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

===Heavy Support===

*'''[[Defiler]]''' - So here's this giant enemy crab-Dreadnought. Your Swiss-army vehicle; can do anything to some degree or another - and do it well. Has Fleet, 4 hull points, is somewhat better at shooting than a Dreadnought (with access to more long-range weaponry, including a Battle Cannon) and all the other Daemon Engine flair (5++, fear, IWND and Daemon Forge). This unit is amazingly flexible; you can have it shoot off plenty of firepower when stationary (It has a Reaper Autocannon, Battle Cannon, and Heavy Flamer by default), can be upgraded to be even more shooty by replacing the Reaper Autocannon with a Twin-Linked Lascannon or Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter, and the Heavy Flamer with a Havoc Launcher.  Unfortunately, the cannon is Ordnance and even bound Daemons can't handle firing Ordnance as well as a Heavy Flamer or Havok launcher, apparently. With 6th Edition ruining Havoc Launchers, the shooty option is a Reaper Autocannon or Heavy Bolter Snap Firing to your Battlecannon's tune. You can go the full Monty for the Assault route, and replace the Autocannon and Flamer for a power fist or scourge respectively. The fist will get you a +1 attack and is free which is nice, but it already has two and the scourge will save this thing in a punchan gaem. With its ability to fire off tons of firepower AND/OR rush forward and [[FATAL|rape]] things with its giant crab-claws, this thing is as versatile as units come. Its main drawbacks are that its melee and firing accuracy are average (BS/WS/I3) meaning that Power Fists smack you around and all the other Dreadnoughts except Orks go before you, and they can buy two Deff Dreads to your one Defiler. It's also an extremely large vehicle, and one that will attract a lot of enemy fire, causing enemies to put a lot of resources into [[Meme|attacking its weak point for massive damage]]. The catch is its fairly high cost - a basic defiler is just under 200 points, and is essentially an AV 12/12/10 walker. This renders it less effective, for all its new toys, than its previous incarnation. Compare it to a doomsday ark.
**'''Alternative Opinion:''' When you do compare it to a doomsday ark, you'll notice that it will fall apart pretty quick when something gets too close to it. Not quite so for a defiler - while a D-day ark might have to try and run off to avoid getting popped open, you can throw a defiler happily at almost anything in charge range. Giving it a power scourge over its heavy flamer has the hilarious advantage of reversing any close combat prey's fortune as they will now hit on 4's and YOU hit THEM on 3's! Warp flame gargoyles on your guns will also do well to soften up a target before a fleet-assisted charge.
***Doomsday arks are open-topped, which is already a huge disadvantage. Not only are they vulnerable to being punched, they have a gimped shooting attack if they move. The biggest downside of the Defiler is that shooting the battle cannon forces you to snap-shot the rest of your weapons, and yet that's still not as bad as a doomsday ark after it moves.
**'''New Codex Note:''' Havoc Launcher not doing it for you? How about TWO Havoc Launchers? Defilers have access to the chaos vehicle armory (page 102, Defiler entry, bullet point three) which is largely overlooked, meaning they can take an additional havoc launcher along with a combi bolter and a combi melta/flamer/plasma, so your defiler can always have a little bit more close (combi flamer/melta) mid (combi bolter) and long (havoc launcher) firepower, damn this crab is versatile! Warpflame Gargoyles make all your ranged weapons soul blaze, meaning the shooty Defiler can mulch infantry with even more effectiveness. And they can take Dirge Casters, meaning the assaulty Defiler can't be overwatched. Neat! 

*'''Havocs''' - The cheapest choice, but not a bad one. They're the exact same as your Chaos Space Marine troops, except they can take '''4''' special/heavy weapons at any squad size. Unlike Devastators, you can take special weapons instead of heavies, and at the same cost as generic CSMs - up to four regardless of squad size, though they don't combat squad you have to keep them all in one place and can't divide them so they can bring their firepower in more than one place. These can be used for fairly expensive tank-, MEQ- or horde-hunting units depending on special weapon of choice, and you gain the advantage of being able to move and fire. Chosen can do this too, but they will load up on points. But, because they don't score (except in one scenario), you don't ''really'' need them running along with your CSM to clash chainswords with the enemy; they are better employed as a fire support unit. Either take Autocannons or <s>Flakk</s> missile launchers, with a couple bolter marines and maybe Mark of Nurgle for survivability. Autocannons destroy [[METAL BAWKSES]] pretty well, and Flakk can put a dent into flyers, but it's batshit expensive at 25 pts per launcher, so consider using Heldrakes and/or allied Vendettas for anti-air instead.

*'''Land Raider''' - It's the classic [[Land Raider]] pattern (aka, schizophrenic). The Chaos one is slightly less useful than the Loyalist version because despite being 20 points cheaper there's no Machine Spirit. It usually serves one of two major roles - as a heavy offensive vehicle (it's expensive but dear Tzeentch does it get the job done whilst being a giant fire magnet in the process) and to [[FATAL|insert your huge, nasty, pulsating close combat squad deep into the soft moist folds of your opposition]]. If you use it for the latter, load it up with Extra Armor, and keep it rolling forward. Daemonic Possession isn't really worth the points, or the dip in BS. Even with twin-linked weapons, turning a 3+ to-hit into a 4+ is a tough sell, and all you ''really'' want the damn thing to do is move. And besides, do you really want to take the risk that the tank will OMNOMNOM your Terminator Chaos Lord on turn one? Because that's a thing now (your models risk being omnomnomed when you embark, which is a great mental picture, but can ruin your shit if you're unlucky).

*'''Chaos Spartan Assault Tank (Forge World):''' Land Raider on steroids. This thing is armed with 2-shot TL lascannons at each side, could fit up to '''25''' guys inside (or 10 termies, Abaddon and Typhus with room to spare) and has 5 HP. And like all chaos vehicles it could and should be possessed, because 5 HP 14/14/14 melta immune tank with 5+ invuln WOULD NEVER FUCKING DIE (unless you play against crons with scarabs, even so you can swap its heavy bolter for a heavy flamer and take a pintle mounted one to wipe out those pesky buggers. WITH FIRE). There is no reason to buy Land Raider, if you have enough souls of firstborn to afford this model.

*'''Obliterators''' - A long time Chaos army favorite with plenty of [[Dakka]] fitted in a small, deadly package. They used to be absolute cheese, but even though every time they appear in a codex, they get weaker, they're still the best heavy support choice in the book. Formerly the Techmarines of their chapters, Obliterators have contracted a warp-contagion that sears their flesh to their armor and causes their weaponry, likewise, to be subsumed. In time they have become enormous [[Awesome|arcano-cyborgs]], not quite marine, not quite machine, not quite daemon (well actually they are considered daemon type units in this rulebook, so they cause fear now, nice bonus). They're tough as hell and can take phenomenal punishment, even though they lost their fearlessness from last edition (seriously, how did that happen? But they don't give a fuck in fluff, and will retreat if fighting gets too hot). For 70 points, you get a model with 2 wounds, a 2+ armor save, 5+ invulnerable save, and the ability to Deep Strike. Suffice to say, they can find a role in damned near any army, since they can soak up damage and demolish squads in pretty short order. Timing is everything with an Obliterator drop, and you need to know when to drop them to deal with a problem unit, be it a cover-camping squad of Fire Warriors or a big squad of [[Indrick Boreale|SPHESS MHUREENS]] tacticals. Getting them into heavy cover basically turns them into a strongpoint. They're also decent in assaults. Still, you'll want to avoid getting them [[Tarpit|tarpitted]], regardless of whether it's by Guardsmen or Bloodletters. With only one powerfist to work with in close combat, it takes them forever to kill anything that's not just a vehicle or small squad, and even with the buffs 2+ armor, they're still going to die if they get caught by any elite melee unit. With the new codex they can now take marks, making then T5 or improving their save to 4++, making them an even larger pain to get rid of (You CAN give them Rage or +1I...but that would be missing the whole point of the unit). Oblits can use the following weaponry (they all come on a single model, and because Phil dislikes the cheese in the previous rulebook, he's made them trickier to use because now you can't pick the same weapon two turns in a row): Lascannon, Assault Cannon, Plasma Cannon, Multi-Melta, Heavy Flamer, Twin-Linked Flamer, Twin-Linked Plasmagun, or a Twin-Linked Meltagun. He also packs a single Power Fist for use in CC.
** '''Alternative opinion''': Whilst Obliterators are unquestionably versatile, even with the mandatory switching of weapons every turn, they are no longer the sole Heavy Support unit you will see players fielding. Obliterators are tough: ridiculously so. However, they pay a lot of points for this durability, and it makes their firepower-to-cost ratio rather low. 2 lascannon shots a turn for 140 points before marks is a rather expensive way to deter vehicles. Compare to the other options, such as Havoks and Forgefiends, who are incredibly economical in their distribution of ammunition, and the Obliterators start to seem a bit pricey. Obliterators sit somewhere between Havoks and Foregefiends in terms of durability. They are vulnerable to anti-infantry guns being Toughness 4, but have a 2+ armor save to protect them and 2 wounds. Their higher armor and multiple wounds entice players to fire anti-tank guns at them, but they can grab cover more easily than vehicles, and a lucky shot will only kill half the squad, rather than the entire vehicle. The downside to this mid-range endurance is that every unit the enemy has can affect them. Any unit in range has a chance hurting them, so concentration of fire to eliminate them early is a very real danger. This is rather unfortunate, as the durability that they pay so many points for can end up their achilles' heel. 

*'''Chaos [[Predator Tank|Predator]]''' - Pretty much the same as the loyalist version, in both performance and cost. The Predator is a good overall vehicle, whose main drawback is that it's not quite the all-in-one package as some of the other heavy support choices Chaos can field - and those slots are absolutely critical. That said, the Predator is mighty cost-effective and can be extremely solid on both offense and defense. The preferred loadout is a Predator Destructor (Autocannon turret) with Lascannon Sponsons and a Havoc Launcher - hell of a solid offensive vehicle for 127 points that can handle most situations as-needed. Still, it fights for the slot against stiff competition from the [[Defiler]], which fills several of the same roles. On the other hand, the Predator is is more durable, a much smaller target and has higher BS. If all else fails, you can get a no-frills Autocannon/Heavy Bolter Pred for 100 points, which is pretty damned efficient, especially with Snap Fire. With a Havok launcher, and the very cheap option to add Soulblaze, it will do horrible, horrible things to infantry hordes. Overall, it's one of the better choices available to Chaos as far as close support goes, especially now that you can take a second FOC (and therefore a total of 6 Heavy Support choices) in +2.000 games. A good choice in small games as well.
*** Fuck that noise, a tri-las now costs a ridiculous 140 pts. Let the bolters handle the infantry, the Predator is here to fuck up BAWKSES.

*'''Chaos [[Vindicator]]''' - Since last edition no more the sole property of the Iron Warriors. No more Dozer Blade included or Siege Shield. Daemonic Possession helps and mounting a Havoc Launcher gives it a backup weapon. It mounts a Demolisher Cannon, which will basically win back its points the second it fires. Heavy front armor and intense firepower means that this thing will draw huge amounts of abuse. If you throw Daemonic Possession on this thing, you will have a field day watching players [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|go to obscene lengths to kill/get away from it]]. Mounting a couple extra guns will help keep the odds of losing your demolisher cannon early on low.

*'''Forgefiend:''' [[Phil Kelly|Whoever]] decided that CSM needed Daemon Dino-bots - well, thanks! Forge Fiends come with a pair of Hades Autocannons, which throw out an absurd amount of [[dakka]] (that's 8 S8 AP4 pinning shots a turn, making Psyflmen Dreadnoughts blush). Furthermore, they can trade their Hades Autocannons for 2 S8 plasma cannons for free, and take a third one for +25 pts [[Awesome|replacing the damn thing's face]]! (Most) Deepstriking termies will piss themselves, especially Draigo's shiny dozen when faced with 3 instant-death plasma blasts a turn. On top of this, like all other daemon engines it has a 5++, fear, IWND and Daemon Forge, which comes in very handy with this guy.
**'''Alternative Opinion:''' Opponent fielding fliers? Pop a Forgefiend down with a pair of Hades Autocannons. 8 Shots give it excellent odds of hitting - even if it's only on sixes - and it's Strength of 8 will cut though almost any flier (including the Stormraven) as if it were made of paper mache. This machine can be incredibly versatile over it's cousin with the right setup. Allying with Chaos Daemons for a cheap Tzeentch Divination psyker turns this bad boys into monsters. Rerolling to hit is HUGE at BS 3, and against enemy fliers. Pop Daemon forge that turn and watch the enemy cry as its fliers implode. 

*'''Maulerfiend:''' The other Daemon Dino-bot. What the Forge Fiend is to shooting, the Mauler Fiend is to close combat. Comes with a pair of power fists and magma cutters, which deal a meltabomb hit that can strike non-vehicle models, too! This big mother can also move at 12", ignore difficult terrain and has Fleet on top of that! Lasher tendrils reduce Dreadnoughts/Dreadknights/Terminators to A1. You use this thing to run down other vehicles, charge isolated infiltrator squads, bust open fortifications and close combat backup should things not go [[just as planned]]. Also has all the Daemon Engine tricks of 5++, fear, IWND and Daemon Forge. Maulerfiends are not designed to hunt infantry. Lasher tendrils or not, even a single powerfist/thunderhammer attack will put it down. Take two, keep the magma cutters and use it for its intended purpose, charging and destroying vehicles and fortifications. If nothing else, the Dinobot tagteam will draw considerable fire away from your other units. Many players will struggle to stay cool under pressure in the presence of two Maulerfiends charging headlong into their vehicles.
**'''Alternative Opinion:''' You really shouldn't take lasher tendrils as this guy's main focus should be vehicle destroying and not tarpitting which is done for cheaper by a Helbrute.

*'''Spined Chaos Beast (Forge World):''' Technically a daemonic construct like the other daemon engines, but made from flesh instead of metal. It's a monstrous creature with WS5, S7, T6 and 4 wounds. 6th edition gave it 5++ and fear, too! Can also be aligned with one of the dark gods for even more goodies!
**'''Khorne:''' +15 pts., rage and furious charge. It's actually not that bad for the cost, and makes this thing's charges pretty goddamn devastating, what with 5 S8 monstrous creature attacks.
**'''Slaanesh:''' +10 pts., +1 initiative (for a total of 5). The cheapest and worst of them all although furious charge no longer grants initiative bonuses, so +1 initiative might be useful?
**'''Nurgle:''' +20 pts., feel no pain! One of the two better choices for this guy, now possibly the best because you basically get to re-roll your invulnerable save against almost everything. And yes, a 5++ with rerolls is better than a 4++ - 5/9 chance of saving wounds versus 1/2.
**'''Tzeentch:''' +15 pts, 5++ gets buffed to 4++. The other better choice.


*'''Plague Hulk (Forge World):''' Essentially a Soul Grinder of Nurgle of sorts with a poisoned 3+ S5 AP3 flamer and a rending, half-range battle cannon with 2 less strength. Like all Daemons of Nurgle it now has Shrouded. It is costly at 205 pts. and requires a squad of plague marines to field; that said, it's about as tough to bounce as a regular Soul Grinder of Nurgle. If you don't want allies, grab some plags and one of these; it will be cheaper, but the Nurgle Grinder will be more useful.

*'''Fire Raptor Gunship :''' Experimental Rules for 30K/40K are up. Comes naked with TL Avenger Bolt Cannon, 4 Hellstrike Missiles and two Independent-Turret Quad Heavy Bolters; the latter which aside from firing at their own targets as rumored, don't count towards the number of weapons fired! A Legion or CSM army can swap the quad bolters for a Reaper Battery for 10 pts each, 40K Marines get a TL Autocannon for free. With all the twin-linked goodness, Strafing Run and PotMS/Independent-turrets; this bastard can dump its entire payload in a single turn and hit almost every time and it's only 260 pts altogether for the ceramite armor and reaper battery upgrades.
** 20 pts cheaper due to the lose of PotMS but can buy Daemon Possession for the same price. Since there's no worries about passengers getting NOM'ed, TL/Strafing Run counteracts BS3 well enough and the way the turret works you don't need PotMS altogether make the Chaos Fire Raptor ''much'' nicer then it's Loyalist counterpart; which is rare.