Return to the shelter of Grandfather’s embrace as we complete our tour of the Death Guard. The remainder of the Codex consists of the Fast Attack and Heavy Support slots. We’ll be dealing with them in three sections; Death Guard Daemon Engines, Vehicles, and Chaos-Touched.
Death Guard Daemon Engines
Occupying Fast Attack and Heavy Support slots, Daemon Engines provide solid firepower on mobile chassis. This lets them range ahead of footslogging Plague Marines, strike targets of opportunity, and expand the envelope of affected by Contagions of Nurgle. On the defense, their Daemonic nature provides a 5+ invulnerable save. Combined with aa naturally high Wounds, Toughness, Saves, and Disgustingly Resilient rule, Daemon Engine are difficult to remove from the table. The combination is well worth their cost.
Myphitic Blight-Haulers
Optimised for tank hunting, these Death Guard Daemon Engines carry a multi-melta and missile launcher. Their ‘lighter’ weapons, bile spurt and gnashing maw, strike at Strength 6 making them a threat to heavy infantry and other mid Toughness units. Really, blight-haulers may engage any unit type and expect to inflict damage.
Defensively, blight-haulers benefit from all the features mentioned above. However, while having a Vehicle keyword they do not have a degrading stat line. They’ll operate at full effect from 9 Wounds down to 1. Additionally, their Foul Stench makes them harder to hit. While Putrid Explosion gives you a chance to take out whatever killed it.
While 1 Myphitic Blight-Hauler can be deadly, they can form units of up to 3. Nasty.
Foetid Bloat-Drone
Another Fast Attack option, the obese Death Guard Daemon Engines shares the same stat line as the blight-hauler, but adds Fly. The added versatility let’s you get them where they need to go.
But what do they do when they get there? The stock bloat-drone focusses on melee combat with a fleshmower and plague probe. The probe is a functional melee weapon with -2 AP and plague weapon . However, the fleshmower absolutely eclipses it! Each attack with a fleshmover makes three hit rolls with the same AP, but a higher Strength and Damage than the plague probe. A brutal machine against any Toughness 7 or less target.
Alternately, replace the fleshmower with one of two ranged weapons. The long ranged drone gains a heavy blight launcher. An Assault 6, 36 inch gun is nothing to laugh at. Additionally, -3 AP and 2 Damage does a solid job of marine killing or degrading vehicles. The short ranged option trades the fleshmover for 2 plaguespitters. With Assault D6, Strength 6, but only 1 Damage, this variant wants to engage single Wound, low Toughness models. Perfect for going up against Guard, Sisters, Eldar, and lower tier Tyranids.
Plagueburst Crawlers
Moving over to Heavy Support, Plagueburst Crawlers fills the need for artillery in your Death Guard force. The main weapon, a plagueburst mortar, hits at Strength 8 for 2 Damage. However, the best feature is it does not require line of sight. With 48 inches of range, you can park it behind terrain and rain down shells.
However, if you’d like to move to the front, the crawler carries additional ordinance. The standard model bears 2 entropy cannons and a heavy slugger. Effectively Strength 8 lascannons, the entropy cannons cut right through armor and deal a very respectable D3+3 damage. Meanwhile, the heavy slugger is simply a large caliber heavy stubber providing limited anti-infantry firepower.
Alternately, replacing the cannons with plaguespitters gives overwhelming short ranged firepower that auto hits. Likewise, replacing the heavy slugger with a rothail volley gun lessens your range, but adds to Strength.
Whichever set of options you take, you need to remember that the plagueburst crawler has a degrading stat line. Your first 6 lost Wounds won’t affect your performance. One past that point, you’ll start to precipitously lose Movement and Ballistic Skill. Choose your options with care or use magnets!
Defiler
The largest of your Death Guard Daemon Engines, the Defiler packs heavy firepower and close combat capability into one daemonicly inhabited host. Not only does it posses a large number of Wounds and a 3+ Save, Defilers also regenerate damage and come with a 5+ invulnerable save. Coming with a variety of weapons and optional loadouts, Defilers are the heavy Dreadnoughts of Chaos Marines.
A stock Defiler comes equipped with a Defiler cannon, similar to a Leman Russ Battle Cannon, a reaper autocannon, twin heavy flamers, and Defiler claws. The high Strength of the cannon and autocannon encourage shooting at heavy infantry and vehicles. The twin heavy flamers scourge nearby lighter units. Meanwhile, the claws will dependably rip into anything with a Toughness of 15 or less.
Optionally, Defilers may swap out their flamers and autocannon for other weapons. Replace your twin heavy flamers with a Defiler scourge for even more close combat mayhem. While lacking a bit of AP, the scourge generates extra attacks and easily wounds units with Toughness 11 or less. Otherwise, replace the flamers with a havoc launcher. The extra range and blast ability allow a good standoff range from light infantry, but won’t do more than nibble at better Save units.
The reaper autocannon swaps out for either a twin heavy bolter or twin lascannon. While the reaper is traditional with Chaos Marines, the heavy bolters have higher rate of fire and damage. The twin lascannons still stand in a league of their own with high Strength, AP, and potential damage. Their downside being a lower rate of fire which makes missed hurt worse.
Death Guard Vehicles
Chaos Land Raider
There is little that can be said for the Chaos Land Raider that hasn’t been repeated over the years. Possessed of high Strength, Toughness, Wounds, and a 2+ Save, Land Raiders transport your Bubonic Astartes, even Terminators and Possessed, safely across no man’s land. Their standard armament of twin heavy bolters and two twin lascannon engage the entire range of enemy forces. Unfortunately, this security and firepower comes at a high price either in points or power level. Take a Land Raider only when your battleplans require it to transport your Terminators, Possessed, or your commander.
Now, since the Land Raider is such a large, valuable target carrying other high value units, they will attract every heavy weapon your opponent fields. Hide it well, so it isn’t crippled or destroyed in the first turn’s fire. On the advance, try to screen it with terrain or by locking your opponent’s anti-tank units up in close combat. Finally, take advantage of your opponent’s preoccupation with the big scary Land Raider to advance your other units against relatively light opposition. Finally, if your opponent doesn’t engage the Land Raider with a good chunk of high quality fire, you will make it to your target, deliver your cargo, and go on to make them regret it.
Chaos Predator Annihilator and Destructor
The light tank of both Chaos and loyalist Space Marines, Predators take the Rhino chassis, remove the infantry compartment, and add armor and weapons. Each vehicle comes with a signature turret weapon and may also equip their choice of side sponsons, a combi-weapon, and havoc launcher.
The Annihilator carries twin lascannons in the turret and with lascannon sponsons becomes a dedicated tank hunter. Add the combi-melta for close range knife fights. Carry a havoc launcher to harass infantry if your using power level or have the spare points. Since your infantry doesn’t carry much in terms of long range, high Strength weapons, an Annihilator makes a welcome addition to your force.
Destructors mount a Predator autocannon in the turret which lacks AP, but packs a solid 3 Damage. Given your prefered targets will be infantry, put heavy bolters in the sponsons. The havoc launcher provides additional anti-infantry fire, so always include it. For the commander’s combi-weapon, a flamer is good for when things get close, plasma for engaging more marines, or bolter for light infantry. Death Guard armies have many ways to eliminate infantry, but the Destructor gives them one with greater range and will draw off heavier guns which would hurt your Plague Marines.
Chaos Rhino
The only Dedicated Transport available to the Death Guard, Chaos Rhinos provided cheap, dependable movement for a slow army. They may only carry Bubonic Astartes Infantry and those models may not have the Terminator or Death Guard Possessed keywords. Thus, you’re limited to transporting Plague Marines, some Foetid Virion, and HQ models.
Offensively Chaos Rhinos pack a bit more punch than loyalists. Your combi-bolter may come in flamer, melta, or plasma flavors adding a surprising short range punch. An optional Havoc Launcher adds some long range punch, but lacks AP.
Defensively, Rhinos are big targets with Toughness 7 and a 3+ Save. Since it only takes 5 Wounds to knock it down to infantry speed, expect your Rhinos to attract a fair share of fire. A slow Rhino is almost better than a dead Rhino to your foe. The shots needed to finish off one Rhino can cripple two and force you into the hard choice of dismounting now or creeping forward in a cripple.
Overall your Rhino is a tool with a specific purpose, get your infantry where you want them sooner than they’d get there on their own. The second job is protecting the squad on that journey. Each shot spent on the Rhino is one not aimed at your infantry. While you may lose some models on a destroyed transport, you’d have lost many more advancing under that weight of fire.
Chaos-Touched
Our last two entries don’t fit easily into any other categories, so here’s a home brewed one; Chaos Touched. Both of the entries are heavily imbued with chaos in very divergent ways. Let’s look.
Chaos Spawn
Once Death Guard Marines, Chaos Spawn have received more gifts than their frames can bear. The runaway mutagenic changes leave them bloated, mindless, and aggressive.
To their advantage, Chaos Spawn are cheap, fast, and may generate a surprising number of close combat attacks. Their Mutated Beyond Reason ability adds a random bonus to their close combat attacks during each Fight phase ranging from superior AP, even more attacks, or wound re-rolls. Use them to close and engage your opponent’s front line units while you’re tougher, but slower units advance.
Now to make Chaos Spawn cheap, they come with several disadvantages. While relatively tough, each Spawn has only 4 Wounds with a 5+ Save. They will fall to fire or be chopped up in combat. Once in combat, their attacks are random. With 2D3 attacks for each Spawn, a well timed attack may fizzle out with 2 attacks each or succeed marvelously with 6 each. You won’t know till you get there. Finally, they’re competing against the faster and better armed Death Guard Daemon Engines for your Fast Attack slots. Plus, the Blight-Hauler and Bloat-Drone are just cooler sculpts!
In any case, Chaos Spawn serve one of two purposes in your force. Include a few Chaos Spawn to take up the last points or power levels. They’ll serve as a distraction and tie up an enemy unit. On the other tentacle, go full bore on the Spawn. The power level of three units of five Spawn each costs the same as a single Land Raider. Multiple units give your multiple chances for a good combination of Attacks and Mutated Beyond Reason rolls. Finally, the sight of 15 large models on 50mm bases coming right at them makes your opponent’s model’s reconsider their life choices. Plus, it is funny.
Miasmic Malignifier
The Death Guard specific fortification, Miasmic Malignifiers combine resilience with a host of useful abilities. Whether you’re attacking or defending include a Miasmic Malignifier in any large battle.
To begin, the Miasmic Malignifier always counts the battle round as 4 for their Contagions of Nurgle creating a massive 9″ radius exclusion zone. Coupled with Seeded Growths the Malignifier may be set up outside anywhere on the battlefield. Close to the enemy and it weakens them for first turn shooting. Near an objective and it becomes harder to take and hold it. In front of your strong point, and the foe faces an even harder approach. Finally, Putrescent Fog provides defensive benefits for other nearby Death Guard units.
Once you’ve chosen your placement, the Miasmic Malignifier is hard to shift. With an 8 Toughness, whopping 12 Wounds, and solid Save they’ll absorb a great deal of fire before going down. Plus, if an opponent doesn’t charge in, they’ll find themselves targets of the Noxious Stink, a 2D6 flamer level shooting attack. If they do charge in, they’ll be sitting still for your counter attack.
Over all, this is a nasty piece of kit for your Death Guard force.
That’s a Wrap
Thank you for checking out our survey of Death Guard units. I really love the daemon engines, predator tanks, and Miasmic Malignifier.
If you haven’t seen the rest of our Death Guard articles, then you can find them below.
