8th Ed. tiktaqto question

Since we all know that the GW FAQ will tell us that this character CAN join a unit of terradon riders (otherwise he would not have been given the rules that he has been given) do you think he is worth the points or should I just give my terradons a sky leader?

 

he might be worth the points if your opponent is warmachine heavy, then being able to come in on the back field where all his cannons and such are would be useful

basically move over one while getting in range of another, drop rocks on one warmachine and javalin the crap out of another.

 

Yeah, that would Be handy indeed. My main enemy is a wood elf army so he has no war machines and I would be using them more to harass his glade riders and treekin/spellweaver. I was thinking that the tiktaqto rule that makes his unit harder to hit with shooting would be handy but maybe not worth the points

 

the fireleachs def then.

 

While it is entirely likely that they will issue an FAQ or errata to clarify this issue, I would not count on it. The same question arose in Brett armies with respect to the ability of a character on a peg joining a unit of peg knights.
In the Brettonia FAQ it says: "Q: Can a character riding a Royal Pegasus join a unit of Pegasus
Knights? (p55)
A: No." So, that implies that until an FAQ or errata changes that ruling, neither Tik, nor a skink chief of a ripper or a terradon, can actually joint a unit or rippers or terries. This prevents them from lending their leadership to those units and gaining a full look ou sir and the allocation of BS shooting hits from the unit.

Given the ambusher special rule ability, I suspect that GW will at least allow Tiktaq'to to over-ride the skirmisher special rule provision that a character on a mount cannot join a unit of skirmishers (BRB, p. 77). But, given the disappointing Bret FAQ ruling, I would not count on a favorable ruling wrt to skink chiefs on terries or rippers being able to join with terry or ripper units even though it is obvious that they should be able to join those units (same exact type and special rules of flying cav and monstrous cav) and it would improve those units without making them OP. As it is, I thinik terries are generally not worth playing with a cost increase and low LD. A unit of 3 or 4 terries loses one to magic or shooting and the entire unit fails the panic test almost half the time. At least rippers have frenzy, so they don't panic but might be at risk of being baited and have a hard time holding.

 

Hmmmm, I see.we'll just have to wait and see then i guess.

Also, about this ambush rule. Does a unit of normal terradons have it or just tik? I thought I remembered seeing in the army book that normal terradon units had it as a special rule but I can't remember for sure

 

For what it's worth, here was my response when I asked that question:

 

Hmmm, that sounds awfully like skink chiefs on flying mounts won't be able to join units.....

 

Please note that the Mask of Heavens bit refers to Tiktaq'to's unit. I would take that to read that he can be in a unit of terradons. Plus all the terradons in that unit then use his WS not their own!! Add that to the -1 to hit, plus minus 1 as flying cavalry are skirmishers, plus minus 1 if the shooting unit moved, plus -1 if over half range.... a 5 BS would be then hitting on 6!!

 

At the moment he cannot join a unit, since characters can never join a flying unit,

But, as per that email, tiktaqto at least, should be able to join units as soon as we get a FAQ

 

I wonder if they will extend this to all skink characters on flying mounts

 

Unlikely. It's one thing to admit they missed a special rule from one special character. Quite another to have missed it twice.

 

Still begs the question as to why the new LM book has the magic item ruling for Tik's Mask of Heavens mentioning his unit. Also makes you wonder what the point is in fielding a skin chief on a terradon or Ripper.....

 

I will probably try something stupid, a solo skink chief on a ripper with some decent gear hunting monsters XD
more because it would be cool rather then effective.
heck if you do it right then against something that cant refuse challenges it'd be a decent guided missile for removing a champion hah.
especially if you think about it, a skink on a ripper dactyl by himself counts as a second unit ....which means a second blot toad.

 

Skink chief ripper doesn't have the bloat toad rule.... .
But yer, great wizard/BSB hunter with the decent initiative, and massively cheaper than the special character.

 

wouldnt the ripper itself have the blot toad rule?

 

In the hero section, where the mounts are, the ripper doesn't have the toad rage special rule.

 

So wait does the ripperdactyl still get the bonus d3+1 if it attacks a unit with a toad in it at least?

 

No, not as the rules currently stand.
Even if they FAQ cheifs to be able to join units, his ripper won't get the bonus unless they also give it the toad rage rule.

 

lol so the chief has an overly calm ripperdactyl lol
"eh whatever it's just a toad you guys"