Is a Leadership Based List Viable? - Chaos in 8th

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Warhammer 40,000 - Early in 8th edition I decided to do a Night Lords list, my idea was to do a ton of Raptors that messed with leadership to force my opponents to run away. Sadly with the rule of three spamming a ton of minimal Raptor units isn’t really viable. Another issue is that “assault troops” with a single base attack don’t really do well in assault, nor do small specialized units. While they’re vicious and great in combat in the lore and other background; in reality Raptors are a mobile firebase that can max out on special weapons.

While I doubt doing a dedicated Leadership attacking list is viable in an environment where you can just spend 2 CP to auto-pass a morale test; there are other times when Leadership is used. Cacophonic Choir for example causes a mortal wound for each point a 2D6 roll exceeds an enemy units leadership. If I have 2-3 units of Raptors within 1-6” you’re looking at potentially -5 to the opponents leadership. Mix in Phantasmagoria and The Traitor’s Mark for another -2/-3 Leadership and you’re rolling pretty much 2D6 mortal wounds on the closest enemy within 18 inches. Granted it’s an awful lot of work to make happen but for those units that you just can’t seem to take out (Eldar Rangers and the like) It seems like a nifty bonus.

++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Chaos - Daemons) ++
HQ - Keeper of Secrets: Hysterical Frenzy, Symphony of Pain
HQ -Keeper of Secrets: Cacophonic Choir, Phantasmagoria
Troop - Daemonettes: Alluress 19x Daemonette, Instrument of Chaos
Troop - Daemonettes: Alluress 9x Daemonette, Instrument of Chaos
Troop - Daemonettes: Alluress 9x Daemonette, Instrument of Chaos
Elites - Fiend

++ Super-Heavy Detachment +3CP (Chaos - Renegade Knights) ++
Lord of War - Renegade Armiger: Heavy stubber, 2x armiger autocannons
Lord of War - Renegade Armiger: Heavy stubber, 2x armiger autocannons
Lord of War - Renegade Knight: WARLORD: Infernal Quest, Traitors Mark, Ironstorm Missile Pod, Meltagun, 2x Avenger gatling cannon and heavy flamer

++ Outrider Detachment +1CP (Chaos - Chaos Space Marines) ++
Gifts of Chaos (1 Relic) • Legion: Night Lords
HQ - Chaos Lord with Jump Pack, Claws of the Black Hunt, Mark of Nurgle
Fast - Raptors: Icon of Despair, Mark of Nurgle, Combi-melta, 2x Meltagun, 3x Bolt Pistol Chainsword
Fast - Raptors: Icon of Despair, Mark of Nurgle, Combi-melta, 2x Meltagun, 3x Bolt Pistol Chainsword
Fast - Raptors: Icon of Despair, Mark of Nurgle, Combi-flamer/Power fist, 2x Flamer, 3x Bolt Pistol Chainsword

I feel like this is a solid list to start with and the Leadership shenanigans are more of an icing on the cake. The Knight and Armigers should do most of the heavy lifting from a distance while I get the other elements into place. My experience is the Helverins draw quite a bit of hate so any shots coming at them aren’t coming at the daemonettes who have a harder time withstanding massed fire.

The Raptors and Chaos Lord will bounce around taking out juicy targets or cleaning up after the Keepers of Secrets. I kept them marked by Nurgle to take advantage of the Icon of Despair and to potentially use the Grandfather’s Blessing strategem to get back a model or wounds if I get into trouble. Although I feel that Veterans of the Long War and In Midnight Clad will be my crutches for the CSM contingent

With the Slaanesh portion of the list I plan on dumping some mortal wounds out with a Keeper of Secrets and beating on things with the other. I imagine I might want to use the Loci of Grace or Aura of Aquiesence on occasion but hopefully the Daemonettes can luck into some significant damage output without having to spend those vital CP.

The Knights will most likely eat up the pitiful 12 CP I have with Rotating Ion Shields and Tail of Destruction to improves the odds they live and/or increase the total damage they put out.

Once I finish up my Blood Angels commitment for 2019 I think I want to paint this one up, the only thing I’m not sure of it how many Daemonettes I have.