Editing Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Chaos Daemons (section)

===Elite===
*'''Beasts of Nurgle''' - Toughness 5, 4 Wounds, Shrouded and It Will Not Die? Beasts are amazing tarpitters, and can even charge in the enemy's assault phase. Yes you read that right. One of the best countermeasures to your weaker units being charged in the book. They last forever and will hang around long enough for hopefully some one else to come and help. Pairs well with Plague Drones, BUT remember to keep them in cover! They are Beasts, and as such they ignore difficult terrain, so take advantage of the free saves. Great as road bumps for Death Stars and also good at distracting assaulting units in a shooty Daemons army. As long if you're willing to invest in Tzeentch units and focus on one target at a time, Beasts can really help as a meatshield for your shooty units.
*'''Bloodcrushers of Khorne''' - With 6+ (Why does it even have this?) 5++ and T4, Bloodcrushers are possibly the worst hit by the new codex. They still hit very hard, and now they have 3 wounds, but the whole loss of the 3+ save means that Bloodcrushers will die quickly when in the open. On the other hand, now they're a proper Cavalry unit, so what they lost in survivability they gained in mobility, but that ''won't'' save them. Plus they cost 5pts MORE than their 5th edition counterpart. Trading their 3+ armour save, T, and their Eternal Warrior in exchange for 1W and counting as Cavalry for 45 pts? Pass. On the other other hand, if you manage to cast the Grimore of True names on them, they'll be nigh-unkillable with 3 wounds and a 3++ save. Their main use in this book is to attach Karanak with five Bloodcrushers with an Icon so you can deep strike your Khorne/Slaanesh (HERESY!) units safely (within cover of course) so they can launch an assault next turn after the Bloodcrushers do. Again, if you're worried about their their survival, grant them the True names and they'll do fine for the most part.  Using these in range of a Leman Russ, Exorcist, Krak missile long fang squad, or Hive guard tends to end hilariously.  For the enemy anyway.  For you it'll probably just make you cry.
**'''Alternate opinion:''' Conversely: Leman Russ, Exorcist, Krak missile long fangs, or Hive guard may be all that can take them out. According to math hammer 20 bolters can drop a Crusher in one fusillade, 20 lasguns and other strength 3 shooting can not, and with three attacks per model even small units can do a lot of damage on a charge (but only against MEQ), lastly as Demons they will not route from shooting and must be shot off the board to be fully dealt with. If you do want to use Bloodcrushers you could use small units of them as a [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]] to draw a lot of fire, safe in the knowledge that they can't be ignored as they will just run out and eat you opponents face if they do due to their cavalry speed. Counterpoint: They are still undeniably fragile, in the league of Rough Riders, Warp Talons and Howling Banshees, they can be badly hurt by everything from Lasguns to Lascannons. As a distraction they're too expensive/fragile to draw much fire, and even if they do make it into melee range they can almost always be beaten by similar points of non MEQ. Their best use then is a mid-late game glass-hunter, possessing the speed and power to hunt down and eliminate vulnerable high value targets.
**'''Fatecrusher Revised'''- Around the end of 6th, one tournament player attempted to revive the old Fatecrusher army from 5th as a means to counter gunline armies, with some minor degree of success. To some degree Fatecrusher can work if you're OK with the fact it's an expensive bully and will most likely be out-attritioned by other deathstars or Knights. The idea is to take a Herald of Khorne in Juggernaut and make him the Grimoire bearer; with a Hellblade, he can afford to go without a weapon swap. You then attach him to the Bloodcrushers, adding a Bloodhunter for an Axe, and an Instrument. Then you add Fateweaver and a Tzeentch Herald with the Oracular Dais. Come turn 2, you use the Dais to auto-pass the reserve roll for the Crushers/Grimoire Herald, then use the Instrument to have Fateweaver automatically follow-up. You activate the Grimoire and Fateweaver's reroll, and preferably support them as with Cursed Earth.
*'''Fiends of Slaanesh''' - These guys look *weird* and they're adequately killy. They're pretty fast (Beasts) with 3 S4 rending attacks at a good initiative (6). Don't go full Marbo because with WS4, S4, T4 and A3, they're basically unarmoured and unarmed Assault Marines, although 5++ and 3 wounds sorta helps them survive a little longer. Their MAIN use is that any unit they charge has -5 I. Hell yes! The downside? Enemy psykers have -1 Ld when within 12" of them, but considering that LD is no longer used in any way for psychic tests the entire Disruptive Song ability is about as useful as a third dick. If you're going Psyker hunting, just bring Flesh Hounds. Overall they're less dangerous but more hardy than in previous editions, with less tricks up their sleeve. 
**For extra lulz, have a Keeper of Secrets with a Witstealer Sword charge in a unit with the Fiends, laugh when your opponent tries to pass his Initiative test but fails thanks to these Beasts!
**Easily made out of Seekers by adding some scything arms and a little greenstuff. or if you want to get really creative, what's left over from the rest of the kit. 
*'''Flamers of Tzeentch''' - At one point, fielding Flamers would have caused your opponent to leap over the table and strangle you. Now he will thank you for giving his Space Marines Feel no Pain - if he doesn't mind losing half his squad first. 23 points for a warpflame Strength 4 AP4 flame template. However, they have one saving grace: they still kill models with 4+ saves and higher in droves and since most of these models are T3 half of the time you get D3 extra auto hits. Remember, it's at THE END of the Shooting Phase when the unit must take a toughness test, unfortunately actual shooting attacks as compared to the mind bullets Pink Horrors have is rare in this dex with one other unit (the burning Chariot which thankfully is useable now) with a built in weapon, Soul Grinders and Lashes for Slaanesh unit commander that can take rewards. In general, though, I would not worry too much about the feel no pain you can give; assuming you hit only 4+ targets, you should do enough damage that even if they get the feel no pain, they won't have the numbers to really use it. By the way, I don't recommend you putting nine in a squad, because with that many models it's unlikely all of them will be able to get all their flame templates on a target. This is a unit meant to harass and distract your opponent's squads while your troops gets within charge range to finish them off. Six flame templates are plenty to do that job.
*'''Decimator Daemon Engine (Forge World)''' - Compared to the Soul Grinder, it costs a LOT more, is not as well armoured (13/12/11) but potentially more durable. Like other daemon vehicles it has daemonic resilience and gets a 5+ invulnerable save, but unlike other daemon engines it has an ace up its sleeve: "Unholy Vigour." This nifty special rule allows a Decimator to regrow destroyed weapons and unimmobilize itself on 5+. Additionally, it can revive itself from a Wrecked result on a 6+ on any turn! This thing also gets access to smoke launchers for 3 pts., so buy them! The Decimator can additionally mount the following weapons:
**'''Decimator Siege Claws''': Your decimator comes stock with two of these, providing a total of 4 S8 AP2 lightning-claw attacks plus they have built-in heavy flamers. These claws can also perform a smash attack that if it penetrates a transport or building, you get to make D6 heavy flamer attacks against anyone inside. Sadly, this isn't totally necessary against buildings as you can just heavy flamer them, but most transports aren't open topped, so Falcon Punch them when you get the chance.
**'''Butcher Cannon''': The butcher cannon will help against things like dreadnoughts, medium armour and when bought as a pair, can lay down an eye-watering 8 S8 AP4 shots at 36". Potentially more useful than an allied CSM [[Forgefiend]] as you can deepstrike this bad boy within gun range as opposed to setting him up to be las-sniped. Trouble is that it's way more expensive and a Forgefiend has better guns.
**'''Storm Laser''': 36" S6 AP3 Heavy D3+2. Like the butcher cannon, the laser is best bought as a pair and is a cost effective alternative to them. Storm Lasers are best at chewing up MEQ infantry: Necron Lynchguard/Destroyers/Praetorians/Tomb Spyders, Blood Angels in power armour, PAGK's, the occasional Tyranid monstrous creature, but especially Tau Battlesuits! Watch out for that early-warning override because it'll wreck your shit.
**'''Soul Burner Petard''': Named after the Petard mortar, itself named for the middle French word for what was essentially a medieval breaching charge (from the Latin for "breaking wind"), it gives you a S5 AP5 Rending Large Blast for smashing Orks, 'Nids, or Guard (or any other blobs you may need to remove). You only need to buy one of these (as it's an Ordnance weapon), allowing you to retain a Siege Claw for the fighty bastards that get too close. 
**'''Heavy Conversion Beamer''': 6th edition gave this thing a purpose, for now you can hide one of these in a building while taking another gun for more dakka and dedicating this vehicle to Slaanesh for the defensive grenades.
**The Decimator can be marked by the Gods (requires an Independent Character in the army with the same dedication) for +15 pts. as follows:
***'''Khorne:''' Gains Rampage. Great for tearing apart lots of things in hand to hand and goes well with the double claw or claw plus petard.
***'''Nurgle:''' Gains It Will Not Die. Arguably the best, making an already hard to kill unit even harder to kill!
***'''Slaanesh:''' Counts as armed with assault and defensive grenades. Assault grenades are marginally useful, but defensive grenades are good for a camping decimator with a heavy conversion beamer. You can also, rather hilariously, ''"throw"'' a grenade in your shooting phase prior to an assault. Yes, that's as silly as it sounds. Still, best to use the defensive grenade to blind your target and oh look! You're striking first now.
***'''Tzeentch:''' Re-roll to-hits of 1's for shooting attacks, and heavy flamers (if any) get Soul Blaze. Arguably better for gun Decimators as soul blaze sucks ass, but re-rolling 1s ups your hit chances nicely.
***One more thing about marked decimators that is easily overlooked and/or misinterpreted: in a Codex Daemons army, if given a mark, they also count as daemons of the specific god they are marked by for the purposes of Daemonic Hatred and the Warp Storm table. They do NOT get the special rules for Daemon of X so if [[That Guy|That Guy]] tries to tell you his Nurgle Decimator (or Knight Titan for that matter) has Shrouded as well as IWND feel free to call him out for being a powergaming D-bag.
*'''Spined Chaos Beast (Forgeworld)''' - Basically, it's a daemonic construct made from flesh instead of metal. It's a deep-striking monstrous creature with WS5, S7, T6, 4 wounds with It Will Not Die. It makes an ''excellent'' beatstick and bonus hardpoint; think of it as an extra greater daemon or DP. Must be a Daemon of a Chaos god:
**'''Khorne:''' free furious charge! +1S on the charge is nice for Instant Death attacks on the charge. Although it isn't an earth-shattering bonus, it's hard to beat a price of 0.
**'''Tzeentch:''' +5 points, does nothing for psychic powers but re-rolling 1's for saves is nice and quite a bargain at only 5 points, granting an almost 4++.
**'''Nurgle:''' Oh how the mighty have fallen - 15 points for shrouded and slow and purposeful. Alright, so you already get a 5+ save from being a Daemon and slogging through difficult terrain to buff that cover save makes you even slower - which paired with Slow and Purposeless makes this thing a 155 point sink that has a chance to do FUCK ALL during a battle when foot-slogged. In case you forgot, this thing is exclusively an assault unit, so being a Daemon of Nurgle gives it all the failings of CSM [[Mutilators]]. Deep-striking it into cover may get you closer but you still have to waddle over to your targets (which will be agonizing) or you can scatter onto bad stuff for a mishap, again giving you the opportunity to have a 155-point sink. Topping it all off, you won't get your cover saves in close combat, which hangs a massive question mark over the whole goddamn thing! What's really sad is that the bonus it replaced (FNP) was way better; just skip it.   
**'''Slaanesh:''' Got bumped up by +5 pts. but is no longer the cheapest or worst of them all - actually, this is arguably the best. Fleet, rending and an extra 3" of movement are pretty sweet. Great for running up the field, dashing through cover or deep-striking and running out of LoS. You also don't have to smash to pop lighter vehicles with rending, which is nice. All in all, like Khornate Daemonhood, there are no drawbacks or wasted abilities here. A Slaaneshi Chaos Best combines the good parts of a Daemon Prince (high WS, easier to Deepstrike) with a Soul Grinder (strong and remarkably tough), although you lose access to ranged weapons, gifts and psychic powers. Still, it undercuts ''both'' those competitors by a fairly significant margin.