need help with inquisitor retinue.

[Koss]

i can't figure out a good way to make an inquisitor w/ retinue.

heres what i have so far and i need guidance on what to take and how to make it more effective

(1) Ordo malleus inquisitor lord
+ anointed weapon
+ helpistol
+ icon of the just
(1) familiar
(3) acolytes
not sure how i will equipt them yet
(2) servitors
+ heavy bolters

Editted out points costs. ~LN

[Lost Nemesis]

Generally speaking, Inquisitors and their retinues should not be CC-based - ever. One of the more effective setups I've seen is this:

[1] Inquisitor Lord
+Psycannon
+Auspex
[3] Gun Servitors
+Heavy Bolter x3
[2] Sages
[2] Mystics

I like it, at least. Maybe throw in a few Acolytes, or something.

[mEGALOMANIAC]

Well no, you CAN do a melee Inquisitor or Lord. But when it comes down to it, you'll be better off using GK for the same melee task instead. In a Radical list, then, a melee Lord can serve a purpose.

What you need to do is decide, right now, whether you want a melee or ranged Inq/Lord. Never ever mix and match with weapons and henchmen - a "versatile" unit in 40K will never perform as well as a specialized one, and the specialized ones tend to cost less to boot.

If you want a ranged Inq/Lord, Lost Nemesis' (Lost Nemeses? ) suggestion is pretty standard. Myself, I prefer to use the Elite Inq over the HQ Lord for this, and therefore can only take three warriors, two sages, and a single mystic. That second mystic is handy, though, if you're going for an HQ choice. You also can trade a Heavy Bolter servitor for a Plasma Cannon servitor if you have the points - HBs, Plasma Cannons, and Psycannons enjoy a fairly large area of overlap when it comes to target choices, so mixing these weapons inside a squad is fine. Targeters are a waste, as the warrior types come with them. Any melee weapons or armor upgrades on the Inq are also a waste - if this unit sees melee, you *will* lose it. Multi-meltas are ok to use, but you'd have to have a VERY specialized squad to do that properly. A Heirophant, if you're using a Lord unit and want to boost this, can potentially protect you from daemons and the like, and counter a low Ld penalty.

If you want a more melee-specific unit, I'd say to go with the Lord over the Elite Inq - the added stats are worth it here. For armament, take a single "neat" melee weapon. I suggest something that has an additional effect to counter the Inq/Lord's lower strength value - a pair of lightning claws, a force weapon, or a thunder/daemonhammer work nicely. Mastercrafting any of the above is also solid. Daemonhammers and Annointed Weapons shouldn't be taken unless you KNOW you'll fight daemons. Give him a bolt pistol for the +1A for the latter two choices. Don't bother with terminator or artificer armor or the like - you've got Acolytes, and he comes with power armor.

For the melee retinue, take 3 Acolytes and 3 Warriors. If your Lord's weapon strikes at Initiative, take a single Familiar. A Heirophant, again, can be handy, but is the last addition. For the Warriors, don't use Combat Servitors - far too expensive, and far too fragile. I'd say to take two Vets with pistol/ccw loadouts, and a Vet with a flamer for a pre-charge kick (or just three pistol/ccw Vets). Other weapons will tempt you to stand and shoot. Acolytes can be given carapace armor - earlier printings of the DH codex omit this, but the FAQ says we DO have it. I prefer to give them a mix of power armor and storm shields (only one on each, obviously) so that I can dole out shots to whomever is the best protected. I wouldn't bother arming Acolytes with anything other than a bolt pistol & ccw - they're there to take wounds, not inflict them.

And finally, a melee unit needs a transport. Rhino or Chimera, your call, but the LR is too expensive and draws too much fire. Unlike GKT, if this unit is in an exploding vehicle.... Rhinos have better side armor and are cheaper, Chimeras have better front armor and guns - I prefer the Chimera, but there isn't a clear winner.

[Diggums Hammer]

Generally speaking, Inquisitors and their retinues should not be CC-based - ever. One of the more effective setups I've seen is this:

[1] Inquisitor Lord
+Psycannon
+Auspex
[3] Gun Servitors
+Heavy Bolter x3
[2] Sages
[2] Mystics

I like it, at least. Maybe throw in a few Acolytes, or something.

This is exactly how I do mine, wit the only difference being is that I chuck in a Plasma Cannon on one of the servitors instead of one Heavy Bolter. A BS5 Psycannon, BS 4 Plasma Cannon, 2 BS4 Heavy Bolters, Re-roll a miss of the Plasma Cannon, shoot at deep strikers before the shoot at you, fearless, this is an excellent squad!:yes:

[Koss]

I prefer to give them a mix of power armor and storm shields (only one on each, obviously) so that I can dole out shots to whomever is the best protected. I wouldn't bother arming Acolytes with anything other than a bolt pistol & ccw - they're there to take wounds, not inflict them.

if you take a storm shield, can the acolytes still benefit from having an extra attack for having a stormshield + close combat weapon?

[Lost Nemesis]

if you take a storm shield, can the acolytes still benefit from having an extra attack for having a stormshield + close combat weapon?

No - Storm Shields don't count as weapons, they are only listed in the Weapons section because they take a hand to hold, so can't have two CCW's with a Storm Shield, or a two-handed weapon either.

[Lamenter]

the only shield that gives you an extra attack is the Witchhunter's Crusader Suppression Shield.