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Why hasn't some Grand Master gone up to Castellan Crowe and said, "You know that thing doesn't do a thing for you. Why don't we just take it to the basement of HQ and bury it under 50' of lead and get you a real weapon?"

The named blade is a joke. It doesn't come with any special rules and it hits with the same stats as a combat blade. Can someone explain to me why the sword is even in the game? For comparison the blades stats are S-per user AP-0 D-1. The stats for a combat blade are identical. So, for all intents and purposes, this mighty weapon is a normal knife. WTF!?

I get what they were going for with it, whether or not he's super effective. He's an anti-horde type unit, with his reroll hits (on 2s) and reroll wounds, and each time he wounds he gets an extra attack.

...Do I think it'd be cooler if he had no weapon at all, and he was just a ninja space marine?

yes.

Yes I do.

The sword used to grant him the smash ability. Which was god mode ap2. I say give him a rule that makes all of his attacks at ap-4. It's still str 4...it's not like it's going to be broken.

Does it make any sense that your most skilled champion doesn't even use a weapon?

 Xenomancers wrote:
The sword used to grant him the smash ability. Which was god mode ap2. I say give him a rule that makes all of his attacks at ap-4. It's still str 4...it's not like it's going to be broken.

Does it make any sense that your most skilled champion doesn't even use a weapon?

Didn't it also give the enemy Furious Charge when they attacked you? Combined with the fact that he wasn't an IC he was probably one of the worst characters in the game, just a tax so you could get Purifiers as troops, when Purifiers used to be worth a damn anyway.

 Valkyrie wrote:

 Xenomancers wrote:
The sword used to grant him the smash ability. Which was god mode ap2. I say give him a rule that makes all of his attacks at ap-4. It's still str 4...it's not like it's going to be broken.

Does it make any sense that your most skilled champion doesn't even use a weapon?

Didn't it also give the enemy Furious Charge when they attacked you? Combined with the fact that he wasn't an IC he was probably one of the worst characters in the game, just a tax so you could get Purifiers as troops, when Purifiers used to be worth a damn anyway.

This must have been another eddition. In 7th he was actually quite good. He could use both blade stances of a brotherhood champion. Meaning he could reroll failed invo saves and I think he could also make an attack against every unit within 1 inch or something. He also had WS8 and I6. So he had a good chance to tie up or kill heros twice his cost.

I used to bring him with a full unit of purifiers out of a land raider redeemer - those guys could shred almost anything in CC and even had good anti air abilities because you could combat squad a 10 man purifier split into 3 units and cast 3 cleansing flames.

But what is the purpose of the blade, as it is, now? He's just not that good and the weapon doesn't help him, in fact, it hinders him.

Leo_the_Rat wrote:
But what is the purpose of the blade, as it is, now? He's just not that good and the weapon doesn't help him, in fact, it hinders him.

Yeah I totally agree. I suppose that the powers he uses to subdue the blades evil energies are represented by the d6 smite but he should at least have the ability to target a champion with it at the very least.

 Xenomancers wrote:

 Valkyrie wrote:

 Xenomancers wrote:
The sword used to grant him the smash ability. Which was god mode ap2. I say give him a rule that makes all of his attacks at ap-4. It's still str 4...it's not like it's going to be broken.

Does it make any sense that your most skilled champion doesn't even use a weapon?

Didn't it also give the enemy Furious Charge when they attacked you? Combined with the fact that he wasn't an IC he was probably one of the worst characters in the game, just a tax so you could get Purifiers as troops, when Purifiers used to be worth a damn anyway.

This must have been another eddition. In 7th he was actually quite good. He could use both blade stances of a brotherhood champion. Meaning he could reroll failed invo saves and I think he could also make an attack against every unit within 1 inch or something. He also had WS8 and I6. So he had a good chance to tie up or kill heros twice his cost.

I used to bring him with a full unit of purifiers out of a land raider redeemer - those guys could shred almost anything in CC and even had good anti air abilities because you could combat squad a 10 man purifier split into 3 units and cast 3 cleansing flames.

What a naive view. He was still terrible in 7th.
Stances only happened in a challenge. This means against any mook (and you can simply deny challenges to keep him from doing anything!) he might as well been hitting them with a wet noodle.

Challenges sound great on paper, but then we ran into two problems. He was super likely to get hit by a Power Fist, which is ID, any Invul made his Smash pointless, and he couldn't even cast Force on his weapon! Any HQ you'd want to be killy against he wouldn't be killy against, and any HQ he shines against is an HQ any Space Marine HQ with a non-terrible loadout would shine against too.

 Xenomancers wrote:

Leo_the_Rat wrote:
But what is the purpose of the blade, as it is, now? He's just not that good and the weapon doesn't help him, in fact, it hinders him.

Yeah I totally agree. I suppose that the powers he uses to subdue the blades evil energies are represented by the d6 smite but he should at least have the ability to target a champion with it at the very least.

That d6 only has a range of 3". Even if I spent another 160 points to get a captain that range is now a massive 6". So for around 300 points I can get a 6" d6 smite and a baby smite. I don't see the point. Actually I don't see the point of ever using Crowe even as a cheap HQ.

So, like the song says, tell me why?

Yep, he was never good. The only reason ever to take him was the purifiers as troop tax.

And now, there is indead no reason to take him. I means, it is not like the GK lack anti infantry, with the storm bolters and purifiers.

Just take a brotherhood champion if you need a good cheap HQ.

As for its sword, the fluff for it is nice, so that is the reason for this sword to exist, but it transfer poorly in game. He should have something else to compensate for it. What he have is not enough to consider taking him.

If the sword generated a mortal wound on a wound roll of 6, it would be potentially solid.

If the sword did anything then at least I could understand it being in the game.

Leo_the_Rat wrote:
If the sword did anything then at least I could understand it being in the game.

Grey Knights are bad. Paint them gold and have them counts-as Custodes.

Leo_the_Rat wrote:
If the sword did anything then at least I could understand it being in the game.

The fluff for Crowe explains why it is in the game and why it does nothing.

Leo_the_Rat wrote:

 Xenomancers wrote:

Leo_the_Rat wrote:
But what is the purpose of the blade, as it is, now? He's just not that good and the weapon doesn't help him, in fact, it hinders him.

Yeah I totally agree. I suppose that the powers he uses to subdue the blades evil energies are represented by the d6 smite but he should at least have the ability to target a champion with it at the very least.

That d6 only has a range of 3". Even if I spent another 160 points to get a captain that range is now a massive 6". So for around 300 points I can get a 6" d6 smite and a baby smite. I don't see the point. Actually I don't see the point of ever using Crowe even as a cheap HQ.

So, like the song says, tell me why?

I'm not saying he is good - hes pretty crappy in the current rule set - he was a lot better in 7th. I don't see any reason for taking any GK HQ that isn't a GMDK in this edition.

Draigo is certainly a very strong character HQ and is usually considered a no brainer at 1500+ points.

 Xenomancers wrote:
The sword used to grant him the smash ability. Which was god mode ap2. I say give him a rule that makes all of his attacks at ap-4. It's still str 4...it's not like it's going to be broken.

Does it make any sense that your most skilled champion doesn't even use a weapon?

Yes? That's why he doesn't use a weapon, because he's skilled

Leo_the_Rat wrote:
Draigo is certainly a very strong character HQ and is usually considered a no brainer at 1500+ points.

Compared to a GMDK Draigo is a questionable choice. Dragio moves 5 inches - has no firepower - his plus 1 psyhic power is superfluous as your whole army can cast any power and you run of out powers to cast quickly. Both units can DS. GMDK has devastating firepower/superior close combat/superior survivability/and a superior warlord trait. The only HQ that is somewhat competitive with the GMDK is Voldus because he hits just as hard as draigo for - 50 points.

Draigo also gives full rerolls. If you are bringing a lot of GK options with degrading profiles, Draigo will help you remain effective even when degraded. And he is the only HQ who does.

I used to run Draigo with 2x Storm Ravens, for full rerolls. People would lower the ravens to hitting on 4s, or 5s, but i still get to reroll everything, because it changes the profile, and is not a minus modifier. Because he has multiple powers, Draigo can gate himself and keep up with the Ravens, while also casting other useful things on them, such as Astral Aim, or Sanctuary.

Or course with the assault cannon and storm raven nerfs, this already risky list was made totally ineffective.