Help me crusade

Coming back to 40k after...maybe 2 or 3 editions? And starting a crusading campaign this January.

So...apparently, we're really good, which is nice to see. Probably means I can get away with not taking optimized lists and still compete.

I'm more going to be used this thread as a mood board, because I have a while before I need to have things ready. We're starting at 500pts/25PL (either or), and go up 500pts/25pl each month, until we reach 2000.

I want to eventually build up to a real space raid, making use of the Archon, Succubus and Haemonculus. Special characters are allowed, and I see Drazhar is a bad arse, but in crusade special characters don't get upgrades, which seems like half the fun.

I imagine I should be adding a patrol per month, then the last month I'll tailor to what I'm missing. And since we don't have access to warlord traits or relics early game, I sorta have to keep this in mind, since our characters with relics + traits seem amazing, our characters without seem fairly disappointing.

I think I'd start off with a Kabalite patrol. And my head is taking me towards Kabal of the Poisoned Tongue, since Crusade missions tend to be about missions rather than killing, so redeploying sounds amazing. Also, 3+ poison on the Agoniser, Kabalites and Venom seem pretty nice, whereas Potent Metaltoxin helps sure up the lack of anti-tank.

4 PL Archon w/ Agoniser and Blast Pistol. <- I have an Archon with a Blaster, am I allowed to use this?

6 PL 10 Kabalites. 2x Blaster. 1 Splinter Cannon. 1 Sybarite with Splinter rifle, Agoniser and phantasm.

4 PL 5 Incubi w/ Klaivex.

4 PL Venom w/ all the bits.

6 PL Raider w/ all the bits.

I think this is probably where I start, the Archon and his groupies.

With my next set probably going into Coven units, so keep up the close combat punch. I'm not sold on any coven, the custom covens seem really nice, but since Crusade campaigns are full of characters, the Coven of 12 Haemonculus w/ Flensing Blades seems really nifty, pushing behind some Grots and and Wracks. Should have the req points to kit him out with a warlord trait and relic by then.

4 PL Haemonculus w/ Flensing Tools. Master Regenist.

3 PL 5 wracks w/ 1 Ossefactor + 1 Hex rifle + Electro Whip

6 PL 3 Grots.

12 PL 2 Talos. Macro + Ichor + 2xHeat Lances.

Can anyone share any crusade tips with me? Any nice combos that aren't obvious? When I finally get to a precision strike succubus, razor flail (fleshbane weapon enhancement) dark lotus toxin combination seems disgusting, with a silly amount of attacks and any 6's causing 3 mortal wounds.

The biggest think about early crusade for the drukhari is the limit to a single patrol at the 25 PL mark. It forces either 2 lists, like you have OR to go with a single faction.

From my experience if you go with the 2 factions at the start you will begin to fall behind as you will either
1) have to switch lists between games and that makes xp gain slow as you basically have 2 armies instead of 1 you can focus on "
2) or focus on one faction and then the other has no xp

I have found that the early crusade games are best done with 1 faction for the 1st 50 PL.

with crusade you can always drop units to free up your PL to take new stuff and that is something I would consider when you start to play the 50 PL games. There you can take more detachments and have greater options when building your list.