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I've been playing 40k for awhile now and my gf has starting watching and getting very interested in starting. She has decided after reading the background of all the armies that she wants to do Grey Knights. Unfortunately they are one of the few armies i'm not too knowledgeable with.

So what would you recommend as some good things for a 1000 point army just to start her off? No Rifle dreads or Land Raiders though. She doesn't like them she said so she won't run them. Cracks me up xD

Help anyone?

Well rifle dreads are one of the better uses of points in the codex, but im guessing she's looking for something that feels more "Grey knights." Get a Grand master, or an inquisior in terminator armor for HQ. Then 5-10 terminators, a 10 man GK Strike Squad, and some interceptors.

With 2 troop choices and such low points you dont really have many options.

Coteaz is a safe bet at 1k
x2 Strike Squads with Psycannons aplenty, maybe a Vindicare, and Some Las/Plas Razorbacks for the Strikes?

Unlike some other codexes, GK have a number of different effective builds.

The first decision you need to make is what is the core of your list going to be. basically what are you going to use for troops, and how you are going to run them.



Troop Options

1) Strike Squads
They are great. They are very strong in the shooting phase, and have decent power in the assault phase as well.
The most common build is 10 dudes, 2 psycannons, psybolt ammo
Maybe a Halberd on t he sarge for challenging
Maybe a hammer in the unit for damage

10 man strike squads can work well on foot, or in rhino. Either is fine.


2) Terminators
They are only okay. They are good in the shooting phase with relentless psycannons and storm bolters. They are okay in combat, but they are no match for something like TH/SS terminators.
The most common builds are 5 dudes with a psycannon or 10 dudes with 2 psycannons, maybe Banner or Psybolt.
Hammer, Halberd or Sword are all good on the terminators. Just depends on what they are against.

GK terminators tend to b best on foot. Land raiders are a poor option for a shooty terminator unit like them. Same with a Storm Raven.


3) Purifiers
They are higher damage, higher cost Grey Knights. They are still very powerful in the shooting phase, and they are a lot stronger in the assault phase than strike squads
The most common builds are Halberds for all, and as many psycanons as you can take.

To get purifiers are troops you need to Crowe, and he is very bad in 6th edition. Due to the high cost, Purifier work better in transports to protect them and give them more mobility. They are okay on foot, but 30 pt marines are a bit target that is not very durable


4) Paladins
They are a very high durability deathstar unit. Usually a paladin list will have nothing else in it. It can win big or loose big depending on a lot of things.
Usually in 5 or 10 man units with as many psycannons as you can. Banner for a 10 man unit maybe.

Paladins troops need Draigo. It becomes very expensive, very fast. If you want a list that is only 1 unit basically, then this is the way to go.


5) Henchmen
Literally the most diverse unit in all of 40k. In general very high damage, low-ish durability.
They are not really GK though, so if you are interested check the articles in my signature.




Note the common theme of Psycannons. Psycannons are what make GK work. They are a great gun. Good against Armor and Monsters. Lots of shots for horde units, rending for low save units.



The other big decision is if you want to "Go Mech" or not. In general taking 1-2 transports is not good, but putting down 5-6 transports and other armored targets is better. Target Saturation.

GK units work really well in Rhinos. 2 firepoints for Psycannons to shoot out of the top. Mobile and expendable. Also, not having guns on your transport means you can go flat out in the shooting phase with no penalty. You can shoot, then move the rhino to block return fire.

GK Razorbacks are very powerful. 50 points for the HB/Psybolt razorback is a steal. The other options are good as well. However razorbacks are less good for the unit in them. No firepoints, less move blocking, ect.


=========================

After you have decided on what you want your troops to look like, you need to pick up a HQ.


If you need a special character to unlock your troops, then go for it.



If you are using "normal" GK troops, you are a few good choices for a HQ.

1) Coteaz
Even if you are not using henchmen as troops, this guy is a great bargain. LV2 psyker, 3 wounds with a 2+ save, Lots of special rules, only 100 points. Very good in almost any GK list.

2) Malleus Inquisitor: Terminator Armor, Psycannon, Psyker upgrade
One of the best HQ's in the shooting phase, which is not common to see. He buffs a unit with Divination re-rolls to hit and then has a relentless psycannon as well.

3) Grand Master: Blind and Rad grenades
He buffs a unit he is in rather well. Also, he gives you Grand Strategy. This allows you to run fewer troops units, and still have enough scoring units. Scoring interceptors and Teleporter Knights are very powerful.


======================================


Now that you have you Troops and a character to buff them, the rest of your list should be units to support your core.


The biggest weakness of GK units is their range. 24" is decent range, but it is not great. You may have trouble against lists with long range shooting and Fast moving units. It is really bad if they have both.

There are 2 things that can cover for this weaknesses. Long range shooting or fast moving units. Here are the best options.


Long Range:
Razorbacks
Henchmen
Rifle Dreads

Fast Movers:
Knights with Teleporters
Interceptors
Storm Raven.


Storm ravens also provide you with some power against enemy flyers. GK are okay against flyers as S5 storm bolters can glance AV 11 flyers, we get lots of shots and lots of re-rolls to hit.



That is the basics of making a GK list. Good luck.

That is very helpful. Thank you, Svendrix.

Id like to add to Svendrix comments mainly on Purifiers (what I use in my GKs) and Dreadknights (not covered in his post)

Purifiers are the best shooting unit in the codex at 180 points for 5 guys 2 psycannons and a Rhino to sit in they are a power house in the shooting phase. Also their cc upgrades are cheap and with 2 attacks each they can actually make them worthwhile. Halberds should be on all but 1 guy who should take a hammer (not the Knight of the Flame). This config comes in at 189 points.

Crowe is pretty good in 6th. He's a great tarpit just defensive stance and cleansing flame your opponent challenging out anything that can get through his 2+. Also great against powerhouse characters like bloodthirsters, DPs, HTs etc.

Also terminators should never take swords. Halberds or Hammers all the way. The difference in survivability between a sword and halberd is negligible but against the things that strike at I4 & 5 halberds can make massive difference.

Dreadknights got a big boost in this edition the ability to challenge out anything that can hurt them really helps. Many armies really struggle against him particularly getting through that 2+ before he IDs them. Sword and incinerator are the options to take plus a teleporter to get him where you need him.