Update 1.1: Post-Legacies of the Age of Darkness PDF

The Iron Warriors are one of the legions that have benefitted massively from the transition to 2nd Edition¹. Not that they were bad before, but they’re almost certainly better now. Let’s dive in shall we.

Wrack and Ruin

The IVth legion’s new trait is a significant improvement over the previous one for raw damage output. Yes, not having to take morale check from being shot at was nice, but the rest was largely useless 99% of the time. In 2.0, we’re keeping it simple:

That’s it. But oh boy is it something! Strength 5 bolt guns and fists allows you to glance Rhinos to death and wound Mechanicum murderbots easier. Strength 10 Lascannons mean that you have a 1/3 chance of penetrating armour 14, with a re-roll because Lascannons now have Sunder, which is a 5/9 chance of succeeding. This also applies to melee attacks, so your marines with krak grenades strike at Strength 7 vs vehicle rear armour. Dreadnoughts get it even better, becoming Strength 10 against each other and vehicles, and it now allows your power fists/thunder hammer (though more on those momentarily) to bash their way straight through the hull of a Spartan.

This trait not only makes armoured divisions cry, but it also is one of the few LA traits that helps us suck less against Mechanicum. On the topic of bullying robots, the armoury has some interesting options to help us there…

The Armoury of Olympia

The Iron Warriors legion-specific weaponry comes in two quite different variants: shrapnel and grav.

Shrapnel Weaponry

Shrapnel weapons are bolt guns with shorter range and less AP, but gain Pinning. Shrapnel pistols or bolters are a free swap on independent characters, whereas on other units it’ll run you 2pts per weapon (and that’s counting each individual pistol/bolter/heavy bolter). You have to upgrade all of one kind (i.e. all pistols to shrapnel pistols) but you do not have to upgrade all the weapons in the unit, so you could take shrapnel bolters but regular pistols.

In addition to the above, there’s also a Gravis Shrapnel Cannon which is basically the same as the regular cannon, but 36" range and heavy 5 with twin-linked. Pinning in this edition being exceptionally good. If a unit is pinned, they cannot take reactions, which is extra spicy.

Graviton Crushers

The other option available to the IVth legion are Graviton Crushers. These are a selection of melee weapons with haywire, which makes them excellent for walloping dreadnoughts, automata, and vehicles². They come in three flavours:

• Graviton Maul: The baby of the group. Strength user, AP3, Haywire. Any LA (Iron Warriors) that’s a Character can swap any power weapon for one.
• Graviton Crusher: The middle size, replaces a thunder hammer on an Iron Warriors character. Strength +2, AP2, Unwieldy, Haywire. Better for slamming vehicles than the regular hammer, though a TH does have Brutal(2) so will go through infantry faster.
• Graviton Maul: The big daddy-o, comes stock on the Iron Circle, but any dreadnoughts can swap a gravis power fist for one (but get to retain the in-built weapon). Strength +2, AP2, Brutal(2), Haywire. Beeg hammah.

Warsmith

Finally, we get to El Classico, the Warsmith. For 20pts, your Praetor can have a cortex controller, a servo-arm, Master of Automata (so he can roll with the robots), and Battlesmith(3+). “Downside” is that you can’t take a jump pack, bike, or jetbike.

Bitter Fury

Bitter Fury is the IVth Legion’s unique reaction. It’s basically return fire, but you shoot everything twice in exchange for Gets Hot. Anything that already had Gets Hot does so on a 1 or 2 (note, Tyrant of Lyssatra grants gets hot but if the weapons did not already have it, it circumvents this). If I need to explain why getting to double fire all your guns in your opponent’s turn is bonkers, then you may need to see a doctor for a recent head injury. You cannot Bitter Fury with Barrage weapons, but blast and template are fair game, and vehicles may only fire defensive weapons (the usual).

Warlord Traits

The IVth have some excellently wordy warlord traits, especially the last of the three. Thankfully, none are locked to Loyalist or Traitor, so feel free to rock with ’em however you like. Unlike other legions however, all of these trait give extra shooting reactions only.

Tyrant of the Apollokron

Your warlord becomes Fearless, but may only join units entirely comprised of LA(Iron Warriors). Additionally, you have to shoot and try to charge the closest enemy unit, and you can pick your target if it’s a tie. This can be mitigated by kiting your enemy and not getting within 12" of them to force your own charge, while still getting to shoot what you want (if your positioning is good). However, it’s quite easy for your opponent to outplay you and bait you in to a charge with a tarpit or suicide unit. Tied for worst of the three.

Tyrant of the Dodekathon

After all deployment but pre-game, pick a piece of terrain on the battlefield: it now gives no cover save, and is both difficult and dangerous. If you chose a building or fortification, then you get +1 to building damage rolls against it instead. Extra reaction in the shooting phase, but this trait is mostly hot garbo. Ties Apollokron for worst.

Tyrant of the Lyssatra

Now THIS is where the money is. Your warlord and all Infantry models in the same unit as them get to fire an extra shot when making ranged attacks (not blast or template weapons), in exchange for your weapon getting hot. Combine this with the above Bitter Fury for double +1 shots per model. That is obscene. Imagine a 10-man lascannon squad Bitter Fury-ing as a vehicle that tried to shell them, only to squeeze out thirty lascannon shots. DESGUSTENG. The supposed downside to this WLT is that the first time each turn the unit with the Warlord in is fired upon, they must either Return fire or Bitter Fury. This sounds like a wonderful way for your opponent to bait you in to using a reaction up, but thankfully Tyrant of Lyssatra means that reaction doesn’t use up a point of your allotment. You still count as having reacted, but it lets you go above the usual allotment. The actual downside to this WLT is that other than Return Fire or Bitter Fury, the only other reaction you can make is Interceptor. Genuinely this trait is perhaps best put on a siege breaker or an Armistos who is parked at the back of the board with a selection of long ranged guns for hosing the enemy down.

Rites of War

As do most legions, the Iron Warriors have but two rites of war. The Hammer of Olympia represents a straightforward brutal assault: Point dangerous end at enemy and drive that way. The Ironfire for a long time has struck fear in to the hearts of heresy players the world over: A danger-close march in to the enemy’s deployment zone while the artillery fire rains down around you, but never on you.

Hammer of Olympia

Upsides:

• Tactical Squads composed only of LA(Iron Warriors) models replace Fury of the Legion with Fury of Olympia
  • This lets you fire an extra shot with a shrapnel pistol or bolter whether you moved or not
• Predators, Vindicators, Proteus Carriers, and Spartans just IGNORE the effects of crew shaken and crew stunned
• Units composed entirely of LA(Iron Warriors) can re-roll all failed hit rolls of 1 with any Shrapnel weapons

Downsides:

• You have to take a Warsmith as your compulsory HQ, or you have to take Perturabo
• No Deep Strike, Subterranean Assault, or Flanking Assault

This rite feels very generic and not particularly hard to conform to, but you can really play in to this as a form of mechanised assault, with troops being transported in the larger tanks, while predators and vindicators provide support. Plus, you can spearhead the whole thing with Perty riding in style with his boys in a spartan, or take a warsmith with Tyrant of Lyssatra, a primus medicae, a terminator herald, and 10 tyrants in a tank, get out, and just rain hell on any unit that comes close while being fearless, causing fear, and having 5+ Feel no Pain. There are death stars and there are death stars. This would be the latter.

The Ironfire

Upsides:

• Barrage weapons only scatter D6" if the target is within 12" of a friendly LA(Iron Warriors) unit
• Any Infantry models within 12" of where a Barrage weapon lands get stubborn until the start of their controllers next turn
• Any Infantry in the detachment get to re-roll armour saves against weapons with any kind of Blast
• You can take Arquitor bombards as non-compulsory Troops

Downsides:

• No Deep Strike, Subterranean Assault, or Flaking Assault
• Must have more Arquitors/Medusas/Basilisks³ than you have Cavalry
• Must take a Centurion upgraded to a Siege Breaker

Ironfire still looks to be a decent choice, and with the ability to take your Arquitors in troops slots you free up the heavily contested heavy support slots for other units like Scorpius whirlwinds and/or Tyrant terminators. The downsides aren’t really downsides as the Siege Breaker can give a nearby unit sunder, and allows for access to phosphex shells on any Arquitors you take. Something something Morbus bombard it’s morbin’ time joke.

Legion-Specific Units

Perturabo

The big baby man himself! Clocking in with a 2+/3++ and now toughness 7, Peter Turbo is a hard rock to shift. Him and his unit get to Interceptor for free, and he ignores Night fighting which is nice. You can of course take Forgebreaker for a chunk of points, but then you have to fight at initiative 1 (though strength 12, brutal(2) and Exoshock(3+) probably make up for that). The logos array gives him a wrist cannon that can shred MEQs with ease and pin them so they can’t overwatch, and makes him Strength 7 AP2 in combat, which is always good. Finally, he has Master of Automata, Battlesmith(2+) and Firing Protocols(2) so he can repair and shoot int he same turn, which is nice.

Iron Circle

Big nasty robot boys who have the Graviton Mauls, Shrapnel Cannons, and big old shields. They come stock with 3+/5++ but bump up to 4++ when in base contact with at least one other Iron Circle. T7 and W5 makes them comparable to a dreadnought in terms of tankiness, but they do have a slightly worse save and are slower at only Initiative 3. The shields do mean they take D3 wounds instead of 1 vs Instant Death, and any charge against them is automatically disordered.

The main upside to the Iron Circle however is their ability to be taken as a retinue for Perturabo. You need at least 3 of them, but then he sticks to them and cannot leave, but in exchange they get FnP(5+) as well as their T7 and 4++ from holding hands. Very nasty indeed. The downside to this is that you do lose the benefit of the Heavy unit type (as oddly Perty doesn’t have it), and as they’re automata they can’t take any form of reactions. But hey, big hammer bot go bonk and that’s good enough for me.

Tyrant Siege Terminators

Everyone’s favourite mobile firebase, these guys are basically just Cataphractii terminators who all pack a two-shot missile launcher. Tyrant Launchers can either fire two S8 AP3 krak missiles, two S7 AP3 flakk missiles, or a volley of frags where instead of being blast, they’re just Heavy 4 S4 AP6 Pinning, which given the circumstances is better for overwatching with if you just want weight of fire. Sergeant gets the omni-scope as always, but can no longer split fire; instead they get to completely ignore Night Fighting and can Interceptor for free like an augury scanner does. Neat. One fun thing to note nowadays is that the entire squad can be kitted out with lightning claws, which is conceptually very funny: Ten exceptionally large, armoured men running at you, missiles flying from their shoulders before they get close enough to tear in with claws. I wouldn’t recommend the loadout however, as Tyrants have Firing Protocols(2) so they can let rip with their bolters and missiles in the same turn. Only other upgrade worth mentioning is a grenade harness on the siege master, and each Tyrant can take a chainfist for 5pts each. Overall, they cost about the same points as last edition, have an extra wound, and can actually pen AV14 with the tyrant launchers now. Brilliant!

Those Once Honoured

Thankfully, with the release of both the Legacies of the Age of Darkness PDF, and also the expanded Exemplary Battles PDF for 2.0, the IVth legion’s roster is looking much broader than before!

0-1 Dominator Cohort

Low-key these guys are actually pretty good. Perturabo’s old bodyguard, a 5-man unit is 45pts cheaper than a 5-man cataphractii command squad with hammers, though you don’t get the banner. You can take a heavy weapon for every 5 models (including that spicy multi-melta), and any model can free swap to a chainfist. Personally I like 1-in-5 multimeltas and combi-volkites on each model for shredding infantry.

Thematically, these guys have Hatred (Automata) because they hate that Perty replaced them with the Iron Circle. However, you can take them as a retinue for Perturabo. If you do, they lose Hatred (Automata) ad instead gain Feel No Pain (6+). Neat!

Iron Havocs

The boys are back in town, and have actually come out of the Legacies meat grinder pretty well off. For 10 points more than a 5-man heavy weapons team with shrapnel cannons, you get BS5 and Precision Shots (6+) when firing any heavy weapons.Sadly no tank hunters anymore, but oyu can give them lascannons for 15pts each (irritatingly 5pts more than regular heavy weapons but hey). A solid choice, not quite as balls-to-the-wall powerful as the 3rd Legion’s sunkillers, but far from awful. They keep the free swap to an autocannon too, which is great given they’re now rending. Best plonked at the back of the map with a siege breaker for sunder.

Erasmus Golg

Golg is fine? He’s an expensive terminator praetor, who has to have the bloody-handed WLT (so he causes Fear(1)), and doesn’t let you take terminators as troops anymore. He does get a free augury scanner, nuncio-vox, and a master-crafted chainfist. Stubborn and Hammer of Wrath (2) are nice. This thug is literally the same loadout as the plastic Calth praetor if you can squeeze a radio antenna on to that guy.

Kyr Vahlen

Our first loylaist IVth legion character, he’s a warsmith (and so gets Master of Automata) with an extra wound without having to wear terminator armour, he gets melta bombs, he gets Battle-Hardened(1) and Feel No Pain(6+). All in all, pretty slick. He is pricey, and his warlord trait isn’t what is used to be: one friendly unit who have all their models in your deployment zone get Relentless. Sure, it’s good if you need to reposition your iron havocs perhaps, but less excellent otherwise. On the flip side, his sword is dope. S6 AP3 with Breaching(4+), Blind, and master crafted. Dude can definitely hold his own in melee!

Narik Dreygur

Our second loyalist dog, Narik Dreygur is a Salamanders-loving Praevian with some snazzy wargear. +1 wound over your usual Consul, and gives automata within 6" +1 to hit if they shoot what he shot at (makes his master crafted bolt pistol even handier). He also gets a poewr fist that also has haywire, which is nice I suppose? Our boy here is also a Master of Automata thankfully, and keeps the Praevian’s “Legiones Cybernetica” rule to be able to take extra bots with you. Finally, if he’s allied to Salamanders (and their warlord is Cassian Dracos or Xiaphas Jurr) he allows you to take a unit of Iron Warriors vets without using a force-org slot. He also gets +! attack and stubborn if he hangs around hear Dracos.

The Tormentor

If the regular Shadowsword from the Legacies PDF wasn’t awful enough for you, then this isn’t much better. For 250pts more than a Legion Falchion, you get -1 front armour, -2 movement, no twin-linked on the main gun, and -1 lascannon per side. You do get BS5, a turret mounted volcano cannon, one void shield, and a 24-man transport bay though. If you converted one, good for you. If not, don’t bother.

My write-up of the July “Battles in the Age of Darkness” event is nearly complete, which will be followed shortly by the beginnings of a hobby blog for my Thousand Sons.