# How useful is a psychic hood?



## Morgal (Sep 26, 2007)

Working on my list and someone brought it to my attnetion the i can take HQ choices with a psychic hood.

Having never used them and thus unit would cost a fair amount and force me to drop some elements of my force i was woundering how usefull it is(assuming leaderhsip 10)

Is it worth taking in an all comers list just to combat lash of submision and other powers or would it weeken me to much that in an all takers list i would be weak vs non psychic armies.


I supose it would not be that bad, may work in an assisen and some death cult.

Feed back on the hood would be great.


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## wetware (Dec 8, 2007)

If the Ld of the unit is 10, then 50% of your foe's psychic powers will end up not working if they require a psychic test. As long as it's not too terribly expensive I wouldn't leave home without it.


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## Culler (Dec 27, 2007)

If it's an option for one of your existing units, it's great. 

If you're taking an inquisitor lord just so you can take a psychic hood, it's probably not worth it. But, like I said, if you're taking the inquisitor to take some assassins or other options, then go for it.


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## Morgal (Sep 26, 2007)

Just read some intresting tactica's and rethinking my entire armie.....(i still only have 750 points but planning ahead for 1700)


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## Ubiquitous (Feb 17, 2008)

I've found that the assassins are really useful, especially the vindicare. Ever had a problem killing that sargent who has a power fist and is ready to rip your leman russ a new one? Just snipe him out, problem solved. enemy commander wins a fight with only 1 or 2 wounds left? One shot, one kill :taunt:


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## Blackhiker (Dec 28, 2007)

You have to be careful with the vindicare though. if he is too close to the enemy he is a prime target for their troops.


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## Mad King George (Jan 15, 2008)

i thought the vidicare has a stealth suit and when people shoot at him they use night fight rules.

also if people are attacking him he draws fire


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## Triumph Of Man (Dec 27, 2007)

Mad King George said:


> i thought the vidicare has a stealth suit and when people shoot at him they use night fight rules.
> 
> also if people are attacking him he draws fire


Yes, but you want a cheap expendable unit to draw fire, he really fits neither category. 

And yes he has a stealth suit, but that's not too effective if he infiltrates too close to the enemy.


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

I don;t like the vindicare. He can only do one (or two) wounds at a time, and he only has a 50/50 chance of even getting a wound.

So it's more like four to six shots, one kill when it comes to characters.

Calidus is a better choice with better benefits, IMO. Not only is she badass, but she lets you move the enemy around a bit. Handy.

If you take an inquisitor, consider a Daemonhunter. The Psycannon is pretty fearsome. Give him a couple heavy bolter servators, maybe a plascannon and you have a nasty little fire team


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## Jezlad (Oct 14, 2006)

Bringing the thread back on track...

Definately consider taking a Psychic Hood. I personally don't play a game without it when fielding one is an option.

*It is a very useful piece of kit.*


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

<cough> Right. I meant to say that as well. :grin:

But yeah, hoods are really damned handy.


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

Lately, I've really been kicking myself for taking "Have Faith in Suspicion" as one of my Chapter's traits (and no, it's not subject to change for the sake of game mechanics.) as I could REALLY use a psychic hood in most games these days. Weirdboyz have been popping up like mad, and the stupid thing is that they're better psykers than most Space Marine Librarians are... and I actually have to fight the tellyportin' mob of 30 boyz accompanying the weirdboy instead of keeping them back on the starting line where they belong and shooting them as they advance.


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

Sounds like you need to team up with some Witch-Hunters, Horus. It wouldn't be unfluffy, since the WH hunt down psykers, and the inquisitor can have a hood without having any powers.


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## Archangel41 (Mar 9, 2008)

I love my psychic hood thats how useful it is. It has stopped many enemy powers at critical moments and its free. Seriously it is a useful piece of gear that can get you out of sticky situations(if ya can roll).


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

I think Hoods are a tad over powered. I just don't agree that they can be used against any and all powers cast anywhere on the table each round.


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## Damned Fist (Nov 2, 2007)

The Wraithlord said:


> I think Hoods are a tad over powered. I just don't agree that they can be used against any and all powers cast anywhere on the table each round.



Wraith: I disagree..., it is the only way to even off some very unbalancing psychic abilities that would leave most armies completely defenseless. With a hood, there is a least a chance of nullifying some of them. 

So-with that said....


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## Archangel41 (Mar 9, 2008)

How would you have done it Wraith?


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## thomas2 (Nov 4, 2007)

I do have agree Hoods are a bit overpowered. All psychic users are expensive, no sure chance of success, perils of the warp AND many are rather unexceptional. This makes already not that good powers even harder to pull off.


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## Archangel41 (Mar 9, 2008)

True it makes the powers harder to get but there still is a chance of you getting your power while the hood user gets a chance to defend his army.


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

The easiest way to include a Ld10 psychic hood in your army is to forget the Inquisitor option and instead take a single Grey Knight Brother Captain as an HQ choice. Toss him a psychic hood and you suddenly have an extremely cheap psychic hood that doesn't have to take a Retinue or any of that annoying stuff. The only problem is that you won't be able to include Assassins this way.


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## GhostBear (Feb 17, 2008)

Speaking as someone who has faced a Psychic Hood, they are incredibly annoying! So definitely worth taking. Not knowing the precise costs needed to field one I don't know how it would hamper you against a non psyker army. I do know that against a psyker army it can stop your opponent cold.

In the dice off is it tied or beaten rolls that stop your opponent?

As for how the hood is balanced? I don't really think it is, being able to stop unlimited numbers of skills a turn with one item and no downside is unbalanced. Anything that can stop your opponent cold with little or no recourse is unbalanced and even more then that, not fun.


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

GhostBear said:


> In the dice off is it tied or beaten rolls that stop your opponent?


Beaten rolls only. A tie does the Hood user no good.


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

> As for how the hood is balanced? I don't really think it is, being able to stop unlimited numbers of skills a turn with one item and no downside is unbalanced. Anything that can stop your opponent cold with little or no recourse is unbalanced and even more then that, not fun.


Sums it up completely. There is NO downside to taking a hood whatsoever and it is just too good at what it does.



Archangel41 said:


> How would you have done it Wraith?


I would give it a range limit and make it work similar to Fantasy dispelling. I think it would be a more balanced bit of gear if it had a 30" range from the wearer for one and a limit to how many powers it can nullify for another (the Fantasy reference). If a hood allowed you to dispel say a maximum of 3 times in a round then you can't just shut down an enemy with psykers like you can now. If I am using my Tsons and I cast 3 warptime's, 1 Wind of Chaos, and 1 Lash of Submission and you can only dispel 2 or 3 in total than you suddenly have a choice to make: do I prevent the Lash or do I stop the Daemon Prince from casting Warptime and Wind of Chaos prior to slamming into cc?

Those changes, especially combined, may be too much to be the solution but they would make the Hood a bit less overpowered while still keeping the thing extremely useful vs psykers.


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

Of course the Eldar have some dirty tricks that are worse than the hood, IMO.


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## Morgal (Sep 26, 2007)

hmmmm, i may re work my list slightly...or collect inquisition after i get my army to give me options.


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