Old vs. New - Battle of the Haemonculi

4+ FNP is quite different from 4+ invulnerable.

Thor665 wrote:

4+ FNP is quite different from 4+ invulnerable.

Quite. I'd almost go so far as to say they're complete opposites. FNP protects units from high-volume, low-quality firepower. Lasrifles, tesla weaponry, and usually splinter or bolter weaponry falls into this category. When you're forced to flip an extra coin to see if each wound sticks, the strategy of throwing dice at the problem becomes much less effective. Multi-wound models can also fill this role.

Invulnerable (and cover) saves work in the opposite fashion. When your opponents are lobbing lascannons or plasma at you, Drazhar's 2+ armor save, 3 wounds, and FNP aren't doing you any favors. He lacks an invuln, but putting him in cover will improve his survivability dramatically.

This is part of why wyches work so well with Haemonculi. It's very difficult to kill them efficiently. If they've got FNP, that's an extra 4+ save you've got to go through. You could use AP2 or S6 weaponry to kill them, but that's not very efficient when you've still got to deal with a further 4+ invuln or cover save. The only practical way to deal with them is flamers (unless your opponent politely leaves them out of cover for you...)

You can also go about this in the opposite way. Sticking wracks in cover gives you a remarkably durable unit. I'd go so far as to call them the 2nd or 3rd best objective camper in the game, by point-value.

Interestingly, you can also accomplish this by diversified unit types. Beastmasters are a spectacular example.