Editing Warhammer 40,000/8th Edition Tactics/Space Wolves (section)

====Special characters====
*'''[[Arjac Rockfist]]:''' "<s>Mjolnir</s> Foehammer to me!"*cough* The Anvil of Fenris has received a big promotion this edition and is now a fully fledged Wolf Guard Battle Leader in the HQ section. Has the standard re-roll 1's to wound aura like normal Battle Leaders but combines it with an amazing +1 attack buff to Wolf Guard of all varieties around him (including Thunderwolves and himself) as well. In combat he's an absolute beast with 5 Strength 10 thunder hammer attacks due to his sheer size without the usual -1 to hit penalty (although, as a Space Wolf with WS2+, he would normally ignore the penalty anyhow). As a trade off it only does 1d3 damage; however, this is bumped back up to 3 damage against characters and monsters. In addition to this, he is able to re-roll all missed hits against characters and monsters, which, combined with his re-roll 1's to wound, makes him a supreme duelist, and all for only 8 points more than a similarly equipped terminator battle leader. Still gets to throw his hammer and the Anvil Shield now also reduces all wounds suffered by 1. An absolute auto-include if you're running an army with Terminators, Thunderwolves, or Wolf Guard bikers (just remember he can't keep up with the latter two, so he'll have to deep strike in to provide his buff).
*'''[[Bjorn the Fell Handed]]:''' With the buffs to Dreads in 8th Bjorn may well be the most powerful non-Lord of War unit in the game right now. To start with he grants all Space Wolves units within 9 re-rolls of 1's to hit (thanks to Saga of the Majesty buffing his aura) and gives you a command point just for being on the table. Damn near unkillable due to his T8, W8, 5+ ignore all wounds save combined with the character rule so he can't even be targeted if near another unit. He packs 5 strength 12, AP -4, D1d6 attacks with re-rolls to hit and wound in combat so there's very little that won't just get splattered upon contact. With movement 8 he doesn't get around too badly either, spraying heavy weapon shots with re-rolls as he does so. The main drawback for all this awesome is high points cost ranging from 216 pts for basic assault cannon/heavy flamer setup to 234 pts for twin lascannons. But it doesn't take a lot to get your points back with him and he'll easily clean out enemy monsters/vehicles that cost way more than he does while buffing your army in the process. Just point him towards the enemy and have fun. 
** Bjorn is more or less a discount Leviathan dread. Leviathan is slightly tougher, Bjorn hits much better in CC. He moves quicker, and will remain full power no matter how much damage he takes. Though the Leviathan brings ridiculous dakka to the table, in a comparison of shooting ability Bjorn looses out. Key in the comparison is the fact that Bjorn is a character and has 8 very tough wounds. This helps ensure that he will brutalize his opponents in CC, whereas the leviathan though equally powerful, will usually absorb a ''lot'' of enemy firepower before he gets stuck in resulting in significantly reducing damage output. Basically, if you want to kill a swarm lord in CC, Bjorn will usually be the optimal and cheaper option; whereas if you prefer bug zapping at a more comfortable 18" (a smart idea since your opponent will try and tarpit the heavies) take the Leviathan.
** He's a good addition, especially for a non-deepstrike/outflanking army, and while he's tough, he's certainly not tough enough for this level of raving about. T8, 3+ armour, 5+ ignores lost wounds isn't too high up there. If it you're taking a detachment centered on Bjorn, do yourself a favour and take Bray'arth Ashmantle instead; T9, 2+ armour, 5+ invulnerable, and 4+ ignores lost wounds. Less damage output in close combat, but with 2d6 S6 AP-2 D3 autohitting attacks, it will even out either during overwatch or before charging.
*'''[[Canis Wolfborn]]:''' Dog Wolfborn has returned as a standard yet pretty overpriced Thunderwolf Battle Leader with Wolf Claws. 40pts extra gets you a +1 attack aura for Thunderwolves, Fenrisian Wolves and Cyberowolves teeth and claw attacks, a re-roll on his (and only his) charge rolls and a BS of 5+. With no invulnerable save he will get melted at the first sight of multiple wounds so you'll find a Battle Leader with TH/SS a lot more effective.  In short unless you're running a bucket load of Fenrisian Wolves leave him at home.
*'''[[Harald Deathwolf]]:''' This guy, right here, cheap as chips with a captain buff, Thunderwolf, storm shield, and pretty nice melee. He can deploy 9" from enemies through pseudo-outflank to threaten a charge. What really makes this guy nuts is that he receives a +1 to armour saves against shooting attacks. So survivable, this is an 8th edition attempt at [[Chapter Master Smashfucker]]. His frost axe deals 2 wounds a pop as well and deals an extra mortal wound on a wound roll of 6, so even heavy infantry wont be safe. A few Wolf Scouts deploying behind enemy lines will protect him as well, whilst he lets them spray supercharged plasma around with his hit re-rolls. Gives extra buffs to Thunderwolf cavalry
*'''[[Krom Dragongaze]]:''' A fairly inexpensive but fluffy alternative to a regular footslogging Wolf Lord/Captain. At 90 pts he boasts an extra attack, his frost axe deals D1d3, and he reduces enemy units' morale within 3" by 1. Awesome model, and offers something different from the usual Wolf theme. Cheaper than similarly equipped Wolf Lord, making him the budget choice. 
*'''[[Logan Grimnar]]:''' Everybody's favourite Santa returns once more to the HQ slot but he's no less a killing machine than before. He comes equipped with terminator armour, a 4++ save, a storm bolter and a big ol' axe, and is a venerable mountain of wounds, attacks and MANLINESS. His axe has two profiles, though neither are particularly special, being essentially a +2S force sword or a thunder hammer. Lastly, he gives an aura of rerolls to hit to all Space Wolves and Wolf Guard don't take morale within 6" of him. He's still great for teleporting in to buff a big unit of deep-striking terminators, as they benefit from both of his auras.  
** '''[[Logan Grimnar]] on Stormrider:''' For 190 points now, the sled bumps his toughness to 6 and wounds to 12. With only a 10" move that degrades and the ability to re-roll charges without needing the rule from elsewhere (like Wulfen), this basically means he'll be staring down the barrels of your opponent's heavy weapons with no protection for a couple of turns, as he can't hide near other units; on the bright side, he does get to keep his old 2+/4++. The extra attacks from the wolves aren't going to do much to anything that isn't light infantry, but they help. He also gains the ability to re-roll failed charges, which helps to compensate for his speed. 
***While on Stormrider, he no longer qualifies for his own Chapter Tactics, making him less accurate than on foot with the Thunder Hammer profile of the Axe Morkai (and don't forget, he ''can't'' re-roll hit rolls of 2 with it, even though they are misses), and reducing his Heroic Intervention distance.  That said, because he is a {{w40Kkeyword|vehicle}}, he ''is'' repairable by an (overcosted) Iron Priest.
****The latest errata makes him cavalry which should qualify him for the chapter tactic again.
***'''Alternative Take:''' Jolly Old Saint Logan can be a fairly cheap murder machine that fills out any list. Conferring a re-rolls to-hit aura to your Thunderwolves or Predator gunline, he is one of the few characters you want riding in front of your army. He soaks a decent amount of firepower with a 4++ invulnerable on 12 wounds and has a man-sized fight phase. He requires good [[Dakka]] to bring down and protects the rest of your list for at least a turn from most of the enemy's multi-wound shots. Great as a [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]] and provides good aura buffs to boot.
*'''[[Njal Stormcaller]]:''' See below. You will be generally be better off giving him Runic Terminator Armour for maximum effectiveness, only take him if will be tranported and you wanto save some points.
**'''[[Njal Stormcaller]] in Runic Terminator Armour:''' Sticking the Tempest that Walks inside a suit of Runic Terminator Armour is a no brainer. At 153 pts he's 15pts more than normal Njal but with an extra wound, 4++ and the ability to deep strike. Also only 13 pts more than a similarly equipped Terminator Rune Priest but with a lot more benefits.  Along with his improved stat line Njal knows  3 Tempestas powers along with Smite so he can pick and choose which 2 he wants to cast with +1 on he psychic tests. He can also deny 2 enemy powers per turn with a re-roll on one of the attempts, combined with his psychic hood this gives you a damn good chance of denying an opponents powers which really matters with all the Smite spam out there this edition. Nightwing is still underwhelming but Assault D6 strength 3 shots are better than nothing. Play aggressively and drop him with another deep striking unit so he can support them, throw out Powers and shut down enemy casters. 
*'''[[Ragnar Blackmane]]:''' Got Primarised in the Space Wolves codex, so according to [https://i.imgur.com/zLqOD8e.jpg the rules], his non-Primaris version is no longer legal.  Since you can play any way you like, his original entry is preserved below, followed by his "real" entry.
**Comes in at 100 points, which is starting to hit the pricey side for a footslogging Lord. He's got an extra attack but has lost his Furious/Berserk charge bonuses of previous editions so isn't quite the whirlwind of charging death he used to be. His War Howl now grants all units within 6" re-rolls to failed charge rolls, Insane Bravado doubles his heroic intervention range and his Frost Sword hits at S5 AP-4 D2, chewing through anything without a decent Invulnerable save. If you're using a number of deep striking units Ragnar's a decent bet to support them in a pod, allowing anyone around him a better chance of hitting that first turn charge with his re-rolls.  More expensive than a Smash Lord, and re-rolling charges is something Wulfen give. 
**'''Ragnar Blackmane (Primaris)''': As expected he gets the extra wound and attack that all Primaris have, but more conspicuously he replaces Shock Assault with his old Berserker Rage, giving him 3 attacks when Shock Assault would trigger instead of one. Additionally, he lets nearby Space Wolves within 6" make a consolidation move of 6" instead of the usual 3". Get this guy in an Impulsor with either Incursors, Reivers or Veteran Intercessors (Give the Sarge something tasty) and then RIP AND TEAR, UNTIL IT IS DONE!
**'''This guy is the beast... but being a primaris you will find so much trouble to pair him with other assaulting units that might be better to leave him home. No mire drop pod for him, no landraider or stormwolf with wulfens,wolf guard termies or blood claws. Only footslog or different transport. Option the would be reivers, kinda meh!
*'''[[Ulrik the Slayer]]:''' Ulrik's a souped-up pseudo-Wolf Priest with +1 to BS, W, and A, +3" to his Leadership-boosting ability, and the Slayer's Oath, which greatly improves his support ability provided he's managed to kill a Character or Monster (which isn't terribly likely, especially with his low mobility) to also add +1 to melee wound rolls.  Either way, he's not a real Wolf Priest - he has the keyword, but he doesn't have the Priest rule, or any Litanies - instead, Slayer's Oath gives him the re-roll melee hits ability at all times without praying, and he can't pray for anything else.
**Ulrik's not quite as good as he used to be, but at only 8 points over a regular similarly equipped Wolf Priest not a ''terrible'' choice.  Still, you're honestly usually better off with a regular wolf priest or a Primaris one, depending on what you wanted - Ulrik's aura has ''terrible'' synergy with your Chapter Tactic, so the other Prayers are usually better, even though they can fail.