Khorne Daemonkin have been unleashed onto the 40k scene! Amidst the rapid release schedule GW has been pushing, you might have overlooked this codex!
Mos players were still busy reading about Harlequins, and then suddenly excited about the pending Eldar Release. Well, you should take notice of this codex. It is fluffy, it is fun, and is very competitive. It will be striking fear into the hearts of its opponents for years to come. Here are the top five reasons you should fear the Daemonkin:
Number 5: Blood for the Blood God
! This is the Special rule that really makes this codex work. The ability or your units to generate blood tithe points when they destroy something, and when they are destroyed, really breaths life into units that you would have overlooked before. It encourages you to go never hold back when playing this army. The more death and destruction, the more blood tithe rises and boosts your army. Whether it is summoning a new unit or army wide buffs, Blood for the Blood God! is a very powerful and fun rule that can make mediocre units into All-Stars.
Number 4: The Bloodhost Detachment
Khorne Daemonkin’s unique detachment is a powerful one. Not only do you get the detachment bonus, which is Plus 1 blood point every turn, but you also get all the formation bonuses as well, which really add up to make a powerful force. The main thing about the bloodhost is that with +1 blood point every turn, it is not unreasonable to have 3 or more bloodpoints at the beginning of every turn, starting on turn 2. This can be used to give your army incredible buffs, and if you have lots of models from the slaughtercult, then you get a 2 for 1 deal!
The other great thing about the slaughtercult is that you can use it and a CAD together to basically make any kind of list you want. Really. Go try it out. The options available to you are incredible, which lets you customize your force just the way you want it.
Number 3: Fearless Daemons
Khorne Daemonkin Daemons do not have instability, but instead have fearless. This is such a big deal that it is hard to describe. This totally changes these units and makes them all much much more powerful. Now, Daemon characters can join non-daemon units, and non-daemon characters can join daemon units. This is huge, and allows for some really good combos. An easy standout is the Chaos Lord on Juggernaut with either Bloodcrushers or Flesh Hounds. I expect that to be everywhere. But there are power gems as well, such as the Herald of Khorne with Locus of Wrath. He can join any unit now and give them fearless and hatred, which is an awesome deal for the same cost as 8 Bloodletters.
Number 2: The Red Wave!
Khorne Daemonkin have access to a unique bunch of units that we have all seen before. However, when looked at together in this codex, they create something unique. Khorne Daemonkin can make armies in which literally everything in the list is a serious threat. Nothing can be ignored, and nothing is wasted on units that don’t do anything. This is another example of how this army does not hold back. All of its units can get the job done, and you will need all of them working together to do so. This is an army that will probably lose 90% of its models in every game, but can totally overwhelm and opponent with threatening units and bring them down.
Number 1: The Bloodthirster!
That’s right. The number one reason you should be afraid of the Khorne Daemonkin is the Bloodthirster. When used in conjunction with this codex, the Bloodthirster is a terrifying sight to behold. Being Fearless, generating blood tithe points, and being a total combat monster all come together to make room for the Bloodthirster in every Daemonkin list. All variants have their place, but the real standout is the Bloodthirster of Insensate Rage. This guys wields the Great Axe of Khorne, which makes him Initiative 1, but lets him have 8 Strength D attacks on the charge. This makes him the biggest one-hit-wonder in all of 40k. What I mean is, that you can spend the entire game setting up just one charge with this guy, and that charge can win you the game. Enemy Knight titian? This guys can take it. Stompa? He can chop the thing in half. Chapter Master giving you trouble? The D Thirster can wipe him out. The ability to simply annihilate anything in 40k on the charge means you should think about this guy in every list you make. That is just too big of a tool not to want to have in the toolbox.
As powerful as these guys are though, they do need support. If you just throw them blindly at the enemy, expect to be disappointed. Being an FMC is what really gives these guys options, and lets them pick and choose exactly where they want to fight. If you take your time, and work toward the late-game glory assault, then the Bloodthirster will shine.
Khorne Daemonkin are an incredibly well done army with a perfect combo of fluff and power that is a terror on the tabletop. Be wary of these 5 facts and never underestimate them! -Horton D
