Editing Warhammer 40,000/9th Edition Tactics/Chaos Space Marines (section)

===[[Word Bearers]]===
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[[File:WordBearers.jpg|100px|left|]]
In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only the laughter of thirsting Gods.

Thematically the Word Bearers are the truest "Legion" out of the Chaos Space Marines, managing to keep their shit together when the Heresy went bad and managing to regroup until they were once more at Legion-strength, without having every member with delusions of grandeur leave to make his own warband. They love inciting the masses to rebel against [[Imperium|those fools who can't see the truth]] and they're known to bring scores of Daemonic allies into battle. 

Crunch-wise the Word Bearers have one of the best Legion Trait for a melee army, as well as improved durability and are the best choice if you wanna go deep into fully devoted territory be it spamming possessed and buffing them with characters or daemonic allies, whether devoted to one or all of the aspects of the primordial truth. We recommend checking the Chaos Daemons tactica too, at least until GW screws them over with their new codex. That is if geedubs didn't forget about them. 
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*'''Legion Trait: ''Profane Zeal'':''' Units with this trait may re-roll hit roll in melee if you charged, were charged, or performed a heroic intervention; in addition, you have a 5+++ save against mortal wounds.

*'''Secondary Objective: ''Exalt the Dark Gods'':''' Keep a tally for every time a {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS INFANTRY}} unit completes a once-per-turn action, starting at the end of the Movement Phase while within 6" of the center of the battlefield. {{W40kKeyword|Psykers}} may attempt psychic powers without it interrupting the action. Said action finishes at the start of your next Command Phase if there is no enemy unit within 6" of the center of the battlefield, unless the action is performed by a {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS ICON}}, {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS DARK APOSTLE}}, or a {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS MASTER OF POSSESSION}} causing it to finish at the end of your turn instead with the same requirement of no enemies. Do note that enemies don't prevent the action from starting, giving you ample time to remove these vile blasphemers at your leisure. At the end of the Battle you receive 2/4/9/15 Victory Points for 1/2/3/4 completed actions.

*'''Warlord Traits''': 
**'''''The Voice of Lorgar'':''' Add 3" to the range of any aura abilities (including prayers, excluding psychic auras) that the warlord has. Additionally if your prayers specify a range it's increased by 3". Rooftop Havocs should be able to hear your Lord shouting at them to shoot straight, whilst covering a lot of ground. It's complete trash unless you drop it on a Dark Apostle to boost the range of his prayers.
**'''''Exalted Possession'':''' This Warlord gains the {{W40kKeyword|DAEMONKIN}} and {{W40kKeyword|DAEMON}} keywords (if they don't already have them). Add 1 to the Strength, Attacks, and Wounds characteristics of the Warlord, and add 2" to the Warlord's Move characteristic. Note that this means they can be buffed by Masters of Possession, Daemonic Loci, and several Relics from the Daemon Codex (for now). Most notably this allows the warlord to be affected by the Revered Hosts stratagem to re-roll the wound roll.
**'''''Daemonic Whispers'':''' Every time your Warlord successfully chants a prayer, casts a psychic power, completes an action or an psychic action you roll a d6. If the value is higher than the current battle round you gain a command point. Every time. Pairs well with Exalt the Dark Gods
**'''''Master of the Union'':''' Pick a friendly {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS DAEMONKIN}} unit within 6" during your command phase; they gain +1 strength and their melee attacks increase their AP by 1.
**'''''Diabolist'':''' Attacks against this Warlord can't have their wound roll re-rolled and any damage suffered is ignored on a 5+.
**'''''Hate-Fuelled Demagogue'':''' During your command phase pick a friendly {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS}} unit. If that unit is {{W40kKeyword|CULTISTS}} they gain Let the Galaxy Burn and are considered {{W40kKeyword|HERETIC ASTARTES}} for it. The unit counts as if in Wanton Slaughter if your army is either in Destruction or Massacre. Eh.

*'''Stratagems''':
**'''''Dark Pact (1CP)'':''' Use this stratagem when a {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS CHARACTER}} is killed. He lives again on a roll of 4+ with d3 wounds remaining, as close as possible to his spot of shameful death and outside of engagement range. Limited to once per Character.
**'''''Malevolent Covenant (1CP/2CP)'':''' Use this Stratagem in your Psychic phase when a {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS PSYKER}} unit from your army fails a Psychic test. You can let that {{W40kKeyword|PSYKER}} suffer a mortal wound to decrease the cost of this stratagem from 2CP to 1CP. Either way the psychic test is considered to be successful at the minimum required warp charge, not counting as a double, and turning un-deniable. Good for those spells that absolutely have to land.
**'''''Apostle of the Dark Council (1CP)'':''' Use this Stratagem before the battle, when mustering your army. Select one {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS PRIEST}} model from you army. It gains +1 Leadership, and gains the Dark Council ability, letting it re-roll prayer rolls.
**'''''Cursed Despoilers (2CP)'':''' Pick a {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS CORE}} or {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS DAEMONKIN}} unit engaged in Wanton Massacre that is selected to shoot. When that unit shoots an enemy unit that is within 12" AND on an Objective, {{W40kKeyword|HERETIC ASTARTES}} models in that {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS}} score extra hits for Massacre weapons on a 4+. Lots of hoops, but may be worth it when the time comes. 
**'''Fanatic Zealotry (1 CP):''' Pick one {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS CULTISTS}} squad within 12" of a {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS CHARACTER}}.  The Cultists can re-roll their charge and melee hit rolls, improving their melee effectiveness.
**'''''Revered Hosts (2 CP)'':''' Use this Stratagem in the Fight phase when a {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS DAEMON}} unit from your army is chosen to fight with. Until the end of the phase re-roll the wound roll for melee attacks for models in that unit.
**'''''Hexagrammic Wards (1CP)'':''' Use this Stratagem in any phase when an attack is allocated to a {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS CHARACTER}} model from you army. Change the Damage of that Attack to 0. Usable once, unless it's a Strike Force or Onslaught sized game, then you may use it twice. A nifty alternative to the traditional Command re-roll. 
**'''''Vengeance for Monarchia (1CP)'':''' Use this Stratagem in the fight phase when a {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS}} unit from you army is chosen to fight with. Until the end of that phase, when resolving an attack made with a melee weapon by a {{W40kKeyword|HERETIC ASTARTES}} model in that unit against an {{W40kKeyword|ULTRAMARINES}} (or successor) unit, you can re-roll the hit roll and you can re-roll the wound roll.

*'''Relics''': 
**'''''Crown of the Blasphemer'':''' May be put on a {{W40kKeyword|CULTISTS}} model. Models in the bearers unit have a 4+ invulnerable save that once per battle, before a saving throw of your choosing, may be turned into a 3+ invulnerable save. Turns the Dark Commune from a complete waste of points into a waste of points and a relic.
**'''''Baleful Icon'':''' {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS}} model only. Said model gains a 6" Aura of no re-rolls for hit, wound, and damage rolls against friendly {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS INFANTRY}} within it.
**'''''The Armour Diabolus'':''' {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS}} model only. The bearer has a 2+ Save. Additionally after any shooting or melee sequence targeting this model ends roll a d6 for each wound lost, the attacking unit suffers a mortal wound for every 4+ rolled. Should the bearer be destroyed by these attacks, roll one d6, causing d3 mortal wounds to the attacking unit on a 4+. Like the Suppurating Plate but less gross and more Black Metal.
**'''''Malefic Tome'':''' {{W40kKeyword|PSYKER}} only. A model with this Relic knows one additional psychic power from one of the disciplines it has access to. When a Psychic test is taken for a model with this Relic, add 1 to the total.
**'''''Ashen Axe'':''' Model with a power axe, exalted power axe, daemonic axe, axe of dismemberment or accursed weapon only (sheesh). This Relic replaces said weapon with S+2 AP-3 D2. If you destroy any enemy models with melee attacks using this weapon, roll 2d6 against the target units Ld, equal or exceeding result prevent the target unit from advancing, falling back, and being eligible to fight until every other eligible unit has fought in the fight phase for THE REST OF THE BATTLE.
**'''''Epistle of Lorgar'':''' {{W40kKeyword|PRIEST}} model only. Said model knows one additional prayer and may additionally chant one more prayer it knows that hasn't been chanted yet
**'''''Eightfold-Cursed Crozius'':''' {{W40kKeyword|WORD BEARERS}} model with accursed crozius, accursed weapon, or power maul only, replacing said weapon with a S+2 AP-2 D3 beatstick that auto wounds on any hit made by a {{W40kKeyword|PRIEST}} model that doesn't target a {{W40kKeyword|MONSTER}} or {{W40kKeyword|VEHICLE}}

*'''Strategies:''' No longer the sub-faction with the worst trait in the entire game Word Bearers truly shine when laden with Daemonkin, Masters of Possession, Dark Apostles and {{W40kKeyword|ICON}} units.
**'''''Oops all Daemonkin:''''' Almost every Force Org slot has the option to have a Daemonkin unit, these being Masters of Possesion, Possessed for Elites, Oblits for Heavy Support, Warp Talons for Fast Attack. As none of these have {{W40kKeyword|CORE}} they'll have to make due with merely being incredibly powerful instead of downright bonkers stupid broken. May as well max out MoPs to three, one of them being your Warlord and thus Master of the Union, taking every single Malefic spell there is because they're just that good. These three pricks then may try to saunter after the Possessed zooming ahead as to buff them, your Warp Talons harrassing anything that your possessed can't reach quickly, and your Obliterators dropping into your opponents back field, if possible, wreaking havoc there. Repeat until people don't want to play against you anymore or until Possessed and Oblierators catch some possibly well deserved price hikes. I guess you also kinda have to take some troops so they might as well be Legionaries so they can sit on your backfield objectives, maybe cast something, I don't know. Still miffed the Anointed didn't make it over from Kill Team along with the big axe and the tome.
**'''''Exalt the Command Points:''''' Get yourself a Dark Apostle, make him Warlord, give him Daemonic Whispers, give him the Epistle of Lorgar, upgrade him with Apostle of the Dark Council, and charge him up the middle with a retinue of, preferably, Possessed doing your damnedest to clear out the middle as early as possible. For every prayer (which he can do two of, re-rolling if necessary) and successfull Exaltation (which he finishes at the end of the turn) you roll a d6, gaining a command point when the result is higher than the current turn. Meaning you have three opportunities to gain a command point, this will help ensure you won't be without CP when push comes to shove. Could also be a Master of Possesion honestly since spells also count for Daemonic Whispers and this one synergises with Possessed a lot better.

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