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So with the Dread FAQ from a half year back BA Libby dreads have 4 base attacks +1 for 2 ccws, with WS5, I4, St10, ap2 with the option of force. Plus they are characters unlike most other dreads so can challenge any pesky characters with powerfists out.
If taking a level 2 and rolling once on Sanguinary and replacing whatever roll with the Primaris Quickening, you would be getting between 7 and 9 attacks at Initiative 5 to 7. Enough to worry most things including Knights (you might not kill it but you're taking it down to it's last legs if you can catch it).
Looking at Fulmination for that second roll things look incredibly promising. You have 1 chance of getting a 3++ on your dread (winner-winner), 1 chance of being a walking turnly haywire bomb (9" nova), 1 chance of getting a further extra attack and having all attacks that hit generate 2 extra strength 5 hits (devastating with that many ws5 attacks), 1 chance of having a power that will let you swap your dread with any non-vehicle unit within 24", even ones in assault, also allowing a charge after it's use (So those units your opponent thought were safe end up being mutilated) and one chance of having a power that will greatly increase the mobility of your force. There is one dud power, and worst case scenario, if you do roll Lightning Arc, you can simply swap it for the primaris and have a 6 shot heavy bolter with half the range.
I can't think of a more beneficial table to roll that second dice on, 4 powers greatly benefit the Dread, 1 benefits the army and 1 results in the firepower of a 60pt dual heavy bolter landspeeder when you swap it for the Primaris (Admittedly the latter is not amazing and you'd probably save the warp charge, but it's there).
Quickening and Electroshield or Fists of Lightning excites me the most but any of the other 3 useful ones could easily be massive game changers!
What do you think? Anyother table more useful in your opinion? (Telepathy is not an option so no fishing for invis anyway)

Unfortunately the Force Halbred is not a "specialist weapon", I have to say it is so stupid giving this Dread one normal weapon and one "specialist weapon" so it rubbed off the two weapon bonus.Anyway, that means this Dread is Base 4 attacks and on the charge, 5 attacks.

Back to the topic, I just feel that the Dreads are now very strong when in combat, but it is likely have to spent a turn or two exposed on field before you gets into assault, when your enemy, if they have high mobile or infiltrating forces with strong shooting power (Tau Crisis Suit / Steath Suit / Riptides, Eldar Jetbikes and Warp Spiders, etc.), your AV10 rear armor would easily be ultilized by your enemy. And if you try to hide the rear with some cover, it would likely to force your Dread into quite an un-optimized location and reduce your reliability to launch your charge later on. So increasing its own toughness is critically important. It would be problematic when suggesting what discipline for you to take with certain purpose in head because 2 rolls to get what you fishing for from 6 powers is highly unreliable and those 6 powers are sheldom consistant in same aim, if you feel that you are likely to have Lady Luck on your side, try some rolls in Technomancy discipline, for Reforge and Warp Metal Armor, which you have better chance to get either one of them than getting the only one Electric Shield in Fulmination discipline, which is of course awesome, but bear greater risk when you trying to fish it from the start.

Of course, when you are looking to get offensive bonus, the Quickening is the best, due to very reliable to get.

Bloody hell that's a very good catch that I never realised having never played one myself (have multiple of all other dreads but recently been seeing the usefulness of a Libby dread), what a daft thing that is!
AV10 rear is definitely an issue, podding in can mean you can place them to combat this to a limited extent.
Another way to mitigate it could be a multiple threat overload.
Been thinking of a 1850 list with 3 podded Libby dreads in a Chapter ancients formation supported by a CAD with a Paladin, grav bikers, Javelin, multiple units of rapier quad mortars, a couple of hf podded tac squads (so dreads all arrive turn 1) and a lvl2 Libby warlord in a quad mortar unit to protect him and so he can give the dreads more warp charge. On turn 1 there is the threat of 3 Libby dreads and a Paladin for the opponent to split their AT firepower against (Not Inc the bikers and Javelin which would also start on the board alongside the quads). The dreads could also be positioned so that any unit attempting to get rear armour opens themselves up for a charge from another dread or the Paladin... all theory craft so far though.
How else would you think of supporting a Libby dread to try and mitigate the chance of rear armour shots?
Technomancy is also a very good discipline. Definitely one to opt for if the opponent is mech heavy.

One way of getting any of the librarian dreads into quickly if you get the power that lets you swap (electrodisplacement?) is to use a group of scouts. Infiltrate+scout gets you to 12", a move get you to 6" and a swap replaces the scouts that could not charge with a dreadnought that can. If you are taking the chapter ancients, you might even consider having one or two of the librarian dreadnoughts roll entirely on fulmination (the 3++ and displacement combo is craziness) and just let the other one or two cast the quickening on them.

Fulmination is definitely the way to go. I'm considering just putting both rolls on it. I definitely will if no pod available for some reason. The potential to swap with a unit and charge or move 18" and/or a 3++? Quickening can go hang IMHO.

Quickening is pretty hot when swinging at ST 10 AP 2 potentialy with force.

Problem with the BA punchy dreads is that they're slow and slow punchy units are bad.
I'd still probably take a regular gun Dread (or even better, a Contemptor with a Kheres) over a Libby, Furioso or DC Dread.

I'd be different if BA had access to Telepathy - I'd take Libby Dreads (In Lucius Pods) out the wazoo with a Shriek / Quickening combo

Furioso, DC, and I think libby all have access to magna grapple, which helps a bit. Like it or not, S10 AP 2 force is one of the few ways for BA to get stuff done.

I don't like gun dreads because I don't like imperial guns.

Nice! That scout swap is such a good move if you get the power!

Poly Ranger wrote:
Bloody hell that's a very good catch that I never realised having never played one myself (have multiple of all other dreads but recently been seeing the usefulness of a Libby dread), what a daft thing that is!
AV10 rear is definitely an issue, podding in can mean you can place them to combat this to a limited extent.
Another way to mitigate it could be a multiple threat overload.
Been thinking of a 1850 list with 3 podded Libby dreads in a Chapter ancients formation supported by a CAD with a Paladin, grav bikers, Javelin, multiple units of rapier quad mortars, a couple of hf podded tac squads (so dreads all arrive turn 1) and a lvl2 Libby warlord in a quad mortar unit to protect him and so he can give the dreads more warp charge. On turn 1 there is the threat of 3 Libby dreads and a Paladin for the opponent to split their AT firepower against (Not Inc the bikers and Javelin which would also start on the board alongside the quads). The dreads could also be positioned so that any unit attempting to get rear armour opens themselves up for a charge from another dread or the Paladin... all theory craft so far though.
How else would you think of supporting a Libby dread to try and mitigate the chance of rear armour shots?
Technomancy is also a very good discipline. Definitely one to opt for if the opponent is mech heavy.

If Forgeworld is allowed get your hands on some Lucius pattern Drop Pods.
Disembarking is optional meaning you can stay in your AV12 all round Bunker and step out when you damn well feel like it. Open-topped means you can use as many witchfire and shooting attacks as you can bring to bear - it doesn't have any firepower of its own but that and an extra 15 points seems fair price to me.