Editing Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Psychic 101 (section)

===Daemonology===
A few notes about Sanctic and Malefic before we start. Unlike the other powers that peril only on a double six, these powers peril on any double unless you're a Grey Knight (who can only use Sanctic) or a Daemon (ditto but for Malefic). This means your psyker is much more likely to implode and will do so much faster if not from these armies, so think carefully if the risk is worth it.
====Sanctic====
:;Overview
::Generally speaking, Sanctic Daemonology is used for building a better Deathstar. The reason for this is simple: All the Blessings in this Discipline directly target the Psyker's unit. Hammerhand makes them hit harder, Sanctuary makes them harder to kill, and Gate of Infinity gives them protection against being tarpitted. Round this off with two two "High Risk/High Reward" Witchfires for good effect. The main weaknesses of this Discipline are that it doesn't do much to benefit MSU builds, it has a very situational Primaris, and it has a good chance of blowing up your caster. Of note is that a lot of these powers were originally unique to Grey Knights back in 5th edition. They remain the only army that can use these powers without suffering Perils on any double roll, and many of their units get "fixed" powers on this table, allowing you a surprising degree of reliability in using this discipline.

{| class="wikitable sortable"  style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
|+ Sanctic Daemonology Powers
! Number !! Name !! Type !! Range !! Target !! Description !! Charges
|-
! data-sort-value=0 | Primaris !! Banishment
| Malediction || 24 || Unit (Daemon)
| Can only be used on units with the Daemon special rule. This will reduce the Daemon's Invulnerable save by 1 (So the basic 5+ Daemon Invulnerable becomes a 6+). It's a situational power at best, only really useful when dealing with Malefic Psykers who summon Daemons and/or Daemons themselves. Although far more situational, this can be absolutely horrific to a Daemon player who was unlucky enough to already have their invulnerable save reduced by 1 by rolling 4 on the Warp Storm table. Watch your Daemon opponent sob and grovel as you widdile down their Great Unclean One or destroy a squad of Bloodletters in one Shooting Phase since they have no more saves except maybe FNP or Warp-Forged Armor.
| 1
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! 1 !! Gate of Infinity
| Blessing || data-sort-value=0 | Self || Unit
| Allows a single unit that isn't swooping or zooming to Deep Strike anywhere. Of course, this is your fabulous [[Desert Fangs|SURPRISE FUCKERS!]] However, remember the 1d4chan advice for deep striking: you want to be able to survive a turn of shooting, and assault troops are going to get shot up before they can do their thing. Best done with a tough shooting squad or something you're willing to [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]] with.
| 1
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! 2 !! Hammerhand
| Blessing || data-sort-value=0 | Self || Unit
| Grants the caster and his unit +2 Strength. You remember how it was back in 3rd edition when you still had [[Daemonhunters]]?  Yeah, it's like that. While obviously best done before getting stuck in, you might consider using it defensively. E.g. "Do you ''really'' want to charge my strength six Assault Marines?" On the down side, this power has the same issue as Iron Arm and Warp Speed: unless you were already planning to run the Psyker with a squad made to punch faces, then you're not getting the most out of this power.
| 1
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! 3 !! Sanctuary
| Blessing || data-sort-value=0 | Self || Unit
| The caster and his unit gain +1 to their Invulnerable save. If the unit does not have an Invulnerable save, they gain a 6++. Additionally, all Daemons (allies and enemies) within 12" of the caster treat all terrain including open ground as Dangerous Terrain. This is mostly helpful in buffing preexisting Invulnerable saves, since conferring an unreliable 6++ is practically a waste of Warp Charges; though it could be helpful in preserving ''hopefully'' enough troops in your blobs if you plan on using it as a [[Tarpit]] or to drown a priority target in armor saves. Conversely, it's helpful against daemon hordes especially if combo'd with Banishment, as putting it on just a few units placed ahead of the main body of army can mean seeing lots of daemons disappear as they move ahead to engage your troops, as well as seeing a blob of daemons get ruined because they had the balls to charge you. Just bear in mind that Assault Terminators with a 2++ is likely to lose you friends.
| 1
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! 4 !! Purge Soul
| Witchfire (Focused) (Profileless) || 24 || Model
| {{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile|range=24|strength=-|ap=2|type=Assault|rof=1|rules=Ignores Cover}}  Both your psyker and the hit model must roll a D6 and add Leadership to the roll. If the enemy loses, he takes a wound (with only Invuln and FNP allowed). Overall, it's low risk, low reward. While not a waste of warp charges, it's not the most effective use, and they could and probably should be spent elsewhere.  Almost always strictly worse than [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Psychic_101#Telepathy|Psychic Shriek]], which will do more wounds, on average, regardless of caster and target. Use it to zap special weapons or squad leaders, it won't do much against enemy HQs as they usually have better/equal leadership and an extra save.
| 1
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! 5 !! Cleansing Flame
| Witchfire (Nova) || 9 || Unit
| {{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile|range=9|strength=5|ap=4|type=Assault|rof=2D6|rules=Nova, Ignores Cover, Soulblaze}}  This can destroy anything with armor weaker than a Marine, and a lot of them, if you get your psyker in the right place. Refer back to power one. If you get them both, engage your troll face.
| 2
|-
! 6 !! Vortex of Doom
| Witchfire || 12 || Unit
| {{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile|range=12|strength=D|ap=1|type=Assault|rof=1|rules=Blast, Vortex}}  High risk, high reward. Failing the test to manifest this power automatically causes Perils of the Warp. DEVASTATION. EVERYWHERE. Given it's a small blast, aim for monsters and tanks. Troops are tempting, but if they're fully spaced out you'll have trouble getting the most out of this. Don't forget that this is Vortex, so the blast template is very likely to wander the field uncontrollably until the end of the game, eating random units it lands on, so never cast it near the bulk of your own army. Since this requires three charges, you'll have to use a lot of dice to get it to work reliably, and since Daemonology causes Perils on any double roll, and not just double sixes, your psyker is almost guaranteed to fry his brain while attempting this. You need some serious psychic boons and some dire circumstances for this shit to be worth it.  As it has the vortex special rule, it will jump around the board every turn until doubles are rolled for the scatter distance.
| 3
|}

====Malefic====
:;Overview
::There's a reason most armies don't use this; it's a major sink for your Warp Charges.  Unless you can ensure that you've got a lot of them (which Daemons really can do, hence [[The Ultimate Chaos Daemons Cheese List|this]]. although the core strategy used in that list no longer works) don't be expecting to make clusterfucks appear at a whim. But if you do have a ton of Warp Charges to throw around, you may be able to make your army double in size in a couple of turns. '''However''', even if you do, realize that using your entire army to make more army doesn't actually accomplish anything (unless you plopped a new scoring unit on a tactical objective, anyway); at some point you need to stop recursing and ''actually kill the enemy''.  Sacrifice is effective enough on its own to cast at every opportunity, but you can bet your ass that the enemy can clear off (or at least cripple) a Summoned unit with a smaller point investment than you used to get those 6-8 dice.  Used mindlessly you ''will'' get out-paced, but used surgically you can make even the best opponents tear their hair out.

{| class="wikitable sortable"  style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
|+ Malefic Daemonology Powers
! Number !! Name !! Type !! Range !! Target !! Description !! Charges
|-
! data-sort-value=0 | Primaris !! Summoning
| Conjuration || 12 || None
| Summons one of the following within 12 inches of the user: 10 Bloodletters, 10 Pink Horrors, 10 Plaguebearers, 10 Daemonettes, 5 Flesh Hounds, 3 Flamers, 3 Nurgling Swarms, 5 Seekers. The reason this was used was because of the massive clusterfuck you could make with this, since Horrors are psykers and could get Summoning as well so you could summon psykers to summon psykers to summon psykers, repeat ad nauseam.  This is currently FAQed away, as "new" Horrors don't get Daemonology; there is [[skub|no explanation]] what the FAQ means by "new", but Horrors conjured by this power seem to unequivocally qualify.  As a result, there are ''two'' big limits to the use of this power. The first is obvious: who the hell has that many horror models? The second is that you're summoning ML1 horrors with access to ''only'' the Change discipline. Since they do have mind bullets, they now have more kick, but even with this buff it does not change the fact that the daemon swarm is just not that good. If you're at home using Daemons as lackeys then don't go overboard on summoning. Do it to get reinforcements, but the 'bacterial swarm' is best used for the occasional fun list with a lot of proxy models. See below this chart for further notes on Summoning.
| 3
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! 1 !! Cursed Earth
| Blessing || data-sort-value=0 | Self || Model
| All models with the Daemon special rule (allied and enemy) within 12 inches of the user gain +1 to their Invulnerable save and do not scatter when Deep Striking within range of the user. If you have a good blob unit or deathstar, then this power will go a long way in allowing them to survive a little further. Use with the chaos demon Grimoire for a 2+ invulnerable (and with Tzeentch daemons to make it re-rollable; the infamous "Screamerstar"). Also, be careful: to get the most out of this your daemons have to be within 12" of the caster, meaning you have to bunch up a bit. Not a deal breaker thanks to the higher invulnerable, but something to remember. Also remember that this power applies to enemies with the Daemon rule, too. So yeah, that's one thing not to cast if you're facing down an Avatar of Khaine. If you have a bunch of daemons already this will probably draw every remaining die your enemy can throw at it in a mad attempt to Deny it. Don't let them, either by draining their pool first with frivolous bullshit or by throwing enough dice at it that denial is unlikely. Or, use it as the bait for something else, like an unholy barrage of beams and witchfires the enemy is now powerless to stop.
| 1
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! 2 !! Dark Flame
| Witchfire || data-sort-value=20 | Torrent || Unit
| {{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile|range=Torrent|strength=4|ap=5|type=Assault|rof=1|rules=Torrent, Soul Blaze}}  It's a fierce weapon, so...yeah, not a bad power, but nothing compared to the utility of Cursed Earth, and there are better psychic shooting attacks.
| 1
|-
! 3 !! Infernal Gaze
| Witchfire (Beam) || 18 || Unit
| {{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile|range=18|strength=3|ap=4|type=Assault|rof=1|rules=Beam, Armourbane, Fleshbane}}  Use of this power comes with a penchant for red sunglasses and disrespecting your hot, psychic wife.  Absolute PAIN on any infantry it hits.  However, it is only ONE hit, so it won't be killing legions of Spehss Mehreens or hordes of chittering gaunts (unless they're conga dancing). What it WILL do, though, is seriously mess up any priority target you set your eyes upon. Best ignore anything other than infantry though. Even though it's got Armourbane, S3 is so low that it is nowhere near reliable against any vehicle and generally not worth the dice.
| 1
|-
! 4 !! Sacrifice
| Conjuration || 6 || None
| Summons a Herald of your choice (with up to 30 points' worth of wargear options) within 6 inches of the user. However, the user or another friendly unit in range suffers a single wound with no saves allowed (so FNP works, as usual). Don't expect it to survive for long on its own, so you'd better summon some mooks to help him survive. This is a slick little power to have on hand if you get blindsided or if you bite off more than you can chew. For instance, sudden combat with an overzealous challenge character? Bring in a Herald of Khorne with an Axe of Khorne and show him what's what. My favorite trick is to summon a bunch of Tzeentch Heralds on Disks over the course of the game who turbo to hiding spots all over the board only to emerge turns 5-7 as needed to contest and take objectives.  The Imperial Knight formation that has people in a tizzy has almost no defense against this trick as they have nearly no Objective Secured. Also, for the love of the Emperor, be polite and have some Heralds pre-kitted before the game starts so you don't have to hunt in the codex for a few minutes in the middle of the game to see your options. Like Cursed Earth, this draws Deny aggro like nobody's business. If you need it to go off, throw at least 3 dice at it; otherwise, it makes great bait so you can cast everything else with impunity.
| 1
|-
! 5 !! Incursion
| Conjuration || 12 || None
| Summons one of the following within 12 inches of the user: 3 Bloodcrushers, 3 Screamers, 3 Plague Drones, 3 Fiends. This generally isn't used for much unless you're planning to cheese your way to an infinite Screamerstar, or you're looking for some Distraction Daemons.  While you shouldn't forget about this if you get it, if you're gonna get the Primaris anyway due to psychic focus, then the limited use will mean you won't cast this all that often. Bonus points: summon three screamers next to your enemy's Land Raider and watch him devote untold forces to getting rid of them.
| 3
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! 6 !! Possession
| Conjuration || 6 || None
| Summons a Greater Daemon of your choice within 6 inches, and removes the user as a casualty. (If the user was part of a unit with a Brotherhood of Psykers/Sorcerers, the whole unit is removed.) If the Psychic test to manifest this power fails, the user automatically suffers Perils of the Warp. (Just imagine the look on your opponent's face when your otherwise useless Wyrdvane Psykers explode into a Bloodthirster. Or your Lord of Change, on his last wound, [[Oinkbane|explodes into a new and fully healed Lord of Change]].) The spell specifically states you must summon either a [[Bloodthirster]] of any variation, a [[Lord of Change]], a [[Great Unclean One]] or a [[Keeper of Secrets]], so no, you can't summon a named greater daemon. This generally isn't used because of the mighty cost it takes, but the reward it allows (especially if you're running Daemons) makes it insanely tempting. Use at your own peril. Also note, as per the May 2016 FAQ, Flying Monstrous Creatures must now be declared to be either Swooping or Gliding when conjured or summoned to the table, so you now have the choice of whether to keep them in the relative protection of the air, or on the ground so that they can get stuck in sooner. Note: they still are still deployed as per Deep Strike and so cannot charge that same turn, this just means you don't have to waste an additional turn switching flight modes.
| 3
|}

=====More on Summoning=====
* "New" horrors can't roll from Daemonology per Wrath of Magnus/latest FAQs. Whoops.
** "New" is not explained, so it could mean all Horrors ("new" meaning "latest rules"), or only ones that join your army after list creation ("new" as in "conjured").  The FAQ does not clarify.  Either way, summoned horrors can't roll on it.
* Some quick math; you generally want to throw 6-8 dice at the Summoning to make it go off reliably.  A 10-man Horror squad is only Mastery 1 (they're taken in lists because you spend 9 points for a second warp charge, a min squad is crap), so your return on investment is at best 20%.  Even if you successfully cast it 5 times in a turn, you're only able to pull off one more Summoning than you were before, assuming none of your squads get wiped by the thousand-odd points of return fire (you do actually have to pay points for your initial warp charge).  Even if you do, a horror unit minus its warp charge (since that's getting used for recursion) is basically a 10-man unit of Imperial Guard ''without lasguns''.  Making even a hundred more cultist-equivalents for a thousand points of input energy is a bad trade; you have to do something with all that warp charge to actually win the game, like summon Daemonettes (who can actually kill people without using your precious warp charges) or channel a bajillion Flickering Fires out of all those horrors.  Recursion is a fine way to spend your first turn while you advance into range, but make sure you have a plan for how to get work out of it.
* In lower points games, Summoning is an excellent tool for a lot of situations. Summon Bloodletters in front of Spess Mehreens as a Distraction Carnifex (because they will either get shot down or tear MEQs a new asshole), summon Horrors as objective-holders and batteries, summon Daemonettes for messing up infantry, summon Plaguebearers to hold objectives / pluck apart MCs, summon some Flesh Hounds to harrass Heavy Weapon teams or summon a bunch of Flamers close enough to units they can actually kill with their shots. If you use this only to make more army, you might as well leave it. Seekers are much less useful than Daemonettes, and Nurglings are out-performed by Plaguebearers. If you summon those units for a purpose, however, you can easily change the course of the game with it. However, the more points you play with, the less useful this power is. If you summon 100 points worth of unit in a 500 point game, you just increased your army by 20%, which is freaking huge. As the games get bigger, the impact of this spell is lessened, though.
* Also keep in mind that if you manage to pull this power off, it is almost impossible to deny. 3 Warp Charges minimum with no modifier to deny the witch means on average 18(!) dice minimum to negate this, which nobody has, and if they did, they wouldn't blow them all to negate your Summoning.