Okay so as I said in the introduction no Stormraven and no dreadnaught. The goal is to design an elite assault force that takes full advantage of the DoA rules:
Jump infantry can reroll unsucessful reserves
Jump infantry only scatter 1d6 when deepstrking
To lead the army I have chosen Commander Dante and the Sanguinor as I believe they are both the perfect choice and really help buff the army. The combination of Dante's curse (-11W, -1A, -1I & -1WS) and the Sanguinor rerolling hits and wounds versus one chosen enemy HQ are lethal versus other assault oriented armies such as Chaos Space Marines and Space Wolves. Also the Sanguinor's Blessing transforms one of your sergeants into a hero (+1W, +1A, +1I & +1WS) that cannot be individually targeted in close combat. So yes this pair is expensive but they both provide a lot of value to a DoA army. Dante also allows the squad he has joined no to scatter and they have Hit and Run as well.
I think a unit of Sanguinary Guard is the perfect retinue for Dante. He benefits from their fearlessness and the unit as a whole has the 2+ armor save. Another nice perk is the unit as a whole benefits from Dante's deathmask. I run my Sanguinary Guard as follows:
Chapter Banner, 2x infernus pistol & power fist
I also attach a Sanguinary Priest with a power sword. This is an incredibly strong unit in assault plus they are also a great tank hunting unit with the three infernus pistols. Hit and Run can really help to keep them on the table. Only Dante has an invulnerable save so you have to be careful with them. One pie plate from a Demolisher cannon and it's all over. I use them primarily for tank hunting and as a counter attack unit. The other big perk is with Dante the Sanguinary Guard counts as a troop choice which is very helpful for me since my army is quite small and very elite.
My next choice is a unit of Vanguard veterans. They are the ultimate assassins with their Heroic Intervention combined with the 1d6" scatter. I am planning to run as mine as follows:
Sergeant: Power fist & stormshield
1st Vet: lightning claw & stormshield
2nd Vet: lightning claw & stormshield
3rd Vet: lightning claw & stormshield
4th Vet: power sword & bolt pistol
5th Vet: chainsword & bolt pistol
I'm not taking any Honor Guard and like to have at least one unit with some stormshields. My Vanguard have often been able to hold up TWC for a couple of rounds of close combat. The stormshields give them the ability to tarpit units like TWC and assault terminators - this can be a game winner for sure.
Next up are two full squads of assault Marines. Each squad has a meltagun/flamer, the sergeants are kitted with a thunderhammer and stormshield. These guys are the work horses of the army. DoA means you play extremely aggressive, not holding back to camp on objectives - you go forward and take objectives from the enemy.
Finally I'll take a Chaplain and another Sanguinary Priest to join one of the assault squads. If the points are there I'll kit them both with infernus pistols. If either of these two sergeants receives the Sanguinor's Blessing then this unit is actually the most devastating and brutal in close combat. You've got two WS5 power weapons throwing down eight attacks total on the charge plus four WS5 thunderhammer attacks. If I can I like to keep the Sanguinor close by for his +1 attack aura - that's 10 WS5 power weapon attacks and five WS5 thunderhammer attacks on the charge. To me it's a somewhat unconventional deathstar and it works quite well.
So there you have it! My first pass at a 'pure' 1850 point DoA army. It's small but it packs a very powerful punch indeed.
G
