Editing Warhammer 40,000/6th Edition Tactics/Chaos Daemons (section)

==Unit Analysis==
===HQ===
HQ are broken down into Greater Daemons and Heralds. Greater Daemons (including Daemon Princes) bring a lot of hurt but cost a lot, especially the Daemon Lords; conversely, Heralds are cheap, disposable HQ and you can take a shitload of them as they bend the rules a bit for HQ selections.

====Greater Daemons====
*'''Bloodthirster:''' This guy is your basic "big stabby HQ". He is an unholy rape train, with WS10, I9, 6A, and he comes with an '''Axe of Khorne''' (AP 2 and rolls To Wound of 6 cause ID), a '''Lash of Khorne''' (S6 AP2 shooting attack, albeit with only a 12" range), and '''Warp-Forged Armour''' (a 3+ save a la power armour). He comes standard as a Flying Monstrous Creature, which lets you swoop around the field assaulting whatever you want. Remember that you can Vector Strike (to troll people) and use Smash Attacks (to crush tanks to death). Although he can ''technically'' be seen as an anti-air choice, don't rely on him, since you can't assault flyers and the Lash of Khorne (your only shooting attack) is a.) short-ranged and b.) only S6 (which will have trouble penetrating most flyers). He gets the three levels of Gifts, most of which make him even better, but also make him cost a fair bit more and unlike the other Greater Daemons, he doesn't really ''need'' upgrades to make him a total badass. He is worth every point of his cost.  Just keep the force weapons as far away as possible! 
**'''Skarbrand, the Exiled One''' - Skarbrand is now a beast! Cheaper than a normal Bloodthirster, he balances the loss of wings and Fleet with +1I and +1A from the two close combat weapons (on top of a Bloodthirster's already ludicrous statline), and his aura gives him and all units within 12" Rage and Hatred (though that does include enemy units as well, <s>so this can backfire horribly</s> you should only worry about it benefiting Grey Knights, other than that, the buffs will benefit you more than your enemies unit, since you are a melee-oriented army after all!). Oh, I almost forgot: now [[rape| ALL HIS ATTACKS HAVE INSTANT DEATH AND FLESHBANE OR ARMOURBANE]]! I'm not kidding when I say that '''anything''' he gets a charge on is already dead. ''HE HAS NO BRAKES!'' He can defeat any CC character in the game on the charge, aside from Kaldor Draigo (whose Daemon-killing shenanigans will still mess him up). Even the Swarmlord will be annihilated. The problem is that like the Black Mace Daemon Prince he lacks defensive power and while some might say T6 is enough, most CC beasts have S8+ weapons that are AP3 or lower and let's be honest - a 5++ save isn't going to stop him from taking 2-3 wounds. Be sure to grab the Grimoire of True Names to fix this problem, and Deep Strike this beast so he can get to the thick of it!
**'''[[Angron]] (Forge World/Apocalypse)''' - Hell yes! At first glance Angron looks like a slightly buffed (+1 W,I,A) Bloodthirster at literally twice cost. His master-crafted instant-death sword is pretty nice to take out other monstrous creatures, and big 12" bubble of -1 Ld is good too, but the main reason you take him is his retinue of 2-12 Bloodthirsters. And everything they charge would die - even Aetaos, Scabeiathrax and An'ggrath (though, this would never happen, cause Angron and An'ggrath are good fellows). On Armageddon this squad wiped out ONE HUNDRED Grey Knights, and they totally could do it on the board.
**'''An'ggrath (Forge World/Apocalypse)''' - Costs thrice as much as a normal Bloodthirster pointswise at a whopping 888 points but is an unholy monster in close combat - anything within range of his axe is pretty much dead but is just too stupid to realize it. And when I say "anything", I really mean anything - not even a Imperator titan or Hierophant would survive close combat with this thing. His melee capability is pretty much unmatched; if it's in base contact with him, it's going to be dead within the turn. He costs A LOT and is a massive firemagnet, but as a flying gargantuan creature he is now insanely durable (as in T8 2+/3++ save with FnP that you can only hit on 6's durable), and can rip apart enemy fliers. On the plus side, he eats titans and superheavies like Abaddon eats people; hell he could eat Abaddon for breakfast. He gets +D6 attacks on the charge and has a lovely 2+ Deny the Witch. Thanks to the new Gargantuan Creature rules he can now be locked in close combat, so be wary of tarpits should anything survive your charge. On the brighter side you now no longer have to trade all of your attacks to Stomp attack, so once you have launched all of your strength 10 AP 2 Instant Death on 6's hits, throw down some Stomp attacks on anyone that managed to survive. He's still overpriced though - Zarakynel does it almost as well for 222 points less, regenerates wounds and Dat Ass.... On the other hand, because superheavy vehicle rules regarding D-strength hits are much better than gargantuan creature rules, he can get ganked with horrible ease by D-Strength weapons , keep him flying and away from anything that can smack him with an SD hit like your life depends on it (this is now only a secondary priority now strength D only ignores invun on a 6, although it will still ignore your armour and FNP no matter what).  Because going down to two turbo-laser shots is not fun.  If you see a Tau Manta or Tigersharks; prepare to cry because they're going to sodomize you and there's nothing you can do about it.

*'''Great Unclean One''' - Being a Greater Daemon of Nurgle, it's no surprise that this little guy can take tons of punishment, being one of the toughest units in the entire game with the ablity to reach T10(!) by having access to Biomancy. Despite his fat and bloated appearance, The Great Unclean One can also bring the pain in close combat by having five S6 attacks with no upgrades. However, the Great Unclean One is terribly slow, being only able to move 6" a turn due to Slow and Purposeful. As a result, Deep Strike is an absolute necessity for him to ever reach any sort of combat. Now here's where it gets tricky. Any 40k player worth a damn is going to ignore shooting this unit because of its sheer bulk and target your other more squishy units instead. You ''need'' to invest in plenty of upgrades for this guy, or he's going to be the world's fattest statue. A good loadout for The Great Unclean One involves two Greater Rewards (the Exalted Rewards table is pretty meh for this kind of unit).  As for psychic powers two points in Biomancy for ridiculous buffs, and one point in Plague to gain access to a shooting attack ''might'' seem like the obvious route, but what tends to be more practical is all three powers on Biomancy for maximum chance at Iron Arm; besides the Great Unclean One doesn't really need a shooting attack. Deep Strike him on an objective or behind your opponent's delicious gunline, and you just made the Great Unclean One something that ''cannot'' be ignored by your opponent. Then giggle manically as they struggle to put down a T7-T10 Monstrous Creature with 6 wounds, all while the rest of your forces come in to help clean up. However, you will always need to watch out for tarpit units, poison or sniper weapons (Nurgle weak to poison?! HERESY! But seriously they hurt.), and Mindshackle Scarabs. Fuck Mindshackle Scarabs.
**'''Ku'gath, The Plaguefather''' - A Great Unclean One that's a bit more expensive than a regular Great Unclean One. Don't be fooled by the shiny AP3 Large Blast. Only Psyker Level 1 and no rewards mean this guy is a great deal weaker than a pimped out GUO. But he gets stuff that regular GUO's can't even buy, for example he is even BETTER in melee than a regular Great Unclean One and he gets to throw AP3 Poisoned 4+ Large blasts with BS3 at the enemy every turn! Oh, and one last thing. He has no model, and apparently he travels around on a pontoon-like palanquin filled with laboratory instruments carried by an entire battalion of Nurglings. So before you go spending hundreds of dollars (and hours! Jesus!) on converting this model, just use a regular Great Unclean One model (or a Forge World Daemon of Nurgle) and say that he decided to walk today. Nobody will mind. (Also he can have nearby Nurglings gain a wound back every turn.)
**'''Scabeiathrax (Forge World/Apocalypse)''' - Will never, ever, ever, ever die. He is to Great Unclean Ones as An'ggrath is to Bloodthirsters. Though he costs 777 points, with 6 wounds, Feel no Pain (4+), Invulnerable saves (3++), Daemon of Nurgle (Shrouded), and toughness 9 (which means that heavy bolters and down can't hurt him and he has a pretty good chance of just laughing off lascannons on toughness alone) there is practically nothing in the game that will kill him. He has a bunch of Nurgling attacks, though not that many of his own - but any wounds he inflicts become 2 wounds to the model he strikes should they fail a toughness test. Additionally should anything that doesn't have Mark of Nurgle or is not a Daemon be within 6" of him they must take a toughness test or suffer a wound with no armor or cover saves allowed. This helps considerably should something try to keep him locked in close combat thanks to the new Gargantuan Creature rules. He's kind of like Typhus if Typhus were mutated by nuclear waste that had Papa Nurgle had spilled his latest concoction on. He's a big firemagnet, but given the amount of effort it takes to kill him; that won't do anything to him and in fact will be very good for the rest of your army. <strike> All the same, watch out for Strength D shooting weapons </strike> FAQ is out on destroyer weapons and they no longer ignore invulnerable saves, making them a minimal threat to Ol' Scabies.

*'''Keeper of Secrets''' - Similar to the Bloodthirster except fleet and tricksy instead of flying and beefy. He lost his big bag of tricks and now must rely on random Rewards like anyone else, but again they pumped his stats like crazy (WS9 I10 anyone?). Not to mention at 170 pts base he is a STEAL for a T6 monstrous creature, and with Fleet and an extra 3" Run move he's quite mobile for a footslogging MC. Pair him up with a Bloodthirster and go crazy. That said, he's not a CC killer in the same way that the 'thirster is. Despite an awesome statline, he's more geared towards mowing down the rank and file than taking on anything terribly strong - without the Flyer-related defences of a 'thirster or LoC, or the durability of a GUO, T6, 5 wounds and only a 5++ will not last long against most challenge-geared HQs or heavy shooting, but his high WS and Init will ensure most troops will be hitting him on 5s long after he's torn through them. Greater Rewards will mitigate your survivability issues somewhat, as 4 out of 6 will increase your defenses in some way. As a situational bonus, the Keeper of Secrets now has Preferred Enemy against Eldar and Dark Eldar. Given the prevalence of the former due to the new codex, this may come up more than you'd think.  
**'''Zarakynel (Forge World/Apocalypse)''' - Essentially the An'ggrath of Keeper of Secrets. While she is the weakest of the Uber Greater Daemons at 666 points, she is no slouch and will bring massive levels of oh so literal assrape to everything in her long reach. She has both Init and WS 10, gains D3 attacks on the charge, counts as armed with assault grenades when charging and re-rolls all failed to-hit and to-wound rolls - pretty much guaranteeing that she will go first and hit rather regularly with her AP1 instant death sword that replenishes her wounds on a 2+. For extra lulz, non-fearless units have to pass a leadership test before they can try and hit her back. The latest edition gives her a 36" S6 AP3 shooting attack with D6 shots and pinning. So essentially, like Lucius the eternal turned up to eleven. Plus [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|DISTRACTION BOOBS]]!

*'''Lord of Change''' - What Bloodthirsters are to stabbing LoCs are to magic. If you're going down the shooty path, be sure to bring Pink Horrors with Heralds, just so your opponent doesn't get Feel no Pain (Even if you do grant them FnP, in most cases the unit will only have a few models left by the time they get it, unless you're shooting at MCs or Nurgle bikers, in which case you were stupid for trying anyway). For a melee LoC, take the Psyker (Master Level 3) upgrade with full Divination, The Eternal Blade & a Staff of Change and you have a LoC that's hitting like a Bloodthirster! Do not sleep on these guys! They are the most versatile Greater Daemon in the book; buff, combat, or shooting, take your pick 'cause he does it all. 
**'''Fateweaver, Oracle of Tzeench''' - THE Psyker of 40k (Level 4) with a points decrease and two heads that are always better than one. Each head knowing all the Change powers (but they're not all that great anyway) as well as randomly generating a power from all the standard disciplines except for Telekinesis. No longer flees when things don't go [[just as planned]]. Overall a very deadly flying psyker. Use the Grimoire of True Names on him and watch him become harder to kill than before! Do not take him into CC, he doesn't belong there, doesn't like it there and will turn you into [[Chaos Spawn|something that shan't be named]] if you bring him there. Use his staff to reroll WHATEVER THE HECK YOU WANT!!! A fun little trick with it is manipulating the warpstorm table; say you roll a 6 and a 1? Using Kyros's warlord trait is risky cause one of your die are high already, instead, use his one die ability and reroll the 1, now at worst your result is a 7-12! So yea, be creative, you have an army wide chronometron so enjoy it!   
**'''Aetaos'Rau'Keres (Forge World/Apocalypse)''' - 999 points of pain. He's been changed up recently but still grows your army at the expense of your opponents' with Riftbringer or heals himself with Soul Eater. For the shooting phase, he comes with Wind of Chaos, a shooting attack which summons horrors with 48" of him AND his staff can drop an '''INFINITE RANGE''' poisoned haywire apocalyptic barrage that can hit up to 9 times. In addition to his high toughness, large number of wounds, 3++ invulnerable save, and flyer rules, this Daemon Lord is a Mastery Level 4 psyker and can rebound psychic powers back onto their caster with after a successful DtW and a 4+ on a D6. If you see this guy leading a tetragon of darkness you're getting screwed. The only winning move is to find the tournament organizer and punch them in the throat. Aetaos'Rau'Keres does have a set of drawbacks however: if he gets within 18" of a Greater Daemon, Daemon Prince or another Daemon lord, he'll direct all his shooting attacks upon the poor sod. Second, he has to pass a leadership test to call down his apocalyptic barrage and if he fails, your opponent gets to place the blasts.

*'''Daemon Prince''' - Your customizable killing machine, and with WS 9, S6, I8,and 5 attacks it's not to be sneezed at - and that's before the mandatory upgrade to a Daemon of a Chaos God (one of them had to promote the lucky mortal after all). Most of the time these guys won't be your HQ if you like your Greater Daemons, because when you buy a Greater Daemon of your choice God, a Daemon Prince of that God moves to a Heavy Support choice (Similar to the Tyranid Tervigon, except they're taken as Troops). Its strength is that it can be tailored to your liking. CC monster? Spellcaster? Vector-Striking flyer? He can do it all if you're willing to shell out the points - which brings us to the main flaw: it will become more and more costly as you upgrade it and in most cases you should consider investing your points to the more powerful Greater Daemons as they are damningly more cost effective (and sometimes cheaper as with the GUO and KoS) than the Daemon prince, which both says something and is pretty fucking sad. It's better to take this Build-a-Daemon as your Heavy support choice. Just do not, I repeat, '''DO NOT''' go overboard on the gifts and upgrades! Keep in mind that Wings and Armour are damn near mandatory. <br />They do however have a few roles for you to consider, such as the Slaanesh Lash Prince. Consisting of a DP with wings, Lash of Despair and a biomancy psyker, pray to Slaanesh that you roll Iron Arm and fly around all game throwing 2d6 S9 shots (which is absolutely insane!) at enemy flyers. It's unreliable as fuck but if you wanted reliability, you picked the wrong codex. Alternatively, you can build a monstrous creature hunter by taking a Nurgle Prince, give it the Balesword and three points into Biomancy. Buff yourself up with the fantastic Biomancy buffs to make yourself a very tough cookie to take down (watch out for Tau, however. They love their Skyfire and Ignore Cover). Get him into assault with a MC, prepare to drink your opponent's tears: stab 'em with your Balesword for an AP2 Instant Death attack. The big drawback with the Balesword is its lack of AP but because DPs are monstrous creatures they can bypass this drawback.
**'''Uraka the Warfiend (Forge World)''' - One of two named Daemon Princes from Forgeworld. His stat line remains unchanged except for Ld 9 and he costs 200 points now. His axe lost Instant Death proper but gained Fleshbane and Decapicating Blow (ID on a to-wound of a 6) to compensate. Uraka's added goodies include a nice shiny Collar of Khorne, Warp Forged Armor, and Unholy Frenzy. This is cool and all but he is still likely to get shot to death before he does anything productive. Still not enough of a badass to make us believe he beat a Bloodthirster before gaining daemonhood.
**'''Mamon, Daemon Prince of Nurgle (Forge World)''' - The other FW named Daemon Prince. His stats are similar to a Great Unclean One, putting him at WS7, S6, T7, 5 wounds, I4, 4 attacks and Ld 9. Throw in Feel no pain, Poisoned 2+ attacks, Daemon of Nurgle and a poisoned 2+ AP3 template weapon. Not bad at all!
**'''[[Be'lakor]] The Dark Master (Dataslate)'''- A returning character from Fantasy, Be'lakor gets Eternal Warrior that regular Daemon Princes lack and is a Level 3 Psyker with all Telepathy Discipline by default. He comes with the unique rules Shadow Form (4+ invulnerable save and Shrouded and automatically passes Dangerous Terrain tests) and Lord of Torment (gains a bonus D3 Warp Charge points by making enemy units fail morale checks). He also has wings and possesses a unique weapon called the Blade of Shadows (S+1, AP2, Fleshbane, Armorbane, and Master-Crafted). He also doesn't need to be devoted to a chaos god, as he serves all of them. At 350 points, he's a flat upgrade to the basic Daemon Prince and cost-effective to boot. His model is arguably the coolest GW has ever made, too.

====Heralds====
The following HQ selections are Heralds and differ from the Greater Daemons and Princes because up to four Heralds may be taken in a single HQ slot in a primary detachment, meaning you could have lots of them if you wanted to (but not as an allied detachment). The following count as Heralds: Skulltaker, Karnak, Epidemius, and the Changeling as well as the four generic Heralds. The Masque and the Blue Scribes don't however. 

*'''Herald of Khorne''' - With WS7, BS7, and initiative 6, the Herald of Khorne is a 55 point character/TEQ killer. Just watch out for the strike back, because you're only 6+ 5++... As for what to equip him with, either one of the Etherblades, Blade of Blood or Axe of Khorne, really depends on what you want to throw him in. If you plan on butchering hordes with your unit of choice, an Etherblade is a better choice (hordes with higher toughness values should be dealt with via Greater Etherblade); units with higher initiative or model count are better served with the Blade of Blood. The Axe is meant for challenges and chopping the heads off of Monstrous Creatures, so take that instead if wish to spill blood in a badass way. Additionally, you could take two of these weapons and get the benefits of both.
**'''Blood Throne of Khorne''' - Your personal Khornate Pimpmobile. It's the slowest but toughest of the chariots (Armor 12 with 3 HP, with a 50% chance to regain one every-time it wounds something), and its Hammer of Wrath attacks are at Strength 7. It offers your Herald good protection and mobility, but more than anything else it broadcasts his Locus to all Bloodletters within 6". Just imagine this massive blob of power weapons with either 3 attacks each on the charge or Hatred for everything...
***'''Skulltaker''' - The new book changes how he rolls. WS9 I9 4A, 3+ Armor, Eternal Warrior, Adamantium Will for the whole unit and a power sword with Soul Blaze that has Instant Death when you roll a 6 To Wound. All this at the bargain price of 100 points. Yeah, he must always issue and accept challenges, but if he's not actively hunting the opponent's most dangerous character you're doing it wrong. Put him on a Juggernaut with at least three Bloodcrushers to Look Out Sir, and watch as he gets into combat much faster than last edition (He still keeps his 3+ Armor save with this option). Unfortunately he lost his 4+ rending so The Taker of Skulls will be decapitated by models with a 2+ and is rarely more useful than a standard Khorne herald with an <s>Etherblade</s> Axe of Khorne. I think the main use of Skulltaker is in 500-1000 point games as he is only 100 points or 145 points with his upgrade and can beat any other non 2+ save HQ into the pavement. Another appealing option for Skulltaker is to put him on a Juggernaut and run him with a pack of 10-20 Flesh Hounds. Skulltaker can take care of any high armor models that would otherwise tarpit the hounds. Plus, the high model count in the unit grants re-rolls in challenges and will help him take down your opponent's special snowflake that much easier. 
***'''Karanak''' - This big ol' doggy is made for hunting down special snowflakes. You can nominate one at the start of the game: Karanak will get to re-roll ALL To-Hit and To-Wound rolls against him/her/it, and at that point it's only a matter of getting him in melee. Don't think that daemon-Cujo here is a one-trick pony though. He's got a better statline than a vanilla Herald, Hates everyone and everything, gives his whole unit Rage and as a frosting all psykers within 12" suffer Perils of the Warp on a double (problem, Grey Knights?). All this for a only 120 points. Alternatively, putting him in a squad of Bloodletters isn't a bad idea, because his Loci grants Rage, and MEQs will be slaughtered by them, especially with Karanak's marked Hatred! Not the best way to use Karanak, but an interesting combo none the less.

*'''Herald of Nurgle''' - These guys actually got a buff this time around. They have got high WS, BS, S and T but MAINLY provide your Plague units with FNP. These guys can be Psykers and can take from Plague and Biomancy. Keep them lv 1 and take Plague for either some very nasty witchfires or an amazing blessing that turns your Plaguebearers into scary CC killers. They also hit at Initiative 4 with AP 2 (if you give them the Etherblade) which is awesome as you can actually kill something relatively tough without being killed first! Can't recommend these guys enough!
**'''Epidemius''' - As of the new codex, Epidemius got nerfed hard. He's only just usable in a Nurgle based army. He could possibly pump up your units to absurd levels, so long as they are Daemons of Nurgle within 6". Now as he only has a 6" bubble that he gives buffs to (+1T, +1S, +1FNP, etc) and he only buffs Daemons of Nurgle, not Mark of Nurgle, he will be rarely used. The Buffs got better but the area of effect makes him far less useful than before, especially as he doesn't even give FNP to his unit to start with like a cheaper Herald could.

*'''Herald of Slaanesh''' - A decently balanced faster unit. Give her an Etherblade, Greater Loci of Swiftness and a Steed of Slaanesh or Exalted Chariot. Stick her in a squad of Seekers so that you have yourself an angry mob of initiative 10 Daemons being lead by an even bigger Daemon with AP2, or a squad of angry fast Rending machines on Speed.
**'''The Masque''' - The Masque is only 75 points. She is now 5++ with re-roll and three dances to choose from that debuff -5 to WS another to BS with no overwatch and one that causes them to literally dance themselves to death. Debuffing BS -5 and preventing overwatch sounds particularly delicious. She can't join units so be extra careful with her, but her nerfs are the last word in countering death stars so consider her carefully if you opponents use them often. Dancing starts at the start of the shooting phase, she still free to run after the dancing begins so she can jump out in move, nerf something, then run into cover.
***A very important note, though she's in the herald part of the book, she's not actually listed as a herald so she takes up a full HQ slot by her self not the 1/4 a normal herald takes up, a MAJOR detriment. 

*'''Herald of Tzeentch''' - A lot of dakka in a small package. Upgrade to Mastery 2/3 and if you roll on Change, hope for the third power or take the primaris and roll all others on divination. A lot of dakka with great div buffs zipping around on a disk is very effective. A solid choice. The chariot he can take has weaker armor than a rhino (10 on all sides) meaning that bolters can glance it to death with sixes, but hang on and you don't want it. This guy is amazing if you roll an 11 on your warpstorm, since the new Herald has to be BASIC and Tzeentch Heralds happen to be Psykers as basic, so you gain a nice Divination bonus for free, whereas the other Heralds are only really usable with upgrades.
**'''Exalted Flamer''' - A recent issue of White Dwarf weekly now allows single units of Exalted Flamers to be taken outside of their chariot for half the points cost.  Though it gained independent character, it isn't jump infantry unlike regular Flamers and its shooting attacks are still classified as heavy weapons.  Actually, it's kinda better this way as it allows it to hide away in terrain along with some Pink Horrors and provide some extra ranged power while camping some objective.  Counts toward your Herald allowance.
**'''The Changeling''' - Now works similarly to the fantasy Changeling, with the caveat that you only alter your own profile. You can replace any or all of your WS, Strength, Initiative, toughness, and/or attacks with that of a single model in base contact. Might be useful to tie up a generic close combat character, but will quickly get outclassed by anything with special snowflake gear. Statistics will never be in the Changeling's favour. The best you can hope for is 50%, given the target has no wargear at all. One fun trick is against characters that have an 'X' or '*' for their characteristic like Crowe's attacks. Since this means the longhand description counts as his characteristic, you copy that as well. The question is: do you use the same stance as Crowe, choose your own, or just copy the number of attacks and forgo the rest of the benefits? Discuss this with your group before playing while we wait for an FAQ, but you may have to wait a while as GW doesn't seem to care much about FAQing rule discrepancies in the Daemons codex. It's been months and all we have are some corrected typos.
**'''The Blue Scribes''' - Cheap multi-purpose character who should be kept out of melee at all costs. They lost "Watch this!" and now have a Hellforged Artefact "Scrolls of Sorcery" for which each turn you choose a discipline, roll d6(no primaris swap) and auto-manifest the power with no tests needed and no charges expended(as they aren't actually psykers) and a spell siphon ability that recycles used charge points by enemy psykers on a 6. Makes decent support with horrors around as you can cycle those warp charges onto them and then use there flicker fires to dump that extra spell charge into even more mind bullets.

===Troops===
*'''Bloodletters of Khorne''' - Now only 10 pts. Bloodletters are overall okay. MEQ armies will piss themselves with fear when they hear that Bloodletters' close combat weapons are power swords. Then they'll realize Bloodletters don't have any grenades, have a poor invulnerable save, have no armour saves and their swords are AP3, so TEQ will eat them for breakfast. On the plus side, they're now a lot cheaper, so horde tactics are a good call. Deepstriking a unit of 'letters with an instrument allows you to call down another Khornate daemon unit. Bloodletters' main problem is their low number of attacks (1 base). While Bloodletters will decimate MSU units, they will get mowed down by hordes due to their low number of attacks. Also marine squads of 15+ (CSM) will beat them in close combat through sheer volume of attacks if outfitted with close combat weapons; or the 'letters will mostly be dead by the time they get into combat and will be taken down by sheer weight of numbers. There are ways round this though. If you give them a Herald with a Locus give them Greater Locus of Fury (Rage) - it helps remedy their low number of attacks. The Exalted Locus (Hatred) is a bit worse and more expensive, as they'll already hit most stuff on 3's. Another problem is that they will always endure at least 1 turn of shooting (if not 2) so unless your opponent ignores them they will have lower numbers when they get into combat. The Blood Banner is essential here, greatly improving their chances of getting a successful charge in; and the Character upgrade can be effective especially with access to that Axe of Khorne. <br />Bloodletters are also the unit for garrison duty in buildings with weapon emplacements. Their BS5 makes them hilariously and counter-intuitively (for a close-combat unit) efficient at shooting; if you're looking for some effective and reliable anti-aircraft in your Daemon army, give some serious thought to a Bloodletter squad in an Aegis defense line, Imperial bastion, Fortress of Redemption or even an Aquila strongpoint.

*'''Daemonettes of Slaanesh''' - Clocking in at 9pts each, they have Fleet and Rending as standard. Like every other force organization slot, the Slaanesh unit is faster and more fragile than the Khorne unit just as the Nurgle unit is slower but more durable. They're designed to tie up the enemy before they have a chance to use their ranged weapons, and now that they're not forced to deep strike their whole strategy is actually possible. They still have to foot-slog it though, so we're still back at square 1 (unless you Deep Strike them). Now that they're only 9 pts. a model, you can take a lot of them, which might even out your odds... maybe... However, they are better than Bloodletters in CC because they have more attacks, are faster, and don't fold to TEQs. Speaking of which, they will rape TEQs. Example: 9 Daemonettes and 1 Alluress cost 95 points, same as 3 Chaos Terminators and are putting out 21 attacks, hitting on 3s, wounding on 5s. With Rending they'll kill a 3 man squad in 1 turn most of the time. If you take a Herald go ahead and spring for the Exalted Locus (reroll all To Hit rolls); it gives them more teeth (something they lack) and ups their likelihood of getting a rend.
**'''The Great Promenade of Exquisite Excess (Apocalypse only)''' - If you play Apocalypse, you may want to look into this.  The new Apocalypse book has this nasty Slaanesh Formation consisting of the Masque and six squads of Daemonettes and/or Seekers.  They must be kept in reserve and deep strike when they come in, but can assault when they come in and Rend on a 4+.  This will be guaranteed to throw your opposing team off guard, so if you're feeling horny and have the models this is highly recommended.

*'''Pink Horrors of Tzeentch''' - With 6th edition rules, Pink Horrors were arguably the best choice in the Troops section.  As of 7th, they easily '''are''' the best.  They're a ranged unit, but they shoot psychic powers instead of regular shooting attacks, namely the fact that you can run after shooting witchfire powers.  This means you can move up, squeeze off a volley of Flickering Fire, then run in the shooting phase back into cover.  The big kicker though with these things in the psychic phase is that not only are they psykers themselves for the purpose of generating Warp Charge points, but their unique Magic Made Manifest rule lets these things generate 2 Warp Charges instead of one if they number 11 to 15 or 3 Charges if they number 16 to 20.  Small groups of these guys are useful as a shooting unit, but multiple squads of 20 will assure you complete dominance of the psychic phase.

:In addition, with the new FAQ confirming Daemonology as a optional choice to generate psychic powers, it is possible to achieve what can be only described as a gribbly bacterial plague. With a focus on claiming battlefield objectives and holding them, you can use your mastery charge to generate "Summoning" from the malefic daemonology discipline, which will then give you the option to spawn another unit of horrors using 5-6 warp charges to guarantee success. By selecting Malefic discipline for the new unit, your opponent now has too eliminate two units of horrors in order to prevent a third/fourth unit entering the field. In theory, you should be able to hold the line using the age old principle of "Bodies over bullets". While this does restrict the use of other psychic powers in the army, it is perfect to use as allies for an army with a particularly weak selection of psykers......          

*'''Plaguebearers of Nurgle''' - Plaguebearers may have lost FnP and got their toughness docked by 1, but they got a dramatic points reduction in exchange. They get Shrouding as part of their new deal, so as before they're still great at holding objectives. Since they are no longer Fearless and have Shrouded they can go to ground for 2+ in any cover. Also now their attacks always glance on a 6, which means that these are your anti tank. A massive unit of these with a Herald could march across the board and kill a hell of a lot of stuff that your other units might struggle with (see Wraithlords and AV13 Walkers). If you take a Herald, take the Greater Locus of Fecundity (Feel No Pain) to make camping Plaguebearers unkillable or to survive the march to your enemies' vehicles. Or you could bring Plague Drones/Seekers/Bloodcrushers with Icons to get them where you need to go, which is a better idea because they have Slow and Purposeful.  These guys definitely need a Herald to give them their FNP back to truly shine at backfield objective camping. Otherwise they're a few markerlights away from oblivion.

*'''Nurglings''' - A four wound tarpit, Nurglings have lost their amazing Eternal Warrior and are now incredibly vulnerable to instant death. In 7th edition, the rule disallowing Swarms to be scoring units has disappeared which means these things score and have Objective Secured! Plus they have the Infiltrate Special Rule, and they're decent at distracting units with a lot of dakka and missile launchers, allowing your assaulting units to move up and chop them to pieces. Alternately, they can grab a vital objective early in the game. Taking about 6 should do the job, but taking more isn't a bad idea. Just don't expect them to do much. Be careful, however, using these guys against Tau. Infiltrating units with four wounds seems like a perfect solution to keep some of that shooting off your army as they run up the board, but sadly any S6 shooting or templates will absolutely destroy the unit in no time at all, and Tau unfortunately have tons of that. 
**If playing apocalypse, you can usually find a place behind the enemy to infiltrate to. Take a bunch of 3-base units and [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]].

===Elite===
*'''Beasts of Nurgle''' - Toughness 5, 4 Wounds, Shrouded and It Will Not Die? Beasts are amazing tarpitters, and can even charge in the enemy's assault phase. Yes you read that right. One of the best countermeasures to your weaker units being charged in the book. They last forever and will hang around long enough for hopefully some one else to come and help. Pairs well with Plague Drones, BUT remember to keep them in cover! They are Beasts, and as such they ignore difficult terrain, so take advantage of the free saves. Great as road bumps for Death Stars and also good at distracting assaulting units in a shooty Daemons army. As long if you're willing to invest in Tzeentch units and focus on one target at a time, Beasts can really help as a meatshield for your shooty units. Also, in the fluff <s>in the new codex</s> since about 1986, these creatures are [[Unyuufex|attention-seeking puppy-like beings who love making new friends and jump at the chance to show their affection. They never fully catch on to the fact that, in their quest to give and receive affection, their size/strength/natural abilities always result in the gruesome deaths of their intended playmates.]]

*'''Bloodcrushers of Khorne''' - With 6+ (Why does it even have this?) 5++ and T4, Bloodcrushers are possibly the worst hit by the new codex. They still hit very hard, and now they have 3 wounds, but the whole loss of the 3+ save means that Bloodcrushers will die quickly when in the open. On the other hand, now they're a proper Cavalry unit, so what they lost in survivability they gained in mobility, but that ''won't'' save them. Plus they cost 5pts MORE than their 5th edition counterpart. Trading their 3+ armour save, T, and their Eternal Warrior in exchange for 1W and counting as Cavalry for 45 pts? Pass. On the other other hand, if you manage to cast the Grimore of True names on them, they'll be nigh-unkillable with 3 wounds and a 3++ save. Their main use in this book is to attach Karanak with five Bloodcrushers with an Icon so you can deep strike your Khorne/Slaanesh (HERESY!) units safely (within cover of course) so they can launch an assault next turn after the Bloodcrushers do. Again, if you're worried about their their survival, grant them the True names and they'll do fine for the most part.  Using these in range of a Leman Russ, Krak missile long fang squad, or Hive guard tends to end hilariously.  For the enemy anyway.  For you it'll probably just make you cry.

*'''Fiends of Slaanesh''' - These guys look *weird* and they're adequately killy. They're pretty fast (Beasts) with an OK 3 S4 rending attacks at a good initiative (6). Their MAIN use is that any unit they charge has -5 I. Hell yes! Oh and enemy psykers have -1 Ld when within 12" of them. The downside? T4 and 5++ (Although 3 wounds sorta helps out). They are even more of a glass hammer than last time around but have some nice tricks to help them out. For extra lulz, have a Keeper of Secrets with a Witstealer Sword charge in a unit with the Fiends, laugh when your opponent tries to pass his Initiative test but fails thanks to these Beasts! 

*'''Flamers of Tzeentch''' - At one point, fielding Flamers would have caused your opponent to leap over the table and strangle you. Now he will thank you for giving his Space Marines Feel no Pain - if he doesn't mind losing half his squad first (or none of it if you shot it into bikers of nurgle, god damn it). 23 points for a Strength 4 AP4 flame template, which forces the unit to take a toughness test. If he fails, the unit takes D3 cover and armour ignoring hits, if he passes, the unit gains 6+ Feel no Pain for the rest of the game or a bonus to his existing Feel no Pain, and ATM until an FAQ comes out this STACKS. However, they have one saving grace: they still kill models with 4+ saves and higher in droves and since most of these models are T3 half of the time you get D3 extra auto hits. Remember, it's at THE END of the Shooting Phase when the unit must take a toughness test, so take six in one squad and have some Pink Horrors to help them out! By the way, I don't recommend you putting nine in a squad, because this unit is meant to harass and distract your opponent's squad while your troops gets within charge range to finish them off. Six flame templates are plenty to do that job. <br />One use is to deepstrike them right next to the biggest blob the enemy has (either praying for no scatter or taking the CSM's Dimensional Key) and let rip with your '''AP4''' flamers. Fire warriors, gaunts, boyz and necrons will be wiped off the table by a 3 'man' 69pt unit (remembering to lay down the template the best way possible and multiplying the models under it by the unit size)

*'''Decimator Daemon Engine (Forgeworld)''' - A healthy alternative to the Soul Grinder. Costs a LOT more, not as well armoured (13/12/11) but potentially more durable. Like other daemon vehicles it has Daemonic Resilience, deepstrikes and gets a 5+ invulnerable save, but unlike other vehicles it has "Unholy Vigour." Basically, it can regrow blown-off weapons and un-immobilize itself on 5+ AND can revive itself from a Wrecked result on a 6+ ON ANY TURN! Mind it will also [[Vampire|suffer final death]] on a 1. This thing also gets access to smoke launchers for 3 pts., so buy them. The Decimator can additionally mount the following weapons:
**'''Decimator Siege Claws''': Your decimator comes stock with two of these, providing a total of 4 S8 AP2 lightning-claw attacks plus they have built-in heavy flamers. These claws can also perform a smash attack that if it penetrates a transport or building, you get to make D6 heavy flamer attacks against anyone inside - Falcon PUNCH!
**'''Butcher Cannon''': The butcher cannon will help against things like dreadnoughts, medium armour and when bought as a pair, can lay down an eye-watering 8 S8 AP4 shots at 36". It can glance vehicles alright, pop infantry with low armour saves and maybe have some marginal anti-air power, but it may be better to take an allied Forgefiend.
**'''Storm Laser''': 36" S6 AP3 Heavy D3+2. Like the butcher cannon, the laser is best bought as a pair and is a cost effective alternative to them. Storm Lasers are best at chewing up MEQ infantry: Necron Lynchguard/Destroyers/Praetorians/Tomb Spyders, Blood Angels in power armour, PAGK's, the occasional Tyranid monstrous creature, etc. Tau Crisis and Stealth suits (should you ever catch them in the open) are the most flavourful targets of laser decimators appearing out of nowhere and scorching them in a volley of hurt.
**'''Soul Burner Petard''': Yes, that's... really it's name. ''[[Derp|Petard]]''. [[Gay|A French/British word that basically means "bomb"]]. Anyway, it gives you S5, AP5, Rending, Large Blasts for smashing Orks, 'Nids, or Guard (or any other blobs you may need to remove). You only need to buy one of these (as it's an Ordnance weapon), allowing you to retain a Siege Claw for the fighty bastards that get too close. 
**'''Heavy Conversion Beamer''': 6th edition gave this thing a purpose, for now you can hide one of these in a building while taking another gun for more dakka and dedicating this vehicle to Slaanesh for the defensive grenades... although this seems like a goofy way to use a decimator. <br />The Decimator can be dedicated to the Gods (requires an Independent Character in the army with the same dedication) for +15 pts. as follows:
**'''Khorne:''' Gains Rampage. Great for tearing apart lots of things in hand to hand and goes well with the double claw or claw plus petard.
**'''Nurgle:''' Gains It Will Not Die. Arguably the best, making an already hard to kill unit even harder to kill!
**'''Slaanesh:''' Counts as armed with assault and defensive grenades. Assault grenades are marginally useful, but defensive grenades are alright if you're weird and are going for a camping decimator with a heavy conversion beamer.
**'''Tzeentch:''' Re-roll to-hits of 1's for shooting attacks, and heavy flamers (if any) get Soul Blaze. A good gun/claw mark which will do terrible things to light mech armies.

===Fast Attack===
*'''Plague Drones of Nurgle''' - Plaguebearers riding on giant jetpack cavalry flies. And you thought you were badass. Can be upgraded with Poison (3+) or turn one of their attacks into Instant Death (Stinger tail to the face). The whole unit can also get an upgrade for Str user assault 2 poisoned 4+ 12" ranged attacks. There is also the champion upgrade that gives you +1 attack and gives you access to that AP2 Etherblade (this makes them hit very hard). Don't forget that because they are jetpack cavalry they can move 12" in the movement phase (kinda like a jumppack with their dangerous terrain test if they start or end turn in terrain), then shoot you with Death heads and then they have Fleet and Hammer of wrath for their charge (again ignoring any terrain they have to charge through (bar a dangerous terrain test). Oh, and they have 3 wounds each at T5 so they ain't going anywhere quickly! And if you don't fancy charging don't worry, you can move 2D6" in the assault phase for free like Tau Battlesuits, making their move average at 19" per turn and with shooting. NOTE: They also make great ICON bearers so you can Deep Strikes your other units more effectively and pretty far across the board turn 2 since they are so fast and tough. 

*'''Flesh Hounds of Khorne''' - Good points: they're fast, have multiple wounds, can effectively deal with any non-melee unit that isn't wearing power-armor. That and they have +2 to Deny the Witch rolls as standard. Bad points: their attacks don't ignore armor saves so anything that's as tough as a Space Marine will laugh them off. As a counter to this, Karanak or a Herald on a Juggernaut can give the squad he is in RAGE which makes them really scary on the charge and since they are so fast and ignore difficult terrain ALL THE TIME, being beasts, they should be charging. Along with Karanak's perils'-causing collar, him and the Hounds make great psyker hunters. These guys also now have Scout and just generally better stats. A cheap group of ten is well worth their points if your opponent has at least one annoying psyker pissing off the Blood God. These guys are also borderline mandatory when playing against very shooty armies, such as Tau, IG, or Eldar. Use a squad of ten to sponge up most of your oppenent's firepower on turn one, and roll your other fast units up the board. Using a large blob of them buffed by the Grimoire with Karnak is typically considered a [[Troll|most excellent dick move.]]
**'''Models note:''' If you want to add Flesh Hounds to your force but don't have the money to buy them (They cost $50 in America for five Hounds), you can get either the Beastmen/WoC Hounds or the Vampire Counts Dire Wolves for "Count as" models for half the price AND twice the amount you get. Did I mention they're plastic rather than Finecast? Hmm, Me gusta! 

*'''Furies of Chaos''' - These got a total change this time around, but still suck. They have jump packs but only one attack each and rubbish stats make them un-usable. Even for 6 points a pop they have leadership 2. Yes, you read that right, Grots and Conscripts have more balls than they do - these are undoubtedly the biggest pussies in all of 40k. That means if they EVER lose combat they are gone, no ifs or buts about it; if they ever have to take a morale check they are unbelievably fucked. You can make them dedicated if you want but seriously don't bother wasting a precious fast attack slot and points on these guys. For extra Fluff-Heresy you can Mark Furies. Even though they were scorned by each god to be mark-less abominations of despair and eternal punishment for the fickle mortal they once were. Other than the Slaanesh Mark, we aren't to sure why you would want to do that.   

*'''Screamers of Tzeentch''' - They '''will''' get mowed down if properly targeted/assaulted, so be sure you're using them tactically to herd enemies or as a '''small''' suicide squad against tanks, although they have 2 wounds now which helps. They have three attacks each (plus Hammer of Wrath) which means their chances in combat are OK. They have a "Slashing Attack" Special Rule, allowing D3 S4 AP- auto-hits on unengaged enemy models by turbo boosting over them (don't forget this gives you a 4+ cover too). The update brought them to heel where now you can substitute your normal CC attacks for one Strength 5 Armourbane attack at AP2 (REMEMBER you still get your S4 Hammer of wrath attacks too!). Use this against big vehicles and Terminators only and watch light vehicles get ripped to little shreds by your 25pt models. These guys are still usable, but no longer the cheese they used to be.
**'''Note:''' It can be argued that Screamers do get their second attack from charging while using Lamprey's Bite as it only states normal attacks, not ALL attacks (same wording as Smash). Until a FAQ comes out regarding that make sure you talk it over with your opponent. If you wanna be a rule lawyer sure; "they may trade in all their normal close combat attacks for one attack with the following profile..." is pretty self explanatory. Just take the extra Hammer of Wrath attacks and be happy folks! 

*'''Seekers of Slaanesh''' - Got changed this time around, Seekers are now a solid unit that one should consider when making their lists. These cavalry units are cheap-as-chips (12 pts), they may just seem like daemonettes on mounts, but when you take a closer look, you see that they have Acute Senses and Outflank. They also have an extra attack, which gives them 4 on the charge, and if that's not enough, they run an extra 6' in the shooting phase, so Seekers are both fast AND deadly! Seriously, for only three points more just for all of that makes me think their point costs is a print error. Whether you use them for a fast offence unit, an Icon carrying squad, or to simply distract your opponent from your other units, you can't go wrong with Seekers. Even if you were to maximize the unit to 20 seekers, it won't take up your points and still leaves you room for other units, unlike the other unit that requires the Grimore to be effective and are an expensive investment *CoughBloodcrushersCough*.

*'''Hellflayer of Slaanesh''' - The Hellflayer was overlooked when it was first launched on account of it sucking during that brief update from White Dwarf. Let's not kid ourselves, this thing is still fragile and will succumb to most gunfire with ease. Granted, should it survive, you will quite literally drink the tears of your enemies troops as the chariot deals out D6 S4 Rending HoW hits per hull point remaining, granted it only starts with two. However, the Exalted Alluress riding the thing gets an additional attack per unsaved wound inflicted on top of the four with which she starts! Like we said, there's an incentive to kill this thing before it drives into the soft, moist folds of the rank and file. There's just one critical problem: 'flayers are 60 pts each whereas seeker chariots cost 20 points less, have the exact same profile and can be taken in 1-3 vehicle squads. If you can't take those or Exalted chariots (likely because you don't have any free Heavy Support slots left), only then shall you consider this unit. They aren't very good if you got the memo as they pay 20 points for a gimmick.

*'''Blight Drone (Forge World)''' - A fast flyer with a Reaper Autocannon, an old-style Mawcannon (Phlegm and Vomit only) and now Deep Strike and the Daemon of Nurgle rule. At 150 pts., it's a nifty fast attack vehicle. With the increased points, it is now closer to a soul grinder. The downside? It's BS2. The upside? It has Shrouded so evading for a jink is 3+ cover (2+ if they're within 8" due to defensive grenades). One of the contenders for best fast attack choice since it's a good load of dakka on a flyer with Shrouded which many armies lack effective counters to. Beware that these explode when destroyed (wrecked/explode) so keep them away from squishy friendlies and always near enemy lines. These can also be taken as a 1-3 squadron. Never hurts to double tap, and opens slots up for other fast attack awesome.

===Heavy Support===
*'''Skull Cannon of Khorne''' - Basically auto-include if you're bringing Daemonettes or Bloodletters. Not because S8 cover-ignoring blast (which is still nice at popping-out vehicles), but because your guys can charge anything hit with this blast without initiative penalty for not having assault grenades. If the enemy gets too close, it's a chariot, so charge them with your D6 S7 Hammer of Wrath hits! Then die horribly as they shove a power fist up your armour-10 rear.

*'''Burning Chariot of Tzeentch''' - Fragile but very killy. 10AV all around but is in fact a Daemon of Tzeentch and 3HP make it more durable than most fast skimmer... chariot... things. The Exalted Flamer will be shooting AP3 torrents and 18" heavy d3 lascannon shots, which unfortunately have Warpflame. Even its Hammer of Wrath attacks have Warpflame. Here have FnP while I burn you alive. [[Just as Planned]]. Alternatively you can give a Herald of Tzeentch one of these to pimp around in, casting Divination, Change, and/or Malefic Daemonology powers all over the place. Or you could use a Warpblade to spawn the shit put of your opponent using sweep attacks, then 'accidentally' flamer the t5 spawn, as well as the enemy squad, and let the nomming commence.
** Warhammer 40,000 7th Edition update. Now in 7th Edition chariot riders count as always stationary and relentless. It means exactly what you think it means. Our beloved av 10/10/10 skimmer can now move 12", torrent another 12" and because it's open topped it can be from anywhere on the vehicle. While the durability is low, 3 HP, chariots can now never be immobilized only, explode on 7 for damage roll and they can pass off hits/wounds to the rider.  And if you do choose to run the Herald on this instead, remember that you can spew psychic powers in the psychic phase and then flat-out into safety in the following shooting phase.

*'''Seeker Chariot of Slaanesh''' - These guys are cheap. A squad of three of these used to be unusable due to their massive bases and deepstriking, but now they can deploy safely. Rules for these girls are simple: Charge the enemy. Your d6 per hull point Hammer of Wrath Attacks with RENDING due to its Fleshshredder rule owns everything. And since chariots can't be locked in combat when it's your turn again just back up an inch and repeat! These things are very delicate but at only 40 pts a chariot they are worth it. Be careful with the rules in cc as it gets very confusing with the exalted Alluress in combat.
**'''Exalted Seeker Chariot of Slaanesh''' - Same as above only 4 HP instead of 2. you could put a Herald here and take the locus that means all your chariots ignore difficult terrain all the time. 

*'''Soul Grinder''' - In 4th edition, Games Workshop decided to expand its repertoire of things stolen from intellectual properties and so knicked something a bit more recent (from Doom, specifically). It was a shitty waste of points back then because its [[Meme|HUGE GUTS]] made deep-striking it an exercise in annoyance and failure, but we don't talk about that much no more. For this codex, the <s>Spider Mastermind</s> <s>Cyberdemon</s> Soul Grinder is very similar to what it once was in terms of stats and cost. He still comes with a harvester, has one Iron Claw (it's a power fist, actually) and still has that same, rather solid stat-line. So what's new? Well, he can Skyfire if he wants with his new S7 AP4 3-shot harvester and has to buy all his other weapons from scratch. However, losing a Mawcannon won't remove all the the profiles you upgraded it with so that's a plus, right? Speaking of weapons and profiles:
**'''Baleful Torrent''' - just like the last one, S6 AP4 but now with torrent!
**'''Phlegm Bombardment''' - very similar to the phlegm profile it replaces, your half-range battle cannon doth return. Note, you have to snap-fire all other weapons when shooting it now because it's Ordnance and this is post-6th Ed.
**'''Warp Gaze''' - why? Oh sure, S10 AP1 seems terrifying, but its range is pathetic and you can expect to miss as often as you can to hit with it; could be worth it on camping Nurgla/Tzeentch Grinders just to add more dakka. This would've been ''awesome'' if you could give it to a Daemon Prince!
**'''Warp Sword''' - your back-up if you lose your Iron Claw and a pricey one at that, but it will also give you a bonus attack, being that both your claw and this sword are specialist weapons. Warp Swords are also master crafted, which is totally a plus for close-combat grinders<br />Soul Grinders must now be upgraded to a Daemon of a god in which it gets Daemon USR (5++ and Fear) as well as the special god-related bonuses:
**'''Khorne''' - This one is free as the Iron Claw already doubles strength (making furious charge useless unless someone shoots off your claw) but also means you'll almost always be loading up with a Warp Sword just in case. 
**'''Tzeentch''' - The next cheapest, giving you jack shit in terms of psychic powers but 5 pts for a re-rollable save 1's is fantastic!
**'''Nurgle''' - Best by far for Shrouded Soul Grinders (2+ cover behind ruin anyone?) but be careful with an ADL as it might be too small to obscure him properly. Always double check that this massive model is obscured before assuming he is. Otherwise, you're gonna be shooting so take phlegm, maybe Torrent and ''maybe'' Warp Gaze. Keep in mind that this thing will be in the backfield, which is a weird position for daemons that are more used to taking the fight to the enemy.
**'''Slaanesh''' - the +3 run, Fleet and Rending! Grab yourself a Warp Sword and Baleful Torrent. Speed up the field, and soften a unit up with the torrent and the harvester cannon, then assault it with 6 S10 attacks (with rending, but at S10 that's a bit of a moot point) - not even buildings or [[Land Raider|big metal bawkses]] can withstand that! You can even charge in and kill those Gay Knights shooting you with Psycannons that aren't allowed to run away in CC and have to stand there while you kill them (unless they brought Daemon Hammers... then you're fucked).
:While the Soul Grinder is usually worth taking, it is annoyingly counter-intuitive. It offers Skyfire, but only has BS3 and if used, prevents the use of Phlegm or the torrent (requires some Divination trickery); they have access to powerful guns, but have criminally short ranges; they come with strong close combat options, but also great ranged options. The trick is to figure out what you need it to do in your army and use it to fill in the gaps. Most importantly, play to its strengths: it's a walking tank! It's way more durable against things that threaten [[Dreadnought|other walkers]], like autocannons or krak grenades so don't be afraid to leave yourself a little vulnerable at times. If you're really concerned, take them in pairs for safety. 

*'''Plague Hulk (Forgeworld)''' - Essentially a Soul Grinder of Nurgle with a poisoned 3+ S5 AP3 flamer instead of the Harvestor and a rending phlegm bombardment with 2 fewer strength but at 150 instead of the 180 for the codex version with Phlegm. Replacing the Iron Claw with a Warp Sword for +25 points is a hilariously bad idea which you should not do. Definitely worth the points but wants you to get close to take advantage of the poison template (which is counter intuitive of Nurgle Grinders siting back abusing Shrouded). Since you can take it in CSMs too its a good way to get a 4th Grinder via allies if you really like them. You are losing the versatility that the Harvester gun has but for being the most budget Grinder it's always worth consideration.

*'''Blood Slaughterer (Forgeworld)''' - '''FUN'''<font size=5>*</font> name notwithstanding, these jacked-up chaos dreadnoughts are bad fucking news! Front armour 13, WS5, a dreadnought close combat weapon, Rampage, Daemon of Khorne, Deepstrike, Fleet, Daemonic Resilience and +D3 attacks on the charge spell death for anything they touch. You can either stride them across the table but they will likely get kited because they have to run towards the nearest enemy unit in sight. Fortunately, you can instead choose to deep-strike them close to that thing you want to die; this is a marginally better proposition as individual Slaughterers are roughly dreadnought sized and it's fairly easy to place one (and in most situations, the other two). If you take a full squad of three, give them all Impalers (a Blood Angels magna grapple with one worse AP and a scant 12" range; it can never be snap-fired): they always hit on a 4+ and drag penetrated vehicles or wounded and unsaved monstrous creatures 2D6" closer to them. Oh, if you happen to drag anything into base contact it's blender time as the model is now in a close combat with the Bloodslaughterers which count as having charged. Did we mention that multiple Impaler hits are cumulative? Or that these are one of the few things that can assault and sweep on the turn they deepstrike? [[RIP AND TEAR]]!

*'''Spined Chaos Beast (Forgeworld)''' - No longer available to CSM, this thing is now a Chaos Daemons exclusive. Basically, it's a daemonic construct made from flesh instead of metal. It's a deep-striking monstrous creature with WS5, S7, T6, 4 wounds with It Will Not Die. Must be a Daemon of a Chaos god:
**'''Khorne:''' free furious charge! +1S on the charge is nice although it isn't an earth-shattering bonus, but it's hard to beat a price of 0.
**'''Slaanesh:''' Got bumped up by +5 pts. but is no longer the cheapest or worst of them all. Fleet, rending and an extra 3" of movement are pretty sweet. Great for running up the field, dashing through cover or deep-striking and running out of LoS. You also don't have to smash to pop lighter vehicles with rending, which is nice. All in all, like Khornate Daemonhood, there are no drawbacks or wasted abilities here. A Slaaneshi Chaos Best combines the good parts of a Daemon Prince (high WS, easier to Deepstrike) with a Soul Grinder (strong and remarkably tough), although you lose access to ranged weapons, gifts and psychic powers. Still, it undercuts ''both'' those competitors by a fairly significant margin.
**'''Nurgle:''' Oh how the mighty have fallen - 15 points for shrouded and slow and purposeful. Alright, so you already get a 5+ save from being a Daemon and slogging through difficult terrain to buff that cover save makes you even slower - which paired with Slow and Purposeless makes this thing a 155 point sink that has a chance to do FUCK ALL during a battle when foot-slogged. Deep-striking it into cover may get you closer but you still have to waddle over to your targets (which will be agonizing) or you can scatter onto bad things for a mishap, again giving you the opportunity to have a 155-point sink. Topping it all off, you won't get your cover saves in close combat, which hangs a massive question mark over the whole goddamn thing! What's really sad is that the bonus it replaced (FNP) was way better; just skip it.   
**'''Tzeentch:''' +5 points to better use psychic powers... that you don't get. Being able to re-roll 1's for saves is nice and quite a bargain at only 5 points granting an almost 4++.

===Fortifications===
Before the new book, these were a pretty silly idea, but now that you can choose to deploy regularly, these might actually be worth it.

*'''Aegis Defense Lines:''' More of the more reliable Skyfire/Interceptor choices, although, being a very choppy army, you probably won't benefit much from the cover saves. A Herald with a minimum unit for meat shields can use it's higher BS to fire the emplacement and hold a backfield objective.

*'''Skyshield Landing Pad:''' Your Deep Strikers don't have to scatter and you can get improved Invulnerable Saves, given you already get 5++. 

*'''Imperial Bastion:''' Put your bloodletters in this guy and put your trollface on as you fire a quad gun at BS5 at their precious aircraft. 

*'''Fortress of Redemption:''' Ew, no. It's incredibly expensive and really made for a shooty army, which you aren't. Unless of course you put a squad of Bloodletters on it in which case you can have 4 BS5 Heavy Bolters, a BS5 Krakstorm, and a BS5 Lascannon with Interceptor and Skyfire.