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After about 6 months away from the game (once again) I'm looking to come back to 40k but I wanna shake things up a bit. I was thinking on coming back and giving BA a try. I've been playing RG on and off for the past few years but want to explore more on the 40k universe. So I came here for some words of wisdom.

I'm trying to see what I could do with my current RG army to turn it into a BA army. I know I'd need to add a few core BA things, unique characters and units that only BA have, I just don't know what those are at the moment. I'm getting a hold of a codex soon so I can start reading up on BA but I was hoping I could get a jump start here.

This is the list of units/models I currently have for my RG army. How much of this could be used in a BA army? What would be the first few things I should pick up to make the army more BA'ish?

HQ
Shrike
Chaplain w/Jump Pack
Librarian w/ Jump Pack or Backpack
Chapter Master/Captain w/Power Sword & Bolter

TROOPS
Tactical Squad
8x Space Marines w/Bolters
1x Space Marine w/Plasma Gun
1x Space Marine w/Melta Gun
1x Space Marine Sgt. w/Power Fist & Bolt Pistol
1x Space Marine Sgt. w/Combi-plasma

Tactical Squad
8x Space Marines w/Bolters
1x Space Marine w/Plasma Gun
1x Space Marine w/Melta Gun
1x Space Marine Sgt. w/Power Fist & Bolt Pistol
1x Space Marine Sgt. w/Combi-plasma

Scout Squad
8x Space Marine Scouts w/CCW & Bolt Pistols
1x Space Marine Scout w/Chainsword & Bolt Pistol
1x Space Marine Scout w/Power Axe & Bolt Pistol

Scout Squad
5x Space Marine Scouts w/Sniper Rifles
1x Space Marine Scout w/Missle Launcher

Sgt. Telion

Rhino
Rhino

ELITES
Dreadnought w/Multi-melta & Power Fist

Vanguard Veteran Squad
2x Vanguard Veterans w/Lightining Claws
2x Vanguard Veterans w/Lightining Claw & Power Fist
2x Vanguard Veterans w/Thunder Hammer & Lightining Claw
2x Vanguard Veterans w/Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield
2x Vanguard Veterans w/Relic Blade & Bolt Pistol

FAST ATTACK
Assault Squad
8x Space Marines w/Chainsword & Bolt Pistols
2x Space Marines w/Flamers
1x Space Marine w/Chainsword & Plasma Pistol
1x Space Marine Sgt. w/Power Fist & Bolt Pistol
1x Space Marine Sgt. w/Power Sword & Bolt Pistol

Assault Squad
8x Space Marines w/Chainsword & Bolt Pistols
2x Space Marines w/Flamers
1x Space Marine w/Chainsword & Plasma Pistol
1x Space Marine Sgt. w/Power Fist & Bolt Pistol
1x Space Marine Sgt. w/Power Sword & Bolt Pistol

HEAVY SUPPORT
Devastator Squad
5x Space Marines w/Bolters
3x Space Marines w/Missle Launchers
2x Space Marines w/Plasma Cannons
2x Space Marines w/Lascannons

Stormraven

EXTRA
1x Space Marine w/Power Sword & Plasma Pistol, Jump Pack
1x Space Marine w/Power Sword & Bolt Pistol, Jump Pack
1x Space Marine w/Power Axe & Plasma Pistol, Jump Pack
1x Space Marine w/Power Axe & Bolt Pistol, Jump Pack
1x Space Marine w/Power Fist & Combat Shield, Jump Pack

I would think very hard before changing them over, BA are a pretty weak codex and they were updated pretty recently so it's gonna be a while. Not saying that you can't play a codex that is on the weaker end cause you definitely can and in most games will be fine but tournaments will be hard. My DA had a pretty awful codex last edition but I still had fun with it.

Just play BA using RG rules. That way you can have your cake and eat it too. Make Shrike into a new BA character. Paint the army red. Call it good.

Put nipples on their chests, paint them red, and call it a day.

Well I'm not looking for an ultra-competitive or tournament army by any means, just something that's fun to play. I'm just trying to stretch the models I have the best I can, figured trying BA would be something new.

What unit/model would be the first to add to my list to make it more BA likes?

Death Company.

This is not a good idea. With the recent Kau'yon release, Raven Guard are full of fun options and thematic list ideas both inside and outside Damocles. You can change things up amazingly without removing the Raven Guard aspect.

If you're set on this idea, Death Company are required. You can get away with the Assault Squad but with your Vanguard Veterans and then, you can do that guided Jump Pack Formation from a White Dwarf. I forget the name sadly... Two Assault Squads, one Vanguard, ASM don't scatter within X range of the Vanguard who are placed first. Could be fun.

Death Comapny would be an additional thing. Needed in any Blood Angel list. Same with a Sanguinary Preist. The Chaplain will be well used and Razorbacks with Las/Plas are a huge benefit BA have.

WHY
WHY would you want to do this ever?

Just paint them red and use Raven Guard rules.

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:
WHY
WHY would you want to do this ever?

Just paint them red and use Raven Guard rules.

Pretty much. One could even do stuff like use Death Company models to represent Vanguard Veterans.

Really, truthfully, Blood Angels have no place in the current edition. They aren't the expert assault SM army, that is Space Wolves (who also happen to be a better shooty army too). They aren't the best at Jump Packs, that is Raven Guard(can use JP in both phases, T1 Deep Strike, no scatter Deep Strike). There is literally no niche that the BA fill that another army doesn't do better. Raven Guard do the job Blood Angels should do, only better.

Blood Angels do have a niche, it's being a taxi service

 Frozocrone wrote:
Blood Angels do have a niche, it's being a taxi service

They don't even really have that going for them anymore since SM can take FA pods. Sure, they can't take SIX pods, but they do well enough. Who even needs six pods?

Honestly don't do it. There's nothing BA can do that RG can't do better, you'd be shooting yourself in the foot.

 SharkoutofWata wrote:
This is not a good idea. With the recent Kau'yon release, Raven Guard are full of fun options and thematic list ideas both inside and outside Damocles. You can change things up amazingly without removing the Raven Guard aspect.

If you're set on this idea, Death Company are required. You can get away with the Assault Squad but with your Vanguard Veterans and then, you can do that guided Jump Pack Formation from a White Dwarf. I forget the name sadly... Two Assault Squads, one Vanguard, ASM don't scatter within X range of the Vanguard who are placed first. Could be fun.

Death Comapny would be an additional thing. Needed in any Blood Angel list. Same with a Sanguinary Preist. The Chaplain will be well used and Razorbacks with Las/Plas are a huge benefit BA have.

Chaplains are crap. Not all my lists have priests, either.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 casvalremdeikun wrote:

 Frozocrone wrote:
Blood Angels do have a niche, it's being a taxi service

They don't even really have that going for them anymore since SM can take FA pods. Sure, they can't take SIX pods, but they do well enough. Who even needs six pods?

Evidently, Skitarri.

In all honesty Ravenguard are miles better than Blood Angels at the moment and this is coming from someone who plays and enjoys Blood Angels. I do see the appeal though, they can be great fun to play which is why I refuse to stop playing them. Having said that, if I want to win I generally have to use one of my other armies ha ha.

To make an army Blood Angelly then you want Death Company, Sanguinary Guard and Baal Predators, maybe even chuck in Dante. You're going for fluff not competitivness so as to how good they are in game is another matter. Death Company are still absolutely awesome if they can assault something. For HQ I would stick a chaplain with your death company to make them even nastier.

No to the SG and Baal preds. They both are very meh.

Why does anyone think a chaplain is worth anything? They don't do anything meaningful.

I want to chime in here and say don't do this!

Raven guard just got their new detachment with loads of formations and special rules, plus they are a primary feature in the current story line!! I WISH that my imperial fists were raven guard.

Get get a copy of the raven guard section of kauyon And play ravenguard in an entirely new and fun way.

Martel732 wrote:
No to the SG and Baal preds. They both are very meh.

Why does anyone think a chaplain is worth anything? They don't do anything meaningful.

I know SG and Baal preds are meh, but I was suggesting them as a fluffy option. Since he is wanting to play as Blood Angels he isn't really going for anything competitive anyway


I disagree about the Chaplain, they can be very useful with Death Company.

DC don't need a chaplain to murder everything they touch. I think that a divination libby is a much, much better choice. Or a sanguinius libby.

Martel732 wrote:
DC don't need a chaplain to murder everything they touch. I think that a divination libby is a much, much better choice. Or a sanguinius libby.

Agreed. Biomancy, Sanguinary, and Divination are all better options for a DC pointer than a Chaplain.