Dark Eldar Royalty!

This was one of the first army concepts I had with the new codex. The Duke and The Baron have a lot of synergy in my opinion, and really the only downside to taking them both is the loss of Haemonculi and Wracks. So, I decided I'd come back to them, with a few changes from before.

I have to admit, I was inspired quite a bit by Mushkilla's batreps and his use of Reavers. I've always used at least one unit, but never really abused them in 5th the way you can in 6th. I only have 18 give or take (half old, half new), but I think this could still be viable, and I plan on using them in a similar fashion to those found in the aforementioned batreps.

HQ
Duke Sliscus - 150 points
Baron Sathonyx - 105 points

Troops
15 Hellions - 240 points
9 Warriors - 81 points
*Raider, Enhanced Aethersails, Nightshields, Splinter Racks - 85 points
8 Wyches, Hekatrix, Venom Blade, Haywire Grenades, Phantasm Grenade Launcher - 121 points
*Raider, Enhanced Aethersails, Nightshields - 75 points
8 Wyches, Hekatrix, Venom Blade, Haywire Grenades, Phantasm Grenade Launcher - 121 points
*Raider, Enhanced Aethersails, Nightshields - 75 points

Fast Attack
9 Reavers, 3 Heat Lances, Arena Champion, Venom Blade - 249 points
9 Reavers, 3 Heat Lances, Arena Champion, Venom Blade - 249 points
5 Scourges, 2 Haywire Blasters - 130 points

Heavy Support
Voidraven Bomber, Night Shields, 4 Shatterfield Missiles - 195 points
Ravager, Nightshields, Enhanced Aethersails - 120

Total:1996

Duke goes with Warriors and Baron with Hellions (obviously). Duke makes that unit a bit more dangerous, but mostly gives me a better chance of getting FNP on 5 of my 6 non-vehicle units (free drugs for EVERYONE!). Every unit has just enough anti-tank to make them viable, while being mostly anti-infantry, with the exception of the Ravager and to a degree the Hellions. The Ravager honestly as more of a last minute addition, mainly because I've got one painted up and want to make use of it.

I feel as though there are a lot of hard to kill threats in this army that will make it difficult for my opponent to prioritize. Does he take out the large 3+ cover FNP units (there are three of them, after all)? The aircraft (assuming a lack of AA)? The 10-man squad in the Raider that's really just an annoyance more than anything?

I should also say that, while 6th is new of course and there is a lot of inevitable change coming in the local meta, everyone and their dog favors multiple tanks as before and/or gunline armies with ADLs. A lot of static armies that shoot, hence the large focus on movement and anti-tank.

Possible changes I'm considering:
1. Make the Ravager use Dissies - improves the AI and still keeps an option for AT against some targets.
2. Drop the Scourges for a cheap troop. This is big, as there are only 4 troops, and there are a lot of objectives out there.
3. Switch the Voidraven for a Razorwing to provide an extra 20 points for upgrades (most likely Helliarch and equipment).
4. Drop the Duke, and the Warrior squad, for multiple Haemonculi and Wracks to improve scoring options (and guarantee FNP for some units).
5. Take out the Scourges and Ravager, and destroy my wallet (and marriage, and children's future) by buying 9 more Reavers and equiping them similarly.

Thoughts?

Also, a rules question:

You are supposed to use the base supplied with a model when you assemble them (at least, this was a rule in the past). As I have old AND new Reavers, does this mean my old ones need to stay on their large bases? I'd really like to put the small bases on them for normality, although I'm not sure if they are light enough for that anyway.

no, you can change them to the modern flight stand. i don't think anyone is going to call you out on it.

Hey! I like your list! The only big concern I have about it is the survivability of large blobs of hellions. The biggest problem I see is the reduction in cover and, more importantly, no longer being able to put 50% in cover andhave them all get a cover save. I see you getting maybe 10 of the 16 models in the unit in cover and the other 5 or so getting gunned down very quickly, but this is all musings on my part since I have never used hellions myself. 345 points for one unit that's not a deathstar is too much for my tastes
I would suggest dropping them and the baron for some wracks in a raider and some haemys to ride with the wyches, or maybe shave some more points off from somewhere else (maybe trim the sails and change the bomber to a fighter?) and just grab another ravenger, one haermy and a raider of wracks?

Also it could be a good idea to switch the wych raiders dlance to dissys to help pop the bubble wrap around parking lots before charging in with the wyches and it gives you some ap2 shots.
6 heat lances 2 haywireblasters 2 voidlances 4 dlances and more haywire g's than you can shake a stick at should be enough at particularly if you add another ravenger to make it 7dl shots.

First off, let me start by saying this is an awesome list! I really like the concept. For a while I have been considering how to best run hellions with reavers. So a few suggestions.

1) Now the problem Bibitybopitybacon mentioned about cover being generally reduced to (5+), and not being able to give the whole unit cover by having 50% in cover I believe can be solved in two ways:

Deepstrike the large blob of hellions. Deepstrike on the whole is a lot more forgiving (only 1/6 missahaps result in the removal of the unit), reserve rolls are now on a 3+, and you can take armour saves against dangerous terrain. This combined with the barons ability to re-roll dangerous terrain tests can make deepstrike a lot more reliable. You would then bladevane the reavers in at the same time ensuring that the hellions get the kill (to get their first or second pain token).

The other option is to screen the hellions with the reavers, You would probably have to use bother reaver squads as that would let you position them in such a way as to keep the lances safe. The reavers will give the hellions a 4+ cover save (screening unit + stealth), which will make them a lot more survivable and play havoc with target priority.

2) I would consider giving the hellions a stunclaw. This will let you fish out an IC and hit and run somewhere else whilst remaining safe from shooting, more importantly though: Moral Support (page 65 of the BRB) for every five models that can't fight because of a challenge your "challenger" get's a re-roll, and re-rollable shadow-field saves are awesome!

3) The warrior squad should have a 10th man, a splinter cannon that wounds on a 3+ is awesome and helps you get more out of the duke. If you start the warriors with the duke out of their raider, he can leave them and join a combat unit (most likely wyches) in their raider. Done properly you will not be sacrificing any movement on your first turn. The only caveat is that the warrior squad is on foot so needs to start somewhere safe, preferably behind line of sight blocking cover.

4) Random tuning: I would swap the night shields on the void raven for a flicker field (5++ save mean you never have to use the evade manoeuvre). I feel the void raven is over-costed, if you want missiles get a razorwing (razorwing shattershard, and lances is a reasonable multi roll aircraft). The aether sale isn't needed on the warrior raider or the ravager. The night shields at least on the wyche raiders are not really needed (I plan on dropping mine).

Hope that helps

Thanks for the replies! I've done a few calibrations from what you've said, as well as some considerations from dakka (thought I'd ask there to see how different the responses were).

First, forgive me for my mistake on the cover. As always with new rules, a few things fall through the cracks. I'm so used to my 3+ cover Hellions. We do play with a lot of 4+ area terrain here, so that should help, but otherwise you are correct that it isn't as easy as before thanks to focus fire.

Also, Mush, deepstriking Hellions was a regular routine of mine in 5th edition (probably 35-45%), so you can be certain I will be using it a lot this time around! I think across all the times I deepstruck with them I only lost 2 models to dangerous terrain. I even deepstruck non-Baron squads on occassion.

Changes are marked with red, and I clarified the weaponry of the vehicles (disintegrators on Raiders, Dark Lances on Heavy Support). I also removed points because, with teh changes we run into the dangerous zone of giving out too much information, and we all should have the codex anyway, if we don't have points memorized by now.

HQ
Duke Sliscus
Baron Sathonyx

Troops
15 Hellions +Helliarch, Stunclaw
9 Warriors, +1 Warrior, Splinter Cannon
*Raider, Enhanced Aethersails, Nightshields, Splinter Racks, Disintegrator
8 Wyches, Hekatrix, Venom Blade, Agoniser, Haywire Grenades, Phantasm Grenade Launcher
*Raider, Enhanced Aethersails, Nightshields, Disintegrator
8 Wyches, Hekatrix, Venom Blade, Agoniser, Haywire Grenades, Phantasm Grenade Launcher
*Raider, Enhanced Aethersails, Nightshields, Disintegrator

Fast Attack
9 Reavers, 3 Heat Lances, Arena Champion, Venom Blade
9 Reavers, 3 Heat Lances, Arena Champion, Venom Blade
5 Scourges, 2 Haywire Blasters

Heavy Support
Voidraven Bomber, Night Shields, 4 Shatterfield Missiles
Ravager, Nightshields, 3 Dark Lances, Enhanced Aethersails
Razorwing Jetfighter, 2 Dark Lances, Monoscythe Missiles, Flicker Field

Total: 2000

The Agonisers were the last addition, because I had 30 points left over and no other options jumped out at me. Given the generally high number of Marines I face, this made sense to me. I never took off the Night Shields on the Wych Raiders, though, for protection the first turn, as it isn't always reliable to have ample LOS blocking terrain locally. If I dropped them, and switched back to Venoms, I would have 50 points which... isn't a lot to work with given the current makeup of the list.

somerandomdude wrote:

The Agonisers were the last addition, because I had 30 points left over and no other options jumped out at me. Given the generally high number of Marines I face, this made sense to me. I never took off the Night Shields on the Wych Raiders, though, for protection the first turn, as it isn't always reliable to have ample LOS blocking terrain locally. If I dropped them, and switched back to Venoms, I would have 50 points which... isn't a lot to work with given the current makeup of the list.

Seems like a solid list. Good reasoning behind the night shields especially for that turn 1 protection. Looking forward to hearing how it plays.

Decided I'd follow Mushkilla's advice from another thread and put together a list that uses three squads of six Reavers.

HQ
Duke Sliscus
Baron Sathonyx

Troops
12 Hellions, Helliarch, Stunclaw
10 Warriors, Splinter Cannon
*Raider, Splinter Racks, Disintegrator
8 Wyches, Hekatrix, Venom Blade, Haywire Grenades, Phantasm Grenade Launcher
*Raider, Enhanced Aethersails, Nightshields, Disintegrator
8 Wyches, Hekatrix, Venom Blade, Haywire Grenades, Phantasm Grenade Launcher
*Raider, Enhanced Aethersails, Nightshields, Disintegrator
5 Wyches, Haywire Grenades
*Venom

Fast Attack
6 Reavers, 2 Heat Lances, 2 Cluster Caltrops
6 Reavers, 2 Heat Lances, 2 Cluster Caltrops
6 Reavers, 2 Heat Lances, 2 Cluster Caltrops

Heavy Support
Ravager, Nightshields, 3 Dark Lances, Enhanced Aethersails
Razorwing Jetfighter, 2 Dark Lances, Monoscythe Missiles, Flicker Field

Dropped the Arena Champions because, with the smaller squads, I'm going to make sure they stay out of combat much more often. Dropping the Scoruges got me an extra troop and only slightly less potent AI, and potentially more potent AT. Add the Cluster Caltrops because, with the loss of three bikes per squad, I needed something to give them a bit more punch when they Bladevane.

What do you think? I'll try both lists when I get the chance, but I think they'll both be pretty fun.

somerandomdude wrote:

Add the Cluster Caltrops because, with the loss of three bikes per squad, I needed something to give them a bit more punch when they Bladevane.

What do you think? I'll try both lists when I get the chance, but I think they'll both be pretty fun.

The problem with caltrops on 6 man squads is for 38pts per squad you get three extra reavers and an extra lance. Six reavers with two clatrops on average do 9.8 wounds against T4, nine reavers wihtout caltrops do 9 wounds against T4. So it puts you in a weird position. If you don't take the caltrops, you will still get good AI as you still have 18 reavers, so I don't think that caltrops are necessary. Also for 120pts spent on caltrops you could get another ravager with NS (maybe a dissie ravager if you feel you have too much AT).

Hope that helps.