Custom traits ranking and analysis

[hivefleetkerrigan]

I wanted to start ranking all of the custom hive fleet traits that we have at our disposal. I chose a 5 point scale of 0-5 and split up the traits based upon gribblies, elites, and monsters. Here's my definitions below.

Definitions:
Gribblies: gaunts, gargoyles, rippers, and stealers
Elites: warriors, raveners, hive/tyrant guard, lichtors, pyrovores, biovores, etc
Monsters: anything with the monster keyword


Numerical scale:
0 - does not apply (ie adaptive exoskeleton on a monster)
1 - really bad. Don't take this
2 - limited applications
3 - good but not optimal. Could apply very well in certain builds but not well in others
4 - very good trait
5 - autoinclude


Note: I tried to format the table as I'd pasted it from Excel, so I hope the formatting looks ok.

Trait name gribbly elite monster
Adaptive Exoskeleton 4 0 0
Bestial Nature 0 0 2
Bio-metalic Cysts 4 3 2
Biosphere Consumption 0 0 2
Cranial channeling 0 3 3
Feeding Frenzy 4 3 3
Horror from Beyond 0 0 1
HM Acceleration 3 3 3
Membranous Mobility 1 1 1
Metamorphic Regrowth 0 3 4
Morphic Sinews 0 0 2
Pack Hunters 4 3 0
Prey-sight 0 0 4
Shrewd Predators 2 2 2
Spaws of the Outer Dark 4 3 3
Sporemist Spines 2 2 2
Synaptic Augmentation 1 4 4

Please let me know what you think!

[purestrain]

Morphic sinews and Hypermetabolic Acceleration are going to be a staple I think in what will be monster charge list, reroll is okay when compared to 3d6 and a double move strat, but you arent bringing big units anyhow for the detachment.

3 Triple packs of Dakkafex rampaging over the field with flyrants who also ignore advance with those devs, can work with 1st turn touchers that are big like harpies and crones getting them into better spots before they eventually melt to nothing.

[hivefleetkerrigan]

Dec 21, 2019 19:10:36 GMT purestrain said:

Morphic sinews and Hypermetabolic Acceleration are going to be a staple I think in what will be monster charge list, reroll is okay when compared to 3d6 and a double move strat, but you arent bringing big units anyhow for the detachment.

3 Triple packs of Dakkafex rampaging over the field with flyrants who also ignore advance with those devs, can work with 1st turn touchers that are big like harpies and crones getting them into better spots before they eventually melt to nothing.

Good ideas. I hadn't considered morphic sinews much as it only benefitted some of our monsters. I'll have to try it out at some point.

[wormlord666]

Tried a venomcannon themed list with carnifexes, tyrants and warriors. I used synaptic augmentation (1 reroll) and the one with advance and shoot for monsters.
Flyrants with adrenals get seriuos range with 17+d6 +18 for devourers for example. Fexes with venoms get 42 + range practically wich is nice.
I played my sons orks and lost due to lack of CC ability.

The warriors just don’t work. Now i didn’t use adaptive biology on them and had them i 3 small teams to max out the re rolls. They need to be close to the prime and i suppose its units of 9 and adaptive biology or none for warriors.

All in all: tyrants and fexes work with those traits.

[mule]

The only adaptation worth taking is -ap as jormy.

Jormy protects them from high ap weapons while -ap protects them from enmass small arms fire.

-ap is also good on hormas but its not worth wasting an adaptation on one 150 point unit wheb you should have 3.

Warriors can soak a lot of damage which is why its valuable to put it on them.

[hivefleetkerrigan]

Dec 23, 2019 8:01:44 GMT mule said:

The only adaptation worth taking is -ap as jormy.

Jormy protects them from high ap weapons while -ap protects them from enmass small arms fire.

-ap is also good on hormas but its not worth wasting an adaptation on one 150 point unit wheb you should have 3.

Warriors can soak a lot of damage which is why its valuable to put it on them.

I think that +2 I'm cover is situationally better for jorm warriors. You can get your warriors to a 2+ save, which is much better against AP0 or AP better than -3. I want to try that adaptation at some point.

[xsquidz]

Dec 23, 2019 8:50:18 GMT hivefleetkerrigan said:

Dec 23, 2019 8:01:44 GMT mule said:

The only adaptation worth taking is -ap as jormy.

Jormy protects them from high ap weapons while -ap protects them from enmass small arms fire.

-ap is also good on hormas but its not worth wasting an adaptation on one 150 point unit wheb you should have 3.

Warriors can soak a lot of damage which is why its valuable to put it on them.

I think that +2 I'm cover is situationally better for jorm warriors. You can get your warriors to a 2+ save, which is much better against AP0 or AP better than -3. I want to try that adaptation at some point.

Yeah I played against eldar with warriors (and murdered him BTW) and they +2 cover was way better, against his scatter bikes, I got a 2+ save, with the ignores AP1/2 I would have had a 3+ save.  His shuriken weapons are either AP 0 or -3, against +2 cover is better vs both of those, same with his AP4 bright lances etc.  If an army (like marines with doctrines) has lots of AP 1/2 then for sure its better but against alot of armies the +2 cover is way better.

[kazetanade]

Dec 23, 2019 13:06:02 GMT xsquidz said:

Dec 23, 2019 8:50:18 GMT hivefleetkerrigan said:

I think that +2 I'm cover is situationally better for jorm warriors. You can get your warriors to a 2+ save, which is much better against AP0 or AP better than -3. I want to try that adaptation at some point.

Yeah I played against eldar with warriors (and murdered him BTW) and they +2 cover was way better, against his scatter bikes, I got a 2+ save, with the ignores AP1/2 I would have had a 3+ save.  His shuriken weapons are either AP 0 or -3, against +2 cover is better vs both of those, same with his AP4 bright lances etc.  If an army (like marines with doctrines) has lots of AP 1/2 then for sure its better but against alot of armies the +2 cover is way better.

Pulse lasers and Lance's are ap3 from memory.

Most Eldar is probably running ignore cover today. Sally reroll + ignore cover is huge and does work. When they do, you definitely want -AP.

[xsquidz]

Dec 23, 2019 13:28:18 GMT kazetanade said:

Dec 23, 2019 13:06:02 GMT xsquidz said:

Yeah I played against eldar with warriors (and murdered him BTW) and they +2 cover was way better, against his scatter bikes, I got a 2+ save, with the ignores AP1/2 I would have had a 3+ save.  His shuriken weapons are either AP 0 or -3, against +2 cover is better vs both of those, same with his AP4 bright lances etc.  If an army (like marines with doctrines) has lots of AP 1/2 then for sure its better but against alot of armies the +2 cover is way better.

Pulse lasers and Lance's are ap3 from memory.

Most Eldar is probably running ignore cover today. Sally reroll + ignore cover is huge and does work. When they do, you definitely want -AP.

All the lances are AP4, bright or the laser.  What eldar gets ignore cover?  If they have that the nice thing is you can pick your traits each game and take the ignore AP1/2, but against eldar in many cases you might want to just save the CP on the 2nd trait if they have ignores cover and all Ap 0,3,4 weapons.

[mattblowers]

Dec 23, 2019 13:49:09 GMT xsquidz said:

If they have that the nice thing is you can pick your traits each game and take the ignore AP1/2, but against eldar in many cases you might want to just save the CP on the 2nd trait if they have ignores cover and all Ap 0,3,4 weapons.

I believe the wording is such that you have to pick the traits ahead of time and have them included on your army roster. Don't have the book at work with me, so someone that has it please confirm the wording.

[mule]

Dec 23, 2019 15:23:27 GMT mattblowers said:

Dec 23, 2019 13:49:09 GMT xsquidz said:

If they have that the nice thing is you can pick your traits each game and take the ignore AP1/2, but against eldar in many cases you might want to just save the CP on the 2nd trait if they have ignores cover and all Ap 0,3,4 weapons.

I believe the wording is such that you have to pick the traits ahead of time and have them included on your army roster. Don't have the book at work with me, so someone that has it please confirm the wording.

The first one you do, because it overlaps warlord trait. The second one you spend a cp, so you can change it on the fly and put it on w.e unit.

[mattblowers]

Dec 23, 2019 15:52:29 GMT mule said:

Dec 23, 2019 15:23:27 GMT mattblowers said:

I believe the wording is such that you have to pick the traits ahead of time and have them included on your army roster. Don't have the book at work with me, so someone that has it please confirm the wording.

The first one you do, because it overlaps warlord trait. The second one you spend a cp, so you can change it on the fly and put it on w.e unit.

I hadn't thought about that, really good point and it does give us some pre-game shennanigans to try. Although I've found I'm typically building my list with these things in mind so I don't how many times I'd want to change it up on the fly.

[purestrain]

IIRC its before the battle begins. With either.

[1b2a]

Id subtract 1 from everything as a start

[bigpig]

Dec 23, 2019 15:52:29 GMT mule said:

Dec 23, 2019 15:23:27 GMT mattblowers said:

I believe the wording is such that you have to pick the traits ahead of time and have them included on your army roster. Don't have the book at work with me, so someone that has it please confirm the wording.

The first one you do, because it overlaps warlord trait. The second one you spend a cp, so you can change it on the fly and put it on w.e unit.

I think there is a pretty strong argument to be made to say that you can decide each round of a multi round tournament whether to go with adaptive physiology, how many, or a warlord trait. You select your warlord during army creation, but most events allow you to select a different warlord trait each round.

The language for AP says "rather than determining a warlord trait for that model (your tyranid warlord) you can instead select an Adaptive Physiology for one Tyranid unit...."