Support Character Combat Positioning?

[Wassa]

Coming from a Guard background, I'm used to having my commanders screened by 10-20 guardsmen, often behind cover where they can't be shot or hit in combat.

 

But for Blood Angels where you have support characters like Sanguinary Priests, Chaplains, Lemartes, Astorath, etc, do you have them out of combat but keeping your other units within their auras? or do you risk having them up front and target-able. Maybe behind one rank of troops?

[Panzer]

do you have them out of combat but keeping your other units within their auras?

 

This basically. The few Marine characters that can't fight themselves like Ancients just stand nearby but out of combat. No point in giving your opponent free attacks against them and usually he can't shoot at them anyway because the unit that's in combat still counts for the character keyword protection.

 

Chaplains however aren't bad in combat at all so just charge them right in together with your melee unit. Sanguinary Priests depends on the equipment. Librarians aren't too bad in melee either but depends on the enemy unit due lack of invul.

 

Of course don't charge your support characters into meatgrinders like Berzerkers or Purestrain Genestealers and such if you don't think you can heavily cripple them with your charge.

[Zephaniah Adriyen]

I usually send in my support characters to fight alongside my Smash; my Librarian and Sanguinary Priest never do too poorly. I even once sent my Libby in to duel another character head-on, separate from Smash.

[Majkhel]

Its good to keep in mind, tgat charging multiple characters into combat with a nasty threat (knight, DP, other monsters) opens you up for the interrupt-type strats. And potentially can lead to losing a supporting character. It's far better to charge one character with supporting meatshields like scouts, DC, scout bikers, etc.

 

(I'm assuming of course, that you fight with the important character first)

Edited June 13, 2019 by Majkhel

[Morticon]

Hey bud. We have a large thread discussing exactly that! Head on over and take a look: 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/356386-bubble-tactica/

[Wassa]

Thanks for the help and the link guys :)