| 7th Ed. Skaven Tactica vs ANY Foe!; Die Die! Any and Every Things!!! | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 2nd December 2009 - 09:25 AM (14,721 Views) | |
| wolfatbar | 2nd December 2009 - 09:25 AM Post #1 |
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Die! Die! Every-things!
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MUTATE: This is finally finished!!! What follows is an explanation of how to use the 7th edition Skaven army to beat any unit from any army. Think of it as an “army specific tactica” that isn’t specific to a single army. Instead, all unit types available to any and all of the various Warhammer armies are grouped together. It’s pretty ambitious, I know, so we’ll see how it works out in the end. Obviously, due to the nature of this enterprise, it is pretty basic/general in nature, won’t inform experts of much (or anything) they didn’t already know, and doesn’t go into a lot of detail about any specific army (besides the best one: ours!). PART ONE presents a look at possible enemy armies, including everything but Dogs of War and Chaos Dwarves. Each unit type is covered: Infantry, Hammer Units, Monsters, Manueverable Units, and Artillery. For each unit type a definition is provided, followed by proper Skaven match-ups, followed by considerations for that unit type. A (very) brief look at special rules, unique units, and magical items for each army follows. PART TWO (starting 3 posts down!) turns things around so we are looking at things from a more Skaveny perspective. The pros, cons, and uses for each Skaven unit are covered, followed by a list of unit types that each Skaven unit is capable of taking down. Lastly, there is a discussion of 'unique' Skaven units and magical items. PS- If you notice a typo or formating error of some sort please send me a PM, quoting the error and telling me what section its in. Thanx! CONTENTS: 1-Introduction 2-Skaven Advantages and Disadvantages -2.1 Deployment -2.2 Unit Size -2.3 Leadership Depends on Ranks PART ONE: THE ENEMY- 3-Enemy Infantry Units -3.1 ‘Crappy’ Infantry -3.2 ‘Decent’ Infantry -3.3 ‘Elite/Hitty’ Infantry 4-Enemy ‘Hammer’ Units -4.1 Unit Monsters -4.2 Heavy Cavalry -4.3 Chariots {start second post} 5- Enemy Monsters -5.1 ‘Wannabe/Try-Hard’ Monsters -5.2 ‘Brutal’ Monsters 6- Enemy Maneuverable Units -6.1 Skirmishers -6.2 Fast Cavalry -6.3 Flying Units {start third post} 7- Enemy Artillery 8- ‘Unique’ Enemy Units, Army Rules, and Powerful Items (Army by Army list) -8.1 Beastmen -8.2 Brettonians -8.3 Chaos Warriors -8.4 Daemons -8.5 Dark Elves -8.6 Dwarves -8.7 Empire -8.8 High Elves -8.9 Lizzies -8.10 Ogre Kingdoms -8.11 Orcs and Gobbers -8.12 Tomb Kings -8.13 Vampires -8.14 Wood Elves {start fourth post} PART TWO: THE RATS! (that’s us!)- 9- Skaven Characters -9.1 Skaven Lords -9.2 Skaven Heroes -9.3 Skaven Special Characters 10-Skaven Infantry -10.1 ‘Crappy’ Rat Infantry -10.2 ‘Decent’ Rat Infantry -10.3 Doom Flayers 11-Skaven Hammers -11.1 Plague Monks -11.2 PCBs -11.3 Rat Ogres -11.4 The Plague Furnace -11.5 The Screaming Bell -11.6 The Mounted Warlord 12-Skaven Monsters -12.1 The Doom Wheel -12.2 The Hellpit Abomination {start fifth post} 13-Skaven Maneuverable Units -13.1 Slaves (with a Warlock) -13.2 Giant Rats -13.3 Night Runners -13.4 Gutter Runners -13.5 PWGs -13.6 PCBs -13.7 The Doom Wheel -13.8 The Hellpit Abomination 14-Skaven Light Shooting -14.1 Night + Gutter Runners -14.2 Ratling Runs -14.3 Mortars -14.4 WFTs -14.5 Plague-a-Pults 15-Skaven Heavy Shooting -15.1 PWGs -15.2 Jezzails -15.3 WLCs -15.4 The Doom Wheel 16-‘Unique’ Skaven Units -16.1 PCBs -16.2 The Doom Wheel -16.3 The Hellpit Abomination {start sixth and final post} 17- Skaven Lores of Magic -17.1 Lore of Ruin -17.2 Lore of Plague -17.3 Lore of the Horned Rat (13th Spell) 18- Skaven Magical Items -18.1 Ranged Weapons -18.2 Combat Weapons -18.3 Magical Armour -18.4 Arcane Items -18.5 Talismans -18.6 Enchanted Items -18.7 Magical Standards 19- Summary/Conclusion -19.1 7th Edition Changes -19.2 Tactical Summary -19.3 List Building -19.4 Conclusion 1- Introduction:Warhammer, at its strategic heart, is an extremely complicated version of “rock, paper, scissors”. To maximize your chances of winning you need to have the correct units and then correctly use them against your enemy’s units in the correct match ups. The general idea is to use something that will quickly and/or reliably kill a target that cost more than it did. Sounds difficult, but The Rats have two major advantages to achieve this goal: deployment and unit size. 2- Skaven Advantages:Yes, that’s right- the Skaven army has not one, but two (!) BIG (!!) advantages, and one (big ) disadvantage. 2.1- Advantage #1-Deployment:By having more drops than your opponent and some early cheap drops you can place your units to achieve favourable match ups. This is like being able to see your opponent revealing his/her ‘paper’, ‘scissors’, or ‘stone’ before you have to reveal yours. Sounds like you can’t lose, right? Sounds too good to be true? Well it’s not. If you deploy correctly you will set up a lot of combats that you know you will win even before the combat dice are rolled. See “Part One” for match-up assessments of ALL enemy units, and "Part Two" for a unit-by-unit discussion of the Skaven, including a list of winning combat match-ups for every unit. 2.2- Advantage #2- Unit Size:Skaven troops are cheap, so they should almost always start with 3 ranks and outnumber. By using tactics to hit flanks this translates to +5 combat resolution before the dice are rolled (+/- 1 if you have a standard and they don’t, or vice versa). To continue the analogy: ranks, flanks, and outnumber are ‘rocks’ that will not only beat scissors, but also have a good chance of beating paper and even other stones. It’s not only the size of the rock that you use, but how you use it truly does matter- and ever let anyone tell you otherwise! Of course, you can't set up a flank charge against everything. And that's where ranks and outnumber come in. Three ranks + outnumber is the Swiss Army Knife that will beat (or tie) almost any unit in close combat. Fast cav will rarely beat it on the charge. Skirmishers? Even less often. Flyers? Almost never. Even many monsters won't overcome the +5 they're up against if you've got a standard. Ranks and outnumber are the 'Jack of all Trades' that can be deployed successfully against an incredible variety of enemy units. Sometimes they'll need to set up a flank charge, sometimes they won't. See below to know the difference... 2.3- Skaven Disadvantage- Leadership Depends on Ranks:If you compare the stat line and equipment of a rat to the same thing for other races, you will tend to find that our guys are a little cheaper than their guys (or girls). For example, a clanrat with a shield is 4.5 points. That's a point and a half cheaper than an Empire Swordsmen, Chaos Marauder with same equipment, or a Dark Elf with a spear and no shield. The others have an extra point of WS, but that makes very little difference. On the other hand, our guys can get to leadership 10 (something impossible for both the Marauder and the Swordsmen). Why is this? It's because that Leadership 10 is dependent on ranks, which in turn depend on numbers and stability. When our guys get flanked or flee, their leadership plummets. This fact is calculated into the cost of every Skaven unit that can benefit from Strength in Numbers. So what does this mean? It means that our guys are a great deal and a very cost-effective only until they get flanked and/or flee. This, in turn, means two things: ONE- We need to protect our flanks very carefully. All of the shiny new 7th edition toys seem great, but if you spend too much on them then you will have a small force with vulnerable flanks. It is simply not possible for every unit to be pushing a Screaming Bell or Plague Furnace and thus become unbreakable. TWO- After we flee, we are unlikely to rally. This means that if one of our units flees to set up a flank charge and the flank charge successfully breaks the enemy unit but that enemy unit then escapes pursuit, then we have probably lost one unit forever while the enemy has not. They are likely to rally and come again, whereas we have lost a unit and may not have the resources to be able to set up a second flank charge. So what should we do? Obviously, we should first of all protect our flanks. This starts with army composition and deployment. Secondly, we should use our numbers advantage and the 'cross-fire' rule to ensure that once we have set up an enemy unit for a flank charge, it cannot escape. This is especially true for valuable, important, or fast enemy units. A normal pursuit has better than a 50/50 chance of catching the enemy (if we roll the same as they do, they're dead). Not bad odds, really. But if they outrun us then we're worse-off than when we started. The enemy unit probably hasn't lost a model, but we've lost a unit. Chasing Mv.7+ enemy units is a totally different matter. The odds here are terrible (unless we're chasing with an A-Bomb or Doom Wheel). In both of these situations the 'cross-fire' rule is our saviour. And note that a unit that flees from two chargers will flee directly away from the charger with the highest unit strength. This means that you could declare a charge from a nearby ranked unit at a cavalry unit's flank and a charge from a unit of 5 rats with a packmaster that is pretty close to being in charge range but off to the other side of that cavalry unit (in case the cavalry unit elects to flee). If they do elect to flee, they will more than likely be destroyed by the rats. To exploit the brilliance of the cross-fire rule, you need to out-deploy your opponent. It all comes back to deployment. Using your superior numbers you force your opponent to deploy his/her key units ahead of yours, and you respond with units that you know will beat his. Again, ranked units are the "Jack of all Trades"- if used correctly they can defeat almost anything. And we have tonnes of effective and cheap ranked units, some costing as little as 40 points. If you dictate the match-ups properly, and make sure that you deploy cross-fire units against his/her critical units, you should win. To do that, you need to know what will work against each and every one of your enemies' units.... :rogre::rogre: PART ONE- THE ENEMY :rogre::rogre: All enemy units from all enemy armies can be put into 5 broad categories: Infantry, Hammer Units, Monsters, Maneuvering Units, and Artillery. To find out what basic rules each unit in the enemy army has you should check out GW’s army reference sheets (note that many of them are out of date): http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/...on=&aId=3000002 3-Enemy Infantry Units:Enemy infantry can be divided into three kinds: ‘crappy’, ‘decent’, and ‘hitty/elite’. Each of these can be further divided by number of ranks, special combat rules (stubborn/unbreakable/crumble/instability) and the inclusion, or lack thereof, of a fighting character. A lot of match ups depend on hitting enemy infantry in the flank. If you don’t know how to achieve this then read this first: http://underempire.net/index.php?showtopic=28800 Note about characters 'hiding' in units: Mages (and perhaps BSBs) can be assassinated by charging them with one of your units and directing all attacks their way, even if you know that you'll lose and break. If you use a character of your own for this job then make sure that it doesn't end up in base-to-base with an enemy champion in addition to the 'target' mage/BSB. Assassins are obviously the best choice (add smoke bombs and a tail weapon [or a Blade of Corruption or Weeping Blade]). Plague Priests are another skitterleap-able choice. PCBs, Rat Ogres, or Gutter Runners (w/poison! [+ smoke bombs?!]) could also do the deed... 3.1-Crappy Infantry [cost 40 to 150 points]:*Definition: ‘Crappy infantry’ means infantry with a single S3 attack, T3, and little or no armour. Generally, crappy infantry costs 6 points or less per model. It currently (Nov. 2009) includes zombies, slaves, goblins, gnoblars, human/elven archers, ranked skinks (without kroxigors!), and most non-skirmishing swarms. Not much! You could also include horrors that lack a Herald, despite their 5+ ward save. *Match ups: 1 or 2 Ranks [cost 50 to 75 points]: Crappy infantry of only 1 or two ranks should be beaten by fully ranked slaves and will be beaten by fully ranked ‘decent’ Skaven infantry (giant rats, NR, clannies, monks, or storm vermin). A frontal charge is fine. 3+ Ranks [cost 75 to 150 points]: Crappy infantry of 3 or more ranks can be beaten by fully ranked ‘decent’ Skaven infantry, but should still be hit in the flanks. If slaves are used then they must hit the flank. *Considerations: Fear [adds to cost!] Make sure that you outnumber any unit of crappy but fear-causing infantry that may beat you in combat. Also remember that you may fail a fear test and fail your charge(s). Having the General nearby helps, as does a full rank bonus. Also, troops that are immune to psych (or frenzied/unbreakable) or that cause fear/terror themselves will never even need to take a fear test. Swarms, Monks (with or without the Furnace), PCBs, Rat Ogres, Doom Wheels, and A-Bombs all fit this category, as do units that are pushing a Screaming Bell or that have been joined by a Warlord who is riding a Bone Breaker. Crumble/Unstable [adds to cost!]: If crappy undead/daemonic infantry crumbles/pops then it should always be hit in the flank. Stubborn/Unbreakable [ermmm…]: (I don’t believe such a thing exists)... But if you find some then a frontal charge by fully ranked 'decent' Skaven infantry should eventually do the job, with Monks and Rats doing the job a lot faster. Slaves should hit their flank (not to break the enemy, obviously, but so that the slaves don't whiff and break). Include a Fighting Character [adds 100 to 250 points to cost]: If crappy infantry includes a fighty character then it should be hit in the flank by ‘decent’ Skaven infantry (not slaves) OR hit in the front by a ‘hitty’ and ranked Skaven unit (kitted Warlord in a unit/Plague Furnace) OR hit by a combined charge (front + flank) using one fully ranked Skaven unit and one Skaven hammer unit (PCBs/Rat Ogres/Doomwheel/A-Bomb). If the hammer doesn’t deny enemy ranks (PCBs) then the ranked unit should be the one in the flank. Frenzied? Immune to Psych? [usually worth more]: Frenzied units are guaranteed to ‘fall into’ properly set up traps. Frenzied (and other Immune to Psych) units are guaranteed to stay in place to take your flank charge (even when ‘fleeing’ would clearly be a better option). Move 7+? [costs a lil more]: Note that some crappy “infantry” has four legs and moves really fast (chaos warhounds). Treat them like normal crappy infantry, but remember that against large units you should use a ‘cross-fire’ unit to catch and destroy them when they break. Shooting/Magic?: It is totally unnecessary to blast crappy infantry unless it is about to hit you in the flank, though I suppose you could try to panic a unit that contains a hero. Also, don’t complain if one of your mortars drifts oven and creams a unit of them… 3.2- Decent Infantry [cost 50 to 200 points]:*Definition: ‘Decent infantry’ means infantry that has 2 or more S3 attacks OR a single S4+ attack, AND T4 or a decent armour save (4/5+). Generally, decent infantry costs 7-11 points per model. It currently (Nov. 2009) includes a LOT of infantry: Skaven giant rats, NR, and clanrats barely make the cut (they’re pretty crappy), but monks, and stormvermin easily fall into this category (as do clanrats with a DoomFlayer). This category also includes: Beast Herds and Bestigor herds (although Bestigors are pretty ‘hitty’), Bretonnian Men-at-Arms, Deamonettes, Dark Elf Warriors/Corsairs, Dwarven Warriors/Miners, all Empire infantry besides Greatswords (though most of it is pretty crappy besides Swordsmen), High Elf Spearmen/Seaguard/Phoenix Guard, mixed Skink/Kroxigor units with only 1 or 2 krox, all Orcs besides Black Orcs and Big ‘Uns, normal Skeletons, Chaos Marauders, and Wood Elf Glade Guards. *Match ups: 1 or 2 Ranks [costs 50 to 100 points]: Decent infantry of only one or two ranks will occasionally beat decent Skaven infantry that is fully ranked, so a frontal charge is slightly risky. A flank charge practically eliminates the possibility of losing, and makes it much more likely for the enemy to break. For these reasons it is obviously much preferred, and even slaves are fine for the job. If they aren’t breaking then you can later hit them with a Skaven hammer unit (PCBs/Ogres/Doomwheel [an A-Bomb would be a bit much!]). Running over them with a hitty Skaven unit (Warlord in a unit/Furnace/A-Bomb) isn’t a good idea as it is overkill and a commitment of too many points. 3+ Ranks [100 to 200 points]: Decent infantry of 3 or more ranks will often beat decent Skaven infantry. Frontal charges are very risky. Flank charges by slaves should be fine, but flank charges by decent Skaven infantry (fully ranked of course) are preferable as they are much more likely to result in the enemy breaking (or crumbling/popping). A helpful charge by a Skaven hammer is never a bad idea. Running over them with a flanking A-Bomb (even without ranked support) is another good idea, but using a hitty and ranked Skaven unit may represent the commitment of too many points and is only advisable if they’re stubborn/unbreakable (as mentioned below). *Considerations: Fear [adds to cost!] Make sure that you outnumber any unit of decent fear-causing infantry that may beat you in combat. Also remember that you may fail a fear test and fail your charge(s). Having the General nearby helps, as does a full rank bonus. Also, troops that are immune to psych (or frenzied/unbreakable) or that cause fear/terror themselves will never even need to take a fear test. Swarms, Monks (with or without the Furnace), PCBs, Rat Ogres, Doom Wheels, and A-Bombs all fit this category, as do units that are pushing a Screaming Bell or that have been joined by a Warlord who is riding a Bone Breaker. Crumble/Unstable [costs more!]: To maximize the crumbling and popping you should, of course, hit the flank. And then use a Skaven hammer (but note that PCBs/Doomwheel will then get bogged down into the combat and lose their flail/hatred/charge bonuses unless they/it hit so hard that the entire unit disintegrates). Running over them with a flanking A-Bomb (even without ranked support) is another good idea. The other hitty Skaven units (Warlord in a unit/Furnace) again represent overkill and the commitment of too many points. Stubborn/Unbreakable [costs a lot more!]: A flank charge will rarely ever force these units to run (and never if they’re unbreakable), but it will hold them in place for a while and hopefully long enough for a Skaven hammer to ensure you full VPs (noting again that PCBs/Doomwheel will get stuck in combat and lose their bonuses.). Running over them with a hitty and ranked Skaven unit (kitted Warlord unit/Plague Furnace) is another good idea, as mentioned above. First strike/Killing Blow [costs more!]: Since most tactics against decent enemy infantry rely on combat resolution, first strike and killing blow are usually of little concern. However, if you are planning to use a character in a ‘hitty’ Skaven unit (Warlord or Plague Furnace) to generate some kills of your own then beware of these two rules. Check the special rules in the army book that you are facing. Losing your Priest from the Furnace wouldn’t be too bad (Furnace would still rock on), but losing a Warlord to an ASF attack or KB would be a shame. Spears [usually no extra cost]: Decent units that fight with spears should always be hit in the flank. They lose their attacks. To a certain extent this also goes for units that fight with a HW+Shield. Include a Fighting Character [costs an additional 100-250 points]: Decent infantry that includes a fighting character should basically be treated as ‘hitty/elite’ infantry. It should be hit in the front by a ‘hitty’ and ranked Skaven unit (kitted Warlord in a unit/Plague Furnace) OR hit by a combined charge (front + flank) using one fully ranked Skaven unit and one Skaven hammer unit (PCBs/Rat Ogres/Doomwheel/A-Bomb). If the hammer doesn’t deny enemy ranks (PCBs) then the ranked unit should be the one in the flank. Frenzied? Immune to Psych? [usually worth more]: Frenzied units are guaranteed to ‘fall into’ properly set up traps. Frenzied (and other Immune to Psych) units are guaranteed to stay in place to take your flank charge (even when ‘fleeing’ would clearly be the better option). Shooting/Magic?: Blasting decent enemy infantry isn’t really necessary, but is a recommendable option to reduce the ranks of a unit that has a fighty character (preparing them for a flank charge by a decent and fully ranked Skaven unit) OR to thin out the numbers of a stubborn/unbreakable unit (regardless of whether or not it includes a character). Good anti-infantry magic includes: Warplightning, Cracks Call (only against low init armies), Cloud of Corruption!, Plague Breath and Vermintide (the last two only against low toughness/’withered’ units). Great anti-infantry magic includes Scorch, Plague, and the Curse of the Horned Rat (13th spell) [with Scorch and the 13th being that much better against models that regenerate]. Good anti-infantry shooting includes: Mortars, Ratling Guns, and the Plague-a-Pult. Also, the DoomRocket. The WFT isn’t just good- it’s great! [and I’d go so far as to say ‘awesome’ against regeneration!]. 3.3- Hitty/Elite Infantry [cost 150 to 300 points]:*Definition: ‘Hitty/Elite’ Infantry means infantry that has 2 or more S4+ attacks or an S5+ attack or two AND T4, a solid armour save (3+ or better), or regeneration. They generally cost 12 or more points per model. Not a lot of infantry is truly ‘hitty/elite’. For Rats it only includes a unit that has a Warlord on a Warlitter or a BoneBreaker, or a Plague Furnace. As of Nov. 2009, Beastmen Bestigors, Daemon Plaguebearers, Dark Elf Executioners, High Elf White Lions of Chrace, Black Orcs or Orc Big ‘Uns, Dwarven IronBreakers/Hammerers, Lizardmen skink/kroxigor units with 3+ krox, Tomb Kings’ Tomb Guard, and Vampire Grave Guards all barely miss the definition, but are pretty close. Bloodletters, Dark Elf BlackGuard, High Elf Swordmasters, Empire Greatswords, Lizardmen Saurii/Temple Guard and Chaos Chosen/Forsaken are all truly hitty and elite. *Match ups: 1 or 2 Ranks [costs 75-150 points]: Hitty/Elite units with such a measly number of ranks is just begging to be flanked. Even slaves will usually win combat, but decent and fully ranked Skaven units will really get the job done. If they aren’t breaking then you can later hit them with a Skaven hammer unit in the other flank. That said, a Skaven ‘hammer’ hitting the flank of such a small unit needs no support. Rat Ogres and the Doomwheel should both be fine. The A-Bomb will definitely be fine. Running over them with a hitty Skaven unit (Warlord in a unit/Furnace) isn’t a good idea as it is overkill and a commitment of too many points. 3+ Ranks [costs 200 to 300+ points!]: Besides two ranks, three is the most common number of ranks (3 ranks, 6 wide), especially for truly elite infanty, as they rely on kills and not combat resolution for victory (and cost too much to have more than this). Hitting them in the flank with a fully ranked unit isn’t good enough (slaves will almost always lose, and even decent Skaven infantry will also often lose), nor is a combined charge (front + flank) using one fully ranked Skaven unit and one Skaven hammer unit (PCBs/Rat Ogres/Doomwheel/A-Bomb) good enough. The extra models in base-to-base with the enemy unit will offer them too many chances to overcome the static combat resolution and even the hammer kills. Flank charges could of course be used, but they should be done by a ‘hitty’ unit that denies ranks (kitted Warlord in a unit/Plague Furnace/A-Bomb/Rat Ogres/Doomwheel). A frontal charge by the Plague Furnace is another decent option (issue a challenge with your Priest!). A frontal charge by a kitted Warlord in a unit isn’t so solid. If he whiffs he’ll be a dead rat, and then the entire unit will be in dire circumstances. The better option is to avoid the enemy unit while you blast it with shooting/magic. Get it down to half unit strength for ½ VPs, and perhaps use a decent fully ranked unit or a rank-denying hammer unit (not PCBs) to hit its flank later (when it’s down to a rank or two). *Considerations: Fear [adds to cost!] Make sure that you will beat in combat and/or outnumber any unit of elite/hitty fear-causing infantry. Also remember that you may fail a fear test and fail your charge(s). Having the General nearby helps, as does a full rank bonus. Also, troops that are immune to psych (or frenzied/unbreakable) or that cause fear/terror themselves will never even need to take a fear test. Swarms, Monks (with or without the Furnace), PCBs, Rat Ogres, Doom Wheels, and A-Bombs all fit this category, as do units that are pushing a Screaming Bell or that have been joined by a Warlord who is riding a Bone Breaker. Crumble/Unstable [costs more!]: Same advice: blast ‘em!! After that, hit em in the flank with a Warlord (in a unit)/Plague Furnace/A-Bomb. If there’s only a rank or two left then flanking them with a decent fully ranked Skaven unit and/or a Skaven hammer that denies ranks (Ogres/Doomwheel/A-Bomb) also becomes a good idea. Stubborn/Unbreakable [costs a lot more!!]: Again: blast ‘em!! After that, you still need to worry about combat resolution, not because it will make these units run (it won’t!), but so that you don’t run. This means that charges performed by a kitted Warlord (in a decent and fully ranked unit) or by an A-Bomb should be into their flank [A-Bombs are stubborn, but only Ld 8]. Charges performed by a Plague Furnace can be into their front [Furnace, too, is unbreakable]. Keep in mind that even a Furnace will probably get ‘bogged down’ (loses impact hits, Priest killed, Priest’s flail loses +2 strength etc.]. First strike/Killing Blow [costs more!]: Many hitty/elite infantry units have one or both of these rules! If you are planning to use a character to generate some kills of your own then beware of these two rules. Check the special rules in the army book that you are facing. Losing your Priest from the Furnace wouldn’t be too bad (Furnace would still rock on), but losing a Warlord to an ASF attack or KB would be a shame. Frenzied? Immune to Psych? [usually worth more]: Frenzied units are guaranteed to ‘fall into’ properly set up traps. Frenzied (and other Immune to Psych) units are guaranteed to stay in place to take your flank charge (even when ‘fleeing’ would clearly be a better option). Spears [sometimes cost extra]: Hitty/elite units that fight with spears should never be charged in the front. Spears only work in that direction. To a certain extent this also goes for units that fight with a HW+Shield. But this is rather redundant: hitty/elite units that don’t fight with spears should also never be charged in the front (Furnace being the only possible exception). Include a Fighting Character [adds another 100 to 250 points]: OK… now it’s starting to get really ugly. If one of these uber units includes a character then it really ought to be avoided and shot until it’s down to a rank or two (and half strength). Only then should you hit with a Furnace [frontal charge OK, but Priest’s probably gonna die in his challenge!] OR with a decent fully ranked unit of rats (perhaps with a Warlord or Priest), or a hammer unit [must be in the flank]. If the fighting character is really nasty (Vampire/Oldblood/Chaos) then you should continue shooting. Only exception is if you are sure the character doesn’t have ASF and you’ve got a Warlord with the Fellblade. Only then does combat become a good option: hit ‘em in the flank and don’t whiff!!! Shooting/Magic?: Yep! Yep! Yep!!! Good anti-infantry shooting includes: Mortars, Ratling Guns, the Plague-a-Pult, and the DoomRocket. The WFT isn’t just good- it’s great! [especially against regeneration!] Good anti-infantry magic includes: Warplightning, Cracks Call (only against low init armies), Cloud of Corruption!, Plague Breath and Vermintide (the last two only against low toughness/’withered’ units). Great anti-infantry magic includes Scorch, Plague, and the Curse of the Horned Rat (13th spell) [with Scorch and the 13th being that much better against models that regenerate]. 4-Enemy ‘Hammer’ UnitsThere are three ‘hammer units’ available to most Warhammer armies: unit monsters, heavy cavalry, and chariots. 4.1- Unit Monsters [cost 35-75 points per model, 75-300 per unit]:*Definition: ‘Unit Monsters’ means ogre-sized ‘monsters’ (though they are actually defined as a type of ‘infantry’ in the BRB). They all have US:3. For Skaven this means rat-ogres. From other armies this includes Ogres (duh!), Trolls, Minotaurs, Dragon Ogres, Yhetees, Beasts of Nurgle, Fiends of Slaanesh, Kroxigors, Ushabti, Spirit Hosts, Chaos spawn, and Tree Kin. They typically cause fear, have 3 or more high strength attacks each, and hit like freight trains. But they generally have no static CR (are almost never ranked) and have a very exploitable Achilles’ Heel: their flanks. Note about high-strength attacks: High strength attacks (S5 or S6 [or higher]) make combats much less predictable. Almost everything comes down to the 'to-hit' rolls, after that you're looking at rolling to-wound on a 2+ and little to no armour save. When it all basically all comes down to one roll the results tend to vary to the extremes of possible outcomes much more often [this is similar, obviously, for chariots/impact hits]. Three Kroxigors (9 S6 attacks, WS 3), for example, can 'roll well' and kill 8 clanrats or 'roll poorly' and kill only 1. Five Monks (15 S3 attacks, WS 3), on the other hand, will very reliably kill 2 or 3 Clanrats almost every round [in a civil war, mind you!]. If they roll well to-hit, then this will probably be balanced out by poor to-wound rolls and/or poor armour saves [or vice versa]. What this means is that, to be safe, you should assume high-strength enemies (such as most unit monsters) will do significantly more wounds than the average would suggest. Also, to be safe, you should assume that your own high-strength units (Ogres [and PCBs- to a lesser extent due to hatred]) will do significantly less wounds than an average would suggest. *Match ups: Units of 1 or 2 [cost 75-150 points]: Such small units will rarely overcome the static combat of a fully ranked and standard-bearing unit. Frontal charges by any fully ranked ‘decent’ Skaven unit (giant rats/clannies/NR/monks/SV) are OK. Units of 3 or 4+ [cost 100-300]: These units will often overcome the static combat resolution deficit (at least well enough to avoid breaking). And in a protracted combat many many rats will die, ensuring that the static combat resolution deficit shrinks to the point that the rats eventually break. These units should, of course, be hit in the flank. Most ‘unit monsters’ can manage no more than 3 or 4 return attacks and will lose even if they wound with all of them (a few units roll a D6 [maybe +1] for their attack number). Any fully ranked unit will do, though enough slaves are likely to get slaughtered that they will fail to break the enemy but instead just get stuck there and continue dying. A flank charge by any Skaven ‘hammer’ (PCBs/RatOgres/Doomwheel/A-Bomb) would be even better (but note that PCBs will only cause one toughness test and that these ‘monsters’ almost invariably have a T of at least 4). Note: There is one exception: Spirit Hosts are ethereal (can only be harmed by magic weapons), so hitting them with Rat Ogres, the Doomwheel, or a normal A-Bomb wouldn’t do much (even in the flank!). Use the combat resolution of a fully ranked unit in their flank, or use an A-Bomb with the spikes, or use PCBs (Spirit Hosts are, conveniently, the only ‘unit monster’ that is only T3!). *Considerations: Weapon Skill: The high strength of these enemy units means that armour probably won’t help you as much as WS will. This is also why slaves are likely to get steamrollered. Their higher WS means that StormVermin benefit against the following units (all of which share their WS:4 and would be hitting lesser rats on 3’s): Minotaurs, Dragon Ogres, Ogre Maneaters, Fiends of Slaanesh, Ushabti, and Tree Kin. High Strength Attacks: These enemy units generally have very high strength attacks (5, 6, or even 7). This means that armour won’t usually help (much), and this in turn means that giant rats should be preferred over clanrats. Their lack of armour is insignificant but their extra attacks might actually manage to produce a wound (or two!). Include a Fighting Character [adds 100 to 250 points to cost]: Some of these units can be joined by a character. Hit these units in the flank for sure! Use a fully ranked unit or a hammer. It will basically be your unit against the character (though there may be a rank behind him/her.). If the character is really nasty then a hammer is a better idea than a ranked unit (unless that ranked unit contains a tooled up Warlord or a Plague Furnace). Fear [adds to cost!] I think all of these units cause fear! Thankfully, outnumbering should rarely be a problem, and if you hit them in the flank then you will usually be guaranteed to beat them in combat (at least until your ranks start to dwindle). Fear tests and failed charges are the bigger issue. Having the General nearby helps, as does a full rank bonus. Also, troops that are immune to psych (or frenzied/unbreakable) or that cause fear/terror themselves will never even need to take a fear test. Swarms, Monks (with or without the Furnace), PCBs, Rat Ogres, Doom Wheels, and A-Bombs all fit this category, as do units that are pushing a Screaming Bell or that have been joined by a Warlord who is riding a Bone Breaker. Crumble/Unstable [adds to cost!]: Flank ‘em Stubborn/Unbreakable [costs more]: These are rare: I believe this only includes Ogre Maneaters and Gorgers, and Chaos Spawn [the last two of which come only in pricey units of 1]. These units should be shot and/or hit by units that dish out more attacks (Rats,NR,Monks), to increase the odds of killing them for good. Maneaters should be hit in the flank. Note that Rats and NR have a higher initiative than all of these enemy units, and monks have a higher initiative than Gorgers and Spawn but only match that of Maneaters. Frenzied? Immune to Psych? [usually worth more]: Frenzied units are guaranteed to ‘fall into’ properly set up traps. Frenzied (and other Immune to Psych) units are guaranteed to stay in place to take your flank charge (even when ‘fleeing’ would clearly be a better option). Have M7 or higher [cost more]: Note that a few of these units (Dragon Ogres and Fiends of Slaanesh) have a high movement value and will flee with 3 dice, probably escaping from a normal pursuit. [Minotaurs have a rule allowing them to pursue (but not flee) with 3 dice, and Chaos Spawn with the Mark of Slaanesh would flee with 3 dice, but they’re unbreakable). When you are arranging the flank charge on these faster units try to ensure that you have also have a unit in position to ensure their destruction by the ‘crossfire’ rule. Anything with a US of 5 or higher will do; a unit of 5 rats with a packmaster is the cheapest choice (costs only 23 points). If that’s too complicated then you’ll have to shoot the unit. Shooting/Magic?: It really isn’t necessary at all to blast these units, though the unbreakable (Chaos Spawns) and fast ones (Dragon Ogres, Fiends of Slaanesh) are pretty good targets. Magic spells that are worth using include: Warplightning and the Cloud of Corruption. Against low-initiative monsters [see next paragraph] an enfilading Crack’s Call would be great, and Scorch may be worth it against Regeneration, though you won’t touch many models and you’ll need to roll high to wound). Clearly, though, from our spells the cake has to be taken by the Curse of the Horned Rat (13th spell)- you’re practically guaranteed to completely destroy the entire unit and replace them with verminous minions! For Crack’s Call you should be aware of enemy initiative values (as of Nov. 2009): Low(1 or 2) initiative unit monsters include: Chaos Ogres, Trolls, Dragon Ogres, Beasts of Nurgle, Chaos Spawn, Spirit Hosts, and Kroxigors Medium (3) initiative unit monsters include: Ushabti, Tomb Scorpions, Maneaters (and most Ogre Kingdoms’ character choices), and Tree Kin. High (4+) initiative unit monsters only include Ogre Kingdoms’ Tyrants and Yhetees (both init:4) and Fiends of Slaanesh (which are init: 6!). Shooting: Shooting that only inflicts one hit/model is less effective, unless it can deal multiple wounds. So Mortars, the Plague-a-Pult, and the DoomRocket aren’t great choices. Ratling guns are better. Warpstone Stars, WLCs and WFTs are much better (for the WLC and WFT use a unit of slaves, a small unit of rats, or a swarm to divert (angle) the enemy, giving you an enfilading shot). Note that the WFT are again even better if the enemy regenerates (I think only Trolls do, though Rat Ogres accompanied by Skweel have the possibility and there may be others)]. 4.2- Heavy Cavalry [cost 100 to 300 points]:*Definition: ‘Heavy Cavalry’ means anything that rides a horse/pig/lizard (thereby moving faster than rats do), comes on a cavalry base (US:2) and doesn’t have the “fast cavalry” rule. We don’t have any heavy cavalry . Enemy cavalry include (as of Nov. 2009): Centigors (well, close enough!), almost anything Brettonian that isn’t ‘fast cavalry’, Flesh Hounds and Bloodcrushers of Khorne, Cold Ones (both Saurii and Dark Elves), Empire Knights/Gryphon Legion, High Elf Silver Helms and Dragon Princes, Orc Boar Boyz (savage or otherwise), Tomb Kings’ laughable ‘heavy horse’, Vampire Black Knights and Blood Knights, and Chaos Knights.They tend to have great armour saves, though not all of them do. And they tend get charge bonuses of some sort, so they hit like freight trains, too. In effect they are like ‘unit monsters’ that have traded extra wounds for a great armour save and a higher movement rate. They share the same Achilles’ Heel, too: their flanks. But they have a second Achille’s Heel: their armour save. If it is negated then they become a model that is very expensive for its one wound. *Match ups: Option ‘A’- Exploiting the flank with static combat resolution: Heavy Cavalry generally have a minimum unit size of 5+ and will rarely be ranked at all, though cheaper cavalry may have a rank or two [notable exception being Brettonian “lances”, see “considerations”]. Some of them are unlikely to overcome the static combat resolution of a fully ranked unit with a standard (Tomb Kings’ “Heavy Horse”, Centigors) while others are likely to cause so many wounds that they will overcome static resolution by such a large margin that you’ll need “insane courage” to stick around. Regardless, you should play it safe and set up a flank charge with a unit waiting to catch them with the ‘crossfire’ rule. Most heavy cavalry will lose some sort of charge bonus when they’re hit in the flank, and regardless will probably only be able to manage 3 or 4 return attacks, including that of their mount (meaning that they will lose combat even if they make a kill with every single attack). Juggernauts and Blood Knights are the worst of the worst, and even they only manage 4 and 5 attacks respectively (and for the Blood Knights that includes the two from their horse at (S4 and WS3). If you have a standard then you’re guaranteed to win combat before the dice are rolled. If you get lucky and the one model in base-to-base with your unit fails an armour save then the unit is very likely to break. Any fully ranked unit will do for the flank charge (even slaves). Any unit with a US of 5 or higher will do for the cross-fire. And do NOT forget the cross-fire unit! It is every bit as important as the flanking unit and the unit that is used to set up the flank charge. It guarantees their destruction when (and if) they break. On the other hand, the high movement rate of cavalry means that they’re practically guaranteed to escape a traditional pursuit. In the meantime none of the cavalry unit has been killed in combat while you’ve probably lost an entire unit, never to rally, in order to set up the flank charge in the first place [possibly meaning that you haven’t got the resources to set up another one]. Option ‘B’-Skaven Hammers: *Warlord or Priest with Fellblade/Warpforged Blade/Flail/Plague Censor (in a unit) [especially if on a Furnace!] will run right through most heavy cavalry. No cross-fire needed. With the Warlord or Priest in a normal unit I would try for a flank charge, but with the Plague Furnace I wouldn’t even bother (though I would try to get the charge for impact hits and to deny the enemy their charge bonuses). *Doom Wheel/A-Bomb: A flank charge by the Doom Wheel or (especially) the A-Bomb is a great option to use against heavy cavalry. Their high strength and impact hits (plus the “Zzzap!”) mean that there may not be anything left to run down after the charge. Also, they roll just as many dice as heavy cavalry use when they flee (with a few magical exceptions). No cross-fire unit is needed. *Rat Ogres: A flank charge by Rat Ogres is a solid idea, but their shoddy WS and S5 attacks may fail to punch through the toughest armour (and ward/regen) saves, which will leave them with a measly +1 combat resolution (for the flank) [plus possibly outnumber] against a unit that is likely to be carrying a standard. Not good. Also, if they break the cavalry they will only pursue with two dice. A cross-fire unit will still be needed. *PCBs: Censor gas exploits the armour saves of heavy cavalry, making PCBs a great option to use against them. A flank charge by PCBs is an OK idea (but cause 6 PCB gas tests VS only 1 for the enemy). Rear charges and even frontal charges are much better. Even getting charged is a good idea against T3 cavalry! Again, a cross-fire unit is unlikely to be needed ![]() For reference, the following Heavy Cavalry are T3: all Brettonian knights, Dark Elf Cold Ones, all Empire knights, all High Elf knights, and Tomb Kings’ “heavy horse”. These ones are T4: Centigors, Saurii Cold Ones, Orc Boar Boyz, Vampire Black Knights and Blood Knights (the latter of which will often have regeneration!), and Khorne Bloodcrushers and Flesh Hounds (both of which have 2 wounds/model (!) and a ward save (!!), and the hounds don’t even have an armour save to be ‘exploited’). For obvious reasons you should try to prevent your PCBs from being charged by any T4 cavalry, but Vampire Blood Knights and Khorne Bloodcrushers + Fleshhounds are particularly to be avoided. I wouldn’t even voluntarily charge the former two with PCBs (choosing static CR instead), though I would let my PCBs have a go at Fleshhounds. Option ‘C’- Exploiting the armour save with shooting: Besides using Skaven ‘hammers’, the other way to avoid mucking about with flank charges and cross-fire units is to blast the tar out of Heavy Cavalry. Shooting and magic that denies armour saves is, of course, the way to go. *Skaven have a lot of ‘anti-armour’ shooting: Mortars, Jezzails, PWGs, the Doom Wheel, WFTs, and the WLC are all solid choices. For WFTs and the WLC use a unit of slaves or a small unit of rats or a swarm to divert (angle) the enemy, setting up an enfilading shot (which, in the case of the WLC, will allow no AS). *Ratling guns will also do some damage. *The Plague-a-Pult is only a good choice against T3 cavalry (see above, in the section on PCBs), or T4 cavalry that has been ‘withered’. Option ‘D’- Exploiting the armour save with magic: Skaven spellcasters also have a lot of ‘anti-armour’ capabilities, mostly from the Lore of Plague: Pestilent breath, Cloud of Corruption, Plague, and Crack’s Call all scoff at armour saves [so does the Curse of the Horned Rat, but cavalry are not a legal target for that spell]. *Pestilent breath, Cloud of Corruption, and Plague are all solid, though the first one will be much more effective against T3 cavalry (or ‘withered’ T4 cavalry). In fact, all three of them would reap benefits by following a casting of ‘wither’ [which is also from the Lore of Plague]. *Crack’s Call from the side, in an enfilading shot, will devastate low initiative cavalry. See below (current as of Nov. 2009): Low (1 or 2) initiative heavy cavalry include: Centigors, Saurii Cold Ones, Orc Boar Boyz (savage or otherwise), and Tomb King ‘Heavy Horse’. Medium (3) initiative heavy cavalry include: ‘normal’ Brettonian knights, ‘normal’ Empire knights, and Vampire Black Knights. High (4+) initiative heavy cavalry include: Vampire Blood Knights (4), Khorne Bloodcrushers and Flesh Hounds (both 4), Empire Gryphon Legion (4), Questing Brettonians (4), Grail Brettonians (5), Chaos Knights (5), High Elf Silver Helms (5), High Elf Dragon Princes (6), Dark Elf Cold Ones (6) *Scorch should be used to target other units, even if the heavy cavalry unit regenerates. It won’t touch very many models and will suffer even further when the time for armour saves arises. *Considerations: Frenzied? Immune to Psych? [probably doesn’t really add much]: Frenzy can make heavy cavalry extremely hard to control, as they have an enormous charge range. It only applies to Savage Orcs, Khorne Knights, and Blood Knights, but it should be used to full advantage against these units. Khorne and Blood Knights (particularly with the [very expensive] banner that makes them regenerate), are terribly hard to destroy. But if you bait ‘em and flank ‘em with a hammer they’ll crumble. Frenzied (and other Immune to Psych) units are guaranteed to stay in place to take your flank charge (even when ‘fleeing’ would clearly be the better option). Fear [adds to cost!] Outnumbering heavy cavalry should rarely be a problem, and if you hit them in the flank then you will usually be guaranteed to beat them in combat (at least until your ranks start to dwindle). Fear tests and failed charges are the bigger issue. Having the General nearby helps, as does a full rank bonus. Also, troops that are immune to psych (or frenzied/unbreakable) or that cause fear/terror themselves will never even need to take a fear test. Swarms, Monks (with or without the Furnace), PCBs, Rat Ogres, Doom Wheels, and A-Bombs all fit this category, as do units that are pushing a Screaming Bell or that have been joined by a Warlord who is riding a Bone Breaker. Crumble/Unstable [adds to cost!]: This is a huge benefit for the Rats, because you will never need to worry about running down the enemy (let alone setting up a cross-fire unit). Hit ‘em in the flank with a fully ranked unit (or A-Bomb/Doom Wheel/Warlord/Furnace ‘hammer’) and wait for them to crumble/pop. No ward saves, no regeneration… sweet! Even sweeter is that this rule applies to all three of the ‘worst of the worst’ [Bloodcrushers, Fleshhounds, and Blood Knights all crumble/pop]. Stubborn/Unbreakable [adds a lot to cost!]: This doesn’t benefit rats so much (or at all, really!), though it does still mean that you will never/rarely need to worry about pursuit rolls and cross-fire units. These units will need to be shot or killed in combat. Use shooting/magic as described above or a ‘hammer’ (PCBs to the front or an A-Bomb/Doomwheel in their flank). Brettonian Lance Formation: Brettonians in a 'lance' only need 3 models/rank to get a rank bonus, and on the charge get attacks from all models on the sides of the lance (!?!). They should, of course, be hit in the flank. However, because they will have ranks (and extra return attacks) you should try to hit Questing Knights with a 'decent' Skaven unit (or a hammer), and you should try to hit Grail Knights only with a hammer [PCBs/A-Bomb/Doomwheel/Warlord in a unit]. Include a Fighting Character [adds 100 to 250 points to cost]: Hit these units in the flank for sure! Use a fully ranked unit or a hammer. It will basically be your unit against the character (though there may be a rank behind him/her.). If the character is really nasty then a hammer is a better idea than a ranked unit (unless that ranked unit contains a tooled up Warlord or a Plague Furnace). Shooting/Magic?: Are both good ideas, especially if you don’t want to muck around with a ‘cross-fire’ unit. Use stuff that allows little or no armour save- see above! 4.3- Chariots [cost 50 to 250 points]:*Definition: Chariots have the ‘chariot’ special rule. Pretty simple, really. The Skaven practically have one, the Doom Wheel, but it isn't actually defined as being a 'chariot' [which is good- saves it being destroyed by an S7 hit and gives it the US to break ranks but has no downsides]. Other chariots are pulled by horses or wolves and cause impact hits. The cheapest ones can be formed into units, while the most expensive ones will steal your power dice and eventually learn to fly. They can’t march, but most of them have a high enough movement rate from their steeds that it doesn’t matter very much. Most of them are destroyed instantly by an S7 hit. *Match ups: The worst part about chariots is their impact hits. The worst thing you can do is allow one to get a combined charge off with a supporting infanty unit against a unit of yours that you weren’t planning to sacrifice. So use tactics to avoid the charge (or sacrifice one unit to allow another unit to charge). You don’t need to get in a flank charge, but you should generally try to do so: most chariots have mounts that can only make their attacks against enemies to their front [and in the case of the Gnoblar Scraplauncher that is one nasty mount!]. Against most chariots any fully ranked unit will do, even slaves. Against the nastier ones you will want to use ‘decent’ fully ranked Skaven infantry, or a Skaven ‘hammer unit’ (PCBs/Rat Ogres/Doom Wheel/A-Bomb). And note that a Warlord with the Fellblade can auto-kill one with every swing of his blade. If you’re planning to use infantry to break a nasty one then don’t forget the ‘cross-fire’ unit! It is every bit as important as the flanking unit and the unit that was used to set up the flank charge. It guarantees the chariot’s destruction when (and if) it breaks. On the other hand, the high movement rate of chariots means that they’re practically guaranteed to escape a traditional pursuit. In the meantime the nasty chariot hasn’t been damaged in combat while you’ve probably lost an entire unit, never to rally, in order to set up the flank charge in the first place [possibly meaning that you haven’t got the resources to set up another one]. Of course, if you’re charging the chariot with a hammer (especially a Fellblade-wielding Warlord) then you won’t need to worry about a ‘crossfire’ unit. *Considerations: Fear [adds to cost!] Outnumbering the US of a chariot is practically guaranteed and should rarely be a problem, and if you charge them then you will deny them their dangerous impact hits and will usually be guaranteed to beat them in combat. Fear tests and failed charges are the bigger issue. Having the General nearby helps, as does a full rank bonus. Also, troops that are immune to psych (or frenzied/unbreakable) or that cause fear/terror themselves will never even need to take a fear test. Swarms, Monks (with or without the Furnace), PCBs, Rat Ogres, Doom Wheels, and A-Bombs all fit this category, as do units that are pushing a Screaming Bell or that have been joined by a Warlord who is riding a Bone Breaker. Crumble/Unstable [adds to cost!]: This is a huge benefit for the Rats, because you will never need to worry about running down the enemy (let alone setting up a cross-fire unit). Hit ‘em with a fully ranked unit (or A-Bomb/Doom Wheel/Warlord/Furnace ‘hammer’) and wait for them to crumble/pop. No ward saves, no regeneration… sweet! Stubborn/Unbreakable: Errmmm… I’m not sure stubborn/unbreakable chariots exist, but if they do then fully-ranked combat resolution is obviously not a good choice. Hit ‘em with a hammer unit or let the Fellblade sort them out. Frenzied? Immune to Psych? [usually worth more]: Frenzied units are guaranteed to ‘fall into’ properly set up traps. Frenzied (and other Immune to Psych) units are guaranteed to stay in place to take your flank charge (even when ‘fleeing’ would clearly be a better option). Include a Fighting Character [adds 100 to 250 points to cost]: Sometimes a character can be placed on a chariot. If so then make sure that you get the charge in somehow and somewhere (front/flank/rear doesn’t matter that much). It will basically be your unit against the character. If the character is really nasty then a hammer is a better idea than a ranked unit (unless that ranked unit contains a tooled up Warlord or a Plague Furnace). Shooting/Magic?: Blasting chariots is far from necessary, but can be a good idea if they’re about to charge something that you don’t consider ‘expendable’. Use shooting/spells that can cause multiple wounds to a single model. Good spells include Cloud of Corruption and Warplightning, but Crack’s Call is a great spell to use against chariots (killing them 2 times out of 3). Good shooting choices include: Warpstone stars, Jezzails, PWGs, the Doom Wheel, and the WLC. Ratling guns and WFT have a chance to do decent damage, too. |
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Si vis pacem, para bellum! If my Ratling Gunners were hummies... | |
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| wolfatbar | 2nd December 2009 - 09:27 AM Post #2 |
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Die! Die! Every-things!
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5- Enemy Monsters [cost 100-500 points (usually 200+), and possibly another 200 to 300 for its rider]: *Definition: ‘Monster’ means anything that is big and scary (even bigger and scarier than Ogres and the like)! They usually go on a 50 mm by 50 mm base, and are large targets. Most of them cause terror, and lots of them have wings. Most of these ones can fly (but your poor A-Bomb never will even though you can sculp as many onto the thing as you would like). We have THREE now! The Doomwheel (close enough!), the Vermin Lord, and the Hellpit Abomination (“A-Bomb”)! Whoo-hoo! Others include Dragons, Wyverns, Giants, Greater Daemons, Hydras, Shaggoths, Griffons, Treemen, Stegadons, Carnosaurs, and Varghulfs (among others ) [note that the last two are not ‘large targets?!?’]. *Match ups: Monsters can be divided into two general kinds: “monster wannabes”/”try-hards” and “brutal monsters”… 5.1- Monster ‘Wannabes’/’Try-Hards’ [cost 100 to 300 points (+rider?)]: These are the monsters that won’t overcome the static combat resolution of a fully ranked and standard-bearing infantry unit. They are usually unmounted. The Vermin Lord is a mere ‘wannabe’, as is the DoomWheel (though it's ‘artillery’ and, for all intents and purposes, a ‘chariot’, too!). To figure out if a monster fits this category add up the total number of high strength attacks that it has (including any hero mount that it has but discounting impact hits and things like skinks that may be riding on it or rats that might be rolling around inside of it to make it move). If that number is around 6 or 7 (or less) then be thankful- you are only dealing with a ‘Monster Wannabe’ or a ‘Try Hard’. Monster Wannabes are still monsters, so they should of course be shot dead on sight. That is the first option! See ‘shooting’ in the ‘considerations’ section, below. But if worse comes to worse it is usually possible to pin them in place for a while with a fully ranked unit of ‘decent’ Skaven infantry. The infantry will almost never break the monster and probably won’t ever wound it (let alone kill it!), but they can prevent it from hitting other units in the flank and generally destroying your entire army. If there is a possibility of it breaking then make sure you set up a ‘cross-fire’ unit- it would be a shame if it got away!! Another option for these monsters is to hit them with a Skaven hammer. A Warlord with the Fellblade will usually kill one on the charge (but die trying if he fails!) and the A-Bomb should also beat them down. Also, the Vermin Lord will often beat other wannabes even though it is a wannabe itself, because its Glaive does D3 wounds. Any of these can be used after another unit has pinned it in place. Hitting it with two units won’t give it any extra attacks back. PCBs, Rat Ogres, Doomwheels, and Plague Furnaces will all probably do some wounds if they get the charge, but probably won’t kill a wannabe outright. They should only be used in attempts to finish off a wannabe that has already been wounded. 5.2- Brutal Monsters [200 to 500 points, plus 200 to 300 for its rider]:Other monsters will overcome the static combat resolution of a fully ranked and standard-bearing infantry unit, often due to the help of their rider(s). They may not break you on the charge, but they will take out a rank of rats or more every combat round until they do. If the total number of high strength attacks that the model has is around 7 or 8 (or higher) then you are facing the real deal: a brutal monster! Brutal Monsters (note the capital ‘M’) should be shot dead, dead, dead! That is the first option! See ‘shooting’ in the ‘considerations’ section, immediately below. Other options are unfortunately few and far between: You can try to hit it with a (lunatic) Warlord who has the Fellblade, or you can try to charge it with an A-Bomb. The hard part will be getting it into charge range: If it doesn’t fly then you can you tactics and a sacrificial unit to make sure that your Warlord gets a chance to swing [unless the rider has ASF!] and to help your A-Bomb get the impact hits that it so truly deserves. You will probably need some shooting to make sure that it ‘takes the bait’. If it flies you definately will need some shooting, although in this case it will be more in a support role: forcing the Brutal Monster from its comfort zone and making it venture somewhere that it really doesn’t want to be. Note:If the nasty gribbly can’t fly, you may think that skitterleaping a Fellblade-equipped Warlord behind/beside it sounds like a good idea; but it isn’t. You will march block it and prevent it from escaping his charge arc, and may even be able to use it as cover against other enemy shooting, but you are not likely to pass the requisite terror and fear tests in order to charge (no strength in numbers!). An injured Brutal Monster can sometimes be finished off with PCBs, the Vermin Lord, or a Doom Wheel. *Considerations: Shooting/Magic?: Yes! Yes! Absolutely Y-E-S! As far as spells go: Warplightning will do a bit of damage, and Crack’s Call is a great choice against the few with a low initiative. Monster initiatives (as of Nov. 2009): [note: the Steam Tank is immune to magic that has no strength value and is not affected by Crack’s Call ].Low (1 or 2): Dwarven Gyrocopters , Chaos Hellcannons, Hydras, Star Dragons, Zombie Dragons, Varghulfs, Bone Giants, Treemen (even Ancients), and Slaan Mage-Priests (but they’ll get a “Look out, Your Toadiness!” roll if they’re in a unit). Medium (3): our Rat Ogre Bone Breakers, Tomb Scorpions, the Grail Reliquae, Ogre Kingdoms’ Slave Giants and Chaos Giants, Chaos Dragons, Black Dragons, Moon Dragons, Forest Dragons, and Wyverns. High (4+): our Doom Wheel and Hell Pit Abominations (both init:4), all Stegadons (4- they get to use skinks’ init), Dragon Ogre Shaggoths (4), Great Eagles (4), Sun Dragons (4), Hippogryphs (4), Griffons (5), Manticores (5), Chaos Warshrines (5), Daemon Princes and all Greater Daemons, including our beloved Vermin Lord (all 6 or higher except for Great Unclean Ones, which are init:4), As far as shooting goes, use the ‘good stuff’: Jezzails, PWGs, the WLC, and the Doomwheel. Always deploy these last so they can be positioned in the perfect spot to engage their favoured targets: Brutal Monsters. Also of note are poisoned throwing stars/sling darts on Gutter Runners, and Assassins with Warpstone Stars. Skitterleap certainly can help these guys out… Of these my current favourite has to be the Doomwheel. It’s like having three move-and-shoot WLCs all rolled into a T6 impact-hit-causing rat-powered beast. The problem will be getting the Brutal Monster to be the closest target. Try to bait it with something else and then hope for a surprisingly high roll for your Wheel’s movement. If your first Zzzap! doesn’t get the job done then try charging the next turn- you’ll get D6+1 impact hits AND the Zzzap! Pinning a ‘monster wannabe/try-hard’ makes it much more likely for you to get this to happen. Impact Hits: These can allow a ‘Wannabe’ to get lucky and break a fully ranked unit on the charge, which is another reason you may want to try to charge them in an attempt to pin them in place (in addition to shooting them). The addition of impact hits to a Brutal Monster is overkill, really. You should expect these to break ranked units on the charge (or after a round or two of combat), and impact hits just makes them that much worse. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em: Gotta love our new A-Bomb!!! Flying: Monsters that fly (which is a lot of them!) can be almost impossible to control and force into a position for favourable charges. Shooting is almost always necessary to either kill them or force them to be somewhere that they shouldn’t be. Breath Weapon: A lot of monsters have breath weapons. This just adds to the list of "Reasons to Shoot Me!" Terror! All monsters cause terror! Outnumbering the US of a monster is practically guaranteed and should rarely be a problem (at least until your ranks dwindle). Terror tests and failed charges are the bigger issue. Having the General nearby helps, as does a full rank bonus. Also, troops that are immune to psych (or frenzied/unbreakable) or that cause fear/terror themselves will never even need to take a fear test. Swarms, Monks (with or without the Furnace), PCBs, Rat Ogres, Doom Wheels, and A-Bombs all fit this category, as do units that are pushing a Screaming Bell or that have been joined by a Warlord who is riding a Bone Breaker. Crumble/Unstable: Bone Giants and Greater Daemons (including our beloved, the Vermin Lord) all fall into this category. They may crumble/pop due to combat resolution, but probably won’t. Especially not a Blood Thirster. But just remember that you will never need to worry about running one of these down/setting up a ‘cross-fire’ unit. Frenzied? Immune to Psych? [usually worth more]: Frenzied ‘wannabes’ are guaranteed to ‘fall into’ properly set up traps. Frenzied (and other Immune to Psych) ‘wannabes’ are guaranteed to stay in place to take your flank charge (even when ‘fleeing’ would clearly be a better option). Frenzied ‘Brutal Monsters’ are easier to bait into a corner or into your ‘shooting kill zone’ or at least away from your ‘non-expendable’ units. Since they will defeat practically anything in combat you don’t really have the option of baiting them into a ‘trap’. Stubborn/Unbreakable: Steamtanks, Giants and our A-Bomb fall into this category. Nothing new here, though: Shoot it!!! (and hope it doesn’t return to life with full wounds! HA HA HA!!! I LOVE our A-Bomb!!! ) 6- Enemy Maneuverable/Ranged Units [cost 50 to 250 points]:There are three types of maneuverable units available to the discerning Warhammer general: Skirmishers, Fast Cavalry, and Flyers. 6.1- Skirmishers [units cost 50-150 points]: *Definition: Skirmishers have the ‘skirmish’ rule. Surprise, surprise! They can shoot or move (even charge) in any direction, and are harder to shoot (-1) for anything that uses BS (that’s “ballistics skill”, not what monkeys throw!). Most carry missile weapons. If they are not a ‘swarm’ then they usually come in smallish packs of 5 to 10 as they can never gain a rank bonus in combat. Also, they can never remove an enemy’s rank bonus (though they can get a +1 or +2 for a US 5+ flank or rear charge. They are generally employed on the flanks to shoot at or charge targets of opportunity, including artillery and weapons teams, fast cavalry, flyers, lone mages, non-skirmishing shooters, and expensive elites (like PCBs). Skaven have three skirmishing units: PWGs, GR, and PCBs. Of these, PCBs should get special attention: they are the only skirmishing ‘hammer unit’ in Warhammer! Other skirmishers include (as of Nov. 2009): Beastmen herds (called the 'Raiders' rule), Brettonian Peasants (it’s an option), Daemonic Nurglings and Flamers, Dark Elf Shades, Empire Archers, High Elf Shadow Warriors, Lizardmen jungle swarms, skinks and hunting packs, Gnoblar Trappers, Squig Hoppers, Tomb Swarms, and Wood Elf Dryads, Glade Guard Scouts, Wardancers, and Waywatchers. *Match ups: With our NR losing their ability to skirmish ( :angry: ) we lost our ‘anti-skirmisher skirmishers’ and are left with only a few decent anti-skirmisher options, none of which are optimal. Note, first of all, that some skirmishers can be pretty strong in combat (PCBs are devastating). Small units of 'fighty' skirmishers, and lone characters (or things like our weapons teams), should be shot (see below). Larger units (usually Beast Herds) can be 'pinned' and then flanked. The flee 'n flank, divert, and sacrifice will not result in a flank charge against these units. However, most skirmishers aren’t very strong in combat and will be beaten by a ranked unit that manages to get into combat with them. However, because of the high maneuverability of skirmishers it can be nearly impossible to charge them if their general makes a concerted effort to keep them out of your charge arc. Therefore the best that you may be able to do is to use your ranked unit to prevent enemy skirmishers from going where they want to go and shooting what they want to shoot. Position your unit so that your charge arc covers exactly the territory that they want to skirmish into, hanging back from you main line if you have to, and hope that you don’t panic from the enemy’s first volley. If you don’t get in a charge the entire game but do manage to keep them from pincushioning your more valuable units then you have won a moral victory. The low cost of skirmishers means that cheaper Skaven units should be employed: Swarms, Slaves, Rats, and NRs (and Monks get honourable mention). *Swarms are a solid option. They have lots of attacks, will never run away, and will never fail a fear or terror test, which is a lot more than can be said for every other ranked option here with the notable exception of Monks.). Use at least 2 or 3 bases. *Slaves are the cheapest/model, but their low leadership (away from the general) could easily be a problem. *Rats are a better option, and probably the best option for their price. Their M6 and multiple attacks are both boons. A variety of pack sizes could all work: from 13 rats + 2 PM (3 ranks and 12 attacks for merely 55 points) up to 21 rats + 4 PM (5 ranks and 14 attacks, still merely 95 points). Smaller sizes may work against some skirmishers, but are better used as ‘cross-fire’ units or warmachine hunters. *NRs are even better, but cost more. They share the M6 and multiple attacks boons that rats have, but have the additional boons of ranged weaponry, higher Ld, and their slinking advance. Slings should always be taken, though they're of more use against fast and flying cavalry. Units of 10-15 should work, costing 80 to 120 points. For the points I think that rats are a better option, in part because the biggest boon that NRs have (ranged weaponry) can’t be used by back ranks, so you’ll always have the dilemma: spread ‘em out for shooting OR keep ‘em ranked for leadership and CR. Honestly, I hate the fact that these little guys lost their ability to skirmish! That said, the fact that NRs do have ranged weaponry means that they can’t be totally ignored by enemy skirmishers. That is, enemy skirmishers can’t simply maneuver around them and evade them for an entire game. Note that NR can wheel or 'turn' or add/subtract ranks (or all three) and still shoot, but they cannot reform and shoot. To help with the "ranked" vs "unranked" dilemma: Units of 10-14 NR should generally be in a long single rank. Units of 15+ NR should generally be ranked (5-wide) if: ---they will need to take a terror test (they will benefit from extra leadership) ---they will be in a ranged ‘fire fight’ but you don’t mind if it gets drawn out (you’re trading firepower for +2 leadership to aid in panic tests) ---their target is trying to maneuver around them but has a solid move-and-fire attack that is fairly likely to cause them to take a panic test ---they are going to get charged by something that they could beat in combat if given the benefit of +3 combat resolution (2 ranks, outnumber). See ‘NR combat match-ups’ in section 13.3, noting that they’ll have a good chance even on the receiving end of a charge except by ‘hitty’ skirmishers (Wardancers, Dryads, Beast Herds, Squig Hoppers, Cairn Wraiths, and our own PCBs). NOTE: you’ll know that they’re going to get charged if the enemy unit is stronger in combat than with ranged weapons AND the NR are permanently preventing it from reaching its objective OR killing the NR is the enemy unit’s objective. Units of 15+ NR should generally be in a long single rank if: ---they will be in a ranged ‘fire fight’ that you want to end quickly (you’re adding firepower at the loss of -2 leadership and a greater chance to panic) ---their target is trying to maneuver around them and doesn’t have a solid move-and-fire attack ---they are going to get charged by something that they wouldn’t beat in combat even with the benefit of +3 combat resolution (or they will be outnumbered and not have +3 CR). This means ‘hitty’ skirmishers (Wardancers, Dryads, Beast Herds, Squig Hoppers, Cairn Wraiths, and our own PCBs). Spread ‘em out single file and try your luck with a stand and shoot (using stars). *Monks are a feasible option, too. Keep ‘em cheap: 10 monks, no command (70 points). The advantage they have is that they are immune-to-psych and so don’t need to worry about their lack of full ranks for panic or fear tests very much (or at all, actually). They won’t need a rank bonus to beat skirmishers in combat, either (they’ll just ‘do the choppy-choppy!’ instead). But their disadvantage is the frenzy that gives them immune-to-psych: they can be pulled out of position very easily. Also, they take up a special slot. *Considerations: ‘Heavy’ Skaven options: Though not a great cost match-up from the Skaven’s perspective, a Doomwheel/A-bomb will usually keep your flanks pretty clean of skirmishers. Their 360 degree charge arcs are a boon, as is causing terror. The Zzzzap! attack and lowish cost actually make the Doomwheel a decently cost-effective option, too- just try to make sure it rolls closer to enemy flank units than to your own. And do not employ these two units together on the same flank (Doomwheel will Zzzap! your A-Bomb). PCBs are an option only against skirmishers that don’t shoot (Squig Hoppers and Dryads come to mind). ‘Light’ Skaven options: Gutter runners can be used, ‘fighting fire with fire’. If their ranged attacks fail then they can later attack with XHW (poisoned or otherwise). For their price, though, they are not a good option. In a fire fight with the same points cost worth of skinks, for example, they would get owned. They’re also likely to get mowed over by fast cavalry or flyers. If you taken up a valuable 'special' slot to include Gutter Runners then you’ve probably brought them along with other targets in mind. Stick to those targets! Use the Scouting or Sneaky Infiltrators rule (or the Warp Tunneler, if you brought it) to avoid enemy skirmishers altogether. Shooting/Magic?: Sure! It’s especially worth it against lone characters, single-model units like our weapons teams, ‘panicky skirmishers’ like PWGs, and ‘heavy skirmishers’ like PCBs, Lizardmen hunting packs, Squig Hoppers, Daemonic Flamers, Wardancers, Dryads, and Cairn Wraiths. An overall plan that should be effective is to use the above-mentioned ranked/heavy units to try to keep enemy skirmishers away from where they are able to do their jobs while you are trying to shoot/magic them to death. If you succeed at shooting them then you have freed up your unit(s) to support the rest of your line, perhaps with flank charges or as ‘cross-fire’ units. If you don’t succeed at shooting the enemy skirmishers but you have at least stopped them from fulfilling their intended role then that’s OK, too. Magic: Magic that is cost-effective only includes Warplightning, Scorch, and Vermintide. Crack's Call is great against Cairn Wraiths [init: 2], and perhaps worth it against Squig Hoppers [init: 3] or Flamers [init: 4], but that's about it. The Curse of the Horned Rat (13th Spell) is a little too risky against these cheapish units, notable exceptions being Cairn Wraiths, large Hunting Packs, and large units of Flamers. Shooting Shooting isn’t very cost-effective, since much of it uses templates that aren’t likely to touch many skirmishers. PWGs lack range and are extremely prone to panic. Jezzails cost too much. Shooting that is at least close to being cost-effective only includes NR stars/slings and the Doomwheel’s Zzzzap! (both aforementioned, and both only ‘cost effective’ because they are in addition to the close combat abilities that these units can employ against enemy skirmishers). Ratling guns and WFT are also merely close to being cost-effective: WFTs won’t hit very many skirmishers (but may cause panic), and Ratlings are at -1 to hit skirmishers. Both are likely to get shot by the very units that they’ve been deployed against and are trying to take out. It’s only a good idea to deploy them against skirmishers if you’re short on magic and haven’t brought any (or enough) of the close combat options that are available. Note that you will rarely, if ever, want to use a WFT torch a bunch of slaves that have managed to charge a unit of skirmishers. The slaves should win on their own. Exceptions only include ‘heavy skirmishers’ such as PCBs, Beast Herds, Cairn Wraiths, Squig Hoppers, Wardancers, and Dryads (who would have their ‘forest spirit ward save’ negated). Scouting: Note that many skirmishers have the ‘scouts’ special rule (like our GR). Check your enemy’s army book. Be aware of it and place your anti-skirmisher units where they will actually prevent the enemy from using its scouting rule or where they will at least be able to deal with a scouting unit (that is, somewhere that they will be able to prevent even the scouting unit from getting to where it really wants to go). Fear [adds to cost!]: Fear is pretty rare amongst skirmishers, but Lizardmen Hunting Packs cause fear, as do Wood Elf Dryads and Daemonic Flamers. All of these units make good targets for shooting. If you choose the combat route instead, make sure that you will beat in combat and/or outnumber any units of fear-causing skirmishers. Also remember that you may fail a fear test and fail your charge(s). Having the General nearby helps, as does a full rank bonus. Also, troops that are immune to psych (or frenzied/unbreakable) or that cause fear/terror themselves will never even need to take a fear test. Swarms, Monks (with or without the Furnace), PCBs, Rat Ogres, Doom Wheels, and A-Bombs all fit this category, as do units that are pushing a Screaming Bell or that have been joined by a Warlord who is riding a Bone Breaker. Crumble/Unstable [adds to cost!]: Skirmishers with this rule will crumble really quickly if you hit ‘em in a flank. Unfortunately, they don’t really even have a flank until they’ve already been engaged in a combat. After this their flank is fair game and you should, of course, charge it if given half of an opportunity to do so. Frenzied? Immune to Psych? [usually worth more]: Frenzied skirmishers don’t need to be baited into traps. They should simply be forced to charge one of the above ranked units- they will probably lose combat (PCBs being an exceptional exception). Frenzied (and other Immune to Psych) skirmishers are guaranteed to stay in place if you manage to get them to stray into your charge arc. They will have to ‘accept’ the charge [or stand and shoot!] (even when ‘fleeing’ would clearly be a better option). Stubborn/Unbreakable [adds to cost!]: This may only include our PCBs (near a Furnace). Regardless, they should be charged by the aforementioned ranked units. Those units are supposed to beat skirmishers by killing them, not by combat resolution. Include a Fighting Character [adds 100 to 250 points to cost]: If a skirmishing unit includes a character then shooting it is much more cost effective, especially if it raises the possibility of a panic test. You may even want to try template weapons or jezzails. Likewise, attempting to corner the unit for a charge by fully ranked Skaven infantry is now a cost-effective and ‘viable’ option (though trying to charge skirmishers with ranked units can be like chasing shadows!). 6.2- Fast Cavalry [units cost 75 to 200 points]: *Definition: Fast cavalry has the ‘fast cavalry’ special rule. Easy. We don’t have any, which kinda sucks, because being ‘fast cavalry’ confers a host of benefits. Many other armies do have fast cav: Skeleton ‘Light Horse’, Goblin Spider and Wolf Riders, Brettonian Mounted Yeomen, Empire Pistoliers and Outriders, Dire Wolves, Marauder Horsemen, Seekers of Slaanesh, Dark Elf Dark Riders, High Elf Ellyrian Reavers, and Wood Elf Glade Riders and Wild Riders of Kurnous all have the ‘fast cavalry’ special rule. (current only as of Nov. 2009). *Improved movement: Fast cavalry can ‘reform’ whenever they want at no cost, even while marching, which pretty much means that they can move like skirmishers- and most fast cav are really fast (move 8, 9, or even 10!). They can also move regularly after a successful ‘flee and rally’ maneuver (though they won’t be able to charge). Rallying is usually very likely as they tend to have decent leadership and most can (and will) take a musician. *Improved shooting: Fast cavalry have a 360 degree LOS for shooting (notcharging) and can even march and then shoot (at -1, of course). They can also also break enemy ranks, and most are decent in combat (get the mounts’ attacks in addition to the riders’, who will often have +1 strength from spear). The only drawback to being ‘fast cavalry’ is that they can’t get a rank benefit of their own. But that doesn’t really matter because here comes the good news: they tend to be quite expensive but are all T3 and generally have only poor armour saves. The only reason that units of fast cavalry don’t cost a lot is because of small unit sizes. *Match ups: The loss of our cheap skirmishers (NR) means that shooting fast cavalry should be your first choice, and one of your first priorities (see below). Ranked Skaven units (besides NR w/slings) do not match up well against fast cav. With careful positioning you can attempt to prevent the enemy from going where they want to go (much as you would attempt against enemy skirmishers). However, if they go there and you charge them, then they will probably flee, rally, and then move right past your ranked unit. Basically, you are likely to delay them only for a turn after which they will be right where they want to be but your unit will probably be out of position. An exception to this is fast cavalry that is immune-to-psych (undead, Daemon, frenzied…). *A-Bombs are a great (albeit expensive) choice for keeping your flanks clear of fast cavalry. Their 360 degree charge arc is a boon, and no (hero-less) fast cavalry unit in the game stands much of a chance against them in combat [exception: Marauder Horsemen with flails are pretty nasty, especially if they've got the Mark of Khorne] . *Doom Wheels are an even better choice for keeping your flanks clear of fast cavalry. They share the A-Bomb’s 360 degree charge arc, and their Zzzap! adds a further 18” to their radius of influence, regardless of terrain/LOS. Even an S4 Zzzap! will usually suffice. If you manage to charge then you’re almost certain to win combat, but a Doom Wheel will usually hold its own against fast cav even when its on the receiving end of a charge (T6 means almost all fast cav will need 6’s to wound; Marauder Horsemen with flails and Wild Riders of Kurnous being the two exceptions]). You may roll only one ‘grind’ hit, but against fast cavalry even the crew’s measly S2 will often manage a wound or two against the T3 and poor armour possessed by all fast cav. *PCBs can be a great option against fast cavalry that have no ranged options. Again, they have a 360 degree charge arc. This means that they will be hard for fast cavalry to ignore. Also, all fast cav are only T3 and will be risking serious gas fits and seizures before they get to swing (even if they charge [which they probably will be]). Fast Cavalry that can’t shoot: Dire Wolves, Seekers of Slaanesh, Wild Riders of Kurnous (who won’t get their ‘Forest Spirit Save’), Empire Pistoliers, and Marauder Horsemen (well...the last two have ranged options, but their ranged options put them within the charge range of PCBs, who will not have panicked). *Considerations: Shooting/Magic?: Yes, yes, yes! As aforementioned, this is probably your best option. Fast cavalry are expensive, frail, and nearly impossible to corner with infantry. Also, once they have dealt with your any and all of you light flank-protecting units, they can be devastating as they support main combats with flank charges [this is particularly detrimental to Rats, but you should already know that!]. *Magic: Plague Breath and the Cloud of Corruption would be good, but they’ll be hard to get into range. Better spells include Warplightning, Scorch (especially if there are 2 ranks of fast cav), and Vermintide. Also, an enfilading Crack’s Call would be brilliant against low initiative fast cav. Unfortunately, most fast cav units have a high initiative (they aren’t called ‘fast’ for nothing!). Fast Cav initiatives (as of Nov. 2009): Low (1 or 2): Skeleton ‘Light Horse’, Goblin Spider and Wolf Riders Medium (3): Brettonian Mounted Yeomen, Empire Pistoliers and Outriders, and Dire Wolves. High (4+): Marauder Horsemen (4), Seekers of Slaanesh (5), Dark Elf Dark Riders (5), High Elf Ellyrian Reavers (5), and Wood Elf Glade Riders and Wild Riders of Kurnous (both init:5). *Solid shooting options include Jezzails, the Doom Wheel’s Zzzap!, NR stars/slings, and the WLC (if, and only if, it’s an enfilading shot). PWGs lack range and are extremely prone to panic, and a lot of the rest of our shooting isn’t terribly cost-effective because it uses templates that aren’t likely to touch many riders (even if it doesn’t scatter completely away). If you’re good a guessing ranges and have a scatter die that is blessed by the Great Horned One then you could give mortars and the Plague-a-Pult a go. NR with slings could do some damage to fast cavalry (note the italics, I’m not saying they will do any damage at all). NR units of 13 or more should survive a round of fast cav shooting without needing to take a panic test. Slings should definitely be taken to maximize their threat range, and remember that slings are ‘additional equipment’ so they will still have their stars to use if they have to turn/move to get the fast cav into their shooting arc. Note that NR can wheel or 'turn' or add/subtract ranks (or all three) and still shoot, but they cannot reform and shoot. Also note that putting a tunneling marker on the flank may enable NR to get a charge on fast cav (they will get to charge if they come up right under a unit!). You will again have the “to rank” or “not to rank” dilemma. To help with the dilemma: Units of 10-14 NR should generally be in a long single rank. Units of 15+ NR should generally be ranked (5-wide) if: ---they will need to take a terror test (they will benefit from extra leadership) ---they will be in a ranged ‘fire fight’ but you don’t mind if it gets drawn out (you’re trading firepower for +2 leadership to aid in panic tests) ---their target is trying to maneuver around them but has a solid move-and-fire attack that is fairly likely to cause them to take a panic test ---they are going to get charged by something that they could beat in combat if given the benefit of +3 combat resolution (2 ranks, outnumber). See ‘NR combat match-ups’ in section 13.3, noting that they’ll have a good chance even on the receiving end of a charge except by ‘hitty’ fast cavalry (Marauder horse, Wild Riders of Kurnous, Empire Pistoliers, and Seekers of Slaanesh). NOTE: you’ll know that they’re going to get charged if the enemy unit is stronger in combat than with ranged weapons AND the NR are permanently preventing it from reaching its objective OR killing the NR is the enemy unit’s objective. Units of 15+ NR should generally be in a long single rank if: ---they will be in a ranged ‘fire fight’ that you want to end quickly (you’re adding firepower at the loss of -2 leadership and a greater chance to panic) ---their target is trying to maneuver around them and doesn’t have a solid move-and-fire attack ---they are going to get charged by something that they wouldn’t beat in combat even with the benefit of +3 combat resolution (or they will be outnumbered and not have +3 CR). This means ‘hitty’ fast cav (Marauder horse, Wild Riders of Kurnous, Empire Pistoliers, and Seekers of Slaanesh). Spread ‘em out single file and try your luck with a stand and shoot (using stars). GR, especially with poisoned slings, look good on paper; but fast cavalry can march up and still shoot, meaning that GR are quite susceptible to fast cavalry- often being shot to oblivion or forced to panic and flee before getting a chance to shoot. Poison and slings just adds to your loss of points. Against fast cav that don’t shoot, however, they are indeed a solid choice. Fast Cavalry that can’t shoot: Dire Wolves, Seekers of Slaanesh, and Wild Riders of Kurnous. Ratling guns and WFTs are also likely to be shot before they have a chance to shoot. If you’ve charged slaves into combat with fast cav and have the chance to torch the combat with a WFT then congratulations- you’re playing a newb! You could torch the combat for fun, I suppose, but it’s not necessary. The static CR of the slaves should suffice. On the other hand, if slaves have been hit in the flank by fast cav and managed to hold then by all means, torch away! Roast the ponies!!! Frenzied? Immune to Psych? [both cost more]: Frenzied fast cavalry (currently only Marauder Horsemen with the Mark of Khorne) are actually a lot easier to deal with. They should be baited into a position for a flank charge, which they will then need to accept. You could also bait them into a frontal charge by a Skaven hammer (at which point you still pray that your dice don't let you down- assuming that they have flails, any that survive will have 2 S5 attacks each, not counting their ponies!). Immune-to-psych fast cavalry are also easier to deal with. They can't be baited like frenzied fast cav, but they are still guaranteed to stay in place if you manage to get them to stray into your charge arc, and they will have to ‘accept’ the charge [or stand and shoot!] (even when ‘fleeing’ would clearly be a better option). Also, most of them will then crumble, so you won’t need to worry about running them down or using a ‘cross-fire’ unit. Fast cav that are immune-to-psych: Skeleton ‘Light Horse’, Dire Wolves, Seekers of Slaanesh, Marauder Horsemen with the Mark of Khorne, and Wood Elf Wild Riders of Kurnous. Of these, only the last two don’t crumble/pop! If your plan is to shoot them then you will need to shoot them all (they will never panic and flee). Crumble/Unstable [adds to cost!]: These units are also immune-to-psych (see immediately above). Frontal charges with almost anything should suffice, and flank charges (even by a jezzail team or PWGs) are almost guaranteed to destroy them. Also note that undead fast cavalry, like all undead, can’t march if they are far from a vampire of some sort (which they generally will be, and tomb king fast cavalry always will be). This makes it easier to restrict their movement areas. Stubborn/Unbreakable [ermmm…]: (I don’t believe such a thing exists). Mutate: Seekers of Slaanesh near a special Daemonic standard will be stubborn. Shoot them or charge them with something that has lots of attacks! PCBs would be fun, fun, fun! Include a Character [adds 100 to 250 points to cost]: Fast cav that include a character (mages will often ‘hide’ with fast cav) are a very viable target for shooting. After reducing their numbers they won’t have the possibility for ‘look out, sir!’ rolls against template weapons. Also, you will be able to pick out the character with your jezzails, warplightning, and other ranged weaponry. 6.3- Flying units: [cost 75-250 points]: *Definition: This one is pretty simple, too. ‘Flying units’ have the ‘fly’ special rule. This includes ‘flying cavalry’, but not flying monsters, which have already received mention (in the ‘monsters’ section, above). They currently (Nov. 2009) include: Brettonian Pegasus Knights, Daemonic Furies and Screamers, Dark Elf Harpies, Lizzie Terradons, Tomb Kings’ Carrion, Vampire Bat Swarms and Fellbats (note that the former flies only 10”), and Wood Elf Warhawk Riders. You’ll notice that as rats, we again don’t have any <_< . Again, this is a kind of annoying, because flying units are really cool. They are just as maneuverable as fast cavalry, and even faster (move 20”, with a few exceptions). They, again similarly to fast cav, can make their full flight move and then shoot in a 360 degree arc [though more than a few lack missile weapons]. Most are more specialized in close combat, and are used to charge into and remove soft targets like artillery teams, squishy skirmishers, lone characters, and ranked shooters. Again, the travesty of non-skirmishing NR has damned us (that’s thrice, now). As a result, we are sorely lacking consistently effective anti-flyer options (apart from shooting). *Match ups: Shooting flyers should be your first choice, and one of your first priorities (see below). Ranked Skaven units (besides NR w/slings) do not match up well against flyers. With careful positioning you can attempt to prevent the enemy from going where they want to go, but doing so is even harder to achieve than it is against fast cavalry [ie- practically impossible]). *A-Bombs are a great (albeit expensive) choice for creating circles within which flying units won’t dare to land. Their 360 degree charge arc is a boon, and no (hero-less) flying unit in the game stands much of a chance against them in combat. *Doom Wheels are an even better choice for keeping your flanks clear of flyers. They share the A-Bomb’s 360 degree charge arc, and their Zzzap! adds a further 18” to their radius of influence, regardless of terrain/LOS. Even an S4 Zzzap! will usually suffice (exception: Pegasus Knights). If you manage to charge then you’re almost certain to win combat, but a Doom Wheel will usually hold its own against flyers even when its on the receiving end of a charge (T6 means almost all flyers will need 6’s to wound; I believe only those damnable Pegasus Knights can manage better than S4 [they’re S5 when charging]). You may roll only one ‘grind’ hit, but against flyers even the crew’s measly S2 will often manage a wound or two against the T3 and poor armour possessed by most flyers (again, Pegasus Knights are a notable exception). *PCBs can be a great option against flyers that have no ranged options. Their 360 degree charge arc means that they can make some pretty big ‘no fly’ zones. However, they will need to avoid being charged except by T3, single-wound flyers (Harpies, Furies, and Screamers, the latter of which can overfly instead of charging [causing serious damage]). All other flyers have multiple wounds and/or high toughness and should either be charged or avoided. If they’ve moved to edge of your ‘no-fly zone’ (putting you in their range while staying outside of yours), then you should skirmish away (effectively setting up a new ‘no-fly zone’ and giving your shooting options more time). Additionally, Warhawk riders have a ranged attack that is useable while keeping them safely outside of the charge radius of PCBs. Screamers have an aforementioned and nasty (S5!) slash attack against anything and everything that they overfly. Lastly, Terradons have a drop rocks attack (D3 hits @S4, but only once per game) and thrown weaponry that is short-ranged but poisoned. PCBs should avoid these units completely (if possible, of course). *Considerations: Shooting/Magic?: Yes, yes, yes! As aforementioned, this is probably your best option. Flyers are expensive, frail (again, Pegasus Knights aren’t!), and impossible to corner with infantry. *Magic: Plague Breath and the Cloud of Corruption would be good, but they’ll be hard to get into range. Better spells include Warplightning, Scorch, and Vermintide. Also, an enfilading Crack’s Call would be brilliant against low initiative flyers. Unfortunately, very few have a low initiative (as of Nov. 2009): Low (1 or 2): only Bat Swarms <_< . Medium (3): Tomb Kings’ Carrion, and Fellbats. High (4+): Lizzie Terradons (4), Brettonian Pegasus Knights (4), Furies and Screamers (both: 4), Dark Elf Harpies (5), and Wood Elf Warhawk Riders (5). *Shooting: Solid shooting options include Jezzails, the Doom Wheel’s Zzzap!, NR stars/slings, and the WLC (the crew will be shooting to save their lives, so will probably make it a good one!). PWGs lack range and are extremely prone to panic, and a lot of the rest of our shooting isn’t terribly cost-effective because it uses templates that aren’t likely to touch many flyers (even if it doesn’t scatter completely away). If you’re good a guessing ranges and have a scatter die that is blessed by the Great Horned One then you could give mortars and the Plague-a-Pult a go. NR with slings could do some damage to flyers (note the italics, I’m not saying they will do any damage at all). Slings should definitely be taken to maximize their threat range, and remember that slings are ‘additional equipment’ so they will still have their stars to use if they have to turn/move to get the flyers into their shooting arc. Note that NR can wheel or 'turn' or add/subtract ranks (or all three) and still shoot, but they cannot reform and shoot. Also note that putting a tunneling marker on the flank may enable NR to get a charge on a flying unit (they will get to charge if they come up right under a unit!). You will again have the “to rank” or “not to rank” dilemma. To help with the dilemma: Units of 10-14 NR should generally be in a long single rank. Units of 15+ NR should generally be ranked (5-wide) if: ---they will need to take a terror test (they will benefit from extra leadership) ---they will be in a ranged ‘fire fight’ but you don’t mind if it gets drawn out (you’re trading firepower for +2 leadership to aid in panic tests) ---their target is trying to maneuver around them but has a solid move-and-fire attack that is fairly likely to cause them to take a panic test ---they are going to get charged by something that they could beat in combat if given the benefit of +3 combat resolution (2 ranks, outnumber). See ‘NR combat match-ups’ in section 13.3, noting that they’ll have a good chance even on the receiving end of a charge except by the worst two flyers: Warhawk Riders (2 attacks at S4 WS4 [usually each Warhawk will kill one NR]) and Pegasus Knights. NOTE: you’ll know that they’re going to get charged if the enemy unit is stronger in combat than with ranged weapons AND the NR are permanently preventing it from reaching its objective OR killing the NR is the enemy unit’s objective. Units of 15+ NR should generally be in a long single rank if: ---they will be in a ranged ‘fire fight’ that you want to end quickly (you’re adding firepower at the loss of -2 leadership and a greater chance to panic) ---their target is trying to maneuver around them and doesn’t have a solid move-and-fire attack ---they are going to get charged by something that they wouldn’t beat in combat even with the benefit of +3 combat resolution (or they will be outnumbered and not have +3 CR). This only includes the worst two flyers: Warhawk Riders (2 attacks at S4 WS4 [usually each Warhawk will kill one NR]) and Pegasus Knights [eek!]. Spread ‘em out single file and try your luck with a stand and shoot (using stars). GR, especially with poisoned slings, look good on paper, but in reality they are too expensive for the amount of damage that they can be expected to do to a unit of flyers. Often they will get charged, do nothing on the stand and shoot, get smashed in combat, and any left will run. Poison and slings will just add to your loss of points. Besides the ‘pretty squishy’ Furies and Harpies, Gutter Runners should generally try to pick on softer things than flyers. Ratling guns, with their range increase, have become a solid anti-flyer option, despite the fact that they are themselves a prime target for flyers. They can create very large ‘no-fly zones’ and can do significant damage with decent rolling. You will often get two chances to shoot (first when opponent moves into their charge range [though they may successfully move to a spot exactly 19” away, or use a screen], and second on a stand and shoot [though opponents can prevent this, too, if they charge from within 10”]). WFTs will get a stand-and-shoot reaction that may cause some damage, especially with a lucky range roll and against flyers with multiple wounds. Nevertheless, they are a poor choice for flyer hunting unless the opportunity to roast flyers in combat with slaves presents itself. If it does, flame on! Mmmm, Roasted Pegasus!! Frenzied? [N/A- there’s no such thing as frenzied unit flyers] Immune to Psych? [possibly worth more]: Flyers that are immune-to-psych are actually a little easier to deal with. They are guaranteed to stay in place if you manage to get them to stray into your charge arc. They will have to ‘accept’ the charge [or stand and shoot!] (even when ‘fleeing’ would clearly be a better option). Also, all of them will then crumble, so you won’t need to worry about running them down or using a ‘cross-fire’ unit. Flyers that are immune-to-psych: Daemonic Furies and Screamers, Tomb Kings’ Carrion, and Vampire Bat Swarms and Fellbats. All of them are undead/Deamonic, so they all crumble/pop! If your plan is to shoot them then you will need to shoot them all (they will never panic and flee). Crumble/Unstable [adds to cost!]: These units are also immune-to-psych (see immediately above). Frontal charges with almost anything should suffice, and flank charges (even by a jezzail team or PWGs) are almost guaranteed to destroy them. But good luck getting them to land somewhere that you are able to charge them. Stubborn/Unbreakable [ermmm…]: (I don’t believe such a thing exists). Mutate: Furies/Screamers near a special Daemonic standard will be stubborn. Shoot them or charge them with something that has lots of attacks. Include a Character [adds 100 to 250 points to cost]: Flying units that include a character (mages will often ‘hide’ with flyers) are a very viable target for shooting. After reducing their numbers they won’t have the possibility for ‘look out, sir!’ rolls against template weapons. Also, you will be able to pick out the character with your jezzails, warplightning, and other ranged weaponry. |
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Si vis pacem, para bellum! If my Ratling Gunners were hummies... | |
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| wolfatbar | 2nd December 2009 - 09:32 AM Post #3 |
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Die! Die! Every-things!
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7- Enemy Artillery [costs 50 to 200 points]:*Definition: By ‘artillery’ I mean ‘war machines’. This means the cannons, catapults, stone throwers, mortars, bolt throwers, and other pieces of heavy equipment that tend to cluster on hilltops as if they were waiting for Noah’s Ark to come by. We have the WLC and PCC (Plague Claw Catapult/Plague-a-Pult). Weapons teams (especially the mortar) come close, but should be treated more like lone skirmishers/characters. The Doom Wheel would count, but for the fact that the crazy thing moves like a chariot and fights like a monster. Other armies have, as of Nov. 2009: The usual Cannons, Stone Throwers [aka Rock Lobba’s], Mortars, Bolt Throwers [aka Spear Chukka’s] and Repeating Bolt Throwers, plus Brettonian Trebuchets, Dwarven Flamecannons, Dwarven and Empire Hewers, Empire Helblasters and Rocket Batteries, Gnoblar Scraplaunchers (also count as chariots, and should be treated as such!), Goblin Doom Divers [don’t worry- Doom Wheels are way better!], and Chaos Hellcannons. *Match ups: Most artillery pieces are better suited to killing Greater Daemons and Dragons than rats. Of course anything that can kill a Dragon is perfectly capable of killing a rat, it’s just not cost-effective. Cost effective targets do exist in our army, though: Doom Wheels, Abominations, Warlords mounted on Bone Breakers and not contained in a unit, Screaming Bells, and Plague Furnaces are all targets that will be vulnerable to cannons and stone throwers until (and unless) something is done to prevent them from firing (or they misfire and fall apart). And note that Stone Throwers, Flamecannons, Hewers, Helblasters, and Rocket Batteries can all be pretty effective at removing entire ranked units, too. In close combat most of their crews will be beaten by almost anything. We have a number of reliable and cost-effective anti-artillery options: Ranked Units: Any Skaven unit with full ranks will easily defeat any Artillery crew with static combat resolution [notable exception: the Chaos Hellcannon!]. Our faster or cheaper units are the best choice for this task (NR, Giant Rats, and Slaves), with NR being the best choice due to their 6” ‘head start’. Monks also deserve 'honourable mention' as they are immune to panic. A small 'hammer'-sized unit (of 10 or 12) won't flee if they get shot and are a small investment that should get the job done by turn 3 or 4 [assuming they're not frenzy-baited into a corner, which is not a safe assumption]. Note that Flamecannons, Hewers, and Helblasters (and lucky stone throwers and their ilk) are quite likely to take out a big chunk of these units of their way in, and therefore prevent ranked units from being a particularly good option. Slaves away from their general’s 12” umbrella are especially prone to panic. Also note that Dwarven artillery crews are stubborn and unlikely to break, though ranked Slaves, Rats and NR will beat them with static CR and prevent the weapon from firing (and the latter two should eventually kill the crews in combat). Infiltrators: GR and Assassins can ‘infiltrate’ from any board edge, starting from turn two and increasing their arrival odds every turn thereafter, and should beat any weapon crew [with Scraplaunchers and Dwarven crews both being partial exceptions (poison will help!) and Hellcannons again being a notable exception (only the Great Horned One’s blessing will help here!)]. Note:Unfortunately, they won’t be able to charge the turn that they infiltrate. This means that their target will have a round of shooting against your infiltrator(s). Because of this, neither Gutter Runners nor Assassins should not be used to infiltrate against Repeating Bolt Throwers, Dwarven and Empire Hewers, and Empire Helblasters. Additionally, Assassins should not be used to infiltrate against normal Bolt Throwers. Also note: that most cannons can fire a flame template of ‘grapeshot’. Position your infiltrators 10” away from cannons on the turn that they emerge (thereby being beyond grapeshot but within charge range). Assassins will still need to hope for a poor cannon bounce or a successful ward save (failing that a D6 wounds roll of ‘1’ would also save the lucky rats’ life!). Tunnelers: NR and GR can both tunnel if they take a Warp Grinder weapon team. This is expensive and their arrival odds don’t increase each turn, but the Warp Grinder adds to their combat abilities and allows for charges on the turn that the unit emerges. These units should be able to take out any warmachine crew [again, not the Hellcannon], and possibly even two at a time if you can keep the Warp Grinder within 3” of its parent unit. You may try to later restrain pursuit(s) in an attempt to not lose the Warp Grinder to the ‘permanently attached’ rule. Skitterleap: With a Grey Seer in your army you can be guaranteed to have this spell, though the need to successfully cast it means that this tactic is far from being reliable. Skitterleapt characters that can do damage to artillery and crews include: Plague Priests (a flail/censor will be fine and will allow magical goodies), Chieftans (multiple equipment options), Assassins (just add a tail weapon [which will be poisoned] and smoke bombs, unless you want the Warpstone Stars for further hunting later), and Warlocks that have rolled up Crack’s Call as one of their spells. Don’t forget that skitterleap will allow the artillery a round of shooting, which makes this a very bad idea against Bolt Throwers (whether mundane or repeateing), Dwarven and Empire Hewers, and Empire Helblasters. Also don’t forget that most cannons can fire a flame template of ‘grapeshot’. Try to position your characters 9” away from cannons on the turn that they skitterleap (thereby being beyond grapeshot but within charge range). They will still need to hope for a poor cannon bounce or a D6 wounds roll of ‘1’!). Doom Wheel: The Doom Wheel is perfectly capable of Zzzzapping! artillery. 3 strength 8 or 10 bolts will generally get the job done, but you’ll need to get lucky if you roll up strength 6 (or really lucky if you roll up strength 4). It will also trash the crew if it instead charges. However, the Doom Wheel itself is a prime target for artillery (especially cannons), so this tactic is unlikely to work unless you’ve got some conveniently place terrain to wheel around. Screaming Bell: Though far from reliable, rolling 3 dice for the Screaming Bell gets you a decent chance of rolling an 11 or 12 (‘Deafening Peals’), thereby doing D3 wounds to almost every artillery piece in the game. Note that Gnoblar Scraplaunchers, the Chaos Hellcannon, and our own artillery pieces (the WLC and PCC) are not T7 and are, therefore, not affected. PWGs/Jezzails/WLC: PWGs, Jezzails and the WLC can all hit hard enough to destroy artillery and/or crews. PWGs aren’t likely to get close enough and are very prone to panic/destruction, but jezzails are a decent choice. Particularly entertaining if they manage to destroy the artillery piece while the bewildered crew looks about asking “wha happa’nd?!?” The WLC is a better choice, though you’ll probably need an S8 or S10 shot (and if you fail you will have given your opponent a pretty good clue as to the range that he/she should be guessing to return the salvo!). *Considerations: Crumble/Unstable [negligible cost]: This is pretty irrelevant. Stubborn/Unbreakable [costs more]: Dwarven Weapon crews are stubborn (and T4!). Poison on GR helps, and using a skitterleapt character should be fine as he will kill them outright. Combat resolution will still prevent them from firing. Chaos Hellcannons are unbreakable and immune to the Screaming Bell’s ‘deafening peals’ and pretty good in combat. They count as monster wannabes. So how do you get rid of them? 3 Choices: (1)-shoot em. Use jezzails, WLC(s), or the Doom Wheel. (2)- hit em with Crack’s Call. They have an initiative of 1. (3) charge it with a fully ranked unit of ‘decent’ Skaven infantry. They are the only unaccompanied artillery piece expensive enough to make this a worthwhile option. Include a Fighting Character [adds 75 to 250 points to cost]: You may have noticed the word ‘unaccompanied’ in the preceding sentence. This is because some artillery can, indeed, be joined by a character. This makes shooting the unit slightly more worthwhile, but the inclusion of a character really doesn’t make much difference to any of the options listed above with one exception: GR and units of 10 NR have a decent chance of losing against accompanied warmachine crews. You should still try them, but try to have a back-up plan “just in case”. Note that poison for the GR and units of NR with a Warp Grinder or with 15 or more rats should be fine (but a back-up plan wouldn’t hurt- they never do!). Shooting/Magic?: As aforementioned, Jezzails and WLCs are both reasonable choices. 8- ‘Unique’ Enemy Units, Army Rules, and Powerful Items:Note that this section is current to Nov. 2009. Also note that it is very brief- I don’t want to ruin all of the surprises. For much more detailed army-specific tacticas go here: http://underempire.net/index.php?showtopic=8568 8.1 Beastmen:Army Rules: Can ‘ambush’ multiple units in a similar way to our ‘infiltrators’ rule, though less reliably (believe it or not). Makes things interesting. ‘Unique’ Units: Beast herds move like skirmishers but can get a +2 rank bonus. They cannot remove your rank bonus with a flank or rear charge, and don’t let your opponent tell you otherwise! They are basically skirmishers that are strong in combat; to hit their flank you will first need to pin them (using 'decent' infantry). Neither the flee 'n flank, divert, nor sacrifice will get you a flank charge. Powerful Items: They have items that can force one enemy unit to automatically fail a rally roll and that grant a unit-movement spell. Also, some of their special characters can pull off some pretty crazy s$&#! (usually related to major army composition changes). 8.2 Brettonians:Army Rules: The infamous "lance" formation allows knights on the flanks to attack when their unit charges. Knights can also “pray” before a battle to get a 6+ ward save (5+ vs high strength attacks). Also, standards on peasant units don’t confer the normal 100 VPs. ‘Unique’ Units: Pegasus Knights are by far the hardest-hitting and best-armoured flying unit in the game. Definitely worth shooting. Powerful Items: Have a dispel scroll that doles out an S6 hit to the wizard who had been attempting to cast the spell, and a magical standard that denies the use of ranks for combat bonuses on all enemy units in base-to-base [note that rats still get their SIN Leadership bonus!]. 8.3 Chaos Warriors:Army Rules: Characters must issue/accept challenges and get benefits for doing so (they roll from a list). Chaos Warshrine can issue benefits, too, rolling from the same list. ‘Unique’ Units: Hellcannons are pretty special. See ‘artillery’ section considerations, above. Powerful Items: Have 3 unique lores, pretty powerful ones. A Chaos Daemon Sword will turn a normal mage into a lord-level fighter. There is a shield that turns magical enemy weapons into mundane ones (bad for Fellblade!). Also may pay for the ability to re-roll a casting and dispel dice per turn, and for an item that can manipulate your miscast table results. Eek. Lastly, Banner of the Gods causes terror and makes all nearby friendlies stubborn. 8.4 Daemons:Army Rules: Daemons all cause fear, are immune-to-psych, have a ward save, and ‘pop’ instead of breaking [NOTE: with NO SAVES at all!]. Also, their attacks count as magical (but that doesn’t matter to a rat). ‘Unique’ Units: Screamers are pretty special. Do an S5 hit/screamer to any and every unit that they manage to fly over. Flamers are pretty special, too. Shoot them before they shoot you! Powerful Items: There are unique lores for Tzeentch, Slaanesh, and Nurgle Daemons. Additionally, Tzeentch Daemons can take an assortment of spell-casting aids (including re-rolls, of course.) For Khorne Daemons there’s armour that negates enemy magical weapons. Lastly, there are standards that nerf an entire lore of magic (they’d have to pick only one of ours), bestow a -2 to enemy leadership, and make all Daemon’s within range stubborn!!!. Super EEK!!! 8.5 Dark Elves:Army Rules: All Dark Elves hate everything. This is particularly useful for their characters and harder hitting units (Black Guards, Cold Ones, and last but not least: Hydras.). Don’t forget that this means that they must pursue broken units, which can be helpful to their enemy (us!). ‘Unique’ Units: Nothing really. The Hydra is a ‘brutal monster’. Also, there is no maximum size listed for Shades, so taking large and nigh-unkillable units that are filled with characters and magical items has become a beardy but popular “tactic”. Powerful Items: Their assassins can be tooled up in powerful ways, and they have a unique and powerful ‘blasting’ lore. They can get a lot of extra power dice. Also, Dark Elves in general have a bunch of ‘broken’ items: -There’s the infamous “Ring of Miscasts”, forcing a miscast on ANY double and making irresistible force impossible. Keep your spellcasters further than 12” away and also make sure that they target units that are further than 12”. Note: this Ring works against their own spellcasters, too! -There’s the infamous reverse-ward save (roll under attackers’ strength). It can indeed be combined with a 1+ armour save, meaning both high AND low strength attacks will allow an 83% save success rate (or better). Attacks at low strength that allow no armour save OR at no listed strength value at all (ie- PWGs, Mortars) or that force stat tests are the way to beat this item. -Lastly, there is an expensive standard that makes a unit unbreakable, and a cheap standard that gives a unit ASF (usually given to Black Guards). 8.6 Dwarves:Army Rules: Nothing really. They’re stunty and really slow, so they tend to cluster in a corner like scared ants and blast away with artillery. They can’t be march blocked, but not many Dwarven generals seem to take advantage of this rule. Also, they can’t cast magic (though their Anvil gets magic-like effects) but they get extra dispel dice. ‘Unique’ Units: Nothing, really. Miners duplicate our ‘infiltrators’ rule. Gyrocopters are an annoying flying monster wannabe. Powerful Items: Their ever-present artillery can be given runes to make it more accurate or reliable. Characters can be given equipment and runes to make them practically unkillable, and an Oath Stone which, when placed, gives their unit no flanks or rear but also prevents them from moving at all (even pursuing). WFT anyone? 8.7 Empire:Army Rules: Empire ‘detachments’ can be placed to counter-charge an enemy unit’s flank on the turn that the enemy charges its parent unit. They should be engaged with slaves or rats while parent units are charged with decent Skaven units or Skaven hammers. ‘Unique’ Units: The Steam Tank has a host of unique rules and invulnerabilities. It should be shot (Jezzails, PWGs, WLC, Doomwheel) or hit by a Fellblade or A-Bomb (note that because the A-Bomb causes impact hits it will take D6 S6 hits in return). Powerful Items: They have a sword which will wound on 2+, allow no armour saves, and do D3 wounds against a single enemy model (their choice, of course). The Casket of Sorcery can steal your spell(s) and later release ‘bound’ versions of them. The Speculum makes you swap most combat stats with its bearer in a challenge. Makes challenging their mages a risky proposition. Lastly, there are two expensive standards of note: one makes a unit stubborn and the other doubles the rank bonus of a unit (but prevents it from pursuing, even if consumed by frenzy/hatred). 8.8 High Elves:Army Rules: Every elf in the army has ASF. Even artillery crew member, and even those with greatweapons. ‘Unique’ Units: Nothing, really. Some of their mages can ride dragons (mere wannabes). They have a cool chariot that is pulled by lions [which, like horses, can’t fight if its hit in the flank/rear]. Powerful Items: They’ve got a unique lore, some cool bows, a Talisman that turns magical weapons to mundane while in base-to-base, a bound spell that destroys magical items completely (one use only!), and a nasty (but expensive) book that makes all spells successfully cast by its bearer count as irresistible on any double (with the exception of snake eyes [which is still a miscast]). Two noteworthy standards: an expensive one adds D6 to combat resolution (!!), and a fairly expensive one adds power dice. 8.9 Lizzies:Army Rules: Cold-blooded means they are very likely to pass any and all leadership and break tests. Aquatic lets certain units take cover in and treat water terrain elements as open ground. ‘Unique’ Units: Carnosaurs aren’t large targets (!?!)], Hunting Packs are skirmishers that pack both a shooting and close combat punch (watch out for Razordons’ stand-and-shoot [two artillery dice each, but none at all on a misfire]), Terradons can hide in trees and also ‘drop rocks’ once per game (D3 S4 hits/terradon), and Slann in nigh-unbreakable units of Temple Guards can see as if they were large targets but can’t be targeted as if they were large targets (!?!). They also get a look out, Kermit! roll. Also, skinks have poison and can cough out double-shots, making them lethal against large targets (Doom Wheels, A-Bombs, and Vermin Lords!). Powerful Items: Slann will take a discipline that gives them an extra power dice for every casting attempt, and can know an entire lore and/or make one of your spellcasters toss out all of their 6’s (making irresistible force impossible now that a ‘13’ isn’t so lucky for us). They can also ‘bounce’ a miscast onto an unfortunate enemy wizard. There is also an item that makes all of their cavalry units stubborn. This will affect all mounted Saurus characters, thereby possibly making most of the army stubborn (and ‘cold-blooded’ and they’re practically unbreakable). There is only one standard of note: makes all enemy spellcasters within 18” and LOS test for stupidity. Don’t forget: stupid spellcasters can’t cast spells! Finally, there is the Blade of Realities, which only an Oldblood can take. All successful hits (not wounds) force an unmodified leadership test with a failure resulting in instant death. There’s an ongoing debate, but suffice it to say that as it currently stands our Strength in Numbers rule probably doesn’t apply. Oldbloods on Carnosaurs should be shot, those in units should be shot or flanked by Warlord-less units. 8.10 Ogre Kingdoms:Army Rules: They have a unique lore (mostly used to buff their units) and a unique spellcasting system. Their charges cause impact hits. ‘Unique’ Units: Leadbelchers can move and shoot, but then have to reload. Scraplaunchers are combination chariot-stonethrowers. Gorgers can come on from table edges (as per our ‘infiltrators’ rule). Powerful Items: None to speak of, really. Kind of like us, sadly. Just a couple weapons that make challenging a Tyrant with a Chieftan BSB a really bad idea. 8.11 Orcs and Gobbers:Army Rules: ‘Animosity’ makes the entire army unpredictable and unreliable, whereas ‘Size Matters’ effectively makes successively smaller Orcs and Gobbos ‘expendable’ in the eyes of their larger brethren (though they can never intentionally shoot into combat). A ‘Waaaagh!’ can help them make some unpredictable charges (once per game). ‘Unique’ Units: Goblin Spider Riders aren’t slowed by difficult terrain. Squig Herds hit pretty hard and then ‘explode’ if they flee (at S5, mind you!), while Squig Hoppers are hard hitting skirmishers. Fanatics are truly unique- hitting like PCBs but once released (from Night Goblin units) become totally out of control. Powerful Items: Goblins and Orcs each have a unique lore (generally blasting/assassination, some movement spells). Items include the usual nasty weapons. Otherwise, nothing broken, nothing of note. 8.12 Tomb Kings:Army Rules: Tomb Kings are undead. They are immune-to-psych, can’t march, and crumble instead of breaking [NOTE: with NO SAVES at all!]. Their shooters never suffer from to-hit modifiers (but their BS means they generally hit on 5s). They have a unique casting system and a unique lore with four spells (regain wounds, magic missile, movement, and an extra round of shooting). ‘Unique’ Units: Not much. Tomb Swarms and Tomb Scorpions can ‘come from below’ (tunnel). Powerful Items: Not much. A couple nasty weapons, of course, and a suit of armour that can be used to prevent a unit from crumbling. Combined with a weapon that regains wounds for the unit this can make for a very sticky tarpit. There are two standards of note: one allows a reform at the beginning of the movement phase (with their movement spell this can be brutal), the other allows a unit to tunnel (our GR and NR and not alone!) [one use only, core unit worth <100 points only, must come up within 18” of the standard and can’t charge [at least, not until the magic phase!!!]. 8.13 Vampires:Army Rules: Vampire armies are undead, so they cause fear, are immune-to-psych, can't march unless they're near a Vampire, and crumble in the stead of breaking [NOTE that ward saves and regeneration CAN be used to help prevent this]. They have a unique lore (raise new units/regain lost wounds, movement, blasting). Their Necromancers choose their spells (!?!) and can attempt to cast the same spell as often as their power dice will allow (wtf!?!!?), while their Vampires are more like traditional spellcasters (in addition to being vicious in combat!). ‘Unique’ Units: Spirit Hosts and Cairn Wraith are ‘ethereal’, which means they are immune to non-magical attacks. The former are basically unit monsters (like Ogres), while the latter skirmish and cause terror (and can include a Banshee [ranged attack vs. leadership test- our SIN applies]). Shooting is usually a good idea (ours mostly counts as magical); also, flank charges and combat resolution will still make these units crumble. Black Coaches are the ‘wrecking ball’ of the chariot world. They’re expensive, but they come with solid ward and armour saves and ‘eat’ power dice, gaining benefits as they do so. Jezzails, WLCs, and Doom Wheels (shooting OR close combat) are great choices, as is pinning them in close combat. A Warlord with a Fellblade will destroy it with one hit. Powerful Items: Characters can be given Vampiric powers in cheesy combinations with magical weapons (100 points of each, making them terribly difficult to deal with in close combat, even without a mount. There’s also a Ring that will bring them back to life (like our A-Bomb!) on the roll of a 2+ (dammit!!). There’s also a standard that confers regeneration to an entire unit (a popular choice for Blood Knights). Effective counters involve combat resolution (they are frenzied and can’t flee a flank charge) and Crack’s Call (despite their strong initiative of 4). Also, jezzails and enfilading WFTs/WLC’s are never a bad idea against expensive cavalry (and Blood Knights with that banner will be very, very expensive). 8.14 Wood Elves:Army Rules: Forest spirits are immune-to-psych and have a 5+ ward save that is negated by magical attacks. Everybody can move though trees without hindrance (and Wood Elves generals always bring plenty of kindling to a battle!) and nobody suffers a -1 for moving and shooting. Treekin and Treemen are flammable .‘Unique’ Units: Eternal Guards are stubborn when accompanied by Highborn (combat lord) or a Noble (combat hero). Glade Guard longbows get +1 strength at short range. Wardancers get to choose from one of four fighting styles each close combat phase (can’t repeat the same style twice in a row). Wild Riders of Kurnous get an extra attack when they don’t charge; you should still charge them with a ranked unit if you get a chance, especially if it would be a flank charge (of course!). Warhawk Riders can ‘hit and run’ (attack, lose combat, and then run without allowing any form of pursuit and without causing panic in friendlies, following which they will automatically and instantly rally [allowing normal movement next turn]). Advice: shoot the Turkeys! Powerful Items: They have a unique lore with a variety of spells (including one that moves trees). Also, they’ve got some nasty weapons and bows, of course. And almost every Wood Elf army will take the “Hail of Doom Arrow” (one use, creates 3D6 S4 arrows; does not benefit from use with a magical bow). No standards are particularly noteworthy. Elven characters can take ‘kindreds’ and ‘spites’ in addition to magical weapons [thankfully not nearly as cheesy as Vampiric powers in combination with magical weapons], while Treemen Ancients and Branch Wraiths can only take ‘spites’. Of note is the ‘Annoyance of Nettlings’, a ‘spite’ which forces the enemy to hit on 6’s in a challenge. Advice: against Elves and Branchwraiths you should accept the challenge with a unit champion and let your own character bash their unit (letting combat resolution work its magic). Do the same thing first turn against a Treeman Ancient, and then refuse any further challenges with your character(s). But note that Treemen are stubborn (and Ld.9), so… knowing this… you should have blasted it before it got to the point where challenges were a problem. |
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Si vis pacem, para bellum! If my Ratling Gunners were hummies... | |
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| wolfatbar | 2nd December 2009 - 10:03 AM Post #4 |
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Die! Die! Every-things!
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:rogre::rogre:PART TWO- THE RATS (THAT’S US!!):rogre::rogre: Remember that tactical match-ups start with army design and composition first, and continue into the deployment phase- which is often crucial. Also, since most of our guys suck in combat they often need a flank charge to do anything. Again, if you don’t know how to hit a flank then read this first: http://underempire.net/index.php?showtopic...=0#entry2882921 Lastly, don’t forget to set up cross-fire units, especially against particularly valuable/important enemy units and against Mv.7+ enemy units. It would be a terrible shame for a Brettonian Lance with a Lord and a Damsel to escape and rally after being flanked simply because nothing was waiting to squash them… 9- Skaven Characters: 9.1- Skaven Lords Warlords: Warlords provide leadership 10 and some combat skills to a Skaven army. They upgrade any unit that they join from a ‘decent’ unit to a ‘hitty’ unit. Any unit that they join should be given a unit champion. The War Litter and Bone Breaker both seem too good to be left back at the warren: the former helps your armour save and protects against killing blow, but the latter hits hard. Both are US:4 (including the Warlord) and placed on a 40x40 base. A Pox Rat is only viable for a Moulder/Pestilens theme. Besides the 'must have' mount choices, a variety of decent item combinations are possible. Look here for ideas for ‘safe’ (non-Fellblade) equipment options:: http://underempire.net/index.php?showtopic=30457 Match-ups: Warlords (on a Litter/Bone Breaker and in a unit) with ‘safe’ options on a frontal charge will help your ‘decent’ infantry beat ‘crappy’ or ‘decent’ enemy infantry. Specifically, units with a Warlord will normally defeat enemy heroes or mages, artillery crews, skirmishers, fast cav, flyers, fully ranked ‘crappy’ or ‘decent infantry’, and chariots. Warlords (on a Litter/Bone Breaker and in a unit) with ‘safe’ options on a flank charge will additionally beat unit monsters, heavy cavalry, and a rank or two of ‘hitty/elite’ infantry. Warlords (with ‘safe options’) can also be used to fight enemy characters. They will even win sometimes… In general: they should do fine against mages (unless Vampire/Tzeentch and Lord level) and OK against heroes, but should try to avoid Lords (this of course depends on how both he and the enemy character are equipped). A Warlord with a Fellblade has a much better chance against enemy characters (even Lords, if he charges) and can, additionally, be used to attempt to take out enemy monsters (and unit monsters by the droves). The Fellblade allows a Warlord to take nothing besides mundane protection [3+ AS on a Litter/Pox Rat] (unless a buddy beside him uses a Rival Hide Talisman), so use tactics to ensure that he’s the one doing the charging; and watch out for ASF! You'll also have to pray that you don't whiff. Now that the Banner of Burning Hatred is gone only two things can help: using your ‘lucky dice’ for his ‘to hit’ rolls, and Death Frenzy (which will add 2 attacks to both the Warlord and his mount [not recommended if he's in a smallish, expensive unit of Storm Vermin]). Against Lords that are mounted on nasty monsters you are usually better off directing at least three and probably even all four of your attacks against the monster- characters on foot are usually much less of a threat than surviving monsters. Note: In all combat situations a Warlord should always be watching out for ASF or Killing Blow (or both- EEK!). Also Note: Kitted up and off on his own (on a Bone Breaker) sounds like a fun idea, and it is, but it’s not a good idea. For the same points you could (and should!) take an A-Bomb instead. Grey Seers: Grey Seers also provide leadership 10. They’re useless in combat, but they’re great spellcasters. See section 17.1 (below) for spell targets. Up on a Bell they’ll have a great line of sight (usually important only for Warplightning, but sometimes important for Crack’s Call and Pestilent Breath, too), but a lot of rats will die if he rolls a 4 or less on the Miscast Table. There are many equipment options. Foul Pendant, Scrying Stone and Skalm all seem solid for protection (only the latter one if he's on a Bell [4+ ward save]); Power Stones are good for offence (especially if you want to try the Curse of the Horned Rat). Match-ups: Grey Seers should be kept out of combat. Skitterleaping to aid in spell-casting is possible, but only recommended against armies that lack shooting. A Seer on a Screaming Bell is unbreakable but far from unkillable. Use the Bell mostly for flank charges, or none at all (see below, section 11.4). The Vermin Lord: He’s baaaack! Vermin Lords can’t provide leadership 10 (can’t be generals), but they’re immune-to-psych, great at magic, and solid in combat (they are ‘monster wannabes’). Match-ups: On a frontal charge a Vermin Lord will normally defeat enemy heroes or mages, artillery crews, skirmishers, fast cav, flyers, a rank or two of ‘crappy’ or ‘decent infantry’ (possibly by killing the hero or mage that it contains), unit monsters, chariots, and other monster wannabes (the latter three only because of his Doom Glaive). On a flank charge a Vermin Lord will additionally normally defeat fully ranked ‘crappy’ or ‘decent infantry’, heavy cavalry, and a rank or two of ‘hitty/elite’ infantry. 9.2- Skaven Heroes Chieftains: Chieftains make good generals at lower points levels (leadership 9), and are BSBs at higher points levels. Either way, tactics should be used to keep them away from enemy characters (besides mages [exception: Plague Priests, Vampires, and Tzeentch mages are strong in combat]), and he should be kitted out to survive rank ‘n file attacks. Units with a Chieftain should always include a unit champion. Note about BSBs: Battle Standard Bearers make the biggest contribution to allowing your units to stay in combat even if they lose. More so than leadership 10. Statistically, they make an enormous difference- see here: http://underempire.net/index.php?showtopic=13585&hl= That said, 'pinning' the enemy in place (while losing combat) used to be the best tactic only at the centre of the enemy's line, where there wasn't enough room for other tactics/maneuvers. Now that we have some true steamroller/hammer units (mounted Warlord in a ranked unit, Furnace, A-Bomb on a combined charge) there are other tactics available that make a BSB less than mandatory, even against the enemy's centre. Without a magic banner I would recommend giving him Warpstone Armour and a mundane hand weapon and shield (and possibly the Rival Hide Talisman). The 2+ ‘bouncing’ armour save will heavily discourage S4 or lower troops from even bothering to aim attacks his way. Alternatively, you could give him the Enchanted Shield, Poisoned attacks, and a Tail Weapon (and again, possibly the Rival Hide Talisman): he’ll do a little more damage but will still have the 2+ armour save (it won’t bounce, though). Finally, a Sword of Might with the Enchanted Shield (+ maybe Rival Hide) would allow still just a bit more damage, but only with a 3+ save. Personally I like the first option the best, as survival is usually the most important thing for a Chieftan, whether he's the low-points General or the BSB of a larger force. With a magic banner he can still be given stuff from the ‘scrap pile’, and he could be placed in a ‘spare’ unit of slaves just behind your battle line. I recommend giving magical banners to unit standard bearers- they’re harder to kill (especially in unbreakable units). Of course, this isn’t possible if you want two magical standards in the same unit, or you want the Sacred Standard of the Horned Rat. Match-ups: Chieftains don’t add enough punch to upgrade the fighting level of the unit that they join. Assassins: Assassins that are hidden in units can be a nasty surprise, and can be used to try to protect Grey Seers (even on a Bell!), Warlocks, and BSBs. Unfortunately they don’t really have the stats/options to take out anything better than a mage or a weak hero. Since they come with poisoned XHW and can’t take a shield it is a bit of a waste to equip them with a magical weapon (especially since they only have 3 attacks), but note that their poison is 'from the book' and will combine with a magical weapon. Nevertheless, it's more efficient to just give them a Tail Weapon and be happy with 5 poisoned attacks. Maybe add the Rival Hide Talisman. NOTE: Hiding an assassin in a unit of GR or in a small, flanking unit of NR would add a nasty surprise and is a sneaky idea, but it's not a good idea. The unit may panic and take him with them. For warmachine-hunting both a lone assassin OR lone GR unit are perfectly sufficient. And on a flank, for less points, you could (and should) take a Doom Wheel instead. Assassins that are off on their own (+possibly skitterleapt) can be a lot of fun, but note that they are now only Leadership 7. Warpstone Stars are a great choice, Musket OK, and the Infernal Bomb should be a blast (!). Taking the Bomb still leaves room for a tail weapon, but can only be combined with Smoke Bombs if the Assassin joins of unit of Gutter Runners who have a champion (Infernal Bomb and Smoke Bombs are both 'enchanted'). Match-ups: Assassins don’t add enough punch to upgrade the fighting level of the unit that they join. Assassins that are hidden in units can be used against enemy heroes in an attempt to protect your Grey Seer/Warlock/BSB, especially if the enemy hero is poorly armoured. As aforementioned, giving them a magical weapon isn’t a great use of points (though some will help against well-armoured foes). Assassins with Warpstone Stars are best used against multi-wound models (chariots, unit monsters). They can also try to take out non-shooting fast cavalry. Skitterleap may help them get into position, and note that even Warpstone Stars benefit from their poison! Assassins with Smoke Bombs and a tail weapon (or magical weapon) can be used to ‘pluck’ mages that are hiding in units. Make sure that you don’t get a unit champion or other hero into base-to-base. They’ll issue a challenge and you’ll miss your opportunity to off the mage. They can also be used to take out Artillery Crews. In both cases, infiltrating/skitterleaping could obviously help. But note that Assassins can’t charge on the turn that they infiltrate or are skitterleapt, so they shouldn’t try this against Bolt Throwers of any kind, Dwarven and Empire Hewers, and Empire Helblasters (all of which have a good chance of turning them to goo in the one round of shooting that they will have. Also note: that most cannons can fire a flame template of ‘grapeshot’. Position your assassin 10” away from cannons on the turn that they emerge/skitterleap (thereby being beyond grapeshot but within charge range). He will still need to hope for a poor cannon bounce or a successful ward save (failing that a D6 wounds roll of ‘1’ would also save the lucky rats’ life!). Plague Priests: Ahh… the “Skaven Vampire”- solid in combat and a solid spellcaster. Can also provide solid leadership (9) as a low points level general. Again, their inability to carry a shield makes it inefficient to give them a magical weapon (all of our non-Moulder magical weapons are one-pawed). You could keep it pretty simple with poison, a tail weapon, and an XHW. You could keep it really simple with a flail or plague censor [Censor not recommended if he’s on a Furnace- too many tests]. Or you could do a mix: flail/censor with poison and tail weapon. In any case it’s more efficient to spend your ‘magical allowance’ on arcane goodies. Dispel Scrolls aren’t a bad idea, and Power Stones will give your Priest an added boost for casting Cloud of Corruption and Plague. Mounting your Plague Priest on a Plague Furnace turns a ‘decent’ unit into an extremely ‘hitty/elite’ unit that is capable of running over and breaking almost anything. Give your Priest a simple flail and arcane goodies (and maybe poison and a tail weapon), and always include a champion to try to protect your Priest. A unit standard bearer with the Shroud of Dripping Death is also a good idea (it can remove models that are in base-to-base, before combat happens). A musician is not such a good idea, they’ll only help in a drawn combat or if your Furnace gets smashed. And that’s just negative thinking, we don’t like that! ![]() Note: Unless used as a scroll caddy, Priests should always get the level 2 upgrade. They will get an extra dice and extra spell and, most importantly, will be able to throw three dice at a spell [meaning they'll be able to throw the optimum number of dice for 4 of the 6 spells in their lore]. It would be a shame to roll-up 'Wither' and then be forced to try casting it all game with only two dice... Also note that a Plague Priest on a Pox Rat and in a unit of Monks could possibly be drawn out of the unit (to his near-certain doom) due to his frenzy and higher movement rate. Match-ups: Without a Plague Furnace Priests don’t add enough punch to upgrade the fighting level of the unit that they join. That said, with a Plague Censor (and the Pestilent Breath spell) they make great skitterleaping candidates. They can march-block and then charge heavy cavalry, psychotic little motor-psychos that they are. brings tears to my eyes ~sniff~On a Plague Furnace the unit will normally defeat enemy heroes or mages, artillery crews, skirmishers, fast cav, flyers, fully ranked infantry of any sort that doesn’t include a fighting Lord, unit monsters, heavy cavalry, chariots, monster wannabes, and even some ‘brutal monsters’. That’s almost everything in the game. Charging a flank will help, but is hardly necessary. Between all of the damage that this thing can do [impact hits, gas tests, Dripping Death attack, Priest’s flail, monks’ attacks, and the Wrecker Attack] you only need to roll well once or twice and most enemy units will need to roll ‘insane courage’ to stick around. Note that many Lords and ‘Brutal Monsters’ will survive the charge, and that some of them will then eat your Furnace for breakfast. Also, units that are unbreakable, stubborn, Daemonic, or undead won’t flee (but Daemonic and undead ones should ‘pop’ or ‘crumble’ pretty badly). Master Moulders: Master Moulders, though now merely ‘unit champion’ upgrades, can boost the leadership and hitting power of the pack that they travel with. Add a great weapon for hitting power (or an electro-whip if you’ve got the spare points and don't want to waste his initiative, but note from the FAQ that he has to be in the front rank). The Shock-Prod and Things Catcher are a little expensive for a model with only 2 attacks. Match-ups: Master Moulders don’t add enough punch to upgrade the fighting level of the unit that they join. Warlock Engineers: are crappy in combat and generally don’t add any leadership, but they are effective and cheaply priced spellcasters. Their lore is great and they’re guaranteed to know Warplightning. One of them should surely be given the Warp-Energy Condenser. Power stones will help to cast Scorch and Crack’s Call, and the Doom Rocket is a lot of fun, but there are many options for Warlocks. Check this out for ideas: http://underempire.net/index.php?showtopic=30457 Note: Unless used as a scroll caddy, Warlocks should always get the level 2 upgrade. They will get an extra dice and extra spell and, most importantly, will be able to throw three dice at a spell [meaning they'll be able to throw the optimum number of dice for 4 of the 6 spells in their lore]. It would be a shame to roll up 'Death Frenzy' and then be stuck trying to cast it with 2 dice the whole game... Also note that you’ll need to upgrade your Warlock at least to a level 1 in order for him to be a ‘scroll caddy’. Finally, note that if they are added to a unit of slaves out on a flank they will be well protected and will, in fact, improve the slaves’ leadership, making for an effective ‘spell casting unit’ out on that flank. Match-ups: Warlocks don’t add any punch to upgrade the fighting level of the unit that they join. Warlocks are great skitterleap candidates; they should be given the Warp Energy Condenser and a shooting option or two (Doom Rocket!) [note that they can take a ranged Skavenge Pile item and another ranged magical weapon]. 9.3- Skaven Special CharactersIkit Claw: Ikit is a Lord level spellcaster (level 3) from Clan Skryre who can bestow leadership 10 upon your army. In close combat his weapon ignores armour saves, but he lacks the attacks (and weapon skill) to make this significant. Match-ups: Treat Ikit like a level 3 Grey Seer who has a ranged attack and (powerful) bound spell. Throt the Unclean: Throt is a combat Lord from Clan Moulder. Regeneration makes up for his lack of armour, and he allows a couple Ogre units to be taken as ‘core’ units. His weaponry makes him a decent character or unit monster hunter. Match-ups: Treat him like a Fellblade-less Warlord with some extra proficiency against characters and unit monsters. Also, in larger games he can provide some much needed leadership outside of your general’s umbrella. His ‘ravenous hunger’ makes adding him to an Ogre unit a pretty bad idea. Queek, the Head Taker: Queek is a combat Lord from Clan Mors. His leadership is great, you only need two ranks to get to 10. His equipment and attack profile make him an excellent hunter of Heavy Cavalry. Match-ups: Treat him like a Warlord with Warpstone Armour, a Warpforged Blade, a couple of extra attacks, and a hate on for challenges. His upgraded Storm Vermin are still merely ‘decent’ infantry. Lord Skrolk: Skrolk is a spellcasting Lord (level 3) from Clan Pestilens. His Rod of Corruption is great. Match-ups: Treat him like a Warlord that is a level 3 wizard (with a bound spell). He’s a great choice against a poncy Dark Elf that has that ridiculous ‘reverse ward save’. Thanquol and Boneripper: Thanquol is a Grey Seer with an unbreakable bodyguard and a few other twists. Match-ups: Treat Thanquol like a Grey Seer (with a ward save) and Boneripper as an unbreakable Rat Ogre (with low initiative!). Also, Thanquol’s warpstone addiction makes him the best choice for attempting to cast the Curse of the Horned Rat (13th Spell), regardless of the fact that his re-rolls can neither prevent a miscast nor cause irresistible force. Skweel Gnawtooth: Skweel is a Master Moulder with a verminous bodyguard and a nasty whip. He also adds a random upgrade to whatever unit he joins, probably best used with Rat Ogres. Match-ups: Treat Skweel as a Master Moulder that stands a good chance of offing a heavy cavalry model or an enemy hero. Tretch Craventail: Tretch is a cutthroat fighting hero from Clan Rictus. He has a really cool special rule, a ward save, and our old “Warpstone Charm”. Match-ups: Treat Tretch as a Chieftan who should have poisoned his five attacks (but didn’t), prefers ward saves to armour, and who has the ability to inspire the truly treacherous to achieve ever greater dastardly feats. Even on flank/rear charges he doesn’t add enough punch to upgrade the fighting level of the unit that he joins. The Deathmaster, Snikch: Snikch is a hero level Assassin from Clan Eshin. He has certainly fallen from the heady heights that he used to occupy, and doesn’t come near to matching his fluff. For nearly all intents and purposes he is merely a normal assassin who has Weeping Blades and a few extra attacks. Match-ups: Due to his additional attacks (and D3 wounds), Snikch is better at killing enemy heroes than normal assassins (and Lords, too, I suppose, though I wouldn’t count on it…). No Smoke Bombs, however, means he is less likely to get away after doing the deed... Like any other assassin he can also be used against artillery crews [see 'enemy artillery' in Section 7, above]. The lack of Warpstone Stars, which is appalling considering his cost, means that he is of nearly no use for hunting multi-wound models (which is doubly terrible as that is when his Cloak of Shadows and extra point of Leadership would be of most use). 10- Skaven Infantry:The Rats have ‘crappy’ infantry and ‘decent’ infantry. Neither Plague Monks nor Storm Vermin have what it takes to be called ‘elite/hitty’ infantry. Not by a long shot, in fact. 10.1- ‘Crappy’ Skaven Infantry Our ‘crappy’ infantry consists of slaves, obviously, and also swarms (partially for lack of a better place to put them). They are both core units. Slaves: Slaves are the ‘crème de la crappe’. Absolute rubbish in combat. Almost everything has a higher WS, out-hits them, and out-armours them. Generally totally outclassing them. That said, slaves are, of course, the best unit in Warhammer. Take minimum-sized units with either nothing at all, or a musician (they explode instead of breaking, but can rally after panic or a successful flee; near the General they'll rally on a 7 or 8 [9 if the General is Queek!]). For a mere 40 points (42 with music) you get a unit that can be used to set up all-important flank charges by our better units. Slaves will never cause a panic test (except in other slaves), and if they are ignored (enemy unit ‘steers’ around them) then they will have leadership 10 (near Warlord/Seer general) and a +5 starting combat resolution (assuming flank and outnumber bonuses). And now when they lose they ‘explode’! Ya gotta love ‘em! But just in case you don’t love ‘em their ‘expendable’ [aka Life is Cheap] rule means that you can blast or torch ‘em with a ranged weapon. Rat Swarms: Now that they don’t skirmish, Rat Swarms can roughly be classed as ‘infantry’. And they are clearly ‘crappy’, but with their points cost reduction they are now clearly viable. They never gain a rank bonus, but they can ‘break’ enemy ranks (US 3 so you’ll need 2+ bases). Unbreakable means that they can be used for neither the flee ‘n flank nor the sacrifice, but they can divert enemy units and large swarms are our most reliable choice for pinning enemy units to wait for the cavalry (ie- A-Bomb) to arrive on their flank. A large Rat Swarm is the only unit that will 'pin' or 'divert' an enemy unit with complete reliability (because they are unbreakable). But they crumble and suck in combat, so they will definitely die when they do this... Match-ups: Slaves on a frontal charge will normally defeat lone enemy heroes or mages, artillery crews, most chariots, a rank or two of other ‘crappy’ infantry, most skirmishers, most fast cav, and most flyers (though good luck getting the latter three to stop within your charge range- you are better off simply trying to limit their movement instead). Also note that Slaves have poor leadership out on the flanks away from their general. Slaves on a flank charge will additionally normally defeat fully ranked ‘crappy’ or ‘decent infantry’, heavy cavalry, unit monsters, and a rank or two of ‘hitty/elite’ infantry. Not bad for 40 points, eh? Swarms on a frontal or flank charge will normally defeat lone enemy heroes or mages, artillery crews, most chariots, a rank or two of other ‘crappy’ infantry, most skirmishers, most fast cav, and most flyers (though, again, good luck getting the latter three to stop within your charge range- you are better off simply trying to limit their movement instead). They are actually a very good choice for taking on artillery crews as most artillery won’t cause them great harm and swarms will never panic even when they do take a solid hit (though they may be destroyed outright!). Large swarms on any sort of charge will additionally tie up almost anything for a combat round or two. They’ll last a lot longer against infantry, fast and heavy cavalry, unit monsters, and chariots if you manage to make it a flank charge. 10.2- ‘Decent’ Skaven InfantryNow that Rats fight from the second rank (even on the charge) and Night Runners don’t skirmish we have a whole bunch of ‘decent’ infanty. All of it is core, with the exception of Monks. Also, the Rats don’t count for the purpose of fulfilling your core choice requirements. Note: since all of our ‘decent’ infantry has roughly the same (fairly poor) combat potential, the match-ups are listed altogether under one heading at the end section this section. Giant Rats: These have got to be one of the best deals in Warhammer right now. You can have a 25 or 30 model unit with 14 to 17 attacks (even on the charge) for a mere 95 or 115 points (respectively). Master Moulders are fine but clearly optional. Perhaps they are most beneficial when added to flanking units of Giant Rats, beyond the generals leadership, where they will provide a leadership increase. They should be equipped with a great weapon/electrowhip [note that FAQ says they must be in front rank]. Clanrats are a good deal, too, but when Clanrats are given spears (which they can’t use on a charge) and compared to Giant Rats, they have to pay a lot for their 5+ AS (which is totally negated by S5+ weapons). The Rats are also faster, but they have a few disadvantages in that they depend on the packmasters for leadership (and control), and can take neither musicians nor standards. I am currently scrounging rats from every old sprue that I can find, hoping that their extra attacks (also possibly reducing return attacks) will usually make up for their lack of a standard and armour save. If that’s so and the combat resolution generally balances out then that’s actually another advantage in favour of the rats: they won’t give up an extra 100 VPs when they are broken, whereas Clannies will. Note that there is no rule which forces Packmasters to be placed in the rear rank, so you can put them all in the second to fourth ranks (allowing them to attack with their whips) regardless of how many ranks you actually have. Clan Rats: Our bread and butter, and a now an even better value than they used to be (though perhaps not as good as Rats). Units should have 25 to 30 or more furry bodies, shields are a must, and spears add to their flexibility and deserve serious consideration (especially if you’ll have a decent chance of casting Death Frenzy [and Bless with Filth!]). Music and standards are also ‘must haves’, as are champions if you’ll be running any kind of hero of in the unit. Another advantage Clannies have over Giant Rats is that they can take weapons teams along. This is obviously a critical advantage if you’re partial to weapons teams (see Skaven Shooting in sections 14 and 15 [both below]). Storm Vermin: Our black-furred blighters are now a slightly better value than they used to be, and are still one of the only two units that can take one of our (excellent) standards. Units should have 20 to 25 or more furry but heavily armoured bodies. Full-command is a must (assuming they’re escorting a character or two). Shields should also be taken, for the combat flexibility they provide and for extra protection from ranged attacks (even if you almost always use their halberds in combat). The superior armour save and increased WS of Storm Vermin could be the difference in some combats (especially against enemy ‘hammers’ that have WS 4 [like Minotaurs and Lizardmen Cold One Riders, for example]). Also, they should be included for ‘fluff’ reasons or for their ability to take a magical standard. Night Runners: Instead of ranting about the tragically ridiculous loss of the ability to skirmish, we have to look at the bright side: Night Runners are now a decent ranked infantry option. Away from the general they have better leadership than other Skaven infantry, but they are pricey and lack both armour and the ability to take a standard bearer or a musician. Their two attacks per model frontage is the only thing that makes them ‘decent infantry’, and note that they just barely make it into that category. Their champions get a ward save- Bloodthirsters beware!!! Seriously, besides fluff the only reason to take a large unit of Night Runners is because they can tunnel up wherever you want them to and cause a whole bunch of mischievous mayhem. A unit of 15 or 20 should do it, and of course you’ll need the WarpGrinder (which will add to their combat output). The champion upgrade doesn’t even add an attack, so don’t bother with it (you’ll want this unit in combat). And obviously don't bother with slings for a ranked unit, either. The beauty of this unit is that it needs no help to get in a flank or even rear charge, and the tunnel marker can be placed wherever you think you’ll need the extra help. Artillery crews are a likely candidate, of course, but since tunnelers can charge on the turn that they emerge they could even be used to charge (and beat) skirmishers, fast cavalry, and flyers (three units that are normally able to stay well out of the charging reach of ranked infantry). Of course they may not show up until its way too late, since their odds don’t increase each turn. And they may not show up at all… Note that smaller units of Night Runners are ‘maneuverable’ units and ‘light shooting units’ (sections 13.3 and 14.1, respectively, below), and that these are the units that the ‘Slinking Advance’ rule will most benefit. Plague Monks: Monks are rough, tough, diseased, and full of frenzy. They are our only infantry option that takes up a ‘special’ slot. Full infantry units should have 20-25 or more frothing-mouthed bodies, with standard-bearers being a ‘must have’ command option. A champion is another ‘must have’ if they’ll be escorting a character of some sort. They can never flee due to panic or as a charge reaction, so musicians should be taken only if you’re planning for them to be broken in combat (or if you just love that little dude with the bells). Their frenzy is what makes Monks unique among our infantry units. It gives them lots of attacks per model frontage, but don’t expect miracles against anything with 4+ toughness and/or decent armour. More importantly, frenzy means that Monks will never panic or fail a fear/terror test. This is an advantage that makes them great against undead and better than our average ‘decent’ infantry against anything that causes fear or terror. The disadvantage of frenzy is that it can make Monks harder to control. Figuring out the proper position to put them in can be more difficult for monks than for our other infantry units. Note that smaller units of Monks can be used as ‘hammer units’ (see section 11.1, just below). Match-ups: On a frontal charge any fully ranked unit of our ‘decent’ infantry will normally defeat lone heroes or mages, artillery crews, chariots, ‘crappy’ infantry (even fully ranked), a rank or two of ‘decent’ infanty, most skirmishers, most fast cav, most flyers, some weaker heavy cavalry (especially those that rely on lances), and a lot of ‘monster wannabes’ (though good luck getting the latter five to stop within your charge range- you are better off simply trying to limit their movement instead). On a flank charge any fully ranked unit of our ‘decent’ infantry will additionally normally defeat a rank or two of ‘hitty/elite’ infantry, fully ranked ‘decent infantry’, all cavalry (fast or heavy, doesn’t matter), and unit monsters. That’s a lot! The only things they won’t beat are ‘brutal monsters’, character-supported infantry, and some fully-ranked ‘hitty/elite’ infantry (and note that the last one of these is expensive and pretty rare). 10.3- Doom FlayersA Doom Flayer can be added to Clanrats or Stormvermin, adding to their combat potential. However, they are unlikely to do so consistently. This is partially because of the random number of hits that they generate but especially since its Whirling Death attacks are distributed like shooting hits and therefore don't eliminate return attacks (making it likely to be destroyed in the first round of combat against any decent enemy unit). Note that impact hits are at S4 and armour-piercing. Match-ups: Doom Flayers don’t consistently add enough punch to upgrade the fighting level of the unit that they join to upgrade their unit from 'decent' to 'elite'. 11-Skaven Hammers:With the improvement to Rat Ogres and the addition of Warlord mounts we now have no shortage in the ‘hammers’ department. There are six of them! And that’s not including our three monsters!!! 11.1 Plague Monks: Small units of Monks (10 or 12 ranked 2x5 or 2x6) are a decent ‘hammer’ option because their lack of ranks isn’t much of an issue. They never need to take panic/fear/terror tests and they hit pretty hard. Forgo all command options unless you’ve spare points for a champion. They are best used to provide a supporting flank charge against a unit that is already engaged to its front against a fully-ranked and standard-bearing unit of rats. Match-ups: On a frontal charge ten or twelve Monks will normally defeat lone heroes or mages, artillery crews, most skirmishers, some fast cav, and some flyers (though good luck getting the latter three to stop within your charge range- you are better off simply trying to limit their movement instead). On a stand-alone flank charge ten or twelve Monks will additionally beat enemy chariots, all fast cavalry, and ‘crappy’ infantry (even fully ranked). On a supporting flank charge, helping out a fully-ranked and standard-bearing unit of rats, ten or twelve Monks will additionally normally help to defeat fully ranked ‘decent infantry’. That doesn’t sound like much (it’s only one ‘unit type’), but most infantry in the game is merely ‘decent’ so it’s actually better than it sounds. 11.2- Plague Censor Bearers: These guys were on speed and well worth their points in the last edition. Now they’re on crack! Gas-fuming flail-wielding hell-bent crazed fanatical nutters who hate absolutely everyone. Perfect. I’ve always loved these guys. They still skirmish (!!!) and their flexibility has increased just as dramatically as has their effectiveness now that they’re not ‘attached’ (and in fact can be taken even without a 'parent' unit of Monks at all!). But note that they become stubborn and have higher leadership near monks (though you can't use both!), and also note that taking PCBs without Monks is about as fluffy as a dentist’s drill after your anesthetic has worn off. Units of 6 to 8 are best, if you’ve got the extra points an extra PCB is a much better use of them than a Plague Chanter (champion) is. That’s the only option for these psychos, which is just peachy- they don’t need any options and are fine as they are. PCBs hit like a tonne of bricks, and with hatred they do it pretty reliably, but they lose most of their effectiveness after the first combat round (and hence are less useful against anything that is stubborn/unbreakable or that is undead/Deamonic). They are best used in support of fully-ranked units. Since they don’t break ranks (because they skirmish), when PCBs provide these supporting charges it should be the fully-ranked unit and not the supporting PCBs that hit the enemy’s flank. Match-ups: On a stand-alone charge PCBs will normally cream lone heroes or mages, artillery crews, chariots, some heavy cavalry, skirmishers, fast cav, and flyers (though of the last three, skirmishers will often shoot them first and the latter two will normally be the ones doing the charging). They can also be used to try to finish off any kind of monster that has already been wounded. On a supporting charge, helping out a fully-ranked and standard-bearing unit of rats that is already in the enemy unit’s flank, PCBs will additionally normally help to defeat unit monsters, any heavy cavalry unit, most monsters (even ‘brutal’ ones!), and any infantry unit (though be careful around ‘hitty/elite’ infantry that are equipped with spears, against these units you should try to support with a second flank charge, or a rear charge). Basically, anything that is hit in the flank by any fully ranked Skaven unit and in the front by a unit of PCBs is probably going to break, crumble, or pop. Only exceptions are units having a strong ASF attack and/or are stubborn/unbreakable. 11.3- Rat Ogres: The addition of frenzy prevents these guys from panicking and combines with their sleight cost reduction to make them a respectable option. Units should have two to four Ogres. In my opinion if you have two or three Ogres then you can have two Packmasters, and if you have four Ogres then you can have three Packmasters (FAQ failed to clarify this! :angry: ). Regardless, both the Master Bred (champion Ogre) and Master Moulder are solid options. If you take a Master Moulder then stick him in the front with a great weapon- he should be pretty safe because rarely will there be anything left to swing back at him. Rat ogres, like all hammers, lack static combat resolution and are best used in support of fully-ranked units. They aren’t quite the great deal that PCBs are, but they have two advantages that shouldn’t be underestimated: they swing at S5 in every round of combat, and they can break ranks on a flank charge. Note about high-strength attacks: High strength attacks (S5 or S6 [or higher]) make combats much less predictable. Almost everything comes down to the 'to-hit' rolls, after that you're looking at rolling to-wound on a 2+ and little to no armour save. When it all basically all comes down to one roll the results tend to vary to the extremes of possible outcomes much more often [same thing is true of chariots/impact hits]. Three Kroxigors (9 S6 attacks, WS 3), for example, can 'roll well' and kill 8 clanrats or 'roll poorly' and kill only 1. Five Monks (15 S3 attacks, WS 3), on the other hand, will very reliably kill 2 or 3 Clanrats almost every round [in a civil war, mind you!]. If they roll well to-hit, then this will probably be balanced out by poor to-wound rolls and/or poor armour saves [or vice versa]. What this means is that, to be safe, you should assume high-strength enemies (such as most unit monsters) will do significantly more wounds than the average would suggest. Also, to be safe, you should assume that your own high-strength units (Ogres [and PCBs- to a lesser extent due to hatred]) will do significantly less wounds than an average would suggest. Note, too, that while hatred means that PCBs don't 'suffer' from this effect as much as Rat Ogres do, Abominations certainly do 'suffer' from something similar to this effect- because of their random attacks table and the random number of attacks/hits within various sections of that table. And their random impact hits! But they're still absolutely awesome! Match-ups: On a stand-alone charge, three to four Rat Ogres will normally cream enemy heroes or mages, artillery crews, chariots, most heavy cavalry, skirmishers, fast cav, and flyers (though of the last three, skirmishers will often shoot them first and the latter two will normally be the ones doing the charging). Units of three or four (but not two) may additionally be able to beat crappy infantry (it helps a lot if they have WS 2). And any unit of Ogres could also be used to try to finish off any kind of monster that has already been wounded. On a supporting charge, helping out a fully-ranked and standard-bearing unit of rats, Rat Ogres will additionally normally help to defeat unit monsters, any heavy cavalry unit, most monster ‘wannabes’, some ‘brutal monsters’, and any infantry unit (though be careful around ‘hitty/elite’ infantry that are equipped with spears, against these units you should try to support with a second flank charge, or a rear charge). 11.4- The Screaming Bell: Screaming Bells (unless joined by a combat character) only fit here because of their impact hits. If the Grey Seer that came with it is still alive then they are best left out of combat or in combats where the enemy is nearly sure to break immediately. The addition of a Doom Flayer will help slightly in this regard, but note that Mortars have great symmetry with Screaming Bells: they can hide behind the ‘large target’ for protection and use the Seer’s 360 line of sight. The addition of a mounted Warlord will help appreciably. This of course is only possible at 3000 pts. or higher, but it is at those points levels that the Bell really starts to shine. Its cost remains the same but its effects impact a lot more units. Note: Screaming Bells attract cannon balls like football (ahem, “soccer”) attracts beer-drinkers. If you have one (or more) in your army list then you should also have a unit (or two, or three) that can be used as an anti-artillery unit (whether it be GR, NR, small units of Rats, an assassin….). Just… something! Make sure you have something that can assault artillery… Match-ups: On a frontal charge a Screaming Bell will break (or kill) lone enemy heroes or mages, artillery crews, a rank or two of ‘crappy infantry’, chariots, skirmishers, fast cav, flyers, and some monster ‘wannabes’. On a flank charge OR on a frontal charge with a mounted Warlord a Screaming Bell will additionally usually break fully ranked ‘crappy’ or ‘decent’ infantry, a rank or two of ‘hitty/elite’ infantry, heavy cavalry, units monsters, and most ‘monster wannabes’. On a flank charge AND with a mounted Warlord a Screaming Bell will additionally usually break any infantry unit that lacks a solid ASF attack. Note: Give the Warlord a Fellblade and even ‘brutal monsters’ are likely to go down. 11.5- The Plague Furnace: These things are so awesome they’re ‘broken’. Too good. The pushing unit should be 20 to 25 monks or more. You’ll only need 10 left to push it (and merely 8 provide a full rank bonus if they’re 5-wide!), but they’ll be attracting a lot of enemy fire (so 5-wide is recommended- the extra few S3 attacks will hardly make a difference). Music is nearly useless, but standard-bearers and champions must be taken (and just fit when its 5-wide). The Shroud of Dripping Death is a good option. Plague Priest on top should get a normal flail and a combination of magical goodies and protection (Rival Hide, Scrying Stone…). Note (per the FAQ) that it can march and still 'Billow Death'! Between the impact hits, gas tests, Dripping Death tests, monk and crew attacks, Priest’s attacks, and wrecker attack a Plague Furnace will run over almost anything. You would have to roll poorly four or five times for it to 'whiff', and all Warhammer players know that that never happens ;). But remember that it's frenzied and don’t let it get flanked!!! It loses nearly everything if it gets flanked (but at least it’s unbreakable and will be able to wait for ‘the cavalry’ [PCBs?] to (hopefully) arrive. To compare: for similar points we could have: A- [498 points]: a Warlord on a Litter with a Fellblade and shield, in a unit of 20 Storm Vermin with an attached Doom Flayer (full command + Shroud of Dripping Death). B- [499 points]: A Priest on a Furnace with a Flail and 50 points of magical stuff, in a unit of 20 Monks (standard bearer, champion). Note that the Warlord’s unit was given the Shroud of Dripping Death to compare to the Furnace’s toughness tests but left out of the Monks’ unit, for the sake of comparison. ---------Warlord+SV+DF:----------------------------Priest+PF: Impact hits: D3 @ S4………………….................….D6 @ S5 Tests:……...2 or 3 @ S3 [~AS] (shroud).......D6 toughness tests (but monks will have to test, too, needing 5s or less). RnF:……….5 @ WS4, S4……….............…….....…14 @ WS3, S3 Character….4 @ S10, 4 @ S4………….............…4 @ S6 Wreck/Flay....artillery @ S4……………...............artillery @S5. The Furnace is clearly the harder hitting option. It’s also immune-to-psych, unbreakable, will hold its rank bonus for a long time, has MR:2, and includes two spellcasting levels. But it’s highly vulnerable to a flank charge, monks will get gassed too, and its ‘targetable’ attacks won’t usually do much (especially in second and subsequent rounds of combat [which will, admittedly, be pretty rare]). Note that the Furnace unit could be improved by adding Dripping Death or a second Priest (give this one a Censor!), but no non-Pestilens characters can be added. The Warlord’s unit, on the other hand, can't be 'frenzy-baited' and has higher leadership. And it may need it, because it’s neither immune to psych nor unbreakable. It also lacks both MR and spellcasting level, will lose its rank bonus quickly (though a 40x40 Litter will help a little), contains a sword that will kill its wielder sooner or later, and it must be said that the Doom Flayer is a lot more vulnerable to any form of attack than the Furnace is. However, the Flayer and Warlord can both be moved to ‘accept’ a flank charge and be in base-to-base, and the four S10 attacks from the Warlord stay at S10 every combat round and do D6 wounds. So the Warlords unit is better at fighting back against flank charges (though I don’t recommend it) and also better at dealing with enemy characters and multi-wound monsters, especially ‘brutal monsters’ [and note that since the Furnace is a 'brutal monster', in a one-on-one match-up between these two units the Warlord's unit would indeed eat the Priest's Furnace for lunch...]. If you have the luxury of having each of these units in your army, point the Furnace at an expensive but character-less unit, and point the Warlord’s unit at enemy characters/monsters (and use tactics to make sure that he gets the charge [careful of ASF]). Note: Plague Furnaces attract cannon balls like fast motorcycles attract fast women. If you have one (or more) in your army list then you should also have a unit (or two, or three) that can be used as an anti-artillery unit (whether it be GR, NR, small units of Rats, an assassin….). Just… something! Make sure you have something that can assault artillery… Match-ups: On any kind of charge a Plague Furnace will cream lone heroes or mages, artillery crews, chariots, skirmishers, fast cav, and flyers, and should beat (and usually break) heavy cavalry, unit monsters, ‘wannabe’ monsters, most ‘brutal’ monsters, and any infantry unit that doesn’t have strong ASF attacks and a lord-level fighting character. That’s pretty much everything. Hitty/elite ASF infantry with a Lord should be reduced to a rank or two by shooting and then flanked. Some ‘brutal’ monsters have to be shot or given “the Fellblade treatment” (see next entry!). 11.6- The Mounted Warlord: As aforementioned, the addition of a Warlord upgrades any of our ‘decent’ infantry units to ‘hitty/elite’ units that can be used as a hammer [assuming he’s on a Litter/Bone Breaker and has a decent weapon (Fellblade , Warpforged Blade, or Warlock-Augmented Weapon)]. Adding a Doom Flayer adds even more to the equation.Note that a simple great weapon is also fine on the charge, but if the enemy unit doesn’t break he’ll be wasting his high initiative, swinging last in subsequent rounds, and normally needing to rely on whatever protective items he has (not including a shield). With the effective loss of ‘Lead from the Back’ it’s probably worth it to ‘fork over’ the points for one of those decent weapons. See preceding section for a comparison of Warlord-led infantry vs. Plague Furnace. Match-ups: On a frontal charge Warlord-led infantry will normally beat (and often break) enemy heroes or mages, artillery crews, chariots, heavy cavalry, unit monsters, monster ‘wannabes’, skirmishers, fast cav, and flyers, fully ranked ‘crappy’ or ‘decent’ infantry, and two or three ranks of ‘hitty/elite’ infantry that doesn’t ASF. Against unit monsters try to get your Warlord in base-to-base with only one (which hopefully dies) to prevent return attacks. Only enemy units that include fighting Lords and some ‘brutal monsters’ will pose problems with any regularity. Stubborn/unbreakable units will normally be ground down. On a flank charge Warlord-led infantry will beat the above units even worse, often leaving little besides the hope of ‘insane courage’. Elite/hitty units with ASF and/or a fighting Lord, and some ‘brutal monsters’ may pose problems. With a Fellblade you have a great chance of taking out those ‘problem units’ (fighting Lords and ‘brutal’ monsters). Get the charge and pray that you don't whiff. Now that the Banner of Burning Hatred is gone only two things can help: using your ‘lucky dice’ for his ‘to hit’ rolls, and Death Frenzy (which will add 2 attacks to both the Warlord and his mount [not recommended if he's in a smallish, expensive unit of Storm Vermin]). Also remember to watch out for ASF. Against Lords that are mounted on nasty monsters you are usually better off directing at least three and probably even all four of your attacks against the monster- characters on foot are usually much less of a threat than surviving monsters. 12-Skaven Monsters:We have two [V-Lord is in 'characters' section], and they’re a match made in heaven: The Doom Wheel and the Hellpit Abomination (“A-Bomb”). 12.1 The Doom Wheel: Although the Doom Wheel does impact hits and maneuvers like a chariot it is not classed as one, so I'll call it a "monster". This gives it two big advantages over a real chariot: 1- Its unit strength is five, which is crucial (it breaks ranks). 2- It is ‘immune’ to S7 hits. Ha ha! Not really- but at least it isn’t auto-destroyed by them… To move a Doom Wheel you roll its distance first and can then maneuver it like a chariot (spinning in circles if you so desire) OR proceed to run into something, which counts as a ‘charge’ and effectively gives it a 360 degree charge arc (note that it can only pivot once during a charge and must charge the enemy arc that it started in). And it hits hard. If charged it gets to Grind anything in close combat- before charge attacks are worked out- and its furry crew will manage 2D6 attacks in close combat. These qualities (and a 3d6 pursuit) make it excellent against enemy flankers (skirmishers, fast cav, flyers), most of which will struggle mightily to dent its T6 chassis, even if they overcome their fear/terror. After dealing with them it can help against ranked units with rank-breaking flank charges. It can also Zzzap! anything within 18” (and will occasionally ‘zap’ rats even when you don’t want it too). It’s kind of like three WLCs in one deadly Wheel (though it allows armour saves). The Zzzap! is excellent against enemy monsters of all sorts (unit monsters, monster ‘wannabes’, and even ‘brutal’ monsters). Works in combat, too! ![]() And it’s immune-to-psych! Awesome! I love this thing… Only problem is that it has a 1/6 chance of going 'out of control' each time it takes an unsaved wound, and that's it...and the flip-side of that problem it that the 'loss of control' chart doubles as the mis-fire chart, and it's easily the friendliest mis-fire chart in the book! The worst thing about the Doom Wheel may be the hair-pulling that you have to do as you are deciding to deploy it out on a flank (where it’s brilliant) or more towards the centre to try to Zzzap! a big nasty gribbly monster (it’s brilliant at this, too). Hmmm… perhaps you should take two!?!? Note: Doom Wheels attract cannon balls like push-up bras attract attention. If you have one (or more) in your army list then you should also have a unit (or two, or three) that can be used as an anti-artillery unit (whether it be GR, NR, small units of Rats, an assassin….). Just… something! Make sure you have something that can assault artillery… Also note: Doom Wheels are quite susceptible to poison (though their 4+ armour save will help). Finally note: the Zzzap! shooting section is hard to understand. For an explanation see section 15.4 ('heavy shooting' by the Doom Wheel). Combat Match-ups (see “heavy shooting” in 15.4 for shooting match-ups): On a stand-alone charge a Doom Wheel will usually cream lone heroes or mages, artillery crews, skirmishers, fast cav, flyers, chariots, and most heavy cavalry. It will often win combat even if it’s on the receiving end of a charge by anything but the last two (chariots and heavy cavalry [and a few exceptions from the skirmisher, fast cav and flyers categories: our PCBs, Flamers, Squig Hoppers, Cairn Wraiths, Beast Herds (lots of static CR), Marauder Horsemen, Wild Riders of Kurnous, and Pegasus Knights]- try to charge and/or shoot these units, or avoid them altogether). Doom Wheels should also be used to try to finish off any kind of monster that has already been wounded. The Zzzap! may do the job even before you get a chance to roll the impact hits… On a supporting charge, helping out a fully-ranked unit of rats, Doom Wheels will additionally normally help to beat or break unit monsters, any heavy cavalry unit, monster ‘wannabes’, ‘brutal monsters’, and nearly any infantry unit (though it is recommended that you stay away from infantry with S5 [or higher] attacks). Note: Doom Wheels pursue with 3d6, making them a superior choice for taking out any enemy unit with a 7+ move rate. 12.2- The Hellpit Abomination: Ahh…the incredible A-Bomb! I could hardly believe its ‘specifications’ when I first read them. Great profile, impact hits, regeneration, stubborn, 3d6 pursuit rolls, nasty random attacks… and the “Too Horrible To Die!” is just brilliant! Random movement is a disadvantage, to be sure, but the 360 degree charge arc that comes with it is pure gold. The Warpstone Spikes option should normally be taken, if only for the MR and the opportunity to model them into your A-Bomb. Of its random attacks the “Feed” result is ‘the worst’ one as it will only provide 4 hits against infantry and fewer against bigger things. However, 4 hits is actually the equivalent of 8 attacks (assuming enemy has a WS between 3 and 6) and the “Feed” result provides D3 wounds against bigger things. So “Feeding” is still a respectable result. The second and third results can do ridiculous damage. Make no mistake, the Hellpit Abomination is clearly a ‘brutal monster’. Being stubborn means that it is the Skaven unit that will benefit the most from the presence of a BSB. Even though it is a nasty brutish beast it will still 'whiff' on occasion and will normally be facing significant static combat resolution. That re-roll will significantly reduce the odds of it breaking on these occasions. Note that it is not immune-to-psych! ![]() Also note: A-Bombs attract cannon balls short skirts attract stares [and both can cause ‘accidents’!]. If you have one (or more) in your army list then you should also have a unit (or two, or three) that can be used as an anti-artillery unit (whether it be GR, NR, small units of Rats, an assassin….). Just… something! Make sure you have something that can assault artillery… Finally note: A-Bombs are quite susceptible to poison and/or fire. Match-ups: On a stand-alone charge an A-Bomb will cream lone heroes or mages, artillery crews, chariots, skirmishers, fast cav, flyers, and heavy cavalry. They will usually beat unit monsters, most ‘wannabe’ monsters, many ‘brutal’ monsters, and up to two or three ranks of any infantry unit that doesn’t have strong ASF attacks and/or a lord-level fighting character. Fully-ranked infantry will be beaten if they are hit in the flank. That’s pretty much everything- you just need to watch out for some fighting Lords, a few ‘brutal’ monsters, and infantry with high strength attacks and a 5+ initiative (they’ll swing first if they don’t break from the initial charge). If it is fighting a ‘brutal’ monster with a rider and you roll the “Flailing Fists” result you should allocate your attacks against whatever the biggest threat is OR against whatever you will damage the most [remembering that you will need 5s to hit any Lord with a 7 or higher WS]. On a supporting charge, alongside a fully-ranked unit of rats, an A-Bomb will help to beat or break anything, especially if it is a combined frontal+flank charge. It is THAT good. Note that 'squeezing' your units together for a combined frontal charge will kill more of your lesser Rats than it will the enemy if you roll a 1 or 2 ( “Feed”) attack [and that the 'Avalanche of Flesh' result (5+6) is also weakened by a combined frontal charge], so 'squeezing' your units together for a combined charge is a big risk compared to combined frontal+flank charges . And just watch out for some of the most brutal monsters (Bloodthirster, Chaos Lord on a Dragon), and for some anti-monster weapons (Fellblade, Blade of Realities). If you have a champion in your ranked unit and can challenge a fighty Lord who may have an anti-monster weapon then you should obviously try to do so, thereby keeping your A-Bomb safer and allowing it to lay a beat-down on the enemy Rank ‘n File instead. |
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Si vis pacem, para bellum! If my Ratling Gunners were hummies... | |
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| wolfatbar | 2nd December 2009 - 10:05 AM Post #5 |
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Die! Die! Every-things!
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13-Skaven Maneuverable Units:This is where things get a lot more confusing, awkward, and difficult. The aforementioned and highly regrettable loss of ‘skirmish’ for night runners means that there is no clear-cut ‘winner’ for our ‘best maneuverable unit’ category. The confusion comes from the fact that there are eight nominees- Slaves (with Warlock), Giant Rats, Night Runners, Gutter Runners, PWGs, PCBs, Doom Wheels, and A-Bombs (detailed below). Generally for the flank battles you need to keep your objectives and your opponent’s objectives in mind, and deploy your units to achieve the former while denying your opponent the latter. Objectives for either side may include: -march blocking to unbalance the enemy’s line -marching up and assaulting artillery (or ranked shooters) -protecting artillery/lone mages/ranked shooters (including jezzails, of course) -getting shooters/flyers into place to shoot/charge soft targets (including lone mages, of course) -getting fast cav (or rats/NR) into place to make rank-denying flank charges on enemy infantry -getting anything that has a US of 5+ into a ‘cross-firing’ position -getting anything at all into a position to bait frenzied units away from a useful position Try to identify your opponent’s objectives early during deployment so that you can counter-deploy in an effective manner. Note that it will often be possible for some units to both deny an opponent’s objective(s) while achieving its own. And note that some enemy units may have objectives that are of such small consequence that they can safely be ignored. If your weapons teams are positioned in an un-chargeable place and you have no Jezzails or artillery, for example, most flyers will have little to do besides march-block. Likewise, if you haven't brought any 'squishy' or valuable units (like weapon teams or PCBs) then most small units of S3 shooting skirmishers can generally be ignored. In either case your unit of NR that your opponent was hoping to ignore because they were apparently protecting against skirmishers/flyers can instead continue to advance and then turn to threaten the enemy's flank. He/she won't be able to ignore them anymore! 13.1-Slaves (with a Warlock): A unit of 20+ slaves can be used as a ‘Warlock Bunker’, to give your mage a ‘safe-ish’ place to stay while he is busy trying to fry enemy flankers. It is not a ‘maneuverable unit’ per se, but it does its work against ‘maneuverable units’ and so deserves mention here. Take a musician for the slaves (and slings for a joke); Doomrocket and/or Warp Energy Condenser and/or Warpmusket for the Warlock [possibly all three:)!!] Match-ups: This unit isn’t designed to see combat, see section 10.1 for what our ‘crappy infantry’ (for that is what slaves truly are) can do on its own. The Warlock adds nothing to their combat potential. Note: don’t even think about giving him Warpstone Armour! 13.2-Giant Rats: Smaller unit of Giant Rats can be used to protect your flanks and prevent enemy skirmishers, fast cav, and flyers from having free rein. Their higher movement rate adds significantly to the end of the V-Shaped charge arc that is their threat range, and their extra attacks make their threat very significant against these ‘squishy’ targets. Unit sizes can be anywhere from the bare minimum (5 rats and a packmaster, [just 23 points!] up to around 21 (18 rats, 3 packmasters). I’d recommend packs of at least 15 (13 rats, 2 packmasters), so you’ve got +2 leadership and CR (and plenty of attacks), but even the minimum-sized packs have their uses (cross-fire, march-blocking, frenzy-baiting, mage-hunting, attacking artillery crews, flee ‘n flank [especially vs. fast cav]). Upgrading to a Master Moulder is a good idea in larger units (21+) as doing so will boost their leadership to 9, but note that FAQ says he must go at the front (give him a great weapon/electro-whip). Match-ups: On a frontal charge a pack of 12-21 rats w/packmasters [12-13 attacks] will normally defeat lone heroes or mages, artillery crews, chariots, skirmishers, fast cav, and flyers. Exceptions exist: Brettonian Pegasus Knights and tough and ‘hitty’ skirmishers (like Dryads, Wardancers, Flamers, Beast Herds, Squig Hoppers, Cairn Wraiths, and our own PCBs). These skirmishers need to be shot or hit with a fully-ranked unit (perhaps ‘pinning’ them for a later flank charge). Also, you’ll need to get lucky when frontally charging Marauder Fast Cav of Khorne and Wild Riders of Kurnous (both merely T3, but Marauder Fast Cav have a 5+ save and Wild Riders have a 5+ AS and a 5+ Ward) as both will generate 2 return attacks that hit on 3’s [at S5 and S4, respectively] not including their horses! These units should be hit in the flank (neither is able to ‘flee’ as a charge reaction). On a lone OR supporting flank charge a pack of 12-21 rats w/packmasters [12-13 attacks] will additionally normally beat (unranked) heavy cavalry, unit monsters, ‘crappy’ infantry, and a rank or two of ‘decent’ infantry. They will definitely beat any fast cavalry unit. Also, they will usually beat a rank or two of ‘hitty/elite’ infantry but only on an unsupported flank charge (which will allow fewer enemy return attacks). 13.3-Night Runners: Night runners share the high movement rate and attack output of Rats. Additionally they have higher leadership, ranged attacks, and the ‘slinking advance’. But they’re much more expensive. Units of 10 to 15 should suffice, and slings should always be taken (they are ‘in addition to’ the throwing stars, and don’t replace them). If there’s an Assassin in the unit (not recommended for flank duties- take a Doom Wheel instead) then you should take a Night Leader, otherwise for the 8 points you could just take an extra NR, doesn’t really matter that much. If you are planning on shooting your target then deploy them in one long rank (and hope they aren’t forced to take a panic/terror test). Leave them like that for their ‘stand and shoot’ if the enemy gets a charge in, and then prepare to kiss them goodbye. If you are planning on using their V-shaped charge arc as an area-denying charge-threat then deploy them 5-wide. Note that a ‘slinking advance’ will probably allow them to be able to shoot on their first turn (with slings, of course). Also note, per FAQ, that slinking NR can include an Assassin (though it's not recommended), but no other characters. Combat Match-ups (for shooting match-ups see section 14.1 [below]): On a frontal charge 10 or 15 NR (ranked 5-wide) will normally defeat lone heroes or mages, artillery crews, chariots, skirmishers, fast cav, and flyers. Exceptions exist: Brettonian Pegasus Knights and tough and ‘hitty’ skirmishers (like Wardancers, Dryads, Flamers, Beast Herds, Squig Hoppers, Cairn Wraiths and our own PCBs). These skirmishers need to be shot or hit with a fully-ranked unit (perhaps ‘pinning’ them for a later flank charge). Also, you’ll need to get lucky when frontally charging Marauder Fast Cav of Khorne and Wild Riders of Kurnous (both merely T3, but Marauder Fast Cav have a 5+ save and Wild Riders have a 5+ AS and a 5+ Ward) as both will generate 2 return attacks that hit on 3’s [at S5 and S4, respectively] not including their horses! These units should be hit in the flank (neither is able to ‘flee’ as a charge reaction). On a lone OR supporting flank charge 10 or 15 NR (ranked 5-wide) will additionally normally beat any fast cavalry unit, (unranked) heavy cavalry, unit monsters, ‘crappy’ infantry, and a rank or two of ‘decent’ infantry. Also, they will usually beat a single rank of ‘hitty/elite’ infantry but only on an unsupporting flank charge (which reduces enemy return attacks). 13.4-Gutter Runners: They’re fast and have a 360 charge arc, but they’re expensive. Poisoning all of their weapons makes them cost more than a lot of fast cav. If you included Gutter Runners then you’ve probably brought them along with other targets in mind (lone mages, artillery crews). Generally, you should stick to those targets! Use the Scouting or Sneaky Infiltrators rule (or the Warp Tunneler, if you brought it) to avoid enemy flankers altogether. If you must use them against flankers then try to hide them in terrain and bring them out to march block and shoot/charge targets of opportunity. Considering their ideal targets, a unit of 5 will normally do. Slings will help against lone mages, and poison will always help (especially against Dwarven artillery crews [which are stubborn and T4]). If you’ve paid for poison then you might as well take the slings, too. They’re only one extra point and after artillery crews have (hopefully) been dealt with they’ll help deal a little extra damage against infantry and a lot of extra damage against any giants or other large targets that happen to be nearby. Deathrunner (champions) are far from necessary, and can actually help your enemy by allowing their embedded mage to issue a challenge (thereby facing merely 3 attacks [from your champion] in the stead of the 6 attacks that you would normally be able to allocate against the mage after charging the unit he/she is in. The Warp Grinder is too expensive to be a solid option (it allows charges on the turn it emerges, which makes turn two charges possible and can prevent your GR from being hit by artillery shots, but it nearly doubles the cost of the unit and it actually makes it less likely for them to arrive in subsequent turns). As an “Eshin Contingent” I’d recommend 5 GRs with poison and slings (for artillery crews) and a unit of 15 NR with a Warp Grinder (can help the GRs against artillery ‘gun lines’ [Dwarves, and Empire sometimes], but they’ll have a myriad of other uses against every other army that’s out there). Combat Match-ups (for shooting match-ups see section 14.1 [below]): On a frontal charge Gutter Runners will normally defeat lone heroes or mages, artillery crews, some skirmishers, and some flyers [though they’re likely to get out-shot by many enemy skirmishers and run over by almost any enemy flying unit]. On a lone flank charge Gutter Runners will additionally normally beat chariots and fast cavalry. Poison will certainly help. You’ll probably have to hide them in terrain, then ‘pop out’ to march block for a turn before finally getting a charge in [remembering that a lot of fast cav possess missile weapons of some sort of another (as of Nov. 2009 the only fast cav that totally lack ranged options are Dire Wolves, Seekers of Slaanesh, and Wild Riders of Kurnous)]. 13.5- Poisoned Wind Globadiers: The models for these guys are great, and they certainly have their uses, but they are totally out of their element out on the flanks. Their relatively high cost and lack of range means that they get owned by similarly costed enemy shooters, and their low BS means that they will usually need 6’s to hit a charging flanker [5’s against charging fast cav or ‘flying cavalry’]. Also, their paltry leadership means that they are extremely prone to panic (except for when they are in combat and have to ‘rank up’). Combat Match-ups (for shooting match-ups see section 15.1 [below]): PWG should be kept out of combat, despite their ‘volley from the back’ rule. They are best kept within the General’s 12” leadership ‘umbrella’, taking pot-shots at high toughness/AS units (and possibly lobbing mortar shots at whatever looks like it’s still moving and not very furry…) 13.6- Plague Censor Bearers: PCBs hit so hard that they are considered a ‘hammer unit’ despite the fact that they are ‘merely’ skirmishers. Nevertheless, their immunity to panic couples with their skirmishing to make them a reasonable ‘maneuverable’ unit that can be used to keep your flanks clean of certain enemy flanking elements: Against enemy skirmishers PCBs are usually not a good choice, because most skirmishers can shoot. But PCBs will do fine against any skirmishers that lack shooting options (Dryads, Squig Hoppers, and Beast Herds come to mind). These non-shooting skirmishers all fight pretty well, so PCBs will do much better if they get the charge. Against enemy fast cav PCBs are again only a good choice against those that lack shooting options. These include Dire Wolves, Seekers of Slaanesh, Wild Riders of Kurnous, Empire Pistoliers, and Marauder Horsemen (well...the last two have ranged options, but their ranged options put them within the charge range of PCBs, who will not have panicked). The very high movement value of these units means PCBs will probably be on the receiving end of charges and therefore need to rely on their gas to protect them- which is OK. All fast cavalry are T3 (and Wild Riders won’t get their ‘forest spirit’ save). Against enemy flyers that shoot, slash, or drop stuff PCBs are not a good choice. Fortunately, only Warhawk Riders, Screamers, and Terradons (drop rocks, albeit once only) have a threatening shooting attack. These units should be avoided completely. Against enemy flyers that don’t shoot, slash, or drop stuff PCBs, however, are a decent choice. Their 360 degree charge arc means that they can make some pretty big ‘no fly’ zones. However, they will need to avoid being charged except by T3, single-wound flyers (Harpies, Furies, and Screamers, the latter of which can overfly instead of charging [causing serious damage]). All other flyers have multiple wounds and/or high toughness and should either be charged or avoided. If they’ve moved to edge of your ‘no-fly zone’ (putting you in their range while staying outside of yours), then you should skirmish away (effectively setting up a new ‘no-fly zone’ and giving your shooting options more time). Match-ups: When PCBs charge they will cream a lot of things, as detailed in Section 11.2 (‘hammer units’). Note that the list includes all skirmishers, fast cav, and flyers. However, PCBs will often be on the receiving end of charges by these units, especially the latter two… When PCBs get charged by the enemy they will still often beat lone mages and many heroes, weak skirmishers (who will usually shoot them instead), some fast cav (who will only be charging because they can’t shoot), and the T3 single-wound flyers (which only includes Harpies, Furies, and Screamers [and Screamers will usually overfly and ‘slash’ instead]). When they are charged by fast cav and T3 single-wound flyers a lot will come down to the toughness tests and enemy attacks. So you’ve really got two chances: if the enemy fails a lot of toughness tests OR whiffs against your T4 PCBs then you’ll be ‘in business’. 13.7- The Doom Wheel: Doom Wheels are the ‘Holy Terror’ of flank protection. They pursue with 3d6, are immune-to-psych, cause terror, have a 360 degree charge arc, and an 18” Zzzap! They can also ‘grind’ D3 enemy models before combat begins, even when charged. These attributes combine to make them excellent flank-protecting units, either off completely on their own or when used in conjunction with ranked Skaven flankers (Rats + NR). If the accompanying ranked Giant Rats or NR (or Slaves with a Warlock) are of a decently high number (15 to 20+) then the worst that can happen is that three of them will get Zzzapped! Doom Wheels should be kept away from smaller units as an unwanted and errant Zzzap! may then cause panic… and whatever you do don’t deploy it next to another Doom Wheel or an A-Bomb (or Rat Ogres or Jezzails s or PCBs …..) Note that a Doom Wheel on a flank may want to ‘hold’ its position if it is already occupying a strategically beneficial area, and that it can do so: just drive it around in 1” circles until it’s movement has been expended, finally pointing it in the direction that you desire. Also note that the explanation for how to shoot/Zzzap! with the Doom Wheel is also poorly written (surprise surprise!). See section 15.4 (heavy shooting with the Doom Wheel) for a clearer explanation. Match-ups: See Section 12.1 (‘monsters’) for Doom Wheel combat match-ups. Note in that section that Doom Wheels will usually cream any skirmisher, fast cav, or flying unit on a charge and should merely be wary of being charged by our very own PCBs, Squig Hoppers, Flamers, Beast Herds (lots of static CR), Cairn Wraiths, Marauder Horsemen with flails, Wild Riders of Kurnous, and Pegasus Knights. These units should be charged, Zzzapped!, or avoided altogether [note: don't charge Cairn Wraiths- they are ethereal; Zzzap! them or roll away...] 13.8- The Hellpit Abomination: This thing is a true beast and is total overkill against most anything that you’ll find out on a flank. Its 360 degree charge arc, however, means that it is a maneuverable unit and that it can certainly get the job done. It has little to fear from any skirmisher, fast cav, or flyer. No exceptions. Nevertheless, its high cost and lack of a Zzzap! attack mean that the Doom Wheel is a better choice for your flanks. A-Bombs are less maneuverable, too, because you have to choose their direction, then roll the move dice, and must move in a straight line. So, in general, A-Bombs are better used closer to (or even within) your main lines; but no one would ever call it a ‘bad idea’ to blast through a few ‘light’ enemy units before turning to engage the flanks of more important enemy units (they may even get there faster by hitting enemy flankers, because pursuit moves are a ‘free’ second move that you can do in addition to your normal movement). Match-ups: See Section 12.2 (‘monsters’) for A-Bomb match-ups. Note in that section that A-Bombs will cream nearly any flanker on a charge and will almost always win even if they get charged. They will then overrun 3d6” [or pursue 3d6” if there’s anything left of the enemy to pursue…Dev ] 14-Skaven Light Shooting:Things get a lot simpler with shooting. You don’t need to mess around with baiting, setting up flank charges, putting cross-firing units into position. No muss, no fuss, just blast it! All you need to do is choose what you’re gonna shoot, deploy in a position to be able to do so, (perhaps) guess the range, roll some dice, and hope for the best…. But it helps to know what you should be shooting at… 14.1- Night + Gutter Runners: Clan Eshin shooting is very much ‘light’. Almost to the point that it could be considered ‘annoying’ rather than ‘threatening’. GR with poisoned slings and Assassins with Warpstone Stars are notable exceptions. NR intended for flank protection and shooting duties should be 10 to 15 strong. Slings should always be taken, though they’ll help more against fast and flying cavalry than against enemy skirmishers (assuming you don’t tailor your list to meet certain foes). Adding an assassin to these units is not recommended- for the same cost you could (and should) take a Doom Wheel instead. GR cost too many points (and take a valuable ‘special’ slot) to be highly recommended as a pure shooting unit that protects a flank. They should scout or infiltrate (or tunnel) and stick to their primary targets (lone characters, artillery) first. Only later should they harass the enemy with ranged attacks. The obvious exception to this is using poisoned slings against poorly-armoured high-toughness large targets (Giants, for example). Assassins with Warpstone Stars are great against anything with multiple wounds. This can be with or without some ‘skitterleaping’ assistance (and again, possibly after having taken out an artillery crew with its poisoned XHW). Match-ups: Warpstone Stars should be aimed at multiple wound models. Any kind of monster basically, including unit monsters. Note that a few skirmishers also have multiple wounds (Cairn Wraiths and Hunting Packs, but watch out for Banshee Screams, and Dino-Shooting). Note, too, that many unit flyers have multiple wounds (Bat Swarms, Carrion, Fell Bats, Terradons, Warhawk Riders, and Pegasus Knights), and that the assassin’s ASF gives him a second chance to save himself after a poor stand + shoot. But also note that Terradons, Screamers, and Warhawk Riders will just slash him, shoot him, or drop rocks on his head instead of charging… Poisoned Stars or Sling Darts should be aimed at high-toughness, low (or no) armour save models. Giants are perfect targets. Throwing Stars and Slings should be aimed at lone mages, skirmishers, fast cavalry, and flyers Note that NR can wheel or 'turn' or add/subtract ranks (or all three) and still shoot, but they cannot reform and shoot. And you will always have a dilemma: “To rank, or not to rank, that is the question.” Don’t be afraid to change formation in the middle of a battle, and to help with the dilemma: Units of 10-14 NR should generally be in a long single rank. Units of 15+ NR should generally be ranked (5-wide) if: ---they will need to take a terror test (they will benefit from extra leadership) ---they will be in a ranged ‘fire fight’ but you don’t mind if it gets drawn out (you’re trading firepower for +2 leadership to aid in panic tests) ---their target is trying to maneuver around them but has a solid move-and-fire attack that is fairly likely to cause them to take a panic test ---they are going to get charged by something that they could beat in combat if given the benefit of +3 combat resolution (2 ranks, outnumber). See ‘NR combat match-ups’ in section 13.3, noting that they’ll have a good chance even on the receiving end of a charge except by ‘hitty’ skirmishers (Wardancers, Dryads, Beast Herds, Squig Hoppers, Cairn Wraiths and our own PCBs), ‘hitty’ fast cav (Marauder Horse, Wild Riders of Kurnous, Seekers of Slaanesh, and Empire Pistoliers), and the worst two flyers (Pegasus Knights and Warhawk Riders). NOTE: you’ll know that they’re going to get charged if the enemy unit is stronger in combat than with ranged weapons AND the NR are permanently preventing it from reaching its objective OR killing the NR is the enemy unit’s objective. Units of 15+ NR should generally be in a long single rank if: ---they will be in a ranged ‘fire fight’ that you want to end quickly (you’re adding firepower at the loss of -2 leadership and a greater chance to panic) ---their target is trying to maneuver around them and doesn’t have a solid move-and-fire attack ---they are going to get charged by something that they wouldn’t beat in combat even with the benefit of +3 combat resolution (or they will be outnumbered and not have +3 CR). This means ‘hitty’ skirmishers (Wardancers, Dryads, Beast Herds, Squig Herds, Cairn Wraiths and our own PCBs), ‘hitty’ fast cav (Marauder Horse, Wild Riders of Kurnous, Seekers of Slaanesh, and Empire Pistoliers), and the worst two flyers (Pegasus Knights and Warhawk Riders). Against these units you should spread your NR out in a single file and try your luck with a stand and shoot (using stars). 14.2- Ratling Guns: Well, they’re not what they used to be. Needing to roll to hit means that their damage has roughly been cut in half (worse against skirmishers etc., but not so bad against large targets). The armour and ward saves may help, but they’re still pretty likely be destroyed by the first stiff breeze that blows their way. Nevertheless, Ratling Guns can be excellent again certain flanking units (any that don’t shoot back!). Match-ups: With multiple D6 shots at S4 with AP and an 18” range, Ratlings Guns are best used against enemy flanking units (skirmishers, fast cav, and flyers). Of course, these are generally the units that are given the job of removing weapons teams. This is both good and bad. It’s bad because it means they’re likely to die. It’s good because it means that it shouldn’t be too hard to get their targets to ‘come to them’. Advantage goes to whatever can move and shoot (which is NOT the Ratling Gun :(). They are still a great option against any flanker that can’t shoot at all: PCBs, Squig Hoppers, Wardancers, Dryads, Cairn Wraiths (beware of Banshee’s Scream- 8” range), Dire Wolves, Seekers of Slaanesh, Wild Riders of Kurnous, and all flyers except for Warhawk Riders (bows), Screamers (slash), and Terradons (drop rocks [only once] and poisoned javelins [and note that Terradons can hide in trees!]). 14.3- Poisoned Wind Mortars: With a 24” range and the ability to move-and-shoot these are a great early game shooter. Hiding behind their parent unit (especially if it’s pushing a Screaming Bell) can help to protect them until the later part of a game, too, but at that point the high likelihood of scattering (even without using the parent’s LOS) makes blasting rats almost as likely as blasting the enemy. If you are good at guessing ranges and have lucky scatter dice then these things can be great. Note that Mortars have great symmetry with Screaming Bells. They are protected by the presence of the large target in front of them and benefit from the Seer's 360 degree Line-of-Sight. Match-ups: Because they use a template and often scatter, Mortars are great against ranked enemy units that are in close proximity. Also, because they don’t allow armour saves they are great against heavy cavalry and more generally they’re good against anything that is very expensive considering its number of wounds. Lizardmen Hunting Packs, Cairn Wraiths, some flyers (especially Pegasus Knights), and a lot of fast cavalry, for example. They might look good on paper against Dragons and the like, but they’re not. For a mere 10 points a PWG hits Dragons on 3’s and wounds on 4’s. For 20 points a Jezzail hits a Dragon that is 18.1 to 36” away on a 4 and also wounds on 4’s (usually leaving no AS). 14.4- Warpflame Throwers: With a 2” to 10” shot and an 8” template these things won’t be shooting early (and should be hiding behind parents like a Mortar would). But they’ll reliably toast a lot of things later on. They are nasty in the mid to late game if you manage to keep them alive that long. Their S5 is very effective against their ideal targets, and D3 wounds and flaming attacks adds to their collection of “ideal targets”. These things were great before, but with no ‘partials’ they’re absolutely awesome. Note: Their misfire chart is as lethally destructive as their weapon is. Also note that WFTs have pretty good symmetry with the Storm Banner, moving into position for a turn or two while the banner is active and then being able to fire away after it 'burns out'. Match-ups: Warpflame Throwers are excellent against any ranked enemy unit, especially against those that regenerate (damnable nigh-unkillable-in-combat Plague Bearers!!!). The shape of their template also makes them excellent on enfilading shots against cavalry (heavy or fast) and unit monsters (where their D3 wounds is an additional boon). It may help to use a cheap ranked unit to divert (angle) the enemy to set up such a shot. If the cavalry or monster has the regeneration rule then the WFT's effectiveness is increased even further. Finally, they could try to roast skirmishers, flyers, lone characters, or chariots in a pinch (note [from FAQ] that on a stand-and-shoot you have to shoot before the enemy charger is moved). Again, D3 wounds and flaming attacks will help against multi-wound models (many flyers, all characters and chariots) and anything that regenerates. 14.5- Plagueclaw Catapults: The Mortars’ ‘big brother. S2 and no armour-save means they’ll be wounding most enemy units on 5’s (just like the Mortar), but unlike Mortars they’ll benefit from a liberal use of the “Wither” spell. Unfortunately they take up a ‘rare’ slot and can’t do anything particularly special like our other rares can, so they’ll rarely be taken except in fluffy ‘Pestilens’ lists. Again, if you are good at guessing ranges and have lucky scatter dice then these things can do a lot of damage. Match-ups: Because they use a template and often scatter, PCCs are great against ranked enemy units that are in close proximity. Also, because they don’t allow armour saves they are great against heavy cavalry (especially T3 or ‘withered’ cavalry [whether they were originally T3 or T4] and more generally they’re good against anything that is both T3 and very expensive considering its number of wounds. A lot of fast cavalry, some flyers, and Cairn Wraiths, for example. They don’t even look good on paper against Dragons and the like. And they’re not. 15-Skaven Heavy ShootingThis is the stuff that’s designed to take out the “big boyz”: Dragons, Greater Daemons, Carnosaurs, Hydras, Giants, and our awesome Abomination. 15.1- Poisoned Wind Globadiers: These guys have terrible leadership and should be kept in minimally-sized units lurking ‘safely’ amongst the back of your line and within the General’s leadership ‘umbrella’. Bombadier (champions) are a reasonable option, though Death Globes are not (see Section 18.2). They can also allow you to take an ‘extra’ Mortar team if you are so inclined. They have heavy armour now, and “Volley From The Back” (but if they try to use it they’ll probably be using the “Scurry Away” rule soon thereafter.) Instead, keep them out of combat and take pot-shots at any Large targets or Heavy Cavalry that your rats are facing. If you manage to pin valuable enemy units in combat with any of your units (not just slaves) then you can continue to fire away (via the ‘Life is Cheap’ rule- randomizing all ‘hits’). NOTE that always wounding on a 4+ sounds great, and it is, but against large targets Jezzails will do that or better (maybe a 3+) and can do it from much further away. And against heavy cavalry Jezzails are better because they will wound on 2’s and rarely leave much of an armour save. Again, jezzails can do this from much further away. This generally makes jezzails a better deal. However, besides their ideal targets, these two units are very different from each other (PWGs can skirmish up with your lines, move and shoot [even into combat]; Jezzails tend to be static [maybe on a hill] and may be easier or harder to protect, depending upon what your opponent brought). Match-ups: Pretty obvious, actually: PWGs should shoot at large targets, heavy cavalry, and other valuable enemy models. 15.2- Jezzails: They no longer skirmish, but their S6 armour-piercing rounds are as lethal as ever and their armour save works in combat now, which may save them against some weak threats (flyers, mostly). They should be deployed near the end, lined up against an ideal target or two. Taking cover in a building in another reasonable option. NOTE: For their points, and even without considering their much longer range, they are nearly just as effective against cavalry as PWGs are (wound on 2’s, not 4’s). After factoring in their range advantage they become a clearly superior choice. Against large targets it’s a little more even. For the points PWGs get twice as many shots, but Jezzails can hit things a lot farther away. Match-ups: This is pretty obvious, too: Jezzails should shoot at large targets, heavy cavalry, and other valuable enemy models. 15.3- Warplightning Cannons: These have changed a lot and now operate pretty much like a normal cannon that places a 3” template onto the end of its bounce (adding 1 1/2" to its bounce and making it more of a threat against ranked units) but suffers from a variable strength. However, when Warplightning cannons have a low strength they have a short bounce that wouldn’t have hit much anyways, and they’ll always have a high strength whenever they bounce far and hit a lot. Neat. Follow this link for an explanation of where you should try to guess: http://underempire.net/index.php?showtopic=30866. It’s kind of confusing because the WLC allows no armour saves and an S4 / 4” bounce should work against weaker enemies, but not against tougher ones. Suffice it to say that you should aim about 12” in front of the back of the enemy unit. Match-ups: WLCs should obviously shoot at anything that has multiple wounds. Enfilading shots against unit monsters or heavy cavalry are also very worth it. It may help to use a cheap ranked unit to divert (angle) the enemy for such a shot. If slaves are used then a shot can be taken even if they are in combat. Additionally, the template can be used to try to get a shot that devastates infantry. NOTE: With the slaves ‘Expendable’ rule (6th edtion “Life is Cheap”) you don’t need an enfilading shot in order to be effective against unit monsters and heavy cavalry. Just fry the combat and split the hits 50/50. Importantly, this can allow you to get multiple hits on a single large target (that you will always have LOS to). You’ll really be laughing if you land the template on such a combat. 15.4- Doom Wheels: These things are amazing and highly entertaining, and their Zzzap! just adds to the carnage. Since it can only hit a maximum of three models but does D6 wounds, it is best used against multi-wound models. Against these targets the Doom Wheel is like three WLCs rolled up into one… However, it is also very effective against any unit with a small number of models, which includes almost all flanking units besides large groups of cheaper skirmishers. Note: To Zzzap! something: you roll an artillery dice to see what the strength of all 3 bolts is. Then measure to the nearest model and roll to wound and saves (etc.). If that model isn't killed then it gets hit by the second bolt, too (and possibly the third). However, if it is killed by the first or second bolt then you get to measure to the next closest model and roll to wound and saves (etc.) for your second and/or third bolts [all at the same strength]. This is what the sentence that starts "Roll for each bolt separately..." means. Basically, you roll once for the strength of all three bolts, but you roll to resolve the damage from each bolt separately, which makes it possible for you to hit three different targets in a single round of 3 Zzzaps! (if, and only if, the first two bolts totally destroy whatever they have hit [hopefully something that lacks fur!]). And each bolt will do up to 6 wounds against a target that has that many, only up to 3 wounds against targets that have 3 wounds (like Ogres and Kroxigors), but only 1 wound against single-wound models (like rats!). Match-ups: The Doom Wheel’s ideal targets to Zzzap! are nasty monsters. Dragons, Greater Daemons, etc. If you roll an S6 or higher trio of shots then you’ll have a good chance of taking out the target in one round of shooting. Also, a Doom Wheel can (and should!) Zzzap! these targets even when they’re engaged in combat. It always hits the closest model. It is also efficient to use a Doom Wheel to Zzzap! any smallish unit, especially if they have multiple wounds (unit monsters, chariots, flyers, lone characters, fast/heavy cavalry, etc.) 16- ‘Unique’ Skaven Units: We Rats have been Blessed By the Horned One to have not merely one or two but three truly special units. PCBs, Doom Wheels, and Abominations. 16.1- PCBs: PCBs are special because their gas attack counts for Combat Resolution and ‘gas hits’ are worked out even before ASF. They also hit harder than any other skirmisher in the game. For a mere 16 points you get the gas and three hatred-filled S5 attacks (mathematically the equivalent of four and a half non-hatred attacks!!!). No other ‘hammer’ in the game is as maneuverable, hits as hard, and costs so little. They allow a few special tactics… Match-ups: PCB match-ups have already been discussed in detail, but their maneuverability adds to their tactical uses. They are particularly valuable against a compact line, where there isn’t enough room for other tactical options. For example, the “PCB Linebacker”: Execution: As you can see, the enemy has taken advantage of terrain to prevent traditional maneuvers and flank charges. The enemy has three decent units that will grind down the Clanrats ranks and eventually break them; the enemy is not worried about getting charged by mere Clanrats and gleefully moves them forward… ![]() Instead of charging, the Clanrats merely move right into the enemy's face, executing a ‘pin’. As they do this the PCBs that had been hiding semi-safely behind them move up into the gaps (there must be at least a 3” separation between the enemy units). The enemy will then have to charge, but if the Clanrats hold for merely one combat round then the PCBs will charge the flank of whatever enemy units have been making the most kills. In the example, the Clannies on the left actually got kind of lucky (lost 2 but killed 2), so both PCB units charged to their right. This will break most enemy units. Note that the central clannies in the example could refuse to pursue and instead turn to further threaten the enemy unit that is still engaged with the clanrats on their left. Having a Leadership 7 General will certainly help, and a BSB will help even more. Uses: This can be used against any unit that is unlikely to break Clanrats in a single round of combat: this includes all ‘decent’ enemy infantry (and there are a lot of these!), and some of the weaker Heavy Cavalry and Unit Monsters. Weaknesses: As with any tactic that involves a ‘pin’, stronger enemy units (or those joined by ‘hitty’ characters’ are not a good target for this tactic. However, if you have a Plague Furnace or Screaming Bell and line it up against the strongest enemy unit then this should still work fine… Note that a Plague Furnace would need to charge and probably pursue, and in that case the PCBs would then be in a position to either support the clanrats (with a charge to their left or right) OR either flank of the Plague Furnace [and note that charging and breaking either of the units engaged with the clannies would then allow the Clannies to pursue straight up the board and probably pursue into any unit that had charged the Furnace’s flank; killing two birds with one batch of gaseous flail attacks]. 16.2- Doom Wheels: Doom Wheels are special for a variety of reasons. They move and do impact hits like a chariot, but are a monster and so have a rank-breaking US of 5 and are not auto-destroyed by an S7+ hit. Their movement distance is random, but effectively gives them a 360 degree charge arc (and prevents them from being march-blocked!). Their ‘grind’ attack happens even before ASF. And last but not least, their Zzzap! is like having three WLCs all rolled up into one nasty ball of death. They also pursue and flee with 3d6, which makes them pretty unique amongst the Rats. Match-ups: Doom Wheel combat and shooting match-ups have already been discussed in detail. Suffice it to say that certain army lists won’t have anything at all that is able to deal with one on a flank (let alone one on each flank). In a combined-charge, supporting our ‘decent’ infantry, they’ll often do fine on a frontal charge but would be devastating on a flank charge. And their 3d6 pursuit makes them a superior choice against faster enemy units. 16.3- Abominations: Hellpit Abominations are unique only because they have a 360 degree line of sight and can't be march-blocked. This increases the possible roles that they can fill in a Skaven army, and will possibly allow them to get more charges into a single game (assuming they don’t come to a ‘grinding halt’ for most of the game). They are also a very ‘brutal monster’, especially considering their cost. They also pursue and flee with 3d6, which makes them pretty unique amongst the Rats. Match-ups: A-Bomb combat match-ups have already been discussed in detail. Suffice it to say that certain army lists will find them very difficult to deal with. In a combined-charge, supporting our ‘decent’ infantry, they’ll often do fine on a frontal charge but would be devastating on a flank charge. And their 3d6 pursuit makes them a superior choice against faster enemy units. |
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Si vis pacem, para bellum! If my Ratling Gunners were hummies... | |
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| wolfatbar | 2nd December 2009 - 10:15 AM Post #6 |
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Die! Die! Every-things!
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17- Skaven Lores of Magic: The Rats now have two great lores in addition to The Curse of the Horned Rat (“Lore of the Horned Rat?!?”). Note about our lores and casting dice: 4/6 spells in each lore should generally be attempted with three dice. This means 3 things: ONE- if you only have one spellcaster then you should call a spade a spade: he is a scroll caddy and should have two scrolls. Level 1 is fine. TWO- if you have two (level 2) spellcasters then you will have 6 casting dice and will be throwing three dice at each of two spells per magic phase. If you get lucky with the Condenser you could try a pair of two dice Warplightnings/Pestilent Breaths and a third spell with three dice. Power Stones can be used to give you one or two stronger magic phases per game, and will allow you to try even the highest casting cost spells during these phases. THREE- if you have three (level 2) spellcasters then you will normally have 8 casting dice and will be throwing two dice at Warplightning or Pestilent Breath and three dice at each of an additional two spells per magic phase. A lucky Condenser roll will allow three dice for all three spells, and again Power Stones could be used to give you one or two stronger magic phases per game, and will allow you to try even the highest casting cost spells during these phases. NOTE: if you have a Grey Seer/Vermin Lord (and maybe Power Stones) then your magic phase will be much less simple, much more flexible, much less predictable, and as a result much more powerful. 17.1- The Lore of Ruin: This is a solid lore with three blasting spells, an incredible buff, a teleportation spell, and an anti-shooting/flying hex. Most spells have quite a long range, and only one truly requires a Line of Sight [Crack’s Call has to draw a line within the Caster’s arc, but he doesn’t actually need to see what you really want to hit]. Casting costs are 5,6,7,9,10, and 11 [for an average of 8; Warlocks able to cast 4/6 spells quite reliably without Power Stones]. Skitterleap should generally be attempted with 2 dice, unless you really need it to go off. It (or the Curse) is the default spell for Grey Seers. Skitterleap is great for getting certain characters into effective positions and other characters out of trouble. Prime candidates include Assassins with Warpstone Stars and Warlocks with the Accumulator, Death Globes, or a Doom Rocket. Grey Seers can use it effectively against army lists that lack shooters. Also, Plague Priests with Pestilent Breath and Plague Censors can be skitterleapt into position to march block Heavy Cavalry before attempting to take them out alone, frenzied little nutters that they are… Warplightning should generally be attempted with 2 or 3 dice. It is an excellent spell, and the default spell for Warlocks. With a Warp Power Accumulator this spell will do nearly as much damage as the old 2d6 variety of warplightning, but at a lower casting cost and with less risk to the caster. It is excellent for taking out flanking units (flyers first, then fast cavalry, then skirmishers), but chariots (and lone characters, should you be so lucky) are also ideal targets. Warplightning will also take a decent chunk out of unit monsters and heavy cavalry. Howling Warpgale should generally be attempted with 3 dice, unless you really want it to go off. Its uses are obvious, and its effect does indeed stack with those of the Storm Banner. Death Frenzy should generally be attempted with 3 dice, unless you really want it to go off. It's a fastastically powerful spell, ideal targets are spear-equipped Clannies and Giant Rats [but note that whip-armed models will not benefit from this spell], although Storm Vermin are another solid candidate as they will transform into ‘elite’ infantry under the effect of this spell. Characters in the target unit will also benefit from this spell, and it’s the only thing that will help to prevent a Fellblade-wielding Warlord from whiffing (he and his Litter will both benefit). Finally, this spell can be used to ‘re-frenzy’ Monks who have lost in combat. Scorch should generally be attempted with 3 or 4 dice (meaning Warlocks will need a Power Stone to cast it reliably). It's a very powerful blasting spell, excellent. For a casting cost just one higher than the old 2d6 version of Warplightning the effects of this spell can be much more devastating. Because it uses a template its ideal targets are units of infantry, but it will do plenty of damage to flyers, fast cavalry, and skirmishers, too. Flaming gives it an additional boon vs. regeneration. Note that Scorch basically targets dirt, not units, and so may not trigger Magic Resistance. Wait for the FAQ. Crack’s Call should generally be attempted with 4 dice (meaning Warlocks will usually want to use a Power Stone). It’s awesome against chariots, war machines, and anything with a low initiative (Hydras, Slann!). You don’t really need a line of sight, but the Crack does have to be within the caster’s arc of vision. It does allow a Look Out, Sir! roll (and Slann get one, unfortunately), but it won’t trigger Magic Resistance. 17.2- The Lore of Plague: Plague is another solid lore with four blasting spells, and good buff and a lethal hex. Three of its blasting spells allow no armour-saves, and none truly require a Line of Sight, but most of the lore has a very limited range (which can make it hard to draw out dispel scrolls in the first turn or two). Casting costs are 5,7,8,8,11, and 13 [average: 8.83; Plague Priests able to cast 4/6 very reliably without Power Stones]. Pestilent Breath should normally be attempted with 2 dice. It is a solid blasting spell that benefits from allowing no armour save, and is the default spell for Plague Priests. The template doesn’t really require a Line of Sight, but must be placed within the caster’s arc of vision. It has a terribly short range, but can do a lot of damage. Ideal targets are low toughness with a high armour save (heavy cavalry!). T4 targets should be “Withered” first. Bless With Filth should normally be attempted with 3 dice. It provides a great, albeit temporary, combat buff to anything with multiple attacks (Monks, Rats, spear-equipped Clannies), and these are the ideal targets [PCBs, and even Rat Ogres, don’t really need any kind of buff…]. Combined with Death Frenzy the effects can be ridiculously brutal. Note that it won’t help the ranged attacks of Gutter Runners. Wither should normally be attempted with 3 dice, unless you really want it to go off. This is an absolutely terrific spell. Wither only has a 12” range, but it is an incredibly powerful hex that lasts until the end of the game, barring strange events like a Miscast result of 8 or 9. Combine it with Death Frenzy for maximum effect, but used on its own Wither can completely destroy any enemy unit if you hit it enough (usually three or four times), sometimes leaving a gagging, coughing, retching character crawling around in the festering remains… Vermintide should also normally be attempted with 3 dice. An oldie but a goodie. Vermintide will almost always reach 15” away (template is 5”), and is an excellent spell for taking out small units of low toughness, low armour-save troops. All flankers fit this category. Target flyers first, then fast cavalry, then skirmishers (or all three if you manage to be skitterleapt into the perfect position!). Cloud of Corruption should normally be attempted with 4 dice (meaning Plague Priests will normally want to use a Power Stone). This blanket-blasting spell can soften up a whole bunch of enemy units at once. S5 with no armour save will kill a lot (hopefully not too many rats!). It can be particularly effective from a Plague Furnace, in the middle of the enemy army. Plague should normally be attempted with 4 dice (meaning Plague Priests will need a Power Stone to have a reasonable chance of casting it). Rolling 5 dice is also fine- it increases the odds a bit, but increases the miscast odds too. This awesome spell will melt half a unit of T3 troops, regardless of its original size. The effect is still solid against T4 troops, normally causing a panic test at the very least. And if you’re lucky the effect will spread! It is also a bit of an “assassination” spell, since every model in the targeted unit is affected. Larger units are ideal targets, of course, but bypassing armour saves means that heavy cavalry are also solid targets. 17.3- The “Lore of the Horned Rat”: We have a13th spell, and it is a good one! The Curse of the Horned Rat should normally be attempted with 5 to 7 dice (meaning a Seer using 5 dice and a Power Stone has the best casting chances. It (or Skitterleap) is the default spell for Grey Seers. It is the only default spell for Vermin Lords. It is a high-risk spell best reserved for late-game heroics, but the effect’s are beastly and possibly worth the risk at any time [but don’t forget that a Seer on a Bell who suffers a miscast and rolls a 4 or less will kill a lot of rats, increasing the risk even further]. Casting odds are here: http://underempire.net/index.php?showtopic=19963, but to summarize see the following chart: "%IF"= your chances of getting success via two 6's "%Miscast"= your chances of miscasting "%Normal"= your chances of rolling a 25 or higher (NOT taking into account IF/Miscast). (note that %IF subtracts the chance of a Miscast [ie- rolling two 6’s and two 1’s): DICE:….%IF:…..%MISCAST:…..%NORMAL CAST: 2d6…….2.7…...……2.7……………..x 3d6…….7.4……..…7.4……………...x 4d6……12.7…......13.2………......x 5d6……17.8…..….19.6……………..3 (*OK- this is the minimum dice with a reasonable chance of success) 6d6……22.1……...26.3…………...20 (*GOOD- a solid balance between IF and miscast) 7d7……25.2……...33……………...44 (*GOOD- a solid balance between IF and miscast, and Normal Cast is also now likely) 8d6……27.3……...39.5…………...55.4 (*BAD- at this point [+above] it is too likely for a simultaneous Miscast to thwart an otherwise ‘successful’ roll). To clear up a few (3) rules about it: 1- Note first of all that if you roll two 6’s then you have successfully cast it with irresistible force regardless of the total rolled [exception: you also rolled two 1's]. 2- Note secondly that you have to target an infantry unit, but in the BRB “infantry” includes unit monsters (which are this spell’s ideal targets). Additionally, you can target any infantry unit regardless of whether it has been joined by a mounted or frog-like character. And after targeting, the spell has two effects: if you roll high enough then it kills the unit, meaning that the mounted character or frog will be turned into a rat, too. If you don't roll high enough then it kills models, distributed like hits from shooting (normally leaving characters [and command models] alone). Characters that have a US of 5 or higher (which can normally be singled out as separate targets) are totally immune to both of these effects. 3- Note, finally, that it is not specified (even in the FAQ) but the new unit of rats should be worth 50 points (follows Raised Dead and "The Rats Emerge!" values). 18- Skaven Magical Items: We’ve got a broad assortment of magical items from the Scavenge Pile, Common Magic Items, and Skaven Tools of Supremacy; they range from the 5-point Pet Rat and Biting Blade to the 100 point Daemon and Dragon-slaying Fellblade. Unfortunately, someone accidentally blew-up what had hitherto been the extremely profitable Storm Daemon factory. 18.1- Ranged Weapons: These come from the scavenge pile, or the Eshin/Skryre wargear areas. Warplock Pistols can be used to add a decent ranged attack to Warlocks, but are better on an Assassin (check their BS!). Note per the FAQ that only Warlocks can take two (a ‘brace’)- one from their equipment list and one from the Scavenge Pile [only the second one will cut into their 50 point magic item allowance]. Warp Muskets add a better ranged attack to either a Warlock or an Assassin. Warpstone Stars, however, remain the best choice for Assassins. Warpstone Stars[Eshin Only] add a lethal ranged attack to Assassins. These are great. Ideal targets are multi-wound models that can’t shoot back or charge him. Brass Orbs [Skryre Only] can be one-hit-wonders. They are an “Enchanted Item” but are used in the shooting phase, and they are pretty expensive for a one-shot item that usually scatters… but against low-init targets can be worth a shot! Death Globes [Skryre Only] are pretty powerful, too. They are a “Magic (Ranged) Weapon”. Again, they’re pretty expensive for a one-shot item that usually scatters. In 6th edition you could use them every turn. And they were cheaper. Those were better… Doom Rockets [Skryre Only] are another “Magic (Ranged) Weapon”, and are the best of our ‘one-trick ponies’. What’s not to like about the pie template and S5 hits? Well, random distance and ‘one use only’, I suppose…but at least they always go in a straight line [hint: try enfililading shots!]. Note per the FAQ that it's essentially a normal missile weapon: So you can't march and then shoot it, and you can't shoot it and a musket on the same turn, but you can use it to stand and shoot. You should try to keep the range reasonable to avoid misfires and keep decent ranging odds. This link may help: http://underempire.net/index.php?showtopic=30601 Basically, 4d6 will average 14" with reasonable variation, each additional D6 will add 3 1/2 more inches, on average, with variation increasing badly. 18.2- Combat Weapons: These come from the Scavenge pile, common items, or Skaven armoury. Note that neither Plague Priests nor Assassins can use shields: This makes equipping them with magical weapons less efficient (none of our magical weapons are ‘two-pawed’). After all, a ‘Sword of Might’ is just a halberd that allows you to hold a shield. Likewise, a ‘Sword of Battle’ is just an extra hand weapon that allows you to hold a shield. You would never give one of these weapons to a Chieftain or Warlord and then not give him a shield, too. Likewise, giving a similar weapon to a model who can’t even take a shield is a bit of a waste of points. This is especially true now that the poison and tail weapon from the Scavenge Pile can be used to augment whatever mundane equipment is being used by a Priest, but note that the Assassin's poison is not the scavenged variety and will combine with any magical weapon he wields. Rat Bodyguards turn even a Storm Vermin champion into a threat that even Bloodthirsters must fear. Hmm… just kidding. But they can be a fluffy little addition that could be fun to add to your model. FAQ says that you wasted glue when you modeled 20 of them onto your Warlord’s base… Tail Weapons are a great addition for anyone who has poisoned attacks. Assassins start with poisoned XHW and simply adding a tail weapon will make them more effective than giving them the Warpforged Blade against anyone lacking a 3+ (or better) armour save [almost any mage!], and just as effective versus most targets as having the (much more expensive) Warlock Augmented Weapon. Plague Priests with poison and a tail weapon should go with XHW or a flail/censor. FAQ says you can't multiples of this option on one character. You shouldn't have gotten your hopes up- most Rats only have one tail… Poisoned Attacks work great for a Priest with a tail weapon and XHW (or a flail/censor). Stacks nicely with the ‘Bless With Filth’ spell. Biting Blades don’t cost much, and don’t do much. We get a discount on these compared to some races, for some reason or other. It’s still not worth it. Assassins and Priests will do better with their mundane options while Chieftans and Warlords should take something (much) better OR just stick with a mundane hand weapon for the hand weapon-and-shield bonus. Blades of Nurglitch don’t cost much, and won’t do anything against a single-wound model. Against multi-wound models you should use a Blade of Corruption, a Weeping Blade, or the brilliant Fellblade. Swords of Strength are a solid choice at a cheap price. Best used on a Chieftan, combined with Warpstone Armour or an Enchanted Shield and ???. As aforementioned, they’re a bit of a waste for Priests/Assassins, who should stick to mundane choices instead. Swords of Strength stack well with the ‘Death Frenzy’ spell. Swords of Battle are a poor choice. Their effect increases mathematically for models who have very few attacks (they double the potential of a model that has only one attack on its profile, for example). Suffice it to say that by the time a model has merely 3 attacks (Chieftan, Assassin) they are no longer worth it and points would be better spent increasing the strength of the existing attacks. Swords of Striking are another poor choice. Their effect increases mathematically for models who already have many attacks, but the same thing is true for Swords of Strength [which are cheaper!]. Swords of Striking only help with your to-hit roll, while Swords of Strength help with your to-wound roll and hinder your opponent’s armour save (assuming they have one, and you might as well assume that they will). Stacks well with the ‘Death Frenzy’ spell (but again, so does the Sword of Strength, which is cheaper). Plague Censers [Pestilens Only] are not a magical item per se (don't come off of your points allowance), but they will be mentioned here because they are a great choice for unmounted Priests who join Monks. It's a bad idea with a Furnace (too many monk tests) or on a Pox Rat (once again because of additional tests; also, a Priest on a Pox Rat could be forced to charge out of the unit {due to his frenzy and higher movement}). NOTE: Censers aren't a good idea for Priests who join PCBs because they won't force any extra tests on the enemy. Electro-Whips [Moulder Only] are a decent choice for Master Moulders who are in a unit of Giant Rats. They can chip in a few extra attacks while continuing to improve the leadership of the unit, but note that FAQ says they have to go in the front rank .Things Catchers [Moulder Only] could be useful against heavily armoured foes, or characters. Great Weapons are a better option, and a great option for Master Moulders who are in a unit of Rat Ogres. There will often be nothing left to return any attacks their way. Shock-Prods [Moulder Only] are another anti-armour choice for Master Moulders. Again, Great Weapons are a better option, especially for Master Moulders who are in a unit of Rat Ogres. There will often be nothing left to return any attacks their way. Dwarfbane Blades are obviously a good choice if you know you’ll be fighting Stunties. Against anything else the Sword of Might does the same thing for fewer points. Weeping Blades are a reasonable choice for a character-hunting Assassin, but their loss of +1 strength (from the 6th edition version) means that rolls to-wound will be more of a struggle [note that their poison is not the scavenged variety and can help!]. Also, the armour-piercing ability won’t help against (un-armoured) mages. Sticking with their poisoned XHW (and simply adding a tail weapon to the mix) is cheaper and nearly as effective, but if his unit gets Death Frenzied then a Weeping Blade will make him a serious character-hunting threat. Blades of Corruption are a more Skaveny choice for a character-hunting Assassin. It's cheap enough to be combined with Smoke Bombs, and the +1 strength and guaranteed two wounds means that the assassin will kill almost any hero with a successful swing. But the chance of killing himself still makes me prefer the tail weapon option…Suicidal when combined with Death Frenzy. Warlock Augmented Weapons are a solid option for Fellblade-less Warlords. Allow for plenty of protection, too, enough points for an Enchanted Shield, Rival Hide, and Skalm/Talisman of Protection. As aforementioned, not a great choice for anyone besides a Warlord. The +1 strength combines well with Death Frenzy. Warpforged Blades are another solid option for Fellblade-less Warlords. They are best against heavy armour, obviously. Better than a Warlock-Augmented Weapon against 2+ or better, about the same against 3+, and worse against 4+ or worse. They allow for 5 points less protection. Combines well with Death Frenzy. Fellblades are brilliant! Forcing ward-saves to be re-rolled has added even further to its potency, with regeneration being its only remaining weakness. The kill tally for Warlords who usually travel with these is regularly impressive and sometimes absolutely incredible. All I can say is take one, point your Warlord at something nasty, sacrifice a unit of slaves to make sure he gets the charge, and try it; you won’t be disappointed (ahem…at least… ahem…not often…). It’s nearly unstoppable when combined with Death Frenzy. For a bit of protection against charges you can put an Assassin and/or character with the Rival Hide and/or standard-earer with the Shroud of Dripping Death next to your Warlord. And note that you can keep the Fellblade’s presence a ‘secret’ by announcing that you are “rolling a dice to check the effects of a weapon that my Warlord may have…” (even in games that he doesn’t, in fact, have it). Also note enemy initiative values: If a Warlord is brought into base-to-base contact with an enemy character in latter combat rounds then their high initiative will normally mean they swing first against anyone lacking ASF. Exceptions (those with a higher initiative) only include Elven Lords (all three kinds [and High Elves all have ASF]), Dark Elf Death Hags, plus Bloodthirsters, Keepers of Secrets, and our own Vermin Lord. A few others share their initiative: Elven Heros (all three kinds, and again- all High Elves have ASF), Vampire Lords, Chaos Lords, Heralds of Slaanesh, and Daemon Princes. And finally note enemies that can get ASF: -Beastmen: {no idea- don’t have the new book}. -Brettonia: nil. -Daemons: Daemon Princes and Nurgle Daemons can get ASF [and Nurgle Daemons even negate your own if you have it!] (Also: Khorne Daemons have an armour choice that negates magical weapons; Deamons of Slaanesh can prevent you from attacking if you fail a leadership test [and they can royally screw up your leadership first]). -Dark Elves: Assassins come with ASF, and characters can get ASF via a magic standard. They can also get a ward save that will work 7 times out of 10 vs a Fellblade, and can have regen too!! (so you’ll probably die, eventually) -Dwarves: can get ASF via a Rune (but you’ll probably live). -Empire: can get ASF via a magic weapon (confers +1 strength, too, but you’ll probably live). -High Elves: Everything has ASF. -Lizzies: can get ASF via a magic weapon (though it’s rarely taken, and you’ll probably live). -Ogres: nil. -Orcs ‘n Gobbos: nil. -Skaven: Assassins have ASF (and with a Weeping Blade they may get lucky and kill you). -Tomb Kings: nil. -Vampire Counts: A piece of armour removes your charge bonuses and ASF (if you have it) and reduces your initiative to 1 [which clearly means they'll swing first, very likely killing you]. Also Corpse Carts have a level 3 bound spell that confers ASF until the enemy's next magic phase [but can’t be dispelled during your turn], and Van Hel’s Dance gives ASF [for that turn only!]. -Warriors of Chaos: A Helm confers ASF (but makes wearer stupid). They also have a variety of armour selections that will reduce/eliminate the effectiveness of the Fellblade: a shield that will totally negate your magical weapons, a piece of armour that forces you to re-roll hits, and another piece of armour that prevents multiple wounds from being inflicted. Sheesh- pick your poison! -Wood Elves: can get ASF via the Wardancer Kindred (and then choosing the right dance). [Also: Each Wood Elf character can choose a “Spite”, and one of them makes opponents need a “6” to hit him in a challenge. If the character happens to be Treeman Ancient then after you whiff you'll get smashed]. 18.3- Magical Armour: Besides the enchanted shield, these are all from the Skaven Armoury. Enchanted Shields are excellent. Don’t leave the warren without one… Shields of Distraction are a good choice for Warlords. For Chief (BSB or low-points-level General) I prefer the bouncing armour save of Warpstone Armour (below). World’s Edge Armour may be good for a crazy Warlord running around by himself on a Pox Rat or Rat Ogre Bone Breaker. Maybe at higher points totals when he’s not your General…And note that some simple items and spells (like Censor gas and the Lore of Death spell “Steal Soul”) don’t allow an armour save and would quite embarrassingly result in your armour falling off [kind of like those cars that were designed to break in two to allow occupants to escape after an accident but that sometimes broke in two after a very minor fender bender…] Warpstone Armour is very good (and cheaper than it used to be!). For a Chieftan (either BSB or low-points-level General) it can be combined with a mundane hand weapon and shield for a 2+ save that bounces, making S3 or S4 infantry unlikely to even try to hurt him. Excellent protection for a BSB/General, and still leaves room for further protection (Rival Hide) or offence (Poisoned attacks). Yes, a Warlock can take it. No, a Warlock shouldn’t take it. 18.4- The Arcane: Our arcane choices are evenly mixed from the common items and Skaven Tools of Supremacy. Dispel Scrolls are excellent, of course. Make sure you take at least one… Power Stones are also excellent. Skaven now have two bona fide level two casters, each of which have access to powerful but high casting cost spells. Equipping your level 2’s with power stones allows you to have one or two critical turns of particularly strong magic (or miscasts!). They can also allow a Seer to throw seven dice at the Curse of the Horned Rat (or more, with Warpstone Tokens). Warpstone Tokens are now overpriced. Take Power Stones instead. But don’t forget to use the ones that your Seer came with…Note: you cannot add a dice to every casting attempt for the whole game. Don’t be silly. FAQ confirms this. Warp Energy Condensers are excellent items that allow Warlocks to cast Warplightning that is nearly as effective as the old 2d6 version but at a 6+ casting cost and with a lower chance of blasting themselves. Sweet! The possibility of an extra dice is an added bonus. Note: don’t give this to your Grey Seer- he may not get the spell! Staffs of Sorcery are a nice defensive arcane item. Personally, I like the offensive arcane…or scrolls (which additionally allow an offensive item:)) Warpstorm Scrolls are expensive, but can obviously be brutal against flyers. Try to draw out all of your opponent’s scrolls (and dispel dice) before trying to get this to go off… Warp Scrolls [Pestilens Only] are a solid surprise attack. Best used against large units (especially those containing characters- no “Look Out, Sir!”) and Heavy Cavalry (no armour saves). Against tougher units try “Wither” first. Again try to draw out all of your opponent’s scrolls (and dispel dice) before trying to get this to go off… Scrying Stones are strange because they provide a ward save despite being arcane items. They are an excellent boon for Priests mounted on Furnaces (who could additionally have a Foul Pendant, though it's not recommended for a 2-wound model), and also a reasonable idea for Warlocks, Priests, or Seers who may end up skitterleaping off on some secret mission…But note that if your first wound suffered is from a miscast then you will have lost your Scrying Stone, possibly before being hit by that cannonball… 18.5- Talismans: These are all from the Skaven armoury, besides the first one (common item). They all offer protection, in a variety of forms. Note about protection for Warlords and (non-Bell) Seers: Against cannonballs a suit of World’s Edge Armour or a Scrying Stone are the best choices for Warlords and Seers (respectively). On the other hand, if you prefer to avoid such things and instead tend to take your wounds one at a time (like from frisky but reckless Rat Hound Bodyguards or from Miscasts) then Skalm is the best choice [30 points for two ‘guaranteed’ wounds recovered]. Foul Pendants are the ‘in between’ choice: they may save you from that cannonball, and they’ll probably prevent a wound or two as they are slowly accumulating. My Seer tries to avoid cannonballs, but has a horrible habit of miscasting. So he gets Skalm and ‘offensive’ stuff, usually including a Power Stone or two [I know… I know… those are part of the miscasting problem!]. My Warlord, on the other hand, goes for combat. And he usually manages to choose his combats, however unwisely. So he lives by the sword and dies by the sword… very literally, and sometimes by his own sword: It’s the Fellblade or bust for him, no Skalm. If I took a different weapon, however, I’d add Skalm and one of the two magical shields (and put him beside another character who had the Rival Hide Talisman). Further note, about protection for Seers on Bells: Skalm is clearly the best protection to be added to the Bell's 4+ ward save. Talismans of Protection don’t cost much. They don’t offer much protection, either… Foul Pendants are much better. They are best used on 3-wound characters (Warlords and Grey Seers [unless they're on a Bell]) where they will, on average, save at least one of the first three single wounds received by them. If you only have enough points to take one item, then Skalm is probably a better deal (see “note about protection…” [just above] and “skalm” [in the “enchanted items" section further down]), but Foul Pendants actually work very well combined with Skalm (because the Skalm can give the Foul Pendant more chances to work. Note that against multi-wound weapons such as cannon balls you’d be well-off having the World’s Edge Armour or a Scrying Stone too (or instead) [see “note about protection…” just above].. Rival Hide Talismans are a cheap but very effective item that basically function like a Ward Save except that they only work in combat and they only work at the ‘front end’ (rolls to hit) end of a combat round. Wait to see if a given enemy model rolls well on it’s ‘to-hit’ roll and then announce that you are using it. Note that it is one of a very few things that can be used as a source of protection for a Fellblade-wielding Warlord, because it affects any enemy model in base contact, regardless of which Rat that model happens to be attacking. This is the case even if one of them is in a challenge but the other isn’t. Also note that if the enemy has hatred or some other source of re-rolls then they do all of their rolling first (roll to hit, then re-roll misses). After that, you can choose to use the Rival Hide. If you do, they’ll need to re-roll all of their hits again but will NOT get the benefit of hatred (or whatever) again. [as per Armour of Damnation (Warriors of Chaos)]. Shadow Magnet Trinkets are a good addition to any unit likely to attract a lot of cannonballs, bolts, and arrows. These include any unit with a Bell, Furnace, or Warlord. 18.6- Enchanted Items: All from the Skaven Tools of Supremacy, some of them clan-specific wargear. They offer a very broad variety of effects, from unit buffs and character healing to psychological warfare, ‘IR goggles’, and infernal bombs! Skavenbrew is expensive, could do nothing, could start killing rats way before they reach combat, can’t be used with Rat Ogres, and won’t help out my Fellblade-equipped Warlord. Ermmm…. Skalm is most cost-effective wound protector for Seers and Warlords (see “note about protecting…” under the Talismans header, above). It combines very well with the Seer's Bell ward-save, or with a Foul Pendant.It is ideal for miscast-prone Seers, but is a waste on heroes, and if you go from three wounds to zero in one phase then it won’t help you…. The Pipes of Piebald are an interesting item that combine well with the Sacred Standard of the Horned Rat (see below). Most effective against armies that have terrible leadership that normally doesn’t matter (ie- the Undead). The Portents of Verminous Doom are another interesting item that combine well with the Sacred Standard of the Horned Rat [and the Warbanner!] (both below). The Portents require base-to-base contact, and in this (combat) situation basically have the same effect as an extra standard if you win combat. Alternatively, combine with Warbanner and The Grand Banner of Clan Superiority for the similarly tremendous break-test-causing potential (you’ll still need both a unit standard-bearer and a BSB). Infernal Bombs [Eshin Only] have tremendous potential, but could be hard to use. Try placing it in front of a frenzied unit- they’ll have to charge and after your Assassin had fled the scene you can blow them up! Great fun…Too bad its only S3 (besides the poor soul right on top of it!). Smoke Bombs [Eshin Only] give a character-hunting Assassin a great chance of escaping after charging a Mv 6 (or below) unit in an assassination attempt. Just give him a tail weapon (or perhaps the Weeping Blade [or Blade of Corruption, I suppose]) and stick to mages and he should do fine at both the assassination attempt and the escape. Warlock Optics [Skryre Only] can allow a Warlock to see pretty straight, but Assassins are still better shots (and Warpstone Stars are far superior to Muskets). Optics would be great if they allowed Warlocks to ‘snipe’ like Empire Hochland Rifles. But they don’t… Brass Orbs [Skryre Only] have been covered in the ‘Ranged Weapons’ section (see above). 18.7- Magical Standards: Besides the trusty Warbanner, these are all from the Skaven Tools of Supremacy. The Sacred Standard of the Horned Rat has some pretty impressive effects, and can make it very likely for a beaten enemy unit to break. The old ‘Sacred Standard’ guaranteed it… The Storm Banner can protect you from shooting and ground flyers for a turn or two. Against some armies it won’t do much, against others it will be worth it’s weight in Warpstone. TWO rules issues: 1- The English version didn't used to say ‘one use only’. It now does. It was unsporting to take advantage of this oversight in the meantime. 2- The third sentence is poorly written (and shockingly wasn't in the FAQ!) but should be read to mean that any missile attacks that don’t use ballistic skill need a 4+ to fire except for ‘magical missiles’, which are a specific type of spell. The bad news: this Banner does affect all of our shooting (including weapons teams and the WLC and everything else that ‘counts as magical’ due to Warpstone. The good news: this Banner also affects all enemy shooting (including Dwarven runic artillery, Elven magical bows, and the Screaming Skull Catapult). This is in keeping with the errata that was released for the 6th edition Skaven Codex (which originally matched the current wording). I am truly surprised that the original wording was re-used, and totally astonished that this wasn't in the FAQ. Warbanners, from the common items pile, add +2 to combat resolution instead of the usual +1. Simple, reliable, solid. The Grand Banner of Clan Superiority replaces the normal +1 of a unit standard-bearer (or the normal ‘extra’ +1 of a BSB) with a D3 bonus instead, assuming that you out-rank your opponent. This means that 33% of the time it’s worse than the Warbanner, 33% it’s the same, and 33% of the time it’s better. If you don’t outrank your enemy then of course it’s always worse than the Warbanner. But it costs more! So why take it, you may ask. The answer is that it can be combined with the Warbanner. A unit with both of these will necessarily also need to have a BSB, and will get a whopping total CR bonus from standards, ranks, and outnumber of between +7 and +9! Hard to beat… unless you kill the enemy with your standards instead! (see the next two entries) The Shroud of Dripping Death is the first of our two combat damage-dealing banners. It can remove up to three models from base-to-base contact before anybody even gets to swing, and these kills count for combat resolution. Excellent. If it just makes one kill it's already done as much as the Warbanner would do towards combat resolution, but it has additionally removed an enemy model and it's return attacks. Brilliant! It’s particularly effective against cavalry and low-toughness (or ‘Withered’) characters (making it an 'assassination' banner, too!). Truly, this is a great banner and probably best when used with a Plague Furnace, which will often do enough kills to break the enemy while still leaving enough of the enemy left to swing back at the Priest on top because many of the kills are distributed like shooting attacks (the Gas Fog) or done after all combat has happened (Wrecker attack [incidentally also distributed like shooting]). The secondary effect is hardly anything to get excited about. You have to break to use it, and that’s just negative thinking. We don’t like that! ![]() The Banner of the Underempire is the best-named banner in Warhammer! It will often make as many kills as the Shroud of Dripping Death, and almost certainly more if you end up in combat with more than one enemy unit. It’s excellent, too. If it just makes one kill it's already done as much as the Warbanner would do towards combat resolution, but it has additionally removed an enemy model. Perhaps this one is best used with Storm Vermin pushing a Bell and accompanied by a mounted Warlord (who will have much less trouble than the Priest at defeating most enemy characters and who will need less protection against enemy rank ‘n file [being able to kill more than the Priest while sitting on a smaller base]).Note that by combining the Shroud of Dripping Death with the Banner of the Underempire you will, assuming you outnumber, start with +6 CR plus whatever 2d6 S2 hits gets you plus whatever 2 or 3 S3 no armour-save hits gets you. Against Clanrats, that will usually be a total CR bonus of about +9 or +10 (Warbanner and Clan Superiority eat your heart out). Of course, against Plague Bearers the story will be quite different... and against anything you'll have to figure out how to keep your BSB alive when he can neither hide at the back nor take magical protection... (stick him next to a Fellblade Warlord perhaps?!)... The Dwarf Hide Banner is the most lovingly-crafted banner in Warhammer (hee-hee, I hate Dwarfs!). That said, hatred will generally help them more than it will help you unless you include a kitted character in the unit. Alternatively, you could plan to lose combat and instead use their hatred against the stuntie enemy by forcing them to pursue (perhaps opening up a much-needed gap in their ‘castle’, but perhaps not [stunties don't run very fast...]). The Banner of Verminous Scurrying could be used to get a hammer unit of Monks or Storm Vermin into a position that is surprising for your enemy (note that it allows triple your normal movement rate, NOT triple your marching rate). A BSB should be closer to the center of your line and should not be scrambling up ahead of everybody else, so it's better on a unit standard-bearer (Monks or Storm Vermin). The Plague Banner [Pestilens Only] adds to the combat effectiveness of Monks, albeit for one turn only. In my opinion it will work for the crew of a Furnace, but rules lawyers may beg to differ. In any case, it won't work for Plague Priests, which means that this Banner will only add about two extra kills against something as weak as clanrats, and it’s one time only. So, for the points it is better to take the Banner of the Underempire or the Shroud of Dripping Death (each of which work every single combat round). 19- Summary/Conclusion: Whew! Almost done! 19.1- 7th Edition Changes: The Skaven in 7th edition have gained a lot. This is most notable in the hero-level spellcasters (Warlocks and Priests) and especially the ‘hammers’ department (mounts for Warlord, the *new* Furnace, the *new* [sort of] Doom Wheel, the *new* A-Bomb, the improvements to Rat Ogres, and the [totally unneeded] improvements to PCBs (which went from being merely ‘awesome’ to being ‘exquisitely insane’). More subtle changes include the lost of the “Mainstay” rule, the “Wave of Rats” and cost reduction for Giant Rats (making them an extremely effective unit for their cost), very cheap Master Moulders who don’t take a character slot, the loss of skirmishing for jezzails, the broader range of weapons teams, and the applaudable ‘normalizing’ of the WLC. Warlords improved not only with mounts but also with a ward-save be-damned Fellblade, but Seers got improved leadership and two great new lores (not to mention the 13th spell), so choosing the ‘best General for 2000 points’ has been made extremely difficult. Add in a Lord-level special character choice for every Greater Clan besides Eshin (two of which modify your ‘core’ choices) and the choice can be totally perplexing. But it is a very welcome problem that can allow for a huge variety of 2K lists and a large number of Clan-specific lists. However, mentioning no Lord level choice for Eshin has brought a little tear to my eye. For what we’ve gained all around we’ve lost our faithful and panicky but much-loved skirmishing NR. Figuring out what to do for flanks can be tricky now, unless you go for the ‘brutal’ option and just put a Doom Wheel on one side and an A-Bomb on the other. And speaking of flanks, how are you supposed to make a take-all-comers list that will be able to deal with flanks, blast nasty enemy units, put in some tactical maneuvers against other enemy units, and smash right through the rest? See tactical summary, next… 19.2- Tactical Summary:The key to making a take-all-comers list is to take a lot of flexible units, know what each is capable of doing, and then deploy the cheapest but most effective counter-unit against every unit that your opponent deploys. Flexibility and winning deployment are the two most important aspects of a list. All enemy infantry, heavy cavalry, and unit monsters should generally be hit in a flank. Fully ranked infantry will normally do fine, Skaven ‘hammers’ will do it better. (Note that ‘elite/hitty’ infantry may need to have their ranks ‘trimmed down’ with firepower first). In the center of a line or where it otherwise not possible to hit a flank you can instead try to ‘steamroller’ these units using either a Plague Furnace, a mounted Warlord who is in a fully-ranked unit, or an A-Bomb. All enemy monster ‘wannabes’, chariots, skirmishers, fast cavalry, and flyers can be beaten by a frontal charge. Fully ranked infantry will normally do fine. The problem here is that most of these units have an extreme maneuverability advantage, so you may be forced to merely limit their influence rather than trying to actually take them right out of the game. (Note that some of these units [PCBs, Hunting Packs, Flamers, Marauder Horse, Pegasus Knights, etc…] should be shot, shot, shot, and shot some more!) All enemy ‘brutal’ monsters can (and should) be blasted with heavy shooting, chopped up with a Fellblade, or torn apart by an A-Bomb. All enemy artillery can be taken out with Gutter Runners or tunneling NR or a fast ranked unit that manages to march all of the way up the board. 19.3- Making A List, Checking It Twice…Here follows a little advice for making an army list, without getting very specific at all and thereby hindering creativity. Note about unit sizes: It is generally better to have more units, than bigger units. Note about 5-wide formations: Pretty much without exception (Rats/Clannies with spears that are the target for a 'Death Frenzy' spell are the only exceptions) all Skaven units should be ranked 5-wide. This is because the +1 that you get as a rank bonus will usually be more than you achieve in combat with the extra rat. Even a 'hard-hittin' Monk's three attacks will, on average, hit a Clanrat 1.5 times, cause .75 wounds, and result in an average of .375 kills. And that's against a Clanrat. Of course, if you have 24+ models you can have it six-wide and have a full rank bonus, sure, but that's only until you start losing models. I wouldn't recommend going six-wide unless you had over 30 models in the unit (and see 'note about unit sizes' above ^_^). Note about unit champions: As aforementioned, they should be included in every unit that will contain a character. This is because they can potentially save the character and/or help him off an enemy character, in three different ways. Here's how: ONE- If you charge and are in base-to-base with an enemy character then you should be swinging first and having first shot at them. If they have a champion and you don't, however, then they could challenge and save their character until the next round, at which point it may be swinging first (if it has higher initiative). TWO- If you are charged but the enemy character isn't in base-to-base with yours then they could issue a challenge to 'fix' this and get to swing first against your character. By taking a champion you can accept this challenge with the champion, allowing your character to butcher some rank 'n file during that combat round and possibly use his higher initiative to swing first against the enemy character in later combat rounds [or be skitterleapt to safety]. This may not sound like much, but when we're talking about a Fellblade-equipped Warlord getting to swing first (in the second round) against an Oldblood or Ogre Tyrant then it can be very, very significant. THREE- If you are charged and the enemy character isn't accompanied by a champion (usually because it's mounted) then you can issue a challenge from your champion to save your character for that combat round, again possibly allowing you to use his higher initiative to swing first in later combat rounds or allowing you to skitterleap him away. This can allow your Seer to avoid certain death and allow your Fellblade-equipped Warlord to swing first (in the second combat round) against a Lord on a Dragon, despite the fact that the Dragon-riding Lord charged your unit. To make a list that can take on all-comers you should have: A way to deal with one or two units in the enemy centre: You could plan to blast the enemy centre with template weapons and spells so that a frontal charge will have a large static combat resolution advantage OR you could plan to steamroll the centre with one of the more powerful Skaven hammers (mounted Warlord, Furnace, A-Bomb). A few ways to deal with enemy units on the ends of the line: You could again choose to shoot some of these units (no armour-save spells vs. heavy cavalry, for example) OR you could plan to use maneuvers to set up flank charges, using slaves and whatever combination of ‘decent’ infantry and ‘hammers’ you prefer. A few ways to deal with enemy units on the extreme flanks: Some of these units should be shot, others can be controlled (more or less) by any of our flanking units. Others still can practically be ignored, depending on whether or not your list contains targets for their units. Alternatively, you could fill the board with a horde of cheap, fully-ranked units. This will usually stop skirmishers and fast cav, but not flyers. A plan for dealing with brutal monsters: This plan will normally include shooting, too. Note that the most effective shooting (Jezzails and WLCs) will, in turn, call for a protection plan of their own- to ensure that they are not easily destroyed by enemy flankers. At least one way to deal with enemy artillery: This is especially true if you have large targets that will be vulnerable to artillery (Furnaces, Bells, Doom Wheels, A-Bombs). The more of these units that you have, the more anti-artillery options you should include. Recommended Start of a 2000/2250 Point List: 1- 500 points: Take one ‘steamroller’ unit (mounted Warlord in decent fully-ranked infantry OR a Plague Furnace OR an A-Bomb [with a nearby BSB, just in case...] ). Note that you can still shoot the enemy’s meanest unit and then choose to aim this at the second-meanest unit. 2- 500 points: Take two to four units of slaves AND two or three units of fully-ranked ‘decent’ infantry OR two or three ‘hammer’ units, whichever you prefer. Take Clannies or Vermin if you want some weapons teams. Lots of choices here (6 ‘decent’ infantry and many ‘hammer’ choices!). 3- 250 points: Take some form of flank protection for at least one flank, including a unit detailed for hunting war machines (you can use terrain or otherwise simply refuse the other flank). Again, take whatever you prefer (8 ‘maneuverable’ choices!). 4- 750-1000 points: Take whatever you want. Some characters, obviously (maybe the Vermin Lord). Flexible units that are able to take on a few roles and augment your other choices are the most effective. Even if you take the Storm Banner you should take some shooting. Heavy shooting is recommended because it can deal with things that the rest of your list may not be able to deal with. If you take Jezzails/WLC then make sure that at least some of your flank protection (#3) are assigned to protect these shooting units, at least for a turn or two. For Example: MUTATE: Seer and Priest-led armies here:http://underempire.net/index.php?showtopic=31969&hl= MUTATE: Warlord list here: http://underempire.net/index.php?showtopic=32370 19.4- Conclusion:The 7th Edition Skaven Army is a very solid one. The very welcome addition of some true heavy-hitters gives the ability to ‘steamroll’ a unit or two. If we’re lacking in any area compared to the ‘big three’ (Vampires, Daemons, Dark Elves) it’s in the ‘ridiculous magical phase’, ‘overpowered special rules’ or ‘broken magical items and item-combinations’ departments (respectively, but with no due respect). But remember that The Curse of the Horned Rat is very unique, is brutal, and can transform Plague Bearers and their Herald into rats, “Strength in Numbers” is a great special rule that makes all of our ranked units cheaper and has *no* drawback [assuming you keep your flanks clean, and we’ve got plenty of cheap units able to do that], the Doom Wheel is pretty unique, is brutal, and can Zzzap! Greater Daemons though it’s a fraction of their cost, the Fellblade is pretty unique, and can turn a Warlord into a character and beast-killer extraordinaire, and the A-Bomb is a beast extraordinaire. And never forget the most broken unit that we have: Slaves! |
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Si vis pacem, para bellum! If my Ratling Gunners were hummies... | |
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| TheKeywork | 2nd December 2009 - 11:54 AM Post #7 |
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Clanrat
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WOW, a great job and excellent read, can't wait for more. Can we get this stabbed?? |
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“By gnawing through a dike, even a rat may drown a nation.” -Edmund Burke | |
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| The Buoyancy of Water | 2nd December 2009 - 12:50 PM Post #8 |
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Chieftain
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A very good introduction for new players. Two little comments about your fast cavalry section though. First, WoC marauder horsemen with flails have S5, so that is a second unit to watch out for (they are normally immune to terror, making it easier for them to hit the doomwheel). Also, Khorne marked horsemen are frenzied :-P Combined with flails this unit is actually pretty brutal for its points cost, dishing out 10 S5 and 10 S3 attacks in the first round of combat. Cheers, Dave |
| I used to have a tally of wins, losses and draws, but I've totally lost count so will instead ramble for a little while... | |
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| Lord Lughtigern | 2nd December 2009 - 12:51 PM Post #9 |
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The Mad Ratter.
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Wow, impressive article Wolfatbar. I'm going to have to set aside a serious amount of time to go through this to digest it all! It's been added to the "Army Specific Tactics" thread. Kudos on the hard work! |
![]() Links you should try out: Denizens of the Deep - Rules for Underground Campaigns Warhammer Skirmish - The Lazy Man's Mordheim | |
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| Kariko83 | 2nd December 2009 - 02:34 PM Post #10 |
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The lurker in the shadows
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Wow, thats a lot more in depth than my already stabbed article on basic unit tactics and builds. Would you mind if I add a Link to yours from mine for those who want more detail and such? P.S. - You suck, now I really have to get working on mine
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Local Challenge board Record W-L-D 6th ed Skaven 8-3-0 7th ed skaven 6-1-0 13th Spell Times Cast: 8 Kill Counter: 14 Maraders, 38 Saurus warriors, 8 high elf bowmen, 20 Empire Handgunners and 14 Dwarf Handgunners WIP Abomination Thread Skaven in 7th ed: a WIP tactics article By Kariko83 ![]()
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| Riktikticheck | 2nd December 2009 - 03:11 PM Post #11 |
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Warlord
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sadly the rulebook states that you can not declare any charges that you know will fail to gain any benefit other than intended. so the rats need to be in range for that to work. |
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| wolfatbar | 2nd December 2009 - 04:16 PM Post #12 |
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Die! Die! Every-things!
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@Riktikticheck: I wondered about that. It used to come up with frenzied units and also our old WLC (that had to flee). Mutated, thanks. @Buoyancy: Thanks for that. Forgot about those nasty guys. Mutated. Thanks to you, too. @Kariko: link away, and I'll do the same! Of course I don't mind, and I don't really think there's much duplication (otherwise I wouldn't have bothered doing this). |
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Si vis pacem, para bellum! If my Ratling Gunners were hummies... | |
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| carcharoth | 2nd December 2009 - 08:22 PM Post #13 |
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Slayer of Lizardmen
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wow, awseome as usual wolfatbar! |
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| desmondkenny | 5th December 2009 - 11:26 AM Post #14 |
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Clanrat
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Superb - went through this last night highlighting the various points. Definitely has me thinking of warhammer in a different way. Can't wait for the the skaven unit specific tactica sections AND I'm already thinking about how to apply this line of thinking to my other Army - Dwarves! |
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| Muote | 11th December 2009 - 03:56 AM Post #15 |
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this is a terrible lot of information. could I ask you to make a general, competitive, 2250 "take all comers" type list; just so I can get a better grasp on how taking all these strategies into account would look like? also, this is hands down the best warhammer tactica I've ever seen. and I have read quite a few |
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1- Introduction:
) disadvantage.
2.1- Advantage #1-Deployment:



)
.
brings tears to my eyes ~sniff~
, Warpforged Blade, or Warlock-Augmented Weapon)]. Adding a Doom Flayer adds even more to the equation.






