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=== Salamanders (total 1000pts exactly) ===

= Skyhammer Annihilation Force (total 570pts) =

Assault Squad - 145pts
- Veteran Sergeant (Power Fist) + 4 Assault Marines (1 Eviscerator)
- Jump Packs

Assault Squad - 180pts
- Sergeant (Melta Bombs) + 9 Assault Marines (1 Flamer)
- Jump Packs

Devastator Squad - 125pts
- Sergeant + 4 Marines (2 Multi-Meltas)
- Drop Pod

Devastator Squad - 125pts
- Sergeant + 4 Marines (2 Multi-Meltas)
- Drop Pod

= Combined Arms Detachment (total 420pts) =

Techmarine - 65pts

Tactical Squad - 120pts
- Sergeant (Combi-Flamer) + 4 Marines (1 x Flamer)
- Drop Pod

Scout Squad - 105pts
- Sergeant (Combi-Flamer) + 4 Scouts
- Land Speeder Storm (Heavy Flamer)

Hunter - 70pts

Whirlwind - 65pts



=== Comments ===

Actually my first ever army list after lurking and collecting/painting on and off for years, so I have a hard time gauging where I am crossing the cheese line (esp. with Skyhammer rules which seem very generous). I'm a bit worried that at low points drop-pod marines make for a fragile AND d*ckish list.

Will see most use against Guard, Tau and Dark Eldar. Salamanders less for now than the future. I plan to bring in Vulkan at higher points; hardly justifiable at 1k.

Obviously the Skyhammer formation is there for vehicles/monsters/etc.. Couldn't afford gravs on the Devastators, prefer meltas for fluff anyway. I was a little concerned about two small anti-vehicle assault squads in the event of judicious/bubblewrap deployment (i.e. blobguard around vehicles in a corner), so I maxed out the other assault squad for survivability and a bit more anti-blob. Flamer also useful against open-tops I guess.

That takes over half the points, so the rest is anti-blob, anti-flyer and objective-focused, with a little injection of mobility from the land speeder storm.
- Only one other pod to come down, so the tactical will arrive with the Skyhammer.
- The LSS's heavy flamer, Cerberus ML and distraction seemed worth it for scouts' lower durability compared to another tactical in a pod.
- Whirlwind for cheap bubblewrap dissuasion and mobile threat of havoc.
- Hunter I thought would be especially handy against Tau/Dark Eldar even at 1000pts where I imagine there isn't an abundance of flyers.
- Plain Techmarine to hang back with the tanks, but perhaps a plain Librarian with the tactical squad would be more useful?

Would really appreciate thoughts and CC - as I say, it's my first ever list! Thanks

I would recommend minimum squads for the assault marines so you can deep strike them in aggressively and them add the two extra MM to each devastator. To cheapen up your assault squads go 5 man with 2 flamers and just give a regular Sgt a melta bomb. So to change your set up that leaves you with 85 points to make further changes,

Unless you are facing a lot of flyers and with salamanders love of flame I would lose both the hunter and whirlwind so that leaves you a total of 215 points to burn. May 2 more of your scouts on landspeeder storms or a librarian instead of a tech marine possibly a sternguard with 3 combimeltas and 2 combiflamers in a drop pod.

At higher points you could duble down on your skhammers and add a second one. Vulkan with 16 mastercrafted multimeltas.... Disgusting.

Perhaps you should put all 4 Multi Meltas on a single unit of Devs. One of the main points about Skyhammer is being able to surpress units for the Assault Marines, a wasted rule if you're firing at tanks. I run 4x Multi Meltas and 4x Heavy Bolters in my Skyhammer, the former of which has 10 guys Combat Squadding so I can take out a tank and surpress another unit.

EDIT: Ok, I had no idea about the severity of the (social/legal/other) constraints on this formation... i.e. how badly it was received and how the rules appear to have been classed as limited edition. (Apparently that's a thing now? Limited edition rules?) Though that reception makes plenty of sense having read through the relevant threads from last year on this forum and others. I'm coming back to 40k after a long hiatus so was still getting to grips with the whole formation thing - sorry. Have to admit that my feelings on formations in general are pretty mixed/negative, but then what do I know. Also a shame because drop pod tactics and certain units (AMs) sound like they could have done with a little help (and instead got an unacceptable amount, lol).Glad I realised before shelling out on loads of models I don't currently have.

So, assuming the consensus is that Skyhammer is not really ok (?), I guess it's back to the drawing board!





= = = Original Reply = = =

Thanks - I've doubled the scouts and stripped down the assault squads (DAaddict); converted the tactical into devastator extra men to be combat squadded, effectively creating two tac squads with Suppressing Fusillade (thanks Valkyrie); kept both devastators with MMs though may bump up to 4 each.

That comes to 810pts for 30 marines appearing in turn one (with 6 templates and 4 MMs) plus 10 scouts in 2 LSS (lol, cheese angst). How to use the 190pts? Coincidentally the exact cost of Vulkan... but I think a librarian and some combination of kit, extra MM or more assault marines is probably best. (I'd be tempted by Inquisition allies since they're unbelievably cheap but they'd probably be vaporised for want of anything else to shoot at if I didn't get first turn.)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

= Skyhammer =

Assault Squad (Jump Packs) - 95pts
- Sergeant + 4 Assault Marines (2 Flamers)

Assault Squad (Jump Packs) - 95pts
- Sergeant + 4 Assault Marines (2 Flamers)

Devastator Squad (Drop Pod) - 205pts
- Combat Squad: Sergeant (Combi-Flamer) + 4 Marines
- Combat Squad: 5 Marines (2 Multi-Meltas)

Devastator Squad (Drop Pod) - 205pts
- Combat Squad: Sergeant (Combi-Flamer) + 4 Marines
- Combat Squad: 5 Marines (2 Multi-Meltas)

= CAD =

HQ?

Scout Squad (Combi-Flamer & Land Speeder Storm w/ Heavy Flamer) - 105pts

Scout Squad (Combi-Flamer & Land Speeder Storm w/ Heavy Flamer) - 105pts

Skyhammer is totally okay. Not sure what you mean about rules being limited ed. I mean sure, if they release a new Angels of Death suppliment that overrides the current one, but that's highly unlikely to be any time soon (if at all).

That second list looks decent. Vulkan wouldn't be worth imo as there are no meltas to benefit from his special rule and there's nowhere for him to go either. I'd be tempted instead to take that LS formation w 2 LSS (you've got those) and 2 LS. That would mean one of your sergeants would have to be your warlord though; idk whether or not that bothers you.

I'd also be looking to bump those dev squads to 4 heavy weapons a piece. At 1k, 8 MM is probably overkill so maybe take one unit with 4 and the other with 4 heavy bolters as suggested above, or whichever heavy weaps you prefer. Remember you can put 2 heavies in each combat squad, you don't have to put all 4 in one.

The real weaknesses I see though are lack of obsec and lack of AA. Whilst the the scouts help with the latter, that's only two units. Maybe drop those devs back to 5 men in order to fill out a CAD with a min HQ and some more scouts. Putting the hunter back in the list would be a good move too as they can full BS those d/eldar skimmers even if no flyers are present and TL helps deal with snapshotting ground units.

TL;DR - drop back to 5 man Devs with 4 heavy weapons each, and kit out a CAD with scouts and a hunter

Hope that helps