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I'm currently assembling some Sternguard Veterans, and I'd like to hear peoples opinions on equipping them. What combi-weapons are good? I'm currently thinking flamers and meltas add something that the special ammo doesn't already adequately cover. And how many combis is a good number anyway? They make the price of the squad go up quickly, but the Sternguard are still no more durable than the regular marines so loading them all with expensive gear seems kinda risky. Any of the special weapons clearly are not needed but how about heavies? Plasma cannons maybe?

With the changes to movement and firing heavy weapons in 6th some of their heavies got a slight boost. But be careful because you can't snapshot anything with a template. So no plasma cannons. Sternguard seem to be best with either heavy flamers and combi's or just combi's. I run vulkan in my list so typically I run them as melta boats. With maybe 2 combi Flamer for a little bump against someone charging them. So my tenman squad looks like this. Serg with power sword, 2 melta, 4 combi melta, 2 combi Flamer. With transport, that squad runs about 330 points.

My five man is like this.
5 Combie meltas and a drop pod. 185 points, Drop them at a land raider and that puppy is dead.
Also You already have an ignored cover with dragonfire.
If you want them to actually survive, go with a power weapon(like a fist or something)
give them combi-flamers.

Hmm. Good point about Plasma Cannons and the lack of snap shots. But is it really wise to give every guy an upgrade weapon?

Kinda, Considering how cheap they are.

The way I use them yes it is wise. For 5 points you get a melta or Flamer shot. It's super cheap and turns them into shooting monsters that noone wants to be around when they drop. Like I said I use vulkan so the flamers and melta are almost a guaranteed hit when they pop. If I'm not using vulkan I'll use Lysander with the squad for re rolls on their special ammo so I won't load them up as heavily with other weapons.

From an opponents perspective, I generally see them all upgraded with one gun or another. Typically they do best in small squads of 5-6 where the overall cost of the squad isn't too high.

I'd also consider special weapons in some scenarios. I play a friend who regularly takes 2 Meltaguns in a 6man squad, simply so they are a continued threat to armor and 2+ save troops. As for heavy weapons, I'd opt for missile launchers. Cheap and you can still snap-fire the krak missiles.

Chancetragedy wrote:
The way I use them yes it is wise. For 5 points you get a melta or Flamer shot. It's super cheap and turns them into shooting monsters that noone wants to be around when they drop. Like I said I use vulkan so the flamers and melta are almost a guaranteed hit when they pop. If I'm not using vulkan I'll use Lysander with the squad for re rolls on their special ammo so I won't load them up as heavily with other weapons.

I see. I'm not planning to use Vulcan, and probably not a drop pod either, so maybe few plain dudes in the 'front rank' to soak the first casualties might be varranted?

In my view, 10 men, 2 heavy flamers, 8 combi-meltas, Rhino.

The heavy flamers give you the ability to ravage hordes, the meltas deal with tanks, and the special ammunition deals with everything else.

Yah that probably wouldn't be so bad to have a few plain Janes for the wound soaking. Sternguard ammo is so good against any non 2+ save infantry that the thing I've always worried about is armor. so I give them combi meltas almost standard.

Really what it comes down to is your taste. Their upgrades are so cheap And they're so versatile. you can afford to splurge on them. So really it's like cooking. They're a solid recipe just salt to taste ;p

Chancetragedy wrote:
Really what it comes down to is your taste. Their upgrades are so cheap And they're so versatile. you can afford to splurge on them. So really it's like cooking. They're a solid recipe just salt to taste ;p

This is probably the best way anyone could describe Sternguard.

Freman Bloodglaive wrote:
In my view, 10 men, 2 heavy flamers, 8 combi-meltas, Rhino.

The heavy flamers give you the ability to ravage hordes, the meltas deal with tanks, and the special ammunition deals with everything else.

This.

If this was coming as me i would do everything i could to get it out of its box and dead. Very brutal capabilities.

 Crimson wrote:
I see. I'm not planning to use Vulcan, and probably not a drop pod either, so maybe few plain dudes in the 'front rank' to soak the first casualties might be varranted?

I wouldn't bother. The combi-weapons are so cheap that it's no big deal if you lose one before it fires. You might as well just spend the extra 10-15 points and give everyone an upgrade so when you do need that firepower you have it.

Peregrine wrote:

I wouldn't bother. The combi-weapons are so cheap that it's no big deal if you lose one before it fires. You might as well just spend the extra 10-15 points and give everyone an upgrade so when you do need that firepower you have it.

Plus once you fire off the special, they become plane janes to die at your wish (or keep dealing death with those awesome ammo choices).

I run 10 man, 1 c-melta (would go with a second if I had the model) and a fist on the sarge. I field them to kill infantry and monsters, not tanks. The c-melta is there just in case. The 40 points I save by not having combis on everyone can be spent elsewhere. The sarge gets a fist because that's what the model has. But I do think the sarge should have some sort of CC toy. They should be spending most of their life in someone's charge range, and people will want to tie them up to make the shooting stop.

The only bad option on them is the stormbolters. Everything else had a use, depending on what you need them to do. For me, that's shooting the special ammo. A turn that I'm not doing that is a turn wasted.

Sternguard are really the best elite choice, for many different prices you can make them able to deal with anything.
Like Plasma=monster hunter
tank=melta
Flamer=Hordes

8 combimeltas and 2 heavy flamers in a drop pod, makes them flexible but also killy. This precisely what you need when you are getting that close to the enemy.

I would not go above 6 or 7 in a rhino. As they are far too expensive to be in a weak tank.
double heavy flamer with combimeltas, or all combimeltas or 2 meltas are all good. You want have to be able to shoot some powerful shots from the rhino i.e. 2 heavy flamer shots or some melta.

I would not use razorbacks, as you want to shoot from the tank and also it is good to be able to have an IC.

5 sternguard with 2las/ML is pretty good with pedro, especially as the other 5 of the combat squad can have a tank of their own.

I run:
Sternguard vet (x3 combi-melta/plasmas, x2 plasma rifles, power axe, melta bombs, Rhino)-290p
Usually have Sicarius with them just because then I have 12 special ammo shots and 5 with plasma or 11 plasma shots if something needs to die I know gets hot is a pain, but they still absolutely melt anything near them even without the extra plasma shots, with the special ammo there to mop up whats left. and having Cato there gives some extra CCW punch.

So far they killed:
10 man assault terminator squad with Shrike (half SS/TH and half lightning claws)
10 man Tactical Terminator squad With a terminator captain
10 man squad of boys (not so great, I know but still)
and a daemon prince.

I run a seven man squad, 5 meltas, 2 flamers and a power fist. I always intend to drop them with a master of the forge... but I always find a better place for him to stand during deployment, heh.

If someone charges them turn one, they have to face down 3 flames, a twin linked plasma pistol and 5 "regular" bolter shots in snap fire.

As a 4 year Crimson fist player, Sternguard are my bread and butter, and my go-to elite choice. My load outs are based on the idea that SM troop slots are poopy, and that i need something that will actually make things lay down at range. I usually run two squads (5 and 5 for 1000-1500, 10 and 5 for 1500-2000, and 10/10 for 2000+) and equip them as follows (I'm not writing point costs as you have a codex and can look at it yourself):

1000-1500
Squad 1:
5 combimeltas or combiflamers
and either
Drop pod with missile launcher
or
Stronos Razorback

Squad 2:
5 Stormbolters

1500-2000
Squad 1
5 combimeltas and 5 combiflamers
Drop pod with missile launcher

Squad 2:
5 Stormbolters

2000+
Squad 1:
5 combimeltas and 5 combiflamers
Drop pod with missile launcher

Squad 2:
10 Stormbolters
Rhino with storm bolter and HK missile

What these load-outs give you is: A) a hard-hitting backline crunching anti-tank/anti-swarm squad thats basically fire and forget (they usually tear through any army T3 or lower, but always go blow for blow against tougher stuff and are gone by like turn 2/turn 3 if you're lucky.) and B) a highly mobile gun-line squad that's assault 2 and can hold things down at 24 inches while not getting gypped like standard rapid fire crap troop slots.

On a side note, the Stronos razorback is probably the best utility transport for a five man squad in the deployment that I am talking about, and it more than makes up its points when it suddenly starts blowing up much heavier transports and one-shotting heavy infantry. The missile launcher drop pod is worth the points every time. Especially if you take only one, because under droppod assault rules, it comes on the table turn 1. Remember that sternguard do only one thing well: shoot a lot of stuff and shoot it better than a tac marine can. Don't try to equip them for CQC, because they will fail you and die everytime, no matter what you do.

Anyways, I hope you find this helpful. Happy Hunting!

Stronos razorback? never heard of it O.o forge world?

 Tiger9gamer wrote:
Stronos razorback? never heard of it O.o forge world?

Stronos means lascannon/ TL PG razorback.

oh, why didn't you say so

Never ever buy storm bolters for your sternguard. Paying 5 pts to lose special ammo for an extra str 4 shot at over 12" range is redicolus.

tedurur wrote:
Never ever buy storm bolters for your sternguard. Paying 5 pts to lose special ammo for an extra str 4 shot at over 12" range is redicolus.

Agree.

now in 6th, you have bullets that reach 30inches even if You move.

I have to assume the guy is joking, I mean, could anyone honestly think paying extra to lose the abilities that you are already paying extra for is a good idea?

 Godless-Mimicry wrote:
I have to assume the guy is joking, I mean, could anyone honestly think paying extra to lose the abilities that you are already paying extra for is a good idea?

He may not know that storm bolters dont count toward the special ammunition, then again, im sure if they did everyone would be running this, since sternguard are no shrugs in close combat. On that note, do pistols? Ive never really given it a thought

No you can't use their special ammo in pistols or storm bolters. It specifies boltgun only. There would be zero reason to run anything else but storm bolters at that point. And with Lysander that would get even sillier. I wish it was that way.

I like running 10 Sternguard: 5 combi melta, 3 combi flamer, 2 heavy flamer in a drop pod.