Leading from the front, your Space Marine Sergeant provides your squads with an important force multiplier. Through the judicious application of wargear options you’ll upgrade the long range firepower and the melee strength of your squads.
Earlier this week, I wrote about outfitting your Tactical Squads. This article primarily covers the Space Marine Sergeant’s place in those squads. However, the advice given here readily extrapolates across the field of original marine squads in 3+ armor.
Stats and Options
The Space Marine Sergeant’s stat line resembles that of the standard Tactical Marine. As befits an experienced squad leader, his leadership has been improved to 8. Likewise, his decades of combat see his Attacks improved to 2.
In elder days, a sergeants model cost would be a bit higher than a regular marine. In the interests of simplicity, any cost from these improvements, is absorbed by the cost of the squad.
Now, the place you will get hit on the point cost is with your options. Your stock sergeant carries a bolt pistol and boltgun. He may trade out the bolt pistol for a weapon from the pistols or melee weapons lists. Likewise, his boltgun is refundable. When trading in the boltgun your sergeant may choose from the combi-weapons, pistols or melee weapons lists.
Each selection increases the cost of your squad. The cost can range from 5 to 15 points per choice. In the long run, tooling up every sergeant will add up to a whole other unit. Of course, if you’re using Power Level, there is no increased costs.
Keep in mind the questions from the previous article. When selecting options choose with an eye to your role, foe, and goals.
Combi-Weapons
Your typical combi-weapon mounts a second weapon under your boltgun. The second weapon shares all the characteristics of its corresponding special weapon. Thus replacing your boltgun with a combi-weapon really doesn’t have any drawbacks. You may fire one of the other or even both at the same time at a -1 op hit.
When choosing a combi-weapon, consider how it reinforces your squad. Duplicating a special weapon already present increases the function of the squad. Meanwhile, choosing a combi-weapon that’s different makes your squad more flexible. Play with these concepts a bit before finalizing your models.
Combi-flamer: What’s not to like about the flamer? You’re getting a D6 additional shots that auto-hit. They even do so in overwatch. Imagine charging a squad with both a flamer and combi-flamer in it!
Combi-grav: Anything with a Toughness of 5 or less and a 3+ save has to be wary of grav weapons. Improved Damage makes them great for killing marine and other heavy infantry. Models with more than 2 Wounds also need to be wary as one or two hits may remove a significant chunk of those wounds.
Combi-melta: With their high strength, AP, and Damage, melta weapons gut vehicles at close range. They’ll practically vaporize lesser models. While their 12 inch range is a liability, the increased damage at half range improves their utility.
Combi-plasma: A good generalist weapon when fired on standard profile, the high strength and AP makes a mockery of even heavy armor. For times when facing even Tougher or multi-Wound models, the sergeant may choose to supercharge their weapon. This increases Strength and Damage, but runs the risk of killing your sergeant. Try not to roll a 1.
Storm bolter: Having the distinction of being the cheapest combi-weapon upgrade, storm bolters add more bolter to your bolter. The two barrels, mounted side by side, increase the bolter’s type from Rapid Fire 1 to Rapid Fire 2. In effect, you’re doubling the model’s rate of fire. It is a nice choice when squeezed for points, but otherwise go with any of the combi-weapons listed above.
Pistols
You may replace either your bolt pistol or bolter with a selection from the pistols list. Since pistols may still be fired at units within Engagement Range, this allows your model’s some fire while locked in melee. Usually, replacing your bolt pistol with a melee weapon is a better choice. Fight Phases occur in both your and your opponent’s turn. The pistol shoots only on your turn.
Plasma pistol: If you look at older armies you’ll find a large number of sergeant’s equipped with them. It was one of the few ways to pack a reliable marine killing shot into your squad and pistols used to add an extra attack in melee. Today, you want the plasma pistol for all round utility, just like the combi-plasma above.
Grav-pistol: With a lower Strength than a plasma pistol, the only thing reccommending the grav is the extra Damage on 3+ Save models. At the same cost, I’d much rather equip on the plasma pistol than the grav-pistol.
Deathwatch and Blood Angels allow access to the Hand Flamer and Inferno pistol. These are a flamer, at Strength 3, and melta weapon respectively. While the hand flamer lacks in Strength, you’ll be kicking out a D6 shots when engaged. Inferno pistols are a sneaky way to include anti-tank into a squad. When in Engagement Range, infernos have a better profile than even a plasma pistol across the board. Pity they’re limited.
Melee Weapons
Nothing invokes the pure brutality of Warhammer 40,000 than the melee weapons. Weaponized chainsaws compete with cracking disruption field coated swords and thunder hammers for a place in your armies list. Your space marine sergeant may opt to trade their bolt pistol or boltgun for a single melee weapon.
Astartes chainsword: The option for the price conscious space marine sergeant, the Astartes chainsword adds -1 AP and an extra attack when used at no additional point cost. If strapped for points, swap the bolt pistol for the chainsword. You won’t regret the missing shot.
Power Axe, Maul, and Sword: Serious melee weapons. All three add Strength and AP to your melee attacks in various proportions. Axes are your balanced choice being +2 and -2. Swords are good for anti-marine and high save work with +1 Strength and -3 AP. Take the maul against high Toughness, mid to poor Save targets as you get +3 Strength, but only -1 AP
Lightning Claw: The size of a power fist, but with long talons extending from the knuckles, lightning claws rip apart weaker foes. Not only do your get -2 AP and an extra attack, lightning claws can re-roll their wound rolls. With a similar cost to the power weapons, the only feature lighting claws lack is improved strength.
Power Fist and Thunder Hammer: Both the fist and hammer are large, unwieldy weapons. Both suffer a -1 to-hit in melee. However, they make up for it with doubled Strength, solid AP, and good Damage. Power fists are better at penetrating higher armor, AP -3, but only deal 2 Damage. The thunder hammer flips that with AP -2 and 3 Damage. While more costly than other options, these are the best for crushing tanks, squishing Tyranids, and finishing duels with enemy characters.
Tricky Space Marine Sergeants
Space Marine Sergeants are tricky fellows. The above discussion only covered a simple replacement of one weapon for another. There’s a strange option where both the bolt pistol and the boltgun may be replaced by one item each from the pistol and melee weapons list.
Traditionally, sergeants have carried a pistol and melee weapon as stock. This let you pick your sergeant out from the crowd, gave you an extra short ranged special weapon, and a bonus attack in melee. While that option is still viable, sergeants may instead opt for double pistols or double melee weapons.
Without a doubt, wielding two lightning claws is the classic example. Since your sergeant has two Attacks, he may swing once with each lightning claw. Each claw generates an extra attack. Rip right chaos cultists or xenos chaff with your 4 attacks. You may still be effective against marines and similar since you have a solid AP and reroll failed wounds.
Perhaps your sergeant is a gunslinger? When you shoot, you may fire either all your pistols or all your other weapons. Show your distain for consequences with twin plasma pistols. While you don’t have the melee punch, shooting at Strength 7 or 8 while engaged is quite the trick. A Blood Angel with twin hand flamers makes quite the speedbump for light infantry. Perhaps the most degenerate combination would be paired inferno pistols. make them specialist by including the matching special weapon in your squad.
Other options don’t produce as much mayhem for their cost. if you want different pistols, it’s more effective to go with a pistol and combi-weapon. Two distinct melee weapons get costly quick and if they don’t generate additional attacks you’re not gaining effectiveness.
My Space Marine Sergeants
Just like the USMC, my sergeants are riflemen first. I tend to prefer boltgun or combi-weapons as their main armament. They also swap out their bolt pistol for an Astartes chainsword. When points allow, I’ll upgrade their melee weapons.
Now that I’ve written this article, I have to chase down an off hand chainsword for a Florentine fighting sergeant.
Have great gaming!
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