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Haven't played Arbites for a while, so here's my attempt to build a half-decent Adepts Arbites army out of Imperial Guard and Inquisition. Based around MechVets with three matching special weapons in HB Chimeras, with two killer assault teams in Valkyries, one of Crusaders and one of DCAs. Inquisitor goes with the Crusaders. Thunderer Siege Tank because it seems pretty 'Arbites Reserve Vehicle' to me, though I could make it a REAL Demolisher if need be.


+++ 1850 Arbites 7th (IG & INQ) (1843pts) +++

++ Inquisition: Codex (2013) (Inquisitorial Detachment) (607pts) ++

+ HQ (44pts) +

Arbites Judge - Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor (44pts) [Bolt Pistol, Carapace Armour, Power Sword (10pts), 3x Servo Skulls (9pts)]

+ Elites (563pts) +

Arbites Cybermastiff Team - Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband (293pts) [9x Death Cult Assassin (135pts)]
Acolyte with Special Weapon (23pts) [Carapace Armour (4pts), Laspistol, Power Weapon (15pts)]
Valkyrie (135pts) [2x Hellstrike Missiles, Lascannon (10pts)]

Arbites Suppression Team - Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband (270pts) [9x Crusader (135pts)]
Valkyrie (135pts) [2x Hellstrike Missiles, Lascannon (10pts)]

++ Astra Militarum: Codex (2014) (Combined Arms Detachment) (1236pts) ++

+ HQ (183pts) +

Arbitor General Command Team - Company Command Squad (183pts) [Carapace Armour (8pts), Veteran w/ Lasgun, 3x Veteran w/ Meltagun (30pts)]
Chimera (65pts) [Heavy Bolter, Heavy Bolter]
Company Commander (20pts) [Carapace Armour (5pts), Laspistol, Orders, Power Maul (15pts)]

+ Troops (513pts) +

Arbites Patrol Team - Veterans (171pts) [Grenadiers (15pts), 3x Veteran w/ Meltagun (30pts), 6x Veteran w/ Shotgun]
Chimera (65pts) [Heavy Bolter, Heavy Bolter]
Veteran Sergeant (1pts) [Bolter (1pts), Close Combat Weapon]

Arbites Patrol Team - Veterans (156pts) [Grenadiers (15pts), 3x Veteran w/ Grenade Launcher (15pts), 6x Veteran w/ Shotgun]
Chimera (65pts) [Heavy Bolter, Heavy Bolter]
Veteran Sergeant (1pts) [Bolter (1pts), Close Combat Weapon]

Arbites Patrol Team - Veterans (186pts) [Grenadiers (15pts), 3x Veteran w/ Plasma Gun (45pts), 6x Veteran w/ Shotgun]
Chimera (65pts) [Heavy Bolter, Heavy Bolter]
Veteran Sergeant (1pts) [Bolter (1pts), Close Combat Weapon]

+ Fast Attack (270pts) +

Hellhound Squadron (270pts)
Hellhound (135pts) [Multi-melta (10pts)]
Hellhound (135pts) [Multi-melta (10pts)]

+ Heavy Support (270pts) +

Thunderer Squadron (FW) (140pts) [Thunderer Siege Tank (140pts)]

Wyvern Battery (130pts)
Wyvern (65pts) [Heavy Bolter]
Wyvern (65pts) [Heavy Bolter]

Created with BattleScribe

Looks really good too me.

I would personally swap out the Acolyte in the Cyber mastiff team for a crusader. You lose an attack but gain +1 WS and get s storm shield. Model the shield as an Arbite suppression shield and you're good to go. The squad doesn't really lose much by losing 1 attack but the crusader guy can tank wounds if he has too.

I'm not very familiar with the Thunder Siege tank but does it count as a Heavy vehicle like a russ? I ask because 6" movement on a tank with a single 24" gun can be out manoeuvred and out ranged easily. I like using the Leman Russ Exterminator for my Arbite army. I call it the "Street Sweeper"

I also might drop 1 or 2 death cults and crusaders in order to free up points for rocket pods on the Valkyries. It looks like you are going for anti-tank but remember those 2 missiles count as ordnance so if you fire one the rest of the guns snap fire. Also once you have used the 2 missiles up it's just an expensive single BS 3 Lascannon platform. Heck I might even drop the lascannon to help free you points for the rocket pods.

Other then that looks nice and fluffly (baring the plasma guns )

Does this mean you are starting up your Arbite painting and modelling thread again?

Thanks! I'm thinking about trying to get another batch of Arbites painted up, including the IG vehicles, hence this list. I played the last army as SoB, but always had a load of extra models ready for an IG-style force. Might get it done later this year.

On second look, I guess the list above is a bit thrown together. Some issues I'm having:

- What is the standard 'Patrol Team' good for? They've got Carapace and shotguns. Should I be taking advantage of the Assault factor and giving the sergeants power weapons, or using them like regular Veterans as mobile special weapon platforms? Is the Carapace armour then a bit useless? If they're weapon platforms, should I give them a heavy and camp out in the Chimeras?

- Not completely sure on the purpose of the Inquisitor yet. He's not a brilliant combat monster and I'm not sure it's possible to make him one. Maybe he'd be better fulfilling a psy-detective role and loading up as a psyker? The other option is to take Karamazov on a Throne (very fluffy) but he's expensive and I can't see him being that great...

- The Crusader idea for the mastiff team sounds good. I was also thinking of mixing and matching with the Suppression Team, so you end up with two squads with half crusaders and half DCAs - is this better?

- The whole army seems quite good against horde but short on high-S weapons. Any simple way to solve that? The models I'm using for Hellhounds are the FW ones, so it's not really possible to make them melts-variants, but then I'm pretty sure the hull meltaguns will be a bit useless...

- If I took the Valkyries as FA choices from the IG side of the army, I could make them Vendettas, but would have to find the points from somewhere. Better for my lack of AA and AT?? I think the army probably has enough anti-horde already.

- Thunderer Siege Tanks aren't 'Heavy', but have no other weapons than the Demolisher.

One weakness all fluffy Arbite builds suffer from is the lack of anti tank. I have found a few ways to help migrate it. I always take krak grenades on all my squads. The current book gives you the option of not taking them but I always take them. They end up being the same base cost as they were in 5th so I see no problem with it. I also often equip my sarge (proctor) with melta bombs (door breaching charges). 7th allows them to be also used against MC so they can have other ways of being useful. Sentinels are also a fluffy alternative to anti tank. Outflanking autocannon armed scout sentinels with HK’s hitting side and rear amour have been effective for me and are pretty cheap. Another choice is armoured sentinels with lascannons and HK’s as Arbite tank hunter squadron. Finally, I use a “combat engineer/sapper” squad which is a IG vet squad with demolitions doctrine. They can be fun to model as well as they don’t have to look like normal Arbites. I also give them melta guns. They come in 90pts base now because Krak grenades aren’t mandatory (since they all have meltabombs) Throw them in a chimera and go hunt tanks. Plus demo charge goodness.

Patrol teams work best as a shoot then assault squad since they all have shotguns. I like to give mine triple flamers, give the proctor a pw of choice (I use mauls so fluffly..err..wut? ) and throw in a priest. The priest gives them fearless and re-rolls to hit plus war-hyms. Keep the priest cheap ie “naked” I also use Yarrik for my HQ and he is a beast in CC being buffed by a priest. He also has EW so he’s great for challenges. I also equip my patrol teams with grenade launchers. Cheap medium range fire support that allows me to still assault after shooting. I would drop the bolter as they keep you from assaulting. Either swap it for a bolt pistol or keep your free las pistol. I like the carapace personally because it is fluffy and with the current dex giving it out for half the old cost it is totally worth it. It’s great for small arms and cc especially combined with way hyms re-rolling amour saves in cc.

For your Inquisitor keep him cheap and cheerful. Keep the servo skulls those are awesome. Give him the Liber Heresuis relic that allows you to give him and his squad kind of neat things. Don’t bother with psychic powers. You won’t have enough warp dice to really do much so it’s better to keep him cheap. If you have points rad grenades are always a good choice. He’s not the best fighter so I tool mine as a support character and often times I just leave him with his default pistol and cc to save points.

Half and half squads of crusaders and death cults are good. I usually take a few more death cults then crusaders to tank wounds so for example 6-7 death cults for 3-4 crusaders. Also because this squad is coming from the Inq dex make sure to add a priest in there as it doesn’t eat up one of the 3 you are allowed from the IG dex. Zealot and war-hyms go together really well for these squads. Again keep him cheap.

Vendettas are great and would be my choice for anti tank over Valkyries. If you are looking for points I would drop the Thunder Siege tank. It’s very limited by it’s weapon range and costs almost the same as a real demolisher. Does it have the same amour as the demolisher which benefits from extra rear amour? I would use normal Russ variants such as Exterminators, Eraticators and Punishers. Anything that you can load up with non ordnance weapons so you move 6” and shoot everything you got. Otherwise drop it to free up points.

Personally I would drop the company command squad. I find with this build vets don’t really benefit from orders as much as a traditional IG army. I would add in either Yarrik (convert a Judge or Arbite senoris and use Yarrik’s rules) or use a lord Commissar with carapace and that sweet relic bolt pistol and a PW of choice and use him for a fearless bubble and killing light stuff.

I also use the heavy flamer, multi laser combo on my chimera’s. The HF can be really useful thanks to not having to roll to hit plus it has ignore cover. The multi laser is good because with str. 6 it can threaten light vehicles and wound T4 and lower guys on 2’s. You can even move 6” flame a enemy squad and then snap shoot the multi laser. However, remember that the chimeras from the Inq dex can still get cheap pysbolts so go double HB’s on them.

Hope this helps and I look forward to seeing your panting thread being bumped soon.

I can see the logic in a lot of that. One of the issue I've had is finding things to put in the flyers - my plan was to use Vendettas for ranged Anti-tank, but then you're limited to six man units dropped in. I could split the suppression teams into two six-man units, but I'm not sure they'd pack enough punch. The other option is CCS with Meltas or Stormtroopers - using the CCS as a anti-tank suicide team rather than as a order-generator...

I guess if Sentinels and Melta Vets provide enough anti-tank then the Vendettas could be swapped back to Valkyries, but it's a big loss of lascannons.

I'm happy to drop the Thunderer, but I'm not going to be including any 'real' Leman Russ tanks - just not fluffy for a Arbites force. The Thunderer was a nice compromise - the sort of one-off siege vehicle a precinct might have to smash down the occasional wall.

You probably don't have points in to include a russ anyways at this point. Especially if you are using Vendettas, However, keep in mind Arbites are a cross between the FBI and the National Guard and have been listed as having heavy tanks such as russes. They don't have a ton and they mostly get the lower tech versions (no vanquishers, executioners etc. ) but they do have them. It can give you options to expand at a later day If you end up using the CCS as a special weapon kill squad make sure to not make the officer your Warlord and don't give him any gear.

As for anti tank it will depend on your meta if you want Vendettas or Valkyries. Personally I'd like to keep the suppression teams with more guys then 6 as well. Since they can't assault when jump out they need to weather a turn of shooting. If you are looking for small 6 man squads maybe the Inq Dex can help you out. Perhaps small squads of Acolytes with a few special weapons? Convert them into a Chastener team. Add bolters and carapace to taste if desired.

Yeah, I tend to find that Suppression Teams become counterattackers/security anyway - I rarely have cause to rush them forwards in a plane!

A quick comparison of 'units that can jump out of a plane and melt things'
Inquisitorial Henchmen - 5 x Acolytes (BS3), Carapace, Frag, 2 x Boltguns, 3 x Meltaguns, 1 x Meltabombs - 78 points

Company Command Squad - Carapace, Frag, 4 x Krak, 1 x Meltabombs, 3 x Meltaguns - 112 points

Stormtroopers - 5 x Scions, Frag, Krak, 2 x Meltaguns - 90 points

Henchmen are definitely cheaper, but only BS3. Three meltaguns is maximum, but I COULD give all of them, or a few more of them, Meltabombs. Company Command Squad is the most expensive, but get Krak, plus can issue orders on themselves and are BS4, and could take a fourth meltagun if they want. Stormtroopers are the most expensive, get Frak and Krak for free, but can only take two Meltaguns.

Have you thought about Rapiers for AT, Ian? A squad of three Rapiers is a single HS choice and they're pretty cheap for what you get. The artillery rules make them survivable and the Ordnance rule makes them hit like a brick. Plus, I reckon they're pretty fluffy and old-school for an Arbites list.

 the_Armyman wrote:
Have you thought about Rapiers for AT, Ian? A squad of three Rapiers is a single HS choice and they're pretty cheap for what you get. The artillery rules make them survivable and the Ordnance rule makes them hit like a brick. Plus, I reckon they're pretty fluffy and old-school for an Arbites list.

I do like the idea of using Rapiers and other static defences - they're quite fluffy, I actually have three Sabre platforms, but since their move into and infantry platoon I'm struggling to figure out how to include them - maybe in addition to a 20man blob of 'Penal Legionnaires'?

Anyway, for this I'm going to try to stick to tournament-legal stuff, since im attempting to build a halfway competitive list, though I have no problem including stat sort of thing in the future.

----------

So, taking on board a lot of suggestions, here's a revised list:

+++ Arbites 1850 (INQ/AM) (1851pts) +++

++ Astra Militarum: Codex (2014) (Combined Arms Detachment) (1388pts) ++

+ No Force Org Slot (75pts) +

Primaris Psyker (75pts) [Force Staff, Psyker Mastery Level 2 (25pts)]

+ HQ (198pts) +

Company Command Squad (198pts) [Carapace Armour (8pts), 3x Veteran w/ Plasma Gun (45pts)]
··Chimera (65pts) [Heavy Bolter, Heavy Bolter]
··Company Commander (5pts) [Carapace Armour (5pts), Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol, Orders]
··Veteran w/ Medi-pack (15pts) [Lasgun]

+ Troops (525pts) +

Veterans (170pts) [Grenadiers (15pts), Veteran w/ Heavy Flamer (10pts), 2x Veteran w/ Meltagun (20pts), 6x Veteran w/ Shotgun]
··Chimera (65pts) [Heavy Bolter, Heavy Bolter]
··Veteran Sergeant [Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol]

Veterans (155pts) [Grenadiers (15pts), 3x Veteran w/ Flamer (15pts), 6x Veteran w/ Shotgun]
··Chimera (65pts) [Heavy Flamer, Heavy Flamer]
··Veteran Sergeant [Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol]

Veterans (100pts) [Grenadiers (15pts), 3x Veteran w/ Grenade Launcher (15pts), 4x Veteran w/ Shotgun]
··Veteran Autocannon Team (10pts) [Lasgun]
··Veteran Sergeant [Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol]

Veterans (100pts) [Grenadiers (15pts), 3x Veteran w/ Grenade Launcher (15pts), 4x Veteran w/ Shotgun]
··Veteran Autocannon Team (10pts) [Lasgun]
··Veteran Sergeant [Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol]

+ Fast Attack (460pts) +

Scout Sentinel Squadron (120pts)
··Scout Sentinel (40pts) [Autocannon (5pts)]
··Scout Sentinel (40pts) [Autocannon (5pts)]
··Scout Sentinel (40pts) [Autocannon (5pts)]

Vendetta Squadron (170pts)
··Vendetta (170pts) [2x Twin-linked Lascannons]

Vendetta Squadron (170pts)
··Vendetta (170pts) [2x Twin-linked Lascannons]

+ Heavy Support (130pts) +

Wyvern Battery (65pts)
··Wyvern (65pts) [Heavy Bolter]

Wyvern Battery (65pts)
··Wyvern (65pts) [Heavy Bolter]

++ Inquisition: Codex (2013) (Inquisitorial Detachment) (463pts) ++

+ HQ (69pts) +

Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor (69pts) [Bolt Pistol, Carapace Armour, Liber Heresius (15pts), 3x Servo Skulls (9pts), Thunder Hammer (20pts)]

+ Elites (394pts) +

Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband (82pts)
··Acolyte (14pts) [Bolter (1pts), Carapace Armour (4pts), Laspistol, Meltabombs (5pts)]
··Acolyte (14pts) [Bolter (1pts), Carapace Armour (4pts), Laspistol, Meltabombs (5pts)]
··Acolyte with Special Weapon (18pts) [Carapace Armour (4pts), Meltagun (10pts)]
··Acolyte with Special Weapon (18pts) [Carapace Armour (4pts), Meltagun (10pts)]
··Acolyte with Special Weapon (18pts) [Carapace Armour (4pts), Meltagun (10pts)]

Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband (82pts)
··Acolyte (14pts) [Bolter (1pts), Carapace Armour (4pts), Laspistol, Meltabombs (5pts)]
··Acolyte (14pts) [Bolter (1pts), Carapace Armour (4pts), Laspistol, Meltabombs (5pts)]
··Acolyte with Special Weapon (18pts) [Carapace Armour (4pts), Meltagun (10pts)]
··Acolyte with Special Weapon (18pts) [Carapace Armour (4pts), Meltagun (10pts)]
··Acolyte with Special Weapon (18pts) [Carapace Armour (4pts), Meltagun (10pts)]

Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband (230pts) [5x Crusader (75pts), 5x Death Cult Assassin (75pts)]
··Chimera (55pts) [Heavy Bolter, Heavy Bolter]
··Ministorum Priest (25pts) [CC Weapon, Laspistol]

Created with BattleScribe

The two Vendettas now carry the five-man suicide Melta squads from the Inquisition side - two meltabombs each and BS3. There is then a mega-suppression team with the Inquisitior and Prist in a Chimera.

Then, two regular Patrol teams on foot to stay in cover and engage infantry/light vehicles, to be given orders by the CCS. I've added one veteran team with flamers for horde control, one with melta and a heavy flamer, and the CCS with plasmas and a medic to try and keep them alive.

The wyverns are still in, and I've added three outflanking Scout Sentinels with auto cannons for the outflanking shorty side armour idea. I've lost the hellhound because of how much anti-horde is already in the army!! Also, I have a primaries Psykers because against -low Psykers armies, she'll give me a few buffs to shooting. Against high-Psykers armies, she's only really good for the psychic hood.

My thoughts

- I'd love to get some more decent power maul action in the list, but not sure if it's needed? Should my veterans be getting out and Krak/Mauling people?
- is that plasma-CCS really going to work? Or should I reqeuip them with either more melta, or long ranged stuff to hang back and buff the two footslogging squads?
- Scout Sentinels - should I try and find 30 points for HK missiles? Or swap them out for a Hellhound or Bane Wolf?? Or are they a good idea?