Today I'm going to finish off my Horus Heresy Alpha Legion reviews with a look at the legions Primarch, Alpharius Omegon. Before you read this article here are links to each of the other sections so that are all in one place.
Alpharius Omegon was the final Primarch found and leads the XXth legion. The Alpha Legion. Alpharius is unusual in terms of discovery as he is thought to have been found by Horus and spent some time with him before he was eventually taken to see his father the Emperor. Indeed he has no home world like all other Primarchs so very little of his origin is know following his removal from the Emperor's laboratory by the gods of chaos.
Behind all this however, sits a far deeper secret, that Alpharius Omegon is in fact two Primarchs, twin progenitors of the legion, one named Alpharius and one Omegon. How this may have come to be with or without the knowledge of the Emperor is not known.
Alpharius is also known as a master of disguise and able to pass utterly convincingly as a regular Astartes when required too. All these different aspects of his character and background along with the general modus operandi of the Alpha Legion are very well displayed in his rules, so lets take a look at them.
Primarch Special Rule
Primarchs have a catch all special rule "Primarch" which grants them Independent Character, Eternal Warrior, Fear, Adamantium Will, Fleet, Fearless, It Will Not Die and Master of the Legion (so obviously can take rites of war.
Primarch Special Rule
Primarchs have a catch all special rule "Primarch" which grants them Independent Character, Eternal Warrior, Fear, Adamantium Will, Fleet, Fearless, It Will Not Die and Master of the Legion (so obviously can take rites of war.
Stats and Equipment
So to start off I'll be going over the raw stats of Alpharius along with his equipment. Alpharius doen't have any raw stats which jump out at you, he doesn't have any hikes in WS or BS, S or T over the basic sort of primarch minimums. So in a straight up fight against most other primarchs he will most likely lose unless significantly lucky/unlucky dice rolling occurs. But as we will see later, he is still an incredibly strong choice with more than enough beef to smash none Primarchs/Lords of War down hard.
As the more 'standard' part of his wargear, Alpharius has Venom spheres (covered in previous review section), Cameleoline (stealth), nuncio-vox(decrease in deep strike scatter and line of site can be used for barrage weapons), and cognis signum (night vision and no infiltrating within 18 inches of a bearer, also grants interceptor in 18 inches and can add +1 BS to a unit).
So his standard gear is nice and also reflects the personality of the Alpha Legion as befits their Primarch. For his more select gear he also has a Master-crafted Plasma Blaster which is much better than most primarchs get but doesn't really have great bearing on how you will use him so just a nice trimming.
For armour he has the Pythian Scales which are absolutely fantastic. Not only do they have the excellent 2+/4++ which is better than some Primarchs who only get a 5++, but they also grant the ability to ignore the effects of Poison and Fleshbane. Thus neutering some of the more effective ways to deal with the beasts that the Primarchs are.
Offensively he has the Pale Spear. A mysterious and most likely Necron artefact blade, none no of its origin, but it kicks ass! With his base strength of 6 like most Primarchs the fact that the weapon has no plus to strength isn't too bad, especially when you consider that it has AP1 AND instant death making it the absolute bane of any special none-eternal warrior snowflake characters. Its also two-handed as a note.
Overall Alpharius is set up to be extremely nasty at anything below Primarch level. While his AP1 will stand him in good stead his "basic" stats and primarchs ignoring the instant death aspect of his Pale Spear neuter him somewhat but he still packs a hell of a punch and thats before we look at his special rules!
As the more 'standard' part of his wargear, Alpharius has Venom spheres (covered in previous review section), Cameleoline (stealth), nuncio-vox(decrease in deep strike scatter and line of site can be used for barrage weapons), and cognis signum (night vision and no infiltrating within 18 inches of a bearer, also grants interceptor in 18 inches and can add +1 BS to a unit).
So his standard gear is nice and also reflects the personality of the Alpha Legion as befits their Primarch. For his more select gear he also has a Master-crafted Plasma Blaster which is much better than most primarchs get but doesn't really have great bearing on how you will use him so just a nice trimming.
For armour he has the Pythian Scales which are absolutely fantastic. Not only do they have the excellent 2+/4++ which is better than some Primarchs who only get a 5++, but they also grant the ability to ignore the effects of Poison and Fleshbane. Thus neutering some of the more effective ways to deal with the beasts that the Primarchs are.
Offensively he has the Pale Spear. A mysterious and most likely Necron artefact blade, none no of its origin, but it kicks ass! With his base strength of 6 like most Primarchs the fact that the weapon has no plus to strength isn't too bad, especially when you consider that it has AP1 AND instant death making it the absolute bane of any special none-eternal warrior snowflake characters. Its also two-handed as a note.
Overall Alpharius is set up to be extremely nasty at anything below Primarch level. While his AP1 will stand him in good stead his "basic" stats and primarchs ignoring the instant death aspect of his Pale Spear neuter him somewhat but he still packs a hell of a punch and thats before we look at his special rules!
Special Rules
Secondly lets look at the special rules Alpharius has that really make him stand out as a complete badass.
Sire of the Alpha Legion - Alpharius has Preferred Enemy (Everything), Counter attack, Move through Cover, Scout, and Crusader as well as granting all Alpha Legion units Preferred Enemy (Everything). Though when these come into effect depends on your usage of him (see other special rule below: One of Many).
Insidious Mastermind - Seizing the initiative on a 4+ (old school Vect style!) and grants an extra +D3 inches to the movement of outflanking Alpha Legion units when they arrive onto the table. But the real jam to this sandwich is that if your enemy brings a reserve on from turn 2 onward, then if you have a unit in reserve with the same exact unit type entry (e.g. he is bringing breachers on and you have breachers in reserve also), then you can CHOOSE to roll a D6 and on 4+ YOUR unit will come on! And they will do via outflanking and thus gain the movement bonus as well. They can be intercepted as normal it must be noted.
One of Many - The absolute epitome of Alpha Legion shenanigans. Alpharius being able to disguise himself as regular astartes (as mentioned previously) can ensconce himself in one of your regular squads (infantry type and Alpha legion only) that you nominate at the beginning of the game and write his location on a secret note. Whilst being hidden, Alpha Legion units do not benefit from Sire of the Alpha Legion i.e. lose preferred enemy (everything) till Alpharius is revealed.
At the beginning of your own turn from turn 2 onwards you can reveal where Alpharius is and he and his legion immediately gain the benefits of sire of the legion as well as obviously replacing a single model from the squad. Though bear in mind that Alpharius is bulky and therefore don't reveal him in a full transport as he won't be able to be placed taking up two spaces as he will.
If the unit he reveals himself in his falling back then it will automatically rally. If the unit is destroyed then he will arrive from ongoing reserves. If you haven't revealed Alpharius by turn 5 (why!?) then he will automatically be revealed.
This rule allows you to really F**K with your opponent and play with a loaded deck of cards so to speak, where he may be leading his most precious special character right into the arms of your grinning Machiavellian Primarch.
Sire of the Alpha Legion - Alpharius has Preferred Enemy (Everything), Counter attack, Move through Cover, Scout, and Crusader as well as granting all Alpha Legion units Preferred Enemy (Everything). Though when these come into effect depends on your usage of him (see other special rule below: One of Many).
Insidious Mastermind - Seizing the initiative on a 4+ (old school Vect style!) and grants an extra +D3 inches to the movement of outflanking Alpha Legion units when they arrive onto the table. But the real jam to this sandwich is that if your enemy brings a reserve on from turn 2 onward, then if you have a unit in reserve with the same exact unit type entry (e.g. he is bringing breachers on and you have breachers in reserve also), then you can CHOOSE to roll a D6 and on 4+ YOUR unit will come on! And they will do via outflanking and thus gain the movement bonus as well. They can be intercepted as normal it must be noted.
One of Many - The absolute epitome of Alpha Legion shenanigans. Alpharius being able to disguise himself as regular astartes (as mentioned previously) can ensconce himself in one of your regular squads (infantry type and Alpha legion only) that you nominate at the beginning of the game and write his location on a secret note. Whilst being hidden, Alpha Legion units do not benefit from Sire of the Alpha Legion i.e. lose preferred enemy (everything) till Alpharius is revealed.
At the beginning of your own turn from turn 2 onwards you can reveal where Alpharius is and he and his legion immediately gain the benefits of sire of the legion as well as obviously replacing a single model from the squad. Though bear in mind that Alpharius is bulky and therefore don't reveal him in a full transport as he won't be able to be placed taking up two spaces as he will.
If the unit he reveals himself in his falling back then it will automatically rally. If the unit is destroyed then he will arrive from ongoing reserves. If you haven't revealed Alpharius by turn 5 (why!?) then he will automatically be revealed.
This rule allows you to really F**K with your opponent and play with a loaded deck of cards so to speak, where he may be leading his most precious special character right into the arms of your grinning Machiavellian Primarch.
Synergy with the Legion: We are all Alpharius
With the obviously respectable stats that Alpharius has along with his amazing special rules, what is the best way to field him? Obviously you are only going to be utilising Alpharius in larger points game due to the 25% limit on fielding lords of war in 30k (which incidentally should be utilised in 40k in my opinion) and he costs just in excess of 400 points. So realistically we are looking at 2500+ points.
This makes utilising the Alpha Legions own rite of war "Coils of the Hydra" much easier as the extra mandatory troop slot you would be taking anyway as if you wish to hide Alpharius (which you should) you will need lots of infantry units to really confuse your opponent.
Coils of the Hydra also synergises extremely well with Alpharius as you might expect. It grants a re-roll on seize initiative, which combined with 4+ to begin with grants you a bloody good chance to seize on your opponent! It also grants -1 to your opponent reserve roll, so not only will they have delayed reserves but you might also be able to bring your own unit on instead of theirs!
One of the most important aspects of using Alpharius is that you let your opponent know what he can do. You need your opponent to be aware of all these different effects so that they are second guessing their strategy and playing out of position immediately for fear of what you can do to them with your modifiers and your hidden Primarch!
"The Rewards of Treason" will serve you well here and you will have to be very particular about what unit you take. It must be noted that in the coils of the hydra all your infantry units must be deep striking, in a transport or infiltrating. Obviously you can grant infiltrate to all Alpha Legion units with their mutable tactics, but it might be better to rhino rush with a spartan for some Grave Wardens stolen from the Death eaters and save mutable tactics for something else. Though all these Alpha Legion units will have preferred enemy (everything) once Alpharius is revealed.
In general I think you have to be fast and mobile with this army, presenting many threats with Alpharius possible in all of them, all the while directing him inconspicuously to the heart of the enemy where you can pull it out.
Overview
You could use Alpharius in an almost innumerable number of ways, all of which will play characteristic of the Alpha Legion in the fluff. I could give you dozens of different ways that you can utilise Alpharius Omegon in conjunction with all the other unique aspects of the Alpha Legion but then you will be able to give me a dozen more!!
This primarch is absolutely amazing. I just hope his model does him justice. I will be upset if he stands out too much, for a primarch who prides himself on subterfuge and double bluff I feel he should be less ostentatious and more like the Moriarty of the battlefield...
Peace out,
Rob
This makes utilising the Alpha Legions own rite of war "Coils of the Hydra" much easier as the extra mandatory troop slot you would be taking anyway as if you wish to hide Alpharius (which you should) you will need lots of infantry units to really confuse your opponent.
Coils of the Hydra also synergises extremely well with Alpharius as you might expect. It grants a re-roll on seize initiative, which combined with 4+ to begin with grants you a bloody good chance to seize on your opponent! It also grants -1 to your opponent reserve roll, so not only will they have delayed reserves but you might also be able to bring your own unit on instead of theirs!
One of the most important aspects of using Alpharius is that you let your opponent know what he can do. You need your opponent to be aware of all these different effects so that they are second guessing their strategy and playing out of position immediately for fear of what you can do to them with your modifiers and your hidden Primarch!
"The Rewards of Treason" will serve you well here and you will have to be very particular about what unit you take. It must be noted that in the coils of the hydra all your infantry units must be deep striking, in a transport or infiltrating. Obviously you can grant infiltrate to all Alpha Legion units with their mutable tactics, but it might be better to rhino rush with a spartan for some Grave Wardens stolen from the Death eaters and save mutable tactics for something else. Though all these Alpha Legion units will have preferred enemy (everything) once Alpharius is revealed.
In general I think you have to be fast and mobile with this army, presenting many threats with Alpharius possible in all of them, all the while directing him inconspicuously to the heart of the enemy where you can pull it out.
Overview
You could use Alpharius in an almost innumerable number of ways, all of which will play characteristic of the Alpha Legion in the fluff. I could give you dozens of different ways that you can utilise Alpharius Omegon in conjunction with all the other unique aspects of the Alpha Legion but then you will be able to give me a dozen more!!
This primarch is absolutely amazing. I just hope his model does him justice. I will be upset if he stands out too much, for a primarch who prides himself on subterfuge and double bluff I feel he should be less ostentatious and more like the Moriarty of the battlefield...
Peace out,
Rob
