So, I trotted out a list that I thought would fit with some of the KDK stuff I had, and try some new stuff in 8th. My buddy and I were both trying out the new books, so we agreed to a 1500pt list.
Hydra Dominatus! Battalion
Demon Prince (warp bolter, 2x talons)
Demon Prince (wings, sword, talons)
Hellbrute (twin-las, power scourge)
Hellbrute (twin las, fist, combi-bolter)
11 Cultists (heavy stubber)
10 Cultists (heavy stubber)
5 Marines (missile launcher)
Defiler (reaper cannon, scourge, combi-flamer)
4 Bikers (2x meltaguns)
4 Bikers (2x meltaguns)
Heldrake (claws, bale flamer)
Black Templar
Grimaldus
Emperor's Champion
5 Assault Terminators (Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield)
5 Assault Terminators (Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield)
15-man Crusader Blob (fist, flamer)
5-man Crusader Squad (meltagun, multi-melta)
10 man Crusader Squad (meltagun, multi-melta)
Land Raider Crusader
The Battle, In Short
Due to good dice on my part, the Land Raider Crusader got wrecked turn one, between dreads and a biker squad. The large Crusader Blob ended up dead in assault after that, and Grimaldus ended up staring down a bike squad and a Daemon Prince.
So, he promptly called for backup. TH/SS guys deep-struck in on turn two, and then promptly failed their charges. From there, his TH/SS guys wandered towards my DZ, trying to claim objectives and crushing the 5 guys with a missile launcher. Cultists absorbed the charge, broke off, and he made a BUNCH of saves, even with Death Hex stripping his saves. Ultimately, my fast forces down-range managed to get linebreaker, and I drew some stupid-good objectives while he got a little hosed.
Highlights include -
-winged demon prince making an inordinate number of 5+ saves vs. the Emperor's Champion
-bikers are great for shooting, but not so much for assault
-land raider crusaders put out a stupid amount of dakka, but we already knew that
Lessons Learned
1) The Emperor's Champion is a Blender
He gets bonuses against characters AND monsters. Characters that are monsters really, really need to stay the hell away from this guy. S7 with re-rolling hits and wounds means if you get charged, you're going to die unless you're really good at making invulnerable saves. Like, really good.
2) Demon Prince Weapons
Skip the sword. If you're bringing melee support in general, you want twin talons for the seven attacks. Hitting on 2+ and wounding on a 2+ or 3+ with a -2AP for 2 damage is useful, and the volume of attacks helps. I'm not sure about the axe, but I'm pretty sure I'm out on the sword. Ditching two attacks for -3AP and 3 damage on your strikes seems iffy unless you're going after vehicles or monsters, and the axe's better strength, AP, and damage (even if it 'only' hits on a 3+) seems like a better call.
3) Assault Terminator weapons
These guys need help with accuracy and quantity of attacks - they will absolutely murder hefty targets, but struggle with numbers. A Chaplain is always a good idea, because re-rolls on those 4+ thunder hammers is huge. Additionally, I think giving the sarge Lightning Claws is a decent move - sarge will have a total of four attacks with re-rolling wounds. It will help a bit if you end up running into hordes.
4) Alpha Legion - Army Composition
So, -1 to hit outside of 12" is hilarious. Note also that it only works on bikes, infantry, and hellbrutes. Demon Princes may not get mileage out of it, but as characters you should be able to position them so shooting isn't as big a deal.
So it brings up the question of "What do I bring outside of those?" Because anything you bring that doesn't get the -1 to hit bonus is going to draw the long-range fire. If you bring one thing, it gets all of it. If you bring two, there's a split. That's why I went with a Heldrake and a Defiler.
That's also why I effectively had two modules - a speedy one and a backfield one. Cultists bubble-wrap the dreads, Defiler, and daemon prince while the bikes, winged prince, and heldrake push up.
Since I'm alpha legion, the winged prince starts out as warlord, and since I Am Alpharius applies, I can risk him without worrying about him getting ragged. The other one serves as counterassault and re-roll buffs.
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