First is the footslogging army.
HQ:
- Helbrecht's full 15 man command squad. Fill the squad out with whatever specialists you deem necessary. I include the Vet. Sergeant with Term. Honors and the Fighting Company Champion. Upgrade two initiates with meltaguns(cuz they are assault weapons) Give them all the Furious Charge.
- Also include a Castellan command squad with a Vet. Sergeant, a Fighting Company Champion, a Reclusiarch Chaplain, and 8 Initiates. Upgrade two initiates with meltaguns(cuz they are assault weapons) Give them all the Furious Charge.
- AND for sure take your required Emperor's Champion with the Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds vow.
Elites:
- I would create ten man sword brethren squads with the furious charge special rule. Include as many lightning claws and meltaguns as you can.
Troops:
- With this army type you should simply buy every and all the close combat squads and close combat scouts you can find. Create full twenty man squads with 10 Initiates and 10 Neophytes. Of course these sized squads will not be able to fit in a rhino or Land Raider(hence the name "foot slogging") so you will have to maximize or close to maximize the size of each squad. This allows you to allocate the first 10 un-saved wounds straight to the Neophytes allowing your Initiates to get right into the combat unscathed.
This may sound like a useless sacrifice.... "I mean come on why not just put them in a Rhino" well it is likely that you will lose 1-5 neophytes just getting to combat depending on the layout and enemy force, but that means you will have a larger than average squad(compared to a mech army) to use against the enemy. Also for Capture and Control and Seize Ground this leaves a large force to defend one loot counter (a.k.a. bases). This means that the squad is very unlikely to be wiped out in one shot or assault compared to a simply 10 man squad or even one in a rhino, which could be blown to bits any turn. The sergeant for each squad should have a power fist and the other special weapon should be a flamer or a meltagun. Meltagun for tank heavy armies and flamer for infantry heavy ones. If you want to keep your squads one way without having to change points every other battle then stick with the meltagun because it can be used in either situation.
Fast Attack:
- I suggest 10 man Jump Infantry squads each man being upgraded with melta-bombs, a power fist, and a flamer.
Heavy Support:
- I suggest two predator annhilators with lascannon sponsoons, extra armor, and the always respected smoke launchers.
- Also take a vindicator with extra armor, a hunter killer missile, and a smoke launcher.
- Another option would be to take 3 Vindicators. Amazing at shattering any force no matter its strength... problem is that they are relatively vulnerable to other tanks.
The next army type would be Mechanized, and this is the army that I build.
My Army
HQ:
- I have Helbrecht's Command Squad with a Reclusiarch Chaplain attached, 9 Initiates(2 with meltaguns), and Fighting Company Champion.
- As for a second HQ well... that is up to you. I usually take a Marshall so if Helbrecht is killed my guys still get the high leadership. I have a tendency to make this model my bait model. I send him out right away to lure out a juicy target for my vindicators or dreadnoughts.
- Emperor's Champion, take "Accept any Challenge, No Matter the Odds" vow.
(I suggest giving the Chaplain the Teleport Homer from the armory so as to allow your terminators to pop into combat with ease.)
Elites:
- I usually take 2 Dreadnoughts with multi-melta, close combat arm, and heavy flamer (great anti vehicle and infantry combo). Put each of these Dreadnoughts in a Drop Pod. Put smoke launchers on each Dreadnought.
- I will also include an 10, 8, or 5 man Assault Terminator Squad. Deck it out with as many lightning claws as you can.
Troops:
- With this type you do not collect any Neophytes (of course depending on which guide your reading this will vary). Simply collect as many ten man or six man squads as you would like, and for each squad also have a rhino(10 man) or razorback(6 man). Put smoke launchers and extra armor on each vehicle. I PERSONALLY suggest the 6 man squads with razorbacks.
Fast Attack:
- For Mechanized I don't usually use very many fast attack units, but the ones I do use are always jump squads with melta-bombs.
Heavy Support:
- The Land Raider Crusader with smoke launchers. Put the terminators in here.(This will house the command squad as a dedicated transport so you still have 3 heavy support slots!!!)
- Also take a vindicators with extra armor and a smoke launcher.
- For cheap anti tank roll with one Predator Annihilator.
So by now you have endured the pain of reading my terrible suggestions. So I must say that this is purely my opinion on how to build an army. Truly the best way to decide how to build your army is through trial and error. So good luck out there and remember.... FOR THE EMPEROR!!
