Sirens of Slaanesh

Today I finally sat myself down and got some guys put together.  After borrowing J's Dark Eldar and playing to a very exciting draw against his Wolves (no really, that's not sarcasm, it was an exciting draw), I was definitely in a DE mood, but I'm also very into my new Chaos revival right now so...  I compromised and built my Sirens of Slaanesh! (a.k.a. Chaos Noise Marines.)

My philosophy here was to have a squad of models that look more Slaaneshi-- sleek and quick and sensual --and these Dark Eldar warrior builds meet those reqs way better than a bunch of bulky metal noise marines with crappy weapon designs.  These Sirens are much more rock and roll and their splinter rifles look alien enough to be strange sonic weapons.  The rifles are light weight but still two-handed, thus implying the new "salvo" weapon type.  They wear (mostly) complete armor, justifying a good armor save, and notice their faces...  Hellion heads with fang-faced toothy masks.  My Sirens wear gruesome voice amplifiers to go along with their harmonic weaponry. 

The squad champion I wanted to stand out with a more S&M looking mask and flirtatious belly showing (wych parts).  Her combat weapon is also wychy and she has a sonic blaster cocked at the ready as well with a doomsiren on her back (doubling as a proper DE phantasm grenade launcher when she needs to work as a DE Warrior character, making her razorflail an agonizer too).  Chances are, as the Siren champ, I'll field her with a sonic blaster, bolt pistol, and close combat weapon.  If I feel like spending an extra 15 points on her I'll give her either a power weapon or doomsiren, but not both.  (Probably the doomsiren.)

This little lady is wielding the blast master (splinter cannon) and for her I chose the head with hair covering one eye -- don't need two when you're spraying that kind of sonic payload around!

Also notice how there are six pictures...?  Hail the Prince of Excess!!!  

RA REVISED: my Maugan Ra make-over

In preparation for the new Eldar Codex and in imagining what fate might befall the new Phoenix Lords, I decided to spruce up my Ra, who is probably my favorite of the PLs (Asurmen and Karandras being my other two, though I pretty much like them all).  It seems to me every Eldar player does something different than I do -- I'm a big aspect warrior guy and I prefer using Phoenix Lords to Farseers.  Most Eldar players I see use a lot of guardians, wraith-types, and tanks with Farseers leading...  Boring.  C'mon, live a little!  Get some variety in there!  (But that's just my opinion.)

Anyway, the paint job I had on Ra before I liked, but I wanted it to pop a little more.  So the main additions I made here were just highlights.  I wanted a little more red between the ribs and more highlights on the bones.  So that's what I've done.  My bone coloring was pretty rotten flesh-like before, and I still haven't gone pure white.  I mixed equal parts of white and flesh tone for what I consider to be a nice bone color.  By the time I was done I repainted or touched up just about everything on the model, including the big executioner blade. I wanted a red glow for it too but couldn't get that to come out, so it's the only pure white thing about him.  And what could be purer than Death's unbiased blade, after all?

As for the new codex rules on the Phoenix Lords, I can only speculate.  So I will.

I've heard "most" of the PLs have been stripped of their Eternal Warrior status.  It seems like 6th Ed is thinning out that immortal crowd quite a bit.  Not even Daemon Princes are eternal warriors anymore, which is a disservice to their nature.  But I'm guessing that maybe Asurmen is the only EW left among the PLs (due to his Battle Fate rule). 

I'm hoping the PLs all get an Invuln save now (what other 200 pt HQ choice doesn't?  none, just the poor downtrodden Eldar...).  So I'm guessing Ra's save is now 2+/5++.  He used to have Acute Senses in the 5th ed sense, which meant he could reroll Night Fighting range, and now means he can reroll to Outflank.  So when they changed what Acute Senses is and GW put out the new 6th ed codex changes, did they logically change Ra's ability to Night Vision?  No, of course not.  So as it stands, Ra could be sneakier if he had outflank, but he doesn't, so... Acute Senses don't help him none.  So what I'm saying is, I expect Nightvision at the least.  I'd like to see him and his Reapers get Skyfire as needed, and I'm hoping the Executioner blades will be S+2 AP2 but still not Unwieldy due to their huge but agile-Eldar nature.  I'd also like to see the Maugatar be a little more killy than your typical shuriken cannon. (Was this more rant than prediction...?)

And I'll stop there.  I could rewrite the whole damn codex myself but I don't need to do that again (click here to see my other suggestions).  Suffice to say that my Ra has had a minor face lift and is readying to take to the battlefield once again. 

Black Phoenix: Dark Eldar Beast Mistress Finally Finished!

I have revisited this model/idea a few times on this blog.  Well, I finally finished the unit!  At least this one Beast Master/Mistress -- I have at least one more to make and I have some Chaos Hounds to paint up for Khymera and a Reaper model Cyborg Gorilla I want to use for a Clawed Fiend.  (I also have an old school Warhammer hydra that would go well with the Clawed Fiend rules too--you know, cut off one head and two more come out to attack).

So the concept here is my Beast Mistress rides an animal instead of a skyboard, in this case a sleek mount of Slaanesh which looks agile and alien enough for my purposes.  The whole unit is "beast" type anyway, so this fits better for me.  And instead of a dumb flock of trained pigeons (razorwings), I have two bases of Gladiator Slaves.  Each base represents a small team of combat-drugged captives who have been savaged-up in the arena and are now ready for the battlefield.

As usual I get a little camera crazy and have a hard time deciding which pics to cut, so I have a couple taken in the sunlight and a couple by bathroom light.  Each offers it's own valuable insight.  Enjoy.

Tweets from the Battle Field

Eldar and Chaos and Space Wolves, oh my!

I have played a couple games in the last few weeks against J and his mighty forces but haven't had time to write up a proper battle report.  Well... I still don't.  Which is why I thought it might be fun (and trendy) to just write it up as if it were a series of tweets, keeping each spurt of information brief. 

(Note: I hate twitter and everything it stands for and have no actual experience on it but...  seems like a "cute" way to do this today so let's take a shot at it.)

Space Wolves (J) vs Chaos Marines (me) 1500pts.

Chaos led by Thorbolg Wolfsbane the renegeade Wolf Lord (counts as Huron Blackheart) and Tzeenchy DP.

Space Wolves led by Bjorn the Fell-handed, runepriest, and WGBLeader on T-wolf.

Sabotaged obj seized by cultists, explodes kills and routes cultists. cowards to be executed later.

Giant mecha-crab destroyed by long fang missiles and Bjorn’s plascannon before it can wreak any good havoc.

Thunderwolf cav attack and hold thousand sons, raptors, and cultists for 3 solid turns b4 finally dying.

TWolf mounted WGBL hero and raptor champ kill each other in duel.

Bjorn’s plasma cannon incinerates obliterator.

CSM possessed by daemonettes kill 15 f-wolf pack, then Greyhunters in melee.

Runepriest kills possessed champ in duel, eventually finishes other possessees with runic wpn.

Daemon-slaying hero runepriest shot in back and killed by sneaky plasma gunning CSM.
Long fangs spray frag  and krak missiles into chaos ranks, thinning out the enemy.

Bjorn challenges Wolfsbane (Blackheart) to duel. Chaos hero’s bionic arm dismantles ancient dread before he can even attack in unexpected victory.

Wolfsbane’s dark reward for killing oldest living space wolf – wagging tail (nil result on chaos reward roll).

Grey Hunters assail rooftop with  plas and bolter fire, killing obliterator .
Wolfsbane standing in doorway spurts fire at passing lone wolf, playing with him.

Lone wolf with p-fist and s-shield avenges Bjorn with instant death wound on Wolfsbane.

Lazy Daemon Prince hangs out in reserve til turn 4, letting others do the dirty work.

DP comes in just in time to eat Lone Wolf, then game ends.

By some dark miracle most fodder cultists survive battle.

Last surviving raptor of TWCav assault does suicide dive into greyhunter squad end of turn 5 & survives to contest obj.

Coward cultists return to claim obj in turn 5 for win.

End: Chaos with 2 obj plus warlord and 1^st blood, SW have warlord kill and contested obj. Chaos victory.

* 

Dark Eldar (J) vs Eldar with Ork pawns (me) 1500pts.

Game was weeks ago, can’t remember well… big guns never tire – hvy choices as scoring.
DE led by Archon and Succubus.  Eldar led by Farseer and Avatar.

Dark reapers bite it first turn.
Wraithlord and avengers shoot up and bring down wych transport.
Wraithlord whipped to death by wych and succubus agonizers.

Avatar slams venom to the ground, then splintered to death by DE warrior poisons.

Dire avengers bladestorm wyches, reducing to one survivor (who grabs obj).

Swooping hawks excel for first time, kill DE scourge in bird-duel then thin out warriors with las-fire b4 being eaten by talos pain engine.

Guardian jetbikes more useful than usual, still die though.

Striking scorps bring down raider transport with chainswords, then cut down warriors that were inside.

Reaver jetbikes buzz over ork mob, slashing off  heads.

Orks turn and eat reaver jetbikes, riders, bikes, and all.

DE jetfighter nukes guardian jetbikes and elder ground troops with missiles.

Three pronged finale (last turn):

Scorps vs talos for obj control – scorps lose and route, get slaughtered by talos in sweeping adv.

Orks think they can shoot down DE jet – Orks wrong.
(But did get a glancing hit with slugga!)

Farseer (painted warlock)  and dire avengers vs archon and court – eldar routed and killed in sweeping adv.
By end of turn 4 (or 5?) Eldar wiped from board - not a single model remains.

END: Dark Eldar with 2 obj, warlord kill and 1st blood.  Eldar with 0 objectives. Dark Eldar victory.

*

Maybe next time I'll try to do it as if they were actual communicae from the battlefield as the fight is on... Hmmm..... could be fun.

Selene, Chaos Champion of Sirens

The flavor of the week is Chaos Space Marines and here's a new build on an old favorite.  Can you guess who it is?  Probably not, because it has almost nothing to do with the original...

Twenty-plus years ago I was a devout of Khorne but these days I favor Slaanesh and Tzeentch much more than the god of berzerk bloodshed.  I plan to make my own Noise Marines, probably using Dark Eldar Warriors in that role as they are much more Slaaneshi in build and style -- plus they all have non-bolter weapons I can pass off as sonic blasters and such.  So to go along with this Choir of Sirens is Selene, immortal champion of Slaanesh (adapted Lucius the Eternal).  She is primarily made from a Dark Eldar Warrior female, plus Wych weapon arms (had to use the razorflail sword cuz it was the only right handed weapon arm i could find -- suits me fine, though), and a daemonette head and arm.  Yes, you're counting right, that's three arms.  I will likely do a purplesque armor shade (maybe purple with black trim or vice-versa?) and either green or blue as a secondary color on the hair and details.  

I have adapted Lucius's stats and rules as rephrased here...

Selene, Champion of Sirens

(Lucius the Eternal)

           

WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv	Pts
7	5	4	4	3	6	3	10	3+/5+	165

Special Rules:  Champion of Chaos, Fearless, I.C., Mark of Slaanesh, Veteran of the Long War (hates space marines)

War Gear:  power weapon, krak & frag grenades, power armor, Flail of Ecstasy, (doom siren)

Flail of Ecstasy:  This barbed and bladed flail hooks into Selene’s opponents, stimulating their nerves with terrible delight and rending flesh with ease.  All opponents in base contact with her have their Attacks reduced by 1 (minimum of 1).  All of Selene’s melee attacks also have the Shred special rule.

Perverse Perfection:  Selene enjoys playing with her prey before she devours it.  During a Challenge, her Attacks characteristic is equal to the Weapon Skill of her opponent.

Pleasure from Pain:  “The kiss of an enemy’s blade is to be savored, for it often provides you with a taste of his soul.”  Selene’s keen depravity allows her a chance to siphon away an enemy’s very lifeforce when she is stimulated just right.  Whenever she passes an Armor or Invuln Save in close combat, the unit (or model, if in a Challenge) that caused the wound automatically takes a S4 AP2 hit that Ignores Cover. 

Siren’s Song:  Her voice itself has over the centuries developed into a weapon.  Whether it be a sweet lullaby that sooths her prey into a coma or an organ-bursting shriek, Selene always counts as being armed with a Doom Siren. 

Dark Favor:  Selene has the Mark of Slaanesh and a 5+ Invuln Save, as well as being Fearless, as she’s already experienced every level of pain and pleasure imaginable. 

Selene’s Choir:  If this champion of sirens is included in your army, Slaaneshi Noise Marines become a Troops choice.