Games Workshop have released the Chaos Factions Faction Pack and Force Dispositions. Today, I'm taking a look at what they mean from the perspective of a Houndpack Lance player.
If you haven't already, make sure you check out the full rules release before diving in.
Detachment Points
First up, the detachment points.
This is fantastic news for Houndpack Lance players. As a 2DP detachment, Houndpack Lance gains access to a variety of Force Disposition combinations and supporting detachments, giving us plenty of flexibility when building lists.
The available 1DP options are:
Bastion of Tyranny
As the name suggests, this detachment is built around Tyrant Knights and unlocks access to the Disruption Force Dispositions.
Realistically, this is only worth considering if you're already planning on taking a Tyrant. It does offer several ways to keep your Tyrant operating efficiently throughout the game, but as I mentioned in my Chaos Knights Reveal article, the core detachment rule leaves me cold.
+1 to Hit against Battle-shocked units simply doesn't excite me. As a Tyrant player, I'd much rather have enemy units removed from the table than merely Battle-shocked.
From my initial impressions, the Disruption Force Dispositions don't look like something Houndpack Lance players should be actively chasing. Overall, I'm not a huge fan.
Hunting Warpack
This is the dedicated War Dog detachment, but it seems extremely unlikely that it can be combined with Houndpack Lance.
The rules specifically state that it cannot be taken alongside other detachments with the War Dog keyword, and it also shares the Reconnaissance Force Disposition with Houndpack Lance.
That said, for a 1DP detachment, this thing looks incredibly powerful. Expect to see it paired with other 2DP options such as Lord of Dread and similar detachments. I think this will be one of the most commonly seen choices in early 11th Edition Chaos Knights lists.
Iconoclast Fiefdom
This is the detachment I've been most excited about!!!
Being able to bring up to 500 points of Damned units from Chaos Space Marines opens up a huge amount of list-building potential. On top of that, those units gain Leadership re-rolls, making them much more reliable.
The obvious winners here are Cultists, Traitor Guardsmen, and Accursed Cultists. Cheap bodies to hold objectives, screen your Knights, and generally make life awkward for your opponent are exactly what Chaos Knights have been missing.
Accursed Cultists backed up by a Dark Commune also bring some genuine combat threat, giving the army another dimension beyond simply relying on War Dogs to do all the heavy lifting.
Enhancements:
Cruel Lashmaster
Chaos Knight model only.
Damned units within 6" gain +2" Movement when making Normal, Advance, or Fall Back moves.
This looks solid.
The obvious combo is with Accursed Cultists, giving them additional reach and making it easier to pressure objectives and threaten charges. The bonus movement is useful across all Damned units, helping them keep pace with the rest of the army.
Ultimately, whether this sees competitive play will come down to points cost, but it certainly has potential.
Iconoclast Idol
Chaos Knight model only.
Reduce the CP cost of Heroic Intervention by 1 for a Damned unit within 6".
Unfortunately, this one does very little for me.
Heroic Intervention is already a fairly niche stratagem, and building an Enhancement around making it cheaper doesn't feel particularly impactful. Unless this somehow comes in at an absurdly low points cost, I struggle to see it making the cut.
A big miss in my eyes.
Stratagems
Avenge the Masters - 1CP
When a Chaos Knight is destroyed, select the enemy unit responsible. Damned units gain Lethal Hits against that unit.
Interesting, but fairly situational.
The only Damned unit that really benefits from this is Accursed Cultists. Most other Damned units are there to score, screen, and provide utility rather than meaningful damage output.
Still, it's a nice little revenge mechanic if your opponent commits heavily into a key Knight.
Dark Sacrifice - 1CP
Used in the Command Phase. A Damned unit within 9" of a Chaos Knight suffers D3+3 mortal wounds, and the Knight heals the same number of wounds.
This is a very interesting stratagem and one I expect to use multiple times over the course of a game.
Keeping a damaged War Dog in its top bracket can be hugely valuable, and sacrificing a handful of Cultists to achieve that feels like a trade I'll happily make.
The change to the Command Phase sequence does reduce its power slightly, however. Battle-shock tests are resolved before this stratagem can be used, meaning you can't heal back above half-strength in time to affect that turn's Battle-shock check.
Coursing Thralls
Used at the start of the Shooting Phase.
Select an enemy unit visible to a Damned unit and within 12". That unit's Detection Range is increased by 6".
This stratagem looks excellent.
What's particularly interesting is that the wording doesn't appear to include an expiry clause at the end of the phase. As written, this seems to be a permanent effect.
Being able to push enemy units up to a 21" Detection Range significantly improves your shooting opportunities and makes it much harder for opponents to hide from your War Dogs.
Assuming this interpretation survives FAQs, I'm a big fan.
Rules Changes
One of the biggest changes comes from the Darkness rule on the Chaos Knights Dread Table.
Previously, Darkness interacted with Battle-shocked units and provided a -1 to Hit modifier against Chaos Knights more than 18" away.
Now, Darkness grants Stealth, meaning Chaos Knights benefit from Cover instead.
Effectively, this gives the army access to army-wide cover unless the attacking unit ignores cover.
I actually like this change quite a lot.
Part of me was hoping Darkness would remain unchanged, but combining the old -1 to Hit effect with the new Cover bonus would likely have been too powerful. Stealth feels like a cleaner and more balanced implementation while still maintaining the defensive identity of the option.
Early Verdict
My initial reaction is that Houndpack Lance players have come out of this update in a very strong position.
The flexibility offered by being a 2DP detachment is huge, and Iconoclast Fiefdom in particular opens up some genuinely exciting list-building opportunities. Cheap Damned units help solve several long-standing Chaos Knights weaknesses while adding utility, board control, and secondary scoring options.
There are certainly a few misses Iconoclast Idol does very little for me, and Bastion of Tyranny still doesn't address my concerns around the Tyrant playstyle but overall I'm feeling positive.
For now, my attention is firmly focused on testing Houndpack Lance alongside Iconoclast Fiefdom. On paper, it looks like one of the most exciting combinations available to Chaos Knights going into 11th Edition.
Houndpack Lance and Iconoclast Fiefdom List To Follow SOON!
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