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I'm a big fan of LOTD, but I think with all the formations knocking about in 40k, they could do with a bit of a buff imo to bring them in line with 7th edition.

1. In the SM codex, one optional LOTD squad can be taken in a Demi Company or equivalent chapter specific formations e.g Pinion Demi Company.

2. Any LOTD squads selected from the Legion Of The Damned Codex gain objective secure.

I get the fluff reason behind not including LOTD into the SM formations, but I think functionally it does not work well, as it locks them out as a choice, unless you bring an LOTD detachment from their own codex or run a SM CAD.

Speaking of which, I doubt GW will adjust the SM formations, but I think with the draft FAQ's, they have an opportunity to bring the LOTD codex into 7th. Currently the LOTD detachment is unique and if it is your primary detachment, LOTD squads become scoring. Now everything in 7th is scoring, so that is fairly useless. I'd simply make them objective secure and remove the stipulation of having to be your primary detachment to gain this benefit.

Do yous think either of these buffs would be too good for an already useful, if under used unit?

Personally I'd prefer a major rework of the LOTD that would make them into the terrifying line-holding ghost marines that the fluff makes them sound like. But this is definitely a way to make them pretty useful.

It doesn't seem like GW is currently doing any major re-works of existing units, just formation/detachment adjustments, so I was thinking these options might be the most implementable.

They should not have objective secure it does not fit at all lore wise

Easiest way to make them viable and lore friendly.

Put out a erranda that says, any IoM force may include up to 3 LotD squads. These squads do not count toward any formation other then their own.

Formation

LotD formation (dat title)
From the warp they came: on the turn the LotD arrives from reserves they may deep strike as normal, but do not suffer any mishaps, where ever they scatter they land, additionally if they scatter off the board, they come in on the edge they scattered off from.

Unrelenting: if a LotD squad moves directly toward and enemy squad and shoot at an enemy, they have a 5+ feel no pain. Until the start of their next turn

Warp ghosts: LotD do not benefit from any nearby ally buffs, they can not be targeted by friendly warp powers and can not benefit or take a look out sir teat

 Backspacehacker wrote:
They should not have objective secure it does not fit at all lore wise

Easiest way to make them viable and lore friendly.

Put out a erranda that says, any IoM force may include up to 3 LotD squads. These squads do not count toward any formation other then their own.

Formation

LotD formation (dat title)
From the warp they came: on the turn the LotD arrives from reserves they may deep strike as normal, but do not suffer any mishaps, where ever they scatter they land, additionally if they scatter off the board, they come in on the edge they scattered off from.

Unrelenting: if a LotD squad moves directly toward and enemy squad and shoot at an enemy, they have a 5+ feel no pain. Until the start of their next turn

Warp ghosts: LotD do not benefit from any nearby ally buffs, they can not be targeted by friendly warp powers and can not benefit or take a look out sir teat

From the Warp They Came is going to cause issues-what if they land smack dab in the middle of an enemy blob of, say, Gaunts?

 JNAProductions wrote:

 Backspacehacker wrote:
They should not have objective secure it does not fit at all lore wise

Easiest way to make them viable and lore friendly.

Put out a erranda that says, any IoM force may include up to 3 LotD squads. These squads do not count toward any formation other then their own.

Formation

LotD formation (dat title)
From the warp they came: on the turn the LotD arrives from reserves they may deep strike as normal, but do not suffer any mishaps, where ever they scatter they land, additionally if they scatter off the board, they come in on the edge they scattered off from.

Unrelenting: if a LotD squad moves directly toward and enemy squad and shoot at an enemy, they have a 5+ feel no pain. Until the start of their next turn

Warp ghosts: LotD do not benefit from any nearby ally buffs, they can not be targeted by friendly warp powers and can not benefit or take a look out sir teat

From the Warp They Came is going to cause issues-what if they land smack dab in the middle of an enemy blob of, say, Gaunts?

1 inche away from the unit closest to the original drop location.

 Backspacehacker wrote:
1 inche away from the unit closest to the original drop location.

So they get free Drop Pods, basically.

Pretty much, they just dont suffer any negative side effects of it

 Backspacehacker wrote:
Pretty much, they just dont suffer any negative side effects of it

Like... Having a free Storm Bolter! Wait, no, that's a bonus.

Ooh! I know! Having another (possibly ObSec) unit on the table! Wait, no, that's also a bonus.

There's really no penalties to having an actual Drop Pod.

Points

 Backspacehacker wrote:
Points

I'd consider that a cost more than a penalty, but yeah, point taken.

Honestly, I'd just let them take Drop Pods. It's weird that they'd have perfect DS from the flip-flapping Warp, so allowing them to take a Drop Pod allows them to have DS mitigation without fluff weirdness.

Why do they have Drop Pods? Because they entered them inside the Warp, then materialized above the planet. Dur.

(Actually, maybe give them Dreadclaws... That'd be interesting.)

Not really, it would be even more weird if they had drop pods lore wise.

LotD lore wise are down to i think 400 total, and thats estimated, they appear directly from the warp like demons do then vanish the same way.

Drop pods would be more outlandish then just coming outta the warp for the LotD

Thanks for the feedback!

I must admit, I wasn't thinking much in the line of fluff adherence when it came to my suggestions. My logic is, GW aren't doing major re-designs of units at the moment, they are making units more attractive via formation/detachment bonuses, rather then changing stats or rules. Which is a shame, but I can't see them changing course until 8th pops.

The addition of objective secure for LOTD detachments or access to existing formations in the SM codex are fairly easy changes to Errata and are pretty decent buffs. The 6th ed LOTD codex already had the idea of making primary LOTD detachments scoring, so I was thinking the objective secure bonus for 7th would be a natural, incremental change built upon that.

Or even, simple let them roll for reserves from turn one, which would allow people to run LOTD solo if they felt that way inclined.

Not a fan of LotD drop pods or obsec. How about a formation that gives the LotD squads the ability to roll for reserves on TURN 1. Then allow them to pass OR fail any reserve rolls they make. Would make them legal to play solo at least, the dex was a big disappointment in that sense.

As far as the deepstrike mishaps, perhaps any LotD unit that is forced to roll on the mishap table ignores other results and is automatically put in to ongoing reserves. No drop pod like effect and no destroyed ghost marines for aggressive deepstriking.

Agreed. The Legion of the Damned has two things; one it needs and one it wants.

It NEEDS a means to get out of reserves on turn 1, or it's impossible to field them as a pure army. Allowing the Legion detachment to either roll for or automatically arrive turn one does that fine.

It WANTS a bit more punch. The "Legion Ascendant" formation in the codex actually does this quite well - if you made it a non-apocalypse formation, it'd be more than good to go, with two awesome special rules:

Fires of Judgement causes all units within 6" of any of the squads to suffer 2D6 S4 AP5 hits on arrival, plus gives them fleshbane on their shooting attacks for a turn.

Spectral Horrors causes all units within 12" of any model in the formation to be at -3 leadership (and remember effect of the Animus Malorem!)

The annoying thing is that there is a rule in the Legion Codex's rules glossary which allows legion squads to arrive turn 1 - it's just not mentioned anywhere in the codex itself!

I've always been a fan of the idea that we bump their price to 35 points (so more expensive than they used to be) but we give them two wounds and Rending weapons.

Otherwise their profile is slick and really we just need a way to run them pure. Perhaps their Sergeants gain a wound like Eldar and Skitarii counterparts did?

Rolling for reserves from turn one, or better yet, picking the turn they come in, would do the trick I think. Not sure it puts them on par with skyhammer, but it would get them close. I find LOTD pretty good, just a bit behind the edition curve now.