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First try at making an AM army. I intend to build it by freely mixing in some kits from victoria miniatures, the Tannenburg Fusilliers I believe. I tried to keep in mind that they come from a hive world so I went no ordinance. They don't like misshapen auxilla, preachy ministorum, or indiscriminate ordinance and naval officers. As a result, they have a decent telepathica presence to direct their fire and a lord commissar of the Prefectus. Not that Mordians need a Commissar but I imagine the Prefectus would like to keep an eye on that many psykers in one place. They have as well as a Tech Preist to maintain their armoured column from Rho-Delpha. Rumour has it they are going to link up with a detachment of space wolves to hunt for Magnus and his thousand bastards. They may be sloppy and smelly but they have reason enough to despise the thousand sons as us I suppose. Now to the serious business of fighting a war, boots need to be polished and uniforms starched dammit!
Mordian 9th Brigade "The Fightin' 9th"
HQ
Lord Commander Benjamin Savos
Spoiler:
A notorious germaphobe and control freak, Lord Commander Savos has an enormous distrust of those directly under his command and strictly believes that for anything at all to be done, he must be there personally to see it through. Preferring the sterility of his command chimera, Ben rides with his most elite, armed, and hygienic veterans to secure objectives and vanquish foes, bravely shouting orders at his men all the while.
-Power Sword, Plasma Pistol, Laurels of Command, Master of Command
Lord Commissar Jack Savage
Spoiler:
Any experienced Commissar will tell you, Mordian is the most boring deployment an officer of the Officio Prefectus can receive, and indeed that's what Jack got in the early stages of his career. He had slain more paperwork than cowards in his time. The recent deployment against the Thousand Sons changed everything. High Command had approved a requisition of a Telepathica presence for the ensuing campaign. He had received strict orders from the Prefectus to safeguard them from any psyker threat. He couldn't help but have a bureaucratic chuckle. "Any" threat. He reached into his desk to draw his bolt pistol before noticing the Telepathica were sending a Lord Psyker as well. Hmm. Better requisition a plasma sidearm, just in case.
-Power Sword, Plasma Pistol
Lord Psyker Thomas Maxwell
Spoiler:
Tommy was an orphaned child adopted and raised by his aunt and uncle Marie and Steven Maxwell, successful ranchers of the agri-world Dawn. Young Thomas's childhood was one of peace and outdoor discovery. That all changed around puberty when his aunt and uncle bean noticing his powers. Being patriots of the Empire, Thomas as well, they were overjoyed that their son would be of service to the Emporer. After training, he received a deployment with the Mordian 9th. This being his first, he couldn't wait to meet new friends and travel to strange new places. Oh, what fortune the future holds!
- Force Stave
Troops
"The Line" 6x Infantry Squad
Spoiler:
The line may bend but will never break. Supported by heavy lascannon barrages, the line provides fire support for the advance of the armoured column and prevent enemy breakthroughs. With immaculate dress uniform adorned and parade marches, many barbarous chaos worshippers have been lured out of formation into thunderous charges only to find their comrades and armour vapourized in a multicoloured light show to the tune of drums and bugles.
-Vox, Lascannon, Plasma gun, Sargeant with Plasma pistol
Elites
Platoon Commander Jo "The Dead Bitch" Hussra
Spoiler:
Originally hailing from Vander's Landing, now hailing from nowhere, Jo Hussra doesn't find occasion to speak much. Everyone knows the stories anyway. First through the breach in the assault on Hive Thrac, a hive city on Mordian overrun by a cult of Tzeentch known as the Azoraz, she was also the only survivor of the breach team, somehow managed to successfully opening the gates for the grinding advance of the armoured company. The full extent of the horror she experienced alone in the breach no one will ever truely know. Some claim she died in the breach with the rest of her team and all that exists now is a golem of divine wrath. She is the only person Lord Commander Savos trusts overseeing the line while he leads the armoured column. Much to Jo's apathy, she has been given authority to command the line, which requires interaction with her and Platoon Command Vox Caster Sergio Lasdowne on a regular basis. He remains the only human to hear more than one-word responses from Jo and has been sworn to secrecy, possibly under pain of death, or worse.
-Plasma Pistol, Chain Sword
Platoon Command Squad "Dorothy"
Spoiler:
The command squad is comprised of Vox Caster Sergio Lasdowne, the chattiest man in the whole platoon. At least the vox caster keeps him busy in battle, but expect to hear about the weather, his girlfriend, and his mother's cooking any other time. Regimental Standard Bearer Harrison Carne was a Pro Blood Bowl player in his youth when an unfortunate knee injury ended his career. Dr. Madison Cromwell, Ph.D. is actually none of those things. She is, however, an excellent forger of imperial documents from her time as a petty criminal. She might not have learned how to use modern medical technology, but that's rarely available on the battlefield. Luckily, she is resourceful which is even better. Many soldiers have had their lives saved with a well placed improvised tourniquet and a 0% complaint rate from those that haven't. Veteran Plasma Gunner Ralph Jenkins has a lucky trick to keep his weapon from overheating. He claims it really works.
-Vox, Regimental Standard, Medipack, Plasma Gun
Techpriest Enginseer Alfonso "Alfy" Huxley
Spoiler:
Deployed with the armoured column from his Native Forgeworld of Rho-Delpha he feels at home with the introverted Mordians who are all too happy to let the strange one keep to himself and keep their machines running. The spartan aesthetics preferred by the Mordians means less time in the paint bay, which Adeptus Mechanicus disciples never cared for much in the first place. Being the longest serving off worlder, he has built more trust if not respect from the Mordians for his willingness to stand firm while performing complicated repairs under heavy fire in open terrain, as long he keeps this machine god stuff to himself. For Alfy's part, he considers the machine spirits to be like children and would gladly sacrifice himself to protect them.
-Omnissian Axe, Laspistol, Servo Arm
2x Astropaths Gregor and Geoff Giamanius
Spoiler:
Due to the care required to minimize damage to the hives of Mordian, ordinance is strictly forbidden. An imprecise round could inadvertently breach the hive to the cold dead atmosphere of Mordian proper, or cause a fire, either draining or detonating precious oxygen. As a result, the Astra Telepathica has approved a sizable psyker detachment for support of the Mordian 9th, including Gregor and Geoff Giamanius, twin astropaths of the Scholastica Psykana. Being educated men they are of extremely nervous disposition being aware of the responsibilities of command. Superbly capable of guiding friendly fire, revealing enemy locations and even smiting minor enemies they are hesitant to push their powers to the limit in the company of Lord Commissar Savage, instead preferring to let their superior at the Telepathica, the young and naive but talented Lord Psyker Maxwell take that role while they work from the shadows performing the thankless but necessary support roles to keep the line on target and the armoured column rolling.
-Telepathica Stave
3x Veteran Squads "The 9th Mordian Iron Guard"
Spoiler:
The trio of veteran squads that collectively make up the 9th Iron Guard are codenamed Eagle, Bear, and Wolf. Eagle Squad are veterans of the Hive Drogi Seige when a surprised sally of the enemies armoured column from the gates of the hives nearly broke the line, but they were able to hold strong until the flanks could encircle the enemy, allowing the wholesale slaughter of chaos forces that day as well as preserving the integrity of the hive.
Bear Squad are Veterans of the Stand at Brooke's Point on the moon of Mordian, Tesis Prime. After deployment to investigate a distress signal, they found the local population had been infected by a virulent plague, killing them first and then bringing the undead to life.They were able to hold out using huddled ranked fire drawing all the zombies to a central point where a tactical hydrogen bomb could be deployed from orbit to destroy chaos forces and preserve the moon base. The survivors were able to evacuate in the nick of time, but not without losses.
Wolf Squad are the Veterans of the Undercity Ambush, the massed roaming gunbattle that occurred in the sewers underneath Hive Goliath. They were able to assassinate the Chaos Warlord Tallatat, only to discover a massive winged Daemon of Tzeentch manifesting itself in the physical realm. The unholy abomination was able to soar through the pitch black sewers picking the men off one by one until the Mordians trapped it between two gated sections and blasted it to pieces.
These squads ride into the heart of the battle in their chimeras as part of the armoured column, seizing objectives and specializing in assassinating enemy officers. They are renown for their willingness to lay down their lives, which is important when fielding plasma weaponry, and impeccable hygiene, which is important when serving under Lord Commander Savos, who is known to ride with his vets rather than his command squad so he can "ditch the pencil necks" and "make sure the trains run on time."
-Vox, 3x Plasma Gun, Sargeant with Plasma Pistol
Dedicated Transports
3x Chimeras "Eagle's Nest, Bear's Den, and Wolf's Lair"
Spoiler:
Lord Commander Savos rides in the Eagle's Nest, which is regularly detailed and sterilized. Bear's Den and Wolf's Lair are more relaxed away from the prying eyes of the lord commander, aside from the occasional psychic murmur from the astropaths or the whirr of Alfy's servo arm. Each passenger can expect a personal vanity to maintain his uniform before deployment for surely there is nothing worse than appearing unprepared before the enemy.
-Multilaser, Heavy Bolter, 2x Lasgun Arrays
Fast Attack
3x Armoured Sentinel "Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the Lion"
Spoiler:
It takes an unusual pilot to command a bipedal robot, and it takes a master to do so in parade formation. Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion lead the armoured column, relaying vital reconnaissance back to Dorothy, allowing coordination between the firing lines. Outside of battle, the three pilots keep to themselves. The already stoic Mordians are even moreso near the eyes and ears of their Lord Commander and the Dead Bitch.
-Plasma Cannon
Heavy Support
2x Leman Russ Punishers "Betty and Veronica"
Spoiler:
Two Mordian pattern Leman Russ Punisher variants are perfectly designed for close quarter hiveworld combat, absolutely bristling with relatively small armaments, designed to leave the hives intact and shred any organic matter in range. The crews are extremely competitive with each other. Tasked with suppressing enemy light vehicles and infantry these tank aces can rack up impressive scores while the heavy weapon batteries act as anti-armour in support.
-Punisher Gatling Cannon, Heavy Bolter Side Sponsors, Hull Mounted Heavy Bolter
2x Heavy Weapons Teams "The Gates of Mordian"
Spoiler:
These Lascannon batteries provide heavy fire support and have carried the day in numerous engagements. Protected by the line, these crews can bring down enemy armour and monstrous creatures from afar, clearing the way for the thunderous charge of the armoured column. Compared to the average Mordians, these crews are relatively laid back, spared from the worst combat has to offer. They've received multiple written violations for late night card and dice games and are suspected to be the source of the illicit distilled spirits circulating the brigade. However the Lord Commissars perfectly announced and scheduled inspections have turned up nothing as well as Dr. Cromwell's tests despite working late into the night to the point of disorientation, nausea, and wild mood swings. She insists more testing is required should any of the banned substance be uncovered.
- 3x Lascannons
2000 Points. 9 Command Points.
The line deploys with the Platoon Commander and Commander squad in the center and the heavy weapons team behind each half of the line along my deployment zone. The Armoured company will probably be arranged sentinels, leman russes, then chimeras and be deployed on either flank or in reserve. The commander, enginseer and astropaths will deploy in the chimeras while the commissar and primaris psyker deploy with the command squad. admittedly I had some trouble calculating points cost with the new table so if anyone feels like confirming my points values that would be great. Open to any suggestions or pointers on units, fluff, or tactics as well. Thanks for reading!
This message was edited 14 times. Last update was at 2018/04/15 12:28:35
Some things in particular i was wondering, should i keep the lord commander with the line and put the platoon commander in the chimeras? I was kinda liking him for giving 3x orders to 3x veterans but they might be better served giving the line more mobility.
In the same vein, maybe I should move some of the infantry lascannons to another heavy weapons squad or two.
Also considering ditching the commissar for another primaris psyker.
Should i make room for a third Russ? Considering the plasma variant. 3 punishers seems much.
I do not have a lot to add to the list, it looks really good. I did want to complement the story writing behind it. Super cool backstory. I want to do that for mine now.
I've fought in this endless hateful war for eight months now, night and day. In that time I've aged a decade. My hair has turned grey, nearly all my squad have died, and I doubt I'll ever smile again. I've fought next to heroes and strangled men in their sleep. But I'm still alive and by the Emperor I plan to stay that way. - Acting-Captain Haines,47th Armageddon Steel Legion
Hey thanks man. Posting something personal you've written can be nerve-wracking! Feel free to send yours over to me if you want any pointers of proofreading on yours. Looking forward to seeing it posted!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/04/01 15:41:51
I love the lore that you added to the units! Probably the most enjoyable post in the army list forum.
Now my critical comments... There is only one:
Heavy weapon teams with only lascannons are a priority target. I think it would be better if you either A. Mix up the HW teams with other HW as well or B. Scrap the HW teams and just get more troop squads with lascannons. Option B will give your lascannons more ablative wounds, ensuring the survival of the lascannons past turn 1. Remember, if you can reach me with a lascannon I can reach you with frag missiles, and I can most likely reach with heavy bolter as well.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/04/01 23:33:58
slip wrote: Hey thanks man. Posting something personal you've written can be nerve-wracking! Feel free to send yours over to me if you want any pointers of proofreading on yours. Looking forward to seeing it posted!
I took your advice and worked out the first half of my fluff description to my army list. If you want to provide feed back, check out the list in the link in my signature.
I've fought in this endless hateful war for eight months now, night and day. In that time I've aged a decade. My hair has turned grey, nearly all my squad have died, and I doubt I'll ever smile again. I've fought next to heroes and strangled men in their sleep. But I'm still alive and by the Emperor I plan to stay that way. - Acting-Captain Haines,47th Armageddon Steel Legion
"That's it, Cromwell, I'm forced to consider your testing ineffective. Future recovered intoxicants will be destroyed on sight. Here is your copy of my memorandum signed and stamped." Said Jack before slapping the papers on the table and leaving the room.
"It's Dr. Cromwell to you!" She shouted at the closed door and ran her hand through her auburn hair. That didn't go as planned. Madison reluctantly got out of her chair and locked the door behind him. Returning to her desk, she fumbled through all her pockets. Where the hell did she leave her keys? She checked to see if she left the bottom drawer unlocked just in case, she couldn't remember locking it after all, but it was. In one well-rehearsed motion and a roll of her eyes, she plucked a bobby pin from her hair and swiftly unlocked it. Inside was a large glass bottle and a stack of papers.
"At least I have enough for tonight," Madison said as she popped the cork and took several large gulps. There was no way she could lose her supply. She was going to have to start getting directly from the Gates directly. Madison couldn't help but look back at the papers. They were imperial requisition forms. They were used to replenish her medical supplies. Wait.
Jack's memorandum. She swatted the top papers off her desk until she reached the last. There it was, signed and stamped. Good old Jack.
Well, she thought to herself, there's going to be some changes around here.
"Here's to you Jack."And she took another large drink.
---------
"I've been transferred to the fething line!? Out of the Prefectus!? What mockery is this?" Shouted Jack at the imperial requisitions officer over the holographic interface in his office.
"It was your request, it was simply approved. It is technically a promotion." Said the Mordian before he smiled. Mordians never smiled with good intent.
"I never requested it!"
"Signed and stamped, just like always Jack. Along with your requisitions to remove all the officers' plasma sidearms for safety precautions... Oh, let's see... Remove the infantry vox casters so... nobody has to listen to Lasdowne's fat dumb mouth anymore?"
"That's clearly not me!"
"And transfer Lasdowne back to his original rank in... Eagle Squad? I suppose if he is the most qualified vox caster remaining Lord Commander Savos will surely wish him by his side. Your other requests have been approved despite their unorthodox nature. We expect results, Lord Commander Savage." The hologram cut out leaving a dumbstruck Savage in a dark room by himself.
Mordian 9th Brigade "The Fightin' 9th"
HQ "The Iron Triumvirate"
Lord Commander Benjamin Savos -Laurels of Command, Master of Command
Lord Commander Jack Savage -Kurov's Aquila
Lord Commander Jo "The Dead Bitch" Hussra
Troops
"The Line" 6x Infantry Squad -Lascannon, Plasma gun
Elites
Platoon Command Squad "Dorothy" -Regimental Standard, Medipack, Heavy Bolter
Techpriest Enginseer Alfonso "Alfy" Huxley -Omnissian Axe, Laspistol, Servo Arm
3x Veteran Squads "The 9th Mordian Iron Guard" -Vox, 3x Plasma Gun
Dedicated Transports
3x Chimeras "Eagle's Nest, Bear's Den, and Wolf's Lair" -Multilaser, Heavy Bolter, 2x Lasgun Arrays
Fast Attack
3x Scout Sentinel "Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the Lion"
1x Banewolf "Elliot's Howl"
Spoiler:
Named in honour of a legendary wolf from the planet Fenris, the Banewolf's primary weapon, the Chem Cannon, is perfectly designed for Hive Combat. Elliot's Howl can dislodge entrenched opposition with ease, leaving nothing but an organic paste. The gruesome task has given the crew an extremely morbid sense of humour, and many a too loud complaint in the mess hall has been effectively silenced by a call of "Could be worse." from one of the crew. Indeed, when approached to examine the chemical composition of the sacrosanct formula of gas to ensure potency Dr. Cromwell concluded: "Get the feth out with this."
-Chem Cannon, Heavy Bolter
Heavy Support
2x Leman Russ Punishers "Betty and Veronica" -Punisher Gatling Cannon, Hull Mounted Heavy Bolter
1x Leman Russ Executioner "Josie"
Spoiler:
The pride of the Armoured Column, Josie leads the trifecta of Leman Russes in battle. This daring crew seeks out enemy armour and monstrous creatures to provide close range heavy fire support. Many desperate last stand by the line have seen their salvation, and it glowed a brilliant Mordian blue and can light up a dark hive as if it were seeing daylight for the first time. Command has been given to Veteran Plasma Gunner Ralph Jenkins, who has a lucky trick to prevent his primary weapon from overheating. He claims it really works.
-Executioner Plasma Cannon, Hull Mounted Heavy Bolter
1x Heavy Weapons Teams "The Gates of Mordian" - 3x Heavy Bolters
Psykana Telepathica Vanguard Detachment
Lord Psyker Thomas "Tommy" Maxwell -Force Stave
Lord Psyker Hatoru Chiba -Force Stave
Elites
4x Astropaths Gregor and Geoff Giamanius, Jordan Crazy Star, John Hawkwood -Telepathica Stave
1994 Points. 12 Command Points.
I'll do more fluff for the Iron Triumvirate and the Telepathica Detachment.
More command points, more vehicles, more psykers, less equipment, more redundant wounds on heavy weapons.
Thanks Gamerguy! You too Dwro! I figure low-value weapons teams are the way to go. I didn't want to write them out completely. I was gonna take the lascannons out of the line so thanks for letting me know! Keep going hunter!
This message was edited 11 times. Last update was at 2018/04/05 02:51:09
Both lists seems pretty solid, I might prefer the first one though, because of the lascannon support. Introduction was great, I ll might read the fluff also. Happy gaming!
1x Heavy Weapons Teams "The Gates of Mordian"
- 3x Lascannons
Psykana Telepathica Command Detachment
Lord Psyker Thomas "Tommy" Maxwell
-Force Stave
Lord Psyker Hatoru Chiba
-Force Stave
Spoiler:
Daughter of a feared mercenary, she lived a quiet life mostly away from the violence of her fathers. She attended a private school under a fake name, but mostly skipped classes and received poor grades. Her gift was discovered when her father's enemies ambushed him at home and attempted to take her hostage. The ensuing psyker maelstrom wiped out all life in the area except her own, her father among the dead. She volunteered for service immediately afterward, under pain of death.
Lord Psyker John "Haukevvod" Hawkwood
-Force Stave
Spoiler:
John Hawkwood is Lord Psyker of King Artemis's court of the Feral World Sandor's Fall. He is the only "wizard" to sit at King Artemis's Oval Table, where the company of his most loyal, honourable, and victorious knights are seated, advising the great king himself. As a tribute to the God Emporer of Man, King Artemis grants his Imperial Wizard for tours of duty during times of peace in the kingdom. Hawkwood returns from these tours with tales of mighty battles between angels and demons, the galley's that navigate the sky as if it were the sea, and armoured beasts that carry men into battle as if were the story of Jorah and the wale beast from their own holy texts. This, in turn, has only increased the faith in the God-Emperor among the people of Sandor's Fall, marking them for possible upliftment sometime in the future. Notably, it is incredibly difficult to pronounce his last name with a Mordian accent, leading to his slightly unfortunate nickname.
Elites
Astropath Gregor Giamanius
-Telepathica Stave
Spoiler:
With his twin brother, Geoff, disappearing mere weeks before deployment, many in the Mordian IX suspect cowardice. Gregor had not heard of any plans from Geoff concerning the flight, and the twins were close as they were. He could not help but sense something was amiss. Cursing his luck, he spends his nights telepathically searching for his twin or at least some clue. Meanwhile, the suspicion surrounding his brother is slowly turning its gaze toward him. Is his search for his twin from family obligation or selfish survival instinct? Does it matter? What will happen when he finds his twin?
What will happen if he doesn't?
2000 Points. (3+9+1-3) 10 Command Points.
Thanks, Mellon, I got a little more fluff out for you if you're interested. Thanks to you too Spreelock. I think I found a good compromise. 9 lascannons for the Mordian IXth. The Lascannon weapon team will be by the command squad for medipack heals and I'll burn a CP to merge them with an infantry squad if I have to. The dead bitch can tank a bit too. Some of the other changes were after reading the Chapter Approved point changes. I'll still be getting a Banewolf. Just not a priority now.
One question, which would be a better relic in my situation for Jo, Iron Star of Mordian, or Deathmask of Ollanius? Leaning Iron Star because she will be in the command squad with the med pack so the save against mortal wounds maybe be more valuable, but a 4+ inv and an extra D3 wounds healed for 2d3 is good too so I'm stuck.
Thanks for reading!
This message was edited 8 times. Last update was at 2018/04/10 11:28:57
Lord Commander Benjamin Savos -Laurels of Command, Master of Command, Boltgun
Spoiler:
A notorious germaphobe and control freak, Lord Commander Savos has an enormous distrust of those directly under his command and strictly believes that for anything at all to be done, he must be there personally to see it through. Preferring the sterility of his command chimera, Ben rides with his most elite, armed, and hygienic veterans to secure objectives and vanquish foes, bravely shouting orders at his men all the while.
Disgruntled at the promotion of Jack Savage to Lord Commander alongside him, he immediately petitioned for the promotion of Jo Hussra to Lord Commander as well, a position she accepted with great apathy.This allowed him to maintain a majority vote in Command, keeping the pencil neck from fething anything else up.
Lord Commander Jack Savage -Kurov's Aquila, Boltgun
Spoiler:
Any experienced Commissar will tell you, Mordian is the most boring deployment an officer of the Officio Prefectus can receive, and indeed that's what Jack got in the early stages of his career. He had slain more paperwork than cowards in his time. The recent deployment against the Thousand Sons changed everything. High Command had approved a requisition of a Telepathica presence for the ensuing campaign. He had received strict orders from the Prefectus to safeguard them from any psyker threat. He couldn't help but have a bureaucratic chuckle. "Any" threat. He reached into his desk to draw his bolt pistol before noticing the Telepathica were sending a Lord Psyker as well. Hmm. Better requisition a plasma sidearm, just in case.
Unfortunately, it was the illicit moonshine investigation that truely turned Jack's life upside down, causing him to cross paths and become the target of the petty criminal element in the Mordian IXth. A fraudulent transfer has placed him far away from the cozy confines of his office, babysitting psykers and on the front lines. Unfortunately for Jack, High Command is expecting results.
Lord Commander Jo "The Dead Bitch" Hussra -Order of the Iron Star of Mordian, Bolt Pistol, Chainsword
Spoiler:
Originally hailing from Vander's Landing, now hailing from nowhere, Jo Hussra doesn't find occasion to speak much. Everyone knows the stories anyway. First through the breach in the assault on Hive Thrac, a hive city on Mordian overrun by a cult of Tzeentch known as the Azoraz, she was also the only survivor of the breach team, somehow managed to successfully opening the gates for the grinding advance of the armoured company. The full extent of the horror she experienced alone in the breach no one will ever truely know. Some claim she died in the breach with the rest of her team and all that exists now is a golem of divine wrath. She is the only person Lord Commander Savos trusts overseeing the line while he leads the armoured column. Much to Jo's apathy, she has been given authority to command the line, which requires interaction with her and Platoon Command Vox Caster Sergio Lasdowne on a regular basis. He remains the only human to hear more than one-word responses from Jo and has been sworn to secrecy, possibly under pain of death, or worse.
Since Jack's organizational reforms, she hates the fact she misses Segio's company, who has since been transferred to Eagle Squad. She can now be seen silently eating her meals with her men, rather than alone.
Troops "The Line"
9x Infantry Squad -3x Lascannon, 9x Plasma gun
Spoiler:
The line may bend but will never break. Supported by heavy lascannon barrages, the line provides fire support for the advance of the armoured column and prevent enemy breakthroughs. With immaculate dress uniform adorned and parade marches, many barbarous chaos worshippers have been lured out of formation into thunderous charges only to find their comrades and armour vapourized in a multicoloured light show to the tune of drums and bugles.
The Lascannon batteries provide heavy fire support and have carried the day in numerous engagements. Protected by the line, these crews can bring down enemy armour and monstrous creatures from afar, clearing the way for the thunderous charge of the armoured column. Compared to the average Mordians, these crews are relatively laid back, spared from the worst combat has to offer. They've received multiple written violations for late night card and dice games and are suspected to be the source of the illicit distilled spirits circulating the brigade
The Plasma Gunners are known for their devil may care attitude and frequent participation in dice games. In fact, the terminology of "Mordian Bones" is derived from these men, with a double 12 being a "Supercharge" and a double 1 being a "squiddy", the term for a gunner who has overheated. Disagreements between gunners are often resolved via "Mordian Roulette", where the gunners take turns firing their weapons at targets with the first one to overheat becoming the "Squiddy" and losing.
With Infantry numbers swelling with recruits before the deployment and no Officers of the Ordo Prefectus on site, the barracks has become notably more raucous with dice games, consumption of and unauthorized bugling lasting past 10 pm lights out and well until 11pm.
Regimental Standard Bearer Harrison Carne was a Pro Blood Bowl player in his youth when an unfortunate knee injury ended his career. Dr. Madison Cromwell, Ph.D. is actually none of those things. She is, however, an excellent forger of imperial documents from her time as a petty criminal. She might not have learned how to use modern medical technology, but that's rarely available on the battlefield. Luckily, she is resourceful which is even better. Many soldiers have had their lives saved with a well placed improvised tourniquet and a 0% complaint rate from those that haven't.
Techpriest Enginseer Alfonso "Alfy" Huxley -Omnissian Axe, Laspistol, Servo Arm
Spoiler:
Deployed with the armoured column from his Native Forgeworld of Rho-Delpha he feels at home with the introverted Mordians who are all too happy to let the strange one keep to himself and keep their machines running. The spartan aesthetics preferred by the Mordians means less time in the paint bay, which Adeptus Mechanicus disciples never cared for much in the first place. Being the longest serving offworlder, he has built more trust if not respect from the Mordians for his willingness to stand firm while performing complicated repairs under heavy fire in open terrain, as long he keeps this machine god stuff to himself. For Alfy's part, he considers the machine spirits to be like children and would gladly sacrifice himself to protect them.
3x Veteran Squads "The Mordian IXth Iron Guard" -3x Vox, 9x Plasma Gun
Spoiler:
The trio of veteran squads that collectively make up the 9th Iron Guard are codenamed Eagle, Bear, and Wolf.
Eagle Squad are veterans of the Hive Drogi Seige when a surprise sally of the enemies armoured column from the gates of the hives nearly broke the line, but they were able to hold strong until the flanks could encircle the enemy, allowing the wholesale slaughter of chaos forces that day as well as preserving the integrity of the hive. Also comprised of Vox Caster Sergio Lasdowne, the chattiest man in the whole platoon. At least the vox caster keeps him busy in battle, but expect to hear about the weather, his girlfriend, and his mother's cooking any other time. Eagle Squad is considered the personal vanguard of Lord Commander Savos, who served with them on that fateful day as their Junior Officer. A note not so much a secret but a tight-lipped fact.
Bear Squad are Veterans of the Stand at Brooke's Point on the moon of Mordian, Tesis Prime. After deployment to investigate a distress signal, they found the local population had been infected by a virulent plague, killing them first and then bringing the undead to life.They were able to hold out using huddled ranked fire drawing all the zombies to a central point where a tactical hydrogen bomb could be deployed from orbit to destroy chaos forces and preserve the moon base. The survivors were able to evacuate in the nick of time, but not without losses. Bear Squad is rumoured to have formed a tontine with their back danger pay from the Tesis Prime deployment.
Wolf Squad are the Veterans of the Undercity Ambush, the massed roaming gunbattle that occurred in the sewers underneath Hive Goliath. They were able to assassinate the Chaos Warlord Tallatat, only to discover a massive winged Daemon of Tzeentch manifesting itself in the physical realm. The unholy abomination was able to soar through the pitch black sewers picking the men off one by one until the Mordians trapped it between two gated sections and blasted it to pieces. In the barracks the men are known to disappear for long stretches of time during lights out. Where they go is of yet undetermined as any questions have been met with outright denial.
These squads ride into the heart of the battle in their chimeras as part of the armoured column, seizing objectives and specializing in assassinating enemy officers. They are renown for their willingness to lay down their lives, which is important when fielding plasma weaponry, and impeccable hygiene, which is important when serving under Lord Commander Savos, who is known to ride with his vets rather than his command squad so he can "ditch the pencil necks" and "make sure the trains run on time."
Dedicated Transports
3x Chimeras "Eagle's Nest, Bear's Den, and Wolf's Lair" -Multilaser, Heavy Bolter, 2x Lasgun Arrays
Spoiler:
Lord Commander Savos rides in the Eagle's Nest, which is regularly detailed and sterilized. Bear's Den and Wolf's Lair are more relaxed away from the prying eyes of the lord commander, aside from the occasional psychic murmur from the psykers or the whirr of Alfy's servo arm. Each passenger can expect a personal vanity to maintain his uniform before deployment for surely there is nothing worse than appearing unprepared before the enemy. The crews are known to play music for their cargo, with Eagle's Nest broadcasting classical symphonies, Bear's Den street rhymes from the underhive with primitive beats, and Wolf's Lair blaring fast-paced AI composed electronic music.
Fast Attack
3x Scout Sentinel "Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the Lion" -Multilaser
Spoiler:
It takes an unusual pilot to command a bipedal robot, and it takes a master to do so in parade formation. Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion lead the armoured column, relaying vital reconnaissance back to Dorothy, allowing coordination between the firing lines. Outside of battle, the three pilots keep to themselves. The already stoic Mordians are even moreso near the eyes and ears of their Lord Commanders and the Dead Bitch.
Heavy Support
2x Leman Russ Punishers "Betty and Veronica" -Punisher Gatling Cannon, Hull Mounted Heavy Bolter
Spoiler:
Two Mordian pattern Leman Russ Punisher variants are perfectly designed for close quarter hiveworld combat, absolutely bristling with relatively small armaments, designed to leave the hives intact and shred any organic matter in range. The crews are extremely competitive with each other. Tasked with suppressing enemy light vehicles and infantry these tank aces can rack up impressive scores while the heavy weapon batteries act as anti-armour in support.
The pride of the Armoured Column, Josie leads the trifecta of Leman Russes in battle. This daring crew seeks out enemy armour and monstrous creatures to provide close range heavy fire support. Many desperate last stand by the line have seen their salvation, and it glowed a brilliant Mordian blue and can light up a dark hive as if it were seeing daylight for the first time. Command has been given to Veteran Plasma Gunner Ralph Jenkins, who has a lucky trick to prevent his primary weapon from overheating. He claims it really works.
Psykana Telepathica Command Detachment
Lord Psyker Thomas "Tommy" Maxwell -Force Stave
Spoiler:
Tommy was an orphaned child adopted and raised by his aunt and uncle Marie and Steven Maxwell, successful ranchers of the agri-world Dawn. Young Thomas's childhood was one of peace and outdoor discovery. That all changed around puberty when his aunt and uncle bean noticing his powers. Being patriots of the Empire, Thomas as well, they were overjoyed that their son would be of service to the Emporer. After training, he received a deployment with the Mordian 9th. This being his first, he couldn't wait to meet new friends and travel to strange new places. Oh, what fortune the future holds!
Lord Psyker Hatoru Chiba -Force Stave
Spoiler:
Daughter of a feared mercenary, she lived a quiet life mostly away from the violence of her fathers. She attended a private school under a fake name, but mostly skipped classes and received poor grades. Her gift was discovered when her father's enemies ambushed him at home and attempted to take her hostage. The ensuing psyker maelstrom wiped out all life in the area except her own, her father among the dead. She volunteered for service immediately afterward, under pain of death.
Lord Psyker John "Haukevvod" Hawkwood -Force Stave
Spoiler:
John Hawkwood is Lord Psyker of King Artemis's court of the Feral World Sandor's Fall. He is the only "wizard" to sit at King Artemis's Oval Table, where the company of his most loyal, honourable, and victorious knights are seated, advising the great king himself. As a tribute to the God Emporer of Man, King Artemis grants his Imperial Wizard for tours of duty during times of peace in the kingdom. Hawkwood returns from these tours with tales of mighty battles between angels and demons, the galley's that navigate the sky as if it were the sea, and armoured beasts that carry men into battle as if were the story of Jorah and the wale beast from their own holy texts. This, in turn, has only increased the faith in the God-Emperor among the people of Sandor's Fall, marking them for possible upliftment sometime in the future. Notably, it is incredibly difficult to pronounce his last name with a Mordian accent, leading to his slightly unfortunate nickname.
Elites
Astropath Gregor Giamanius -Telepathica Stave
Spoiler:
Due to the care required to minimize damage to the hives of Mordian, ordinance is strictly forbidden. An imprecise round could inadvertently breach the hive to the cold dead atmosphere of Mordian proper, or cause a fire, either draining or detonating precious oxygen. As a result, the Astra Telepathica has approved a sizable psyker detachment for support of the Mordian 9th, including Gregor and Geoff Giamanius, twin astropaths of the Scholastica Psykana. Being educated men they are of extremely nervous disposition. Superbly capable of guiding friendly fire, revealing enemy locations and even smiting minor enemies they are hesitant to push their powers to the limit in the company of Lord Commander Savage, instead preferring to let their superior at the Telepathica, the young and naive but talented Lord Psyker Maxwell take that role while they work from the shadows performing the thankless but necessary support roles to keep the line on target and the armoured column rolling.
With his twin brother, Geoff, disappearing mere weeks before deployment, many in the Mordian IX suspect cowardice. Gregor had not heard of any plans from Geoff concerning the flight, and the twins were close as they were. He could not help but sense something was amiss. Cursing his luck, he spends his nights telepathically searching for his twin or at least some clue. Meanwhile, the suspicion surrounding his brother is slowly turning its gaze toward him. Is his search for his twin from family obligation or selfish survival instinct? Does it matter? What will happen when he finds his twin?
What will happen if he doesn't?
2000, 10 CP, ~145 models
General strategy: Lord Commander Savos, the psyker detachment, and the tech priest all ride with the armoured column to secure objectives and cover the advance of the line. The sentinels picket and go for linebreaker with chimera assistance post disembarkation. Vets grab slay the warlord by using "form firing squad" and hopefully roll a 4+ (will use cp for this) to also use FRFSRF and just shred enemy characters while grabbing central objectives. The three lascannon infantry squads will probably stay back.
E: It's more of a "Speak now or forever hold your piece" kind of final, not "I won't be making any changes". Keenly interested on equipment optimizations, relic recommendations, constructive fluff criticism, list weaknesses, potential strategems, my most overpriced unit, even unit suggestions. I could swing about 80 points around from infantry and maybe the astropath.
E2: For the record, Lord Commander is Company Commander, Lord Psyker is Primaris Psyker. They're Mordians and very haughty at that.
This message was edited 6 times. Last update was at 2018/04/15 03:50:35
Techpriest Enginseer
-Omnissian Axe, Laspistol, Servo Arm
Veteran Squad
-Vox, 3x Plasma Gun
Veteran Squad
-Vox, 3x Plasma Gun
Veteran Squad
-Vox, 3x Plasma Gun
Dedicated Transports
Chimera
-Multilaser, Heavy Bolter, 2x Lasgun Arrays
Chimera
-Multilaser, Heavy Bolter, 2x Lasgun Arrays
Chimera
-Multilaser, Heavy Bolter, 2x Lasgun Arrays
Fast Attack
Scout Sentinel
-Multilaser
Scout Sentinel
-Multilaser
Scout Sentinel
-Multilaser
Heavy Support
Leman Russ Punisher
-Punisher Gatling Cannon, Heavy Bolter
Leman Russ Punisher
-Punisher Gatling Cannon, Heavy Bolter
Leman Russ Executioner
-Executioner Plasma Cannon, Heavy Bolter
Command Detachment
HQ
Primaris Psyker
-Force Stave
Primaris Psyker
-Force Stave
Primaris Psyker
-Force Stave
Elites
Astropath
-Telepathica Stave
2000, 12 CP, 141 models
General strategy: Commander 1, the vets, the psyker detachment, and the tech priest all ride in the chimeras with the armoured column to secure objectives and cover the advance of the line. The sentinels picket and go for linebreaker. Chimera ferry infantry after disembarking vets.
Vets grab slay the warlord by using "form firing squad" and hopefully roll a 4+ (will use cp for this) to also use Take aim to reroll 1s, in addition to volley fire granting me additional shots on hit rolls of 6 and hopefully allowing me to just shred enemy characters while grabbing central objectives. Psykers roll psychic barrier and nightshroud combod with take cover to give the vets a 3+ save and -1 to hit. The vets also hit on 5+ in overwatch. The three lascannon infantry squads will probably stay back with the command squad. Commander 1 rides with the vets, 2 with command squad and 3 with infantry.
Vs melee lists ill deploy the armour with the infantry and form a traditional firing line. Punishers will be nightmares, hitting on 4s on overwatch if within 3" of eachother combod with defensive gunners and will combine for 80 shots in the regular shooting phase with grinding advance. Executioner can fire twice as well and will hit on 4s in overwatch when in formation. Chimeras too, though i doubt the sentinels will ever be in formation.
Keenly interested on equipment optimizations, relic recommendations, constructive fluff criticism, list weaknesses, potential strategems, psyker powers, organizational reforms, my most overpriced unit, even unit suggestions. I could swing about 80 points around from infantry and maybe the astropath.
This message was edited 17 times. Last update was at 2018/04/15 20:56:16
I would drop the voxs personally, they aren't that great unless you have lots of them (and even then they're not great.) Especially considering that your vet teams are going to be prime targets. And you know my opinions on medkits.
I would switch the Laurels of Command and the Kurov's Aquila, your warlord should be safe in the back because of his command point abilities, and send out another company commander up front to protect his warlord ability.
Do remember that defensive gunners only affects one tank.
Keep an eye out on the beta rules, it's currently on the table to make it so each psychic power (besides smite) can only be used once per psychic phase, not per psyker.
If I put my warlord in the back should I go grand strategist instead?
And thank you for your other pointers! Still getting a good grip on AM, that's why I came back to dakkadakka first!
I figure I'll use those two powers combo to protect a vet squad holding an objective, the third can provide fire support with gaze or psychic maelstrom, and the astropath will have smite and mental fortitude.
For the 25 points saved from the medipak and voxes, I think some heavy bolter/autocannon teams for the infantry squads, or a Platoon Commander for the extra order? Or even a unit of wyrdvane psykers?
Hehe, silly me, I totally just read that and thought "Grand Strategist," my bad. With you taking Master of Command then definitely move your warlord around and keep it as is. Protect your Kurov's Aquila was the main point. I would personally suggest taking Grand Strategist, but Master of Command does go well with Laurels.
And I point out those are beta rules for psykers, with the current rules you can manifest the same power as many times as you have psykers with it.
Oh and going back over your list I'd definitely suggest taking a laspistol on your astropath, they only have one attack, and hit on a 5+, they really shouldn't be in melee. It'll reduce his cost from 36 to 30. (Oh, and if you don't know in chapter approved his cost went up to 30 from 15, but it's still a good cheap psyker, with a nice bonus ability who if you want to play it safe can just cast smite and doesn't risk a perils.)
So with that either you're going to sell a lot of those points to keep you astropath. So if you have 31 to work with I'd consider grabbing 5 hunter killer missiles and a bolt gun for your other commander. However I just like hunter killer missiles, and I don't get to use them in my upcoming Tempestus army, so I'm not completely unbiased.
However, another fine choice since you do indeed have a lot of different units that will need orders, so I would consider dropping the bolt guns from your commanders, and one plasma gun from one of your squads and piling in two new platoon commanders. Or you could also consider dropping two plasma guns and stick in a tank commander.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2018/04/16 07:32:14
I really like your list. And I agree with E two extra platoon commanders would make orders more efficient, as well as redundancy in case your commanders start dropping and between the transports and move, move, move you can have center board control quite easily and would be pretty decent at positioning where you wanted to. But it will be important to keep those orders up FRSRF and volley fire so the extra commanders would be worth it.
I personally like a squad of mortars just to have a small bubble to protect my back line and an annoying out of sight piece of firepower. I don't know if your mordians would fight side by side with bullgryns but having those with a priest inside one of the chimeras would be an excellent counter assault unit to have when one of your center board units got charged but then again with more vets you take advantage of your overwatch abilities and orders.
What if I drop the telepathica stave, the voxes, the bolters, and just the entire command squad? I don't even really need the leadership bonus from the regimental standard anyway, all my units basically get it automatically being mordian and in formation.
Gives me 65 points for 3x platoon commanders. Give one to each vet squad along with a primaris psyker for their chimera trips. The tech priest can lag behind with the leman russes. With the leftover five points i guess I'll give one of them a plasma pistol.
Thanks for the read and kind words Neotericity! I think mortars are great and would otherwise go with them. I am kinda kneecapping myself by not taking them for fluff reasons. Not even totally sure on the fluff. The most you can find about them in the codex is a battle on the surface of Mordian where they actually used an insane amount of ordinance. But I thought Mordian was a hive world with a barren surface and hives with huge population densities but what do I know. /rant
Bullgryns may actually work. I don't know, they seem a little more uniform to me? Giant iron shields and weapons would probably get the approval of the Mordians. I might try a model and see how it turns out. If it works aesthetically I could see them in the 2500 point list. I may have even jumped the gun a bit on the abhuman thing. I guess Mordians used ratlings back in the day so auxilia could be back on the table.
Thanks to you too Spreelock. I think I found a good compromise. 9 lascannons for the Mordian IXth. The Lascannon weapon team will be by the command squad for medipack heals and I'll burn a