Hellblaster

So much Plasma, the Dark Angels approve!

Hellblasters are Primaris Marines specializing in utilizing plasma weapons to personally ass rape any heretical scum in their sights. In following GW's tradition of creating names that are either too pretentious or too similarly confusing, the Hellblaster is no exception. You would think they would come up with a more badass name like 'Annihilator' or 'Destroyer', but nope we have to pick Hellblaster of all names.

Bitching aside, Hellblasters are specialized towards anti-armor and anti-infantry. Think of them as the Primaris version of the Devastator Space Marine Squad. The nature of Hellblasters is to hark back to the single-armament specialisms of the Space Marine Legions, these squads are nonetheless strategically versatile. The Plasma Incinerators carried by Hellblasters are light enough to be fired on the move, while still retaining the stopping power to drop a rampaging Hive Tyrant or Battlewagon with sustained fire.

The only limiting factor on the usefulness of these squads is the comparative scarcity – and potential instability – of their weapons. As such, Hellblaster Squads comprise the finest marksmen each company can provide, and will only resort to supercharging their Plasma Incinerators in truly dire circumstances. They are not afraid to do so, however, and more than one squad has martyred itself in battle, turning the tide at the cost of their own immolation. Yet for every warrior to suffer such a fiery death, there is another that obliterates its foes amidst searing tempests of star-born fury.

Equipment

As expected, Hellblasters have a immense hardon for plasma weapons. All Hellblasters wear the standard issue Mark X Tacticus Power Armour like their Intercessor brethren and are all equipped with the Mark III Belisarius Pattern Plasma Incinerator. Of course they can be armed with the more Dakka version of the Plasma Incinerator called the Assault Plasma Incinerator, or if you want to turn the enemy tanks into molten sludge in one shot, you can have them equipped with the Heavy Plasma Incinerator. You can also give the sarge a Plasma Pistol and a CQC weapon just in case things get hot in the battlefield.

Tabletop

They are rough analogues to the Orks Flash Gitz in that they are a bit too overpriced for what they are worth and that other more mundane troops such as Devastator Squads might be able to do the Hellblaster's job a whole load better. That being said, with a Captain/Chapter Master and a Lieutenant nearby they can effortlessly shred through MEQ/TEQs and pose a considerable threat to vehicles as well. However, they need to be in rapid fire range to be used at their full effectiveness, which means you’ll want to buy them Impulsors to taxi them up the board (Repulsors being too expensive and lacking the Assault Vehicle rule to deploy them on turn 1, and their Primaris asses apparently being too big to fit in any other transports’ seats), preferably with the 4++ shields to protect what is now a sizeable points investment.

The Plasma Incinerators can be swapped out for one of two variants:

• The Assault Plasma Incinerators lack Rapid Fire, have 1 less point of strength, and have their range reduced to 24", but Assault 2 makes them more reliable when not in rapid fire range and the decreased strength doesn't have much effect in practice due to how wounding works. They're best used for long range engagements where it's too dangerous to enter rapid fire range since they can be fired after advancing.
• The Heavy Plasma Incinerators on the other hand are 36" range and S8, but are Heavy 1, which makes their use far more situational due to the accuracy nerf from firing on the move and lower average number of shots compared to a Plasma Cannon. In practice, that means it's usually best as long-range fire support.

For those of you running Dark Angels, a circle of these boys is where you will probably end up hiding Azrael. A big squad of different deadly plasma will attract enemy firepower to match their own, so a big invuln save will help keep them from turning into a point sink, and their two wounds apiece will keep him from getting focused down. Don't forget to use Weapons From the Dark Age, which will make a supercharged Plasma Incinerator capable of insta-killing tough infantry like Paladins and make it far more potent against vehicles.