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I've just started getting into the game and have begun using a five man death company squad with jump packs, thunder hammer, power sword and Astarath in a stormraven. In beginners games it seems to work fairly well but was after tips and advice of what else to do.

Lots of love Silvu

Hey Silvu, DC are pretty good in this edition, but i would recommend dropping Astorath for a regular Chappy and then drop the jump packs from the DC. This would free up some serious points. With them being in the Storm Raven, they can pretty much get where ever you want to put them on the field in range of an assault!

Thank is just my humble opinion

^ this. Also, consider Lemartes instead of a regular chaplain.

It's a workable strategy, if you don't run into too much effective AA fire and you pick your ground targets carefully. Five Death Company and a Chaplain are pretty nasty, but they're also rather expensive, suffer from Initiative 4, and are prone to being outnumbered and overwhelmed if you don't hit an optimal target.

The biggest problem is really the fact that this is (depending on configuration) between five and seven hundred points crammed into six models and a flyer, which really cuts back on your ability to take other things in the list; my biggest point for cost-cutting is that the Stormraven and the jump packs are redundant, I'd advise taking one or the other, not both.

Feeling confident of that stormraven surviving a turn of shooting? Go wild and take the DC dread as well ...

Agree with take either the Raven or JPs, not both. 5-man units of DC don't seem to last that long.

Astorath is only worth bringing now if you run multiple DC units, which I do not think is a very good choice IMO.

 ruminator wrote:
Feeling confident of that stormraven surviving a turn of shooting? Go wild and take the DC dread as well ...

Yeah go big or go home! I don't have the balls to put that many points in one Flyer. With my luck I KNOW it would get annihilated.

Pfft full 11 DC, Astaroth, DC dread all in a stormraven with Jump Packs and power weapons all round. That's a proper nerve wracker of a unit.

Its terrible sure, but awesome cool.

Don't jump pack troops take up 2 slots, so the most you could put in a stormraven would be 6 total I beleive.

I also run DC in a stormraven. The only problem is you have to use skies of blood and let your DC get shot up for a turn before you can assault. Or hover in the SR and get it blown up. It really depends on the army you are facing and the potential of the SR to get shot down even while zooming. Risk vs reward, the DC is super killy for the points cost if you dont include a chappy and throw a few power wepons on them.

 TheLionOfTheForest wrote:
Don't jump pack troops take up 2 slots, so the most you could put in a stormraven would be 6 total I beleive.

Yup, JPs are Bulky.

But the thing is, With it being a flyer, you can put it in position where ever you want to put it turn 2. Turn 3 comes around, you can move another 6 and disembark up to 6 to get in position, then flat out 12 for a 4+ cover. The SR is a pretty tough nut to crack and will take quite a few guns to bring it down. The only thing you have to worry about it it getting assaulted. That is where the 12in flat out move comes in.

I just don't understand the point to including jump packs if you're in a Stormraven. The transport should be able to drop your troops where you need 'em, and so the jump packs are just superfluous. (and HoW on its own is not worth the points cost of the jump packs)

Thank you very much guys, been a big help

I like it. Risky but will be devastating if you get into assault. Be prepared for it to be a one trick pony once your opponents begin countering it with concentrated AA.

 azazel the cat wrote:
I just don't understand the point to including jump packs if you're in a Stormraven. The transport should be able to drop your troops where you need 'em, and so the jump packs are just superfluous. (and HoW on its own is not worth the points cost of the jump packs)

They can help with Skies of Blood. But I agree with you. DC jump packs are pretty expensive as is, let alone getting a SR too.

Yeah in a SR Death company dont need jump packs its a waste of points, personally i run 7 DC, 1 powerfist DC and sometimes if i want a real deathstar ill add a powerfist equipped Reclusiarch. IMO DC dont need any upgrades except maybe a single fist, they have so many attacks on the charge they can easily make your opponent have to make 20+ saves in a round, even paladins or nob bikers will take some hurt from that.
Tip - you can keep the fist reclusiarch (or anyone with an unweildy weapon) out of challenges put him about 10 inches back from the enemy (right at the back of your unit) with a typical 6-7 inch charge he wont be engaged when challenges go out - then he piles in 3 inches and owns face with his powerfist.

azala wrote:
Tip - you can keep the fist reclusiarch (or anyone with an unweildy weapon) out of challenges put him about 10 inches back from the enemy (right at the back of your unit) with a typical 6-7 inch charge he wont be engaged when challenges go out - then he piles in 3 inches and owns face with his powerfist.

If the reclusiarch is attached to the unit in combat, you can't hide him from challenges by keeping him the back.

 ruminator wrote:
Feeling confident of that stormraven surviving a turn of shooting?

I regularly play a BA player who uses a storm raven as a DC delivery. 1/2 the time I shoot it out the sky before it drops anything, and the other half of the time the nicely bunched up DC who skies of blood deep struck out of the raven are in a nice circle for pie-plate death.
It's an expensive and risky way which against certain armies will let your opponent take away around 500 points in 1 turn. Use the storm raven as a gun-boat, much more effective and less risky.