# Deathcult Assassin Spam



## rdlb (Nov 30, 2008)

Okay 9 Deathcult Assassins is a lot, the max even. But if you put them all together a unit can only shoot at one at a time since they all "operate independently." 

This makes it very likely that after infiltrating most of their initiative 5 power weapon attacks will make it into assault.

Anyone tried this? Seems like a silly idea that might work.


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## Blackhiker (Dec 28, 2007)

I always like running three of them so having an additional 6 of them sounds like it would be a lot of fun.


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## Inquisitor Einar (Mar 6, 2009)

I would see their point cost as being a negative factor in this. Spending so many points on them, and also requiring an inquisitor lord, leaves you very little points on other aspects of your army, like troops, which are kinda important these days.
And against armies that like to get into melee and have a good initiative for their CC units, your assassins will be dead.


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## edd_thereaper (Oct 21, 2008)

i agree with inquisitor einar, 2 or 3 is reasonable but 9 would simply cost you too much in a standard size game and the chances are it would only work against certain army lists. if you do try it out report on how well it worked


cheers

edd


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## m3rr3k (Oct 14, 2008)

not to mention that's 9 individual kill points - and it only takes one template to earn them all...

I had a guy do this against me when his SOB encountered my slaaneshi warband....

he thought he was quite clever until I tied up 6/9 assassins with a defiler...


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

I think a vindicator shot would be a good plan.. or a squad of deathspitter warriors- them being in different units doesnt matter if my (innaccurate) blast weapons are exploding all round.


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## rdlb (Nov 30, 2008)

Doh, I forgot about the kill points...

I was thinking about it in a DH army anyway. I was adding allies for my marines and that got out of control and now... 

So yeah the points are a big factor, and staying the heck away from defilers, (which is good advice for anything.)

The plus is they are infiltrators, so you can place them near something relatively vulnerable, like any IG:grin:, and away from vehicles.

Maybe 6 is enough??


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## asianavatar (Aug 20, 2007)

It is definitely a fun tactic and can be annoying depending on the opponents army. However, overall it probably wouldn't work well and requires a lot of skill to use properly. 

They have to be placed properly and hidden for as long as possible. I find DCA work better as counter charges or protecting an area. Sending them off ahead of an army to attack the opponents lines usually is a bad idea. I would say 6 and an imperial assassin is probably the better way to go.


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## Crimzzen (Jul 9, 2008)

I wouldn't really weigh the KP's that heavily as its only 1 out of 3 possible scenarios. That being said, it's quite expensive and 1 template....


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## Necrosis (Nov 1, 2008)

They do have an invulnerable save +5 which isn't that good. You may want to get them to outflank. Yet I've never fielded a single one.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Basically if they are visible and not in combat they are dead.... they are incredibly easy to kill. The hardest aspect of killling them is that you need 1 unit to kill each one unless you 'miss' with blast weaponry and manage to fluke multiple kills with the same unit.


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## Blue Liger (Apr 25, 2008)

If only DE could do this with wyches 10 Wych Succubus running around with agonisers - MEGA DEATH anyone


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## BrotherR (Oct 10, 2008)

why would it be 9 kill points? The fact that they operate independently doesn't mean they are different units 3 are still one unit 1 kp


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## m3rr3k (Oct 14, 2008)

I'm fairly confident they'd be individual kill points as you control them as individuals... just like combat squads, etc


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## Vedrial (Mar 31, 2009)

According to RAW, being Independent simply means that individual models of the sqaud "operate independently during the game and may not join units or ride in vehicles". -Daemonhunters codex, pg. 25. Additionally, in the unit description, it says they are "deployed as a single choice but do not need to be placed together and operate independently during the game".

The rules for annihilation in the main rule book spell out 3 ways to earn a kill point: kill a unit, kill a character, and kill a retinue.

Nowhere in the Death Cult Assassin entry does it state that they are separate units, and they do not have the Independent Character special rule.

The FAQ is silent on the matter.

Thus, I conclude that the entire selection of Dealth Cult Assassins (1-3) counts as 1 KP.

Same goes for Daemonhosts.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Unit=kp

'unit' means one, or single... anything that can move 'singly' is a unit and therefore a KP. This means decicated transports, squads, and individuals are all KP. It would be nice if they weren't but all things that operate independantly are all a KP each- deathcult assassins, lictors, zoanthropes and DCs.
I wish they weren't... could scrub 2KP from my nid force right at the start (and probably argue for those given away by biovores to not count either).

Retinues are mentioned seperately because they are essentially the only 'unit' to give 2KP (since the retinue and the IC both score 1but form a single unit).


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## asianavatar (Aug 20, 2007)

> They do have an invulnerable save +5 which isn't that good. You may want to get them to outflank. Yet I've never fielded a single one.


Problem with that is that they come in each individually so you have to roll for each one. If they come in all at once or the proper side great, if not, than you are just feeding troops to the enemy.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Forcing them to take 3 saves (all it needs on average) really isnt too hard- a couple of bolt pistols from my blood claws would do that (and they can hit noffin'). If your going to spam assassins then they probably are best used defensively on a terrain heavy board- get them out of LOS so they cant be hit and use them as a net- anything that comes for your objective gets shreaded by 3-4 of them.
Having said that though using them on an anhiliation mission is almost an automatic loss... its even worse then my biovores!!! (shock horror)


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