So every game I have played the Slann has killed at least a handful of temple guard due to miscast and it is doing my head in. So I was wondering has anyone ran with a flying ethereal slann before? I am thinking of using him as a 20" movement, mobile Ld 10 bubble, magic buffer and magic death-bringer.
Depending on who you are facing, it could work very well or backfire very badly in my opinion. Magical cannons and magic spells could very quickly prove to be his undoing.
I normally face empire, warriors of chaos (no cannons), high elves and dark elves. The way matches have gone so far it seems he would be nearly untouchable. in a 2500 point game he doesn't leave much for an old blood to take points wise after he has all the gubbins.
Give it a try. Just keep in mind that if your WoC player fields a hellcannon, it has magical attacks (including its ranged attack). While not nearly as accurate as a conventional cannon, taking pot shots to remove your Slann is likely a sound strategy. It should make for an interesting game as it will constantly force you to consider your positioning and that of your opponent. Let us know how it fares.
What lore would be best do you think? Wandering deliberations? Focus of mystery? Light or life for buffs?
That really comes down to many things. Your personal play style, army composition and in some cases the opposing army you are facing. Are you looking to pick a lore for an all-comers list or tailor it against a specific opponent/army? For instance Lore of Metal is amazing against WoC, but not nearly as good against Elves. Alternatively you can choose a lore that focuses on buffing your own forces regardless of the enemy (Light or Life). Typically, I believe the best single lores for us (in no particular order) are Life, Light, Shadow and Death. In the case of your flying solo Slann, be aware that the Life signature spell will be useless (with the exception of the effect of the lore attribute), although being able to heal yourself up is nice. A flying Slann is uniquely capable of making the most of the lore of Death because it can get into optimal range... however be very wary of Purple Sun misfiring and taking out your Slann (because he has no Look Out Sir roll to save him). Light is always a solid choice for Lizardmen because it helps offset our weaknesses of poor initiative and weapon skill. Shadow is also a great lore with many great hexes and a solid #6 spell. A lot of people really like Wandering Deliberations. It gives you a very versatile tool chest of spells, with good casting values. You really can't go wrong with this option, but you will be lacking that uber #6 killer spell. And last but not least, my personal favourite, Focus of Mystery. It does take a bit of practice to master, but it is an amazing choice. The lore of high magic already offers you a great deal of utility on its own, but on top of that you get to exchange spells mid-game. That is a potential game changer in my opinion. Arcane Unforging is great against armies with killer magic items... in your case specifically the WoC Lord's 3+ ward save or the High Elves' Banner of the World Dragon. That alone is massive. Walk Between Worlds is also amazing and Fiery Convocation can disintegrate squishy expensive Elf units (as well as giant horde units that other armies field). You've also go a great magic missile and a spell to heal wounds. Tempest is probably the weakest of the bunch, I would cast it early and trade it. Remember that when you take High Magic, you ALWAYS take it with Focus of Mystery. I find the following tactica video to be very helpful:
High Magic seconded here. While I've not played 8th in a while, this was almost always my choice for the slann. Pretty decent spells in there anyway and the ability to swap for any other lore is great. Maybe it was just my dice (and definitely inexperience) but when I tried other lores, I felt there was something lacking (Maybe it was only having 4 spells LOL).
This is my main reason I’m going for wandering deliberations or loremaster of high magic. I can’t bring myself to take 4 spells. My brain is screaming at me “why take 4 when you can have 8?!?” I’ll give the high magic a blast, and I’ll have to go for 3x scar vets as I won’t have any points left for an old blood.
You should have fun with. Not only is it a competitive choice, it is also a tactically interesting setup to play. Coming up with a strategy when swapping spells mid game is fun.
It takes very careful planning and maneuvering, but it can work against certain armies. There are definitely hard counters against it. Another option is to put the Slann in a cheap bunker unit (saurus or skinks) in the back of the field (away form combat!)
With careful placement, the bunker doesn't need to be that large. If you have other units around, you can always move him from unit to unit.
It's also hillarious. I expect a converted slaan with an orange mask and a slice of New York style cheese pizza
Yes it would most definitely have to be a normal Slann. I was just trying to provide another option to save expensive Temple Guard from being fried by Slann miscasts (as per the original problem posited in the opening post). I probably should have clarified my thinking a bit more clearly.