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Luckily for me, my group haven't got any Lords of War, but I am still getting stomped a lot.
Having recently acquired the rules for Be'lakor, I've put together a list that I'm hoping will do better than my previous attempts (which included mistakes such as bringing predators to a lascannon fight, deploying a normal DP anywhere within 48" of my opponent's SM army etc). My opponent typically gears his Space Marine army to fight off Necrons, but has recently noted my use of zombies, and has started taking allied Tau too.

HQ:
-Be'lakor [350 pts]
-Typhus [230 pts]

Troops
-Plague Zombies w/+25 [150 pts]
-Plague Zombies w/+25 [150 pts]
-Plague Marines w/+2, 2x plasguns [198 pts]
-Plague Marines w/+2, 2x meltaguns [188 pts]
-Cultists w/Autoguns, +1 [64 pts]

Fast Attack
-Heldrake [170 pts]

Total: 1500 pts.

Any thoughts (Yes, I know that having 580 pts in 2 HQ models is risky, but I'm hoping my 95 troops and a heldrake will balance it out)?

try squeeze a maulerfeind with lashers in I've run Be'lakor and I tell you invsifiends decimate tanks and elite infantry like terminators who struggle to hit him when they are WS1 and only getting one attack. it works also quite well on zombies but its not as scary.

 Blackskull wrote:
try squeeze a maulerfeind with lashers in I've run Be'lakor and I tell you invsifiends decimate tanks and elite infantry like terminators who struggle to hit him when they are WS1 and only getting one attack. it works also quite well on zombies but its not as scary.

That's an interesting point to consider. I'm rather wary at the moment, however, of how much I've put into just two models. I'll probably try out an invisifiend at the 1750 range though

I would ditch the cultist squad for rhinos for the pm's. They need transports

I could do that. I'm currently without a rhino model atm, but I could try that out when I have a pair.

I got tired of waiting for someone to recommend you the spicy helturkey to order.

In all seriousness, why are your cultist not zombies, & why waste points on autoguns?

I feel that your hq is too top heavy. Maybe consider dropping typhus, use regular marines or minimal lord with MoN.

secondly why are you bothering with zombies in the first place. Be'lakor has a power that bestows fearless whenever any of them are likely to break so you don't have the usual excuse of solving leadership issues. and you can make any cultist squad invisible with belakor and a 2+ cover beats fnp imo

typhus could be replaced easily with a cheap nurgle lord and then you can push for an invisifeind, you do have an anti tank issue here belakors weapon has armorbane but he isn't their to kill everything like a typical prince, his strength lies in unlimited access to telepathy and that warlord trait that lowers the LD of your opponents entire army. fire terrify on his pathfinders and watch him try to recover a LD6 unit I tell you its priceless ive even made a riptide flee with that power.

tactics for the my favourite powers
psychic shriek
easy to use, shriek at anything belakor might think of charging, hilarious on termagaunts due to LD5. also a good way to knock out a riptide or terminator squad though invulnerable saves can be taken against it so it is a waste on hammernators who belakor shouldn't charge.

puppet master
if you use this on an infantry unit you have done it wrong. if you've used it on a super heavy or any singular model with a big gun (riptide, land raider, devastator centurions, helldrakes) you have likely caused huge damage as no one thinks of trying to take cover from their own guns (and why would you) broken as hell power under the correct situations and with 24inch range you don't need to get close

invisibility
mentioned too many time so if you don't know why this power is useful and the sole reason why many people take belakor, re read this entire article

hallucinations
random funny and also useful to be a pest on any unit that contains his HQ, HQ units typically escort things with low LD or form a death star unit that can hurt an awful lot of things this power will leave them doing nothing and or attempting to kill each other.

dominate
the lesser version of hallucinate useful as its only one warp charge and designed for low LD infantry blobs

embolden (ii think that's the name)
the solution to all your LD issues

terrify
the cause of all your opponents LD issues, can break a riptide whos LD oddly isn't that good near useless on auto regrouping marines unless they are right at the edge of the board, they regrop for free but they still can wander right off the table

 Filch wrote:
I got tired of waiting for someone to recommend you the spicy helturkey to order.

In all seriousness, why are your cultist not zombies, & why waste points on autoguns?

I feel that your hq is too top heavy. Maybe consider dropping typhus, use regular marines or minimal lord with MoN.

I'm glad you asked.

One reason, I think, for not being recommended double/triple fire chicken would be one sentence in my sig.

The reason for Typhus being in there is how my opponent operates. He uses rhinos ad/or razorbacks to maneuver and predators to take out units of value. This causes a few problems when I don't take Typhus (for the zombies):

- My PM's are targeted immediately by his big guns, as would be the most problematic troops unit in my force (and costing in at almost 200 pts for seven guys, I need to avoid that).
- My troops tend to get rounded up and bent over by quickly moving around to get good shots at me.
- I often find that not taking Typhus results in having fewer models on the board, due to the nature of my collection of models.

When I have Typhus, I can do the following:

- Have 70+ fearless models, which I can then spread out to cover large sections of the board, reducing his mobility.
- Look imposing while capturing objectives (every shot not being fired at my PM's or Be'lakor is a blessing)
- Have almost zero non-fearless units, so I'll almost never run away when taking casualties.
- Typhus makes my opponent confused - on one hand, taking him out scores Slay the Warlord, a Kill Point and drops me by 230 pts, but on the other, he's hiding behind a huge wall of zombies ,who are next to worthless save as extra scoring wounds (so trying to kill Typhus will take way too many shots for his liking).
- Enjoy 40k's horde mode.

The reason for the autogun cultists is just that I have them, and they exactly make up the 64 points I needed for the list, though now that you point them out, I realize that I could just put VotLW on the PM's and then take 10 more zombies instead (and would probably be more effective).


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Blackskull wrote:

Spoiler:

secondly why are you bothering with zombies in the first place. Be'lakor has a power that bestows fearless whenever any of them are likely to break so you don't have the usual excuse of solving leadership issues. and you can make any cultist squad invisible with belakor and a 2+ cover beats fnp imo

typhus could be replaced easily with a cheap nurgle lord and then you can push for an invisifeind, you do have an anti tank issue here belakors weapon has armorbane but he isn't their to kill everything like a typical prince, his strength lies in unlimited access to telepathy and that warlord trait that lowers the LD of your opponents entire army. fire terrify on his pathfinders and watch him try to recover a LD6 unit I tell you its priceless ive even made a riptide flee with that power.

tactics for the my favourite powers
psychic shriek
easy to use, shriek at anything belakor might think of charging, hilarious on termagaunts due to LD5. also a good way to knock out a riptide or terminator squad though invulnerable saves can be taken against it so it is a waste on hammernators who belakor shouldn't charge.

puppet master
if you use this on an infantry unit you have done it wrong. if you've used it on a super heavy or any singular model with a big gun (riptide, land raider, devastator centurions, helldrakes) you have likely caused huge damage as no one thinks of trying to take cover from their own guns (and why would you) broken as hell power under the correct situations and with 24inch range you don't need to get close

invisibility
mentioned too many time so if you don't know why this power is useful and the sole reason why many people take belakor, re read this entire article

Doesn't Mental Fortitude only affect one unit at a time?

aye so unless he can break your entire army at once (note your lord if hes with some cultists will make them fearless) you should be fine, 24inch range coupled with the fact that belakor has wings means it will be rare for him not to be able to cover a unit.

The list has a lot of durability, but seems to lack a punch. I would consider getting rid of the plague marines and the autogun cultists, and getting something faster in there.

Losing the plagues will give you 400 more points to use, consider maulerfiends and maybe another heldrake (though no more than 2)

crack'n'burn seems to be the current tactic (crack tanks and transport in time for the drakes to feast on exposed infantry)

your lacking the crack part and could do with some more burn

While I won't get another heldrake (I have one, and not only is it ugly, it's also a pain to transport, and I get accused of being WAAC with just one of them), I'm definately considering getting my hands on a forgefiend (maulerfiends would just get LC'd to death on turn 1/2, he could field about 15 LC equivalents at 1500 pts at the last count), that gunpower looks very tasty.

I could swap the autoguns and one PM unit for a Land Raider (Av 14 is tough even for Str 9 Ap 2).

That would leave me:

HQ:
-Be'lakor [350 pts]
-Typhus [230 pts]

Troops:
-Plague Zombies w/+25 [150 pts]
-Plague Zombies w/+25 [150 pts]
-Plague Marines w/+2, 2x meltaguns [188 pts]


Fast Attack
-Heldrake [170 pts]

Heavy Support
-Land Raider [230 pts]

and 32 pts...

Though now this is starting to look like an earlier list I had that was tabled by turn 4...
(Tbh, that may have been more to do with my DP and Heldrake starting in reserves and not arriving until turn 4).

I'd be against a landraider, it follows the same problem as the rest of your force:
Very survivable, not much firepower.

Imperial landraiders (crusader and redeemer) should only be used for assault boats or blocking LoS.
They are not point efficient for dealing damage.
Chaos landraiders are worse than these two options, and furthermore you list has no reason to use it, your list has no dedicated cc unit worth transporting.

Again, get more firepower in this list, not defense.

Alrighty, currently I have in the firepower department as models:

-Obliterator w/+2 [210 pts]
-Predator Annihilator [140 pts]
-Vindicator w/combi-bolter [125 pts]
-Havocs w/+2, 3x Missile Launcher, Lascannon [166 pts]

And yes, I know they're pretty poor (except the oblits).

I'm planning on getting the Forgefiend though.

EDIT: I've only just thought to put in the Oblits


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Total:1498 pts

-Be'lakor [350 pts]
-Typhus [230 pts]
-Plague Zombies w/+25 [150 pts]
-Plague Zombies w/+25 [150 pts]
-Plague Marines w/+2, 2x plasmaguns, VotLW [198 pts]
-Heldrake [170 pts]
-Obliterator w/+2, VotLW, MoT [243 pts]


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Or I could give the oblits the MoN, and reclaim 6 pts.

mark of nurgle is better as it increases resistance to ID

 Selym wrote:
Alrighty, currently I have in the firepower department as models:

-Obliterator w/+2 [210 pts]
-Predator Annihilator [140 pts]
-Vindicator w/combi-bolter [125 pts]
-Havocs w/+2, 3x Missile Launcher, Lascannon [166 pts]

And yes, I know they're pretty poor (except the oblits).

I'm planning on getting the Forgefiend though.

EDIT: I've only just thought to put in the Oblits


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Total:1498 pts

-Be'lakor [350 pts]
-Typhus [230 pts]
-Plague Zombies w/+25 [150 pts]
-Plague Zombies w/+25 [150 pts]
-Plague Marines w/+2, 2x plasmaguns, VotLW [198 pts]
-Heldrake [170 pts]
-Obliterator w/+2, VotLW, MoT [243 pts]


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Or I could give the oblits the MoN, and reclaim 6 pts.

How do you plan to play Be'lakor? If you overextend him, he will (almost) die like a normal DP.

The plan is to have his best Predator shoot another Predator to death (to embarrass him) and then melee that Pred.

Going with the oblits, I'll hopefully take out something valuable early on with them too.

That should cripple his army enough for me to sit on objectives and wait for the baledrake to incinerate his tacticals.

Srsly, I have serious issues with his triple predators and backup razorbacks.

Props for standing up to all the people not listening to you and continuing to suggest spamming heldrakes, Selym.

I've got a buddy who occasionally plays a mechanized SM army, and I feel your pain.

My thoughts are as follows; you straight up don't have enough AT. And, funnily enough, Heldrakes are NOT the solution.
@ 1500pts you're looking at 2 las cannons/plasma cannons/multi-melta, 2 plasma guns, POSSIBLY a few S7 vector strikes, and one expensive daemon prince who can maybe borrow one of their tanks. So that's a total of ~4 S7, maybe 2 S9, and whatever you can scrounge.
In my experience that's one, maybe two tops, dead enemy vehicles.
Meanwhile they can unload their whole arsenal on your army since you are very definitely not mechanized.

The Oblits are a great add-in/ I'd consider dropping VotLW, and fielding them as 3 separate individual units. Yeah you'll have to be a little more careful to avoid giving up first blood, but that way they can split fire as necessary, and they don't have to worry about getting overkilled which is a serious concern. I've had success using them vs loyalist marine pigs in the past. Nurgle & Tzeentch are both good marks for 'em, I mostly field Nurgle to avoid the issue of small arms fire.

I'm a fan of Forgefiends & Maulerfiends, believe me (and you should seriously consider magnetizing the model when you get it). But if you field one by its lonesome it'll just get blown out of the sky. Vehicles need friends to mess with targeting priority, if they want to last past turn 2.

Best of luck, sirrah, and stay strong!