New Drop Pod tactics?

[Malakithe]

Anyone coming up with some spicy stuff for the new Pods? 10 AI with 5+ FNP via Priest could be a headache turn 1 up the board. for BGV with FF Chappy.

[Karhedron]

The issue with using them as a straight melee-delivery option is that you are limited by the 9" charge. If you want to deliver a hammer unit, I think you still need to splash out on Jump Packs or a Land Raider.

 

Where I see Drops having value is to deliver short-ranged shooty units, anvil units or mixed-shooty assault units. For example, DC with Bolters can put down decent firepower when they arrive and if they do not make their 9" charge, they are still a potential threat to enemy units with their free HI.

 

One combo that sounds good in my head is 6 BGVs and a Chaplain with Speed of the Primarch and a 5-man DC with bolters unit in a pod. That is a pretty tasty package. If the BGVs make their charge, fantastic. But if they do not they are still a solid anvil unit, that Chaplain grants Fights First and +1 to Wound which reduces their reliance on getting the charge. The Chaplain also keeps the DC in check.

 

There are plenty of more conventional units as well like Infernus Marines, Hellblasters and Sternguard. Putting a 10-man squad of any of these in a Pod is definitely good and still leaves room for Mephiston to get a ride into the action if you wish. 10 Hellblasters, Apothecary and Mephiston sounds like a pretty good payload in an Angelic Inheritors list.

[Malakithe]

The 9" charge though is the same for any transport and deepstrike unit. And based on the new rules technically the Pod is actually smaller then any other transport in the game so it would fit way easier then a Land Raider. Either way an opponent would likely screen out most melee bound transports. 

 

I do like the idea of the BGV + Chappy then a 5 man shooty unit. Maybe Infernus for anti-charge out of the Pod.

[Indy Techwisp]

As mentioned in the main thread for the pods, these are now your Primaris "fast delivery" option.

 

So the use is mostly what you'd wanted a Primaris 12-man transport for, besides its inability to move later.

 

In terms of actual payloads, a 10man Brick of DC with as many characters as you can fit is a good call.

Probably favouring the Bolter DC tho since you have to make the 9" charge otherwise.

 

Another option would be 2 5-man Heavy Weapons units with characters that you otherwise couldn't have gotten up the board alongside your Jump troops.

[Karhedron]

7 hours ago, Indy Techwisp said:

Another option would be 2 5-man Heavy Weapons units with characters that you otherwise couldn't have gotten up the board alongside your Jump troops.

 

2x5-man Devastator squads with MMs were an option for the old Pods. Does adding apothecaries or Librarians increase the durability enough to make them worthwhile?

Edited Thursday at 08:57 PM by Karhedron

[Indy Techwisp]

1 hour ago, Karhedron said:

2x5-man Devastator squads with MMs were an option for the old Pods. Does adding Lieutenants or Librarians increase the punch or durability enough to make them worthwhile?

 

It's more-so that you couldn't have brought along characters previously so we're kinda in uncharted territory on that front.

Besides including Chaplains and Captains for DC unit control, I guess those 2 would be the main characters brought along tho (besides maybe a normal Captain with the Mastercrafted Bolt Rifle for something that can reach out and touch further than Meltas if needed?).

[L30n1d4s]

I'm a big fan of 10 Sternguard led by a Sanguinary Priest in a Drop Pod. 

 

Against an OoM target, they get 30 x S4 AP-1 Dmg1 Dev Wound attacks, all with full rerolls to hit/to wound, then on the charge they get 51 x S6 AP-1 Dmg1 attacks and 5 x S10 AP-3 Dmg2 attacks, against with full rerolls. Add in a grenade for some MWs and this unit can be a threat to an entire spectrum of units (if you need to, you can give them Lethal Hits and Lance with a strat to upgrade their melee attacks even further).

 

Being able to drop a unit like this at will anywhere on the battlefield more than 9" from enemy units I think can be quite a useful capability, especially for exploiting holes in their defense, move blocking, or giving him a "distraction carnifex" that he cannot ignore.

 

Edited Thursday at 05:51 PM by L30n1d4s

[DemonGSides]

Cap can't join Dev's, neither can LT which would be the actual useful guy to pair them up with.  Only legitimate options are Librarian or Apothecary.  I guess an Ancient if you're going to have them sit on something you think might get contested?

Apothecary maybe if you're running Plasma's?  At that point it's probably just better to do Hellblasters + LT.

Edited Thursday at 05:48 PM by DemonGSides

[Malakithe]

On 7/10/2025 at 10:44 AM, L30n1d4s said:

I'm a big fan of 10 Sternguard led by a Sanguinary Priest in a Drop Pod. 

 

Against an OoM target, they get 30 x S4 AP-1 Dmg1 Dev Wound attacks, all with full rerolls to hit/to wound, then on the charge they get 51 x S6 AP-1 Dmg1 attacks and 5 x S10 AP-3 Dmg2 attacks, against with full rerolls. Add in a grenade for some MWs and this unit can be a threat to an entire spectrum of units (if you need to, you can give them Lethal Hits and Lance with a strat to upgrade their melee attacks even further).

 

Being able to drop a unit like this at will anywhere on the battlefield more than 9" from enemy units I think can be quite a useful capability, especially for exploiting holes in their defense, move blocking, or giving him a "distraction carnifex" that he cannot ignore.

 

Huh...never would have thought to use the Priest with Sternguard...that sounds kinda scary actually

[HeadlessCross]

24 minutes ago, Malakithe said:

Huh...never would have thought to use the Priest with Sternguard...that sounds kinda scary actually

They're actually the best target for Priests to join. 

[Malakithe]

Unconventional LAG thought....spam Sternguard in Pods. They come down, pew pew stuff, then attempt the charge. With a Priest they have crazy melee output. Kinda like AI's mixed with better Int shooting.

[DemonGSides]

It's an expensive brick.

 

Could just include that SP into your Cap+AInt brick and chuck em in the pod tho.  Very nasty lil surprise there, though a large footprint at 12 models, and basically as expensive as the Sternguard combo as well.

Just let us put the SP with Bladeguard already. C'mon :(

Edited 16 hours ago by DemonGSides

[Karhedron]

15 hours ago, Malakithe said:

Unconventional LAG thought....spam Sternguard in Pods. They come down, pew pew stuff, then attempt the charge. With a Priest they have crazy melee output. Kinda like AI's mixed with better Int shooting.

 

With Priests getting a drop in the latest MFM, that is actually quite an interesting idea. Even if they don't manage to pull of the charge on the drop, the 5+++ will help to keep the squad standing. That is about 350 points for the package. Not cheap but definitely interesting, really need to be shooting at your OOM target though to get their mileage.