# How much is too much in terms of HQ point cost?



## scscofield (May 23, 2011)

Depending on gearing you can kit out various HQ's to the point that they cost more than a Land Raider. Then there are the special named HQ's that do cost more than Land Raiders. So the question is, how much is too much in terms of HQ point cost?

I personally run a Thunderwolf mounted Wolf Lord that can range from 250-290 points depending on what items I put on him. I love the character but I also feel required to give him some Thunderwolf Calvary as escorts. This boosts the cost of him beyond 500 points in terms of my list. 

Do I feel it is worth it? Definitely, I love the durability of the Lord and his buddies, and the combat punch. I do have to build my list to support this.

So how much is too much for your list? Is there exceptions to this?


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Can you find any room in your army that removing all those upgrades cannot fit. Can those additional points spent do more for the army than simply hitting harder or keeping it alive longer?

For example; Dark Eldar Archons can run up quite the bill. Conversely, my Venom-spam list (consigned to the grave) has a 50pt HQ. Venomspam requires maximising bodies (or splinters, rather); spending a further 100 on keeping something alive that's not doing much for the army is a waste.


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## scscofield (May 23, 2011)

So cut points as much as possible to increase numbers is your mind set. Is there a HQ that breaks this mold for you?


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

The Hive Tyrant exemplifies this problem. On one hand, he can become a fast moving engine of death that will comfortably spell doom for half of my opponent's army if he can just make it to the other side of the board. 

On the other, one failed charge roll or a successful seize the initiative test for my opponent can often stick him in the open with no defense for an entire turn. From a defensive standpoint, he's just too damn fragile for that without a few hundred points more spent on support units to up his survivability (re: Tervigon to cast Catalyst and venomthropes to give a cover save) so this is often something I dwell on when making a list. 

Conversely, I love the humble Necron Overlord. With or without upgrades, or even with just one or two extra items, he is a boon to your army no matter what you do with him.


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## ChaosRedCorsairLord (Apr 17, 2009)

It depends on the army. Some have HQs that are cheap and decent (farseer) whilst others can be awesome, but need to spend a bit more (Tau commander).

Having said that if you're spending more than 1/5 of you pts on one or two models you're probably wasting some points. Troops win games.


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## Archon Dan (Feb 6, 2012)

I find the 1/5 rule mentioned above is a good guideline. More bodies, attacks, wounds or shots are almost always better. But if those points cause more benefit on the HQ then you can reach a tipping point. Putting a Res Orb with a Necron unit is often better than adding a couple more soldiers to the army. Just like having a full Warlock Council may be worth those 350 points if it means their Powers can cripple the enemy. But you need other supporting units for those high target HQs; just like you can't leave that Land Raider or expensive Flyer on its own.


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## dragonkingofthestars (May 3, 2010)

you have a problem with HQ's. 

on the one hand, you need to equip them a fair bit in order to keep the alive enough to use your warlord trait, which can or can not be very useful. on the other hand, the more you spend on them, "da less boyz youz geten." so for me, I give my guy just enough to handle most things, (this means storm bolter+power halberd) and then have him pal around with a squad with enough shooting power to kill enemy's that are choppyer then him before they get close.

It should be note that some characters, mostly psykers, can earn there point back ten fold if used correctly with buffs and raw killing power. In those drop a few more points in them in order to keep the alive to do there thing. 

but generally, cheap is good.

I think, I've yet to play a game so i may just be blowing smoke.


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## Loli (Mar 26, 2009)

I think it all depends upon what you get for your points and how useful it actually is in relation to points.


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## falcoso (Apr 7, 2012)

Yeah I generally try and cap it at 1/4 of the army (it rarely even gets to that point) and certainly nor mare than 200pts on a single model unless they are more than that without upgrades beause I prefer more models than tough models otherwise I get the sense that I wasted point on certain upgrades, especially if it is one use


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## Xabre (Dec 20, 2006)

It also depends on what the HQ is built for. For instance, Dante, Lorgar, Draigo... alot of this units have the 'Troop Tax' built in to them that costs more than you would normally expect out of an HQ. Of course, on top of this is the fact that those are all Special Characters; only Chaos and Marine Bike HQs unlock troop choices that I can think of without named characters.

I usually build 2000 point armies, and I use Land Raiders as my benchmark. If an HQ costs more than a Land Raider, and it's not named, its too expensive, unless it has some cornerstone for the army. This doesn't include a transport or a possible retinue (Mordrak, Anrakyr on a barge, etc). About the only HQ I've ever considered over that mark that didn't have a Troop Tax was Stormcaller... and even that one I thought was too costly.


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## The Sturk (Feb 3, 2012)

Just last night, I fielded a 325 pt. Daemon Prince as my HQ for my Necron's allied detachment. While it completely obliterated a Parsite of Mortrix, it died next turn to poison weapons and it's own Daemon weapon (rolled two 1's in two assault phases for extra attacks). The extra 50 points for Mastery Level 2 were not worth it in the slightest, especially since Shadow of the Warp was in play.

Conversly, my Warlord, an Overlord, was half that amount and did a fine job holding a back objective with Immortals.


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## Alsojames (Oct 25, 2010)

It depends on your strategy. If your army is all about charging in and getting close and you want to spend your points on making your HQ and his squad a close combat beast, go ahead. 

It also depends on the models you have and whether or not you're open to buying more.


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## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

HQ<200 points it's ok. HQ>200 points it had better have EW or T6. I've found myself taking, say, 2 CSM biker lords who are each about 185 points (1 w/ BBoS, 1 w/ AoBF), and they each have about 190 points worth if bikers as a retinue. That makes for about 750 points in my HQ and FA (plus maybe some more bikers or a Heldrake), but makes a hard, fast core to base my army around.


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