# Praetorians: An in-depth examination



## Iron Angel (Aug 2, 2009)

I don't have my 6th yet, but enough lurking as well as the new errata has granted me thinsight necessary to really examine Praetorians and if they are worth it.

First off, I want to put forth the "cool" factor. While it means about nothing in the game, the models are awesome. But then, there's a reason we don't play with bases with the word "Tac marine" or "Farseer" written on them- The models are important.

That said, I'll give a general listing of their pros and cons, and move into the examination.

*PROS:*
-Jump infantry. They have quite a bit of mobility.
-AP2 weapon. That means even terminators need to be sweating around these guys.
-AP2 shot. See above.
-S6 in melee. You wound MEq and most TEq easily.
-HoW attack when charging.
-Can be given a Destroyer Lord without gimping the Lord or the unit. The D-Lord then gives the entire unit Preferred Enemy.

*Cons:*
-3+ save. I know thats actually pretty good against shooting but power weapons go right through.
-1A. That first assault by them is going to be brutal, but after that, their killiness drops off.
-RoC drops them to I1. Ouch.
-Shot is only 6".
-Requires a Res Orb to survive at all.

*PROS ANALYSIS*


*JUMP INFANTRY*

JI get a Hammer of Wrath attack when charging. I'm not sure exactly how this attack works but it sounds pretty awesome, and its an extra attack, giving Praetorians with RoC an effective 4 attacks on the charge, and those with VB/PC a whopping five. Assaulting aside, they are also very mobile, and with the changes to terrain, its a lot less scary for them to land in terrain to grab some cover. They can get behind the enemy on foot in just a couple turns, all the while being very distracting to your opponent. Alternately, you can say screw it to the distraction tactic, and Deep Strike them.

How to use this to your advantage:
Move around a lot and keep getting your enemy to waste time on them. Sure, one or two may die to shooting, but thats a small price to pay for forcing your opponent to mass fire at them. Being Jump Infantry, you don't have to bumrush the first thing you see, but can select a prime target instead.

*AP2 WEAPON/SHOT*

Pretty damn good. This means they can kill terminators with their RoC. At S6, and most terminators being T4, they should have no trouble rolling to wound successfully and denying Termies an armor save, and I think that is why the RoC was turned into a Power Axe (So Termies had a chance to knock a few out in CC). Not much else, in fact very little else, can punch through a 2+ in CC. One of their attacks is a shot, meaning you have the opportunity to knock out one or more enemies that can possibly shoot you during overwatch before you charge.

How to use this to your advantage:
Get close to the enemy then shoot, then charge, really simple. Remember that you cannot assault after deep-striking so don't land next to something just so you can shoot at it, because they will simply charge at you (Though you can use the shot for overwatch in this case).

*S6*

Pretty simple. Instant Death to T3, which there aren't many multi-wound models that are T3 that will put up a fight anyway, but still. More importantly, S6 means you wound most things, even minor MCs, with ease. It also means you can penetrate AV10-11 and glance AV12, which is what you will be hitting on vehicles most of the time.
*
DESTROYER LORD*

There isn't a better thing to give this unit than a Destroyer Lord. Having a Res Orb that moves around with them, as well as a Warscythe and whatever other goodies you give him, is great. More importantly, he gives them Preferred Enemy when he joins them, which is absolutely amazing, especially on Overwatch if you get caught pantsless. WS4 becomes approximately WS6, and S6 becomes approximately S9 (For purposes of rolling to wound), while adding his own math-hammer increased offensive stats to the table with a re-rolling Warscythe at S7. This means they now have the ability to bring down even high-profile MCs and special characters with a single assault, then get back up from whatever the enemy did to them.

How to use this to your advantage:
The best kit-out for a Praetorian D-Lord is without a doubt MSS, Weave, Orb, and Warscythe. Weave forces opponents that lack AP2 CC weapons to either uselessly throw their attacks at him ineffectually in a desperate bid to kill him by drowning him in wounds, or ignore him and focus on the Praetorians which leaves him free to slaughter everything around him. He's no slouch in a challenge either, with T6 ID immunity which will laugh off enemy S10 powerfists (Assuming he doesn't outright kill the bearer with his warscythe before they can attack), which means you can pick off something in the enemy unit that actually poses a major threat to your Praetorians by challenging the enemy character, forcing them to back off and denying them their attacks or forcing them to put their attacks on the Destroyer Lord. MSS may make these concerns moot altogether as you may be able to just get the enemy character to Instant Death themselves with their powerfist or whatever.

*
CONS ANALYSIS*

*3+*

Power weapons go through 3+. There aren't a lot of AP3 shooting weapons floating around, at least none in sufficient number to wipe Praetorians completely without forcing your opponent to grossly misallocate firepower, but in CC, 3+ might as well be tissue paper against anything with a power weapon, and there are plenty of power weapons out there. 

How to mitigate this:
Avoid charging massed cheap power weapons unless they are all Initiative 1, such as THSS terminators (Which you may consider avoiding anyway due to their 3++...) which will a least let you attack at the same time.

*1A*

This isn't felt so much during the initial charge. RoC gets effectively 4 attacks on the charge, and VB/PC gets 5. Thats a monstrous amount of attacks. However, once that first charge is over, their killing power drops substantially due to the fact that they now only have one attack a round (Two with VB/PC). Thats not a lot for dedicated assault troops.

How to mitigate this:
Make that first charge count. Hitting giant deathstars might not be a good idea for this reason. You'll get a lot of them with that first charge, but they will swiftly make a comeback when you lose the ability to effectively kill anything. Charge smaller units, unless they have no power weapons. In that case you may even want to be careful, because they might just Multiple Assault you with something actually dangerous and deny you the ability to gain your massive charge bonuses again.

*ROC UNWIELDY*

the Rod of Covenant is effectively a power axe, and as everyone knows, power axes suck hard. Now Powerfists and Power Axes will have the chance to attack before we get the opportunity to kill them, which can make surviving to a second charge a little less likely.

How to mitigate this:
It mitigates itself, really, but not completely. The 1I loss is felt a lot less acutely by Praetorians, since they were Initiative 2 and striking after just about everything anyway. Just now that powerfist/power axe the enemy has now can get off an attack before we slaughter it. Thing is, most models with a powerfist or power axe will be spared by the enemy with careful wound allocation even if we are at I2, making this concern less of a real problem and more of a perceived one. The only difference is really that if we put out enough attacks to wipe the enemy out completely, they still get their powerfist where normally they wouldn't have.

*6" SHOT*

This is being touted by many as a big problem, so I feel the need to address it even though it is fairly minor. You don't need to shoot more than 6", because whatever you are shooting at you are charging. However, the main issue with this is that if you get charged by something else, it might well be out of Overwatch range. Average roll for distance is 7 when assaulting, and the rod or PC is only 6".

How to mitigate this:
You really don't need to. Charging from 7" away is a very risky endeavor. Its only a 50/50 you'll make it to combat, and if you fail, you get to sit there in the open and be blasted to death. This is a game of chance, so if they do, in fact, make it, thems the breaks, but if they don't, show them why they should try and get closer before charging by blasting them with the Rod (And other stuff) and then charging yourself, or alternately, running away with your amazing Jump Infantry move range, preferably onto the other side of an obstacle.

*NEEDS ORB*

These guys, are _not_ cheap at all. Its basically like making RP rolls for Lychguard. Therefore, to maximize your investment's chances, you need a Res Orb with the unit, which is a pricey investment in itself, effectively turning the unit into a deathstar.

How to mitigate this:
Give them a res orb? We already talked about how great D-Lords are for the unit. Give the D-Lord an Orb.


*OVERALL:*
Rather than grade these guys on some arbitrary and questionably descriptive numerical scale, I'll instead say that Praetorians are excellent for people that know how to use them effectively, and die horribly for those who don't. Any veteran DE player will know what I am talking about. These aren't GK pallies, for whom the entire strategy is "move towards the opponent", these are meant to be used with finesse. They can Deep Strike, being Jump infantry, meaning turn two or three you can drop them right behind the enemy and go after Long Fangs or whatever. Choosing your battles is important with Praetorians, and if used correctly, they will pay dividends. Against things that either lack power weapons, only have one character with a power weapon/powerfist in the unit (Which you can challenge with your D-lord), or are all I1, Praetorians should have no trouble in combat. The D-Lord can also split off from the unit to break open a transport in that assault phase so the Praetorians can descend upon the occupants, then rejoin them and continue on. There are a lot of ways to succeed with them, and just as many ways to fail. The trick is to be able to do the former and avoid the latter.

My opinions have changed over time about these guys, usually on a daily basis. As I learn more though, I find I like them a lot. If I made any mistakes or errors, let me know, and I'll modify the document accordingly. Let me know what you think of these units as well!


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## Greyheed (Jan 11, 2011)

I believe only Jet Pack infantry gain the HoW attack, not Jump infantry

As for the pistols in Overwatch. A model can use a weapon in overwatch as long as it can make snapshots. (no blast templates(


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## Kelann08 (Nov 22, 2011)

Iron Angel said:


> -Cheap. They cost the same as an immortal.


They cost 40 points a piece.


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## Creator of Chaos (Feb 8, 2012)

Dont mean to reign on the Cheap Parade but in my Necron Codex it says Preatorians Cost 200 for 5 and 40 for each additional model. How on earth are they as cheap as immortals (Unless I missed Something)? I've seen nothing in the FAQ that lowers there cost. Could you please clear this up because if they now cost the same as immortals I would love to use them?

Everything else you said tho does hold true and when used right they can be quite devastating. I will say that having a destroyer Lord with them is an absolute must as prefered enemy, the res orb and the Warscythe Turn them into a extremly versitile unit that can match wraiths in all bar tarpitting and tank hunting. If you dont carry the Destroyer lord you may as well not take them and Just use wraiths. 

Saying that I would love to be proved wrong and see Preatorians used outside of terminator hunting and picking off Infantry


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## Kelann08 (Nov 22, 2011)

> I believe only Jet Pack infantry gain the HoW attack, not Jump infantry


You have that backwards.


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## Iron Angel (Aug 2, 2009)

Whoa.

OK, just checked, they ARE 40 a piece, which is _not_ cheap. I do not know why I was convinced they were 17 a piece...

With that in mind, let me retcon the document...

And done. I have repped you both for catching that one. Anyone else have anything to add?


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## Creator of Chaos (Feb 8, 2012)

Iron Angel said:


> Whoa.
> 
> OK, just checked, they ARE 40 a piece, which is _not_ cheap. I do not know why I was convinced they were 17 a piece...
> 
> ...


Its alright we all make mistake's so its no problem . As I said earlier a destroyer lord with res orb, Weave and Shackle Scarabs attached to the preatorians is a must otherwise its a waste of points. The Lord takes alot of pressure off the preatorians giving them much needed survivabilty and as long as you stick to cover the lack of invulns should not hurt you until you get to combat. I'd Also recommend taking them in at-least groups of 7 or 8 as expensive as it is to help with re-animation. 

At the end of the day if your going to use preatorians you may as well invest in making them survivable because they can be a smashy unit when used right and with the exception of the Royal Court, Doomsday Arc and Ctan (All as expensive) are the only things that can kill terminators and the like En-masse. Its just unfortunate that there so expensive.


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## returnoftheclown (Mar 14, 2012)

First can I say great analysis, love the breakdown.

Not sure if I'm just blind but what are your thoughts on Praetorians with Void blades and Particle casters instead of the ROC?


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## Iron Angel (Aug 2, 2009)

Haven't tried it. Looks alright on paper, but the VB/PC combo doesn't really give them anything they need. They get Entropic, but with all the Gauss flying around, we hardly need it. The pistol shot is weaker than the Rod shot with the same range, and that extra 1 attack isn't going to make or break an assault, especially considering the attack is now just Rending instead of flat AP2. They get to keep their I2, but their attacks won't have the punch to knock out any powerfist-wielders with a charge anyway, unless the unit is small. All in all, their attacks become significantly weaker with very little return, so I can't really advocate the Voidblades with Particle casters for anything other than maybe vehicle hunting (Which other things do better) or killing mobs of weaklings.


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## returnoftheclown (Mar 14, 2012)

Can definately see your point of view. 
Although I still think pc/vbs can be an effective combo, as you say, for hitting the units hiding at the back (long fangs). Also pistol is 12" so you get an extra 6", not much of a difference and really won't be using it at full range if you mean to charge the unit anyway. But if you consider using jump packs in the assault phase to get hammer of wrath, and that you are charging in with two close combat weapons that's 4 attacks (one attack before they have the chance to hit). That can make a big difference. Add in the destroyer lord and res orb and you have a unit that hits hard on the assault, can weather most attacks, and then has a decent number of attacks in later assault phases, one attack each can really put you at a disadvantage. 
Of course with ROC attacks whatever is hit is dead but with void blades can force more saves, better for the larger units (not term squads of course). 
Probably contradicted myself a lot in this but hope you get where I'm coming from.


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## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

You have forgotten to mention pith helmets


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## Sothot (Jul 22, 2011)

I would rather throw more dice than less. Praetorians with particle caster and voidblade are just as likely to kill terminators with an extra rending attack as the rod of covenant might. To be fair though, I never really consider h2hing them and would prefer to torrent terminators with warriors. Sadly I don't think i'll ever consider the very steep investment to get them when I could spend less elsewhere more effectively. I love their models though :\
Anyone know what Sakura is on about


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## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

Sothot said:


> Anyone know what Sakura is on about


Praetorians?...pith helmets?......come on its not that hard


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## Sothot (Jul 22, 2011)

Ah yes, after a quick google I get it. Thanks for the rather obscure and irrelevant reference to a range of models I can't purchase and don't particularily care to. To stay on topic however, I think Necron Praetorians should walk through Imperial Praetorians with relative ease.


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## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

Sothot said:


> Ah yes, after a quick google I get it. Thanks for the rather obscure and irrelevant reference to a range of models I can't purchase and don't particularily care to. To stay on topic however, I think Necron Praetorians should walk through Imperial Praetorians with relative ease.


Tch, looks like the death of humour has spread from the yanks to the cannuks, grumpy Sods


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## Hobbess (Feb 4, 2011)

I don't know if it would be worth mentioning in your break down, but the Nemesor could give the Praetorians two useful abilities. Furious charge would make them even more deadly, particularly to MC's. The other thought would be if you think there is a chance they could get locked in combat, give them hit and run. The I on the destroyer lord can give them a decent chance of breaking away during your opponents cc phase. You could then re-engage for a full set of hits, or move on to another target.

Not saying it'd be worth taking the Nemesor just for them, but he's useful to have anyways on his own.


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## TDbehr (Jul 17, 2012)

Hobbess said:


> them hit and run. The I on the destroyer lord can give them a decent chance of breaking away during your opponents cc phase. You could then re-engage for a full set of hits, or move on to another target.
> 
> Not saying it'd be worth taking the Nemesor just for them, but he's useful to have anyways on his own.


zhandrekh is a good all round HQ anyway but yeah FC would be good on them the turn they charge.

Hit and run is crap for any necron except the deceiver. They are I2 across the board inc. the Dlord so its not worth it on the praets.


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## Creator of Chaos (Feb 8, 2012)

Actually the D-lord is the only thing that make preatorians viable in my book. The res Orb, Mind shackle Scarabs and Sempiternal Weave for stray AP3 shots give them huge survivability that they otherwise would not have. That said after using them in a few games I have found the best way to use them is not as direct assualt and chase unit like wraiths or Ctan but rather hidden in cover or reserve to counter attack and sweep heavily armoured enemy units like terminators that enter your lines late game. Move, Shoot and then Charge to finish the remnents. It is very devastating when pulled off right. 

Outside the counter-attack roll and terminator hunting tho I see little use for them. 
Anything they can do Wraiths and Ctan Just do so much better and for general combat and havoc accross the Field why look anywhere else. Lychguard as well while slower then preatorians have access to the Royal Court, nightscythe, Invulns and Trazyn turns them into Objective Takers making them a pain for oppenents.

The more you look at preatorians the more disapointed I am. The unit has such potential yet its ridiculus Costs prevent it competing with Wraiths and Ctan for General Usage and lack of versitility sees it overshadowed by Lychguard and Lord Squads for specilist Jobs. Its sad. I'm hoping the upcoming FAQ lowers there cost or gives them a special Rule or something that can make them playable otherwise it'll be 7 or 8 years till another Dex fixes them


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## The Sturk (Feb 3, 2012)

Creator of Chaos said:


> Actually the D-lord is the only thing that make preatorians viable in my book. The res Orb, Mind shackle Scarabs and Sempiternal Weave for stray AP3 shots give them huge survivability that they otherwise would not have. That said after using them in a few games I have found the best way to use them is not as direct assualt and chase unit like wraiths or Ctan but rather hidden in cover or reserve to counter attack and sweep heavily armoured enemy units like terminators that enter your lines late game. Move, Shoot and then Charge to finish the remnents. It is very devastating when pulled off right.
> 
> Outside the counter-attack roll and terminator hunting tho I see little use for them.
> Anything they can do Wraiths and Ctan Just do so much better and for general combat and havoc accross the Field why look anywhere else. Lychguard as well while slower then preatorians have access to the Royal Court, nightscythe, Invulns and Trazyn turns them into Objective Takers making them a pain for oppenents.
> ...


I pretty much agree with all of this.

The biggest thing hurting Praetorians for me is their point cost. If they were 10-20 points cheaper, I'd likely use them a bit more. But being a single-wound no-invuln CC model, its hard to justify their use.


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## falcoso (Apr 7, 2012)

I like preatorians, and in 6th with my lychguard whenever I charge I always get a tiny roll and have to sit there and get shot at, at least with Preatorians they can get there a lot quicker and if the turn they assault they didn't move with the jump pack then they can re-roll and are more likely to get in, with the 6" shooting profile, imagine it as a more consistent dispersion shield that doesn't give an invun, there are by far worse units in the codex and with the new rules I may take them, wraiths aren't consistent at getting rid of armour and the c'tan is 185pts basic without powers and your an idiot if you don't take any, I would more rather spend another 15pts for jump infantry with power axes that shoot, and you get a wound more than if you just got the c'tan


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

Hammer of Wrath is unlikely to do any damage at all, as you have to charge using your Jump Pack. This gives you an additional D6" of movement, whereas using the Pack for movement gives you a flat 6". HoW is also a single attack at base strength with no extras from weapons. One Str 5 attack. Does anyone remember why Fire Warriors were bad in 5th?

Overall I think they're too fragile and lack punch for 40pts apiece. Bringing down 200pts of Praetorians is easier than killing 5 Plague Marines, which aren't hard to kill.

A valiant tactica, though.

Midnight


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## falcoso (Apr 7, 2012)

but your stupid to take something like Preatorians in squads of 5 because they will lose reanimation too easily, and jump infantry just get HoW anyway don't they? and 5 auto hitting S5 hits are pretty good in my opinion, so you are going to get about 3 wounds and depending on saves about 1 kill, thats still less attacks back against you and is effective if another small squad. - and we can't take plague marines :biggrin:


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## The Sturk (Feb 3, 2012)

falcoso said:


> but your stupid to take something like Preatorians in squads of 5 because they will lose reanimation too easily, and jump infantry just get HoW anyway don't they? and 5 auto hitting S5 hits are pretty good in my opinion, so you are going to get about 3 wounds and depending on saves about 1 kill, thats still less attacks back against you and is effective if another small squad. - and we can't take plague marines :biggrin:


We can as allies >.>


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

falcoso said:


> but your stupid to take something like Preatorians in squads of 5 because they will lose reanimation too easily, and jump infantry just get HoW anyway don't they? and 5 auto hitting S5 hits are pretty good in my opinion, so you are going to get about 3 wounds and depending on saves about 1 kill, thats still less attacks back against you and is effective if another small squad. - and we can't take plague marines :biggrin:


So you take your 10 Praetorians. That's the same price as 10 Thunder Hammer Terminators, or 2 Keepers of Secrets. And all of it lost to a single Battle Cannon.

Taking 5 is not enough because they're fragile, but 10 is perhaps even moreso as it's a bigger target, does nothing for your target priority, is harder to overkill, and is a bigger points sink.

Midnight


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## falcoso (Apr 7, 2012)

:biggrin: But why would you need 2 Keepers of Secrets


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

Because 2 Keepers of Secrets are twice as good as one?

Midnight


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## Hobbess (Feb 4, 2011)

falcoso said:


> :biggrin: But why would you need 2 Keepers of Secrets


So true. Especially since everyone knows as soon as two people know a thing, it's no longer a secret. :laugh:


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

Hobbess said:


> So true. Especially since everyone knows as soon as two people know a thing, it's no longer a secret. :laugh:


So adultery can't be secret, because two people know about it? Logic is flawed 

But seriously, 2 Keepers is a pretty good investment of points, I believe.

Midnight


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## falcoso (Apr 7, 2012)

But this time, I am right about saying this because crons can't ally with demons - crons can't take a Keeper of Secrets


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