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I play Word Bearers, and as such, have a Dark Apostle as my Warlord.

Right now I run him bone-stock and cheap, with big groups of Cultists and a Helbrute, running up to meet my Chaos Marines after they get out of their Rhinos. He usually doesn't kill much himself, but his abilities make him effective.

Any suggestions on how to run him more effectively?

Thats... pretty much their best usage. Maybe mark the cultists.

There honestly isn't anything you can do, for multiple reasons:
1. You can't take a Bike or Terminator Armor or a Jump Pack. The things you want to run into melee they WANT Hatred will be considerably slowed down.
2. He doesn't benefit too much from the artifacts in the vanilla codex or the supplements. Granted he's got one in Crimson Slaughter that projects Zealot as an aura, which could kinda help with making Vanilla Marines less crappy. However:
3. He's not durable himself. Chaplains can get Terminator armor or an absurdly expensive suit of Artificer Armor. Dark Angels get 3 Wound Chaplains and can give them FNP through an artifact. Wolf Priests naturally have a 6+++ and can get an extra wound through those Wolf mounts.

So the most you could do is surround him with a somewhat durable bodyguard that can at least run, and then run vanilla Marines near him with the Crimson Slaughter artifact to make them Fearless. You can't make much of Hatred, unfortunately.

Dark Apostles are also too expensive. They should be 105 points with upgrades, not the base cost!

Make them 80 points base, give them an extra wound, let them take bikes or jump packs, and their suddenly good.

You can try to run him with an elite unit in a land raider or a dreadklaw. Something like a bunch of chosen or termies.

 koooaei wrote:
You can try to run him with an elite unit in a land raider or a dreadklaw. Something like a bunch of chosen or termies.

Chosen are a dreadful idea if you want melee. Think about what a Chosen Marine costs to a Terminator, and you'll see what I mean.

If you want to speed him up, you could put him in a possessed pack and make him Prophet Of The Voices. I suggest it's a bit of a waste on him rather than a sorceror, though.

The Crimson Slaughter Artefact which makes his zealot buff area effect helps him hold an infantry line together, but for the most part, a chaos lord is good enough - with the lord coming with fearless and Hatred (Space Marines) if you want it, for less cost, and more hitting power, I know which I'd take.

For that matter, the crimson slaughter artefact which equates to artificer plate is good, too.

In short, Crimson slaughter.

Or, run him as a chaos lord with either a power maul or the Black Mace.

He's best used sitting pretty in a massive squad of cultists. Shame really, considering they are epic in the fluff.

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 koooaei wrote:
You can try to run him with an elite unit in a land raider or a dreadklaw. Something like a bunch of chosen or termies.

Chosen are a dreadful idea if you want melee. Think about what a Chosen Marine costs to a Terminator, and you'll see what I mean.

Not necesserely true. You're not obliged to go full on special weapons. Can get a couple fists and it'll do. And chosen can sweeping advance.

In my renegade blood angels, my marines suffer a variation of the Black Rage which makes them believe Sanguinius sided with Horus before being struck down by the Emperor.

I run these marines as Berserkers lead by an Axe of Blind rage Apostle.

Not the most game winning, but possibly the most Khorne pleasing combination; heads will roll, but you never know whose!

See if I was running a combat apostle, I'd give him the mark of tzeentch and the black mace. Hilarious if you actually score a wound.


It's a shame that they are not psykers, but that would be too overpowered apparently.