Warhammer 40,000/5th Edition Tactics/Space Marines - Revision history

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1d4chan>FlintTD at 01:42, 8 September 2017

2017-09-08T01:42:58Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:42, 8 September 2017
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	[http://www.3plusplus.net/2010/09/codex-astartes-deleted-scenes.html Source] (this blog also has a wealth of useful info about playing tabletop 40k, so check it out).		[http://www.3plusplus.net/2010/09/codex-astartes-deleted-scenes.html Source] (this blog also has a wealth of useful info about playing tabletop 40k, so check it out).

	[[Category: Warhammer Tactics/Old]]		[[Category: Warhammer Tactics/Old]]

			{{Warhammer_40k_Tactics}}

1d4chan>FlintTD at 01:17, 8 September 2017

2017-09-08T01:17:03Z

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	[[Indrick Boreale\|WE ARE THE SPEHSS MAHREENS! WE ARE THE EMPRA'S FUREH!]]		[[Indrick Boreale\|WE ARE THE SPEHSS MAHREENS! WE ARE THE EMPRA'S FUREH!]]

	This is an old Edition's tactics. [[Warhammer_40,000/6th_Edition_Tactics/Space_Marines\|6th Edition Tactics are here.]]		This is an [[Warhammer_40,000/5th_Edition_Tactics\|old Edition's]] Space Marine tactics. [[Warhammer_40,000/6th_Edition_Tactics/Space_Marines\|6th Edition Tactics are here.]]

	==Why Play Space Marines==		==Why Play Space Marines==

68.200.37.49: /* Unit Analysis */

2014-07-13T21:13:54Z

Unit Analysis

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:13, 13 July 2014
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	**'''Command Squad''' - Pretty nice and versatile squad. Apothecary gives them Feel no Pain, and makes them pretty tough to kill with small-arms fire (they still fold to S8, which is fairly abundant in Krak missiles, GK Psyflemen and power fists), and definitely cheaper than the Honour Guard. Fits excellently in a Razorback or drop pod, and can be equipped with a variety of melee and ranged weaponry. Biker Command Squads, while very costly and vulnerable to S8, provide a beatstick unit to an army in need of it (Bikers are terrible in assault). Tool them out with Storm Shields, Lightning Claws, a Powerfist and two Meltaguns, and they'll beat the hell out of any unit you can't shoot to bits. Remember their vulnerabilities, though, that 3+ invuln WILL fail you from time to time.		**'''Command Squad''' - Pretty nice and versatile squad. Apothecary gives them Feel no Pain, and makes them pretty tough to kill with small-arms fire (they still fold to S8, which is fairly abundant in Krak missiles, GK Psyflemen and power fists), and definitely cheaper than the Honour Guard. Fits excellently in a Razorback or drop pod, and can be equipped with a variety of melee and ranged weaponry. Biker Command Squads, while very costly and vulnerable to S8, provide a beatstick unit to an army in need of it (Bikers are terrible in assault). Tool them out with Storm Shields, Lightning Claws, a Powerfist and two Meltaguns, and they'll beat the hell out of any unit you can't shoot to bits. Remember their vulnerabilities, though, that 3+ invuln WILL fail you from time to time.
	*'''Librarian''' - The best generic Space Marine HQ, he goes excellent with ranged focused tactical squads in rhinos, or ranged terminator squads. Unlike the Captain and the Chaplain, he normally has no Invulnerable save, but he can take Terminator Armor, giving a 5+ Invuln, which can be upgraded to 3+ with a Storm Shield. This is extremely useful; Not only are Librarians priority targets, but a 3+ save will be far more likely to save you from Perils of the Warp than a 5+ will (It's still less than 1/2 chance, though), and ups his survivability in case of Vortex miscast. Avenger is good for a Biker Librarian, Vortex of Doom is nasty but very dangerous to use and can only be effectively used by a Terminator librarian. The real "Tactical Gold" from this character comes from his two great support powers, First, "Null Zone", which forces your opponent to re-roll any successful invulnerable saves within 24" of the Librarian. This is excellent against Eldar, Daemon armies (if anyone actually plays those anymore), and pretty much every other beatstick in the game (other THSS, Thunderwolves, Paladins, Nob Bikers, Jetbike Councils etc.). A unit of Thundershield Terminators under Null Zone and maybe Vulkan's Chapter Tactics will beat the hell out of any other elite close-combat unit in the game, period. Second, "The Gate of Infinity", which allows you to pick the Librarian's squad off the table (Even when they're in combat, or inside a transport, read White Dwarf folks) and Deep Strike it back onto the table within 24". Great to abuse with locator beacons, and allows an otherwise slow unit a good deal of unexpected mobility. Use it with shooty units, not assaulty ones, as you still can't assault from Deep Strike. With the recent FAQ, you can even split in combat squads when arriving from the Gate. Other powers (Smite, Curse, Might, Dome, Quickening) are less useful as they don't benefit the army.		*'''Librarian''' - The best generic Space Marine HQ, he goes excellent with ranged focused tactical squads in rhinos, or ranged terminator squads. Unlike the Captain and the Chaplain, he normally has no Invulnerable save, but he can take Terminator Armor, giving a 5+ Invuln, which can be upgraded to 3+ with a Storm Shield. This is extremely useful; Not only are Librarians priority targets, but a 3+ save will be far more likely to save you from Perils of the Warp than a 5+ will (It's still less than 1/2 chance, though), and ups his survivability in case of Vortex miscast. Avenger is good for a Biker Librarian, Vortex of Doom is nasty but very dangerous to use and can only be effectively used by a Terminator librarian. The real "Tactical Gold" from this character comes from his two great support powers, First, "Null Zone", which forces your opponent to re-roll any successful invulnerable saves within 24" of the Librarian. This is excellent against Eldar, Daemon armies (if anyone actually plays those anymore), and pretty much every other beatstick in the game (other THSS, Thunderwolves, Paladins, Nob Bikers, Jetbike Councils etc.). A unit of Thundershield Terminators under Null Zone and maybe Vulkan's Chapter Tactics will beat the hell out of any other elite close-combat unit in the game, period. Second, "The Gate of Infinity", which allows you to pick the Librarian's squad off the table (Even when they're in combat, or inside a transport, read White Dwarf folks) and Deep Strike it back onto the table within 24". Great to abuse with locator beacons, and allows an otherwise slow unit a good deal of unexpected mobility. Use it with shooty units, not assaulty ones, as you still can't assault from Deep Strike. With the recent FAQ, you can even split in combat squads when arriving from the Gate. Other powers (Smite, Curse, Might, Dome, Quickening) are less useful as they don't benefit the army.
	*'''Chaplain''' - A wonderful companion for Assault Marines, Vanguard Vets, or Bikers, his melee boosting abilities are quite helpful, and he's pretty ~~damned good~~ himself. Though if you're not putting him on a bike or a jump pack, take Ortan Cassius instead as the cost difference is nil.		*'''Chaplain''' - A wonderful companion for Assault Marines, Vanguard Vets, or Bikers, his melee boosting abilities are quite helpful, and he's pretty awesome himself. Though if you're not putting him on a bike or a jump pack, take Ortan Cassius instead as the cost difference is nil.
	*'''Master of the Forge''' - Most often an oversighted, but pretty decent HQ. While he lacks an invulnerable save, he shouldn't go with anything that can be threatened with CC, and he works best as a shooting HQ. Conversion Beamer is nice for a home scoring unit or a biker unit (bikes being Relentless by default). Ultimately, his usefulness is in his FoC moving ability, which allows you to field Riflemen Dreadnoughts as Heavy Support, which is beyond nice as it frees up your excellent Elites slots. He is good, but you must build your list around him.		*'''Master of the Forge''' - Most often an oversighted, but pretty decent HQ. While he lacks an invulnerable save, he shouldn't go with anything that can be threatened with CC, and he works best as a shooting HQ. Conversion Beamer is nice for a home scoring unit or a biker unit (bikes being Relentless by default). Ultimately, his usefulness is in his FoC moving ability, which allows you to field Riflemen Dreadnoughts as Heavy Support, which is beyond nice as it frees up your excellent Elites slots. He is good, but you must build your list around him.
	*'''Damocles Rhino (Forgeworld)''' Yes, a HQ vehicle! At only 60 points it is the cheapest space marine HQ option (but most expensive in terms of real money). Armed with nothing but a storm bolter and a searchlight for defence, with no transport capacity, it may not seem like an obvious choice. BUT, the Damocles true power lies in it's incredible support abilities, it allows a single Orbital bombardment in the same way as a chapter master, lets all deep striking units re-roll the scatter dice, and allows a single reserve roll to be re-rolled a turn. In a deep strike heavy army (terminators and such-like) the Damocles is one of the best choices you can make for your HQ slot.		*'''Damocles Rhino (Forgeworld)''' Yes, a HQ vehicle! At only 60 points it is the cheapest space marine HQ option (but most expensive in terms of real money). Armed with nothing but a storm bolter and a searchlight for defence, with no transport capacity, it may not seem like an obvious choice. BUT, the Damocles true power lies in it's incredible support abilities, it allows a single Orbital bombardment in the same way as a chapter master, lets all deep striking units re-roll the scatter dice, and allows a single reserve roll to be re-rolled a turn. In a deep strike heavy army (terminators and such-like) the Damocles is one of the best choices you can make for your HQ slot.

68.200.37.49: /* HQ Units */

2014-07-13T00:12:55Z

HQ Units

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:12, 13 July 2014
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	==Unit Analysis==		==Unit Analysis==
	===HQ Units===		===HQ Units===
	*'''Chapter Master''' - Not that great of a HQ, mainly due to being near identical with the Captain. 25 points more for the Orbital Bombardment ability, which all in all is a nice ability, but relatively hard to use on such a unit that needs to stay mobile. Can also get Honour Guards instead of Command Squads. Alternatively, you could take a stock Chapter Master and set him at the edge of the board, raining S10 AP1 large blasts on whoever comes near. If you're worried about your opponent having long-range weaponry, simply get a Rhino or other vehicle and hide him at the corner of the board behind the Rhino. Now you have an invincible Chapter Master who doesn't need LoS to shoot pie plates at anyone. Pure awesome.		*'''Chapter Master''' - Not that great of a HQ, mainly due to being near identical with the Captain. 25 points more for the Orbital Bombardment ability, which all in all is a nice ability, but relatively hard to use on such a unit that needs to stay mobile. Can also get Honour Guards instead of Command Squads. Alternatively, you could take a stock Chapter Master and set him at the edge of the board, raining S10 AP1 large blasts on whoever comes near. If you're worried about your opponent having long-range weaponry, simply get a Rhino or other vehicle and hide him at the corner of the board behind the Rhino. Now you have an (almost) invincible Chapter Master who doesn't need LoS to shoot pie plates at anyone. Pure awesome.
	**'''Honour Guards''' - Not worth it in my opinion, extremely costly. Hard to kill due to artificer armor, but you're probably better off getting assault terminators. Their only real advantage over Assault Terminators is their ability to cram into vehicles Terminators cannot, most notably drop pods. That's not to say they don't totally shred through opponents in close combat; they can do the job just fine. In fact, consider the other H2H units in the Space Marine codex: you have the Assault squad, which can get some good strength attacks into the fray, but are outclassed by most other pure H2H units. Then there are the Close Combat Terminators, which can annihilate squads by the bucketload, but like a sledgehammer, once they lose their momentum they can be hard to get moving again, and thanks to their low initiative they're dangerously vulnerable to fast power-weapon-armed foes. Honour guard squads, however, give phenomenal offensive abilities while maintaining initiative and speed, and good resilience thanks to their artificer armour. If you ever play an apocalypse game, take one of these with Calgar, a chapter banner (+1 attack to every man in squad), and attach Chaplain Cassius. So basically every honour guard strikes at initiative 4, re-rolls to hit, and each get 5 attacks on the charge (6 for the champion), with power weapons. So cram Calgar, Cassius and 10 honour guard into a Crusader, and roll toward the enemy battle lines as quickly as possible. So when they attack they get a grand total of 63 (!!!!!!1111!!!!ONE) re-roll to hit, power weapon attacks, 7 from Calgar, 5 from Cassius, 6 from Chapter Champion, and 5 from each of the nine Honour Guards.		**'''Honour Guards''' - Not worth it in my opinion, extremely costly. Hard to kill due to artificer armor, but you're probably better off getting assault terminators. Their only real advantage over Assault Terminators is their ability to cram into vehicles Terminators cannot, most notably drop pods. That's not to say they don't totally shred through opponents in close combat; they can do the job just fine. In fact, consider the other H2H units in the Space Marine codex: you have the Assault squad, which can get some good strength attacks into the fray, but are outclassed by most other pure H2H units. Then there are the Close Combat Terminators, which can annihilate squads by the bucketload, but like a sledgehammer, once they lose their momentum they can be hard to get moving again, and thanks to their low initiative they're dangerously vulnerable to fast power-weapon-armed foes. Honour guard squads, however, give phenomenal offensive abilities while maintaining initiative and speed, and good resilience thanks to their artificer armour. If you ever play an apocalypse game, take one of these with Calgar, a chapter banner (+1 attack to every man in squad), and attach Chaplain Cassius. So basically every honour guard strikes at initiative 4, re-rolls to hit, and each get 5 attacks on the charge (6 for the champion), with power weapons. So cram Calgar, Cassius and 10 honour guard into a Crusader, and roll toward the enemy battle lines as quickly as possible. So when they attack they get a grand total of 63 (!!!!!!1111!!!!ONE) re-roll to hit, power weapon attacks, 7 from Calgar, 5 from Cassius, 6 from Chapter Champion, and 5 from each of the nine Honour Guards.
	*'''Captain''' - The Captain is a somewhat decent HQ option, especially for someone who is starting to build their army. The main reason to take one is if you wish to field a Biker list. Costing the same as a Chaplain or Librarian while having a better statline, though not offering the same general-purpose utility that the Librarian does (be it through Null Zone, and providing a Psychic Hood), by himself he is a halfway decent character. However, Biker Marines are a very nasty build, so it is worth taking a Captain for allowing Bikers as troops should you want to do so. His variety of wargear options is rather nice, but don't go overboard on upgrades or he could become very expensive very quickly. One of the smallest, most useful upgrades one could take is Artificer armor, as a 2+/4++ unit with 3 wounds is somewhat tough to take down, and he can still fit inside Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks. For a cheap Biker Command Squad leader, give him a Relic Blade and a Bike; or, you can load him out for solo work with Relic Blade, Storm Shield, Artificer Armor and minor upgrades (such as Hellfire shells, which work on bike's bolters). Remember, though, that a single Power Fist will ruin his day. Also, never just take a power sword and bolt gun, as you are wasting the full capabilities of this guy.		*'''Captain''' - The Captain is a somewhat decent HQ option, especially for someone who is starting to build their army. The main reason to take one is if you wish to field a Biker list. Costing the same as a Chaplain or Librarian while having a better statline, though not offering the same general-purpose utility that the Librarian does (be it through Null Zone, and providing a Psychic Hood), by himself he is a halfway decent character. However, Biker Marines are a very nasty build, so it is worth taking a Captain for allowing Bikers as troops should you want to do so. His variety of wargear options is rather nice, but don't go overboard on upgrades or he could become very expensive very quickly. One of the smallest, most useful upgrades one could take is Artificer armor, as a 2+/4++ unit with 3 wounds is somewhat tough to take down, and he can still fit inside Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks. For a cheap Biker Command Squad leader, give him a Relic Blade and a Bike; or, you can load him out for solo work with Relic Blade, Storm Shield, Artificer Armor and minor upgrades (such as Hellfire shells, which work on bike's bolters). Remember, though, that a single Power Fist will ruin his day. Also, never just take a power sword and bolt gun, as you are wasting the full capabilities of this guy.

68.200.37.49: /* Unit Analysis */

2014-07-13T00:11:01Z

Unit Analysis

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:11, 13 July 2014
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	*'''Chapter Master''' - Not that great of a HQ, mainly due to being near identical with the Captain. 25 points more for the Orbital Bombardment ability, which all in all is a nice ability, but relatively hard to use on such a unit that needs to stay mobile. Can also get Honour Guards instead of Command Squads. Alternatively, you could take a stock Chapter Master and set him at the edge of the board, raining S10 AP1 large blasts on whoever comes near. If you're worried about your opponent having long-range weaponry, simply get a Rhino or other vehicle and hide him at the corner of the board behind the Rhino. Now you have an invincible Chapter Master who doesn't need LoS to shoot pie plates at anyone. Pure awesome.		*'''Chapter Master''' - Not that great of a HQ, mainly due to being near identical with the Captain. 25 points more for the Orbital Bombardment ability, which all in all is a nice ability, but relatively hard to use on such a unit that needs to stay mobile. Can also get Honour Guards instead of Command Squads. Alternatively, you could take a stock Chapter Master and set him at the edge of the board, raining S10 AP1 large blasts on whoever comes near. If you're worried about your opponent having long-range weaponry, simply get a Rhino or other vehicle and hide him at the corner of the board behind the Rhino. Now you have an invincible Chapter Master who doesn't need LoS to shoot pie plates at anyone. Pure awesome.
	**'''Honour Guards''' - Not worth it in my opinion, extremely costly. Hard to kill due to artificer armor, but you're probably better off getting assault terminators. Their only real advantage over Assault Terminators is their ability to cram into vehicles Terminators cannot, most notably drop pods. That's not to say they don't totally shred through opponents in close combat; they can do the job just fine. In fact, consider the other H2H units in the Space Marine codex: you have the Assault squad, which can get some good strength attacks into the fray, but are outclassed by most other pure H2H units. Then there are the Close Combat Terminators, which can annihilate squads by the bucketload, but like a sledgehammer, once they lose their momentum they can be hard to get moving again, and thanks to their low initiative they're dangerously vulnerable to fast power-weapon-armed foes. Honour guard squads, however, give phenomenal offensive abilities while maintaining initiative and speed, and good resilience thanks to their artificer armour. If you ever play an apocalypse game, take one of these with Calgar, a chapter banner (+1 attack to every man in squad), and attach Chaplain Cassius. So basically every honour guard strikes at initiative 4, re-rolls to hit, and each get 5 attacks on the charge (6 for the champion), with power weapons. So cram Calgar, Cassius and 10 honour guard into a Crusader, and roll toward the enemy battle lines as quickly as possible. So when they attack they get a grand total of 63 (!!!!!!1111!!!!ONE) re-roll to hit, power weapon attacks, 7 from Calgar, 5 from Cassius, 6 from Chapter Champion, and 5 from each of the nine Honour Guards.		**'''Honour Guards''' - Not worth it in my opinion, extremely costly. Hard to kill due to artificer armor, but you're probably better off getting assault terminators. Their only real advantage over Assault Terminators is their ability to cram into vehicles Terminators cannot, most notably drop pods. That's not to say they don't totally shred through opponents in close combat; they can do the job just fine. In fact, consider the other H2H units in the Space Marine codex: you have the Assault squad, which can get some good strength attacks into the fray, but are outclassed by most other pure H2H units. Then there are the Close Combat Terminators, which can annihilate squads by the bucketload, but like a sledgehammer, once they lose their momentum they can be hard to get moving again, and thanks to their low initiative they're dangerously vulnerable to fast power-weapon-armed foes. Honour guard squads, however, give phenomenal offensive abilities while maintaining initiative and speed, and good resilience thanks to their artificer armour. If you ever play an apocalypse game, take one of these with Calgar, a chapter banner (+1 attack to every man in squad), and attach Chaplain Cassius. So basically every honour guard strikes at initiative 4, re-rolls to hit, and each get 5 attacks on the charge (6 for the champion), with power weapons. So cram Calgar, Cassius and 10 honour guard into a Crusader, and roll toward the enemy battle lines as quickly as possible. So when they attack they get a grand total of 63 (!!!!!!1111!!!!ONE) re-roll to hit, power weapon attacks, 7 from Calgar, 5 from Cassius, 6 from Chapter Champion, and 5 from each of the nine Honour Guards.
	*'''Captain''' - The Captain is a somewhat decent HQ option, especially for someone who is starting to build their army. The main reason to take one is if you wish to field a Biker list. Costing the same as a Chaplain or Librarian while having a better statline, though not offering the same general-purpose utility that the Librarian does (be it through Null Zone, and providing a Psychic Hood), by himself he is a halfway decent character. However, Biker Marines are a very nasty build, so it is worth taking a Captain for allowing Bikers as troops should you want to do so. His variety of wargear options is rather nice, but don't go overboard on upgrades or he could become very expensive very quickly. One of the smallest, most useful upgrades one could take is Artificer armor, as a 2+/4++ unit with 3 wounds is somewhat tough to take down, and he can still fit inside Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks. For a cheap Biker Command Squad leader, give him a Relic Blade and a Bike; or, you can load him out for solo work with Relic Blade, Storm Shield, Artificer Armor and minor upgrades (such as Hellfire shells, which work on bike's bolters). Remember, though, that a single Power Fist will ruin his day. ~~Never~~ just take a power sword and bolt gun, as you are wasting the full capabilities of this guy.		*'''Captain''' - The Captain is a somewhat decent HQ option, especially for someone who is starting to build their army. The main reason to take one is if you wish to field a Biker list. Costing the same as a Chaplain or Librarian while having a better statline, though not offering the same general-purpose utility that the Librarian does (be it through Null Zone, and providing a Psychic Hood), by himself he is a halfway decent character. However, Biker Marines are a very nasty build, so it is worth taking a Captain for allowing Bikers as troops should you want to do so. His variety of wargear options is rather nice, but don't go overboard on upgrades or he could become very expensive very quickly. One of the smallest, most useful upgrades one could take is Artificer armor, as a 2+/4++ unit with 3 wounds is somewhat tough to take down, and he can still fit inside Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks. For a cheap Biker Command Squad leader, give him a Relic Blade and a Bike; or, you can load him out for solo work with Relic Blade, Storm Shield, Artificer Armor and minor upgrades (such as Hellfire shells, which work on bike's bolters). Remember, though, that a single Power Fist will ruin his day. Also, never just take a power sword and bolt gun, as you are wasting the full capabilities of this guy.
	**'''Command Squad''' - Pretty nice and versatile squad. Apothecary gives them Feel no Pain, and makes them pretty tough to kill with small-arms fire (they still fold to S8, which is fairly abundant in Krak missiles, GK Psyflemen and power fists), and definitely cheaper than the Honour Guard. Fits excellently in a Razorback or drop pod, and can be equipped with a variety of melee and ranged weaponry. Biker Command Squads, while very costly and vulnerable to S8, provide a beatstick unit to an army in need of it (Bikers are terrible in assault). Tool them out with Storm Shields, Lightning Claws, a Powerfist and two Meltaguns, and they'll beat the hell out of any unit you can't shoot to bits. Remember their vulnerabilities, though, that 3+ invuln WILL fail you from time to time.		**'''Command Squad''' - Pretty nice and versatile squad. Apothecary gives them Feel no Pain, and makes them pretty tough to kill with small-arms fire (they still fold to S8, which is fairly abundant in Krak missiles, GK Psyflemen and power fists), and definitely cheaper than the Honour Guard. Fits excellently in a Razorback or drop pod, and can be equipped with a variety of melee and ranged weaponry. Biker Command Squads, while very costly and vulnerable to S8, provide a beatstick unit to an army in need of it (Bikers are terrible in assault). Tool them out with Storm Shields, Lightning Claws, a Powerfist and two Meltaguns, and they'll beat the hell out of any unit you can't shoot to bits. Remember their vulnerabilities, though, that 3+ invuln WILL fail you from time to time.
	*'''Librarian''' - The best generic Space Marine HQ, he goes excellent with ranged focused tactical squads in rhinos, or ranged terminator squads. Unlike the Captain and the Chaplain, he normally has no Invulnerable save, but he can take Terminator Armor, giving a 5+ Invuln, which can be upgraded to 3+ with a Storm Shield. This is extremely useful; Not only are Librarians priority targets, but a 3+ save will be far more likely to save you from Perils of the Warp than a 5+ will (It's still less than 1/2 chance, though), and ups his survivability in case of Vortex miscast. Avenger is good for a Biker Librarian, Vortex of Doom is nasty but very dangerous to use and can only be effectively used by a Terminator librarian. The real "Tactical Gold" from this character comes from his two great support powers, First, "Null Zone", which forces your opponent to re-roll any successful invulnerable saves within 24" of the Librarian. This is excellent against Eldar, Daemon armies (if anyone actually plays those anymore), and pretty much every other beatstick in the game (other THSS, Thunderwolves, Paladins, Nob Bikers, Jetbike Councils etc.). A unit of Thundershield Terminators under Null Zone and maybe Vulkan's Chapter Tactics will beat the hell out of any other elite close-combat unit in the game, period. Second, "The Gate of Infinity", which allows you to pick the Librarian's squad off the table (Even when they're in combat, or inside a transport, read White Dwarf folks) and Deep Strike it back onto the table within 24". Great to abuse with locator beacons, and allows an otherwise slow unit a good deal of unexpected mobility. Use it with shooty units, not assaulty ones, as you still can't assault from Deep Strike. With the recent FAQ, you can even split in combat squads when arriving from the Gate. Other powers (Smite, Curse, Might, Dome, Quickening) are less useful as they don't benefit the army.		*'''Librarian''' - The best generic Space Marine HQ, he goes excellent with ranged focused tactical squads in rhinos, or ranged terminator squads. Unlike the Captain and the Chaplain, he normally has no Invulnerable save, but he can take Terminator Armor, giving a 5+ Invuln, which can be upgraded to 3+ with a Storm Shield. This is extremely useful; Not only are Librarians priority targets, but a 3+ save will be far more likely to save you from Perils of the Warp than a 5+ will (It's still less than 1/2 chance, though), and ups his survivability in case of Vortex miscast. Avenger is good for a Biker Librarian, Vortex of Doom is nasty but very dangerous to use and can only be effectively used by a Terminator librarian. The real "Tactical Gold" from this character comes from his two great support powers, First, "Null Zone", which forces your opponent to re-roll any successful invulnerable saves within 24" of the Librarian. This is excellent against Eldar, Daemon armies (if anyone actually plays those anymore), and pretty much every other beatstick in the game (other THSS, Thunderwolves, Paladins, Nob Bikers, Jetbike Councils etc.). A unit of Thundershield Terminators under Null Zone and maybe Vulkan's Chapter Tactics will beat the hell out of any other elite close-combat unit in the game, period. Second, "The Gate of Infinity", which allows you to pick the Librarian's squad off the table (Even when they're in combat, or inside a transport, read White Dwarf folks) and Deep Strike it back onto the table within 24". Great to abuse with locator beacons, and allows an otherwise slow unit a good deal of unexpected mobility. Use it with shooty units, not assaulty ones, as you still can't assault from Deep Strike. With the recent FAQ, you can even split in combat squads when arriving from the Gate. Other powers (Smite, Curse, Might, Dome, Quickening) are less useful as they don't benefit the army.

68.200.37.49: /* Unit Analysis */

2014-07-13T00:09:56Z

Unit Analysis

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:09, 13 July 2014
Line 19:		Line 19:
	==Unit Analysis==		==Unit Analysis==
	===HQ Units===		===HQ Units===
	*'''Chapter Master''' - Not that great of a HQ, mainly due to being near identical with the Captain. 25 points more for the Orbital Bombardment ability, which all in all is a nice ability, but relatively hard to use on such a unit that needs to stay mobile. Can also get Honour Guards instead of Command Squads. Alternatively, you could take a stock Chapter Master and set him at the edge of the board, raining S10 AP1 large blasts on whoever comes near. If you're worried about your opponent having long-range weaponry, simply get a Rhino or other vehicle and hide him at the corner of the board behind the Rhino. ~~Invincible Pie Plates of Death!~~		*'''Chapter Master''' - Not that great of a HQ, mainly due to being near identical with the Captain. 25 points more for the Orbital Bombardment ability, which all in all is a nice ability, but relatively hard to use on such a unit that needs to stay mobile. Can also get Honour Guards instead of Command Squads. Alternatively, you could take a stock Chapter Master and set him at the edge of the board, raining S10 AP1 large blasts on whoever comes near. If you're worried about your opponent having long-range weaponry, simply get a Rhino or other vehicle and hide him at the corner of the board behind the Rhino. Now you have an invincible Chapter Master who doesn't need LoS to shoot pie plates at anyone. Pure awesome.
	**'''Honour Guards''' - Not worth it in my opinion, extremely costly. Hard to kill due to artificer armor, but you're probably better off getting assault terminators. Their only real advantage over Assault Terminators is their ability to cram into vehicles Terminators cannot, most notably drop pods. That's not to say they don't totally shred through opponents in close combat; they can do the job just fine. In fact, consider the other H2H units in the Space Marine codex: you have the Assault squad, which can get some good strength attacks into the fray, but are outclassed by most other pure H2H units. Then there are the Close Combat Terminators, which can annihilate squads by the bucketload, but like a sledgehammer, once they lose their momentum they can be hard to get moving again, and thanks to their low initiative they're dangerously vulnerable to fast power-weapon-armed foes. Honour guard squads, however, give phenomenal offensive abilities while maintaining initiative and speed, and good resilience thanks to their artificer armour. If you ever play an apocalypse game, take one of these with Calgar, a chapter banner (+1 attack to every man in squad), and attach Chaplain Cassius. So basically every honour guard strikes at initiative 4, re-rolls to hit, and each get 5 attacks on the charge (6 for the champion), with power weapons. So cram Calgar, Cassius and 10 honour guard into a Crusader, and roll toward the enemy battle lines as quickly as possible. So when they attack they get a grand total of 63 (!!!!!!1111!!!!ONE) re-roll to hit, power weapon attacks, 7 from Calgar, 5 from Cassius, 6 from Chapter Champion, and 5 from each of the nine Honour Guards.		**'''Honour Guards''' - Not worth it in my opinion, extremely costly. Hard to kill due to artificer armor, but you're probably better off getting assault terminators. Their only real advantage over Assault Terminators is their ability to cram into vehicles Terminators cannot, most notably drop pods. That's not to say they don't totally shred through opponents in close combat; they can do the job just fine. In fact, consider the other H2H units in the Space Marine codex: you have the Assault squad, which can get some good strength attacks into the fray, but are outclassed by most other pure H2H units. Then there are the Close Combat Terminators, which can annihilate squads by the bucketload, but like a sledgehammer, once they lose their momentum they can be hard to get moving again, and thanks to their low initiative they're dangerously vulnerable to fast power-weapon-armed foes. Honour guard squads, however, give phenomenal offensive abilities while maintaining initiative and speed, and good resilience thanks to their artificer armour. If you ever play an apocalypse game, take one of these with Calgar, a chapter banner (+1 attack to every man in squad), and attach Chaplain Cassius. So basically every honour guard strikes at initiative 4, re-rolls to hit, and each get 5 attacks on the charge (6 for the champion), with power weapons. So cram Calgar, Cassius and 10 honour guard into a Crusader, and roll toward the enemy battle lines as quickly as possible. So when they attack they get a grand total of 63 (!!!!!!1111!!!!ONE) re-roll to hit, power weapon attacks, 7 from Calgar, 5 from Cassius, 6 from Chapter Champion, and 5 from each of the nine Honour Guards.
	*'''Captain''' - The Captain is a somewhat decent HQ option, especially for someone who is starting to build their army. The main reason to take one is if you wish to field a Biker list. Costing the same as a Chaplain or Librarian while having a better statline, though not offering the same general-purpose utility that the Librarian does (be it through Null Zone, and providing a Psychic Hood), by himself he is a halfway decent character. However, Biker Marines are a very nasty build, so it is worth taking a Captain for allowing Bikers as troops should you want to do so. His variety of wargear options is rather nice, but don't go overboard on upgrades or he could become very expensive very quickly. One of the smallest, most useful upgrades one could take is Artificer armor, as a 2+/4++ unit with 3 wounds is somewhat tough to take down, and he can still fit inside Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks. For a cheap Biker Command Squad leader, give him a Relic Blade and a Bike; or, you can load him out for solo work with Relic Blade, Storm Shield, Artificer Armor and minor upgrades (such as Hellfire shells, which work on bike's bolters). Remember, though, that a single Power Fist will ruin his day. Never just take a power sword and bolt gun, as you are wasting the full capabilities of this guy.		*'''Captain''' - The Captain is a somewhat decent HQ option, especially for someone who is starting to build their army. The main reason to take one is if you wish to field a Biker list. Costing the same as a Chaplain or Librarian while having a better statline, though not offering the same general-purpose utility that the Librarian does (be it through Null Zone, and providing a Psychic Hood), by himself he is a halfway decent character. However, Biker Marines are a very nasty build, so it is worth taking a Captain for allowing Bikers as troops should you want to do so. His variety of wargear options is rather nice, but don't go overboard on upgrades or he could become very expensive very quickly. One of the smallest, most useful upgrades one could take is Artificer armor, as a 2+/4++ unit with 3 wounds is somewhat tough to take down, and he can still fit inside Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks. For a cheap Biker Command Squad leader, give him a Relic Blade and a Bike; or, you can load him out for solo work with Relic Blade, Storm Shield, Artificer Armor and minor upgrades (such as Hellfire shells, which work on bike's bolters). Remember, though, that a single Power Fist will ruin his day. Never just take a power sword and bolt gun, as you are wasting the full capabilities of this guy.

68.200.37.49: /* Unit Analysis */

2014-07-12T20:06:50Z

Unit Analysis

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:06, 12 July 2014
Line 19:		Line 19:
	==Unit Analysis==		==Unit Analysis==
	===HQ Units===		===HQ Units===
	*'''Chapter Master''' - Not that great of a HQ, mainly due to being near identical with the Captain. 25 points more for the Orbital Bombardment ability, which all in all is a nice ability, but relatively hard to use on such a unit that needs to stay mobile. Can also get Honour Guards instead of Command Squads. Alternatively, you could take a stock Chapter Master and set him at the edge of the board, raining S10 AP1 large blasts on whoever comes near.		*'''Chapter Master''' - Not that great of a HQ, mainly due to being near identical with the Captain. 25 points more for the Orbital Bombardment ability, which all in all is a nice ability, but relatively hard to use on such a unit that needs to stay mobile. Can also get Honour Guards instead of Command Squads. Alternatively, you could take a stock Chapter Master and set him at the edge of the board, raining S10 AP1 large blasts on whoever comes near. If you're worried about your opponent having long-range weaponry, simply get a Rhino or other vehicle and hide him at the corner of the board behind the Rhino. Invincible Pie Plates of Death!
	**'''Honour Guards''' - Not worth it in my opinion, extremely costly. Hard to kill due to artificer armor, but you're probably better off getting assault terminators. Their only real advantage over Assault Terminators is their ability to cram into vehicles Terminators cannot, most notably drop pods. That's not to say they don't totally shred through opponents in close combat; they can do the job just fine. In fact, consider the other H2H units in the Space Marine codex: you have the Assault squad, which can get some good strength attacks into the fray, but are outclassed by most other pure H2H units. Then there are the Close Combat Terminators, which can annihilate squads by the bucketload, but like a sledgehammer, once they lose their momentum they can be hard to get moving again, and thanks to their low initiative they're dangerously vulnerable to fast power-weapon-armed foes. Honour guard squads, however, give phenomenal offensive abilities while maintaining initiative and speed, and good resilience thanks to their artificer armour. If you ever play an apocalypse game, take one of these with Calgar, a chapter banner (+1 attack to every man in squad), and attach Chaplain Cassius. So basically every honour guard strikes at initiative 4, re-rolls to hit, and each get 5 attacks on the charge (6 for the champion), with power weapons. So cram Calgar, Cassius and 10 honour guard into a Crusader, and roll toward the enemy battle lines as quickly as possible. So when they attack they get a grand total of 63 (!!!!!!1111!!!!ONE) re-roll to hit, power weapon attacks, 7 from Calgar, 5 from Cassius, 6 from Chapter Champion, and 5 from each of the nine Honour Guards.		**'''Honour Guards''' - Not worth it in my opinion, extremely costly. Hard to kill due to artificer armor, but you're probably better off getting assault terminators. Their only real advantage over Assault Terminators is their ability to cram into vehicles Terminators cannot, most notably drop pods. That's not to say they don't totally shred through opponents in close combat; they can do the job just fine. In fact, consider the other H2H units in the Space Marine codex: you have the Assault squad, which can get some good strength attacks into the fray, but are outclassed by most other pure H2H units. Then there are the Close Combat Terminators, which can annihilate squads by the bucketload, but like a sledgehammer, once they lose their momentum they can be hard to get moving again, and thanks to their low initiative they're dangerously vulnerable to fast power-weapon-armed foes. Honour guard squads, however, give phenomenal offensive abilities while maintaining initiative and speed, and good resilience thanks to their artificer armour. If you ever play an apocalypse game, take one of these with Calgar, a chapter banner (+1 attack to every man in squad), and attach Chaplain Cassius. So basically every honour guard strikes at initiative 4, re-rolls to hit, and each get 5 attacks on the charge (6 for the champion), with power weapons. So cram Calgar, Cassius and 10 honour guard into a Crusader, and roll toward the enemy battle lines as quickly as possible. So when they attack they get a grand total of 63 (!!!!!!1111!!!!ONE) re-roll to hit, power weapon attacks, 7 from Calgar, 5 from Cassius, 6 from Chapter Champion, and 5 from each of the nine Honour Guards.
	*'''Captain''' - The Captain is a somewhat decent HQ option, especially for someone who is starting to build their army. The main reason to take one is if you wish to field a Biker list. Costing the same as a Chaplain or Librarian while having a better statline, though not offering the same general-purpose utility that the Librarian does (be it through Null Zone, and providing a Psychic Hood), by himself he is a halfway decent character. However, Biker Marines are a very nasty build, so it is worth taking a Captain for allowing Bikers as troops should you want to do so. His variety of wargear options is rather nice, but don't go overboard on upgrades or he could become very expensive very quickly. One of the smallest, most useful upgrades one could take is Artificer armor, as a 2+/4++ unit with 3 wounds is somewhat tough to take down, and he can still fit inside Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks. For a cheap Biker Command Squad leader, give him a Relic Blade and a Bike; or, you can load him out for solo work with Relic Blade, Storm Shield, Artificer Armor and minor upgrades (such as Hellfire shells, which work on bike's bolters). Remember, though, that a single Power Fist will ruin his day.		*'''Captain''' - The Captain is a somewhat decent HQ option, especially for someone who is starting to build their army. The main reason to take one is if you wish to field a Biker list. Costing the same as a Chaplain or Librarian while having a better statline, though not offering the same general-purpose utility that the Librarian does (be it through Null Zone, and providing a Psychic Hood), by himself he is a halfway decent character. However, Biker Marines are a very nasty build, so it is worth taking a Captain for allowing Bikers as troops should you want to do so. His variety of wargear options is rather nice, but don't go overboard on upgrades or he could become very expensive very quickly. One of the smallest, most useful upgrades one could take is Artificer armor, as a 2+/4++ unit with 3 wounds is somewhat tough to take down, and he can still fit inside Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks. For a cheap Biker Command Squad leader, give him a Relic Blade and a Bike; or, you can load him out for solo work with Relic Blade, Storm Shield, Artificer Armor and minor upgrades (such as Hellfire shells, which work on bike's bolters). Remember, though, that a single Power Fist will ruin his day. Never just take a power sword and bolt gun, as you are wasting the full capabilities of this guy.
	**'''Command Squad''' - Pretty nice and versatile squad. Apothecary gives them Feel no Pain, and makes them pretty tough to kill with small-arms fire (they still fold to S8, which is fairly abundant in Krak missiles, GK Psyflemen and power fists), and definitely cheaper than the Honour Guard. Fits excellently in a Razorback or drop pod, and can be equipped with a variety of melee and ranged weaponry. Biker Command Squads, while very costly and vulnerable to S8, provide a beatstick unit to an army in need of it (Bikers are terrible in assault). Tool them out with Storm Shields, Lightning Claws, a Powerfist and two Meltaguns, and they'll beat the hell out of any unit you can't shoot to bits. Remember their vulnerabilities, though, that 3+ invuln WILL fail you from time to time.		**'''Command Squad''' - Pretty nice and versatile squad. Apothecary gives them Feel no Pain, and makes them pretty tough to kill with small-arms fire (they still fold to S8, which is fairly abundant in Krak missiles, GK Psyflemen and power fists), and definitely cheaper than the Honour Guard. Fits excellently in a Razorback or drop pod, and can be equipped with a variety of melee and ranged weaponry. Biker Command Squads, while very costly and vulnerable to S8, provide a beatstick unit to an army in need of it (Bikers are terrible in assault). Tool them out with Storm Shields, Lightning Claws, a Powerfist and two Meltaguns, and they'll beat the hell out of any unit you can't shoot to bits. Remember their vulnerabilities, though, that 3+ invuln WILL fail you from time to time.
	*'''Librarian''' - The best generic Space Marine HQ, he goes excellent with ranged focused tactical squads in rhinos, or ranged terminator squads. Unlike the Captain and the Chaplain, he normally has no Invulnerable save, but he can take Terminator Armor, giving a 5+ Invuln, which can be upgraded to 3+ with a Storm Shield. This is extremely useful; Not only are Librarians priority targets, but a 3+ save will be far more likely to save you from Perils of the Warp than a 5+ will (It's still less than 1/2 chance, though), and ups his survivability in case of Vortex miscast. Avenger is good for a Biker Librarian, Vortex of Doom is nasty but very dangerous to use and can only be effectively used by a Terminator librarian. The real "Tactical Gold" from this character comes from his two great support powers, First, "Null Zone", which forces your opponent to re-roll any successful invulnerable saves within 24" of the Librarian. This is excellent against Eldar, Daemon armies (if anyone actually plays those anymore), and pretty much every other beatstick in the game (other THSS, Thunderwolves, Paladins, Nob Bikers, Jetbike Councils etc.). A unit of Thundershield Terminators under Null Zone and maybe Vulkan's Chapter Tactics will beat the hell out of any other elite close-combat unit in the game, period. Second, "The Gate of Infinity", which allows you to pick the Librarian's squad off the table (Even when they're in combat, or inside a transport, read White Dwarf folks) and Deep Strike it back onto the table within 24". Great to abuse with locator beacons, and allows an otherwise slow unit a good deal of unexpected mobility. Use it with shooty units, not assaulty ones, as you still can't assault from Deep Strike. With the recent FAQ, you can even split in combat squads when arriving from the Gate. Other powers (Smite, Curse, Might, Dome, Quickening) are less useful as they don't benefit the army.		*'''Librarian''' - The best generic Space Marine HQ, he goes excellent with ranged focused tactical squads in rhinos, or ranged terminator squads. Unlike the Captain and the Chaplain, he normally has no Invulnerable save, but he can take Terminator Armor, giving a 5+ Invuln, which can be upgraded to 3+ with a Storm Shield. This is extremely useful; Not only are Librarians priority targets, but a 3+ save will be far more likely to save you from Perils of the Warp than a 5+ will (It's still less than 1/2 chance, though), and ups his survivability in case of Vortex miscast. Avenger is good for a Biker Librarian, Vortex of Doom is nasty but very dangerous to use and can only be effectively used by a Terminator librarian. The real "Tactical Gold" from this character comes from his two great support powers, First, "Null Zone", which forces your opponent to re-roll any successful invulnerable saves within 24" of the Librarian. This is excellent against Eldar, Daemon armies (if anyone actually plays those anymore), and pretty much every other beatstick in the game (other THSS, Thunderwolves, Paladins, Nob Bikers, Jetbike Councils etc.). A unit of Thundershield Terminators under Null Zone and maybe Vulkan's Chapter Tactics will beat the hell out of any other elite close-combat unit in the game, period. Second, "The Gate of Infinity", which allows you to pick the Librarian's squad off the table (Even when they're in combat, or inside a transport, read White Dwarf folks) and Deep Strike it back onto the table within 24". Great to abuse with locator beacons, and allows an otherwise slow unit a good deal of unexpected mobility. Use it with shooty units, not assaulty ones, as you still can't assault from Deep Strike. With the recent FAQ, you can even split in combat squads when arriving from the Gate. Other powers (Smite, Curse, Might, Dome, Quickening) are less useful as they don't benefit the army.

68.200.37.49: /* Unit Analysis */

2014-07-12T19:56:50Z

Unit Analysis

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:56, 12 July 2014
Line 19:		Line 19:
	==Unit Analysis==		==Unit Analysis==
	===HQ Units===		===HQ Units===
	*'''Chapter Master''' - Not that great of a HQ, mainly due to being near identical with the Captain. 25 points more for the Orbital Bombardment ability, which all in all is a nice ability, but relatively hard to use on such a unit that needs to stay mobile. Can also get Honour Guards instead of Command Squads.		*'''Chapter Master''' - Not that great of a HQ, mainly due to being near identical with the Captain. 25 points more for the Orbital Bombardment ability, which all in all is a nice ability, but relatively hard to use on such a unit that needs to stay mobile. Can also get Honour Guards instead of Command Squads. Alternatively, you could take a stock Chapter Master and set him at the edge of the board, raining S10 AP1 large blasts on whoever comes near.
	**'''Honour Guards''' - Not worth it in my opinion, extremely costly. Hard to kill due to artificer armor, but you're probably better off getting assault terminators. Their only real advantage over Assault Terminators is their ability to cram into vehicles Terminators cannot, most notably drop pods. That's not to say they don't totally shred through opponents in close combat; they can do the job just fine. In fact, consider the other H2H units in the Space Marine codex: you have the Assault squad, which can get some good strength attacks into the fray, but are outclassed by most other pure H2H units. Then there are the Close Combat Terminators, which can annihilate squads by the bucketload, but like a sledgehammer, once they lose their momentum they can be hard to get moving again, and thanks to their low initiative they're dangerously vulnerable to fast power-weapon-armed foes. Honour guard squads, however, give phenomenal offensive abilities while maintaining initiative and speed, and good resilience thanks to their artificer armour. If you ever play an apocalypse game, take one of these with Calgar, a chapter banner (+1 attack to every man in squad), and attach Chaplain Cassius. So basically every honour guard strikes at initiative 4, re-rolls to hit, and each get 5 attacks on the charge (6 for the champion), with power weapons. So cram Calgar, Cassius and 10 honour guard into a Crusader, and roll toward the enemy battle lines as quickly as possible. So when they attack they get a grand total of 63 (!!!!!!1111!!!!ONE) re-roll to hit, power weapon attacks, 7 from Calgar, 5 from Cassius, 6 from Chapter Champion, and 5 from each of the nine Honour Guards.		**'''Honour Guards''' - Not worth it in my opinion, extremely costly. Hard to kill due to artificer armor, but you're probably better off getting assault terminators. Their only real advantage over Assault Terminators is their ability to cram into vehicles Terminators cannot, most notably drop pods. That's not to say they don't totally shred through opponents in close combat; they can do the job just fine. In fact, consider the other H2H units in the Space Marine codex: you have the Assault squad, which can get some good strength attacks into the fray, but are outclassed by most other pure H2H units. Then there are the Close Combat Terminators, which can annihilate squads by the bucketload, but like a sledgehammer, once they lose their momentum they can be hard to get moving again, and thanks to their low initiative they're dangerously vulnerable to fast power-weapon-armed foes. Honour guard squads, however, give phenomenal offensive abilities while maintaining initiative and speed, and good resilience thanks to their artificer armour. If you ever play an apocalypse game, take one of these with Calgar, a chapter banner (+1 attack to every man in squad), and attach Chaplain Cassius. So basically every honour guard strikes at initiative 4, re-rolls to hit, and each get 5 attacks on the charge (6 for the champion), with power weapons. So cram Calgar, Cassius and 10 honour guard into a Crusader, and roll toward the enemy battle lines as quickly as possible. So when they attack they get a grand total of 63 (!!!!!!1111!!!!ONE) re-roll to hit, power weapon attacks, 7 from Calgar, 5 from Cassius, 6 from Chapter Champion, and 5 from each of the nine Honour Guards.
	*'''Captain''' - The Captain is a somewhat decent HQ option, especially for someone who is starting to build their army. The main reason to take one is if you wish to field a Biker list. Costing the same as a Chaplain or Librarian while having a better statline, though not offering the same general-purpose utility that the Librarian does (be it through Null Zone, and providing a Psychic Hood), by himself he is a halfway decent character. However, Biker Marines are a very nasty build, so it is worth taking a Captain for allowing Bikers as troops should you want to do so. His variety of wargear options is rather nice, but don't go overboard on upgrades or he could become very expensive very quickly. One of the smallest, most useful upgrades one could take is Artificer armor, as a 2+/4++ unit with 3 wounds is somewhat tough to take down, and he can still fit inside Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks. For a cheap Biker Command Squad leader, give him a Relic Blade and a Bike; or, you can load him out for solo work with Relic Blade, Storm Shield, Artificer Armor and minor upgrades (such as Hellfire shells, which work on bike's bolters). Remember, though, that a single Power Fist will ruin his day.		*'''Captain''' - The Captain is a somewhat decent HQ option, especially for someone who is starting to build their army. The main reason to take one is if you wish to field a Biker list. Costing the same as a Chaplain or Librarian while having a better statline, though not offering the same general-purpose utility that the Librarian does (be it through Null Zone, and providing a Psychic Hood), by himself he is a halfway decent character. However, Biker Marines are a very nasty build, so it is worth taking a Captain for allowing Bikers as troops should you want to do so. His variety of wargear options is rather nice, but don't go overboard on upgrades or he could become very expensive very quickly. One of the smallest, most useful upgrades one could take is Artificer armor, as a 2+/4++ unit with 3 wounds is somewhat tough to take down, and he can still fit inside Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks. For a cheap Biker Command Squad leader, give him a Relic Blade and a Bike; or, you can load him out for solo work with Relic Blade, Storm Shield, Artificer Armor and minor upgrades (such as Hellfire shells, which work on bike's bolters). Remember, though, that a single Power Fist will ruin his day.