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The idea is to use the shield custodians as a screening force, behind which characters can advance safely until ready to charge in!

Space wolves patrol:
Smash wolf lord (hammer, jump pack)
5 grey hunters
Murderfang

Custodes patrol:
Jetbike captain (warlord) Misericordia
5 Custodes with sword & board
Pallas
Pallas

Figure that has mobility, smashing power, a bit of shooting and some objective campers!

The characters will outrun their supporting troops, I don't think they will do well in melee by themselves. The whole point behind custodes biker captains is that you take three of them.

Pallas move faster than the biker captain. And the custodians running 6+d6 shouldn’t slow down Murderfang too much.

The pallas can't help in melee, and I wouldn't worry about murderfang.

Murderfang hits harder than both smashlord and biker captain combined?

No, but +2 inches of movement doesn’t make that big of a difference when it comes to out running support, but a jump pack does.

Ran a 1500 point version at LGS Friday night fights and got 3rd out of 10. Probably could have done better but a large chunk of the extra was an astra militarum detachment with Valkyrie that I only included because I’d just finished convert it (out of a hind) and wanted to see it on the table.

Murderfang is a beast. First game (against ad mech) he Advanced safely behind the shield Custodes until a knight Atropos decided to threaten my flank, Murderfang charged in and saved the day getting all 8 attacks successfully through hit and wound rolls (the knight rotated ion shields and saved three of them but 15 wounds took the shine right off him (I’d also been pot shotting with Pallas and had the wolf lord swinging).

After claiming that scalp (and also gunning down some rangers) Murderfang ran back to the center to help the Custodes against the big unit of heavy ad mech robots who the Custodes were struggling to put down (I needed 5+ to damage and was rolling heaps of 1s for damage - and then they were healing). Murderfang rectified the situation in a single turn. Absolute beast!

Yeah. I'd expect something like that, even if you got very lucky. But how did the biker and jump pack captains do? As I say, I would expect them to be the weakest links in your army.

They were good. They had a turn of sitting behind the advancing shield wall in the first game. Then they were able to get stuck in with everyone else.

In the second game, the Fists player had set up a couple of Phobos primaris infantry units in cover ahead of the main force. So my flying heroes dived in and deleted a unit each in melee. (And somehow survived the next turn!). In particular, The custodes bike captain ( with 3++ relic) is so durable that he can go out ahead without being too sacrificial. Also, remember that a line of Custodes and Murderfang et al are threatening, so they don’t have plenty of threats to draw fire!

See, it looks like you are only able to take advantage of your jump pack and bike about half the time. That doesn't make them worthless, but I would really reconsider paying for those situational upgrades.

My bet is that the jump pack on the captain is really not worth it while the biker for the custodian is. In that case, I would turn your smash captain into a normal captain and get another couple marines with the ~50 points you save, or maybe even turn one of your other custodes into a normal custodes captain or a vexilla bearer, -1 to hit is very good.

Jump pack doesn't give you just ability to race ahead. What it does is increase your threat range when you commit AND you have the fly keyword. Screen ahead? Ignore it. Target top of building? 2" charge rather than having to climb 9" building

Right. The ability to:
- move from behind my screen and still have a short charge
- ignore opponents first line
- ignore terrain

Is huge. Jet pack is easily worth it.

But doing all that alone and unsupported? He's a T4 model with a 3+ save, anything can hurt him. He's essentially a 130 point "delete that one thing" spell/stratagem. If you ok with that, then fair enough, but I think you would be better served with more troops.

I reckon a lot of the current evolving meta are nu-marines, and they have a lot of anti-character sniping built in (and a beastly lot of ignore line of sight sniper power, even.)

So I am not sure he is that much safer with 2 more marines blocking for him, either.

Did you post a picture of your Hind?

Yeah, I think that in a game I normally have other things breathing down the opponents neck so that they aren’t preoccupied with deleting the smash captain. And also, I try to use him when multiple units of mine can charge in, so an area normally gets pacified!


Here’s the hind:

That looks like it would make an awesome vulture, with a bit of work, too.
Gah, so much to build, so little time.

Realized the above photo doesn’t really show the door gunners due to the lighting, but they’re there!




Automatically Appended Next Post:
As a note to the list post chapter approved... looks like the point drops mean that it could be kept the same, except for:
- replacing wolf lord with Bjorn the fell handed
- throwing a powerfist on the grey hunter pack leader

Much more hitting power, a bit more shooting, an extra CP... less flyers.

Choices choices...



Or



(Basically: foot shield captain + iron priest ... or... jetbike shield captain and a powerfist on the grey hunter pack leader)

I think I might have to go the jetbike route... I’d love to have the iron priest but not having a melee flyer scares me!