I hate Transhuman Physiology

[Wassa]

I thought TP was crazy good before when it was 2CP. Now it’s 1CP or 2CP depending on squad size.

 

I play both Guard with high strength guns and BA who usually wound on 2s in combat, and this stratagem causes all sorts of problems for me.

 

It’s not too bad as Guard as I can quite often pick another target being a shooty army. But playing as BA where I’m 100% committed to that unit having charged it and only being able to attack that one target really sucks.

 

Has anyone got any strategies for working around this stratagem?

[Leonaides]

Hit 2 different units, then accept that one charge will bounce?

[Wassa]

Well they activate it after you declare attacks. Could split 50:50 so it’s not an easy decision for them I guess

[Lukoi]

After you declare an attack. You dont have to declare with all of your units, just one significant enough that they have to decide whether or not to TH then, or save it till later.

 

If your options are so limited that you've only got one option to hammer with, then yes, it's an easy decision for the oppo ent, but that's something to address with your list/tactics.

[Majkhel]

You should have some shooting options that can force the opponent to use Transhuman before you commit to charges. You can also try having a source of re-rolling wounds and maybe something to multiply attacks to ensure enough go through to cripple the unit. 
 

[Lukoi]

You should have some shooting options that can force the opponent to use Transhuman before you commit to charges. You can also try having a source of re-rolling wounds and maybe something to multiply attacks to ensure enough go through to cripple the unit. 

 

 

Transhuman can be used in both phases legally.

 

"Unless otherwise noted, you can use the same Stratagem multiple times during the course of a battle, but you cannot use the same Stratagem more than once in the same phase "

[Majkhel]

Thanks for pointing this Lukoi, you're right ofcourse.
My point is still valid in this, that if you make the a player use his CPs for Transhuman earlier (shooting), he might not be as willing to spend them again in a subsequent phase.

[Shaezus]

I know from my inner circle units that weight of dice is the biggest threat to them. It really is the rock to TPs paper (lol no pun intended). It does stink when your guided missile impacts on that shield, and with the strat it can go on anything Primaris, but there are ways to deal with it.

I wonder if BA will have a stratagem or litany to ignore that in the new book...

Whether that's pure wishful thinking or not, i like that thinking!

[Wassa]

I got excited when I saw the Explosive Judgement stratagem to reroll wounds, but then I realised it was shooting phase only :(

[Jolemai]

It's one stratagem which can only be used once per phase. 

• If it's being spammed, then there's less CP to spend on other things
• Don't attack piecemeal - overload your attacks to cause a headache on what it can be used on
• Factor all this into your list building. The "eggs in one basket" approach may not work too well this edition, so have multiple damage dealers/redundacy
• It only works on Primaris Marines after all. Perhaps you can ignore them and obliterate everything else?

[Warhead01]

 

It's one stratagem which can only be used once per phase. 

• If it's being spammed, then there's less CP to spend on other things
• Don't attack piecemeal - overload your attacks to cause a headache on what it can be used on
• Factor all this into your list building. The "eggs in one basket" approach may not work too well this edition, so have multiple damage dealers/redundacy
• It only works on Primaris Marines after all. Perhaps you can ignore them and obliterate everything else?

 

I think this is very much the right direction. 

Having played Orks for many editions I an say this has worked well for me for the most part excluding ...dice rolls. 

Get your 3 to 1 on for combat activation advantage assault everything and throw garbage in first to possibly trick the other player into spending their key assets before they will really be meaningful or more meaningful. If I understand the stratagem at all it is once per phase and doesn't that also get locked to a single unit. In which case a bate and switch or two ..or three when you can. 

I also favor throwing empty transports in to gum up the works. Some have means of dealing mortal wounds when they roll in. Granted Blood Angels will be different but the principals should carry over. 

I am not sure if this is applicable but throwing a unit into combat that is actually powerful with the intent to up and leave after wasting the enemies time seems profitable. (If you can keep it alive.)

I'm probably out of touch currently with not having played 9th but I feel that learning and using game mechanics could lead to a work arounds but this come from years of GW abusing me as an Ork player, where knowing the rules and how they work were my armies special rule where the codex was void of cool and competitive options. 

Or I missed the mark completely. 

 

[Jolemai]

Another point would be to adopt the same approach when facing storm shields, gun drones, and the like: spam them with bolter fire (or in this case, stuff that Transhuman Physiology will be useless on). Enough dice gets through anything.

[Wassa]

Yeah I could charge multiple things, but then that leaves me open to the counter attack stratagem.

 

I could spam bolter shots, but thats not very BA like.

[BluejayJunior]

I mean, BA still use bolters and other guns. Ranged weaponry is still part of BA strategy. 

[Blindhamster]

Yep. Dont fall into the trap of assuming we are khorne berserkers.

 

Combined arms is the loyalist marine way, regardless of chapter.

[Majkhel]

Exactly, don't get too stuck in your mind into the perceived 'way of the Blood' or however we call the way BA might fight. Fluff is one thing (and it was evolving for quite some time), rules and meta is another (and those too change quite often). Blood Angels are not World Eaters, nor are they Space Wolves. We tread our own path and 'holy Bolter' is historically a solid part of this path for any Astartes. It doesn't mean we become Imperial Fists, because we use Bolters. Or that we become Salamanders because we can use all-Heavy Flamer Devastators, et cetera.

[Shaezus]

I got excited when I saw the Explosive Judgement stratagem to reroll wounds, but then I realised it was shooting phase only :(

You've partly answered your own question right there though. Throw in a warlord captain giving bonus to hit and rerolls - and if you're running sanguard you should do this anyway - and for that 1CP you have the perfect tool for overcoming transhuman.

 

Already S4 so you're not wasting your high S shooting. +1 to hit. rerolling hits and wounds. Really, what more can you ask for.

 

Keeping the hit buffs for melee, an 8 - man sanguard squad with swords can reliably kill 4 or 5 transhuman TEQ in one turn.

[Majkhel]

 

Keeping the hit buffs for melee, an 8 - man sanguard squad with swords can reliably kill 4 or 5 transhuman TEQ in one turn.

....and if you used Explosive judgement earlier on said TEQs, you might just killed say 2 more. Perhaps enemy player will now hesitate to use TP on an already depleted unit? And if he still does it, that will be pretty much wasted CP, because said unit will have it's back broken at the end of your fight phase.

And it is not bad for your unit to end your turn locked in combat with a weakened opponent where it cannot be shot at by enemy's scary guns. You will still probably kill it in the enemy's fight phase.

Edited November 8, 2020 by Majkhel

[Lukoi]

Thanks for pointing this Lukoi, you're right ofcourse.

My point is still valid in this, that if you make the a player use his CPs for Transhuman earlier (shooting), he might not be as willing to spend them again in a subsequent phase

 

Always true, deplete those resources!

[Covenant]

I am with OP. I think TP is a poor Strategem. I would have liked it better if it was -1 to wound (6s always wound). For me it doesn't realy make sense that Bolters don't care but LasCans are effekted... And it would not collide with our special rule...

[Indefragable]

 

I am with OP. I think TP is a poor Strategem. I would have liked it better if it was -1 to wound (6s always wound). For me it doesn't realy make sense that Bolters don't care but LasCans are effekted... And it would not collide with our special rule...

It’s not that bolters don’t care or are superior to lascannons. It’s that bolters can be brought to bear in greater numbers than lascannons and can be leveraged more efficiently to make more wounds get through.

 

The idea is a superhuman warrior tanking a shot that would otherwise kill a lesser being, but not being able to withstand a full magazine of bolter fire over a prolonged period.

 

I really am not seeing the ire against this strat when for years people have wanted marines to be more durable...

...it’s just weird fluff to say that Brother Bob stood there and took a planet-cracking vortex torpedo salvo from orbit to the chin and had a better chance of surviving than a single stub pistol shot.

 

I understand the crunch of it, it’s just odd overall to me. I don’t care that much overall and other Factions have de facto similar abilities (SoB have a relic that does essentially the same thing to the bearer).

[BluejayJunior]

Don't know how you're getting that a stub pistol would more likely kill a marine when using THP. 

The strat is playing on the concept that marines are so tough that even a single shot from a high powered weapon is still only as likely to kill them as a bolt shell. Seems pretty fluffy to me. 

[Rhavien]

 

 

I am with OP. I think TP is a poor Strategem. I would have liked it better if it was -1 to wound (6s always wound). For me it doesn't realy make sense that Bolters don't care but LasCans are effekted... And it would not collide with our special rule...

It’s not that bolters don’t care or are superior to lascannons. It’s that bolters can be brought to bear in greater numbers than lascannons and can be leveraged more efficiently to make more wounds get through.

 

The idea is a superhuman warrior tanking a shot that would otherwise kill a lesser being, but not being able to withstand a full magazine of bolter fire over a prolonged period.

 

I really am not seeing the ire against this strat when for years people have wanted marines to be more durable...

...it’s just weird fluff to say that Brother Bob stood there and took a planet-cracking vortex torpedo salvo from orbit to the chin and had a better chance of surviving than a single stub pistol shot.

 

I understand the crunch of it, it’s just odd overall to me. I don’t care that much overall and other Factions have de facto similar abilities (SoB have a relic that does essentially the same thing to the bearer).

The vortex torpedo would do some mortal wounds I guess, so TP would be useless. And the stub pistol doesn't has a higher chance, but just the same if the torpedo doesn't do mortal wounds.

All in all I don't see a problem with TP for non deathwing marines, but for those they surely went overboard.