Chaos Daemons Summary Page

This page brings together my codex reviews of Chaos Daemons as it was in 6th-7th edition Warhammer 40,000. Entries are listed by Force Organization Chart position and then alphabetically. At the bottom of this are a few additional thoughts and entries about other aspects of the daemons codex, such as the Warp Storm Table.

HQ

Be'Lakor

Bloodthirster

Daemon Prince

Epidemius

Great Unclean One

Herald of Khorne

Herald of Nurgle

Herald of Slaanesh

Herald of Tzeentch

Kairos Fateweaver

Karanak

Keeper of Secrets

Ku'Gath Plaguefather

Lord of Change

Masque of Slaanesh

Skarbrand

Skulltaker

The Blue Scribes

The Changeling

Elites

Beasts of Nurgle

Bloodcrushers of Khorne

Fiends of Slaanesh

Flamers of Tzeentch

Troops

Bloodletters of Khorne

Blood Throne of Khorne

Daemonettes of Slaanesh

Nurglings

Pink Horrors of Tzeentch

Plaguebearers of Nurgle

Fast Attack

Chaos Furies

Flesh Hounds of Khorne

Plague Drones of Nurgle

Screamers of Tzeentch

Seekers of Slaanesh

Heavy Support

Burning Chariot of Tzeentch

Hellflayer of Slaanesh

Seeker Cavalcade and Exalted Chariots

Skull Cannon of Khorne

Soul Grinder

Other Daemons Review Articles.

Overall initial impressions of the codex

Warp Storm Table

CSM and Daemons Review: Be'Lakor

I admit it: I bought the Be'Lakor dataslate when it became available. Well, it was actually a holiday season gift from my wife (I have the best wife!).

At a basic level, Be'Lakor is a new HQ choice for either chaos daemons or for chaos space marines. He is a pricey unit - to be clear - but probably correctly (i.e. fairly) priced. Hence there is no "discount" for taking him.  But his abilities are a force to be reckoned with - he is a real "force multiplier" in a number of ways. And: he DOES have eternal warrior which is a great bonus to have in there.

Stat line wise, he is very similar to a regular daemon prince. His sword is pretty special, having both types of 'bane and strength modifier (and then some).  On top of this is his 4+ invulnerable save coupled with a Nurgle-like shrouding ability (which ties in to his whole "shadow" theme that he has going on). But he does not have any alignment to the big four chaos power in warhammer: he is the only undivided chaos daemon prince available. 

To my mind though, the real benefit (and the reason to take him) are on the psychic side of things. He has access to all telepathy skills.  Why is this such a great thing? Well: think of being able to guarantee invisibility.  But it gets better: mental fortitude or hallucination can be extremely potent in their own rights if played right. Want more? Well, Be'Lakor gains bonus warp charges if enemies fail morale checks.  Hello terrify!  There's little not to like about such a combination in the game! Use Endurance on him if possible to help him keep alive and kicking should the flying shrouded jink'ed basic version be not to your liking.  And use puppet master (and the rest) to utterly disrupt your opponents battle plans. Especially those Tau that you're starting to really be annoyed with.

Play wise, I think I'd be seeing him as a chaos space marines HQ mostly. Even if I were fielding daemons, I would use Be'Lackor as an HQ of an allied chaos space marine force organization chart (so as to keep the warlord traits of someone better, like Fateweaver!). In such a mould, Be'Lakor brings a little extra pain to the table of the daemons flying circus style lists that are popular at the moment. And he doesn't remove too much either (possible a Tzeentch daemon prince, rather than a Slaanesh one, plus a few daemonettes).  Hence I can easily see him being taken with a minimal detachment of cultists to make it work.

In short: tailored to the right list, Be'Lakor will see competitive play and will be a pain to opponents in the hands of a competent player. And I think he will certainly see play in casual games too, for variation and shadowy themed armies (Night Lords? Alpha Legion?).

Chaos Daemons Review: Seeker Cavalcade and Exalted Chariots

A seeker cavalcade is a squad of seeker chariots or exalted seeker chariots in any combination.

On the negative side, these chariots have only 2 HP each and are only AV11 on the front (10 on the rear).  This makes them very flimsy to say the least.  A good volley of bolter fire to the back can readily take them out.  The exalted versions has a bit more staying power with 4 HP each.  But it is still fundamentally weak.

The flesh shredder is a S4 rending hammer of wrath attack.  Sure, it gets d6 hammers per HP, but the S4 isn't much really.  On the flip side, the exalted alluress' ability to gain attacks via unsaved wounds from the hammer of wrath attacks is an interesting combination.  But its never going to be very high I suspect.  (that's to say: not high like a greater daemons..., or Angron...).

Customizability comes in the shape of lesser and greater rewards.  But, again, I'm not sold.  These beasts shouldn't need them.

BUT: on the good side: they're only a little bit more pricey than a rhino (for the basic seeker chariot).  But heck, a rhino can ram, fire guns, machine spirit, has more HP, deploy smoke... they're just better really.  AND: they're competing against soul grinders in the heavy support slot.  So, overall: I'm not sold on them.

And that concludes the Daemons Codex review from Warpstone Flux.  I'm taking a little holiday soon so will leave you with the company of Eldrad Vect :)

Chaos Daemons Review: Burning Chariot of Tzeentch

The burning chariot of Tzeentch is a new option in this codex.  It is one that actually has some significant firepower as well.  Having access to both S9 AP2 shot and an AP3 flamer template is a great boon for a daemons army - even if it is close range only.

The problems for this unit are multifold however.  The warpflame rule means that any unit not dealt with by the attacks will gain feel no pain.  I'm really over the warpflame rule: I pretty much don't want to take any Tzeentch unit because of this to be honest.  I wonder if it was truly a design mistake in hindsight?  An over-nerf of flamers that only needed a tweak?  And even the hammer of wrath attack has warpflame as well!

But the chariot itself is a major issue too.  With AV10 all around, it really is not hardy at all.  A concentrated rapid fire of bolters from a full marine squad could cause one to explode.  And that's before factoring they've probably got melta guns in there as well.

In terms of upgrades, I really can't see me taking any.  The -1Ld penalty that a blue horror crew would impose is not worth it.  The lesser and greater rewards would (on the surface) seem like points that should be better spent elsewhere.  So if I were to take this unit (which I don't think I will!), it will certainly be a "naked" none-upgraded one.

Overall, a nice addition, but one that could have done without warpflame to be worth the points.  And even then, I feel that landspeeders do it slightly better.

Chaos Daemons Review: Skull Cannon of Khorne

The skull cannon is an entertaining addition to the codex that fits in well with Khorne's theme of murder through any "natural" means (where "natural" excludes psychic traditionally).  In this case, technological corresponds to natural.

On the positive side, the skull cannon has a reasonable armour value (12) on its front and side with 3 hull points.  This will clearly put it in the dreadnought survivability category with some intelligent play. Therefore on that basis alone, it is viable.  The higher-than-dreadnought BS is a clear advantage too.

In terms of weaponry, the skull cannon is reasonable: at S8, its going to hurt (and potentially instant kills) some enemies, but the AP5 value feels like a let down considering a dreadnought equivalent would probably be a plasma cannon.  The dreadskulls rule is weak: allowing no initiative penalty for charging daemons is just a bit in the meh category for me personally.  Finally, the chariot also the gorefeast rule introduced on the blood throne.  Occasionally, it will therefore be able to regenerate its hull points.

Overall, for the points cost, its just a shade on the expensive side for what it does.  If only it had a solid AP, it would be much better and more tempting.  As it is, I think the soul grinder is still outshining the skull cannon for me.  And since the cannon itself is very much anti-infantry and anti-light tank, many of the other units in the chaos daemons codex duplicate this purpose.  Hence, although the model is nice looking, I'm leaving this one out of the army lists outside of Apocalypse.

Chaos Daemons Review: Soul Grinder

The soul grinder now comes with a larger variety of upgrades compared to the previous codex.  The first upgrade is that it now must be upgraded to serving one of the four major powers. Khorne will help thanks to furious charge.  Tzeentch is not so good: re-rolling saves of 1 is not so hot.  Nurgle is excellent for shrouded.  And Slaanesh is nice due to rending (but you have an iron claw any way for x2S and AP2).

The other options are similar to the previous edition: phlegm gives a good pie plate attack, whilst warp gaze gives a much needed S10 attack option.  That said, we must bear in mind that this is at BS3.  And finally: don't bother with warpsword.  Really: don't.

It is also worth noting that the harvester has sky fire -- a much needed factor in a pure deamons army.  But equally, given allies, I suspect that some heldrakes will be flying alongside daemons anyhow!

My favourite build would therefore be:
Soul Grinder, daemon of Nurgle, Phlegm Bombardment (180 points)
This one has the flexibility of keeping him in the back lines to take advantage of shrouded, or get up close and personal with the ironclaw.

Chaos Daemons Review: Hellflayer of Slaanesh

First appearing in the supplemental white dwarf pull out section, the hellflayer is still an oddity to me.  Sure: its the Slaanesh chariot.  But,with only 2 hull points, and AV11 (AV10 on the rear), it really, really is not going to last long.  The only way it is going to last is to have multiple hellflayers on the battlefield to provide a target rich environment.  But then, we're wasting a valuable fast attack slot which in this codex seems to also be a rich environment.  Seekers of Slaanesh might be a more prudent points investment to be honest.

As for the hellflayer itself: it does have its uses.  The special rules mean that when it hammers into another vehicle, it gets a tonne of attacks that rend.  Effectively, with a good die roll, one can glance most low AV vehicles to death quite readily.  This has to be weighed against the fact that there are many other units in this codex that can do similar.  So there's nothing too appealing here.  The alluress is nothing special either to be honest.  Some extra attacks related to how well the hammer of wrath goes against other units really isn't too special.

So overall, my advice is probably to give this chariot a skip and take seekers of Slaanesh instead (which  are the same points value, base).

Chaos Daemons Review: Seekers of Slaanesh

The fast attack slot of the daemons codex feels like it is jam packed with quite reasonable and darn good choices.  Seekers of Slaanesh are probably in the quite reasonable category.

Think of them as enhanced daemonettes.  In addition, they have outflank and acute senses.  This makes them very agile.  And did I mention swift?  As cavalry, they can certainly cover a great amount of distance and combined with the mark of Slaanesh mean they can move with an additional 6" when running.  That's phenomenal - and in some ways: game breaking.  There's almost no other unit that can move that far.

For the upgrades, the rapturous standard is interesting and could be used for high priority target hunting.  The etherblade and the heartseeker upgrades seem worthwhile on face value and probably should be taken on most squads.  The lash of despair could be useful for its 2d6 assault value, but the strength is poor - as is the AP.  So perhaps best to stick with an ether blade in my opinion.

Here's a pair of builds to consider:
12 Seekers of Slaanesh, including 1 Heartseeker with Etherblade. (159 points)
A large squad of rapidly moving seekers that should take a herald on a steed with them in many cases to go forth and target whichever squad they like with their rapid movement.  They are a herald delivery system to some extent.

6 Seekers of Slaanesh, including Icon upgraded to rapturous standard, 1 Heartseeker with Etherblade. (117 points)
The HQ hunters.

Chaos Daemons Review: Chaos Furies

Chaos furies have been in the daemons pantheon for a long while. Even back in the old realms of chaos, there were independent daemons who owed no allegiance to the big powers. In the new daemons codex, the furies can be bought unaligned, or bought corrupted by one of the big four. The option to upgrade with to a daemon of the big four is what makes them really shine in my opinion:  shrouded Nurglesque furies; red Khornate furies with hatred; rending Slaaneshi furies -- there's little not to like. Perhaps Tzeentch is the only one that is not so wonderful since they are not spellcasters, but re-rolling a save of a 1 is just about okay. So themed armies only for Tzeentch furies.

The final point is their cost. They are cheap. Darn cheap. The fast attack choices in daemons armies has gone from "yeah Screamers of Tzeentch of flesh hounds are okay" to "what to choose ... hmmmm...". And that can only be a good thing. I could see the potential for fury hordes here -- in the same way that Tyranids can field gargoyle hordes.

Here's a few potential builds.

20 Chaos Furies (125 points)
Cheap jump infantry. A smoke screen and flesh shield. A late game contesting squad. Expendable. Fun!

14 Chaos Furies, Daemons of Nurgle (117 points)
More expensive than the above, but they get shrouded, at the expense of slow and purposeful.

16 Chaos Furies, Daemons of Khorne (133 points)
Slaughter and skulls for the skull throne!  The boost from Khorne is powerful: might as well take a reasonable sized unit to take advantage of that fact (and 16 is a multiple of Khorne's sacred number).

18 Chaos Furies, Daemons of Slaanesh (149 points)
Go and rend things!  Move with fleet otherwise.  A fast and quite hard hitting unit thanks to rending.  They could be a real danger.  And you can do everything that basic furies can as well.  Very worth while for this unit I think -- lots of potential!

(Image: WFB Strigoi collectors miniature -- I know its not a fury, but I think it looks like a good approximation to one and I think a unit of these as furies would look very cool).

Chaos Daemons Review: Plague Drones of Nurgle

New for this codex is Nurgle's entry in the fast attack section: plague drones.  Sadly I always get confused with this name and "Blight Drones", but that is about my only criticism.

What are they good for then?  Well, they move fast.  And if you're a long time Nurgle fan, then you will know what a huge boon this is.  Seriously: a Nurgle unit that moves fast breaks the Nurgle rule of being slow and purposeful (literally).  With shrouded and a toughness of 5, these guys are going to be quite mean to take down.

But therein, there's a conundrum.  On their own, they don't have a particularly great role.  The only way that they are going to take enemies down is through their sheer numbers (and sheer number of poisoned attacks).  And as such, the way to play them is either (1) as a tar pit or (2) as a final turn swooper to claim or contest objectives (depending on which of the standard games is being played).  They are simply not geared to take down armour, and not particularly great at taking down terminators and their ilk.  But they might be able to tar pit for long enough that it won't be an issue.  An etherblade or greater etherblade would be a nice way to cause a threat to 2+ save models though and is a serious contender for spending points on.

Death heads give a 12" ranged attack which is also poisoned.  This could actually be good on this unit since they're about the only one that might benefit from it (i.e. being able to position themselves quick and accurately for their use).  Venom sting inflicts instant death and could be a useful idea for character hunting (but is expensive).  Rot Proboscis give a 3+ poisoned rule which is nice, but again: also expensive.  And as with many units, icons and instruments can be added to taste.

Here's a few ideas on builds.

5 Plague drones of Nurgle, Venom Stings, Plaguebringer with Greater Etherblade (260 points)
This is a pricey unit (in comparison to say, thunder hammer terminators), but is fundamentally a character hunter and killer.  Seek out enemy characters and try to instant death them.  You only need to score that one wound and it could be pulled off by this unit effectively (with some good die rolling).

3 Plague drones of Nurgle, Plaguebringer with Greater Etherblade, Icon of Chaos, Instrument of chaos (176 points)
A fairly bland set up, but potentially very useful with the instrument inside it.  Use it as a tar pit to stop pesky fire warriors shooting everything else out the the sky?

3 Plaguedrones of Nurgle, Plaguebringer with Etherblade, Death Heads (156 points)
A slightly cheaper tar pit unit.  If it survive (or if you hide it), use it to swoop on an objective in the late game.

Chaos Daemons Review: Screamers of Tzeentch

It had to happen: the screamers of Tzeentch foresaw the battering that they'd get by asking Kairos.  Instead of all their attacks being at AP2, they may now swap all available attacks for a singular AP2 attack in close combat.  But you know: that really isn't so bad.  Such an attack in a reasonably sized shoal of screamers will still cause headaches for terminators.

They are more readily shot down and generally dealt with by enemy armies as well now -- a S8 hit will kill them outright due instant death.  A bit more like what they were when daemons came our really (with armourbane).  Since I have been using them before they got good, this sits well with me.  But the real strength comes from the fly-overs that they can do.  Their slashing attack can cause certain armies quite a headache for little effort.  Combine with other flying units and the screamers will still, no doubt, have a strong place in daemon armies.

Fundamentally, they're still jetbikes as well.  Two wound jetbikes as well.  And they're a reasonable price.  Expect to see them execute late game swoops on to objectives to contest them (or claim them if playing that mission!).  I'd be tempted to field them in squads of about 5 or so -- enough to prevent them all dropping dead in one turn (unless they get really concentrated and sustained incoming firepower - in which case they've probably soaked enough wounds to allow other army elements to move in to place) and significant to cause headaches where required.

Chaos Daemons Review: Flesh Hounds

We turn to the first of an expanded fast attack section of the Chaos Daemons codex.  Flesh hounds are one of the units in the new codex that retain their attraction -- albeit, a different attraction to the older codex.  Firstly, they have a space marine-like stat line.  But moreover: two wounds each.  But the key attraction is surely their price tag.  They are very points cost effective for what they give.  Two wounds each and a space marine stat line.  Its a winner really.  Even if their armour save is 6+/5++.

On the battlefield, they could fulfil several distinct roles.  As an escort, they could readily take Karanak or a Khorne herald to the front lines.  On their own, use the scouts rule to get rapidly in to position and get stuck in to a heavy support (infantry) squad.  Use their wounds to soak up firepower and tar pit critical enemy units.  Use them to buy time for other elements of the daemons army to get in position.  Surround an enemy psyker and give them a jolt when you tell them what a collar of Khorne does.

Ideally, they don't want to be left on their own though.  They're probably not quite buff enough on their own to tar pit forever -- leave that to plaguebearers and plaguemarines.  They'll probably need support eventually.

Two build to consider for you:
8 flesh hounds of Khorne (128 points)
Small enough to deep strike accurately, sleek enough to cause head aches.

16 flesh hounds of Khorne (256 points)
Start them on the board with a herald or Karanak (or both?!) and move up the board as a significant fire magnet and threat.  They will die, no doubt, but remember even their blood is welcome...

Chaos Daemons Review: Fiends of Slaanesh

The fiends of Slaanesh have also taken a hit compared to the previous codex.  They have 3 wounds each, sure, but they are still only toughness 4.  That means they're going down like space marines with a worse saving throw.  And they're also vulnerable to instant death if they don't make their saving throws: think vindicators wiping out an entire unit.

They are now also missing grenades. This is significant.  Their loss means the fiends are a lot less playable than before.

What they do have is the ability to cause a successfully charged unit to lose 5I.  With their own I6, this means that they will go first against anything in the game -- they just have to pull off a successful charge.  Therefore, there is a role for fiends in an alpha-strike sense.

Their ability to reduce Ld of enemy psykers is an interesting one.  But its not too significant.  Overall, I think the fiends are now over priced compared to some other units in the game.  The main thing I can see using them for is shock commander killers.  As such, I'd be tempted to take them in units slightly bigger than the default if I'm going to use them.  Get them on the board.  Tactically get in to position (and/or screen other and support units along the way) and aim to wipe out an enemy command structure.  There's probably better ways of doing it though, but they're still kinda viable in this role.

Chaos Daemons Review: Beasts of Nurgle

They are beasts - yes.  But they're also slow and purposeful!  The interaction between these two rules is entertaining and not to be taken lightly.

One of the most interesting aspects of Beasts of Nurgle is their ability to counter charge a successful charge from the enemy on a nearby unit.  Therefore these guys have a tremendous escort role in the new daemons codex.  Several of these scattered throughout a couple of plaguebearer units could be quite a devastating combination.  Particularly since they combine T5, W4, It Will Not Die, and poisoned attacks.  And any unit charging them counts as a disordered charge.

The main drawback is the points cost and the random number of attacks (d6+1).  Hence, I feel a bit on the fence about these guys.  They could be spectacular!  Or they could be a damp squib.  I'm just torn.  Perhaps a few proxy missions are in order.

I think I'd field them in small quantities.  So my preferred combination would be two (104 points) or three (156 points) Beasts of Nurgle in a unit.  Keep them alive and keep them rolling with the plaguebearer mob (or others).

Chaos Daemons Review: Flamers of Tzeentch

We all knew that something had to be done about these guys!  I was expecting a bit of a reversion to the original 5th edition rules myself.  But instead, the actual attack from these guys (the flames themselves!) got altered.  So, the flames might kill some models - sure.  But if they don't, the enemy gets an improved (or 6+) feel no pain roll!  Yikes!  This makes the flamers such a gamble!  With only AP4 on Flamer's flames now, the Heldrake looks a much better option to be honest - go Chaos Space Marines if you want hard hitting flamer templates.

On the other hand, they are toughness 4 with two wounds each.  That's not bad for the price tag, but it's not brilliant either.  A pyrocaster upgrade costs 5 points and makes one model BS5.  That's pretty decent and could pull a duty on quad guns.  Indeed, having flamers on a quad gun might be somewhat viable: charging them would result in a few casualties and perhaps a 6+ FNP enemy ... but then again, they could probably hold on until reinforcements arrived.  For the rewards, I like the mutating warp blade -- it does create chaos spawn which is very exciting (well, to me at least!).

Here's a few thoughts about builds.

2 Flamers of Tzeentch, 1 Pyrocaster (74 points)
Place them behind a quad gun equipped structure (defence line, or perhaps a bastion) and use the pyrocaster to shoot things out of the air.  Feel free to leave the position and swoop on a nearby enemy.  Or let them charge you and hope you don't give them a big FNP bonus.

9 Flamers of Tzeentch including 1 Pyrocaster with a mutating warp blade (222 points)
Nine is Tzeentch's sacred number -- so its fluffy.  And the mutating warp blade is neat!  The rest of the unit are there to deliver the bearer in to combat and in general be a road bump.  Just hope that you don't give too many units FNP -- hopefully with so many flamer templates going off most opposition (wisely) targeted would perish.

Chaos Daemons Review: Bloodcrushers of Khorne

Sadly, the bloodcrushers are not what they once were.  Their toughness is 4 and they lack the armour save that they used to exhibit (now a measly 6+!).

On the flip side they do have 3 wounds each.  But this is not truly enough to offset the negatives that they have received.  Sure: cavalry with power weapons is nice.  But just not here.

To create a build, the axe Khorne is somewhat appealing, as well as the banner of blood.  But I think the real good option is to make them in to a horde.  Sure: they're susceptible to mass firepower: but is there enough to stop their advance?  Especially if they're the escort for a herald?!

Here's some examples:

9 Bloodcrushers of Khorne, Axe of Khorne on bloodhunter, Banner of Blood Icon (435 points)
27 wounds.  Its okay, but its not going to last forever.  Better deliver the herald whilst they're still alive.

3 Bloodcrushers of Khorne, Axe of Khorne on bloodhunter (145 points)
A distraction unit, also a potential screen unit.  It isn't going to last long, so enjoy it whilst they last.

Chaos Daemons Review: Blood Throne of Khorne

The blood throne is the first of the chariots that have distinct entries in the codex. As a 12 12 10 3HP thing, it is somewhat fragile and likely to be taken down with a few hits.  But equally, its no worse than a rhino (apart from the open top aspect of course), and we still see many a rhino on the battlefield even in 6th edition.

For it to be fully effective, the blood throne needs to be up close and personal with the enemy -- the ability for it to heal itself via gorefeast / hammer of wrath is excellent.  Whether we this is the deciding factor is unclear to me: I think a turn of dedicated incoming fire is going to eliminate it with ease.

The totem of endless bloodletting is an interesting upgrade that allows loci to spread 6 inches from the chariot.  I like the intention behind this rule immensely.  The greater locus of fury and the exalted locus of wrath are going to be excellent contenders for this honour.  As such, this "force multiplier" is sorely tempting to the for a Khorne focussed army since chariots of this nature will become nodes / nexuses of the army -- effectively making the Khorne daemons have an edge more deadliness in close combat.  As such, if we are running Khorne and taking a blood throne, I'd be tempted to take more than one.

Chaos Daemons Review: Nurglings

Not only can they deep strike, they can also infiltrate.  Seriously: infiltrating nurglings!  Sneaky critters! I'm actually in love with the new nurglings: they're cute, playful, loving, caring and have sharp teeth and claws for invaders.  Oh, and they like turning milk sour.  And other fun things!  (mostly involving slime, disease, decay and disgusting things).

But at 45 points for 3 bases (or swarms as they're now referred to), are they worth it?  They each have an incredible 4 wounds and attacks, but everything else is 3's across the board (save leadership).  This isn't so bad to be honest.  I can see uses for them in the front as a magnet, in the backfield as a rock, or about anywhere else as a conga line of tarpitting.  But they're up against plaguebearers: are those extra wounds and infiltrate worthwhile?  Its a balance to be sure.  A unit of nurglings and several plaguebearer units could be great in tandem.  But slow and purposeful will hurt.

Here's my suggestion:
7 Nurgling Swarms (105 points).
Why 7?  Because its Nurgle's sacred number. And its enough to form a solid conga line. Enough said.

Chaos Daemons Review: Daemonettes of Slaanesh

Daemonettes are still high initiative and good WS.  They still lack in the toughness department and they still have rending and fleet.  Plus they can run a valuable extra 3" thanks be being Slaaneshi.  Keep the pink horrors at home: I'm taking these androgenes and the plaguebearers!

Sure, they lack durability.  But that's not the point.  They can hit hard, travel quick, rend light vehicles to death and out-initiative marines in close combat.

The Alluress upgrade should be automatic: the extra attack for 5 points is a great deal for the Slaaneshi player. In terms of rewards, the ether blade (normal or greater variant) should be a great option for the daemonettes.  The rapturous standard is interesting, but probably not strictly required I think -- unless the daemonettes are aiming at taking monstrous creatures down.  The instrument is also worthwhile on one squad here and there.

Here are a pair of sample builds

12 Daemonettes of Slaanesh, Alluress with Etherblade (123 points)
A small tactical and surgical strike squad suitable for forward deepstriking.  They'll probably get shot to pieces, but a few should survive to rend their opponents.  Alternatively look to rend a light vehicle to death. And 12 is a multiple of Slaanesh's holy number (six), so its also fluffy.

20 Daemonettes of Slaanesh, Alluress with Etherblade, Instrument of Chaos, Icon of Chaos (215 points)
A large squad of forward deepstriking, or rear guard actions, and also scoring.  Get them in combat as soon as possible.

Chaos Daemons Review: Plaguebearers of Nurgle

Sure, they're not as tough (literally) as they used to be, but plaguebearers are still a strong choice.  And they're now cheaper than they've ever been, making them very tempting for troops choices in the chaos daemons codex.

Shrouded is great for Nurgle daemons, and although it comes at the price of slow and purposeful, it is not a strong issue (and one that has been with plaguebearers already).

Taking a plagueridden champion is almost mandatory - the extra attack in close combat is going to be good.  Interestingly, they have a none-zero BS now.  Hence they can potentially use a quad gun on a defence line if required.  This provides many tactical options - particularly for placing an objective behind such a line and sitting there all game long.  Having plagueswords (which CAN glance a vehicle to death) is powerful, hence the lesser and greater rewards aren't actually too tempting overall.  A random greater reward could be taken for an offensive build though, but I'm feeling that the ability to save on points here is useful.  The instrument and icon are both great choices (again, particularly for aggressive armies), but the plague banner is an excellent choice for such aggressive builds -- do not underestimate poison 2+ -- it is very potent stuff!

Finally, if you're going to take plaguebearers, let me emphasize that they have great resonance with Heralds of Nurgle.  Add in a herald with the greater locus to grant feel no pain to the entire unit for an extra 70 points - this should almost be an automatic play!

Here are some builds to think about.

14 Plaguebearers of Nurgle, Herald of Nurgle with greater locus, Aegis Defence Line with quad gun (323 points)
Its fluffy because its a multiple of 7.  Its great because just what the heck is an opponent to do?

20 Plaguebearers of Nurgle, Herald of Nurgle with greater locus (250 points)
Camping on an objective?  This is not a bad start!

10 Plaguebearers of Nurgle, including 1 plagueridden, instrument of chaos and plague banner,  Herald of Nurgle with greater locus and level 2 psyker (245 points)
The aggressive build for a small, dedicated unit.  Probably going to see a few of these kinds of build in a mono-Nurgle army.

10 Plaguebearers of Nurgle (90 points)
Sorry, just got to include this one. Really, really cheap.  And they can still work.