# All is Dust-- THOUSAND SONS TACTICA



## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

*PROSPERO’S REVENGE
TACTICA: THOUSAND SONS*

The Thousand Sons are often considered the weakest of the Chaos Space Marine variant army lists. In a straight fight, that might be true. However, Tzeentch is the Great Deceiver, and it is not his way to make a bum rush towards the foe, throwing tactics to the wind. Unlike most power-armoured armies, it is extremely difficult to win without careful thought and planning. 

Like all armies, the Thousand Sons have a number of strengths and weaknesses that make them quite unique. 

_Strengths_:
-The Rubric Sign makes the basic trooper into a brutal combatant. Don’t underestimate the value of two wounds per model in close combat. 
-Slow and Purposeful allows you to fire at full range on the move, which is essential when the army is as small as it will be. Additionally, Thousand Sons are able to charge after firing rapid-fire weapons, making them extremely brutal at close range.
-Psychic powers. The Thousand Sons are the most powerful psykers in the game, as they do not have to take psychic checks. Chaos psychic abilities are already amongst the most powerful in the game, and the inability of an opponent to nullify them with a psychic hood means that you will always be able to cast. 

_Weaknesses_:
-Fairly soft daemons. None are particularly tough, and are quite expensive, like all units in the army.
-High points cost per model means you’ll have at most forty models or so in 2000 points.
-High learning curve (but that’s why you’re reading this!)
-Limited unit choices, and few options for the units allowed.
-Can be quite slow on foot.


*PSYCHIC POWERS*
As an essential part of the army, psychic powers should be discussed before anything else. While normally a nice extra, the principle strength of the Thousand Sons lies in their sorceries.

_Bolt of Change_
Many people think that Bolt of Change is the signature psychic ability of the Thousand Sons, and everyone who can have it should. Its points cost, however, makes it incredibly inefficient. As a primarily anti-tank psychic power, a model that is part of a unit is not applying economy of force in a practical way if the rest of the unit is idle while the sorcerer eliminates an armored target. It might be acceptable in an army where you have several hundred models and it doesn’t matter if eight others don’t fire that turn, but every model needs to be shooting if at all possible. 

_Doombolt_
Doombolt is available to any Chaos sorcerer. Despite not being unique to the Thousand Sons, it is the most cost-effective offensive power when the model is being armed to fight light infantry such as Tyranids, Guardsmen, or Eldar. For Chosen, Doombolt is good because it’s not horribly expensive as psychic powers go, and provides a solid replacement for the lack of heavy bolters available to the army.

_Gift of Chaos and Mass Mutation_
Models with the Rubric Sign cannot be effected by these powers, so they’re probably best left at home in favor of spells that compliment the majority of your models.

_Twisting Path_
Twisting Path is an interesting, and often overlooked psychic power. When a unit has more than one model able to cast it, the enemy takes one pin check per cast of Twisting Path. Even high-leadership units run a surprising risk of being Pinned by that. The Thousand Sons’ principle strength is at close range, and pinning an enemy unit prevents them from charging in their next turn, buying you more time to unload your boltguns into them. Point for point, it’s an extremely useful spell. It’s best left off of your HQ models in favor of more offensive spells, since it’s important for characters to make their points back as best as possible.
_
Wind of Chaos_
This power, which is available to any Chaos Sorcerer, is probably the most deadly in the hands of a skilled tactician. When coupled with the rapid-firing bolters and perhaps a thrall sorcerer to double-tap the power, it is quite possible to eliminate an entire tooled-out close combat specialist squad in one fell swoop. No armor or cover saves make Wind of Chaos especially dangerous against targets that normally enjoy good protection from either high toughness, such as a Wraithlord, or units that have 2+ armor such as Terminators.
*
HQ UNITS*
_Lord/Daemon Prince/Lieutenant_
Chaos Space Marine HQ models are very much a personal preference. All excel in close combat, which is quite vital in a Thousand Sons army. It’s hard to really give advice on what a good HQ unit would be, because in this case, the army really shapes the HQ unit. I’ve personally found that a Terminator-armored lord with a retinue of Terminators provide both solid fire support and an effective unit for fighting enemy close combat specialists. 

_Lord of Change_
A Lord of Change is a combat monster as well as a vicious psychic, but it comes at the price of one of your Aspiring Champions. Unless you’re playing a very large game, it might be better to leave the avatar of Tzeentch behind, since your Aspiring Champions are vital to the functioning of your Thousand Sons squads.

*[WARGEAR for your HQ MODELS]*
Some items of interest for your HQ models, regardless of what they are, are listed below. Keep in mind that all count against your Daemonic Gifts total

_Eye of Tzeentch_
Any Thousand Sons character can have the Eye of Tzeentch for twenty points, which gives them a re-roll on any one failed armor save, to hit roll, or to wound roll per turn. Used in a defensive capacity with Terminator armour and daemonic resilience makes for an extremely tough nut to crack.

_Bedlam Staff _
People often overlook the Tzeentch daemon weapons in favor of more directly brutal “undivided” weapons such as the Dark Blade or Dreadaxe. People typically take the Dark Blade to get the character’s strength up to the point where it can cut through a dreadnought. A Bedlam Staff shakes the vehicle on a hit, which reduces the number of attacks it throws (barring it being I5, of course, as it would hit at the same time as the character at that point.) While the Bedlam Staff is not as directly destructive to a vehicle, it protects your other models in close combat. The Thousand Sons have to worry about Instant Death more than any other army, and when a dreadnought throws one fewer attack from being shaken, it kills one fewer model outright when it wounds. When the purpose of a character in an army is to provide defense against close combat specialists, having things that reduce the enemy’s effectiveness are sometimes more useful than direct destruction. Of course, you’ll still need a power fist to bring the dreadnought down—but that is the providence of your Aspiring Champions.

_Warp Blade_
Against the Eldar, Tyranids, Grey Knights, and Space Marine armies that take Librarians, the Warp Blade is not a bad option as your daemon weapon. An enemy psyker casting within a foot of the wielder has a 50% chance of taking a Perils of the Warp attack in addition to failing to cast the psychic ability. Not only does this weapon provide a solid anti-psychic defense, but it makes it possible for the enemy character(s) to be softened up a bit so you can plow through them in close combat. Of course, the Warp Blade is a power weapon, so you’re not forfeiting any meaningful close combat ability to have a psychic defense that’s more effective than a psychic hood.


*ELITES UNITS*
Thousand Sons Elites are excessively expensive per model, but can be extremely powerful. 

_Chosen_
Chosen serve a couple of important purposes in a Thousand Sons army. Firstly, they form your character’s bodyguard, which is always a vital thing to have if the model doesn’t have daemonic stature. Secondly, they’re your sole means of deploying man-portable heavy weapons to the field. Finally, they’re all psykers, and having even half the squad able to cast Doombolt can be an infantryman’s nightmare.

Chosen Terminators are vicious close combatants regardless of their mark. For a negligible cost, their power weapons can be upgraded to a lightning claw or power fist. In addition to being the most cost-effective close combat specialists that the Thousand Sons can muster, Terminators can be quite brutal at range. A squad that has half of the models able to cast Doombolt and the other half cast Twisting Path allows them to stop enemy units in their tracks, giving you a little more time to gun them down. 

_Possessed Thousand Sons_
Unfortunately, Thousand Sons Possessed are impractically expensive at a base of 32 points per model. That being said, it’s entirely possible to have the most devastating assault unit in the game with these guys. If you overlook the fact that you’re paying 67 points per model, you can have Possessed with Daemonic Flight and Wind of Chaos. If you’re going to take a squad that’s as expensive as Thousand Sons Possessed are to begin with, you might as well go all-out on them. Five of the aforementioned flying flamethrowers aren’t too hard to conceal in terrain, and when used against heavy infantry such as Space Marines, you should find you get a return on your points investment pretty quickly. They’re probably best left at home in 2000 points, though. 

_Rubric Terminators_
Rubric Terminators are essentially your army’s basic close combat specialists. Their profile and abilities are identical to power-armoured Thousand Sons, but the fact that they all have power weapons and a 2+ armor save makes them quite capable of handling the likes of Space Marine assault squads and command squads, for example. If your army is lacking close combat support, it’s worth considering a squad of Rubric Terminators. If nothing else, they’re Terminators with 2 wounds.


*TROOPS*_
Thousand Sons_
Thousand Sons are the best infantry in the game. They’re 2-wound Space Marines that are Fearless and count as stationary for purposes of shooting. A squad on foot can advance relentlessly, while a squad in a Rhino can bail out, have the Aspiring Champion blast the enemy with his psychic power(s), and fight quite well in close combat thanks to their Space Marine profile and extra wound apiece. 

_ A few notes for getting the most out of your Thousand Sons squads_

----_Aspiring Champions_
Your squads should be 9-strong for the free Aspiring Champion upgrade. A power fist provides solid melee support, as well as a means to bring down things that the Thousand Sons can’t hurt in close combat such as dreadnoughts. When the squad is on foot, the Aspiring Champion should have as many Thrall Wizards as he can take so that he can maximize the amount of psychic powers he can use, and when the squad is in a Rhino, he should take a single Thrall so that the Rhino is full and he can still double-tap his psychic abilities.

----_Thousand Sons Rhino Rush Strategy_
Multiple units mounted in Rhinos working together can be quite effective when they all strike in unison. The Aspiring Champions should all have Wind of Chaos and a thrall sorcerer apiece, as mentioned above. Between all the bolters, two flame templates that ignore armor and cover saves, and the solid close combat ability the squads have, even against charging opponents due to their additional wounds, your opponent will find his army devastated in a single unified strike. For it to work, you have to watch cover and the lines of sight of enemy heavy weapons. Take your time, and line up your Rhino charge.

----_Thrall Sorcerers_
Thralls are not only a great item for modeling purposes, but for five points apiece, allow the Aspiring Champion to cast an additional power in exchange for sacrificing one of them. Regardless of the psychic ability being used, the five points is five points well spent. Stock up on ‘em—just be sure the squad can still fit in the transport, if you take one. 

_Lesser Daemons_
Horrors are quite worthless. They’re expensive per model, are soft defensively, and have only a modest ranged attack. When upgraded to Flamers, however, their effectiveness is such that they’ll find a place in almost every army. Flamers all have Doombolt, which makes them the best anti-light infantry unit you can get. A squad of nine throws twenty-seven S5 AP4 shots at 18’’, which is enough to eliminate an entire squad of anything that’s not in power armor in each shooting phase. That being said, Flamers are as weak defensively as Horrors, so be sure to move them into some hard cover as quickly as possible.

*FAST ATTACK*
_Screamers_
As your sole Fast Attack choice, Screamers will find a place in almost any army. They’re useful for counterattacking, as well as distracting enemy units. Their speed allows them to engage enemy heavy weapons squads, which can stop missile launchers and lascannons from ripping up your Thousand Sons. The mandatory Hit and Run at the end of combat means that the Screamers are going to be vulnerable to shooting, however, so expect them to only last about a turn or so since they’re not much tougher than Horrors or Flamers.

*HEAVY SUPPORT*
_Predator_
In an army that excels at fighting infantry, there’s always a dire need for anti-tank units. A Predator with lascannons fills this role nicely for a very reasonable points cost. Daemonic possession keeps the guns firing regardless of stunned and shaken results, which is always good to have.

_Dreadnought_
Dreadnoughts are probably the most cost-effective heavy support unit that the Thousand Sons can have. They provide solid close combat support, as well as a mobile anti-tank platform when armed with a twin-linked lascannon. Remember to give it Daemonic Possession, and you’ll find your points have been well spent.

_Defiler_
A Defiler is not particularly needed in a Thousand Sons army, as it excels against infantry with its battle cannon. Some argue that you should give it the twin-linked lascannon upgrade, but the real reason to take the defiler is for its battle cannon. If you want the lascannon platforms, take either predators or dreadnoughts. If you find that you don’t need a lot of anti-armor support, a stock defiler isn’t a bad use of 150 points. Be sure that you’ve got plenty of Troops before you bother with the defiler, since it’s not essential given the Thousand Sons’ impressive anti-infantry abilities.



*FIGHTING SPECIFIC ARMIES*
_Chaos Space Marines_
Unfortunately, the Ruinous Powers fight themselves as much as anyone else. Watch out for close combat specialists, and be prepared for daemons. Against any Chaos army, with the exception of an Iron Warriors army, it’s probably better to hang back and let them come to you. The fact that you can move backwards and fire at 24’’ will help thin out squads on foot. 
Keep in mind that daemons only have a 5+ invulnerable save, so bolters should be able to take down daemon packs before they get into close combat. 
Defilers will make short work of your Thousand Sons squads with their battle cannons. Make defilers a priority target for your anti-tank weapons. 
_
Daemonhunters_
Grey Knights are designed to fight Chaos, and if it’s a pure Grey Knight army, you’re going to be in for a real challenge due to their Aegis suits. Rely on your armored units, since the Grey Knights have the worst anti-armor abilities in the game. If there are supporting Guardsmen, see the Imperial Guard section below. Consider letting a Dreadnought (or two) fight the Grey Knights in close combat. Even though the Grey Knights are S6, a possessed dreadnought should be able to ignore most of the glancing hits that they might inflict. 
A pure Grey Knight army is probably going to be similar in size as yours, which tips things their way since they’re able to match you in range with their storm bolters, and can outfight your basic Thousand Sons in close combat. It’ll be pure luck if you manage to beat a Daemonhunters army.

_Dark Eldar_
The Dark Eldar are designed to fight on their terms. Your best bet is to deploy tightly in one flank so that you can maximize the number of shots you can bring to bear against individual units. Thousand Sons can handle Dark Eldar Warriors in close combat, but you might want to leave the Archon and any Incubi to a dreadnought or your Lord and Terminators. Doombolt is quite effective against the 5+ armor of the Dark Eldar, and even bolters can bring down Raiders. 
Talos are dangerous in any case, but they’ll make short work of your Thousand Sons in close combat much like a dreadnought will. Instead of focusing your anti-tank weapons on the light skimmers, leave those to your Thousand Sons. Have your big guns deal with the Talos.
_
Eldar_ The Eldar are individually rather soft, but a skilled Eldar player can easily make a mess of your army. Fire Dragons are particularly worrisome due to their S8 weapons, and Striking Scorpions will beat up any squad you can throw against them, barring your Terminators or HQ unit.
If you have any anti-psychic hardware, you’re going to annoy your Eldar foe. You’ve got the superior offensive psychic abilities, but the Eldar have some rather powerful buff spells. If you can make it harder for their farseer to cast Guide or Fortune, it’s worthwhile. 
Wraithlords are dangerous no matter who you are, but their S10 close combat attacks are going to turn your Thousand Sons into psychically-receptive goo. Wind of Chaos works well since it wounds the T8 monster on a 4+ and ignores armour. Lascannons are still your best bet, though. 
Harlequins might also present a bit of a challenge, since they’re able to Hit and Run with Furious Assault, much like Screamers of Tzeentch. Bolters will hurt them, but their Holo Suits will keep at least a couple in the fight. You’ll just have to deal with them in close combat and hope they didn’t bring fusion pistols. 

_Imperial Guard_
The Imperial Guard is composed almost entirely of light infantry, which the Thousand Sons excel at fighting. As Space Marines, the Thousand Sons are far superior to the average Guardsman in close combat, and bolters are AP5, making them lethal at 24’’ and closer. Watch the Leman Russ tanks, and make sure you take them out quickly. Make your other priority targets squads with S8 or better heavy weapons. Once you’re in close combat, you should be able to wade through the tide of infantry without too much trouble, so if you don’t have the means to get all the missile launchers and lascannons out of the way, this might be the one instance where a bum rush with Thousand Sons will work. 

_Necrons_
The Necrontyr are similar to the Thousand Sons in that they are able to relentlessly advance and lay down a frightening amount of anti-infantry fire. Despite comparable profiles, the Thousand Sons have the advantage in close combat. There is little in the Necron arsenal beyond the monolith and heavy destroyers which can instant-kill a Thousand Son, so the focus should be on the warriors. Anti-tank fire should go towards downing the higher-toughness Necrons, such as destroyers and heavy destroyers. If there is a C’tan, Wind of Chaos will hurt it, but you might be better off just ignoring it and trying to phase out the lower number of Necrons that are going to be on the table. 

_Orks_
It’s a similar concept to fighting the Imperial Guard. Orks are almost all in 6+ armor, which means that the bolters will do their job quite well. However, Orks are T4, so you won’t get as many per volley as you would if you were shooting guardsmen or Eldar Guardians. 
Choppas are tough on 3+ armor. Your bolters will be firing more than most because you can advance (or retreat) and still fire 24’’, so you hopefully won’t be dealing with quite as many close combat attacks as other Space Marine players might. Terminators are particularly vulnerable in close combat against Orks, so consider letting them rely on their combi-bolters and any models with doombolt instead.
Remember that bolters can open Trukks. If there’s a Looted Leman Russ, make it the first priority, since it’s really the only thing that poses a major threat to your squads as a whole. The odd rokkit will instant-kill a Thousand Son, but for every time one of them actually connects, you should have gotten more than that model’s points’ worth of Orks, so don’t worry about it.

_Space Marines_
Power armor means your bolters aren’t going to cut as big a swathe through the enemy as you might like. However, you’ve got two wounds apiece to their one, so close combat might not be such a bad idea considering that Tactical Marines and Thousand Sons have otherwise identical profiles. Wind of Chaos is particularly effective against power armor—if you’re planning on getting in close, make sure your Champions have it. 
A common Space Marine heavy support unit is a squad of Devastators with four missile launchers. While they’re usually there for anti-tank duty, missile launchers are bad news for your T4 Thousand Sons. Make them a priority target. 
Watch out for Vindicators. It’s the same problem as the devastator squad with four missile launchers, but it’s quite a bit more powerful and can cover an entire squad of your Thousand Sons with the ordinance blast. Turn all your anti-tank guns on any Vindicators as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you may find yourself without any infantry by the end of turn 3. 

_--Black Templars_
While you should have the ranged advantage, your Lord is going to be at risk from the Emperor’s Champion. If you can eliminate the Emperor’s Champion, your HQ models are going to be a lot safer. Watch out for charging Chaplains leading big squads—the re-rolled failed to-hit rolls are going to hurt your Thousand Sons a lot. If your army is set up to advance in Rhinos, you’re probably better off, since Wind of Chaos does wonders against big units with good armor saves.

_--Blood Angels_
Even though there won’t be a lot of instant-death shots coming your way, Death Company is a serious problem for your Thousand Sons. They’re your first priority. Watch for Baal Predators, since the twin-linked assault cannons will make a mess of your Thousand Sons despite having two wounds apiece. 


_--Dark Angels_
We’ll have to see the new Codex. As it currently stands, fighting Dark Angels is no different than fighting a Codex: Space Marine army.

_--Space Wolves_
Here, we have a problem. Their Blood Feud rule means that both armies hit each other on 3’s in close combat. Normally, that’s not a big deal. However, Blood Claws charge with four attacks apiece, and your Thousand Sons have one. It’s basic math, and it isn’t in your favor.	

_Tau Empire_
Depending on the style of the Tau player, there are a couple of different ways to go about fighting a Tau Empire army. Regardless of the army style, there are a few general things that apply to fighting any Tau army.
Railguns aren’t as big a threat as you might imagine. Since it’s only one shot at S10 instead of an ordinance blast, it’s no more dangerous than a missile launcher. That being said, find out what’s packing the most seeker missiles in the army, and turn your lascannons on that.
Crisis suits tend to pack a lot of AP3 or better weaponry, so watch out for those. Your 24’’ range with the bolters on the move helps you deal with the assault move afforded by the battlesuit jetpacks, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to gun down Crisis teams with bolters.
It should go without saying that the Tau are quite soft in close combat, so even if it seems like you’re doing well at range, it’s probably not a bad idea to try to beat them up in melee where their slow reactions and low WS will put the Thousand Sons at an extreme advantage.	

_--“Fish of Fury” Army_
A common army to see is what has been dubbed the “fish of fury” list by many Tau players. Let the Tau come to you if they’re using Devilfish to transport Fire Warriors. Pulse rifles are S5, and Fire Warriors are T3, so you’ll be wounding each other on 3’s at range. In a firefight, Thousand Sons have an advantage thanks to their power armour. The way the Tau deploy out of the devilfish will make it difficult to assault them, but Screamers should be able to swing around the skimmers and get to the fire warriors without too much effort. 

_--Mixed Tau Empire Army_
The only meaningful threat to the Thousand Sons in close combat are Kroot squads that are close to full-strength and include hounds. The weight of numbers will eventually overwhelm a Thousand Sons squad in close combat since the Thousand Sons only have a single attack apiece. Concentrated bolter fire on Kroot mobs will make them much more manageable, though. 
_
Tyranids_ 
The Tyranids are a tough nut to crack for the Thousand Sons due to the vast numeric superiority of a Tyranid swarm. If your army is mounted in Rhinos for the most part, use the Rhinos as mobile cover, channeling the gaunts into firing lanes. Try to keep your infantry together so that you can end close combats quickly where they spring up. 
Deploy as far forward as you are able. After the Tyranids hit the 24’’ point, begin to move backwards—if you deploy 12’’ onto the table, you should get an extra turn of shooting, which makes all the difference against models with a 6+ armor save.
Regardless of what army you are using, the anti tank weapons get pointed at the Hive Tyrants first, the Carnifex second, and any non-Tyrant synapse creatures third. Tyranid Warriors cannot be instant-killed, so it’s probably better not to waste your lascannon shots on them and simply gun them down with bolters. 
While Wind of Chaos is probably more damaging to armies that rely on their armor saves, it’s still a flame template, and that tends to catch a lot of models in a Tyranid army. Doombolt will also help a great deal against genestealers and Tyranid Warriors, who tend to be the greatest threats in close combat. 
_
Witch Hunters_
Sisters of Battle are probably the best short-range firepower army in the game, largely due to their high number of special weapons combined with armour-bypassing Faith abilities. They can be fought in a similar manner to a close-combat oriented Space Marine army. Exorcists should, of course, be the first priority since they fire numerous S8 AP1 shots, which is bad for pretty much anything you’ve got on the table. 
Second on the list of things to gun down with your anti-tank weapons are any penitent engines, as they’re similarly able to instant-kill your Thousand Sons, but need to do it in close combat, making them less of an immediate threat than the Exorcist tanks. 
Sisters of Battle are wannabe Space Marines. Their toughness and WS leaves something to be desired. Bolters wound them on 3+, and Space Marines hit them on a 3+ in close combat. Thousand Sons can probably win a firefight from about 24’’ out, but you might as well get stuck in since you won’t be getting clobbered by meltagun fire once they’ve closed the gap.
Seraphim can be a troubling unit to deal with, since the Thousand Sons aren’t known for their speed. If you have Screamers, you might send them after the jump packing Sisters. Otherwise, you’ll just have to either gun them down with bolters or put up with their Hit and Run ability and close combat Faith abilities in close combat.



This will be updated as new Codexes come out.


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## jigplums (Dec 15, 2006)

I've only skim read it so far, but what i read looks accurate enough. Well done for getting it all down


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## Tahaal (Dec 22, 2006)

Its a nice read, but I did catch this:



> Vespids are dangerous in close combat due to their rending attacks, but they’re pricey and not particularly numerous.


Vespids don't have rending. And they arn't very deadly in CC. They do have T4, but their I5 is wasted on an opponent that mostly strikes at I1. Plus, they have a crappy save, and arn't ever fielded in high numbers. The upside for them is the powerful neutron blaster (when supported by markerlights) and low point cost (IMO, 16 points for a fast, effective anti-marine option that can jump from terrain to terrain safely is well worth it)


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## Hespithe (Dec 26, 2006)

I enjoyed, and appreciate, the overview. Thanks!

Hopefully, I'll get the chance to add to the tactica when I get the Dustwing up and about. Those lazy bones.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Tahaal said:


> Its a nice read, but I did catch this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




My mistake. I must have been thinking of something else when I wrote this.


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

Still reading the rest of this, which is excellent btw, but this part I question:



> and the inability of an opponent to nullify them with a psychic hood means that you will always be able to cast.


I was under the impression that psychic hoods ALWAYS nullify powers on a certain roll....


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Nope. The Psychic Hood entry reads "...Declare that you'll use the psychic hood before an opponent has successfully made a psychic test, but before they have used the power..." Since Thousand Sons don't take psychic tests, the hood can't nullify them.

Thanks for the compliment, though!


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## cccp (Dec 15, 2006)

looks great 
thanks


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Tahaal said:


> They do have T4, but their I5 is wasted on an opponent that mostly strikes at I1.


I was skimming my article just for kicks, and it occured to me that I hadn't made a note that the Slow and Purposeful rules have changed. Thousand Sons hit at Initiative 4 now-- they're identical to Space Marines in close combat in every way. They just don't get a charge bonus because they get to rapid-fire on the way in, which is quite a bit better. :lol: 

Check out the Slow and Purposeful universal special rule on page 75 of the main rulebook.


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## slaanesh's tears (Dec 28, 2006)

that was a full and comprehensive list that made me want to collect a thosands sons army 

but then i back to what a friend did put them all on on termi bases so ordanance has a reduced effect :twisted:


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

That makes it awfully tough to put them in a Rhino. You still have to be able to get everyone out within 2'' of an access point. While you can easily get nine models out around the entire vehicle, it'll be tough to bring the entire squad's bolters to bear on a target when you disembark. Better to leave the 40 mil bases to the terminators. Besides, the drawback to those big bases is that it's easier to get more models in base contact with each Thousand Son, and you don't want them overwhelmed. They may have two wounds, but they only have one attack. 

Collect the Thousand Sons! They're a lot of fun to paint and model, and it actually presents a challenge on the tabletop for you, since they do take a lot of finesse.


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## Viscount Vash (Jan 3, 2007)

It all Seems good so far although my favorite thing in the Codex for The Thousand Sons is a close combat Dreadnought with Coruscating Flame if this evil bunny gets into combat I have seen it wipe out whole squads. (any model attacking it takes a Str 6 Ap 4 hit Before resolving its attacks.)
This is very usful agaisnt Nids and other low armoured combat based armies and also is not a bad thing on a Defiler against similar foes.
Watch your opponents face show sheer horror as you roll a goodly bucket of dice with the stats above against his large sqauds! :twisted: .


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Heh. I need to add vehicle upgrades to the tactica.


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## Barney the Lurker (Dec 28, 2006)

> and the inability of an opponent to nullify them with a psychic hood means that you will always be able to cast.


The powers are still able to be nullified. You still have to make the test, it just passes them automatically. Therefore a psychic hood can blok your powers, which is annoying.

Compare it to the rules for flamers, which states they use the psychic power without the ned for a test. This can't be nullified as youare not testing.


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## Lord Sinkoran (Dec 23, 2006)

I've played along side a tzeentch army with 2 wounds per guy and it was imense in combat...when it got there that is.


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## TwistedDarkness (Jan 1, 2007)

I just realized how good Thousand Sons could be. I always thought of them as the least competitive of the Chaos Legions. Now, I know how devastating a TS Rhino Rush could be.

Drive up, bail out, rapid fire, two WoC shots, assualt... Owch.


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

Unfortunately it is somewhat of a mixed tactic. Regular opponents will know what is coming and take out the Rhinos pronto and new opponents will almost certainly do the same. Once those Rhinos are gone, good luck pulling this tactic off as the movement of the Sons will really screw you over. It can be compensated for but this is not as sure fire as you might think.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

It is a mixed tactic. Even still, it does work. If the Rhino blows, it's not a big deal because they can walk and still be outrageously effective. You'll get to use Wind of Chaos regardless, because they'll move in to engage you. People gamble with the Slow and Purposeful rolls... and if they go 13'' out, they're safe from being charged, but not from the shooting or the wind. 

Taking out the Rhinos is tougher than people might imagine, mostly because of terrain. If you make a beeline for the enemy without considering the terrain, then you deserve to lose. You have to advance from cover to cover, minimzing the lines of fire that anti-armor units have on the transports. Hasn't failed me yet.

In fact, I've tabled my opponents by turn 4 in the last three games I've played with my Thousand Sons.


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## The Wildonion (Dec 21, 2006)

Great article, I enjoyed reading through it and it changed my mind about several things that I had thought finalized for my own TS army that I want to start in Feb.


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