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After playing my first tournament with a CSM list 2 weeks ago, I've started looking at units I initially overlooked when assembling my list, namely, chosen.

I got hit pretty hard by 2+ armor save troops (Tau and centurions particularly) as well as imperial knights (big shock, I know). I was suffering from a serious lack of AP as well as mass AT fire.

I'm thinking about using a squad of 6 chosen with MoN and kitted out with plasma guns to try and remedy this. I'm thinking if I dump the six of them into my dreadclaw, it'll givr me a fairly nasty shooty unit in the enemies DZ, with pretty decent AT/AP capabilities. I'm not 100% sold on the concept though.

How do you kit out your chosen squads, and what roles do you use them for?

I run several 5 man squads of chosen in rhinos.
2 with 5 plasma, 2 with meltas, one with flamers.

Chosen are not necessarily competitive, but i think it's fun and sometimes it works really well. The main problem as I see it is that there are not a lot of good transport options. A dreadclaw sounds a lot better than a rhino though!

I've been really enjoying running Khorne Chosen with lightningclaw on the champ, and two power-axemen, stick them in a Dreadclaw for turn 2 assault. They're a nice alternative to berserkers, trading WS5 and fearless for more attacks, bolters, and insquad power-weapons (I probobly wouldnt use more than two + the champ). With MoK, each of those axemen punches out 5 attacks on the charge, meaning you don't need a heavy-lifter character to do damage output.
With Crimson Slaughter, you can upgrade the champion to give preferred enemy, which offsets the lack of WS5.

I use them to accompany Kharn in his LR.

7 with 2 Meltas, 1 Power weapon and 1 Fist, + the Champ with Twin LC.

With 5A each and the rerolls that give kharn they murder, even if they are not the best thing, i like them.

 Kajaki War Pig wrote:


I'm thinking about using a squad of 6 chosen with MoN and kitted out with plasma guns to try and remedy this. I'm thinking if I dump the six of them into my dreadclaw, it'll givr me a fairly nasty shooty unit in the enemies DZ, with pretty decent AT/AP capabilities. I'm not 100% sold on the concept though.

How do you kit out your chosen squads, and what roles do you use them for?

Sounds like you should take a look at Havoc's.

For 14 points less than the same size Chosen Squad, you can have the exact same functional squad (minus the CCW's).

5 Havocs + Champ
4 PLguns
VotLW
MoN

This all depends on your Hvy Suport Slots, but in the age of multiple Detachments I am sure you can make something work.

Well the Broadside bash (first tourney I played the list in) had restricted it to 1 CAD. I suppose it wouldn't be too hard to work a second detachment to get Havocs, but I'm looking more closely at being able to place them into a Dreadclaw assault pod (Not an option for Havocs)

I ran an assault style CSM squad in the pod for the last tournament, but not be able to assault on the turn they landed left them vulnerable. My current theory is that a squad of Chosen with 5 Plasma guns will arrive with enough Plasma Dakka to put a serious hurt on things near their vicinity, and greatly increasing their survivability.

I'm running a Fire Raptor, Forgefiend, and 3 Oblits in the list as weel, the goal is to make at least 4 different points from which I can potentially rock an Imperial knight without dealing with that shield thingy.

Anyone can take a dreadclaw btw as it can be taken as a FA option.

As a follow on thought, I'm tempted to add in my Warpsmith to the Squad, and give him either the Black mace or the Burning Brand, to give the squad a bit more punch in Close Combat. Thoughts?

Don't think there's any official word on it, but the dreadclaw is just a transport like any other. You'd have to get it as a fast attack but you can totally but havocs in it. The lack of transport is a misprint.

I'm a big fan of chosen. Having them come stock with 3 weapons and 2 attacks base lets them be a great stock unit to put upgrades on. Ideally you'll have the points for a MoK, IoW, 2 powerfists, 2 power weapons and a power weapon on the champ. Pop them into a land raider and watch them go to town. I've used them in many games with various marks and weapon load outs. I find the trick being making sure they're not the only threat and upgrading them based on points level you're playing, so you don't waste points on too much overkill.


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A great thing to attach to them is a lvl 3 biomancy sorcerer with a force axe.

Have you considered running Crimson Slaughter instead of vanilla CSM? You can get a chosen upgrade character that gives the unit preferred enemy. It's phenomenal with the squad of plasma chosen. It's the only way I run mine.

Ive been looking at CSM allies for my orks for dealing with AT and 2+..

I came to what has been said above; Using crimson slaughter
7 chosen - MoN ,4 plasma, 1 combi with Preferred Enemy: Everything
1 dreadclaw
1 nurgle sorc - palanquin, daemonheart, balestar

With a few extra bits of wargear, that's basically the important bits.

This gives you a Turn 1 pod arrival with a unit who can pump out 9 plasma shots with re-rolls on everything. Not to mention a sorc who with the balestar can roll on divination. So potentially also getting ignores cover. The palanquin of nurgle is so hes +2 wounds and the daemonheart makes him 2+ (and IWND I believe?). So yeh hes at the front tanking everything, with a couple bolter chosen for LoS.

I can't wait to try it. Its a costly setup, but could equally be toned down, remove the palanquin of nurgle and his MoN, making him a undedicated sorc who can roll on div. The div powers are also useful for many other units who should be arriving to support

Does no one take 5 specials and combi? Why stop at 4 if going full wack?


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With cypher you can get a squad with upto 14 plasma shots, infiltrate, h&r and shrouded. All excellent for a plas squad.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I tend to run all 3 squads if going with cypher. 1 with flamers and power maul, 1 with melta and mbs (and maybe pf) and the above mentioned plas squad

I didn't specify the numbers, but I usually run 5 plasma and the combi on the sergeant for 12 plasma shots in the first volley. Sometimes I take a second unit with melta weapons and do the same thing, 5 plus one combi on the sergeant.

As said above:

Cypher
10 Chosen 5 Plasmas
10 Chosen Fist, 2 Melta, 2 Flamer
10 Chosen Fist, 2 Melta, 2 Flamer

All Infiltrate and the squad with Cypher gets H/R and Shrouded. I missed Chosen coming with Infiltrate from the old days so I love Cypher now.

I think the most important thing to remember about chosen is they are very, very similar to Havocs, but they don't use the ever-so-valuable heavy support slot of your FoC. Instead, they are elites, probably the least populated section of the CSM forces.

If you have spare HS slots, id take havocs instead, generally, as they are cheaper, and the -1 attack doesnt really hurt much.

Situation where i'd take chosen over havocs might be a flamer chosen squad, one that is meant to both shoot and charge in the same turn. If they're hunting TeQs you could also do this with melta guns, but obviously not if hunting tanks.

Unlike Havocs they have 2A and BP/CCW for 4A on the charge... even with no special melee gear they can kick some butt!

The squad I run with Fist and 2 of each Melta/Flamer can deal with any threat. Opening bunkers/vehicles, torching hordes, or just charging and dumping 40 dice. Maybe not tournament competitive but we are talking about the CSM codex here...

 changerofways wrote:
I think the most important thing to remember about chosen is they are very, very similar to Havocs, but they don't use the ever-so-valuable heavy support slot of your FoC. Instead, they are elites, probably the least populated section of the CSM forces.

If you have spare HS slots, id take havocs instead, generally, as they are cheaper, and the -1 attack doesnt really hurt much.

Situation where i'd take chosen over havocs might be a flamer chosen squad, one that is meant to both shoot and charge in the same turn. If they're hunting TeQs you could also do this with melta guns, but obviously not if hunting tanks.

Whilst I agree with this with normal CSM dex chosen, Cypher's chosen have some distinct advantages over Havoc's for the 5ppm. They have the normal +1 ld, +1 a, +1 spec option, free champion and ccw + BP on top of bolsters. But they also get infiltrate and asking.

So to sum up, for 5ppm you get:
- +1a
- +1ld
- +ccw & BP
- free champ
- extra spec (Albeit you have to pay for it)
- infiltrate
- atsknf

What they lose is the option of marks and transports.

Not bad for 5pts.

Interesting fact: on my new A3, auto correct turns atsknf into arsing. (But funnily enough changes arsing into arising) Silly phone.

I'm using mine more and more, and I definitely like the idea of putting them in a Dreadclaw, though I've only tried it out once. I mark with Slaanesh, but that's because of my army's backstory.

I tend to include a Powerfist or Axe, and a melta, and I often lead them with a Dark Apostle to grant hatred and fearless. If I'm feeling like splurging I might add the Banner of Excess.

A few Chosen can cause a surprising amount of damage to a wide variety of targets. But I do still miss the veteran abilities that they used to have and wish they had at least an upgrade option that reflected that again.

sorcha_ wrote:
I run several 5 man squads of chosen in rhinos.
2 with 5 plasma, 2 with meltas, one with flamers.

Chosen are not necessarily competitive, but i think it's fun and sometimes it works really well. The main problem as I see it is that there are not a lot of good transport options. A dreadclaw sounds a lot better than a rhino though!

It is illegal to run them that way. You need 6 to have 5 specials as the Chosen Champion cannot take a special weapon.

 Exergy wrote:

sorcha_ wrote:
I run several 5 man squads of chosen in rhinos.
2 with 5 plasma, 2 with meltas, one with flamers.

Chosen are not necessarily competitive, but i think it's fun and sometimes it works really well. The main problem as I see it is that there are not a lot of good transport options. A dreadclaw sounds a lot better than a rhino though!

It is illegal to run them that way. You need 6 to have 5 specials as the Chosen Champion cannot take a special weapon.

Chosen are unusually worded. Whilst the 'one chosen may choose' which unlocks the 5th special, for the other four it says 'four models may choose'