Farseer - Runes of Warding, Singing Spear, Doom [98]

TROOPS
Rangers x 5 [95]
Rangers x 5 [95]
Dire Avengers x 9 [108]
Wave Serpant w/ Bright Lance, Spirit Stones [145]
HEAVY SUPPORT
Wraithlord w/ Eldar Missile Launcher & Bright Lance [155]
------------------------------
Farseer w/ Spirit Stones, Singing Spear, Doom, Fortune
ELITE
8 x Striking Scorpions inc. Exarch w/ Biting Blade, Shadowstrike, Stalker
TROOPS
5 x Rangers
5 x Rangers
10 x Dire Avengers inc. Exarch w/ Power Weapon & Shimmershield, Bladestorm, Defe
nd in a Wave Serpant w/ Twin-Linked Bright Lances and Spirit Stones
HEAVY SUPPORT
3 x War Walker w/ Scatter Lasers in a Squadron
-----------------------------
HQ
Illic Nightspear-140
Autarch-95
uldanorethi rifle
Troops
Pathfindersx5-125
Pathfindersx5-125
Rangersx10-120
Rangersx10-120
---------------------------------
Alaitoc Army 1849pts
Illic Nightspear
Autarch
-Warp jump generator
-Banshee mask
-Scorpion chainsword
-Soulshrive (replaces scorpion chainsword)
Rangers
-7 Rangers
Alaitoc Pathfinders
-7 Rangers
-Alaitoc Pathfinders
Windrider Jetbike Squad
-3 Windrider Guardians
-Shuriken cannon
Windrider Jetbike Squad
-3 Windrider Guardians
-Shuriken cannon
Windrider Jetbike Squad
-3 Windrider Guardians
-Shuriken cannon
Striking Scorpions
-6 Striking Scorpions
-Exarch
-Scorpions claw
-Crushing Blow
Striking Scorpions
War Walkers
-3 War walkers
-6 Bright lances
------------------
Hq:
Illic nightspear 140
Farseer with spear 105
Troops:
5 pathfinders 125
4x5 rangers 240
2x5 dire avengers 130
2x Wave serpents with SL and holofields 270
Heavy support:
3 War walkers with star cannons and SL 210
2 war walkers with lances 140
2 war walkers with star cannons and SL 140
So here it is. Illic will go with pathfinders, farseer will go with lance war wa
lker squadron.
------------------------
HQ
Farseer
+ Runes Witnessing
+ Spirit stones
+ Doom
+ Fortune
+ Mind War
180 points
Farseer
+ Runes Witnessing
+ Spirit stones
Warlock Bodyguard
+ Singing Spear
+ 3 x Destructor
268 points
Elites
Harlequin Troupe
+ 7x Harlequin's Kiss
+ Shadowseer Upgrade
+ Troupe Master Upgrade
+ Death Jester Upgrade
242 points
Wave Serpent Dedicated Transport
+ Twin linked Starcannons
+ Spirit Stones
135 points
Troops
Rangers
+ 5 x Pathfinder upgrade
120 points
Rangers
+ 5 x Pathfinder upgrade
120 points
Rangers
+ 5 x Pathfinder upgrade
120 points
Heavy Support
Fire Prism
+ Holo-fields
+ Spirit Stone
160 points
Falcon
Scatter Laser
+ Holo-fields
+ Spirit Stone
175 points
Total: 1496 points
This is my themed army that I will fielding against space marines tomorrow.
1 Farseer rides with the harlequins
1 Farseer rides in the Falcon with body guard killing squads that target my path
finders.
Any advise welcome, especially what people would do tatically as well as improve
ments to army selection.
Should I deploy the path finders as 3 squads or 1 squad of 10 as the Farseer wil
l be able to guide 10 rather than 5?
This list is in response to my thread on themed/competitive armies.
--------------------------
HQ
Farseer: Singing Spear, R.o.Warding, Spirit Stones, Fortune, Doom. 148pts
Elite
8 Harlequins: 1x fusion pistol, 1x fusion pistol & kiss, 3x kisses, 1x ccw; Sha
dowseer; Troupe master w/ power weapon. 230pts
6 Fire Dragons. 96pts
10 Striking Scorpions: Exarch w/ Shadowstrike, Stalker, and Chainsabres; Wave Se
rpent w/ Brightlances and spirit stones. 347pts
Troops
8 Pathfinders. 192pts
8 Pathfinders. 192pts
7 Rangers. 133pts
5 Dire Avengers: DAVU. 60pts
Heavy Support
Falcon: Holo-field, Spirit Stones, Scatter Laser. 175pts
Falcon: Holo-field, Spirit Stones, Scatter Laser. 175pts
Total points: 1748
Model Count: 56
Been a while since I've look at an eldar list tactically, but here we go.
Pathfinders and rangers will infiltrate into cover either on objectives or with
proper fire lanes to be able to support any push made to them. Dire Avengers an
d Farseer get into one of the Falcons, giving fortune to the harlequins as they
advance up a flank. Fire Dragons are in the other Falcon for big game tank hunt
ing.
The Striking Scorpions were a late addition, but the idea is for them to be in t
he wave serpent and outflank (as the game demands naturally). With the speed of
the serpent even if they are placed on the wrong side of the board they can sti
ll reliably make it to where I need them within a turn or two.
-----------------------------------
Farseer w, Doom/Guide/Stones/ROW/Shining Spear 138
goes with
10 Dire Avengers, Exarch w/PW,SS and Defend 162
Wave Serpent, Spirit stones, Brightlance 145
6 Fire Dragons 96
Wave Serpent, Spirit Stones, Scatter Laser 125
10 Storm Guardians, Destructor Warlock, x2 Flamers 127
Wave Serpent, Spirit stones, Brightlance 145
8 Striking Scorpions, Exarch w/Claw + Shadowstrike/Stalker 180
5 Pathfinders 120
5 Pathfinders 120
3 War walkers w/x2 Scatter lasers 180
3 War walkers w/x2 EML 210
1748 in Total.
--------------------
HQ
Autarch
swooping hawk wings
banshee mask
fusion gun
power weapon
ELITES
10 Striking Scorpions
exarch
scorpion's claw
stalker
shadow strike
TROOPS
5 Pathfinders
5 Pathfinders
5 Pathfinders
5 Pathfinders
5 Rangers
FAST ATTACK
10 Swooping Hawks
exarch
sunrifle
skyleap
intercept
Vyper Jetbike
eldar missile launcher
spirit stones
Vyper Jetbike
eldar missile launcher
spirit stones
HEAVY SUPPORT
3 War Walkers
2x eldar missile launcher
spirit stones
3 War Walkers
2x scatter laser
spirit stones
Total: 1747pts
Tactics
The general idea is to saturate the table with too many targets for the enemy to
be able to focus them down effectively. Fairly small ranger squads mean that th
e enemy will most likely need to waste a lot of their firepower on a small squad
in heavy cover. The army in itself is fast, mobile and pretty flexible, having
options to deal with almost everything and adapt to the changing situation on th
e field. It can tackle both infantry and armour, has a good tarpit/counter-assau
lt melee unit in form of scorpions. Practically everything has at least one of t
he key features: speed, infiltration, deep strike, outflank etc. I believe I man
aged to capture the Alaitoc feel pretty well with this one, while creating a lis
t that might be actually quite fun to play and effective at that.
There is no pre-set strategy for this army. It is flexible enough to accomodate
many various scenarios. Specific units can perform their roles alone or in uniso
n with others. The flexibility of this army is also its downside as it requires
a good commander behind it who can read the battle well and adapt his strategy t
o specific foe and situation, utilising units to the limit of their ability and
applying just the right pressure when necessary. Considering that practically th
e entire army can be either fielded from the get go or kept in reserve presents
a lot of opportunity to annoy your opponent. Possible heavy field saturation is
also going to stress the enemy a lot and force him to make hard decisions in dir
ecting his firepower and a lot of caution in movement. Transports can be popped
fairly easily with 8 launchers, leaving any units they transport open to fire by
25 sniper rifles and a storm of shots from Swooping Hawks and scatter lasers. T
ougher armour can be dealt with by Swooping Hawks.
The biggest problem for this army would be high saturation of tough armour and/o
r flamers, but at the same time, this heavy armour is going to be much less effe
ctive in dealing with this force, flamers are an issue, but something that can b
e anticipated and circumvented with proper placement and movement.
------------------------------
HQ
Autarch: WJG, chainsword, Fusion Gun- 110
Troops
5 Pathfinders- 120
5 Pathfinders- 120
6 Guardian Jetbikes: 2x Cannons- 152
- Warlock: embolden, spear- 53
6 Guardian Jetbikes: 2x Cannons- 152
- Warlock: embolden, spear- 53
9 Dire Avengers- 108
- Wave Serpent: TL EML, shuricannon- 130
Elite
7 Striking Scorpions: stalker, shadowstrike, claw- 164
5 Fire Dragon- 80
Fast
5 Warp Spiders: spinnerette- 127
Heavy
Falcon: shuricannon- 120
2 Walkers: EML/EML- 140
2 Walkers: Scatter Laser/Scatter Laser- 120
Total: 1748
Here is a fast, pesky list, capable of full reserve but still packs enough punch
to face most enemies. Tactically flexible with multiple units capable of filli
ng multiple rolls. I think the best explanation would be a unit by unit descrip
tion.
2x 5 Pathfinders will sit close to objectives and target elite infantry and MCs.
I like two small groups as opposed to one larger group to avoid one heavy flam
er ruining my day. Also, they can target multiple units with the possibility of
pinning both (though unlikely). If necessary, I can reserve and outflank them
into better position.
2x 6 Jetbikes will provide primarily anti-light tank and transport duty. Using
speed to get to rear armor, the spear is great here. They can also take pot sho
ts at infantry with their cannons once armor is destroyed or against horde armie
s. Turbo boost objective steal/contest.
9 DA/Wave provides a little tank support to the army. Gives the enemy something
to shoot at other than my walkers. DA are good infantry thinning units. Good
all rounder unit that scores.
7 Scorpions no comment necessary here. Great anti-infantry unit but also capabl
e of scrapping a tank and flexible deployment options.
5 Spiders roll with Autarch with primary goal to pop tanks and mid-heavy infantr
y. Will likely deepstrike but has enough speed to not have to.
Falcon/5 Fire Dragons if necessary turbo boost to heaviest tank and take it out
in subsequent turn. Falcon can then target infantry and light/medium tanks.
2 Walkers/EMLs- start on board to quickly take out tanks and transports.
2 Walkers/Scatter Lasers- outflank and take out infantry or remaining tanks.
-----------
CDX - Phonix Lord Karandras:
155 - Striking Scorpions [8]: Exarch, Scorpion's Claw
175 - Striking Scorpions [8]: Exarch, Scorpion's Claw, Shadowstrike
184 - Harlequin Troupe [6]: Shadowseer, Death Jester, 2x Kiss + Fusion Pistol, 2
x Kiss
144 Pathfinders [6]:
120 Pathfinders [5]:
152 - GJS [6]: 2x Shuiken Cannon
152 GJS [6] 2x Shuriken Cannon
180 - Falcon: Bright Lance, Holo-Field
160 - Fire Prism: Shuriken Cannon, Holo-Field
110 - War Walker Squadron [2]: (A) 2x Shuirken Cannon, (B) 2x Eldar Missile Laun
cher
1747 Total
Tactics:
Karandras joins the first unit of Scorpions. The Scorpions set up in an aggressi
ve forward position. If the enemy moves forward, they should be in assault range
kind of idea. Their aim is to assault transported units, or to stop the transpo
rt itself if need be.
The Harlies start embarked in the falcon, which will likely move forward slowly,
shooting as it goes. The GJS's will stay nearby, providing fire support and avo
iding assault.
Pathfinders set up at home with the Prism for support.
War Walkers outflank, hoping to fire into softer side arcs of vehicles upon arri
val. Doubling the weapons instead of splitting them allows me to choose the most
effective weapon to keep if one is destroyed. Both weapons can deal with AV 11
or less fairly well, both are effective against infantry, and against AV 12+ I h
ave a walker that can get lucky or take a hit for the team. :)
I felt Holo tanks were ok, since they are pretty much invisible, whereas Serpents
aren't.
------------------------
Background thoughts
Alaitoc is the Craftworld clinging most strictly to the "Path". War is avoided /
foreseen by the Farseers, fought by the Aspect Warriors, with Rangers doing the
field recon. The Craftworld is involved in several prolonged battles with manki
nd and in Warrior nature only second to Biel-Tan. But instead of close combat li
ke our green-white brethren we focus on firefights.
In a conflict environment I imagine Alaitoc to send out a reinforced combat patr
ol that can take care of itself and relies on fast support sent in quickly again
st armoured encounters.
Game mechanics thoughts
The reliance on Avengers and Rangers limits our Anti-Tank resources, found i
n Guardians, their support platforms and tanks. This must be overcome with dedic
ated AT personell. If they only carry close range weapons, they must be made ver
y mobile.
The Eldar tanks are the most expensive transports for their abilities. Where
as marines send in two Razorbacks for the prize of a Serpent the latter one can
be made inefficient by a single shot but still dealing less damage. We must focu
s on the mobility aspect therefore as there are no true roadblocks for an Antigr
av-Tank. Limiting the tanks to the minimum necessary we can free up more points
for the damage dealing units. Equipping them with Scatterlasers let them stay ou
t of trouble of favourite AT wargear most of the time.
To get the most out of Warwalkers a Guide Seer is mandatory. But the seers a
re also good at fortuning dug-in Avengers or Harlequins. And they can damage veh
icles. Therefore I dismiss the reserve approach with Autarchs and go in for full
Farseer Support. I don't want to bring an Ulthwe close combat council while foc
using on ranged attacks. So I choose a mounted mini-council with spears for tank
-hunting and heavy flamers for infantry, small enough not to enter Saim-Hann sph
ere, while the Ulthwe old-ones would shudder at the thoughts on mounting such a
quick and dangerous device.
Harlequins are in for CC protection and finishing off weakened units. By wit
hdrawing CC in the opponents phase they can relocate surprisingly quickly and th
reaten areas thought safe.
The list:
I come from the tourney scene so please forgive me, if this does not meet anyone
's perception of fluff, but honestly, who does? ;)
I am fielding a two way approach:
The patrol consists of Rangers leading the way for the core or reaching and occu
pying key areas. They prefer staying in cover and going in for the objectives la
tegame, eager not to draw attention early. In case of need a Serpent can relocat
e them midgame. Dire Avengers as core, capable of holding their ground for a whi
le (see defend, fortune) and Warwalkers as heavy weapon platforms. Harlequins ac
t as counterattack for locked down units in close combat, agile enough to stay o
ut of (weapon) sight and cope with difficult terrain. Warwalkers, Guideseer, Ave
ngers and Harlies stay close together for most of the time, going for objectives
lategame with the Rangers.
Fire Dragons can be kept in reserve and threaten vehicles closing in for the cor
e units within 26". Similar defensive behaviour for the Jebtike squad which shou
ld go for LOS blockers at the beginning. If it's about to defend the own objecti
ve and contesting the opponent's, these units go the aggressive way focussing on
slowing down the approach via transports first, then threatening his homebase.
Not being seen is the theme for killpoint missions together with focussed fire f
rom a defensive position. Here again the Jetbikes are the unit fielded most aggr
essively.
*************** 2 HQ ***************
Farseer
- Guide
- - - > 75 Points
Farseer
- Spear
- Jetbike
- Fortune
- - - > 118 Points
4 Warlocks
- 4 x Spear
- Eldar-Jetbikes
- 2 x Destructor
- 1 x Embolden
- 1 x Enhance
- - - > 232 Points
*************** 3 Elite ***************
5 Fire Dragons
+ Serpent
- Scatterlaser
- Spirits Stones
- - - > 205 Points
5 Fire Dragons
+ Serpent
- Scatterlaser
- Spirits Stones
- - - > 205 Points
8 Harlequins
- 7 x Harlequinpeitsche
- Schicksalsleser
- - - > 202 Punkte
*************** 3 Troops ***************
5 Ranger
- - - > 95 Points
5 Ranger
- - - > 95 Points
10 Dire Avenger
- Exarch
- Powerweapon & Shimmershield
- Defend
- - - > 162 Points
*************** 2 Heavy Support ***************
3 Warwalker
- 6 x Scatterlaser
- - - > 180 Points
3 Warwalker
- 6 x Scatterlaser
- - - > 180 Points
Total Points Eldar : 1749
--------------------
HQ
Maugan Ra (195)
Karandras (215)
Elite
Harlequin Troupe A
3 Harlequins w/ 2x fusion pistols + Death Jester + Shadowseer (150)
Harlequin Troupe B
9 Harlequins w/ kisses + Shadowseer (246)
Striking Scorpions
9 Scorpions + Exrach w/ scorpion's claw (197)
Troops
Rangers x 5 (95)
Rangers x 5 (95)
Rangers x 5 (95)
Rangers x 5 (95)
Fast Attack
Warp Spiders x 9 + Exarch w/ additional death spinner & surprise assualt (247)
Heavy
War Walkers x3 w/ x2 Shuriken Cannon (120)
Total 1750
Setup your rangers in ideal firing positions using infiltrate. The rangers are s
upported by the Harlequin group B that will be placed equidistant from all the s
quads and within range to make a mad 1 turn dash for close combat support if any
of the firing positions are threatened.
Similar to a layout below:
X X
B
X X
The rangers placement is determined my terrain placement and if suitable support
cannot be given by harlie unit B then the striking scorpion unit with Karandras
attached an share the body guard duties. The scorpions take advantage of the Ph
oenix Lords Stealth ability for cover saves and the harlies rely on the Veil of
Tears to avoid fire. If the are not needed for initial CC support, they can be h
eld in reserve, especially against gunline armies.
Harlequin group A will be joined by Maugan Ra and will be a steadily advance fir
e force. Both the Death Jester and Maugan Ra can move and fire their high streng
th, pinning weapons and if any army gets close enough they can be melted with th
e fusion guns by the rest of the troupe. The squad was kept small to concentrate
on the squads shooting priorities and not to waste points on having kisses wait
ing in the back field with nothing to do. The squad will be supported by the sco
rpions and harlie group B for CC support, as well as take advantage of the VoT f
or cover.
Warp Spiders are a late game drop and armed with surprise assault to ensure deep
striking. Lots of high strength shots that can be used at opportune times and i
nto the underbellies of the enemies armour. Also great for low armoured infantry
.
The War Walkers are another late game addition that is aimed to take out more re
ar armour and gunlines. Shuriken cannons give shorter range and 2 less shots per
models, but the spam of shots is still significant and when outflank they shoul
d be able to get quite close to the rear flanks of the enemy.
In summary:
Anti MEQ and Anti TEQ: x4 rangers units with rending sniper shots, x1 CC Harlequ
in unit with rending attacks
Anti Armour: x2 fusion guns, large deep striking warp spider unit, outflanking w
ar walkers with shuriken cannons, scorpion claw
Anti Horde: Maugan Ra high strength pinning, Death Jester high strength pinning,
shuriken cannon spam, death spinner spam
--------------------------------
- Farseer + Spirit Stones + Doom + Guide + Runes of Witnessing = 130 pts
- 10x Dire Avengers, incl. Exarch + Dual Shuricats + Bladestorm = 152 points
- Wave Serpent + Twin-Linked EML's + Shuriken Cannon + Spirit Stones = 140 pts
- 5x Rangers = 95 pts
- 5x Rangers = 95 pts
- 5x Rangers = 95 pts
- 8x Warp Spiders, incl. Exarch + Additional Death Spinner = 193 pts
- Vyper with Shuriken Cannon = 50 pts
- Vyper with Shuriken Cannon = 50 pts
Total = 1,000 points
The Farseer will obviously accompany the Dire Avengers in the Wave Serpent, whic
h will in turn be accompanied by the Vypers and the Spiders. With the number of
strength 6 shots coming from the Spiders and Vypers I should be able to take dow
n most vehicles by hitting their rear and side armour, if the Serpent can't do i
t with its EML's. Only Monoliths and Landraiders would be a problem, but I don't
expect to face either much (especially at 1,000 points).
I gave the Farseer the RoWit simply because I had 10 points to fill. If possible
I would like to keep the Spiders in the army. The biggest problem I can forsee
is the lack of close combat troops. I could swap the Dire Avengers for Striking
Scorpions, but would that be worthwhile?
Advice and criticism welcome!
------------------------
ALAITOC RANGER FORCE
HQ
1 Farseer w/ singing spear, s. pistol, fortune, runes of witnessing, ghosthelm
99pts
Troops
(5) 10 ranger squads 950pts
(1) 5 ranger squads 95pts
2 war walker lancia splendente scatter laser
Elites
(3) 5 path finder squads 360pts
TOTAL 2004pts
-----------------------------
HQ:
Eldrad 210
Farseer 120
Doom, Fortune, Spirit Stones
Troops:
10 Dire Avengers 162 (Eldrad)
Exarch, Bladestorm, Power Weapon And Shimmershield
10 Dire Avengers 157 (Farseer)
Exarch, Bladestorm, A4 Catapault
8 Rangers 150
Elites:
10 Striking Scorpions 207
Exarch, Claw, Shadowstrike
5 Fire Dragons 215
Wave Serpent, TL Bright Lance
Heavy:
Wraithlord 140
Wraithsword, Bright Lance
Wraithlord 130
Wraithsword, Stacannon
Tactics For This List:
Eldrad And Farseer Will Go With 2 DA Squads, Casting Fortune To Give Them Re-Rol
l Saves And Doom To Re-Roll Wounds (Also Guide For Eldrad). Turn When They Can A
ssault I Will Move, Cast Doom and Fortune Then Bladestorm into the enemies (32 S
4 AP5 Shots For Farseer's Unit, Re-rolling Wounds, 28 S4 AP5 Shots For Eldrad's
Unit, Re-rolling hits and wounds.) In Combat Both Units will get Re-rolls to wou
nd and their saves and as a bonus eldrad's unit will get to re-roll 5+ inv saves
against those annoying power weapon units (such as Incubi).
Now I Know They Could Easily Get Blasted By Vindicator Shells And A Wave Serpent
Should Be Used, But I Could Shield The Avengers With The Wraithlords, seeing as
they work in their prime in the range of a farseer and this would give my guys
a 4+ cover save
Rangers Will Camp Back (on an obj if take and hold or C&C) and hopefully most un
its (other than outflankers and templaters) shouldnt be a problem to them.
Striking Scorpions will outflank and hopefully assault in the turn they come in,
meaning the full strength squad should do alot of damage, and then lastly you h
ave the claw to deal extra wounds.
Fire Dragons will use WS to go forward, first turn move 12", second turn move 12
" again, then get out and spam at a tank (or even a Terminator squadron, seeing
as they have meltas) Moving 12" also means i get to fire the TL bright lance.
With the Wraithlords i know that the starcannon is the best option, i just neede
d more AT so chose one with a bright lance, it could always blow up a land raide
r.
------------------------
Illic Nightspear, The Walker of the Hidden Path - Where Yriel marshals the defen
ce of a dying host, and Eldrad guides all living beings with a a flicker of his
mind, Illic is a wanderer that seeks some unknowable goal and appears without an
y perceivable rhyme or reason. That he hails from Craftworld Alaitoc is obvious;
he is a sniper without compare, and the thousands of years he has spent walking
the Path of the Outcast has only honed his skills as a predator. He comes stock
with a pre-defined Warlord Trait, the Mark of the Incomparable Hunter, which al
lows him to Split Fire; a useful trait depending on what unit he is paired with.
Using this to your advantage if you are protecting him or using his defensive r
ules for the unit is invaluable; Wraithguard may want to deal with the nearby Dr
eadnought, but Illic would be much better suited to ridding a Tactical Squad of
their plasma gunner. As he only bears a 5+ armour save with no invulnerable save
, he is quite fragile in a melee; from ranged attacks, however, he has the Shrou
ded special rule which incidentally is conferred on to a unit he joins. For simi
lar reasons to Tau players using Shadowsun, Illic can be joined up with any unit
that you feel needs a defensive boost and grant them a hefty +2 bonus to any co
ver saves they would have. As it stands, he isn't too much of a push-over in an
assault either, with a minimum of four attacks at Strength three with an AP of t
hree owing to his power sword and two combat weapons; though unlikely to worry a
Space Marine Captain or character of that type, he can reliably deal with most
squad sergeants should the need be there. His Weapon Skill and Initiative of six
are particularly advantageous here, though on a somewhat disappointing note, he
lacks Hit and Run to truly embody the vision of a sniper that disappears and re
appears almost impossibly.
Of course, the best part about a Pathfinder special character is that they are d
arned good at range, and I do feel that Illic doesn't disappoint in this area -
at least with the rules that they intended, but more on that later. His unique l
ongrifle, the Voidbringer, functions like any other Sniper save that it is AP tw
o, it has a range of forty-eight inches, and it has the nasty Distort special ru
le. While it still needs to wound on a fixed dice roll of a 4+, there is no doub
t that the potential for death dealing is there; that it is AP two all of the ti
me means there is little need for Rending, allowing him to reliably snipe out sp
ecial weapon holders and the like. The Distort special rule is the really juicy
aspect of this weapon though, as any to wound roll of a six inflicts instant dea
th; see that potentially problematic Nemesis Dreadknight moving up the board to
you? Give it something to think about and, paired either with Doom or just some
luck, roll a six to wound and see it evaporate in one fell sweep. Unlike other s
niper rifles, it also stands a strong chance against well armoured vehicles; on
an armour penetration roll of a six, it counts as an automatic penetrating hit r
egardless of whether the weapon would usually be able to or not. With an AP of t
wo, some luck could see you destroying Monoliths or Soul Grinders in the early r
ounds of the game. Owing to his Sharpshot special rule, all of his shots count a
s Precision Shots, meaning he can allocate them wherever he wants; unfortunately
, as I mentioned earlier, this doesn't function perhaps as the rules writers int
ended as it means that any character can claim a Look Out Sir save against it. T
here is nothing more disheartening than hitting a kitted out Terminator-armoured
character in a squad of Veterans, rolling a six to wound that inflicts instant
death, and watch it palmed off on to a regular squad member. It is a shame, and
it does reduce Illic's value, but it is nonetheless a handy option for singling
out non-character members of a unit; striking a Riptide and not its shield drone
s, or fileting a gunner wielding a heavy bolter is still helpful to your efforts
. It is also prudent to note that Illic has some extra luck against Necrons, wit
h his Hatred and Preferred Enemy of the skeletal husks maximising his damage som
ewhat - even, ludicrously, hitting on a 2+ with re-rolls owing to his crazy Ball
istic Skill of nine.
Illic also has a neat and fluffy special rule that allows him to Infiltrate norm
ally, or do a special one alone; he can be placed anywhere, regardless of enemy
proximity, on the board if you so choose. There have been some rather ridiculous
uses of this rule so far, but for a Toughness three and three-wound character t
hat is quite costly, it would likely be best not to make too outlandish a move h
ere. The key benefit, perhaps, is that any Rangers or Pathfinders that Outflank
can "deep strike" to his location, provided the first model "lands" within six i
nches of Illic. Still, many may rather deploy their snipers with the master hunt
er himself, as conferring Shrouded on to a unit that already has Stealth (Ranger
s) who in turn give it back to their 'Phoenix Lord' - as he has been described b
y some - is highly useful and makes for a nasty and tough scoring unit. He is a
capable Warlord that perhaps needs some clearing up in regards to Precision Shot
s and Look Out Sir to be made even more useful, but for now, he is a great boon
for Infiltrators looking for a defensive boost and, depending on whether you pla
y the rules this way, granting Infiltrate to a short-ranged or melee unit that p
articularly needs it. That he also allows Pathfinders to be taken as an upgrade
to Rangers is nice for themed army lists and if you have a specific plan in mind
.
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Karandras, The Shadow Hunter - A veiled figure that strikes with a brutal swiftn
ess, Karandras is a particularly adept melee character that provides a host of b
enefits to your forces. As the Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions, Karandras
fits very well with his Aspect; he can Infiltrate - and confer it on to a unit,
depending on how you play it - he provides both Stealth and Night Vision, and h
e can Move Through Cover that, with Fleet and Battle Focus, make him very fast.
Unlike some Phoenix Lords - including Asurmen and Jain Zar - he is equipped with
plasma grenades and thus has little to worry about if he charges into cover, th
ough he lacks the defences of those Phoenix Lords to compensate. His guaranteed
Warlord Trait, the Ambush of Blades, allowing he and friendly Eldar units within
twelve inches to re-roll to wound rolls of a one in a single shooting or assaul
t phase, particularly helpful for ensuring both his high Strength attacks and th
at of his forces cleave through enemy defences. The real meat behind Karandras'
value is his melee capabilities, and I would be lying if I didn't say he is poss
ibly the most brutal of the Phoenix Lords for sheer damage capabilities against
a wide range of targets. Owing to the Scorpion Claw being a power fist that stri
kes at Initiative order, and with two melee weapons to boot, Karandras has a sta
ggering six Weapon Skill seven, Initiative seven, Strength eight attacks on the
charge at AP two. From vehicles, walkers, monstrous creatures, characters and un
its, almost any such unit will be crushed in spectacular fashion before they hav
e even a chance to strike, and against all but some foes, he can hide behind his
2+ armour save afterwards too on the rare chance that the target survived.
It really is amazing how destructive that many Strength eight, armour ignoring a
ttacks with such a ridiculous profile can be, but they are even more ludicrous w
hen paired up with his Exarch Powers. Monster Hunter allows Karandras to re-roll
to wound against monstrous creatures, ensuring that he slays them in short orde
r, while the Stalker power forces a dice-off roll similar to Jain Zar's Disarmin
g Strike, save that the bonuses are tested against Initiative and thus even more
likely to be in the Phoenix Lords' favour; the result is that Karandras re-roll
s to wound if he wins or draws. On top of all that, Karandras bears the Scorpion
's Bite; like a regular mandiblaster, it inflicts a single automatic hit on an e
nemy unit in base contact with Karandras - similar to Hammer of Wrath, save that
it works in each combat phase and not just on the charge - but it is instead re
solved at Strength six. As if the lord cloaked by darkness wasn't already brutal
enough in a melee. The only real detriment to Karandras' use is his exorbitant
cost, solidifying his position as the most expensive Phoenix Lord by a small, an
d probably reasonable margin. Karandras will slaughter most foes - truly, even a
Trygon needs to be very cautious - before they strike and provides natural defe
nsive boosts to his unit, and though he lacks such benefits himself and will lik
ely fall to massed armour-ignoring attacks, he is nonetheless an incredibly stro
ng character and one that you would remiss not to test.
----------------------
Maugan Ra, The Harvester of Souls - We often speak amongst ourselves of a dark e
ntity that pervades the spirit and mind, a reaper that waits with a skeletal vic
e to take us to the other world; the Grim Reaper. Many have attempted to mimic t
he primal image of Death, but few have done so as successfully as Maugan Ra, Pho
enix Lord of the Dark Reapers. If his model alone wasn't reason enough to use hi
m, you should be pleased to know that, despite differing somewhat majorly to his
students, he is a powerful character with a balance of strong firepower and mel
ee capabilities. His guaranteed Warlord Trait, the Mark of the Incomparable Hunt
er, gives him the useful Split Fire rule that, considering the gun he has, is qu
ite useful when paired up with his own aspect who prefer to shoot at other targe
ts. Maugan Ra's signature weapon is the aptly named Maugetar, a weapon with two
profiles; the first is at range - thirty-six inches, specifically - firing four
Strength six AP five shots with the Rending and Pinning special rules. Effective
ly an assault cannon with one worse AP but the addition of Pinning, it is a hand
y tool that, owing to his Marksman's Eye allowing Precision Shots on a 5+, can b
e used against a wide range of targets or to single out enemy characters and spe
cial weapon carriers. In melee, it is very much a relic blade, boosting the Harv
ester's Strength by two with an AP of three; a pretty nasty melee weapon that, w
ith four attacks base, are sure to put on some hurt. Between a Weapon Skill, Bal
listic Skill and Initiative of seven, Maugan is a skilled and dangerous Phoenix
Lord both at long range and up close, adding a lot of punch at a low price to al
most any unit. His Fast Shot and Night Vision both give his Maugetar an extra sh
ot and allow both he and his unit to ignore cover saves provided by Night Fighti
ng, both handy tools for a very useful character. Much like Baharroth, Maugan Ra
may not necessarily be a combat monster, but he is definitely a character that
can be used in almost any situation and perform very reliably.
-------------------------
Eldrad Ulthran, High Farseer of Ulthwe - The most iconic of all Eldar, and the W
arhammer 40000 counterpart to Teclis - they even share the same basic pose! - El
drad is a master psyker that comfortably sits at the top of a very distinguished
selection of special characters. As the High Farseer of Ulthwe, Eldrad is a mas
ter of the art of divining the future; affording him a pre-selected Warlord Trai
t that, once per game, grants Stealth to both himself and all friendly Eldar uni
ts within twelve inches during an enemy shooting phase. For what is very much a
support character in an army that features highly mobile and durable skimmer tan
ks as well as dangerous yet fragile Infantry, this is a great boon and eases the
pain of rolling on a random chart and hoping for the best. His age and experien
ce have seen him crafted or granted unique wargear that can have a significant i
mpact on the game; most notable of which is his Staff of Ulthamar, an AP three f
orce weapon with the Fleshbane special rule. With but two attacks, owing to bear
ing two melee weapons, and three on the charge, he isn't a great melee character
, but he can nonetheless be a scary proposition for monstrous creatures and powe
r-armoured or worse characters alike - his Weapon Skill and Initiative of five a
re also quite useful here. The really interesting aspect of the Staff is the Spi
ritlink special rule; after each successful psychic test, Eldrad regains a warp
charge point. Given that psychic powers cannot be cast more than once in the sam
e turn, this may not seem like it is very useful; that is until one takes into a
ccount both Eldrad's Ghosthelm, allowing him to ignore Perils of the Warp by exp
ending a warp charge point, and the sheer number of Mastery Level two spells in
both the Runes of Fate and Telepathy psychic disciplines. It is very much defens
ive in nature, and should allow Eldrad to, on average, spend five warp charge po
ints in each turn for any number of differing purposes. As a mastery level four
psyker, Eldrad has few equals when manifesting the eldritch powers; generating f
our spells from each of the powerful lores available to him, including Divinatio
n, is incredible and, in conjunction with both the Ghosthelm and the Staff of Ul
thamar, should lead to him dominating the psychic aspect of a game.
Of course, one might wonder whether a stock Farseer would be a better investment
than Eldrad; after all, one can feasibly purchase two Farseers for marginally l
ess than the High Farseer, attaining two mastery level three psykers to spread a
round. While this is certainly true, it fails to recognise the amazing advantage
s that Eldrad brings to the table compared to a regular Farseer that make him in
credibly cost-effective. As well as the Staff's capabilities and his guaranteed
Warlord Trait, Eldrad allows the player to react to the opposing player in a man
ner that can change the game; typically, the advantage to going second is that t
he player can counter what the opponent does through smart deployment. If an arm
y featuring Eldrad deploys first, however, this advantage is quickly lost; after
both sides have deployed, but before Scout moves, Eldrad's force can redeploy D
3+1 units - with a few restrictions, such as not bringing reserves on to the fie
ld - to negate the tactics of the opponent. Imagine a squad of Dire Avengers hol
ding an objective are set down on a flank, and they are soon faced by an unassai
lable Land Raider that aims to sweep them aside and bunker down on that objectiv
e while attacking the exposed rear of the Eldar forces. Employing Eldrad, the El
dar player reacts and switches a Wraithknight armed with Heavy Wraithcannons, as
well as a Wave Serpent bearing a squad of Fire Dragons, to counter the threat a
nd ensure that the opponent cannot achieve victory on that front. Despite weaken
ing their forces elsewhere, the Eldar player can smash an expensive transport an
d the unit inside with little difficulty, and focus the rest of their attention
on the lesser forces elsewhere. While this is a rather extreme example, it nonet
heless serves to give the Eldar player a very fluid approach to any game; set up
first and proceed to counter the enemy deployment with Eldrad, or do so anyway
by deploying second. It is a fantastic ability that should be used wherever it i
s needed; even if you deploy second, but feel you made a mistake, you can employ
it to ease your doubts and sway the game.
For what is such a strong character, one would expect his defences to be fitting
of the price tag. And indeed they are, as he has not only a Toughness of four -
highly irregular for an Eldar on foot that doesn't bear the title of Phoenix Lo
rd - but an invulnerable save of 3+. Combined with strong melee weapons, an amaz
ing array of psychic powers from Divination, Telepathy and the Runes of Fate tha
t can allow him to re-roll saving throws or boost the cover saves of his unit, a
s well as his higher than average Toughness, Eldrad is very difficult to kill pr
ovided he is not used rashly. His Ghosthelm also provides him a natural defence
against Perils of the Warp, an advantage that neither Ahriman or Fateweaver poss
ess. Bearing both the Runes of Warding, for a one time 2+ Deny the Witch save ag
ainst a particularly nasty psychic power, and the Runes of Witnessing, for ensur
ing his psychic powers on Leadership ten are successful in one turn, Eldrad is a
mazingly cost-effective and what he pays for his boosted abilities is negligible
when directly contrasted with a Farseer. He is an incredible character for his
points that, while already a favourite amongst competitive players, managed to b
ecome even stronger and cheaper than his previous incarnation. His support orien
ted nature, ability to hide in a unit, defensive upgrades that allow him to igno
re the problematic Perils of the Warp for a high level psyker, nasty melee weapo
n, and redeployment ability all add up to what may very well prove to be the gam
e's most useful mastery level four psyker. Ahriman and Fateweaver have their own
advantages, to be sure, but for his cost and considering the psychic lores avai
lable to him, I feel that Eldrad has kept his place as Warhammer 40000's premier
psyker.
----------------
Un esercito di Erranti avr: un Autarca con arma da distanza (Lanciamissili Mietit
ore il migliore) e un Veggente come QG (non Eldrad e senza Concilio), pi Cercavia
possibili, niente Guardiani, pochissimi Aspetti Guerrieri (tranne i Tetri Mieti
tori)e Spettroguerrieri, Veicoli armati leggermente e tutti con capacit di traspo
rto, Arlecchini quanto vuoi.