Pretty much every other Grey Knights player has already written a blogpost or done a video review of the GK content from Ritual of the Damned. I've been hesitant because I am not a huge fan of speculative theory-crafting and I hadn't yet gotten a chance to play many games with the new rules. That, and I knew that the FAQ for RotD was going to change a few things in the book. But at this point I've gotten a few reps in and the FAQ released just this morning, so I'm ready to discuss what these rules mean for me!
I'm going to go through all of the new content bit by bit, so this might end up being a long post. I'm not going to talk about how competitive these rules are -- that has been covered to death elsewhere. Instead, I'm going to talk about how these rules change my army in particular, and how I'm going to use them.
TL;DR: I really enjoy these new rules and I am stoked for Grey Knights in the future.
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| Swarmed by Genestealers |
Masters of the Warp
This is the big new rule. As long as your army is entirely Grey Knights (with the exception of an Inquisitor in there), then just before the first battle round you choose which Tide of the Warp will take effect. These Tides are essentially our equivalent of Combat Doctrines, giving us bonuses just for playing. The main difference here, and I think this is important, is that Tides don't just change for free, like Doctrines. The only way to shift to a new Tide is by casting the spell Warp Shaping. What this means is that I have to purposefully change my strategy based on the situation, and if I change it to the wrong thing then I might be fucked. Further, my opponent can effect whether or not I even get to change Tides. They could deny me when I try to cast Warp Shaping, or they could just snipe the psyker who knows the power. Then I'm stuck in whatever Tide I was in. This might seem like a downside, but I actually really like it! It makes it so I have to be careful, I have to plan appropriately. If I misstep then my strategy can fall apart, unlike Combat Doctrines where I just get bonuses for playing the game.
Anyway, the Tides of the Warp are all around great bonuses that will really alter how I play. There are four total:
Tide of Fury
This Tide is simple enough: Infantry units can reroll 1s to wound in the fight phase. It's fine, but I honestly can't see myself using it too often. Despite my greatest efforts, I just don't get my boys into combat as often as I'd like. 9" charges are just so unreliable, and we tend to get shot a lot while we're trudging up to the front lines. If this were my only option, sure, I'd love it. But the other Tides are just so appealing.
Tide of Convergence
Add 1 to the Strength and Damage of psi weapons. Meh. I don't use psi weapons on my infantry all that much,
Tide of Shadows
Hell yeah. Here's that sweet, sweet defensive boost my Terminators have been looking for. While this Tide is active, my GK always count as being in cover. On top of that, while they are actually in cover, attacks against them receive -1 to hit. This is just too good. I think I am always going to start in this Tide, and switch to the others when I need to. AP-1 has always been my bane. I played a game against Black Templars recently where my Paladins got shot by a full Crusader squad of 20 angry boys. When I rolled saves, I only took one wound. Terminator armor! But then my opponent reminded me that he was in the Assault Doctrine, and that all of those bolt pistol shots had AP-1. So... that roll translated into six failed saves, or two dead Paladins. The same goes for Aggressors in the Tactical Doctrine. AP0 to AP-1 is such a huge blow to my survivability, so always having cover and regaining my 2+ save is a tremendous advantage. I am looking forward to my Terminators feeling nigh indestructible again. In fact, I'd probably never leave the Tide of Shadows if it weren't for the last option.
Tide of Escalation
Smites do +1 damage. Fuck yes.
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| 1+ saves, -1 to being hit. 1 CP to reduce incoming damage by 1. Tell me Terminators are bad now, internet. |
Stratagems
Transhuman Physiology
2 CP when unit is targeted. That unit can only be wounded on a 4-6. God, I've been waiting for this. S8 weapons just flatten my Terminators, and I'm real excited to be able cut the effectiveness of tanks in half. Against lascannons and Eldar tanks, it's essentially giving a Terminator squad of mine T8 for a whole phase. More survivability for my boys, yes please.
Masters of Combat
2 CP when a Paladin squad is targeted in the fight phase. If any Paladins die, those Paladins can fight before I remove them (assuming they haven't already fought). I can't see myself using this all the time, because my Paladins are usually the ones doing the charging and thus fighting first. But it will be a good tool to have in my back pocket in case I get charged by the dreaded Eldar jetbike Autarch Achilraen.
Vengeance of the Machine Spirit
2 CP, a Land Raider or Stormraven can auto-explode. This will be great if I ever choose to field my Stormraven again. More often than not, I fly my Stormraven into my opponent's backline chock-full of Paladins, and then my opponent pops it. At least now I'll be able to punish them for doing that.
Overwhelming Assault
1 CP, a Dreadknight gets +1A and can reroll wounds of 1 and reroll damage rolls for a fight phase. This will be cool on my dude with two Dreadfists who I like to throw up into my opponent's face turn one. Seven attacks that reliably do 2 damage and wound on 2s against most things is nothing to sneeze at. I can also see using this on my GMNDK all of the goddamn time.
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| *Gundam Wing theme* |
Dynamic Insertion
Hell yes. 1 CP, a Grey Knights unit can deep strike 3" away from enemy units. They can't charge after that, but this is going to be an incredibly useful stratagem that I will use almost every single game. Even beyond the obvious combo with Powerful Adept and the spell Inner Fire, this will allow me to throw Terminators onto objectives almost anywhere I wish. The flexibility with this is insane. It will change my whole mindset. I spend so much time visualizing 9" bubbles around enemy units -- it's going to take some time to readjust that. Also? This will absolutely fuck with a savvy opponent. They are going to have to be a lot tighter with their screening. The only big downside to this strat is that it sounds like a sex joke.
Bring Down the Beast
2 CP, if a Grey Knight shoots a unit, every other Grey Knight can reroll shots against that unit for the rest of the phase. I've yet to apply this, but I am so stoked for when I find the primo opportunity for it. I'm imagining my BroCap slapping a Rhino with 4 storm bolter shots and then everyone else just fucking tearing it apart with bolter fire.
Big Guns Never Tire
1 CP, a vehicle can ignore the penalties for moving and firing Heavy weapons. Meh. I'll never use this. My vehicles only ever have like three heavy weapons, max. I'll just reroll a missed hit with a CP.
Fury of the Proven
1 CP, a Terminator unit adds 1 to their hit rolls. GOD, my Paladins are going to just crush everything.
Powerful Adept
1 CP, add 6" to the range of psychic powers for one psyker. I can see this being important for smites in niche situations, but it will be very handy for character sniping with Purge Soul. Also the obvious combo with Inner Fire and Dynamic Insertion.
Duty Eternal
1 CP, a targeted Dreadnought halves all damage from incoming attacks for the rest of the phase. I was really excited for this one when it came out in the Space Marines Codex, but I haven't actually used it. My VenDread is usually tucked away and so isn't targeted by multi-damage weapons a lot. Thunderfire Cannons and deep striking infantry come at him most, and those all do 1 damage. I'll be playing against Harlequins in a couple weeks, so I'm sure Honored Brother Ewan will be thankful for this strat against their fusion pistols.
Fight on the Move
1 CP, an Interceptor can fall back and still shoot and charge. Pass. I don't play with power armored GK.
Empyric Surge
1 CP, after a Psyker casts a spell, all GK psykers within 6" add 1 to their psychic checks. This has proven to be a nice little buff on my Paladin/Character hate ball that falls from deep strike. Pop this after an easy spell and then enjoy all my other spells being +2 to cast.
Redoubtable Defense
1 or 2 CP, a targeted Terminator unit of 5 or 6+ models reduces incoming damage by 1. I am all about all of these bonuses to Terminator survivability. I'm just thinking of autocannons and plasma guns and Derek's fucking multi-damage snipers on his characters. Or the claws of my brother's Thousand Sons Daemons Prince. It will basically make them all have to apply twice the firepower to kill a single squad. And against Paladins? Oof. Yes.
Steady Advance
1 CP, a Grey Knights infantry unit can benefit from Bolter Discipline as if it stood still or some bullshit like that. Terminators always benefit from Bolter Discipline, so this was a waste of text for me. Next.
Untainted and Unbowed
1 CP, Purifiers get a 4++ and can't fail morale. PAGK? Still one wound on those guys, right? Pass.
Preternatural Senses
1 CP, Purgation Squad can overwatch on 4s. Sure, if they were even alive by the time they were charged.
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| Inquisitor, Brotherhood Champion, and Paladin Squad |
Dominus Discipline
A new Discipline! Six whole new powers! This is tremendous because of how many psykers I run (all of them), and how often I run out of powers to cast. Dominus powers can only be taken by characters, however, which means I have to be careful when and how I employ them. Honestly, I will probably only take two or three of these new powers in each game. Some of which I'll even need to double up on. This leaves the jobs of casting Sanctuary and Gate to my Terminator squads, which is fine. That's what they were doing anyway.
Warp Shaping
WC 5, change the active Tide. This is obviously essential. I am thinking that I want this on two character each game, my BroCap and someone else. Probably my Chaplain. If I lose this power in a battle, I lose a tremendous amount of flexibility and strength. Doubling up will be important. The BroCap can always smite if the Chaplain is still around.
Armoured Resilience
WC 6, a GK Infantry unit in 12" gets a -1 to wound shield. Hello, Paladins. Here's some more protection. God, it is almost ridiculous how many buffs I can give them. Let's do some quick thinking: Sanctuary, Hammerhand, Armoured Resilience, Fury of the Proven, Redoubtable Defense, and maybe Transhuman Physiology. This is, admittedly, 3 spells and 3-5 CP spent on a single unit for a single round, but I would like to see anything try and kill them or avoid being killed by them with all these buffs stacking. Maybe I'll ask to fight Matthew's Knights just to see how my Paladins do.
Ethereal Manipulation
WC 7, a GK unit within 6" can reroll hits in the shooting phase against targets with half range. Honestly, I don't see myself ever giving someone this power, not when there's others like Warp Shaping or Empyrean Domination that I absolutely need. I'll always have a Grand Mear units that I want to reroll, anyway. I can deal with missing all my 2s.
Edict Imperator
WC 7, a GK unit within 12" can shoot and then move, but can't shoot or charge later in the phase. More mobility! This is going to be a fun power to use. Often times I face the problem of my Dreadknights just not getting up the field fast enough. This lets them move up 8" closer and then tuck themselves away in cover, benefitting from Tide of Shadows. I just need to think of a character to give them that. Maybe a Librarian?
Empyrean Domination
WC 7, get a CP. Always. Use this always, all the time. Every turn. Why am I even still talking about this?
Inner Fire
WC 5, do a fuckton of mortal wounds to an enemy within 1" (or 7" with Powerful Adept). This is such a cool power. Psychic assassins are going to be a mainstay of my army now. Apothecary with a Nemesis daemon hammer dropping in 3" away with Dynamic Insertion and annihilating whatever he wants. Y'all best be surrounding your HQs with at least five solid inches of bodies.
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| Hide your Captains, hide your Chaos Lords. |
Relics of Titan
Blade of the Forsworn
A unique Nemesis force sword. Bonus to Strength, consistent 3 Damage, and ignores the invulns of daemons. I can't see this one being useful a whole lot, but I will probably give it to Grand Master Simandus sometimes and flavor it as the Blade of Doom Mons. Daemon Princes can be a real pain in my ass, especially when they're Tzeentch flavored and they have a 3++. This sword will allow Simandus to really wreck their shit.
Sanctic Shard
Add 1 to psychic tests, and reroll psychic tests. This is often paraded as the best relic in the book, and it's really hard to argue that. I'll probably end up giving this to some of my backline characters who are casting Warp Shaping or Empyrean Domination. A Grand Master with this and the Lore Master Warlord Trait can just do both of those things, and let my VenDread reroll ones. Actually, that may be something to consider. He could do a good job of protecting Honored Brother Ewan from pesky deep strikers, as well. Hmm. I like this thought.
Augurium Scrolls
Nemesis weapons within 6" get additional hits on 6s. Seems good, I suppose, but the only place where a character with a relic will be is deep striking with my Paladins, and I can't think of a single time where I've thought, "God, if only my Paladins had more attacks."
Stave of Supremecy
It's a Nemesis warding stave that makes enemy psykers Perils on doubles. I don't think I've ever seen an opponent Perils on a spell. There aren't a whole lot of psyker-heavy armies in our local meta, beyond me and my brother's Thousand Sons. I'm usually fine with just denying their spells the old fashioned way. It could be worse, though. It could be the Liber Daemonica, arguably the worst fucking relic in the game.
Artisan Nullifier Matrix
Librarian toy. Once per turn a psyker within 6" can increase or decrease by 1 the value shown on one of the dice when they try to cast a spell. I can't see myself using this one a whole lot, but it might be a nice way to avoid Perils without having to spend CP, and maybe it could help facilitate Vortex of Doom. But, honestly, what interests me most about this relic is what the fuck is this ruling. Does it mean literally changing the face of the die? Is this a modifier? Can I do this before or after rerolling? Or even in addition to rerolling? It's so weird. I wish the FAQ had addressed this. If I change a double 1 with this, is it still a Perils?
Aetheric Conduit
Here's a relic that makes our Techmarines better, for some reason. At least it's not the Liber Daemonica.
Litanies of Purity
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| *APOPLECTIC SCREAMING* |
I get Chaplains now! More things to do! More buffs for my guys! Grey Knights Chaplains are in a weird place for me. They can't start screaming at their friends while they are in space, nor while they are in a transport. So these faithful boys have to be on the field at the beginning of a round to do their whole thing, which means their targets are very limited. He will never be able to cheer on a Paladin Squad the turn they hit the field, even if I Gate him up the board. The timing just won't work that way. So if I want to get him to benefit my deep strikers (which are the most crucial units of my army), he won't be able to until at the earliest turn three. That feels like too late. So I'll have to think of other jobs for him.
Litany of Faith
Grants a 5+++ FNP against mortal wounds to a unit within 6". This was real useful against Thousand Sons, but I don't think it will be worth the time against anyone else.
Words of Power
A GK unit within 6" can reroll damage rolls. Here's a nice one. This could be very usefull sitting next to Honored Brother Ewan. His lascannons are begging for this. If somehow I could get him up field, he could also use this on my Paladins and let them reroll for their Nemesis halberds... but, no, I can't see that working. Maybe late game after my VenDread has been exploded.
Intonement for Guidance
A GK unit within 6" ignores all penalties to hit and modifiers to BS. Another good one on Honored Brother Ewan! I don't really have many other heavy-hitting shooters, though. Could be solid against Harlequins and their constant -1 to being hit.
Refrain of Convergence
Add 3 to the Chaplain's Deny the Witch attempts, giving him a total of +4. Was real useful against Thousand Sons, but, again, I can't see myself using it against many others. Dealing with psykers is usually pretty easy for me.
Recitation of Projection
Add 6" to the ranged weapons of a GK unit within 6". Good if I want to extend the range of my storm bolters, I guess? Again, not really my thing, but I see its use in other lists.
Invocation of Focus
A GK unit within 6" improves the AP of its Nemesis and psi weapons by 1. This could be really cool coupled with Psybolt Ammunition or Tide of Convergence, but many other people have pointed that out. For me, I just don't utilize a lot of concentrated fire beyond my Paladins. And again, my Chaplain is going to have a very hard time getting to them when they are at full strength and want to be using Psybolt Ammunition anyway. This might be worth considering, though, because if he does make it up field then he'll really be improving their killability.
Closing Thoughts:
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| Here's an old Librarian of mine, complete with only books as weapons and a shitty paintjob. |
GREY KNIGHTS!
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