I have several problems with the blood angel list because I?m a fluff lover and find that the vast difference between the codex list and the blood angel list disturbing. Even though they are a unique chapter they are a CODEX CHAPTER.
The difference between blood angels and other chapter is simply the experience of their Primarch in the Horus heresy. This may seem like an odd difference but is it the difference. The blood angels infinitely more than other chapters were changed by the Horus heresy. We all know that Sanguinius walked into Horus?s lair and confronted him and died but that is just the short of what happened
Horus, in his limitless malice mad sure that Sanguinius?s death was the most painful and foul that the boundless evils in his service could administer. The Warmaster?s psychic assault echoed not just throughout space, but also throughout time, resonating in the souls of his children?.The pain inflicted on the Primarch was so total the every one of his sons carries the echo imprinted deep within their soul to this day
And so it was that the Blood angels came to bear their blood-curse, and they bear it still. (Index Astartes II pg. 35) (GREAT read
This experience is engrained into the mind of every blood angel. Along with these memories comes the intense emotion along with it. So every blood angel?s psyche is affected by this ?race-memory? much like trauma survivors. The feel the frustration that Sanguinius felt having been denied battle and this affects how they think. They want to close with the enemy because the emotions that Sanguinius felt are always in their subconscious. These memories can also take over an individual and completely consume them. This is what happens when a blood angel goes into the Death Company. You can think of the blood angels as trauma survivors that have gone somewhat mental and thought the may not know it all of their actions are affected by it.
However they ARE STILL CODEX MARINES they follow the codex astartes just as closely as the rest of the space marine chapters. So it is my opinion that the blood angels list should not have large scale changes in it compared to the codex list. They do NOT differ in organization to other space marine chapters unlike the Black templars or white scars. So it is my opinion that the army list itself should not be changed so much but rather they should have a special rule to distinguish them. I know jervis hates special rules on principle and is very sparing with them. But a simple special rule would to a lot to give this army character. If any SM chapter is disserving of a special rule it is the Blood angels.
To restate the Blood angel differing from other chapters in the way they think not they way organize themselves. They are a codex chapter.
So with out further babbling here is my idea for a blood angels list. I have not changed any of the stats for the units because they were done well(I came up with the same stats in the old fourms under the name bloodman before the v1 list was out, though the baal pred is slightly different)
Blood angels army list(v3
??)Strategy rating 5
Initiative 2+
Detachment Units Upgrades Point cost
Assault Four Assault units Commander, Vindicator 175 points
Bike Five Bike units Commander, Attack Bike 200 points
1 Death Company One Death Company unit with Chaplain plus transport. Add one additional Death Company per 1000 points (or part thereof) in army. None 100 points +75 per additional unit
Devastator Four Devastator units plus transport Commander, Razorbacks, Dreadnought, Hunter, Land Raider
250 points
Land Raider Four Land Raiders Commander, Vindicator 400 points
Land Speeder Five Land Speeders Commander, Typhoon/Tornado 200 points
Landing Craft One Landing Craft None 350 points
Predators Four Predators(may choose either Annihilators or
Destructors or Baals or a combination of the three)
Commander, Vindicator 300 points
Scout Four Scout units plus transport Commander, Razorbacks, Sniper
150 points
Strike Cruiser One Strike Cruiser Battle Barge 200 points
Tactical Six Tactical units plus transport Commander, Dreadnought, Razorbacks, Hunter, Vindicator
300 points
Terminator Four Terminator units Commander, Land Raiders,
Dreadnought, Vindicator
325 points
Thunderhawk One Thunderhawk Gunship None 200 points
Vindicator Four Vindicators Commander 300 points
Whirlwind Four Whirlwinds Commander, Hunter 300 points
Upgrade Units Point cost
Attack Bike Replace any number of Bike units with 1 Attack Bike each Free
Battle Barge Replace Strike Cruiser with Battle Barge 150 points
Commander Add one Space Marine character to a unit in the formation. The Commander may be a Captain, Librarian or Sanguinary High priest(counts as chaplain). (+50 points if One Space Marine Commander in the army may be a Supreme Commander Supreme Commander) 50 points
Dreadnought Add up to any two of you choice of Dreadnoughts or Furioso Dreadnoughts 50 points each
Hunter Add one Hunter 75 points
Land Raiders Add up to four Land Raiders 100 points each
Razorbacks Replace any number of Rhinos with 1 or 2 Razorbacks each per Razorback +25 points
Sniper One Scout unit may be given the Sniper ability +25 points
Typhoon/ Tornado Replace any number of Land Speeders with 1 Land Speeder Tornado or Typhoon each +25 points Typhoon
+10 points Tornado
Vindicator Add one or two Vindicators 75 points each
Formation Point cost
Two Thunderbolt Fighters 150 points
Two Marauder Bombers 300 points
One Warlord Class Titan 850 points
One Reaver Class Titan 650 points
One to Two Warhound Titans 250 points each
Special rules
The blood-curse
Blood angels are very enthusiastic about ripping there opponents apart in close combat. All blood angels infantry stand are subject to the following rules
? Blood angel?s infantry get a +2 to initiative rolls for engage actions and a -1 to sustained fire.
? if 3/4 or more of the infantry stands of a formation in an engagement is in Base to base contact with the enemy and used there close combat value then that formation gets a +1 to combat resolution. This only applies if a formation had infantry stands in the first place. So for a full devastator detachment 3 out of the 4 units would have had to be in close combat to get the bonus or 4 out of 6 for a full tactical detachment.
Death Company
The following special rules apply to Death Company formations when they are given orders:
? The Death Company may not be given Sustained Fire or Marshal orders.
? If a Death Company formation is sufficiently close to any enemy unit to engage (even if only one stand can move into firefight range), they must be given an engage order and assault the nearest enemy formation.
? During assault resolution, a formation does not gain the +1 bonus for outnumbering a Death Company formation. Note that they still receive the +1 for doubling the formation, if it applies.
Additionally, Blood Angels benefit from the They Shall Know No Fear and Transport special rules from the Codex Space Marines army (see Epic Armageddon Rule book for details).
These may seem long but both are explained rather thoroughly.
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