F.

[Captain Idaho]

It'll cost you a CP and won't be quite as good as the Ultramarines version, but a Company Champion upgraded to Chapter Champion will still be effective.