Editing Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Space Marines (section)

====='''Imperial Fists'''=====
*'''[[Darnath Lysander]]''' - One of the toughest kids on the block. Lysander is a Space Marine Captain, but has Eternal Warrior, 4 wounds, Terminator armor, a Storm Shield and a S10 MC Thunder Hammer. His utility has mostly been lost from previous editions, but the destructive power of Lysander is undeniable as nobody else can deliver strength 10 close combat attacks and take the equivalent in return. It is worth noting that Lysander also allows all friendly Imperial Fists within 12" to reroll Morale, Fear [[Derp|(for that 0.0% chance you have to roll for fear as a Space Marine player...)]], and Pinning checks, including himself, which ensures your battle line remains intact and friendly units are always on hand to respond to any changes in the field. Seriously though, his unwieldy initiative and 3 attacks mean he won't be clearing tarpits very well, but in a challenge he has been proven one of the greatest character slayers in the game. He can go toe-to-toe with Calgar, Moloc, Ghazghkull, or Abaddon with a good chance of winning. Also now has Feel no Pain if he is the Warlord! Just to make sure he can't die EVER. Put him in an Assault Terminators squad and watch the carnage.
*'''[[Pedro Kantor]]''' - While Pedro boasts the same statline as a regular Chapter Master, his viability is assured not by smashfacing, but by the numerous support special rules he carries. First up is the ability to confer [[Awesome|Objective Secured to Sternguard Veterans]], which allows these flexible units a greater degree of use on the field, holding down any objectives they might have cleared rather than waiting on a troops choice to move in and pick it up. In addition, all friendly units in his detachment get the Preferred Enemy (Orks) special rule, and any same-detachment models within 12" gain +1 attack, amplifying the combat potential of all your specialists such as Vanguard Vets, Terminators, and Honor Guard, or simply making your gunline a much less juicy target for a charge. In terms of equipment and rules, Pedro suffers from the lack of Eternal Warrior, making him very vulnerable to S8+ weapons; this of course is evident in close combat, where his powerfist is more of a hindrance than a boon. In the 7th edition codex, though, he suddenly remembered that he's a Chapter Master with access to all his chapter's armoury, and so grabbed a suit of Artificer Armour for that delicious 2+ save that makes a world of difference. Also, he has Feel no Pain if he is the Warlord, meaning he can now tank "small" (up to Plasma Guns/Cannons) arms fire a bit. Alternatively, Pedro can sit just outside of close combat, as one of his main strengths is Dorn's Arrow, a unique 4-shot storm bolter with an AP of 4 which allows Pedro to suppress light units and deal quite a few casualties to any less-than-MEQ unit in the open (obviously working perfectly with a fusillade of Kraken bolts from a Sternguard unit). This is topped by the Chapter Master's standard Orbital Bombardment, allowing him to deliver a nasty payload on any unit you see fit. Interestingly enough, he is also extremely cheap: a Chapter Master with Power Fist and Artificer Armour is only 10 points less, and wouldn't have his multiple buffs nor Dorn's Arrow.
** Pedro can do something very, very unique in 7th edition. He allows you to run a unbound army list with all the OP/fluffy fun that entails while also giving you objective secured, namely on your Sternguard. Let me tell you, having seen it done, this may be one of the most rage inducing armies there are. Forget five riptides, an army of sternguard with combi-meltas or combi-gravs will eat it for lunch. With the right mix of combi-weapons and special ammo, you can kill nearly anything with high efficiency unless it's a 4+ or better unit hiding in cover (and even then...). The most bitter, bitter pill, is that the squads have Objective Secured so even trying to play to the objectives won't help all that much. 
**'''PS:''' As of the 7E Codex, Pedro's attack aura now ''stacks'' with other sources of bonus attacks. That means you can run Pedro in a unit of Honor Guard with the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant and give all units within 12" +2 attacks. Counter-charging Sternguard with 5A each? Now who's the [[Black Templars|punchy sons of Dorn]]? To double up on this cheese, the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant stacks with the Chapter Banner. If he, an Honour Guard unit with a Chapter Banner, and a Command Squad flying the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant are all near something, it gets +3A, including dreadnoughts. Coupled with the decreased cost of power swords on vanguard veterans, +3A means they each get a total of 7A on the charge (2A base, +1 for 2CCW, +1 for charging, +1 for Kantor, +1 for Chapter Banner, +1 for SotEA).. and their Heroic Intervention's boost to multi-charging might suddenly begin looking useful if two (or even three) enemy MEQ units are standing close enough to each other.