Rawdogger, from Frontline Gaming and Blood Angels player has been running a Hot or Not set of articles for the blood angels. Give them a click through.
Elites 2
Death Company Dreadnought (hot): Some good points here about the None Can Stay my Wrath rule and immobilization. I don't know how much sense it makes to take three of these dreadnoughts and no Death Company. I can see one drop podded in because they don't want it too close to the rest of the BA army. Otherwise, you should have some DC on the table if you are running them.
Furioso Dreadnought (hot): "Optimum" usage suggested is as a template laying down anti-infantry weapon is really running counter to the image of it as having double dreadnought close combat weapons. Again, this is poor rules design by the studio as a player could trade just one close combat attack and a built in weapon for the frag cannon. Regardless, feel no need to run the BA specific dreadnoughts merely because they are for us. Use what feels right for your forces and adds to the story.
[Tactical] Terminator Squad (not) and Terminator Assault Squad (hot): Unless you are doing boarding actions or running 1st Company, you should not have that many terminators on the field. You may want to throw your captain with either version (especially if your captain has upgraded his armour) in a Land Raider or Storm Raven. Don't lose perspective that the heart of your army is your tactical squads doing work (unless you are running 10th Company).
Vanguard Veterans (not) and Sternguard Veterans (not): If you are running veterans, just run the formation Sanguine Wing and get all the upgrades because that is what they lovingly deserve. If you are looking to run an infantry heavy force, this is a nice starting point for an army that will push your tactical genius on the board.
Showing posts with label Codex: Blood Angels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Codex: Blood Angels. Show all posts
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Monday, March 21, 2016
Hot or Not Troops
Rawdogger, from Frontline Gaming and Blood Angels player has been running a Hot or Not set of articles for the blood angels. Give them a click through.
Troops
Tactical Marines (hot), Scouts (not), RH1N0 (hot): Tacticals seem superior to scouts. The scouts in the Marine codex almost seem too good compared to Tacticals. The heavy flamer synergizes with putting them in a Rhino, but it seems odd for Blood Angels to being doing drive-bys. Your army should be formed by a core of Tactical marines, so you better get good at using them to their full potential while your enemy is focusing in on your killy units. Don't just min/max these guys. Name them and put them in dedicated squads and get used to their epic battles against most forces that will cause epic casualties.
It's probably not a bad idea to always throw a unit of scouts in with your army to harass the enemy and keep them off-balance as needed. Despite being BS and WS 3, they will usually get the job done.
Last, being a Blood Angel isn't all bad in that you get vehicles that don't sloth along. The Rhino can really draw some attention when you drive it straight at your opponent (thus becoming a feeder unit drawing fire from more important things). If an opponent ignores it, drive it to an objective until needed.
Troops
Tactical Marines (hot), Scouts (not), RH1N0 (hot): Tacticals seem superior to scouts. The scouts in the Marine codex almost seem too good compared to Tacticals. The heavy flamer synergizes with putting them in a Rhino, but it seems odd for Blood Angels to being doing drive-bys. Your army should be formed by a core of Tactical marines, so you better get good at using them to their full potential while your enemy is focusing in on your killy units. Don't just min/max these guys. Name them and put them in dedicated squads and get used to their epic battles against most forces that will cause epic casualties.
It's probably not a bad idea to always throw a unit of scouts in with your army to harass the enemy and keep them off-balance as needed. Despite being BS and WS 3, they will usually get the job done.
Last, being a Blood Angel isn't all bad in that you get vehicles that don't sloth along. The Rhino can really draw some attention when you drive it straight at your opponent (thus becoming a feeder unit drawing fire from more important things). If an opponent ignores it, drive it to an objective until needed.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Hot or Not HQ Part 2
Rawdogger, from Frontline Gaming and Blood Angels player has been running a Hot or Not set of articles for the blood angels. Give them a click through.
HQ Part 2
The Sanguinor (not): He is bemoaned for not being an independent character, but he is not really possible to be part of one due to his sudden, unexpected appearances on the battlefield. He almost should be like a summoned daemon where in games of above 1800 points he could come in if you have had two units wiped out or you are down 2+ maelstrom points at the end of a turn. He could come in and try to save the day. Anyways, if you like this rather unusual character, bring him out to do some work on anything without a 2+ armour save.
Astorath the Grim the Blood Angels high chaplain (hot), Chaplain (hot): GW has really continued its emphasis on chaplains for the Blood Angels, more specifically the Death Company, although we did lose the Reclusiarch option. Generally, Astorath is a weird character as he travels between Blood Angels and their successors, so you would not need to do the "counts as" with him for successors. If you like the flayed skin armour look, go ahead and use him as you will but there is some pretty stiff competition for model aesthetics from the new winged death company chaplain as well as the legendary Lemartes model. Spoiled for choice, choose the one you want to paint. In regards to the regular Chaplain, you probably would run him when you are not using Death Company because you want something to look badass on the board and toughen up something you can deliver into combat.
Sanguinary Priest (hot), Brother Corbulo (hot): This choice is going to be divisive. First, it is interesting to see apothecaries as HQ choices. I think it works for Blood Angels considering how important they are fluff wise in terms of the curse. It also fits in the same way you would let a chaplain lead smaller raids (or points games) where the company commander would not be involved. Previously, the option of running them all over the board with three available a slot obviously rubbed some opposing players the wrong way. Also, the new fetishized design aesthetic for the priest makes it a tough choice. It really should have just been labelled a Corbulo sculp update and left the old Sanguinary Priest alone. The other much older apothecary options have also quietly been culled other than the command squad. Disappointingly, the tactical dreadnought armour option is no longer available for making your own survivable priest. At least the helmeted version is available for the new one which kind of makes it a dual Corbulo / regular Sanguinary priest kit.
Techmarine (not): Narratively, a Techmarine is simply brilliant. Hunting for technology or a relic- he has all the sensors you need. Have an armoured convoy under ambush, he needs to be there. Needing to deliver a Techmarine to a radar array to be repaired is a great mission. Suddenly, this oft-ignored model is the center of the action. You are also spoiled for design choices.
HQ Part 2
The Sanguinor (not): He is bemoaned for not being an independent character, but he is not really possible to be part of one due to his sudden, unexpected appearances on the battlefield. He almost should be like a summoned daemon where in games of above 1800 points he could come in if you have had two units wiped out or you are down 2+ maelstrom points at the end of a turn. He could come in and try to save the day. Anyways, if you like this rather unusual character, bring him out to do some work on anything without a 2+ armour save.
Astorath the Grim the Blood Angels high chaplain (hot), Chaplain (hot): GW has really continued its emphasis on chaplains for the Blood Angels, more specifically the Death Company, although we did lose the Reclusiarch option. Generally, Astorath is a weird character as he travels between Blood Angels and their successors, so you would not need to do the "counts as" with him for successors. If you like the flayed skin armour look, go ahead and use him as you will but there is some pretty stiff competition for model aesthetics from the new winged death company chaplain as well as the legendary Lemartes model. Spoiled for choice, choose the one you want to paint. In regards to the regular Chaplain, you probably would run him when you are not using Death Company because you want something to look badass on the board and toughen up something you can deliver into combat.
Sanguinary Priest (hot), Brother Corbulo (hot): This choice is going to be divisive. First, it is interesting to see apothecaries as HQ choices. I think it works for Blood Angels considering how important they are fluff wise in terms of the curse. It also fits in the same way you would let a chaplain lead smaller raids (or points games) where the company commander would not be involved. Previously, the option of running them all over the board with three available a slot obviously rubbed some opposing players the wrong way. Also, the new fetishized design aesthetic for the priest makes it a tough choice. It really should have just been labelled a Corbulo sculp update and left the old Sanguinary Priest alone. The other much older apothecary options have also quietly been culled other than the command squad. Disappointingly, the tactical dreadnought armour option is no longer available for making your own survivable priest. At least the helmeted version is available for the new one which kind of makes it a dual Corbulo / regular Sanguinary priest kit.
Techmarine (not): Narratively, a Techmarine is simply brilliant. Hunting for technology or a relic- he has all the sensors you need. Have an armoured convoy under ambush, he needs to be there. Needing to deliver a Techmarine to a radar array to be repaired is a great mission. Suddenly, this oft-ignored model is the center of the action. You are also spoiled for design choices.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Hot or Not
Rawdogger, from Frontline Gaming and Blood Angels player has been running a Hot or Not set of articles for the blood angels. Give them a click through.
HQ Part 1
Rawdogger really hits it on the head when he calls it the "much maligned codex" as indeed it is. The worst part may be that there is no specific writer to blame rather than just the design studio.
Captain (not): I must disagree. If you are running a company (5th company!), then you probably do want to run a captain unless you are always playing apocalypse for some strange reason. The captain also allows you to break out of ruts by giving him different wargear options unlike the plethora of named characters that do not allow you and customization.
Librarian (hot): This one comes down to how you feel that day. Do I want to bother with the psychic phase and warp charges?
Captain Tycho both versions (not): This should be a consideration as to whether or not you play 2nd company. If you do, you better be playing him regularly or just play a second founding chapter.
Librarian Dreadnought (not): Honestly, I never really understood the addition of this unit, the sanguinor and asteroth as 5th codex editions. What we needed were updated Dante, Mephiston and Corbulo sculpts. Alright, if you really like a Librarian Dreadnought go ahead and play it, but there are already other kinds of dreadnoughts that are cooler anyways.
Mephiston (not): If you want to leave your chief librarian at home indefinitely, that's your own problem. If there is a daemonic incursion, I want him there investigating. I mean, we don't want any Grey Knights or Inquisition poking around too much. He's such an iconic character, you should do your opponents a favor and let them feel his wrath every once in a while.
HQ Part 1
Rawdogger really hits it on the head when he calls it the "much maligned codex" as indeed it is. The worst part may be that there is no specific writer to blame rather than just the design studio.
Captain (not): I must disagree. If you are running a company (5th company!), then you probably do want to run a captain unless you are always playing apocalypse for some strange reason. The captain also allows you to break out of ruts by giving him different wargear options unlike the plethora of named characters that do not allow you and customization.
Librarian (hot): This one comes down to how you feel that day. Do I want to bother with the psychic phase and warp charges?
Captain Tycho both versions (not): This should be a consideration as to whether or not you play 2nd company. If you do, you better be playing him regularly or just play a second founding chapter.
Librarian Dreadnought (not): Honestly, I never really understood the addition of this unit, the sanguinor and asteroth as 5th codex editions. What we needed were updated Dante, Mephiston and Corbulo sculpts. Alright, if you really like a Librarian Dreadnought go ahead and play it, but there are already other kinds of dreadnoughts that are cooler anyways.
Mephiston (not): If you want to leave your chief librarian at home indefinitely, that's your own problem. If there is a daemonic incursion, I want him there investigating. I mean, we don't want any Grey Knights or Inquisition poking around too much. He's such an iconic character, you should do your opponents a favor and let them feel his wrath every once in a while.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Captain Option
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Friday, December 27, 2013
Techmarine
I nabbed a Techmarine off of an Internet auction for my son. I put on a plasma pistol to help remind me if he has a servo-harness on where he gets a twin-linked plasma pistol and flamer. Maybe I should add a scope to remember it's twin-linked too...
Your basic Techmarine comes in at 50 points from the Elites slot. It can fix vehicles on a 5+, bolster a ruin adding +1 to the cover save and has one extra S8 AP1 attack. For 25 points more you can upgrade to a servo-harness to be able to shoot that twin-linked plasma pistol and the flamer (as long as you don't fire with your boltgun or bolt pistol) and you get an extra S8 AP1 attack (2 total) and fix vehicles on a 4+. If the Techmarine came with Feel No Pain or a 5-6+ invulnerable save, I'm sure we would see a lot more of them on the table. If you pull them out of a vehicle, try to not leave them out in the open. Have them blocked to line of sight or in a squad hopefully within the Sanguinary Priest Feel No Pain bubble.
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Your basic Techmarine comes in at 50 points from the Elites slot. It can fix vehicles on a 5+, bolster a ruin adding +1 to the cover save and has one extra S8 AP1 attack. For 25 points more you can upgrade to a servo-harness to be able to shoot that twin-linked plasma pistol and the flamer (as long as you don't fire with your boltgun or bolt pistol) and you get an extra S8 AP1 attack (2 total) and fix vehicles on a 4+. If the Techmarine came with Feel No Pain or a 5-6+ invulnerable save, I'm sure we would see a lot more of them on the table. If you pull them out of a vehicle, try to not leave them out in the open. Have them blocked to line of sight or in a squad hopefully within the Sanguinary Priest Feel No Pain bubble.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Blood Angels Review by Raw Dogger
Raw Dogger of Frontline Gaming and Kimchi Games dropped on article here.
Let's examine Raw Dogger's analysis in italics.
Mephiston-A lot of players will dramatically alter their deployment to stay away from him and that can set you up for a good game. He can still lay the smack down with a base strength 6 which can be increased to strength 10 with the use of his psychic power, the Sanguine Sword. I primarily use him as a monster hunter but watch out because he is still only AP3 with his sword so Riptides should only be assaulted if entirely necessary. He is also quite fast with a jump pack psychic power (Wings of Sanguinius) and a base Fleet, which means he’ll normally getting into assault turn 2.
Keep in mind that Mephiston comes in at 250 points. You have to decide if you want to invest into one model that cannot join a unit and hide. When looking at his stat line, do not overvalue the weapon skill 7 he has. It only adds a 16% chance to hit for enemies with WS 4-6 compared to a normal Space Marine. A BS of 5 is always welcome, especially with a plasma pistol.His strength 6 (10 with Sanguine Sword) attacks at initiative are nice. His toughness 6 is going to help prevent a lot of strength 4 attacks from going through. Although 5 wounds sounds impressive, the amount of plasma on the table could pose a great danger to him. Mephiston needs to be kept out of sight from units with significant AP 2 weaponry. His initiative 7 is going to allow him to limit the amount of returning wounds in combat he will take as long as he stays away from AP 2 weaponry. This significantly lowers his value and needs to be used with care. His 4 attacks look significantly light without an AP 2 weapon despite having preferred enemy if his power goes off. His points cost seems prohibitive to run him as a force multiplier by swapping his powers for the main rule book ones.
Sternguard- In an edition dominated by high toughness monsters and mobs of cheap troops hiding in cover, Hellfire Rounds (wound on a 2+) and Dragonfire Bolts (ignore cover) are the [good]. Put these guys in a drop pod with a priest (I like Brother Corbulo for his 2+ Feel No Pain wound tank ability) and watch your opponent cry as his models melt off the table.
One of the biggest drawbacks is that they are never scoring while still being as easy to kill as a regular marine which some have said is the worst armor save in the game for the points. Be careful about going overboard on dropping too many points on them at 25 each. Have a role for them and give them enough to get the job done whether it is more combi-weapons, just more bodies, priests and dedicated transports.
Assault Terminators- Put them in a Land Raider with a priest and a Librarian (Divination) and point them at the thing you want to die.
Try and synergize this unit by hiding your Vindicator behind it or a Landspeeder or Razorback with some Death Company inside to be able to punish your opponent for focus firing on trying to stop the Terminators from getting to their target.
Death Company- Throw these guys in a drop pod with a Chaplain and a power weapon and power fist and watch your opponent scramble to deal with them. Oh and guess what? They’re Relentless. Take bolters for maximum death. Each model has 5 strength 5 attacks on the charge (Rage) and with the Chaplain they re-roll all hits and wounds. Remember that power sword and power fist? You can’t challenge them away.
It's true but remember to keep them limited to what they need to do because they are relatively expensive at 20 points each and might actually be better than Sternguard all things considered at this point.
Assault Squads- What you SHOULD be doing is taking advantage of their cheap pimp wagons and sitting backfield until the Short Bus Dragons get taken out. My favorite builds are the 5 mans with a meltagun and power ax (yes, you need to be able to kill stuff) riding in a Razorback with Twin-Linked Lascannons.
Customize your Razorback load out for the job you want it to fulfill. Remember to protect your scoring troops and keep them out of sight as five man squads disappear quickly even in cover. With the 6th Edition changes though, Tacticals are a solid choice. If you go with ten Tacticals, grab a free multi-melta to snapshot with.
Razorbacks- Did you know that Blood Angel transports are fast? Did you know that Fast Vehicles can move 12” and still fire a weapon at full ballistic skill? Now you know. Assault Marine Squads have a built in 35 point discount on any transports they take. DEAL BREAKER.
It really is the best discount in the codex next to the one you can get for a Land Raider.
Predators- Look, the ability to move 6” and fire all of your weapons at full ballistic skill has won me more games than I care to admit. Being able to re-position your auto cannons/lascannons to get that perfect kill shot is worth the higher point cost you’re paying above the Dark Angels.
Baal Predators- AV 13 fast vehicles that also have the ability to Scout (Outflank)? I’ll take three please. I normally take the Assault Canons / Heavy Bolters combo and they can REALLY lay down covering fire. The best thing about these guys is their ability to Outflank. They can come in from behind you opponent and blast ... a tank or a wimpy back field scoring unit.
Considering the two types of Predators, you can choose depending upon which category in the Force Organization Choice has more space and provide balance for the two special scoring missions. The question is also whether the Scout rule is something you are looking for. The Predator comes in at a bargain 70 points but considering you should be at range to bring the force of both side sponsons to the enemy, it is probably a good investment to add the heavy bolters (100 point unit) unless you really need to hunt tanks (lascannon sponsons bring the total to 135 points). The Baal Predator starts at 115 points with either the T/L assault cannon or flamestorm cannon. Heavy flamer sponsons bring the total to 140 points or 145 if you choose heavy bolters instead. Again, your load outs come down to what you want to accomplish with them. Just remember that you want to have a balance between back field fire power, midfield support and close combat presence combined with appropriate target prioritizing.
Let's examine Raw Dogger's analysis in italics.
Mephiston-A lot of players will dramatically alter their deployment to stay away from him and that can set you up for a good game. He can still lay the smack down with a base strength 6 which can be increased to strength 10 with the use of his psychic power, the Sanguine Sword. I primarily use him as a monster hunter but watch out because he is still only AP3 with his sword so Riptides should only be assaulted if entirely necessary. He is also quite fast with a jump pack psychic power (Wings of Sanguinius) and a base Fleet, which means he’ll normally getting into assault turn 2.
Keep in mind that Mephiston comes in at 250 points. You have to decide if you want to invest into one model that cannot join a unit and hide. When looking at his stat line, do not overvalue the weapon skill 7 he has. It only adds a 16% chance to hit for enemies with WS 4-6 compared to a normal Space Marine. A BS of 5 is always welcome, especially with a plasma pistol.His strength 6 (10 with Sanguine Sword) attacks at initiative are nice. His toughness 6 is going to help prevent a lot of strength 4 attacks from going through. Although 5 wounds sounds impressive, the amount of plasma on the table could pose a great danger to him. Mephiston needs to be kept out of sight from units with significant AP 2 weaponry. His initiative 7 is going to allow him to limit the amount of returning wounds in combat he will take as long as he stays away from AP 2 weaponry. This significantly lowers his value and needs to be used with care. His 4 attacks look significantly light without an AP 2 weapon despite having preferred enemy if his power goes off. His points cost seems prohibitive to run him as a force multiplier by swapping his powers for the main rule book ones.
Sternguard- In an edition dominated by high toughness monsters and mobs of cheap troops hiding in cover, Hellfire Rounds (wound on a 2+) and Dragonfire Bolts (ignore cover) are the [good]. Put these guys in a drop pod with a priest (I like Brother Corbulo for his 2+ Feel No Pain wound tank ability) and watch your opponent cry as his models melt off the table.
One of the biggest drawbacks is that they are never scoring while still being as easy to kill as a regular marine which some have said is the worst armor save in the game for the points. Be careful about going overboard on dropping too many points on them at 25 each. Have a role for them and give them enough to get the job done whether it is more combi-weapons, just more bodies, priests and dedicated transports.
Assault Terminators- Put them in a Land Raider with a priest and a Librarian (Divination) and point them at the thing you want to die.
Try and synergize this unit by hiding your Vindicator behind it or a Landspeeder or Razorback with some Death Company inside to be able to punish your opponent for focus firing on trying to stop the Terminators from getting to their target.
Death Company- Throw these guys in a drop pod with a Chaplain and a power weapon and power fist and watch your opponent scramble to deal with them. Oh and guess what? They’re Relentless. Take bolters for maximum death. Each model has 5 strength 5 attacks on the charge (Rage) and with the Chaplain they re-roll all hits and wounds. Remember that power sword and power fist? You can’t challenge them away.
It's true but remember to keep them limited to what they need to do because they are relatively expensive at 20 points each and might actually be better than Sternguard all things considered at this point.
Assault Squads- What you SHOULD be doing is taking advantage of their cheap pimp wagons and sitting backfield until the Short Bus Dragons get taken out. My favorite builds are the 5 mans with a meltagun and power ax (yes, you need to be able to kill stuff) riding in a Razorback with Twin-Linked Lascannons.
Customize your Razorback load out for the job you want it to fulfill. Remember to protect your scoring troops and keep them out of sight as five man squads disappear quickly even in cover. With the 6th Edition changes though, Tacticals are a solid choice. If you go with ten Tacticals, grab a free multi-melta to snapshot with.
Razorbacks- Did you know that Blood Angel transports are fast? Did you know that Fast Vehicles can move 12” and still fire a weapon at full ballistic skill? Now you know. Assault Marine Squads have a built in 35 point discount on any transports they take. DEAL BREAKER.
It really is the best discount in the codex next to the one you can get for a Land Raider.
Predators- Look, the ability to move 6” and fire all of your weapons at full ballistic skill has won me more games than I care to admit. Being able to re-position your auto cannons/lascannons to get that perfect kill shot is worth the higher point cost you’re paying above the Dark Angels.
Baal Predators- AV 13 fast vehicles that also have the ability to Scout (Outflank)? I’ll take three please. I normally take the Assault Canons / Heavy Bolters combo and they can REALLY lay down covering fire. The best thing about these guys is their ability to Outflank. They can come in from behind you opponent and blast ... a tank or a wimpy back field scoring unit.
Considering the two types of Predators, you can choose depending upon which category in the Force Organization Choice has more space and provide balance for the two special scoring missions. The question is also whether the Scout rule is something you are looking for. The Predator comes in at a bargain 70 points but considering you should be at range to bring the force of both side sponsons to the enemy, it is probably a good investment to add the heavy bolters (100 point unit) unless you really need to hunt tanks (lascannon sponsons bring the total to 135 points). The Baal Predator starts at 115 points with either the T/L assault cannon or flamestorm cannon. Heavy flamer sponsons bring the total to 140 points or 145 if you choose heavy bolters instead. Again, your load outs come down to what you want to accomplish with them. Just remember that you want to have a balance between back field fire power, midfield support and close combat presence combined with appropriate target prioritizing.
Friday, August 23, 2013
More Than a Year Out
Rumours are swirling about the next release schedule with a possible Blood Angels Codex release in November- 2014. That is if it is not already marked for Sisters of Battle. The good news is that there is time to contact GW and to tell them what you want from the next codex. I will begin wish listing and putting together letters. Maybe you want more supplements beyond Flesh Tearers or you just want to keep your Vanguard Veterans assaulting from Deep Strike, so I strongly encourage you to write GW and maybe you will get what you want! I'll take an Angels Encarmine supplement, please.
Games Workshop
Direct Sales
Willow Road
Lenton
Nottingham
NG7 2WS
Games Workshop
Direct Sales
Willow Road
Lenton
Nottingham
NG7 2WS
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Meaningful Extra Armour
Although there were rumours of a potential Vanguard Veterans dedicated transport, perhaps we could come up with a way to give meaningful extra armour to the Rhino/Razorback kit.
Forge World has two kits out just for this.
Follow with me for this as the first is named the dozer blade upgrade that is called a siege shield that you would see on Vindicators. For Vindicators, this automatically passes dangerous terrain tests (for 10 points). This presumably has nothing to do with their front armour surprisingly then. Turning to the Predator entry, it says that "it completely surrenders transport capacity for much improved frontal armour..." (C:BA, 2009, p. 35). Extra armour as used today goes back to the last century where crew stunned results are turned into crew shaken. After your opponent has actually penetrated your vehicle, there is only a 16% chance they will end up with a die roll of 3 to make this work. The Extra Armour cost is a whopping 15 points for the ability to continue moving the next turn. Surely there is a better way to do this or to add armour to vehicle transport that be a bridge between the regular Rhino and the Land Raider.
Forge World has two kits out just for this.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Prescience with Blood Angels
Generally, the Blood Angel psychic powers are good enough to set aside the main rule book powers. The biggest concern is reliability in order for the power to complement your army list design.
The BA book powers have some of the best that were created in 5th edition. Shield of Sanguinius is no longer as good with the reduced requirements for cover. Blood Lance is really a glorified melta shot which is not as good as it was with vehicle rules changes. The Sanguine Sword and Unleash Rage also feel underwhelming with the decrease in value of assault in 6th edition.
6th edition is more of a shooting game now. Prescience has been well recognized as one of the best powers in the rule book due to its reliability and effectiveness:
Primaris Power
Prescience is a blessing that targets a single friendly unit within 12". Whilst the power is in effect, the target unit can re-roll all failed To Hit rolls.
The important thing is to look back at Blessings:
Blessings are manifested at the start of the Psyker's Movement phase. They grant extra abilities to the Psyker's allies, such as characteristic boosts or additional special rules. Blessings can affect units that are locked in close combat and can affect the Psyker himself. ...
How can this power do the most work for your army? It's probably best to not upgrade your Librarian to an Epistolary as that is half the cost for an additional Librarian. The To Hit roll is generally the biggest limiting factor to damage output (the first step and only 66% chance).
What you are going to do is have your Librarian in Rhino / Razorback deployed within 12" of your Devastators. You want to cast it Turn One on them to maximize your chances of putting damage onto your opponent.
You have some flexibility about your approach for what comes next. You can use Sternguard or Death Company (without Chaplain) and go with five and a razorback with Heavy Bolter or Heavy Flamer or a larger squad and a Rhino. Then you can zoom ahead still on Turn One. Do not leave them unsupported or they will die as usual.
You will then apply battlefield tactics like you can see on YTTH to maximize your firing and cover potential. Those re-roll hits will be maximized with those two units as you will pretty much always be shooting with them both and probably end up in hand-to-hand with two attacks. It's best to not waste points on Sternguard power weapons, just have them shoot and move back which will be hard because you want them rapid firing. Remember, you will get re-roll Overwatch Rapid Fire Snap Shots too.
Last, do not forget about your Rhino / Razorback after disembarking. It still can fill useful battlefield roles. Additionally, do not forget that you can give the Prescience blessing to a unit that you are not in, and that unit could already be locked in combat to give them some help.
This could work just as well if you are running a bike squad, just put your Librarian on a bike too. You could also do this with Sanguinary Guard, especially if they are troops too.
You can always double this up with a second Librarian to further harass your opponent.
Using Prescience for your army might be a refreshing way to play your Blood Angels army.
The BA book powers have some of the best that were created in 5th edition. Shield of Sanguinius is no longer as good with the reduced requirements for cover. Blood Lance is really a glorified melta shot which is not as good as it was with vehicle rules changes. The Sanguine Sword and Unleash Rage also feel underwhelming with the decrease in value of assault in 6th edition.
6th edition is more of a shooting game now. Prescience has been well recognized as one of the best powers in the rule book due to its reliability and effectiveness:
Primaris Power
Prescience is a blessing that targets a single friendly unit within 12". Whilst the power is in effect, the target unit can re-roll all failed To Hit rolls.
The important thing is to look back at Blessings:
Blessings are manifested at the start of the Psyker's Movement phase. They grant extra abilities to the Psyker's allies, such as characteristic boosts or additional special rules. Blessings can affect units that are locked in close combat and can affect the Psyker himself. ...
How can this power do the most work for your army? It's probably best to not upgrade your Librarian to an Epistolary as that is half the cost for an additional Librarian. The To Hit roll is generally the biggest limiting factor to damage output (the first step and only 66% chance).
What you are going to do is have your Librarian in Rhino / Razorback deployed within 12" of your Devastators. You want to cast it Turn One on them to maximize your chances of putting damage onto your opponent.
You have some flexibility about your approach for what comes next. You can use Sternguard or Death Company (without Chaplain) and go with five and a razorback with Heavy Bolter or Heavy Flamer or a larger squad and a Rhino. Then you can zoom ahead still on Turn One. Do not leave them unsupported or they will die as usual.
You will then apply battlefield tactics like you can see on YTTH to maximize your firing and cover potential. Those re-roll hits will be maximized with those two units as you will pretty much always be shooting with them both and probably end up in hand-to-hand with two attacks. It's best to not waste points on Sternguard power weapons, just have them shoot and move back which will be hard because you want them rapid firing. Remember, you will get re-roll Overwatch Rapid Fire Snap Shots too.
Last, do not forget about your Rhino / Razorback after disembarking. It still can fill useful battlefield roles. Additionally, do not forget that you can give the Prescience blessing to a unit that you are not in, and that unit could already be locked in combat to give them some help.
This could work just as well if you are running a bike squad, just put your Librarian on a bike too. You could also do this with Sanguinary Guard, especially if they are troops too.
You can always double this up with a second Librarian to further harass your opponent.
Using Prescience for your army might be a refreshing way to play your Blood Angels army.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
3++ Heavy Weapon Review
3++ did a weapon review at the beginning of 6th Edition. Let's see how it is holding up now after some more time. Of course, we will only look at this from the Blood Angel perspective.
The article started out with autocannons:
The autocannon brought rate of fire and a good medium strength combination - this allowed for easier suppression against vehicles. ...Have things changed?
Yes and no. Autocannons are still an excellent choice, especially in they can be twin-linked like... Space Marine Dreadnoughts. They were suppression machines before, now they are hull point eating machines. They're going to struggle against the higher AVs but they still take a hull point off 33% of the time - not bad considering you get two shots per weapon. For comparison, a missile launcher only takes a hull point off 50% of the time - and has half the rate of fire. Chuck in the twin-linking options and they're not bad at dropping flyers either - takes a lot of them to do so but lots of shots and re-rolling all dice for 6's is about the best you can do without flyers of your own. Autocannons also get the most out of snap firing due to their increased rate of fire...
Unfortunately, there are only two places to get autocannons in the Blood Angels codex- the Predator tank and the Dreadnought entry. Also, you need to either make the Dreadnought autocannon arms from Aegis Defense Line parts, other re-purposed from other gaming systems or drop some hard earned cash on ForgeWorld. However, both of these options are efficient codex choices which is always nice.
The Predator is a fast vehicle which is a positive and a negative. Although it has a 13AV front, it is only 11 on the sides and 10 rear armour. Its best place could be just sitting in the board corners of your deployment zone. Since you have paid the points for the fast vehicle, you should probably try to enhance its use as best you can. If the mission is Big Guns Never Tire, your Predators are scoring. Keep in mind that you can move 12" in the movement phase and then still move Flat Out another 12" which might come in really handy at the end of the game when your opponent thinks you are safely out of range of that objective. In two turns, you could be 48" across the board if you needed it. The real benefit is being able to move and keep up your rate of fire. You can move 12" and fire two weapons. You have your autocannon shot and use one of your side sponsons at full ballistic skill. Choosing heavy bolters or lascannons is up to what you want to use your Predator for. Are you going to be going for infantry / heavy infantry or vehicle hunting? That will give you the answer to which option to choose. Keep in mind that there is a blind spot where the sponsons cannot shoot that is directly in front of the tank. Before dismissing the heavy bolters, remember that they could help out in knocking out light armour in addition to infantry.
Heavy bolters have seen improvement in being more capable of destroying vehicles thanks to hull points but they still aren't a heavy weapon of choice. Just the occasional times you have heavy bolters (i.e. Dakka Preds, hullmounts, Typhoons, etc.) they are more useful.
There are many places in the codex to choose heavy bolters: Servitors, Tactical Squad, Scout Squad, Razorback, Land Raider, Land Speeder, Baal Predator, Attack Bike, Dreadnought, Stormraven Gunship, Predator and Devastator Squad. Heavy bolters suffer from not having a low enough AP or a high enough strength. It's benefit is that it is cheap and often just comes standard with the unit. Lead vehicles expected to be focus fired on probably are not worth upgrading with the amount of points necessary to make it more effective. It will definitely be a matter of refining your list to decide where to invest your points if you want to make it more competitive and should be made to fit in with your overall strategy. You also have to decide if the enemy will accept your sacrificial or bait unit, but zooming that Razorback out in front will be a tempting target and would at least provide a cover save to vehicles hiding behind it. Your opponent now has poorer choices to decide upon.
Missile Launchers are still the jack of all trades with their small blast and high strength single shot but with the changes to the vehicle damage chart and missile launchers being a single shot, AP3 weapon, they are no longer as effective at destroying vehicles. They are still decent at suppression due to their higher strength and when push comes to shove, they can pack some wounds on infantry as well but their general utility as an anti-vehicle weapon has gone down. However, if in the future an FAQ comes to play allowing some (or all) missile launchers across armies having Flakk missiles (a missile which has Skyfire), missiles will re-emphasis their jack of all trades card and still be a good middle ground choice which can do a little bit of everything.
Actually, they are more effective at destroying vehicles than ever before. Lascannons and plasma just had larger increases. There are hull points and the damage chart is not the all protecting force it was before either and decreased cover saves. Missile launchers are also fantastic because of their range. Shooting and neutralizing opponent shooting is so important now, so 48" is a huge consideration. More competitive lists just cannot afford to have many lascannons in it, so missile launchers are a nice compromise that let's you also deal death to hordes. Missile launchers are available with: Terminator Squads, Sternguard Veteran Squad, Tactical Squad, Scout Squad, Rhino, Razorback, Land Raider(+ Crusader and Redeemer), Land Speeder Squadron, Baal Predator, Dreadnought, Stormraven Gunship, Predator, Devastator Squad, Vindicator and Whirlwind. Some of these are hunter-killer missiles but have the same S8 AP3 stat line.
The lascannon is the next obvious choice - generally maligned in the past for being too expensive and not gaining anything of particular note against vehicles, Lascannons are now an improved option RELATIVELY speaking compared to other weapons thanks to AP2. This basically keeps the lascannon on par with what its damage capacity was before but with reduced cover saves it becomes slightly more effective.
This also ignores the importance of having that 48" range. The most advanced strategists generally agree that this is mostly a shooting game at this point. You need to be able to neutralize the opponent's glass cannon. You can get lascannons on Sternguard, Tactical Squad, Razorback, Land Raider, Dreadnought, Stormraven Gunship, Predator and Devastator Squad.
Plasma cannons like-wise got a two-fold buff, they are better at dropping vehicles than before (blasts always count as full strength) and taking off hull points whilst the AP2 blast has to contend with lower cover in general.
Plasma cannons (and anything scattering with the small blast marker) are usually an all or nothing situation. Everything can go wrong with that Gets Hot! roll. Then you have to roll for scatter. When things go right, they can be devastating though. You can get Plasma Cannons on Servitors, Sternguard, Tactical Squad, Dreadnought, Stormraven Gunship and Devastator Squad.
Multi-meltas are still the star of the show when it comes to taking down tanks and have really lost nothing in their application - when on vehicles or relentless platforms (i.e. Attack Bikes, Speeders, etc.). Multi-meltas on infantry models are far less an appetising proposal and really only fit in certain units (i.e. MM Rhino Bunkers) and snap fire helps them be a little more useful on the turns they need to move. Still a fantastic weapon on other platforms though.
That says it all about Multi-Meltas above. You can get them with Servitors, Sternguard Veteran Squad, Tactical Squad, Land Raider (+ Crusader and Redeemer), Land Speeder, Attack Bike, Dreadnought, Stormraven Gunship and Devastator Squad.
I should also throw in the Heavy Flamer.
S5 AP4 and it is an assault weapon! It might come in handy some time. It is not going to be terribly effective against marines, but it should be good fun. You can get it on the Furioso Dreadnought, Terminator Squad, Sternguard Veteran Squad, Death Company Dreadnought, Razorback, Land Speeder, Baal Predator and Dreadnought. If you really like it, you will probably love the Flamestorm Cannon.
Credit
Flamestorm Cannons are only on vehicles and are S6 AP3 that will create some carnage on the battlefield. It would be nice if Dreadnoughts could take them as a primary weapon too. You can find them only on the Land Raider Reedemer and Baal Predator, unfortunately.
The three major heavy weapons (autocannon, missile launcher, lascannon) are all still decent choices though I'd say if you had the option for an autocannon, I'd be leaning to them every day of the week over missile launchers. Unless missile launchers do get that skyfire option for an additional cost, well then each of those three heavy weapons does something a little better than the other but neither one is completely over-shadowing the other when compared to their points cost and options where they can be taken.
Why not try out some of the other options and see what works best for you rather than just use Autocannons because they are perhaps the best choice for general all around use. Also, you need to consider the twin-linked opportunities that are presented in various options. Twin-linked weapons are so valuable because of their reliability. If you can't get the weapon you want twin-linked on a certain weapons platform, consider one of the less usual options to add variety to your list and even surprise your heretical opponent.
The article started out with autocannons:
The autocannon brought rate of fire and a good medium strength combination - this allowed for easier suppression against vehicles. ...Have things changed?
Yes and no. Autocannons are still an excellent choice, especially in they can be twin-linked like... Space Marine Dreadnoughts. They were suppression machines before, now they are hull point eating machines. They're going to struggle against the higher AVs but they still take a hull point off 33% of the time - not bad considering you get two shots per weapon. For comparison, a missile launcher only takes a hull point off 50% of the time - and has half the rate of fire. Chuck in the twin-linking options and they're not bad at dropping flyers either - takes a lot of them to do so but lots of shots and re-rolling all dice for 6's is about the best you can do without flyers of your own. Autocannons also get the most out of snap firing due to their increased rate of fire...
Unfortunately, there are only two places to get autocannons in the Blood Angels codex- the Predator tank and the Dreadnought entry. Also, you need to either make the Dreadnought autocannon arms from Aegis Defense Line parts, other re-purposed from other gaming systems or drop some hard earned cash on ForgeWorld. However, both of these options are efficient codex choices which is always nice.
The Predator is a fast vehicle which is a positive and a negative. Although it has a 13AV front, it is only 11 on the sides and 10 rear armour. Its best place could be just sitting in the board corners of your deployment zone. Since you have paid the points for the fast vehicle, you should probably try to enhance its use as best you can. If the mission is Big Guns Never Tire, your Predators are scoring. Keep in mind that you can move 12" in the movement phase and then still move Flat Out another 12" which might come in really handy at the end of the game when your opponent thinks you are safely out of range of that objective. In two turns, you could be 48" across the board if you needed it. The real benefit is being able to move and keep up your rate of fire. You can move 12" and fire two weapons. You have your autocannon shot and use one of your side sponsons at full ballistic skill. Choosing heavy bolters or lascannons is up to what you want to use your Predator for. Are you going to be going for infantry / heavy infantry or vehicle hunting? That will give you the answer to which option to choose. Keep in mind that there is a blind spot where the sponsons cannot shoot that is directly in front of the tank. Before dismissing the heavy bolters, remember that they could help out in knocking out light armour in addition to infantry.
Heavy bolters have seen improvement in being more capable of destroying vehicles thanks to hull points but they still aren't a heavy weapon of choice. Just the occasional times you have heavy bolters (i.e. Dakka Preds, hullmounts, Typhoons, etc.) they are more useful.
There are many places in the codex to choose heavy bolters: Servitors, Tactical Squad, Scout Squad, Razorback, Land Raider, Land Speeder, Baal Predator, Attack Bike, Dreadnought, Stormraven Gunship, Predator and Devastator Squad. Heavy bolters suffer from not having a low enough AP or a high enough strength. It's benefit is that it is cheap and often just comes standard with the unit. Lead vehicles expected to be focus fired on probably are not worth upgrading with the amount of points necessary to make it more effective. It will definitely be a matter of refining your list to decide where to invest your points if you want to make it more competitive and should be made to fit in with your overall strategy. You also have to decide if the enemy will accept your sacrificial or bait unit, but zooming that Razorback out in front will be a tempting target and would at least provide a cover save to vehicles hiding behind it. Your opponent now has poorer choices to decide upon.
Missile Launchers are still the jack of all trades with their small blast and high strength single shot but with the changes to the vehicle damage chart and missile launchers being a single shot, AP3 weapon, they are no longer as effective at destroying vehicles. They are still decent at suppression due to their higher strength and when push comes to shove, they can pack some wounds on infantry as well but their general utility as an anti-vehicle weapon has gone down. However, if in the future an FAQ comes to play allowing some (or all) missile launchers across armies having Flakk missiles (a missile which has Skyfire), missiles will re-emphasis their jack of all trades card and still be a good middle ground choice which can do a little bit of everything.
Actually, they are more effective at destroying vehicles than ever before. Lascannons and plasma just had larger increases. There are hull points and the damage chart is not the all protecting force it was before either and decreased cover saves. Missile launchers are also fantastic because of their range. Shooting and neutralizing opponent shooting is so important now, so 48" is a huge consideration. More competitive lists just cannot afford to have many lascannons in it, so missile launchers are a nice compromise that let's you also deal death to hordes. Missile launchers are available with: Terminator Squads, Sternguard Veteran Squad, Tactical Squad, Scout Squad, Rhino, Razorback, Land Raider(+ Crusader and Redeemer), Land Speeder Squadron, Baal Predator, Dreadnought, Stormraven Gunship, Predator, Devastator Squad, Vindicator and Whirlwind. Some of these are hunter-killer missiles but have the same S8 AP3 stat line.
The lascannon is the next obvious choice - generally maligned in the past for being too expensive and not gaining anything of particular note against vehicles, Lascannons are now an improved option RELATIVELY speaking compared to other weapons thanks to AP2. This basically keeps the lascannon on par with what its damage capacity was before but with reduced cover saves it becomes slightly more effective.
This also ignores the importance of having that 48" range. The most advanced strategists generally agree that this is mostly a shooting game at this point. You need to be able to neutralize the opponent's glass cannon. You can get lascannons on Sternguard, Tactical Squad, Razorback, Land Raider, Dreadnought, Stormraven Gunship, Predator and Devastator Squad.
Plasma cannons like-wise got a two-fold buff, they are better at dropping vehicles than before (blasts always count as full strength) and taking off hull points whilst the AP2 blast has to contend with lower cover in general.
Plasma cannons (and anything scattering with the small blast marker) are usually an all or nothing situation. Everything can go wrong with that Gets Hot! roll. Then you have to roll for scatter. When things go right, they can be devastating though. You can get Plasma Cannons on Servitors, Sternguard, Tactical Squad, Dreadnought, Stormraven Gunship and Devastator Squad.
Multi-meltas are still the star of the show when it comes to taking down tanks and have really lost nothing in their application - when on vehicles or relentless platforms (i.e. Attack Bikes, Speeders, etc.). Multi-meltas on infantry models are far less an appetising proposal and really only fit in certain units (i.e. MM Rhino Bunkers) and snap fire helps them be a little more useful on the turns they need to move. Still a fantastic weapon on other platforms though.
That says it all about Multi-Meltas above. You can get them with Servitors, Sternguard Veteran Squad, Tactical Squad, Land Raider (+ Crusader and Redeemer), Land Speeder, Attack Bike, Dreadnought, Stormraven Gunship and Devastator Squad.
I should also throw in the Heavy Flamer.
S5 AP4 and it is an assault weapon! It might come in handy some time. It is not going to be terribly effective against marines, but it should be good fun. You can get it on the Furioso Dreadnought, Terminator Squad, Sternguard Veteran Squad, Death Company Dreadnought, Razorback, Land Speeder, Baal Predator and Dreadnought. If you really like it, you will probably love the Flamestorm Cannon.
Credit
Flamestorm Cannons are only on vehicles and are S6 AP3 that will create some carnage on the battlefield. It would be nice if Dreadnoughts could take them as a primary weapon too. You can find them only on the Land Raider Reedemer and Baal Predator, unfortunately.
The three major heavy weapons (autocannon, missile launcher, lascannon) are all still decent choices though I'd say if you had the option for an autocannon, I'd be leaning to them every day of the week over missile launchers. Unless missile launchers do get that skyfire option for an additional cost, well then each of those three heavy weapons does something a little better than the other but neither one is completely over-shadowing the other when compared to their points cost and options where they can be taken.
Why not try out some of the other options and see what works best for you rather than just use Autocannons because they are perhaps the best choice for general all around use. Also, you need to consider the twin-linked opportunities that are presented in various options. Twin-linked weapons are so valuable because of their reliability. If you can't get the weapon you want twin-linked on a certain weapons platform, consider one of the less usual options to add variety to your list and even surprise your heretical opponent.
Monday, December 17, 2012
The Elites Section and Blood Angels [Strategical Exploration]
The Elites section of the Blood Angels book was a real favorite in 5th Edition with more nice units than you can take in the slot. You have single models like: Chaplains, Furioso Dreadnoughts, Furioso Librarians, Techmarines, Sanguinary Priests and Corbulo. Then there are interesting units like Sternguard Veteran Squads, Sanguinary Guard, Terminator Squad and Terminator Assault Squad.
The Elites section has now taken a hit in 6th Edition. The Sanguinary Priest's Furious Charge bonus lost its +1 Initiative and the Feel No Pain rule has been modified (though arguably better). Lightning Claws becoming AP3 took a hit too which means that Lightning Claw Terminators are now a much less viable option than they were. This is quite unfortunate due to how awesome they look as a model and on the table. Blood Angel players should now weigh the importance of their Elites choices versus the scoring possibilities in some missions of the Fast Attack and Heavy sections.Essentially, the Elites section is the only one in the book (other than Death Company, Honour Guard and second HQ choices) that can never possibly score objectives. Have you been treating the above as you do your Elite choices? Maybe not.
Why take them is a legitimate question to explore.
Chaplains, in addition to their own stat line abilities allows re-rolls to hit on the charge. You really want them though for beefing up your small Death Company Squad though because of the extra re-rolls to wound he gives only them. You may consider just using Lemartes anyway though.
The change in the Deep Strike table has made it more friendly for Terminators to drop in. You will want a priest around to get invulnerable re-rolls on those plasma shots they will end up taking or focused firing volume of shots. You might consider taking one Lightning Claw Terminator for manipulating where he will charge into combat or even as the Sergeant for precision attacks to try to take out AP 2 piercing weapons before they can strike at your squad.
Corbulo is a real nice character to have right now with that fantastic 2+ Feel No Pain save of his. He's flexible where you can attach him to any unit that needs toughening up. This might be Sternguard Veterans or maybe an Assault Squad in a Razorback you want to send to claim an enemy objective. Also, a Sanguinary Priest on a bike is a sure handy character to redeploy elsewhere.
Using Divination powers with a Furioso Librarian has some interesting possibilities. Sternguard has already been covered previously here with relevant info here.
On and on and on...You can find purpose for Elites units, but does this actually outweigh the benefits of having more fast attack and heavy support units when they can be scoring? There's a 16% chance for each of Heavy Support or Fast Attack being scoring units even if they are vehicles but not immobilized. There's a 33% chance that one of them will be picked, so you better have at least something from those slots. There's good reason to not load up too many points into your Elites section; however, there's no need to worry about going to the section to pull out something you want or need from it.
When list building for 6th, you should also keep an eye on the percentage of points you are dedicating to each slot. If it is swinging too far in one direction, come up with some creativity to keep you balanced and in the fight. It also means that you better keep your HQ and Elite slots relatively light and your troops survivable enough (one way or anther) to be effective.Your Fast Attack and Heavy Support are going to need to fill multiple roles (scoring, firing support, mobile melta, etc.) yet not lose effectiveness. Perhaps when going about list building, build your troops first, then heavies, fast attack and HQ, then elites last. If you are choosing Elites earlier, you may end up building around Terminators or Sternguard when this is not going to help you win the missions.
Please add your thoughts too in the comment section!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Vanguard Veterans [Tactical Exploration]
Vanguard Veterans are probably the best of the overlooked units in the Blood Angels codex.
Let me say that again: Vanguard Veterans are probably the best of the overlooked units in the Blood Angels codex. In the Space Marine codex they came out over-priced. This view carried over to many non-Blood Angel analysts when Codex: Blood Angels was released. 6th Edition has quietly made them a unique and useful choice although it was not as loud as for the Death Company and the Rage rule being changed.The points cost has kept Space Marine codex players from using them more. The Blood Angel Assault Squad is also so good (+ point reduction for a dedicated transport) along with somewhat overlapping roles while still scoring all of the time. We will look at points costs too, but they can also do what other units cannot.
In the Eternal War missions (the 6th Edition standard rule book missions), they act as denial units. In the fourth mission, The Scouring, they are scoring units. You should decide on what role you want them to do on the battlefield. You might want them to be denial units, jumping in to tie up the blasphemous enemy troops to not allow them to score objectives. You may also want them to come in like a scalpel and earn a crushing victory by wiping out a critical enemy unit.
It's also underrated in that you can take ten models. You can combat or not combat squad them. Having one unit of Vanguard Veterans is going to force your opponent to think about what they are leaving in their backfield unsupported. In The Scouring, you also have to consider that they are worth a kill point, so it may or may not push your choice toward creating combat squads. By getting them tied up in combat, you can hope that they will stay on the table longer to survive to claim or deny objectives. Keeping war gear light is pretty important despite however much you want them to be resplendent deliverers of the Emperor's Justice. Essentially, you actually don't want them chewing through opponents in the first charge or you will be blown off the table the next player turn.
The most important thing is choice. You always get to choose where you are going to drop in and who you are going to attack. This choice is well worth the cost in points that are lost from a more point efficient unit. It is up to you to use it properly to give yourself the best chance to win.
Remember when dropping your Vanguard in, you have to keep in mind that the shooting phase follows before you can come to blows. Don't block your own line of sight if possible for your shooty units. Don't shoot yourself out of a charge by making the enemy take too many wounds and pulling further and further away in the hopes of your charge coming up short and getting off snap shots at you on the way in. This means for example that you can drop in behind an enemy and still shoot at it with other units from different directions which will weaken the force yet not increase your charge distance hopefully.
Get a Sanguinary Priest in the area to support them. Having a priest around is probably more efficient than dropping 20 points down for each Storm Shield. You have a very high chance of coming in on Turn 2 (see Figure 1) so you need to find a way for your unit to survive longer if you need it to. The Priest will have to get to them by Turn 3 usually. This will allow them to continue on after finishing off the first enemy unit in the opponent's assault phase.
Other than acting as opponent Troop killers or a surgical strike against an enemy high value target, what about having the option to use it for defensive purposes? If you are coming in on Turn 2, there might not be much opportunity to use them like this. However, you might be able to head off a brutal attack you are not prepared to meet. Instead of trying to send out an Assault Squad as a speed bump, you could send your veterans to preserve scoring units. Taking on a leading unit could slow down other units by making them go around. Taking on a larger unit could make the opponent hesitate to go on without their support. Be creative with what you want to do with them because your opponent will probably not be expecting that their unit will suddenly be tied up in close combat.
Remember what I said about points before...right.
Our Vanguard Veterans start base at 115 points. Unfortunately, that does not include their jump packs which are ten more points for each model. We end up with 165 points for Assault Squad marines with one extra attack and a sergeant with a Glaive Encarmine. That's not great efficiency; however, there are still war gear options. Give one veteran a power sword or axe (15 points) and another veteran a melta bomb (5 points). Now they are lightly armed to take on opponent Troop choices to fulfill its role. If you have extra points, you can always add another veteran to add a little more resiliency to the unit, but the point is to keep it out of the way of opponent firing. Remember, you are not paying the extra points for efficiency, you are paying for it's specialized battlefield role.
Please add any experiences that you have had with Vanguard Veterans in the comments and build this conversation.
Let me say that again: Vanguard Veterans are probably the best of the overlooked units in the Blood Angels codex. In the Space Marine codex they came out over-priced. This view carried over to many non-Blood Angel analysts when Codex: Blood Angels was released. 6th Edition has quietly made them a unique and useful choice although it was not as loud as for the Death Company and the Rage rule being changed.The points cost has kept Space Marine codex players from using them more. The Blood Angel Assault Squad is also so good (+ point reduction for a dedicated transport) along with somewhat overlapping roles while still scoring all of the time. We will look at points costs too, but they can also do what other units cannot.
Figure 1: Chances of Arrival
From Angels of Death
It's also underrated in that you can take ten models. You can combat or not combat squad them. Having one unit of Vanguard Veterans is going to force your opponent to think about what they are leaving in their backfield unsupported. In The Scouring, you also have to consider that they are worth a kill point, so it may or may not push your choice toward creating combat squads. By getting them tied up in combat, you can hope that they will stay on the table longer to survive to claim or deny objectives. Keeping war gear light is pretty important despite however much you want them to be resplendent deliverers of the Emperor's Justice. Essentially, you actually don't want them chewing through opponents in the first charge or you will be blown off the table the next player turn.
Figure 2: Chances of Scatter
From Angels of Death
The most important thing is choice. You always get to choose where you are going to drop in and who you are going to attack. This choice is well worth the cost in points that are lost from a more point efficient unit. It is up to you to use it properly to give yourself the best chance to win.
Remember when dropping your Vanguard in, you have to keep in mind that the shooting phase follows before you can come to blows. Don't block your own line of sight if possible for your shooty units. Don't shoot yourself out of a charge by making the enemy take too many wounds and pulling further and further away in the hopes of your charge coming up short and getting off snap shots at you on the way in. This means for example that you can drop in behind an enemy and still shoot at it with other units from different directions which will weaken the force yet not increase your charge distance hopefully.
Get a Sanguinary Priest in the area to support them. Having a priest around is probably more efficient than dropping 20 points down for each Storm Shield. You have a very high chance of coming in on Turn 2 (see Figure 1) so you need to find a way for your unit to survive longer if you need it to. The Priest will have to get to them by Turn 3 usually. This will allow them to continue on after finishing off the first enemy unit in the opponent's assault phase.
Other than acting as opponent Troop killers or a surgical strike against an enemy high value target, what about having the option to use it for defensive purposes? If you are coming in on Turn 2, there might not be much opportunity to use them like this. However, you might be able to head off a brutal attack you are not prepared to meet. Instead of trying to send out an Assault Squad as a speed bump, you could send your veterans to preserve scoring units. Taking on a leading unit could slow down other units by making them go around. Taking on a larger unit could make the opponent hesitate to go on without their support. Be creative with what you want to do with them because your opponent will probably not be expecting that their unit will suddenly be tied up in close combat.
Remember what I said about points before...right.
Our Vanguard Veterans start base at 115 points. Unfortunately, that does not include their jump packs which are ten more points for each model. We end up with 165 points for Assault Squad marines with one extra attack and a sergeant with a Glaive Encarmine. That's not great efficiency; however, there are still war gear options. Give one veteran a power sword or axe (15 points) and another veteran a melta bomb (5 points). Now they are lightly armed to take on opponent Troop choices to fulfill its role. If you have extra points, you can always add another veteran to add a little more resiliency to the unit, but the point is to keep it out of the way of opponent firing. Remember, you are not paying the extra points for efficiency, you are paying for it's specialized battlefield role.
Please add any experiences that you have had with Vanguard Veterans in the comments and build this conversation.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Techmarines [Tactical Exploration]
Welcome to the first [Tactical Exploration]. I would like this to be wide open to new ideas on how to use different units even if they aren't utilized heavily at the moment.
Let's explore the Blood Angel Techmarines together. They are definitely an underused unit on the table because of points cost, Elite slot competition, unusual army role, amount of utility versus an enemy may be somewhat unpredictable, etc.
`
Stats: The Techmarine has the standard Marine line except he has a 2+ save.
Special Rules: They are not independent characters. Although you can run Servitors (without mind-lock) with them. Bolster Defences actually got better considering that cover saves have generally been lightened. Blessing of the Omnissiah is basically the reason for a Techmarine's battlefield existence.
Wargear: Servo-arm- this allows you to fix your vehicles on a 5+ roll. You need to be in base contact and roll to fix during the shooting phase. If fixing a weapon destroyed, it will be able to fire immediately. The Servo-arm allows you an extra close combat attack at Strength 8 Initiative 1 but ignores Armour Saves. That's pretty valuable in a challenge. If you have a servo-harness, you can fix a vehicle on a 4+ roll, get two Servo-arm attacks, and a twin-linked plasma pistol and a flamer that can both be fired in the same shooting phase.
From the Blood Angels FAQ:
“Blessing of the Omnissiah: In each of your Shooting phases,
instead of firing his weapons, a Techmarine may choose to
repair a single friendly vehicle that he is in base contact with or
embarked upon."
Q: Can a Techmarine that is in base contact with multiple damaged vehicles attempt to repair them all?
A: No. A Techmarine can only ever make one repair attempt per turn.
If you want your Techmarine to be effective, you have to get those repair rolls chances in your favor.
On the whole, the new edition is friendly to the Blood Angels' version of the Techmarine. He has a nice 2+ save and his shooting repairs are now enacted immediately. The Servo-harness is a nice upgrade although that needs to be balanced by only having one wound.
If you take the Servo-harness, you might as well take a plain Servitor or two as an ablative wound and to help fulfill its main function of battlefield mechanic. Fulfilling this role will require a lot of movement, so despite the increase in power of the Plasma Cannon, it will still be hard to actually get shots off and it can't fire snap shots either. However, you shouldn't receive too much early fire from your opponent as your Techmarine will be lower on their target priority which will allow you to get premium positioning. Use this to your advantage. Remember, the Techmarine doesn't have the option of taking a dedicated transport, so they will have to borrow one. You'll have to think about how he will get around. Will it be on foot or will it be an assault squad razorback with twin-linked assault cannons or maybe twin-linked lascannon?
Your other main choice is then for your Techmarine to become like a Devastator squad. In this instance leave your Techmarine minimally armed to just absorb wounds and load up your servitors with Plasma Cannons to drop tons of damage on your opponent. This unit will serve as a distraction to your opponent because between two and four plasma cannon shots a turn will be hard to ignore. If you want to play more defensively, make sure they have a nice firing lane to where you think the enemy will be advancing into mid-field. If they make it there, they will pay for taking the advantage dearly.
What about unusual choices?
Landraiders- Well you could pack them inside of one, but it would make more sense to follow it in a razorback so you can keep your assaulty units tucked away inside of it instead. You can jump out and still get in base to base to fix it and then embark onto it after. If you have two Land's Raiders then you may want to dump them in quickly and let them zoom ahead first drawing fire.
Techmarine in a razorback with Death Company within a following razorback would be a major distraction to your opponent and allow a greater chance of getting to enemy lines.
Please add any great ideas you've used or seen for Techmarines in the comments.
Let's explore the Blood Angel Techmarines together. They are definitely an underused unit on the table because of points cost, Elite slot competition, unusual army role, amount of utility versus an enemy may be somewhat unpredictable, etc.
`Stats: The Techmarine has the standard Marine line except he has a 2+ save.
Special Rules: They are not independent characters. Although you can run Servitors (without mind-lock) with them. Bolster Defences actually got better considering that cover saves have generally been lightened. Blessing of the Omnissiah is basically the reason for a Techmarine's battlefield existence.
Wargear: Servo-arm- this allows you to fix your vehicles on a 5+ roll. You need to be in base contact and roll to fix during the shooting phase. If fixing a weapon destroyed, it will be able to fire immediately. The Servo-arm allows you an extra close combat attack at Strength 8 Initiative 1 but ignores Armour Saves. That's pretty valuable in a challenge. If you have a servo-harness, you can fix a vehicle on a 4+ roll, get two Servo-arm attacks, and a twin-linked plasma pistol and a flamer that can both be fired in the same shooting phase.
From the Blood Angels FAQ:
“Blessing of the Omnissiah: In each of your Shooting phases,
instead of firing his weapons, a Techmarine may choose to
repair a single friendly vehicle that he is in base contact with or
embarked upon."
Q: Can a Techmarine that is in base contact with multiple damaged vehicles attempt to repair them all?
A: No. A Techmarine can only ever make one repair attempt per turn.
If you want your Techmarine to be effective, you have to get those repair rolls chances in your favor.
On the whole, the new edition is friendly to the Blood Angels' version of the Techmarine. He has a nice 2+ save and his shooting repairs are now enacted immediately. The Servo-harness is a nice upgrade although that needs to be balanced by only having one wound.
If you take the Servo-harness, you might as well take a plain Servitor or two as an ablative wound and to help fulfill its main function of battlefield mechanic. Fulfilling this role will require a lot of movement, so despite the increase in power of the Plasma Cannon, it will still be hard to actually get shots off and it can't fire snap shots either. However, you shouldn't receive too much early fire from your opponent as your Techmarine will be lower on their target priority which will allow you to get premium positioning. Use this to your advantage. Remember, the Techmarine doesn't have the option of taking a dedicated transport, so they will have to borrow one. You'll have to think about how he will get around. Will it be on foot or will it be an assault squad razorback with twin-linked assault cannons or maybe twin-linked lascannon?
Your other main choice is then for your Techmarine to become like a Devastator squad. In this instance leave your Techmarine minimally armed to just absorb wounds and load up your servitors with Plasma Cannons to drop tons of damage on your opponent. This unit will serve as a distraction to your opponent because between two and four plasma cannon shots a turn will be hard to ignore. If you want to play more defensively, make sure they have a nice firing lane to where you think the enemy will be advancing into mid-field. If they make it there, they will pay for taking the advantage dearly.
What about unusual choices?
Landraiders- Well you could pack them inside of one, but it would make more sense to follow it in a razorback so you can keep your assaulty units tucked away inside of it instead. You can jump out and still get in base to base to fix it and then embark onto it after. If you have two Land's Raiders then you may want to dump them in quickly and let them zoom ahead first drawing fire.
Techmarine in a razorback with Death Company within a following razorback would be a major distraction to your opponent and allow a greater chance of getting to enemy lines.
Please add any great ideas you've used or seen for Techmarines in the comments.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
11th Company Podcast
This week we are in luck again with another podcast episode devoted to Blood Angels. This time, it is the 11th Company bringing magic to your ears. Link here.
Scoot on up to one hour and seventeen minutes to get started on it.
Credit
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Open Blood Angels List Builder
The Blood Angels open list builder is here. If anyone sees something to update it, tell me or fix it yourself and send it back to me and I will re-post it.
Credit
Friday, October 19, 2012
Reclusiarch
The Reclusiarch is the final HQ choice to get reviewed.
From the Angels of Death codex:
The first Space Marine Chapters were founded centuries before the development of the Imperial cult and the dominion of the Adeptus Ministorum. As a result every Space Marine Chapter has its own cult practices and its own priests, known as Chaplains. Whereas the Adeptus Ministorum has gradually extended its influence over all the many thousands of individual cults that once existed throughout the galaxy, it has never been able to influence the Space Marine cults which remain as stubbornly individualistic today as they ever were. Other civilian cults are denounced as heresy, and their adherents rooted out by the Ministorum's troops, but the Space Marine Chaplains care nothing for the ravings of the Ecclesiarchy and ignore the dictates of the Imperial cult in favour of their own ancient traditions.
The Chaplains administer the rites of their Chapter, performing the ancient ceremonies of Initiation and Vindication, as well as leading their brethren through the prayers of faith and sacred psalms of the Emperor. It must not be forgotten that Space Marines are devout warriors. Their faith in the divinity of the Emperor is as vital to them as their skills at arms, and their spiritual life is deep and complex. The Chaplains accompany their brothers into war, chanting the liturgies of battle as they lead the way into the ultimate consummation of battle and death.
Credit
Blood Angels are fortunate to have an upgraded Chaplain as an HQ option as well as regular Chaplains in the Elite section. The Reclusiarch is a small force multiplier but is mostly a legitimate close combat threat. Let's peak at the stats:
Reclusiarch WS5 BS5 W3 I5 A3 3+4+ saves
Chaplain WS5 BS4 W2 I4 A2 3+4+ saves
Seeing that nice BS5, it is worth upgrading his gun to a storm bolter or if you have the points, a plasma or inferno pistol because you will be hitting on a 2+. Anyone using Devastator squads know how powerful that signum is when you need to hit to take out those target priorities. If you're not upgrading to a power fist, you might want to think about melta bombs to make sure you can wreck any armour you may end up against especially because your Reclusiarch may end up outlasting the rest of his unit and need to switch roles. Since the Reclusiarch only has a power maul, it might be better to keep him as flexible as possible.
The Reclusiarch's special rules include Honour of the Chapter (makes units fearless), and Liturgies of Blood (this is post FAQ):
On a turn in which he charges, a Chaplain and all members of any unit chosen from Codex: Blood Angels the he has joined re-roll failed rolls To Hit. Models in a Death Company can also re-roll failed rolls To Wound (their rage makes them particularly susceptible to the Chaplain's fiery oratory).
Mr. Black:
Stelek:
BA Devastators:
Reclusiarchs are a fine choice that is a decent second to the Librarian. If your elites are filled up and you want to buff your Death Company, then he is a nice choice if you want a different weapon loadout than what Lemartes has. However, if you are looking at the Death Company as a distraction unit, its reputation should let you get away without needing to put a chaplain in to save points and invest them elsewhere.
A Reclusiarch or chaplain can also be a nice addition to small units like Honour Guard or the Sanguinary Guard to make them fearless and add something that they don't bring in having multiple wounds and an invulnerable save.
From the Angels of Death codex:
The first Space Marine Chapters were founded centuries before the development of the Imperial cult and the dominion of the Adeptus Ministorum. As a result every Space Marine Chapter has its own cult practices and its own priests, known as Chaplains. Whereas the Adeptus Ministorum has gradually extended its influence over all the many thousands of individual cults that once existed throughout the galaxy, it has never been able to influence the Space Marine cults which remain as stubbornly individualistic today as they ever were. Other civilian cults are denounced as heresy, and their adherents rooted out by the Ministorum's troops, but the Space Marine Chaplains care nothing for the ravings of the Ecclesiarchy and ignore the dictates of the Imperial cult in favour of their own ancient traditions.
The Chaplains administer the rites of their Chapter, performing the ancient ceremonies of Initiation and Vindication, as well as leading their brethren through the prayers of faith and sacred psalms of the Emperor. It must not be forgotten that Space Marines are devout warriors. Their faith in the divinity of the Emperor is as vital to them as their skills at arms, and their spiritual life is deep and complex. The Chaplains accompany their brothers into war, chanting the liturgies of battle as they lead the way into the ultimate consummation of battle and death.
Blood Angels are fortunate to have an upgraded Chaplain as an HQ option as well as regular Chaplains in the Elite section. The Reclusiarch is a small force multiplier but is mostly a legitimate close combat threat. Let's peak at the stats:
Reclusiarch WS5 BS5 W3 I5 A3 3+4+ saves
Chaplain WS5 BS4 W2 I4 A2 3+4+ saves
Seeing that nice BS5, it is worth upgrading his gun to a storm bolter or if you have the points, a plasma or inferno pistol because you will be hitting on a 2+. Anyone using Devastator squads know how powerful that signum is when you need to hit to take out those target priorities. If you're not upgrading to a power fist, you might want to think about melta bombs to make sure you can wreck any armour you may end up against especially because your Reclusiarch may end up outlasting the rest of his unit and need to switch roles. Since the Reclusiarch only has a power maul, it might be better to keep him as flexible as possible.
The Reclusiarch's special rules include Honour of the Chapter (makes units fearless), and Liturgies of Blood (this is post FAQ):
On a turn in which he charges, a Chaplain and all members of any unit chosen from Codex: Blood Angels the he has joined re-roll failed rolls To Hit. Models in a Death Company can also re-roll failed rolls To Wound (their rage makes them particularly susceptible to the Chaplain's fiery oratory).
Mr. Black:
Reclusiarch
We all know the real Captains of the Blood Angels, and it isn't the weenie that can't take Artificer Armor.
So here we are at the Reclusiarch, who on initial impression got knocked down a peg due to having a Power Maul; but really, is that so bad? I mean, he hits like a brick, sure he doesn't auto-ignore armor, but usually the combined wrath of him and the unit he's leading (never mind Death Company) are enough to mitigate that. But that seems to be all I've heard about him from people: "Power Maul, Power Maul, Power Maul"... Did those people forget he can also take a Power Fist for almost no points?
That's honestly how I've been running him, Fist and Maul. That way he has the option of hitting with whatever he deems best while still being the excellent combatant that he's always been!
We all know the real Captains of the Blood Angels, and it isn't the weenie that can't take Artificer Armor.
So here we are at the Reclusiarch, who on initial impression got knocked down a peg due to having a Power Maul; but really, is that so bad? I mean, he hits like a brick, sure he doesn't auto-ignore armor, but usually the combined wrath of him and the unit he's leading (never mind Death Company) are enough to mitigate that. But that seems to be all I've heard about him from people: "Power Maul, Power Maul, Power Maul"... Did those people forget he can also take a Power Fist for almost no points?
That's honestly how I've been running him, Fist and Maul. That way he has the option of hitting with whatever he deems best while still being the excellent combatant that he's always been!
Adding onto that he still confers Fearless, which as I mentioned way way back at the start is actually slightly worse than And They Shall Know No Fear but... Well, it varies per situation. Overall, however, he is still a great addition to the army for his combat prowess, variety of weapon options (and bikes! Don't forget bikes!), and utility he adds to the army. Basically, I would take a Reclusiarch and a Librarian, sending the Reclusiarch into the thick of things to hammer down some justice while allowing the Librarian to move around the board as needed, doing his Librarian buffing and debuffing.
Jack of all trades, master of none situation here in my mind. He is a potent melee force with a good amount of variety to him, and seeing as how characters will be living longer this edition he might actually get to see use of his skills, rather than just Wham, Bam, Dead like the olden days.
BA Devastators:
Reclusiarchs are a fine choice that is a decent second to the Librarian. If your elites are filled up and you want to buff your Death Company, then he is a nice choice if you want a different weapon loadout than what Lemartes has. However, if you are looking at the Death Company as a distraction unit, its reputation should let you get away without needing to put a chaplain in to save points and invest them elsewhere.
A Reclusiarch or chaplain can also be a nice addition to small units like Honour Guard or the Sanguinary Guard to make them fearless and add something that they don't bring in having multiple wounds and an invulnerable save.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Power Weapon Profiles
In the rush of beloved armchair theoryhammerists to get information out quickly after FAQ's or other releases, they are not able to provide the level of detailed analysis needed to make the right choices for specific codices, especially one ours (because it's the best, right?).
Credit
Our Red Thirst blessings:
Deep within the psyche of every Blood Angel is a destructive yearning, a battle fury and blood-hunger that must be held in abeyance in every waking moment. Few Battle-Brothers can hold this Red Thirst in check unceasingly- it is far from unknown for Blood Angels to temporarily succumb to its lure at the height of battle.
Red Thirst provides the Fearless and Furious Charge rules to replace And They Shall Know No Fear. For today, we only want to look at the Furious Charge rules:
Furious Charge
In a turn in which a model with this special rule charges into combat, it adds +1 to its Strength characteristic until the end of the phase. A model that has made a disordered charge that turn receives no benefit from Furious Charge.
You will have to balance different kinds of reliabilities. Do you want to reliably strike, or do you reliably want to kill? Do you mix your weapon types up to provide balance to your squad or will you take one type and specialize?
A really durable unit like Death Company it might be advantageous to take Power axes because you have a good chance at surviving to strike at initiative one. However, your Sergeants might be interested in a Power sword, lance or maul to make sure they get a chance to swing at enemies.
Let's look again at the list if we are getting a Furious Charge off (remember, no multi-charges or you lose the bonus).
Power sword S+1 AP3
Power axe S+2 AP2 initiative one
Power maul S+3 AP4 concussive
Power lance S+2/User AP3/4
Looking at the To Wound Chart
Our Red Thirst blessings:
Deep within the psyche of every Blood Angel is a destructive yearning, a battle fury and blood-hunger that must be held in abeyance in every waking moment. Few Battle-Brothers can hold this Red Thirst in check unceasingly- it is far from unknown for Blood Angels to temporarily succumb to its lure at the height of battle.
Red Thirst provides the Fearless and Furious Charge rules to replace And They Shall Know No Fear. For today, we only want to look at the Furious Charge rules:
Furious Charge
In a turn in which a model with this special rule charges into combat, it adds +1 to its Strength characteristic until the end of the phase. A model that has made a disordered charge that turn receives no benefit from Furious Charge.
A really durable unit like Death Company it might be advantageous to take Power axes because you have a good chance at surviving to strike at initiative one. However, your Sergeants might be interested in a Power sword, lance or maul to make sure they get a chance to swing at enemies.
Let's look again at the list if we are getting a Furious Charge off (remember, no multi-charges or you lose the bonus).
Power sword S+1 AP3
Power axe S+2 AP2 initiative one
Power maul S+3 AP4 concussive
Power lance S+2/User AP3/4
Looking at the To Wound Chart
we know it is just like our blessed bolters- Strength four is generally adequate and you need to be prepared to bring something stronger when the vile horde/xenos/traitor scum bring something tough.
Strength five and six are nice sweet spots to be hitting if you hitting at initiative and cutting through 3+ armour. That makes your regular Power sword a nice weapon to have if your enemy makes it to the second round. The Power lance really isn't enough of a buff to go back to AP4 for subsequent rounds when there is so much 3+ power armour running around. Taking a Power axe and Power maul are going to be for specific reasons which will be for a later post.
Strength five and six are nice sweet spots to be hitting if you hitting at initiative and cutting through 3+ armour. That makes your regular Power sword a nice weapon to have if your enemy makes it to the second round. The Power lance really isn't enough of a buff to go back to AP4 for subsequent rounds when there is so much 3+ power armour running around. Taking a Power axe and Power maul are going to be for specific reasons which will be for a later post.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Blood Angel Librarians
For many BA players, the Librarian was a default choice to take in 5th Edition for psychic defense and the Shield of Sanguinius if running armour. Blood Angel Librarians go back to the Angels of Death codex:
The Apothecaries of every Chapter test its initiates' physical gene-structure whilst the psychic potential o fthe young candidates is examined by the Chapter's Librarians.
Librarians are powerful psykers. They are responsible for all interstellar communication with the power to project their minds through warp space. They are also adjudicators of the Chapter's psychic population, dividing psychic mutants into those whose powers are dangerous and those whose powers may be used by the Imperium...
Space Marine Librarians are trained to use their powers in battle: to unleash energy blasts, to sense the enemy's movements, and to predict the fortunes of battle. They learn how to read the Emperor's tarot and to sense the subtle movements of daemons and other extra-real entities through warp space. A Librarian can feel the psychic shock waves that herald the arrival of a spacecraft, or the turmoil that ships leave in their wake as they depart. All these powers and more make the Librarians the ultimate Warrior mystics, endowed with abilities which set them aside from their brother Space Marines.
Credit: Codex: Angels of Death
Let's get to the stats:
WS5 W2 A2 and a 3+ save and don't forget about the Force weapon.
Which makes for a very vulnerable HQ character that you need to figure out how to protect.
Stelek:
Librarian. Still a staple. BA powers are still strong, giving you a 5+ cover save on turn 1. Nice to have. Fear of the Darkness has lost some power but if you can double tap a squad they will often run off the board anyway. Note that despite going last, a Librarian with a force axe is AP2 and with S10 up, can put the hurt on.
Mr. Black:
3++:
-Our libbies got both boosted and nerfed all at the same time. Boosted in that opposing libbies can't stop our powers that help our own units (Shield, Wings, etc), nerfed because our hoods got nerfed too. Mephiston and Libby Dreads are much more reliable now. That said, fudgemuiffin Wolves and Eldar still have their great psy defence, so it's not all roses.
BA Devastators:
If you are not sure which HQ to take, a Librarian is a good all-around choice. You can give him various weapon loadouts along with a choice of psychic powers. You can't really go wrong for that kind of smaller points investment. You just need to make sure he is protected in a unit or even better in a vehicle.
The Apothecaries of every Chapter test its initiates' physical gene-structure whilst the psychic potential o fthe young candidates is examined by the Chapter's Librarians.
Librarians are powerful psykers. They are responsible for all interstellar communication with the power to project their minds through warp space. They are also adjudicators of the Chapter's psychic population, dividing psychic mutants into those whose powers are dangerous and those whose powers may be used by the Imperium...
Space Marine Librarians are trained to use their powers in battle: to unleash energy blasts, to sense the enemy's movements, and to predict the fortunes of battle. They learn how to read the Emperor's tarot and to sense the subtle movements of daemons and other extra-real entities through warp space. A Librarian can feel the psychic shock waves that herald the arrival of a spacecraft, or the turmoil that ships leave in their wake as they depart. All these powers and more make the Librarians the ultimate Warrior mystics, endowed with abilities which set them aside from their brother Space Marines.
Let's get to the stats:
WS5 W2 A2 and a 3+ save and don't forget about the Force weapon.
Which makes for a very vulnerable HQ character that you need to figure out how to protect.
Stelek:
Librarian. Still a staple. BA powers are still strong, giving you a 5+ cover save on turn 1. Nice to have. Fear of the Darkness has lost some power but if you can double tap a squad they will often run off the board anyway. Note that despite going last, a Librarian with a force axe is AP2 and with S10 up, can put the hurt on.
Mr. Black:
Well, you certainly changed a bit, didn't you?
Honestly, I'm probably going to do another article just focused on the changes to Psykers in this edition, and it's quite a lot to put down in just a paragraph. Basically, I think Librarians came out one of the top winners in sixth due to the sheer number of options you can give them. I know I have been enjoying my Terminator Epistolary (Divination) leading a large group of Bolter Death Company, and I've seen some great things done with a Biker Librarian (Telekinesis).
Overall the field for psykers changed radically, so you really can't just look at them like normal Special Characters anymore. Sure, they have all the same benefits, such as Look Out Sir, Challenges, and all the rest, but they're so much more than that now- now they are a real force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, able to both buff and destroy enemy units at a whim.
Of course, not to neglect our own brand of psychic powers: Blood Lance became an amazing anti-flyer tool, and Unleash Rage is just as good as ever. Fear the Darkness? Well, you can't escort units away anymore, but combine it with some of the new powers and some truly dangerous combinations begin to appear.
In the end psykers are now a huge deal, and I feel they deserve more than just the cursory talk this article will give. We'll speak later over the complex changes and differences psykers make this edition.
Honestly, I'm probably going to do another article just focused on the changes to Psykers in this edition, and it's quite a lot to put down in just a paragraph. Basically, I think Librarians came out one of the top winners in sixth due to the sheer number of options you can give them. I know I have been enjoying my Terminator Epistolary (Divination) leading a large group of Bolter Death Company, and I've seen some great things done with a Biker Librarian (Telekinesis).
Overall the field for psykers changed radically, so you really can't just look at them like normal Special Characters anymore. Sure, they have all the same benefits, such as Look Out Sir, Challenges, and all the rest, but they're so much more than that now- now they are a real force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, able to both buff and destroy enemy units at a whim.
Of course, not to neglect our own brand of psychic powers: Blood Lance became an amazing anti-flyer tool, and Unleash Rage is just as good as ever. Fear the Darkness? Well, you can't escort units away anymore, but combine it with some of the new powers and some truly dangerous combinations begin to appear.
In the end psykers are now a huge deal, and I feel they deserve more than just the cursory talk this article will give. We'll speak later over the complex changes and differences psykers make this edition.
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