2.5k Emperor's Children - First List!

[sarovian]

 

Hi all, first post, looking for some list feedback. Never written a list or played a game of Heresy, but I've got a burning desire to since getting the AoD box. There's a 2.5k event coming up near me, which also serves as excellent motivation to get everything painted. I built the AoD box around what felt cool, rather than towards any specific list and it's challenging me a bit here - while I'm not setting out to win, I'd also rather not lose turn 1.

Anyway, the list:

EC, running Pride of the Legion RoW, total 2500pts:

• HQ
  • Praetor - 195
    • Paragon Blade
    • Power Fist
    • Sonic Shriekers
    • Warlord Trait - Bloody Handed
• Troops
  • 10 Cataphractii - 875
    • Phoenix Power Spear
    • 4x Pairs Lightning Claws
    • 5x Power Fists
    • 2x Reaper Autocannon
    • Sonic Shriekers
    • Spartan w/ Flare Shield
  • 15 Tactical Marines - 200
    • Phoenix Power Spear
    • Vexilla
    • Chain Bayonets
  • 10 Assault Marines - 205
    • Phoenix Power Spear
    • Sonic Shriekers
    • 3x Plasma Pistols
• Elites
  • Contemptor Dreadnought - 220
    • Power Fist w/ Plasma Blaster
    • Chainfist w/ Meltagun
    • Havoc Launcher
  • 10 Palatine Blades - 380
    • 9x Phoenix Rapiers
    • Phoenix Power Spear
    • Sonic Shriekers
  • Apothecarion Detachment - 45
    • 1 Apothecary
• Fast Attack
  • Javelin Attack Speeder - 105
    • Lascannon
    • Multi-melta
• Heavy Support
  • 10 Kakophoni - 275

Vague plan would be to run the Contemptor and Spartan-with-Cataphractii straight up the middle, point the Javelin at anything vehicle-shaped, and point the Palatine Blades with Praetor at anything power-armour-wearing. Kakophoni + Apothecary pin whatever the Palatines want to charge, while the Marine squads do what Marine squads do - either score or get in the way as needed. I appear to not have a lot to deal with much of anything at range - I'm inclined to think this is normal for a melee army, but coming from 40K Guard I do feel uncomfortable with it.

Some specific questions I have:

1. Is my lack of other transports going to get me shot off the board?
2. Is this the right number of power armour bodies to run at this game size? Should I be going more elite? Less elite?
3. Are Kakophoni a waste of the single HS slot?
4. As is, how would you play this list?
5. If you're mortally offended by this list, how would you change it? (See below)

List of other stuff that I have, for reference, to swap in and out:

• 10 power sword + boltgun Veterans
• 10 chainsword + boltgun Tactical Marines
• +5 chain bayonet Tactical Marines
• 10 plasma Support Marines
• 10 melta Support Marines
• 10 unbuilt mk3 Marines, that I'm debating making into either Breachers or bare-bones Despoilers?
• I also have two Rhinos on backorder but I don't know if they'll be here in time for the event.

Any advice welcome, please be gentle

[TheNineteenth]

On 7/14/2022 at 3:26 PM, sarovian said:

Any advice welcome, please be gentle

In general, I am a fan of what you have here.

Since you are doing PotL, and thus have limited to 1 FA and 1 HS, why not run the Tacticals as multiple Veterans Squads, which also get Line in PotL? Perhaps you're running Tacs simply for points thrift?

Given your Rhino backorder, I can't help but wonder if something like The Maru Skara that gives Outflank (and makes non-Heavy units +1 M up the board) would be a good stop-gap? Those Melta Support could also be a nasty thing to bring in from the side, given your lack of transports.

Maybe you read it differently, but I see Plasma as having gotten a huge nerf, and Plasma's primary target (Terminators) as having gotten a huge boost (100% more wounds for Tarts and Catas, and 50% for the nasty Legion Specific Terminators that already had 2 and now all have 3), so I don't think the Plasma Pistols on the Assault Marines make sense. What about Combat Shields and maybe a Jump Pack and another Apothecary if you can bash one together?

I was going to suggest you give the Palatine Blades jump packs... and then noticed that option is not present in the 'Nuj Testament (I guess I will be giving some Despoilers their wings in my own EC collection lol). That said, they would also really benefit from Outflank or the +1 M up the field in The Maru Skara.

Edited July 22, 2022 by TheNineteenth
another thought