Detachment Focus: Fellhammer Siege-Host (Updated January 9, 2025)

In this series of articles we take a deep dive into a specific detachment for a faction, covering the faction’s rules and upgrades and talking about how to build around that faction for competitive play. In this article, we’re covering the Fellhammer Siege-Host Detachment for the Chaos Space Marines.

The Tenth Edition release of Codex: Chaos Space Marines gave the faction access to a whopping eight detachments, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. These can dramatically change how the army plays, as each one tends to push players to build in a different way. In this series we’re diving deep into each Detachment and talking about what its rules are and how to play it. This article will be focusing on the Fellhammer Siege-Host Detachment.

Changelog

• January 9, 2025: Updated with errata, dataslate changes, and a new list
• May 11, 2024: Initial Publication

Detachment Overview

It’s pretty clear from the art and the rule names that the Fellhammer Siege-Host is designed to represent the Iron Warriors on the tabletop, with their siege-and-trench warfare style of combat and their philosophy of “Iron Within, Iron Without.” As a result the Siege-Host offers some decent durability buffs over other Chaos Space Marines Detachments, though it’s not as vehicle-focused as you might expect. Instead the Stratagem focus here is on heavier infantry, with support for short-ranged shooting and skirmishing that benefits the likes of Terminators and cult troops.

Detachment Rule: Iron Fortitude

Each time a ranged attack targets a non-DAMNED HERETIC ASTARTES unit from your army, if the Strength of that attack is greater than the unit’s Toughness, subtract 1 from the Wound roll.

This is alright. It’s a solid defensive buff that’s both good on your vehicles for ensuring that really big guns like Lascannons and Railguns only wound them on a 4+, and it’s great for making sure your Infantry aren’t going down easy to the likes of plasma guns and mortars. The big downside here is that it does nothing for you in melee, suggesting that Fellhammer Siege-Host armies want to scrap at a distance with opponents, or at the very least if they engage in melee they want it to be on their terms. That’s a problem given the Stratagems in the Detachment, and the fact that Chaos Space Marines are a better melee army than a shooting one most of the time.  

Enhancements

There are a few interesting options here to consider. None are generically good; they’re more options you have to build around a bit. The good news is that they’re all pretty inexpensive. Of these Iron Artifice is the best of the bunch, giving you a solid buff against vehicles.

• Bastion Plate (10 points) – Goes on a non-JUMP PACK Chaos Lord. Once per battle round, when you fail a save for the bearer’s unit, you can change the damage characteristic of that attack to 0. This is solid. You want this on a Terminator Chaos Lord, where it can combine with Iron Fortitude to create a really tough unit that can weather a bit more damage. This is also the good version of the rule, letting you wait for a failed save to use it, rather than wound allocation.
• Warp Tracer (20 points) – In your Shooting phase, after the bearer shoots, pick an enemy unit hit by one or more of those attacks. Until the end of the phase they can’t have the Benefit of Cover. At 20 points this feels overcosted, but being able to tag certain units for a +1 AP boost is pretty solid. It’s just hard to make it work with the existing character arsenal for Chaos Space Marines. This will do its best work when you combine it with Obliterators, who want to ignore cover when firing Indirect.
• Ironbound Enmity (15 points) – Each time the bearer makes an attack while within range of an objective marker, add 1 to the Wound roll. This is okay. It’s going to do its best work on one of the big characters, and it’s a good way to “have your cake and eat it too” with a Daemon Prince, where you can give them this and the Mark of Nurgle for +1 Toughness, or double up on this and the Mark of Khorne for S10 attacks with +1 to wound, letting you more effectively hunt vehicles. 
• Iron Artifice (10 points) – Infantry model only. The bearer’s weapons have [ANTI-VEHICLE 4+] and [ANTI-FORTIFICATION 4+]. Ignore the fortifications part. The best place for this is on a Daemon Hammer Chaos Lord or a Master of Executions, who can throw out dev wounds against vehicle targets on a 4+. It’s also not bad on a Terminator Sorcerer, who has his own Dev Wounds psychic attack to throw out.

Stratagems

The Fellhammer Siege-Host Stratagems aren’t amazing but they’re pretty useful, and they offer a mix of defensive boosts, spiteful retaliation, and a couple of solid damage buffs which rely on either your unit or the target being below half-strength. The big challenge here is that these tend to mostly be reactive.

• Persistent Assailants (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – Pick a unit in your army that was picked as the target of an attack in the Fight phase, but hasn’t fought yet. For the rest of the phase, that unit can re-roll hit rolls, and if your unit is below half-strength, they can re-roll wound rolls instead. This is a decent retaliatory move, and a solid consolation prize for eating some melee attacks before you strike back. You don’t generally want to be getting hit first, but if you’re going to get hit first this can be a pretty big deal. It’s situational but re-rolling all wound rolls is something Terminators don’t normally get. 
• Brutal Attrition (Epic Deed, 1 CP) – Used in the Fight phase, after an enemy unit picks its targets. Pick one non-DAMNED Infantry unit in your army that was picked as a target; after the attacking unit finishes making its attacks, roll one D6 for each attack, to a maximum of 6D6 per attacking unit. For each 4+ you roll, the attacking unit takes 1 mortal wound. Getting free grenades back on an enemy unit each time they swing at you – and most of the time you’ll take six or more attacks – and the ability to punish opponents for trying to charge you with multiple units is pretty solid. This is really great for putting extra mortals on vehicles, where something like a Rogal Dorn or Land Raider will throw out 6 attacks that do nothing, but then eat mortals in response.
• Pitiless Cannonade (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – Used in your Shooting phase. Gives a unit critical hits on a 5+ against units that are below Half-Strength. Situational, but very solid since you’ll know full well when this can be used. Remember that this causes your Dark Pacts to trigger on a 5+ and if you have a Helbrute around you’ll snag both effects. Good for finishing off that unit that might otherwise have lived with a single wound left and best with combined with Sustained Hits and re-rolls.
• Point-Blank Destruction (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – Used in the Shooting phase on a unit that’s within Engagement Range of an enemy unit. Until the end of the phase, your unit’s ranged weapons (except for the blast weapons) gain the PISTOL ability. This can be yet another solid way to make an opponent regret trying to tie you up, though it won’t get you out of combat in time to move. I particularly like it on Obliterators, who otherwise don’t have a way to shoot out of combat since they lack Big Guns Never Tire, and it’s absolute fire on Rubrics and Plague Marines armed with torrent weapons. It’s also decent on a unit of Terminators locked in combat with other infantry. Being able to shoot your way out of combat and then charge something is huge.
• Steadfast Determination (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Used in your opponent’s Shooting phase to give a non-DAMNED unit a 5+ Feel No Pain until the end of the phase. This is pretty good, and it’s incredible on 3-wound infantry like Terminators where it can help them power through attacks with Devastating Wounds. It looks even better in the wake of the nerfs to Armour of Contempt.
• Siegecraft (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Used at the start of your opponent’s Charge phase. Pick a unit in your army and until the end of the phase, if an enemy unit picks your unit as a charge target, they get -2 to the Charge rolls (this isn’t cumulative with other negative modifiers). This was previously a Stratagem on Death Guard in 9th edition and it’s pretty good. Having to use it before charges are declared is a bit of a downer, but the net effect is so good that it makes up for it. It’s a great way to dodge pesky 9” Deep strike charges and great for causing multiple charges against the same unit to fail. Sometimes it’s just about preventing an opponent from getting to an objective. 

Playing This Detachment

The biggest problem that the Fellhammer Siege-Host Detachment has is that it’s highly reactive. Almost all of its stratagems require putting the game firmly in your opponent’s hands and that’s really not what you want to be doing as a Chaos Space Marines player. Doing mortal wounds or getting re-rolls after you’re being hit isn’t nearly as satisfying or useful as killing things before they get to hit you in combat. Likewise, shooting in combat with PISTOL weapons isn’t nearly as good as being able to just Fall Back and shoot, something you can get access to in other Detachments. 

That said, there’s plenty you can get out of running this if you want to go with a more grinding advance playstyle and the key to that is running Terminators – lots of Terminators. Terminators are already one of your most durable units, and get the most out of buffs like the Bastion Plate and Steadfast Determination Stratagems. They’re also a solid unit for shooting your way out of combat with Point-Blank Destruction. Likewise, Abaddon’s not a bad feature in this Detachment, giving key units access to much-needed re-rolls, and there’s a lot of value in having the detachment rule on your bigger vehicles to avoid taking 3+ and 4+ to wound shots from bigger guns.

Playing the Siege-Host doesn’t mean that you have to build around a reactive play style, but it does want you to prioritize slower, more durable units and ranged output. There’s a lot of value here for both Plague Marines and Rubrics, and the latter really like to be able to shoot their way out of combat with a few flamer bursts. Being able to shrug off shooting in the open is pretty solid and we’ve seen some lists do well with this detachment, albeit on a limited basis – there are just typically better options out there if you want to run the same units.

Strengths

• Solid durability buff against incoming shooting is great for keeping key units around and works on infantry and vehicles
• Great buffs here for Terminators, who really want the Detachment durability buff
• Solid buffs for Rubrics and Plague Marines

Weaknesses

• Defensive buff doesn’t work in melee, making you vulenerable to pressure/melee armies
• Lack of melee buffs pushes you away from some of the faction’s best units and makes you even more vulnerable when getting charged
• Very little in the way of offensive buffs means your game plan will be more reactionary than usual

A Sample List

The most recent x-1 list for the Fellhammer Siege-Host comes from the Gravel Pit event in mid-November, 2024. Ashley Parkinson took this Emperor’s Children list to a 4-1 record, losing on the final table in the final round to Aiden Smalley’s Death Guard. Along the way Ashley beat Astra Militarum twice, Daemons, and Death Guard. 

There’s a lot going on with this list but the core of it are those Terminator units and the Land Raider. One has a Bastion Plate Chaos Lord and is parked in the Land Raider while the other has a Terminator Sorcerer to teleport in and re-roll charges. There’s also an Iron Artifice Chaos Lord with a hammer and Legionary entourage to take out any big vehicle targets. Though should it come to that, there’s a Knight Despoiler here as well, packing some serious ranged punch with its thermal cannon and gatling cannon. 

That this is Emperor’s Children only matters in that Lucius is here as the warlord; he’s a fine piece but easily replaced with a Master of Executions or Huron Blackheart if you’re looking for alternatives.

Final Thoughts

The Fellhammer Siege-Host is a strange Detachment. It has some solid defensive buffs, but it feels like a set of rules more suited to Death Guard than the current Chaos Space Marines army, whose army rule pushes them more toward aggressive, offensive play and whose datasheets push toward fast melee engagement. Still, with the right units and environment, you can build some very annoying if not super powerful lists here and we’ve certainly seen players go the distance with a Fellhammer list once or twice before.

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