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So with the new codex SM players recived the honor blade. A str 6 Power weapon.

Does this make the power fist no longer useful?

What do YOU think

Death of the powerfist? No.

For starters, although the Fist leaves your character striking last, it's cheaper and stronger, so a lot of people will opt for it anyway - especially if their character is kitted out to survive initial attacks.

I'm assuming you just meant for characters, seeing as relic blades are not as widely available as power fists.

Yea sorry i did mean for characters

Power fists are great on sgt's otherwise you're wasting a good I. I'd still consider Lightning claws over Relic Blades though

Power Fists and Honor Blades serve two different functions. The Honor Blade is an improved Power Weapon that can trash light vehicles and more easily wound high toughness foes (i.e. Monstrous Creatures). As for Power Fists, they still threaten Instant Death (important against non-Eternal Warrior IC's) and can hit armor 14.

The Relic blade is better than a Lightning Claw against targets with toughness 4 or greater, and it has better armour penetration. Captains have I5, so don't let that go to waste with a power fist.

No one puts powerfists on ICs anyway so it isn't an issue.

The real question should be power fist vs thunder hammer.

Relic blades on characters are a no-brainer I would say, unless you're hurting for points. Wasting your I5 on a fist is kinda silly for a character, especially when he can easily be gibbed before he even strikes due to IC rules. Relic blades give him the benefit of high strength without the downside of low initiative.

The real question is why you're kitting out a captain with a relic blade + storm shield when Vulkan is such a better deal for the points Captain+artificer armour+ SS +RB = 160 points. Vulkan = 190 points, comes with rerolls, twin links all TH, MG, and MM, and has a nifty TL-HF to boot.

Relic blades mean that when you charge you get no +1 attack and are expensive

waste of charactor

i agree with jamunition either fist hammer or claws not blade
poer fist decent but it hit high and i find useful to annoy opponent at end of close combat phase

ive always been a lightning claws fan. the relic blade looked cool when i first saw it but ill still prefer the claws, unless the relic blade will be part of a theme.

If you are going to take a relic blade for your IC make sure to take digi weapons as well to help make up for the loss of +1A. I can see using a power fist on chaplains along with their crozius. They have a 4+ INV save. If there is nothing in b2b contact that can insta kill them and you don't need to strike at I5 then the power fist has it's uses.

G/

BA&DA chaplains have a high number of attacks and can morph fist.
G

PirateRobotNinjaofDeath wrote:Relic blades on characters are a no-brainer I would say, unless you're hurting for points. Wasting your I5 on a fist is kinda silly for a character, especially when he can easily be gibbed before he even strikes due to IC rules. Relic blades give him the benefit of high strength without the downside of low initiative.

The real question is why you're kitting out a captain with a relic blade + storm shield when Vulkan is such a better deal for the points Captain+artificer armour+ SS +RB = 160 points. Vulkan = 190 points, comes with rerolls, twin links all TH, MG, and MM, and has a nifty TL-HF to boot.

You're forgetting that Vulcan gives you those rerolls and twin links your flamers/melta because he takes away combat tactics which, in my opinion, is far superior to having twin linked flamers and meltas. At least if you use it right, anyway. Those chapter tactics ain't free. So you're more or less paying thirty points for a heavy flamer and and master crafting which actually may be worth it, but I don't think the loss of combat tactics is. besides, Vulcan can neither do the orbital strike nor can he take a command squad like a lot of the other special characters. I think that if you're going for a powerful list he would be one of your last options. But as a Salamanders player I feel the need for him from time to time.

jamunition wrote:Relic blades mean that when you charge you get no +1 attack and are expensive

waste of charactor

No, you still ge +1 attack for charging, you just don't get one for two weapons...just like a power fist.

Green Blow Fly wrote:If you are going to take a relic blade for your IC make sure to take digi weapons as well to help make up for the loss of +1A. I can see using a power fist on chaplains along with their crozius. They have a 4+ INV save. If there is nothing in b2b contact that can insta kill them and you don't need to strike at I5 then the power fist has it's uses.

G

This man knows of what he speaks. Although, in my opinion, a power fist on a Chaplain just isn't efficient since he comes with a power weapon anyway and he is probably accompanying a squad that already has a fist in it.

^ Chaplain can't choose between special weapon types. There is no longer a "turning off" the special weapon so you can strike at Int.

Relic Blade Stormsheild and Digital Weapons along with Artificier Armour is always a good thing, especially if in a Command Squad so he has Feel No Pain to boot.

Ratbarf wrote:^ Chaplain can't choose between special weapon types. There is no longer a "turning off" the special weapon so you can strike at Int.

Relic Blade Stormsheild and Digital Weapons along with Artificier Armour is always a good thing, especially if in a Command Squad so he has Feel No Pain to boot.

About the chaplain, that would be true except that he would have two special weapon types if armed with a power fist. (The two special weapons being the fist and the power weapon.) When armed with two special weapons you may choose which to use, however you do not get a bonus attack for two weapons.

And that is incorrect. Feel no pain is not conferred to an independent character who joins a command squad, even if it is his command squad.

I would disagree the point about Khan not getting FNP. The Apothecary narthcieum gives FNP to the unit the Apothecary is in. If Khan joins the unit, then he is part of the unit and should get FNP.

pavonis wrote:I would disagree the point about Khan not getting FNP. The Apothecary narthcieum gives FNP to the unit the Apothecary is in. If Khan joins the unit, then he is part of the unit and should get FNP.

I'm not sure why we're specifically talking about Khan all of a sudden but it doesn't really matter...

From the main warhammer 40k rulebook on page 48 under the heading "special rules":

"When an independent character joins a unit, it might have different special rules from those of the unit. Unless specified in the rule itself (as in the 'stubborn' special rule), the unit's special rules are not conferred upon the character, and the character's special rules are not conferred upon the unit."

And Feel No Pain is not worded like Stubborn, although I am not going to bother quoting it.

Ah, but the unit doesn't have the FnP special rule in the conventional sense. The Apothecary's narcethium "confers Feel No Pain to all models in the unit," so a joined character (who is absolutely part of the unit) has FnP as long as the Apothecary is still alive.

Fetterkey wrote:Ah, but the unit doesn't have the FnP special rule in the conventional sense. The Apothecary's narcethium "confers Feel No Pain to all models in the unit," so a joined character (who is absolutely part of the unit) has FnP as long as the Apothecary is still alive.

Interesting interpretation. I wouldn't think that why the unit had feel no pain really mattered, but you may very well be right. I hope so, I usually run a command squad.

Well I was thinking it over and I have decided to go with the Honor Blade over the power fist for the following reason

I5, If I am going to be running him and his command squad in CC then I want to strike first.

Now a power fist can get an extra attack if you have two of them but I want the combat shields 3+ inv.

P.S.
I will never run a Hero/Special character because I lose the feeling that I am fielding my army(fluffwise) I know it doesn't make sense but that is how i roll

Altanis wrote:P.S.
I will never run a Hero/Special character because I lose the feeling that I am fielding my army(fluffwise) I know it doesn't make sense but that is how i roll

I know where you're coming from.

Marneus and Darnath are off the hook!

G

you know marneus has a power sword in his profile so dont blam him for power fists oh yeah i hate ultramarines why am i defeneding them oh well i'll live.