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Hi, Dakka, I made this custom codex a while back and figured I'd post it here for other people's opinions on it.
The fluff I use for the army I've made for it is that the Inquisition has gathered a Deathwatch-style organization of a number of chapter's dreadnoughts and send them on all kinds of fun missions, though it could also be used for something like the Iron Hands' or any chapter with an abnormally large number of dreadnoughts.

This is my first time using the attachment option, so forgive me if I did it wrong.

Thank you for perusing my thread, and I'd love to hear and C&C on it!

So why does all the dreadnoughts have a twin-linked boltgun as standard? The deathseeker dreadnought is utterly crap, I would never pay 195 points for an AV10 walker that strikes with AP5 attacks in close combat and the Veteran of a 1000 wars is ridiculously good if you give him a storm shield, dreadnought close combat weapon and a drop pod, you get a deep striking AV 14 walker with 4HP and 3++ save. And the librarian dreadnought is overpriced the blood angels get an AV13 librarian dreadnought with better weapons for 175 points.

The Deathseekers are pretty bad. AV10 at I2 with AP5? How about just leaving it I4 with 2 DCCWs. AV10 and 2 HP is enough to justify the low cost. And yes, the Veteran of 100 wars is way, WAY to powerful. As it is, no one would take anything other than a SS and DP then just have their invincible Dreadnought crush the entire army by itself, because most things can't even touch AV14.

Thank you for reading through it and providing feedback!

The reason I made all dreadnoughts have a twin-linked boltgun standard is because I wanted to bring their core shooting power more in line with other armies. I didn't want the possibility of a dozen Twin-linked multimeltas deepstriking in pods all over the enemy line.

The 195 cost is for 3 deathseekers. Deathseekers are 65pts a model and come in units of 3-10. I thought giving them real DCCWs would be EXTREMELY powerful, even with AV10 and HP2, because you can get 10 of them for 650 points and that is, in my opinion, an outrageously powerful deathstar (if they all strike at I4 with S10 AP2).
Would giving them I4 and either double strength or AP2/3 make them a bit better of a choice? I'd rather be overcosted and underpowered than undercosted and overpowered (but I also wouldn't want to make them completely useless)

The Librarian's cost is because of the "overcosted and underpowered" philosophy. It has the Iron Halo, Venerable, and +1WS over a Blood Angels Furioso, as well as the ranged weapon.
As an aside, biomancy on a vehicle is pretty much useless, isn't it? I should remove that option, as I doubt anybody'd take it.

So for the Veteran, would removing the storm shield option/raising the price be a fix? Or reducing it to AV13/13/11? Or both?

Again, thanks for reading and commenting!

Love the idea, but the execution needs some work.

Techmarines as a an HQ choice that doesn't use slots, 0-5 as an non-independent character that can be attached to Dread units.

The Codex needs some cool options you can't get anywhere else. Ven Dread units that have ceramic plating and split fire and cool weapon options like Cyclone Missiles and Redeemer Flamethrowers.

Deathseekers need a huge boost. For a good comparison look at Penitent Engines - 85 points for AV 11, 6+ Invulnerable Save, D6+1 S10 AP2 Attacks with each wound being +1 attack, AND 2 Heavy Flamers for 85 points.

I'm assuming the TL Boltgun is supposed to be a TL Heavy Bolter?

Needs more options. 3x Elite, 3x Heavy Support, 3x Fast Attack.

Recommendations:
Jump Infantry/Teleport Pack Dreads.
Contemptor Dreads.
Contemptor Mortis Dreads.
Siege Dreads.
Chaplain Dreads that can join Dread units.
Something that gives It Will Not Die in an AoE.
Deathwind Drop Pods.
Something with Skyfire.
Something with Lightning Claws.
A really big robot. Knight Titan?

An entire chapter of dreadnoughts? Look dreadnoughts, DREADNOUGHTS!!! Our enemies hide in METAL BAWKSES!!! DA KOWARDZ!!!!! THE FEWLZ!!!!! We...*asthma*...we should take away their metal bawkses.

raverrn wrote:
Love the idea, but the execution needs some work.

Techmarines as a an HQ choice that doesn't use slots, 0-5 as an non-independent character that can be attached to Dread units.

This was a modification I was thinking of as I was originally posting it. I have to wait until I can borrow a Blood Angels codex, though, and see how Sanguinary Priests do it (I believe they're the same concept, at least).

The Codex needs some cool options you can't get anywhere else. Ven Dread units that have ceramic plating and split fire and cool weapon options like Cyclone Missiles and Redeemer Flamethrowers.
...
Needs more options. 3x Elite, 3x Heavy Support, 3x Fast Attack.

While that wasn't within the scope of the original project, I sort of want to expand on it a little more, now. However, I'm already worried that getting to play it against people is a bit of a stretch... adding too many unique options seems like it'd be impossible to get a game in.

Deathseekers need a huge boost. For a good comparison look at Penitent Engines - 85 points for AV 11, 6+ Invulnerable Save, D6+1 S10 AP2 Attacks with each wound being +1 attack, AND 2 Heavy Flamers for 85 points.

I'm torn on this one, because I really think the ability to take squads of up to 10 is powerful enough to justify crap units. That's 20 AV 10 hullpoints to take care of before they break your lines. Put an Entombed Librarian in the unit and with lucky rolls you can get FnP and IWND(Deathseekers can't gain HP back ever and I don't actually know how that rule interacts with vehicles(if at all)) or a 5+ invulnerable save. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a deathstar.

I'm assuming the TL Boltgun is supposed to be a TL Heavy Bolter?

Nope. As explained above, base dreadnought shooting was nerfed to make the overall codex more palatable. TL Heavy Bolters as base on troops seems crazy powerful.

Recommendations:
Jump Infantry/Teleport Pack Dreads.
Contemptor Dreads.
Contemptor Mortis Dreads.
Siege Dreads.
Chaplain Dreads that can join Dread units.
Something that gives It Will Not Die in an AoE.
Deathwind Drop Pods.
Something with Skyfire.
Something with Lightning Claws.
A really big robot. Knight Titan?

Most of those already exist in Forgeworld books, right? Those would be easy adds, but I'd want to get access to the books first and check things out.
I'm now thinking of a series of emails I exchanged with GW about White Scars and dreadnoughts, where they suggested converting a landspeeder or an attack bike to hold the sarcophogus... I have to add a new fast attack choice.

I wouldn't worry much about the shooting. You're looking at extremely low model counts already - I don't see how ten or fifteen TL HB bolters is going to be gamebreaking, especially since those kind of numbers aren't even unusual in an IG or SoB army.

I'd also look into the Veteran unit choice - 14/14/12 is amazingly good against some armies and nigh worthless against others, and that's never a good sign. I'd recommend dropping him down to 13/12/11 and adding a survivability rule, either a save, It Will Not Die, or something unique like immunity to glancing hits.

Big changes! I've added new units, including a Fast Attack Special Character (who would appear to be a former Grey Knight Dreadknight pilot!), and mostly a bunch of new, complicated, probably overpowered rules.
Deathseekers, I feel, got that buff people thought they needed, without becoming too, too overboard in power, in the form of an upgrade character.
Veteran got nerfed (I should probably drop the Storm Shield entirely, though).
Drop pod shenanigans!
Specialist elite dreadnoughts!
Dreadnoughts with Whirlwind multiple missile launchers!
Techmarine "royal courts" that give Feel No Pain!

As always, feel free to provide any comments or critiques, or ask any questions, and thank you for reading!

Few things:
Firstly, the Dreadnought Librarian should be a copy+paste of the furioso from BA, with AV 12 front, but keep it the same price.

Second, why a TL boltgun? we pay more points for a scoring dreadnought with a TL boltgun than we do for a non-scoring one with 2x TL AC. Keep them the same default stats as a C:SM dread, up the cost by 10 points for scoring. Makes more sense

third I think Litanies of Glory in Death should be: – If a squad of Deathseekers is joined by a Deathseeker Chaplain
any Deathseeker Dreadnought may choose to make a self-sacrificing attack in lieu of any of it's normal
attacks (in any combination). Any self-sacrificing attack automatically strips the attacking model of 1 hull point,
but is resolved as an attack made by a Dreadnought close combat weapon. This attack can bring the
model to 0 hull points (thus wrecking it), but can not bring it to below 0 hull points. Any attack that
would bring the model to 0 hull points are resolved before the model is wrecked.
(underlined/bolded the changes, just minor)

Fourth: Steel Rain. I like this as a FA unit, not so much for 150 points. Basic dread with pod is 140. Take off the Storm Bolter (-5) and replace the MM with a TLBG (-10) and you should be in at 125. Id be ok if you kept the basic armament of a dread i'd take it for 150 points.

fifth: I think all the basic dreadnoughts should have all options from C:SM for the costs listed. It wouldn't be game breaking, and would make more sense. I could see not with the deathseekers, but the Troop dreads, the elite dread and the Steel Rain dreads should all be able to take the C:SM weapons for the listed cost. The low model count (between 15-30 models) keeps anything from being spammed. Sure its invincible to small arms, but it doesn't take much to bring a dread down.

this is a small thing, but can you change 1000 to a thousand?

1000 is pronounced "One-thousand" correctly. A thousand sounds much better.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Thatguyhsagun wrote:
Few things:
Firstly, the Dreadnought Librarian should be a copy+paste of the furioso from BA, with AV 12 front, but keep it the same price.

Second, why a TL boltgun? we pay more points for a scoring dreadnought with a TL boltgun than we do for a non-scoring one with 2x TL AC. Keep them the same default stats as a C:SM dread, up the cost by 10 points for scoring. Makes more sense

a TL boltgun is better than a storm bolter.

 Scipio Africanus wrote:
this is a small thing, but can you change 1000 to a thousand?

1000 is pronounced "One-thousand" correctly. A thousand sounds much better.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Thatguyhsagun wrote:
Few things:
Firstly, the Dreadnought Librarian should be a copy+paste of the furioso from BA, with AV 12 front, but keep it the same price.

Second, why a TL boltgun? we pay more points for a scoring dreadnought with a TL boltgun than we do for a non-scoring one with 2x TL AC. Keep them the same default stats as a C:SM dread, up the cost by 10 points for scoring. Makes more sense

a TL boltgun is better than a storm bolter.

The TL boltgun is in place of the MM. I'd rather have the MM personally. Or he can make it a TL Heavy Bolter, but a TL boltgun looks silly on its own arm