Hello and welcome. This is your guide to the Inquisitorial Henchmen from the 5th Edition Grey Knight Codex. Come with me as we explore the beautiful and wonderful
world of Henchmen. Are you ready? Then here we go!
Henchmen; What are they? How can I get them?
Henchmen are a very special unit. In all of Warhammer 40k there is no other unit like them. There are 10 different Henchmen all with different Statlines and options.
A henchmam unit can be anything from a powerful shooting unit, a cheap MSU unit, to a deadly assault deathstar. There are almost limitless options with this unit.
To get a unit of Henchmen, you need to take an Inquisitor.
Henchman overview
Henchmen are regular humans, so their statlines are similar to Imperial Guardsmen with some differences to represent their training, wargear, and body modifications.
1) Arco-Flagellant: A close combat unit. Has a lot of high STR attacks, good WS, and FNP.
2) Banisher: A unit that specialized in combating Daemons. Can also purchase an Evicerator (chainfist)
3) Crusader: A defensive henchman. Has a power weapon and a Storm Shield.
4) Daemonhost: A multi-purpose henchman with random abilities each turn. The only one with T4.
5) Death Cult Assassin: A close combat unit with 2 power weapons and INT 6.
6) Inquisitorial Servitor: Can be made to either shoot or fight in assaults. Has Mind Lock.
7) Jokaero Weaponsmith: A monkey with heavy weapons. Also adds random upgrades to the entire squad.
8) Mystic: A living Homing Beacon
9) Psyker: Member of a psychic choir. They are more powerful in large numbers.
10) Warrior Acolyte: Cheap basic Henchman with the most weapon options.
Named Inquisitors
In order to take Henchmen you must take an inquisitor. There are three different types or Ordos. They are Malleus, Hereticus, and Xenos. (whether they fight
Daemons, Psykers, or Non-humans). Each type also has a named character as well.
Inquisitor Coteaz
What does he have?
You get a 2+ save, a random shooting attack, basic grenades, and a MC Nemesis Daemonhammer.
What does he do?
-Independent Character
-I've Been Expecting you: This ability lets him and his unit make an out of sequence shooting attack at units entering the game from reserves within 12"
He must be outside of a vehicle for this ability to work
-Psyker (Mastery 2): 3 Spells he comes with OR 2 spells from Divination, Pyromancy or Telekinesis. Also he a thunder hammer Force Weapon.
-Spy Network: The roll to seize the initiative can be re-rolled, no matter who rolls it.
-Stubborn: This is amazing in close combat. You can tarpit a squad with some cheap henchmen bodies while Coteaz takes down a guy or 2 a turn without running away
-Lord of Formosa: Henchmen are now troops.
Overview:
This is the guy you will take if you want to play an inquisitorial army with henchmen as troops. You will not be sad about taking him as well. He can give great
buffs to any unit he is with with the Divination spells. This is especially good for BS 3 Henchmen as it greatly improves their firepower. With a 2+ Save and
3 wounds you can place him in the front of a unit to take wounds for them, though this is a bit of a risk. In combat he is quite powerful as well, as his 2+ armor
can protect him from a lot of other characters and he has an AP2 force weapon to instant kill them back
Also, this guy is one of the cheapest Lv 2 Psykers around. Combine that with a 2+ save, and 3 wounds as protection from perils, and this guy in one of the most
efficient psykers around. Combine that with the ability to limit the initiative being stolen, and to punish deep strikers or other unit entering from reserves, and you
have one of the best shooting characters around. He will not kill much himself, but he will make a cheap unit of henchmen deal more damage, take less damage
in return, have more leadership, and provide some assault power in return.
Inquisitor Karamazov
What does he have?
He has a strong statline (but cannot get in vehicles), a relentless MC multi-melta, MC power sword, basic grenades, rad grenades, and an orbital strike.
What does he do?
-By Any means Necessary: He can fire his orbital strike centered on any friendly model (even ones in combat). If he does this, it does not scatter.
-Dread Reputation: His squad can chose to pass or fail morale and pinning tests. Squads within 12" Re-roll morale and pinning tests.
-Relentless
-Independent Character
Overview:
This is a strange character. He has some shooting power, a strong statline, and a great morale buff. I am not sure what kind of unit you would put him in
however, but he would probably be best in a heavy weapons unit. His orbital strike is a very powerful weapon, especially if you have some low cost or sacrificial units
to use with it.
Trick: Tank shock an enemy unit with a Land Raider, then use his Orbital Strike centered on the Land Raider (Barrage Bombs can not hurt the Land Raider). You get a
few no scatter blasts that do not hurt your own stuff.
Inquisitor Valeria
What does she Have?
-Power armor, basic grenades, and a las pistol and lots of cool eldar tech, as well as a piece of rare necron tech.
-Graviton Pistol: S10 AP1 but only one shot per game at BS4
-Dagger of Midnight: A power weapon that adds 2 attacks (total of 6 attacks on the charge). Roll those 2 attacks separately and if you roll a double, she hits herself.
-Forceshield: a 4+ INV save.
-Hyperstone Maze: You can target a Monstrous Creature or Character and they must roll under their remaining wounds or be removed from the table. This works on any
character, not just independent Characters.
-Runes of Destiny: All saves taken against her shooting or combat attacks must be re-rolled. This combines well with her graviton pistol.
What does she do?
-Independent Character
-Stubborn
Overview:
She has a lot of cool gear. She works best in a unit that is going to be close to the enemy. The Graviton Pistol can fry a tank, especially as you re-roll the
cover saves. The Maze is good because you can take the powerfist out of a large squad. Also, she is the only special Inquisitor with an INV save. She does some cool
stuff, but she is not a force multiplier.
Regular Inquisitors
All three ordos share the same statline and special Abilities. The only difference is in their wargear. All are independent Characters and Stubborn. I am not going to go
through all of the wargear choices, but rather mention a few of the more interesting or good items.
Ordo Malleus Wargear
-Daemon Blade: Sounds cool, but it is not the best thing. It starts as a regular, 2 handed close combat weapon, and it can get 2 kinda cool upgrades from a table. The problem
is that the upgrades are random, unless you happen to roll the same result twice, in that case you get to pick the second one. If it was a power weapon or even rending included
it would be better.
-Hell Rifle: S6 AP3 H1. You can try to snipe out important marines from units with this gun, if you roll a 6 to hit. Pairs well with a heavy weapons unit.
-Terminator Armor: Really good option, as you can also take a Psycannon that is not too many points either, and you always get the 4 shot option as well. You now have a 3 wound
character that can take wounds for the squad on a 2+ armor save. This is a risky tactic however, and you may loose your inquisitor.
Ordo Hereticus Wargear
-Condemnor Boltgun: You get a fancy Combi-weapon, where the one shot option is a special anti-psyker round. Not very good, but sure looks cool.
-Null Rod: Expensive, but it is a power weapon that ID Psykers and makes the squad immune to all psykic powers, friend or foe. It is okay, but pricey if you are not facing any psykers.
-Psyocculum: You and the unit you join are BS 10 vs. Psykers. Great for a shooting unit if you are facing a lot of psykers.
Ordo Xenos Wargear
-Conversion Beamer: First off, expensive. This is a strange weapon as it deals more damage to targets that are further away. It has great range, up to 72". The problem is
that there are not many other weapons with a long enough range for the inquisitor to join and shoot with. Might just be best to take a few wound catchers and just blast
away with it. It is fun, but not really the best.
-Ulumeathi Plasma Siphon: Plasma Weapons are BS1 against you. Tau are not big fans of this one, but it only has a 12" range.
-Rad grenades: You enemy gets -1 toughness in the first round of assault that counts for instant death. Great upgrade. You deal more damage, it helps to negate FNP and deal
more wounds through instant death.
-Psykostroke Grenades: In the first round of combat, you roll on a table and your enemy gets a variety of debuffs. Cheap and can be very deadly or not do much at all.
-Poisoned Weaons: The Scythian Venom Talon is a CCW with 2+ Poison, the Needle Pistol has 2+ poison and AP2. If you have a few extra points and need a little help against
high toughness, these are not bad options.
Psyker Upgrade:
Any of the Ordos can take this upgrade, and you get a Force SWORD (no other weapon choices) and one spell, either Hammer Hand (+1 S in assault) or Psychic Communion (+/- 1 to reserve rolls),
or one power from Divination, Pyromancy, or Telekinesis. For more information see the section on Psychic Powers below
Sample Inquisitor Builds
Ordo Xenos: Rad and Psykostroke grenades and the Psyker upgrade with Divination as your Lore.
This guy is a close combat buffing powerhouse. Assault henchmen usually will be hitting with a re-rolled 3 and then wounding on a 3+ or 2+ (depending on which power weapon you take)
getting the re-roll to hit from divination is probably a more powerful option then the additional strength from Hammer hand, though it depends on what exactly you are fighting.
Ordo Malleus: Terminator Armor and a Psycannon and the psyker upgrade with Divination as your Lore.
You get 3 wounds with a 2+/5++ save, and a relentless Psycannon. Then you give the unit you join re-roll to hit as well. You can stand in the front and take wounds and move to the back or
middle of the unit later as your wound count drops. This is a cheap, durable and efficient psyker who has a strong shooting attack of his own.
Ordo Hereticus: Null Rod, Psyocculum
This will make for a very powerful anti-psyker unit. It cannot be hurt by psykic abilities and it is BS10 against psykers. You can not cast spells on your own unit however, so they are
best used on henchmen rather than a unit of grey knights.
Psychic Powers
Inquisitors have 4 options when they purchase their psychic powers:
1) They can take Hammerhand or Psychic Communion
2) Divination
3) Pyromancy
4) Telekinesis
I generally feel that Divination is in general the best option. You have a very powerful Primaris power that not only buffs your psyker, it buffs your unit as well. BS3 henchmen really
benefit from re-rolls to hit. Also, you keep the re-roll to hit in the enemy turn as well for overwatch and close combat. The other lores have some useful spells, but their primaris powers
are not as consistently helpful as Divination's primaris. Also, psychic defense against powers not targetting enemy units has been significantly reduced in 6th edition, and all but one of
the divination spells do not target enemy units.
Hammerhand or Psychic communion are decent, as you are sure of the power you are getting. Hammerhand is probably worse than a re-roll to hit in close combat, but it may depend on
what you are fighting. Psychic communion is a resonable spell if you are going heavy reserves, but it is not a spell for every list.
I feel that Telekinesis is a bit better than Pyromancy, though it is not as good as divination. The primaris power is not that great, and most of the spells are okay shooting attacks. Gate of
Infinity allows you to play a unit very differently as you gain a lot of movement. Objuration Mechanicum is great against rending weapons and is a near guaranteed Glancing hit against vehicles.
Pyromancy is the least useful I feel. The primaris power is a slightly buffed heavy flamer. For not much more than the cost of an Inquisitor with this power, you could take 2 jokaero with a
heavy flamer and other guns each. Many of the other spells are wasted on henchmen. Cover is less important as you have access to INV saves. Buffing the combat power of an inquisitor
is unwise. The only power of note is spontaneous combustion which is decent, but you will not roll it every game.
Close Combat Henchmen
Henchmen can perform very well in combat. They have low toughness, but can get high INV saves, power weapons, and a lot of attacks. Lets take a look at how you would build
a unit of henchmen for combat.
Damage Dealers
When building any close combat unit, you will want to look at what type of unit it will be best fighting. If you are fighting a foe with a strong Armor save, then it is best to have
a bunch of power weapon attacks. If you are facing a horde enemy, it is better to have a ton of normal Attacks. For henchmen, you have two main choices for damage dealers
in a given squad.
1) Death Cult Assassins
These guys are some of the most powerful damage dealers around. First off you get 2 attacks and 2 weapons for 3(4) attacks on a 15 pt model. You also get WS 5 so you hit often and
Int 6 so you hit first (sometimes). One of their most powerful aspects is that they have 2 power weapons, which allows them to carry a mixed arsenal. so far the best choice seems to be
Sword and Ax. The sword so you can hit first at AP3 and nuke MEQ's and then the Ax so you can handle higher toughness foes, TEQ's, or Vehicles The mace might be an option as well if
Marines are not as prevalent in your metagame.
2) Arco-Falgellents
In 5th edition I loved these guys for their ability to murder tanks in close combat, and for the huge number of attacks they got. However, in this edition, many things have changed. You no longer
need more than S4 to wreck almost any vehicle in close combat. Glancing a vehicle to death may be better as it prevents explosions from hurting your own unit. Also, in combat Marines need
to be killed to the last man. With ATSKNF getting a huge buff this edition, even one marine surviving an assault can be very annoying. The low INT and lack of power weapons means they will
smack some marines who make some saves, run away, and then bolter your assault unit in the face. If horde units with lots of bodies and low saves are an issue for your list this is your choice,
otherwise they are not useful.
The Rest (and why you will never use them as dedicated assault units)
Daemonshosts only have 1 attack, WS3 and random abilities which may or may not be useful.
Banishers only have 1 attack, WS3 and you have to pay for the Eviscerator (almost good, but just a little pricey for my blood)
Servitors have 1 S3 attack and 1 Servo Arm attack, WS3 and mindlock
Warriors have only 1 attack, WS3 and pay way too much for their close combat upgrades.
Defense vs. Damage
You can build a unit that deals a lot of damage. You can build a unit that is very hard to kill. What you need to do is find a way to balance these two things. An ideal
assault would be to kill almost every member of the enemy unit and staying locked in combat during the enemy turn to prevent return fire to your unit. For a Henchman
Unit, you have one very strong choice for a defensive unit; The Crusader.
The crusader is a Guardsman with WS4, a power weapon and a Storm Shield. Most of the time I would recommend a power Ax. they have low Int for an assault unit, so
striking last is not much of a penalty. Also, they are only S3 base, so the extra Str from the ax is very welcome as well.
A death Cult unit hits first (most of the time) so it needs less help to survive in the Assault phase, however it only has a 5++ save against shooting. The crusaders will
help you more in the shooting phase and against overwatch. This is a question of how you want to use this unit.
If you are Taking a counter attack unit in a mostly shooty list, then you do not need many crusaders at all. The unit will hit a target and then be done. Keep the unit small and cheap.
If you are taking the fight to the enemy deployment zone, then you will need a more durable unit. I would go half and half on the crusaders and the Death Cultists. You will want
to have enough crusaders to take a unit or two of shooting without them dropping in number and have wounds that get allocated to your Death Cultists.
Force Multipliers
There are a lot of independent characters that you can add to a Henchman unit in order to make them more powerful in the assault phase. It can make your simple unit of
Henchmen into a real powerhouse assault unit. Of course, your unit is more expensive as well.
Xenos Inquisitor
-Psy Powers: +1 strength may be useful, though the re-roll from divination lore is probably better.
-Rad Grenades: More Damage in the first round. Combined with hammerhand, DCA with Axes will deal instant Death to T4 units. Helps deny FNP and deal multiple wounds.
-Psycostroke Grenades: Good range of debuffs, but some of them are less useful than others. (If you have a Cultist unit, they generally hit first anyways so INT
1 not helpful). Result 6 is especially bad for hordes.
Overall:
Cheap way to get Divination and the special grenades. If you want a Henchman combat unit, BUT not Coteaz, this is the guy to take. At the moment this is the most popular Inquisitor build.
Techmarine
-Hammerhand: He cannot trade away this power for divination
-Rad and Psykostroke grenades: Same as above, but Rad is 5 pts less.
-Blind Grenades: Defensive grenades are nice to have, and they are very cheap as well. Can also protect his unit from close range shooting if the throws the grenade as well.
-Nemesis weapons and Servo Arms: You can take a nemesis force weapon for a cost to add even more punch or take a stave for improved durability and tarpitting characters in challenges.
-Servo Harness weapons: you get some shooting as well, a nice little bonus if you want it.
Overall:
Basically this guy is the same as the Xenos Inquisitor, but he hits a little harder in combat and has some shooting weapons. He does cost more however. If
you already have your HQ spots filled, he is a decent choice. Remember he only has 1 wound, but he does have a 2+ save.
GK Librarian
-Might of Titan: This is a great one if you want to multi-assault a Parking lot. Better with Arcos as you can get S7+2D6 (If you also used hammerhand)
-Quicksilver: INT 10 is fun, again better for the Arcos as they have low INT to start with.
-Shrouding: Stealth helps you get to where you need to be with fewer dead people. 3+ flat out saves are nice.
-Shooting Attacks: You have your choice of deadly shooting spells as well, if you want to take them.
-Nemesis Weapons: you start with a 4++ on combat, and you can take your favorite nemesis weapon if you want to.
Overall:
in 5th ed, this guy would murder lists that spammed transports with weak units inside of them. The metagame has moved away from that, and his powers are less relevent
(especially might of titan; the main reason I used to take him). He is still one of the more powerful psykers, but not really the best pair for a henchmen assault unit.
GK Grand Master
-Hammerhand, Rad, blind, and Psykostroke Grenades: you have seen these before
-Nemesis weapons: Starts with a 3++ in combat or you can pick you favorite way to hurt people.
-BS 6 and relentless: if you want to take the Psycannon you can, but you pay for it.
-Grand Strategy: You can make a whole army based on this.
Overall:
By far the best in combat on his own, and he can buff a squad as well as the Techmarine can. Grand Strategy is too much to go into detail with, but there
are a lot of great options with this. By far the most expensive, but does the most as well. If you want someone who can win challenges with another warlord, this is the guy.
Henchmen with Guns
There are a lot of options for henchmen with guns. All of the Henchmen come with BS 3 standard. To make up for this, they are generally cheap and able to put out
a lot of shots.
There are options to take Henchmen with long range heavy weapons, with short range special weapons, or standard guns.
Heavy Weapon Henchmen
Inquisitorial Servitors
Guns: Heavy Bolter, Multi-melta or you can upgrade to a Plasma Cannon
You can take 3 guns per unit.
4+ Save
Mindlock
I think the Plasma Cannon is the best choice, as you can have a lot of S5 fire (Psybolt Storm Bolters) and the Multi-melta has short range for a heavy weapon. The plasma
can hurt heavy infantry and can even take on light vehicles in a pinch. You loose the ability to snapfire, but I find the power of the weapon to offset the downsides.
Overall:
Pros: The biggest one here is the price. They are very cheap. 3 Heavy weapon in a squad is not bad either. Also, they come standard with a 4+ armor save
(good for gets hot rolls), but heavy weapon units are usually either in cover or in a vehicle with fire points. Plasma Cannons combines with Coteaz Ability to
shoot a clumped up deep strikers might be a powerful combination.
Cons: Two words, Mind Lock. You need to have an inquisitor in the unit in order for it to function every turn. This offsets their low cost a bit.
Your best bet would be a Cheap one with a Hex Rifle or Coteaz against a deep strike army.
Jokaero Weaponsmith
Guns: Lascannon, Multi-melts, and a Heavy Flamer
No limit per unit
5++ Save
Inconceivable Customization
How to get the most from Inconceivable Customization?
The bonuses you can get
-All guns (non-template) gain 12" of range. This is by far the best for Melta type weapons, as you gain extra range for the 2D6 armor Penetration rolls.
-All Armor Saves are increased by 1. This is a decent defensive upgrade. Most henchmen go from a 5+ to a 4+, but you can get a 2+ is you want it.
-All shooting attacks gain rending. This one helps template and multi-shot weapons (storm bolters) deal more damage to heavy infantry.
-Everyone in the squad gains a 5++ save. Another decent defensive upgrade, especially as it effects IC's in the unit as well.
This
thread has the math that explains what you will get for a given unit of Jokaero
Conclusions
1) Having a unit of 2 gives you the Least chance of getting Nothing.
2) Having a unit of 2 gives you the Most chance of getting 2 upgrades.
3) A unit of 4 or more gives you a Greater Chance of getting Nothing than a unit of 1.
A unit of 2 is the best option for a unit of Jokearo in order to maximize their use of Inconceivable Customization, as you have the greatest chance of getting 2 upgrades,
the least chance of getting nothing, and you are still able to get all of the possible upgrades as well.
For units with 4+ Jokero, they should expect to be used only for their weapons and not their customization as they increase the chance of getting nothing from the unit.
Overall:
Pros: You get three great guns, a good save, and a unit wide buff. They can hurt tanks with lascannons, do area denial with the multi-melta, and fry some infantry
with the Heavy Flamers. All of the random buffs are useful as well.
Cons: Price. They are the most expensive Henchman (in terms of base cost). Also, they are very poor in assault with WS 1 and S2. (gretchin hit them on a 3+).
You get what you pay for, but the unit can become too expensive if you are not careful.
Special Weapon Henchmen
Psykers
Gun: Psykic Barrage
The gun is more powerful the more psykers there are
The squad counts as one Psyker, and you get one shot per unit.
One perils roll will kill the unit.
You only need 5 people in the squad to get an AP 2 large blast, and only 8 to get a S10 AP 1 large blast.
Overall:
Pros: You can get a S10 AP1 Large Blast that has a 36" range and can move and shoot. It is a very powerful weapon option. In 6th ed, it is more powerful as you
can get the full strength against multiple tanks cought by the barrage. Another option is to add a single psyker to multiple different squads. This could give you several S3 AP6
large blasts that you could fire as you approach the enemy. This is devastating to Horde units and you do not need low AP to fire into cover.
Cons: It is a psykic shooting attack. First, the Psykers are only LD8, so there is about a 28% you will fail your LD when it comes time to shoot. However, in 6th edition, the
psy-defense against them become worse. These guys hated Hoods in 5th ed as they really shut them down, and now they are usually less effective in 6th edition. Eldar runes of
warding will ruin this unit, but GK have counters for that as well. (see the Serv skull section for how)
Warrior Acolytes
Guns: Flamer, Melta, or Plasma. Normal or in Combi-versions.
Limit 3 guns per squads.
Can also purchase Armor Upgrades.
Melta bombs if you want them
An interesting note is that all three guns have the same price making flamers a little less good and plasma a little more attractive. Also, Grey Knights can already get flamers
(incinerators rather), but do not have Melta or Plasma making either of them a good choice. Carapace armor might be a decent buy for plasma wielders to help offset gets
hot rolls. With a divination user around, you can re-roll the first get hots rolls. Also, the combi-weapons are the same price as the regular ones; Why would you take a combi-weapon?
The Power Armor upgrade is more points than I would want to pay for it, but on a couple guys it is not so bad I guess.
Ignore the combat upgrades; 1 attack and WS3. However, the Melta bombs might be worth consideration. You only get 1 Attack anyways, and you can now use them against MC's and they are AP1.
Overall:
Pros: These guys have a low base cost, and you can have great weapon density. 3 guys with 3 guns can be a unit, you do not need to pay for extra bodies unless
you want to. Even 3 guns per 12 people is still good weapon density.
Cons: The big one is BS3. This is not too bad, as you have 3 guns to shoot, meaning you should get a hit or two. This is offset with divination re-rolls. The other one
is a low armor save, but you can upgrade it, or put a durable character in the front of the unit.
Standard Gun Hechmen
Warrior Acolytes (cont)
Guns: Bolter, Storm Bolter, Hot Shot Lasgun.
No limit per squad.
Can also purchase Armor Upgrades.
Melta bombs if you want them
You can have some cheap bullet catchers that can also put out a bit of firepower as well. The bolter is very cheap, and the storm bolter is not too bad either. The Hot Shot
Lasgun is the most expensive, and it also has the lowest strength. With cover saves being easy to get, I would not recommend it.
Overall:
Pros: These guys have a low cost, and also have access to S4 guns. They make great bullet catchers, and might do a little damage as well. With rending from a jokaero
and re-rolls from divination, they can become quite formidable, though all of that comes at a price.
Cons: Do not expect much from them. BS 3 with a S4 gun is not much, but you are not paying much either. Drop some if you need the points somewhere else.
The Oddball Henchmen
These are the henchmen that do not provide a direct benefit is the form of close combat of shooting, but do provide other benefits. To put it simply, they do not fit into the
previous categories, and so they are here.
Daemonhost
What do you get?
-S/T 4
-5++ save
-The unit gets 1 random ability, rolled at the start of each turn.
1) FNP
2) AP3 close combat attacks
3) I10 and fleet
4) S6
5) Shooting Attack: R24" S4 AP3 A1 small blast
6) Shooting Attack: R24" S8 AP4 A1
On their powers: There are 3 good ones (1,5,6) and 3 not so good ones (2,3,4).
2,3,4 are all close combat powers, yet none of them are very good. AP3 close combat attacks are nice, but you only get 1 attack. S6 is okay, but you still get one attack and do not
ignore armor. I10 and fleet is the worst. You do not deal much damage at I10, and if their are other types of henchmen in the unit, you can not use fleet.
1 is a solid power. 5++ with T4 FNP is a very nice combination, especially on a very low cost model.
5,6 are also both decent shooting attacks. The AP3 small blast on mass can ruin space marines out of cover. 6 is like a poor man's bolt of Change. It can hurt
vehicles or it can put some saves on a MC, or ID T4 multi-wound units. Also, both attacks have a decent range as well.
Overall:
If you are going to use them, first capitalize on what they consistently give you: T4 and a 5++ save. They are great bullet catchers. They can make a unit T4 and have
a decent save. Their powers can be a nice bonus as well either making them a little more dangerous in combat or giving them a decent shooting power as well. I would
not add them to a combat unit, as there are simply better options for dealing damage or for ignoring damage in return.
Banisher
What do you get?
-Guardsman Statline
-Option to take an Evicerator
-Daemons within 6" re-roll INV saves
Overall:
If you really hate daemons, or you want to tailor a list to fight them, this is the guy to take. This really hurts to Greater Daemons the most as it makes your big, low shot
guns more effective. The evicerator is almost good, but it is just a few more points than I would like. You can take Might of Titan on a librarian and get 2D6 armor penetration
on an entire unit. You can also take Melta bombs on Warrior henchmen as well.
Mystic
What do you get
-Guardsman Statline
-No scatter on all deep strikes within 6"
Overall:
The best use I have found for this guy is combined with a GK Librarian and the power summoning. A teleport homer does not work on this power, but the mystic does. You
can deep strike some template weapons (either incinerators or Jokaero flamers) or Melta weapons right into someone's face.
Transports
In Warhammer, the vehicle your unit rides around in is as important as the unit itself. I will discuss both the dedicated and non-dedicated transport options. I will not go into
a huge amount of detail as they should be familiar to most people, but rather say what kind of squads work well in them.
Even though vehicles are easier to kill in 6th edition, henchmen are not really the best on foot. They often need to get close to deal damage, and are vulnerable to low strength shooting.
Vehicles help with both of these issues. The biggest issue will be for assault henchmen in non-assault vehicles as they will need to get out a turn before they can charge. There are some
units that would be okay sitting in a ruin or behind a defense line.
Dedicated Transports
Rhino
Transport Capacity: 10
Fire Points: 2
-Fortitude
-Aegis
-No terminator armor allowed inside
-Cheapest Base cost
Builds:
For the most part, you keep the rhino plain. some of the upgrades might be worth it if you have a few extra points, but not on a regular basis.
Overall
Fortitude is a very nice spell to have. For the rhino, it is best used either keep the rhino moving, or to let the occupants keep shooting. With only 2 fire points though you can
not fire all 3 (or more) special weapons in the squad. It is best used by Psyker Henchmen, as they only need 1 firepoint. It is also cheap and keeps moving with fortitude and
repair. It can be used well by any squad that you want to move.
Razorback
Transport Capacity: 6
Fire Points: 0
-Fortitude
-Aegis
-No terminator armor allowed inside
-Can be cheap or very expensive
Builds:
TL Heavy Bolters, Psybolt Ammo: 3 TL S6 shots with decent range is not bad. It is also very cheap as well.
Las/plas or TL Las: A classic favorite. Grey Knights tend to lack 48" range guns.
TL Assault Canons, Psybolt Ammo: This gives you a TL Psycannon on your razorback
Overall:
Again fortitude is nice, as it keeps the Razorback moving and shooting. With a small transport capacity, any henchmen squads inside are not going to be durable. Shooty
henchmen might not like this ride, as they must get out to shoot stuff, and they can be a bit fragile. Assault henchmen do not like it as it is not an assault vehicle. Usually if you
are taking one you a taking it just for the gun on top and taking a bare bones squad inside of it.
Chimera
Transport Capacity: 12
Firepoints: 5
-Amphibious
-Terminator armor is allowed inside
-highest front AV
-Highest Base cost, but free weapon options.
Builds:
Multilaser/Heavy Flamer: The classic favorite. Good choice of weapon to use.
Multilaser/Heavy Bolter: Can now move and fire both guns in 6th edition. You loose the power of the close range flamer, for consistent damage over the whole game.
Overall:
No fortitude, but it does have higher front AV. Remember they are only BS3 as well. Shooting Henchmen love these guys. They have the most fire points. Another thing to
note is that most Grey Knight HQ's come with terminator Armor, preventing them from getting into Rhinos and Razors. They can get into chimeras making them a good option
to carry your Librarian or Grand Master.
Another tactic is to let the henchmen go on foot and have some GK terminators steal their ride. Not the best for assaulting, but they can fire all their guns out of the top.
Non-Dedicated Transports
Storm Raven
Transport Capacity:12 and a Dreadnought
Fire Points:0
Flyer with Hover Mode
-Assault Vehicle
-Power of the Machine Spirit
-Aegis
-Fortitude
-Deep Strike
-Shadow Skies
-Ceramite Plating
-can hold terminators and jump infantry
Builds:
TL Multi-Melta, TL Assault Cannon, Hurricane Bolters, Psybolt Ammo: The Storm Raven Crusader. Good damage, but it has short range.
Typhoon Missile Laucher, TL Lascannon: This version has the best long range firepower.
Overall:
The storm raven is great value in 6th edition simply as a flying gunship. it can shoot down other flyers, and is protected from weapon on the ground. The Melta on the front is great as it is fast moving and GK lack Meltas on other platforms. The new firing rules allow you to use the S5 hurricane bolters to good effect as well. Mind Strike Missiles are a powerful option against the larger number of enemy psykers you will see this edition. Most people usually run them with nothing inside, due to the risk of loosing the unit in a crash landing. The only unit i would ever consider running in one is Assault Henchmen. They have the 3++ INV saves to take hits if it dies, and they have a high enough damage potential in assault to make it worthwhile to put into the raven to begin with.
Land Raiders
Transport Capacity: 10,12, or 16
Fire Points: 0
-Assault Vehicle
-Power of the Machine Spirit
-Aegis
-Fortitude
-Can hold Terminators
Builds:
You know what they are, make sure to build the multi-melta as it is good.
Overall:
A big mass of AV14 with good guns and good rules. The problem is not the vehicle, but rather the FOC. It is in the Heavy Support slot, where the Psy-Rifle Dreads are, which
are very popular at the moment. Also, they are a lot of points for something that is still vulnerable to Meltaguns and Dark Lances. Sometimes great, sometimes not. Again,
it is best used with a larger squad of assault oriented Henchmen with an attached character. The best buff they give the unit inside is grenades. Assaul henchmen have High
INT so are really hurt by no having grenades.
The Humble Servo Skull
The Servo skull is a small piece of wargear that can make a huge difference to a henchmen unit. It is very versatile and has defensive and offensive abilities as well. It can be
purchased on most GK HQ choices for 5 points, but inquisitors and techmarines get them for 3 points instead.
On Defense
The servo skulls prevents units from Infiltrating and making scout moves within 12"
Before the game starts, this 3 pt piece of wargear gives you control over a large section of the board. With 2-3 of them, you can deny most scouts and infiltrators any prime locations
on the battlefield. I often see units like Space Marine scouts or Eldar rangers, which the servo skull is a strong counter for. Scouts want to infiltrate onto an objective in the middle
of the board, deal some damage while they hold it with a good cover save. By denying the scouts the ability to get near any objectives, or forcing them to deploy father away or in worse
fire lanes, the unit looses much of its power and usually becomes irrelevant to the outcome of the game.
On Offense
The servo skull reduces the scatter rolls or Deep strikers and Blast weapons within 12" to 1D6 instead of 2D6
The reduction of deep strikers is not really useful to Henchmen, but it could benefit any Grey Knights in your list as most of them can deep strike.
The reduction of scatter rolls to 1D6 is very powerful. With 2D6 scatter and BS 3, if you roll a scatter the Blast Marker is usually moving. With 1D6 scatter you have a 50% chance of an on
Target shot even if you roll a scatter. Also it reduces your maximum scatter distance from 9" to 3". One of the worst feelings is when you kill your own models with your own weapons. If a
servo skull is nearby then you can fire blast weapons with little fear that they will land on your own units, and fire on targets that are closer to friendly units that you normally would want to.
There are several henchmen that can benefit from this ability of the servo skulls:
Psyker Henchmen
Plasma Cannon Servitors
Daemonhosts (roll power #5)<br
They all have low AP blasts with decent range and strength.
Special note on Servo skulls and Mind Strike missiles:
These 2 things in combination will murder almost any psyker in 1 round of shooting. With a Servo skull nearby a mind strike missile will only deviate far enough to not land on the target psyker
if you roll a scatter and a 6. (about 1/9 shots) Given that most psykers have 2 wounds or less and now get no saves against the perils caused by the mind strike missiles, the psyker will probably die.
Even if your opponent is aware of this, your servo skulls will become huge pieces of area denial, where the psykers fear to go.
Servo Skull destruction
Servo skulls will die if an enemy unit moves within 6" of them
This is a big downside of your servo skulls, but your can even use the destruction of your servo skulls to your advantage. Movement is a very big portion of how games are won or lost. The enemy is
forced to move in order to destroy the skull. It could be as simple as forcing some heavy weapons to move so they fire less effectively, or drawing an enemy unit out of cover or off of an objective.
Example locations to place servo skulls
1) Near the enemy deployment zone, covering an important fire lane.
If you have the first turn, you can have a powerful first hit against your opponent with the help of accurate blast weapons. Placing the skull near an important fire lane means the enemy will have to either
weather the accurate fire or not deploy in that prime location. Also, the enemy may have to move out of position for a turn or two to remove the servo skull, buying you time where that unit is not firing at full power.
2) In the middle of the board, about 10" away from an objective. (note: this objective should be placed in the open)
If the enemy wants to take this objective, they will take accurate, high Str, low AP firepower from your henchmen. Since the objective is in the open, the unit will not get a cover save. If you have crusaders
anywhere in your army, you can take that objective and still have a strong save to preserve your unit. If the enemy wants to remove your servo skull, they must move away from the objective.
3) Near your firebase
Servo skulls allow you to fire blasts at nearby enemy units without fear of collateral damage. This is especially powerful against short ranged or assault based armies as they may try to get close to your
units to avoid damage from blast weapons and also to deal damage.
4) To protect any terrain you want to scout or infiltrate into
If you have infiltrators and so do your enemies you can ensure that you can infiltrate onto objectives or prime areas of cover or vision in the center of the board by denying enemy infiltrators that position.
Unit Examples
This should not need an explanation.
I will simply say this, there are far too many unit builds and vehicle choices to go through them all. I encourage any reader to add a unit here, if you feel you have something
to say about it. I only ask that you keep the format the same. I will try to include as many units as I can here.
Close Combat Units
6 Death Cult Assassins, mounted in a Razorback with TL Assault Cannon and Psybolt ammo
Points: 175
This unit was decent in 5th edition, but the new vehicle and assaulting rules made assault henchmen in non-assault vehicles not viable
5 Death Cult Assassins, 5 Crusaders, joined by a Xeno Inquisitor with Divination, Rad and Psyko grenades. Mounted in a Storm Raven
Points: 440 pts
This is a much more powerful close combat unit. You will decimate MEQ units with few casualties. You can hurt TEQ units, but will probably take some damage in return. The lack of
grenades is painful, but this can be countered if you want to mount the unit in a Land Raider Crusader/Redeemer instead. The only problem is that the heavy support slot is often used
by Psy-Rifle dreads
The crusaders give this unit a measure of durability as well with 5 wounds with a 3++ save. This gives you the ability to stand on objectives in open terrain as you do not need a cover save for this unit
The most vulnerable part of this unit is the Inquisitor. He does not have an INV save and only has 4+ armor. You must place him such that he is not in base contact if possible,
or only in combat with one or two members of the enemy unit. Refuse all challenges. You do not care if he can't attack and you should be winning combat so you will not need
his leadership. The inquisitor is a buffing character NOT a beating face character.
5 Arco Flagelents, 4 Crusaders, 1 Mystic, Joined by a librarian with Shrouding, Might of Titan, Quicksilver, and Summoning. Mounted in a Storm Raven Crusader
Points:550
This is a unit that has a lot of utility and options.
First off, you have the ability to cast the power "summoning" and not have to roll for scatter. This can be used to drop either melta or template weapons right where they need
to be to do the most damage. It can also be used to Bait a portion of the enemy force in one direction, and then redeploy that force to another location. I am sure you can
find a use for extra movement.
In combat, you can either boost the squads Strength by 2 (hammerhand and might of titan), or boost the squad to Int 10 and get +1 strength as well (quicksilver and might
of titan). With a lot of attacks from the Arcos you can deal damage to hordes and other lightly armored foes. The power attacks from the Crusaders can hurt the more armored
foes. This also counters the low base initiative of both the crusaders and the arcos.
Also, this unit is very deadly to vehicles as well. Against walkers you can be Int 10 with 6+2D6 (Quicksilver and MoT), against everything else you can be 7+2D6 (MoT
and Hammerhand). Even loosing attacks if you multiple assault, you will decimate vehicles in close combat
Lastly, the librarian power Shrouding is very powerful as well. When combined with Flat out or smoke launcher cover saves vehicles become very durable. This can let you be more
aggressive with their movement. Also, as the Arcos have FNP that combines well with a strong cover save as well. As this power is cast in the enemy turn, you can still use your
own combat powers on your turn.
That being said, the new 6th edition metagame makes this unit less relevant than it used to be. You do not need penetrating hits to kill Vehicles and Vehicles are easier to hit. Compared
to the DCA unit, you trade anti-infantry power for un-neccesary anti-vehicle power.
Shooting Units
3 warrior acolytes mounted in a Razorback with heavy bolter and Psybolt Ammo
Points:62
This is a unit you would only take if you just want another transport of the field. The Heavy Bolter razor is very cheap and you get 3 TL S6 shots at 36" and fortitude. This unit
can work well in a low point list as you are able to get a lot of vehicles on the field. In higher point games, it may still be useful if you want to spend more points on units in other
FOC slots. You can still have 6 scoring tanks that put out some damage, without spending a ton of points.
That being said, this is just a scoring Razorback with 3 nearly useless guys in it. Do not expect much from it.
3 warrior acolytes mounted in a Chimera with heavy bolter and Heavy Flamer
Points:67
This is an interesting unit, as it is the cheapest way to get a chimera on the field. Up to 6 Terminators can ride in this chimera and use the firepoints for Psycannons and Storm Bolters.
If you want a cheap way to transport paladins or terminators, then you could take a unit like this. Put the chimera on the field, and the 3 Henchmen in reserves. Then deploy the terminators
where they can embark into the chimera on the first turn. Remember, the transport is dedicated so no other unit can start in it, but anything can hop into it after the game starts.
3 warrior acolytes with Plasma guns mounted in a Chimera with ML/HB
Points:97
This is pretty much the ultimate in MSU special weapon units. There is no fluff or extra bodies in this unit. You have 3 guys who shoot 3 deadly guns from inside a transport. It
will die fast when the tank dies. This unit can be mounted in any number of transports, but the Chimera lets them all shoot their weapons without disembarking. The chimera
guns are decent as well.
3 warrior acolytes with Plamsa guns, 7 acolytes with bolters and 1 Psyker mounted in a Chimera with ML/HB
Points: 142
This is a imitation Mech Vet squad. It is cheaper by about 30 pts. You have less LD and BS, but you have bolters instead of lasguns. it does give your Plasma guns some extra
wounds to die for them, for not too many more points, but those extra wounds are not doing much for you. The Psyker in the squad is there to pepper the enemy with S3 large
blasts as your Chimera rolls up the field. If you are running multiple copies of this unit, it could be devastating to a horde list, and even deals decent damage to MEQ in cover.
3 warrior acolytes with Plasmaguns, 1 Crusader, 5 daemonhosts joined by a Terminator Psycannon Inquisitor with divination mounted in a Chimera with ML/HF
Points:272
This is another variation on the same theme. The daemonhosts have a 5++ save and T4 and thus make decent bullet catchers. Depending on the roll you can either get a good Anti-MEQ
or anti-transport/MC shooting power both of which mesh well with the abilities of the plasma gun. You could also get FNP which is nice, or some extra combat power, which is not so nice.
You can wait and hold them back until you roll a good shooting power and then commit them on that turn. The extra movement from the Chimera helps you with this.
The Psycannon inquisitor's shooting ability goes well with this unit. S7 rending goes well with the versatility of the Plasmagun and will add some damage to whatever you decide to
shoot at, be it a light tank, a MC, or Heavy Infantry. Also, he gives the unit re-roll to hit, giving you more damage and fewer overheats. Then in close combat, you get LD 10 stubborn so
you never run, and 3 AP 3 attacks so you can grind out the enemy unit while you loose combat.
The crusader is in the squad so you can place your inquisitor in the front of the unit. Take any small arms fire on his 2+ armor save, and anything dangerous (AP2 or S6) you roll LOS
and put it on the crusader instead. He also brings a few more low AP close combat attacks as well.
8 Psykers and 1 Warrior mounted in a Rhino
Points:124
First off, you have a S10 AP1 large blast that is A1 at 36". That is nice. You only need the one fire point for Psykers so a Rhino makes a lot of sense. It is cheap and it has
fortitude as well.
These guys are a nce unit to have, but I would not base an entire list on them. Against Eldar (runes or warding) this unit is not very efficient. Consider adding a vindicare or
a storm raven to your list to take out the Psyker defense so these guys can perform at full power. They could also go into reserves to wait until the psy defense is gone.
If (when) the psykers all die from a perils of the warp, the warrior will remain. He is there so you do not loose a kill point until he dies, and he (and the rhino he is in) can still score
as well. It is just a little insurance against what could be a game changing disaster.
3 servitors with Plasma Cannons, 5 acolytes with bolters joined by an inquisitor with a Hellrifle and Divination
Points: 155
I was not a fan of this unit in 5th edition. However in 6th I am a much bigger fan. First off, HQ slots are less crowded in 6th ed with double FOC's and allies. Also, blast weapons are
much better as they can kill models out of LOS and can hit multiple vehicles as well. Your cannons are very accurate with a re-roll to hit and you even have a chance to snipe out an important
marine if you roll a 6 to hit with your Mini- Vindicare.
2 Jokaeros, 3 warriors with meltaguns, 5 warriors with bolters mounted in a Chimera with ML/HB
Points: 192
This unit is a great multi-purpose shooting unit. It has long range anti-tank shots (lascannons), mid range anti-infantry shots (bolters), Short range anti-tank (meltas), and
short ranged anti-infantry (heavy flamers). However, all these guns come with a price tag.
This unit can make great use of any of the Jokaero upgrades as well. Extra range is great on the melta guns, rending is good on the Heavy flamers and Bolters, and the Armor
or INV saves are a good defensive bonus as well. Also, with 2 Jokaero you get the best results on the upgrade table as well.
With a multitude of short range guns, this unit would be a good candidate to use with the librarian power "summoning". The unit can start in one corner and blast away with the
long range guns. Then when something gets close, they are teleported away misdirecting a portion of the enemy force. Then they can unload their close range firepower as well.
Mixed Role Units
3 warriors with Plasmaguns, 4 warriors with bolters, 3 Death Cult Assassins, joined by an inquisitor in terminator armor and a psycannon with divination mounted in a Chimera with ML/HF
Points: 272
Basically this is a unit with strong close range firepower, and the ability to fight in the assault phase as well. Then if the enemy tries to charge your shooty unit, not only do they take overwatch shots, but
also INT 6 AP3 attacks as well. Your bolters dudes can take wounds in combat, but you will not run even if you loose due to LD 10 stubborn. This unit trades efficiency in any one role, but gains versatility instead.
3 warriors with meltaguns, 5 Death Cult Assassins, 4 Crusaders joined by a Techmarine with Rad, Psyotroke and warding mounted in a Land Raider Crusader with MM
Points:582
There are serval things to talk about with this unit. First, is has some reasonable shooting power like the above. You can try to shoot and break open tanks to assault the insides.
This unit is just as deadly in combat as the unit in the "combat unit" section. It is more expensive and now it can deal damage in the shooting phase as well.
The Techmarine is very similar to a Xenos inquisitor. He can cast Hammerhand and has the special grenades. In addition, he can bolster a ruin which is very effective for a Vindicare
who now gets a 2++ cover save in that ruin. If you want to run Coteaz and a Librarian, then this guy takes an elite FOC and not a HQ one. Being able to repair a vehicle might be
useful, but maybe not. With the warding staff he is also very durable to return attacks, but he does only have one wound.
The Land Raider was chosen as a transport due to the increased transport capacity. A mixed unit like this needs a few more bodies in it to still be effective in both the shooting
and assault phases. You could drop a crusader and an assassin and then you could fit in a Storm Raven or Chimera. It is mostly a matter of how many Heavy FOC slots you are
using for Psyrifle dreads.
The unit is very expensive, but it can do a lot of things. You could easily divide the unit in two and be able to shoot at something different from what you assault. Either option
is viable.
Henchmen in 6th edition lists
Here is the Link to Inquisitorial Henchmen in 6th Edition Lists
~ Svendrex