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

===[[Emperor's Children]]===
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In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only debaucherous insanity.

Thematically the Emperor's Children are worshippers of Slaanesh who seek excess and perfection in all its forms, and they'll do anything they can to achieve both; they have favored precise execution, coordination, and tactical superiority since their creation. 

Crunchwise the Emperor's Children have a unique troops choice, much like the World Eaters, though they're more effective at shooting than close combat. This definitely not because of a lack of CC abilities, as their own Legion has plenty. Slaanesh is more appealing for gunlines than swordmen, but using both is not too much to ask. Much of their Relics, Stratagems and Warlord Traits revolve around building dangerous CQC units, but their Stratagems can provide a variety of buffs and Tactical trickery. A powerful combo with Slaanesh Daemons such as the Contorted Epitome, so the only ways your opponent can leave combat are with wet pants or in a body bag. New content has truly blessed this Legion as well, Slaanesh has heard your pleas! 

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*'''Legion Trait: ''Flawless Perfection'':''' Units with this trait always fight first in the Fight Phase, even if they didn't charge. If the enemy has units that have charged, or have a similar ability, then alternate choosing units to fight with, starting with the player whose turn is taking place. You shouldn't need to be told how useful this is. Beware Howling Banshees, Slaanesh Daemon in-fighting, or just units that have charged - that means the controlling player (that means the opponent) will be able to nominate their first unit to strike before yours (this will mean trouble if a Genestealers swarm or Ork Boyz get that charge first). On the flip side, it can deter mass charges, and also means you circumvent all other fight phase activations afterward, and your engaged units strike first! On another note, it affects every round of melee combat, so combats that go beyond one phase will always give you at least one definitive advantage, with all your units swinging first, even in an enemy's turn.
**{{W40kKeyword|EMPEROR'S CHILDREN}} Noise Marines count as troops instead of Elites, allowing armies of them again.
**All units must be Slaanesh Marked if they can be.

*'''Warlord Traits'''
**'''''Faultless Duelist'':''' At the start of the fight phase, roll a d3. Subtract that number from the attack characteristics of enemy models while they are within 1" of your warlord.
**'''''Glutton for Punishment'':''' All hits against the Warlord reduce the damage dealt by 1 (minimum 1). Makes you a bit more likely to survive your IMPERIAL FISTING, but durability isn't why you picked this legion.
**'''''Intoxicating Musk'':''' -1 to hit to penalty for enemies within 3". Faultless Duelist will pretty much always be better.
**'''''Loathsome Grace'':''' When a charge roll is made, you can re-roll a die. If you charge or perform a heroic intervention, the warlord gains +1 strength and attack for the rest of the fight phase.
**'''''Stimulated by Pain'':''' Gain 1 attack for each wound suffered, up to a maximum of 3. If you heal any wounds, you lose the associated bonus attacks. Meh on most footslogging characters, but can turn a demon prince into (even more) of a murder machine. 
**'''''Unbound Arrogance'':''' Use during the fight phase. Each player secretly chooses 1, 2, or 3. If the numbers match, nothing happens. If they don't, you add the number you choose to your warlord's attacks. As one of the few traits in the game that can fuck you over, you really shouldn't be picking this one. Like, at all.

*'''Stratagems'''
**'''''Combat Elixirs (2CP)'':''' Time to dig into the Deldar's drug stash! Use before the game start to grant one {{W40kKeyword|EMPEROR'S CHILDREN}} unit that isn't a vehicle or a cultist one of the following boosts: +1 to A, T, or S, or +2 to M. Since you can pick which you want, you can definitely do some tailoring to keep up with plasma spam or to hasten your killing sprees.
**'''''Cruel Duelists (1CP)'':''' Use during the fight phase. Select one {{W40kKeyword|EMPEROR'S CHILDREN}} unit that is not a vehicle or a cultist. Any unmodified wound roll of 6 is resolved at AP-3.
**'''''Excess of Violence (1CP)'':''' Use this stratagem before an {{W40kKeyword|EMPEROR'S CHILDREN INFANTRY}} unit attacks in the fight phase. Each time a model in that unit slays an enemy model, it can immediately make another hit roll using the same weapon at the same target. Interestingly, the updated stratagem in Psychic Awakening - Faith Fury removes the line preventing the bonus attacks from generating further attacks. Activate the stratagem on a unit of Power Fist armed Terminators, Thunder Hammer armed Chosen, or Warp Talons and wipe out entire hordes. When attacking an {{W40kKeyword|IMPERIUM}} unit, you get this on top of Death to the False Emperor, which practically guarantees a wipe on anything but the toughest units.
**'''''Excruciating Frequencies(1CP)'':''' Turn the dial to 11 and watch your drummer spontaneously combust! Use during the shooting phase; targets one {{W40kKeyword|EMPEROR'S CHILDREN}} Noise Marine unit. Until the end of the phase, Blastmasters, Sonic Blasters, and Doom Sirens gain +1 S and D. TIME TO MAKE THINGS EVEN LOUDER. Possibly one of the best middle fingers you can give to a Primaris army now, and as an added bonus shuts down All is Dust for Rubric Marines. Also buffs up a Blastmaster’s single frequency profile to Lascannon strength and more than half of its top damage on a good roll. Complement with your choice of eardrum-violating music while you roll FOR SLAANESH.  A 20-man, 2-Blastmaster unit with this, Endless Cacophony, and Veterans of the Long War will usually kill ''more than'' a Knight.
**'''''Honour the Prince (1CP)'':''' Use during the charge phase after rolling for a charge with a {{W40kKeyword|EMPEROR'S CHILDREN SLAANESH}} unit. You can change one of the dice rolled to a 6. Combine with some of the new charge re-roll tools, like the Raiment Repulsive, to make charges all but certain on the turn you deepstrike. Use it in a raptorial host for overkill.
**'''''Incessant Disdain (1CP)'':''' Use during the enemy charge phase. Pick an {{W40kKeyword|EMPEROR'S CHILDREN CHARACTER}}. They can perform a 6" Heroic Intervention so long as it finishes within 1" of an enemy character.
**'''''Tactical Perfection (1CP)'':''' Redeploy one {{W40kKeyword|EMPEROR'S CHILDREN}} unit.

*'''Relics'''
**'''Armour of Abhorrence''': No Overwatch against the bearer. If a morale test is failed by an enemy unit within 6", one additional model flees. Morale part is meh, but shutting off overwatch is very fucking nice if you're going up against tau or other factions that don't want to be charged.
***This is one of the only ways to shut down overwatch with chaos, if your army relies on charging assault troops or daemon engines you should really consider finding some way to get this relic into your list.
***When combined with a unit of night lords raptors you can charge into the heart of a gunline army without overwatch and prevent them from falling back, this can be a game winning strategy against armies like tau and guard and surprisingly cheap in points to pull off.
**'''Blissgiver''': Replaces a model's Bolt Pistol for a Lash with a 6" range. It's Assault D6, but can fire in melee and ''into'' melee with S:User and AP-1. Also, if you wound a character with it, you get a 1/6 chance of dealing D3 Mortal Wounds. Fantastic to add some more damage in melee and if you're an ass, you can just stand behind your meatshields and poke the enemy with it. Also, since it replace a pistol with an assault weapon, that means you can fire it together with another weapons (like a Combi-flamer) for some nice little extra firepower. [[Dakka|For fun you can have a Lord on Bike, which include a Combi-Bolter, and giving him Combi-flamer and Blissgiver.]] Or, for something actually supported directly in the codex, a Warpsmith, to go with their flamer and meltagun, and because it just needed one more tentacular appendage.
**'''Distortion''': "Mirror blade in my hand, who's the prettiest in all the land." Replaces a power sword or force sword. Strength User, -4 ap, 1D3 damage. At the beginning of the fight phase, the bearer can look into the blade. the weapon becomes x2 strength, but you suffer a -1 to hit. (All the benefit of a powerfist, but none of the cost.)
**'''Endless Grin''': When an enemy takes a morale test for a unit within 6" of the bearer, they must roll an additional dice, and you decide which one to be discarded. also, -1 leadership for enemy models within 6"
**'''Raiment Repulsive''': The bearer can re-roll all hit, wound, and charge rolls. Well holy shit, this is broken as balls. Sure, he still has the same saves as before, but once you're in combat, the other thing might as well lay down and die.
**'''The Fatal Sonancy''': 12" Assault 1d6 S6 AP-2 D1, auto hits, ignores cover. A slightly stronger Doom Siren for your lord, who couldn't get it before. Give him a thunderhammer and make Lord Commander Eidolon, 40k edition. Put it on a Warpsmith with a combiplasma for a Swiss Army knife with an answer for anything within 12”, even if one of those answers is SCREAMING LOUDLY.
**'''Remnant of Maraviglia''': {{W40kKeyword|PRIEST}} models only. 1/battle, instead of chanting a prayer, they can use this relic. An {{W40kKeyword|EMPEROR'S CHILDREN}} unit within 6" can re-roll wound rolls until the end of the round. ''Drastically'' better than a Space Marines lieutenant. Be sure to combine this with the havocs or noise marines you were going to doubletap with anyway.

*'''Unique Units'''
**'''[[Lucius the Eternal]]:''' Slaanesh's favorite boy toy is back and with some neat tricks. Lucius is cheap as shit for what he offers; so long as you get him into combat with the right unit, he's almost always going to make his points back. Either by killing something in combat or causing a number of mortal wounds to whatever killed him before they fully finish him off. As with all characters who have 5 wounds or fewer, watch the fuck out for snipers (he's going to be a prime target) and keep him screened, otherwise feel free to get him into combat wherever you want as he only gets stronger with every wound he takes, being able to deal 12 attacks at full power, before counting DttFE, as he can get 8 normally, +2 for attacking a character, +2 for ''"firing"'' his lash (don't try to roll them all at once, the lash doesn't benefit from DttFE). Keep in mind though that he's not Khârn, you can't charge anything you want and expect it to die but if you keep him relegated to units/characters around his own points cost to 50 points above it, he'll find it easy to come out on top.
***Thanks to his cost reduction it's worth considering him for buff duty, likely with Noise Marines or by hanging around Helbrutes armed with blastmasters and missile launchers (especially if you're using Fire Frenzy). Sure a normal Chaos Lord can buff units as well, but Lucius easily outperforms Emperor's Children lords in melee while only costing a little more, something worth considering if you're worried the enemy will come to you instead of it being the other way around.
**'''Sonic Dreadnought:''' This is a Helbrute, but is technically a distinct datasheet named Sonic Dreadnought; you can take 2 Blastmasters on its multimelta arm, and you can give it a Doom Siren.

*'''Tactics'''
Here are some tactics that work better for Emperor's Children than any other Legion.
*'''Phoenix Guard 2.0:''' This involves Deep Striking in a Terminator Sorcerer and pulling some shenanigans. You'll be using Terminators with Lightning Claws, everyone will need Mark of Slaanesh, and the Sorcerer will also need to know Delightful Agonies. You'll also want to run them as Emperor's Children specifically. On Turn 2, Deep Strike these (preferably behind) something that's especially scary and cast Delightful Agonies on them. Now your opponent has to make a painful choice on their turn - fall back away from your Terminators but closer to whatever else you have running towards the enemy, or get in combat with an extremely durable opponent that will also get to swing first thanks to the EC Legion Tactics.
**'''Alternative Opinion:''' Tremendous waste of points; just bring Terminators with Combi-Plasmas or Combi-Bolters, as well as chain axes. Will do a far better job. If you’re a fan of Lightning Claws check this out:
*'''The Perfect Strike:''' Take some raptors or warp talons and a lord or sorcerer with a jump pack and put them into a host raptorial specialist detachment. Give the HQ the host raptorial warlord trait to get +2 to charge's within 6" of him And use Honor the prince if necessary to turn one of your charge dice into a 6. Congratulations, you have a deep striking unit that cannot fail its charge without some kind of external negative charge modifier. For absolute perfection, charge multi charge with a unit of warp talons to completely turn off multiple units overwatch (Perfect for a certain loyalist Chapter we have a history with that just got a buff to their overwatch) and slap the raiment repulsive on the warlord to give them full hit, wound and charge rerolls.
*'''Lord Slamgrim:''' 8th edition's "weapon modifies datasheet" paradigm allows for some interesting stacking buffs to create a powerful smash lord. Loathsome Grace (+1S +1A on charge) + Hateful Assault (+1A on charge) + Intoxicating Elixir (+1S +1A) + Combat Elixirs (2CP = +1A) + Diabolic Strength (+2S +1A) gives us S8 and A9, which when modified by a Thunder Hammer gives us 9 attacks at strength 16. What's neat is this doesn't actually require Veterans of the Long War to utilize since you're sitting on S16 already. Honour the Prince (one charge dice is a 6) and a Host Raptorial detachment for Vicious Descent (reroll all hits after a deep strike) for added fun. Some things to watch out for, however, are rules that let your opponent shoot at your units while they deep strike, and screening chaff (less of an issue if your Noise Marines are doing their job). Savvy gunline opponents will not want either of the above strategies anywhere near their army, so they’ll do whatever it takes to avoid them.
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