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I think this is the right place to ask. I'm trying to build a functional Chaos army that I might actually be able to play a game with. It's slow going and I almost have my first functional squad completed. I also just got a rulebook and if I'm reading it right, I must have an HQ accompanying my troops. The thing is though, I couldn't find any mention of how big an HQ should be. So, I ask you guys, on average, how many units should be in an HQ? Should I just go with 1 character, or instead make my own? Is the HQ an actual squad of multiple figures, or just one guy? For a little bit of context, I'm building a Nurgle faction with the intent of running my regular troops as Plague Marines. I'm thinking I'm going to want a Typhus or a Counts-as Typhus for sure.

You need to get the Chaos Space Marine codex which will tell you what units are an HQ choice and what they are composed of.

It really depends on what you'll have in your army.

If you go for a plague marines heavy army, you'll need Typhus or a Nurgle lord to make them count as troops.

Depending on your playstyle and the points level you're playing at :
- Typhus is very good and has all the toys (psy powers, deamon weapon, TDA...) but is very expansive.
- A MoN Lord on bike is very resilient. You can have him either CC oriented or just with a burning brand to run around and fry MEQ
- A DP with wings, PA and Black mace is a beast but does not make your PM troops and is very expansive.

I actually have the Chaos codex. My biggest problem, really is the fact that neither the rulebook nor the codex tell me how many units comprise the HQ section. Is it just one guy or several? Or is that up to me?

As a general rule one unit entry = one force org chart selection.

That entry might be a single model, it might be 50 but this should be made clear in the entry itself.

 Barzam wrote:
I actually have the Chaos codex. My biggest problem, really is the fact that neither the rulebook nor the codex tell me how many units comprise the HQ section. Is it just one guy or several? Or is that up to me?

The HQ is 1 "choice". In the CSM codex, all our HQ choices are individual guys. So yes, you need one, you can go to 2.

Check your Chaos codex:

page 57-63 are all Characters and count as 1 HQ(so yes for Chaos your HQ is one model) and page 31-35)

besides these special characters you can also choose for a normal Chaos Lord page 31 also counts as 1 HQ.

normal size armylist take 1 HQ GL

to see it more clearly check out page 92-94

Okay, that's the info I needed. You guys have been a great help. Looks like I'll need to either track down a Typhus or make my own and figure out what should fill the second slot.

On a related note, do I attach my HQ to a squad, or does it roam around freely on his own?

 Barzam wrote:
Okay, that's the info I needed. You guys have been a great help. Looks like I'll need to either track down a Typhus or make my own and figure out what should fill the second slot.

On a related note, do I attach my HQ to a squad, or does it roam around freely on his own?

It can go either way depending on what HQ you are fielding or how you want to field your selected HQ.

I would recommend reading the BRB, specifically Independent Characters -- Your army Codex may also have HQ options that let you take a dedicated unit with them (similar to Honor Guard for Space Marines)

AFAIK all the Hq choices inthe Chaos codex are a single model.

The FOC allows you to take more than one HQ choice though (up to 3 i think) so you could take 3 of them.....but it would be expensive in both money and points.

As states above, which model you use depends entriely on your army/warband.

For example - i have several different HQ models i can use for my Iron Warriors army:

-Terminator Lord with twin claws and a servo-harness (coz it looks cool)
-Terminator lord with a halberd/hammer in cataphractiia rmour (coz it looks even cooler)
-Basic power armourd lord with a bolter and cyber-arm
-Warpsmith
-DP with a jetpack and loads of cyber parts


I would never use them all in a single game (apart from maybe apoc) but they all offer something different be it weapons loadout, rules or just points value.

Really depends what kind of army you want to play.

Nurgle army i suggest Typhus for sure great HQ i love him. He will make plaguemarines troops.
Plague marines are a good balanced unit good ad surviving ok at shooting and ok in close combat. (can't really go wrong)

Khorne army: i suggest kharn the betrayer he makes Khorne berserkers troops.
Berserkers are good close combat units bad at shooting and average at suviving.

Tseech army is a good shooting army, average close combat and good survivability. HQ taht goes with it is Ahriman the great sorcerer one of the strongest sorcerers out there and he makes Thousand sons troop chocies.
Thousand sons are good at shooting but slow and not great at close combat.

Slanesh army is great at shooting the noise marines are relaly great units iám nota fan of their HQ Lucius he is good in close combat.
It all depends on what you like the look, the rules the story behind it. Ofc you can make a Chaos lord HQ and make your own story look and give him a mark of one of the godds to make the elite units troops it is all up to you.

I suggest pick one you like and enjoy the hobby you can't really go wrong.
As for sticking the HQ with troops yes you can stick an HQ with another unit i would never let a HQ walk alone or he will become a high priority target with not a lot of protection.

Good luck, greetings Demic25