Commander Dante, Chapter Master of the Blood Angels
Commander Dante finally got the upgrade that we’ve been looking for for several editions. He has the statline of a standard Chapter Master with an extra point of Initiative, and comes with all the standard equipment, artificer armor, and an inferno pistol. His Axe Mortalis is no longer unwieldy, but gives +2 Strength, AP2, and is Master-crafted, while the Death Mask of Sanguinius grants him Fear that affects units in combat within 6” of him.
As far as special rules, Dante retains Hit and Run and finally has Eternal Warrior. His warlord trait is set as Descent of Angels, but he can roll an additional Tactical Trait if Tactical Objectives are in play.
Frankly, Dante is amazing for his points. On the charge, he swings 6 S7 AP2 attacks. He’s quite durable, and he gives any unit he joins Hit and Run, which is great for an elite assault unit. Guaranteed Descent of Angels is a tremendous buff for an army, allowing precision deep strikes and making flyers much more reliable. Given my thoughts on the importance of Stormravens, this is almost a must have.
In my mind, Dante’s biggest downside is that he’s a Lord of War, so he doesn’t fill your required HQ slot. Dante acts as a close combat monster, squad support, and army support, all for a very reasonable cost. He works best attached to an elite jump pack squad such as Sanguinary Guard or Death Company. This will make for a decent Death Star, not as durable as many but very fast and hard to pin down. Dante should concentrate on enemies that he can kill before they can attack; fortunately, this is most enemies. The only things that will slow him down are monstrous creatures and characters with good invulnerable saves.
Gabriel Seth, Chapter Master of the Flesh Tearers
Seth may be the cheapest Lord of War in the game. He has the standard Chapter Master statline and equipment, and carries Blood Reaver, a massive two-handed chainsword that doubles his Strength and grants Rending, but is only AP4. Seth comes with Fearless, Rage, and Whirlwind of Gore, which grants him an extra hit every time he rolls a 6 to hit. His warlord trait is Red Rampage, granting him extra attacks if outnumbered.
Seth is great for themed lists, but he doesn’t have that much going for him in the game. He’s not very durable with just power armor and an iron halo, and his high AP means that he will bounce off hard targets. He is quite good at taking out vehicles due to his high Strength and Rending, but that’s hardly something we need a Chapter Master for.
Fortunately, his low cost means that you don’t sacrifice much if you take him in your list for fun. Stick him in an assault transport with some decent backup and point him at the biggest concentration of enemy infantry you can find. He’s pretty good at cutting through masses of lighter troops, if you can get him there.