Horus Heresy 2e Review: Corvus Corax

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average for a Primarch. Don't get me wrong: he's crazy deadly. He's just not in the same league as some of his erstwhile brothers. 

Background.

His legion shattered at Isstvan, he survived nearly 100 days there with the remnants of his sons before rescue came - a triumph snatched from tragedy. In no small part this is likely due to his special ability to slip unseen, even in plain sight, which he passed on to some of his sons. 

Strengths. 

The stat line is somewhat "average" at least as far as Primarchs go with I=7, WS=7, and A=7 being notable. His warlord trait serves as an army wide boost to give both crusader and scouts, while also supplying a bonus movement reaction. Deep strike and hit and run supply the special rules apart from the Shadowed Lord rule which gives shrouded re-rolls of 1's after using hit and run to his unit and rolling an extra die and discarding lowest for using hit and run. This is solid.

Armour is standard, but gives shrouded at 4+. His weapons with AP=2 at the user's strength, but he gets to add a bonus rule from murderous strike, rage, or sudden strike at his whim. This is nice and provides great tactical flexibility. His pistols are solid thanks to the rending rule, and deflagrate will help whittle down larger squads here too. His pinions meanwhile grant movement=14 with bonuses against terrain. 

Weaknesses.

He is in the lower third of the power levels for his brothers. Sure, he will beat Magnus, and Alpharius in a fair fight most of the time. But he's going to struggle against most. So use that hit and run rule to best effect. 

Overall.

I like the army boosts and the fluidity of movement that he has combined with the defensive shrouded rules. His pistols are also worthy of note too. 

Difference to First Edition.

I don't like the fact that he's lost the ability to be "downgraded" and replace the pinions with a heavy bolter to represent his time on Isstvan. Please can we FAQ this?