Gree

I'm not certain if I'm reading the rules right, but does an attached character attached to the Chosen gain that unit's advance and charge rule? That would limit potential characters to join them. Or am I reading the rules wrong?

I like the new Berzerkers, but I can't justify taking them in anything but a fun casual list. CSM has too many similar units that edge them out. Compare them to Chosen. For 3pts more, Chosen get an extra wound, a Legion Trait and a free bolter. The extra wound is the biggest one really, given how many D2 weapons are in the meta. Blood Surge is a nice ability, but it isn't enough to make up for that tradeoff.

Terminators got more expensive, but the actual combo is still unchanged. You can stack Black Rune + Illusionary Supplication + Delightful Agonies + Mutated Invigoration for a very durable unit. The loss of AoC hurt, but everybody else lost that. Even without AoC, that’s a really tough unit. Chaos Terminators are more expensive than loyalist Terminators, but Chaos Termies have access to much better defensive synergies. The 10-man MoS unit got 35pts more expensive compared to the old points value, but I’d still readily drop a couple of Spawn or a Cultist squad in order to take them. Keep in mind, Plague Marines don't benefit from the IW Legion trait.

Chaos Spawn are a great chaff unit, fast and durable for their price tag. I don't expect them to kill things, I expect them to be an irritating distraction for my opponent. Even a single Spawn is useful as a cheap backfield objective grabber. Spawn are useful in every Legion, but Red Corsairs and Creations work great with them.

A great unit overshadowed by their Terminator counterparts in the competitive meta. That being said Chosen are an excellent unit that will likely do a fine job if you want to save points against Terminators. They can run your standard 10-Man Black Rune brick almost as good as their Terminator counterparts at cheapter cost. I've also been thinking about a Khorne-marked squad. Not as a 10-man brick, but a 5-man unit with an Icon and MoK. Having AP-4 in the current AoC meta can be useful against certain armies and builds.

Dark Apostles can only cast one prayer, so unless you plan on running multiple Dark Apostles I would focus on a support role. For Emperor's Children, you are going to want your Dark Apostle casting either Advance and charge or Illusory Supplication every turn. You could give him Inferno Tome for access to Omen of Potency to make him into a combat monster, but as I said a Dark Apostle can only cast one per turn. For Emperor's Children, I would take a Dark Apostle with Mantle of Traitors. That gives him a free use of the Epic Deed Strategem once per game, so you can use Fell Prayers or Soporific Gaze for free when you need it. The Mantle also re-rolls all of the Dark Apostle's melee attacks, but he'll still be restricted to his crozius's base stats. If you want a dedicated CC beatstick, then I would take a Master of Executions. They only take up an Elite slot and are dirt-cheap even with the Mark of Slaanesh.

Second best support HQ in the book after the MoP. That's only because the Dark Apostle can't buff Daemonkin as well. The Dark Apostle is amazing in every Legion. They have some pretty great smash builds, but I'd say the character is better at support. CSM has other options for beatsticks. I'd generally prefer Mantle of Traitors over Inferno Tome as a relic. Normal Apostles can only cast a single power anyway, so you'll either be chanting the Supplication power or the Slaanesh power as needed. Having a free use of Fell Prayers is great if the Dark Disciples get taken out.

I’ve notice people have been using the Murderous Perfection Strategem with a MoE and Warp’s Malice to score extra mortal wounds. Both of those rules score mortal wounds on unmodified rolls of six. Does Murderous Perfection count as an ‘’unmodified roll’’ for rules purposes? I believe Night Haunter’s Curse has similar wording to Murderous Perfection, but that Warlord Trait specifically states that it counts as an unmodified roll. Murderous Perfection does not have that bit. I know that re-rolls are done before modifiers and that re-rolls are not considered to be ‘’modified’’ as per the rules. Does Murderous Perfection count as a re-roll? Or am I missing something here?

The Creations advance and charge strat only works on Core units. Warp Talons don't have the Core keyword.

Somebody posted a pdf on 4chan. That's where the spoilers are coming from

I believe that Rubric Marines benefit from the Daemon Shells stratagem as well.

The wording is somewhat awkward, but I believe Gifts of Chaos let's you give a Marked model a second relic that isn't a daemon weapon. So a Marked Chaos character can have two relics under certain conditions. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

In addition to the datasheet buffs, I believe that vehicles now benefit from Legion traits? In that case, it's worth taking a second look at some possible combinations. Iron Warrior vehicles get a decent buff to durability. Maulerfiends and melee vehicles synergize well with Red Corsairs and Creations of Bile. It's not going to make CSM top-tier or anything, but it's something to consider when building lists.

Delivery is another thing to consider. I often like to run Biker Smash Captains for the extra durability. Biker Captains can't take relic blades, so that leaves either thunder hammers or power fists. I'm hoping to playtest a Biker Captain with a MC Power Fist in my next game to see how that goes.

I've been using Inheritors of the Primarchs. I've been playing some variety of Imperial Fists since 6th. I have not yet considered switching to other successor tactics. It's a something I can playtest in future games. (None of the IF-specific Relics are good for a Smash Captain) I have been considering the Fist of Terra, a Special Issue Wargear choice. It's a Power Fist without the hit penalty and an additional attack. It's only D2 though. I'm not sure on the Mathammer if that evens out or not. Yeah, I've also been thinking that as well. I have a bunch of Assault Terminators and Vanguard Vets I'm considering bringing out again.