Horus Heresy 3e Review: Crimson Paladins

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are rather good.

Background.

These men are the guardians of the halls of the Primarch, also known as the Keruvin. Like others in the first sphere, they give up their identities and adopt new names. In battle, they are the "anvil" (not my words, I emphasize, but their role is not dissimilar).

Strengths. 

Terminators with power swords and power shields. They are very likable and the miniatures have the rule of cool.

The Coriolis pattern power shield is an interesting one. It reduces the wound characteristic of incoming blows by 1 to a minimum of 1. This is excellent. Moreover, when they are outnumbered, they gain feel no pain. This is bumped to a maximum of 4+ when more they are outnumbered by more than a factor of two. 

Native deepstrike is also impressive, combined with Line (1) and WS=5 plus the ability to take different upgrades thanks to Legacies. 

Weaknesses. 

I like the models, and when well painted, they OBVIOUSLY survive longer. I won't be taking any questions on this point. Not sorry. Love the models and sculpt. 

They will need to either use that deep strike more seriously, or have a transport solution. Unless you're just holding a key walkway or objective or similar. 

Builds.

5 Paladins, Exemplar with grenade harness (230 points). 

A baseline build for pure close combat. 

10 Paladins, Examplar with grenade harness, 2 Iliastus Assault Cannons, 2 Chain Fists (490 points).

Maximal build with good ranged fire power. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Aster Crohne

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars rounded up. The rules are good.

Background.

In a nutshell, Crohne is a natural born survivor. Massacres, bloody battlefields, and slaughters untold, this is a marine who just gets through everything and still looks good doing so. He is also an old-timer, and therefore somewhat shunned by the rest of the legion whose methods have changed since Sanguinius took over command. Despite this, he is a loyalist through and through even if in the modern 30k scene the ninth legion seems like the wrong fit for him (it used to be a great fit, but the legion demeanour changed).

Strengths. 

An Officer of the Line (2) is attractive here as a foot slogging infantryman. His stat line is fairly typical of a consul.

He comes with 2 hand flamers which are reasonable and the Saiphan Shard-Axe which yields an incredibly strong breaching of 4+ with A+1, S+1, and AP=3. This is strong, but you just need a transport solution for him. 

As the Ghost of Saiph with a natural talent for survival, he has evens chances of coming back with 1 wound when he gets removed for the first time in a game. This is nice without being over-whelming. 

Weaknesses. 

Could do with an extra attack if I'm honest and AP=2 for more stars from me, and the lack of a jump pack might result in him not being selected too often. 

Overall.

The Shroudmaker is in good form for third edition and provides a nice choice for those wanting Officer of the Line slots at a reasonable points cost and comes with a special axe that really works to chew up enemy wounds. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Dominion Zephon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good, and I've gone for 4 stars here due to Officer of the Line. 

Background.

With his career in the Blood Angels cut short thanks to a Xenos blade, Zephon was sent to Terra as one of the Crusader Host. His new bionic limbs didn't integrate with his remaining flesh initially. Until Land himself too an interest in Zephon. Land fixed up his bionics just in time for the siege of Terra where he rejoined his legion whole heartedly.

Strengths. 

The jump pack combined with a WS=6 makes for a potent combination for any commander. He comes with rad grenades as standard which will give him an edge where needed. 

He has two volkite 10 inch range pistols called lament and grief which can do some good damage largely through their S=6 and 6 shots total which is impressive. Meanwhile, the Spiritum Sanguis provides AP=2 and S+1 with reaping blow to make him effective in close combat. 

Nicely, he gets Officer of the Line (2) here which is amazing in third edition and the reason that I've bumped his star rating up to 4/5. This is the reason you'll take him along with that jump pack. Eternal Warrior rounds it out very nicely. 

Weaknesses. 

Costs more than Raldoron, but you do get a jump pack!

Overall.

Zephon has gone from an interesting if fluffy character in second edition, to an almost automatic include in third edition thanks to the combination of jump pack, rad grenades, effective short range shooting and solid close combat, combined with Officer of the Line and Eternal Warrior to create a commander who really does justify his costs and his place in the Siege of Terra. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Chapter Master Raldoron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are solid, but crying out for a jump pack!

Background.

All the legions have their legends - especially the duelists and close combat brothers. Eidolon and Lucius for the Emperor's Children. Corswain for the Dark Angels. Sigismund for the Imperial Fists. Even the Alpha Legion has something of a duelist in Dynat. Raldoron serves an equal purpose for the Blood Angels and his name is writ large in the annals of the Great Crusade. 

Strengths. 

WS=7 is strong for a non-primarch named character. The rest of the stat line is very reasonable and praetor levels. 

He comes with the Encarmine Warblade which gives AP=2 and a valuable 2 damage with S+1, impact on AM and also critical hitting. This will cause some serious damage. 

The has Archein of Wisdom which enables him to learn from his enemies (as a gambit). This gives you a bonus for your focus roll equivalent to the number of successful hits made against you last strike step. This is very nice for taking the focus win!

Weaknesses. 

Not many realistically for what you are getting here. I would recommend a transport solution since he sadly doesn't come with a jump pack and this is the biggest negative here. 

Overall.

Very reasonable for the points cost!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Sanguinius

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. Excellent!

Background.

Much can be said about the Primarch's background. He has a fame that is the equal of Horus, and arguably should have been selected as the Warmaster over Horus, not that he actually cared for that role or accolade. He had the gift of foresight, much in the same way as some of his brothers (e.g., Night Haunter), not that that helped him too much. He also has wings and was not considered a mutant to be destroyed. He was glorious. Enough said.

Strengths. 

I want to pause first and just note to readers the movement rate of 16. This alone is impressive. Factor in WS=8 and you have a serious contender for top threat level in the Heresy. 

The rest of the stat line isn't actually that impressive with 6's literally everywhere else (12 in leadership of course, and 10 in the other advanced stats). But his weapons make up for this. 

The Blade Encarmine gives S+1, critical hitting, and impact (AM). Or you can swap it out for the Moonsilver blade (duellist's edge at 1) and the Spear of Telesto (S+3, AM-2, IM-1 with armour bane and shock for suppression). You can't really go too wrong either way to be very honest except that the Moonsilver blade is only AP=3. I'd actually favour the spear simply due to making his relative strength 9 and taking the negative modifiers against. 

The side arm, Infernus, is quietly great as well with 3 damage at AP=2 and melta. 

As a gambit, he has Angelic Descent for turn 1 only and when he charged (which you should be able to pull off with that movement rate). You gain a bonus equal to the Bulky rule of your enemy for the focus roll. This is excellent and potentially a winner against his brothers!

As sire of the Blood Angels, he gives prime slots when 4 troop slots are assault squads. That should be no surprise. You also get a deep strike reserves modifier of +1 once per turn which is very nice indeed.  

Weaknesses. 

T=6 is distinctly average territory for a Primarch. You will therefore need to win fights before you are killed. With W=6, you should be able to hold out, and with the focus bonus from the gambit you should be going for a big kill or similar on turn 1. He is a bit of a glass cannon perhaps, but can get the job done very well (hence my weakness comment here isn't actually much of a weakness, but I wanted to write something anyway). 

Overall.

High points cost relative to other primarchs, but also very much worth the cost. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Blood Angels Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. I almost gave a higher rating. The Blood Angels are strong in third edition when built and played as intended. 

Background.

To me, the Blood Angels are almost a loyalist version of the Emperor's Children (or maybe it is the other way around to some of you?). They have a predilection for art and the finer things in life, having hailed from the wastes of Baal. Their primarch's gene-helix raised them high but at cost. Vampires in all but name, they got bogged down at Signus by the Warmaster and after a little sojourn in the Unspoken Empire, made haste to Terra to defend the throne at incredible cost. 

Armoury. 

Inferno Pistols are a very short range melta shot with S=8 and a valuable AP=2. Great for causing damage on the way in, and as an accent to a melta-cide unit. 

Blades of Perdition are power weapons set on fire basically. Aflame causes a leadership penalty when hitting a target unit and this is certainly valuable for combat purposes. Worth taking. 

The Iliastus assault cannon is similarly nice and has a place in heavy support squads, veterans, command squads, terminators, predators and leviathans. Sponsons and pintles are similarly good quality for this cannon. Overload (1) is a risk if you use it on maximal, but that's the gamble. 

Revenants is a Prime Force Organization Slot upgrade that gives Fear (1). Handy in some circumstances and often a surprise to opponents who don't regularly play against Blood Angels to remind them that they eat others' flesh. You will be causing routs with this when combined with the Blades of Perdition and the Tactica below. 

Tactica. 

Encarmine Fury returns in third edition . You get a flat S+1 in the turn you charged. This is still solid, but not as good as first edition, and equal to second edition. 

Gambits.  
Thrall of the Red Thirst lets you ignore focus negative modifiers caused by wounds lost but you don't get outside support. Its a trade off that sometimes works, but not really a top pick. 

Additional Detachments. 
Revelation Host is very specific and fluffy: you get up to 2 assault squads and 2 dawnbreaker cohorts. 

Advanced Reaction. 
Wrath of Angels allows you to get closer to the enemy that shot at you. Take a full move toward them. Its that simple. Oh, and if you get very close (6 inches) force them to take a cool test or be pinned in place by your glory or vampiric disposition (delete as appropriate). 

I regard the Blood Angels as really rather good in third edition. The combination of blades of perdition, revenants, and encarmine fury is excellent. Layer on top of this wrath of angels to get you closer, and long range support from S=6 auto cannons with breaching and heavy (FP) and you have an army that can tackle most comers.