Hey all. I've decided to post this thread, do in part to surfing the inter-webs and not really finding a good in depth discussion on how to kit out your Blood Angels Sanguinary Priest with the new codex.

So to start off let me give my general thoughts on how I play my priests.

Unfortunately their gear options are rather lacking in terms of war gear now. Losing TDA was a big disappointment, no invulnerable save options, and high chances of being insta-gibbed, really take a lot away from an HQ slot. Thus you are left wondering, what is best for this supporting character, and what makes its utility on the tabletop?

My first thought was, like most people, put him on a bike. T5 really helps with all the primary melta shots out there and give him some relatively good endurance, but that adds up very quickly via points, and in this build, he is best suited for a grav-gun bike squad which can be very powerful but doesn't really have a ton of synergy unless you play bike squads, which is outclassed by Vanilla Marines anyways.

My second thought was, just play him with little to no options. Take a bolt pistol for +1 attack and then an Auspex and put him in a unit of sternguard with a drop pod. This makes a fantastic support character, making a very strong unit better.

Next I started thinking of really cool combos for him. If you were looking to play Dante, with Guard, or just Assault Marines, you could kit him out a little more with some really good utility. A Jump pack and Inferno Pistol is less than 100 points. He gives the unit an additional melta-shot when they deep strike in. I thought about the angry plasma gun, but for the points costs, it really isn't really worth it when he's only BS 4 plus an Inferno pistol is 10 points cheaper.

I also thought about simple item-switches depending on which unit you bring, Death Company with/out JPs, Assault Marines, Sanguinary Guard, Vanguard, or stern guard, or terminators shooty or assault. Each make all a whole different role for the priest. A Lightning Claw, or Power sword, a Combi-gun or an Auspex.

I've come to the conclusion that the Priest should only be ran as a cheap support role. With minimal investments in wargear. Personally I would not take any Relics of Baal with a priest, nor would take the bike option, power fist, or T-Hammer. But experimenting is always fun and highly encouraged. What are some of your favorite options when you bring the Priest?