N18 Cawdor starting List

[TheArchivist]

Hello
I will start a cawdor gang to have a variation with my Palanites.

I might use it soon in campaign and I am aiming more at a fun thing than a fully optimised one.

This is my starter idea, and I need advice on how to spend the remaining 55 credits (I'm really tempted to take a second Cherub):

Spirit of the Emperor

Cawdor (HoF) gang with a rating of 1000 by TheArchivist

yaktribe.games

I also listen for the skills.


Thank you

 

[MysticWolf]

Looks pretty good to me. I would definitely change the reclaimed autopistols on the juves to stub guns, it will perform a lot better especially on juves.

The last 55 points I wouls just pour into more gangers. Because you're cawdor, in a 10 ganger scenario you can take 14 fighters (3 juves and 1 ganger extra from devout masses) so extra bodies are going to make the biggest difference for you at this point.

My third criticism is that the only hard hitting ranged weapon is the crossbow, I would consider either changing the evisc deacon to a Grenade Launcher deacon or create a cawdor ganger specialist with long rifle.

Otherwise, I'm just nitpicking I think your list is pretty flavourable. A little too much blunderpole spam for my tastes, but thats par for the Cawdor course.

Edit: Just to add, from experience though, switching your juves to stub guns (because of their low BS and the stub guns extra hit) will ACTUALLY increase their effectiveness by 2x. Thats not saying much, because they're cawdor juves, but it will help A LOT.

 

[TheArchivist]

Hi,
Thank you for the answer.

I could take more Juve but not more gangers, unless I remove the cherub..however I like the idea of the cherub as well as the look of it.
And regarding more bodies, sure if I'm on a 10man scénario it's good but if it's a 6-7 man I'm already to the max, ain't I ? I don't know the median amount of dudes you can field in this game?

I was considering putting armours on the command squad, but I'm not sure it's very flavorful, as THE EMPEROR PROTECTS THE FAITHFUL and all that.

I can hear about the Blunderpole but the weapon really seems flavor and fun, and I dont know if it's actually powerful. I don't really want to have grenade launchers or long range weapons because one I fear it could be too oppressive given I already have the most bodies, and two as my other gang is Palanite I aim for a different experience

 

[Heart of Storm]

I prefer a reclaimed autopistol to stub guns on juves, yes its less accurate, but rapid fire works in melee

 

[Oojamaflip13]

I could take more Juve but not more gangers, unless I remove the cherub..however I like the idea of the cherub as well as the look of it.
And regarding more bodies, sure if I'm on a 10man scénario it's good but if it's a 6-7 man I'm already to the max, ain't I ? I don't know the median amount of dudes you can field in this game?

I was considering putting armours on the command squad, but I'm not sure it's very flavorful, as THE EMPEROR PROTECTS THE FAITHFUL and all that.

I can hear about the Blunderpole but the weapon really seems flavor and fun, and I dont know if it's actually powerful. I don't really want to have grenade launchers or long range weapons because one I fear it could be too oppressive given I already have the most bodies, and two as my other gang is Palanite I aim for a different experience

With regards to more bodies, don't forget that Cawdor have tactic cards AND Acts of Faith that allow more fighters to turn up (though the AoF generates new Juves that are not part of the main gang iirc). So, even in a 6-7 fighter battle, Cawdor can bring about 14 of their gang members to the table. But you don't want to spam this if you want to keep your friends...

On that note, spamming Blunderpoles is also a good way to annoy your friends. The Blunderpole is deceptively powerful, being able to use either scattershot (only str2 but that many bullets will get through eventually), or act as a str3 flamer (thus causing blaze). Nasty.

If you're going for flavourful and fun, then I'd say keep the cherub. I usually leave the cherub from my starting lineup in a campaign and buy one once I have the creds, but that's because I usually aim for a large gang of disposable juves (sometimes with no equipment at all). If you want to stay flavourful at the same cost, consider swapping a Blunderpole for a Greatsword. My regular opponents know to fear my Greatsword swinging ganger just as much as my Eviscerator Deacon dropping out of the sky on the wings of an Act of Faith. But I wouldn't worry about being too oppressive with long range weapons in the gang. So many other gangs will dominate a Cawdor gang in the ranged game, even if you were entirely ranged, so a couple of long range guns won't make you overpowered, but will help your CC-focused fighters make it into melee.

Oh, and on the subject of armour, The Emperor may protect the Faithful, but only those Faithful who protect themselves. At least stick some Mesh armour on your Priest and Eviscerator Deacon. I also prefer playing this game for fun and flavour, rather than building a competitive gang, but it does get a little dull if your cool and characterful models never get to do anything because they get shot on turns 1 and 2...

 

[TheArchivist]

lI prefer a reclaimed autopistol to stub guns on juves, yes its less accurate, but rapid fire works in melee

Yeah and I'd rather have rapide fire and shooting haphazardly than being a sniper. These are the lower scums of the hive, screaming the name of the emperor. I don't need to hit. I just need to do bratatatat.

With regards to more bodies, don't forget that Cawdor have tactic cards AND Acts of Faith that allow more fighters to turn up (though the AoF generates new Juves that are not part of the main gang iirc). So, even in a 6-7 fighter battle, Cawdor can bring about 14 of their gang members to the table. But you don't want to spam this if you want to keep your friends...

On that note, spamming Blunderpoles is also a good way to annoy your friends. The Blunderpole is deceptively powerful, being able to use either scattershot (only str2 but that many bullets will get through eventually), or act as a str3 flamer (thus causing blaze). Nasty.

If you're going for flavourful and fun, then I'd say keep the cherub. I usually leave the cherub from my starting lineup in a campaign and buy one once I have the creds, but that's because I usually aim for a large gang of disposable juves (sometimes with no equipment at all). If you want to stay flavourful at the same cost, consider swapping a Blunderpole for a Greatsword. My regular opponents know to fear my Greatsword swinging ganger just as much as my Eviscerator Deacon dropping out of the sky on the wings of an Act of Faith. But I wouldn't worry about being too oppressive with long range weapons in the gang. So many other gangs will dominate a Cawdor gang in the ranged game, even if you were entirely ranged, so a couple of long range guns won't make you overpowered, but will help your CC-focused fighters make it into melee.

Oh, and on the subject of armour, The Emperor may protect the Faithful, but only those Faithful who protect themselves. At least stick some Mesh armour on your Priest and Eviscerator Deacon. I also prefer playing this game for fun and flavour, rather than building a competitive gang, but it does get a little dull if your cool and characterful models never get to do anything because they get shot on turns 1 and 2...

Hello,

I've tried the list today with a few minor adjustments.(armour for the heroes and exterminator on the leader's axe) and I'm left with a few questions. The answer might be in the rule book but I haven't fount it yet.

--does the article of faith that blows a guy pin the victims? Or is it just a bit but not a ranged attack?

--can the unwieldy Blunderpole be shot after moving or are you supposed to wait behind a corner?

--does the firebrand cawdor really start with 3bs ? Meaning he can aim and shoot a heavy crossbow on a 2+ for a blast?

 

[joakimkallstrom]

Hi.
1. Yes, I assume it’s an bomb
2. Unweidly is on Polearm, not Blunderbus. Move->Shoot is okey.
3. Nope. Unless you have an suspensor on the H. Crossbow, that’s have unweildy in the shooting profile.

 

[TheArchivist]

Are you sure and confident regarding point one and could you point to any source ? Cause this seems incredibly strong to me considering it's a 5" blast :/

 

[joakimkallstrom]

As it is Blast, the only place in rulebook about Blast, is under Shooting.
And in my reading it should work under those rules.
How do you read it?

 

[Oojamaflip13]

Are you sure and confident regarding point one and could you point to any source ? Cause this seems incredibly strong to me considering it's a 5" blast :/

So, the rules for 'And by the manner of his Death did the Emperor judge him' say "All fighters under the marker suffer an automatic Str 3, Ap-, D1 HIT" (italics on HIT for emphasis). As the action causes a hit, you must follow the rules sequence for resolving a hit. Once all fighters who are hit by this blast are determined, the next step in the sequence for resolving hits caused by Blasts says "Follow steps 4 and 5 of the Shooting sequence as normal for each fighter hit, in an order of the attacking player’s choice." Step 4 is "Target is Pinned."

Now, this could be argued to be a "Rules as Intended" type of situation. As this attack doesn't have an actual weapon profile like an actual ranged weapon (and, therefore, no Blast weapon trait), it could be argued that the blast caused by this Article of Faith skips that step as it causes an automatic hit on anyone under the template. The target becoming pinned actually comes before resolving the effects of the hit.

However, I do think that this is just one of those classic mistakes by GW where they just assumed that "it was obvious" how it should be resolved. For the record, my gaming group treats it as an attack with the Blast trait and so it pins anyone hit by it. If your opponent(s) disagree with this ruling, the best thing to do is either ask the Arbitrator for an official ruling or if the situation comes up in a game, use the good ol' 'roll a d6' method; 1-3: It pins / 4-6: It doesn't pin. Then just use that result for the rest of the game/whenever you play that particular opponent.

tl;dr: RAI - Blast attacks do cause pinning but, as the attack doesn't technically carry the Blast weapon trait, it could be argued that it doesn't. House rule it.

 

[TheArchivist]

Thank you. I did not want to sound annoying but I just wondered because I couldn't find a precise ruling and I KNOW at some point an opponent will argue about this so I need to know the reasoning. Really appreciate your arguments. Thanks a lot.

 

[Thunderch1ld]

Just to add what people have said above - I would change your Eviscerator Deacon's skill. Rain of blows is pretty terrible, and you'll rarely use it, if ever. I would instead go with something like Iron Jaw, Step Aside or Unshakable Conviction to give him some added survivability.
I do think you've spammed the blunderpoles a bit - which could lose you some friends - but you're in a competitive group, then you'll probably get away with it.

 

[TheArchivist]

Just to add what people have said above - I would change your Eviscerator Deacon's skill. Rain of blows is pretty terrible, and you'll rarely use it, if ever. I would instead go with something like Iron Jaw, Step Aside or Unshakable Conviction to give him some added survivability.
I do think you've spammed the blunderpoles a bit - which could lose you some friends - but you're in a competitive group, then you'll probably get away with it.

Thanks for the input. It's absolutely possible I need to replace a blunderpole by something else, what would be your recommendation? Someone mentioned a greatsword, are there other fun options that would not be broken?

 

[Uncle Joe]

I always include a rat handler, they are fun. So my recommendation would be giving the Specialist a reclaimed autogun and smoke grenades. If he survives he gets bomb rats later.

 

[Thunderch1ld]

Thanks for the input. It's absolutely possible I need to replace a blunderpole by something else, what would be your recommendation? Someone mentioned a greatsword, are there other fun options that would not be broken?

To be honest, I've had some fortune with the autogun, or autopole - it's really useful to have something with a bit of range to it, and it'll save you some creds. Other players have always feared my blunderpoles and taken them out first, while my autoguns plink away at the back - often missing - but when they get that triple hit, they can certainly make a mess of people.

 

[Oojamaflip13]

To be honest, I've had some fortune with the autogun, or autopole - it's really useful to have something with a bit of range to it, and it'll save you some creds. Other players have always feared my blunderpoles and taken them out first, while my autoguns plink away at the back - often missing - but when they get that triple hit, they can certainly make a mess of people.

Can totally agree with this. Played a game against an Orlock gang who totally kicked my butt, and it was mainly his Autoguns that did it. Afterwards, he recommended adding a couple to my gang because they can be more effective than you think and people tend to ignore them in favour of your fancier weapons. So I built a cheap Autogun Ganger and they do come in very useful. Cawdor also get Reclaimed Autoguns which, though they are less reliable, that point doesn't matter that much. A Cawdor Brethren with a Reclaimed Autogun will only set you back 55 creds.

I'd stick with the Reclaimed Autoguns (or the ordinary Autogun on a Redemptionist Brethren) over the Autopole. I know an extra 10 creds for the pole is still fairly cheap, but you can save those 10 creds for something else in the future (or for some Flak Armour if you MUST spend them now). Hopefully, that Ganger won't need to get into close combat as they will be trying to keep at a distance while the actual melee specialists get close to the enemy.

Also, Bomb Rats are always fun. Not the most effective things from a competitive PoV, but they are ALWAYS amusing. Will they prove highly effective and roadblock a whole Goliath gang, causing multiple casualties and forcing the rest of the gang to take the long way around in a ZM game (sorry Wacey )? Or will they decide that they would love to get some cuddles and treats from their ownerBOOOOOM!