Horus Heresy 3e Review: Konrad Curze

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Rounded down. A deadly primarch with occasional psychic powers. 

Background.

Cursed with psychic premonitions. Alone as a child on a gang controlled criminal world. And with a keen sense of bringing judgement to those the Emperor would see sanctioned, Konrad was almost a breed set apart from his kin. With a bit more humanity in him, he could have been very similar to Corax, but as it turned out, darkness, fear and terror were his boots, gloves and coat. 

Strengths. 

With 7's in WS, BS, and I, Curze is a quick and potentially deadly opponent. His melee weapons (artificer lightning claws named Mercy and Forgiveness) give A+2 with AP=2 and 1 damage, but with a valuable critical hit at 5+ and shred at 4+ (the latter helping alleviate the singular damage). 

His ranged weapons - widowmakers - causes breaching at 4+, but is otherwise not very remarkable.

He comes with a personal gambit - A Death Long Foreseen - which grants him a choice psychic advantage (Check against willpower at WP=8). This can be feel no pain (okay I guess), A+1 (useful), or I+2 in melee (much, much more useful and likely the top most pick). 

As sire of the Night Lords, the prime slots are grants if you have 4 terror squads or assault squads which is fluffy. And all terror squads gain infiltrate of 12 which is useful, and demands that you actually have terror squads build around him. 

Weaknesses. 

I did want a higher fear factor, but fear (2) is still useful. He is not the most deadly of his brothers, not the best fighter, not the most endurable, nor causes the most damage, but he holds his own when he needs to and the weight of attacks he has combined with some psychic powers from his gambit makes him a primarch to think twice about tangling with. 

Overall.

I was going to give 3.5/5 stars, but gave 4/5 in the end as I was struggling to make my mind up. He packs an amazing punch still. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Night Lords Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded up. The rules are mixed to good. 

Background.

Of all the traitor legions, the Night Lords ever were close to censure and skirted the edge of acceptable results against monstrous behaviour. Already close to being declared renegade, it is little wonder they threw in their lot with Horus. Nearly unique among the legions, they pretty much splintered during the Heresy itself and dissolved into much smaller warbands. Temporarily reunited for the Siege of Terra, they were a spent force after Thramas and ultimately did dissolve into renegades and those who would still visit their "justice" on the Emperor. 

Armoury. 

Trophies of Judgement. A tradition within the legion and in every edition. For a small points cost, command and champions get Fear (1). Almost always worth taking. 

Notraman Chain Weapons (chain glaive and headsmans axe) are a modest points cost for the benefit of higher S, better AP and some special rules (breaching and shred for the former, with critical hits for the latter). Almost always worth taking. 

Atramentar grants a prime slot advantage to a terminator to gain the deep strike and Impact (I) special rule. This is certainly worth taking and very fluffy - the Night Lords ever being one of the legions with reliable deep strike access. 

Finally in Legacies, we also get the Escaton Power Claw. This is more expensive, but massively impactful. Worth considering here and there. 

Tactica. 

Talent for Murder returns in third edition to give WS+1 when facing enemies that have tactical statuses. This fundamentally alters the playstyle of the legion from one with massed infantry to encourage outnumbers, to one that wants to inflict lots of statuses on enemies. These are not mutually exclusive either, and I think retention of large blobs of Night Lord units is still beneficial and fluffy (not least because of the points cost implications). 

Gambit.  

Nostraman Courage lets you swap out your challenger for someone else. The cowards literally get someone else to fight their battles! Very appropriate. Very frustrating for your opponent as well perhaps! But actually subtly powerful when done right.  

Additional Detachements. 

Terror Assault and Atramentar Hunt brings some nice extra units in the for of compulsory terror squads in the former (for extra fast attack), and an apex detachment of terminators but restricted to them all having teleporter transponders as their prime advantage. This is actually an incredible strong apex detachment and very fluffy - top marks! 

Advanced Reaction. 

Better Part of Valour lets you fall back when charged - because you are Night Lords and don't tangle with stuff you don't want to! 

Overall, the rules for the Night Lords are average with some stand outs like the teleport transponders and various upgrades. Their play style shifts in third edition from massed blobs (still valuable) to inflicting as many statuses as you can and ending your enemy up close and personally. 

Wargames Gallery: Loyalist Emperor's Children vs Traitors Word Bearers melee

A loyalist element of the Emperor's Children charges against the traitorous Word Bearers from the Gal Vorbak! 

The praetor and the Gal Vorbak leader have been set to one side for their own challenge. This leaves 10 assault squad members with chain swords and combat shields, the assault squad sergeant with twin lightning claws, and an apothecary to fight against 5 Gal Vorbak. 

Which side do the dice favour?!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Dark Sons of Death (Karaoghlanlar)

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are great for this legacy unit, but the points cost adds up fast. 

Background.

The Dark Sons (Karaoghlanlar) focus on the "unmaking" of enemies who have fallen so far as to deserve both physical destruction and spiritual oblivion. They are regarded with unease by their battle brothers and adorned with appropriate talismans and wards to protect themselves and to make Stormcallers aid them all the easier. 

Strengths. 

Movement of 12 is excellent here.

Otherwise, these are simply space marines with rad grenades. Of course, the rad grenades are great, thanks to phage on toughness as being poisoned. So my view for this unit is to go further and arm them with either weapons that enhance strength further, or templates that go over as many enemies as possible. 

The Invocation of the Razing Tempest special rule allows a Stormcaller to target them from further away with their Call of the Wild special power. This is actually insane and can get you where you need to be in short order. 

Weaknesses. 

The points cost rack up steeply here. And fundamentally, they are one wound space marines with a 3+ save. So what this unit is, in effect, is a glass cannon. You need to treat it as such. 

Builds.

5 Karaoghlanlar, all with Power Glaives (200 points). 

S+1 on the power glaives is great. But the points cost is steep. Make sure you know which target you are going for. 

10 Karaoghlanlar, 2 Flamers, 2 Hand Flamers, Champion with Power Weapon (255 points). 

Flame unit variant. Take extra men to taste. 

I think other builds are possible such as a melta-cide orientated one, but other units do such activities better than this. You want to be an anti-infantry glass cannon. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Kyzagan Assault Speeder

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average. 

Background.

This is the White Scars solution to ensuring heavy weapons keep up with the rest of the legion! Essentially it is a flying anti grav platform form those heavy weapons to fly to where they are needed and do some shooting with. They should be played like that accordingly. . 

Strengths. 

Movement of 14 combined with an impressive toughness of 7 should keep the speeder alive for it to perform its duty. Which explicitly is the unloading of lots of assault cannon and reaper auto cannon shots into its designated target. 

Weaknesses. 

For the points cost that you are paying, this is a reasonable option overall. Sure, it isn't over powered, but it is a viable threat as well. There's just not too many builds to consider. 

Builds.

Kyzagan Assault Speeder (105 points). 

I don't think the hunter killer missiles are generally worth it, but you might get some bang for the points cost if you play them right. So take them to taste. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Ebon Keshig

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average. 

Background.

Being put in terminator armour for the White Scars is not a testament of strength or honour as it might be for other legions. It is condemnation. The Ebon Keshig is a form of atonement for battle brothers who have been found wanting or lacking in honour. They are deployed as a vanguard and bodyguard, and should the marines die, then clearly they've had a final honourable death. Should they survive, then maybe they have found atonement and will be allowed back to the prior positions. 

Strengths. 

Tartaros terminators with T=5 and Leadership=10. They come with a power glaive which gives a S bonus as well as breaching and impact on AP. 

Thanks to Legacies, you can get other power weapons and power fists alongside combi weapons. 

The vexillia and the grenade harness are almost a given upgrade. 

Weaknesses. 

The points cost is steep here. You are effectively paying for Vanguard (3) (but basic terminators have this! NB), feel no pain (but only at 6+) and Expendable (2). It is worth also considering how to get them to their destinations. 

Builds.

5 Kharash, 2 with power fists and combi-meltas, vexilla, grenade harness (235 points).

A basline entry unit. But note that the points cost is high here already. Are you sure you wouldn't just have tartaros terminators instead?

10 Kharash, 5 with power fists and volkite chargers, vexilla, grenade harness (440 points).

The unit gets a bit cheaper with more members, but it is still very expensive. And you need a transport solution, or some White Scars speed ups. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Golden Keshig

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded up. Excellent heavy assault jetbikes!

Background.

Riders par excellence. The Golden Keshig are the White Scar's main heavy assault asset. They serve as line breakers and assault units - and within the White Scars they have long been noted to be the effective "replacement" for pure terminator squads (but we will talk about the Ebon Keshig in another post). Their aim is to confuse the enemy with speed, and then undertake a Horus-like tip of the spear strike at the heart of the enemy. 

Strengths. 

Movement=16 coupled with WS=5 and the rather magnificent Kontos Power Lance. Its worth just noting that this lance along grants I+4, S+5, with Impact on AP (which is native at AP3) and two damage. Oh, and let's not forget armour bane as well. In numbers, this is superlatively deadly. And you play style can also use the (now very old) Way of Saim Hann (look it up if you're not familiar with this style of winning). 

The scatter bolt launcher is reasonable and is a shredding template at S=5 with pinning added for extra fun. 

Weaknesses. 

No invulnerable, but hopefully with that movement rate you will be positioning yourself wisely before charging right in. I really genuinely like this unit. 

Builds.

6 Golden Keshig (260 points).

A max sized squad. And no reason to upgrade much here. Take the Vexilla to taste. Just a pity they cannot have melta bombs any longer (unless I've missed something). 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Stormseer

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. I have rounded up! I'm going out on a bit of a punt here to suggest that Stormseers are actually really good indeed!

Background.

It is fitting that one of the "big three" that established the librarians have their own consul for psykers to bring to the battlefield. Combining old shaman like belief systems and the librarian training has yielded spectacular results for the White Scars in the form of the Stormseers who are valued as much for their psychic wrath as they are for their wise counsel to the Khans. The believe they are bringing forth a sliver of power from Chogoris, rather than necessarily being out-and-out warp power users. I can see parallels to the Space Wolves here. 

Strengths. 

The stat line is what you might expect for a psyker librarian with Willpower = 10 and reasonable stats elsewhere. 

What sets the Stormseer apart from Librarians elsewhere is access to the Stormcalling psychic discipline, and this is the reason he gets 4.5 stars from me. There are 2 powers here. The first is Unseen Bolt which is a 36 inch range 5 inch blast with barrage, stun, AND force at S=4. I think this is incredibly powerful to put stun out at such range. 

The second is Call of the Wind. This gives you an increase in move equivalent to your initiative. That's 5 extra inches assuming you cast it on yourself. 

When you add on a jump pack or similar, this starts to be a pretty wild tactic, in addition to the usual White Scars shenanigans. 

Weaknesses. 

Cheap enough to afford and play without regret to be very honest. You can, of course, take other psychic disciplines, but Stormcalling is very good indeed, so I focus on that discipline alone in the builds below. 

Builds.

Stormseer with Stormcalling (105 points).

The standard stormcaller! Take with a bunch of veterans or similar to get where you need to be fast. Take terminator armour for 125 points instead where appropriate. 

Stormseer with Stormcalling, Jump Pack (135 points). 

A very swift proposition with an assault squad or other jump pack squad. Dangerous as well. 

Stormseer with Stormcalling, Jetbike with Multi-Melta (165 points).

Lead your jetbike units to victory with celerity. 

Wargames Gallery: Target Priority?

What would you do? What are your target priorities?

Here's the situation:

Left to Right Status:

(1) Alpha Legion Heavy Support Squad. 5x Missile Launchers. [No wounds taken all game long].

1x Master of Signals. [No wounds taken all game long].

(2) World Eaters Tartaros Terminators:
2x combi-bolter and chainfist [No wounds taken]

1x combi-bolter and power maul [1 wound remains]

1x Sergeant with thunder hammer (counts as). [1 wound remains]

[This squad started at 10 strong]

(3) World Eaters Leviathan Dreadnought with storm cannon and grav-flux bombard. [5 wounds remain]. The Leviathan is sat (literally) on top of an objective. 

(4) Alpha Legion Tactical Support Squad. 2x Melta Guns [Squad was 5 strong at the start of the game]

1x Alpha Legion Centurion with Power Fist and bolt pistol [No wounds taken all game long]

It is the Alpha Legion's turn. They are at the start of the shooting phase. No World Eaters reactions remain having used them up in the movement phase at the approach of the melta gun squad. The missile launchers have not moved. 

What would you do??!!??

Kudos and Honour to the best answer/s...

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Hibou Khan

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The traitor turned loyalist is a good choice.

Background.

A Terran born Khan, Hibou naturally gravitated to Horus thanks to involvement in the Vth legion warrior lodges. He resented the legion's growing influence from Chogoris and when the rebellion started, he threw in with Horus along with a number of other Khans (it is easy to forget just how divided the White Scars were when the Heresy began). He then sought contrition but his primarch cast him out to seek his own absolution with the Sagyar Mazan which would bring him into the orbit of the Shattered Legions. 

Strengths. 

A solid stat line including WS=6 and modest points value make Hibou Khan a middle range choice for a command character.

His special rule is Seeker of Atonement. As you might expect, he wants to atone for believing in Horus. To this end he gets a special gambit that allows him to stay alive longer than he should just to kill a few more traitors. In short: a 50/50 chance to prevent being removed as a casualty. This is good, and a last minute gambit, but has potential to swing an encounter without being overwhelming. 

He carries The Breath of the Storm, which give a vital I+1 and S+2 to make him fairly deadly. Critical hits and breaching is the icing on the cake. 

Officer of the Line (2) is similarly powerful and makes Hibou a strong choice. Combined with Expendable, and you have a great deal here. 

Weaknesses. 

For the points cost, you can't really go too wrong. The combination of expendable and officer of the line really leans hard into the Sagyar Mazan which is the way to build around him. 

Overall.

A great character, and leader for the Sagyar Mazan. A character that screams deny the opponent. You just need to build part of your army around him. And remember to take some units that might not be so expendable if you are so inclined. Very fluffy and very nice overall as a close combat character.  

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Qin Xa

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are very good for the reserve manipulation alone.

Background.

Qin Xa was a supreme warrior who fought alongside the Khan on Chogoris even before becoming a space marine. Pure fury combined with a keen intellect; if he were in another legion, his legend would be more widely known, but here in the White Scars, he is simply known internally as an commander without peer. 

Strengths. 

The stat line is reasonable for a high command figure with WS=6 and T=5 alongside strong advanced characteristics.

The Tails of the Dragon is a melee weapon that yields critical hitting and precision, alongside a valuable S+1. 

But what you are really paying for here is the Chosen of the Khagan special rule which enables you to automatically pass a reserves test of your choosing so long as the unit in question is White Scars. This is really very strong in third edition and will make your opponents jealous. 

Weaknesses. 

No ranged weapon, and you will need a transport solution. Or perhaps just take with a unit that you put in reserves to take advantage of his own skills?

Overall.

For reserve manipulation along, I would be willing to pay the points cost. Layer on top of this that he is a reasonable close combat character, and you have a deal. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Jaghatai Khan

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are reasonable without being exceptional.

Background.

The Warhawk was spirited away to a life of Chogoris during the scattering. There, he learned about rapid and devastating ways of warfare which he brought to his sons in bulk. 

Regarded as a recluse, but really just never felt the need to show off to anyone, the Khan is a leader that paved the pathway forward for the Great Crusade and made the victories of other legions seem all the greater for it, and laughed as he did so. 

Strengths. 

The Great Khan has mainly 6's but some 7's in WS, I and A which is nice. Although not at the same level as some of his brothers, his swiftness is very good when paired with The White Tiger Dao which increases this to I=9. Duellist's Edge and Impact on AM is excellent and makes him a strong opponent to many in close combat, although S=6 is an issue. 

The Storm's Voice as a side arm is nice with breaching, deflagrate, and stun, but lacks in the AP department.

Death by a Thousand Cuts as his own personal gambit is good as it reduces the strength of an opponent if they have already been wounded. This helps him with his brothers overall. 

As Sire of the White Scars he can exchange transport slots for recon slots which is nice - and there's not a restriction on the filling type either - just if 4 are filled. BUT, these must be land raider explorator units. Appropriate, but not what I might have expected. 

He also grants Fast (2) during the first turn (to even himself) which is valuable for closing out the board space. 

Weaknesses. 

Strength is an issue for him and he will be whittled down by his opponents. You will be relying on I=9 and WS=7 to win here. But your opponents are likely to use gambits against you, so select carefully. 

Overall.

The points cost is about worth while, but potentially fractionally high. The Khan gets an average 3/5 stars score from me. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: White Scars Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are rather good, but the gambit is too inconsistent to bother with.  

Background.

The White Scars were ever the outriders of the Great Crusade of humanity. They were nowhere near the centre of the action when it all started to kick off thanks to being on a long assigment on Chondax. As a result, their loyalties were initially unknown by both sides of the conflict. But once contacted, there were many elements within the legion who pushed to join Horus and the rebellion. The Khan remained fierce in his loyalty and ultimately stood defending Terra itself at the end of all things.

Armoury. 

Power Glaive is a power weapon upgrade that gives impact (AP) and breaching which will generally be a good option, but it is pricey. 

Cyber Hawk grants move through cover which is okay overall, but obviously dependent on the board set-up (but you should almost always have some cover on a board). 

The Sagyar Mazan is a way of giving you Expendable (2) special rule to an infantry or cavalry unit who have previously failed you (but you don't want to execute them - just exile them!). Very fluffy and can be handy at the expense of prime force organization slot. 

Tactica. 

Swift of Action gives you movement +2 all of the time, every turn. This is stronger than it sounds as it will also help with set up moves.  

Gambit.  
The Path of the Warrior is effectively a 50/50 gamble to predict your next focus roll (high or low). Guess correctly and you ignore all negative modifiers and only have positive ones for the focus. It is very random.   

Additional Detachments. 
Chogorian Warband gives 2 jetbike slots (one is Prime) and 2 outrider slots. This is very fluffy and appropriate. And you were probably taking these units regardless I would wager.  

Advanced Reaction. 
Chasing the Wind allows you to move if an enemy moves within 12 inches of you. You could go either way with this (toward the triggering unit, or away) as you see it.

Overall White Scars have a fluffy set of very appropriate and bespoke rules that enable them to move swiftly and hit hard with expendable units if they wish. The gambit is poor though. 

Emperor's Children Praetor

A recent acquisition that I bought is the relatively (I use the word under advice) new praetor for the Emperor's Children. This character is in near regal Tartaros terminator armour which is simply exquisite in ornamentation and detail - very nice from Forge World to say the least. 

The armaments are also interesting to note. The combi volkite is often overlooked in terms of combi-weapons available to terminators. This is, perhaps, understandable as melta and plasma are often more highly desired and prized. However, I think the key advantage here is that a combi-volkite can fire both components all the time. There is no "one use only" rule for either. You get the best of both worlds, all of the time. 

The sword meanwhile is similarly ornate. But here I find it interesting as you can start to see a very, very subtle creep towards Slaanesh with a hint of a nod toward that power's symbol on the hilt of the blade. I like this detail. Not quite corrupted, but perhaps on their way long the path. Could still be loyal, but yet there might be early signs.  

In terms of putting the model together, this one was very straight forward and in the relatively easy category. There's only one place where each of the parts are going to go and only one way to glue them into place. Hardly any dry fitting required in the slightest. I like this very much. I think it would also be easy to convert if you wanted different armaments for the character making it a flexible and very cool kit overall. A fine additional to a collection. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Mortus Poisoner Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The access to Alchem Flamers is good - but you have to upgrade to these. 

Background.

Within the Death Guard, the Mortus Poisoners were a cadre belonging to the Destroyer companies. Their point of differentiation from their brothers was to carry more, and more toxic chemicals on to the battlefield than even the Death Guard would usually prefer. Accordingly, to be assigned to the Poisoners was something of a condemnation and a sentence passed for disobedience, censure or similar. The members were inevitably subjected to a slow demise thanks to their munitions. Yet there were certainly some for whom this was far removed from a sentence and something they actively enjoyed. 

Strengths. 

This is a squad that has rad grenades as standard. Beyond this though, the real strength is in the upgrades that you can take. 

Firstly, you can take "true grit" in the sense of bolt gun bolt pistol, and chainsword for all eventualities. This is probably not worth it. Nor are the bayonets or chain bayonets. 

Flamers and alchem flamers are where the action is at here. Plus the heavy alchem flamer per 5 models. Power weapons, power scythe, phosphex and melta for the Master are all good options. And the vexilla and other standard upgrades won't hurt either. 

The way to run this squad is therefore as a close range flame unit. They can be backed up with bolt pistol and chainsword too which is very attractive for close combat work. 

Weaknesses. 

Funamentally they are standard 3+ save marines. The question is whether you want an actual destroyer squad or these marines. The foundational way they are better are through the alchem flamers. And it is for this reason that you should really be taking them - the 2+ poisoned rule is very strong. You shouldn't take them without upgrades. 

Builds.

5 Poisoners, 5 Alchem Flamers (80 points).

A surprise chemical flamer unit. The first time an opponent is hit by these chemical flamers will be a surprise. 

5 Poisoners, 4 Alchem Flamers, 1 Heavy Alchem Flamer, Master with Phosphex Bombs and Power Scythe (113 points).

A heavy version of the above with close combat readiness. Take Vexilla to taste. 

10 Poisoners, 8 Alchem Flamers, 2 Heavy Alchem Flamers, Chain Swords All Round, Vexilla, Master with Phosphex Bombs and Power Scythe (237 points).

The fully kitted out unit with flamers and close combat extra potential. You could, of course, just ditch the chain swords and go full flamer, and who could blame you. Take an extra 5 members for fun if you're not taking a rhino or other transport. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Grave Warden Terminator Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good. 

Background.

The second special terminator unit from the Death Guard, these marines were originally synonymous with Typhon and the Terminus Est, but became more of a talisman for the entire legion over time. They specialize in lethal and Geneva Convention defying arms to provide a truly grotesque end to their enemies in the Great Crusade and the civil war of the Heresy. . 

Strengths. 

T=5 here, but that's really the only stat line entry of note. 

They come with vanguard at an impressive (3) level, along with the Death Cloud (whiffs of toxins that linger on their suits and makes you question how they get in and out of their armour safely - maybe they don't). 

The key thing here is the assault grenade launcher which can fire both krak and toxin variants. The Toxin variant is significant for having 3+ poisoned and can therefore ruin many opponent's days given the fire rate of 3. Equally two shots at S=6 from the krak grenades is very strong as well considering each does 2 damage. 

There are a few upgrades here. The heavy alchem flamer is very nice for 2+ poisoned. Chain fists are reasonable and cheap enough to consider, whilst the grenade harness is all but essential. The combi weapon for the master is reasonable enough should you want it, but I'd honestly stick to the grenade launcher. 

Weaknesses. 

WS=4 is notably weaker than other specialist terminators from different legions. 

Builds.

5 Grave Wardens, grenade harness, 2 chain fists (240 points).

Baseline in my opinion. Take with a sneaky Librarian if Mortarion is not around, just because.  

10 Grave Wardens, 2 Alchem Heavy Flamers, 4 Chain Fists, Master with grenade harness (460 points).

Take with a land raider. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Deathshroud Terminator Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. A solid retinue unit. 

Background.

The best of the legion, and often selected as survivors of squads where all else failed. They effectively give up their identities and remain all but silent as the personal bodyguards of Mortarion himself. A couple of them are never more than 49 paces away from the Death Guard Primarch at any one time. 

To add a bit of old school spice to the above statement, 7 is the "sacred number" of Nurgle. And 49 is 7 times 7. QED.

Strengths. 

Stat line first, they have WS=5 and T=5. But unlike second edition, here they only have 2 wounds each (it was 3 in the previous edition). Eternal warrior here is also very respectable and fluffy. 

The come with power scythes as standard which will enable them to quickly weed out lesser squads. The Alchem caster is a template with poisoned at 2+ which will certainly hit hard against most squads. 

Weaknesses. 

The cost is steep - 50 points each for the first couple, and then 45 points therein. They don't have too many configurations either - you can add melta bombs and grenade harnesses, the latter is recommended. 

Builds.

2 Deathshroud Terminators, 2 Melta Bombs, 2 Grenade Harnesses (120 points).

To accompany your lesser commanders?

7 Deathshroud Terminators, 1 Grenade Harness (330 points).
Seven because, you know. And cheaper than second edition - I think because of one less wound. Great ablative wounds regardless. You just need to get them into combat!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Calas Typhon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. A great character to have, but you get the most out of him if Mortarion is not around so he doesn't have to repress his psychic self. 

Background.

First Captain of the Death Guard and the one who would become Typhus the Traveller in later life aboard his flagship the Terminus Est. A Librarian who subsequently repressed his gifts, he was also among the first to fall to Chaos and spread his taint through the legion thanks to the seven pillared lodge.

Strengths. 

Regarding the stat line first, WS=6 is good, and 5's in many other places are great - most especially T=5. 

His ranged weapon is a template with a magnificent poisoned at 2+ and panic. Called Slaker, it is an alchem projector which has so much potential. 

Lakrimae meanwhile is his scythe which he coats in his own poisonous concoction. AP=2 is vital here, but he also has reaping blow (3) and poisoned at 3+ to add to this. 

As a former Librarian, he is still somewhat attuned, despite repressing himself. The Witch Blood special rule grants him biomancy so long as Mortarion is not on the same team. It also gives a gambit for S+2 and A+2 on a psychic check, but the perils of failing that check are typical (only invulnerable saves at 4+). 

Although it can be overlooked, like Mortarion, he comes with Death Cloud which gives you a free poisoned hit against anyone you are locked with. 

Weaknesses. 

A great, and flavourful leader for the Death Guard! Please do use his biomancy when Mortarion isn't around! In fact, his points cost isn't quite worth it when his Primarch is around to be candid. 

Overall.

Over costed if Mortarion is around. Otherwise a really very good high command character that can go toe to toe with many other primary non-primarch characters in the game through sheer poisonous attrition. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Mortarion

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. A super tough Primarch as you would expect!

Background.

Of all of the Emperor's sons, Mortarion had arguably the toughest upbringing of the lot. Cast on Barbarus, he lurched from being adopted by a necromantic giant, through to escaping and forging an army to take on the darkness out of the brave souls that were preyed upon by the dark overlords of that world. He failed. The Emperor had to save him and slay his would be adoptive parent. The darkness never really left him, and Horus persuaded him that the Emperor was really just another tyrant to bring to justice. Mortarion and his own sons paid an exceptionally high price for their heresy.

Strengths. 

T=7 (as well as S, W, and WS) is excellent on the stat line here and immediately puts him on par with Vulkan. 

His weapon, Silence, is a massive scythe that gives reaping blows at an impressive 3 and a critical hit. But with AP=2 and 2 damage at S+1, he is already hitting tremendously hard and can readily take down entire squads of regular marines solo if he put his mind to it. His side arm, The Lantern, is no slouch either with armour bane at S=8, AP=2 and 3 damage - very impressive for a side arm really! You could take out a terminator with this. 

With Shadow of the Reaper, you can pretend his movement is 10 for setting up rushes or charges. This is great. But even better is Preternatural Resilience which limits critical hits against him to 6+. 

As sire of the Death Guard, you get primes for troops when filled with regular tactical squads, and in the first turn your troops gain pinning if they have a fire group of 11 or more. This is actually superbly strong and I almost gave 5/5 stars here. But he's not Vulkan or Horus, or others, so tough. 

Don't forget he also comes with Phosphex Bombs (easy to overlook). And Death Cloud: a free poisoned hit at 3+ is very nice even if your enemy is likely to make their saving throw most of the time. 

Weaknesses. 

Not many realistically. He is slower than his brothers in terms of pure initiative and the modifier that the Silence gives him, but you won't care too much as you tank many wounds against you. 

Overall.

For the points cost, Mortarion is a real gem. I would contend his is actually under costed (at least in my opinion). Can't go too wrong quite frankly as he will certainly do justice (sic) for your forces. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Death Guard Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are mixed. 

Background.

Seen by Horus as one of the few on his side of the conflict as being ever-reliable. Not hard when you have the savagery of the World Eaters or the preening of the Emperor's Children to pick between to start out with I guess? The Death Guard was once a byword for resilience and courage, but toward the very end of the conflict got stuck in the warp and had to take the proverbial knee to Nurgle to survive. They assaulted the throne world in a very different form to when they began this course of action, and probably not to Mortarion's liking either.

Armoury. 

Power Scythe. The power scythe gives reaping blow (2) and breaching in exchange for slower initiate but at S+1. This is generally worth taking and from a rule of cool point of view might be almost a given.

Alchem Flamers (and combi-, etc, variants therein) give you a template with poisoned at 2+. This is almost always worth considering (see Legacies). 

Unnatural Resilience grants W+1 and Eternal Warrior (2) for Prime slots which, again, should almost be a given for characters to make them really have better staying power and make that power scythe worth considering. 

Tactica. 

Remorseless Advance gives you heavy (X) even if you moved a little bit (4 inches). This is okay, but not a stand out compared to other legions. The Death Guard always had a focus on heavy weapons, but in third edition, it is just about okay. They can also ignore negatives caused by difficult terrain. This is also okay.  

Gambit.  

Steadfast Resilience gives you a toughness equal to your opponent's WS. This is incredibly strong actually when used correctly. 

Additional Detachements. 

Reaping Host adds some troops (but not assault squads) and heavy assault plus support. This is very useful overall. 

Advanced Reaction. 

Barbaran Endurance allows you to remove all tactical statuses and gain feel no pain which is great. You then have the added bonus of passing any cool or leadership tests on top of that. 

Overall, the rules for the Death Guard are not a stand out in comparison to other legions, but they are quite sufficient and characterful. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Locutarus Storm Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are worth their points cost. 

Background.

These are the Ultramarines' vanguard: the best of the assault squads selected to form their own squads of elite jump-pack equipped fighters who excel in the timing and application of pistols and swords. I feel they could have made very good Emperor's Children personally (apologies to Ultramarines players).

Strengths. 

As well as being jump marines, these men gain a bonus A+1 when they are locked in combat with any unit that is currently suffering from any tactical status. This is actually really strong, but of course you will need to inflict that tactical status before getting into close combat. 

They also come with Argean power swords that provide breaching, and have a native precision on a 6+, with an otherwise un-remarkable stat line except for the 2+ saving throw. Essentially then, they are power sword jump marines that can hit harder under certain circumstances. 

Weaknesses. 

Your options for inflicting tactical statuses prior to getting in combat with an opponent from this squad alone are zero (remember that hand flamers don't cause panic here). So you will have to fire at them with a different unit to make the best of the Blade of Wisdom advantage here.  

Builds.

5 Locutarus, 1 hand flamer, melta bombs (215 points). 

Notice immediately that the points cost is rather expensive here. You really are paying for that 2+ saving throw and the combination of special rules and power sword enhancements. 

10 Locutarus, 2 hand flamers, leader with hand flamer and melta bombs (415 points). 

A full squad. Again, rather expensive and there are other squads that might do things better which explains my average star rating here. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Fulmentarus Terminator Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are very good indeed.

Background.

One day, Guilliman looked around and deigned to notice his brother, Perturabo and his Iron Warriors. He saw his Tyrant Siege Terminator Squads and decided that it looked good. And in a very none-40k move decided to adopt it. And make it better. Because that's the kind of thing that went down in 30k. Innovation. Sharing of ideas. And so forth.

Strengths. 

These are cataphractii terminators fitted with missile launchers on their top. These missiles take two forms: a high rate of fire splinter missile at S=4 that suppresses opponents, and a lower rate plasma missile at S=7 for breaching at 5+. Both of these types of missiles are good for what they are doing. 

The come with the peritarch targeter. This enables them to remain stationary and have BS+1 which is awesome. That, and shrouded can also be ignored. Also awesome!

They are, of course, slow and purposeful, but also have firing solutions which enables them to shoot their combi-bolters as well as their missiles. 

Weaknesses. 

These terminators are not Tyrant Siege terminators. They aren't really equipped for heavy anti-tank or anti-building demolition work. Sure, a light tank like a rhino is a viable target, but they are more fundamentally anti-infantry in nature due to the missiles that they are taking.

There's also a subtle issue here between wanting to remain a static long range squad, and more melee squad with the option to take power weapons at the expense of the (unique) peritarch targeter. This is a fundamental issue and rate of exchange to deal with. With movement = 6, you will probably want to favour a static line up. 

They are also a support squad. 

Builds.

5 Fulmentarus (290 points). 

Naked is probably the right way to go here. 

5 Fulmentarus, 4 Chain Fists, Sergeant with Thunder Hammer (340 points)

Sacrifice the peritarch targeter entirely in favour of close combat tools. Here I have selected chain fists to provide an anti-vehicle threat (which remains anti-infantry too) as well as the ever useful thunder hammer. This squad doesn't want to stay still - there's no point. Advance quickly as possible and accept you are BS=4 with no anti-shrouded capability. The cost is steep. 

10 Fulmentarus (565 points). 

Remember that extra bodies are cheaper than a brand new squad and you can see the reason for expanding (this generally applies throughout the Horus Heresy game and has been in place since first edition). Yes, this is a very expensive squad now, but 40 suppressive missiles at BS=5 will take care of many things. And 20 breaching S=7 missiles at the same BS is frightening for many units to face. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Praetorian Breacher Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average.

Background.

Before admission to the Invictarus Suzerain squads, Ultramarines typically rise through the ranks of the Praetorian Breacher squads to hone their skills a bit. The dispense with the usual bolt guns and go all in for power weapons. They are therefore deadly for space craft defensive operations, as well as boarding missions where the space is tight. 

Strengths. 

Fundamentally, these are breacher squads with power swords. The come with 2 wounds each and have a 5+ invulnerable save with regular 3+ armour. 

In terms of upgrades, there are Legatine axes for every 5 members which is probably worth it (see Legacies), and some limited Primus upgrades. 

Weaknesses. 

Taking Legatine Axes makes them expensive, but they're still probably worth it. The buried power fist is similar, and again worth while. Curiously, they fall under heavy assault classification as well. I can just about see why, but I think there's arguments for them elsewhere as well. 

It is important to consider their role really. We are looking at a fundamental close combat squad with shields, but you've given away Line in favour of another wound. Yes, they're worth their points, but there's a good case to be made for just using Breachers instead, or at least as I see it. Take them for the rule of cool and the extra wound and be happy I think!

Builds.

5 Praetorians, Vexilla, Nuncio Vox, Primus with Power Fist (150 points). 

The basic set up.

10 Praetorians, Vexilla, Nuncio Vox, 2 Legatine Axes, Primus with Legatine Axe (240 points)

A fully upgraded squad (minus the Primus having a plasma pistol which could be taken to taste; I've used a third axe on the Primus rather than a power fist here - you could go either way). The points cost is high now for that extra wound in comparison to basic breacher squads. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Invictarus Suzerain Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are great. 

Background.

These are the Lords of Ultramar and destined for higher things. They are the elite and marked for command in the future. For the moment though, they are learning everything they can about warfare from multiple angles, but mostly chopping with axes, shielding, and otherwise glittering in starlight as their armour inspires all around. 

Strengths. 

WS=5 and A=3 makes for a very reasonable stat line overall, and they come native with Legatine Axes and Argyrum pattern boarding shields which makes them something of an elite boarding squad. The 2+/5+ save is excellent. 

The also create a large bubble with which other squads nearby can use their advanced characteristics for tests to remove tactical statuses (so long as the Suzerains are not under the effects of tactical statuses). 

Weaknesses. 

A high, but justified points cost here. You will want to use them offensively as much as possible which means getting them to where they need to be; and maybe also as ablative wounds for significant characters. 

Builds.

5 Suzerains, 2 Thunder Hammers (195 points). 

A basic squad with a mix of axes and hammers. I am not sold on plasma pistols here (they won't get that much use if you play the squad well), but I guess take them depending on your tastes. 

10 Suzerains, all with Thunder Hammers (425 points).

Again, plasma pistols (two of them) to taste here. This is the maximum squad. It is cheaper than second edition.

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Remus Ventanus

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. A very useful Officer of the Line for the Ultramarines.

Background.

Remus Ventanus of the Ultramarines made a name for himself on Calth. Gathering the remnants of the 4th to him, he allowed the surviving tech-priest to finish regaining control of the orbital defence grid and then went straight on the rally the Ultramarines in an impressive fight back against the Word Bearers. In the later underground war, he became known as the Saviour of Calth and his name rings through the background history of 30k because of it.

Strengths. 

Officer of the Line (2) already cuts Ventanus out as noteworthy. Although his stat line is nothing special, he comes with a host of special weapons and upgrades. 

The Icon of Calth provides S+1 to the unit he is with which is very impressive. 

The Vox Interlink is a +1 for reserve tests which is nice. 

His weapon, Phaeton, is okay with A+1 and breaching combined with duellist's edge. 

Weaknesses. 

The points cost is too high for me to award 5/5 stars, and to be honest I almost gave 3.5 stars here due to that reason alone. 

Overall.

A very reasonable choice for the Ultramarines and to obtain Officer of the Line. His stat line is nothing impressive, but he does have almost a Swiss army knife worth of tools to bring to the table along with melta bombs and other items. He needs a transport in all probability, but he is very versatile overall. And that is also his weakness: a lack of focus. But since this is Ultramarines we are talking about, there isn't really a true emphasis beyond tactical flexibility. And Remus Ventanus is an exemplar of that. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Roboute Guilliman

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded down due to points cost. A later game threat in close combat. 

Background.

Roboute's accomplishments before, during, and after the Heresy are a tough pack to pick between. Not only did he rule 500 worlds before the Emperor arrived, he forged his legion into a highly meritocratic army capable of adjusting to almost anything. He is the leader of Ultramar, a statesman, a warrior, a leader, a wise man and intellectual, and master strategist capable of ingesting vast arrays of data at a glance. 

Strengths. 

With 6's across the stat line except a 7 in WS, the Primarch of the Ultramarines is not exceptional for close combat. His side arm gives you a couple of S=6 bolts at AP=3 which is nice.

The Gladius Incandor is a power sword with 2 damage and breaching and a touch of duellist's edge. Not bad, but hardly outstanding. 

The Hand of Dominion is his power fist, and this is much more deadly with S getting up to 10 and AP=2 with 3 damage. The armour bane here is excellent, but it all comes at an initiative penalty. 

He has a special ability to gain focus roll modifiers according to the battle turn, up to +4. This is where Roboute really shines when he combines this with his power fist. Late game, he becomes more of a threat effectively. 

He gives out primes if we have 4 or more troops selected as tactical squads or assault squads. But the real army wide benefit comes from the ability to claim and contest objectives in turn 1 regardless of any status already earned. Potentially, this gives the army a turn 1 boost in some missions. But I suspect it won't see much actual use set against a benchmark of not having this rule unless you really hard optimize the army build. 

Weaknesses. 

Roboute doesn't really come across as very good offensively until later in the game (no doubt once he has watched the enemy carefully for several turns thanks to Calculating Swordsman and learned how to exploit their flaws). 

Overall.

The points cost is what drags me down to 3/5 stars here really. He costs like Alpharius, but doesn't hit as hard until later on. Sure, as a primarch he is still deadly, but not quite at the power level of many of his brothers initially. Timed well though, he can be deadly in the extreme. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Ultramarines Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are very good.  

Background.

The largest of the legions (assuming you miscount the Alpha Legion) were drawn in by Horus' plan and betrayed by the Word Bearers at Calth. There followed the underworld war, the Ruinstorm, and the Shadow Crusade. Alongside this they also built Imperium Secundus along with the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, and elements of the shattered legions. When all was said and done, they crusaded to destroy Davin, push the traitors to their limits, and rebuilt the Imperium proper. Although arguably not at the forefront of the Civil War thanks to Horus' manipulations and the Word Bearer's Betrayal at Calth, their wider forces contributed significantly and mopped up after the event in a way other forces simply were not able to do. Moreover, they were the spear that forced Horus' celerity at Terra: he knew they were coming and had to act before their full forces arrived along with others.

Armoury. 

Legatine Axe is a an excellent power axe upgrade for a small points value which yields S+1 and breaching at an incredible 4+. This is worth the upgrade for a number of your characters. 

Argyrum Pattern Boarding Shields gives a 5++ generally which increases to 4++ in melee. This is solid, but the points cost is steep; particularly when you factor in that most characters probably have 5++ natively anyway. 

Logisticae is a prime advantage for Ultramarine only armies to represent their superior organisational abilities and requisitioning. This gives you a free transport or heavy transport with +2 capacity. This is actually really quietly appealing and powerful. 

Tactica. 

Tactical Flexibility sounds like the Alpha Legion should own it, but the Ultramarines gain a reduced reaction cost per turn (down to zero). In essence then, the army gets a free reaction every turn. This is very plausibly their strongest aspect, and I almost gave 5/5 star rating for this alone.  

Gambit.  
Aegis of Wisdom grants access to the collective wisdom of the legion which provides focus+1 for every command model at the expense of outside support. This is strong because presumably you have plenty of Consuls in your army. 

Additional Detachments. 
Primus Demi-Company gives a mixture of slots, but the command slot must be an Optae. Can't have everything, but this is close with a lot of customization possible. 

Advanced Reaction. 
Retribution Strike allows you to fire back using a unit that was not targeted by whoever dared fire at you. Its very nice really and can help with concentrated fire against any unit that is shooting at you. 

Overall then the Ultramarines feel a bit generic - but that comes with the territory here. Yet they also show how that can be a strong advantage when played right. 

That's a large chain axe!

A bit of modelling this weekend saw another jump pack assault squad marine assembled with a large chain axe in hand!

What I found a little bit tricky about this model was aligning the arms and hands so that everything connected well. Even though I dry fitted it several times over, the truth is that I didn't get the alignment perfect. It is not that noticeable, but if you look closely at the left hand (his left hand) wrist, it is not quite correct. The paint job will cover this up very adequately since this will ultimately be a World Eaters model, but all the same, the assembly was certainly frustrating exercise in three dimensional Tetris with glued together finger tips! 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Saturnine Dreadnought

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The new dreadnought on the block costs a lot of points, but packs a good punch!

Background.

Refined by Vulkan from the design of the Saturnine terminators, this dreadnought towers over everything. The Saturnine has massive generators which are needed to power the incredible weaponry and keep alive the interred marine within.

Strengths. 

An amazing stat line with T=8, S=8, and 8 wounds plus a 4+ invulnerable save makes this dreadnought a threat in itself. 

There are 4 options for the main weapons. 

The Heavy Plasma Bombard gives you a big pie plate at S=7 and AP=2, with the possibility to overload to enhance the strength. Barrage is great here and the range is very nice. 

The Disintegrator Cannon gives a couple of S=9 shots at AP=2 and 3 damage each. The overload here is risky indeed. But with 8 wounds, you won't die on a turn one misfire from overload at least. Very powerful and useful for deleting enemy lesser dreadnoughts. 

The Inversion Beamer is a nice pie plate that is more effective under 15 inches in terms of strength, damage and AP and with a big pie plate. I actually don't like this one as much as the other options as the range just doesn't gel as well. 

The Graviton Pulverizer is similarly short range with a smaller blast but yields pinning, shock and breaching. Again, not my favourite, but the range gels okay with the inversion beamer. I like it with the disintegrator best I think. 

For the other weapons, the photonic incinerators are nice flamers for panic, concussive resonators as also a template but give you stun with two shots at the risk of overload, and particle shredders are similar with breaching. I like the flamers best myself as a defensive measure due to panic and no overload (you already have that risk if you run disintegrators). 

Weaknesses. 

Intelligence is 5 once again, and we have the liability to explode in common with other dreadnoughts. 

Builds.

Saturnine with Disintegrator Cannon and Heavy Plasma Bombard (340 points). 

Straight out of the box, and actually my favourite build. Effective against many targets.

Saturnine with two Disintegrator Cannons (350 points). 

In the realm of risking deleting yourself, but at least not on turn one, this is actually viable but don't expect it to last too long. 

Saturnine with two Heavy Plasma Bombards (340 points). 

Sit back and barrage! Its a reasonable option. 

Saturnine with Inversion Beamer and Graviton Pulverizer (350 points). 

Fundamentally shorter range. I am tempted by the concussive resonators and particle shredders here actually. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Leviathan Dreadnought

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. Spherically excellent! Also has the rule of cool for collecting, assembling, and painting. 

Background.

When you have the resources to create an Imperial Knight, but want to keep a dying space marine alive instead and combine him with astonishing firepower or close combat potential, the Leviathan is the outcome. Their incumbents paid the price for this tough, glowing brightly but burning out fast. All the while, the Mechanicum looked on uneasy at their creation as the Leviathan was a purely Terran creation.

Strengths. 

An excellent stat line with T=8, S=8, and 7 wounds. 

The customization is excellent as well. 

Choose the Siege Claw for close combat nastiness - the AP=2 is excellent and damage=3 amazing, particularly at S=10. Paired just gives you an extra attack, so you might want to have a ranged weapon as the second armament potentially. 

Choose the Siege Drill for armour bane. You take an initiative penalty, but gain damage=3 and S=12 this way. The paired siege drills enhances the damage, but if you are going all-in on melee, I would advocate one drill and one claw overall to face off against almost anything.

The Grav Flux Bombard gives you different conditions (pinning, shock) with a big pie plate, but intermediate range. I probably wouldn't run two of them paired though. 

The Storm Cannon gives you four shots at bolt gun range which is nice over all for the strength. Paired is great. 

The Cyclonic Melta Lance is fairly short range but really powerful. Possible candidate for being paired, but I'd prefer a drill for going after other targets to be candid. 

Volkites probably are not worth the upgrade cost, but the phosphex is a good idea for those legions that don't really subscribe to the Geneva Convention. 

Weaknesses. 

Leviathans drop to 5 in Intelligence, but presumably you don't care.

It also explodes like other dreadnoughts. 

Builds.

Leviathan with Siege Claw and Siege Drill (225 points). 

Classic close combat set up. Take phosphex to taste. You will need to think about a drop pod due to the slow movement though. 

Leviathan with 2 Storm Cannons (250 points).

The classic dakka option with a reasonable range. 

Leviathan with Siege Drill and Cyclonic Melta Lance (245 points).

The anti-tank option. Don't forget the melta gun buried in the drill. 

Leviathan with Grav Flux Bombard and Siege Claw (230 points).

Mid-range. And long range weapon works with the claw realistically. 

Leviathan with Storm Cannon and Grav Flux Bombard (245 points).

Mixed ranged threats.