Thoughts on the new rules from PA2

[Excessus]

So, Astral_Jackal posted the rules for the AL from PA2. We'll probably have to wait for the specific wordings and the descriptions...but here's the gist of it.

Alpha Legion Rules:

Warlord Traits:

1. From Codex

2. -1 to hit rolls against this Warlord.

3. Warlord can target characters. Unmodified Hit rolls of 6 inflict 1 mortal wound in addition to normal damage

4. at the start of the first battle round, before the turn begins. select up to 3 other AL units on the battlefield. redeploy them in your deployment zone

5. Profile on Community Page

6. once per battle, at the end of your Movement phase, you can remove your warlord and redeploy him within 3" of an AL unit and 9" from enemy units.

Stratagems:

1CP: Forward Operatives

- From Codex

2CP: Conceal

- use at start of opponents shooting phase. Select one AL infantry unit. cannot be targeted unless it's the closest visible unit.

1CP: Sabotaged Armoury

- profile on Community website

1CP: Scrambled Coordinates

- use in enemy movement phase, enemy units deploying as reinforcements have to be more than 12" away instead of 9"

1CP: Renascent Infiltration

- Use at the end of the Movement phase. Select one AL Infantry unit more than 3" from enemy models (cannot select units that arrived from reserve). remove that unit and set them up more than 9" from enemy models

2CP: Ambush

- use in opponents Movement phase, after your opponent has set up reinforcements, select one AL unit from your army within 18". they can shoot that unit as if it where your shooting phase.

1CP: Feigned Retreat

- Use in movement phase, select one AL unit, they can shoot after they fell back.

1CP: We are Alpharius

- Use before the battle, after nominating your Warlord, select another AL Character and generate a trait for them. can only use once per battle.

Relics:

Darkscale Plate: Infantry only. 2+ armour save, 5+ "feel no pain"

Mindveil: start of movement phase, while on the battlefield, roll 3D6. until the end of the phase, that models move characteristic is that result. this model can move over other models as if they weren't there (in the movement and charge phase). this model can charge after it fell back.

Hydra's Wail: once per battle, at the start of the turn. for the remainder of the turn, when your opponent uses a stratagem roll a D6, on a 4+ your opponent must spend an additional CP to use that stratagem or it has no effect and the CP spent are lost.

Viper's Wail: Combi-bolter only

- R24", RF2, S5, ap -3, D 2

Hydra's Teeth: Bolt weapon only, Grants the following abilities:

auto hits, wounds on a 2+ unless its a vehicle or titanic in which case it wounds on a 6+, ignores cover.

Shadeblade: Power sword or Force Sword only

- S +1, ap -3, D d3, abilites: -1 to hit against the bearer

onto the Iron warriors!

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/359378-chaos-rumors-in-psychic-awakening-2/?p=5427805

I kinda suddenly converted a sniper lord using the warlord trait.

...but the strange thing is, since the Viper's Wail isn't a bolter you don't get bolter discipline/drill/whatever for it so you have half as many shots but more potent ones. The Hydra's Teeth autohits so can't roll 6:es for those extra MWs...so a regular combi-bolter it is then...cheap and cheerful. :)

[Marshal Loss]

Looks great. A proper 40k style Exodus

[Gederas]

...but the strange thing is, since the Viper's Wail isn't a bolter you don't get bolter discipline/drill/whatever for it so you have half as many shots but more potent ones. The Hydra's Teeth autohits so can't roll 6:es for those extra MWs...so a regular combi-bolter it is then...cheap and cheerful.

Yes you do. If a relic REPLACES a Rapid-Fire Bolt weapon, you get Bolter Discipline/Whatever Chaos Calls it on the weapon.

 

Because I doubt GW will say "no, you don't get it on that weapon", when Codex: Space Marines specifically says "and any Relic that replaces a bolt weapon". Because then they'd have to FAQ that entry as well :lol:

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Arkos is fantastic with these. Take him with the -1 to be hit WLT; combine with Legion Trait & Aura of Dark Glory, he will be at -3 to be shot. He infiltrates naturally which puts him far up the field to use him as a bubble-maker for Scrambled Coordinates.

[ChazSexington]

So, having looked through the Stratagems and Warlord Traits, as it stands, I think we're getting some very fluffy rules that aren't half bad. On the surface, I really, really like them and I give the ruleswriter's an A once they FAQ whether our Relic bolters are bolters. 

 

The issue I see is that unless we get some point drops in CA, we don't really have much use for all the redeploy shenanigans because we don't have that many units that are worth the CPs (relative to SMs and Eldar). While it could be good on a Disco Lord, I'd say there are better Legions/Warbands for fielding them. We're also gonna burn through our CPs reaaaaally fast, and we don't have a way of generating loads of them. However, I think a skilled player, like Jim Vesal of the Neverborn, might be able to do a whole lot more than I can. 

 

I'm definitely gonna reactivate Exodus Protocols. Headhunter and relic bolters aren't great, but it's very fluffy, and I can see them potentially having some mileage in casual games. The issue, as I see it, is range and whether they are treated as bolters. I really hope they are, because it'd be awesome to use Daemon Shell and Bolter Drill with them. I know we can take a pistol and then use Daemon Shell, but that halves the range. 

 

Based on that, I've made a list consisting of

Red Corsairs Battalion

Huron

Sorcerer with pogo stick

2x5 CSMs

20 CSMs  (Icon of Wrath)

 

AL Battalion

Chaos Lord (Exodus)

Sorcerer

30 Cultists

2x5 CSMs

10 Chosen (9x power sword, 1x powerfist, IoE, 5x plasma, 1x combi-plasma)

 

AL Spearhead with Devastation Battery

Chaos Lord

3x5 Havocs (4x HBs, 4x Reaper Chaincannons, 4x Lascannons). 

 

What you'll notice is it gives me 18 CPs and three Psykers, but I'll burn 2 for We Are Alpharius and Specialist Detachment right off the bat, and possibly an extra for a field commander. It isn't massively competitive, but it has teeth, and with enough practice, I think I'll be able to use the redeployment shenanigans and firing out of turn to good effect. My main issue is trying to strike a balance between teeth and CP generation. This list is gonna burn through CPs insanely fast - I was already burning through damn fast when I had a similar list with RC Warp Talons and bikes as a Host Raptorial instead of the Spearhead, but this will burn through even faster.

 

My hope is that CSMs and Cultists drop enough for me to include an extra Dark Apostle post-CA, but I'm not convinced they will.