Imperial Armour Compendium Critical Review: Part 6- Chaos Space Marines, Death Guard, and Chaos Daemons

 A Continuation of our 11 part review of the Imperial Armour Compendium. This time we are diving into Chaos.

Sorry for the long delay. Just more and more life has gotten in the way and I find myself without time lately.

I am really trying to not be salty in this, and I am going to be as factual as possible but maintain a critical eye, the intent of which is to inform you and maybe, just maybe, let GW know we notice and care about this stuff. The details matter in an expensive hobby like this, and if it takes a small time blog to hold them accountable then so be it.

This review will be an in depth 11 part series, and I will update and link each successive article below, so keep checking back for updates.

• Part 1- Book Overview
• Part 2- Space Marines
• Part 3- Astra Militarum
• Part 4- Grey Knights, Inqusition, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Custodes
• Part 5- Imperial Knights, Titan Legions, Chaos Knights and Chaos Titan Legions
• Part 6- Chaos Space Marines, Death Guard, and Chaos Daemons
• Part 7- Craftworlds and Drukhari
• Part 8- Necrons and Orks
• Part 9- T'au Empire and Tyranids
• Part 10- Death Korps of Krieg Focused Discussion
• Part 11- Forgeworld Warhammer Legends

So first off all, follow the link above to Part 2 and read that, because most of it is identical. Anything that used to be a Hellforged Varian of an SM vehicle is now the same as its SM variant, just with Chaos Keywords. The only difference really to note is that now Chaos follows their space marine equivalents almost directly, where as in the previous edition Imperial Armour index, some weapons were uniquely made "Chaosy" like Ectoplasma cannons instead of plasma cannons and Butcher Cannons instead of Autocannons, and now they all share instead.

This covers the Contemptor, Leviathan, Land Raider Variants, Predator, Scorpius, Sicaran Variants, Deredeo, Rapiers, and Super heavy tanks and any Space Marine Flyer. This also goes for the Terrax Termite drill, even though it is not Hellforged. Of note, the Chaos Vindicator Laser Destroyer was forgotten in the FW compendium and is only in the FAQ on warhammer community.

Many of these vehicles have marital legacy as well, covered extensively in the SM Article linked above. But for this one, lets just same I am not a fan.

Additionally, at the time the books came out, they had removed the ability for 1k Sons and Death Guard to take any of the Heretic Astartes vehicles. Fortunately this has been fixed in the FAQ, and they now operate as Bubonic or Arcana Astartes.

And before I go to the Data Sheets, its sad to see all the Dark Mechanicum, Vraks Characters, Spine beasts, plague toads and Plaguehulk all go to legends

Chaos Space Marines

Decimator- Improved. Went up in W (but now has a degrading profile).  Butcher cannons were nerfed and lost a point of S and no longer modify target LD. The C-Beam Cannon was made into a conversion beamer, which up close doesn't have a good of AP, overall this is a improvement because of the more consistent damage, more shots and blast.  The Hellflamer was boosted with range like all flamers. Slight nerf to the soulburner as it now has to roll to wound to do a mortal wound, but its on a 2+. The storm laser gained range by 12" and gained a shot.  And the decimator claw went from +2S to x2S. And all of this with really no change in points

Greater Blight Drone- Nerfed IMO. Now a single profile instead of a degrading one.  Lost a point of LD but gained a point of WS. Lost 3W and infernal regenaration but gained disgustingly resilient. Gained shots on their bile maw, going from a D3 pistol to a d6 assault, but lost a point of S, AP and went from D3 damage to 1. Blightreaper cannons went from 2D to 1D and Plague Probes went from D3 damage to 1D. The biggest thing IMO is their 4+ explosion went from 7" D3 mortals to 6" 1 Mortal. They also separated this out for a datasheet for Death Guard specifically, 

Dreadclaw Drop Pod- Major Nerfs. Slower,  Lost a wound, lost Toughness, but no longer degrades on S and A... but really how much charging are you doing with a Dreadclaw? Thermal Jets are now an ability instead of a weapon that does mortal wounds to 1 unit instead of automatic hits on all units it passes over. It lost the Mchina Malifica and/or Hateful Assault abilities, meaning it no longer eats its people to heal or add attacks for charging. When it explodes it does only 1 mortal instead of D3 (and D6 against psykers!). Its blade struts did get stronger, and it didn't change points. I don't know why they hit it so hard with nerf bats. BUT it did gain drop pod assault, so its got that going for it. 

Blood Slaughterer- First of all it went to a single profile from a degrading one, so that is a nice boon. But instead of starting at S8 and 6A it now stay at S7 and 5A the whole time and is 9W instead of 10W, but it is BS 3+ and the Impaler Harpoon did gain 6" in range. It no longer has blind fury, but that's probably a good thing. Points went down by 15 points (per the last munitorum field manual). Overall probably a neutral change, but these aren't that common to begin with because they ultimately are just meh. Probably some cool tech in a Daemon Engine list, but nothing to write home about. 

Hell Blade- Minimum speed went barely up and it gained a wound. Helstorms turned into Auto cannons, which is a major improvement, gaining 12", doubling the number of shots and increasing S. They are 1 less AP and 1 less D and no change to do mortals (on a wound of a 6+ on the old profile). But the damage output is going to average higher and be more consistent. In unfotunately lost is Skyborn Predator rule though, which made it deadlier against other fliers. It did go up 5 points for base profile, but if you swap out for Lascannons, its 5 points cheaper.

Hell Talon- Faster as it degrades and gained 2 wounds and basically doubled attacks. Same weapon changes as the hellblade. The bomb was greatly simplified from 3 different affects to choose from to one you can use twice. Less useful against large units, but better against a cluster of small units, potentially decent for sniping characters with. 30 points cheaper too.

Greater Brass Scorpion- Gained 8W, went from 8/6/4 Attacks to flat 6 and 10/8/5 S to flat 8. Degrades with WS/BS now. The Soulshatter bombard is now just a Demolisher Cannon, and lost 2 points of S and no longer does more damage against Vehicles, Buildings and Monsters. The Hell Crusher Claws did gain a profile for mauling through hordes, making 3 attacks for each 1.  Scorpion cannon got weaker and less damage but gained 5 shots. And the hellmaws gained a range boost like other flamers. Explodes now on a 5+ instead a 4+ which is dissapointing. No longer forces perils onto psykers targeting it, but instead can ignore psychic powers on a 4+. Ultimately though, its a model with 28 wounds, and that makes it a 9th ed vulnerability with targeting rules. 

Kytan Ravager- No longer degrades in Attacks, instead in WS and BS. Gained 4W and now stays S8 instead of 10/8/5. Its slash melee attacks went from D3 damage to 2 flat, so it should average out to be the same, bit can no longer whiff. 30 point increase. But this is still a unit at 26W, which is a huge liability in 9th edition. 

Kharybdis Assault Claw- 75 point increase for the same nerfs really as the Dreadclaw above. It did gain 4 wounds and flattens out on S at 8, but it degrades worse with WS and BS now, has fewer attacks, and slows down. The Storm luncher is improved with a krak and frag version instead of 1 middile version. Blade struts are improved as they were on the Deadclaw. but the melta array is unfortunately half the S, down from 16 to 8. It does and the standard 9th ed damage bonus for melta though.

Chaos Daemons-

Uraka the Warfiend- Stat line improvements in M, S, W and A. Big Nerf to his shooting attack, going from D3 to 1 shot and D6 damage to 3. Range did double though and it is stronger. Melee damage improved to 3, but lost its ability to do d6 damage on a wound of a 6, so while more consistent, the big exciting gamble is gone. His tally mechanic was greatly simplified, but isn't as good overall IMO. And instead of a +S and A aura he now has a reroll aura. 5 point reduction. 

Mamon Transfigured- Much like Uraka, he had some stat line boosts, shooting profile impovements and more consistent damage out put for melee, all with a significant 70 point drop.

Cor'Bax Utterblight- some stat line tweeks as well for better more consitent output. Gaping Maw as nerfed extensively though, but it did gain the ability to swallow a model whole instead. Its putrid demise (explode) got smaller as well.  IMO this daemon was nerfed when all the others were boosted.

Scabeiathrax the Bloated- Massive points drop with some minor decreases in stats to bring him into the realm of playable. Horrific Vomit was made both more consistent and gained blast. Blade or decay has a higher average damage output now and rerolls built in.  He does do 1 less psychic power a turn than previously, but IMO he still has "it" and isn't a bad thing to consider, but Im not aware of current GUO stats either.

An'ggrath the Unbound- Much like Scabbie, massive points drop with some minor decreases in stats to bring him into the realm of playable. The axe of khorne picked up a second profile for dealing with hordes, and its higher damage profile wend fromd6 to d3+3. 

Aetaos'rau'keres- Points more than cut in half from 1500 to 700 with only minor stat reductions and a few improvements event (such as max S). It did go from 2d6 to d6 shots on its staff however, with 1 less S, and its warpfire talons are less for doing extra damage to large things through mortals to know being used to fight hordes. The mantle of twisted fate was made more effective and it gained the master of magics rule, making it a buff aura for S. 

Zarakynel- Decent point drop, about 150. but not as significant as above. some minor stat line tweeks, both good and bad. Its slicing claws went from being a strong melee weapon to being a dedicated anti-horde weapon, generating up to 24 A with them. The Soul eater blade also improved in its killing potential with higher S. 

Overall, much like SM, the Chaos SM stuff was nerfed pretty badly IMO. However, daemon players should rejoice. 9th edition is an infantry heavy edition, so with all the weapon profile changes to aid with hordes and the massive points drops. the have some good potential. Time shall tell if they get the love they deserve by players. Really their biggest impediment to use in play is model ownership and cost dollar wise.

Imperial Armour Compendium Critical Review: Part 5- Imperial Knights, Titan Legions, Chaos Knights and Chaos Titan Legions

A Continuation of our 11 part review of the Imperial Armour Compendium. This time we are diving into the Imperial and Chaos Knights and Titans.

Sorry for the long delay. Just more and more life has gotten in the way and I find myself without time lately. I've gotten 1 model painted all of March and find myself falling asleep having gotten no hobbying done for the past several weeks.  Also, several points changes and FAQs occurred since release.

I am really trying to not be salty in this, and I am going to be as factual as possible but maintain a critical eye, the intent of which is to inform you and maybe, just maybe, let GW know we notice and care about this stuff. The details matter in an expensive hobby like this, and if it takes a small time blog to hold them accountable then so be it.

This review will be an in depth 11 part series, and I will update and link each successive article below, so keep checking back for updates.

• Part 1- Book Overview
• Part 2- Space Marines
• Part 3- Astra Militarum
• Part 4- Grey Knights, Inqusition, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Custodes
• Part 5- Imperial Knights, Titan Legions, Chaos Knights and Chaos Titan Legions
• Part 6- Chaos Space Marines, Death Guard, and Chaos Daemons
• Part 7- Craftworlds and Drukhari
• Part 8- Necrons and Orks
• Part 9- T'au Empire and Tyranids
• Part 10- Death Korps of Krieg Focused Discussion
• Part 11- Forgeworld Warhammer Legends

First of all I want to discuss the Titans. Specifically, the titan legion rules

So now Titan Legions AND Secutarii can take a <TITAN LEGION> Keyword....

But there is nothing else to it. There are no benefits. No Warlord Traits. No Orders or Canticles or anything. I feel a bit deceived seeing as when GW was hyping the compendium on Warhammer Community, they mentioned "Rules for Titan Legions" as one of the new cool features. 

Now it is cool that Secutarii are of the same <TITAN LEGION>, and what is neat is that they can make Heroic interventions up to 6" if it is withing 6" of a friendly <TITAN LEGION> Titanic model.  Now what stinks about it is that there is no HQ unit with a <TITAN LEGION> keyword. Now while Secutarii do not stop Ad Mech units from taking a <FORGE WORLD>,  they cannot take a <FORGE WORLD> themselves, and there are very few buffs for things without a <FORGEWORLD> as far as I can tell. This doubly stinks considering FW actually does make a titan techpriest model that could have easily been give <TITAN LEGION>, and been able to interact more with Secutarii.

Now for the Chaos Titans, they have <HERETIC TITAN LEGION>. What stinks about this for them is there is really no benefit what so ever. They have no Secutarii to interact with and there is no longer a Dark Mechanicum faction (the Hellwrights moved to legends and they lost the keyword).

As for the Titans themselves, I feel they were massively Nerfed.

First of all, void shields.

They used to be an Invulnerable save that degraded with damage, and could also be used against mortal wounds.

They now operate as a temporary wound bank. So each void shield is 3 temporary wounds and a 5+ invuln (that does not work vs mortal wounds either). Each time a invuln is failed, the shield losses a shield point. What is nice is that this is irrespective of damage. The problem is that they can still be taken down relatively fast and then leave you multi-thousand point model completely open to AP. Hot-shot lasguns en-Masse can and will do damage to a titan without voids. The voids do come back each command phase, but seeing as a Warhound only has 2 voids and will be facing a 2000 point army on its own, there will be plenty of shooting to force 6 failed saves each turn. 

Now while each Titan did gain wounds, they all lost Toughness. Warhounds went from T9 to T8. Reavers T10 to T8. Warlords T16 to T9. Why? Wasn't the whole point of the system in 8th and 9th ed that you have stats over 10. With weapons that still go up to S16, S18 and even S20, this is disappointing IMO. The idea a Warlord Titan can be wounded on a 2+ is disheartening. 

Besides that, they all went up in points significantly and lost rules for any weapons not currently made by Forgeworld in 28mm scale. So things like Saturnyne Lascutter and Incinerator Missile Banks are gone entirely, and things like Warhound weapons as a carapace option on the Reaver or Warlord are no longer an option. 

Overall, Titan Legions lost a lot more than they gained.

I could go into specific weapons changes and details on the datasheet, but its largely pointless. These are rarely seen and if you own one, the reason for doing so has more to do with the model and collecting than actual game play. But it is still lamentable to see them reduced in power so much, especially since they were relatively easy to destroy even before. 

Next up, Forge World Knights

Cerastus Knights all lost a wound, but the Lancer did gain an Attack. Also, all but the lancer lost 2" of Movement, and now move as fast a Questoris Knight. They also all lost the Blessed Autosimulcra, meaning they no longer can gain a wound at the start of each turn. This used to be on a 5+, so it wasn't that reliable, but I am not sure why it had to go. Last of all, the Atrapos' Invuln save went from being a 4+ base to a 5+ and it lost its Macro Extinction protocols.

They all have Titanic Feet and the Super Heavy Walker rules... which aren't reprinted in the Compendium and you have to go to Codex Imperial Knights/Chaos Knights to read.

For weapons, the Lancer's lance got a nice boost with a stronger profile on the turn it charges, with moth higher S and Damage. 

The Castigator's bolt cannon gained 2 shots. The Tempest Warblade went to Damage 3 from 5, but it now makes hit rolls for each attack it has, essentially doubling its attacks. It did loose its ability to do an additional D3 mortals for each wound roll of a 6, but this likely all washes out with the increase in attacks, though Mortals were nice to bypass invulns and FNP.

The Acheron Reaper Chainfist got a nice bonus with a second profile that has higher damage (flat 6) at 2x S and AP -4, and the sweep attack now makes 3 hit rolls for each attack and no longer is -1 to hit.

The Atrapos weapons had some rather extensive changes. The Lascutter shooting now no longer generates bonus attacks if it slays its target, but instead rerolls to wound, making it more reliable against larger targets. In Melee it went from 1 profile with S8 AP-3 3D to 2 profiles, S6 AP-2 3D that makes 3 hits for each attack or a S12 AP-4 6D focused attack that has a reroll to wound vs monsters and vehicles. But the rerolls to hit vs monsters and vehicles is gone unfortunately. The Graviton Singularity Cannon also changed, gaining a dual profile. What is nice is there is a mode of fire that no longer risks doing damage to the Knight, and then if gained a boosted profile with an additional D6 shots shooting up to S14 and AP-4. The only thing is now on a roll of 1-3, instead of just a roll of 1, that mode does D3 mortal wounds (instead of 1). More reward, more risk.

So the Cerastus Knights are interesting. I don't think the FW compedium hurt them, in fact most of the multi-profiles were a boon, but really it is 9th edition that has done them the greatest disservice of all. At 26 Wounds, they are always vulnerable to shooting, and with only 3+ saves and 5+ invulns, they are just a tad too vulnerable IMO for their costs, and the Atrapos in particular took a hit. 

Next up, Questoris Knights: The Magaera and Styrix. Neither had stat line changes to speak of but had some nice weapon changes. They did loose the Blessed Auosimulacra just like their Cerastus cousins. And they have the same issue IRT Titanic Feet and the Super Heavy Walker rules. Their Preysight went from just ignoring +1 to cover saves to ignoring benefits of cover, which is nice.

The Hekaton Siege claw for both gained a dual profile, one of which makes 3 hits per attack at user 2 and a crush attack that is the same stat line as in 8th with an added bonus of +2D versus vehicles and monsters. 

The Twin Rad Cleanser also got a big boost with 3" extra range and wounding on a 2+ vice a 3+. 

For the Magaera, the Phased Plasma Fusil is boosted with +1S and the Lightning Cannon gained 2 shots, moved to flat 3 damage, gained a point of AP and additional hits on an unmodified 6 to hits. 

For the Styrix, the Graviton Crusher gained a point of AP and the Volkite Chieoroville does 2 mortal wounds on a wound of 6+, instead of just generating an additional hit.

The clear winner between the two is the Mageara IMO, and is worth looking at if you are taking a Knight or Knight Army... but as with the Cerastus, knights suffer from the rules of 9th more than from any shortfalls in their datasheets.

Next up the Acastus Knights- Porphyrion and Asterius. Now the Asterius was not in the previous Index, but it does have a PDF online for the Chaos one. Not sure when it came out though, so I am just  going to be looking at the Porphyrion stat line from the Index vs the Compendium. If I recall correctly the Asterius only came into 40 in 9th anyways.

First up, like the Titans they took a T hit, going down by 1 point. It also lost a point of WS and BS at each level of damage, which is a big nerf IMO.

The Helios launcher no longer subtracts 1 to hit vs non FLY units, but only gains +1 against Aircraft and that really would just make it equal to the BS of the Index.

 For the Asterius, the Conversion beamer can be stronger, but only very long ranges, which in 9th isn't very useful. Really only can be better than the Porphyrion Magna Cannons in large APOC games. However, the Mortar is nicer than the Helios missile launcher, but at Heavy 3D3, risks having a very low volume.

For the Points of both Acastus, I personally would rather have other knights. And as everything else here, they summer from the same issues in 9th as any Titanic unit. 

Last up is the Knight Armiger Moriax. Previous PDF found here from FW still.

It lost 2" of movement, but no other detrimental stat line changes. Otherwise it had no other changes except picking up Blast on the conversion beamer. 

So In summary, I would say Titans were Nerfed heavily while knights in general got some benefits (except my poor poor Atrapos). BUT this is 9th edition we are talking about, and there is a reason you are not seeing a lot of knights out there.

Allies of Inconvenience: Episode 30- 9th Edition Trends and Primarch Discussion

A little delayed in publishing, recorded in January, but still join us as Evan, Chris and Jason go over their recent hobby progress and then discuss the trends of codicies seen so far in 9th and the way the rules designs seem to be trending. Afterwards, we move onto a discussion (if it can be called that) about what primarchs should return and how.

Listen/Subscribe on any of the following platforms

iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher

Google Podcasts, Player FM, Libsyn

00:00 Intro

05:16 Hobby Progress

25:54 9th Edition Trends

1:06:18 Primarchs Discussion

 

Songs and Soundclips

Blue Mark- Atlan Urtag

Kaap mere- Bugotak

All Clips: Bruva Alfabusa/Emperor TTS on Youtube

Discordian's 2021 Hobby Plans

   

Discordian here, with a random list of things to work on to start the year off. And boy is it random.

Battlefleet Gothic

2 Cruisers

6 Escorts

2 Cruisers

6 Escorts

This one is and will be an easy one to finish, half of it I finished the first week of this year.

But last year I had a super awesome friend 3D print a Dark Eldar fleet from STL files.

I even made a couple of Dark Eldar Impalers from Dark Eldar Impalers

Aeronautica

2 Tigershark Bombers

2 TIgershark AX

6 Barracudas

Ground Assets?

This might take a little time because my tau scheme is mostly white...

and white sucks to paint.

Dark Eldar

7 Wyches

Archon

Beastmaster

1 Kheradruakh Conversion

3 more Grotesques?

I really liked the new Shadowstalkers and figured they'd make good Wych stand-ins.

Wanted to make better Archon to match my Mandrakes using this guy

I made these from those FW Daemons, I keep going back and forth on weather I want more

Tau

4 Gun Drones

2 Marker Drones

Shaper

5 Rail Rifle Pathfinder Squad

3 Tanks (Devilfish/Hammerhead)

2 Piranhas

2 Remoras

1 Tigershark Bomber

2 Baracudas

So a lot more of this unfortunately....

For my piranhas, because I hate the ski-doo look

Eldar

1 Dire Avenger

2 Jetbikes

1 Warlock

1 Wraithknight

Dire avenger was easy. Now mostly I just need to repaint a whole Wraithknight.....

Grey Knights

2 Twin Heavy Bolters

I already had two of these for razorbacks, but I have no idea what happened to them. So I have the hulls and the mounts all set, just need to paint some guns because I'm an idiot.

Harlequins

10 Troupe conversion models

3 Special Starweavers…..

I picked up a box of Nighthaunt Revenants last year, and built them up last year. Now I just need to paint them.

Imperial Armour Compendium Critical Review: Part 4- Grey Knights, Inqusition, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Custodes

A Continuation of our 11 part review of the Imperial Armour Compendium. This time we are diving into the Grey Knights, Inquisition, Ad Mech and Custodes portion of the book.

I am really trying to not be salty in this, and I am going to be as factual as possible but maintain a critical eye, the intent of which is to inform you and maybe, just maybe, let GW know we notice and care about this stuff. The details matter in an expensive hobby like this, and if it takes a small time blog to hold them accountable then so be it.

This review will be an in depth 11 part series, and I will update and link each successive article below, so keep checking back for updates.

• Part 1- Book Overview
• Part 2- Space Marines
• Part 3- Astra Militarum
• Part 4- Grey Knights, Inquisition, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Custodes
• Part 5- Imperial Knights, Titan Legions, Chaos Knights and Chaos Titan Legions
• Part 6- Chaos Space Marines, Death Guard, and Chaos Daemons
• Part 7- Craftworlds and Drukhari
• Part 8- Necrons and Orks
• Part 9- T'au Empire and Tyranids
• Part 10- Death Korps of Krieg Focused Discussion
• Part 11- Forgeworld Warhammer Legends

Kicking off with Grey Knights and their TWO Datasheets. Of particular note, with the new FAQ, both these units no longer have Adeptus Astartes as a Keyword, but instead of Sanctic Astartes. Interesting indicator of things to come for Grey Knights, and definitely makes stratagems and keywords clearer in the future, closing opportunities for abuse. It is sad that the Doomglaive and the Vortimer Razorback are stuck in legends, but fortunately if you have these models they can still be used as a Venerable Dreadnought and a Razorback with Twin-Heavy Bolter (which isn't half bad as a support tank now). And I still find it incredibly odd that the only army with a full page of art in the whole book is Grey Knights. 

1. Grey Knights Thunderhawk Gunship.  Same treatment as the Adeptus Astartes one. 710 MASSIVE points decrease and no Martial Legacy. Missing stats on the sheet for a bunch of base wargear. Have to refer to the codex for Airborne, Hard to Hit, Hover Jet and Supersonic. Attacks went from 6/4/3/2 to 6/D6/D3. Lost a point of BS at its highest bracket. Has a rule to specify you ALWAYS measure to the hull which is important after Aresgate in competitve 9th edition. Hellstrike battery got the same bonuses as on the Fire Raptor and Storm Eagle. Thunderhawk heavy cannon went from D6 damage to D3+2 and blast. The Turbo-laser Heavy 3 instead of D3 and gained a point of AP, but damage went to flat 6 instead of 2D6, and lost its ability to do D3 mortal wounds on a wound roll of 6. Lost its invulnerable save which is BIG IMO.  Cluster bombs did get alot better, procing on a 4+ instead of 5+ now, and up to 18 dice instead of 12 or 3D6 vs Vehicles/Monsters instead of 2D6.
2. Land Raider Banisher. 70 point reduction. This used to be the Vortimer pattern land raider redeemer, but renamed for some unknown reason., my guess is to avoid any potential <Land Raider Redeemer> keyword abuse potential. Attacks on the lowest profile went from 1 to D3. The Flamestorm cannons did become incinerators, so that is a nice touch. But the Psycannons lost 2 shots, but went up to 2 damage. Considering that Heavy Bolters did too though, this isn't as amazing, but since they are still S7, they are more likely to wound. It is a nice improvement, but it is still a Land Raider in a world with Repulsors, so take that under advisement. 

Inquisition is next up with their two dataslates. Lok was never really a good competitive choice, but Rex had his uses, particularly in Custodes lists. He still has some play in him, but was needlessly nerfed IMO. 

1. Inquisitor Solomon Lok- No points change. Frankly, with the number of things discontinued in Imperial Guard, I'm surprised he stayed around. For one, he is dead. He died in the Imperial Armour he showed up in. They try to make it seem like he may not be dead in his fluff blurb in the compedium, but he was last seen charging a Heirophant with a satchel of demo charges and no way off the planet so yeah... not sure there is a way out of that. Anyway he has no statline change, but his pistol gained a point of AP and his powersword is +1S, which makes him S4 in a T4 meta, so that is good. Unfortunately, he lost his 6+ to ignore wounds and in general isn't very useful as an inquisitor without Psychic powers. The model is cool, and I'd suggest just using it as a ordinary Xenos (or really any ordo) inquisitor.
2. Lord Inquisitor Hector Rex- 10 point reduction. Lost a point of WS but gained an Attack and a Wound. Went from cast 2 powers and denying 3 to casting 2 denying 2. His storm shield got the same change all storms shields got, which given he is in terminator armour is mathematically better in most cases. His shield now also gives him a 5+ to ignore wounds, which makes it odd that they took it from Lok. His bolt pistol gained a point of AP and his custom sword, Arias, gained +1 S making him S5 in combat. It also wend from D3 damage to flat 2 damage, unfortunately it went from doing a mortal wound against Daemons for every successful hit to doing a mortal wound for every successful wound. Over all a Nerf, but still not a terrible choice at 100 points. 

Next Up Adeptus Mechanicus. Its a shame we will never get Fires of Cyraxus. Here was a chance to port in some of those amazing 30k models, even if they just gave them legends rules, but unfortunately nope. An interesting thing is that the Secutarii got the <TITAN LEGION> keyword as a faction keyword but unfortunately there is no detachment in the game that has a LoW and elites choices in it, and there are no specific benefits for that keyword and there are no HQ units that can take that keyword. Fortunately they kept their rule that they can be in a Ad Mech detachment without ruining the <FORGE WORLD> keyword of that detachment. It will be nice if in the future there are more expansive rules for <TITAN LEGION> and they can all together replace <FORGE WORLD> so you can have all the Ad Mech units in a real Secutarii army (and allow them to ride in any transport). It isn't totally useless though, as they can perform Heroic Interventions if they are within 6" of a friendly Titan of the same legion, and can move 6" if they do so. It is really a great addition. I would be worried about them not being able to keep up with a titan, but really titans stay still in 40k because their weapons have such great ranges. Keep them nearby to a titan to protect against things like Sanguinary Guard.

1. Secutarii Hoplites- Previous Rules for them here from FW. 1 point increase per model, so 10 points more for the squad. Still a steal at 100 points with a 5+ Invuln and the mag inverter shields. Other than the mentioned heroic intervention and keyword changes above, not other difference. 
2. Secutarii Peltasts- Previous Rules for them here from FW. No point changes. Lost the ignis blaze profile for their gun than gave them the ability to fire their weapons at targets out of line of sight, but both other profiles gained a point of S and the Flachette profile went from Rapid Fire 2 to Assault 3, but went down from 24" to 18". Still overall an improvement for their gun IMO. Not sure how much utility they bring to an Ad Mech army, but they definitely improved from what they were.
3. Terrax-Pattern Termite- Same treatment as elsewhere. 44 point increase. Gained 4 wounds.  Attacks went from 6/D6/D3 to 3/D3/1, which is a big nerf for the Drill. Drill also lost its cascading mortal wounds and instead just went to D3+3 damage and D3+6 vs vehicles. This may be better, but its less flavorful IMO and is majorly offset by losing attacks. For some reason they finally included storm bolters here. Volkites gained 5" and they do mortals on a wound of 6. Heavy Flamer and melta cutter gained the game wide bonuses all flamers and meltas have been getting, but melta also went from heavy D6 to heavy 5 and gained 4" of range. So the drill got better at shooting, but worse at drilling, which seems to be the point. In the latest FAQ it also gained the ability to transport Secutarii units.

And finally Adeptus Custodes! The Forge World rules for 8th are all here and not in the previous Index. Really one of the only factions in the book that saw no nerfs, and maybe even improvements, over their previous rules.

1. Custodian Guard w/ Adrasite/Pyrithite Spears. No points change for Adrasites, 5 point increase for Pyrithite. Really the only noticeable change is Pyrithite got the same melta changes (D6+2) all other melta has been getting in 9th. I haven't been seeing them used a lot in custodes lists, but really that comes down to Allarus and Dawneagles being better. However, I think some clever lists can really employ these guys and they have some more play in them in the 9th ed meta than they did in the 8th ed one.
2. Sagittarum Custodians- No points change. Also no significant change. Only difference being the Bolt Volley went up 1 damage, following suite with heavy bolters. But the fact tables got smaller in 9th and improvements in terrain rules have really made these an amazing Troop choice for Custodes.
3. Aquilon Custodians- 5 Point decrease for base wargear and Twin Adrathic destructor, but no points change if you run Talons and Firepikes. Infernus Firepikes went up to 15" from 12", gaining 3 like every flamer weapon in the game. While not as big a deal for them, since they were already over the 9" threshold for deepstrikes, 15" is impressive. Solerite power guantlets changed like all powerfists to flat 2 damage from D3.  Really the only problem with Aquilons is they aren't Allarus...
4. Contemptor-Galatus and Achillus- 5 point reduction for the Galatus, no change for the Achillus. Gained an attack and a wound and gained Guardian Eternal like all SM dreads, reducing damage by 1 to a min of 1 for all attacks. The Galatus Warblade's shooting range increased 4 inches and the Achillus Dreadspear went to flat 3 damage for shooting, which is a big improvement from d3 Damage. The spear's melee profile also went to D3+3 from D6. The Achillus lost impaling lunge unfortunately, but the other gains it got outweigh that. While I like the improvements to the Galatus more, I feel the Achillus still has more use to a Custodes Army. It is just better at killing vehicles, where as the Galatus shines best against infatry, and Custodes already handle infantry superbly with every other unit. Deepstriking or outflanking a couple of Dreadnoughts though really can ruin your opponent's day.
5. Agamatus Custodians- 5 point reduction per model for base wargear and adrathic devastator. 20 point reduction over all for the las-pulsar. Otherwise no changes. Really the only reason you don't see these in play is the fact Dawneagles are just cheaper, points and dollar wise. That and the Achillus can do the job of the Las-pulsars for less points with more damage reliability.
6. Venatari Custodians- No points change. Only change is the lance went to flat 2 damage from D3 damage. But these are still Custodes with a 3+ save and Jetbikes still exist... sooo yeah. Cool models, not bad rules, just not the optimal pick. 
7. Pallas-Grav Attack- 10 point reduction. In the past I didn't rate these all that well with the Caladius around, but with the way vehicles and cover work in 9th, they have more play in them and can really be a nuisance to your opponent and pair really well as support for Vertus Praetors.
8. Telemon Heavy Dreadnought- No points change. Gained Guardian Eternal WHICH IS GREAT, especially when you consider the Leviathan lost a point of T. Its explosion also only does d3 mortals instead of d6. He is a very large investment still in a meta with more and better ways to deal with big vehicles,, which is why you see Contemptors popping up more, but this guy is still great and you will see Custodes players running them. 
9. Caladius Grav Tank- No points change. Only change is the loss of gravitic backwash, which is really unfortunate, especially with the changes to overwatch in 9th edition. That and the point reduction on the Pallas really made 2 Pallas worth it sometimes compared to a Caladius. But these are still great tanks and still have their uses in the game IMO. Maybe not as the super stars they once were with all the improvements to melta and other anti-tank weapons, but still not a bad choice.
10. Coronus Grav Carrier- 15 point decrease, no other changes. Its nice, but this is still an 18 wound model, which is a liability in 9th. And its a transport for a faction with jetbikes and a universal ability to deep strike. It just doesn't have great uses. Cool model. Great for Crusade and Narrative play. But just not something you will see much in match play. Never have and likely never will. 
11. Orion Assault Dropship- No points change. Attacks nerfed like all the Astartes Aircraft down from 6/4/2 to 6/D6/D3. Otherwise no changes. When it comes down to it, this has the same downside of the Coronus- you are paying a lot for unnecessary transport capacity. 9th ed table are just too small to need it and you have so many ways to come onto the board now. What you really need is more firepower which leads to the... 
12. Ares Gunship- Up 20 points. Same attack change as the Orion. The infernus firebomb also changed. You now roll 1 dice for each unit instead of 1d6 for each model in the unit up to 20 (or 3d6 for a vehicle and monster). It still is a 4+, but instead of 1 mortal wound it does D3. Big nerf against horde armies. An Ork mob of 20 boyz on average would have taken 10 mortals, and now suffers 2 mortals 50% of the time. Not really standing out to me as a FIREBOMB. The trade off is now it is each unit within 6" of the point you dropped it, but most of the time that is only 1 or 2 units, and against hordes, like those orks, you are still not going to average the same number of wounds. Weirdly, it really took a massive conflagration bomb and made it a great character sniping weapon, especially clustered support characters. Besides that though, this thing has some great uses in 9th BUT remember, anything that doesn't fit in the deployment zone (and this and the orion won't for some missions) can't do anything 1st turn. This will limit it in comp play, but it is still really good.

That is it for part 4. Sorry these are coming so slow. They take a bit to write, but I hope they are informative.