[Toastern]

The Night Lords 3rd ed. hibernators

Note: Revised list in post #8.

Hello everyone, I'm interested in picking up the hobby again after 5 years or so and there's a 1750 pts tournament coming up in town in about a month. I have around 2000 pts worth of models in total but I seem to be having problems putting together a well-balanced army above 1500 pts or so. They're all painted as Night Lords (because they're cool!) but I always played them as generic CSM back with the 3.5 ed Codex as well so that's nothing new to me.

Here's the best list I've come up with so far, it's almost WYSIWYG, but I don't think the tournament has strict requirements for it. Only difference is the two power fists which aren't visible on the models, and two models with plasma pistols that I don't count.

HQ

Chaos Lord: 145 pts
- Terminator Armour
- Lightning Claw
- Combi-melta
- Mark of Khorne

Chaos Sorcerer: 125 pts
- Mark of Slaanesh
- Lash of Submission

TROOPS

10 Khorne Berzerkers: 250 pts
- Skull Champion
- Power Weapon
- Meltabombs
- Personal Icon
- (ride in Land Raider)

10 Chaos Space Marines: 205 pts
- Aspiring Champion
- Power Weapon
- IoCG
- Missile Launcher
- Flamer

9 Chaos Space Marines: 230 pts
- Aspiring Champion
- Power Fist
- IoCG
- Meltagun
- Rhino (ride with the Sorcerer)

FAST ATTACK

5 Chaos Bikers: 255 pts
- Biker Champion
- Power Fist
- Icon of Nurgle

HEAVY SUPPORT

Chaos Land Raider: 235 pts
- Extra Armour

2 Obliterators: 150 pts

5 Chaos Havocs: 155 pts
- IoCG
- Lascannon
- Lascannon

Army Total: 1750 pts

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Tactics would be to guard objective with 10 man CSM squad (have weapons against all kinds of enemies), Havocs in the back and Oblitzs somewhere smart. Tie up big gun infantry with bikes, hit them where it hurts with the Raider/Zerkers and drive the Rhino with the CSMs and Sorc to objective. Deep Strike the Lord where he's needed.

Is that sane?


Some notes:
I only have one Rhino (durr!)

My only leftovers in my painted force is about 10 Chaos Marines (1 heavy bolter, 2 plasma guns), 3 Berzerkers (2 plasma pistols, 1 on Juggernaut) and a Terminator.

I will probably not paint any more models before the tournament but if I do I have these lying around:

• Defiler
• Abaddon
• 6-7 Terminators
• 5 Raptors
• 8 CSM (box with the "new" design)

Feedback is very appreciated!

 

[Syko515]

Chaos Lord: 145 pts
- Terminator Armour
- Lightning Claw
- Combi-melta
- Mark of Khorne

this is interesting. i like lords for their fluffy value and their uber killyness if built right. this guy wants a second lightning claw though. i'd ditch the combi-melta and just stick him in a unit with anti-tank capabilities. OR plop him in the landraider with 8 of the Khorne berzerkers for one hell of a nasty unit.

Chaos Sorcerer: 125 pts
- Mark of Slaanesh
- Lash of Submission

yes, just yes. this guy is the cheapest most cost effective nastiness in the codex. i personally like him for exactly what you plan to do with him.

10 Khorne Berzerkers: 250 pts
- Skull Champion
- Power Weapon
- Meltabombs
- Personal Icon
- (ride in Land Raider)

i would ditch the icon and meltabombs to upgrade the skull champs weapon to a fist. i would also do as stated earlier and drop 2 to stick the lord with these guys.

10 Chaos Space Marines: 205 pts
- Aspiring Champion
- Power Weapon
- IoCG
- Missile Launcher
- Flamer

here i would probably drop everything except the icon and the missle launcher. these guys are going to be sitting back holding objectives and blasting off that launcher, for the most part the power weapon, champ, and flamer should be dead weight. best to conserve points for something else later.

9 Chaos Space Marines: 230 pts
- Aspiring Champion
- Power Fist
- IoCG
- Meltagun
- Rhino (ride with the Sorcerer)

excellent no changes.

5 Chaos Bikers: 255 pts
- Biker Champion
- Power Fist
- Icon of Nurgle

these are uber expensive, but tend to do their job great. i would almost drop the icon of nurgle for an icon of glory and pair of melta guns.

Chaos Land Raider: 235 pts
- Extra Armour

perfection

2 Obliterators: 150 pts

again perfection.

5 Chaos Havocs: 155
- IoCG
- Lascannon
- Lascannon

first, i would perfer a second unit of two oblits for their versitility, that said, i would drop the lascannons for missle launchers. their cheaper and can be used agenst tanks and infantry.

honestly i wish you had some more rhinos, but since you don't i'd take the 132 points from the changes i made and add in a cheap 5 man chosen unit with an icon and two plasma guns. that whay you have a sneaky out flanker that can take on terminators, MC's, light tanks, and even infantry with their firepower.

 

[Toastern]

Thank you for the comments, much appreciated!

About the Lord and the 'zerkers: I was thinking about 8 Zerkers+Lord in the LR, but figured that 2 more models would really improve their longevity if I use them against the meanest units in the enemy force. It also feels like 5 attacks on the charge with S5 I5 could be at least as useful against most infantry as 4 attacks with S9 I1 for the Skull Champ?

I figured DS'ing the Lord could be really useful as I could either bring him in amidst enemy lines and Melta a vehicle, or defensively if the enemy is charging my end of the board. I guess the melta is a bit more useful if I plan to DS him, and pair of claws better if he charges right outta a LR?

Dropping equipment and Champ in the defensive squad sounds like a good idea, I think I'll do that.

Bikes: Downgrade Icon for two meltas also sounds good, maybe even drop a bike to free up point elsewhere, now that they don't have to carry as big a collective cost for the Icon?

Havocs: Don't really have more MLs I'm afraid (don't want to ignore WYSIWYG to the extent that the two models' only piece of special wargear is something completely different), and I'm really used to having lots of Lascannons around to snipe TEQs as well as vehicles I too would've liked 2 more Oblits for this spot, will get some more at some point in the future.

If I were to be a bit bone-headed and keep the Lord, Zerkers and Havocs as they are, follow your other suggestions and drop a bike I'd have 88 pts left over, so drop either Personal Icon or Meltabombs from the Skull Champ and I can at least have another 5 CSM with a Plasma gun, could be useful for light fire support and scoring, I guess?

 

[Syko515]

well, to the first stand alone section, the reason for the fist is for those rare instances that you need to assault a tank, or MC, or maybe your opponent assaults you with a walker. if that happens you'll pretty much be screwed. the fist hits alot more reliably then a melta bomb and will end up doing more damage.

to the second, DSing the lord alone would be a death sentance. not only will he get lit up and die, but theres no garuntee that 1 melta round will do anything. keeping him back in the berzerker squad in the land raider will ensure he hits home and gets to see combat where he should be a bit more survivable. try to keep him out of base 2 base with anything with a fist and he's golden.{ by this i mean when doing model placement when you assault. as he's an IC he counts as a seperate unit in close combat unfortunatly, and the fist could pick him out if their bases are touching.] also the added lightning claw gives him an additional +1 to attacks thanks to it being a second CC weapon.

as for the bikers? i probably would keep them at about 5 guys so you have some cushion between your specail weapons. just go tank hunting.

if you did do as you say and keep things mostly the way they are, you couldn't get that 5 man CSM unit with a plasma because that will run you 90 points.

 

[Toastern]

It's true what you say about the Lord and Berzerkers, I probably could fix him up another LC and give the Combi-melta to a Termicide squad when I build one Lord with pair of LCs, Skull Champ with PF and 7 more 'zerkers in an assault does sound tasty.

On that note, should I separate him from the Berzerkers when they disembark so they can Sweeping advance if/when they win in CC?

(And should I ever separate the Sorcerer from his squad in order to Lash another unit after they get out of the Rhino?)

 

[Syko515]

my immediate answer to both is no. but thats because instant death has me gun shy.

for the lord? maybe but i do not know if it'll be nessicary. your looking at 6 attacks on the charge usually hitting on 3's, power weaponed that reroll to wound. plus another 4 attacks on the charge that are str 9 power weapons. i don't forsee the need to sweep when the unit probably will just die out right, and if it doesn't you'll be left with them fleeing for their lives with no hope of recovering before they run off the board.

as the sorcerer goes? he needs the safety net. i wouldn't seperate them unless you disembark ONLY the squad and leave him hiding in the rhino to lash out the top. even then i'd still be wary of it.

 

[Yochanan]

Like Syko515 said earlier, I too would drop the Havocs. They are good, but I wouldn't run both them and Obliterators in a list this size. I would much rather run 3 squads of 2 obliterators for a competitive list. A squad or two of Plague Marines are always good with Berzerkers. They can take a beating on objectives.

Best of luck at the tourney!

 

[Toastern]

Thank you for your comments Yochanan, but unfortunately I don't have the models for either Plague Marines or more Obliterators right now. But I've come up with a revised army list that only takes some slight modifications to what I have to be WYSIWYG:

HQ

Chaos Lord: 140 pts
- Terminator Armour
- Pair of Lightning Claws
- Mark of Khorne
- (rides in Land Raider)

Chaos Sorcerer: 125 pts
- Mark of Slaanesh
- Lash of Submission
- (rides in Rhino)

TROOPS

8 Khorne Berzerkers: 208 pts
- Skull Champion
- Power Fist
- (ride in Land Raider)

10 Chaos Space Marines: 170 pts
- IoCG
- Missile Launcher

9 Chaos Space Marines: 230 pts
- Aspiring Champion
- Power Fist
- IoCG
- Meltagun
- Rhino (ride with the Sorcerer)

5 Chaos Space Marines: 100 pts
- IoCG
- Plasma Gun

FAST ATTACK

5 Chaos Bikers: 235 pts
- Biker Champion
- Power Fist
- IoCG
- Meltagun
- Meltagun

HEAVY SUPPORT

Chaos Land Raider: 235 pts
- Extra Armour

2 Obliterators: 150 pts

5 Chaos Havocs: 155 pts
- IoCG
- Lascannon
- Lascannon


Army Total: 1748 pts


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A pretty important question, I realized: Who do you put the Icons on? If the Icon dude always has to take separate saving throws because his equipment is different (even if he's just armed with the basics otherwise) you may as well put it on a Champion or special weapon guy since you want to keep them alive the longest anyway?

 

[Syko515]

correct, i'd plup the icon on one of the special weapons guys, because the champ is usually pretty expensive on his own anyways. this list looks alot better, deffinatly a better rounded force.

as for plague marines and the like. i use a word bearers army, all generic CSM's painted up like word bearers but i use plague marine stats since there is mostly no differance in war gear and models. just for future gaming ideas.