Warhammer 40,000/10th Edition Tactics/Genestealer Cults: Difference between revisions
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*'''Aberrants:''' With toughness 6, 3 wounds, 4+++ FNP, these dudes are tough, and if that wasn't enough, which it's not, if a character is attached to this unit, every attack with a higher strength than this toughness, these boys have a minus 1 to wound. | *'''Aberrants:''' With toughness 6, 3 wounds, 4+++ FNP, these dudes are tough, and if that wasn't enough, which it's not, if a character is attached to this unit, every attack with a higher strength than this toughness, these boys have a minus 1 to wound. | ||
*'''Purestrain Genestealers:''' | *'''Purestrain Genestealers:''' | ||
===Vehicles=== | |||
====Dedicated Transports==== | |||
*'''Goliath Truck:''' | |||
==Tactics== | ==Tactics== | ||
Revision as of 09:26, 16 June 2023
 This article is a stub. You can help 1d4chan by expanding it |
This is the current 10th Edition's Genestealer Cults tactics. 9th Edition Tactics are here.
Why Play Genestealer Cults
Pros
- Your forces have a lot of ways of not staying down between Cult Ambush resurrecting your troops and Icons resurrecting models.
- Deep Strikes everywhere.
- You are no longer limited to only having one of each character.
Cons
- According to the fluff your 'Nid allies eat you last, you die even if you win.
- Don't wear jeans while playing, your opponent will think you stole them.
Faction Rules
- Cult Ambush: Any time a unit dies, roll a d6, adding +3 if the unit is Battleline. On a 4+, the unit gets thrown back into reserves with a special marker being placed anywhere on the board at least 9" away from an enemy. On your opponent's next reinforcements step, the unit comes back.
- This comes with two major caveats. The first is the fact that any attached characters won't return with any attached units, meaning a dead hero is truly dead. The second is the fact that if any enemies end their movement within 9" of a marker, that marker will go away - In these cases, you really need to be careful where you deploy your reinforcements.
- Brood Brothers: The anticipated rule that lets you ally in the Imperial Guard. You can ally in a fixed amount of Guard units (250/500/750 points depending on size). Though allied, these units can't be used for a Warlord and can't accept Enhancements.
- There are restrictions to what you can take, but none too shocking. No Epic Heroes, no Tempestus, no Commissars, no Preachers, no Ogryns or Ratlings, no Techpriests or Servitors. The one surprise here is the lack of aircraft, which can be very crippling since the army has absolutely no aircraft to consider.
- Because your Imperial Guard allies won't have their Army rule of Orders (or your Army rule of Cult Ambush, of course), if you stick to units that can't be ordered anyway, you lose nothing in the transition. Similar logic applies to Detachment rules. An excellent example is Inferno Cannon Hellhounds.
- Unless you plan on running a fluffy list, the only Guard units you should be bringing are vehicles. All of the Imperial Guard infantry that can bring are, ironically, inferior to your Neophytes for the simple reason that broodbrothers can't respond. GSC vehicles, on the other hand, can't return after death to begin with, so supplementing them for some real tanks and artillery isn't a downgrade.
Detachments
Ascension Day
Special Rules
- They Came From Below: Any units that emerge from reserves gain Sustained Hits 1 and Ignores Cover until the end of the Fight phase. Both of these are excellent for your gunlines as well as for any ambushing Purestrains and Aberrants.
- While this is theoretically effective for both range and melee, in practice it benefits shooting more than close combat. First, there is no cover to ignore in melee, so the addition of the ability doesn't improve CC. Second, while Sustained Hits is undeniably wonderful, the requirement to come out of deep strike means you need to successfully make a 9" charge, a likelihood of 27.8%, to give your claws and saws those extra hits, but guns, on the other hand, just need to have a range of greater than 9", which the majority are.
Stratagems
<tabs> <tab name="Battle Tactic">
- Coordinated Trap (1 CP): Get two units to shoot or fight the same enemy. All attacks either unit makes against this enemy get to re-roll 1s to wound, which you'll definitely need with how flimsy they are.
- A Perfect Ambush (1 CP): In the shooting phase, one unit improves the BS and AP for their guns by 1.
</tab> <tab name="Epic Deed">
- Unquestioning Loyalty (1 CP): Pick one friendly character that has been targeted by your opponent. Until the end of the phase, each time the character in question would lose a wound, a friendly unit that's within 3" of the targeted character suffers a mortal wound instead.
</tab> <tab name="Strategic Ploy">
- One With The Darkness (1 CP): When your opponent targets an infantry unit in their shooting phase, pop this strat and that unit gains the Stealth ability, which is minus one to hit, and can only be targeted to be shot if within 12".
- Return To The Shadows (1 CP): 1 infantry or 2 battleline units, all of which much have the deep strike ability and can't be within engagement range, can be placed into Strategic Reserves.
- Tunnel Crawlers (1 CP): When a unit deep-strikes, you can have them arrive much closer, making them only need to stay at least 3" away from an enemy. Sadly, they can't charge after arriving, but they can still open fire with anything [Rapid Fire].
</tab> </tabs>
Enhancements
- Prowling Agitant: Once per turn, when an enemy unit ends a normal, advance or fall back move within 9" of the bear's unit, so long as you aren't within engagement range, you can make a d6" move.
- Inscrutable Cunning: The bearer's unit gains the infiltrators ability and each time a strat is used on this model's unit, on a 4+ gain a CP.
- Meticulous Planner: Once per battle, make one of your enemy's stratagem cost 1 more CP than normal for the rest of the game.
- Focus Of Adoration: The bearer's unit can use the Heroic Intervention strat for 0CP even if that stratagem was used this phase by another unit.
Equipment & Weapons
Ranged
- Achilles Missile Launcher: 36" A3 BS4+ S9 AP-2 D3
- Atalan Incinerator: [IGNORES COVER, TORRENT] 12" Ad6 BS(NA) S5 AP-1 D1
- Atalan Small Arms: [PISTOL] 12" A2 BS4+ S4 AP0 D1
- Autopistol: [PISTOL] 12" A1 BS(X) S3 AP0 D1, many people have this, their BS varies.
- Chemical Vials: [ANTI-INFANTRY 2+] 6" A1 BS3+ S1 AP-1 D2
- Clearance Incinerator: [IGNORES COVER, TORRENT] 12" A2d6 BS(NA) S6 AP-1 D1
- Cult Sniper Rifle (Jackal Alphus): [HEAVY, PRECISION] 36" A1 BS3+ S5 AP-2 D3
- Cult Sniper Rifle (Sanctus): [ANTI-PSYKER 2+, HEAVY, PRECISION] 36" A1 BS3+ S5 AP-2 D3
- Demolition Charge Cashe: [ASSAULT, BLAST, HAZAROUS] 6" Ad6+3 BS5+ S12 AP-2 D2
- Demolition Charges: [ASSAULT, BLAST, HAZAROUS, ONE SHOT] 6" Ad6+3 BS5+ S12 AP-2 D2
- Flamer: [IGNORES COVER, TORRENT] 12" Ad6 BS(NA) S4 AP0 D1
- Grenade Launcher:
- Frag: [BLAST] 24" Ad3 BS4+ S4 AP0 D1
- Krak: 24" A1 BS4+ S9 AP-2 Dd3
- Hand Flamer: [IGNORES COVER, PISTOL, TORRENT] 12" Ad6 BS(NA) S3 AP0 D1
- Heavy Mining Laser: [BLAST] 36" Ad3 BS4+ S12 AP-3 Dd6+1
- Heavy Mortar: [BLAST, INDIRECT FIRE] 48" Ad6+3 BS4+ S6 AP0 D1
- Heavy Seismic Cannon: [RAPID FIRE 2] 24" A4 BS4+ S8 AP-2 Dd3
- Heavy Stubber: [RAPID FIRE 3] 36" A3 BS4+ S4 AP0 D1
- Hybrid Firearm: [RAPID FIRE 1] 24" A1 BS4+ S3 AP0 D1
- Leader Pistol: [PISTOL] 12" A1 BS4+ S4 AP0 D1
- Liberator Autostubs: [DEVASTATING WOUNDS, PISTOL, PRECISION, SUSTAINED HITS 1D3] 12" A6 BS2+ S5 AP0 D1
- Mining Laser (Atalan Jackals): 24" A1 BS4+ S12 AP-3 Dd6+1
- Mining Laser (Neophyte): [HEAVY] 24" A1 BS5+ S12 AP-3 Dd6+1
- Remote Explosives: [BLAST, INDIRECT FIRE] 24" Ad6+ BS3+ S5 AP0 D1
- Scoped Needle Pistol: [ANTI-INFANTRY 2+, IGNORES COVER, PISTOL] 18" A1 BS2+ S1 AP0 Dd3
- Seismic Cannon: [HEAVY, RAPID FIRE 2] 24" A4 BS5+ S6 AP-1 Dd3. Heavy and rapid fire aren't the best keywords to have on the same weapon, as you want to be within half range but also stay still.
- Twin Autocannon: [TWIN-LINKED] 48" A2 BS4+ S9 AP-1 D3
- Twin Heavy Stubber: [TWIN-LINKED, RAPID FIRE 3] 36" A3 BS4+ S4 AP0 D1
- Webber: [DEVASTATING WOUNDS, TORRENT] 12" Ad6 BS(NA) S2 AP0 D1
Melee
- Atalan Power Weapons: A2 WS4+ S4 AP-2 D1
- Close Combat Weapon: A(X) WS4+ S3 AP0 D1, a lot of guys have this with varies amount of attacks.
- Cult Bonesword: A5 WS2+ S5 AP-2 D1
- Cult Claws: A4 WS3+ S4 AP-1 D1
- Cult Claws And Knife: A3 WS3+ S4 AP-1 D1
- Cult Claws And Talons: A4 WS+2 S4 AP-2 D1
- Drilldozer Blade: [SUSTAINED HITS 1] A6 WS3+ S10 AP-2 D2
- Goliath Wheels: A3 WS4+ S6 AP0 D1
- Heavy Improvised Weapon: A5 WS3+ S6 AP0 D2
- Heavy Mining Tool: A2 WS3+ S10 AP-2 D3
- Heavy Power Weapon: A3 WS3+ S8 AP-2 D3
- Hypermorph Tail: [EXTRA ATTACKS] A1 WS3+ S5 AP0 D1
- Injector Goad: [ANTI-INFATRY 2+] A1 WS3+ S2 AP0 Dd3
- Leader's Cult Weapons (Acolyte): A5 WS3+ S5 AP-2 D1
- Leader's Cult Weapons (Metamorphs): A5 WS3+ S5 AP-1 D2
- Locus Blades: A5 WS2+ S5 AP-2 D2
- Magus Stave: [PSYCHIC] A3 WS3+ S5 AP-1 Dd3
- Metamorph Mutations:
- Strike: A3 WS3+ S5 AP-1 D2
- Sweep: A5 WS3+ S4 AP-1 D1
- Patriarch's Claws: [DEVASTATING WOUNDS, TWIN-LINKED] A5 WS2+ S6 AP-2 D2
- Power Sledgehammer: A3 WS3+ S12 AP-2 Dd6+1
- Power Weapon: A1 WS4+ S4 AP-2 D1
- Ridgerunner Wheels: A3 WS4+ S5 AP0 D1
- Sanctus Bio-dagger: [ANTI-INFANTRY 2+, PRECISION] A6 WS2+ S3 AP-2 D1
- Toxic Injector Claw: [ANTI-INFANTRY 2+, EXTRA ATTACKS]A2 WS2+ S2 AP0 Dd3
Unit Analysis
Almost all Imperial Guard units can be taken (they just lose access to Faction and Detachment benefits), so they are not listed below. See that tactica page for analysis.
Characters
Aside from a few exceptions, all heroes can join Neophytes, Acolytes and Metamorphs.
- Abominant:
- Acolyte Iconward: This goon carries around a fancy icon, granting the squad it joins a 5+ FNP but also lets you reposition a Cult Ambush after an enemy wipes it out once per game.
- Biophagus: A mad scientist that can give a squad of any troops (as well as Abhorrents) [Lethal Hits] on all weapons. Their unique short-range chemical vials and Injector Goad both pack [Anti-Infantry 2+] to compensate for their lacking Strength, with the latter getting a single-use boost that boosts its attacks and damage for one turn where you need to kill something like below an MEQ.
- You can also grab an Alchemicus Familiar for a single-use gifting of [Anti-Infantry 2+] on all weapons. While this lacks any synergy with [Lethal Hits], your troops aren't worried about that in melee and will almost always want this to overcome their lacking Strength. That 'almost' accounts for the already jacked Aberrants.
- Clamavus: A support hero who can join a Magus, Primus or Iconward in a unit. Not only to they provide a 12" bubble of Reinforcements denial, they also make enemies within that 12" take -1 to any battle-shock tests they make with failures inflicting a Mortal Wound.
- Jackal Alphus:
- Kelermorph: Your buggy cowboy's got plenty going for him as a Lone Operative with their Liberator Autostubs providing a bunch of shots with [Sustained Hits d3], [Precision] and [Devastating Wounds] allowing them to take down heroes bigger than them. They're a great security system for a pack of Battleline troops as they can deep-strike closer to enemies while within 3" of the troops and any enemies who shoot at the troops will get a fusillade of return fire.
- Locus: A support hero who can join a Magus, Primus or Iconward in a unit. Grants Fights First to their squad, which means a lot more for the Acolytes and Metamorphs than it would to the Neophytes, as well as a 4+ FNP for the character they're supporting. Fortunately, they have a good number of power sword-tier attacks so they can help cut through any competition.
- Magus:
- Nexos: A support hero who can join a Magus, Primus or Iconward in a unit. This unassuming mapmaker lets you shift around a Cult Ambush marker anywhere within 6" each turn to ensure that the enemy can't always wipe out your returning troops. They can also use a free stratagem each turn, even if it had already been used.
- Primus:
- Reductus Saboteur: The three-armed demomen of the cults. They don't stick with other units, instead making use of Lone Operative and Stealth to keep safe. While they have a cache of explosives to throw around cover, they also have a free use of the Grenade strat each turn (even if it's already been used, even if you spent CP on this same saboteur for it) as well as a single-use set of demo charges that can blow holes in tanks and TEQs, compensating for its point-blank range with [Assault]. They also have a single-use ability to detonate a mine on anyone who moves within 12" of them, inflicting yet another d3+3 MWs to demolish without shooting.
- Sanctus:
Epic Heroes
- Patriarch: The absolute unit, maintaining their small-monster tier T5 W6 and 4+/4++. His lone weapon is their set of talons, a devastating S6 AP-2 D2 claws with Devastating Wounds and Twin-Linked so you can guarantee their effectiveness. They can also share Devastating Wounds with any units (presumably Purestrains) they lead.
- Sadly one of the more serious losers in the psychic culling, as they only get Cosmic Horror as a power, which forces one unit within 6" to take a Battleshock test. Their familiar similarly has lost a lot of value, only being a single-use item to double the range of their single power.
Battleline
- Acolyte Hybrids:
- Neophyte Hybrids: Your basic gunline remains as piddly as you'd imagine, with their
AutogunsHybrid Firearms (which also accounts for things like lasguns) remaining an unimpressive 24" A1 BS4+ S3 AP0 D1 with Rapid Fire 1. Melee for your forces is similarly lacking, with your leader's only options being either a Chainsword for more attacks or a Power Weapon if you're looking for punch.- Alongside Cult Ambush, these hybrids have the Cult Icon to let them resurrect 3 models or 3+d3 if you have them on an objective, the latter hooking neatly onto A Plan Generations in the Making, which gives you a chance to generate free CP for each unit on an objective. Simply put, these bastards refuse to go away unless you throw artillery at them. That said, this protection isn't extended to any attached characters.
- Gun choices: Flamers are useless (Webbers are better in virtually every circumstance), and the tl;dr here is that if you take special weapons, you want Webbers and Seismic Cannons.
Infantry
- Aberrants: With toughness 6, 3 wounds, 4+++ FNP, these dudes are tough, and if that wasn't enough, which it's not, if a character is attached to this unit, every attack with a higher strength than this toughness, these boys have a minus 1 to wound.
- Purestrain Genestealers:
Vehicles
Dedicated Transports
- Goliath Truck:
Tactics
General Tactics
Specific Tactics
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| General Tactics | |
|---|---|
| Imperium | |
| Chaos | |
| Eldar | |
| Necrons | |
| Orks | |
| Tau | |
| Tyranids | |
| Votann |
</tab>
<tab name="9th">
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| Imperium | |
| Chaos | |
| Eldar | |
| Necrons | |
| Orks | |
| Tau | |
| Tyranids | |
| Votann |
</tab>
<tab name="8th">
| General Tactics | |
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| Imperium | |
| Chaos | |
| Eldar | |
| Necrons | |
| Orks | |
| Tau | |
| Tyranids |
</tab>
<tab name="7th">
| General Tactics | |
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| Imperium | |
| Chaos | |
| Eldar | |
| Necrons | |
| Orks | |
| Tau | |
| Tyranids |
</tab>
<tab name="6th">
| General Tactics | |
|---|---|
| Imperium | |
| Chaos | |
| Eldar | |
| Necrons | |
| Orks | |
| Tau | |
| Tyranids |
</tab>
<tab name="All">
| General Tactics |
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| Imperium (8th) |
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| Chaos | |
| Eldar |
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| Necrons | |
| Orks | |
| Tau | |
| Tyranids |
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