Joy to the world, the teacher's dead - and Grey Knights (pronounced kuh-nites) get access to the StormRaven too! Oh, and they happen to be somewhat familiar with the concept of assaulty Terminators too. Huh.
Well, isn't that just neat.
Sadly, the GK have a SERIOUS handicap we need to address before we begin.
They have few really stand-out ranged anti-tank options.
There, I said it. Now, they have some truly magnificent pieces of kit (Psyfleman, Vindicare, Jokaero, PsyBack, Purifiers) but they also have a bunch of stuff that is simply expensive (practically everything but Warrior Acolytes, Crusaders and Coteaz) and/or inefficient at filling this role (Servitors, Land Raiders, Strike Squads, Purgations [kinda], Dreadknight, Stormraven, Techmarine, Inquisitors, Grand Masters, Karamazov)
With the Raven very clearly falling into the 'bad at anti-tank, certainly beyond 12" away (after movement)' category, we need to work around this, and this essentially prohibits us from taking Paladins. 5x Paladins, no Apoth, 2 Halberd, 1 Hammer, 1 Falchion, 2 Psycannon = 320 points. FAR from cheap, and I suffered from points issues before, when the Bloodstrike Missiles (of Blood!) provided much needed relief by popping Transports on T1.
Let's begin at the beginning, we're lovers and we're losers, Heroes and we're pioneers...no, hang on...Fire Support. Yes, that.
Triple Psyfleman to start! :)
Dreadnought:
TLAutocannon, TLAutocannon, PsyBolt Ammunition - 135
Dreadnought:
TLAutocannon, TLAutocannon, PsyBolt Ammunition - 135
Dreadnought:
TLAutocannon, TLAutocannon, PsyBolt Ammunition - 135
Next we require the actual Ravens themselves, or else the list kinda doesn't work.
Stormraven:
- We have two ways to go with this. We either tool it up fully anti-Infantry, and make it a terrifying-but-just-as-fragile platform, or we split it by going for anti-tank options, kinda just hoping for the best. Let's do the latter.
Multi-Melta, TLAssCan
No, we aren't going for the TLLas, and here's why.
The Stormraven is a delivery system. It would have, at 25" away, ONE shot, that, while Twin-Linked, would bounce off anything in cover, anything with AV13+ and anything that wasn't Open-Topped, because it isn't AP1. There is no way it can realistically do much more than that...so why take a weapon best suited to that distance from the foe? Now, we plumped for Hurricanes iirc in the BA variant - this time we won't. If we take them, we want Psybolts, because we can. If we do that, they cost 50 points extra, for 2 Heavy Bolters at 24". Fuck that shit.
Taking this layout then, we are paying a 'mere' 205 points for the unit. Let's have two.
So far then we've spent 815 on 5 models with AV12. Hrmm.
Now, we need an HQ, and a Libby for Shrouding is fairly mandatory, no?
Librarian:
MoT, Shrouding, Rift, Quicksilver, Servo Skull - 175
Now we need our deliverees - let's try for Paladins, fuck it.
10 Paladins (Combat Squads, remember)
4 Psycannons, 3 Halberds, 3 Hammers, Stave, 2 Falchions - 660
SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTY POINTS!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!??????!!!
Huh. Maybe, just MAYBE this wont work too well. 990+660 = 1750. Without Troops.
Ok, delete the Paladins, they're just silly expensive.
Instead, let's go for:
5 Grey Knight Terminators:
Psycannon, 2 Hammers, 2 Halberds - 225
Let's have 2 of those. Same bodies, half the Psycannons, half the wounds, save 110 points. And they Score.
So, with 360 points left, let's look at what the list needs.
More ranged anti-tank. Impossible for the remaining points, at least in any great quantity.
More close combat support.
More anti-infantry, ideally some Flamers maybe?
More Scoring bodies, cos currently we're throwing away our TEN Troop models.
Well, we can do SOME of those easily.
For 120 points, we can have:
Grey Knight Strike Squad:
Psycannon, NDH - 120
And we can triple this unit up. Problem is, this unit is walking, with 5 AV12 targets also in the list, and no Transport of their own...but is this actually a bad thing for them?
They won't be getting shot for long, if at all - because the other elements of the army will deal with the things they can't, and they deal with the extra bodies the GKTs are maybe struggling with a little.
If you feel it necessary though, drop a Psyfleman, and use the 135 points to buy 3 Rhinos.
This also opens up the option of transporting the Psyflemen 'in' the Ravens, making the army fully Mech'd up when it's required.
If we do this, the final list:
Librarian:
MoT, Shrouding, Rift, Quicksilver, Servo Skull - 175
5 Grey Knight Terminators:
Psycannon, 2 Hammers, 2 Halberds - 225
5 Grey Knight Terminators:
Psycannon, 2 Hammers, 2 Halberds - 225
Grey Knight Strike Squad:
Psycannon, NDH, Rhino - 160
Grey Knight Strike Squad:
Psycannon, NDH, Rhino - 160
Grey Knight Strike Squad:
Psycannon, NDH, Rhino - 160
Stormraven:
Multi-Melta, TLAssCan - 205
Stormraven:
Multi-Melta, TLAssCan - 205
Dreadnought:
TLAutocannon, TLAutocannon, PsyBolt Ammunition - 135
Dreadnought:
TLAutocannon, TLAutocannon, PsyBolt Ammunition - 135
Thoughts?
6 comments:
Nice list, but you you don't need 4 scoring units. You have 1785 by your points here. If you are going to put your dreads in the raven, make at least 1 have a doomfist so you can have a str 10 dreadnought force CCW, and you might as well make your Terminator squad 1 unit and combat squad them if needed. Spend 20 points and give all 8 models str 5 storm bolters. Also you need at least 1 sword for that 4+ invol in close combat. Master craft 1 weapon or so for wound allocation and you are set.
Not bad. I would find a way to get a Grand Master in the list with Psychotroke's or Rads.
Some good thoughts. I would say that as this is almost exactly (well, GKSS instead of InqH w Psybacks) that I floated as a fun army to play with and to be mildly competitive:
http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=298518
I like this list a lot. It hits two things I want to use from the codex, namely the Stormravens and GKTs.
I have no idea how I managed to do that, and spend 215 below limit... :s
Thanks for pointing it out Spag!
A GKGM with Rads, Tropes, Incinerator and NFH is 215, so I shall go with that suggestion.
Combat Squadding an idea, but I can't afford the Psybolts, so it seems pointless tbh. :)
Thanks also Ian and Gornall - Ian, will check that list out now - though it means using a different browser so I don't get auto-locked out of Warseer! :P
I like your list, though mine the bodies are somewhat more resilient. I think either would work, mostly because the opponent is hard-pressed to concentrate much firepower on your backlines when there are two 3++ Ravens full of GKT in their face.
Your comments re GK's lack of ranged fire, especially anti-tank, are of course accurate - and you're right, Vindicares are S3+4d6 pen, with Rending on each d6 and AP1 - average roll then would be 17. Pretty impressive...I kinda wished I could get one in, but then I also wanted an Interceptor Squad...and maybe a Dreadknight...Purifiers are always good...etc etc...
Bit of a correction here: if you take Hurricanes, you actually DO NOT want Psybolts. S4 hurricanes are defensive weapons. S5 hurricanes are not, so that limits your ability to move and shoot.
Between the defensive weapon rule and the Power of the Machine spirit, a GK Stormraven can move 12" and shoot every last one of its weapons. The two main guns, the defensive hurricanes, and even the Mindstrike missiles. That ability, to me, is worth picking over S5 on the hurricanes. After all, if you buy fast vehicles, it must be to move them fast.
Mind, if you do get psybolts, with or without hurricanes, those TL-asscans become S7. Not too shabby as anti-tank firepower goes...
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