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Has anyone used a good sized blob of crusaders too success in 8th? I could see them being useful, if not a phalanx type unit walking ahead of your army or something difficult to deal with.

Granted they are human stat lines, but carrying a storm Shields and a power sword, and with acts of Faith to get them around the board, I could see them being a good unit.

Further... They have good synergy with priests and astropath. Priests for obvious reasons but the astropath there to take their saves to a 2++.

I think they're really bad. They suffer from having good gear on a bad platform.
A Stormshield is expensive, and not worth its cost on a T3 W1 model.
A powersword doesn't do much on a S3 A2 model. Most models that have decent armor also have decent toughness, and won't be wounded by S3 attacks.

I often play them with my inquisition. 4 crusaders, a priest and an inquisitor in an immolator. It's fun and thematic, but my crusaders always feel very useless.

An arco-flagellant is just as tough against small arms (2 wounds at 5++ rather than 1 at 3++) and hits a lot harder.

Really they could do with a bodyguard rule (that doesn't bypass that big shield) and someone actually worth guarding.

I ran them with a priest and an astropath a few times. A full squad throws out a decent number of PW attacks, and the extra fight, or the models returned though acts of faith were helpful. They basically ran down a flank, through a unit of cultists, a sorcerer, and an aspiring champion (exalted champion? Chaos HQ one) before finally stalling out against a havok squad on the far side of the board.

They were surprisingly durable, and with power swords the wounds they did cause to CSM's stuck.

I had to point it out: Astra Militarum (and I think the Ministorum ones as well) Crusaders don't pay for Storm Shields. It's listed as a special rule and not wargear. So a whole 15 points for a body and a sword. Same cost as previous editions (and the same cost as a Storm Shield back then) so still decent.

 ClockworkZion wrote:
I had to point it out: Astra Militarum (and I think the Ministorum ones as well) Crusaders don't pay for Storm Shields. It's listed as a special rule and not wargear. So a whole 15 points for a body and a sword. Same cost as previous editions (and the same cost as a Storm Shield back then) so still decent.

That's not how it works bro!

He's right, look in the codex, the Storm Shield point value in the back of the book is 0 (the crusaders are the only unit in the book who can take storm shields).

But that's not because it's a "Special Rule."

Well that and it only says they're equipped with a power sword. No where is it listed that they are actually equipped with storm shields, they just have the storm shield rule. As a comparison on Assault Terminators it says:

WARGEAR OPTIONS
• Any model may replace its two lightning claws with a thunder hammer and storm shield

Which specifically mentions the Storm Shield as wargear. Ergo, even if it did cost points, RAW currently Crusaders aren't equipped with Storm Shields.

 ClockworkZion wrote:
Well that and it only says they're equipped with a power sword. No where is it listed that they are actually equipped with storm shields, they just have the storm shield rule. As a comparison on Assault Terminators it says:

WARGEAR OPTIONS
• Any model may replace its two lightning claws with a thunder hammer and storm shield

Which specifically mentions the Storm Shield as wargear. Ergo, even if it did cost points, RAW currently Crusaders aren't equipped with Storm Shields.

I am certain this has been FAQ'd before. I believe it's in the SM Codex FAQ.

 ClockworkZion wrote:
Well that and it only says they're equipped with a power sword. No where is it listed that they are actually equipped with storm shields, they just have the storm shield rule. As a comparison on Assault Terminators it says:

WARGEAR OPTIONS
• Any model may replace its two lightning claws with a thunder hammer and storm shield

Which specifically mentions the Storm Shield as wargear. Ergo, even if it did cost points, RAW currently Crusaders aren't equipped with Storm Shields.

You're right, they arn't equipped with Storm Shields. They do have an ability called storm shield though, which means that the shield was either surgically implanted...or they are storm shields!

 Mmmpi wrote:

 ClockworkZion wrote:
Well that and it only says they're equipped with a power sword. No where is it listed that they are actually equipped with storm shields, they just have the storm shield rule. As a comparison on Assault Terminators it says:

WARGEAR OPTIONS
• Any model may replace its two lightning claws with a thunder hammer and storm shield

Which specifically mentions the Storm Shield as wargear. Ergo, even if it did cost points, RAW currently Crusaders aren't equipped with Storm Shields.

You're right, they arn't equipped with Storm Shields. They do have an ability called storm shield though, which means that the shield was either surgically implanted...or they are storm shields!

To be fair, when the WD Codex for Sisters came out the price for Crusaders was the same cost as a Storm Shield, so basically being sentient storm shields has some history.

A unit of them with a 2++ from Psychic Barrier seems pretty good to me.

in the AM FAQ, it was mentioned that storm shields ARE an added wargear option and cost 0 points.

I thought about this almost a month ago, and discussed it with a couple of guys at my FLGS. They thought it was a silly idea. But they seem really practical for tarpitting units, especially with the extra buffs.

Also thought about Legion Of the Damned. 3++save makes them stick around longer.

 Otto von Bludd wrote:
A unit of them with a 2++ from Psychic Barrier seems pretty good to me.

I've found them to be fairly durable, but the T3 does hurt them a bit.

Derek4real wrote:
in the AM FAQ, it was mentioned that storm shields ARE an added wargear option and cost 0 points.

I thought about this almost a month ago, and discussed it with a couple of guys at my FLGS. They thought it was a silly idea. But they seem really practical for tarpitting units, especially with the extra buffs.

Also thought about Legion Of the Damned. 3++save makes them stick around longer.

Supported by a Priest a full sized unit of them would get 30 attacks with rerolls to hit and wound on the charge. Not quite DCA levels of killing but not bad if you can get them into melee in one piece.

If you gain acts of faith, that's 60 attacks, mind. I think that compares quite well with DCA. Pairs well with Celestine, also.

If you're taking crusaders, you get AoF.

Vortenger wrote:
If you gain acts of faith, that's 60 attacks, mind. I think that compares quite well with DCA. Pairs well with Celestine, also.

Not on the turn you charge though, or the round after - you need to fight through until your next turn.
And even with faith they are still throwing out 4 strength 3 attacks in the phase whereas DCA start with 4 strength 4 attacks, though it certainly helps if you aren't playing a sisters army. Another example of faith scaling backwards and working best when you only cherry-pick one or two units in a soup rather than taking a whole army.

Worth consider are arcos, who can bring the durability of the crusaders with the punch of the DCA but you have to be careful not to have your priest fall behind on the charge.

Quite right, let me rephrase. The effects of AoF and the crusaders' inherent resilience together make them compare quite well to DCA.