The Daemonhunters, or the Ordo Malleus of the Inquisition, to give them their full title, are the Imperium's premier troops when it comes to defeating Daemons and rooting out their vile influences. Their Chamber Militant, the Grey Knights, are armed and trained to a much higher standard of skill and purity than standard Space Marines, making them much more dangerous on the battlefield.
Before looking at the individual troop types available to the Daemonhunters, we should take a look at the advantages that the Grey Knights fetch to the field, over and above the standard Space Marine. In terms of statistics, the main difference is that Grey Knights are more highly trained in close combat skills, and come with Weapon Skill 5. Each Grey Knight is Fearless, allowing them to combat their terrible opposition without breaking. Grey Knights with the ability to do so, such as Terminators and Teleport Attack squads, may always Deep Strike, regardless of the scenario rules, adding to the flexibility of their deployment. Every suit of Grey Knight armour has The Aegis built into it, giving them a built-in layer of psychic defense. Grey Knights also benefit from the Shrouding, making opponents have to compensate for a pseudo-Night Fight set of circumstances, making it tricky to reliably shoot at them.
Grey Knights in power armour benefit from True Grit with their storm bolters, increasing their close combat prowess. When fighting Daemons, Grey Knights make use of the Rites of Exorcism, increasing the chances of Daemons failing their Instability checks. To counter this, however, Grey Knights are usually deployed to sites of Daemonic Infestation, meaning that certain Daemon units benefit from the Sustained Assault rule when facing Grey Knights.
To top all of this, all Grey Knights (bar those in power armour with special weapons) come equipped with a Nemesis Force Weapon, which harnesses their psychic potential to make them strike harder in combat. As the Grey Knight progresses through the Chapter structure, they become more and more powerful, peaking with the Greand Master, who can use his Nemesis Force Weapon as a true Force Weapon, striking down his foes with channeled psychic power.
| HQ |
| Inquisitor Lord | The Inquisitor Lord is the most senior of the members of the Ordo Malleus found in the army. However, his stats aren't brilliant, so he will need to have them boosted by his retinue in order to make him survivable in the battlefields of the 41st millenium. At only T3, he is capable of being instant-killed by a multi-laser, or any plasma weapon, so it is important that he is well protected.
The Inquisitor Lord is a character who can be tooled for Greater Daemon or Daemon Prince hunting, thanks to the specialised Armoury options. One way of doing it would be to give your Inquisior Lord a Daemonhammer, bolt pistol, Grimoire of True Names, Sacred Incense and a large suit of armour. Add 3 Combat Servitors, 3 Acolytes, a Familiar and a pair of Heirophants to the mix, and you have a set-up that should easily be able to deal with big Daemonic gribblies.
It's also easy to tailor your Inquisitor Lord to be a firepower support unit. Give the Lord a Psycannon, along with any other bits you feel necessary (the Icon of the Just comes highly recommended), then add 3 Gun Servitors, with two heavy bolters and a plasma cannon, 2 Sages (for the re-roll to hit), and 3 Acolytes with either Storm Bolters or Bolter-Plasma Gun combi-weapons. While this is an anti-infantry unit, the amount of firepower it can put out accurately is frightening.
There are two final points I should make about the Inquisitor Lord - firstly, you need to take either this guy or the standard Inquisitor in your army if you wish to use Daemonhosts, Death Cult Assassins or any of the Officio Assassinorum troops. Secondly, you can rely on th Inquisitor Lord to hold his ground, even against Greater Daemons or Big-Flying-Tyranid-Gribblies, thanks to his ability to choose to pass or fail any Morale or Pinning check. |
| Grey Knight Hero | The Grey Knight Hero comes in at two levels - the Grand Master and the Brother-Captain. While the Brother-Captain can be useful as a general in a smaller army, I personally think you're better off taking the Grand Master; if you want a Brother-Captain you may as well take a Terminator squad, and get one as its Sergeant. In contrast, the Grey Knight Hero is the only way you can get a Grand Master, and for a combatant this powerful, he's worth taking.
Why do I recommend the Grand Master over the Brother-Captain? Well, the Grand Master has enhanced stats, with a greater Ballistic Skill and Initiative, as well as a greater number of Wounds and Attacks. This not only makes him more resilient, but he is a more dangerous combatant both at long-range (hitting on a 2+) but in close combat (striking quicker and more often). In addition to this, the Grand Master's Nemesis Force Weapon is a more potent tool of destruction. Instead of just being a S6 power weapon, as the Brother-Captain's is, his also acts as a force weapon, allowing him the opportunity to kill multi-wound creatures (big Daemons, big 'Nids, Wraithlords, etc) with a single hit.
With regards to equipping the Hero, I find that minimal equipment is necessary. In fact, all I generally give my Grand Master is a Psycannon and an Icon of the Just to increase his long-range capacity and his survivability. However, I don't play Chaos that often, so I don't have to tool him against it. If I were, I'd consider adding the Grimoire of True Names and Sacred Incense to his equipment, assuming another character didn't have them. In most situations, however, the Grand Master is tough enough to deal with most Daemons. It might be worth giving him Bionics, if only for the frustration it can cause your opponent when he gets up after being killed. |
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| Henchmen |
| Familiar | A Familiar is useful for any Inquisitors expecting to get into close combat, boosting the characters Initiative by 1, allowing them to strike faster in combat. Multiple Familiars are more useful to any Inquisitor who plans to use multiple psychic powers, as the second and third familiars taken allow an extra psychic power each. Coupling these with Consecrated Scrolls can make a psychic Inquisitor a very nasty opponent to face. |
| Heirophant |
A single Heirophant is only of use to the standard Inquisitor, rather than the Inquisitor Lord - the Lord already has Ld10, whereas taking a Heirophant increases he Inquisitors Ld from 8 to 9 - handy in almost every situation. Two Heirophants, on the other hand, are vital if your Inquisitor and retinue expect to go into close combat with Daemons - the extra -1 modifier to their Leadership when within 6" makes it even trickier for them to pass their Instability checks. |
| Acolyte |
The Acolyte provides the Inquisitor with ablative wounds. It's possible for an Inquisitor to pass any wonds he takes onto his Acolytes, as they sacrifice themselves to protect him. The Acolytes also have limited Armoury access, and it can be worth buying them improved armour, such as power armour or a refractor field, in order to make them last longer. In an Inquisitor Lord's retinue, I'd ted to recommend getting your full complement of Acolytes, effectively giving him 6 wounds. On a normal Inquisitor, I would buy the other elements of your retinue first, then Acolytes to fill out the numbers. |
| Warrior |
The Warrior, when taken, boosts the Weapon Skill of the Inquisitor by 1, which is undoubtably useful for anyone planning on using their Inquisitor in close combat. This bonus occurs regardless of which type of Warrior you get, be it Veteran, Gun Servitor or Combat Servitor. In a firepower-support retinue, 3 Gun Servitors are your best bet, with two armed with heavy bolters and one with a plasma cannon for maximum damage. Personally speaking, I find the multi-melta too short-ranged to be useful in this sort of support role. For a cheaper, yet more survivable option, three Imperial Guard Veterans with plasma guns would suffice. In a close combat orientated retinue, Combat Servitors can add welcome punch, thanks to their power fists. |
| Sage |
The Sage is undoubtably more beneficial to a firepower orientated retinue than a close combat one. A single Sage boosts the Inquisitors Ballistic Skill by 1, to a very useful 5, while two Sages provide a reroll on any to hit roll, for either the Inquisitor or a member of his retinue. This is definately useful if you have a plasma cannon armed Gun Servitor in your retinue, as it might just keep him alive by avoiding the dreaded 1 on the to-hit roll. |
| Mystic |
The Mystic is another Henchman better suited to firepower support units than close combat units - his ability acting, as it does, as an Auspex for summoned Daemons, possessing Greater Daemons or Deep Striking units, allowing a free round of shooting from the retinue at them as they appear. This can be done to every unit appearing in range each turn, regardless how many there are. If there are multiple Mystics in the retinue, then this benefit can be passed to any unit within 12" - useful if sat near a Psycannon-toting Purgation squad, for instance. |
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| Elites |
| Inquisitor |
The Ordo Malleus Inquisitor is a lower ranked version of the Inquisitor Lord. This is reflected both in his stat line (lower Wounds, Attacks, Leadership and Save), but also in the lack of the Iron Will special rule, making them less reliable when taking Morale or Pinning checks. While the deficits in Leadership and Save can be addressed by his retinue and Armoury selections respectively, there is no opportunity for the Inquisitor to increase his Attacks and Wounds characteristics to match those of the Lord.
As a reflection of the Inquisitor's lower ranking within the Ordo, he is restricted to a much smaller retinue than the Lord is likely to bring. Due to this, you need to have a clear idea of what you want your Inquisitor and his retinue to do within your battle plan, and make your retinue choices appropriately. For instance, here is no point taking Sages in a close combat retinue, or Combat Servitors in a fire support retinue. Acolytes are generally useful, regardless of role, as they can be given wargear to increase their usefulness, as well as effectively giving your Inquisitor extra Wounds.
The final point to note is that the Inquisitor is a cheaper method of getting units that require Inquisition access, such as Daemonhusts and Assassins. At a base of 20pts, and with no compulsory retnue members, the Inquisitor can be taken and then hidden away in a quiet section of the board, or given a few items of wargear and used to boost a Storm Trooper unit. |
| Daemonhosts |
Before you consider taking Daemonhosts in your army, you do need to ask if it is worth being branded a Radical for. Being as this prevents you taking Grey Knights in your force, this is an important distinction being Puritan and Radical. While the abilities of the Daemonhost are not incosiderable, losing the forces of the Grey Knights doesn't, in my eyes, make up for it.
Looking at the unit in isolation, without the counter-point of losing the services of the Grey Knights, the Daemonhosts are a very powerful unit. With good stats, a built-in Invulnerable save and the ability to Deep Strike in any mission, they are very flexible, though their close combat potential can be a bit unpredictable (D6 Attacks). In addition to this, they are Fearless, and don't have to roll to use their psychic powers (more on them below), though their powers can still be countered with a Psychic Hood.
The Daemonhost has a good range of psychic powers, all of which are useful. My main poblem with the Daemonhost is that its psychic power is random each turn, meaning you can't rely on them to be able to do what you want, when you want it (unless you use loaded dice.....). Of the powers available, Timeshift is probably my favourite, giving the Daemonhost the potential to have 13 attacks on the charge. Warp Strength, Teleport and Bloodboil are all reliably useful, and Re-knit Host Form is vital to keep the Daemonhost alive all game. Terrify is double-edged, as it can very easily affect your side as much as your opponents. |
| Grey Knight Terminators |
The Grey Knight Terminators are some of my favourite models in the Daemonhunters range, and this is coupled to them being one of the Daemonhunters hardest units. They are also comparatively cheap, compared to standard Space Marine Terminators, costing a mere 4 points more (at the time of writing). Considering they can provide a good level of fire support, as well as an awesome close combat potential, they are a unit that no Daemonhunters army should be without - unless they are Radicals, of course.
Being in Terminator armour gives the Grey Knights the benefit of being a stable platform, a benefit which is two-fold. Firstly, it means that any weapons carried can fire as if they were stationary, meaning your Psycannon always benefit from a 36" range. Secondly, it means that the Terminators can fire at one unit and then charge another, which makes them doubly dangerous - a hail of storm bolter and Psycannon fire is something that most units need to be wary of.
When it comes to giving the Grey Knight Terminators heavy weaponry, I would always take the Psycannon in preference to the Incinerator. Why would I do this? Well, given the fact that Terminator Armour is a stable platform, your Psycannon has a 36" range when mounted on these Grey Knights, even if they should be moving. This means that it can be firing and hitting your opponents from turn 1, whereas an Incinerator would not be able to do anything until you were close enough to be jumping up and down on the unit you want to fire at. I should also note at this point that the Brother-Captain leading the squad is in a position to upgrade his storm bolter to one of these weapons, thanks to his Armoury access.
The final thing to note about Grey Knight Terminators is that they can take Holocaust as a power that the whole squad uses as a gestalt abilty, though the Brother-Captain leading the squad focuses the energy the power creates. I have a problem with this, mainly due to the way that Perils of the Warp has altered in 4th edition. Should you be unfortunate to suffer an attack from this source, every Terminator in your squad will take a S6 wound, meaning they will die on a 2+. While the damage Holocaust can do is considerable, Idon't think it is worth the risk any more. |
| Death Cult Assassins | The Death Cult Assassins are one of the units that require an Inquisitor or Inquisitor Lord to field. While this isn't a major limitation, it does partially contrain the rest of your list, either tying up a second Elites slot, or one of your HQ choices.
The Death Cult Assassin comes with a good stat-line, with above average Weapon Skill, Strength and Attacks, though these are married to low-mid level Toughness, Wounds and Save. This gives them a good potential in close combat, which the Power Weapon they come equipped with emphasises. However, they are not a brilliant choice to use on their own, as they are only likely to kill 2 or 3 models on the charge, and are fairly likely to die to light gunfire or return attacks in close combat. My preferred use for these guys is to send them in pairs after support units in the enemies line, moving from terrain to terrain where possible. With only a 5+ invulnerable save for their defense, they need to be careful to avoid their enemies shooting, or they will die very easily. |
| Vindicare Assassin | The Vindicare is another of the units that requires an Inquisitor to take, and my views on this matter are as stated above. The Vindicare is a ranged attack Assassin, trained and equipped to deal death from afar, using his Exitus rifle (an enhanced sniper rifle, which has an improved AP value). The Exitus rifle comes with three special rounds, one of each of Shieldbreaker, Turbo-Penetrator and Hellfire.
Each of these rounds has their own distinct properties, which boost the normal capability of the Exitus rifle. Sheildbreaker, with its ability to ignore invulnerable saves, makes a great round for targetting units such as Eldar Warlocks, or any other that relies on just an invulnerable save to avoid damage. Turbo-Penetrator is a round with two uses - it can either knock out two Wound characters, such as Imperial Guard Senior Officers or Chaos Lieutenants, with one shot, or it can be used to target vehicles. While it has the potential to destroy Land Raiders with a single hit, you are probably better off targetting vehicles with an AV around 10 or 11, as you are more likely to penetrate these. Hellfire is a round to be saved for when you absolutely need to kill a one wound model that turn, or when you need to finish off a multi-wound character that turn. Of course, if you have my luck, you can guarantee rolling a 1 to hit with any shot you use these special rounds for.
The Stealth Suit and Spy Mask the Vindicare comes equipped with help with both his targetting of enemies, and preventing return fire from hitting him. The Stealth Suit requires enemies to make a Night Fight roll to be able to target him, with this roll being halved in the Night Fight scenario rule is in effect. The Spy Mask makes cover less effective for the Vindicare's targets, as well as making him more reliable when firing under the cover of darkness. The Marksman special rule the Vindicare comes with is also useful, allowing you to pick out special or heavy weapons troopers from squads.
My main problem with the Vindicare Assassin is that, in the course of an average game, you will only get 6 shots with him. Of these, you're looking at around 2.5 wounds over the course of the game (slightly higher if Hellfire is used). For this level of effectiveness, the 110pts you pay for him could be used much more effectively elsewhere.
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| Culexus Assassin | The Culexus is another of the units that requires an Inquisitor to take, and my views on this matter are as stated above. He is designed as an anti-psyker assassin, and is deadly against those armies who rely on their psychic abilities to win their battles, such as Eldar and the Thousand Sons Chaos Marines. His abilites and equipment are tailored towards meeting and defeating psychic opposition, and tend to be wasted if not used against these opponents.
The Etherium built into the Culexus Assassin's synskin makes it dificult for the enemy to target the Culexus, requiring a Leadership check to see if it is possible for them to target the Assassin. Combined with the Soulless rule, it can be very difficult for opponents to get into close combat with the Culexus, unless he wishes them to. The Animus Speculum, encased in the Culexus' headgear, is a very powerful weapon, and it increases with power the more psykers there are in range, both friendly and otherwise. As it has AP1, the Animus Speculum will be very dangerous to light (AV10 or 11) vehicles in 4th Edition.
While the Animus Speculum is the Culexus' main weapon, the Psyk-Out grenades it comes equipped with are useful to soften up psychic targets with an invulnerable save prior to assaulting them. As the range of the grenaed is only 6", you know you will be in range of the target to assault it, and the Soulless rule will make it tricky for the target to avoid losing wounds to the grenade. Combined with the Culexus' Life Drain ability (an opposed Leadership check, made before any blows are stuck in close combat), and it is possible for the Assassin to have accomplished his objective before any blows are struck.
While the Psychic Abomination rule can make it tricky to get to an enemy psyker (how can you kill them if they're running away?), it can also stop the Culexus getting into any one-sided combats with psykers, such as Greater Daemons, Daemon Princes, and the like. The Soulless rule comes into play again here, making it much more difficult for the psyker to pass his Leadership check.
The Culexus Assassin, in my opinion, is a good one to take if you know you are going to be facing psychic opposition but, in general terms or in tournaments, I wouldn't take him, as his gifts are wasted.
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| Callidus Assassin | The Callidus is another of the units that requires an Inquisitor to take, and my views on this matter are as stated above. To my mind, the Callidus is the most useful assassin, able to hide until needed, then make the critical strike. She can also hinder your opponent, by repositioning enemy units during deployment. However, she is also the most expensive of Assassins, and must be used carefully to make her points back.
A Word in Your Ear, one of the Callidus' special rules, allows you to mess up your opponents tactics, by moving one unit of his up to 6", after deployment but before the game starts. If you are confident about winning the first turn (due to taking the Emperor's Tarot, for instance), this move can be used to fetch dangerous units out of cover into your line of fire, or to expose fire support units to a salvo of fire, eliminating a threat early in the game. Even if you aren't confident about winning the first turn, this move can be used to place assault troops in a position where they will take a turn longer to get to you, or jump pack units into difficult or dangerous terrain, where they risk killing themselves as they move out of it.
The Neural Shredder is a deadly, if short-ranged, weapon, especially against armies with low Leadership values. The Callidus is generally best off using the Neural Shredder to soften up a unit she is about to charge, before using her martial prowess with here C'Tan Phase Sword to deal with what is left of the unit.
You can afford to be selective when using the Callidus assassin, as she is well equipped for choosing her fights, compared to the Eversor or the Culexus. The Polymorphine rule, allowing her to appear anywhere on the battlefield when she emerges from reserve, combined with her Jump Back skill means she won't be kept in a combat she doesn't want to be in. In my opinion, the best use of Jump Back is at the start of your opponents close combat phase, as it allows the Callidus Assassin to use her Neural Shredder on a fresh target in your turn, and then charge the unit she just fired at. Jumping out of a combat in your turn, on the other hand, leaves the Callidus open to being charged herself, as well as exposed to the full firepower of the enemy army. Her Poisoned Blades allow her a final chance at a kill, though most enemies will pass their armour save against them. Still, they're better than nothing, and ahve the capacity to wound even the toughest target.
Choosing where the Callidus appears is valuable, as you can easily position her to deal with a number of vulnerable or valuable targets. It is quite possible for her to deal with Devestators or Havocs, for instance, let alone Dark Reapers, Big Gunz or Imperal Guard Support squads. Used in this way, rather than going after characters, the Callidus will be able to cut off yur opponents support.
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| Eversor Assassin |
The Eversor is another of the units that requires an Inquisitor to take, and my views on this matter are as stated above. The Eversor is a close combat monster, designed and equipped to rip the heart out of an enemy position single-handedly. He has probably best destructive capability of any unit in the Daemonhunters army, with a potential 10 close combat attacks (on the charge), each wounding on a 4+ with no armour save. With the Neuro-Gauntlet giving him this wounding potential, the Eversor becomes good at hunting high Toughness creatures which lack invulnerable saves, such as Wraithlords and Hive Tyrants. Surprisingly, he is also the cheapest of the Officio Assassinorum agents, due to the reliance on close combat to do damage.
With the Fast Shot rule allowing him to count as stationary when firing his Executioner Pistol, the Eversor is one of a few units that can shoot at one uit then charge another. As his pistol isn't exceptionally powerful, this can be useful, more for eliminating one or two threats from the unit he is charging, more than to wound another unit to slow them down. Coupled with a 12" charge range, there are few units the Eversor cannot reach, and very few indeed that he cannot destroy when he gets there.
As the Eversor comes equipped with Melta Bombs as standard, one potential use for him is tank hunting. Personally, I feel this is a waste of his close combat potential, but if he has no other units within charge range, assaulting a tank is better than nothing. The upside to sending him tank hunting is that he is likely to recoup his cost quickly, as there are few vehicles not worth more than an Eversor.
The final thing to note about the Eversor is his Bio-Meltdown rule - when he dies, the range of drugs and toxins in his body react with each other in such a manner that he explodes, possibly eliminating the person who killed him. While it isn't much use if he is killed by shooting, ina close combat the balast could be enough to finish off the unit he was assaulting, or at least damage them enough to prevent them being useful to your opponent. |
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| Troops |
| Grey Knights |
While the Grey Knights have all manner of benefits over your average Space Marine, they share one thing in common - they are both only protected by power armour. While a 3+ save sounds brilliant, in this day and age it is nothing overly special, being the save that a large proportion of armies are designed to ignore where possible. Armies such as the Eldar Starcannon "And-They-Shall-Know-No-Armour-Save" army, for instance, will kill your 25 pt Grey Knights just as easily as a 15 pt Ultramarine. If you are relying on The Shrouding to protect your troops, then don't - while it may stop the occasional unit firing, it will not keep your men safe forever, especially once you start to close the range on the enemy.
On the other hand, once you get in range your Grey Knights are much more destructive than your average Ultramarine - as you'd expect, given the disparagy in costs. If you are going to add special weapons to your Grey Knight squad, I'm going to have to recommedn Psycannon again - an 18" range Assault Cannon which can ignore invulnerable saves is very useful, especially when you can take two of them. A full squad of Grey Knights, with two of these, if putting out 16 storm bolter shots and 6 psycannon shots at 18" range when moving, and 24" range when stationary. That's a lot of firepower, probably better than any two Ultramarine squads you care to mention.
If you're going to take Grey Knights in power armour, I would recommend squads in the 7-10 size bracket - plenty of survivabilty, plenty of firepower, without completely nuking the bank. Keeping them safe could be tricky, if you don't wish to buy a Land Raider for them, but a squad of Inquisitorial Stormtroopers in a Rhino can provide a block to line of sight for incoming fire - the downside being you can't see out, either. That's more useful if you're trying to advance on the enemy. A squad or two of inducted Imperial Guard in front of your expensive Grey Knights can make it slightly more difficult to target a squad giving fire support, as they're going to have to take a Ld check to shoot the Grey Knights rather than the Guardsmen. |
| Inquisitorial Stormtroopers |
Inquisitorial Stormtroopers are the standard troops of the Inquisition, recruited from the Schola Progenium. They have almost identical options to those of standard Imperial Guard Storm Troopers, missing only the options to take the Deep Strike or Infiltrate abilities. They retain the hellgun with targeter, as well as frag & krak grenades. Inquisitorial Stormtroopers can also take two special weapons, from the same list as standard Storm Troopers, and my comments in Barracks: Imperial Guard apply here, with regards to their special weapons options.
One area where Inquisitorial Stormtroopers have an advantage over Imperial Guard Storm Troopers is the range of options available to their Veterans. No Storm Trooper Veteran Sergeant could be equipped with Artificer Armour, a pair of Master-Crafted Lightning Claws and a Refractor Field, but the Inquisitorial Veteran Stormtrooper has this option. While this is probably an overly expensive option, and one that is unlikely to be worth the effort, it could be worth doing if only to surprise your opponent when his squad charges. |
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| Transports |
| Chimera |
The Chimera in the Daemonhunters army list is identical to the one described in the Imperial Guard army list, and most of my commnts on it in Barracks: Imperial Guard continue to apply with regards to Daemonhunters. In the Daemonhunters list, however, there are only three units that may make used of a Chimera - Inquisitor Lords, Inquisitors and Inquisitorial Storm Troopers. In most cases, I would recommend the Chimera over its competitor, the Rhino, due to the extra weaponry it carries, to provide fire support for the transported unit. My one problem with the Chimera available to Deamonhunters is that it is still crewed by Imperial Guard - Storm Troopers, with their BS of 4, would have been preferable.
For some reason, operating for the Inquisition means that these Chimeras lose out on a number of options that regulard Imperial Guard vehicles would be able to use. While some may not be missed, the lack of Improved Comms, Pintle-Mounted Heavy Stubbers and Track Guards, which might otherwise have been taken, seems a touch odd. However, there isn't anything that we can do about it, so Smoke Launchers, Extra Armour and possibly Pintle-Mounted Storm Bolters come recommended instead. |
| Rhino |
The Rhino is the Imperium's basic APC, generally given to the Space Marines and Sisters of Battle as their main transport, as well as the STC basefor many of their tanks. In the case of the Daemonhunters, however, the Rhino is given to Inquisitor Lords, Inquisitors and Inquisitorial Storm Troopers as a transport, while the Adeptus Astartes are expected to walk to the battle. While the Rhino isn't as heavily armoured as the Chimera, it is cheaper, and comes crewed with Storm Troopers, giving its weaponry the bonus of a BS of 4.
While I prefer the Chimera, I can see the use of the Rhino as a cheap transport, especially for Storm Troopers. With Extra Armour, Smoke Launchers and a Pintle-Mounted Storm Bolter, the Rhino is a cheaper methd of getting your troops where you want them. It will not, however, be able to provide fire support as well as the more expensive Chimera could do. |
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| Fast Attack |
| Grey Knights Teleport Attack Squad |
The Teleport Attack squad is identical to the standard Grey Knights squad when it comes to options, with the only difference being that the Teleport Attack squad will always Deep Strike into the battle. While I can see some benefit in this, in that the squad is saved a number of turns as a firepower magnet, I am not a big fan of the option, especially against Imperial Guard. Landing in an area the size of the Ordinance template is all well and good when the only Ordinance on the table is on your side. Facing Imperial Guard, Chaos or even Space Marines, the Teleport Attack squad is just asking to be targetted by Leman Russ', Defilers and even Whirlwinds.
On the other hand, if you can target an area where they won't be visible, they can be a useful way to contest or capture table quarters late in the game, dropping into areas where your opponents troops have already been softened up by your initial firepower. Combining this squad with a unit of Stormtroopers whose Veteran has a Teleport Homer can give you very accurate deployment with this unit, but does require two units being in close proximity when they arrive. |
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| Heavy Support |
| Purgation Squad |
The Purgation squad is the Grey Knight equivalent to the standard Space Marine Devastator squad, with 4 members of the squad allowed to exchange their storm bolters for either Psycannon or Incinerators. They can lay down an incredible amount of firepower, but start to suffer should your enemy start to target them.
Generally, I'd suggest equipping them with 4 Psycannon, in either a five or six strong squad. This allows you to fire 12 shots at 36" range if you don't move, along with two or four storm bolter shots as well. Even if you move, the range halves, but the number of shots doesn't change, allowing you to mow down the enemy before they can attack your valuable troops. This unit is also death to any units of Daemons, Seer Councils, or anything that relies on an invulnerable save to stay alive.
I'm not a big fan of giving Purgation squads Incinerators, due to the range problem. I can see how they might be useful in Bunker Assault missions, or Cityfight games, but generally they are too short ranged to be useful. A full size Purgation squad with 4 Incinerators, inside a Land Raider, might be worth using but it is a definate case of all your eggs in one 600pts unit. |
| Orbital Strike |
The Orbital Strike is an imprecise, but cheap, method of suppressive fire, which comes in three flavours - the Barrage Bomb, the Melta Torpedo and the Lance Strike. Each of the three is useful, but some are more useful against some armies than others. Given the recent changes to Ordinance when facing armour in the 4th edition rules, none of the Orbital Strikes are as useful at killing vehicles as they used to be - unless you're lucky, there is very little chance of getting the center of the template over an enemy tank - placement of the template is too random for that.
The Orbital Strike is, to my mind, more use as a method of denying an area of the board to your opponent than it is as a destructive weapon. While you don' have to reveal where the Orbital Strike is targetted at the beginning of the game, your opponent is likely to know you have one, and will probably avoid terrain features if he can avoid it. Picking a terrain piece you view to be crucial to the game, such as the objective in a Take and Hold, makes it very dangerous for your opponent to commit forces to taking it.
The Barrage Bomb is the same as a shot from a Griffon Mortar going off, but without the range limitations. In the same manner as the Griffon, it is more useful against armies that lack the inevitable 3+ saves, so Eldar, Tyranids, Orks and Imperial Guard are prime candidates for this sort of treatment. The fact that the shot will also bounce off any Grey Knights that happen to be at ground zero is a hidden bonus. The Barrage Bomb is also the cheapest of the Orbital Strikes, and is worth its points against any army where the usual save is not 3+.
The Melta Torpedo is the only form of Orbital Strike to still have a chance against armoured targets, despite the new rules, thanks to its 2D6 armour penetration. I'd generally suggest taking this strike in a Bunker Assault mission, or in any situation when you plan to have Grey Knight Terminators stood where this strike is going to be targetted. Useful against any army, even an Imperial Guard Armoured Company.
The Lance Strike probably suffered the most with the rules transition, as it is now only as good as a heavy bolter when it comes to penetrating vehicle armour. However, it is the best form of strike against any troops in the game, with the highest possible strength and AP value. This strike is best plotted away from your own troops, using a terrain feature in the line of advance of your enemy. Its ability to instantly kill any characters or troops with Toughness 5 is an added bonus. |
| Land Raider | The Land Raider in the Daemonhunters Codex is, for all intents and purposes, identical to the one in the Space Marine Codex. However, unlike the Space Marines, the Land Raider is the only method you have of transporting any Grey Knights in your force, be they in power armour or Terminator armour. If you don't take any Land Raiders, your Grey Knights are stuck either walking to the combat or using Deep Strike to teleport onto the battlefield.
The Land Raider is one of the most survivable transports in the game, and as such provides good protection for the troops inside. The addition of Smoke Launchers and Extra Armour is, to my mind, mandatory on any transport vehicle that can have them, and I would generally recommend taking the Blessed upgrade when fighting Chaos - when armed with twin-linked lascannon, as the Land Raider is, an extra +1 to penetrate some of the Chaos vehicles shouldn't be sneezed at. Benefiting from the Aegis rule is also useful. |
| Land Raider Crusader |
In a similar vein the the Land Raider, Rhino and Dreadnought, the Land Raider Crusader is untouched in the transition from Codex: Armageddon. Also, unlike most Space Marine Chapters, the Grey Knights have no limit on their access to these vehicles, and can take a full three, should they so wish. I personally feel the Land Raider Crusader should be used as a transport for Grey Knight Terminator squads, with its capability to disgorge units up to eight strong in the midst of the enemy army. With regards to vehicle upgrades, most of what is said above about the Land Raider applies, though the Blessed upgrade is less useful. Unfortunately, Psycannon Bolts don't apply to the Hurricane Bolter sponsons, or I'd recommend them in a heartbeat. Also, there's no need to buy Extra Armour for the Crusader, as it comes fitted as standard. |
| Grey Knight Dreadnought |
The Grey Knight Dreadnought is not that much different to the standard Space Marine Dreadnought, though it does have a higher Weapon Skill. It has all the same weapons options as a standard Dreadnought, along with the option to upgrade the Storm Bolter on its close combat weapon arm to an Incinerator. The Dreadnought is the only option for mobile heavy weapons support in the Daemonhunters army list, bar the Land Raider. While inducted troops can remove this problem from the army, a pure Daemonhunters list has few ranged options for dealing with enemy armour.
In a similar vein, the vehicle upgrades available o the Grey Knight Dreadnought are almost identical to those available to the Space Marine Dreadnought, though the Grey Knight Dreadnought does benefit from some options tailored specifically to dealing with Daemonic threats. A Blessed Grey Knight Dreadnought, for instance, benefits from the same Aegis rule as the rest of the Grey Knights, as well as having abonus to penetrate Chaos vehicles with certain upgrades. The Sacred Hull upgrade makes it harder for Daemonkin to assault the Dreadnought, while taking Psycannon Bolts is a must if you use the twin heavy bolters weapons arm, especially if facing Eldar.
The only real downside to taking a Grey Knights Dreadnought is that you must take a Grey Knight Hero as well. In my case, this isn't really a loss, as I'd tend to take a Grey Knight Hero to lead a Daemonhunters army anyway. |
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