Ok guys, you know the drill
This is something I should have done a few months ago but haven't really had the chance to do, this is my first proper 7th Edition Tactica and as such it is quite a long one (something I am trying to address in future series').
Make sure to not reply to this post until the last section - Manticores and Deathstrikes - has been posted! Thank you all!
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HQ's Part I
Commissar Yarrick
Overview
Historically one of the tougher choices when selecting a HQ for Astra Militarum forces is deciding between either a Company Command Squad or a Lord Commissar. On the one hand you get a Warlord that counts as between five and eight models that can issue Orders and provide all sorts of special abilities, and on the other a character that stops all your nearby infantry from fleeing the field. Both have their merits and until the new codex I would have generally said there is no clear victor, but then along comes an iconic unique character that flawlessly combines the best of both worlds.
Commissar Yarrick has been given some significant additions and a hefty points drop from his previous incarnation in an attempt to make him match the background of a born leader and a battle-hardened soldier. Where Yarrick previously was just a tough as nails Lord Commissar that was hard to fully beat down, the new one now has the same capabilities as a Company Commander and can thus direct your forces while also making sure they don't run away. This makes Yarrick a true generalist HQ choice that will function incredibly well in almost any match-up, though his value as a cheap denial of a Slay the Warlord victory point is also noteworthy.
The old traits of Yarrick are mostly all there, between the various tweaked Commissar rules affording his attached unit a guaranteed pass on most Leadership-based tests at the cost of an unlucky soldiers' life, bringing the pain with some nasty Strength 6 AP2 Unwieldy attacks and being one of the few normal humans to carry a Storm Bolter. His gimmick of getting back up on a 3+ similar to Necron Ever Living rolls is identical, but now Yarrick has both the Eternal Warrior special rule and a 4+ invulnerable save to really tank some damage.
Even despite losing out on forcing opponents to re-roll successful to wound roll against his Toughness 4, the addition of a 4+ invulnerable save and Eternal Warrior means he will "die" far less often with saves against power weapons and ignoring Instant Death. A Toughness 4 character with 4+ armour and a 4+ invulnerable save is nearly on par with a Space Marine Captain without upgrades for defence, but throw in the Iron Will and Eternal Warrior and you have yourself a Warlord that is incredibly unlikely to ever give up Slay the Warlord. His Commissar abilities and melee prowess serve to make Yarrick a great value package as-is, and that is before one even considers the rest of his abilities.
Yarrick has a guaranteed Warlord Trait that allows friendly Astra Militarum units within 12" to ignore Morale tests for losing 25% of their unit as casualties to a shooting attack. For an army that is heavily based around infantry-centric gun-lines, this is quite possibly the best Warlord Trait you could ask for - couple this with all friendly units within 6" of Yarrick using his Leadership value of 10 and you can see why many competitive players have sworn by the old dog.
While Yarrick strangely doesn't confer Stubborn - and no longer provides Fearless - the Summary Execution rules mitigate this problem for his unit at least, so there's no change of him or his unit running of the table. This makes him the perfect complement to a Primaris Psyker in a blob squad where Yarrick can act as both a bodyguard and fulfill the role of a Ministorum Priest by keeping the unit in check. A nice touch is that Yarrick also isn't reserved strictly to melee combat as far as damage output is concerned as he can use both his Storm Bolter and the Bale Eye to good effect with Ballistic Skill 5. The latter is effectively a Hot-Shot Laspistol that can be fired alongside the Storm Bolter which gives Yarrick a nice little attack for softening enemy units before a charge.
Of course, where Yarrick has seen the biggest change is in the addition of both the Voice of Command and Senior Officer special rules which sees him styled as a Company Commander in disguise. This means that not only can Yarrick issue Orders just like any other "Commander" model in the Astra Militarum, he can issue up to two Orders per turn and gets access to the strongest of these normally exclusive to Company Commanders. Orders are similar to classic psychic powers where they are based on a Leadership test, but their main value comes from opponents having absolutely no say in their application - Orders can't be stopped or denied! Not only is this a serious boon over psychic powers in general, but the fact that many of the Orders are so powerful - giving an entire unit Ignores Cover on its ranged attacks, or affording a squad both the Monster Hunter and Tank Hunter rules - sees that Yarrick's value is amplified exponentially as a support character.
When you consider that he also provides Leadership 10 to units within 6" - but not for Orders - Yarrick quickly stamps himself as one of the premier characters in the book. He stops your gunline from fleeing much like a Ministorum Priest, he is a nasty melee character similar to a kitted out Lord Commissar, he is an incredibly tough Warlord akin to a Tank Commander and he doles out high-tier Orders just as a Company Command Squad. Yarrick is the complete package and quite possibly the best HQ choice available to the Astra Militarum while he is easily the best special character in the codex. There is no army list that cannot be improved through the use of Commissar Yarrick.
A quick note for those confused about Yarrick having both the Chain of Command and Senior Officer special rules. Most groups and players are ruling that Yarrick can be the Warlord as long as you don't also take a Company Command Squad, as otherwise there would be no reason for him to have a Warlord Trait.
Best Uses
Commissar Yarrick belongs in the heart of an infantry based gunline sporting Artillery units and all kinds of heavy support options, whether it be Manticores or Leman Russ Battle Tanks. The sheer devastation that can be wrought by giving a Heavy Weapons Team Ignores Cover or Sabre Defence Platforms both Monster Hunter and Tank Hunter is insane and justifies Yarrick's inclusion alone. To then make the most of his other abilities, stick him in the middle of nice and big Infantry Squad blob consisting of at least thirty models plus characters; this unit will anchor your defensive line and with Yarrick and some psychic support this unit will be absolutely devastating as well.
You want to make the most of Yarrick's Leadership 10 bubble as well as his 12" range on ignoring Morale tests against shooting casualties and the "unit" requirement means you don't have to bunch up too much either. While you can use Yarrick more aggressively in a transport as part of a mechanized force, it will waste his Orders for several turns until your units disembark from their transports while also remembering that Guardsmen of all kinds don't belong in an assault except as a defensive or counter-attacking last resort. They are at home blasting the opponents to pieces while characters such as Yarrick are the lynchpins - though Yarrick is darned tough, try to keep him towards the rear of the unit he joins as you don't want him to die unnecessarily. If you want Yarrick in combat, join him to a unit of Bullgryns and an allied Land Raider Crusader for maximum devastation. The old dog also does well manning an Aegis Defence Line or Bastion weapon emplacement with Ballistic Skill 5, but keep in mind that he will still have to shoot at whatever unit the rest of the squad chooses (though you could expend an Order with Smite at Will to Split Fire).
Company Command Squads
Overview
Perhaps the most obvious example of the "drown them in bodies" approach of the Astra Militarum is that their traditional "Commander" option - equivalent to a Space Marine Captain or Ork Warboss - is actually a squad and not a single independent character model. While the Warlord him or herself is just the Company Commander, it is interesting that you the bodyguard is already factored into the (low) base price of the general.
At its core, a Company Commander Squad consists of five models, these being four Veterans and one Company Commander. The Veterans are as per the Troops choice unit and thus are essentially Ballistic Skill 4 Guardsmen with a heavily expanded array of options, while the Company Commander is a three wound model with weak stats befitting their nature as more of a leader than a fighter. While you can upgrade the Veterans in the unit to have nasty ranged weapons while giving the Commander better saves and deadly melee options, the fact remains that they are Toughness 3 models with mostly sub-par stats outside of their Ballistic Skill and Leadership. You do not want these in a direct engagement because of this and their low numbers so I would rarely recommend you kit them out for close encounters.
On the flip side, however, comes some amazing support abilities that really distinguish the Company Command Squad as a premier HQ choice for an Astra Militarum army, and these are manifested as Orders. These act much like psychic powers but with no direct way for the opponent to stop them and no actual risks for failing to manifest them, while the effects of each are generally rather strong. Being able to confer Precision Shots on fifty individual Guardsmen models as part of a blob squad can lead to some hilarious character sniping shenanigans, while firing an extra shot per model for ten Tempestus Scions armed with AP3 hot-shot lasguns at rapid fire range will often be devastating against Space Marines.
What distinguishes the Company Command Squad from a standard Platoon Command Squad is not only the improved profile of all models involved, but the additional functionality in regards to Orders. The Company Commander gains the Senior Officer special rule which is the capability to manifest two Orders a turn rather than just one, though it also unlocks three exclusive Orders that can be insanely powerful with effects like giving Monster Hunter to a squad of Veterans armed with plasma guns or instantly rallying a fleeing Guardsmen unit. Pair all this up with a very low cost across the unit, items like the Regimental Standard that are a literal god-send for your lower Leadership forces and a nice Leadership 9 Warlord option and there is little doubt the Company Command Squad is one of the highest value HQ choices around.
How to Equip Them
This one really depends on whether you transport them and if so what transport you purchase for the squad. If they are on foot and part of an infantry-centric gunline, maybe give them a heavy weapon team with a lascannon that makes full use of their Ballistic Skill 4. I also consider Carapace Armour a must for a Command Squad on foot and especially so if the Company Commander is your Warlord choice, while a Regimental Standard is a good and cheap option for making sure your various Infantry Squads and Heavy Weapon Teams don't flee.
Conversely, a unit mounted up in a Chimera will probably want either meltaguns or plasma guns, with the former being my preference for Command Squads given you can't really afford to lose them as a HQ choice. If you are playing Elysians or otherwise mount your Command Squad in a Valkyrie or Vendetta, between two and four flamers or a heavy flamer thrown in are great for clearing objectives but those options are generally better suited to the Ballistic Skill 3 Platoon Command Squad. Again, I would have to recommend melta or plasma weapons here, though melta weapons would probably edge out the plasma weapons in a flying transport because of the sheer mobility.
Generally speaking you want the points total to be low for this unit unless you are investing in either mobility or survivability as their main role is not to do damage but instead survive (especially if they are the Warlord unit) and buff your other squads through Orders, so try and keep the upgrades to a minimum. Camo Cloaks are a great upgrade but be wary of the fact that the Company Commander has to pay quite a bit more for them than the Veterans; otherwise, giving Stealth to a unit that will almost always be in cover is worth the points in almost any game. As far as the Regimental Advisors are concerned, the Astropath got a big buff in the new rules and is very much worth your time as - to my knowledge - (s)he is the cheapest Mastery Level 1 psyker in the game now and getting a bonus to both Deny the Witch and warp charge dice is always handy.
The Officer of the Fleet and Master of Ordnance are cheap options that either provide reserves bonuses or "free" Basilisk shots, though both are generally merely decent as only reserves heavy lists require the former while the latter is completely unreliable. Both are inexpensive though and are thus worth your time if you are playing with lots of flyers or outflanking units, or you just want an extra Basilisk shot every turn. As before, I would still recommend only taking the options you need as you don't want to invest too heavily into between five and eight Toughness 3 models with pitiful saves.
As for the Heirlooms of Conquest, the best of these for a Company Command Squad is undoubtedly the exclusive Kurov's Aquila. While this particular option costs as much alone as a Command Squad without upgrades, the incredible boost it provides to a stacked gunline list is more than worth the investment. That it affects units within 6" and not individual models is the kicker as you can use this to affect multiple units at a time with ease. The prime units to use in conjunction with this are Leman Russ Executioners, blob Infantry squads and possibly plasma-wielding Veterans as re-rolling 1s for units with lots of shots or Gets Hot is a god-send. To make the most of the Aquila, keep the Command Squad behind a wall of tanks such as Leman Russ Executioners as they will be target number one for any sane opponent. If the opponent brings Barrage weapons or can otherwise get at your squad through mobility or ignoring line of sight, place them in a building such as Bastion or even a Chimera to protect them but also increase the effective range of the effect. On the former, be wary that you will have to use the battlements for issuing Orders seeing as they cannot be issued when embarked in a building.
The other upgrades for a Command Squad are a bit more situational and less worthwhile, with the Tactical Auto Reliquary probably being the stand-out of the other two Command Squad exclusive items. Orders are fantastic and having a high chance of getting Inspired Tactics each turn is awesome, but I would only say this is really worthwhile if you have lots of Officers and Orders to spread around. The Laurels seem useful at first glance especially as the range is identical to the Aquila but when you consider that a Ministorum Priest that confers straight Fearless on a unit has the same cost, I'm really not sold on this. The Deathmask is a nice bit of wargear but you have to remember that a Company Commander already has a 5+ invulnerable save from his or her Refractor Field, while It Will Not Die really isn't that crash hot on a Toughness 3 model lacking Eternal Warrior. Unfortunately, the Aquila really is the only worthwhile Heirloom of Conquest for a Company Commander.
Best Uses
I do tend to prefer Company Command Squads either hiding in a Chimera at the back of your deployment zone where they can use the hatch to dole out Orders, or just sitting in terrain behind your wall of infantry and tanks. The main advantage a Command Squad has over a Lord Commissar as a mandatory HQ choice are the significant benefits that Orders provide, particularly the ones exclusive to Senior Officers. If you just want a Warlord that hides in an infantry squad and keeps your units from fleeing, the Lord Commissar is the superior option; if you want one that really buffs the damage output of your army though, the Company Command Squad is the best option.
Using the Ballistic Skill 4 of the Veterans on a Heavy Weapon Team with a lascannon or missile launcher is not a bad idea at all so that the squad can still be useful aside from Orders, but just keep in mind that this is a unit you want to keep as bare as possible as they are incredibly fragile. Sit back, use regular Guardsmen and Veteran Squads as a buffer and proceed to give out what amounts to Astra Militarum exclusive psychic powers with all the benefits and none of the downsides. If your Company Command Squad is on foot I recommend the Camo Cloaks first of all as while the Medic is a cheap upgrade I feel Stealth is a bit more universal given the sheer weight of Strength 6 shooting most armies can dish out - Carapace Armour is also a worthwhile option on the Veterans and Commander.
Regimental Advisors
Overview
Astropath - This was previously what I considered the weakest Regimental Advisor back in 6th Edition because the old psyker rules and low Leadership of the Astropath made it a limited and unreliable psyker at best. Enter 7th Edition with psychic tests no longer requiring Leadership tests, greater emphasis placed on generating warp charge points and Psychic Focus; Astropaths may as well be an entirely new unit. They are the cheapest psyker in the game, know two Telepathy powers - being able to throw a Psychic Shriek or roll up Invisibility means these are always scary - and get to hide in a Command Squad that is already built as a support unit. They are simply fantastic value for generating an extra warp charge point alone, but the two Telepahty powers add the icing on the sweet cake.
Officer of the Fleet - This is a cheap little character that gives the Astra Militarum a moving Comms Relay that also affects enemy reserves in a pinch. Based on a Leadership test at the start of each of his or her turns that is taken on his own mediocre value of seven, this is a useful tool either for or against a heavily reserve based list. The only problem here is that such builds aren't that common for Astra Militarum in particular unless you are running Elysian Drop Troops, that and you can't plan for whether an opponents' army list will feature reserves at all. Still, at such a low cost and with a such a good ability that stacks multiple times - take two so that opponents' reserves arrive on a 5+ -if you think reserves are going to be present in some form then an Officer of the Fleet is a decent purchase. Just remember that he cannot use the Company Commanders' Leadership value to use his ability and as such is unreliable at best - an unfortunate and rather massive nerf to an otherwise valuable model.
Master of Ordnance - If there's one Regimental Advisor that typifies the "if you have spare points" approach to purchasing models, it is the Master of Ordnance. This upgrade character gives you a whopping Strength 9 AP3 Ordnance Barrage Large Blast shooting attack every turn that he is on the battlefield and not sniffing worms, or what is essentially an even more inaccurate Basilisk battery at roughly one sixth of the cost. While this will rarely hit what you actually want it to, being Strength 9 AP3 with both Ordnance and Barrage means there is very little this won't hurt or flat our destroy, and being able to fire this without line of sight means the Master of Ordnance can remain safe at least for a few turns. As soon as this actually hits something - which it will if it gets to fire at least three times - it will make the Masters' points back immediately and with a bit of luck it can easily get casualties with a combined worth of several hundred points. If you have a Company Command Squad sitting still behind your gunline, the Master of Ordnance is virtually a must-include because of the insane damage potential at such a low cost.
Best Uses
Astropath - I feel the Astropath can be put to good use in a more mobile Company Command Squad because of the "free" Psychic Shriek attained through Psychic Focus and the mostly medium ranged Telepathy psychic powers. I prefer Chimeras as they are decently durable, allow the Company Commander to continue issuing Orders and provide a fire point for the Astropath to cast witchfires out of. Of course, the best Telepathy powers are blessings and maledictions and as such you'll want to be disembarked from a vehicle or building wherever possible, but having access to a durable and mobile transport will often be pivotal to keeping the Command Squad alive. I generally don't believe in a front-line Command Squad even with an Astropath itching to use Psychic Shriek so don't use the unit aggressively despite how alluring that power can be. Try and keep them at medium range and use Psychic Shriek as a nasty defensive tool to hopefully force opponents to deal with you through other means. Otherwise, Telepathy blessings and maledictions are more than enough to keep an Astropath occupied. If you get Invisibility, combine it with either blob squads or Leman Russ squadrons so that your opponents will absolutely despise you!
Officer of the Fleet - Combining an Officer of the Fleet with a Comms Relay of some kind almost guarantees that your reserves will automatically arrive on turn two, but gone is the ability to impose a penalty on your own rolls for tactical play. That you still can against enemies is a nice way to play with an opponent packing flyers or Outflanking units and give you early dominance in a game - something that the Astra Militarum with their insane ranges excel at. The Officer does not need to be stationary to use their ability but they do need to actually be on the board for it, so keeping them in Reserves when they themselves affect Reserves rolls is mostly pointless. Try to combine these in a list with multiple Vendettas or Valkyries and masses of Tempestus Scions to make the most of their special rule.
Master of Ordnance - Seeing as non-vehicle models cannot fire Ordnance weapons unless they either remain stationary or have the Relentless special rule, a Master of Ordnance consigns your Company Command Squad to sitting still for most of the game. Hiding in a building, ruin or transport is fine if you use them as as bunker and not as mobile protection is preferable seeing as the Master of Ordnance doesn't need line of sight to call an artillery strike. Try to aim this at juicy targets like Toughness 4 multiple wound models, infantry blobs lacking effective cover, medium vehicles that have already suffered hull point damage, important characters and so on. Ultimately, a Strength 9 AP3 Ordnance Barrage Large Blast poses a major threat to roughly 90% of all units in Warhammer 40,000 so you can rarely go wrong with targets unless you aim at 2+ armoured models. Combining the Master of Ordnance with Kurov's Aquila is pretty darn nasty for essentially guaranteeing you will wound whatever the strike hits!
Lord Castellan Creed
Overview
To review the Lord Castellan is to directly contrast his worth against a standard Company Commander; after all, what is Creed if not an upgrade character over the leader of your Command Squads? Unfortunately, I feel that Creed really doesn't justify his staggering points cost - relative to a Company Command Squad - enough to see regular competitive use outside of a few very specific builds. Regardless, what he brings to the table is undeniably impressive.
Creed uniquely has Leadership 10 as a Warlord option in a Company Command Squad, something you would usually have to employ Commissar Yarrick or a Lord Commissar to achieve. While this sadly won't help out friendly units for the purposes of Orders, certain Warlord Traits available to Creed through the Command table can really make the most out of this for your regular infantry.
Of course, Creed wouldn't be so famous if it weren't for his Strategic Genius and ability to inspire his soldiers to greater acts of service in the Emperors' name and thankfully at least one of these is still present in the new codex. Gone is the ability to freely Outflank a single unit of your choice, but Creed may now issue up to three Orders a turn and still counts as a Senior Officer for the purposes of using higher tier Orders. This is a fantastic ability alone but when combined with Creed's special rule that forces all failed Orders he issues to be re-rolled, Creed quite easily stamps himself as the best Officer character in the codex purely in terms of successfully issuing Orders.
While an almost army-wide Leadership 7 or so isn't great, giving each of your units what amounts to a free Vox Caster is immense and effectively doubles your chances of getting an Order off. That Creed can issue three a turn naturally and potentially up to four with the right Warlord Trait allows him to freely buff so many of your units to ungodly levels.
Creed has a few other very nifty traits that help stamp out a place for him in the codex as a bit more than just an expensive upgrade, and chief among these is his ability to generate two Warlord traits. Creed can either generate one each from two separate tables or both on one chart - generally speaking I prefer to attempt to maximise Creed's insane potential with Orders by rolling twice on the Astra Militarum Warlord Traits table. This is because the last two results both boost his Orders even further by allowing him to issue up to four and increasing the range of these by 6" to a total 18" bubble.
While Preferred Enemy and Relentless won't really help a Command Squad unless it is joined by a Master of Ordnance, the other traits are also useful either for reducing the amount of morale checks your squads have to make or allowing up to D3 units in his detachment to Outflank. The last of these is obviously a boosted version of his old unique ability with a restriction on it affecting his detachment only, though being available to Creed based on a random roll is nice enough I guess.
Where Creed starts to fall down is when one considers the value of Orders issued by multiple Senior Officers versus those taken by one model. Creed's exorbitant cost exceeds that of a standard Company Command Squad and he even replaces the Commander rather than simply being added to the squad. For the price of Creed, you could take two Company Command Squads and have the points spare to give one of them a Master of Ordnance or a few other upgrades. While Creed does offer a discount in regards to Vox Casters by forcing his unsuccessful Orders to be re-rolled, a pair of Command Squads can issue up to four Orders a turn and has double the survivability by spreading these out over two units.
Creed can issue three a turn but has identical survivability to a Company Commander that purchases cheap Carapace Armour, and he is a huge points investment for a single unit comprised entirely (unless you count Nork Deddog) of Toughness 3 models with poor saves. When you consider that Company Command Squads are among the most obvious targets for a smart opponent when trying to break down an Astra Militarum gun-line, taking a pair is almost always better in any situation than taking one with Creed for a roughly equivalent points investment.
What further gives players legitimate reason to avoid Creed competitively is the potential to replicate his traits at a lower cost through a single Company Commander. Vox Casters are incredibly cheap and especially so when taken in blob squads that only need one, while the sixth Warlord Trait on the Astra Militarum table allows a stock Company Commander to effortlessly mimic Creed. About the only unique trait to Creed otherwise is wielding a pair of hot-shot laspistols that afford him the Gunslinger rule automatically, but with a tiny range and low Strength this is an almost laughable equipment choice on a Toughness 3 model that almost never wants to get close to enemy units.
The key to competitive Astra Militarum lists is a mixture of psychic powers and Orders; defending models or units that provide such abilities is paramount as they are the best force multipliers available to your forces. Protecting Primaris Psykers is easy enough when they can hide in all manner of units, but protecting the sources of Orders is an altogether different proposition as Yarrick aside they are all naturally part of a small squad with pathetic survivability. The key to keeping your Orders flowing is thus spreading them out across four or more units in standard sized games so that your opponents can't just single them out and destroy them all at once. Creed may as well be anathema to this strategy as his insane cost and inherent fragility not only waste valuable points that could be used to spread Orders around intelligently, but also make him the most obvious and easy target imaginable.
Best Uses
Maximising Creed's abilities means putting as much emphasis on Orders as you can - in the new codex this is pretty much Creed's signature ability, after all. This involves blob Infantry Squads, massive Conscript units - both blob types should have Ministorum Priest and Primaris Psyker support - Heavy Weapon Teams, Sabre Defence Platforms and the other various Artillery type units offered by Forge World such as the Basilisk Artillery Batteries and Thudd Guns. All of the above units not only are legal targets for Orders as none qualify as vehicles, but they are all among the most devastating units you can field in terms of raw firepower. Giving - for example - a trio of Basilisks flat Ignores Cover and Tank Hunters will make them among the scariest barrage units in the game, while abusing Go to Ground and then immediately issuing the "Get Back in the Fight" Order with a Stubborn Commissar ensures your blobs will be advancing with minimized casualties.
Colour Sergeant Kell
Overview
Even though bodyguards for Command Squads have effectively disappeared in the new codex, Kell still remains as the loyal herald and standard bearer of Lord Castellan Creed. Unfortunately - yet again - not only is Kell a shadow of his former self, he was and still is just not a worthwhile investment of points. In the previous codex, Kell could be purchased separately to Creed and allowed Orders to be taken on the Officers' Leadership in the Company Command Squad, whether it was Creed or a standard Company Commander. This actually provided a legitimate reason for Creed to have a higher Leadership value over a Company Commander, but now not only is Creed a requirement to take Kell but Orders can only use Kell's Leadership and not that of the reigning Officer. Taking Orders on Leadership 8 is certainly better than taking them on Leadership 7 but it is no way worth the mandatory one hundred and fifty-plus point investment - and that doesn't even include the mandatory Company Command Squad!
For now though, let us look at the positives for Colour Sergeant Kell. First off, he is essentially a Company Commander with one less wound, Attacks and Leadership. He lacks an invulnerable save but makes up for it with a stock 4+ armour save and Initiative 4. He is kitted for melee combat with both a power sword and a power fist, having three attacks base with the former and two base with the latter. Unfortunately, being Weapon Skill and Initiative 4 with only a few attacks considering his base Strength 3 means Kell really can't be considered a true combat character but is instead a nice deterrent against light assault elements that would otherwise mop up your Command Squads. Kell also saves you points by coming stock with an always useful Regimental Standard that is key to success with blob lists that either don't feature Ministorum Priests - Commissars for everyone! - or if you have lots of Veterans and other various smaller units. Kell thankfully retains his "Look Out - Argh!" rule and as such characters in the same unit as him automatically pass Look Out Sir rolls, though this does unfortunately mean Kell can get picked out very quickly if you don't want your characters to take wounds.
Sadly, that's where all the good stuff halts in its tracks. Kell is a Toughness 3, two wound model with only a 4+ armour save for defence that is more expensive by himself than an entire Company Command Squad despite being inferior to a Company Commander in terms of survivability. Sure, he's a better bodyguard than a standard Veteran, but what about all the unnecessary equipment he has? A Company Command Squad should never be in combat as even with characters like Kell or Nork Deddog, the important portions of the unit - the Officers like Creed or the Company Commander - will be slaughtered almost instantly. Toughness 3 models with weak stats and saving throws do not belong in close combat with such low numbers and high value. That Look Out - Argh! rule that Kell has? Every time Creed has a wound allocated to him and you obviously take a Look Out Sir, Kell has to take the wound(s) first before any other models, meaning that any random squad of Scouts with Sniper weapons will kill Kell in record time without ever actually targeting him.
As cool as having both a power fist and a power sword on a Guardsman is, they are rendered superfluous as the Command Squad will rarely get into combat. Kell isn't even that great of a wielder for these weapons as Strength 3 AP3 melee attacks on Weapon Skill 4 are unimpressive, while Strength 6 AP2 attacks at Initiative 1 are hardly worth talking about. Perhaps Kell's cost could be justified if he really benefited Orders much like Creed does - who also isn't worth his points - but the fact that they changed his signature ability so that units only benefit from Leadership 8 and not Leadership 9 or 10 gives almost no reason for you to include him with Creed. Re-rolls on Leadership 7 aren't great but it is more advisable compared to spending almost another century's worth of points on the Command Squad. It is painful enough that Kell isn't a worthwhile option on his own, but making the expensive Creed mandatory to feature the Colour Sergeant sees that no competitive list should ever feature him. Did I mention that Kell also replaces a Veteran. Why!?
Best Uses
Seeing as Creed is a requirement to employ Kell and the Lord Castellan is suited to an infantry or artillery heavy force, it comes as no surprise that Kell belongs in the same kind of list as - after all - he is a bodyguard to Creed. Even with Kell providing some melee punch I still recommend keeping this incredibly expensive Command Squad hidden, preferably in a hidden Chimera where they are mostly safe from incoming fire. The unfortunate aspect of Kell's rules is that he must take wounds for his Company Commander and thus Barrage weapons are incredibly deadly against him even if he is nowhere near the centre of the blast. Just as Creed "saves" you points on Vox Casters, Kell "saves" points on Commissars if you plan on fielding more than three which is at least something to consider if you plan on employing him. Just as Creed needs to stay within 12" of friendly units to issue Orders, so too must Kell remain in close proximity to the rest of your forces. Ultimately, as Kell always follows Creed around and is darned expensive, the best way to use him is just to hide the Command Squad so he won't be forced into taking bullets for characters your opponents attempt to single out.
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HQ's Part II
Colonel Straken
Overview
Though it may be unfortunate, I can only really begin this segment with a blunt statement; Colonel Straken follows in the footsteps of Lord Castellan Creed by providing awesome abilities but paying far too much for them. Sadly, Straken exacerbates this issue further and ensures that he will be reserved either for themed lists or much larger games where his abilities become more valuable. Still, there is a lot to like about the gung-ho officer with his wealth of wargear, improved saves and melee-oriented unit buffs. This includes a plasma pistol fired at Ballistic Skill 4, a 3+ armour save and a 5+ invulnerable save.
First up, Straken has a much improved profile over a standard Company Commander with one of the few 3+ armour saves in the codex, a whopping Strength 6 and always dependable Toughness 4. With Weapon Skill 5 and four attacks base due to have a pair of close combat weapons, Straken brings the pain in close combat like no other Astra Militarum character as he combines both Smash and Monster Hunter to destroy even the toughest enemies. Despite the nerf to Smash where the model can make only a single attack at double their Strength, that Straken does so at Strength 10 and also re-rolls armour penetration rolls for that attack makes him roughly equivalent to a lesser Tyranid monstrous creature in combat. That is the alluring aspect of Straken; he is essentially a monstrous creature in terms of melee prowess and one that also heavily buffs your friendly units.
What is intriguing about Straken is that he is one of a handful of characters in the Astra Militarum codex to have the actual Fearless special rule rather than Summary Execution which is perfect for a melee oriented character. For a squad as small and important as a Company Command Squad this is always useful - though definitely not as much as it would be for a blob Infantry Squad. As good as his four Strength 6 AP2 melee attacks base are though, the buffs Straken provides to a mixed role or shooting oriented Company Command Squad are significant. Providing Relentless to his unit through the Implacable Determination Warlord Trait allows the unit to remain mobile in a Chimera and fire both a Heavy Weapon Team and a Master of Ordnance out of the two fire points, for example. Monster Hunter also works on the units' shooting as it applies to every model in a squad so long as just one model possesses the rule; a Master of Ordnance that re-rolls to-wound rolls against monstrous creatures is sure to hurt ground-based Tyranid armies! Pack in two Orders per turn as a Senior Officer and Straken really mixes up the buffs and damage potential admirably.
Perhaps Straken's best and most distinct trait is that due to his Cold Steel and Courage special rule both he and all friendly Astra Militarum units within 6" gain both the Counter Attack and Furious Charge rules. For Straken himself this means he will have five Strength 6 AP2 attacks in the first round of combat regardless of whether he charges or not, though if he does assault then his strikes will be resolved at a whopping Strength 7 AP2. A Company Command Squad with these rules gives it slightly more reason to charge - though merely including Straken obviously makes this reasoning superfluous - but what it does for blob Infantry Squads and massive Conscript units is ridiculous. Attach a Ministorum Priest to fifty Guardsmen with five Heavy Weapon Teams bearing lascannons or autocannons - your choice - and keep Straken's Command Squad near. When an enemy inevitably tries to charge the Guardsmen blob because it is typically at its' weakest, they will have to endure up to and potentially above 100 shots in Overwatch and then suffer through around 100 attacks that can re-roll to wound via the Priest. Wow! It bears mentioning that Bullgryns armed with power mauls will annihilate almost any vehicle or frail monstrous creature they come across with this buff as well.
Of course, this is where the issues really start to become apparent. Bullgryns and possibly blob unit aside, Astra Militarum squads simply do not belong in close combat and that most definitely includes Company Command Squads. The army is made up almost exclusively of Toughness 3 infantry with mediocre stats and either a 5+ or 4+ armour save, the former being by far the more common outside of Militarum Tempestus lists. Aside from characters that no longer get logical discounts on their upgrades compared to Space Marine equivalents, the army lacks proper melee weapons and doesn't bring enough quality attacks to really worry the melee death stars. Drowning enemies in Strength 3 attacks unfortunately can only go so far, though obviously buffs like Prescience and the Ministorum Priest prayers help out significantly. In any case, paying excessively for a character that is heavily built around assault and buffing your units for such a purpose in an army that is essentially allergic to close combat generally isn't a great use of the points.
Then comes possibly my largest issue with Straken and one that just ruins his competitive usage for me, and that is his limitation on being attached only to a Company Command Squad. If Straken was a proper Independent Character much like Yarrick and could slot into any important unit such as a huge blob of Conscripts he would be far more valuable. While being in a Command Squad means less models surrounding him so his 6" buffs and 12" Order range can still work, that it is a unit comprised of between five and eight Toughness 3 models - assuming no Independent Characters - with pitiful saving throws ensures that any smart player will target Straken right from the get go. Straken himself might be reasonably tough with defensive stats almost equivalent to a Space Marine Captain with no upgrades, but lacking Eternal Warrior on a Toughness 4 model when considering his "bodyguards" sees that any form of dedicated firepower will destroy any chance of him reaching combat. This would be all well and good if Straken was like a regular Company Commander and was used solely to provide Orders and other minor buffs, but the fact that Straken is outfitted specifically for close combat and augments your units for such purposes wastes a lot of his potential when used cautiously. His (awesome) background demands otherwise, after all!
Ultimately, Straken gives your units some ridiculous melee based buffs that turn even basic Guardsmen - providing a friendly Ministorum Priest or Commissar is joined - into rough Hormagaunt equivalents with significantly better equipment. As much as you want him to be in an assault based list, Astra Militarum just don't do that well - you might get mileage out of him in a transport of some kind but getting your other melee units into position is difficult with a lack of in-codex assault transports. Where he is best suited is in a counter-punch list that makes use of the ridiculous firepower that blob Infantry Squads and standard fare static Astra Militarum elements - Wyverns, Manticores, Basilisks and so on - that can out-muscle even medium assault units up close.
He is just far too expensive to really fit in such a list outside of larger games in the 2000+ range; using him in a Land Raider variant of some sort may be effective but I wouldn't exactly call it efficient when you consider how expensive the combined package is. It doesn't help that Straken himself will get slaughtered by a high Initiative opponent with good wargear such as a Chapter Master with the Burning Blade due to his Initiative 3, but once the old dog gets to strike he will definitely pile on the damage like few others.
Sadly, this also brings me to my final problem with Straken - his Gung Ho special rule mimics the worst aspect of the Champion of Chaos rule, meaning the Colonel has to always issue and accept challenges. As strong as he is, this is one of the weakest rules any combat character could have - though the 7th Edition tweaks to challenges do certainly help - as being forced to accept a challenge against a deadly monster like Ghazghkull ensures Straken can be taken out of a fight in record time. I think Straken is worth the points you pay for him (and him alone) simply because of how strong he is in melee and how much he affects units like Bullgryns and huge infantry units, but what ruins him for me is that both his cost and the price of making the most of his abilities are far too high for regular sized games. If he could be attached to any unit like Yarrick then Straken would be one of the better choices in the HQ slot by far, but being forced to stick with a mere handful of Toughness 3 5+ armoured models that jack his price up significantly is just too much of a detriment I feel.
Best Uses
As much as Straken is built for assaults and pays through the roof for admittedly good capabilities on that front, trying to build an actual melee list with the Astra Militarum is likely out of the question even with the use of Allies. The strength of the army is in its incredibly cheap bodies and efficient firepower; while Straken may not fit into this approach at first glance, what he does for an infantry-based gunline is surprisingly noteworthy. Providing Counter Attack and Furious Charge to huge squads of Guardsmen or Conscripts that will already be a difficult target to shift with either Fearless or Summary Execution is awesome and stacks so well with the ridiculous amount of shots such units can put out in both the Shooting Phase and in Overwatch. That Straken also provides Orders is the icing on the cake, but keeping him alive is a major issue.
Hiding in a ground transport is feasible but paying for something as durable as a Land Raider probably isn't worth mentioning outside of much larger points limits; instead, use the battlements of buildings and the increased radius of his 6" Cold Steel and Courage rule to really build up a fearsome gunline. Being unable to issue Orders from inside buildings is a downer and thus the only place to hide from Barrage weapons and still issue Orders is in a fragile (side AV10) Chimera. Remember, if even one model is in that range then the whole unit will benefit from the effects.
I honestly don't recommend trying to get Straken into combat unless you can safely disembark from a building or transport and guarantee reaching combat, but why risk losing all the amazing abilities Straken provides by tossing him into a mess of concentrated attacks? Still, use him in combat if you must; after all, he is likely to annihilate something like a Tyranid Carnifex if he gets the charge! A Heavy Weapon Team and Master of Ordnance are good fits with Straken when considering the "Forwards for the Emperor!" Order that allows a unit to shoot and then run and his Warlord Trait providing Relentless, allowing you to move into line of sight, fire and then Run to safety. I still prefer having the unit sit in a building but such tactics are worth mentioning nonetheless if you don't have some kind of fortification or transport for the Company Command Squad.
Nork Deddog
Overview
After reviewing Colour Sergeant Kell who shares a similar purpose to Nork, it would be understandable to think I would also be down on the hulking Ogryn bodyguard. Thankfully this is most definitely not the case as not only is Nork a far superior option to Kell when taken on each individual's own merits, but Nork can actually be described as a justifiable purchase. Though I still don't really believe in adding melee centric options or models to a Company Command Squad as risking the Commander like that is usually silly, if any choice pushes that delightful red button then it is "The Ultimate Bodyguard".
Nork is an Ogryn and shares a mostly identical profile to a Bone 'ead with the only stat difference being that he has an extra point in both Initiative and Leadership. He shares the Hammer of Wrath and Stubborn rules - and thus eliminates any real need for a Lord Commissar in a Company Command Squad - while he even carries around a Ripper Gun, Frag Grenades and an improved 4+ armour save. Nork distinguishes himself from the rest of his sizable brethren by having the Feel No Pain and Look Out - Arghh special rules; the former makes him incredibly survivable, while the latter automatically passes on wounds allocated from other characters to Nork. Where Kell suffers from being far too fragile as an expensive bodyguard option, Nork actually succeeds in this role with his whopping three Toughness 5 wounds, 4+ armour save and 5+ Feel No Pain. Nork is arguably the most durable infantry model in the Astra Militarum outside of possibly Commissar Yarrick and thus makes for the perfect bodyguard. Just be aware that due to Majority Toughness rules Nork will usually only get to make use of his Toughness 5 in melee!
Again like Kell, Nork also automatically passes Glorious Intervention tests and must perform them whenever possible. What further distinguishes him from the Colour Sergeant is that Nork can never be the target of Summary Execution and thus has no fear of being in the same unit as a Lord Commissar. If that wasn't enough, Nork can exchange his four base Strength 5 attacks at Weapon Skill 4 and Initiative 3 for a single Strength 8 AP3 attack with the Concussive special rule, perfect for inflicting Instant Death on Toughness 4 and Toughness 3 multiple wound models. Space Marine Captains lacking Storm Shields, Chaos Lords without a Daemonic Mount or the Mark of Nurgle, Eldar Autarchs, Daemonic Heralds not of the Nurgle variety - all are fodder for the Thunderous Headbutt! This also allows Nork to really threaten vehicles and even already weakened monstrous creatures in combat and presents the Company Command Squad as a difficult rather than easy and obvious target for assaults.
If Kell didn't compare badly enough to Nork already - especially seeing as the two are near identical in cost if you don't include the Colour Sergeant's mandatory inclusion of Lord Castellan Creed - then the Heroic Sacrifice special rule the latter possesses just blows the poor Colour Sergeant out of the park. Once Nork loses his last wound he can make his full complement of attacks at the Initiative step in which he was slain - and yes, these can be swapped out for a Thunderous Headbutt as well - as a final retribution against his would-be killer(s). This allows Nork to remain a threat even against high Initiative characters such as Chaos Lords, while low Initiative foes would have to endure potentially eight Strength 5 AP- attacks or two Strength 8 AP3 attacks. These attacks are distinguished from his regular strikes by being forced to re-roll failed to hit and to wound rolls with them; it is almost as if making two rounds of attacks wasn't good enough already!
While I do maintain that a Company Command Squad should never willingly get into close combat unless there is some opportunity to destroy a valuable target - like a tough vehicle with weak rear armour - Nork (and Straken) certainly stamp themselves as potentially worthy of over-turning this mantra. The unfortunate reality is that gunline builds will simply shoot such units off the board and never worry about actually engaging them in close combat, while melee based armies will inevitably have to work through a plethora of fodder infantry and tanks. In that sense, though Nork is worth his points he will probably rate as an unnecessary purchase seeing as you likely would be making a big mistake for the Command Squad to be in combat, or your opponent got exceedingly lucky and their assault units somehow reached your valuable units unmolested.
I can't stress enough that Nork is by far the best option as a "bodyguard" and should be taken over Kell in almost any situation - even if you take Creed! - but unless you really feel insecure about assault units getting behind your lines and attacking your Command Squad, I can't recommend Nork as I have found his services really aren't required in most games. If Flying Monstrous Creatures and Vanguard Veterans (excluding Blood Angels) could still charge when switching flying modes or arriving from Deep Strike then I think Nork would definitely have a place, but those changes in 7th (and 6th) Edition see Nork's value understandably reduced. This is because the sheer weight of firepower an Astra Militarum list can put out at any range - and particularly up close - should devastate those kinds of units anyway, though obviously ranged suicide squads like Sternguard in Drop Pods care little for this.
He is much like Straken in that regard where you must ask yourself whether you really need a melee-oriented character in a Company Command Squad - though Straken obviously brings army buffs to the table as well. If you actually find yourself needing that melee punch to protect your Company Commander, you can't do any better than Nork Deddog! Alternatively, if you don't have transports or buildings available for a Company Command Squad or are afraid of Barrage sniping, Nork also proves his worth here again because of the Look Out - Arghh rule. I still think most lists would be better off spending the points on another Company Command Squad rather than investing heavily in just one, but I definitely see the merits of Nork's inclusion.
Best Uses
If you are planning on including Nork Deddog then much like Straken I would still recommend keeping your Command Squad in the backfield with lots of protection from your other units. Though Nork only really confers Stubborn to the unit outside of his worthwhile melee damage capabilities and thus using him as a mere bodyguard might seem a waste, the reality is that you purchase Nork to protect a Company Commander first and foremost. Two Orders per turn with the Senior Officer special rule is why you take a Company Command Squad, not because they give you some nasty and expensive character additions or Ballistic Skill 4 ranged attacks.
Even with the Death Mask of Ollanius I still cannot recommend pushing a Company Commander into combat as they are just far too fragile - and that doesn't even begin to cover all the Strength 6 Ignores Cover shooting populating the meta right now. Keep them hidden, keep them safe - Nork will ensure that close ranged units can't pick out the Company Commander whether through Precision Shots or assaults. Getting into combat with Nork should be considered a bonus and not a requirement seeing as his Look Out - Arghh special rule and high durability ensure your Commander will remain unharmed for several turns except against heavy firepower.
Tank Commander
Overview
There are few sights more inspiring than a squadron of Leman Russes pounding enemies into submission from afar, all the while being wrapped up in a classic World War I design. The new codex saw some massive improvements to those variants not sporting Ordnance weapons, but with the introduction of Wyverns and general re-balancing of the Heavy Support section those slots certainly were restrictive. Enter 7th Edition with unlimited detachments at any points limit provided mandatory choices are taken and, of course, the all new Tank Commander. While that particular edition change does somewhat reduce the value of the Tank Commander, there is nonetheless a lot to like about this addition to a Leman Russ squadron. After all, if you are taking platoons then taking extra detachments won't be as manageable as taking mechanized Veterans!
The Tank Commander brings a selection of unique abilities to distinguish him or herself from a standard Leman Russ, including the obvious switch to the HQ slot from the usual Heavy Support position. An issue for many Astra Militarum players has been trying to find a Warlord choice to fulfill the mandatory HQ slot that is both survivable and fits into a mechanized list, and truth be told this has been the case since 5th Edition at least. The Tank Commander is not only incredibly durable as an AV14/13/10(11) tank with three hull points and at least one squad-mate with equivalent defensive stats, but obviously it slots in perfectly to a mechanized list and doesn't force you to take a superfluous Lord Commissar or Company Command Squad.
What is also notable is that the Tank Commander generates a Warlord Trait much like the Command Tank from Forge World's Armoured Battle Group, though the Tank Commander must instead roll a D3 on the Astra Militarum Warlord Traits table. The Tank Commander is thus restricted to the Grand Strategist, Old Grudges and Draconian Disciplinarian traits - this makes sense as all vehicles are already Relentless and (randomly) giving proper Orders to a Tank Commander would eliminate any need for a Company Command Squad.
All three of these traits are very useful and well worth making your Tank Commander the Warlord for. Outflanking Punishers, Hellhounds or Fearless Conscript blobs are brutal, just as giving Preferred Enemy to a squadron of Leman Russes is about as nasty as it gets. A mechanized list surprisingly gets a lot of mileage out of Draconian Disciplinarian seeing as whenever a transport is wrecked the unit inside has to take an immediate Pinning test and potentially a Leadership test if it explodes. Provided your army is Battle Forged, having a re-roll on a D3 gives you a great chance of getting the Warlord Trait you want - my favourite overall is Old Grudges as conferring Preferred Enemy on Executioners solves any issues they would otherwise have.
The interesting effect a Tank Commander has on list building is how much they boost the effectiveness of certain Leman Russ variants through the increased Ballistic Skill 4. While the types that use blast or large blast weapons won't get all that much benefit from Ballistic Skill 4, the Vanquisher and Punisher in particular get important ranged efficiency improvements from a Tank Commander. A Vanquisher isn't great on its' own because of how unreliable it is, but Ballistic Skill 4 sees that it should hit in two out of every three turns. A Punisher usually averages ten hits with its Gatling Cannon, but the Tank Commander increases that to around fourteen and ensures the (probable) sponson heavy bolters make their points back with an average six hits out of nine shots.
The Exterminator gets the smallest boost by attaining a usual four hits rather than three but re-rolling to hit on Ballistic Skill 4 is a god-send next to Ballistic Skill 3 in my experience! Though the Punisher is good on its' own, the Vanquisher is more mediocre as while it strips hull points off reliably each turn it is unlikely to get an Explodes result with the new Vehicle Damage Chart in 7th Edition. Ballistic Skill 4 sees that both of its Vanquisher Battle Cannon and hull Lascannon should hit each shooting phase which will see the Vanquisher do some hefty damage to any vehicle it sees.
The other unique ability exclusive to Tank Commanders and Knight Commander Pask are Tank Orders which are the obvious Leman Russ equivalent for standard Astra Militarum Orders. They are resolved in the shooting phase and based on a "test" like regular Orders, but they differ in that the Tank Commander must roll a nine or less on 2D6 - this represents the Tank Commanders' "Leadership" value. Sadly these can only be issued to their own unit and the effects are nowhere near as significant as those provided by the infantry Orders. However, as much as many players have labelled them "useless" I have found them to be worth using in almost every game I have played so far.
Being able to move Flat Out is good enough for Heavy vehicles that otherwise lack mobility, but 6" plus D6 can be a game-changer for a last minute objective grab or escaping a fast assault unit. Remember, Leman Russ tanks can normally only move 6" a turn so mobile melee squads can corner them pretty easily, but add another 6+D6" for a total possible move of 18" and this allows you to reposition your crucial tanks like never before. Strike and Shroud works wonders with Night Fighting or Camo Netting to give the unit a 4+ cover save when you need it most - perfect for the medium ranged variants - but the best one by far is the 'Split Fire' equivalent. If you are taking a Tank Commander (or Pask) in a Vanquisher and have Executioners or Eradicators as squad-mates - the former to benefit from Old Grudges, the latter for their low cost - then being able to use an entire squadron to their maximum benefit by having the Commander shoot at vehicles and the others blast infantry is awesome.
Sadly, there are issues with Tank Commanders that need addressing. Firstly, while a medium points increase on a regular Leman Russ variant seems like a small price to pay for all the benefits Tank Commanders provide, they are hamstrung by a mandatory second Leman Russ to accompany his or her Command Tank. This sees that the bare minimum cost of a Tank Commander will be close to the 300 point mark, while adding upgrades, switching the variants or adding a third member can see points costs easily escalate up to the 600 area. Putting that many points into vehicles with rear armour ten or eleven and only three hull points generally isn't a good idea, especially if you want to make use of the short ranged Punisher - krak grenades, haywire grenades and melta bombs are just far too deadly against an expensive unit. Additionally, all it takes is one Night Scythe full of Crypteks armed with Voltaic Staffs to completely wipe out three Leman Russes in one shooting phase - and that unit costs a third or less of a Tank Commander and two squad-mates!
There is also the consideration of whether you actually need the Tank Commander thanks to 7th Edition's detachment changes, as Ballistic Skill 4 and Tank Orders are only really useful for Vanquishers and Punishers anyway. Infantry based lists get little real benefit from a Tank Commander seeing as a significantly less expensive Company Command Squad provides so many ridiculous buffs for them. If you don't plan on using Vanquishers and Punishers, the points spent on Ballistic Skill 4 and the admittedly situational Tank Orders are just not worth it - especially with the forced addition of a second Leman Russ to form a squadron. Still, for a mechanized list that doesn't want to use more than three Troops choices or one HQ choice, a Tank Commander is a fine addition because they give you what you want in that kind of list. Orders only work for non-vehicle units that are disembarked from their transports so paying more points for the incredible mix of damage output and survivability provided by Leman Russes makes perfect sense. As for whether you should upgrade to Pask or not, I will cover that in a separate article - the Knight Commander is a whole different story altogether!
Best Uses
Choosing which Leman Russ to put a Tank Commander in isn't always easy, so I recommend looking at which variants benefit the most from Ballistic Skill 4 and the high possibility of Preferred Enemy. The tanks that use blast-type weapons won't find nearly as much use from Ballistic Skill 4 as the "solid shot" variants, but Executioners in particular get ridiculous benefits from the Old Grudges Warlord Trait. I personally think Tank Commanders are the best reason to take Vanquishers for how important the extra pip of Ballistic Skill is to a one-shot wonder, while Punishers and Executioners are the close seconds because of their incredible rate of fire and unreliability.
I don't really see any need to put a Tank Commander in the other variants, particularly the "budget tank" Eradicator, but if you just want to free up Heavy Support slots then there is no harm in trying out the different Leman Russes. Try to keep the squad-mates similar to the Tank Commander wherever possible so that you don't end up wasting any of that juicy firepower, but keep in mind that the pseudo Split Fire Tank Order does allow you to mix distinct roles in the one unit. I would do this mostly to take advantage of Old Grudges with Executioners or use cheap Eradicators to fill up the mandatory squad-mate slots.
Battle Tank
The key to this variant is its incredible range and versatility - Strength 8 AP3 Ordnance can reliably strip hull points off of all but the toughest vehicles, while it cuts a swathe through infantry lacking in either cover or 2+ armour saves. I would pair this up with either another Battle Tank or possibly even a Vanquisher so that the unit keeps an identical range and can 'Split Fire' where necessary. Battle Tanks are mostly an anti-infantry tool that can do some light damage to vehicles and monstrous creatures, the inability to one-shot either of those two larger unit types being its downside. These can preferably be kept on raised terrain features and perhaps in a corner, allowing them to reach across the entirety of a 6x4 with their whopping 72" range. Alternatively, keep them behind some Infantry Squad or Conscript blobs so that they get moving cover from the Guardsmen and can fire over them without obscuration. Keep the upgrades to a minimum as the Battle Cannon will cause all other weapons to fire Snap Shots anyway.
Exterminator
As one of the longer ranged Leman Russ variants, the Exterminator is a decently effective anti-vehicle unit that can make good use of the Tank Commanders' Ballistic Skill 4 through its sponsons and hull weapon. Four twin-linked Strength 7 AP4 shots are decent against light vehicles, but combine them with a hull lascannon and pair of either heavy bolters or multi meltas and the Exterminator becomes a tank-hunting force to be reckoned with at a low cost. The obvious comparison comes against the Vanquisher, and honestly the Exterminator wins hands down against any vehicle that is AV12 or lower due to rate of fire. Strength 7 can't really touch AV13 or AV14 which is where the Vanquisher excels, though the significantly boosted range of the Vanquisher does give it a sizable advantage overall. If you like your chances of rolling up Old Grudges then pairing an Exterminator geared for anti-tank with a Vanquisher kitted similarly isn't a bad idea with the mostly reliable "Gunners, Kill on Sight!" Order so that you can either focus down one vehicle a turn or take your chances at two kills per friendly Shooting Phase.
Vanquisher
I honestly think the Tank Commander was designed with the Vanquisher in mind first and foremost simply because Ballistic Skill 4 is all that tank needs to be a worthwhile purchase in a competitive environment. The points you pay to see this tank hit more than 50% of the time with its titular Battle Cannon are well worth it, as is allowing you to pair it up with dissimilar Russ variants like the Eradicator or Punisher due to the "Gunners, Kill on Sight!" Order. Of course, the Vanquisher is also super cheap so there isn't as much need to keep it with an Eradicator for savings.
Upgrades like the sponson multi-meltas and hull lascannon become so much more alluring with the latter being practically mandatory, though the former upgrade is hamstrung by a pitifully short range compared to the rest of the tanks' weapons. Of course, even on a 6x4 with the Hammer and Anvil deployment it is very likely that an army will close within 24" of a Vanquisher seeing as most armies' best anti-tank weapons do operate at that kind of range - or at least those geared for destroying AV14 - so the sponson multi-meltas will prove valuable in most cases. If you are facing Land Raiders, even one Vanquisher fully kitted with a lascannon and multi-meltas will either slow them down or outright destroy them before they can unload their embarked units. A pair of Vanquishers works well but the squad-mate will still suffer from an unreliable 50% hit rate on average, so I would actually entertain taking an Eradicator to both save points and allow the squadron to be relevant even when vehicles are not present.
Eradicator
If you are taking a Tank Commander with an Eradicator, chances are you are doing so just to save points seeing as the two aren't really suited for each other. The Eradicator is fantastic at clearing out light infantry from long ranges but its' main advantage over the other variants is how absurdly inexpensive it is, something an upgrade like the Tank Commander doesn't really work for. For such reasons I would make the compulsory second tank an Eradicator as well just to keep the points low and start putting out enough hits to really worry even elite infantry. Still, Ballistic Skill 4 on the near mandatory heavy bolter sponsons (and hull) is nice and the medium range is good for keeping your Warlord out of the forefront of battle. Aside from the sponsons this tank just doesn't need or really want any upgrades, so aside from considering the usual defensive picks like Camo Netting I would probably just keep these as bare as possible.
Demolisher
As the most costly tank before any upgrades are considered, the Demolisher becomes a huge investment with a Tank Commander but thankfully does not need any of the extras to function. Despite being an expensive short-ranged tank that is likely to get destroyed by fast assault units or Deep Striking meltas, I probably wouldn't bother paying for Camo Netting on a Demolisher seeing as it is likely to be outside of cover given how close it must be to fire, but pairing this variant up with a wall of Bullgryns and Camo Netting is actually a really good idea. A side note - Dozer Blades are practically a necessity for this tank as it is all but useless once Immobilized! I would keep it either with an Eradicator to save lots of points and still offer some threat outside of a 24" range, or go all-out and terrify opponents with a brace of Demolisher Cannons. The latter is expensive but then that is always going to be the case when you field Leman Russ Demolishers with a Tank Commander, so doubling down on them isn't a bad idea if you want to field one in the HQ slot. My advice is to not make this tank your Warlord though as these are most definitely on the "suicidal" scale and should be used as a terror weapon and line-breaker.
Punisher
Twenty-nine Strength 5 shots at Ballistic Skill 3 are nice and all, but there's just something delicious about resolving them all at an improved Ballistic Skill 4. Of the "siege" variants the Punisher is arguably the most commonly seen now - in no small part due to Pask - and like the Vanquisher improving the accuracy of this tank is easily worth the price of admission. Like the Demolisher, a short range does reduce the value of Camo Netting given that actually getting cover saves from multiple angles is more difficult up close, though the wall of Bullgryns tactic could still work. This is a tank that needs to be mobile even with all the heavy bolters and as such I also recommend Dozer Blades here. Seeing as a regular Punisher is only really a threat to light vehicles, monstrous creatures and infantry, putting it with a Demolisher that can shoot at anything without issue allows the squadron to engage more targets. Alternatively, an Eradicator is inexpensive and solves the Punishers' main issue in dealing with cover-camping infantry squads, while an Exterminator provides significant damage output against light vehicles as well. Executioners are of course the most destructive anti-infantry Leman Russ variant and work well with Punishers, but their risky nature considering the Tank Commander will likely be your Warlord could be a severe issue.
Executioner
Giving Ballistic Skill 4 to a single large blast might not be that valuable, but providing it for between three and five small blasts? Priceless. Unfortunately, unless you are going Battle Forged and thus have a good chance of rolling up the Old Grudges Warlord Trait, I can't recommend putting a Tank Commander in an Executioner because of how incredibly likely it is to destroy itself through failed Gets Hot rolls. Otherwise, the plasma cannon sponsons are still worthwhile for the sheer damage boost they provide - even if it almost halves the tanks' chances of survival - while exchanging the hull heavy bolter for a lascannon actually isn't a bad idea on a Ballistic Skill 4 tank. The hull lascannon and five Strength 7 AP2 small blasts will annihilate light to medium vehicles with ease and evaporate infantry and monstrous creatures besides - make no mistake, the Executioner is the most destructive Leman Russ around. If you are putting a Tank Commander in an Executioner then the chances are you are going for the Old Grudges Warlord Trait, so taking a second Executioner is pretty much mandated.
Knight Commander Pask
Overview
Seeing as I have already reviewed the standard Tank Commanders and Pask is effectively an upgrade to those, I will only touch on those core aspects briefly so as to focus on what makes the Knight Commander distinct and unique. The ability to make a Leman Russ tank the army Warlord is a far-cry from the Toughness 3 three wound character options the Astra Militarum usually have, and despite a reduced chart to choose from their available Warlord Traits are all generally useful. The Tank Orders are decent but nothing spectacular - especially when compared to the standard Orders usually reserved for Infantry and Artillery unit types - while being forced to pay for a mandatory squad-mate to the Tank Commander does jack the cost of the unit up considerably. As such, most of the positives and negatives of the Tank Commander hold true for Pask, though he exacerbates the cost issue quite a bit by being a pricey upgrade character that principally provides Ballistic Skill 4 to a single Leman Russ tank.
Despite all this, Pask easily competes with Commissar Yarrick for the title of best special character in the Astra Militarum codex through a combination of insane damage potential, support abilities and survivability. A Ballistic Skill 4 Leman Russ is generally a decent upgrade for most variants and a pivotal one for others like the Vanquisher and Punisher, but the addition of Crack Shot is what really sets Pask apart. The Knight Commander's Leman Russ can freely re-roll armour penetration attempts against enemy vehicles - including glances in an attempt to do penetrating hits - which is obviously a godsend for something like the Vanquisher that is solely focused on destroying tanks. Additionally, depending on which Leman Russ variant Pask inhabits that vehicle gains a powerful bonus effect ranging from re-rolls to hit with a Vanquisher Battle Cannon to applying the Rending special rule to each shot fired by a Punisher Gatling Cannon. These effects secure Pask's place as one of the most destructive special characters in any Warhammer 40,000 codex, but what really sets him apart is his preset Warlord Trait - Old Grudges.
Providing Preferred Enemy for re-rolls of 1s for all to hit and to wound rolls on something like a Punisher that puts out potentially twenty-nine shots is simply ludicrous, but the stipulation that it applies to all Leman Russ tanks in Pask's squadron makes him arguably the codex's best Warlord choice. Re-rolling 1s to wound for something like a Leman Russ Demolisher maximises their damage output against pretty much anything outside of Gargantuan Creatures or psykers with Iron Arm, while a Vanquisher will be able to re-roll one third of its misses when firing at full Ballistic Skill. Of course, no tank benefits nearly as much from this buff as the Executioner and this is why Pask should always be worth considering. Executioners' annihilate infantry of all kinds like no other unit in the codex and arguably in the game for the points, but that damage potential comes with great risk with up to five Gets Hot rolls per friendly shooting phase. One outfitted with plasma cannons has a startlingly high chance of destroying itself through hull point damage assuming it fires every turn in an "average" six turn game which obviously reduces the value of the tank considerably. Enter Knight Commander Pask (and Tank Commanders if luck provides) who provides Preferred Enemy to re-roll those failed Gets Hot rolls and see that an Executioner should only ever lose a single hull point to over-heating once every three or so turns on average, and you have yourself a match made in the Emperor's eyes.
Knight Commander Pask is fantastic based on how destructive he alone is, but the effect he has on friendly Executioners in the same squadron are possibly his most noteworthy ability seeing how incredibly points-efficient those particular tanks are. Seeing as Leman Russ Executioners would easily be the best Leman Russ around if they could ignore Gets Hot all the time, it isn't hard to see just how incredible Pask is even if you don't consider how good Preferred Enemy is for his own tank. Throw in the Crack Shot rule and the fact that Pask is a durable AV 14/13/10(11) three hull point Warlord and I see few reasons for competitive mechanized lists to not include the venerable Knight Commander. There is one downside to Pask and that is the excessive cost of making the most of his abilities, with arguably the most damaging combo being himself in a Punisher with a pair of Executioners kitted for maximum plasma devastation. This Leman Russ squadron is all but guaranteed to annihilate anything it touches, but with a colossal 600 point investment with all the necessary upgrades you would expect such a performance in every game turn. Investing so much into a single unit that is so easily countered by a dedicated or at least speedy melee unit or really any squad packing either Krak or Haywire grenades could prove disastrous, particularly against an army with multiple hard counters for vehicles such as Necrons. As such I do recommend reserving that particular Pask build for the larger games, but as expensive as Pask is regardless I do feel he is definitely worth your time seeing as what he provides over a regular Tank Commander is easily worth the extra investment.
Best Uses
I feel that this question is best answered by categorizing it into different points brackets. In lower point games of 750 to 1500, I recommend Pask be used alongside a single Eradicator to save points and maximise its damage output against light infantry. If Pask is leading a Vanquisher then the pseudo Split Fire Tank Order will be necessary to ensure both tanks are firing at their preferred targets. As for which tank is best for Pask at that level, I think that buys into which tank he is best in generally - the Punisher and Vanquisher, in that order. These two tanks make the most of Pask's abilities when considering both Crack Shot and Preferred Enemy, while points allowing any tank is at home in his squadron but particularly Executioners above all others. It is in larger games that you must really start to consider taking Pask with either one or two Executioners as squad-mates because with Preferred Enemy and potential Prescience from either an in-codex or Allied psyker they become easily the most deadly units in the Astra Militarum codex.
Once you start hitting that 1850 and higher points bracket is when that unit really starts to become so alluring as it is essentially the Astra Militarum "death-star" equivalent, though it does have its obvious weaknesses - fast melee units that can harm rear AV 10-11, units with the Invisibility blessing and so on - that really need to be considered. Personally, I prefer this unit in a mechanized list with lots of other targets such as cheap Leman Russ Eradicators and Chimera-mounted Veterans that flood the field and prevent it from being too easy of a target to reach, but it does hold its own in almost any list. I feel the best use of Pask without investing too heavily on the points is a mixture of either Vanquisher or Punisher - your preference - with a single Executioner. This unit is still devastating and is a prime target for your psychic blessings, but it isn't too big of a points sink in the sense that your army would collapse if they were destroyed.
As for which tank fits for Pask, I tend to think he is best suited to the Vanquisher and Punisher for the sheer damage output they provide. The Vanquisher with re-rolls both to hit and for armour penetration rolls is guaranteed to put the hurt on any tank whether it is a Rhino or a Land Raider, while the Pask Punisher is infamous for its ludicrous devastation capabilities against anything that isn't an AV14 vehicle. It averages almost three wounds a turn on a Wraithknight and is incredibly likely to kill a T6 W5 3+ armoured monstrous creature in a single shooting phase, while it can reliably destroy an AV13 vehicle with a bit of luck in Rending. Debates often rage as to which tank is "perfect" for Pask and both have their advantages, the Vanquisher with its range keeping it safe and the Punisher with its sheer weight of firepower. I feel that particularly in 7th Edition the Punisher does pull ahead as the best tank with Flying Monstrous Creatures now unable to charge when switching fly modes in addition to the less punishing vehicle damage chart. The short range is only really a massive issue against Necrons and mobile melta units like Raptors or Dominions, with deep striking melta units caring little either way. The other variants generally aren't that great for Pask as the boosts he provides versus the cost of each individual tank just aren't as comparable to the Vanquisher and Punisher.
Lord Commissar
Overview
It is always difficult to intimate just how crucial a units' Leadership value is when the most common army type (Space Marines) completely ignores most of the penalties for failed tests based on that particular statistic. Well unfortunately for me the Lord Commissar is built around that particular aspect of infantry play, and fortunately for you the "fancy hats" are very good at what they do despite arguably being invalidated by the Ministorum Priest. While many armies have a wealth of options to ignore or manipulate Leadership to the point that it doesn't really affect them - and Imperial Guard are no such exception - this is still crucial for forces that rely heavily upon masses of mostly static infantry to win the day. That objective capturing is the name of the game and has been for two editions running only increases the need for models like a Lord Commissar that prevent key scoring units from fleeing the field. However, the importance of firepower and Guardsmen being the most dependable and flexible source of that makes Astra Militarum uniquely dependent on good Leaderhsip management. After all, what is the value of a squad consisting of up to fifty models if it can be made to flee the game table from a single failed morale check forced by losing thirteen models in one shooting phase? Enter the Lord Commissar, the only HQ choice (that fills a slot) that is both an Independent Character and not a Unique model and can thus be used by any army list with respect for theme and fit into any unit where required.
This cheap individual model has an identical base price to a Chaos Lord from Codex: Chaos Space Marines and the reasoning behind this won't be immediately clear. The Lord Commissar has a weaker profile with most stats being one or two points lower, though certainly the big deal-breakers are the Strength and Toughness disparity. While the grim executioner has a 5+ invulnerable save as standard, a Chaos Lord has a 3+ armour save as opposed to a paltry 5+ armour save. The simple truth is that while a Chaos Lord is built primarily to be a source of heavy damage, a Lord Commissar can't really be the melee powerhouse the codex artefacts might lead you to build him as - as with all other Astra Militarum characters (Nork Deddog aside), this is a model that buffs your forces first and foremost.
The Lord Commissar does this by providing Leadership 10 and Stubborn to any single unit he or she joins, ensuring that even a combat lost by dozens of wounds will have no effect on how likely the unit is to break away involuntarily. While this can be exploited through either bad luck or forcing multiple tests, the Lord Commissar provides a unit with one of the best special rules a fragile infantry unit could possibly have when combined with the Orders provided by a Senior officer such as a Company Commander. While that Chaos Lord does provide Fearless to an attached unit and prevents them from fleeing full stop, it also ensures that unit can't benefit from the cover save bonuses provided by voluntarily going to ground. One of the best traits of an Astra Militarum list built around infantry is that they can go to ground with a combined squad and benefit from cover saves when fired upon, then immediately ignore the effects of being Pinned through the use of the "Get Back in the Fight" Order to subsequently act as normal. Where Fearless prevents this but has the benefit of the parent unit never running away, the Lord Commissar provides a superior alternative with all the benefits and none of the downsides.
Both Lord Commissars and regular Commissars possess the Summary Execution special rule, an ability that uses the fear of death to keep Imperial Guardsmen from ever retreating in the face of the Imperium's most terrifying foes. When a unit joined by a Commissar fails any Fear, Morale or Pinning test - as unlikely as it is with Leadership 10 and Stubborn - a single model not including the Commissar him or herself is removed from play as a casualty of progress. The selection of which model dies is based on a D6 roll; a 3+ will see the Commissar's owning player choose which model to remove, but a 1 or 2 on the D6 will instead allow the opponent to select the model that literally bites the bullet. This is bad news for any unit featuring Heavy Weapons Teams or special weapons as there is a 1 in 3 chance that the opponent will get to freely kill off one of those valuable models, but most of the time it will be a regular and near worthless Guardsmen. I recommend never attaching a Lord Commissar to a Command Squad of any kind as not only should that kind of unit never require the Leadership buffs of a Commissar given their value behind the front-lines, but the chance of killing the Commander is just far too grim to take a risk on.
The kicker here is that once a model has been executed the unit is then treated as having passed the test instead of failing, meaning that a Lord Commissar provides the equivalent of Fearless with the key note that his or her unit can still voluntarily go to ground or flee from combat per the "Our Weapons are Useless" rule. While I tend not to recommend the latter for a platoon-sized single squad due to how much of a risk losing a massive unit is to Sweeping Advance and also because of the low Initiative values of most Guardsmen models, the former can be crucial to keeping a gun-line running without suffering too many casualties. Being able to go to ground with a huge squad of infantry sporting numerous special and heavy weapons behind a defence line or wall of Bullgryns for improved cover saves and then act as normal via a successful Order from a friendly Company Commander is an amazing ability that so many other armies would fall at the heels for.
This is of course not the only trait a Lord Commissar provides over a standard Commissar and manages to give a valid reason for his or her inclusion over Ministorum Priests, even without considering that the former fills a mandatory HQ slot in a Combined Arms or Allied detachment. Exclusive to the Lord Commissar is the Aura of Discipline special rule, a bubble effect that allows all friendly Astra Militarum units within 6" of the valiant hero(ine) to use their Leadership for all Fear, Morale and Pinning tests. While a Lord Commissar will often be hiding in the middle of a unit to be safe from deep striking units in particular, the threat of barrage weapons is always prevalent and sees that some will actually place the Lord Commissar near a board edge surrounded by multiple squads both to protect from deep striking units and force opponents to risk their barrage scattering off the table. Joining the Lord Commissar to a fifty-strong combined Infantry Squad manning an Aegis Defence Line with a Heavy Weapons Squad on either side hiding behind the giant unit is a good use of the Aura of Discipline and ensures none of the three units will be fleeing the field without great effort expended by the opponent. This can also be exploited using a transport vehicle such as a mere Chimera to a mighty Stormlord so that you can provide that crucial Leadership 10 to multiple units while keeping the Lord Commissar protected from incoming fire and the threat of barrage snipes - at least for a turn anyway!
While many will still prefer Ministorum Priests for their "blob" squads considering the much lower cost compared to a Lord Commissar and allowing both HQ slots to be filled by Company Command Squads in a single detachment, the trick that exploits Go to Ground and "Get Back in the Fight" is almost too good to pass on and also gives standard Commissars a bit of a place. If you need a single cheap Independent Character to fill your HQ slot, the Lord Commissar is a great option as he or she is much tougher than either the Commissar or Ministorum Priest and not that much more expensive either. The beauty of the Astra Militarum codex is that the buff characters, while crucial, are entirely inexpensive and have their own unique benefits and traits to diversify and allow each to be useful in any given army list.
The profile of a Lord Commissar is the most survivable of these as a character with a stock standard invulnerable save, three wounds and the capability to hide in any unit of the infantry sub-type from Bullgryns to an entire combined Infantry Squad. They also have exclusive access to certain Heirlooms of Conquest - much like the Company Command Squad - and undoubtedly have the more "cool" choices among these. The Emperor's Benediction is the best use of points you could ever find on a Lord Commissar while the Death Mask of Ollanius provides the Lord Commissar with a significant survivability boost. As for the regular Commissar, the identical points cost to a Ministorum Priest, inferior defensive wargear and lack of War Hymms does make him or her an inferior model in terms of overall value as a support character, though the Go to Ground trick is still a very useful trait of the Commissar that a Ministorum Priest is incapable of mimicking.
How to Equip Them
One of my most basic principles when it comes to an Astra Militarum army list is to avoid spending too many points on any individual unit given that the army is, perhaps more than any other, based upon quantity over quality. Leman Russ tanks are a perfect mix of firepower and durability at a low price because they are not as precise as Space Marine or Eldar battle tanks, while Guardsmen are just shy of being a third of what an individual Tactical Marine costs despite being surprisingly well equipped for a fodder unit. This principle should be applied to the codex's characters that, Nork Deddog aside, are built primarily for a supporting role rather than making their name as combat power-houses. Despite being one of the only models with access to the awesome Blade of Conquest and having the background to match, I don't suggest investing heavily in a Lord Commissar as they are very easily killed when singled out and can never compete with something like a Chaos Lord in terms of melee prowess. While not having to accept challenges is an advantage I am thankful for over the scions of the Chaos Gods, a Lord Commissar outfitted even with something as strong as a power fist isn't going to do all that much damage in combat compared to the equivalent points spent on heavy weapons for shooting purposes.
Being perfectly honest, I would always take a Ministorum Priest to attach to a separate blob squad rather than take a power fist for a Lord Commissar if only because Astra Militarum infantry units absolutely need some kind of Fearless provider or Leadership buff. If there is one upgrade that I think any Lord Commissar should take however it is the Emperor's Benediction, a pistol that is so cheap and so powerful that it is the definition of spare points well spent. While I don't think the wargear is too well priced for a model that is both Toughness 3 and already has a 5+ invulnerable save stock, the Deathmask of Ollanius is nonetheless the best way to boost the survivability of a Lord Commissar and help protect them from those pesky and increasingly common barrage snipes. Carapace Armour is also a very cheap and surprisingly helpful upgrade to give the Lord Commissar a 4+ armour save that I recommend if you have spare points, much like the Emperor's Benediction.
Still, I do prefer to keep my characters cheap so that I can take more of the good stuff elsewhere; more than any other army, I feel the Astra Militarum army can cut a few points here or there and take an amazing and cheap unit such as a Wyvern, Leman Russ Eradicator or deep striking Scion squad with two meltaguns with the points you save on pointless upgrades. If you do find in your experiences that your Lord Commissars are rather vulnerable and being slain by attacks not of the Strength 6 variety then I would say the Deathmask is a near mandatory upgrade because a 4+ invulnerable save with It Will Not Die should prolong a Lord Commissar's life for at least an extra turn. As for the regular Commissar, consider taking a boltgun over the bolt pistol if only for the range and extra shot at the same range seeing as it is a free exchange - a Commissar in a melee is usually a dead Commissar unless there are bodies in the way anyway!
Best Uses
A Lord Commissar or standard Commissar is purpose-built for a combined Infantry Squad or Conscript unit consisting of thirty or more models; these units lack the ability to ignore Leadership problems on their own, an issue Commissars alone can fix. The idea is that the bigger a unit is, the more important preventing them from fleeing and freely giving up their victory points will be. This means that you should be attaching Commissars and Lord Commissars to those huge thirty plus model units, and to any unit that will actually be taking casualties either in a melee or from shooting. This rules out Command Squads that should almost always be hiding out of line of sight while I would argue Heavy Weapon Squads are better served with a Ministorum Priest as losing a Heavy Weapon team to execution is more painful than losing a single Guardsman, while suicide squads such as small Scion or Special Weapon Squads don't really need that kind of support.
Much the same as Heavy Weapon Squads I prefer to use Ministorum Priests with Ogryns or Bullgryns because of how expensive each model lost to Summary Execution is, though it does bear mentioning that Stubborn on Leadership 10 means test failures will be incredibly rare. Try to keep your Commissars and Lord Commissars cheap so that you can take multiples for each of your blob or "bigger" squads or fit in more heavy firepower elsewhere. Proper placement of these models should be in the centre of the unit or otherwise surrounded by a wealth of models so that attempts at singling out the character from deep striking units are far less likely to succeed. Decline challenges where possible or deputize them to squad Sergeants; Toughness 3 Commissars and Lord Commissars are notoriously fragile and can endanger a squad to routing if killed.
Regimental Specialists
Overview
Ministorum Priest - While some might say that Codex: Adepta Sororitas gave us fair warning of what this unit was about to become, I don't think anyone really anticipated just how amazing Ministorum Priests would be in a codex with huge infantry squads like the Astra Militarum. Gripped by religious fervor and inspiring their fellow warriors to similar acts of faith in the Emperor's eyes, the Ministorum Priest provides the codex with what could be classed a superior competitor to the Commissar and Lord Commissar. This is because the basic role of a Ministorum Priest is to prevent his or her attached unit from ever retreating by conferring the Zealot special rule upon them, combining Fearless with Hatred to act as the Astra Militarum equivalent to a Chaplain at almost a quarter of the cost. It is amusing then that the Ministorum Priest is actually an incredibly competitive choice but the Chaplain is not given the latter could be deemed the staple and forerunner of the Zealot rule, but that is a discussion for another time.
While giving Hatred to a unit of between thirty to fifty Guardsmen or Conscripts is more of a nice combat buff that won't always see use due to the high amount of purely ranged armies in the meta, Fearless is almost too good to be true on such a cheap model for an army that can often rely upon gigantic amounts of low Leadership infantry. The only two weaknesses a Guardsmen "blob" has is a vulnerability to morale checks or Pinning and a lack of mobility; the latter is insignificant with the amount of firepower a unit can put out, and the former can now be easily and cheaply fixed by either a Commissar or Ministorum Priest. While Summary Execution is a perfectly good alternative to Fearless because it allows the unit to go to ground or flee from a combat it can't physically win, the risk of losing an important model to it is a pretty major downside especially in a unit that will likely feature one or more Heavy Weapons teams. This is why many will prefer the blanket Fearless a Ministorum Priest provides as it means the unit will stay where you need them to and suffer no drawbacks to doing so.
What also has many leaning towards Ministorum Priests over standard Commissars is the enhanced profile of the former, featuring a weaker combat profile but having a 4+ invulnerable save for defence instead of a paltry 5+ armour save. Even with only one wound, having fifty other models to cut through assuming you stick him or her in a blob means that outside of Sniper weapons and Barrage weapons a Ministorum Priest will be quite difficult to pick out, and ignoring half of the wounds inflicted on the Priest gives some great protection when those weapons find their mark. Besides this a Ministorum Priest also offers unique melee-centric buffs in the form of War Hymms, prayers to the Emperor that bestow His strength upon the Priests' attached unit. These are inconsistent and unreliable given that they are based off of a Leadership test using the Priests' value of seven but they are nonetheless very nice little abilities like re-rolling failed saves or re-rolling to wound on a unit-wide level that give the Priest even more value over a Commissar. Ultimately any army list featuring a blob squad or Conscript unit of any note needs either Commissars or Ministorum Priests for each individual unit, where Priests are undoubtedly the superior option and well worth every point spent on them.
Primaris Psyker - While the new Psychic Phase rules may at first seem to be a big improvement for cheap casters such as a Primaris Psyker, the reality is that they are far less reliable at casting powers and will be completely shut out by a warp charge spam Grey Knights or Tzeentch Daemons army. Going from casting amazing blessings such as Prescience on Leadership 9 with a characteristic test to having to roll two 4+ rolls from at least two D6 has neutered the efficiency of the Primaris Psyker, especially seeing as the maximum potential warp charges a single Astra Militarum detachment can generate is a mediocre seven (before the D6 roll). When casting Prescience requires three or four warp charge points to have some kind of guarantee and the warp charge pool for Astra Militarum has a relatively low threshold, taking Primaris Psykers just as cheap providers of re-rolls is no longer a truly viable option. This also significantly increases the value of taking the Psychic Mastery Level 2 upgrade as that extra warp charge can prove pivotal even just for getting powers off with a mere warp charge cost of one.
Still, I would be lying if I described a Primaris Psyker as anything but a cheap and useful psychic character with access to some of the best disciplines available. While Divination may not be the "easy" option anymore due to the severely reduced chances of successfully using Prescience, the other powers are still very useful while Telepathy and Biomancy provide some significant defensive benefits for crucial points-intensive units - such as blobs or Tank Commander squadrons. Defensively a Primaris Psyker doesn't compare too well to a Librarian and value wise most of his or her appeal came from being a cheap Divination caster, but generally speaking psykers want to stay out of combat anyway so questions of value in combat are less important. What you have then is a cheap Leadership 9 character with two Toughness 3 wounds and a 5+ invulnerable save which is decent by Astra Militarum standards. Heck, three attacks base when counting the two melee weapons made with a Force Weapon at Weapon Skill 4 and Initiative 3 can surprise opponents and have a small chance of killing an important model, especially with so many challenge "monkeys" in the form of Sergeants. They are cheap and worth their points but I will warn players that these are not as generally useful as they used to be, especially against a psychic-heavy list such as Grey Knights.
Enginseer - With 7th Edition providing some massive boosts to the majority of vehicles in the game - open-topped transports excepted - it naturally comes as no surprise that the value of models that can repair said engines of war has increased significantly. While no codex - the Astra Militarum included - could ever hope to match the Iron Hands for just outright ignoring vehicle damage, the capacity to take three Enginseers per detachment at such a low cost does allow the Emperors' Armoured Fist to keep vehicles running at peak efficiency better than most other armies. While an Enginseer is as effective at repairing vehicles as most other Techmarine equivalents, that he or she is so inexpensive while packing on a very nice secondary ability makes them one of the best of their kind without a doubt. Repairing vehicles on a 5+ is one thing, but conferring Power of the Machine Spirit on a single vehicle within 12" at the start of the friendly shooting phase is another entirely - and the only cost is the sacrifice of shooting a laspistol (oh woe is me!) or throwing a grenade. This can be used either to grant a form of Split Fire to a vehicle squadron - like shooting an Executioner Cannon at one squad but diverting the plasma cannon sponsons to another unit - or just to allow a squad to shoot a weapon at full Ballistic Skill they normally wouldn't be able to.
The rules clarify that this cannot be used to allow a tank to fire an Ordnance weapon and another weapon both at full Ballistic Skill, but for a Hydra or Wyvern it could be so that the tank can reposition 6" or more and still fire a weapon (or both) at full Ballistic Skill. While the latter use of this ability is limited, the former is certainly great for maximizing the damage output of vehicle squadrons popularized by the Astra Militarum. It bears mentioning that an Enginseer has a 3+ armour save but only a single wound at Toughness 3, meaning they also need defence from some "bodyguards" - whether they be Servitors or Guardsmen. Don't let the power axe and melee profile of the servo arm deceive you though, an Enginseer does not belong in combat and two Strength 4 AP2 Unwieldy attacks, while decent, aren't really worth sacrificing a highly useful support character for mechanized army lists. As for Servitors, they are cheap enough and warrant an inclusion if you want to guarantee your repair rolls work but will leave an Enginseer vulnerable due to their lack of models and poor defensive stats despite the price of each model. Try to hide such a unit behind a Leman Russ squadron or super heavy - the bigger the better with repair attempts - and use the lack of mobility from the former to keep in pace even with more aggressive variants such as the Demolisher. Both units are cheap enough to fit into any mechanized Astra Militarum list at the expense of something as cheap as a Chimera or Wyvern, and they are certainly worthwhile to such lists if only to guarantee one more devastating salvo from a Leman Russ Executioner.
Best Uses
Ministorum Priest - There's little doubt as to which units this amazing model was designed for, a list that includes but is not limited to combined Infantry squads, Conscripts, Bullgryns, Heavy Artillery Carriages and Ogryns. Basically any unit that is a huge investment of points like a Bullgryn wall or infantry blob requires either Fearless or Summary Execution to remove their key Leadership issues; thankfully for the Astra Militarum this is easily done with models as incredibly cheap as the Ministorum Priest. Whether it is a unit that is used more aggressively (like a Bullgryn wall) or merely sits back and provides heavy firepower (like an infantry blob) the Ministorum Priest is a great addition just for Zealot alone, regardless of how useful the War Hymms can be. Situate them either towards the back and in the middle of a squad to protect them both from the shooting of deployed units and from deep striking units.
Primaris Psyker - Much like any of the supporting cast for the Astra Militarum, a Primaris Psyker needs to be kept under constant protection by an attached squad given their fragility and lack of any real damage output save for some light melee punch. Leadership 9 works just fine in a Heavy Weapons Team and gives the Primaris Psyker a good vantage point to cast psychic powers from, but this does come at the cost of survivability and an advanced position for shorter ranged abilities. I still maintain that these kinds of characters are perfectly suited to a combined Infantry Squad or Conscript squad due to the sheer number of models opponents need to cut through to get at the important unit buffers. It is important to note though that a Primaris Psyker does not provide the crucial immunity to fleeing that a Commissar or Ministorum Priest provides and thus should be taken alongside one of those in a blob unit, not singly. I recommend taking the extra Psychic Mastery Level on the Primaris Psyker as the extra power and warp charge point are easily worth the points, and I find that Divination and Telepathy are the most widely applicable psychic disciplines for a heavily infantry-based gun-line army like the Astra Militarum.
Enginseer - Your first priority should be which of your vehicles are both the most valuable and the most likely to see constant pressure from your opponent, usually meaning Leman Russ squadrons or a Baneblade variant. Your artillery tanks should be hiding due to their fragility and ability to fire indirectly, and vehicles such as Chimeras or Hellhounds are either inexpensive enough or too mobile to not warrant an Enginseers' attention. You can feasibly hide an Enginseer solo behind one of these tanks and only ever worry about attacks from outflanking, deep striking or mobile units in addition to the seemingly unavoidable barrage weapons, though I do prefer to take a few Servitors per Enginseer to boost the repair rolls at the very least. The nice aspect to an Enginseer is that he or she never has to expose themselves to the enemy for their abilities to function at full effectiveness which means an opponent would actually have to dedicate something like a barrage weapon - which usually doesn't come cheap, mind - to be rid of them. If firepower is expended to kill the Enginseer and not the tank(s) they are repairing then, while not the most optimal outcome, at the very least the escort vehicles should have a greater chance of surviving until the next turn. The beauty of Enginseers is that they and their Servitor escorts are ridiculously cheap and are highly effective in a mechanized list, though it obviously could be argued that merely purchasing more tanks might be a more efficient approach.
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Thread: Astra Militarum Tactica
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01-02-2015, 10:20 PM #1Chapter-Master
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Astra Militarum Tactica
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