How to make AM conscripts more dangerous?

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**DoomMouse**

I really like the cheap conscripts AM can get, and with a priest you have a decent fearless volume fire or melee unit to advance and whittle down troops or tarpit as need be.

The only thing I feel they really lack is some anti armour ability. A dreadnought could tie them up forever, and most mech lists can afford to ignore them and go after my main blob platoons. Are there any cheap melee characters out there to allow them to eat through vehicles in CC?

Inquisitor with a daemonhammer is 40pts, but only S6, most other things seem to add significant cost to the unit, which defeats the point a little...

Any thoughts?

**NauticalKendall**

Make them into SHARKS.

**koooaei**

Can a slotless comissar take a fist/melta bombs?

**Mallich**

How can you make conscripts more dangerous?
Replace their flashlights with water pistols.
Reinforce their armour with papier-mâché.
Put spikes on their helmets - that way they'll actually do some damage when enemies hit them over the head.

On a more serious note...
Do you have a Sister of Battle detachment? I ask because* a priest from their list comes with krak grenades for no extra cost, and they have the option to buy melta bombs. They can also get an eviscerator. The latter costs a lot, but it's far more dangerous than any power fist or daemon hammer.

Is tying up a dreadnought for "forever" really that bad? 50 conscripts with a priest will cost 175 points.

koooaei wrote:
Can a slotless comissar take a fist/melta bombs?

No melta bombs. A slotless AM commissar or a HQ MT commissar can take a fist, but that doubles the cost to 50 points. That's more than the 40 point inquisitor mentioned in the OP, and inferior in many ways.

*EDIT: I also ask because Sisters of Battle are badass.

**vipoid**

Strap demo-charges to them...

**zoat**

With conscripts I think you are best off accepting that they are not a generic tool, but one that is dirt cheap but has its flaws. If you add a character that can "eat through vehicles" expect to almost double the cost for the unit.

A blob of infantry squads is more versatile and has access to melta bombs, krak grenades and power weapons. If you want a unit that can tackle vehicles in close combat, this is probably a better way to go.

**schadenfreude**

Have regular infantry behind the conscripts. Walker charges the conscripts then the regular platoon infantry squads charge the walker with melt bomb sergeants. That or leave the walker in the tarpit, odds are the conscripts cost less.

Stick with priests and grenade caddy inquisitors because they are ic and can leave the squad and or hop back and forth between regular squads and conscripts. 30 conscripts will go into beast mode when they get shred hate and rad, they will average 33.75 wounds against t4 ws4 when they charge .

**Crazy Jay**

Dark Angel detachment and stick Azreal with them. Now they're fearless and have a 4++.

**schadenfreude**

Priests will give fearless for 190 points less than az, and conscripts need to make 60 saves to pay for the 4++

Conscripts are above all else individually expendable.

**TompiQ**

schadenfreude wrote:
Priests will give fearless for 190 points less than az, and conscripts need to make 60 saves to pay for the 4++

Conscripts are above all else individually expendable.

Agreed, Azrael is only of value when you kit out a normal blob with some proper weapons.

**Leth**

50 conscripts, priest, commissarr

Throw it at the most expensive unit in their army and watch them sit there and do nothing.

**DoomMouse**

Thanks for the replies guys (particularly the ironic ones

), I hadn't considered a sisters of battle detachment, might have to look into that as I don't really know the rules! Eviscerator is an armorbane weapon right? That would be useful...

I guess their best use is as a tarpit or screening unit then, was just checking to see if I'd missed anything obvious. Wish I could get more of them without having to pay platoon tax haha.

**vipoid**

Leth wrote:
50 conscripts, priest, commissarr

Throw it at the most expensive unit in their army and watch them sit there and do nothing.

Why a commissar and a priest? Isn't just one of them enough?

**Mallich**

DoomMouse wrote:
Eviscerator is an armorbane weapon right?

Yep. It's a chainfist, but one that swaps "Specialist Weapon" (can't get the +1 attack for using multiple weapons unless the other weapon has Specialist Weapon) for "Two-Handed" (can't get the +1 attack for using multiple weapons). Oh, and it looks awesome because it's a great big frelling chainsaw.

**Majsharan**

Put a lord commisar with kirovs aquila in a 50 man conscript squad. Watch the world burn.

**Leth**

vipoid wrote:
Leth wrote:
50 conscripts, priest, commissarr

Throw it at the most expensive unit in their army and watch them sit there and do nothing.

Why a commissar and a priest? Isn't just one of them enough?

Redundency in case one of them happens to die/gets sniped

Also if you dont need the priest in the unit then he can go help someone else.

**AnomanderRake**

Hide any Space Marine character in the unit. Turn them into ablative wounds to deliver someone actually scary into melee.

**GrafWattenburg**

I view Conscripts as tarpits that kill stuff if you're lucky, but mainly just keep the enemy's more expensive units occupied.

The killing power comes from order-recieving Infantry squads with heavy weapons.

If you really do want Conscripts to kill armour, you can load your army with Divination psykers and hope for Misfortune. If you get Misfortune on an AV12 vehicle and Prescience on your conscripts, you should need around 98 shots to kill an AV12 vehicle (assuming it has the standard 3 hull points), which is actually quite possible to get through First Rank

**GoonBandito**

Leth wrote:
vipoid wrote:
Leth wrote:
50 conscripts, priest, commissarr

Throw it at the most expensive unit in their army and watch them sit there and do nothing.

Why a commissar and a priest? Isn't just one of them enough?

Redundency in case one of them happens to die/gets sniped

Also if you dont need the priest in the unit then he can go help someone else.

Plus the Commisaar is LD9, whereas a Priest is only LD7 and Conscripts LD5, which helps with Orders. Being able to reliably issue the Move! Move! Move!, Forwards for the Emperor! or First Rank Fire, Second Rank Fire! Orders really helps the blob get around the board and/or put a frightening amount of lasgun fire down range.

**DoomMouse**

I have used misfortune recently actually - everyone was very surprised when a unit of conscripts suddenly brought down a cocky riptide that assumed it was invincible due to lack of weapons that could hurt it