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So I've been running Chaos Marines as just standard Chaos Marines but recently looked into Crimson slaughter and like the feel of it. I am running a test army this coming weekend and was looking for some thoughts.

HQ- Sorcerer ML3, Spell Familiar (using all telepathy, runs with Chosen)

Elite- 9 Chosen, Ravagers upgrade, 5 Plasma Guns, Rhino, Champ with Plasma pistol and Power Sword.

Elite- 5 Terminators, 4 combi melta, 2 Power fist, 2 Power Sword, Champ with Lightning Claw and Combi Melta

Troops- 18 cultists, Champ has Shotgun (I had the 2 points extra)

Troops- 10 Chaos Marines, 2 Melta, 7 extra CCW, Rhino, Champ has Power Fist

Troops- 10 Chaos Marines, 2 Flamers, 7 extra CCW, Rhino, Champ with Power Sword

Fast- Heldrake with baleflamer

Fast- 5 Bikers, Mark of Nurgle, 2 Meltas, Champ with Lightning Claws

Heavy- Maulerfiend

Heavy- Predator, AC turret and LC Sponsons

Heavy- 3 Obliterators, Mark of Nurgle

Suggestions welcome. Thanks in advance.

Looks solid. Lacks anything reliable against knights. Maybe lasher tendrils on the mauler. Could probably fit some melta bombs in.

Not using the daemonheart? Pretty good on a sorceror, as they drop wounds from perils.

Yeah, Daemonheart is really good. Revised the list to make it work. Had to drop the predator but that is fine as it has kind of underperformed lately for me anyway.

As far as the Knight goes, I haven't faced one yet but I figure with a 5 Combi-Melta squad of Terminators deepstriking I should be able to do enough to damage to it real good. I could always deepstrike the Obliterators for the extra coverage as well.

As before, suggestions welcome.

HQ- Sorcerer ML3, Daemonheart, Spell Familiar (using all telepathy, runs with Chosen)

Elite- 9 Chosen, Ravagers upgrade, 5 Plasma Guns, Rhino, Champ with Plasma pistol and Power Sword.

Elite- 5 Terminators, 4 combi melta, 2 Power fist, 2 Power Sword, Champ with Lightning Claw and Combi Melta

Troops- 20 cultists

Troops- 10 Chaos Marines, 2 Melta, 9 extra CCW, Rhino, Champ has Power Axe

Troops- 10 Chaos Marines, 2 Flamers, 9 extra CCW, Rhino, Champ with Power Sword

Fast- Heldrake with baleflamer

Fast- 5 Bikers, Mark of Nurgle, 2 Meltas, Champ with Lightning Claws and Melta Bombs

Heavy- Maulerfiend

Heavy- 2 Obliterators, Mark of Nurgle

Heavy- 2 Obliterators, Mark of Nurgle

I agree that it looks good. If anything, perhaps drop one Terminator and buy Dirge Casters and/or Icons of Vengeance for your squads.

Thank you for inputs. I haven't had that much success with dirge casters really as my rhinos tend not to survive long enough to make good use of them.

I like the thought of using icons of vengeance though the cost of the icon is off putting for me.

Lastly, I was debating dropping the cultists freeing up points to increase to 3 obliteration for one squad, dropping the other squad of obliteration for the predator from the original list and then adding some extra things like the icons or dirge casters or maybe even some Melta bombs. I tend to face a lot of vehicles.

The only glaring issue I'm having now is flyer defense. I really don't have much of it outside snap firing obliteraters. Fortunately I don't run into heavy flyer armies at my LGS (like Necron Flying cav, or valk heavy guard). I would like yo eventually make this force competitive so any ideas toward that direction is appreciated.

Thanks again.

Helldrakes with hades autocannons are good for anti air. They are slightly outgunned by other air superiority fighters such as the eldar crimson hunter(espeshially with exarch) but they are pretty durable and being a deamon(5++) you don't have rely on jink to potentially save anything.

I also like putting a unit of havocs with mark of tzeench and Missle launchers(all with flak missiles) to give you a 3++ from shooting and 4 guys who can opt to have skyfire.

Just my $.02


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If you choose the second option try to get more than one unit of havocs in their because this will be a more efficient use of the skysheild.

One more question.

What about the Balestar of Mannon for my Sorcerer?

It gives the use of Divination at the cost of not being able to deny the witch as well plus power fist points. I mean, Divination is a really good Psychic Power set but so is Telepathy so I am kind of torn between the two.

Thoughts?

Whoops... there doesn't seem to be anything here.

Good point about dropping the power sword. I 'll have to see what I can do with those freed up points. As far as the Plasma pistol goes, I have ran them on my champions before and, most of the time, it gets its points back plus a little extra. So, as for now, I'll keep it in there unless I find a better use for those points.

The terminator squad is at 5 man because I generally deepstrike them in, slag a tank, then let the squad cause mayhem in the enemy backfield. It seemss that when I run it as a min size squad it's less of a threat but as 5 they tend to start running through stuff and becoming a huge distraction for my opponent.

Assuming, though, that I drop the plasma pistol/power weapon and 2 terminators what would you recommend for those freed up points considering that's probably 100-120 points depending on which terminators I get rid of?

Still looking for suggestion on balestar of mannon for divination or just sticking with telepathy as well.

As always, I appreciate the feedback.

I find divination horrifically underwhelming these days.

Telepathy on the other hand ranges from good to awesome.

So after some careful consideration from all the comments I have gotten, this is the revised list I came up with.

HQ- Sorcerer ML3, Daemonheart, Spell Familiar (using all telepathy, runs with Chosen)

Elite- 9 Chosen, Ravagers upgrade, 5 Plasma Guns, Rhino, Champ with plasma pistol.

Elite- 3 Terminators, 2 combi melta, 2 Power fist, Champ with Power Sword and Combi Melta

Elite- 3 Terminators, 2 combi melta, 2 Power Axe, Champ with Lightning Claw and Combi Melta

Troops- 10 Chaos Marines, 2 Flamers, 9 extra CCW, Rhino, Champ has Power Sword and Melta Bombs

Troops- 10 Chaos Marines, 2 Flamers, 9 extra CCW, Rhino, Champ with Power Axe and Melta Bombs

Fast- Heldrake with baleflamer

Fast- 6 Bikers, Mark of Nurgle, 2 Meltas, Champ with Lightning Claws and Melta Bombs

Heavy- Maulerfiend

Heavy- 3 Obliterators, Mark of Nurgle

Heavy- Predator with AC and LC sponsons

So, the basic plan is to run the Sorc with the Chosen hoping for Invisibility and/or shrouding. That unit will most likely travel with my bikers and maulerfiend while the two rhino CSM squad will move in at a different attack angle. The predator and Obliterators will provide long range anti-tank and supporting cover fire. The 2 Terminator squads will be waiting in the wings to deepstrike in to slag a tank and cause a bit of backfield ruckus. The Heldrake is a simple device, fly in, figure out where it needs to support, and flame.

Glaring issue 1 is I still don't have that great of an answer for enemy flyers without having to devout my Predator and Obliterators snap firing (though assault cannons are fairly decent at that I have found; if in range) . The Heldrake can do it as well with Vector Strike but that tends to force my movement instead of me setting him up to flame something.

Glaring issue 2 is that I am relying on my reserve rolls to be able to get the terminators in early. I prefer them in turn 2 to slag and serve as a distraction so I can get my rhino's, bikers, and Maulerfiend up there relatively unscathed. Granted, I should be setting this up well enough to get the mauler and bikers in range for an early turn 2 assault if at all possible but that is as unreliable as me getting both terminator squad in on turn 2.

Glaring issue 3 is lack of objective secured units. I have 2 CSM units due to having to drop the cultists during some fine tuning. Still debating dropping some stuff to just get a small 10 man unit in that will stay in the back more and, hopefully, ignored.

Overall, the list, IMHO, is fairly solid and should present many difficulties for an enemy if all goes planned. Even if it doesn't go off exactly as I would like it, i still think it will be a challenging force to face.

Lastly, my opponent is playing Necrons and, as far as I know, they only have 1 Nightscythe. They are still messing around with the Overlord on the CCB and max squads of wraiths with whips, so I know that will definitely be a hard counter to my advance.

Still taking critiques and comments. Thank you.

Could you get the sorceror a bike? Think he would work better running with the nurgle bikers.

For distribution of threats I would have a fist in each terminator unit.

The terminator change is easy and makes a lot of sense so I'll gladly switch that up.

As far as a sorcerer on a bike, I don't have a model for that but suppose I could proxy it. Though, my bikers are gonna be a close combat unit and a telepathy sorcerer is more shooty/support. If I'd run him on a bike I would run biomancy instead. As it is right now, him with the plasma'd up ravaged chosen, he lends some good firepower to that unit with psychic shriek along with support abilities like invis and sprouting (providing I get one or both of those).

I may, in a later game try out a biomancy sorc on a bike with the Nurgle bikers just because, after looking into it, it could be quite devastating and resilient.

The fight is tomorrow so I'm still looking for some critiques. Ill post a battle synopsis after the game as well.

Thanks all who have contributed.

The problem is you can't cast invisible/shrouding when embarked, which is when you'll want it most

I only plan on spending the first turn in the Rhino with that squad really. After that, I'll be getting out and casting as planned. It's either that or I get lucky and get the infiltrating warlord trait which I would have two chances to get but I am not going to lynchpin my plan on that.

Maybe I'll just drop a biker for a sorc on a bike afterall. Doing that I'd want to run biomancy though. Hmmm . . . More debate lol.