Looking for a HQ choice...

So, having stunned everyone with my Coteaz Inquisitorial force at a recent tournament and publicly denounced Terminator and Power Armour; I'm trying to put together something in my GK force that no one would expect.

I have a 305 point Dreadknight to add that OMFG element. However, I'm really struggling to work out what to use as a HQ - I really love Coteaz, but he wouldn't really fit into the build. I have Stern, I have a Librarian, I have a few other choices, but I was wondering what people would recommend

My heart really says 'Take a Grand Master, that will make the DK a scporing unit' but having tinkered with potential lists, that's one heck of a lot of points in 2 models...

So, my brothers, who or what would you run as a HQ choice for this potential force? I'm looking around 1000 points and want it to be fun to play...

if your heart tells you to go grandmaster. then do it.

the grandmaster is overall a nice unit and not only are scoring NDK great but scouting ones aswell. especially with 12" scout move.

Souba wrote:if your heart tells you to go grandmaster. then do it.

the grandmaster is overall a nice unit and not only are scoring NDK great but scouting ones aswell. especially with 12" scout move.

+1
You have already made a huge commitment with the NDK so why not make it even more fearsome!

+2 lol

A GM might be a little too much points for a 1000pt list, but I'm more for synergy b/w units. I've always believed looked at my list as a whole--looking for that "greater than the sum of its part aspect." So, if you feel like using a GM, go for it. He is one of the best HQ choices we have (of course not the cheapest) but he brings so much to your list as a whole

I guess I should get one ordered then - I'm right in thinking they only do Draigo as an official GM?

Officially yeah, the only grandmaster model is Draigo. However it is easy to build your own using either:

The brother-captain stern model
The standard brother captain model
A bog-standard GK terminator model

I converted the finecast standard brother-captain model (preferred him over Stern):





A few notes:

1) Couldn't find a more recent picture unfortunately but this illustrates what you can do, this guy is completed and such but I don't have a picture of him in the state he is now to show you >.<
2) I completely replaced his stormbolter arm with a standard GK terminator arm with an incinerator
3) The original halberd broke but I wasn't going to use it anyway, I snipped the remains off and canabilized the nicer looking GK terminator force sword (the one with the =I= decor on it) and attached the hilt and blade to the finecast gauntlet as I wanted to keep the markings on it rather than use a plain terminator hand.
4) I used a Chaos terminator lord cape on the model, I personally prefer the look of it against Stern's cape AND my GM can have a cape-off with Coteaz with this one, just saying...

Also yes, I'm controversial and use the blue glaze to shade the models, I feel it gives them a healthy blue glow which screams out "PSYKER!!!" to me

I'm liking it a lot, and am definately looking at giving my guy a heavy weapon - although I'm thinking of running a psycannon on mine - maybe put him in a Purgation squad

I like it, I've seen people do similar by pairing up with a 5-man paladin squad with two psycannons, etc.

Personally I'd probably have him rocking up with a purifier squad with psycannons instead as he's a bit of a beast in CC too so they seem to go hand-in-hand quite nicely (I currently do that but with incinerators instead of psycannons hence my GM build... I call it, the pyro-bomb).

Ah, but with a Purgation, you can have Astral aim (it affects attached characters) so you can have 4 psycannons, plus a GM with a Psycannon for 5 shots where you don't need LOS.

I'm actually thinking of rocking a Purgation squad with 2 psilencers, 2 psycannons and a GM with a psycannon...plus a Justicar - gives them a nice rounded build to tackle most stuff

Ah...I can't fit them in a razorback, can I? - Terminator armour!

Curses!

What about using the purgation squad as a gunline unit and sit them behind an aegis defence line with the GM rather than putting them in a razorback? The Justicar can use the quadgun while the rest of the purge squad + the GM open fire with their psycannons, that would be lethal (but not at all mobile).

A very good suggestion - now I just need to work out what troop choices to take - I'm thinking a Terminator squad with Thrawn and maybe a strike squad

How many points have you got left?

I'm at 305 for the DK, 255 for the GM, Purgation would leave me at 180

Terminator squad would be 300 and Aegis Defence Line would be 100

I think I may need to drop the Dreadknight in a 1000 point force

FWIW, if your're running low on points a good Inquisition Henchmen force is a great way to have scoring bodies and a lot of dakka, as well as support for your heavy hitters.

Yeah, I think you are going to be struggle to fit everything you want into 1000 points. What do you really want to fit in and what would you be prepared to lose?

I normally run Inquisitorial - but I want to pop something on the table to surprise people

I have a list drawn up

GM with Psycannon, Rad Grenades, Psychotroke Grenades and halberd (255 points)

Grey Knight Terminators with Psycannon and Justicar Thrawn (300 points)

Strike Squad with Psilencer (100 points)

Purgation Squad with 2 Psycannon and 2 Psilencers (160 points)

Aegis Defence Line with Quad Gun (100 points)

Razorback with heavy bolters and psybolt ammo (50 points)

This leaves me with 45 points to spend, unless anyone can suggest where to trim some fat?

Ok, is the GM bunkering up with the purgation squad in the defense line still? It looks like your GM is kitted out for both shooting and assaulting and which I think is a waste of points if he's sitting behind the defense line, makes more sense to have him attached to your terminator squad instead in my opinion.

Also, the GM is a high initiative guy anyway, he's usually going to be attacking first, I think you'd be better off taking a nemesis force sword to improve his invun save to a 3+ rather than buffing his already high initiative. I'll leave that one to you though, you might be facing up against high initiative armies regularly where you might need it over the improved invun save.

Also, a thought to consider, if you take a normal Justicar rather than Thawn, that will mean you have 120 points to play with rather than 45 so you could have a second strike squad for example. I'm not going to deny Thawn would be cool addition to your terminator squad but he is expensive, you could take a 5 man paladin squad instead of the terminator squad for the points (though legally you can't due to the fact you'd only have one troop choice in that case).

EDIT: Missed my sum up

One thing you could do to wrap up the list could be:

1) Swap your terminator squad for a paladin squad with 2 psycannons (+15 points)
2) Swap your GM for Draigo (+20 points)
3) Daemonhammer upgrade in your strike squad for the last 10 points? I know you are keen to use your psilencers so potentially adding a daemonhammer just in case you need to throw the squad at a vehicle might be a good compromise.

The force sword might be a better choice, and means less converting - dropping Thrawn might aslso be a good idea, I have a model converted to be Thrawn, but I can say 'he's just a normal Justicar' - which would mean I could take an interceptor squad, I think - faster movcing and with the GM, they would be scoring too

True true, the interceptors could be useful with their shunt

Also, as I added in my edit above which I'm not sure you will have seen as you posted before I finished the edit an alternative idea could be to take Draigo and take your terminators as paladins. Completely up to you, I think you might be right with taking the interceptors

I think I will tinker with the list as I have it currently, drop Thrawn, maybe shave a few points off the GM as well, to give me an Interceptor squad - which are best - Rad Grenades or Psychotroke? If I drop one of those from the GM, I can get the Interceptors

I'd be inclined to say the rad grenades as you can rely on its results. Rad will always reduce your opponent(s) down to T1 making them much easier to wound and insta-death in the case of multi-wound models whereas psychotroke depends on the roll of a dice to work out the results... some of the results are okay, some are awesome, it's just the uncertainty I don't like about them but I've never really tried them out myself so that may account for some bias against them

+1 w/ Omenos. If you have to keep one, keep the rad grenades--will always work on the first turn of assault (yours or your opponent's).

Psychotroke is good and fun, but only if you have points to spare.

Insta-kills on Celestine....niiiiice!