Here we go. I think this guy is going to be the foundation of many a Chaos army nowadays. First things first though, Blogline ALWAYS give him wings. It’s a dirt-cheap upgrade for a model of this combat quality, and it’s the only way the Prince will see action in anything but a counter-offensive role. That said though, even undivided, a base Str of 6 and I of 5, a decent amount of attacks, a highly-respectable WS of 7, and the ever-coveted immunity to Instant Death means that for under 150 pts, your average Daemon Prince is already set to rock-and-roll. And that’s without marks.
Khorne’s Prince is definitely the cheapest, but it also has the least access to any special stuff outside wings, which are already established as mandatory. Other than that, and the fact that a Winged Khorne Prince is only 140 pts for a 6-attack (on the assault) monstrosity, there’s really nothing that’s really turn-your-head kind of impressive about this guy, though he does make my Hive Tyrant a tad jealous to be that killy for that cost. princefoundation
The Mark of Slaaneesh is the cheapest mark, even more so than Khorne, and for good reason. That extra Initiative is rarely going to do you any good except in the monster-hunting department, which I wouldn’t trust a Daemon Prince for anyway. (With a mere T of 5, even when ID-proof, most meta monsters nowadays, like Avatars and Hive Tyrants, could still hand the Daemon Prince their lunch. And of course a C’tan would crown your Prince with a knuckle-sandwich, just like it does to everything else in the game.) Really what you’re buying a Slaaneesh prince for is to have a 155-pt jump-lasher. While it can be used for first-turn assault usage, it’s far from reliable, and as with all first-turn assaults, they’re sketchy and over predictable. But that’s just a Lash issue. pollenindex
The Nurgle Prince dodges the Daemon Prince’s new T5 problem by boosting it up. The Nurgle Prince also has access to Nurgle’s Rot, which will fry entire hordes of Gaunts at a time. However, one of the better powers for a Prince (and this really goes for any Prince, but especially Nurgle ones as they can take some serious punishment) is Warptime. It’s like Litanies of Hate on steroids! Cast it, and you re-roll your hits and wounds, which is amazing when you’re swinging around four attacks per turn and you really need to get those wounds. Warptime also lets you re-roll failed attacks to hit Skimmers and Vehicles, making Warptime Princes of any mark even really good for tank hunting and even for taking on those infernal Skimmers that every CC-loving general worth their salt has learned to hate. kutyulva
But the Prince that just steals my heart is the one I use: The Tzeentch Prince. The most expensive of the bunch (mine comes to 200 big ones) the Tzeentch Prince makes full use of the Prince’s capabilities as a pumped-up Sorcerer. And with the infamous Thunder-Chicken having been wussed out, this is what Tzeentch has to fall back on. Though that’s not a bad thing. Even without any powers, Tzeentch Princes have 4+ IV saves. It’s not Nurgle’s T6, or a 2+ save (which no Prince has; looks like Dhar’leth didn’t make the codex after all…) but you’re glad you have it when you’re staring down armies with tons of rocking-AP weapons, like Eldar and IG, and an IV save helps to mitigate GW’s love affair with the Rending rules. However, izomautok the IV save is just the tip of the iceberg. As Tzeentch Princes can have multiple powers, do so! Bolt of Change is incredible, and on a BS5, you’re probably going to hit stuff. Better yet, if a nasty 1 rolls up, if you remembered to cast Warptime at the beginning of your turn, you can re-roll the hits and wounds for the BoC. And since Tzeentch is the only mark that lets you cast multiple powers per player turn (an amazing ability; truly Tzeentch is the Lord of Magic!) you can be casting Warptime in the opponent’s turn as well to keep any combats going in your favor, whereas other Princes are limited to one power per turn. So where other Princes (Khorne aside) will be able to cast 1 power per turn cycle, Tzeentch can be expected to at least attempt around about three per cycle. Psychic Hood that, Mr. Overdue-Books! otthonszuletik
Chaos Lord
If you can find a good reason to use this guy, you’re a better general than I am. You have a Daemon Prince that can kick anybody’s face in without having to resort to an uber-expensive Emo-Blade of Death. Princes are psychic, and thus can shoot better than a Chaos Lord as well. Chaos Lords are Fearless and have 5+ IV saves, which is admittedly better than nothing. But Daemon Princes do both of those too. And, to add even more insult to injury, Princes are typically cheaper for being far more killy. Really all the Chaos Lord has to offer is its Daemon Weapon and Terminator Armor, and judging from GW’s model selections, and the points discount you get for doing so, it seems like they want you to use both at the same time.
The Bloodfeeder is the single reason the Daemon Weapon is referred to as an “emo attack”, and the benefits are more redundant than beneficial. I can’t see why this would be useful, especially when Chaos Terminators with Power Weapons, cheap cost, and a better killzone area than the Chaos Lord can do the Bloodfeeder’s job better. And why would you send a Bloodfeeder Lord against a Monstrous Creature when you could send a cheaper Daemon Prince to do the job better and cheaper? villanyt-szere
Blissgiver is a victim of a GW fad: Instant Death immunity. It started with Space Marines, when they ripped off the Salamanders’ Adamantine Mantle. It then went army-wide when Tyranids got it for being (and being near) Synapse Creatures. Tyranids are also, coincidentally, the army where instakilling is the most viable strategy, if you can figure out how to do it. However, a Force Weapon does the job better, actually works on Tyranids, and you can get a Lash of Submission out of it as well.
Plaguebringer is a weapon that looks really good on paper, but not when you consider that (1) you’re never wounding on better than a 4+ either, and (2) Daemon Princes don’t usually wound worse than a 4+. (Repeat after me: don’t send a Chaos Lord to do a Daemon Prince’s job.)
The only Chaos Lord I can see myself using is the Tzeentch Lord with Deathscreamer. (Are you beginning to see who GW’s pet Chaos army is here?) Maybe it’s because I’m a more cautious player than most, but if there’s a choice between a shooting attack and a close-combat attack, the shooting attack will usually win. And that the Deathscreamer has. So many more AP3 shots makes me wish it were possible to give a Chaos Lord the Warptime power…
Chaos Sorcerer
What do you do when you want a Prince but just have too many points? Take a Sorcerer, of course! He may not be the fighter that the Prince is, but he’s far easier to protect, not being a Monstrous Creature and all. Which is really important considering that he’s the only non-Fearless Chaos HQ in the army book. (Big problem!)
When you have a Chaos Sorcerer with a Force Weapon, the obvious favorite mark is that of (surprise, surprise) Tzeentch. Who else can use the amazing Warptime and a Force Weapon every player turn? Monstrous Creatures will be crying! You can give Sorcerers other powers like Lash, Doombolt, and Nurgle’s Rot, but IMO, these powers aren’t any more effective on a Sorc than they’d be on a Daemon Prince. Face it: you’re not buying the Chaos Hero, but the Force Weapon. Use the Force Weapon, not the Psychic Power (though if Tzeentch, feel free to do both, heh heh heh…).
Possessed
Their random Daemonkin powers are, contrary to popular belief, really aren’t that bad. Even Scout moves are nice to have if you know what to do with them. However, these abilities just aren’t something I’d pay that much for. The Power Weapons are probably the best roll possible, with Rending close behind. Rending’s problem is that the really nasty strength of the Possessed gets wasted if you actually hit on a 6, whereas Power Weapons compliment the strength. Furious Charge on Str5 models strikes me as just plain redundant, especially when Khorne Berserkers are cheaper and more predictable. Scout is nice, and it’s a godsend for Genestealers and other Tyranids, but it’s really not that impressive when you’re spending that many points on Chaos Marines without even as much as bolt pistols for ranged weapons. Fleet has the same basic problem. Feel No Pain is also an interesting upgrade, but again isn’t worth the cost. Ultimately, what kills Possessed is that you don’t know what to do with them until after you’ve deployed, so you’d better guess your roll really well or your Possessed will find themselves a tragical waste of points.
