This is more a question than a critique: How effective *is* a terror strategy in this edition, anyway? I only ask just because I've usually found this edition that units are either so small as to make morale kinda pointless (by the time you've killed a few guys, the unit's basically gone) or have some kind of weird morale rule (Synapse, Mob Rule) to make casualties from morale minimal.
Granted, I do not face the range of opponents you do, and I'm not suggesting it isn't a cool theme, I just wonder whether you really need to bother.
Normally you are right. Relying on failed morale checks is pointless. But let's say that I max out the negative modifiers.
That would be a unit of Raptors engaged in combat with at least two other Night Lord units within range. That puts a -5 penalty on an enemy's leadership. A unit of marines will have their leadership drop to 2, 3 with the sergeant still alive. If you kill a single marine, then they will fail their leadership test on a 3+. If they roll a 6, then it is a total of 5 dead marines from a single casualty. Any further casualties and you can pretty much wipe out a unit from doing insignificant amounts of damage.
That being said, there are ways to prevent those casualties. There are enough units that are immune to morale or it can be stopped by a stratagem.
I have had to update my list with the changes in the FAQ. Again, everything has the Mark of Nurgle unless specified otherwise.
Night Lords BattalionHQDaemon Prince: Wings, Mark of Khorne, 2x Malefic Talons, Talisman of Burning Blood, Warlord: Lord of Terror.
180ptsChaos Lord: Jump Pack, Claws of the Black Hunt.
105ptsTroops10 cultists.
40pts10 cultists.
40pts10 cultists.
40ptsHeavy SupportPredator: Quad-Lascannons.
190ptsPredator: Quad-Lascannons.
190ptsPredator: Quad-Lascannons.
190ptsDedicated TransportRhino.
72ptsRhino.
72ptsNight Lords Outrider DetachmentSorcerer: Jump Pack, Miasma of Pestilence, Warptime.
120ptsFast Attack5 Raptors: Icon of Despair, 2x Plasma Guns, Champion w/ Combi-Plasma.
136pts5 Raptors: Icon of Despair, 2x Plasma Guns, Champion w/ Combi-Plasma.
136pts9 Raptors: Icon of Despair, 2x Plasma Guns, Champion w/ Combi-Plasma.
204ptsHeavy Support5 Havocs: Icon of Despair, 4 Plasma Guns, Champion w/ Combi-Plasma.
142pts5 Havocs: Icon of Despair, 4 Plasma Guns, Champion w/ Combi-Plasma.
142ptsTotal Points: 1999
Total Command Points: 9
Total Power Level: 102
Power Level / # of units deep striking: 22 / 4
My initial idea behind the list is that I wanted to focus on the Night Lords as not being worshippers of Chaos, but just evil marines that threw off the shackles of the Imperium when they sided with Horus. As such, I did what I could to avoid adding in Daemons. I made an exception with this list by including the Daemon Prince because I plan on picking up the Night Haunter model from Forgeworld and he would be best represented by a Daemon Prince as opposed to a Chaos Lord.
Lord and Raptors will deep strike, and I am relying on Miasma plus
In Midnight Clad to get the 10 man unit through the resulting shooting phase in the event that they fail their charge. The Havocs will be in the Rhinos, flanking the Sorcerer and the Daemon Prince. The Sorc took Warptime to slingshot the prince at something tasty, preferably within range of the unit that the Raptors hit to maximize their terror modifier.