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So, being relatively new to 6th ed and having limited funding leads me here for advice. My question is, how worth it is a Techmarine? I really don't want to spend $45 if it's going to go down the toilet, but my son seems to really, really want a Tech w/Servies.

He has 2 Whirlwinds, a Predator, 2 LRs. I don't know if you need more tanks to run one well. Can he hop in a tank with his Servies and act as Warlord for point denial by repairing the tank from the inside while it shoots? Would it be better to run him without servitors and mix him in with a squad in a LR so he can repair hull points and again deny those points? Is there a better way to run him that I don't know?

Again, trying to avoid dropping money on more HQ, but if it's viable for him to use and will get him playing again (you should see the googly eyes he gets when he looks at the Techmarine box!) I would *not* mind dropping a few bucks.

i personally really enjoy running one in my ravenwing army. For fun, i put him with a small combat squad and stick them in front of a Land Speeder squadron. 4 minimum and give him a PFG.

I don't believe the techmarine can be warlord as he's not actually whats taking up the HQ slot. I might be wrong though. He is a beautiful model tho.

Ah, you're right, I missed that part. Just looked at the model and the page with the Techmarine on it, not the page in the back that had his point costs and such.

Thanks for pointing that out.

Master of the Forge counts as an HQ, but I don't know if he can get the servitor bodyguards. What he can get is a Conversion Beamer. Put that sucker on a bike and you got some moblie artillery for an HQ! But I hear sticking him in a Land Raider is fun too.

(That's for vanilla marines, I don't know how it differs with Dark Angels.)

 MWHistorian wrote:
Master of the Forge counts as an HQ, but I don't know if he can get the servitor bodyguards. What he can get is a Conversion Beamer. Put that sucker on a bike and you got some moblie artillery for an HQ! But I hear sticking him in a Land Raider is fun too.

(That's for vanilla marines, I don't know how it differs with Dark Angels.)

It doesn't work for Dark Angels at all. The Dark Angels can't field their Master of the Forge (called the Master of the Rock) because they hardwired him into their Giant Flying Space Monastery/Death Star/SDF1/All that is left of Caliban.

Dark Angels don't have a Master of the Forge, and no conversion beamer. Instead the standard Techmarine is an HQ choice, but I believe it's a "blank slot" choice sort of like Command Squads and Honour Guards.

*IF* you can take him as Warlord (and that's a big if), putting him inside a vehicle is a good way to deny the Warlord point, but only if you're not already running a Master as he has lower Ld, and honestly Masters are too good to leave at home (particularly the special character ones). If you do try this, make sure you take as many other vehicles as you can to provide target saturation. Don't expect the vehicle to last either, even with repairs, but it should give you an extra turn or two of safety and his 2+ save and a unit to join should take care of the rest.

I've seen a DA techpriest used effectively exactly once, and that was with a bolter banner and a 4++, and everybody was embarked in a land raider crusader.

Basically, it was the indestructible murder box that fired salvo hurricane bolters with a 4++ and could fix its own hull points. That said, it only works against SO many different target types...

It also doesn't work at all with the new faq as the techmarine has to be outside the LR to give it a 4++.

I actually like the techmarine alright but for what you are describing he is not a great buy. I have seen him used well in 2 ways.

1) ravenwing command squad with a PFG to give the BoD additional wounds and a 4++ to the squad.

2) PFG behind a tank line (or FoR), he is small enough you can stay out of LoS if you stay behind a tank and he gives the tanks a 4++, this is not bad to put servitors.

Option 1 requires a very specific army setup and option 2 could work in the list described but is better in a full out armoured gunline