Post by nekekami on Sept 21, 2011 11:59:29 GMT -5
Ahhh, the Dark Angels. First of the great Legions. Black-clad deliverers of the Emperor's Justice. The iconic Angels of Death.
The Dark Angels are one of the few individual chapters to have been around since the early days of the hobbies, and are still one of the few to get regular updates through all the iterations of the 40k game. We've seen them grow and evolve - as the game itself has - and with a plethora of fluff fiction in regards to both background and current, and a huge cult following, the Dark Angels still remain one of the most popular Chapters of the Astartes, that I hope will continue to see more and more support as we dawn into a new edition of the game.
Like the articles already here (and those still to come), I'm writing this based on my own perceptions, and when I do into detail about certain things, I will try to remain as neutral as I can, since this is based on the strengths of the Codex, and not necessarily how I personally, play it. If I wax poetic, I'll also try and remain as on-topic as I can (which we all know how I can wander off on tangents...). Anyway, lets get to business.
~~
Now, bear in mind that this is a 4th Edition of the Codex, and had a lot of the new and returning rules incorporated in the 5th Edition Space Marine Codex. But, until that happened, this was new-again territory for Astartes players.
Combat Squads.
Oh yes, we saw this rule make a comeback from the annuls of history. It allowed full-strength squads of several different Force Org choices be split into two equal-numbered units if desired, splitting special and heavy weapons as you chose, as well as the sergeant. Those squads with the rules were: Company Veterans, Scouts, Tactical squads, Assault squads, Ravenwing Attack Squadrons (with other options...) and Devastator squads. This was also a huge advantage before 5th edition, because standard scoring still used Victory points, as opposed to kill points, and each combat squad was only worth half of the unit's total points - as opposed to now counting as two separate kill points. This gave Dark Angel players a huge advantage in any attrition-based scenario with the ability to split or focus fire as needed, and not fear giving up an easy extra point.
Drop Pods.
Yep! Another awesome, new choice to add even more flexibility to an Astartes army! Giving Space Marines an easy way to drop squads right into the heart of an enemy army safely. You saw much in the way of podding Tactical Squads (even though they didn't have Drop Pod Assault yet), supported with Deathwing and Ravenwing, making the full Dark Angel line available to most players.
Fearless.
As a whole, we saw the death of our trademark USR, having all of our units lose Stubborn and Intractable. With that loss, our Tactical Squads were somewhat lessened (as there was no Chapter Tactics yet), but we saw a whole slew of units become Fearless. Characters, Terminators and every Ravenwing unit now would never run away. It meant learning a whole new style of play with a lot of choices, but ultimately for the better.
There's more, but I'll save that for their individual entries later on - and with that, let's see what we have!
~~
HQ
Company Masters ~
Our one-and-only tactical leader. That's right, no sissy Captains for us! Company Masters had Rites of Battle, a rule that's sorely missed in 5th for the overall leadership buff. Giving your entire army Leadership 10 for Morale, Pinning or other Leadership tests (yes, Leadership tests...), that weren't Psychic tests was a huge advantage for Tactical lines. Along with that, he was fearless, and so made his unit Fearless as well, giving you a solid rock to anchor your lines. If you had Tactical Marines, you had a Company Master, hands down. With a free Iron Halo (also a novelty at this time), and access to a great selection of weapons (Let's see. You can arm him with: A Plasma Pistol, Paired Lightning Claws, a Storm Bolter or Combi-Bolter and a Jump Pack, all at the same time) he was, and still is a great, Flexible choice to lead a force. Great primary choice for an army in either role, though he loses some effectiveness when mixed with too many Deathwing/Ravenwing, due to them all being Fearless.
Interrogator-Chaplains ~
The Iconic Dark Angels HQ, the Interrogator Chaplain strode through battles with his Death's Head mask and Bone coloured robes, seeking out the Heretical Fallen, while galvanizing the Sons of the Lion to great deeds. As always, he came equipped with his Crozius Arcanum (a power weapon) and his Rosarius (that 4++ save) as well as a bunch of other options for dealing death. A third wound made him a little beefier than non-Chapter Masters or their equivalents, and he had the option to take Terminator Armour, which Company Masters and Chaplains couldn't do. With him being Fearless and bringing the Litanies of Hate, you saw a new resurgence in loyalist assault choices with a Chaplain at their front, or a black-clad bringer of death in among the bone white Deathwing. Excellent choice for any style of Dark Angels army, due to being able to select any mode of transportation, or as a second choice for any style of army.
Chaplains ~
Regular Chaplains still saw some use, though most figured you might as well pay the extra 20 points for an Interrogator. But for saving those you could have him with a Jump Pack and still cost equal to their beefier cousins. Really only went with Assault Marines, but still a solid choice with all the same options as an Interrogator, minus the Terminator Armour.
Librarians ~
Not as common as they are in 5th, Librarians brought their Psychic Hoods into the game, and their always important Force Weapons. Dark Angel Librarians went back to having their own unique powers instead of the Codex powers in the Space Marine codex, and were hailed as the only non-terminator Librarians with an invulnerable save, which was taken as a Psychic test! A situational save, that could change a game if given the right chance. Along with Hellfire, a potentially brutal (Str 2d6-2, AP d6) template shooting attack, it saw a lot of use as a precursor to a Dark Angels assault. With the standard upgrades, and the ability to come with a Jump Pack, Bike or Terminator Armour, you could put one anywhere in the army. Good overall choice for a second HQ, or if you want to save points for smaller games.
Supreme Grand Master Azrael ~
The newest Supreme Grand Master made a comeback in 4th from his 3rd edition appearance. A great HQ stat line with an extra wound and attack, he did everything a Company Master does, and comes with all that awesome gear. Artificier Armour, and a 4++ he gave to any squad he joined from his legendary Lion Helm made him see play as a Support/Counter Assault role. His Sword of Secrets is a master-crafted Power Sword that hits at S6 and with 5 attacks on the charge, he could deal out some damage, and he carries a master-crafted combi-plasma gun meant he could fill a static position. The last big thing, was his ability to have a Command Squad bring along the Dark Angels Chapter Banner, which gave out that 12" bubble of rerolling failed Morale and Pinning tests - at leadership 10, thanks to his Rites of Battle - as well as giving the +1A for his unit.
Ezekiel, Grand Master of Librarians ~
Another returning favourite, who got a lot of changes, and some huge buffs. Standard HQ stats meant nothing super-special from him, but he was the only LD10 psyker you had, and along with both standard Dark Angel powers, he also had Mind Worm. It counted as a heavy shooting attack, so no assaulting or moving, but with it's effect of killing outright any single target he chose within 18" if they failed a leadership test, meant low-leadership, Fearless characters/monsters were dead when he came around. Along with that, we had Artificier Armour, Psychic Hood, master-crafted force Weapon and a master-crafted Bolt Pistol. His last thing was a disappointing change from his 3rd edition profile, was the Book of Secrets, but him making his unit, and any friendly unit inside 12" Fearless wasn't something to disregard. All of this for 170 points? If you wanted an awesome, cheap HQ, Ezekiel was your man for a second HQ, or as a great leader for smaller games.
Master Belial of the Deathwing ~
Alright, here we go now. I bet a lot of you said earlier "Hey, what about the Deathwing/Ravenwing coolness, you didn't mention that yet!", well, I said I would. Belial himself again, is a standard HQ choice, with average Master stats. Fearless, Rites of Battle and a master-crafted power sword wasn't too impressive.
BUT. And, you all know what's coming.
He allowed you to take Terminator squads as Troop. WHAT. OMGWTFBBQ IS THIS. Yep, One of the two biggest changes from 3rd edition for the Dark Angels, no longer were you restricted to what you could bring if you wanted to play a Deathwing army. You still had full access to your whole codex, with one big change. The theorycraft exploded with this, and more. And, since having Azrael able to bring the Chapter Banner was so cool, they let Belial do it as well, but with the Deathwing Company Banner, but instead of being a Company Banner, it acted like a Chapter Banner having all friendly units inside 12" reroll morale pinning (useless to Deathwing, as they're all Fearless now) but giving the +1A to it's unit. And that's not all! If you brought this guy, then one of those Terminator squads you made troop could be upgraded! You could have that unit have a Standard Bearer - that's right, no need for a Command Squad for your Banner - but you could also upgrade one Terminator to an Apothecary! Belial is the choice for a Deathwing Army, or if you're mixing Deathwing into a shared force org.
Master Sammael of the Ravenwing ~
Indeed, Belial's partner in crime. Sammael does everything Belial does for your Terminators, but for your Ravenwing Attack Squadrons. But, not to be outdone by a Terminator, Sammael busted out the big guns. He still had his Land Speeder, which instead of the 4++ save from his Shield of Night, now made his Speeder AV14 on the Front/Side. BS5 meant he brought the pain with the twin-linked Assault Cannon and twin-linked Heavy Bolter, he was anti-infantry at it's best - though he did lose his free sword attack, which meant he never needed to get close to anything anymore. However! The guys at GW thought they'd bring back even more Lore for us, and gave you the option to field Sammael on a fabled Astartes Jetbike - one of, if not the last Mark 14 jetbike in the Imperium. If you did this, Sammael (along with a super badass model) came with his own slew of stuff. An Adamantine Mantle (now extinct in codexes), Iron Halo, and his own master-crafted power sword, his Jetbike had a twin-linked Storm Bolter AND a Plasma-Cannon. Now Sammael too, had the ability to join up with one of his squads, and tour the battle as a true, Angel of Death. He is the choice for a Ravenwing Army, or if you wanted to support a list with a heavy mix of Ravenwing Attack Squadrons.
Command Squads ~
The venerable squads, you could bring one for each Independent Character in your army, free of force org, but otherwise was treated as a separate HQ selection. Five Fearless Vets was awesome enough for 105 points, but with a huge list of upgrades and weapons, and special upgrades based on the HQ units you brought, you could tailor them to be the perfect bodyguard for every character you have along. Good choice for the points, if you had them.
The Dark Angels are one of the few individual chapters to have been around since the early days of the hobbies, and are still one of the few to get regular updates through all the iterations of the 40k game. We've seen them grow and evolve - as the game itself has - and with a plethora of fluff fiction in regards to both background and current, and a huge cult following, the Dark Angels still remain one of the most popular Chapters of the Astartes, that I hope will continue to see more and more support as we dawn into a new edition of the game.
Like the articles already here (and those still to come), I'm writing this based on my own perceptions, and when I do into detail about certain things, I will try to remain as neutral as I can, since this is based on the strengths of the Codex, and not necessarily how I personally, play it. If I wax poetic, I'll also try and remain as on-topic as I can (which we all know how I can wander off on tangents...). Anyway, lets get to business.
~~
Now, bear in mind that this is a 4th Edition of the Codex, and had a lot of the new and returning rules incorporated in the 5th Edition Space Marine Codex. But, until that happened, this was new-again territory for Astartes players.
Combat Squads.
Oh yes, we saw this rule make a comeback from the annuls of history. It allowed full-strength squads of several different Force Org choices be split into two equal-numbered units if desired, splitting special and heavy weapons as you chose, as well as the sergeant. Those squads with the rules were: Company Veterans, Scouts, Tactical squads, Assault squads, Ravenwing Attack Squadrons (with other options...) and Devastator squads. This was also a huge advantage before 5th edition, because standard scoring still used Victory points, as opposed to kill points, and each combat squad was only worth half of the unit's total points - as opposed to now counting as two separate kill points. This gave Dark Angel players a huge advantage in any attrition-based scenario with the ability to split or focus fire as needed, and not fear giving up an easy extra point.
Drop Pods.
Yep! Another awesome, new choice to add even more flexibility to an Astartes army! Giving Space Marines an easy way to drop squads right into the heart of an enemy army safely. You saw much in the way of podding Tactical Squads (even though they didn't have Drop Pod Assault yet), supported with Deathwing and Ravenwing, making the full Dark Angel line available to most players.
Fearless.
As a whole, we saw the death of our trademark USR, having all of our units lose Stubborn and Intractable. With that loss, our Tactical Squads were somewhat lessened (as there was no Chapter Tactics yet), but we saw a whole slew of units become Fearless. Characters, Terminators and every Ravenwing unit now would never run away. It meant learning a whole new style of play with a lot of choices, but ultimately for the better.
There's more, but I'll save that for their individual entries later on - and with that, let's see what we have!
~~
HQ
Company Masters ~
Our one-and-only tactical leader. That's right, no sissy Captains for us! Company Masters had Rites of Battle, a rule that's sorely missed in 5th for the overall leadership buff. Giving your entire army Leadership 10 for Morale, Pinning or other Leadership tests (yes, Leadership tests...), that weren't Psychic tests was a huge advantage for Tactical lines. Along with that, he was fearless, and so made his unit Fearless as well, giving you a solid rock to anchor your lines. If you had Tactical Marines, you had a Company Master, hands down. With a free Iron Halo (also a novelty at this time), and access to a great selection of weapons (Let's see. You can arm him with: A Plasma Pistol, Paired Lightning Claws, a Storm Bolter or Combi-Bolter and a Jump Pack, all at the same time) he was, and still is a great, Flexible choice to lead a force. Great primary choice for an army in either role, though he loses some effectiveness when mixed with too many Deathwing/Ravenwing, due to them all being Fearless.
Interrogator-Chaplains ~
The Iconic Dark Angels HQ, the Interrogator Chaplain strode through battles with his Death's Head mask and Bone coloured robes, seeking out the Heretical Fallen, while galvanizing the Sons of the Lion to great deeds. As always, he came equipped with his Crozius Arcanum (a power weapon) and his Rosarius (that 4++ save) as well as a bunch of other options for dealing death. A third wound made him a little beefier than non-Chapter Masters or their equivalents, and he had the option to take Terminator Armour, which Company Masters and Chaplains couldn't do. With him being Fearless and bringing the Litanies of Hate, you saw a new resurgence in loyalist assault choices with a Chaplain at their front, or a black-clad bringer of death in among the bone white Deathwing. Excellent choice for any style of Dark Angels army, due to being able to select any mode of transportation, or as a second choice for any style of army.
Chaplains ~
Regular Chaplains still saw some use, though most figured you might as well pay the extra 20 points for an Interrogator. But for saving those you could have him with a Jump Pack and still cost equal to their beefier cousins. Really only went with Assault Marines, but still a solid choice with all the same options as an Interrogator, minus the Terminator Armour.
Librarians ~
Not as common as they are in 5th, Librarians brought their Psychic Hoods into the game, and their always important Force Weapons. Dark Angel Librarians went back to having their own unique powers instead of the Codex powers in the Space Marine codex, and were hailed as the only non-terminator Librarians with an invulnerable save, which was taken as a Psychic test! A situational save, that could change a game if given the right chance. Along with Hellfire, a potentially brutal (Str 2d6-2, AP d6) template shooting attack, it saw a lot of use as a precursor to a Dark Angels assault. With the standard upgrades, and the ability to come with a Jump Pack, Bike or Terminator Armour, you could put one anywhere in the army. Good overall choice for a second HQ, or if you want to save points for smaller games.
Supreme Grand Master Azrael ~
The newest Supreme Grand Master made a comeback in 4th from his 3rd edition appearance. A great HQ stat line with an extra wound and attack, he did everything a Company Master does, and comes with all that awesome gear. Artificier Armour, and a 4++ he gave to any squad he joined from his legendary Lion Helm made him see play as a Support/Counter Assault role. His Sword of Secrets is a master-crafted Power Sword that hits at S6 and with 5 attacks on the charge, he could deal out some damage, and he carries a master-crafted combi-plasma gun meant he could fill a static position. The last big thing, was his ability to have a Command Squad bring along the Dark Angels Chapter Banner, which gave out that 12" bubble of rerolling failed Morale and Pinning tests - at leadership 10, thanks to his Rites of Battle - as well as giving the +1A for his unit.
Ezekiel, Grand Master of Librarians ~
Another returning favourite, who got a lot of changes, and some huge buffs. Standard HQ stats meant nothing super-special from him, but he was the only LD10 psyker you had, and along with both standard Dark Angel powers, he also had Mind Worm. It counted as a heavy shooting attack, so no assaulting or moving, but with it's effect of killing outright any single target he chose within 18" if they failed a leadership test, meant low-leadership, Fearless characters/monsters were dead when he came around. Along with that, we had Artificier Armour, Psychic Hood, master-crafted force Weapon and a master-crafted Bolt Pistol. His last thing was a disappointing change from his 3rd edition profile, was the Book of Secrets, but him making his unit, and any friendly unit inside 12" Fearless wasn't something to disregard. All of this for 170 points? If you wanted an awesome, cheap HQ, Ezekiel was your man for a second HQ, or as a great leader for smaller games.
Master Belial of the Deathwing ~
Alright, here we go now. I bet a lot of you said earlier "Hey, what about the Deathwing/Ravenwing coolness, you didn't mention that yet!", well, I said I would. Belial himself again, is a standard HQ choice, with average Master stats. Fearless, Rites of Battle and a master-crafted power sword wasn't too impressive.
BUT. And, you all know what's coming.
He allowed you to take Terminator squads as Troop. WHAT. OMGWTFBBQ IS THIS. Yep, One of the two biggest changes from 3rd edition for the Dark Angels, no longer were you restricted to what you could bring if you wanted to play a Deathwing army. You still had full access to your whole codex, with one big change. The theorycraft exploded with this, and more. And, since having Azrael able to bring the Chapter Banner was so cool, they let Belial do it as well, but with the Deathwing Company Banner, but instead of being a Company Banner, it acted like a Chapter Banner having all friendly units inside 12" reroll morale pinning (useless to Deathwing, as they're all Fearless now) but giving the +1A to it's unit. And that's not all! If you brought this guy, then one of those Terminator squads you made troop could be upgraded! You could have that unit have a Standard Bearer - that's right, no need for a Command Squad for your Banner - but you could also upgrade one Terminator to an Apothecary! Belial is the choice for a Deathwing Army, or if you're mixing Deathwing into a shared force org.
Master Sammael of the Ravenwing ~
Indeed, Belial's partner in crime. Sammael does everything Belial does for your Terminators, but for your Ravenwing Attack Squadrons. But, not to be outdone by a Terminator, Sammael busted out the big guns. He still had his Land Speeder, which instead of the 4++ save from his Shield of Night, now made his Speeder AV14 on the Front/Side. BS5 meant he brought the pain with the twin-linked Assault Cannon and twin-linked Heavy Bolter, he was anti-infantry at it's best - though he did lose his free sword attack, which meant he never needed to get close to anything anymore. However! The guys at GW thought they'd bring back even more Lore for us, and gave you the option to field Sammael on a fabled Astartes Jetbike - one of, if not the last Mark 14 jetbike in the Imperium. If you did this, Sammael (along with a super badass model) came with his own slew of stuff. An Adamantine Mantle (now extinct in codexes), Iron Halo, and his own master-crafted power sword, his Jetbike had a twin-linked Storm Bolter AND a Plasma-Cannon. Now Sammael too, had the ability to join up with one of his squads, and tour the battle as a true, Angel of Death. He is the choice for a Ravenwing Army, or if you wanted to support a list with a heavy mix of Ravenwing Attack Squadrons.
Command Squads ~
The venerable squads, you could bring one for each Independent Character in your army, free of force org, but otherwise was treated as a separate HQ selection. Five Fearless Vets was awesome enough for 105 points, but with a huge list of upgrades and weapons, and special upgrades based on the HQ units you brought, you could tailor them to be the perfect bodyguard for every character you have along. Good choice for the points, if you had them.
