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I recently convinced my brother to take the plunge into 30k after I purchased a Betrayal at Calth boxed set for him. He isn't sold on a legion yet, but is already wanting to purchase additional items to supplement the box but wants to spend no more than $100 (sans tax or shipping.) This leads me to my question. If you were just starting out with 30k and had the Calth box as a starting point and only $100 to spend what would you buy? While he is not yet sold on a legion, I will still take suggestions on characters or units that are legion specific, who knows maybe a suggestion with Deathshroud Terminators will pay off if he chooses DG.

I'd probably buy a Sicaran of some kind or a predator for long ranged fire power. Some heavy weapons to turn some of the marines into a heavy support squad couldn't hurt either.

An Anvillus pattern Dreadclaw Drop Pod may be a good one to go for - looks cool, performs well for the points and comes with all the usual drop pod utility for $80.38 (at the time of posting)

The Sicaran sounds like a solid choice. Which variant do you prefer? Oh, and I have some spare heavy weapons laying around so there's no need for him to purchase any.

The Dreadclaw Drop Pod is not something that I would have thought of. To be honest, I've never even seen one in person. What is your experience with such a thing?

Anvillus is transport capacity 10, can transport a dreadnought, has the drop pod assault rule, got given the internal guidance system rule in an FAQ, is a flyer, an assault vehicle and has the heat blast rule.

So the heat blast thing is when it comes in you can choose to deepstrike or come on as a flyer - if you deepstrike you determine its point of entry (now not an issue thanks to the new guidance systems) and all models within 3"+D3" get hit with a S6 AP5 hit which ignores cover and hits vehicles on their weakest armour value.

If you chose to come in as a flyer then you do D6 S5 AP5 hits to any unit your hull has passed over - this method makes you roll a D6 and take a penetrating hit on a 1, but strikes vehicles on their lowest armour value.

There are an awful lot of vehicles in the HH that have a rear armour value of 10 - and flyers can move up to 36" onto the board from your edge.


So the 'drawback' it has in the rule for using the heat blast attack is that any infantry inside it can't disembark from it that turn (oh noes!!)
This is not a drawback since drop pods are known for tipping out their occupants into a crossfire situation which just allows the enemy to gun down your 'surprise assault' - fingers crossed your shooting with them did something! The anvillus basically does what you want your drop pod to do.
The troops inside chill out for an enemy turn with what is basically a void sheild around them - the opponent can sometimes waste all their anti-tank shooting trying to destroy the JINKING DROP POD.
If the Anvillus survives the enemy turn alive then its an assault vehicle giving a wide area available to choose your assault target and even if it gets destroyed the unit inside can assault their next turn

Its true drawback is that heat blast attack hits friendly and enemy models alike since you're not 'targeting' them. So if you want to fly on the board heat blasting 36" worth of units D6 times each with no cover saves allowed you have to clear a lane of flight beforehand.

Everyone can take one, anything from the BaC box can drop inside it and it only takes up a fast attack slot.

edit: and because the heat blast hits anything the model passes over in the movement phase, it hits other flyers too... .....with no cover saves allowed...

It's a prime delivery system for anything frankly - i like putting CC focused units inside, but i also like putting special weapons teams inside sometimes just to mess with my opponents expectations
Typically, people who don't know what it can do regret not throwing everything at it as it comes in - my local meta only build contemptors in mortis pattern after i got my anvillus! And as i found, even if it gets taken out by concentrated enemy fire it's very satisfying seeing how much your dedicated CC unit didn't have to suffer in getting to their target for 100 points.

Well, you certainly have me sold on it. I didn't expect to make a post for him and come away wanting to buy something for myself hah. You mentioned that it can carry Dreadnoughts. In your experience how do Leviathan Dreads fare when put in one?

Well I bought another Calth box.

So either another Calth box or a Prospero box, they are a super efficient way to bulk up on power armoured marines and terminators.

As a more impressive buy, I'd suggest a Sicarian variant or a big dreadnought (Leviathan or Deredeo).

I don't really do dreads myself - it's usually my command squad (plus praetor and apothecary) or my pick of special weapon teams or tartaros terminators.

I noticed that capability while i was checking the heat blast rule and it seemed worth mentioning.

I suppose it has one moment of uselessness - if it survives the enemy turn alive and your unit inside get out, it can't heat blast that turn so it's relying on jink for a second turn - it isn't doing much the turn after a deepstrike, but it becomes all manner of gloriusness if it can survive and carries on flying around doing heat blasts.
This is great if your deployment zone is getting overrun - you can enter the board from ongoing reserves from a corner and sweep across your DZ to clear it a bit.


The Anvillus is second-bested by the Caestus Assault Ram but that's outside the price bracket you stipulated.

Prosporo, you can get one shipped for under a C-note on ebay.

Sorry to be that guy. but you cant put a Leviathan in a Dreadclaw. :(

Id definitely second getting one though. Though be warned, theyre a pain to assemble.

A Sicaran is certainly a good idea - supplements the army as a whole with pretty decent firepower.

Honestly I'm in the same boat - I have a bunch of Calth and Prospero stuff and I'm wondering about Forgeworld. I'm a fluff first kind of guy so I'd go with legion-specific shoulder pads and/or a couple of characters.

The Sicarian Battle Tank is the best tank in 30K available to the Legions. You can't go wrong with one in your army. The Sicarian Venerator is a fantastic anti-vehicle tank as well, but I'd get the Battle Tank first.

Far too much depends on the Legion you are playing, and the Rite of War you are using to make any other kind of recommendations towards future purchases.

Out of two Calth sets, that's 60 Space Marines, and you should have enough to make:

40 Legion Tactical Space Marines with Bolters
5 Legion Tactical Support Squad with Plasmaguns
5 Legion Tactical Support Squad with Meltaguns
5 Legion Heavy Support Squad with Missile Launchers. I'd avoid the Heavy Bolters in 30K- they are gak. When 30K flips over to 8th edition which will probably take 2+ years, then HB's would be preferred.
5 Legion Veteran Tactical Squads or Command Squad (can be combined with the Support Squads for 10 models), with enough other stuff to equip these guys anyway you want. Will depend on your Legion and RoW.

Mortis Pattern Contemptor Dreadnought with two Kheres Assault Cannons (for anti-air)
Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought with two Dreadnought close combat weapons (fists)

10 Cataphracti Terminators- I have no recommendations on these guys, because it depends on your Legion and RoW

4 HQ options- 2 of them in Cataphracti Terminator armor, and 2 in power armor. They are pretty tough to mod as they are one of those mono-pose, super detailed models, but you'll have enough extras to give them just about anything.

So that's how I'd start my Legion. If you'll notice, the one thing you are missing is speed/maneuverability. I'd consider some transports- Rhinos, Land Raiders, Drop Pods, etc. All depends on your Legion and RoW. There are no Razorbacks in 30K, but Rhino's can take heavy weapons. A Rhino with a Multimelta and 10 Legion Tactical Marines is a pretty solid troop choice.

Good luck, and welcome to 30K!

Alright guys, I can finally offer to point this discussion in a real direction. My brother has decided that he wants to play the Night Lords. There is still debate as to whether he should assemble the marines in the Calth box as Terror Squads or regular marines. Given that we now have a legion, what would you all suggest that he put his money into?

That would depend on whether he wants to play the Terror Assault Rite of War.

I play Night Lords, but I don't run terror assault as its not my cuppa.

Should he want to play terror assault then id definitely recommend 3 packs of volkite chargers, a pack of nostraman chainglaives, and a dreadclaw.

The character in cataphractii armour can hitch a ride with the cataphractii terminators; who can teleport (you can give a glaive to the terminator sergeant). The 3 units of terror marines can infiltrate with their volkites and the sergeants can have glaives and meltabombs, and you can drop the dreadnought in with the dreadclaw (would likely recommend the multimelta on this basis, if you can kitbash the first into a chainfist with a grav gun id also recommend this).

Save the chaplain for later, and give him a jump pack; then get an assault squad for him to lead as the next unit. After that its working out how you want to get your heavy weapons on the board. Id recommend a fire raptor and some javelins.