Codex: Daemons Fundamentals

WARNING: This Tactica article is based on the old Daemon book. It is outdated and less-than-helpful. Use these tactics at your own risk! *Disclaimer added by Elric Greywolf 25 Aug 2013

(In the context of the 5th edition rumors being true...)

Ed's Daemon Codex Fundamentals and Analysis.

by Ed Zimmerman of Chicago

Overall

The units in this codex can be divided into "must have" and "not even if you paid me to field them" units. There are very few, if any, in the middle. Some will be absolutely necessary against some armies, and others will be complete wastes. Overall, the units are among the most powerful ever seen, and the fact that they're all in the same codex is pretty amazing. To balance this out, the army gets somewhat hindered by randomized deepstriking deployment. More on that later.

Icons

They're expensive, but necessary. In my test games, I tended to buy them for almost every unit that could purchase them, and in most cases I'm glad I did.

The Powers

Khorne

Incredibly powerful. Almost everything ignores armor saves, has high weapon skill and number of attacks. Many units also have the option to pick up a marine armor save or come standard with it. They're also among the high cost units, but not to the extend in 3rd edition (where bloodletters were almost twice the cost of daemonettes). Lacks any real shooting, which is to be expected.

Nurgle

Right now, it's my favorite flavor. The whole army is incredibly resilient, and that's a must with an assaulting deepstrike army. The problem is that they're slow and they lack any real teeth. Unless you field Epidemius, then the "balance" gets thrown out the window. Lacks any real shooting.

Tzeentch

Your only real shooting in the codex. And boy, do they ever shoot! Most of the shooting is either over the top (Flamers of Tzeentch) or really lackluster for the points (any of the Tzeentch HQs).

Slaanesh

Fast and fragile. I'd like to say "deadly" as well, but the rending nerf makes baby Dark Prince cry. Before, one sixth of your attacks were auto wound, no saves. In fifth, it'll be one sixth of your wounds are AP2. And you'll only get a bonus +d3 for vehicle penetration. The exception to this is the Keeper of Secrets, who could care less about rending being a S6 monstrous critter.

HQs

Character Greater Daemons

1. Ku'Gath - I'm torn on him. He's a better GUO, with all the gifts and two unique powers, but at almost twice the cost. I think the free nurglings are useless, so the main reason for taking him would be the large blast template. Unfortunately it has no effect on vehicles, and that's the one thing Nurgle needs help with.
2. Fateweaver - This guy is nice. He almost doubles the survivability of daemon units within 6" of himself. His drawback regarding possibly dying early isn't a real concern because his LD is high enough. Also, his ability to re-roll his own 3+ invuln save means that he's going to be very hard to wound at all. And having almost all the other "psychic" powers in the codex doesn't hurt.
3. Skarbrand I haven't played with him yet, but I can already tell I won't like him. He's not as fast as a Bloodthirster, and not as resilient as a Great Unclean One. His unique ability is a big deal, but it is also a big deal for your opponent. Obviously, his ability is best utilized by offensive hand to hand units. Pretty much anything Slaanesh or Khornate are good choices. Nurgle units wouldn't be bad either, because they're resilient enough to accept the return damage from your opponent. The problem is that if you end up playing against a hand to hand list, his ability could do more harm than good.

Greater Daemons

1. Great Unclean One - I think this is my favorite HQ. High toughness, high wounds, good invuln, FNP. He has an ok number of attacks, and he wounds everything on 2+. He's also the cheapest greater demon. I'd spend the points to give him cloud of flies and breath of chaos. The breath is nurgle's only real weapon against quick vehicles, and probably only when you initially land. The cloud of flies is not useful for the offensive grenade part, but very useful for the defensive grenades. He's slow, but thanks to deepstriking, that will only be an issue against a few armies.
2. Keeper of Secrets - MUSK! MUSK! MUSK! You might as well just add the points for Soporific Musk right onto his base cost. In other words, don't leave him without it. This thing is a beast, as long as you get to choose what combats it takes part in. Highest initiative in the game, and tied for the highest number of attacks on a monstrous critter = death incarnate. I think it's hard to go wrong with this one. This is the least resilient of the greater demons, so don't let it be out in the open.
3. Bloodthirster - I loved it back in 3rd edition. Now, honestly, it pales in comparison to its fellow HQ choices. Where most of the other demons got buffed, he got nerfed. It's not bad, it's just mediocre. The new codex puts way too high a price on wings, IMHO. In my view, the closer you can start to the enemy, the less value there is in special mobility. At least he comes with an armor save standard. I think he'll do well on the battlefield, but at quite a premium. I don't like the ranged attack for him (it should be AP1). While it's nice that he can get a collar of khorne equivalent, the collar itself has been nerfed (only a save versus psychic wounds). So even with it, he's still lash fodder. I think he'd be fine if he costs 20% less points, but so be it.
4. Lord of Change - I think they dropped the ball with this one. They tried to make a strong shooting GD, but failed to give it strong shooting. It ties for the most expensive GD, but it can shoot 2 guns a turn unless you spend a crazy amount of points on upgrades. And if you do spend those points, you basically get to fire one anti-tank gun and one anti-infantry gun a turn. And that's for almost C'tan points. He does have an incredible invulnerable save, but that's about the only nice thing I can say about it. If you're at all considering fielding one of these, just take Fateweaver instead.

The Heralds

Heralds in General - Leave them as Independent characters (so no chariots) and attach them to squads before they deploy. This ensures they don't get picked apart by small arms fire before they get a chance to do anything.

1. Skulltaker - He's excellent. I think the model looks terrible, but that's another topic altogether. His instant killing rending attacks are a nice bonus, but now there are basically two entire codexes that are immune to instant death (Nids and Daemons). This might become a trend in the future, but we'll have to wait and see. I'd upgrade him to a Juggernaut and attach him to either some Bloodcrushers or Bloodletters, at least for the initial deepstrike.
2. The Masque - I haven't used Pavane of Slaanesh at all yet. Her ability to use it a bunch is really her only trick. I don't value rending very much in 5th (made each rending attack worth about half as much), so her high number of attacks don't really impress me. I have to confess, though, that I have also neglected daemonettes in general. As with the other heralds, I'd attach her to some Daemonettes. In that regard, you have a much higher chance of getting into HtH with her, and you get to move around enemy units quite a bit.

(Suggested change) Although I haven't used the Masque I believe her one strength lies in the Pavane of Slaanesh. For 100 points you can drop her in to the middle of the enemy lines and scatter 3 units about and wait for her to be destroyed by anything (even a lasgun as she's only Toughness 3). The masque's biggest weakness is the fact that she's not an Independent Character, unlike all of the other heralds. Weither this is just a typo or what GW intended is not clear at this time but until she gets a major upgrade (or Independent Character status) she'll remain a pretty display piece.

1. The Bluescribes - These things are worthless, honestly. You get two ranged attacks per round, but you only get a 50/50 shot at choosing what your second attack will be. Huh? although you may get to use a good power twice and they have acess to all the powers not just tzeencth.
2. Epidemius - The Man, the Myth, the Legend. Talk about Support HQ. This guy takes the cake. He is the only justification for running a mono-god list, and it's a great justification. He can turn an incredibly high defense, low offense army into an even higher defense, super offense army. You just have to keep him alive. You do that by deploying him attached to a _big_ group of plaguebearers. 10-20 I'd say. Then fill the rest of your list with Nurgle goodness, and prepare for the tally. I think he's a unit that will really make a lot of opponents unhappy, and that's unfortunate. I think they went way too far with his buff table, but so be it.
3. Khornate Herald - This is the one herald that I would consider putting on a chariot. Then multiply him by four. They are quite resilient, and have some impressive stats.
4. Nurgle Herald - Waste of points for the most part. You might consider him to fill in the other half HQ slot left by Epidemius, but he'll only generate wounds with Breath of Chaos, and that almost doubles his cost.
5. Tzeentch Herald - If you were going to run a lot of Tzeentch, then this is a cheap way to add another Bolt of Tzeentch into your Horror Squads. That's about all I would do with them.
6. Slaanesh Herald I wouldn't take up an HQ slot with two of these. I'd rather field a Keeper of Secrets. But if you're set on using all your daemonettes from back in 3rd edition, then maybe fielding a quartet of these with Pavane and attaching them to daemonette squads wouldn't be a bad idea.

Elites

Fiends of Slaanesh - Reading the codex in order, you get to these guys and remark at what an excellent value they are for their points. Then you get to Seekers of Slaanesh, and boggle at how much cheaper they are. I'd pass on these.

(Second Opinion)If you can't afford to buy Seekers, Fiends are a good replacement. Also, you can get a higher strength on Fiends so they can be used against higher AV vehicles. Fiends gain the ability to do hit and run in exchange for losing the Seeker's grenades.

Flamers of Tzeentch - Want your opponent to have no fun? Field these! Each one has a flamer template that will remove half the models touching it unless they make an invuln save. They're too good for their points. They're also the only Elite that has a 3 model minimum (I suspect to prevent you from taking a single one with the Bolt of Tzeentch upgrade).

Bloodcrushers of Khorne- Just incredible. Not only are they extremely deadly in close combat, they're also the most resilient Elites choice. And they're the only elite choice that can take an Icon, which I found to be intriguing.

Beasts of Nurgle- These, point for point, are slightly better than plaguebearers. But only by the smallest margin, really. If you had an Epidemius list, it might make sense to take a few of these as single model units. Then you have to pray you don't get a killpoints scenario. Otherwise, Bloodcrushers are the all around better option. They are faster, more powerful in close combat, and more resilient (for the most part).

Troops

Nurglings - These guys benefit a lot from being Immortal Warriors. You have to chew through all 3 wounds, no matter how high your strength it. They are one of the best tarpit units in the game. My only regret is that you can only put up to nine in a unit. If you have Epidemius, these little ones don't gain the 3+ Plaguesword buff, but they do gain the Noxious touch and power weapon buffs, which makes them quite ridiculous. Excellent choice for just about any army. Take note, they don't get FNP, but they also aren't Slow and Purposeful.

Daemonettes - I don't like rending, so I don't like these. They got their attacks increased since 3rd edition, but they got their strength reduced. Besides, for a tiny amount of points more, you can get Seekers of Slaanesh (more on them later). I'm pretty sure these are the most commonly owned daemon in 40k armies, so we'll see them on the battlefield. Any close combat force will shred these, I'm afraid. They're great against low toughness, low armor targets, but what isn't? :)

Plaguebearers - These are an anchor unit that every daemon player should consider using. When these come onto the table, it will take a ridiculous amount of firepower to get rid of them. Give them an icon and use them for your reserve units to land near. If you're running an Epidemius list, these little guys will probably make up the majority of your troops (and possibly your army overall). Without Epidemius, they really have no offensive capability. One attack each and no power weapons is pretty pathetic.

Bloodletters - Excellent unit. I would advise that these be fielded in very large groups. Every wound they inflict is a dead model, for the most part. That's incredibly important for them because they aren't very resilient. Just keep these things away from dreadnoughts and wraithlords. Just about anything else should be fodder for the Throne of Skulls.

Horrors of Tzeentch - I think they've done these right. These are the bread and butter shooting of the codex, and they actually do it all pretty well. They come with arguably the best infantry ranged weapon in the game, and a decent BS to back it up. They're also given the option to purchase a nice anti-tank ranged weapon for very little points. One squad can also include the Changeling, which is a fun little upgrade model that has a kooky effect. Just take it, it's almost free. Keep these things out of close combat and they should do fine. They are also one of the codex's best answers to horde armies.

A Slaanesh second opinion on Daemonettes vs Bloodletters

Daemonettes move faster, strike earlier, and strike more often than Bloodletters. They also have offensive and defensive grenades, so they aren't concerned about charging into difficult terrain or being charged, really. True, everyone misses the old rending where a unit of daemonettes could massacre anything on the charge with enough box cars to hit, but we should all remain faithful. Against Marines, hits are going to be 1-4 wasted, 5 wound, 6 kill. But that's one less marine which is going to be swinging back.

Bloodletters don't have fleet, have a higher weapon skill, higher strength, higher toughness and have power weapons. Against Marines, every hit is wound is going to kill a marine but it's often going to be simultaneous or worse. Also, bloodletters are going to have more trouble assaulting into cover than daemonettes.

While both bloodletters and daemonettes are best used against infantry, they can be used against AV10 and A11 rear armor in 5th edition. Rending, more attacks, and fleet is going to give daemonettes an edge for catching vehicles and getting more penetrating hits than bloodletters, but bloodletters are going to have an edge surviving any exploding vehicles.

Fast Attack

Furies of Chaos - Worst unit in the codex. No reason to use them, which is terrible because I know they were pretty popular in their last codex. If you can spend your points on anything else, in the entire codex, spend it there instead. If you have a lot of these models, convert them.

Fleshhounds of Khorne - Same points cost as above, but wayyy better. These are great for hitting the soft underbelly of your opponent's forces. Send 'em at heavy weapon squads and the like. You can upgrade one of them to get get rending attacks, which is probably not a bad option. You can also upgrade a further fleshhound to be the character fleshhound, which comes with rending. And it gives the whole unit Move Through Cover. I'd recommend him if you were going to field these at all. (Edit: Karanak makes them an elites choice. - O'shavah)

Screamers of Tzeentch - Kinda goofy. Jetbike melta-bomb models. One the plus side, they're a very cheap unit to field, and they cause your opponent to keep their vehicles moving lest they eat some melta goodness. They have one purpose and one purpose only, so if you're ok with that, then enjoy! If you have 50 points to spare, and no real good place to spend them, a trio of these would be a good option.

Seekers of Slaanesh - These are the best fast attack option in the army. They combine rending with cavalry movement, meaning that they will reach out and touch someone if they survive their landing. And they're only a tiny bit more expensive than daemonettes. Whats the catch, you're asking? Well, if you want to field a full unit of 12 of these things, call your mortgage broker to arrange a refinancing of your home.

Heavy Support

Soulgrinder- This is a fantastic unit in every respect. The AV13 is a huge deal, especially in combination with the daemonic possession effect that this vehicle has. If it gets glanced, it gets to ignore any roll of 4 or lower on the table. It also gets to deepstrike like the rest of the army, and comes with some nice shooting upgrades that are reasonably priced (and they don't replace one another...you just decide which you want to use each turn). Hell, even his smaller ranged weapon is pretty incredible. He's also one of the deadliest walkers in close combat. It's hard to go wrong with this one.

Daemon Princes

Daemon Princes in General - each and every one needs Chaos Armor. Just add those points to his cost now. Without it, they die to small arms fire every time. Also, forget wings. They almost double his base cost, and you shouldn't have to spend many turns getting to your prey because you're deepstriking.

Demon Prince of Khorne - My least favorite option. He gets an extra attack and the most meager selection of upgrades.

Demon Prince of Nurgle - My favorite option. He gets a higher toughness, but more importantly, he gets Noxious touch. He'll wound anything on a 2+, and it costs half the points that +1 Str would cost. Because he's not Khorne, he can also get Breath of Chaos. In an Epidemius army, I'd go with three of these to help generate a fast tally. While they don't benefit from Feel No Pain (sadface), they also aren't Slow and Purposeful, so they're usually the leading the charge in an Epidemius army.

Demon Prince of Tzeentch - He's another Bolt of Tzeentch for the most part. Considering how badly this army needs anti-tank ranged weaponry, he might not be a bad choice considering his high ballistic skill.

Demon Prince of Slaanesh- Soporific Musk makes this guy viable. You could wreak havoc on your opponent with a gaggle of these things hitting and running throughout their force. They don't depend on rending, so that concern is gone. A pretty solid option.

Ed

Categories: Chaos Daemons 40K Tactica