Blood Angels Detachment of the Week series Detachment of the Week: The Lost Brethren

[Jolemai]

Blood Angels Detachment of the Week Series

 

Welcome to part one of the Blood Angels Detachment of the Week series!

 
Following the release of the 10^th edition Codex Supplement, there is no better time to discuss all the units we have access to. Each week a different unit will appear, with the idea being that we discuss how best to use that model on the battlefield. Where part one will discuss the units from the units found within Codex Supplement: Blood Angels, and part two will discuss Codex: Space Marines.
 
Note, this isn't to lament any nerfs, etc, from previous editions; the rules are as they are so try to unlock its potential for those who wish to use them all the same. Similarly, this thread is only for using the option being discussed; it matters not if you feel something is a better choice as such comments aren't constructive to the topic and shall be removed.
 
Without further ado, here's this week's entry:

 

The Lost Brethren

What are you thoughts here folks? How best would you use the The Lost Brethren Detachment?

• How are you building your lists, and at what points level?
• What Characters are you using?
• What units are you using?
• Enhancement synergy of note?
• Stratagem synergy of note?

 

Over to you.

[Darwhine]

Hello, 

regarding the Lost Bethren detachment: 

The detachment revolves around the Death Company keyword; the stratagems all revolve around this keyword (with the exception of Armor of Contempt); the same goes for upgrades that can only be taken by characters with the keyword (i.e., only Death Company captains). 

 

-There is a first problem here: the Oath of the Moment army rule, which allows hits to be rerolled, is already acquired via the Black Rage rule. 

To make an effective list, you must have one or two support units that will benefit from the army rule. 

Death Company units lack effective long-range fire, so they will always need long-range anti-tank support to destroy threats that could impact the Death Company from a distance or to destroy cordons that would prevent them from reaching close combat. 

These units will use the oath of the moment to fulfill their role.

 

Similarly, Black Rage prevents fallback and reduces the Death Company's OC to 0 if a chaplain is not present at 12ps. 

-There is therefore a second problem related to objective holding: Chaplains or scoring units are essential to accompany the Death Company.

Using inexpensive and resilient allied units like Exaction Squads, Subductors, or even Imperial Agents' Inquisitorial Agents can alleviate this problem. 

You can also use classic Space Marine units (e.g., Intercessors, Scouts, etc.), but this can become expensive. A Chaplain will always provide 1 OC at 12", but since we'll be exposing the Death Companies to close combat, they risk dying sooner or later. 

Another solution would be to have a "totem" unit with a Chaplain inside that would stay back 12" .

 

Finally, the detachment rule only activates if the death company unit takes damage. 

-Here is the third problem:

 It forces you to plan for 2-round combat and/or expose your squads to take losses, hoping to survive. 

Unfortunately, if the enemy kills the unit in one go, it won't activate. 

This isn't really the case in close combat thanks to the final retribution stratagem that allows you to strike while dying; with recent dataslates, strikes will automatically be made at less than 50% of the force if the entire unit is killed; which makes it crucial: always keep a PC on you.

As long as you get to melee you are "safe", since whatever happens at least one of your units will be able to hit when dying.

 

-There is a fourth "minor" but important problem: the Death Company on foot (classic and bolters) is tactical and can no longer enter the rhinos. They can only enter dedicated transports in the impulsors and drop pods. This is very problematic because neither of them allows a squad of 10 to be embarked with a character. However, we need large units to absorb losses, the multi small units can easily be taken out in a shooting phase.

This is why I strongly recommend using repulsors (low-cost solution) and especially land-raiders (expensive but more durable and which allow the DC to charge after landing). Both also have solid anti-tank options and will benefit very well from the oath of the moment, solving problem #1.

 

Inquisitors: I highly recommend including Inquisitors in the army. 

As seen in previous posts, Inquisitors can join the battleline, and the DC in this detachment becomes battleline. 

They have two advantages: they "return" 1 hp on 3+ if the squad is targeted by a stratagem; within a DC squad with bolters, they will generate 1 hp on 3+ if the squad uses its alert fire or its free heroic intervention. As we saw in the third issue, we absolutely need hp for the final retribution. In addition, equipped with wounded wardings, it provides an invulnerable save at 6+. According to the basic rules, you can choose your save to parry a wound and thus take your save at 6+ rather than 3+ to cause HP loss and thus trigger the army rule. which partly addresses the third problem.

 

Plasma Pistols: Plasma pistols are available to almost all DC units. This is the only way DC units can "injure" themselves during their shooting phase and benefit from the army rule triggering during the combat phase. I recommend taking as many as possible (in units, but also on the characters that accompany them) by overloading them during the shooting phase, in order to multiply the hazardous tests.

 

Here is an example of a list built around these observations:

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ FACTION KEYWORD: Imperium - Adeptus Astartes - Blood Angels
+ DETACHMENT: The Lost Brethren
+ TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 1995pts
+ ALLIED UNITS: Agents of the Imperium
+
+ ENHANCEMENT: Vengeful Onslaught (on Char4: Death Company Captain)
& Blood Shard (on Char5: Death Company Captain with Jump Pack)
+ NUMBER OF UNITS: 17
+ SECONDARY: - Bring It Down: (2x4) - Assassination: 7 Characters
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Char1: 1x Chaplain (60 pts): Absolver Bolt Pistol, Crozius Arcanum
Char2: 1x Chaplain with Jump Pack (75 pts): Crozius Arcanum, Plasma Pistol
Char3: 1x Chaplain with Jump Pack (75 pts): Crozius Arcanum, Plasma Pistol
Char4: 1x Death Company Captain (80 pts): Master-crafted Chainsword, Heavy Bolt Pistol
Enhancement: Vengeful Onslaught (+10 pts)
Char5: 1x Death Company Captain with Jump Pack (100 pts): Power Fist, Plasma Pistol
Enhancement: Blood Shard (+25 pts)

10x Death Company Marines (160 pts)
  6 with Astartes Chainsword, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  1 with Astartes Chainsword, Plasma Pistol
  1 with Thunder Hammer, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  1 with Eviscerator, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  1 with Eviscerator, Heavy Bolt Pistol
10x Death Company Marines (160 pts)
  6 with Astartes Chainsword, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  1 with Astartes Chainsword, Plasma Pistol
  1 with Thunder Hammer, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  2 with Eviscerator, Heavy Bolt Pistol
10x Death Company Marines (160 pts)
  6 with Astartes Chainsword, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  1 with Astartes Chainsword, Plasma Pistol
  1 with Thunder Hammer, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  2 with Eviscerator, Heavy Bolt Pistol
5x Death Company Marines with Bolt Rifles (85 pts)
  1 with Bolt Pistol, Plasma Pistol, Close Combat Weapon
  1 with Bolt Pistol, Bolt Rifle, Thunder Hammer
  1 with Bolt Pistol, Bolt Rifle, Close Combat Weapon
  1 with Astartes Grenade Launcher, Bolt Pistol, Bolt Rifle, Close Combat Weapon
  1 with Bolt Pistol, Eviscerator

5x Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (130 pts)
  1 with Astartes Chainsword, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  1 with Astartes Chainsword, Plasma Pistol
  1 with Eviscerator, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  1 with Power Fist, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  1 with Astartes Chainsword, Plasma Pistol
5x Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (130 pts)
  1 with Astartes Chainsword, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  1 with Astartes Chainsword, Plasma Pistol
  1 with Eviscerator, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  1 with Power Fist, Heavy Bolt Pistol
  1 with Astartes Chainsword, Plasma Pistol
1x Land Raider (240 pts): Armoured Tracks, 2x Godhammer Lascannon, Hunter Killer Missile, Multi-melta, Storm Bolter, Twin Heavy Bolter
1x Land Raider (240 pts): Armoured Tracks, 2x Godhammer Lascannon, Hunter Killer Missile, Multi-melta, Storm Bolter, Twin Heavy Bolter

11x Exaction Squad (90 pts)
• 9x Exaction Vigilant
    1 with Arbites combat shotgun, Arbites shotpistol, Close combat weapon, Excruciator maul
    1 with Arbites medi-kit, Arbites combat shotgun, Arbites shotpistol, Close combat weapon
    5 with Arbites combat shotgun, Arbites shotpistol, Close combat weapon
    1 with Arbites grenade launcher, Arbites shotpistol, Close combat weapon
    1 with Arbites shotpistol, Close combat weapon, Heavy stubber
• 1x Proctor-Exactant: Nuncio-aquila, Arbites combat shotgun, Arbites shotpistol, Close combat weapon
• 1x Cyber-mastiff: Mechanical bite
Char6: 1x Inquisitor (55 pts): Blessed wardings, Inquisitorial melee weapon, Combi-weapon
Char7: 1x Inquisitor Coteaz (95 pts): Glovodan Psyber-eagle, Bolt pistol, Nemesis daemon hammer, Psychic Blast
6x Inquisitorial Agents (60 pts): Tome-skull
• 5x Agent
    2 with Agent firearm, Agent melee weapon
    1 with Agent firearm, Agent melee weapon, Eviscerator
    1 with Agent firearm, Agent melee weapon, Mystic stave
    1 with Agent firearm, Agent melee weapon, Plasma pistol
• 1x Servitor: Agent melee weapon, Plasma cannon

 

-Each Landraider contains a Death Company squad with a jump pack and chaplain. 

They will disembark at T1, disembarking for 3 seconds, moving 12 seconds (see advance D6, 3 on average) and charging the enemy using the Warthfull Rampage stratagem. 

Before charging, they will fire supercharged plasma, hoping to make a hit to trigger the detachment rule. 

 

-Right next to the Landraiders will be a squad of 10 Death Company units on foot with a chaplain and another of 10 with coteaz. 

Both will board the Landraider at T1 after disembarking the Jump Packs; then the Landraiders will move their 10-inch movement, which should put at least one of the units within charge range of T2, with the disembarking at 3 inch + advance and Wrath Rampage. 

 

-The Death Company squad with bolters is accompanied by an Inquisitor and will be the "CP farm" by performing overwatch. 

 

-A squad of 10 DCs on foot, accompanied by the captain on foot, will be put forward to benefit from the scout movement of 6 inch. 

They will seek to make contact quickly; although exposed, if the enemy destroys them, it will trigger the avenging ouslaught, giving +1 to hit to all DCs. 

 

-The captain with a jump pack is a kamikaze who will commit suicide on large targets and/or slow the enemy. His ability to kill upon death can potentially trigger twice thanks to the resurrection of the blood shard. He will also be able to perform actions near a chaplain. 

 

-The exaction squad will hold the objective at home by bringing back three destroyed figures per turn thanks to the medic kit. 

Imperial agents are there to perform actions at home or in no man's land. 

They have a skull tome that will prevent a Battle Shock (which can be very useful for secondary attacks that end on the opposing turn, such as sabotage).

[HeadlessCross]

2 minutes ago, Darwhine said:

Hello, 

regarding the Lost Bethren detachment: 

The detachment revolves around the Death Company keyword; the stratagems all revolve around this keyword (with the exception of Armor of Contempt); the same goes for upgrades that can only be taken by characters with the keyword (i.e., only Death Company captains). 

 

-There is a first problem here: the Oath of the Moment army rule, which allows hits to be rerolled, is already acquired via the Black Rage rule. 

To make an effective list, you must have one or two support units that will benefit from the army rule. 

Death Company units lack effective long-range fire, so they will always need long-range anti-tank support to destroy threats that could impact the Death Company from a distance or to destroy cordons that would prevent them from reaching close combat. 

These units will use the oath of the moment to fulfill their role.

This really isn't an issue though. Long range anti-tank fire or suicidal Eradicator squads (though obviously less reliant on Oath) are always going to be necessary. 

 

The core problem is that foot Death Company are bad to begin with and the list can't score without adding several Chaplains. It's basically a worse Librarius Conclave or Angelic Inheritors in how reliant you are on characters due to the nature of how bad the detachment rule is. 

[Darwhine]

22 hours ago, HeadlessCross said:

The core problem is that foot Death Company are bad to begin with and the list can't score without adding several Chaplains. It's basically a worse Librarius Conclave or Angelic Inheritors in how reliant you are on characters due to the nature of how bad the detachment rule is. 

I disagree. 

Death Company isn't bad; its greatest strength is that it's incredibly stable, especially in this detachment: you can lose half or even three-quarters of your squad, but as long as you keep your special weapons (gauntlets/eviscerators/hammers) alive, your DPS will remain virtually unchanged. 

You have to kill every last one, otherwise they'll continue to be a threat. 

 

During one game, I charged a venerable GK dreadnough. 

After overloading my pistols and a lucky overwatch from my opponent, I was left with only the Chaplain and a Marine, both with a power fist. 

I spent 1 cp for "Lost to Rage." And with the Chaplain's mortal wounds charging, thanks to the +1 to wound, in addition to the full reroll of hits and wounds, I took him out immediately. 

Just a Chaplain and a jumppack DC with gauntlets.