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I picked up a box of death company a few weeks back, and I came to wonder about the loadout of my Death Company after looking over my list quite a few times.
This is a unit that can take rediculous amounts of wargear. In theory, every member could have a thunderhammer in each hand while using their jump packs to propel them forwards.
I was originally planning to use them with jump packs, 1 power weapon, 1 thunderhammer and field them together with a reclusiarch with jump pack and melta bombs. The thunder hammer was because you can't control them, so they might end up in CC with a dreadnought, MC or LR, so that was mostly to give them a fighting chance if they suddenly run off. The jump packs was because they need speed to catch whatever they are chasing, because if they just use a regular transport, they can't assault in the same turn.
I later changed the thunderhammer to two infernus pistols, one for the reclusiarch, and one for the DC. This was so they could use them to pop transports and then charge and murder the contents. Even with just two power weapons, they could easily muder an entire tac squad if they got the charge. I came to think, what if they had both infernus pistols and a thunderhammer? Would that be too many points to spend on a 5+1 man unit, with only T4, 3+ save and FnP? This would bring them up to a total of 410 points, including the reclusiarch - that is the same as ten terminators, two of which with TH/SS!
Don't you think that is way too much?

BTW: In my army I plan to run two ten man assault squads with powerfists and meltaguns supported by two sanguinary priests.

So how do you transport and equip your death company? Do you do it more economically, and arm them with bolters and transport them in a rhino/razorback/drop pod for fire and CC support? Or do you go all out and put them in a Land Raider and arm them with a gakload of power weapons and power fists as your personal death star?

Transport with deathcompany is a good idea in many situations. If you are worried about not being able to assault just powerslide the rhino, pop them out next turn and have them charge the unit you want them to with out having to worry about them just chasing something around the table for the majority of the game.

Oh yeah, I completely forgot about the power slide, since I'm used to using chimeras containing squishy guardsmen.
The question is, can I simply just combine jump infantry with mechanized units in the same army and have it function properly as a coherent army?

I could simply put the Death Company in a Razorback, perhaps with a lascannon for added fire support, and have it move forward at the same speed as my jump infantry.
I was also thinking of fielding a LRR with assault terminators and a priest, perhaps this would work well together?
Would it be viable to field both terminators and death company in land raiders and keep the jump troops in cover behind them while advancing? I could even choose to deepstrike this army if I wanted to as an element of surprise.

I'm open for any suggestions as long as they can work together with a core consisting of jump troops, because I have 5 assault marines, a chaplain and a priest assembled with jump packs already. I have that and the box of Death Company just waiting for inspiration.

Plan B) Buy a drop pod, put location beacon on the pod. Congrats, turn one Death Company in enemy deployment zone. And a deepstrike beacon for future turns.

Happygrunt wrote:Plan B) Buy a drop pod, put location beacon on the pod. Congrats, turn one Death Company in enemy deployment zone. And a deepstrike beacon for future turns.

This.

Throw in two or 3 power fists and you are golden. Maybe even take 9 DC with a Rechlusiarch in the Pod. Either the Enemy ignores it, in which case you OMNOMNOMNOM, or they focus on it, which means the rest of your army goes untouched for a turn.

Dante works too if your worried about the opponent wrecking your drop pod before you can get your reserve roll in. No scatter on a 10+ man unit with 3+ SV and FNP? Hell yeah!

That's a lot of points though.

Essentially you want a few power weapons/special weapons, and some meat to protect them, and use some sort of transport to get them there. (Or Deepstrike)

Happygrunt wrote:Plan B) Buy a drop pod, put location beacon on the pod. Congrats, turn one Death Company in enemy deployment zone. And a deepstrike beacon for future turns.

Hmm, perhaps a drop pod with locator beacon containing a DC dread could deepstrike in round one. In round two a LRR could then deepstrikes without scatter, containing 5-10 death company. That would put quite a hole in the opponents army, and force them to deal with them. This confusion would help the rest of the army deepstrike in peace without getting slaughtered, leading to a turn three mass assault with very killy units. I can see uses for a land raider in games like this. Also, since DC are troops, they might get advantages in battle missions and other games with strange deployment.
Also, apocalypse!

Bonde wrote:

Happygrunt wrote:Plan B) Buy a drop pod, put location beacon on the pod. Congrats, turn one Death Company in enemy deployment zone. And a deepstrike beacon for future turns.

Hmm, perhaps a drop pod with locator beacon containing a DC dread could deepstrike in round one. In round two a LRR could then deepstrikes without scatter, containing 5-10 death company. That would put quite a hole in the opponents army, and force them to deal with them. This confusion would help the rest of the army deepstrike in peace without getting slaughtered, leading to a turn three mass assault with very killy units. I can see uses for a land raider in games like this. Also, since DC are troops, they might get advantages in battle missions and other games with strange deployment.
Also, apocalypse!

This is a great plan I can't believe I didn't think of that. Thanks for the idea.

I go with mass amounts of power weapons when I run my 15 man dc its upwards of 735 pts

Bloodfrenzy187 wrote:

Bonde wrote:

Happygrunt wrote:Plan B) Buy a drop pod, put location beacon on the pod. Congrats, turn one Death Company in enemy deployment zone. And a deepstrike beacon for future turns.

Hmm, perhaps a drop pod with locator beacon containing a DC dread could deepstrike in round one. In round two a LRR could then deepstrikes without scatter, containing 5-10 death company. That would put quite a hole in the opponents army, and force them to deal with them. This confusion would help the rest of the army deepstrike in peace without getting slaughtered, leading to a turn three mass assault with very killy units. I can see uses for a land raider in games like this. Also, since DC are troops, they might get advantages in battle missions and other games with strange deployment.
Also, apocalypse!

This is a great plan I can't believe I didn't think of that. Thanks for the idea.

I second that. I actually wrote an army list based around that tactic and on paper it works great!!! Plan B is now plan A I presume.


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Make sure you are propared for when your LR turns up in turns 3 and +.

My BA list has 2 10man assault marines and a 5 man death company, so similar to yours. I run the death company with a reclusiarch for the reroll hits and wounds because its pretty nasty. In the DC, I run 1 TH, 1 PW, and 1 Hand Flamer, this was wound allocation is pretty good, and you can soften up horde troops and also take out MEQ with the 9 str 5 power weapons at I5. Pretty all around I guess

So, at release, DC were seen as the worst unit in the book, but now they are turning out pretty good by finding great ways to get around rage. COOL!

Happygrunt wrote:So, at release, DC were seen as the worst unit in the book, but now they are turning out pretty good by finding great ways to get around rage. COOL!

Heavens no, the worst unit was (and still is) Devastators.

Gwar! wrote:

Happygrunt wrote:So, at release, DC were seen as the worst unit in the book, but now they are turning out pretty good by finding great ways to get around rage. COOL!

Heavens no, the worst unit was (and still is) Devastators.

I use them, they are cheaper than vanilla and arn't THAT bad.

I gotta be honest. The Death company special rules and stats are generally more than enough to overkill most units.

I never run mine with over 5 guys (two have power weapons) and i pair them in a razorback with my reclusiarch(with powerfist). Use that razorback to evade dreadnoughts, not many people run more than one in my area so my own dreads easily gang up on it.

If I use Death Company, it's only to have the dreadnought, as it is cheaper and in many cases just as good as furiouso. The Death Company alone are useless. I've had some ok results having 5 of them in a Razorback. Unless it is immobilised or destroyed, that gives the opportunity to choose where they go and who they charge. I would never use Death Company with jump packs (unless it was apocalypse). However, I have magnetized the models so that I may switch between jump pack and normal back pack.

Death company are so expensive, I never buy upgrades or special weapons for them.

Just to totally OP everyone here, I run my DC six men (five regular DC and the ever-forum-dividing Lemartes) with hand flamer, and three power weapons, and jump packs, because I run mostly an infantry army (seriously, i have a dread and a drop pod, that's it) and I quite literally have THE worst luck with vehicle rolls (like if you shoot at it and can hurt it, I personally garuntee you will manage to roll the value that will most me up) so I'd rather use the ever usefull jump to cover method than depend on not getting that one lucky shot on a rhino or razorback's wimpy AV10 side armor. granted im running 380 pts for six guys, but my mathhammer says that even if i focused every non-AP3 or better shot in my Tau army at them i would still only lose two guys (thats something like 120 shots, 126 if they're all under the hammerhead submunition blast) thanks to FNP and theyll still kill an average of 17 TauEQs or better in the first round of assault (roughly the same for guard and similarly squishy foes) even MEQs are something like 11 kills on average (four power weapons with rerolls on hits and wounds thanks to lemartes

You have to give atleast two members of the DC power weapons or something similar. If you do that, they are suddenly extremely deadly in close combat. I can't see why would you field a CC unit without CC weapons when you can give them the required means to take on everything.
I'll probably be using a chaplain dreadnought from FW as a DC dread with blood talons (STR 6-7 LC's with an extra attack for every wound? Hell yeah!). The model looks awesome and it isn't that expensive.

Do you guys think that infernus pistols are worth their cost?
They are terribly short ranged and more expensive than meltaguns. It is rare that you get within 3" of a vehicle with a unit with rage, mostly because you have no control, and would scare away every vehicle. Since I think I'll keep my DC in a Land Raider, I'll probably skip them, since they won't get a chance to fire - I'd rather give them a thunder hammer than two infernus pistols. The land raider will provide fire with its assault cannon instead.

Baxx wrote:If I use Death Company, it's only to have the dreadnought, as it is cheaper and in many cases just as good as furiouso. The Death Company alone are useless. I've had some ok results having 5 of them in a Razorback. Unless it is immobilised or destroyed, that gives the opportunity to choose where they go and who they charge. I would never use Death Company with jump packs (unless it was apocalypse). However, I have magnetized the models so that I may switch between jump pack and normal back pack.

Death company are so expensive, I never buy upgrades or special weapons for them.

I find them to be completely worth the cost coupled with a LR for transport.

Bloodfrenzy, do you then field them with bolters to make use of relentless before charging? Or do you just field them with bolt pistols and chainswords?
How many special weapons do you give them?

Bolters would make them more effective after the first assault, still making them a threat even if they aren't engaged in CC, because they could still keep on firing while moving towards the new target. On the other hand, they might aswell run to make it to close combat faster?

Don't go overboard with war gear.
My DC has no jump packs and just one or two power fists. That's enough.

What is a rhino "powerslide"?

I run 8 DC x3PW x5 Bolters in either a rhino or a Redeemer. I always put in a reclusiarch or Chaplin. They eat what ever they hit. Some folks say that you have to put in a fist or TH and I say do not bother. As long as they get the charge WS5 S5 I5 reroll hits AND wounds. Trygons die, tyrants die, 10 man honour squads with power weapons die, Calgar in a termie squad dies.... you get my point.

I put the bolters in there cause even though I loose 5 CC attacks if my transport gets hosed I can at least do something and maybe even kill off the bait unit with fire allowing me to Rage elsewhere.

I ran this configuration in a redeemer for ard boyz and smashed everything they touched. Only in one game did they get killed and that was after wiping a 600+ point unit (the honour guard one with Pedro and a chappy) This unit with redeemer is a bit more than 450 points.

I can see that you want bolters if you run them in a rhino, but a land raider hasn't got that big of a chance to get popped.
I think I'll give them bolters anyway, they'll probably kill everything they touch with 2x power weapons and a thunder hammer + a reclusiarch with power weapon and infernous pistol. I'm considering giving the two guys with power weapons infernus pistols too, because they suffer no penalty to their number of attacks, and it will give them a chance to destroy baiting units at range together with the bolters and reclusiarch.

The only problem with the infernus pistols is that they only have 6" range, so should I give the two DC and reclusiarch plasma pistols instead, so they can reach out further to destroy baiting units? They will be firing anyway since I have decided that the rest of the squad has bolters, so I might aswell maximise their firepower, right? Or will it just make them too expensive?


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kestral wrote:What is a rhino "powerslide"?

As far as I know, it's where you drive the rhino forward as fast as possible and turn 90 degrees to either side at the end of your move, so the side of the transport is facing your target. The next turn you hold still, and use the side exit to let the transported unit out, so they directly can assault the targeted unit.

The only time I put Bolters on Death Company is when they have Power Fists!

What do you mean? You give bolters to thoose already armed with power fists, becaue you don't loose an attack then?

Bonde wrote:What do you mean? You give bolters to thoose already armed with power fists, becaue you don't loose an attack then?

Pretty much.

I personally (on Vassal) run a squad of 9 DC, 3 with PF and Bolters, 6 with Pistol and CCW. Put them in a Drop Pod with a Rechlusiarch.

The Pod all but negates Rage, and makes sure they assault SOMETHING!

Alright, my final setup for a DC without ranged weapons at all (they were just a bit too costly for my taste if I were to equip them properly). I changed my other chaplain to a reclusiarch instead, since the assault squads will need his assistance - the DC can hold their own, at least as long as they get the charge:

Elite
Chaplain 100
Melta bombs 5
= 105

Troop
10 Death company 200
Bolt pistols & chainswords -
3x Power weapons 30
Thunder hammer 30
Land Raider Redeemer 240
Extra armour 15
= 530

The unit is very killy in CC, and has a great chance of getting there, because of the land raider's protection and "assault vehicle" rule. They can choose to start on the board, or choose to deepstrike via beacon. When the DC are not in the LR and not in CC, they will always move and run towards the nearest target in the hope of destroying them!

acsmedic wrote:I run 8 DC x3PW x5 Bolters in either a rhino or a Redeemer. I always put in a reclusiarch or Chaplin. They eat what ever they hit. Some folks say that you have to put in a fist or TH and I say do not bother. As long as they get the charge WS5 S5 I5 reroll hits AND wounds. Trygons die, tyrants die, 10 man honour squads with power weapons die, Calgar in a termie squad dies.... you get my point.

I put the bolters in there cause even though I loose 5 CC attacks if my transport gets hosed I can at least do something and maybe even kill off the bait unit with fire allowing me to Rage elsewhere.

I ran this configuration in a redeemer for ard boyz and smashed everything they touched. Only in one game did they get killed and that was after wiping a 600+ point unit (the honour guard one with Pedro and a chappy) This unit with redeemer is a bit more than 450 points.

A power fist is Dreadnought insurance.

Exactly! This is even more important when you have no control because of the rage special rule, so your own unit might aswell charge a dreadnought, or get lured away by a land raider. One thunderhammer and some melta bombs should be enough to scare away enemy vehicles and have potential to take out anything but land raiders reliably.