Check out all the new Warhammer 40k rules for the Blood Ravens from July’s White Dwarf! From rules to new wargear, bolt everything down…
We first saw factions like Ynnari and Crimson Fists get support in the form of a White Dwarf release. Now, the trend is still moving across “minor” factions in 40k. Blood Ravens got their rules and now it’s time to check out what’s been spotted and see how it could stand up to the meta.
Blood Ravens Chapter Rules, Stratagems, Relics & More
Blood Ravens are going to be the tankiest Space Marine Chapter out there refusing to be wounded on any roll of a 2. That means that any T4 unit will still be needing a wound roll of a 3+ to force a saving roll (sorry Blood Angels). On top of that, any Psykers can reroll deny the witch tests of 1.
Starting off, these guys already seem good. They have a Chapter Tactic that will almost ALWAYS be useful and are already looking to be a more competitive form of a Grey Knight.
They’re getting a 1CP stratagem that we feel will always be an auto-include beefing up your Psyker to be a Chief Librarian. He gets another cast/deny added to his statline. That means for 1CP, a Librarian in your army will be able to cast 3, deny 2, and reroll deny attempts of 1. These guys might have enough of a competitive edge to throw a kink into Thousand Sons Psyker spam lists.
Purgatorus is OK but hopefully, there will be more relics to choose from. With a Chapter so focused around psychic things, maybe a Librarian can take a special staff/hood. A S5 pistol is alright and definitely gives you a bonus in combat if you survive the initial swings. But it just seems too lackluster to eat up a relic slot.
Gabriel Angelos Stat Sheet
Finally, Gabriel, their Chapter Master weighs in at 185 pts and comes with a decent set of rules. The highlights are his 6″ move despite being in Terminator armor, five attacks with a thunder hammer that causes mortal wounds, and Leap into the Fray. As many times as you charge, you roll a 4+ before you fight and have a chance of causing D3 mortal wounds. Not too bad!
Overall, the Blood Ravens definitely needed this support. It seems like the most competitive thing we’ve seen out of this book is a Blood Ravens Librarian with the Chief Librarian Stratagem. With that said, will you start playing an all-Blood Ravens force?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
