Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

The Space Marine Minotaur Veteran Devastator Sergeant Hamath Kraatoas welds (unlike other SM Devastator sergeant) and confers PE: Infantry, Jump Infantry, Jet Pack Infantry, Bikes, Jetbikes. I love the idea of having a squad of 5 Heavy Bolters that will largely hit and mostly wound, although an additional sixty points is expensive. I had two thoughts for how to take advantage of this upgrade character in my Minotaur army.

1). Kraatos, 4 more heavy bolters, 2 additional bolter marines, Imperial Bastion. The squad of seven would be embarked into the bastion, shoot out the window; the two additional marines would man the emplaced heavy bolters. That would mean you would have 21 heavy bolters firing with Preferred Enemy.

2). Kraatos, 4 more heavy bolters, 5 additional bolter marines. No bastion, keep them more mobile, perhaps even in a Rhino. The rationale here, besides acting as meat shields for the heavy weapons: the normal bolter marines would be able to take advantage of PE too should the enemy get within twenty-four inches, and of rapid fire too at twelve! Because heavy weapons are only forced to snapshoot when the model itself has moved, I figure you could get the bolter marines in closer when required.

Thoughts? Also, is Kraatos worth the sixty additional points?

I like the bastion Idea, but that combo is getting quite ecpensive for an anti infantry option. It is a neat an original idea though, props for that.

Maybe with a Librarian casting the Biomancy power that gives relentless? Throw them in a pod and Dakka away.

I like the bastion idea too otherwise.

I've been thinking of something a little different for Kraatos - the 4 Heavy Bolter Devastator unit came to mind, but I went with a more expensive (but to my mind, fun) option: Kraatos and 4 Plasma Cannons. As long as you're shooting at Infantry or Bikes, you can re-roll the Gets Hot results on the cannons, and you're going to be re-rolling those 1s to Wound as well. As noted, it is expensive, but it creates a circle 72" in diameter that only high Toughness models and AV13+ want to enter without a good cover/invulnerable save.

Kraatos' own weapon is multifunction, so if you're firing on troops, then you can use the normal HB profile - if you're going after tougher game, switch it to the sniper rounds, so he complements whatever the squad is attacking. Instead of a Bastion, I've been coupling them with Ruins that have been bolstered by a Techmarine/Thunderfire Cannon for a 3+ cover save.