After reading the new 6th edition rulebook and Blood Angels FAQs a few times I've made a list of relevant buffs, changes and nerfs to the Blood Angels codex. I've put the location of the change in parenthesis after each list item.
I haven't addressed Allies or Fortifications in this list because I'll be talking about them in future posts. Also keep in mind, these conclusions come only from READING the new rules and not PLAYING with them with Blood Angels yet (I have played a few Dark Eldar games, but thats it). As usual, let me know if I missed anything relevent, its a big book and I'm sure I missed a few things. Also, let me know if you agree or disagree with some of my conclusions down in the comments.
Buffs:
1. Jump packs & dreadnoughts get hammer of wrath which gives an Initiative 10 attack at regular strength in a charge. (rules)
2. Jump packs can reroll assault rolls which are 2d6" now. (rules)
3. Snipers can Precision Shot on 6s, Sniper scouts may seem some use now. (rules)
4. Tactical Marines can Rapid Fire and still move. (rules)
5. Death company Rage is +2 attacks in charge, no more compulsory moves! (rules)
6. 2 Combat Squads split from the same unit can embark the same transport. (FAQ)
7. Fearless doesn't lose wounds in combat anymore. (rules)
8. Techmarines can repair hull points (except rhinos), immobilization and weapon destroyed results. (FAQ)
9. Power weapons (except Axes) are only AP3 now. Less AP2 means Terminators & Sanguinary Guard are more resilient (rules)
10. "And They Shall Know No Fear..." is immune to Fear. (rules)
11. Deep strike mishap only kills unit on a roll of a 1. (rules)
12. Reserves come in on 3+ and auto arrive on turn 4. (rules)
13. Stormraven/land speeders get 5+ jink save (4+ when moving flat out)
14. Look out sir can save Sargeants and Independent Characterss (4+ and 2+)
15. Heroic morale - Independent Characters with units let them roll to regroup as normal, even if below 25%. (rules)
16. Potential Night Fighting in every mission can help close combat armies. (rules)
17. Assault frag/krak grenades can be used in the Shooting Phase - 8" range, Strength 3, blast template (rules)
18. Sargeants/ICs get Precision shots/strikes and can allocate wounds on a To Hit roll of 6. (rules)
19. Fast vehicles can move 12" then flat out 12" for total of 24" movement in one turn. Question: Can you still pop smoke now when moving Flat Out? (rules)
20. Fast vehicles at cruising speed can fire 2 weapons at regular BS, Baal Predators can be very mobile gun platform. (rules)
21. Warlord traits can help. Here are a few that can help Blood Angels:
Command Traits: Coordinated Assault (+1" to charge)
Personal Traits: Master of Defense (gives Counter Attack to nearby units), Legendary Fighter (1 Victory Point for each
enemy character slain by your warlord), Immovable Object (warlord is scoring
unit)
Strategic Traits: Night Attacker (Night Fighting is automatic in Turn 1), Divide to Conquer (-1 enemy reserve rolls), Princeps of Deceit (You can do a limited redeployment with this trait)
22. Stormraven can only be hit on 6s if in Flyer mode (unless enemy is using Skyfire) and is more resilient now.
Neutral changes:
1. Assault range is 2d6" now... this can be good or bad. (rules)
2. Power swords are now power weapons and can be swords, axes, staves or mauls. I may have to change my Sanguinary Guard swords to Axes so they can deal with Terminators. Also I may run 100% Thunderhammer/Stormshields with my Assault Terminators now. (rules)
3. Rending adds further D3 to vehicle pen rolls of 6. (rules)
4. Feel no pain is 5+ save but only negated by Instant Death. It is now resistant to power weapons and plasma weapons. (rules)
Nerfs:
1. ICs that have red thirst can only join other red thirst units or Death Company (FAQs)
2. Furious charge now only boosts strength by 1+ with no more Initiative bonus (rules)
3. Disordered Charge - no charge bonus for multi assault, including Rage attacks. (rules)
4. Preferred Enemy is reroll any rolls of 1 To Hit and To Wound now. I run a Terminator Librarian with my Assault Terminators and let him use Unleash Rage (gives Preferred Enemy) and this is another reason to go all Thunderhammer/Stormshields from now on. (rules)
5. Psychic hood range only units within 6" of Librarian now. (rules)
6. Overwatch shooting can hurt assaulters in general especially against twinlinked units or Tesla Necron units. (rules)
7. Cannot assault the turn you disembark unless you have assault transpor. You can't even assault if the transport didn't move now! Weak. (rules)
So, what do you think? Did I miss anything that effects Blood Angels? Was I wrong with any of my conclusions? Let me know in the comments below.
A small but important detail: jump infantry gets to use their jump packs in the movement phase OR the assault phase. They can't use them in both. Which means they either:
ReplyDelete- Move 12", assault 2D6", no-reroll, no extra attacks
- Move 6", assault 2D6" with re-roll, 1 extra I10 AP- attack per model
Also, the bit about IC's having red thirst in the FAQ is confusing since... none of the BA's ICs have it. Maybe they mean that they automatically get it if they started the game in a unit that had it, but this would be new...
I would also put about some of our special charecters being hit with the new AP vaules on weapons charecters like meph and sang cant even hurt termis no more as there AP3 now and Dante maybe hitting on I1 but its still a bit misty with him as im still not sure if his weapon is a special power weapon or not Tycho is seeming quite nice as his weapon ignores armour saves and will eat termis corb also seems nice as well using him as a bullet shield with his 2+ FNP.
ReplyDeleteSang guards weapons are just AP3 power weapons as they are unique power weapons with special rules.
Thanks for the clarifications guys. Just reread about the Jump Packs. Gonna have to reread the power weapons and special power weapons sections now. I was really hoping you had options with the Sanguinary guard seeing that you could model them with either swords or axes....
ReplyDeleteLooks like from reading the section on Power Weapons (p61), if the power weapon has any further special rules on it (ie. master crafted, shred etc) its just basic AP3 power weapon. Otherwise if the rules states is just a power weapon with no further special rules, you base it off how its modelled. So a generic power weapon can be an axe, sword, maul or lance. Correct? Is that how you guys read it?
ReplyDeleteThe sang guards weapons being ap3 power weapons ain't that bad because if you are looking for the extra strength from the power axes you can always take a fist for 10 points.
ReplyDeleteThat is correct mauls you will find on all your chaplains and the lances are for your grey knights the power mauls make me kinda sad only AP4 tho.
You also forgot to mention that you can swap the stormraven from flyer to hover mode allowing it to be used as a fast skimmer instead
Funny you should say that, just played my Stormraven for the first time in 6th and its plays a lot better now. It lasted the entire game (gasp!). We played the Relic mission with the long board deployment and 2nd turn it came in from reserves. I zoomed it about 20 inches fired 4 shots and then the next turn i Hovered and dropped off my Assault Terminators on the central objective. It just flew around afterwards alternating between zoom mode and hover mode once I destroyed most of his antimech. Neither of us got the central objective at the end (termies cant claim it) but they did keep everyone else away from it. Managed to win on secondary objectives, though.
ReplyDelete