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I'm trying to make a list of named characters that is worth their points/ competitive.
I know for the IG marbo is great. A demo charge that comes out of nowhere that scatters virtually nothing is top tier.
My opponent once deep struck his sanguinary guard and marbo just came out next turn and blew the lot of them up.
Of course he got blown up next turn but it was worth it.

Mephiston: he's a daemon prince in artificer armour. Build a list around him and watch the fun ensue.

Most named characters are good when you build a list around them, maximising their special rules. But as for the best of the best single characters, this my quick, off the top of my head oppinions:

Space Marines-
Vulkan He'Stan. 2+/3++ MC Relic weapon, Dig weapons, Armywide Twin linking and MC'ing
Lysander. One of the strongest beatsticks in the game. Str 10 Thundermahher, 4 wounds, 2+/3++ EW, and Armywide stubbern.

Orks
Gazzy. The other strongest beatstick in the game. Boosted Waaaagh, EW, Str 10, extra attacks and even more on the charge.
Snikrot. Fear the table edges. Puts a power Klaw and Burners right where you want them.

Deamons
Fateweaver. Rerollable 3++, and Rerollable saves of all kinds from anything within 6". And is a winged MC with Master of Sorc, with the spells to make that matter.

Chaos Marines
Kharn. Just a fun guy to be around. Also the only model in the game that never misses with it's melee attacks.

'Nids
Swarmlord. The extra options added to a hive tyrant are so worth the minor point upgrade.

I.Guard
Marbo. Demo Charge (aka, the Battle Cannon in a can) where you need it. And can be a bit difficult to kill if in cover.

Eldar
Eldrad. Super Psyker that does everything you could ever want.

I play marines and used to play orcs. Vulkan Hestan is pretty amazing for marines and Ghazgul is a great ork named character.

Also for chaos I think Typhus is one of the best named character but that could be due to the fact that i play nurgle.

Sentai_Sage wrote:*text*

You missed Pedro and Kor'sarro for vanilla.



Anyhow, both Helbrecht and Grimaldus are playable in competetive lists. Grimaldus needs a Black Tide list, which is arguably competetive, and Helbrecht works as an anti-MEQ beatstick, more or less. He's also one of the few models in the game that can go above 10 attacks, although that's not gonna happen in a competetive game.

AlmightyWalrus wrote:

Sentai_Sage wrote:*text*

You missed Pedro and Kor'sarro for vanilla.

Was trying to avoid characters that needed whole lists build around them. Kor'sarro has a power weapon that causes ID on a 6, Furious charge, and an upgrade to get a fleeting bike. Not very imopressive. His cool thing is when you outflank a fast army.

And Pedro has a 4 shot storm bolter, a power fist, and a Honorguard banner. He's much cooler in a Sternguard heavy list, but not on his own.

Otherwise, I would have included Crowe from the Grey Knights, since he unlocks the best troops in the game, along with some other minor things (can be an asset in a multi-charge situation, since he can Cleansing flame on his own, and can insta-kill any one model in your opponents army (in melee))

Avatar of Khaine? technically hes named, even though fluff wise there are a lot of him.

Actually, that's not named. It's more of a title or description, like "Chaptermaster of the Ultramarines".

CCCRRRREEEEEEEEDDDD!!!

I Love Creed.

otherwise, i honestly have never ran any of the other characters besides Abbaddon and Kharne. Not a big fan of either.

DE:

Baron, +1 to going first, stealth to the unit he joins, and he is a cheap HQ.

Duke, improves your chances of getting a good combat drug, buffs the anti infantry shooting of one unit, and gives you the option of deepstriking your army (you usually shouldn't, but its an option), he is also relatively cheap for a special character, and reasonably competent in CC.

Gotta go with crowe... the fact that he can single-handedly wade into CC with any hoarde army, and then take out about half of them consistantly, before blows are struck, and then make with the face stabbage makes him a strong start. Add in the fact that he's dirt cheap for a named character, and his W2 status makes him a lesser threat than his awesome troops choices rolling up the field, and you've got a brick-solid character that laughs in the face of the swarmlord and his lackies.

Astorath the Grim. I mean who's more scarey than the only guy the Death Company are afraid of?

Tau: Farsight. Only model in the entire codex that's competent at close combat and can drop an 8 man crisis team down on the enemy. I can't think of many units that can survive a turn of firepower from a unit like that

IG: Al'Raheem. Outflank a 50 man infantry platoon. Always fun filling your opponent's side of the board with more models than he has.

GK: Coteaz. He's a beat stick for an incredibly low price, makes henchmen into troops (which are either the cheapest or deadliest units GK can field) and ruins any outflanks/deep strikers that try to get close to him.

For IG, Al'Raheem- I run a full platoon with him:50 man blob, max on HWT, SWT, and 50 conscripts. Who cares about loadout at that point, you simply will not survive the shooting I can throw at you. Mind you, that platoon is over 1k points.

-cgmckenzie

Cadichan Support wrote:I know for the IG marbo is great. A demo charge that comes out of nowhere that scatters virtually nothing is top tier.

So very not true.

Eldrad
Mephiston
Njal
Vulkan
Cassius
Gazzy
Straken
Kantor
Kharne
Abbadon
Skulltaker
Grimaldus
Belial
And there are a few DE ones that I can't think of their names.

marbo and al'raheem, both are very good to help the IG's lack of close combat oomph, also im quite a fan of yarrick

Vindicare Assassin - The named character so awesome that he is neither named, nor a character....
Callidus assassin - Marbo with bewbs and a neurocentric flamethrower
Eversor Assassin - It's like an orgy of face-stabbing, violence, and against-your-will sexual favors.
Culexis Assassin - Psykers? What psykers?

Officio Assassinorum - Specializing in targeted brian case evacuations since m39.

Amongst the armies I am familiar with:

Space Wolves - Everyone but Ulrik (not as useful as a normal Wolf Priest for the cost) and Lukas (he's not bad, but there are a lot of cons to running him).

Tyranids - Swarmlord obviously, Doom of Malantai and Deathleaper can be deadly as well.

Necrons - Both C'tan are great.

Lysander, because he stands proud and doesn't take a wound while his entire TH/SS Terminator squad is wiped out around him.

Tau- None of them, they all suck. Space pope... does nothing. Shadowsun, close range/Deep strike weaponry but the rest of her abilities/defences are for long range gunline support, and very overcosted. Farsight, absolutely dreadfull. Very expensive, completely cripples the Force Org, and in return you get A power weapon and the option of one big suit squad (though if you count Broadsides, you actually can get more suits if you don't take Farsight). Oh, you get bonding knives too, yippee.

Sisters- None of them, they both suck. Celestine is fun to play with, but really not that great, and she really can mess with your faith pool when she dies. She's really expensive too, and easy to insta-kill.

Eldar: The phoenix lords are all overpriced, but Eldrad and the Avatar are both considered great in the right army. Yriel is ok, but suffers from being a T3 character without eternal warrior or great saves - in any case he is nothing too special for his cost, once compared to modern codexes.

IG, Marbo is perfectly good for his price, Straken, Creed, Kell are all good in foot lists. Al'Rahem looks like the root of a good tactic. Chenkov, Harker and Pask can be used for some narrow things, but aren't really top drawer. Bastonne and Nork Deddog are pants.

Uhm..

Deciever?
nightbringer?

the biggest badasses in cc you can find

t8
st 9 or 10

ignores armour and iv saves need i say more?

If you can afford him Mephiston is great.

Vanilla marines

Vulkan
Kosorro Khan
Pedro Kantor
Lysandar


Chaos Space marines

Abbaddon(he's actually a great unit)
Kharn

Grey Knights

Crowe(purifiers as troops is so worth it)
Draigo(yeah, but he's a pretty powerful unit and you can make Paladins scoring)
Coteaz

Tau

Farsight if you build a list around him(which you are forced to do)

Orks

Ghazzy(he's Ghazzy, you need another reason?)
Mad Doc(good for giving any unit a 5+ invuln)

DA

Sammial and Belial(double wing FTW)

WH

Saint Celestine(a fairly good HQ. she comes back more often then not too)

BA

Mephiston
Dante(Sanguinary Guard as troops is kinda meh, but a single unit not scattering is a good force multiplier)


Nids

Swarmlords a good choice.

Dronze wrote:Gotta go with crowe... the fact that he can single-handedly wade into CC with any hoarde army, and then take out about half of them consistantly, before blows are struck, and then make with the face stabbage makes him a strong start. Add in the fact that he's dirt cheap for a named character, and his W2 status makes him a lesser threat than his awesome troops choices rolling up the field, and you've got a brick-solid character that laughs in the face of the swarmlord and his lackies.

This made me lol.

L. Wrex

I would not go so far as to say that the deathleaper is good. and the doom, well that is situational. Swarmlord though for sure.
Also i am afraid that mephiston is out in my book too. Unit of 1, with no invuln. Last two times i faced him i just shot him dead before he could do anything.

Kharn
Mepistion
Castelan Crow
Grimnaldus

For what it's worth I'd have to put Ghazgkull in the Top 5, maybe even the top 3. 2++, 7 S10 attacks, 6" guaranteed fleet? He's a monster!

L. Wrex

Vulkan and Kharne. The rest are debatable

I reckon Belial and Logan are pretty useful since they are necessary to unlock certain army builds.