Dark Angels Codex Review: Part 5- Relics of the Rock

This part of my Dark Angels 9th edition codex review will look at the relics available to the army. I will also look at the unique Special Issue Wargear for the army. 

Relics of the Rock

Mace of Redemption- A Power Maul or Crozius Arcanum that is Sx2, AP-3 and 2 damage. Each attack against a Fallen or Heretic Astartes unit, on an unmodified wound roll of 4+ inflicts 2 mortal wounds on the target and the attack sequence ends. 

A decent relic, but a bit situational with the bonus. Going up to S8 AP-3 and 2 damage on an Interrogator Chaplain is a solid bonus, especially after bonuses from litanies. If you want to go with a relic crozius on your Chaplain, you might be better off with the Benediction of Fury from the Marine Codex, but this is a pretty good alternative. 

Pennant of Rememberance- Deathwing Ancient only. In your command phase, select one Deathwing Infantry Core unit within 6". Until the start of the next command phase, subtract one from damage from attacks on the unit to a minimum of 1. 

A very powerful relic for the Deathwing Terminators. They are already pretty tough with the built in Transhuman Physiology and a 2+ armour save. Going to -1 damage is incredibly powerful on an already durable unit, so this will make them very hard to shift off of the table. 

Shroud of Heroes- Bearer gets -1 to hit from attack rolls. 

A nice bonus for keeping a character alive for a bit longer. Not sure I would go with it, but a decent option nonetheless. 

Reliquary of the Repentant- Ravenwing Biker model only. While an enemy unit is within 3" of the bearer, invulnerable saving throws are only passed on a 5+. 

An incredible ability that really neuters the invulnerable saves of enemy units. The short range is the only issue here, but a 6" bubble would be far too powerful. This would be strong on a melee character, such as a Ravenwing Champion or Chaplain on Bike. This should allow you to get a lot of damage in on enemy toughs with high invulnerable saves. More limited on using your firepower, unless you charge the character up into the enemy lines and probably lose them in the following turn. I think this is a very strong relic for the army. 

Foe-Smiter- A Storm Bolter that is 24", assault 4, S5, AP-1 and 2 damage. 

This is actually pretty strong against Marines. In Tactical Doctrine, you will be wounding on a 3+ at AP-2 and killing Marines. Pretty decent if you want some added firepower for your character, but I think there are better Relics. 

Eye of the Unseen- Enemy units within 6" are at -1 Ld. At the start of the Fight phase, any enemy Character units in engagement range of the bearer are not eligible to fight until all other eligible units from your army have fought. 

Another strong relic for a melee character. This stops enemy characters from targeting your units before you strike and have a chance to kill them. This also works well with Engulfing Fear, giving nearby enemy units -2 Ld. This makes failing morale more likely against a range of enemy units. 

Cup of Retribution- Chaplain only. Once per battle you can use this relic to automatically recite the Feast of Malediction litany instead of using another. This litany gives Dark Angels core units within 6" +1 attacks. 

Once per game, but a pretty good bonus for a number of melee units in the Dark Angels army. Combines with Shock Assault to give you some serious attack strength on the charge with this litany. Also very strong if you combine it with the litany of +1 to wound in melee. 

Special Issue Wargear

Heavenfall Blade- A power sword that is +2S, AP-4 and 2 damage. The bearer can make an additional attack with the weapon. 

A decent swap for a power sword. The extra attack, AP and damage could turn this character into a strong melee contender. Could be useful on the Ravenwing Champion, who is able to fight first against characters. 

Dark Angels Codex Review: Part 4- Interromancy Discipline

Part four of my 9th edition Dark Angels codex review will look at the Interromancy Discipline psychic powers that you can add to your army. 

Interromancy Discipline

Mind Worm (WC6)- Select one enemy unit within 18", he unit suffers 1 mortal wound. Until the start of the next psychic phase, that unit is not eligible to fight in the Fight phase until all eligible units from your army have done so. 

A pretty solid power. The extra mortal wound is nice, but forcing an enemy unit to fight last is really strong against certain army builds. This allows your combat units, such as Black Knights or Terminators, to ensure that they can attack without an enemy unit cutting them down before they get a chance to strike. 

Aversion (WC6)- Select an enemy unit within 24". While the unit is within 6" of the Psyker, subtract one from the attacks characteristic of that unit. Any time an attack is made by the unit, subtract 1 from the hit roll. 

A good power for de-buffing an enemy unit. Getting -1 to hit is not as strong as it once was, as these can no longer stack, but it can still be pretty powerful. Also strong against melee attacks, where -1 is more difficult to get. Reducing the attacks of the enemy unit is also strong. This doesn't specify reduce the attacks by 1 to a minimum of 1, but I expect this to come in the FAQ. If not, this is really powerful against standard infantry. 

This also stacks really well with the Line Unbreakable stratagem. Forcing only enemy models in engagement range to be able to attack, along with -1 to hit and -1 attack really hinders the damage output of an enemy unit and could help your psyker survive or other units survive a powerful enemy melee unit. 

Dark Angels Codex Review: Part 3- Warlord Traits

The third part of my Dark Angels Codex Review will look at the Warlord Traits available for the army. The Dark Angels have access to six standard traits, but also have additional Deathwing and Ravenwing traits to add to your army. 

Warlord Traits

Brilliant Strategist- In your command phase, select one friendly Dark Angels unit within 6" of the warlord. Until the start of the next command phase, the unit considers the previous doctrine to be active for the attack. i.e. if the unit is in the Tactical Doctrine, then the Devastator Doctrine is considered to be active for that attack. 

A decent trait for boosting the firepower of your units with selected weapons. It would be better if you could choose which doctrine was active for the unit, but there are stratagems that allow you to do this. Not one I think I would choose all that often, but could be useful with some army builds. It is not limited to core units, so your vehicles could benefit from this. 

Fury of the Lion (Aura)- When a Dark Angels unit is within 6" of the warlord, if this warlord made a charge move, was charged or performed a Heroic Intervention in this turn, add 2 to the strength characteristic of that unit. 

A solid warlord trait if your army is focused on assault. The one limitation is that your warlord has to have made a charge, so there is a risk you could fail the charge or your other units could fail a charge. Getting to wound most infantry on a 3+ is a big boost. This works better if you pair it with +1 to wound in combat from the Chaplain's litany. 

9th Edition Maelstrom of War Cards Template

The new rules for maelstrom were released for 9th edition in this month's White Dwarf. The tactical objectives were presented in 6 new tables, which you roll on during the game. 

I decided to make up some cards to represent the tactical objectives during my games, as they will be much easier to deal with than the tables. I thought it would be useful for others to do the same, so below are the images that I used to print the cards. 

Once cut out, they fold in half to create the front and back of the cards. I then laminated them and used a cardboard guide to cut them out to the same size. This creates two decks, one for me and one for my opponent, to use during our games. 

These cards are for a standard 2000 pts game, so you may need to adjust the points or conditions if you are playing one of the other mission sizes (as detailed in White Dwarf 461). 

Enjoy!