Mephiston question

[dwsculpts]

I have a question about Mephiston's status as a non independent character. Can he be fielded with an honor guard? The honor guard can be purchased for a command unit. So can one be purchased as a bodyguard for Meph?

[Nabterayl]

Move to the rules forum?

In answer to your question, Mephiston does allow you to purchase an Honour Guard unit. Since he is not an Independent Character, he cannot join that unit (or any other unit), though.

EDIT: You might know this already, but just to be clear, Honour Guards do not act as "bodyguards" in the rules sense even for Independent Characters that have joined them. For instance, if you buy, say, a Blood Angels captain and an Honour Guard, the captain can join the Honour Guard (because he's an IC), but he can also leave the Honour Guard (because he's an IC) and can be picked out in close combat (because he's an IC). If they were a true "bodyguard" unit in the rules sense, he couldn't leave the unit unless they were all dead, and he couldn't be picked out in close combat while joined to his bodyguard.

[dwsculpts]

The reason I ask is that without the independent character status he cannot join a unit, but the honor guard is purchased as a bodyguard for a marine HQ. One can be purchased for Meph or the Sanguinor.

So if you buy the honor guard option, Meph or the Sanguinor cane be part of the unit they just have to stay with the unit for the rest of the game.

Correct or no?

[Nabterayl]

The reason I ask is that without the independent character status he cannot join a unit, but the honor guard is purchased as a bodyguard for a marine HQ. One can be purchased for Meph or the Sanguinor.

So if you buy the honor guard option, Meph or the Sanguinor cane be part of the unit they just have to stay with the unit for the rest of the game.

Correct or no?

Technically, no honour guards are not purchased as bodyguards for a marine HQ. It's more accurate to think of them as a unit that you cannot buy unless you have a marine HQ. In other words, each honor guard is a totally regular squad, but you can only buy one per marine HQ. Once purchased they act just like any other squad. They don't need to have anything to do with the HQ that "unlocked" them, and they don't do anything special even if an HQ has joined them.

So if you bought a regular captain, you could also buy one honor guard. If you did, the captain would not have to join the honor guard, or be deployed with the honor guard, or anything - it would just be a squad of five guys. If you bought Mephiston or the Sanguinor, you could also buy one honor guard. They could not join the honor guard, and the honor guard would still just be a squad of five guys.

[MaltonNecromancer]

Honour Guard aren't bodyguards; they're the HQ choice's personally hand-picked badasses - the ones he trusts most to get the job done. They guard the Chapter's honour, not the Chapter's HQ's.

[wittdooley]

This thread has me thinking it would be badass for a Marine IC to have a bodyguard option, making him unable to be picked out like an IC were he with an honour guard!

[dwsculpts]

The reason I am curious is that I was trying to put together some lists and I was looking at the Honour Guard entry in the BA codex army list and it has the reference page (52) to look at the entry in detail. The first paragraph refers to them as a squad of bodyguards.

[Nabterayl]

They are indeed a bodyguard for fluff purposes. For rules purposes, though, because they don't take away a character's IC status when he is joined to them, they are just another unit.

[ForsakenImp]

Like Meph needs a place to hide to be even more OP.

[Wolfshade]

Like Meph needs a place to hide to be even more OP.

250pts, no invulnerable save, no Eternal Warrior, single unit squad. A squad of guard with flashlights can take him out.