Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I was planning on getting some priests for my BA, and I was wondering which is the best set-up for power-armored priests.
Any ideas?

It really depends on what you are running and, if you tailor your lists, what you are running against. A power sword makes for 4 Initiative 5 Strength 5 Weapon skill 5, which is not bad at all. The jump pack is only necessary if you aren't running mech or any assault marines, although that build really is relying more on the FNP than the Furious charge. Terminator armor usually isn't useful since it's points heavy and there's no need for it unless you are teleporting in with terminators, which would only be really viable with the priest using Lightning claw assault termies in a Land raider. Best overall set up I can think of is a power sword and a jump pack.

The powerfist and thunderhammer really don't work for him since he's an independent character, and almost everything will be hitting before him then. The power sword may give up the 2+ wounding (except against Guard, Gaunts, and Eldar) but the higher initiative is almost always worth it. Meltabombs may be a good investment if you take the powersword since then he'll be a marginal threat to vehicles instead of an insignificant one, but it's very much optional. And it's also useless against nids, so if the FLGS has mostly Nid players, that's 5 (or more) points spent on better wargear, like meltas and plasma.

The lightning claw's rerolling wounding is a pretty good boon against high toughness units like Trygons and other MC's, but the math hammer works in the power sword's favor against basic infantry. 3 attacks against a Carnifex make for 2 hits and 1 wound on the charge due to the rerolling wounding, vs. 4 attacks, 2.66 hits, and .88 wounds. The fact is though that these are only a few wounds, which means that it's unlikely that the priest will kill a fex all by his lonesome.

The only thing I add to a priest is a jump pack. The IC rules make them vulnerable in melee and they aren't any more survivable than a basic marine so I am wary of spending above the 75 points I already spend on one.

just a JP. Adding anything more ramps up the price of a single wound IC and makes them a juicier target, as if they needed it.

I just use a Lightning Claw, it will kill more than a power sword.

Jump packs are too expensive for my taste.

In run the priest in a transport with assault marines. or a LR with Vanguard vets, depending on the size of the list.

I have sternguard vets and a lrc, and what I have models-wise is almost 3k points.
Would it be good to run a priest with them in the lrc?

battle Brother Lucifer wrote:I have sternguard vets and a lrc, and what I have models-wise is almost 3k points.
Would it be good to run a priest with them in the lrc?

if you find yourself getting boltered to death with the sternguard, then yes i would put one in, and if you can afford a storm bolter or a combi weapon with them then do it.

They have a combi-melta.

Don't bother with the single Lightning Claw on a Sanguinary Priest. Re-rolling wounds isn't such a big deal when your whole shtick is firing off a flurry of S5 strikes at I5. As an Independent Character with 1 Wound you really can't rely on the Sanguinary Priest to survive past the first round of Assault - so you need to maximize what he can do on the charge and / or minimize his cost as a casualty. So I've say you either combine his Bolt Pistol with a Power Weapon for 4 attacks at S5 I5 on that charge or you don't get him weapon upgrades at all. My priests run with Assault Marines so they need Jump Packs unless they ride in Land Raiders.

- Marty Lund

battle Brother Lucifer wrote:They have a combi-melta.

they the sternguard?

cause the sang priest just has bolt pistol and CCW

you could leave him with what he comes with though if he is just gonna sit in the unit of Sternguard.

and keep him as far away from the front of the unit as you can. that way if they do get into hand to hand, you can move him so he only touches 1 dude, if possible.

I just run him naked and have him go with my termies and my libby in the LRC. All he's there for is for FNP and FC. He's safe that way mostly because the enemy is dead and insignificant by the time they strike back.

xxBlazinGhostxx wrote:I just run him naked and have him go with my termies and my libby in the LRC. All he's there for is for FNP and FC. He's safe that way mostly because the enemy is dead and insignificant by the time they strike back.

YES, thats usually the best way, that way if he dies he was only 50 points. and you get to use him at least once.

Well, with that setup you also can just leave him in the Land Raider, which tends to become a secondary priority target once it disgorges a squad of terminators led by a librarian. Then the opponent is forced to pick between shooting the big scary unit, or trying to destroy the landraider that's giving everyone within 6" FNP and Furious Charge (and after destroying the Raider, killing the guy going to ground for a 3++).

Terminus wrote:Well, with that setup you also can just leave him in the Land Raider, which tends to become a secondary priority target once it disgorges a squad of terminators led by a librarian. Then the opponent is forced to pick between shooting the big scary unit, or trying to destroy the landraider that's giving everyone within 6" FNP and Furious Charge (and after destroying the Raider, killing the guy going to ground for a 3++).

Hmm, for some odd reason, I never considered that, thanks man!

Terminus wrote:Well, with that setup you also can just leave him in the Land Raider, which tends to become a secondary priority target once it disgorges a squad of terminators led by a librarian. Then the opponent is forced to pick between shooting the big scary unit, or trying to destroy the landraider that's giving everyone within 6" FNP and Furious Charge (and after destroying the Raider, killing the guy going to ground for a 3++).

Can't quite do that.

Character in a squad is one unit. I don't have my BRB with me, but if I recall correctly, you can have an IC disembark on their own, the IC and squad disembark, but you can't just disembark the squad. Has something to do with the way IC's and squads join and when they can separate.

Incorrect. The wording is a little hazy, but it's still understandable.

"They can also disembark separately by either the unit or the characters disembarking while the others remain onboard"
40k 5th edition rulebook, page 67, Emphasis mine.

Basically there's no problem with dumping a squad to assault, leaving a fragile buffing IC(say, nullzone libby or pedro kantor) in the transport for safety.

Arschbombe wrote:The only thing I add to a priest is a jump pack. The IC rules make them vulnerable in melee and they aren't any more survivable than a basic marine so I am wary of spending above the 75 points I already spend on one.

Exactly.
Upgrades for him are generally a waste of points.

But, my libby and honor guard have jump packs
No LRC for them

I run all my priests with powerswords, they can be picked out individually, so with them striking first (Usually), i want them to strike as hard as possible.