Background.
Sworn to ensure the lives of the senior command staff, the Deathwing are portrayed as the elite personal guards of the Dark Angels' commanders. The best of them have taken death blows intended for their commanders and are entitled to wear the bone white armour that would later become synonymous with the Death Wing in general. Of course, this is a little bit of a ret con compared to the tale in old-hammer of how the Death Wing saved one of their recruitment worlds from genestealers and to commemorate that event painted their terminator armour bone white since then. Modern Death Wing feels like a blend of these guys plus the Inner Circle Knights Cenobium. But I fear I've already digressed.
Strengths.
There are many ways to build out this unit, from power armour to terminators, and with close combat to ranged possible.
More than this, as an HQ unit attached to a warlord, I would suggest that they are a superior choice to regular command squads for a 30k army and probably a "must" for many Dark Angels builds. Doubly so given their affordable points cost. The ability to automatically pass "look out sir" tests coupled with denying precision shots and similar for the Praetor that is with them is amazing and will give opponents a more significant headache to achieve "slay the warlord". Further, with 2 wounds on the Oathbearer, this unit is going to see a lot of play in my opinion.
Weaknesses.
Scions of the Death Wing is not a great Hexagrammaton rule, but I guess you can't have everything. Also the HQ cannot leave the squad, but that's exactly to be expected.
Builds.
Frankly, there are many ways to kit out this unit. I'm not going to be able to be exhaustive here, but I will give a sampling instead.
9 Death Wing, 1 Cytheron pattern aegis, 5 combi-plasma (330 points).
Keeping the number to 9 so that the Praetor (or similar) makes 10 and hence the unit can grab a dedicated transport. The combi-plasma is for offence, whilst the aegis is for lowering the initiative of the enemy if charged or in a fortuitous position. Take Terranic great swords or Calibanite warblades to taste.
10 Death Wing, all with jump packs, melta bombs, 3 power fists, 2 plasma pistols (520 points).
Not quite worth it points wise here (arguably), but this is now a table defining unit able to swoop on select targets with a jump pack equipped Praetor. The down side is the lack of invulnerable save and fearless.
Keeping the number to 9 so that the Praetor (or similar) makes 10 and hence the unit can grab a dedicated transport. The combi-plasma is for offence, whilst the aegis is for lowering the initiative of the enemy if charged or in a fortuitous position. Take Terranic great swords or Calibanite warblades to taste.
10 Death Wing, all with jump packs, melta bombs, 3 power fists, 2 plasma pistols (520 points).
Not quite worth it points wise here (arguably), but this is now a table defining unit able to swoop on select targets with a jump pack equipped Praetor. The down side is the lack of invulnerable save and fearless.
5 Death Wing, terminator armour, 1 grenade launcher, 1 thunder hammer (237 points).
Pleasantly affordable. The grenade launcher is for a well timed stasis shell, and the thunder hammer is to back up the Terranic Greatswords or Calibanite Warblades (to taste). Consider taking a Proteus land raider.
10 Death Wing, terminator armour, 5 grenade launchers, 5 combi-meltas, grenade harness, 2 thunder hammers (555 points).
A bit of a death star unit, but honestly, other legions do this better. Still, this is one that will happily take on most comers.
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