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AoS How to kill Archaon turn 1 with a Skink

Discussion in 'Seraphon Tactics' started by cyberhawk94, Sep 13, 2020.

  1. cyberhawk94
    Cold One

    cyberhawk94 Active Member

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    So by now almost everyone here is well aware of the Amazing Thunderlizard general known as the Horned King (Skink Chief on a Stegadon). But I made a joke to my friend about him being scarier than Archaon, and decided to actually mathhammer it out.

    Could that lowly skink actually kill Archaon? Archaon has so many crazy abilities he wont survive getting hit, so he'd have to kill him in a single round of attacking. Im also assuming both models start at full wounds.

    The set-up: Skink Chief with Prime Warbeast and the Cloak of Feathers, in a Thunder Quake battalion. Great Drake is the chosen constellation, and we have 2 CP (turn 1 and the battalion CP), Archaon has 20 wounds, 3+ save, and forces a re-roll of 6's.

    The answer:

    Starting 24" away, as Swift, you can move 12" + 6" run (1 CP), fire your bow, and then charge another 2d6". Average 25" flying move. Easily can get there, and using your other CP on Coordinated Strike you deal a total of ~13.25 damage to Archaon.

    If you have a skink Priest nearby, you can attempt to bank on his prayer to give your Chief the swift effect, so you can be Savage instead. ~15 damage on average.

    If you have a 3rd CP, or rolled a 5/6 on your run and didnt need to spend one, you can use all out attack in the combat phase. ~17.4 damage on average.

    And if you have a 3rd/4th CP due to good Foresight rolls or buying one in your list, you can use the priests CA on the chief for +1 to hit. Now you hit on 2's (re-rolling 1's and 6's) 22.7 damage on average!!!

    Archaon has protection against mortal wounds, but none of this is mortals (i didnt calculate the 3+ d3 mortals for charging) If you can get a few mortals in from Comet's Call or charging, you might not even need the bow, and flamethrower could help remove a charge screen in the way.


    So yea, a 250 point skink on a triceratops with support from a 70 point character can kill 800 point Archaon turn 1. Thanks for coming to my TED talk
     
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  2. LizardWizard
    OldBlood

    LizardWizard Grand Skink Handler Staff Member

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    I like it.

    Thanks for posting :D
     
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  3. Lizerd
    Skink Priest

    Lizerd Well-Known Member

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    I thought this was a joke at first galnce, but no. The math works out. Indeed its very possible :D

    I might have to try this out as I have archaon and all the necessary models. Seeing Archaon, the mightiest of Chaos' forces, the dude who destroyed the Old World, get clapped by a lizard on a triceratops would be hilarious
     
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  4. Canas
    Slann

    Canas Ninth Spawning

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    I'm somewhat dissapointed the skink is sitting on a stegadon. Now go find a setup where it's just a single unmounted skink :p
     
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  5. LizardWizard
    OldBlood

    LizardWizard Grand Skink Handler Staff Member

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    Did someone say Skink Handler Ironman Challenge?
     
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  6. Erta Wanderer
    OldBlood

    Erta Wanderer Well-Known Member

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    +(sigh) fine... lets do this
     
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  7. Putzfrau
    Skar-Veteran

    Putzfrau Well-Known Member

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    Hopefully Archaon hasn't deployed 6.1inches off the line or has a screen ;)

    Definitely cool to see the max damage potential of this guy against a tough unit like Archaon. The amount of buffs you can get going on some of our units turns them into absolute killing machines.
     
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  8. Canas
    Slann

    Canas Ninth Spawning

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    Feel free to use a skink priest, or even a starseer, but use an unmounted skink (starseer still counts cuz he just has a chair, nothing more). You have slightly more leeway than just using a handler :p
     
  9. LizardWizard
    OldBlood

    LizardWizard Grand Skink Handler Staff Member

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    Does Serpent God's Dagger count?
     
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  10. Canas
    Slann

    Canas Ninth Spawning

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    Nah, you need to be succeed without needing to rely on lucky dice, so your average output should be a dead Archaon with slight overkill :p So let's say you need to score a succesful 22-ish wounds (after saves) so you have a little bit of wiggle room. If that includes oneshot mechanics, go ahead :p
     
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  11. Erta Wanderer
    OldBlood

    Erta Wanderer Well-Known Member

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    oh well thats impossible. i was just going to use the serpents gods dagger in games until i pulled it off
     
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  12. Erta Wanderer
    OldBlood

    Erta Wanderer Well-Known Member

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    i might be able to do it with a anvil of apotheosis skink
     
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  13. Canas
    Slann

    Canas Ninth Spawning

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    I think even there you'l struggle, but go ahead. I'm curious how ridiculously expensive it gets to get a skink hero and the mandatory sufficient buffs backing it up to take on archaon. Again no mount though, also no minor beasts. Just the skink :p
     
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  14. Erta Wanderer
    OldBlood

    Erta Wanderer Well-Known Member

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    ok for 260 points i can make a hero that will kill him 68% of the time for 280 i can make that 88%
     
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  15. Canas
    Slann

    Canas Ninth Spawning

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    well that's cheaper than I expected, show me what you got & what kinda support he needs :p
     
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  16. cyberhawk94
    Cold One

    cyberhawk94 Active Member

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    I mean in an actual game I'd probably save the run CP and do this turn 2, but you can actually get around a screen unless they fully surround him, since you're flying and could use the bow to shoot them away enough to clear a hole for you to land. You only do 19 wounds then, so just make sure to tag him with comets call first :p
     
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  17. Erta Wanderer
    OldBlood

    Erta Wanderer Well-Known Member

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    it's just flat damage and to hit and wound buffs. start with a war spear get him to 5 damage a pop 3s to hit 2s to wound and have him buff himself with +1 to hit then give him 7 attacks and your good
     
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  18. Canas
    Slann

    Canas Ninth Spawning

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    Doesn't that result in only 7/ 3+/2+/-1/5 attacks? Against archaons save that's only going to take out 12 of his 20 wounds.

    Also, the 2H axe is better than the spear, starts with more rend & a better hit and wound roll in exchange for less range than the spear.
     
  19. Erta Wanderer
    OldBlood

    Erta Wanderer Well-Known Member

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    right sorry forgot push the rend up to -3. also how are you getting 12? you only do damage in increments of 5
     
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  20. Canas
    Slann

    Canas Ninth Spawning

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    Averaged the output based on the dice rolls.
    e.g. 7/ 3+/2+/-1/5 hits 4.667 times, wounds 3.889 times, passes archeons save 1.944 times thus does 9.722 damage (12-ish would be with the axe which has rend of -3).

    Regardless, that doesn't seem enough of an average to have a 68% change to actually kill him, even if averaging it out makes for a smooth bell-curve instead of the more step-wise curve you get in reality due to the increments of 5 damage per succes.
     

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