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Pretty simple question, hopefully it can spawn an interesting conversation:

I've been considering buying a Maulerfiend (really like the look of the kit and the rules are pretty cool as well) and I was wondering what units in the Chaos Codex work well and support it. Off the bat I can already see a few but they synergize for different reasons.

Other Maulerfiends: Gives you redundancy, more armor saturation, and they can keep up with each other.

Chaos Spawn: Especially Nurgle. Can keep up roughly with the Mauler and gives another High Toughness unit for the enemy to shoot at.

Jump Troops: Large units of Raptors come to mind. The more fire wasted on the Fiend means more jump infantry make it to your lines. The more fire wasted on the Jump troops means the Mauler is more likely to strike true.

Chaos Marines in Rhinos: The Rhinos give you excellent mobility almost on par with the fiend and with a first turn flat out forward they can get immediate midfield presence. The Maulerfiend can provide protection and maybe even a cover save and escort your troops to where they can deal the pain with their bolters and special weapons.

Any thoughts?

troops in rhinos can sinergize well. Racing forward to deliver 2-6 melta guns or 4-12 plasma shots. These things have to be shot before they reach the enemy lines. They can also carry a dirge caster which can help the Spawn, fiends, and assault bikers. A land raider can also carry assault troops or terminators in here

MoN Spawn and either MoN bikers or MoS bikers with icon are tough enough to small arms fire to require heavy weapons.

Raptors and Warptalons can be boltered to death, so they will get shot by small arms while the big stuff gets hit by the anti tank.

I plan making a chaos army with 2 maulerfiends and 2 troops in rhinos. I think only one maulerfiend would just get shot up and can be easily dealt with. Rhinos can keep up and also provide cover/block line of site for the fiends.

Raptors would just die to basic fire unless there using the fiends as cover in which case your better off using a cheap rhino. I don't thinks spawns would absorb the focus of heavy fire that the fiend would be taking but could protect it from heavy cc hitters. Even though the fiend is cc it is certainly not the greatest at it.

The only downside to running multiple maulerfiends is that your taking up hs slots.

Bikers, rhinos, fiends and a biker or juggernaut HQ would all work. You'll lack AA firepower so be aware of that.

Take a look at this 1850 list that I wrote using Triple Maulerfiend:

+ HQ + (165pts)

* Chaos Lord (165pts)
Bike, Gift of mutation, Mark of Khorne, Sigil of corruption
* Power Armour
Axe of Blind Fury, Bolt Pistol


+ Troops + (734pts)

* Chaos Cultists (50pts)
Champion's upgrade, 10x Squad models (champion included)


* Chaos Space Marines (228pts)
9x Chaos Space Marine, Meltagun, Meltagun, 9x Take a CCW, Veteran of the long war
* Aspiring Champion
Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Close Combat Weapon
* Chaos Rhino
Combi-bolter, Dirge caster, Searchlight, Smoke launchers


* Chaos Space Marines (228pts)
9x Chaos Space Marine, Meltagun, Meltagun, 9x Take a CCW, Veteran of the long war
* Aspiring Champion
Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Close Combat Weapon
* Chaos Rhino
Combi-bolter, Dirge caster, Searchlight, Smoke launchers


* Chaos Space Marines (228pts)
9x Chaos Space Marine, Meltagun, Meltagun, 9x Take a CCW, Veteran of the long war
* Aspiring Champion
Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Close Combat Weapon
* Chaos Rhino
Combi-bolter, Dirge caster, Searchlight, Smoke launchers


+ Fast Attack + (537pts)

* Chaos Bikers (197pts)
5x Chaos Biker, Icon of Wrath, Mark of Khorne, 2x Meltagun
* Chaos Biker Champion
Bolt Pistol, Lightning Claw


* Heldrake (170pts)
Baleflamer


* Heldrake (170pts)
Baleflamer


+ Heavy Support + (405pts)

* Maulerfiend (135pts)
Lasher tendrils


* Maulerfiend (135pts)
Lasher tendrils


* Maulerfiend (135pts)
Lasher tendrils

1841 points

You don't really need Magma Cutters on the Maulers as you have Daemonforge, which you should use against high priority targets (such as Land Raiders). Lasher tendrils are excellent since they're not weapons and can never be removed, and it allows the Maulerfiend to have a second role which is to tie down fearless blobs. It allows your army to handle such blobs without having to dedicate guns towards those blobs. It's also funny to watch a Nob with a PK attack with a single attack if he's base to base with the Maulerfiend.

The Maulerfiend should ALWAYS take the default melta-cutters.

The additional hits generated are so invaluable and powerful (i.e. look at those 1-2 hits as 2-4 additional attacks that always rolls 50% averages). It makes the maulerfiend into a mean unit to a truly terrifying unit-munching unit.

Decreasing a models I isn't that special, in context.

Razerous wrote:
Decreasing a models I isn't that special, in context.

Lasher Tendrils reduce attacks not Initiative.

 Gangrel767 wrote:

Razerous wrote:
Decreasing a models I isn't that special, in context.

Lasher Tendrils reduce attacks not Initiative.

Ah my bad. In either case, the killing potential with those magna cutters is crazy good. Loosing them turns it into a slug fest and I think, in a decently designed CSM list, there are plenty of other options to bog down a specifically hitty squad.

The Magma Cutters can only Hit a target you have already hit that turn. Most things will be dead from its ordinary attacks.

-2 Attacks to all models in Base Contact is huge. Can stop units like Terminators or Wraiths dead in their tracks. Also means Monstrous Creatures who Smash will only get 1 Attack unless they have more than 7 Attacks base or some bonus (Daemon Weapon for example).

I always take Lasher Tendrils on my three Maulerfiends. If you need the Magma Cutters to finish something off, you are probably playing Apocalypse.


As for supporting them, I've found 2 units of Spawn and a Daemon Prince are perfect companions.

Razerous wrote:
The Maulerfiend should ALWAYS take the default melta-cutters.

The additional hits generated are so invaluable and powerful (i.e. look at those 1-2 hits as 2-4 additional attacks that always rolls 50% averages). It makes the maulerfiend into a mean unit to a truly terrifying unit-munching unit.

Decreasing a models I isn't that special, in context.

but it generates hits on models that are probably dead. So it is great against vehicles and multiwounded models but useless against chaff that the fiends are likely to run into.

 Exergy wrote:


but it generates hits on models that are probably dead. So it is great against vehicles and multiwounded models but useless against chaff that the fiends are likely to run into.

True but the best targets for Maulerfiends are high value AV targets or weaker MCs where you really need them to kill.
It doesn't have the volume of attacks to blow through hordes and the lasher doesn't help when fighting MEQs and kraks.

In the end, I don't see the value in pay points for a sidegrade option, but that's me personally.