FAQ you too!

This basically sums up Loki's morning. Today GW put up new FAQs for all of the "marine" armies and Dark Eldar. Now I'll let him get give the Black Templar FAQ some meaning as he updates his review of the codex, but I'll hit the high points of the other FAQs.

Most game changing, especially for the Dark Angels I love even though I hated their codex, is the inclusion of the new versions of wargear such as storm shields, nartheciums and cyclone and typhoon missile launchers in DA and BT codices. No longer with this proud standard bearer (painted by Dezartfox at The Vanus Temple) be looking for a cover save, no he has a 3++ save now. While there are armies who can still field a terminator army, and arguably better, the Dark Angels are the originators of this army style with their first company, the Deathwing. Now the First Legion's first company is able to field the same weapons as the codex chapters and can even field mixed squads like the Sons of Russ. I can see two new types of squads coming out of this FAQ. The first being five terminators with TH/SS, one carrying a Cyclone missile launcher. The squad can walk across the board without having to cling to cover and provide two shots per turn to down a vehicle. Having THs, these squads would be great against dreadnoughts and monstrous creatures and could even go toe-to-toe with codex terminators. The squad clocks in at 235 points, not too bad for a troops choice of terminators.

The second build I can see will be horrible against the targets the first will be hunting, but will look a bit like our friend Logan here because of the new nartheciums. Nartheciums are the tools of the apothecaries of each chapter and give the squad Feel No Pain, which anyone who's played against Blood Angel will tell you is frustrating. Feel No Pain essentially doubles the number of wounds it takes to cause an unsaved wound, barring power weapons and strength double the target's toughness. On a power armor marine that means six wounds to down one, on a terminator that means twelve wounds. With the advent of the 3++ storm shield a lot of people have decided that the best way to kill terminators is to swamp them in wounds. Not a bad idea, but let's see just how tough these terminators can be.

You have the sergeant, throw in the apothecary for Feel No Pain, the banner bearer so we can buff the squad to three attacks base and a cyclone missile launcher just for some more ranged support, one schmuck and, because the banner and apothecary basically make it a command squad, Belial with a TH/SS. We've got six differently equipped models, each with a 2+ save and Feel No Pain, one with a 3++ and thunder hammer, and (if we give them lightning claws) five attacks each on the charge. I could throw in a chaplain for re-rolls to hit, but I don't know it that will be necessary. This squad clocks in at 290 points plus 130 for Belial and is designed to take on the massive squads (e.g. hormagaunts) that would generally be the death of terminators.

Don't think that the older codices were the only ones to get new abilities. Papa Smurf here just got better. The FAQ asks if Calgar (and any squad he has joined, but oddly does not mention a squad he has not joined using the same rule) uses his God of War rule to pass a moral test, does he count as fearless. The answer is a firm no. This can give tactical squads the ability to pin down units that beat them in CC for a counter attack as long as Calgar is on the table.

The Black Templar and Dark Angels traded in their smoke launchers and got a new Power of the Machine Spirit rule for their troubles, but everyone got their PoTMS FAQed. Vehicles can't use the PoTMS to fire one weapon when they fire smoke, but the Storm Raven can use PoTMS to fire one weapon after moving Flat out. Speaking of fast marines, they can now take the 3" immediate move to regroup in addition to their standard move because of ATSKNF. That means if you make them fall back they can potentially move forward from where you forced them to fall back from in one turn.

I'll get to the Dark Kin next time, or maybe leave it for Loki as well because it's his army, but the BRB FAQ has a tangential answer for Dark Eldar. The Duke allows all venoms, ravagers and raiders to deep strike and some people had been asking if this allowed the unit to assault that turn. The argument that people had been putting forward that because deep striking only counted as moving at cruising speed (for shooting) and these vehicles are open topped that they should be able to assault. The BRB FAQ says that the unit inside also counts as having arrived from deep strike, so no they can't assault. For once I'm agreeing with Beasts of War. Maybe I've had too much spice.

LONG LIVE THE FIGHTERS OF MUA'DIB!