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.

He's one bad dude. Orbital bombardments, a triple barreled multimelta and the Throne of Judgement.
So he's probably not competitive when you look at his points value and your other HQ choices. If you were going to field him though, how would you do it?

He's T5 with a 2+ save, but he's also an IC. Is it best to protect him by putting him with a unit? If he leads a unit, will his Toughness be lowered? If it is lowered, is this still the best way to field him anyway? What unit would you have him lead?

Apart from how you would field him, are there any tactics that come to mind when using him?
Callidus Assassin + "By Any Means Necessary" could be nasty for dropping down an orbital bombardment exactly where you want it. The Assassin even has reasonable chance of surviving with her Lightning Reflexes.


A final rules question. From how I'm reading it, servo skulls won't affect the scatter of an orbital strike rely, is this correct?

I stick him with a group of crusaders. 3++ look out sirs. Yes his toughness goes down, no, servo skulls don't help the scatter.

My friend used to run a Dreadknight, get it into combat with a hoard, then drop the weak bombardment on its head every turn (the str 4 or 5 one?). Hits pretty much everything in the combat, and the dreadknight shrugs it off like noting.

Karamazov is a very strange character. If he was a character in the Guard Codex (or they were battle brother allies) He would be Amazing. As a character in the GK book, he does not do a whole lot for you.


1) Orbital Strike Tricks

The orbital strike did get a bit better in 6th edition due to the changes to blast weapons.

The callidus assassin is an okay choice for this as you have an INV save and have a reasonable chance of surviving. But it is 135 points for a 4++ save. you might still loose that investment.

Also You can have a Land Raider tank shock a unit to bunch it up, and then drop the D3 S6 blasts off of one of the corners of the Land Raider. S6 means the LR is not going to take damage, but the infantry unit that gets hit probably will.

Any unit of Henchmen with Crusaders in it would also be a good target as they are the cheapest storm shields around.


2) Close combat

Karamazov has a reasonable statline for combat himself, though it is not amazing. Additionally, He does have Rad grenades, which not only boosts his power in combat, but the squad he is with as well.

You really can't put him into a dedicated close combat squad. It would be slow and exposed out of a transport. He can probably help a squad that is resonable in combat be a bit better on the counter attack (like a Strike squad or similar)


3) Leadership

Units with 12" get to re-roll morale. This would be a great buff if GK were not Marines and did not have ATSKNF. They do not really need this buff. Henchmen can benefit from it, but Henchmen really need to be mechanized to work, and Karamazov does not go in a transport.

His second Leadership ability is much better. He and his unit can choose to pass or fail any morale test. This allows his unit to slip away from combat to allow the unit to be shot at again, or to charge into the unit a second time, activating Rad grenades again. However, you need to be joined to a unit with ATSKNF so that way you do not get sweeping advanced as you try to escape combat.


===========

How to run him:

I would run Karmazov with a 10 man strike squad on foot. (hammer 2x psycannons). You could either sit back and fire with the OSR or move into the mid field and use the MM and Psycannons to greater effect. With HH and Rad grenades, the unit is quite scary in combat as well. Also, you can use all of the Leadership tricks you want as the Squad has ATSNKF.

His henchmen squad could be a unit of Crusaders and Death Cult Assassins lead by a GK techmarine in a Land Raider Crusader or Redeemer. The Unit is good in combat and it also a good tarter for Karamazov''s OSR. The land raider is also another target for the OSR and a redeemer is going to get close to the enemy to use the flamers anyways. The GK techmarine leaves a HQ spot open for something else, buffs the close comabt unit with HH and Rad grenades and additionally bolsters a ruin for the Karamazov unit to hide in if needed.

Other than that you can have whatever you want in the list.

Surprised nobody has thought of the obvious target for the OSR: a Storm Raven.

Because of its shape getting wing over the spot you want to hit shouldn't be too hard, and while zooming, the blast can target it but not hurt it, leaving no recoil to your own army.

Profit.

 Godless-Mimicry wrote:
Surprised nobody has thought of the obvious target for the OSR: a Storm Raven.

Because of its shape getting wing over the spot you want to hit shouldn't be too hard, and while zooming, the blast can target it but not hurt it, leaving no recoil to your own army.

Profit.

You can't target flyers with blasts... well, while zooming.

 Byte wrote:

 Godless-Mimicry wrote:
Surprised nobody has thought of the obvious target for the OSR: a Storm Raven.

Because of its shape getting wing over the spot you want to hit shouldn't be too hard, and while zooming, the blast can target it but not hurt it, leaving no recoil to your own army.

Profit.

You can't target flyers with blasts... well, while zooming.

Yes you can, they just miss automatically, which doesn't matter for the case of Karamazov's OSR.

Wouldn't Draigo be the best choice? Eternal Warrior and 3++ stormshield. Could get him into combat that he will no doubt last 2 or 3 turns dropping st10 orbital strikes every turn without him taking a scratch (well maybe one or 2 scratches)

TBH i think he is one of the best HQ choices in the codex. Why? well he solves a lot of problems with the codex in 1 guy.

1: long range firepower. His range is his line of sight. GK orbital strikes are better than guard meaning he can directly hit. GK lack long ranged AT firepower beyond psyrifles and they dont blow up vehicles all that well this edition. Orbital strikes do. Also can use smaller muntiions vs devi squads or such.
2: melta. 6th hurt psycannons due to no AP 1 or 2 on them. Mastercrafted multimelta is pretty dark good at popping vehicles.
3: S5+. Not much in the codex has S5+. S5 and S6 are often tipping points int he game where you start doing significantly better in assault. Mastercrafted weapon for hitting and he has generally better melee potential in the codex than other HQ choices.
4: His survivability is good and hes an IC. However, he also has the plus that he cant easily be IDd. Therefore, sticking him in front of a squad means he can safely absorb a lot of fire. without worrying about failing a LOS to a melta gun/ect.
5: finally, he gets you a henchman squad if you arent taking coteaz.

zephoid wrote:
TBH i think he is one of the best HQ choices in the codex. Why? well he solves a lot of problems with the codex in 1 guy.

1: long range firepower. His range is his line of sight. GK orbital strikes are better than guard meaning he can directly hit. GK lack long ranged AT firepower beyond psyrifles and they dont blow up vehicles all that well this edition. Orbital strikes do. Also can use smaller muntiions vs devi squads or such.
2: melta. 6th hurt psycannons due to no AP 1 or 2 on them. Mastercrafted multimelta is pretty dark good at popping vehicles.
3: S5+. Not much in the codex has S5+. S5 and S6 are often tipping points int he game where you start doing significantly better in assault. Mastercrafted weapon for hitting and he has generally better melee potential in the codex than other HQ choices.
4: His survivability is good and hes an IC. However, he also has the plus that he cant easily be IDd. Therefore, sticking him in front of a squad means he can safely absorb a lot of fire. without worrying about failing a LOS to a melta gun/ect.
5: finally, he gets you a henchman squad if you arent taking coteaz.

Think you summed it up there. Slap him with 3 servitors and/or a few Jokaero and you got a very effective heavy weapons team that can take a beating all behind an Ageis and Quadgun

Thread is being locked for thread necromancy.