Warhammer 40K: Detachment Breakdown – Mastering the Chaos Daemons’ “Blood Legion”
Goatboy here to breakdown the 40K Advent Calendar Detachment – the Chaos Daemons ‘Blood Legion’ with tips, tricks, and a sample army!
With this 2024 Advent Calendar of fun stuff for Warhammer 40K coming out, it’s time to review the detachments as they come out. We’ll do as usual a Good, Bad, and Ugly little break down for each one then a look at the type of list I would play for this army. I will begin with one of the detachments and as the weeks go on break down a few in batches as they come out. I am very excited to see some new rules and maybe some new ways to play an army and create something new and unique. Right now the game is sorta of locking into “best” of style armies and while we do have some innovation from time to time it feels like the same tricks are what is going to carry “best of” armies to the top.
‘Blood Legion’ – The Good
Well the big thing that makes this good is that it feels very Khorne-like with a very “melee” focused army designed for Chaos Daemons. They are meant to get mixed in, hopefully kill some things, and maybe die all for Khorne. I also love that the name of this Detachment is so simple that it is easy to remember and use. This army has two rules that affect all Legiones Daemonica Khorne models. The first is called Murdercall which grants a d6” Surge move for all Khorne Daemons. This is a move that you get to make if an enemy unit (excluding aircraft) that end a normal or advance move within 6” of the unit. The Khorne unit now gets to make a reactive move towards the unit that got within range. The second rule is called Blood Tainted and it’s when a Khorne daemon unit kills an enemy unit on an objective. If the Khorne unit now controls that objective they get to keep controlling it until the enemy gets more OC on it to take over control.
Both of these rules are pretty fluffy for Khorne with a method to get closer and a method to keep holding onto objectives. I can expect the first one to be played around but thankfully the army doesn’t make you only take Khorne Daemons to fill out the detachment and thus you can still take Be’lakor for a little bit shooting defense.
The army has four Enhancements with wonderful Khorne names. The first is Slaughterthirt which is an aura that affects non Khorne Daemon Monster units and gives them the Lance Ability. Fury’s Cage is for a Khorne Monster on and it suffers d3+1 mortal wounds to get full reroll’s to hit and wound. Brazenmaw gives the Khorne model and unit he is attached to a +2 to their Charge. The last one is called Gateway Unto Damnation and being only 10 points it is pretty fun. It now changes the Deadly Demise on the model to a 2+ and if it killed anyone the mortal wounds become D3+3 instead of what they have on their datasheet.
There are six Stratagems and they all seem pretty Khorne like. They get a 1CP Fight on Death on a 4+ called Wrath Undeniable which seems decent. They get a 1CP move thru Terrain for either the Movement or Charge phase which feels pretty good. There is a Mortal wounds shooting attack for 1CP called Skulls Beget Blood that targets a unit within 8” and not within engagement range to roll 6d6 and each 4+ is a Mortal Wound. You get the much needed Advance and Charge power for 1CP in Blood Begets Skulls. There is an interesting “recharge” ability if an enemy falls back from you for 2CP in Fools Flight. The weirdest one is the 3+ armor save for a unit in the enemies shooting phase called Sheathed in Brass. I wish it was an Invulnerable save and could be used in the Melee phase but that might be too much as this power lets you do it on a Monster.
‘Blood Legion’ – The Bad
Where the heck is our amazing Axe like weapon for your Bloodthirsters? Why aren’t there more Weapon options or something cool like Bloodcrushers become Battleline? I think we could have had even more Surge action in causing things like movement for units after they killed something nearby but that again might be too much.
‘Blood Legion’ – The Ugly
It does feel weird that the name is pretty simple in the Blood Legion. I wonder why it wasn’t called the Cascade of Skulls legion detachment or something else just as nutty. I also wonder why there isn’t something where you gain points for killing things beyond just keeping an objective bloody.
Sample Detachment Armylist – Blood Legion
Chaos Daemons
Blood Legion
Strike Force
CHARACTERS
Daemon Prince of Chaos (225 Points)
• Warlord
• Daemonic Allegiance: Khorne
• 1x Hellforged weapons
• 1x Infernal cannon
• Slaughterthirst
Karanak (65 Points)
• 1x Collar of Khorne
• 1x Soul-rending fangs
Rendmaster on Blood Throne (165 Points)
• 1x Attendants’ hellblades
• 1x Blade of blood
Rendmaster on Blood Throne (165 Points)
• 1x Attendants’ hellblades
• 1x Blade of blood
Rendmaster on Blood Throne (165 Points)
• 1x Attendants’ hellblades
• 1x Blade of blood
Skullmaster (115 Points)
• 1x Blade of blood
• 1x Juggernaut’s bladed horn
• Brazenmaw
Skullmaster (100 Points)
• 1x Blade of blood
• 1x Juggernaut’s bladed horn
Skullmaster (100 Points)
• 1x Blade of blood
• 1x Juggernaut’s bladed horn
OTHER DATASHEETS
Bloodcrushers (220 Points)
• 1x Bloodhunter
◦ 1x Hellblade
◦ 1x Juggernaut’s bladed horn
• 5x Bloodcrusher
◦ 1x Daemonic Icon
◦ 5x Hellblade
◦ 1x Instrument of Chaos
◦ 5x Juggernaut’s bladed horn
Bloodcrushers (220 Points)
• 1x Bloodhunter
◦ 1x Hellblade
◦ 1x Juggernaut’s bladed horn
• 5x Bloodcrusher
◦ 1x Daemonic Icon
◦ 5x Hellblade
◦ 1x Instrument of Chaos
◦ 5x Juggernaut’s bladed horn
Bloodcrushers (220 Points)
• 1x Bloodhunter
◦ 1x Hellblade
◦ 1x Juggernaut’s bladed horn
• 5x Bloodcrusher
◦ 1x Daemonic Icon
◦ 5x Hellblade
◦ 1x Instrument of Chaos
◦ 5x Juggernaut’s bladed horn
Flesh Hounds (140 Points)
• 1x Gore Hound
◦ 1x Burning roar
◦ 1x Collar of Khorne
◦ 1x Gore-drenched fangs
• 9x Flesh Hound
◦ 9x Collar of Khorne
◦ 9x Gore-drenched fangs
Flesh Hounds (70 Points)
• 1x Gore Hound
◦ 1x Burning roar
◦ 1x Collar of Khorne
◦ 1x Gore-drenched fangs
• 4x Flesh Hound
◦ 4x Collar of Khorne
◦ 4x Gore-drenched fangs
‘Blood Legion Tactics’
This is a pretty simple army. You take a bunch of blood lunatics, shove them forward as fast as you can, and hopefully hit someone with some much needed punching action. Everything is going to hit hard if it gets there, things are going to die, and you will profit in the only currency Khorne loves – SKULLS. Really the idea here is to move forward and get aggressive in hopes with some nice Surge moves, good advance rolls, and ole fashioned gumption will get you a win in the end.
Download the Blood Legion Here
Skulls for the Skull Throne!
