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Chaos hath no Fury...

Chaos Furies, the most forgotten Daemon of all time, if you didn't play Fantasy you wouldn't really ever known they existed. Surprisingly, Games Workshop didn't remove them from Deamon codex all together. Instead, Chaos Furies have a new lease on life, having a owing a few elements unlike any other.

To see just how far Chaos Furies have come there is no better place to start than comparing the latest codex with the previous one.

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Chaos Furies Rules 2013

Chaos Furies Rules 2008

 

Compare &  Contrast

  • Point decrease from 15 to 6
  • Loss of an Attack 2 to 1
  • Increased Initiative 3 to 4
  • Loss of Toughness 4 to 3
  • Daemon of Upgrades

 --Daemon Peasants –

This simple change has taken Furies from an afterthought to a possibility. Chaos Furies are now the same price as Tyranid Gargoyles and just as deadly. They are ideal for lower point games and along with any Herald provide an unexpected punch.

--Less bite for your Buck—

The loss of an attack is worse of the changes Furies had to endure, but as I will refer to on multiple occasions for 6 points apiece what were really asking for? This is where picking the right Chaos God to join helps Furies immensely!

--Hollow Bones—

Furies are also hit with a drop in Toughness, but once again I refer you to the 6 point cost as reason to just shrug. Furies should be dying in droves so having one less Toughness isn’t going to matter much, especially when you can field 20 of them with ease.

--Faster, Flying Monkey, Faster--

In a great move to balance the losses Furies have a decent Initiative. Now even in their weaker state you will at least have Furies striking Marines and the majority of units at the same time, making up for the loss of Toughness easily.

--Tell me who do you really Love—

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Chaos Furies of Khorne: 2 pts per model

Of the four Chaos God choices Daemon of Khorne has its immediate benefits. Furies of Khorne increase the chances of a successfully assault result. Furies as a unit must win combat especially in the first round, otherwise they will quickly crumble, so having the extra strength from Furious Charge is critical. The real boon though is being able to use a Locus of Khorne with a Herald. Greater Locus of FuryThis model, and all models in its unit, have the Rage special rule. Models with Rage gain +2 attacks for charging. is probably the best bet.

Having the extra attacks makes Furies quite formidable, granted if a disorganized charge doesn't get in the way. That leaves the  Exalted Locus of WrathThis model, and all models in its, have Hatred special rule. A model with Hatred re-rolls all misses during the first round of each combat which helps Furies with their less than stellar Weapon Skill, but is only effective on the initial assault. All in all Furies of Khorne are a good investment especially if you have Cannons of Khorne for support.

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Chaos Furies of Tzeentch: 1 pt per model

The Chaos Furies of Tzeentch are oddest choice to go with of the bunch. Daemons of TzeentchWhen manifesting psychic powers DoT have a +3 modifier to their Leadership. In addition, Daemons of Tzeentch re-roll all saving throw results of 1 doesn't particularly provide much benefit for Furies. Is one point worth re-rolling 1s? Likewise a Herald of Tzeentch Locus don't help Furies much. If you are running a four Herald of Tzeentch circus of spell throwing having a 20-man unit of Furies for wounds is still a very cheap investment.

Now, without Heralds if the plan hide in cover all day than Daemons of TzeentchWhen manifesting psychic powers DoT have a +3 modifier to their Leadership. In addition, Daemons of Tzeentch re-roll all saving throw results of 1 is a cheaper alternative to Daemon of Nurgle.

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Chaos Furies of Nurgle: 2 pts a model

Another take it or leave it choice for Furies is Daemon of Nurgle, is one best used defensively. As Daemon of Nurgle Furies can sit back and protect other units. The only problem is Furies make a poor choice for defending other units. As well Furies won't like being Slow & Purposeful, if you have plans for contesting objectives having no Run can turn out crucial. 

If the plan is to lay low and group hug the enemy with other killy units, then Furies of Nurgle really makes your opponent have to decide, is it worth wasting shooting assets on a unit that just seems to be doing nothing. Since Heralds of Nurgle cannot get any fast mounts, having them join a unit of Furies kinda of defeats the purpose of Furies in the first place.

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Chaos Furies of Slaanesh: 2 pts per model

While being a blunt instrument as Khorne Furies, Furies become a utility belt as Slaanesh. Furies benefit more as Daemon of Slaanesh DoS have the Daemon. Fleet, and Rending special Rules. In addition, DoS Run an additional 3 inches and DoS Cavalry Run an additional 6 inches than any other God. Rending, Fleet, and running makes Furies of Slaanesh so delicious. Furies become a great tool for taking out vehicles, because unlike their Deamonette sisters they have that the extra strength to wrack up Penetrating Hits.

The best part about assaulting vehicles is they usually don't swing back, so the Furies low Leadership is irrelevant. Then going after units like Wraithblades and Terminators is also worthwhile as a good rending roll can make all the difference. Furies of Slaanesh also make great friends of for a Herald of Slaanesh. As having Exalted Locus of BeguilementThis model, and all models in its unit, re-roll failed To Hit rolls in close combat. In addition, challenges issued cannot be refused, and the challenge must be accepted by model of the Herald's choosing. gives Furies some extra staying power unlike the Khorne Locus.

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Instead, Chaos Furies have a new lease on life, having a owing a few elements unlike any other.

Putting it all Together...

Chaos Furies are pretty amazing, as I am always a sucker for cheap, fast, and effective units. Their biggest drawback though is their leadership of 2!

This makes it very dangerous to attack any unit without a Herald. That is why even losing an assault by one can be downright heartbreaking. That leaves picking the right targets as the most important decision you can make as a general.

Furies are best served by using their speed and hunting down the less fortunate of units. It means Furies should do unit clean-up of pesky wounded units and go after late turn objective grabbers. I am looking at units like Eldar Guardian Jetbikes, Cultists, and Artillery. Really, any single wound small-sized unit is a good idea.

Striking from flanks and getting into your opponent's backfield. Since Furies are fast don’t worry if they never engage anything till later turns, it is all about making your move at the right time. Likely, your opponent won’t waste that much shooting against Furies because of how cheap and easily beaten in Assault they can be. Unlike other units forcing the issue with Furies isn’t a good idea, skulking and hiding is a much better use for them.

Those tactics are well and good if you plan on running Furies without a Herald to tag along. The best part of Furies is just how malleable they are to any Chaos God. With Heralds of Tzeentch they are great ablative wounds. If you go with Herald of Slaanesh or Khorne you get a unit that can really benefit from a Locus. The Herald of Nurgle are the only poor fit for the fast Chaos Furies.

Whether you go with Greater Locus of FuryThis model, and all models in its unit, have the Rage special rule. Models with Rage gain +2 attacks for charging. for Khorne or Exalted Locus of BeguilementThis model, and all models in its unit, re-roll failed To Hit rolls in close combat. In addition, challenges issued cannot be refused, and the challenge must be accepted by model of the Herald's choosing. for Slaanesh make sure you know what you’re getting your Heralds into. If you only have one Herald attached don’t be afraid to refuse a challenge, if it means the Herald is in danger from an opposing Character. That is why it is preferable to have at least two Heralds join to any unit of Chaos Furies.

The best part of taking Furies is you save the points needed for that extra Herald, even in smaller point games, so don’t be afraid to experiment, as Furies are a great option when better units are unattainable. The pliable nature of Furies means you can easily amplify their prowess with psychic powers, which is another reason for multiple Heralds join to up.

If you are a real cheapskate Furies don’t even need to join a god, just run them around an distraction or objective contesting. This is important, especially if you play Chaos Daemon armies that aren’t strictly mono-god.

If you play mono-god having a place to hide a Herald sometimes becomes necessity. Usually incurring from a drawn out assault that leaves a original Herald's unit decimated. Thus, having an a Furies unit is a boon as he can join them and continue the massacre without being singled out.

Just another reason to keep Furies low on your opponent’s priority list. Furies low leadership, no matter the situation, should be a reminder of just how fragile they are.

Even with a relativity large unit size available, they are not designed for tarpiting. They usually have one chance to break a unit before attrition eventually gets the better of them.

--Ways to play Chaos Furies--

Death Star Configuration: 125 pts 15-man unit of Chaos Furies with Mark of Khorne

Balanced Configuration: 110 pts 15-man unit of Chaos Furies

MSU Configuration: 45 pts 5-man unit of Chaos Furies with Daemon of Nurgle

Horde Configuration: 165 pts 20-man unit of Chaos Furies with Daemon of Slaanesh

A Word about Allies

Chaos Furies make for an average ally unit and are really only useful in low points games, where you want an escort/hammer unit to go with a Herald. They are also good as an ally if Fast Attack can claim objectives, having cheap scoring unit is never bad, but if you are going to take a Fast Attack ally and the points are available you are better off with one of the more threatening Chaos Daemon units.

Remember unlike other Battle Brothers Daemons ICs cannot join with Chaos Space Marine units under any circumstance.

Final Thoughts...

Overall, Chaos Furies are excellent choice. They do suffer a bit by being in the crowded Fast Attack slot, but if you going Flying Monster Circus or Troop Blob spam having a cheap unit that can harass and deny objectives is a great asset. If only Games Workshop would get around to updating the model then we would really have something!

Warning

It's Like Tactics is rated theory hammer because these are general observations and assumptions based on only few tested games.

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