HQ builds for the new codex

I wish I can take extra Warlord traits for the Archon

I agree, especially since most lists need at least 2+ archons to unlock more kabal units it would be nice to get more mileage out of the archons we have to take, and man do the warlord traits really help with that.

the_scotsman wrote:

I think the armor of misery is preferable to the veil if you're not locked into Flayed Skull. 3+ save vs low quality attacks and -1 to hit is clutch.

I'm not sold on the Armour of Misery, to be honest. The 3+ is only better than the Veil against AP0 weapons. Anything else and it's the same or worse. Maybe the -1 to hit makes up for it, but it only works in melee and I've never been fond of relying on hit modifiers over proper saves.

the_scotsman wrote:

Sadly, relics are in much shorter supply for us than warlord traits, and IMO the HQ that skyrockets in power the most with a relic is a succubus.

I'd agree, but I think that's more because of how poor the Succubus is without a relic.

To my knowledge, she's the only melee character in the game that needs to delve into relics just to get a Power Fist.

the_scotsman wrote:

Only relics I'd really consider on anyone else (unless you're going pure kabal/coven) are djinn blade, writ and Helm of Spite.

There are others that I'd consider - Soul Seeker looks pretty good, for example.

However, I can't see myself spending 3CP for the full 3 artefacts. I think 2 will be my limit for most games.

the_scotsman wrote:

None of the Haemonculus ones are thrilling to me. Which is a huge shame because my Haemonculus is modeled as a puppeteer with a marionette holding his weapons.

Pictures?

Anyway, I'm inclined to agree. Vexator Mask seems interesting, but the rest are pretty dull. And they cant even take Parasite's Kiss anymore (which would be nice, given how terrible their standard ranged weapons are).

That said, surely a puppeteer Haemonculus should have the Nightmare Doll (if only for fluff)?

the_scotsman wrote:

None of the Haemonculus ones are thrilling to me. Which is a huge shame because my Haemonculus is modeled as a puppeteer with a marionette holding his weapons.

Really? Vexator mask is one the strongest relic: It will make the difference for wyches/grotesques.

Minor point, but any thoughts when it comes to equipping Haemonculi with ranged weapons?

Since they're already forced to spend at least 5pts, I was wondering if it would be worth giving them a Hexrifle or liquifier gun.

My massive all-eldar army is Harlequin themed. He often gets run alongside my marionette wraithguard.

I'll definitely be giving him the nightmare doll and the reroll insensible trait in fluffy games, but the major problem I have with the Haemonculus is people just ignore him. Character protection is so broken that "tanky" characters don't really function.

the_scotsman wrote:

Spoiler:

Where's the 'Like' button?

Can I ask what models you used to make him?

the_scotsman wrote:

I'll definitely be giving him the nightmare doll and the reroll insensible trait in fluffy games, but the major problem I have with the Haemonculus is people just ignore him. Character protection is so broken that "tanky" characters don't really function.  

Yeah, that's something I'm not really fond of.

Unfortunately, the current rules basically make characters either invincible or dead, with very little middle-ground.

Soulless Samurai wrote:

the_scotsman wrote:

Spoiler:

Where's the 'Like' button?

Can I ask what models you used to make him?

the_scotsman wrote:

I'll definitely be giving him the nightmare doll and the reroll insensible trait in fluffy games, but the major problem I have with the Haemonculus is people just ignore him. Character protection is so broken that "tanky" characters don't really function.  

Yeah, that's something I'm not really fond of.

Unfortunately, the current rules basically make characters either invincible or dead, with very little middle-ground.

Pretty much this.

That's why I don't think Soul Thirst will be any good. Either go with Hatred Eternal or Famed Savagery.

HERO wrote:

That's why I don't think Soul Thirst will be any good.  Either go with Hatred Eternal or Famed Savagery.

I think Shadowfield alone might make Soul Thirst worthwhile.

That 2++ is pretty valuable - you don't want to waste it against regular, 1-damage attacks if you can avoid it. But this lets you take at least some of those on your 5+/6+++, and then heal back the lost wounds afterwards.

There are also Mortal Wounds, though I don't know how common they'll be (in terms of targeting an Archon).

Can you take a general warlord trait and a coven specific relic? I mean if I chose the Flensing Blade could I stack that with the general Coven warlord trait Master Nemisine?

If so that means you would have 5 attacks hitting on 2+ wounding on 2+ -2AP D3 damage and flat 3 vs characters. That's pretty solid if we can do that.

I built my first list today, just 1000 points. Once I got to the HQ relics and traits I had to smile, you can make some very fun HQ's that can be used in so many different ways.

The Vexator Mask looks awesome, charge in Haemy, no more overwatch, send in the second wave!

Mixing Stimm addict with the Blood Glaive allows my Succubus 5 attacks at S7 -3AP D3 damage...that's a light vehicle killer in the making.

Dark Elf Dave wrote:

Can you take a general warlord trait and a coven specific relic? I mean if I chose the Flensing Blade could I stack that with the general Coven warlord trait Master Nemisine?

As far as I'm aware, it's only special characters that are locked into specific warlord traits.

@Lordsplata ran some math for me and discovered that the 9 attack Succubus with Precision Blows does a crap ton of damage, and she inflicts mortal wounds that can get around Invul.  She's prob the best duelist we have.

Great discussions here.

Can we get a list of Top 3 Builds for each <keyword>?

Soulless Samurai wrote:

the_scotsman wrote:

None of the Haemonculus ones are thrilling to me. Which is a huge shame because my Haemonculus is modeled as a puppeteer with a marionette holding his weapons.

Pictures?

Anyway, I'm inclined to agree. Vexator Mask seems interesting, but the rest are pretty dull. And they cant even take Parasite's Kiss anymore (which would be nice, given how terrible their standard ranged weapons are).

That said, surely a puppeteer Haemonculus should have the Nightmare Doll (if only for fluff)?

You can take the Kiss, just gotta use index option to give your Haemonculus a splinter pistol.

Scotsman, that haemo is fantastic. Made me realize the Joker kinda has a DE vibe.

I recently had an archon with huskblade kill an imperial knight in cc. He dealt 4 wounds with overwatch with his blast pistol, then 5 s5 dd3 attacks (he drank the soul of a commissar) dealt another 6, killing the damaged knight.

Sent from Topic'it App

My Archon and Succubus have both been absolutely crushing it since the Codex arrived. I have been testing the following 3 builds:

Archon, Whichever Kabal, Djin Blade, Eternal Hatred

Succubus, Cult of Strife, Triptych Whip, Blood Dancer, +1 Attacks

Succubus, Cult of the Red Grief, Blood Glaive, Hyper-Swift Reflexes, +1 Toughness

The Triptych Whip Succubus absolutely scythes through infantry, clearing out whole squads by herself. I enjoy using her as a flanker alongside a pack of Wyches (also Cult of Strife) to clear out at least 2 full infantry squads a turn (3 if I use the stratagem or get lucky with a multi-charge).

The Archon and the Red Grief Succubus have a very similar use profile - as heavy-hitting character/monster killers. I clear space for them with a screen of wyches, that are also useful in preventing them from getting overwhelmed by enemy infantry squads. It is important for these HQs to be focused on their role of chopping down dangerous foes; if they're unleashed properly they WILL chop through those foes.