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Hey guys, i'm just starting to get into warhammer 40k, and i'm thinking about this army.


one(1): ezekial, master librarian [145 pts]
five(5): dark angels veterans [90 pts]
one(1): dark angels company master [90 pts]
five(5): deathwing terminators [200] pts
one(1): black templars the emporer's champion [140 pts]
five(5): sniper scouts [55 pts]
three(3): ravenwing bikers [??? pts]
thirteen(13): space marines [???] pts
one(1): company master balthasar OR one(1): dark angels interragator chaplain [??? pts] OR one(1): Cypher, fallen angels [??? pts]

can someone help me out with which HQ i should choose for this army, and anything else i need. thanks in advance!

Welcome to Dakka and 40k!

Well, looks like a slightly eclectic collection. Let's ask some questions:

What size game are you aiming for? - bear in mind that most units benefit from appropriate upgrades (special weapons, extra equipment), so something more than just the base cost of the models.

Are you planning on a Battle-forged army (all units organized into detachments - more restrictive) or Unbound (almost no restrictions)?

The Dark Angels and the Black Templars are from two different codexes. We can still fit them into the same army, but if going Battle-forged it could be a tight squeeze at less than 1k points.

Are these models you already have? Are they already assembled or is there wiggle-room in regards to equipment?

thanks!

i'm going to be trying for a 1500 - 2000 pt army, and i'll try to form it into a battle - forged eventually.

i could take the emporer's champion out and replace it, any suggestions?

i am planning to buy these models, but i have not purchased much yet, i currently have the space marines, the balthasar, the terminators, and the ravenwing biker.

Ok, so we'll start with the simplest building block of a Battle-forged army - a Combined Arms Detachment (shown on page 122 of the rulebook):

We'll take Ezekiel as the HQ, as he adds more than Balthasar in terms of increasing the effectiveness of other units (the downside is he doesn't have an invulnerable save).
To round out the Troops sections, we'll split the tactical marines into two units (equipping them as per the Dark Vengeance models, which is presumably what you have? Plasma pistols are a bit of a YMMV weapon, but we'll leave it in for now), and take the sniper scouts (who we'll also give camo-cloaks to, to increase their survivability).
Keeping the DV models as-is, we add in the Ravenwing and Deathwing. Then we're left with the quandary of what to do with the Vets:
Because Dark Angels don't get access to Sternguard, quite often you'll see a Company Vets or Command Squads equipped with Meltaguns and stuck into a Drop Pod to act as a suicide tank-killing unit. This isn't cheap, and dependent on your opponent bringing a worthy target. The other option is to give them a few melee toys and stick Ezekiel with them in order to blender things in melee (we'll also add two Storm Shields to "disposable" models, so that we can place them at the front of the unit to soak AP2-3 firepower). If you've got the parts for an Apothecary, we could use this unit as a Command Squad for extra survivability.

So that thought process churns out:
Ezekiel,
Tactical Squad (8), Plasma gun, Sergeant with Plasma Pistol.
Tactical Squad (5), Plasma Cannon.
Scout Squad (5), 5x Sniper Rifles, Camo-cloaks.
Deathwing Terminators (5), Assault Cannon, 1x Chainfist.
Company Veterans Squad (5), 2x Storm Shield, 2x Power Weapon.
Ravenwing Bike Squad (3), 1x Plasma gun.

All that brings us out just shy of 900pts and ideally what we'd use to get it up to 1k is a pair of transports (for the Vets and larger Tac squad). Aside from a single game type (Purge the Alien), 40k is based around capturing and holding objectives, and transports make slower units like tactical squads able to get where they need to be quicker (also gets them into rapid-fire range quicker, so you can start killing stuff ).

Thanks! this will be very helpful in starting out.

i might sub ezekial for azrael, because i like azrael better.

i might add deathwing knights unit? to bring my points up a bit, instead of the transports, because i usually play with annilihation type objectives..

Azrael is a Lord of War, rather than a HQ - this means for a CAD you still need a HQ (but can use something like a cheap librarian to fill the slot). Azrael can still be your Warlord (and indeed, must, due to his special rule) as your Warlord does not have to be a HQ choice (this was the case I think in 6th, incase anyone questions it).

DW Knights are a great unit, though sometimes have trouble getting into combat - they will inevitably get shot alot. In the example list I posted we still have an Elite slot open to put the DWK's in, so that's no problem.

okay, i think i'll put balthasar or ezekial in the HQ slot. i already have balthasar so that might be best