Warhammer 40,000/10th Edition Tactics/Chaos Space Marines
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This is the current 10th Edition's Chaos Space Marine tactics. 9th Edition Tactics are here.
Why Play Chaos Space Marines
Faction Rules
- Dark Pacts: Any time one of your units makes an attack, you can choose to make an offering to the dark gods, giving either Lethal Hits or Sustained Hits 1. After you resolve your hits, you have to pass a Leadership test or suffer d3 mortal wounds. While not the wisest take on cultists, but the marines could make use of this - especially if you grab an icon to re-roll their Ld test.
Detachments
Slaves to Darkness
Special Rules
Stratagems
- Dark Obscuration (1 CP): When an enemy tries to shoot at one of your units, that unit gains Stealth for some extra protection. Nurgle units take this a step further by preventing enemies from attacking them unless they're within 12".
Equipment
Unit Analysis
As per the Daemon index, you can have 1/4 of your army in points be Chaos Daemons.
Characters
- Keeper of SecretsChaos Daemon: A fleet-footed menace, but it's still relatively frail with T10 and a 5+/4++ save. Fortunately, Mesmerising Form makes all attacks targeting it suffer -1 to hit. Its Witstealer Sword remains a pretty effective weapon with S8 AP-2 D3 and Snapping Claws giving Extra Attacks with S6 AP-2 D3 with Devastating Wounds. You can also pick up another set of attacks with the Ritual Knife with S6 AP-2 D2, a Living Whip for a ranged attack that doesn't bother with casting, or a Shining Aegis to gain a 5+ FNP save. Its lone ranged attack is Phantasmagoria, a psychic power at 18" S6 AP-2 with Devastating Wounds, given the option of either the basic attack or an extra couple of attacks at the risk of Hazardous. Other Slaanesh Daemons also benefit from being near a keeper, as it has a 6" aura that improves the AP of their weapons by 1.
Epic Heroes
- Abaddon the Despoiler: One of the very few to have lost out in tankiness, being nerfed to T5 with the same W9 and 2+/4++. Dark Destiny at least makes using Dark Pacts a good idea as passing the associated Leadership test lets him roll another d6 and win 1 CP. The Warmaster lets him pick from one of three different 6" buff auras: Paragon of Hatred lets friendly units re-roll to hit, Mark of Chaos Ascendant shares his 4++ save with friendly Infantry and Mounted units, Lord of the Chaos Legions lets friendly units re-roll Leadership and Battleshock tests.
- His combat loadout remains quite the threat and then some. The Talon of Horus remains plenty terrifying with a barrage of S7 AP-3 with Devastating Wounds while the strapped-on Combi-Bolter remaining S5 AP-1 D2 with Sustained Hits 1. Drach'nyen, however, got an absolutely monstrous buff, now being upped to Strength FOURTEEN AP-4 D3, also with Devastating Wounds - and all without any drawbacks that come with being a Daemon Weapon.
- Be'lakorChaos Daemon: Considerably beefed up with T10 W18 while still benefiting from both a 4+/4++ save (meaning last edition's variable saves are dead) and Stealth. On top of that, he's also a mobile emitter of the Shadow of Chaos, letting him assist any allies within 6" of him...and that's on top of his Shadow Master auras in that same range, which lets him pick one psychic power each turn (Enemies can only attack allies in the bubble when they're within 18", any enemies inside the bubble below their starting strength must take Battleshock tests, or friendly units can re-roll Battleshock or Leadership checks).
- His Blade of Shadows remains just as versatile, with the sweep profile giving 14 S8 AP-3 attacks to carve mobs while Strike gives 6 S14 AP-4 D1+d6 with Lethal Hits so you can more easily carve apart enemy monsters and tanks. This is supplemented by a new ranged psychic weapon that gives him a cover-negating barrage of S5 AP-2 Devastating Wounds shots or an even bigger barrage of S6 AP-3 shots with Devastating Wounds and Hazardous.
Battleline
- Legionaries: As the frontliners of your forces, they deservedly get plenty of variety in weapons, with so many guns they don't all even fit on the card. Among the ones more unique to the unit is the Balefire Tome, which used to make the unit psychic but now just gives a rather basic 18" A2 S5 AP-1 gun.
- While they're plenty useful at range, their Veterans of the Long War ability strangely only lets them re-roll 1s to wound in melee (or re-roll all wounds if they're on an objective). Part of the issue is that they've undergone the great consolidation of weapons, now stuck with either their S4 CCWs or Chainswords if they want an extra attack and AP-1, with the sergeant having the option for an S5 AP-2 Accursed Weapon instead of the variety of power weapons. You can also take an S8 AP-2 D2 Heavy Melee weapon in case you have the heavy chainaxe from the more recent Legionaries box.
Infantry
Vehicles
- Helbrute:
- Chaos Land Raider:
Dedicated Transports
- Chaos Rhino:
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