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Hey guys, I've been out of the loop for 40K for the past two years now and have only just started getting back into it, and as such haven't had much experience with 9th edition and all the changes. I'm slowly catching back up, but something I've been stuck on for a while is the Space Marine Librarians, particularly the Primaris, Phobos, and Terminator varieties. I haven't really ever used Psykers before in my games, opting for more shooty stabby guys, but I've been convinced to give them a try this time around.

Now as for the actual question, which one do those of you with experience believe is the best to get currently? I have a rough idea of what I want, which is the Librarian holding with my main force and providing buffs for my guys, though I've had others tell me the Phobos is more useful to deploy with Infiltrators and Eliminators, or to use a Terminator Librarian and deepstrike with some Termie Assault Squads. All of these seem like alright ideas to me, but I'd like to get other opinions before I make a decision.

Additional Note: I'm playing generic Marines, so no BAs, DAs, or SWs. I'm experimenting with Deathwatch a bit though, if that changes anything.

The phobos one is the best looking model. Plus nobody will care if you use one to represent another.

Phobos Libby was the first Primaris Marine I bought, and this was long before the thought of doing a Primaris force ever entered my mind.

It's that good a miniature.

My jump pack firstborn librarian gets used most often. His extra mobility allows me to place Psychic Fortress where I need it when I need it and better navigate terrain, screens, opponent deny ranges, and can be useful for lining up a smite. I primarily play BA so it also helps keep him close to Sanguinary Guard.

I own all the others but I honestly can't say I've been too tempted take any with the exception of the terminator lib for the inbuilt 2+/5++. I'd consider him if his job was to babysit a couple redemptors or something and I can make due with his 5+D6" movement range.

The phobos psychic discipline is pretty lame so the phobos librarian doesn't bring much to the table over the standard primaris variant by having access to it. Infiltrators and incursors aren't really units that demand psychic support and being able to forward deploy with them isn't something I see much value in.

Sobie wrote:
My jump pack firstborn librarian gets used most often. His extra mobility allows me to place Psychic Fortress where I need it when I need it and better navigate terrain, screens, opponent deny ranges, and can be useful for lining up a smite. I primarily play BA so it also helps keep him close to Sanguinary Guard.

I own all the others but I honestly can't say I've been too tempted take any with the exception of the terminator lib for the inbuilt 2+/5++. I'd consider him if his job was to babysit a couple redemptors or something and I can make due with his 5+D6" movement range.

The phobos psychic discipline is pretty lame so the phobos librarian doesn't bring much to the table over the standard primaris variant by having access to it. Infiltrators and incursors aren't really units that demand psychic support and being able to forward deploy with them isn't something I see much value in.

So what I'm gathering from this post and the other two above: Phobos Librarian for rule of cool but not much else, Jump Librarian to leap around the board and dish out psychic powers wherever needed, Terminator Librarian for deepstrikes, and the normal Primaris Librarian just to foot slog with the backline.

I have the primaris librarian. He's pretty mobile because I play a white scars successor, but you don't lose a lot with any other chapter other than the ability to charge after the advance move, but it can be useful. I don't much like the Phobos discipline, so there's not much choice of librarians available for a primaris chapter aside from the one I've got.

I am in the process of converting some primaris scale terminators to fit with the army so I expect I'll eventually get a terminator librarian converted too. The additional defence seems great because normally a librarian doesn't have an invulnerable save (which seems odd for both a space marine character and a space wizard).

 SubCommander wrote:
Hey guys, I've been out of the loop for 40K for the past two years now and have only just started getting back into it, and as such haven't had much experience with 9th edition and all the changes. I'm slowly catching back up, but something I've been stuck on for a while is the Space Marine Librarians, particularly the Primaris, Phobos, and Terminator varieties. I haven't really ever used Psykers before in my games, opting for more shooty stabby guys, but I've been convinced to give them a try this time around.

Now as for the actual question, which one do those of you with experience believe is the best to get currently? I have a rough idea of what I want, which is the Librarian holding with my main force and providing buffs for my guys, though I've had others tell me the Phobos is more useful to deploy with Infiltrators and Eliminators, or to use a Terminator Librarian and deepstrike with some Termie Assault Squads. All of these seem like alright ideas to me, but I'd like to get other opinions before I make a decision.

Additional Note: I'm playing generic Marines, so no BAs, DAs, or SWs. I'm experimenting with Deathwatch a bit though, if that changes anything.

Depends on the rest of your army. If you have a lot of Phobos the Phobos librarian's Phobos powers - thank God I could type instead of recite that - will be more useful as many of them are restricted to Phobos keyword targets. There's a third potential, if you use one of the chapter supplements they'll usually allow librarians to trade their default discipline (Librarius/Phobos) for the chapter discipline so you could take an Ultramarines Phobos Libbie and give him the Ultramarines specific powers or the Phobos specific powers.

If you play Ultramarines (or counts as) you have option of taking Tigurius. Which frankly sounds most fitting for what you said.

Tigurius brings a lot to the table on top of being a solid psyker. I like using him with my UM force.

Phobos Librarian gets my vote. Closest thing to an actual Hedi in 40k


The only downside is that you need other Phobos units to really use the most if him. But if you were already planning on running Phobos heavy, he's a no-brainer

 Galef wrote:
The only downside is that you need other Phobos units to really use the most if him.

Just use him as a regular Libby.

Phobos librarian pairs well with incursors for my wolves, they shield him from fire while he buffs with instinct awoken.

With more shooting centric chapters you take infiltrators same idea.

In cover he's well protected because of the cloak, you'll never be out of range for powers.

hobojebus wrote:
Phobos librarian pairs well with incursors for my wolves, they shield him from fire while he buffs with instinct awoken.

With more shooting centric chapters you take infiltrators same idea.

In cover he's well protected because of the cloak, you'll never be out of range for powers.

Pretty much this - pick what you're going to use first, then pick the libby that goes well with that, then get the other libby and a block that goes with him, then the third libby and a block that goes with him. If you're in the hobby long enough you're going to have more models than you have room on an army list anyway, so eventually you're just getting change-of-pace models to play something different and you'll have them all anyway.