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What powers do you guys find work best in the Primais Psyker?

I have been putting one in my army more often lately and I am having a hard time finding a table that really helps the guard in any meaningful way. Telekinesis seems to have some potential, but I am curious what others have found to work for them.

The best, I have found, is Biomancy, as 2 powers there are great for maximising the power of a platoon blob, with Endurance giving them an extra 5++ and the ability to rapid-fire then charge (doesn't sound like much, but it's a lot of hits with 20+ guys FRFSRF then assaulting, not to mention full-BS heavy weapons on the move) and Enfeeble levelling the playing filed against MEQ and making tau/eldar die like crazy, nothing like a 3+ wound on a lasgun. Iron arm can actually give the primaris a nice punch in CC, as a force staff and +D3 S could get him to S8 at initiative, a threat to light vehicles as well as infantry. If nothing else, the Primaris power is not bad, adding more AP2 shooting, which is always nice.

Telekinesis and Telepathy are quite nice too, and the telepathy primaris combined with a PBS using 'weaken Resolve' is just plain nasty. With telepathy, you also get a bit more reliability as you can re-roll the 2 Warp Charge 2 powers.

 Paradigm wrote:
The best, I have found, is Biomancy, as 2 powers there are great for maximising the power of a platoon blob, with Endurance giving them an extra 5++ and the ability to rapid-fire then charge (doesn't sound like much, but it's a lot of hits with 20+ guys FRFSRF then assaulting, not to mention full-BS heavy weapons on the move) and Enfeeble levelling the playing filed against MEQ and making tau/eldar die like crazy, nothing like a 3+ wound on a lasgun. Iron arm can actually give the primaris a nice punch in CC, as a force staff and +D3 S could get him to S8 at initiative, a threat to light vehicles as well as infantry. If nothing else, the Primaris power is not bad, adding more AP2 shooting, which is always nice.

Telekinesis and Telepathy are quite nice too, and the telepathy primaris combined with a PBS using 'weaken Resolve' is just plain nasty. With telepathy, you also get a bit more reliability as you can re-roll the 2 Warp Charge 2 powers.

I remember someone showing me this telepathy psyker nuke IG squad that is dumped in front of an enemy and screams them into oblivion.

You were probably seeing a combination of a TP primaris psyker, and a PBS with weaken resolve. That's a hella futzy combo to get set up, though. Two very fragile units, and lots of possible perils and deny the witch rolls. And it doesn't even work against vehicles or embarked units...

Anyways TP is pretty neat, and the abilities are fun to use, but I'd still take biomancy, I think. TP is great when you don't need very much from your psyker, but guard has enough gaping holes that biomancy can help plug. Plus, biomancy means iron arm, which means a serious chance to have a beaty little dude with a force axe.

If you're doing a mech list, though, and don't really have targets for your buffs, then TP wouldn't be too shabby. You would have the mobility to use those short range spells like shriek and hallucination and puppet master, while invisibility would be more useful when cast on a vendetta or hellhound than a squad hiding behind an ADL.

 Ailaros wrote:
You were probably seeing a combination of a TP primaris psyker, and a PBS with weaken resolve. That's a hella futzy combo to get set up, though. Two very fragile units, and lots of possible perils and deny the witch rolls. And it doesn't even work against vehicles or embarked units...

Anyways TP is pretty neat, and the abilities are fun to use, but I'd still take biomancy, I think. TP is great when you don't need very much from your psyker, but guard has enough gaping holes that biomancy can help plug. Plus, biomancy means iron arm, which means a serious chance to have a beaty little dude with a force axe.

If you're doing a mech list, though, and don't really have targets for your buffs, then TP wouldn't be too shabby. You would have the mobility to use those short range spells like shriek and hallucination and puppet master, while invisibility would be more useful when cast on a vendetta or hellhound than a squad hiding behind an ADL.

Few surprises are ruder when someone's special snow flake special character gets murdered by this twitchy little dude with a funky hat holding an axe that looks a bit too big for his arms suddenly deciding to try out his Colossus cosplay.

Wait, actually, scratch that... sort of.

He's got two psychic powers, but is only mastery level 1, so that means iron arm OR force axe.

Still, it's a power axe, which means he can still throw down wounds.

Actually, as you get one Warp Charge per player turn, there's nothing to stop you popping Iron Arm in yours (which will last both yours and enemy assault phases) and then the force axe in the enemy turn. Quite a nasty combo.

Sure, but that means you need to survive two turns against a monstrous creature (or whatever). That seems pretty unlikely with W2, and Iron Arm will only raise him to T4-6. Not exactly that durable.

Seeing very little love for the pyromancy.

Generally I run 2 platoons. 1 with some artillery support behind an aegis defense line, the other outflanking with alrahem. Still haven't decided whether I like him sitting with the line or joining the outflankers, though taking biomancy and buffing the outflanking blob if I get endurance or turning alrahems squad into a nice melee unit if I get iron arm on the psyker seems to be the more effective use of him going off your guys suggestions.

 Ailaros wrote:
Sure, but that means you need to survive two turns against a monstrous creature (or whatever). That seems pretty unlikely with W2, and Iron Arm will only raise him to T4-6. Not exactly that durable.

He also has a refractor field for a 5+ invulnerable save so that is often a pretty nice spoiler. And with T5 being the average, it's again not bad, especially since with a force axe he will have 4 Str6 AP2 attacks. He will also have Eternal Warrior so I seriously doubt most mcs will be able to take him out in one round.
Personally I love Biomancy Primaris psykers and they have never let me down. All of the powers besides #6 to me are very useful and provide a lot of utility. Yes some of them require a more close combat approach but more AP2 is never a bad thing!

Enfeebled and Endurance are seriously amazing. If you get one that is fantastic, if you get both it's God mode.

I like the P-Psyker in a 50 man blob with SW psykers, fishing for endurance and enfeeble.

Dannyevilguy wrote:Seeing very little love for the pyromancy.

That's because it is, by far, the worst power tree - in general, but especially for guard. I mean, would you like a heavy flamer, a small blast flamer, a different small blast flamer, or a random shots ignores cover bolter?

If all you wanted was heavy flamers, you could just take more chimeras.

 ImotekhTheStormlord wrote:
I like the P-Psyker in a 50 man blob with SW psykers, fishing for endurance and enfeeble.

Ah yes, I remember one time I had a Epistolary BA Librarian roll Forewarning (then Prescience) and my Primaris Psyker rolled Endurance and Warp Speed. Can you say 4+ invul, FNP Guardsman? Seriously that blob of 50 guys was as tough as nails and with Prescience they were disgustingly hard to kill.

I like the standard powers. More for lightning ark than anything else, but 2D6 S 6 AP 5 shots is nothing to laugh at.