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Plague Censor Bearers; Special Unit Specific Tactica
Topic Started: 31st October 2014 - 12:59 AM (655 Views)
King Rat
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Grey Seer
Plague Censor Bearers (PCB's)

Rarely used these days due to their Initiative 3 and them being slightly over costed.

The primary role of these guys is as a flanker to produce extra damage to an enemy unit.

These guys are best kept in units of 5 to 10 to use as throw away units with potentially high damage output. Don't take the unit champ upgrade better to get an extra guy for similar points.

Can use vs. Ethereals but avoid High Elf Banner of World Dragon unit, or for frontal charges vs. ASF troops.

Bog enemy unit with slaves then flank with the PCB's.

Advantages
frenzy therefore cannot be panicked
skirmish
Censor attack goes before Impact hits
Censor attack ignores armour
hatred (nice if they get to strike)
Strength 5 (first round combat)
T4
can use Plague Monks SIN
Magical Attacks (good vs. Ethereals)
Stubborn if near a Furnace

Disadvantages
cost therefore small uint size
Initiative 3
PCB's have no save
WS 3 means hitting on 4's at best vs. most troops (hatred helps here for first round of combat).
can be frenzy baited
not steadfast (except in forests)

Army Specific Match ups
Good vs. Vampire Counts, Lizardmen, Tomb Kings, Dwarves, Chaos Dwarves, Ogres, Bretonnians, Empire
Average vs. Beastmen, Daemons, Orcs and Goblins
Bad vs. Wood Elves, Dark Elves, High Elves, Warriors of Chaos, Skaven

Tips and tricks
One use I can see is for the Watchtower scenario run 6 PCB's into the building to fight 10 models of your opponent as long as your opponent isn't a bad match up army (see above).
Watch out for enemy characters such as blender Lord Vampires as the PCB's will just give away easy points.
Casting Bless with Filth on the PCB's (combined with hatred a good chance of poisoned hits) or Withering the troops the PCB's are fighting can also help.
Do not use vs. High Elf Banner of World Dragon unit.


Feel free to suggest your own tips for me to add.

Edited by King Rat, 14th November 2014 - 10:07 PM.
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TanKoL
Grey Seer
Just to illustrate further:
- I charged 10 PCB into a horded 30-strong hammerers unit (with 2*thanes & runesmith). All the PCB died ... AFTER killing 17 hammerers
- I charged 10 PCB into 15 high elf bowmen. 4 elves died and the 2 surviving PCB ran away
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Mathusala0
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The Evil Underlord

they are stubborn if near a furnace.

and don't rule out taking massive units of 30 or so, because those will still annihilate most medium class enemy units.
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King Rat
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Mathusala0
31st October 2014 - 05:55 PM
they are stubborn if near a furnace.

and don't rule out taking massive units of 30 or so, because those will still annihilate most medium class enemy units.
I have updated the Furnace above.

Not sure about taking 30 PCB's as a lot of them will die to their own tests and very expensive, but they would certainly hurt a unit.
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Nurglitch IX
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So it looks like 16 PCB v. T3 enemies creates about as close to a bell curve for CR as you're likely to get.
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30 is going to do way more to you than you do them them.
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Edited by Nurglitch IX, 31st October 2014 - 11:16 PM.
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Mathusala0
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that doesn't factor in enemies who will be faster than the PCBs and knock out more, 30 is so that a full front rank in horde formation hits another horde, and uses all 30 of its rerollable strength 5 attacks.

and thats mostly just for the sheer look of horror on most opponents faces when they realize how hard that brick actually hits for.
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Nurglitch IX
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Mathusala0
31st October 2014 - 11:37 PM
that doesn't factor in enemies who will be faster than the PCBs and knock out more, 30 is so that a full front rank in horde formation hits another horde, and uses all 30 of its rerollable strength 5 attacks.

and thats mostly just for the sheer look of horror on most opponents faces when they realize how hard that brick actually hits for.
Yeah, that's for a 5 wide facing of enemy, but since all it measures is smoke test, it takes all that matters into account, Toughness and Model count. If you take more than 16 PCB, the odds you take more damage from the Censers than your opponent does is LIKELY. That may be worth it, or it may not, but the numbers say that your unit size is a liability as well as an asset at that point.

Also, with 16 PCB, you will, on average, lose 2-3 to smoke, then can lose 3-4 to their attacks before you loose a single attack back.

INTERATE: Looks like 31 is the bell point for Hordes.
Edited by Nurglitch IX, 1st November 2014 - 12:03 AM.
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Rahotep
Clanrat
How are you getting these numbers?

Not all PCBs in a unit test. Only PCBs in base contact with an enemy and PCBs in base contact with those PCBs. So, against a 5 frontage enemy unit, the max testing would be 18 (7 in base contact, and 11 touching them).

With the horde of 30 vs 30, only 20 will be testing.

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King Rat
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Rahotep
2nd November 2014 - 08:13 PM
How are you getting these numbers?

Not all PCBs in a unit test. Only PCBs in base contact with an enemy and PCBs in base contact with those PCBs. So, against a 5 frontage enemy unit, the max testing would be 18 (7 in base contact, and 11 touching them).

With the horde of 30 vs 30, only 20 will be testing.

Horde vs. horde 10 enemy models would test (front rank) but 30 Skaven PCB's as they would all be in base contact with each other.

Which is why I advocate smaller unit sizes of PCB's.
Edited by King Rat, 2nd November 2014 - 10:20 PM.
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Rahotep
Clanrat
The rule isnt base to base with a censer bearer. The rule is base to base with an enemy or a censer bearer in base with an enemy.

So, yes, 10 enemy models would test, but only 20 censer bearers. The last 10 in the third rank dont have to test since they don't fulfill the criteria that needs them to make a test.
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King Rat
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"At the beginning of a close combat phase all models (friend or foe) in base contact with one or more models bearing a plague censor must take a Toughness test or suffer a single wound with no armor saves allowed."

So the unit of 30 PCB's all have to take the test as they rank up touching each other once they get into combat.
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Nurglitch IX
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Rahotep
3rd November 2014 - 12:29 AM
The rule isnt base to base with a censer bearer. The rule is base to base with an enemy or a censer bearer in base with an enemy.

Sadly the rule is just base to base.

The FAQ updated it to "At the beginning of CloseCombat" and named each potential Censer unit, but it's still "every model in base contact with one or more..."
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Mathusala0
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Quote:
 
INTERATE: Looks like 31 is the bell point for Hordes.


;) told you
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