Battle Report - Grey knights vs Drukhari patrol

Grey knights vs Drukhari patrol

I wrote up this report as I was doing it back at the start of lockdown (March 2020) and wanted to add narrative to it to introduce my Characters. As such this is using 8th edition rules and I only have access to the core rulebook, index Xenos and the kill team manuals. I didn't want to use command points as I hadn't played since 4th and didn't want to complicate the situation plus I didn't have an easy reference for the stragems. The Grey Knights have got a lot more abilities since this but I didn't have the rules so if your wondering why damage output is low on their side its my fault. 

 For reference I've made narrative sections in italics and factuals in bold. 

 This is a 500 point patrol engagement played on my largish computer desk. The Drukhari are defending a imperial relic in some ruins in their deployment zone and the Knights have to get back by the end of the game. 

 The forces were made using battlescribe, the Grey Knights had a Brother Captain, a terminator squad with halberds and the Justiciar with a hammer, a strike squad with halberd again and a sword on the Justiciar. I wanted my lascannon and missile pod dreadnought but it was too many points and it had been glued by the previous owner. I swapped in my Death Tempter assault cannon Dreadnought to fill the gap. 

 For the Drukhari it was H'ron and a full ten man squad of warriors with a dark lance, shredder and blaster. I took 2x five wytch squads with an impaler/net in one and hydra gauntlets in the other. I took a talos with ichor injector, splinter pods and a macro scalpel and finished it off with a fast moving reaver squad with dual blasters a grav talon and cluster mines. Very much a mixed battalion. 

Deployment was as per narrative. The Drukhari were in the ruins to the left. There was a silo complex to the centre right in front of the Grey Knights they could use as cover as they advanced. The playing area is quite narrow at just over 2 feet wide but is 5 foot long. 

 The Drukhari placed their kabalite on the objective with a squad of wytches out front to try and close the gap as soon as possible. My Archon and the second squad held back blocking one of the rear quarters from deep strike. The Talos was up beside the wytches looking to hold up the Dreadnought. 

 The Knights were anchored around the Captain staying out of LoS.  Plan was to send the strikes on foot through the complex shooting and  smiting while the captain uses his Gate of infinity  power to lift the the heavy hitters into the backfield and take the objective. 

 The Brother Captain exited the dense woodland and entered the silo station. The station was autonomous, only a servitor was required to operate the site. Only there was no servitor. Its head was nailed to the door of its service dock. 

The Captain raised his storm bolter and motioned the dreadnought to take point into the ruins located across the silo Station. The Old Abbey had been abandoned when the missionary based there had died centeries ago. The silo station for the pipeline remained and was maintained. The holy site had been allowed to rot back into the wilderness. 

 Dark figures moved through the ruins. Searching the rubble for something. Their movements were quick and graceful. More than any human could manage.

 Xenos. 

Judging from their armour and weapons they were the dark kin of the doomed Eldar race. The Drukhari. As the Grey Knights moved forward a giant scorpion construct floated out from the shadows. Its bulk was made of a mutated humanoid grown using some diabolical means to make it fit the carapace that protected it from light arms fire. It's mechanical tail raised above its back like an insect. Instead of a poisoned stinger the arm mounted a Xenos weapon the Captain recognised from his training as a splinter pod. 

The dark eldar dropped what they were doing and drew their weapons. Fast bikes flew in from the sky showing how the Knights had been spotted. 

 The Brother Captain bent his mind to the warp and unleashed his hate against the xenos. The dreadnought turned its assault cannon on the charging figures threatening to engage the lighter armed strike marines moving through the industrial buildings. 

The Grey knights smite 2 wytches off the board. The Brother Captain Gates the  terminators to rear of drukhari castle in the ruins The dreadnought open fire with its assault cannon and Storm bolter shooting the remainder of the wytches squad that was foolishly in the open. The Termintators shoot and then charge in killing two kabalites in close combat unfortunately only after an overwatching blaster vapourises one of them on the way in. Justicar attacks but fails at wounding the Talos with a Demonhammer. The return attacks bounce off the tactical dreadnought armour. 

 

H'ron heard the report of movement  at the edge of the clearing from his patrolling Reavers. The wretched Mon Keigh had learned of the device's location shortly before his agent, in the imperial hiveworld Court, had informed him. He had quickly gathered this small party to retrieve the Eldar device before the fools could get to it. The beast chained in the eldar temple far below the surface was a problem but it was just the thing to get the Mon Keigh to turn on the Genestealer cult hidden inside it and drive the Drukhari's true prize to the surface. In the chaos of the uprising his Dark Kin would delight in taking vengence on the foolish apes that had claimed a maiden world as their own and failed to protect it from the ravages of the Tyranid beasts. If the chaos warp beast was unleashed it could be used and destroyed. If not it was no matter of concern to the Drukhari. The reavers had been slow to report the silver clad warriors approacing through the buildings. Such sloath must be punished. He spoke to the leader of the reavers "J'kar, attack the machine waddling towards us, everyone else to your positions. Gladiators to the front."

 As the first squad of wytches sprints across the open the human vehicle stomps around a building and its multi-barelled weapon beginning to rotate. Lighting blasts from the blades of the approaching infantry bathed the Wytches in warp lightning. The few that remained are cut to pieces by heavy bullets from the rotating gun. H'ron sighs in exasperation and looks at the Talos forced on him by the Coven master, to test his latest creation in this retrieval attempt. He motioned it forward to slow the enemy dreadnought while his Kabalite extracted the device from the ruin but a flash of light behind him signals the arrival of the mon-keigh's heavy infantry. Metal monsters stride towards his lines. One of his warriors is quick to act and his blaster burns down one of the foolish knights. The talos turns on itself as one of the knight weighs in on its back with a giant hammer. The pain engine's armour creaks but holds firm. It catches the hammer with its mutated arms and forces the human back for moment. H'ron smiles and steps forward into combat, the red grief wytches scream and charge in alongside him. One of the knights steps up to him and tries to impale him on a blooded halberd but the Archon lightly side steps and drives his huskblade into a clink of the Knights armour. Inside the mortal is turned a withered husk entombed in its own armour.

 The Drukhari push the 6 Reavers into the Grey Knights back field killing one Strike knight with their posioned weapons and fluff blaster strike on the dreadnought. Its going to be a tough day for the reavers T5 or not. Everyone else not engaged charges in to the Terminators but the Reavers pull up too hard after their screaming advance and fail the charge. The re-roll fails too! The Archon takes down a terminator in close combat but everything else bounces off the tactical dreadnought armour.

 In amongst the silo buildings the Brother Captain whirled in place following the xenos jetbikes as they dashed overhead. His wrist mounted storm bolter sprayed them with fire and he focused his hate to bring one of the machines down. The dreadnought followed suit tracing fire across the sky as the bikes tried to evade it. Dark light energy bounced off its hull as the Eldar tried to bring down the ancient war machine in turn. Splinter shards bounced uselessly of the power armour of the strike marines but one found a chink in a battle brothers helm and he dropped to the ground as his nerves were filled with pain from some deadly xenos toxin. 

 To aim their weapons after their furious charge the bikers had become caught between the buildings and the woods. Seeing the enemy trapped the Brother Captain charged, the Strike marines followed him into battle. 

 On his heads up display another life rune winked out as a Terminator fell in the ruins to the xenos Warlord. 

 Grey knights prepare to counter charge the Reavers shooting them first with mind bullets and guns before wiping them out in close combat. The Talos is badly mauled by the Terminators Jusicar but just survives with feel no pain saves. The Archon claims another Knight freeing the Kabalites from combat.

  The Archon pulled his ancient blade from the husk of his latest victim and motioned the kabalite warriors back as the wytches poured into the gap he had left. As he looked up H'ron saw the heavy infantry's leader sweep his heavy double handed hammer up into the head of the Talos. The hammer struck the metal mask of the engine from below and crushed and dented it into the face of the creature behind it sparks flew as the power weapon bled energy into the pain engine. The Talos staggered back waving its arms trying to fend off blows like a punch drunk fighter. The Coven master would not enjoy hearing his latest experiment was no longer in mint condition. Perhaps if its assalient was brought  back alive, or close to it he could be appeased. 

The freed kabalites miss their shot on the dreadnought. Drukhari close combat attacks finally taking down the final Terminator Knight and their Justicar. 

  The ancient warrior commanding the dreadnought stormed towards his brothers fighting for their lives in the ruins. He saw the justiciar being clawed down by the Xenos his magnificent armour being disabled by a thousand cuts. 

 The giant enemy creature was staggering towards him, the emperors justice would prevail and the dreadnought was his instrument. His mind was focused on the enemy and lighting blasted the thing from its hellish existence. Its assault cannon was running hot from constant use but there was no time to let it cool. The ancient sprayed it bullets over the victorous Xenos gloating over their kills. 

 The Knights Dread kills the Talos with his mind and then the Strikes take another of the kabalites to mind bullets. The Captain then gates the Strike team at the Warriors. The Dreadnoughts shooting takes 2 wytches down but the 8 shots from the strikes only cause 2 wounds which the wicked ladies just enjoy the tickle with their feel no pain saves! The Strike Marines declare a charge on the warriors but one is felled to overwatch and then they fail their charge.

  The Xenos flith still lives, The brother Dreadnought is burning ammunition and the lithe creatures just dodge and weave, two fall and the others just laugh on. The brother captain orders his lightest troops to assault the ruins and reclaim the Terminators before the Xenos can finish their excavation of the artifact. He sends them through the warp but a demon afflicts them as they travel. They arrive in an instant but disoriented from defending themselves from the moral threat. One brother staggered as a lucky shot from the ruins catches him in his side and the squads shooting all goes wide. The justiciar bends over his fallen warrior to adminstor the Emperors grace and his moments hesitation costs his squad their lives. A Xenos weapon engulfs them in a cloud of tiny projectiles finding any gap in their power armour. 

 Drukhari shooting does for the strike team mostly wiped by the Shredder and then wytches charge the nought. 2 die in combat but the Dreadnought is locked up by the last wytch twirling her blade.

The Archon began to stride towards the Dreadnought his blade swiping the air as he paced forward his stance full of rage and arrogance at the easy defeat of strike marines. The Wytch danced on top of the dreadnought striking at its optics and distracting the ancient machine from its true target. The enemy Warlord. The power of the emperor's rage filling him the Dreadnought focus's his rage on the Eldar clinging to his Hull. The siren is in his blind spot he cannot reach her with his weapons but his mind can attack her with energy from the warp. The Brother Captain lends his mental energy to the assault and the wytch cannot withstand their combined might and she falls from his hull. 

The dreadnought tries to smite his annoying charge off of him only to find she ignores the pain forcing the captain to do the same and she falls. Dreadnought opens up on the Archon who was too far forward and the flicker field tanks it all. The captains Stormbolter fails to damage.

 The Dreadnought locks onto the surprised Archon with his assault cannon. Just before he fires the Archon splits into a dozen copies of himself. Some charging forward others diving for cover. Bullets punched through smoke as the ancient marine inside tried to find the true image. At last the massive ammunition tank on the gun ran dry and the images returned to one form. The Xenos gave a wave of his hand then with a haughty twirl of his cap headed back towards the ruins in measure strides. 

Behind his shadows the Xenos had deployed their laser lances. Dark light energy crashed into its armour plate ripping panels from the Hull exposing the pilot. The Xenos riflemen pour their fire into the gap and the machine collapsed onto its back the pilot revin with pain. 

 Only the Brother Captain remained. His eyes locked onto the mocking Archon and he steps into imerterium. His Brothers would be avenged! 

 The Kabalites punch the nought out with a dark lance hit causing 6 wounds and then the poison finding the mark. Only the brother captain remains. The Archon returns the ruin to collect his artefact (and hide from shots and smite) not realising the captain has one more trick.

 The Captain came out of the warp behind the Archon and charged straight at him. His storm bolter pumping shots. His battle cry shouting at his enemy "For the Emperor!". The Archon was momentarily surprised. But then its shadow field sprung to life and masked the. Captain's true target. He closed and sliced the head off of one apparition with his halberd then twisted it to put a perfect thrust through the heart of another. The Archon was never where the Captain thought he was supposed to be.

 On the end of his blade.

 The captain felt the impact of a sword thrust against his back and turned to face the threat but there was just another apparition....

 The Captain gates behind the archon and fires missing everything. Charges and does no damage to the evasive shadow in front of him. The Archon bounces off the terminator armour with his husk blade. 

  H'ron leapt back away from the Grey Knight to allow the his kabalites a clean shot. His shadow field needed a moment to recharge. His syberite directed the dark light fire and the warrior through everything at the Terminator. The firepower that had brought their clumsy walker four times its size glanced off the heavy armoured suit in front of them. Bits of parchment and wax seals melted off and burned. His helm was ripped from his head by the energy of blaster. The Captain staggered as if in a storm holding onto his halberd to the ground in front of him to prevent him being knocked to the ground. 

 With the Mon keigh still alive in front of them the syberite knew his master would be displeased and led his warriors into the ruins to try and bring the knight down. Sharp blades and rifle stocks beat against armour that had withstood so much and still did not flinch. The human warrior twirled hid blade and decapitated a kabalite. The pole tripped another and an armoured foot stamped its skull against the stone floor. Smashing it into a puddle of gore. 

 The Archon retreats ready to shoot the knight in the back. The kabalitses take two wounds off the captain then charge. They  do nothing to him and die losing two more as the Captain hits with his big pointy stick.

 This was the final battle. If the Captain could just slay these meanials then their Warlord would have to face him and he would take his head. There was no fear. This was his purpose. To rescue the relic and prevent it from being used against the Imperium. He would not fall. His blade swished this and that. Impaling one warrior before dragging it clear and thrusting into a second. Then the creatures jumped back. For a moment he thought they were fleeing but they turned and grinned at him. 

 The captain smacks back in his own turn killing one with his mind and one with his staff. There’s no point disengaging the Elves will just shoot and charge next turn.

  The Captain turns awaiting the charge of the warlord bringing up his storm bolter but before him just out of range of his spear the Archon levels his blast pistol in a duellers stance. Arm outstretched side on to the Captain. No false images. In mocking high Gothic the xenos touches the firing stud and says "For the Emperor" 

 The final laugh is from the Archon the kabalites retreat as the archon holds his pistol to the Captains head. Dodge this.

 

 Archon was the total MVP claiming three terminators, a strike Knight and the brother captain. A fun game. The Talos was not that impressive in close combat with the termies failing to damage everytime. I was hoping the ichor injector would get a 6 and ignore those steel bodies but he never had a chance. Totally forgot to give the Grey knight troops their secondary power. To be fair I was going to be using smite rather than hammerhand on those termies and the strikes  could have used vortex once they were gated. That gate power was awesome chucking my troops down field to mess with the Lost boys. Captain made himself felt from his aura pushing up the smite range and crunching reavers in close combat. It was fitting that he made it down field to take on the Archon. A shame his Shadowfield proved too strong. Kabalites also did well taking down the Strike team knights, the Dreadnought and filling the Brother Captain with Dark fire. The Reavers were useful in keeping half the Knights engaged in their own half while the termies were overwhelmed. Should have sent the Dreadnought or gated the strikes down field to relieve them sooner. Mistakes were made.