Age of Darkness-Warhammer 30k/2.0 Tactics/Ruinstorm Daemons

This is the current tactics page for the Ruinstorm Daemons in HH 2.0. The 1.0 tactics can be found here

For the generals on how to play the game and the basics on listbuilding (as well as other tactica rules), you may want the General tactics page. You may also find the Horus Heresy general thread as "/HHG/" on /tg/.

Why play the Ruinstorm Daemons

Because you already have an army of Daemons from any other GW game and just don't want to paint any more.

Pros

• Very customizable. Since each unit isn't as clearly defined as in 40k, you can pretty much model them however you please.
• Your troop options have the stat line of an Ogryn, the armor of a Custodian, and close-combat weaponry to match a Space Marine. Only Knights are more elite than you.

Cons

• Shooting is pretty much nonexistent.
• Daemons degrade in effectiveness the longer a battle goes on.

Special Rules

• Ætherial Invulnerability (X+): It's an Invulnerable save. You know it, you need it. Sadly doesn't work against force weapons.
• Empyrean Avatar: Your biggest guys are immune to Instant Death and instead suffer d3 wounds instead.
• Daemon Unit Type: Of course, you'll need to work around this. Daemons get Fear (1) and are immune to Fear as well as auto-passing any Pinning checks, which is a bigger deal now. However, daemons cannot opt to fail morale checks and any they do fail suffers d3 wounds rather than falling back.
  • The bigger issue is the matter of Degradation. See, during the turns 1 and 2, your forces get +1 to their strength and toughness. On turns 3 and 4, those bonuses go away and on turns 5 and 6, your forces now suffer -1 to their strength and toughness and turn 7 sees those penalties upped to -2. Drawing a game out is actively dangerous for you.
  • They also treat all Force weapons as having Instant Death against them. Beware of Librarians.
• Immaterial Blades (X): If you roll a 6 to wound when using a weapon with this rule, that weapon's AP is improved to X.

Warlord Traits

• Conqueror of Kings: The warlord gains +1 Attack when fighting an Independent Character while his squad gains +1 Strength when fighting a unit including one. The army gains an extra reaction in the Movement phase while he's alive.
• Entropic Force: Enemies can only make Damage Mitigation rolls (such as Shrouded or Regen) on a 6+ against wounds made by the warlord's unit. The army gains an extra reaction in the Movement phase while he's alive.
• Eternal Raveller: The warlord's unit can charge after running. They can also make their charge range equal to their Initiative score instead of rolling. The army gains an extra reaction in the Movement phase while he's alive.
• Walker of Paths: After determining Initiative, you can send two units into reserves, able to pop in as normal or through Herald of Unreality if you have a Harbinger. The army gains an extra reaction in the Shooting phase while he's alive.

Ætheric Dominions

Of course, knowledge of the Warp and Chaos in general was proscribed to the general public, so nobody really had a clue how they operated. Rather than a singular deity, people presumed that they had certain malign intelligences guiding them.

Each unit must choose a Dominion and you may not mix and match in the same detachment. Units can only join units with the same Dominion, but right now that's irrelevant as Independent Character daemons haven't been released yet.

• Encroaching Ruin: Your daemons get Move Through Cover. Units with only this rule also only suffer 1 wound as a result of failing a morale check.
• Heedless Slaughter: Your daemons must charge any units within 8". In addition, units with only this rule add +1 to their combat resolution and to their sweeping advance checks.
• Formless Distortion: During the Fight subphase, your daemons roll d3 and get a random buff to their melee attacks: Lance and Concussive(1) to knock tanks, Reach(1) to top Initiative, or Shred and Sunder to tear down defenses.
• Putrid Corruption: Your daemons gain the Heavy Subtype. They also gain a special 6+ damage mitigation roll they can use against any damage that isn't Instant Death or psychic in nature.
  • The Heavy Subtype severely restricts the mobility of the unit; no running and -1" to movement based reactions (ie: MOST of your reactions since you don't have guns) which in a unit exclusively of melee footsloggers can be devastating. Rerolling saves against templates is generally only going to work against entry level Flamers and Frag missiles, as most other templates have sufficient AP to get past your 4+ save anyway. That 6+ damage mitigation will be used more frequently than you think.
• Ravenous Dissolution: Your daemons get +1 to hit Psykers, Independent Characters, other Daemons, and Corrupted units on the first turn of combat. Sadly, all it means is a glorified Hatred.
• Rapturous Sensation: Your daemons gain +1" to the distance of any Runs, Charges or reaction moves. Successful charges that aren't disordered also let the unit fight at one Initiative higher for the turn, letting them potentially beat out Praetors. Units with only this rule get to re-roll failed tests for Blind and Concussive weapons.
  • Emperor's Children players can attest to how useful attacking faster can be. This dominion even comes with other bonuses on top of that, so on paper it's a very good choice. In reality, you already have high initiative with weapons that have good AP and Murderous Strike built in. (on the units we've seen so far) so do you even really NEED to strike faster when you are going before all those Power Fists and Hammers anyway? Despite this, the +1" distance is absolutely still worth taking the Dominion for.
• Malevolent Artifice: Your daemons re-roll any armour saves against attacks where the attack's strength is less than their toughness.
  • Renders the model highly resistant to standard issue units and gear. Any attack with lower strength is going to wound on 5+ or worse, so the reroll will help neuter those that do get through. Low strength attacks generally have poor AP values but often come in bulk, such as boltguns or chainswords, so the save is probably going to be coming eventually.
• Infernal Tempest: Your Daemons have Hammer of Wrath(1), with the bonus of any HoW hits gaining Deflagrate for extra fun. They also gain a special weapon, an 8" S-user AP5 Assault 2 gun with Deflagrate that can only be used as a reaction but always hits. Auto-hitting is nifty, but AP5 means that any MEQ can easily shrug it off.

Daemonic Wargear

Melee Weapons

• Brute Armaments: The basic weapons for your (Bound) brutes and attendants. AP3 makes it plenty threatening, as does Murderous Strike (5+) and Rending (6+). Two-Handed here doesn't mean much unless the full army list gives alternatives.
• Regent Blade: The Daemon Regent's sword. A Two-Handed AP2 weapon with Murderous Strike (5+), so it's just as deadly as the brute's weapon.

• Behemoth Blade: The Arch-Daemon's armament. AP2 with Brutal (3), Sunder and Immaterial Blades (AP1) if you really need a tank to die.
• Daemon Armaments: Basic AP4 weapons for your lesser daemons with Immaterial Blades (AP3) for an occasional lucky shot.
• Infernal Armaments: Basic AP3 armaments for your brutes with Brutal (2) and Immaterial Blades (AP2).
• Harbinger Blade: The Daemon Harbinger's weapon, an AP3 sword with Murderous Strike (6+) and Immaterial Blades (AP2).
  • Sovereign Armaments: The Daemon Sovereign's equivalent, now equipped with AP2 Murderous Strike (5+), Brutal (2) and Immaterial Blades (AP1).
    • Sovereign Greatblade: The bigger version, getting S+3 AP1 with Brutal (3) but suffers from Unwieldy.

Ranged Weapons

• Immaterial Flame: An S:User AP4 flamer. Sounds cool, but it's only stuck to one unit and that Strength will decline as the game progresses.
• Immaterial Projectiles: The only ranged weapon for your lesser daemons. 18", S:User AP4 and Assault 2.

Upgrades

• Ætheric Conduit: The model becomes a psyker with access to Biomancy, Pyromancy, Telepathy, and Diabolism from the Word Bearers.
• Immaterial Wings: Pretty much treated like jump packs with 14" movement.
  • Ætheric Flight: A cheaper form of flight, only adding +3" movement and Bulky (2). Taking this pretty much should only be reserved for big solo units since you'll cause issues if you join harriers or flying beasts with this.
• Miasma of Rage: Gives Rage (2) to the entire unit. This is especially handy for the Harbinger since he's the only one with a squad to join.
• Dark Flame: An S5 AP5 flamer with Fleshbane. A good choice since it won't degrade like the rest of your weapons.
• The Unmaking: Essentially a daemonic lascannon. 18" Assault 2 S8 AP1 with Armourbane (Ranged). Useful since this won't degrade with everything else.
• Warp-Forged Flesh: +1 to the bearer's save.

Unit Analysis

HQ

• Ruinstorm Daemon Sovereign: Your Greater Daemons. Each one is definitely built to last with S6 T7 W6 while maintaining all the defensive perks of the Hierarch, just now as a monster. Furthermore, the sovereign can buy up to three upgrades to ensure that you've got the biggest beast, but doing so also reveals the sovereign's biggest weakness: the pricetag. Starting at 350 points, you likely won't be fielding this guy outside of big games.
  • Uniquely, the sovereign can choose between two weapons. The Sovereign Armaments are pretty much souped-up Infernal Armaments at AP3 with Immaterial Blades (AP2), Murderous Strike (5+) and Brutal (2), but for 10 points, you can swap those out for the Sovereign Greatblade, a true behemoth with S+3 AP1 and Brutal (3), Murderous Strike (5+) and Unwieldy. As long as you can keep him alive, he will obliterate anything he's up against.
• Ruinstorm Daemon Hierarch: Likely what could've been Daemon Princes, though these guys are in practice more like pompous Brutes. Though they lack any retinue, they are very protected between a 3+/4++ save, a 6+ IWND and Empyrean Avatar negating ID while Bulky (5) means that the enemy's gonna need to commit to big squads to outnumber in combat. Helping matters is the fact that the Hierarch has the ability to pick up to two upgrades, offering even more utility in how they can destroy the opposition. However, do beware that as daemons, they will still go down easily as time goes on, especially one that's carelessly thrown into the front lines.
• Ruinstorm Daemon Harbinger: The closest you have to the Heralds of today. While decent with S4 T5 and A3, they're only protected by their 4+/5++ and will die against any consul they fight against if they can't trigger Murderous Strike (6+). That's where your Attendants come in - 0-3 Brutes with Chosen Warriors who can go smash heads in challenges. Aside from fighting, the Harbinger also has Herald of Unreality, which allows you to throw two units (+1 per additional harbinger) into reserves only to pop out of a warp rift.
  • Though the cheapest of the HQs, this guy's also got the least in terms of options. Miasma of Rage is the most obvious standout here as it gives all the attendants Rage (2) to improve their face-beating power. Ætheric Conduit obviously helps you by giving powers to support both the Harbinger and others in multiple ways. Warp-Forged Flesh is only somewhat helpful - a 3+ save isn't bad, but it'd mean a lot more for the attendants.

Elites

• Ruinstorm Daemon Beasts: Pretty nimble at 10" movement and a bit stronger than mere lesser daemons at S5 and 3 wounds. However, like the cavalry, this is a unit that could've benefitted from some extra rules to drive home that fact. Not helping is the fact that these guys only have Daemon Armaments like the lessers for combat (or Immaterial Projectiles if you sprung for that), which will limit their value late game. If you really feel the need to make them super-mobile, you can buy them wings.
• Ruinstorm Daemon Brutes: The big bruisers of your lot with S/T5 and 3 wounds per model. With Hammer of Wrath (1) on top of their hefty weapons, they'll be more than sure to pack a punch, but taking one will be a different issue. With only a 4+/5++ save to protect them, it's likely better to keep these guys in reserve via Herald of Unreality if you can, so you can make sure that they don't get mowed down before the time comes.

Troops

• Ruinstorm Lesser Daemons: Your basic troops are surprisingly similar in stats to the average legionary with the exception of being only BS3 and only having a 5++ save to protect them. The bigger deal is that they're heavily influenced by the dominion you place them under, especially since they have nothing else going for them. Supporting them will be very important because these will be your most numerous Line unit.
  • While each daemon comes with an AP4 weapon with Immaterial Blaades (AP3), it will naturally be subject to degrading Strength. They also have an option to swap out for immaterial projectiles, which are 18" Assault 2 AP4. However, you'll notice that those projectiles will also be subject to the same issues as the blades and at +1ppm you'll want more than that.
• Ruinstorm Daemon Swarms: Because more swarms exist beyond just Nurglings. Not very much at S/T3 with only a 6++ save, but 6 wounds make them difficult to get rid of without grabbing flamers and grenades. Though you can't make all your troops into swarms due to being a Support Squad, these are still Line troops, meaning that these insignificant blobs will always be capping your points.

Fast Attack

• Ruinstorm Daemon Cavalry: Not actually considered Cavalry for some moronic reason. That said, most of the rules that apply to your lesser daemons still apply here in terms of how to keep them alive, only with the added benefit of 12" movement and an extra wound. That said, these should never join your leaders due to the disparity in movement speeds, even if you bought wings.
• Ruinstorm Daemon Harriers: Your daemonic assault squads, graced with wings to properly hop about to harass the enemy. While the same as the lesser daemons as well, they suffer the grave crime of having only one attack with their hand weapons while the footsloggers get two. This means that these guys will never be at the heart of any assault and actually gain something if you buy the shooting option.

Heavy Support

• Greater Ruinstorm Daemon Beast:
• Ruinstorm Daemon Behemoth:

Lords of War

• Ruinstorm Arch-Daemon: Essentially what represents your Exalted Greater Daemons.

Named Characters

• Cor'bax Utterblight Unbound, Daemon Lord of the Ruinstorm, The Corruption of Hope, The Ever-hungry:
• Samus Unbound, The End and the Death, Daemon Prince of the Primordial Annihilator:
• Ka'Bandha Unbound, Daemon General of Signus:

Bound Daemons

Released as an Exemplary Battles doc, this gives us a bit of a preview of what daemons may end up being. That said, they require someone else to summon them onto the field, so they'll always be the allied force unless you're really dumb/ballsy enough to hedge all your bets on summoning enough daemons at the start of the game. The tradeoff of this is the fact that your daemons won't be subject to any turn-based decay.

Special Rules

• Bound Subtype: The big selling point here. All Bound Daemons no longer suffer from deterioration, but now require psykers to be on the field to avoid them losing power.
  • The big tradeoff is how they're deployed. During initial deployment, One IC psyker must make psychic tests in order to summon each unit of daemons on the field. However, one failure and any remaining squads are thrown into reserves. Afterwards, your IC psykers can make psychic tests in order to summon those daemons from reserves.
• Bound Malefica: Allows Bound Daemons to count as Ruinstorm Daemons in terms of any rules that require the latter, such as the Esoterist's Breach the Veil power or Erebus' Harbinger of Chaos. That said, these powers do not allow you to circumvent the summoning tests for a Bound Daemons army.

Warlord Trait

• Malefic Supplicant: Pretty much a necessity, as this is the only way you can summon your forces. Fortunately, this is available to both your daemons as well as to any allied warlords of the Traitor allegiance. This makes the warlord a psyker, but they don't get the ability to cast anything aside from "Summon Bound Daemons". Your army also gains an extra reaction during the Assault phase.
  • More of a no-brainer if you already have a psyker for a Warlord (chiefly the Thousand Sons and most special Word Bearer Characters and Praetors with Burning Lore).

Unit Analysis

HQ

• Bound Daemon Regent: What might well become better known as Daemonic Heralds. They're slightly tougher with T6, 4 wounds and a 4+/4++ save, while WS5 makes them about on par with most basic characters with their AP2 Regent Blade with Murderous Strike (5+) making them capable of carving through most things.
  • If you're worried about survivability, you can also buy Attendants. In fact, that's the only way your Regent can be in a squad since they lack Independent Character or some other way to join squads. That said, these Attendants are just Daemon Brutes with a fancier title.

Named Characters

• Bound Samus, the End and the Death, Daemon Prince of the Primordial Annihilator: The only daemon prince you have access to, he's a pretty fierce monster. On top of his benefits as a Monstrous unit and a 3+/4++ save and IWND (5+), he also has Empyrean Avatar to make any Instant Death attacks deal only d3 wounds. He's also surprisingly nimble with Fleet (2) and his Encroaching Ruin dominion letting him walk through any terrain.
  • The End and the Death: Despite being potentially an allied force, you can make Samus the warlord. His WT allows all of his attacks (All AP2 with Armourbane (Melee) and Murderous Strike (5+)) force re-rolls on successful invulnerable saves. Pretty much all that he needs since his weapon is quite devastating.
  • Whispers of Madness: So Samus has some uses in Reserves, forcing his enemy to take a -1 to all Reserves rolls, and unlike the Master of Signals' jammer, this won't fuck with your forces. Once you summon him, however, he gains an 18" bubble of -2 Leadership for any psychic checks. Fighting in melee also lets him boost his Fear rating to Fear (2) so he can force more sweeps.

Troops/Elites

• Bound Daemon Brutes: Oddly both a Troops and Elites choice, meaning you'll need to see a LOT of them. Their weapons are quite effective at S5 AP3 with Rending (6+) and Murderous Strike (5+) on top of Hammer of Wrath (1), and being T5 with a 4+/5++ save and 3 wounds a model makes them more than a little durable for a squad of brutes. Being Bulky (3) also means that outnumbering them won't be as easy as you think.

Lord of War

• Bound Ka'bandha, Daemon General of Signus: The biggest, angriest and fuckingest Bloodthirster known to man. Being the Gargantuan subtype makes him pretty much on tier with a Primarch, with 8s for most stats except BS5 I6, A7, Ld9, immune to any stat mods, Eternal Warrior, forces anyone to re-roll Poison and Fleshbane rolls, able to walk past any terrain (with wings that he can trigger for 14" movement like a jetpack - because fuck you) and able to shoot wherever and whenever. That said, he is essentially unable to react against anything smaller than a Primarch due to the limitations of the subtype. His seven attacks are all at S12 (see below) and are augmented with Hammer of Wrath (d3) and Rampage (d3+1) - which won't trigger as much as you'd think due to him counting as 10 models for outnumbering. Defensively he's pretty well-set with a 3+/4++ save, It Will Not Die (5+), and Adamantium Will (3+) lest anyone forget that he serves something that hates psykers, though this'll only apply to Force weapons thanks to the Gargantuan subtype making him immune to any other powers.
  • Skull-Keeper: Ka'bandha's WT only works on any daemons of the Heedless Slaughter dominion. Any daemons of this dominion within 12" get Rage (3) for even more devastating charges. He also gives an extra reaction in the Movement phase.
  • Eternal Rivalry: So you'll notice that he has Hatred (Sanguinius) as a rule, as he's got a bone to pick with the Fabulous Hawk-Boy on account of Signus. That's only half of the story; should the two be fielded, Ka'bandha also gets a special secondary objective that requires him to challenge Sangy to a duel. If you kill him, you score 2 VP, but if Ka'bandha dies, you forfeit 1 VP - all on top of the VP scored for Slay the Warlord.
  • Armaments of Ka'bandha: His weapons are essentially consolidated to a melee and ranged profile. In melee, he's got a Two-Handed S+4 AP2 behemoth with Sunder, so he can carve apart tanks with laughable ease. At range, he's got a close-quarters machinegun with 6" S6 AP2 with Assault 7 to drown lesser mobs.
  • Scythe of Hatred: So after all of his attacks in melee and after accounting for Sweeping Advances, he can make a singular Hellstorm Flamer attack. Any units with models inside this template take a number of S6 AP- hits equal to the number of unsaved wounds he caused this round, so you can easily use this to cut through a few more units after wiping one in a fight.

Allies

As Agents of the Warmaster, you'd seem pretty much set in regards to who you want to ally with...sadly you're prohibited from taking allied detachments and primary detachments of non-Daemons can't take them as allies.

Army Tactics

Warhammer 30,000 Tactics Articles
General Tactics	General (7E) Movement (7E) Psychic (7E) Fortifications (7E) Zone Mortalis (7E)
Legiones Astartes	Legiones Astartes (HH1)
Mechanicum	Mechanicum (Legio Mechanicum (HH1) • Taghmata Omnissiah (HH1)) Questoris Knights (HH1)
Imperial Army	Solar Auxilia (HH1) Imperialis Militia (HH1)
Agents of the Emperor	Legio Custodes (HH1) Sisters of Silence (HH1)
Agents of the Warmaster	Ruinstorm Daemons (HH1 • 7E Codex)