Now that we've finished with the various units, we will be moving on the the other areas of the book, such as warlord traits, stratagems and psychic powers. To start with we will look at the warlord traits and relics of Baal.
Warlord traits
Speed of the Primarch
If you have a tooled up combat monster of a warlord, then this is the trait for you. Having the option to always fight first or second at worst, is a great bonus for a combat character, giving you the ability to hit them before they hit you. This is one of the better trait options as well.
If you have a tooled up combat monster of a warlord, then this is the trait for you. Having the option to always fight first or second at worst, is a great bonus for a combat character, giving you the ability to hit them before they hit you. This is one of the better trait options as well.
Artisan of war
Another great trait and one with some versatility. This trait give one weapon, not including relics, an extra point of damage. This means that you can put it on a power weapon for some extra close combat punch or a ranged weapon for some better shooting, how about a 2 damage plasma pistol with out the danger of over charging. This is one of the two that I usually go for for my warlord, the other being Speed of the Primary.
Another great trait and one with some versatility. This trait give one weapon, not including relics, an extra point of damage. This means that you can put it on a power weapon for some extra close combat punch or a ranged weapon for some better shooting, how about a 2 damage plasma pistol with out the danger of over charging. This is one of the two that I usually go for for my warlord, the other being Speed of the Primary.
Soulwarden
Of your going to be facing psychic heavy armies then this might be an option to use. Giving you the ability to make a dent the witch roll every phychic phase can be quite useful, however, if your facing psychic heavy armies, one deny isnt going to do much and also, why not just take a librarian? That way you get some other powers as well. To me this is a very specific trait and I think that others are better, why deny a power when you can just kill the psyker by killing it in combat with speed of the primacy or at range with Artisan of War?
Heroic Bearing
This one seems to be fairly standard across most armies in one form or another and grants you the ability to ignore morale around your warlord. In some armies, such as guard, this makes sense but for marines with there automatic morale re-roll anyway, it seems like over kill. Unless your planning on taking heavy casualties, this trait is not one that I would use.
This one seems to be fairly standard across most armies in one form or another and grants you the ability to ignore morale around your warlord. In some armies, such as guard, this makes sense but for marines with there automatic morale re-roll anyway, it seems like over kill. Unless your planning on taking heavy casualties, this trait is not one that I would use.
Gift of Forsight
Again, one of the more standard warlord traits, granting the ability to ignore woulda on a 6+ or if you have the black rage ability, on a 5+. Now, I'm in two minds about this one, as having played against nurgle armies several times, the power of disgusting reliance is amazing, the amount of time I have poured enough fire power to wipe out a unit, only to see one or two models removed. However. I seem never able to make a 6+ save on my death company. I think it could be useful on a very combat orientated character to help them survive but if you have a combat warlord then I would be taking one of the first two traits and not this one. This is really a trait to use if you really cant find a use for the first two on this list.
Again, one of the more standard warlord traits, granting the ability to ignore woulda on a 6+ or if you have the black rage ability, on a 5+. Now, I'm in two minds about this one, as having played against nurgle armies several times, the power of disgusting reliance is amazing, the amount of time I have poured enough fire power to wipe out a unit, only to see one or two models removed. However. I seem never able to make a 6+ save on my death company. I think it could be useful on a very combat orientated character to help them survive but if you have a combat warlord then I would be taking one of the first two traits and not this one. This is really a trait to use if you really cant find a use for the first two on this list.
Selfless Valour
This is another common trait and again one that I think will see little use. This trait gives you the ability to perform a heroic intervention from 6 inches away. Now this suffers from the problem that it is best used by a combat orientated character but there are two other traits that are significantly better for such a character. While heroic interventions are useful, I'm not sure that the extra this trait gives you really makes that much difference. Overall this is potentially the weakest trait here but it can still have it's uses.
This is another common trait and again one that I think will see little use. This trait gives you the ability to perform a heroic intervention from 6 inches away. Now this suffers from the problem that it is best used by a combat orientated character but there are two other traits that are significantly better for such a character. While heroic interventions are useful, I'm not sure that the extra this trait gives you really makes that much difference. Overall this is potentially the weakest trait here but it can still have it's uses.
So thats the warlors traits and as usual there a mixed bag, some good and some not so good. Next up are the Relics of Baal.
Hammer of Baal
This replaces a models thunder hammer and while it still has the standard hammer profile, it looses the -1 to hit. This may not seem a lot but in the right hands it can make quite a difference. The standard build right now seems to be the smash captain, armed with a thunder hammer. With this version he is hitting on 2's re-rolling 1's. This makes it pretty reliable at damaging whatever it's hitting. This is a strong relic for a heavy hitting combat character.
This replaces a models thunder hammer and while it still has the standard hammer profile, it looses the -1 to hit. This may not seem a lot but in the right hands it can make quite a difference. The standard build right now seems to be the smash captain, armed with a thunder hammer. With this version he is hitting on 2's re-rolling 1's. This makes it pretty reliable at damaging whatever it's hitting. This is a strong relic for a heavy hitting combat character.
Angles Wings
Now, while the hammer above is good for hitting, this relic is very good at getting you in to combat. This is the other option for the smash captain, as it replaces the models jump packs and allowed you to re-roll charges but also stops your opponent from over watching! This is my usual choice of relic, on a lieutenant, supporting a Chaplin and the death company. Charge in the lieutenant and shut down the overwatch before charging in the rest. Against some armies, such as nurgle Desmond, it's not very powerful, against others, Tau, it can be very powerful. For me this is one of, if not, the best relic here.
Now, while the hammer above is good for hitting, this relic is very good at getting you in to combat. This is the other option for the smash captain, as it replaces the models jump packs and allowed you to re-roll charges but also stops your opponent from over watching! This is my usual choice of relic, on a lieutenant, supporting a Chaplin and the death company. Charge in the lieutenant and shut down the overwatch before charging in the rest. Against some armies, such as nurgle Desmond, it's not very powerful, against others, Tau, it can be very powerful. For me this is one of, if not, the best relic here.
Veritas Vitae
This relic appears in almost every codex under one name or another and grants the ability to regain a command point every time you use a stratagem. With a 1 in 3 chance of regaining a stratagem it can be useful but you could go all game without regaining a single command point. For me, I wouldn't take this relic as my main chance but then you have to think about whether it's worth spending a command point (one you cant regain) on getting it as a second relic.
This relic appears in almost every codex under one name or another and grants the ability to regain a command point every time you use a stratagem. With a 1 in 3 chance of regaining a stratagem it can be useful but you could go all game without regaining a single command point. For me, I wouldn't take this relic as my main chance but then you have to think about whether it's worth spending a command point (one you cant regain) on getting it as a second relic.
Gallians Staff
This relic makes more sense now than it did when the codex was released, due to the changes to smite in chapter approved. If your spamming smite then this won't really make much difference but if you have just a couple of psyker then this will help you get the second or third smite off. I don't really think that this is the best use of a relic but if you want to get smite off reliably, then this is the one to go for.
This relic makes more sense now than it did when the codex was released, due to the changes to smite in chapter approved. If your spamming smite then this won't really make much difference but if you have just a couple of psyker then this will help you get the second or third smite off. I don't really think that this is the best use of a relic but if you want to get smite off reliably, then this is the one to go for.
Archangles Shard
This relic is very specific, too specific I think. If you are going to be facing lots of big beasts then it could be worth it, but without any strength bonus, you'll still struggle to wound in the first place. This is not a relic in would recommend or one that I see being used a lot either.
This relic is very specific, too specific I think. If you are going to be facing lots of big beasts then it could be worth it, but without any strength bonus, you'll still struggle to wound in the first place. This is not a relic in would recommend or one that I see being used a lot either.
Standard of Sacrifice - Ancient only, 6" models gain 5+ fnp
This relic ifls for the ancients only and along side the standard abilities, it also grants a small "FNP" bubble. This is a good little bonus and as you are usually going to put your ancient with one of your more powerful units, it could be a good way of keeping them alive a bit longer.
This relic ifls for the ancients only and along side the standard abilities, it also grants a small "FNP" bubble. This is a good little bonus and as you are usually going to put your ancient with one of your more powerful units, it could be a good way of keeping them alive a bit longer.
Now, one of my biggest grumbles about the whole book, the fact that successor chapters have a limited selection of relics, as in the Archangels Shard and ………., well, that's just it. yes, successor chapters can only take the Archangels Shard relic and nothing else. This to me is not good. I can see why you could not get certain relics, which to me means the Veritas Vitae but the others? I'm sure someone else could have forged a master crafter thunder hammer or jump pack and I'd be surprised if other chapters don't have a standard that they revere, maybe the first banner ever used by the company or one that was present at a particularly important event in there history. I understand the significance of the Swords but I still feel that it is an unnecessary restriction. Luckily, my local group allows me to run my Eagle Knights successor chapter as de facto Blood Angles and therefore use all of the relics. Which is nice of them.
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