Warhammer 40K: What’s So Wrong With 2 Damage Flamer?
After the quick switch-a-roo from Games Workshop, we’re starting to wonder what’s so wrong with a 2 damage flamer?
In case you missed the news, Abe did a recap of the situation with the new Pyreblaster coming with the Black Templars. Basically, when GW previewed the weapon it originally had 2 damage listed. This was quickly swapped out with an updated graphic to bring the damage back down to 1.
But that swap got us thinking seriously about what’s the harm in a 2 damage flamer? By itself, it’s certainly better than average – some would say busted. However, I’d like to question that for just a moment. It really comes down to quantity… as in how many can you pack in a squad?
If this weapon followed the same format as a Space Marine Tactical Squad, you’d have one per squad (or in some editions 2 based on the heavy/special weapon split). And if that’s the case, you’ll have a squad of 5 or 10 Primaris Marines with a solo Pyreblaster. At 2 damage and a 15″ range with Assault D6, it’s a nice option for sure. It certainly allows you to run and gun and set things on fire.
At the same time, it’s potential damage is 12 which is quite a bit! But remember, damage doesn’t spill over in a unit and while it does auto hit, it does NOT auto wound. It’s AP -1 which is nice and welcomed for sure, but it’s also not ignoring your armor save. Sitting at strength 4 is also making this slightly less scary. So again, a SOLO Pyreblaster in a 5 or 10 man squad at 2 damage per wound doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. At max, that’s 6 dead models (if you rolled perfectly and your opponent failed all their saves).
But that’s not how Primaris roll. Look at the Hellblasters. Or Primaris Intercessors. Or really any Primaris unit in general. For a standard Primaris Marine, the squad gets a weapon and the rest of the squad is probably packing the same thing (except for maybe the unit sergeant). And that’s where this gun really breaks things. While it might be Strength 4, you know there are going to be ways to boost the to-wound roll. Rolling 10D6 for an entire 10-man unit of Pyreblasters who can run and still shoot (and auto hit) at 15″ is where this gets into “busted” territory.
If the weapon was still 2 damage and you could take entire squads of them, then yes, I can see why that option needed to be toned down. That’s a potential 120 damage. And while it’s extremely unlikely for you to max out, it’s still going to be a VERY consistent and reliable damage output. So cutting that down to 1 damage a piece is starting to make sense.
What if it was a squad of 3 of them?
We all know it’s just a matter of time before the Pyreblaster becomes a standard Space Marine option in the armory. It’s not the first time the Black Templars pioneered a weapon platform. So nipping that option before it becomes widespread is just future-proofing when you think about it.
Having said all of that, I still wonder how many the Black Templars will get to take in a squad. This is an army that doesn’t play by your typical codex restraints. These guys try new things and do weird stuff like mix armor in their squads. Maybe they break from the Primaris mold and go with a special weapon or two in a mixed squad of Initiates and Neophytes. Maybe then the 2 damage version made sense…but that’s not going to happen now.
Oh what could have been…
The Black Templar Codex is on deck – I wonder what sorts of strange and different things they are going to bring to the tabletop now.
“Something something quantity something quality.”
~A Russian Guy
