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So I've been a die hard Blood Angel player since the start of 3rd edition, and I've NEVER had the desire to use bikes (jump packs are just cooler, imho), but I've recently come onto five bikes via the current starter set, so I figured, what the hey, shave off the dark angel emblems and build 'em.

I'm trying to figure out the best gear to give them though, and I can't decide of they'd best be suited as an anti-infantry squad with two flamers to make use of their T5, or an anti-vehicle squad with a meltagun and a sergeant with a power fist or melta bombs to make use of their turbo boosting to get at the back / sides of vehicles.

Any thoughts? What's been working for you guys?

Power fist and plasma guns. And sometimes a MM bike attached. And a biker priest.

Yes, I would definitely take a priest on a bike.
T5, 3+ and FNP makes them quite durable.. Especially since S8 doesn't cause ID any more.

Although Eldar still evaporate them just fine. And Tau.

ooh yeah, biker priest actually isn't too terrible of an idea, 5+ fnp against krak missiles and lascannons is pretty appealing, but that model himself is at least 90 points
I feel like I'd need more than four other bikes for him to protect for it to be worthwhile, dropping basically a 60 point premium on a model means I'd need to make at least two 5+ fnp saves for him to be worth it, and with only five dudes, that's not statistically likely
I'm not looking to build a huge bike squad or add attack bikes atm (my backed up list of models I need to paint is waay too high), so I'm looking to build a small, at least somewhat effective squad using just five basic bikes, and enough bits to give them whatever gear I want.
I sort of feel like the plasma gun on the bikes is a waste, because with their speed I don't think they need a gun that can shoot 24" and is optimized for smashing heavy infantry when so many other blood angel units are fab at that (assault squads, tactical squads, etc.).
Basically trying to decide on 2 flamers
or
two meltas and serge with powerfist or meltabombs before I commit and start gluing the dudes together...
kinda leaning towards flamers atm...

But the biker priest has a 6" radius that will also cover MM attack bikes.

Plasma is not a waste on bikers because they can maneuver around for sweet side shots and they can assault after using a rapid fire weapon since they are relentless. Plus the range meshes well with the twin linked bolters on the other bikers.

A priest also gives another special weapon, more melta-bombs and Furious Charge.
The cover save, combined with FNP and T5, makes them extremely durable.

And it could be different if you stop seeing plasma guns as 24"-range weapons.
I see them as a 12" Assault 2 weapons that kill almost anything ánd charge after that.
They are quite awesome and kill most things if you keep them safe.

hmmm, maybe you're right about the plas guns, like if I'm maneuvering for side shots against vehicles, I really don't need melta ap, and that would give me a really brutal charge against that infantry squad that everyone leaves in their deployment zone to hold a point
still not going to do the priest, the extra weapon options are more of a liability than anything when you're using a squad that small
1 serg, 2 special weapons, 1 priest
that leaves one normal biker to soak wounds. I'm going to take more than one wound, and after that everyone in the squad is at least 40 pts. That blows.
Like I said, I'm trying to build the best bike squad I can with just five normal bikes, no attack bikes, so I figure just zipping up the side of the board and harassing, or zipping straight forward and getting stuck in a blob of S3 infantry are really their best use. Either way, keeping the points low is a bit of a priority.

I use 6 total bikers, so I have two regular bikers to soak up hits.

The point about plasma is that it makes the bikers viable against almost anything.
TEQ? Use the plasmaguns/pistols.
MEQ? Shoot and charge.
Light vehicles? Plasma and your MM, charge with melta-bombs.
Heavy vehicles? MM and melta-bombs.
Lots of shooting? 3+ and FNP
Heavy shooting? 4++ and FNP
All of the above => Equip your Sergeant correctly.

@Martel: What would be your preferable wargear for a Sgt?
The guns seem nice, but charging with a Power Fist seems like a nice way to ensure killing vehicles.
Other option could be a power sword/axe.

I go with the power fist purely because he's not losing any attacks. I give the priest an axe. Sometimes it doesn't work out, but the squad can hit surprisingly hard because bikes actually get to use hammer of wrath.

Aah yes, didn't notice that.
They included the "lost attack" from not having two CCW in their profile.
A priest could dish out 4 hits, so yeah.. No Specialist-Weapon on him.

I just wish Corbulo could take a JP or Bike.
Even better would be to have a Death Biker Company.

Corbulo on a bike or a JP would be so OP it'd be unreal
not that I'd complain

It would still be 15 or 35 points more expensive
But I agree that T5 with a 2+ FNP could be very strong.

It's just a general problem I have with many unique-models in the codex.
Some really need more options with bikes, or at least an on/off-switch for JP.

not just that, but the mobility! my jp sang priest that I have tagging along with my assault squad / mephiston is such an awesome character
the only downside of corbulo is there's no real way for him to keep up with those dudes so he just ends up backing up my terminators / assault scouts / footslogging tacticals, who aren't nearly as scary

My favourite tactic is an Assault Termie-squad in a Land Raider with Corbulo.
They are almost immune against light shooting and he can LoS that heavy shooting all day long.

I think it's quite a shame that BA cannot have Artificer Armour, it would fit perfectly with the bikes.

yeah, corbulo in a raider leading assault termies is so boss
it's the sort of tactic I'd def use if I didn't lose all my land raiders in a botched move a few years ago
right now he just leads my shooty termies on foot, which isn't too terrible either

I understand blood angels not getting artificer armor on bikes, I mean we have our artificer armor assault squads that no other chapter get, so I guess that's good enough

Yeah, but that doesn't count. We pay too much for it!

To get this back on track: What would people advice as HQ to go with them, Librarian or Reclusiarch on a bike?

Libbies, all day, every day.

^ I agree with Martel all the way.

Shield of Sanguinius on bikes w/ FNP? Great!

Lucarikx

I would think the Shield is the most useless ability you could take.
Why do you need a 5++ if being a moving bike already gives you a 4++?
Does it stack or something?

Kangodo wrote:
I would think the Shield is the most useless ability you could take.
Why do you need a 5++ if being a moving bike already gives you a 4++?
Does it stack or something?

Since when does a bike give a 4+ Invuln save?

I didn't mean to put the libby with the bikes. I should have been more clear. LIbbies should be either giving cover saves to mech or divination support. I suppose a libby on a bike could provide prescience support to the attack bikes, which is decent.

Martel732 wrote:
I didn't mean to put the libby with the bikes. I should have been more clear. LIbbies should be either giving cover saves to mech or divination support. I suppose a libby on a bike could provide prescience support to the attack bikes, which is decent.

Thought so
I will take that chaplain-bike anyway, because he looks quite awesome.

 Icculus wrote:
Since when does a bike give a 4+ Invuln save?

I am talking about cover, which is often typed as ++.
They have the jink-rule, so you get a cover safe that is better than the cover a priest provides.
(Until you face Tau who totally ignore that cover, they should really turn that into an invulnerable save).

I find the chaplain to be a major waste of points in BA lists. Even our second-best HQ, the reclusiarch, isn't nearly as useful as a librarian.

It's only 165 points. He has 5 attacks and a HoW on the charge!

I found that Blood Angels are much more entertaining once you give up the hope of winning and just take stuff you would like to field.
And again: DC-Bikers would be so freaking awesome if they were 40 each!

Maybe. But I'm a hopeless optimizer.

Stop being optimistic and start having fun!
It's quite great, I suddenly stopped caring and started painting, ordering new models and building a biker-army.

Actually, blood rodeo is a bon fide build from 5th edition.

http://www.3plusplus.net/category/blood-rodeo/

Kangodo wrote:

Martel732 wrote:
I didn't mean to put the libby with the bikes. I should have been more clear. LIbbies should be either giving cover saves to mech or divination support. I suppose a libby on a bike could provide prescience support to the attack bikes, which is decent.

Thought so
I will take that chaplain-bike anyway, because he looks quite awesome.

 Icculus wrote:
Since when does a bike give a 4+ Invuln save?

I am talking about cover, which is often typed as ++.
They have the jink-rule, so you get a cover safe that is better than the cover a priest provides.
(Until you face Tau who totally ignore that cover, they should really turn that into an invulnerable save).

I didnt know cover was referred to as ++. Either way, I would take a 5+ Invuln save with a 4+ cover save all day long. Because there are units that ignore cover and have low AP.