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How do you guys kit out your defilers? The way I see it, it is 150 points for either a shooty monster, of a choppy monster.
I'm thinking either going all out and having 2 extra close combat arms, and just fleeting towards the enemy, or trading out the heavy flamer for a havoc launcher and the autocannon for a lascannon, and have it be an artillery piece/deep striking dreadnought insurance.

Any other interesting defiler builds?

Canonness Rory wrote:How do you guys kit out your defilers? The way I see it, it is 150 points for either a shooty monster, of a choppy monster.
I'm thinking either going all out and having 2 extra close combat arms, and just fleeting towards the enemy, or trading out the heavy flamer for a havoc launcher and the autocannon for a lascannon, and have it be an artillery piece/deep striking dreadnought insurance.

Any other interesting defiler builds?

I like to chop them up to use their bits on other models.

Well... that's certainly unique.
I do that with chaos spawn

the other upgrades aren't worth it in my opinion, Since you are almost always better off firing the battle cannon rather than anything else. what I like to do is give them the free CC arms, and either sit back and shoot, or slowly advance and shoot.
Also, screening these things with Rhinos is a great way to make them last a bit longer.

I'll take a crack at an "interesting" build with defilers. Not really competitive mind you, but certainly "interesting".

Chaos Big Guys:

Lash Prince
Lash Prince
Summoned Greater Daemon

Dread w/ 2x ccw, extra armor, heavy flamer.
Dread w/ 2x ccw, extra armor, heavy flamer.
Dread w/ 2x ccw, extra armor, heavy flamer.

5man PM squad, 2x meltas, champ w/ fist, rhino.
5man PM squad, 2x meltas, champ w/ fist, rhino.
5man PM squad, 2x meltas, champ w/ fist, rhino.

Defiler w/ 2x ccw
Defiler w/ 2x ccw
Defiler w/ 2x ccw

Deploys/moves as a column, providing cover when possible. Dreads stay moving with EA. Lash + Defiler fleet = a potential 30inch charge, 22/23 inches on average. Still have decent scoring with the PMs.

9 Big guys. Should be fun. Exactly 1850.

The CC defilers are mean. My roommate fields one on a regular basis and it generally wreaks some sort of havoc or another.

@WhiteDevil: I think those Dreads would be more of a liability than anything. I have never seen a chaos dread perform even close to admirably. More often than not, it just pisses off the player that put it on the table.

With how these are armed, worst case they flame the rhino they are using for mobile cover. Not that big a deal, and doesn't pose a big enough concern to detract from the theme and coolness of the list. Lash enables them to get into cc as quickly as possible. Again, the point of the list is to have fun, although it has the potential to stomp plenty of guys along the way. No reason not to hit cc turn 2 (at least with the defilers).

That list has the signs of being totally off the hook and easily underestimated... Reminds me of what Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magick are doing to King James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Just goes to show why running with a cavalier attitude can be an equation for disaster.

G

WhiteDevil:

That isn't such a good list because your Greater Daemon will possess a Plague Champion with a Power Fist, which is a serious waste of points. Your Plague Marine units are small and thus vulnerable to high AP and high S weapons. Your Daemon Princes will either have to use indigenous cover or move into the enemy sights to use their Lashes of Submission, in which case they're big targets.

I think the Defilers would be better off supported by Lascannons and Melta Guns wielded by Chaos Space Marines, outflanking or infiltrated Chosen, or Terminators in Land Raiders.

For 1850pts I'd suggest:

HQ
Chaos Sorcerer
w/Terminator Armour, Combi-Melta, Personal Icon, Familiar, Warptime, Doombolt

Elites
Chaos Terminators
4 Terminators
w/Combi-Meltas (2), Power Fists (2)
1 Land Raider
w/Daemonic Possession, Combi-Melta

Chaos Dreadnought
w/Plasma Cannon, Heavy Flamethrower, Extra Armour

Chaos Dreadnought
w/Plasma Cannon, Heavy Flamethrower, Extra Armour

Troops
Chaos Space Marines
1 Aspiring Champion
w/Combi-Melta, Power Fist
9 Chaos Space Marines
w/Lascannon, Melta Gun
1 Chaos Rhino
w/Extra Armour, Havoc Launcher

Chaos Space Marines
1 Aspiring Champion
w/Combi-Melta, Power Fist
9 Chaos Space Marines
w/Lascannon, Melta Gun
1 Chaos Rhino
w/Extra Armour, Havoc Launcher

Heavy Support
Defiler
w/Two Close Combat Weapons

Defiler
w/Two Close Combat Weapons

Defiler
w/Two Close Combat Weapons

Also, remember to blow smoke on the turn that you charge into combat against anything the Defiler can reasonably defeat in close combat, to save it from return fire in the following turn. This also applies to Dreadnoughts.

theblklotus took a similar list to the baltimore GT and did very well last year. There's not much that is prepared to deal with that much armor in your face for the Chaos Monster Mash. Coupled with Lash, it becomes really ugly.

I'll take a crack at an "interesting" build with defilers. Not really competitive mind you, but certainly "interesting".

Chaos Big Guys:

Lash Prince
Lash Prince
Summoned Greater Daemon

Dread w/ 2x ccw, extra armor, heavy flamer.
Dread w/ 2x ccw, extra armor, heavy flamer.
Dread w/ 2x ccw, extra armor, heavy flamer.

5man PM squad, 2x meltas, champ w/ fist, rhino.
5man PM squad, 2x meltas, champ w/ fist, rhino.
5man PM squad, 2x meltas, champ w/ fist, rhino.

Defiler w/ 2x ccw
Defiler w/ 2x ccw
Defiler w/ 2x ccw

Deploys/moves as a column, providing cover when possible. Dreads stay moving with EA. Lash + Defiler fleet = a potential 30inch charge, 22/23 inches on average. Still have decent scoring with the PMs.

9 Big guys. Should be fun. Exactly 1850.

I have run a khorne variant of this. Its really fun to use, and is a surprisingly hard list to take down.

WhiteDevil wrote:I'll take a crack at an "interesting" build with defilers. Not really competitive mind you, but certainly "interesting".

Chaos Big Guys:

Lash Prince
Lash Prince
Summoned Greater Daemon

Dread w/ 2x ccw, extra armor, heavy flamer.
Dread w/ 2x ccw, extra armor, heavy flamer.
Dread w/ 2x ccw, extra armor, heavy flamer.

5man PM squad, 2x meltas, champ w/ fist, rhino.
5man PM squad, 2x meltas, champ w/ fist, rhino.
5man PM squad, 2x meltas, champ w/ fist, rhino.

Defiler w/ 2x ccw
Defiler w/ 2x ccw
Defiler w/ 2x ccw

Deploys/moves as a column, providing cover when possible. Dreads stay moving with EA. Lash + Defiler fleet = a potential 30inch charge, 22/23 inches on average. Still have decent scoring with the PMs.

9 Big guys. Should be fun. Exactly 1850.

I run this list as well, though with regular CSM instead of Plague Marines, and some Lesser Daemons for good measure. It's not the most effective army, but it's fun. Going up against armies with significant ranged firepower is pretty much auto-loss.

Exactly. The point of the list is to be fun and "interesting" (as per the original request).

Win or lose it's gonna be a fun game.

To get back to the OP's question:

I usually run my Defiler with the Twin Linked Heavy Bolter rather than the Reaper Auto Cannon. With BS 3, I'd prefer the additional shot. Plus, my Defiler is strictly anti-horde, and the TL HB serves that purpose better than the Reaper IMO.

I also have some dedicated skirmishers in my list, so usually my Defiler is in more of a fire support and counter charge roll (these units are AWESOME at counter charge). You really force deep strikers to think twice about settling down near a Defiler and its templates and CC prowess. My buddy plays orks and usually has Snikrot. I'll use a Defiler to prevent Snikrot from charging my back lines, and the battlecannon has enough range to decimate his foot sloggers while Snikrot is still in reserve.

Some like the 2 CC Defiler, but I enjoy having the other ranged weapons for when the battle cannon is eventually destroyed. If you take 2 CC weapons, make sure you advance with it every turn. Once the cannon is gone, you don't want it doing nothing for one to two turns while gaining a charge.

I sometimes field a choppy Defiler, but its primary use is as a fire-magnet. It has only killed anything once, and that was just a couple of Dire Avengers, too late to accomplish anything. I wish I could replace the battle cannon with an assault type shooting weapon. Perhaps a twin-linked heavy flamer. Hehehe...

On a 2CCW defiler, a Battle Cannon is something you pay for but never use, I would much prefer the option of taking another CC arm (sticking out of his chest, hey, it's chaos, it could happen), or a flamer like warpcrafter said, I would still probably never use it, when I did I wouldn't have to stand in one place for the entire turn.

Right now the only use for it is if your CC defiler gets immobilized.

Canonness Rory wrote:On a 2CCW defiler, a Battle Cannon is something you pay for but never use, I would much prefer the option of taking another CC arm (sticking out of his chest, hey, it's chaos, it could happen), or a flamer like warpcrafter said, I would still probably never use it, when I did I wouldn't have to stand in one place for the entire turn.

Right now the only use for it is if your CC defiler gets immobilized.

Are people using 3rd ed rules for ordnance? Not only can the defiler move and fire its battlecannon, but it can even assault on the turn that it fires its battlecannon.

willydstyle wrote:

Canonness Rory wrote:On a 2CCW defiler, a Battle Cannon is something you pay for but never use, I would much prefer the option of taking another CC arm (sticking out of his chest, hey, it's chaos, it could happen), or a flamer like warpcrafter said, I would still probably never use it, when I did I wouldn't have to stand in one place for the entire turn.

Right now the only use for it is if your CC defiler gets immobilized.

Are people using 3rd ed rules for ordnance? Not only can the defiler move and fire its battlecannon, but it can even assault on the turn that it fires its battlecannon.

But it can't fleet on the turn it uses it's battle cannon.

You mean it can't run

That's true, but if you're not in assault range, battlecannon shots can be better than getting 1-6" closer to the enemy.

You say tomato, I say fleet.

And I disagree, fleeting means you will be 1-6" closer to the enemy next turn, which may mean an assault next turn, rather than the turn after.

The only real use it has is if you are already in assault range, and then you run the risk of scattering on yourself.

Canonness Rory wrote:You say tomato, I say fleet.

And I disagree, fleeting means you will be 1-6" closer to the enemy next turn, which may mean an assault next turn, rather than the turn after.

The only real use it has is if you are already in assault range, and then you run the risk of scattering on yourself.

I didn't say that a battlecannon shot is always better, I said "can be."

Which is the importance of the battlecannon, it gives a defiler versatility, where a heavy flamer would not. If your opponent is playing a stand-off army with mobility (say, a well-built Tau list) then a defiler will not reach H2H reliably, no matter how "fleet" it is.