#gamechangersnp

[warpswimming]

Advanced Recon - Infiltrators

Here we go, at long last I can start looking into the units of the Vanguard. Today is the turn of the Infiltrators Infiltrators are a Primaris Troops choice clad in the Phobos armour of the Vanguard Being Marines they have the Chapter Tactics and Angels of Death rules. The other common rule they have is the Concealed Positions, which can be found here.

So what do they have?

  They come stock with bolt pistol and a bolter, though unlike the standard bolter, their Marksman Bolt Carbine automatically wounds on an unmodified hit roll of 6. They come as standard with Omni Scramblers which prevents units being set up from reinforcements within 12 inch of them. They have the SMOKESCREEN keyword a rundown of which can be found here. Their only customisation option comes in the form of taking either a Helix Gauntlet or Infiltrator Comms Array. The Helix Gauntlet changes the damage of the first failed save to 0. In 8th it used to be used to heal a model, this is better as it just lets you shrug off the first bit of damage, and then your Apothecary can heal you in your command phase. It also forces your opponent to think about what resources he wants to commit and in what order. If he's planning on using heavy weapons to shift your infiltrators, will he hit you with light arms first as you ignoring 1 damage is a lot better than ignoring that flat 2 or higher for them. The Comms Array is useful if you're running multiple units of infiltrators and a Phobos Lieutenant or Captain as it allows the unit to always be in range of any of any Chapter PHOBOS units on the table for Rites of Battle (reroll 1s to hit) and Tactical Precision (reroll 1s to wound) It allows you to spread out which I think is key, not only for running a heavy objective play but also to deny reinforcements from arriving over large areas. Your isolated units of Comms equipped infiltrators will still be as reliable as if they were bunched up.

So what use are they?

Infiltrators bring a lot and depending on your Chapter can be either really durable or pretty decent offensively. You can keep them around your deployment zone to stop enemy reinforcements showing up. Just because you have Concealed Positions doesn’t mean you have to be forward. If your opponent is going for your objective with a reinforcement heavy list this zones them out. Who wants those Deathwing Terminators and Sanguinary Guard popping up, not to mention Genestealer Cults.

You could use your infiltrators as shock troops. Use their Concealed Positions to get them up close, go for Assault doctrine to give your bolters some AP and shoot away. This works well as Imperial Fists with their hits of 6 giving an extra hit, though it must be noted that that extra hit isn’t an automatic wound, those days are gone. Give them the Comms Array and you don’t have to worry about spreading out to still get your benefits.

The final way I can see you using these is as really obnoxious denial units. You're a Troops choice and so have Objective secured. Pop a Helix Gauntlet in there, run as say Iron Hands for your 6+ negate wounds, keep the SMOKESCREEN strat handy and make rushes on the enemy objectives. In order to stop you the enemy will need to focus on your push rather than the pure damage dealers you may have elsewhere. If not they will need to swarm objectives with cheaper Troops units which when your guys have a minimum of 3 attacks each in the first round of combat and 2 power armoured wounds to chew through can make for a slog on their part.

So do you take them

In short, Yes. Long answer is that it depends on the size of your game and composition of your force. In low power games, say 25-50 it can be tight to fit in, 6 power troop units, larger games make it easier. Needless to say, one squad to run interferance will never be a bad idea. So are you taking them now? Back next time with Incursors.

[warpswimming]

Blemishes on the Armour? - Sanguinary Guard Part 2

Ok in Part one I started the description of Baal's golden guard. Their rules, bit of lore, all good stuff. As promised though, here's part two.

Just to check, It cant be all good though right?

No they do have their weakness. first off, they are not cheap 30 points each, with their bolter variant and either of the power weapons can be steep. Couple this with the fact that when all other marines got a wound push, Sanguinary Guard are still 2 wounds. They also have no invulnerable save, which could cause problems if you cant stick them somewhere safe. In this case, butchering your opponent could be bad, getting left out of cover and engagement range leaves you open to return fire.

The other consideration is you'll want to pick targets carefully. Sure against standard marines and the ilk, as well as hordes, they can go to town. However invulnerable saves such as the Harlequins 4+ can stop a few crucial strikes before they blend you in return, and units with damage reduction such as Dreadnoughts or the ENTIRE Death Guard list will halve your damage potential.

Final verdict then? Would you take them?

If you're building for high combat, then yeah of course. I actually want more of these guys. Add in a Sanguinary Priest with jump pack, maybe make him your Warlord to give you the benefit of an Apothecary (why not make him chief) and the Blood Chalice to give them the benefits of the Assault Doctrine.. oof

I’ve got a single unit at the moment for my Lamenters, oddly enough the easiest thing to paint in that whole chapter as they (in the current lore at least) appear to be the only sons of Baal who sport silver armour and black wings on the Sanguinary Guard.

Ok so its a bit lengthy but as you can probably tell, I enjoyed this one a lot.

Ill be back soon, maybe with a return to the codex, maybe with a non compliance unit. Once the Drukhari codex drops, expect some fun with that as well.

[warpswimming]

Duck and Cover - Suppressors of the Vanguard

Hello again. After a lengthy and disruptive Christmas and New Year period, its time to pickup where I left off. Lets finish off the roundup of the Vanguard with the Suppressors. First released as a Easy to Build kit in Shadowspear, Suppressors are still only available in the single pose kit, and only from the Vanguard Start Collecting box, which for those who may be looking at the Vanguard for their Space Marine armies, is a good way to go.

Suppressors are, or rather were, the firebase option of the Vanguard in the brief window before the Invictor, though they do still retain some utility. Suppressors are unique in the Vanguard because of their type of Mk X armour, which boasts a mix of Phobos and Gravis.

So what do they have?

Suppressors make use of the standard Primaris statline, albeit with a 12 inch movement and fly meaning they can get about much easier. They retain Angels of Death rule but they also have the Death from Above rule thanks to their Grav Chutes meaning they can be held in reserve and dropped where you need them later. The Accelerator Autocannons they all have, changed going into 9th. Whereas they used to be 2 shots and 3 damage, they are now 3 shots and 2 damage. When they use Str 7 and ap-1 think of them of a standard Autocannon with an extra shot, doesn’t sound brilliant I'll admit, especially when you consider that you only get units of 3 for 5 power. However its the ability..... Suppressing Fire.. If you play an assault army, you might want to slot a unit in just for this ability. Each time you hit with your Autocannons against an INFANTRY unit, that unit cannot fire Overwatch this turn.. pretty nice in the right situations and devastating against an army that relies on Overwatch such as Tau. Top this off with the SMOKESCREEN keyword to add a little protection thanks to the stratagem.

So what use are they?

Suppressors struggled to find a purpose since release, with a lot of people hoping that they would get a different weapon option, or maybe even an extra wound to represent the mix of Gravis. Their firepower is good, but it mashes poorly with their move trickery. A 12 inch move and Deep Strike ability might seem good on paper, but when you've got heavy (ish) weapons with a 48 inch range, is it needed? The subtle change from 8th to 9th though has given them utility they desperately needed. Whereas previously you had fewer shots, and had to kill an enemy model to prevent Overwatch, you now have more and only need HIT. Three marines, split firing at 3 different INFANTRY targets, screens you from a lot of potential Overwatch.

Defensible Terrain gives your opponent the option of Overwatch on 5s, or +1 to hit in combat. If you've got an INFANTRY gunline in ruins, such as Tau, with their supporting fire and higher than average strength weapons, denying Overwatch when you're fielding a combat focused army could be key. Outside of helping prevent Overwatch, their autocannons are not bad. I feel they are best used in a vantage point giving covering fire rather than zipping about, especially as they would take a -1 to hit penalty doing so. Stick them in cover for the save bonus, use SMOKESCREEN if you want the extra protection and just cover the table in fire.

So what Chapters make use of them?

Like I said, Suppressors are great to support a combat focused force. With that in mind, whilst they may not benefit themselves from the Chapter Tactics, Blood Angels, White Scars, Black Templars and the like, do well having a unit to prevent Overwatch.

 Even static armies can make use of them thanks to these being heavier weapons in the Fast Attack slot.

Ignoring cover save bonuses, getting +1 to hit if stationary, and the Crimson Fist outnumbered bonuses are all useful.

So would you take them?

Unfortunately no, they still seem to lack a certain something to make them a contender with other options in a large codex. Maybe in a full combat build, but that’s not my preferred playstyle.

Back soon with more

[warpswimming]

Mechanised Stealth - Invictor Tactical Warsuits

Today we're looking at the Invictor Tactical Warsuit

Part of the Vanguard and piloted by a brother in Phobos armour it acts as a mobile and advanced weapons platform

Providing heavier weaponry it infiltrates alongside other Vanguard elements

So what does it have

Special rules wise, the Invictor has the Angels of Death and Concealed Deployment rules.

With these rules it doesn’t really need any special keywords and its loadout and feel compliments its role perfectly.

Weapons wise, you walk into battle with a fragstorm grenade launcher, heavy bolter, Twin Ironhail stubber, and a Invictor fist. The standard compliment is then supplemented by either your Incendium cannon or Twin Ironhail autocannon.

Depending on your often personal preferance, the ironhail is a leadspitting platform of death or the incendium is a mostly reliable inferno spitting cooker.

The Incendium Cannon is a 12 inch str 5 2d6 auto hit which when you normally move 10 inch is pretty nice. An immediate threat when you can be 9 inch away on turn one.

If you prefer longer range, the Autocannons give you 6 shots at str 7 -1 and 2dmg allowing you to cover a large area with lead.

Add on top of this that you have eight shots at str 4 ap-1 from your stubbers, a str 4 d6 blast from the grenade launcher, and your heavy bolter with 3 shots at str 5 -1 2dmg that’s a lot of firepower from VERY close range.

If you can close the distance, and lets be honest you've got no excuse, you punch at strength 14 ap-3 and 3 damage with 5 attacks on the charge.

So what use are they?

Invictors can advance in support of advanced elements and are a serious immediate threat thanks to their Concealed Positions.

The Incendium cannon is almost immediately in range with its 12 inch and Concealed Deployment, and automatically hits, including when shooting in engagement range.

That’s my favoured loadout, though with the Ironhail Autocannons you have a bit more ranged punch.

The tradeoff however is where do you want this guy. Close range you’ll benefit from charging with your Invictor fist and its combat potential. 

The autocannons allow you to give covering fire but in my opinion its a threat that needs to be applied to force your opponent to make decisions rather than giving them the ability to make their own with impunity.

Lets not forget, you can contest or capture objectives with it, and the Concealed Deployment and 10 inch move gives you a really long aggressive reach.

So what Chapters works best?

Again there’s no wrong answer here. If you're looking at using it as a firebase then your Imperial Fists and Dark Angels benefit with ignoring cover or getting bonuses to hit, but I think close range combat armies will make the most of it.

When you start the game in charge range of either units or the enemy’s deployment zone with something sitting at 13 wounds and toughness 6 its a pressure play, exploiting a vulnerable point or forcing your opponent to target it.

White Scars will be able to advance and charge just in case they enemy is hidden away right at the back or their objective is tucked away, but I think its Blood Angels and Space Wolves that benefit the most. Either getting bonuses to hit or wound. Str 14 with +1 to wound, means you'll almost always be wounding on 2s, whilst a +1 to hit means you’ll likely be hitting on 2s with that punch and still wounding most things on 2s to boot.

Do you take them?

I've got two, one for my Fists/Lamenters and one for my Dark Angels. Both get regular use either supporting my Ravenwing, or throwing the threat analysis off with my Fists. Its a vehicular beat stick, making it resistant to poisoning effects and even when playing against an aggressive opponent who charges you first, your overwatch with the Incendium will automatically hit.

From a modelling point, those who don’t want to commit will find it easy enough to swap or magnetise the single choice variation which is always a plus when as a game FAQs can change things in sometimes drastic ways

[warpswimming]

Taking the Shot - Eliminators

Hi all. Today we're looking at the sniper team of the Vanguard, the Eliminators.

Eliminators are tasked as the fire support and scalpels of the Vanguard. Set up in firing positions and equipped with varied ammunition for every job.

So what do they have?

Eliminators are 3 man teams which cannot be expanded. Like most of the Vanguard they have the Angels of Death and Chapter Tactics rules as well as Concealed Positions. They're equipped with Camo Cloaks for an extra +1 to their saves if they are benefitting from cover and can take either Las Fusils or Bolt Sniper Rifles as core gear. The Sergeant can take any of the two main guns regardless of the rest of his units loadout, or the Instigator Bolt Carbine. 

Lets break that down. 

First off, the Las fusil is a heavy 1 str8 -3 3 damage rifle with a decent range. Pretty handy if you're going full Vanguard and lack some high strength ranged punch.

The Bolt Sniper Rifle is possibly the most usual loadout as it has 3 different firing profiles. All the profiles are str 5 with great range, all ignore the Look Out Sir rule and all are subtly different. Executioner rounds are your stock round, single shot, adding one to hit rolls and ignoring the targets benefit of cover Hyperfang trade the bonus to hit rolls and cover bonus, as well as AP for being D3 Blast. Mortis rounds increase the AP, add a point of damage for D2 and do mortals on 6s

The Instigator Bolt Carbine is a single shot assault bolter with a point of AP and D2 which also ignores Look Out Sir but then confers the Covering Fire rule. Covering fire allows you can make a normal move after shooting so long as the unit has the Instigator and it is not in engagement range. Really useful.

The final cherry on top of all this.... Eliminators are BS2 already.

So what use are they?

Where do I start? They are a very useful little unit with a lot of applications.

The Bolt Sniper Rifle alone can deal with a lot of threats. If you're playing against a Character heavy list, you can really knock out lynchpins, hordes, throw 3d3 strength 5 shots at them with blast, and using the Devastator Doctrine turn one for extra AP. Characters relying on cover, or enemy Eliminators, go for that ignoring cover (cant camo cloak if you strip the benefits of cover from them) and for tougher Characters switch out to the multi damage, mortal wounding shot.

The Las Fusil adds some high strength punch to an army that could be lacking it, flat 3 damage should never be sniffed at, and remember you're BS 2

Unit of 3 makes for a decent enough escort for a Character such as a Phobos Librarian or Captain, especially when you consider they have the CORE keyword.

The Instigator option gives you the ability to drop out from behind Obscuring Terrain, shoot, and run back, or even move, shot and then move for an Objective whilst still being a decent enough sniper option in itself, and actually opens itself up for the bolter ammo in your chapters special issue wargear, hitting characters with a single shot and then moving your snipers.

What Chapters make the most use from them?

Looking at your stock codex Chapters, there’s no wrong answer. Imperial Fist and Crimson Fist players can lean on the bolter rules for extra shots, Dark Angels if stationary can be looking at a 1+ to hit, which is great if fighting in Dense Cover or with natural negative modifiers to hit. Blood Angels even get some play if you take Quake bolts from their Special Issue Wargear to pin a unit before you charge them. Largely it boils down to your special issue bolt ammo, and how much fire support you have.

So do you take them?

Eliminators almost always find a way into my lists, despite currently only owning one unit of Bolt Rifles. 

Characters in 9th have lost a little punch thanks to the CORE keyword stipulations on their AURA abilities, but psykers, Chaplains, or the ubiquitous Chief Apothecary need taking care of, and this is your tool. Would I take the Fusil, maybe if I had enough units, but the purchase cost of 3 Eliminators is a little rich for me. The iIsitgator Bolt Carbine is a great option that which is ripe for the ammo upgrade. That people, is the end of the PHOBOS keyworded units.

In the next post I’ll look at the Invictor Warsuit, the piloted mech of the Vanguard, before rounding out this series on the Suppressors Don’t go hiding behind those red barrels now.

[warpswimming]

Honestly not Night Lords - Reivers in the Vanguard

Today I'll be looking at Reivers in the Space Marine codex.

Reivers are the Terror Troops of the Adeptus Astartes, their skull faced helms with the SMOKESCREEN and SHOCK GRENADES keywords places them narrativly into a scare tactic role. So lets take a look.

What do they have?

Reivers can have more varied wargear than a lot of the other Primaris Marines. Your basic loadout is a Special issue Bolt Pistol, and Combat knife, which you can swap out for a Bolt Carbine. On top of that, you can take either a Grapnel Launcher or Grav Chutes.

Rules wise, Reivers have the Angels of Death, Chapter Tactics and Combat Squads rules, though note the lack of Concealed Positions ubiquitous to the majority of the Vanguard.

Their Terror Troops Aura subtracts 2 from the LD of enemies within 3 inch.

Grapnel launchers allow the unit to Outflank and ignore any vertical distances when it moves outside of the charge and fight phases.

Grav chutes give you the Death From Above ability enabling them to arrive anywhere on the table over 9 inch from an enemy.

The pistol is a -2ap bolt pistol, which is nice, and the bolt carbine is assault which gives some reliable firepower.

So what use are they?

As daft as it might sound, ignore the weapon profiles. Reivers dont hit hard and they arnt any tougher than a standard marine. They are built for advancing where other Troops might chose to stand and shoot.

Reivers are a harassment unit, their LD debuff is ok, but really excels when combined with the stratagem Terror Troops, or Shock and Awe. Disrupting the reliability of units and shutting down the Objective secured abilities and Actions of the enemy.

As far as what equipment would you take? Whilst it depends on Chapter, I'd move twoard their pistols as they have an AP and you're wanting to be close with them anyways.

What Chapters do they work well in?

A combat focused unit will work well in a combat focused Chapter. Blood Angels will certainly get some use out of them but I think they would work better in White Scars because you need to get them in there. Unless you're forking out for the unit upgrades you could find you'll need a TRANSPORT to get them into position and Advance and Charge could be handy.

Imperial Fists could get some limited mileage from them but only due to the weapons being bolters.

Space Wolves are an option for Reivers, but they have their Hounds of Morkai, and they have a lot more going for them.

So would you take them?

Well, no. Sad to say that they just dont seem to pack enough utility in. To really get mileage from them you'll be wanting to support them with a TRANSPORT or a Librarian.

Like I said, they don't do the damage, and yes they have use as harassment but they are an Elite choice, and there are just so many other things in that selection that only people dedicated to them will use them over say, Bladeguard.

Reivers dont fit a role very well. The pistol is nice but isnt supported by a combat prowess or weapon that sets them apart. The bolt carbine lacks anything to set it apart from a standard boltguns other than the assault profile and with regular marines now being 2 wounds each, Tactical Squads actually hold more options before we even talk about the Drop Pod.

Lets have a breakdown.

Tactical Squad in Drop Pod actually meets the Reivers with grav chute in terms of firepower and deployment areas. Straight away though, Drop Pod comes turn one, and the Tactical Squad can take special weapons.

How does that translate with points?

5 man Tactical Squad with Drop Pod = 160 points

5 man Reiver squad with grav chutes = 100 points

Both units will arrive 9inch away from the enemy, though the Drop Pod arrives turn one, possibly securing you that objective early or screening it off.

The Tactical Squad, has the Objective Secured rule and the option to take a special weapon.

The Drop Pod actually adds firepower through its storm bolter and can hold an objective on its own.

Plus, options in your force org slots. Elites are a highly contested area.

So sorry Reivers, unless i'm going full Vanguard, you just wont make that cut very often.

So cracking on with these now, Eliminators are up next, but you still wont see them coming.

[warpswimming]

Head (band) Hunters - Incursors

For the second of my unit focuses, welcome the Incursor. Incursors must be a play on Incursion, Invasion or attack, especially sudden or brief, and boy does the wargear match that description.

So what do they have?

On top of the basic marine rules of Angels of Death and Chapter Tactics, Incursors have Concealed Position similar to Infiltrators. Their wargear and rules are based around this swift attack ethos, and this is taken directly from the codex.

'The occulus bolt carbines and Divinator-class auspexes of the Incursors feed directly into their transpectral visors.'  

Who doesn’t love sci-fi techno jargon? What this means however is the following. Their bolters whilst lacking AP do ignore the bonus of cover for their targets They have a Multispectrum Array, (read visor and shoulder auspex) which allows you to ignore any OR all modifiers to hit rolls or BS modifiers That represents the constant tactical data feed coming to the Incursor unit They also come with the SMOKESCREEN keyword as well as a Bolt Pistol and Paired Combat Blades The Combat blades give the Incursor -1AP in combat which again represents their sudden strike role. For a small points layout you can give the squad a Haywire Mine, which unlike in 8th, no longer needs to be planted. This is both a good and a bad thing. You are trading booby trapping areas of the board to deter movement,  for giving you some protection from being charged. On a 2+ you’ll inflict d3 mortal wounds on a unit that ends a charge move in engagement range, or a flat 3 against something with the VEHICLE keyword.

Don’t forget, these guys are TROOPS so you’ll be able to level your objective secured ability.

So what use are they?

I really like Incursors. Unlike 8th, I wouldn’t always take the Haywire Mine unless you're local group uses a lot of elite units such as CUSTODES or VEHICLES. With no longer being able to pop it in a choke point as a trap I feel its lost some flavour. Where I think Incursors excel though is close range, this isn’t a unit I'd suggest babysitting home objectives. They may lack some of the carnage of assault intercessors, but they also have a better ranged attack than them. To me Incursors sit almost between standard Intercessors and their new Assault Intercessor brothers. 

Using the Concealed deployment  often means you don’t have to think about TRANSPORT and when attacking targets in Dense Cover or with a native -1 modifiers to hit just don’t phase them, sorry AELDARI players. Probably the best thing to be noticed here though is that you may ignore ANY OR ALL modifiers. If you've got a +1 modifier you can still use it, so Dark Angels remaining stationary (or using the stratagem to count as not having moved) would ALWAYS be hitting on 2s.

What Chapters make the most use from them?

Honestly your stock chapters all benefit here. Maybe less so for Imperial Fists due to their ignoring of cover on their bolters being part of their Chapter Tactic. White Scars, Blood Angels and other combat based Chapters make great use of them as assault troops, close range, advance and charge, or +1 to wound with the combat blades both being great applications. Dark Angels can make use of them as forward elements supporting Ravenwing or Deathwing units with their versitility.

So do you take them?

Oh yes. They sit around the same points and power as both types of Intercessors and sit neatly in between the two in terms of role. Their firepower is reliable and they are TROOPS, plus they just look awesome as models. I'd take these as they are more versitile than Intercessors. 

As you can see from the pictures, I already have some painted up, running alongside my Ravenwing, and I’ve got more left to build, I really rate them.

Next post I’ll look into Reivers. A unit that sometimes struggles to find a use, but I’ll go into some overlooked applications of them. Until then, don your Geordie visor and have at it.

[warpswimming]

Command Level Abilities - Stratagems of the Vanguard

Hello again. today i'm having a look at a few stratagems from the Space Marine codex.

I wont be going into all the Marine Stratagems, just ones that predominately deal with Vanguard units, in the future I may go over some of the other ones, so I'll be looking at Smokescreen, Terror Troops and Shock and Awe.

First off is Smokescreen

Overview

In your opponents shooting phase, select a ADEPTUS ASTARTES SMOKESCREEN unit from your army that’s been targeted, attack rolls are at -1 against them

Utility

Find yourself unable to get that Dense Cover? Need that objective or just need a unit to not get shot off the board, this gives you a great defensive buff.

You'll find at first glance that a surprisingly large amount of units have the SMOKESCREEN keyword, vehicles being the obvious one but a lot of Vanguard units also have it including your base troops, the Infiltrators and Incursors.

A little 1CP stratagem that you want to keep on your mind at all times, always in your back pocket tool box of tricks.

Other than just the immediate application you can use this to counter an enemies +1 or even add to the effects of Dense Cover to push for that aggregate cap of + and -1.

Unlike the old smoke launchers wargear, this isn’t a pop smoke instead of shooting for a cover bonus, its in your opponents shooting phase and there’s no tradeoff for firepower. SERIOUSLY powerful.

Next up, Shock and Awe

Overview

Use it in your shooting phase when an ADEPTUS ASTARTES SHOCK GRENADES or LAND SPEEDER STORM unit shoots, select an enemy unit within 6 inch and until the start of your next turn, they cant Overwatch or Set to defend and they have a -1 to hit rolls for attacks.

Utility

Another 1CP stratagem that screams utility but is limited by the units you can take it on. Shock Grenades are a Reiver thing so immediately you're down to Reiver Lieutenant and Reiver squad. Both of these units are having a rough time as they struggle to find a place in a lot of people's armies for reasons I’ll hit on in a later post.

Yes you need to be within 6 inch but shutting down Overwatch and Set to Defend on a unit could be very helpful and if you make that charge or not, then -1 to hit for ALL their attacks until your next turn is pretty powerful, it doesn’t even have to be a unit you charge, you can just grenade it.

Let that sink in a bit, your 5 man Reiver unit could impose a -1 to hit on anything. That knight being annoying, drop a -1 to hit on it, worried about that swarm unit of Tyranids, give them a -1 to hit, behind Guard lines and want to inflict maximum disruption, shoot a unit, grenade some artillery and then charge a third.

I think the best way to use this might be on the LAND SPEEDER STORM due to its movement, but if you find yourself in position, why not. There’s no hit rolls. You're probably shooting those nice pistols into combat, so why not use this and mess with the enemies reliability.

Really situational, but if you're making Reivers work for you, or just want them to then why not keep it in mind.

Lastly for now, Terror Troops

Summary

A bit more expensive at 2CP this one also only targets REIVERS. you gain a 3 inch Aura that shuts down your enemies objective secured abilities and if you finish your normal move, advance or charge within 3 inch of a unit preforming an action roll 2d6 against their Leadership and if you beat it, their action fails.

Utility

Like I said, REIVERS are a little situational, however this is the ultimate trick to pull on an enemy playing a strong objective game. Don’t forget, REIVERS give a -1ld Aura as it is.

Now for the trickier bit, this is one where you want to cast Temporal Corridor to throw that unit over the board. You'll sacrifice the ability to charge, but you'll disrupt the objective game and depending on your unit size and faction, could even take the objective from the enemy. 

This stratagem is used in your command phase and lasts until your next command phase as well, so if you’re on the objective and the enemy comes to take it off you, they’ll have to do it without objective secured.

I'm building a variety of Vanguard builds and I'll be trying this out in the future.

That’s it, moving onto units next. Its going to be fun. Check back later.

[warpswimming]

Tricks up their sleeves - Warlord traits of the Vanguard part 2

After an unexpected delay, lets jump into the final three Warlord Traits in the Vanguard tree. For a recap on part 1, click here

Stealth Adept

Unless this

WARLORD

is the closest eligible target, enemy models cannot target it with ranged attacks.

Pros

This is basically the old CHARACTER rule but in 9th has a load more application than it used to. At its very core, your Warlord will be able to operate independantly so long as its not the closest thing to your enemy. Its a level of protection should you mess up your requirements for Look Out Sir, or you need to move a unit with something such asTemporal corridor to get onto an objective.

Where this is specifically differant to the same trait from 8th edition though is that units that used to specifically say that they could target CHARACTERS regardless of targeting restriction have evolved to 'Ignore the Look Out Sir rule'. Your warlord could be completely independant but visible and not targetable.

Cons Most of the time your Warlord should be a support role as well as packing its own punch. If your Warlord is isolated, there’s a good chance a plan has gone wrong.

Utility Best units to use this on are your Librarian or Captain due to the nature of their abilities and in combination with other unit wargear The Librarian can benefit as it allows you to use your psyker abilities to move units around with less risk of being left open for attack. The Captain has a bolter that can target characters ignoring look out sir, and omni scramblers which means he can sit back on an objective and snipe, stopping reinforcements arriving within 12inch, a large protective bubble on a rear objective. What about his aura ability? Whilst its only on infiltrators, they have equipment allowing them to benefit from auras anywhere on the table, it might not be much, but its something.

Summary With all the various traits available, only a few army builds will seriously benefit from this, I'd probably go for something else unless you're building around making use of Infiltrators to shut down areas of the table.

Target Priority

In your Command Phase, select one friendly PHOBOS unit within 6inch of the WARLORD. Until the start of your next Command Phase, add one to the hit rolls of ranged attacks.

Pros

Reliable shooting is always good. Whilst modifiers are capped at +1/-1 using this could help mitigate Dense Cover.

Cons

The restrictions on what units can benefit make it less useful. Most PHOBOS units are not designed for their firepower.

Utility Best used when fighting an army with a lot of -1 to hit or on boards with Dense Cover. Eliminators would be a good choice for a target but as they already sit at BS2 its only for mitigation.

Summary Its a very situational trait that in preselecting army build and with its limitations I don’t think Id ever take with all the other options out there. 

Master Marksman

Add one to the damage of ranged weapons the Warlord has, except relics and grenades.

Pros

More damage, its always good. Who wouldn’t like a 4 damage assault 1 bolter on their Captain that can ignore look out sir.

Cons Similar to rank and file Phobos units, the character in the Vanguard aren't especially built for damage.

Utility Obviously the Captain is a good call, he can stick his rifle to 4 damage, which can ignore look out sir. Guard characters would need to hide well from him, most light characters sit at the 4 wound mark and this guy would be a serious threat, if he could take this and Stealth Adept then up, I'd do that all day. The Reiver Lieutenant isn’t a bad call as it sticks his pistol up to 3 damage with decent AP but if you're using this, use a Captain.

Summary I might take this, on a Captain, supported by a unit of almost any Phobos, especially if fighting against a lot of lower wound characters. If you have an ability to give him two warlord traits and can take Stealth Adept he becomes a really annoying character chipping away buffs and auras on the move with his omni scrambler.

That’s it for Warlord Traits. Next post will look at stratagems before moving onto the units.

[warpswimming]

Tricks up their sleeves- Warlord Traits of the Vanguard Part 1

Welcome back.

Today I'll be looking at the Warlord traits in the Vanguard tree. For a recap on what the Vanguard are, check out my introduction here.

Being Vanguard traits, only your PHOBOS Warlord can take them, as well as any extra PHOBOS units you use a stratagem on to allow for more. The main focus of these traits is to bolster the PHOBOS elements in your army, and is best used in conjunction with a largely PHOBOS force. You can find a recap on the PHOBOS Captain here, the Lieutenant here and the Librarian here

So lets get to it.

Shoot and Fade

If you've played Aeldari before you’ll recognise this, for those that haven’t this allows a PHOBOS unit within 6 inch to make a normal move or advance after shooting.

Pros

Great if you want to shoot and duck into terrain, or if you just want that extra movement. Aeldari players have used this for years to get their units across a board but with 9th edition this could get your units onto Objectives quicker which is the name of the game.

Cons

You can’t charge after you use this, so running your Infiltrators or Incursors forward doesn’t mean you'll be throwing them into combat that turn. This isn’t to mean that you're weak in combat, you're still Space Marines and you'll still get your bonus Shock Assault attack if you're charged. You have to be careful with it to make sure you don’t run your Look Out Sir screen too far and leave your Warlord open though so keep that in mind.

Summary

Its ok, but not brilliant. In a game where your PHOBOS Warlord has access to 13 different warlord traits in the game, probably steer clear of this one. Its one saving grace is that you can run a Librarian up, cast a power, shoot his pistol and run back but that’s super situational.

Lord of Deceit

After both players have deployed, you can select up to three PHOBOS units from your army and redeploy them, or put them into Strategic Reserve for free regardless of normal limitations.

Pros

I love this one. During deployment you can use your units such as infiltrators to screen off the midfield especially if the opponent has any advanced deploying elements of their own, (here’s looking at you Nurglings). Doing this can ruin some midfield plans of your opponent, then you just pull them back, or reposition them to shore up a flank, or exploit an opponents weak spot.

If you're playing a mix of Phobos and back field holders, you could even throw the Phobos into strategic reserve for free and without limitations, to possibly come and harass an enemies backline and flanks from turns 2 and 3. If you were considering sticking your PHOBOS in strategic reserve anyways, this has an extra CP bonus.

Lets take a full unit of 10 Reivers, split into combat squads, and a unit of Incursors split into combat squads, both split for extra protection and mobility. Reivers have to pay for wargear to allow them to arrive at various points on the board, otherwise they have to go in your deployment area. Incursors can advanced deploy to screen out the midfield as highlighted above. Now, after you’ve got both players deployed you simply pick these two units up and put them in strategic reserve, maybe even throwing your Warlord in for good measure. You just popped 25 power of unit in strategic reserve, that were on the board, FOR FREE rather than 3 CP. Its cost a Warlord Trait sure, but those Reivers are going to have a better time popping on a flank. Sure the rest of your army might look light but unless your opponent reacts to this huge threat, you’ll grab objectives all over the board with durable units.

Cons

You are using a warlord trait to do it, and you can leave your board presence pretty light but its all about objectives in 9th.

It might not suit every opponent but the utility it gives, even if its just to pull your units back is pretty good. Just be aware that strategic reserves can be fenced out if your opponent starts lining the flanks and if they don’t turn up they’re destroyed, some missions will put a time limiter on this. Main con here is that its after deployment, which means before you know who is going first. You could redeploy your units and then end up going second, leaving something such as your eliminators out of position as your opponent just moves around, though there is an argument that they would just do this anyway.

Summary

Super useful, super fun and thematic, you can use this with Guerilla Tactics to effectively take a small PHOBOS army off the table though I'm not sure why you'd want to. Its good at stopping things like Nurglings getting objectives turn one, and trust me when I say Nurglings have become a serious problem in 9th with their durability and advanced deployment coupled with low points costs and small models. I can see this getting a lot of play in armies where you take a second warlord trait for 1CP to save 2 or more down the line with strategic reserves. I'd say one to watch.

Master of the Vanguard

This nice little Aura Trait, gives you +1 to charge rolls and plus one to move and advance whilst within 6 inch of your warlord.

Pros

Extra move and charge while using Concealed Positions is pretty nice, if you're going for a turn one charge you could do worse. The extra move will help you get around the board and onto Objectives (there’s a trend here) or just in between the enemy and somewhere they want to go.

Cons

One inch isn’t a lot (insert joke here), and your PHOBOS units for the most part are not combat monsters. In my experience, a lot of disagreements pop up around that extra inch as perspective on the tape measure can sometimes give as much variance.  Summary I see this one as a corrective measure for poor movement and deployment rather than a sure ploy, and that’s mostly because of the units it affects. If this was on all CORE units say, then assault intercessors could benefit but as it is there are better traits to take. Like I said, before 13 traits are available to your PHOBOS Warlord.

Ok so that’s it for this post, half the traits rounded up. I’ll be back with the final 3 in the next post before moving on to look at units and stratagems. ‘Tread softly and carry a big gun.’

[warpswimming]

Dark Disruption - Obfuscation, Tenebrous Curse

Welcome back. Its been a little while since I posted because real life has taken over a bit, but lets get back into this with the last of the Obfuscation Discipline powers, Tenebrous Curse.

Overview

Tenebrous Curse is a Malediction power available to your Phobos Librarian. Cast on the average of 2d6, 7, it inflicts a mortal wound on your target and slows them down with -2 to move, advance and charge rolls. It is meant to represent the shadows of the enemy rising up to attack them, grasping at them and pulling them down, which is pretty awesome sounding

Pros

Whilst a range of 18 doesn’t seem much, this is cast exclusively from your Phobos Librarian meaning that you're likely to be forward deployed thanks to Concealed Deployment, handy as it means you can reach almost anywhere you need turn one to slow down the enemy vanguard.

This power can be cast on a CHARACTER so if your enemy is hiding that Captain with jump pack and thunder hammer, or a Bike mounted Captain with serious melee punch, you can slow them down pretty heavily. Armies that use advance and charge mechanics such as Ork Speed Freaks, Cult of Red Grief and White Scars could have the triple hit, reducing their threat range by 6 inch across the three reductions.

If cast on a units transport you could shut down their overwatch absorbing unit, the unit sent in to take all the possible overwatch such as a tank in order to protect the infantry.

Perhaps the most situational use of this though is to prevent your enemy from charging everything. In 9th edition you have to declare all your charge targets and reach all of your targets or you fail the charge. By limiting the effective range you could save a unit from the initial charge or cause the enemy to fail by over extending themselves.

Cons

This power has a range of 18 inch. Sure I mentioned that you'll likely be in range of casting it, but at 18 inch you're also very close to your enemy and if they are looking to charge you could stall them for a turn but that’s all it would be, a stall.

The power only affects one unit, rather than units within a select range. If you're playing a melee opponent they likely have things charging across multiple fronts. The threat of stopping a single unit is more likely to either see your librarian ignored, or just swept over in a charge or placed into engagement range thanks to consolidation.

The single mortal wound is unlikely to stop most opponents, its good for finishing off a single wound on a model, but at a 7 to cast you're often better with smite. As I said, the limitations around the power means you're acting almost as a speed bump to your enemy rather than a bulwark.

This power doesn’t affect things with the FLY keyword and only targets a visible unit. Things that are normally fast and a combat threat such as Assault Marines with jump packs, or Venom mounted squads in Drukhari are immune to this. In a culture that has you preselect your powers in tournaments, a bad matchup will make it redundant. Gunlines, Drukhari, and jump pack armies will give you real problems, and on a smaller board size things like Outriders have the movement to mean sacrificing a couple of inches isn't the problem you would expect.

Summary

Tenebrous Curse is super situational to both mission and opponent. I didn’t even cover the chances of holding enemies back from objectives as honestly it wont make a differance. Enemies that specialise in getting close will still make it, those that don’t shouldn’t mind the single mortal wound. Your Librarian will be right in the firing line after casting it so if your opponent doesn’t like it, dealing with him probably wont take too long. When the discipline has powers such as Shrouding and Mind Raid I find it a little mismatched to the close ranged threat that Phobos tends to apply and wont take it, possibly ever.

Hopefully now real life could slow down a bit again I'll look at the PHOBOS keyword next. There are units, stratagems and combos that I believe make the subset very powerful in 9th, despite their limited damage output compared to other elements in the codex.

'A human being is only breath and shadow.'

[warpswimming]

Warp Spawned Visions - Obfuscation, Hallucination

Welcome back. Today I continue a look into the Obfuscation Dicipline with a focus on Hallucination

Like before, I urge you to recap on the Phobos Librarian who is the only character currently able to access this Discipline.

Overview

Hallucination represents the psykers reaching into the minds of their enemies and making them see things that arn't there. New enemies, fallen comrades or just swirling colours and shapes, used to disrupt and distract.

It sits at a nice 6+ to cast, so slightly below the average on 2d6 and hits one unit visible and within 18 inch which with your Concealed Position, gives you a large threat radius.

The unit you pick subtracts one from its leadership, and one from its attack rolls until your next psychic phase.

Sounds really simple, but there's some considerations you may have missed.

Pros

This power hits anything visible. There are no targeting restrictions other than that which means Characters are just as vulnerable as anything else. Obviously an Astra Militarum Commander isn’t a huge combat threat, but maybe you'd like to throw a penalty on Abaddon, or the Yncarne. If you are not already in Dense Terrain, either in the open or on Light Cover, the extra minus to hit from one unit can help reinforce your defense.

The penalty to leadership can be good when paired with other effects, such as Reivers Terror Troops Aura, and works even better when paired with the Mind Raid power that I’ll cover later, possibly netting you an extra Command Point.

The best armies to use this against are those that ignore dense cover or heavy combat armies where you could get use out of the modifier

Cons

9th has introduced limits on modifiers to hit and wound at +/- 1. This means that if you cast this on a unit your opponent has a couple of extra options as they are taking a penalty either way. Moving and shooting infantry heavy weapons or advancing and firing assault weapons wont impose a disadvantage on them, nor will them targeting a unit in dense cover as their limit has already been reached. You could even find your opponent moving and shooting heavy infantry weapons into some of your units with inbuilt penalties to hit. Whilst you are influencing your opponents decision process you may find that your naturally defensive unit suddenly becomes a more viable target.

As of yet, leadership trickery isn’t a huge part of the game. If you use this on an elite unit you could get lucky with combat attrition but you'll need to build an army that capitalised on leadership ploys. On top of having to build your list this way some opponents have ways around combat attrition such as the Dark Angels, and there is even a single use universal stratagem to auto pass a leadership test. Its high work, low reward currently.

There are even a variety of units that ignore the penalty entirely, those that always hit on a certain value or auto hit, such as flamers and Aeldari Dark Reapers. A poor matchup with your opponent in a situation where your list is locked powers wise could leave you quickly regretting taking it.

Summary

Whilst good in some situations this power is easily bypassed.

The leadership game just isn’t strong enough or reliable. With army rules that ignore aspects and a stratagem that bypasses it entirely it will be very limited in scope. Even if it does work, you're looking for your opponent rolling ones in combat attrition for a unit and sure it could kill a squad of Custodes on an unlucky roll, and lucky one does nothing, its 1 in 6.

Sure stacking penalties to hit sounds great but unless your opponent has stacking modifiers you can achieve the same effect by using terrain to either block line of sight or provide that minus to hit. With a cap in play your opponent may just go for the units that have natural shielding, because why not, and whilst they may want to hold a position, moving suddenly doesn’t become a problem outside of its normal restriction, there’s no extra downside.

I'd avoid this power. There are better ones in the Discipline that are more reliable and give you more tactical options. Such as Shrouding and Temporal Corridor.

'I respectfully decline the invitation to join your hallucination'

[warpswimming]

Mind games and confusion - Obfuscation, Shrouding

Hello all. After an unplanned hiatus I'm back today looking at the Obfuscation discipline and how it affects the game in 9th edition in a series of smaller posts taking each in turn.

First off, lets bring you up to speed with the Phobos Librarian.

The Vanguard Marines came out in the middle of 8th and changed things up with widespread use of the PHOBOS key word. The Librarian included was a monopose, no wargear optioned model but boy does he look amazing. He remains the only Psyker able to take Obfuscation powers and looses the ability to take the Librarius powers as a result.

For 5 points he has the same stat line and wargear options as his standard Primaris Librarian brother but gains a handy camo cloak and the Concealed Position rule which is shared by a number of other PHOBOS units and he is 100% worth it.

The camo cloak gives him a +1 to armour whilst benefitting from cover, it doesn’t have to be light cover either. Dense cover, heavy cover or just a barricade or defense line, will give him some form of benefit and then on top he gets a bonus to his save if he's in light cover that'll stack for a total of +2, not bad.

Concealed postions gives him the ability to deploy anywhere over 9 inch from the enemy or their deployment zone. Its worth noting you don’t have to do this but 9th edition mission primary objectives are all about board and objective control and this can allow you to stick him on the midfield from your first command phase, giving you a turn one score rather than having to wait until your next command phase supported by a number of other PHOBOS units. This is because 9th edition required you to hold your objectives until the end of your command phase, and anything that can get you there before your first command phase is a great bonus.

The powers this guy brings are perfectly aligned to his goals as a foward threat support character.

There are 3 powers that only work on Phobos units, Shrouding, Soul Sight and Temporal Corridor, all of which have very specific uses especially on the table in 9th.

Shrouding allows you to make a PHOBOS unit untargetable unless its the closest unit. There’s a couple of ways to play this.

Your Phobos guys are usually some of the closest units to the enemy due to their advanced deployment and you could cast this power on your Librarian to protect him from even sniper fire that would ignore his CHARACTER ability to hide near big units. I think however that this power is best used in conjunction with a units that are not Phobos.

If you have a Drop Pod in your list, whether or not its loaded with infantry, you can use this power to protect a key Phobos unit on your frontlines that may be holding an objective, and force your opponent to redirect fire to a unit they may have ignored.

Primaris are tough but not invulnerable and in order to even target your Phobos unit on the middle objectives they would have to dedicate fire to a Drop Pod who's only weapon might be a storm bolter, or be forced to move around and possibly out of position to get closer, which will usually cause them to loose a key position or terrain features benefits.

Forcing your opponent to make choices around having to move, or having to target a unit of low threat just to clear it can be the secret weapon of some armies.

Another application of Shrouding could be casting it on your Eliminators if you opponent is playing a CHARACTER heavy list just to keep them in the game longer.

Finally you could cast this power on your PHOBOS bodyguard for the Librarian. Provided something else is closer then your screen for your Librarian cant be shot adding an extra layer of protection on top of his CHARACTER keyword Look out Sir protection gained from being near a unit. If you're playing someone who doesn’t run snipers and relies on taking a bodyguarding unit out this could stump them as rather than one unit, suddenly they need to kill multiple just to get a shot on your CHARACTER that is frustrating the midfield objectives.

Sounds great right? A power that makes someone untargetable must have a high roll to cast, its warp charge? Nope its cast on a 6+ and with a range that should mean almost anywhere on the board is covered should this guy be forward. Playing the law of average 'mathshammer' game, 6 should be straightforward to cast as its under the average of 7 from rolling 2d6.

Used right, this could protect, confuse, confound and force your opponent to react to your plays rather than push their own which, like I said, is usually key to winning when the game is based largely on objective holding.

Phobos units may lack the overall AP values on their weapons but as I said, board control and denial of Primary objectives is key to securing wins in 9th. This power pairs well with the use of Invictor Warsuits spearheading your force, making use of their Concealed Position rule, although its worth noting that it doesn’t have the PHOBOS keyword.

The next post will look at Soul Sight, another power that targets only Phobos units from the Obfuscation discipline.

'You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.'

[warpswimming]

Defenders of Minds - Psykers of the Adeptus Astartes

Welcome traveler, steady your mind as we delve into the warp, this time looking at the most esoteric aspects of the Adeptus Astartes, the Librarius. The Codicier and Epistolaries of the Librarius function as the Chapters insight into the warp. Not only do they protect their brothers and the Imperium from the various energies and temptations of the warp, but they also utilise it to benefit the Imperium of Man harnessing it to use abilities beyond their brothers.

The librarius features a wide array of talents within its walls. There are those who communicate through the warp, those that dive into the various divergent time streams for possible futures (looking at you doctor strange). There are those that shield their brothers and those that blast their foes with powers considered sorcery by some. Once outlawed during the Horus Heresy at the Council of Nikea it swiftly became apparent that the Imperium needed this defense and the Librarius was reforged anew, though not all chapters tolerate their presence, notably the Black Templars.

On the table top, Librarians are your access to operating in the psychic phase, sandwiched between the movement and shooting. Some armies have no influence in this phase, such as the Tau, and some are very strong, such as the Thousand Sons but to fully operate most people could agree to some extent that a presence in each phase is integral. There are four non special character Librarians to choose from, and a plethora of special characters from various suppliments such as Mephiston, Ezekiel, Njal and even Librarian Dreadnoughts. Today though again in light of having no conclusive list of suppliments, ill focus on the stock choices, these are the Firstborn in power armour, Firstborn in terminator armour, Primaris, and Phobos. Straight off, you’re core abilities with these battle psykers. All your librarians sit at WS and BS skill 3, the stock for a space marine. They can all attempt to cast 2 powers and deny 1, knowing smite and 2 others from the librarius discipline for all but the Phobos, who knows his from the obfuscation discipline, (or their suppliments discipline at the moment). They all have psychic hood which enables them to add one to deny if they are within 12 inch, and their power weapons are all force weapons giving you a nice d3 damage, plus the recent weapon strength buffs and your force sword can be replaced with either an axe or staff. Showing my bias here though, they all have the DEATHWING keyword if taken in a Dark Angel (or their successors) detachment which does add some tactical flexibility, though sadly no INNER CIRCLE rule. I wont cover the psychic powers here, I’ll do a post each for the Librarius and the Obfuscation Disciplines but needless to say, with 12 stock powers across your librarians, and four distinctly different styles, there’s something for everyone.

Starting off then with your Firstborn in power armour choice. There are a lot of models for this guy, my favourite of which is the one portrayed above which came from the Dark Vengeance starter set for I believe 7th edition, and you can get a Librarian with any of its force weapons without the need for conversion if you’re happy to have some of the older models.  Like most of his Firstborn counterparts across the chapter command, his loadout is the most varied being able to take a boltgun, combi bolter or a variety of pistols (again including the chapter restricted ones). He also gains access to a jump pack, giving him the JUMP PACK and Death from Above rules and keyword. Like his other power armoured brothers he can mount in the old transports, the Drop Pod being my new favourite. If you want to drop in turn one and debuff, buff or just smite something, the Psychic phase comes straight after reinforcements so being able to pick where he goes is crucial. 

Your Terminator Librarian trades some of the transport ability for an extra wound and a 2+ 5+inv. He gains the Teleport strike ability, again good for key placement, and must take a combi weapon. He functions much the same as the basic Librarian but with slightly less customisation. GW have made enough of these models over the years, from an old metal one I have that I love, to recent plastics though if you’re from a few chapters converting them is a lot of fun. He fits in really well if you’re playing a terminator heavy list, which I’ve not seen in a while, but they could come back if ‘fingers crossed’ the Deathwing are a strong choice post Dark Angel suppliment.

Your basic Primaris Librarian takes another step up in power. Loosing the benefit of terminator armour and the customisation of the basic power armour Librarian he does gain an extra attack and has the same wounds as the Terminator Librarian. GW have a model for this guy and he’s cool but my librarians are often more of a support and psychic defense choice and the extra attack comes at the expense of ease of mobility. Being primaris he can only be transported in Repulsors or Impulsors and whilst the later allows you to disembark after moving and thus throw down your power, its a big investment and he will want bodyguards of which he’ll get 5 in his transport. It could be a good play and I’m willing to hear people out, but honestly I think I’ll drop pod in.

The final option is the Phobos Librarian. Disclaimer here, this is not my model, just a picture found on a search of the net, if its you’re awesome work. This guy is generally my go to. The advent of Phobos units in marine armies really has gripped me. He has a whole seperate discipline to choose from which works well with other phobos units, has the concealed deployment ability, allowing you to push the midfield early and gets +1 save in cover for some extra durability. He’s the perfect support unit for a phobos based army, so one that uses Incursors, Infiltrators, Reivers and the other Phobos command units and pairs really nice with Invictor warsuits and even scout elements. In a game based on objective grabbing being able to put yourself anywhere during deployment so long as its over 9inch from the enemy or their deployment zone give you a strong start, not to mention makes your board control larger to prevent units arriving from reserve where you may not want them. There’s only one model, the pose above, and honestly look at it, its beautiful. This guy is the least varied of his brothers, as you can only take him with the sword but that’s not a bad thing. He is the only psyker with access to Obfuscation, which specialises in buffs and debuffs, moving your phobos units around and even generating CP off enemy characters so whilst you’re trading offense you’re gaining utility, Compare him to the difference between Farseers and Warlocks, the former being the guiding force multiplier, the later the offensive jerk.

All your Librarian options can be upgraded to Chief Librarian for an investment in points and power. Doing so gives them the base ability to know an additional power from their chosen school, taking it to 3 powers plus smite, and deny a second power a turn, with the relic to extend the psychic hood to 24 inch, and the warlord trait for +1 to cast you can really capitalise on the utility by picking powers that are more varied for each situation, especially good in Crusade where your selections are locked, and that extra bubble means that if you’re in the middle of the table you cover a huge area with a +1 to deny

Tomorrow I’ll take a look at the Librarius discipline before moving on to the Obfuscation possibly in a second post but for now that’s it. Librarians let you play in ever phase and more importantly give you defense against people in the pyschic phase. 

"Knowledge is power. Guard it well."

[warpswimming]

Prayers of Demigods - Litanies of the Adeptus Astartes

After a break for the weekend lets pick up where we left off, the chief Chaplain ability, the Litanies of Battle. Litanies are war hymns sang by the faithful during a battle, led by Chaplains to extol their brothers to ever greater feats or heroism or endurance. I wont look into the individual chapter litanies today as untill we have a suite of suppliments out it wouldn’t do GW justice to compare them to the 8th edition suppliments, and the Psychic Awakening series has been removed from active rules leaving some of the 1st Founding chapters a little disadvantaged. Your stock Chaplain can recite one Litany a turn in your Command Phase on a 3+ and all know at least Litany of Hate and one other from their respective lists.  Litany of Hate is your old, possibly 6th edition, basic ability, which now requires a 3+ to recite. Unlike the old days and 8th edition this Litany now only affects CORE and CHARACTER units within 6inch of the PRIEST giving them reroll hits in combat. As a stock ability that all Chaplains know, its not like you’re upset that they all get it in addition, and can really help shore up your gunline if you get charged.

Litany of Faith is another AURA ability which is very specialised. Giving CORE and CHARACTER units a 5+ against mortal wounds. Depending on your opponent it could be a potential life saver, a much needed defense against smite spam, and other army abilities that can churn mortal wounds out. I don’t see it getting huge use in a tournament setting as unless PSYKER heavy armies suddenly shoot in power then you’re unlikely to need this litany over others.

Canticle of Hate is your last AURA ability as far as Litanies go, Again affecting CORE and CHARACTER units this is your add two to charge rolls and an extra 3 inch to consolidation and pile in. This is a good one for those reserves and deep striking units if you ca get a Chaplain into position, which is again one of the reasons I like the Primaris Chaplain on Bike but there is a way to pop this off a unit arriving as a reinforcement which I’ll hit on later.

Catechism of Fire allows you to pick a CORE or CHARACTER unit within 6. When that unit shoots the closest visible target, add one to your wound role. Now I used this to great effect in 8th on Assault Centurions, however they are no longer able to benefit as they do not have the CORE keyword. This is a good one if you’re popping down a unit of reserves next to their favoured target, or if you really need to clear that close assault unit coming at you.

Recitation of Focus is similar with a +1 to hit with ranged weapons on a CORE or CHARACTER unit within 6. Great if you’re digging a unit out of dense cover, or want your Devestators to hit aircraft at full BS. I’m interested in this one of Imperial Fists as they now do have terrain traits to deal with and only ignore the armour bonuses. In Devestator Doctrine they are very effective against vehicles and have stratagems to make them better, its nice to see the possiblity to extend this to troops in dense cover and AIRCRAFT.

Exhortation of Rage does what Catechism of Fire does, but for combat only without the need for it to be the closest unit. If you fancy your army getting part of the Blood Angels Chapter Tactic for a turn this is a must, its very powerful, never wounding on less than a 5+ can’t be understated and with the changes to power weapons you could be wounding other marines on 2s... just let that sink in you combat beasts.

The final Litany, Mantra of Strength only affects your Chaplain, adding one to his strength and attacks and increasing his Crosius to to a mighty 3 damage. If you’ve got Gravis sized enemies abound, he could be your beat stick. Some nice options there, but do you want it better?

Your Master of Sanctity gives you two litanies a turn, and you add one to the roll for them plus you know two litanies from the list plus Litany of Hate. Two litanies on 2+ which stack on a unit or can be differant units sounds great and the possibility to combine Litany of Hate and Canticle of Hate for a reliable combat punch cant be understated. If you’ve only got the one unit that needs the litany support, maybe Exhortation of Rage and Litany of Hate, for that reroll hits and +1 to wound combo.

The other benefit Master of Sanctity gives you is the Stratagem that would normally cost 2cp now costs 1 and this is super important. Commanding Oratory is your Chaplain Epic Deed Stratagem. At the start of ANY of YOUR phases you can select a Chaplain that has not recited this turn. He can recite a litany not already recited that auto passes. On a normal Chaplain its 2cp, Master of Sanctity it costs 1. This stratagem is HUGE That reinforcement unit that appeared half way up the board with a Chaplain can now have a litany giving them the +2 to charge maybe, or the +1 to wound closest target after you picked where they arrived. I’ll happily use Chaplains in Drops Pods jumping out with squads on turn one and hitting that plus one to wound.... heavy flamer Blood Angel Devestators anyone? Maybe you like Terminators and want to use that new fancy model GW just previewed for Warhammer Day this weekend, fine use him and a squad of Assault Terminators or, dare I say, Deathwing Knights?

Forget your litany in your Command Phase, here’s your penalty, pay for you mistake or do you fancy suprising your opponent by reciting a litany in the Fight Phase after he’s let you through without overwatch in the Charge Phase because you weren’t a threat, maybe Mantra of Strength yourself? Yeah its super reliable, as it goes off automatically, and I’ll be looking at my collection with a new light, from my Primaris to my Firstborn, they are a great force multiplier and shouldn’t be underestimated.  Now my final thought.... just imagine your 1st Founding non compliant Chaplains, Lemartes and Astorath of the Blood Angels with their unique rules and interplay with DEATH COMPANY.

The Dark Angels with Asmodai and Interrogator Chaplains with their LD debuffs. Some of which can recite those Litanies already recited though with some restrictions.

Tomorrow I’ll start the look at the Librarius, which will be a few posts there’s a lot there. Until then repent your sins in front of you Chaplains, swear your oaths of moment and board your drop pods, battle awaits. ‘To the darkness I bring fire. To the ignorant I bring faith. Those who welcome these gifts may live, but I will visit naught but death and eternal damnation on those who refuse them.’ 

[warpswimming]

Keepers of the Faith - Priests of the Adeptus Astartes.

Hi, today i'll be looking at the PRIEST units of the Space Marines, the warrior priests of the Reclusiam, the Chaplains.

There’s quite a bit to pack in here so expect a couple of posts.

Every Space Marine Chapter maintains the spiritual purity of its warriors through the constant vigilance of the Reclusiam. The Chaplains are the military arm of this function of the Chapter preforming Rites for their brothers and leading them in combat, instilling them to ever greater feats of heroism through their oratory. Various Chapters Chaplains preform varied roles. The Chaplains of the Blood Angels watch for the onset of the flaw, consigning those brothers who succumb to the Death Company, whilst those of the Dark Angels seek to extract information and confessions from the Fallen. As an arm of the Chapters structure, the Chaplains act as command and advisory staff to the Captains and the Chapter Master as well as serving as a contact point for those Battle Brothers who's conviction has waivered.

On the table top these warrior priests lead often from the front and their rules represent this.

There are 4 differant options for your Chaplain on the table, Firstborn, Terminator, Primaris and the new Primaris Bike Chaplain, and depending on your playstyle, you can always find a fit for them.

At their core they have an AURA ability to pass their leadership, a formidable 9, to any Chapter CORE units nearby. Whilst thematic, marines are usually pretty hardy and resilient, you never know though, we could be looking at Leadership tricks as armies come out, and I'm thinking Night Lords and Drukhari here.

All Chaplains sport a 4+ invulnerable save as base and the ability to recite a litany each command phase on a 3+. All your base Chaplains know the Litany of Hate and one additional one from the litanies section of the book, and all are able to upgrade to Master of Sanctity, but more on him later. They all come wielding their weapon of office, the Crozius, which hits at +2 str -1 ap and 2 dmg, not shabby as a base weapon. If you're a Space Wolves player all your Chaplains gain the WOLF PRIEST keyword so maintain your synergies and stratagem usage.

I'll start off as I usually do, looking at the Firstborn options. Your basic Chaplain is as normal, your most customisable. naturally sporting his pistol and Crozius, he can add a jump pack, gaining all the normal benefits such as Death from Above and the FLY keyword. His bolt pistol can be swapped out for a bolter or combi bolter, or replaced with a powerfist. If you want to maintain your pistol then you can swap that for another pistol, including the Blood Angels only options of a hand flamer or inferno pistol. With not being Primaris he can embark on your older transports including a drop pod, but as ill get to in a sec, not being on the board in the Command Phase does limit their potential.

Your second Firstborn option is your Terminator Chaplain. Swapping power armour and bolt pistol for Terminator armour and storm bolter is nice, especially when coupled with the Bolter Discipline part of their Angels of Death rule. Being in terminator armour he can swap the storm bolter for a combi bolter and gains the Teleport Strike ability. If you're a son of Caliban you'll get the DEATHWING keyword as a bonus, though no Inner Circle.

Now back to the Angels of Death, Teleport Strike and Transport options. As you're reciting litanies in the Command Phase and don’t come down until your Reinforcement Step of the Movement Phase or disembark until your Movement Phase, your turn one and 2 utility can be negatively impacted. There is a stratagem to recite one in any phase automatically, but we'll cover that later on.

The Primaris bring their own Chaplains into the battle in two ways. Your foot option is relatively basic, with his fixed loadout, but not shy of threatening. With an extra wound and attack over the basic Firstborn he will take some extra beating down (for the same power level its worth noting), he also carries a pistol with the punch of a heavy bolter round at 18 inch so ignore him at your own risk.

Its the Primaris Chaplain on bike that I am very keen on. Confession time, I like the Bikers of the Adeptus Astartes and have a Ravenwing force. This chap, gains the RAVENWING keyword which fills me with so many exciting possibilities though I'll wait for the Dark Angel book to explore that. Being mounted on a Primaris Bike he gains the BIKER keyword, twin bolt rifles, and extra point of toughness and 2 extra wounds over his foot slogging brother (3 over the basic Firstborn). He's also sporting a 14 inch movement and auto 6 advance. Unlike the Primaris Outriders, he doesnt gain the Devestating Charge rule, but honestly he'd be an absolute monster and an overpowered character does nothing for the enjoyment of the game.

For a little investment, you could upgrade any of these to Master of Sanctity. For what you get its a cheap upgrade. reciting 2 litanies in your command phase, rather than one, and knowing an extra means you could double stack buffs on a unit. I’ll look at the litanies in the next post but they could be really compatable. Litanies inspiring with +1 to the roll, so 2s in most cases for the extra reliability and the stratagem I'll look at only costs one point, really useful. The relic they gain prevents rerolls against them and gives a 2d6 pick highest debuff AURA on leadership of units nearby. With moral changes its pretty nice, you could force a leadership test on a horde unit looking for those ones in combat attrition.

So they are all pretty useful in their own way. My Bike Mounted Chaplain is on my desk surrounded by Outriders and soon to be joined by ATVs.

Next post I'll look at litanies and the important stratagem to give your reinforcing or dismounting Chaplains some extra play tricks.

"If your life is given in service to the Emperor, your death shall not be in vain."