Hey guys So the term 'cohort'. Does it refer to everyone that spawns at once across multiple spawning pools or just to one unit that itself is spawned from one pool? Also, given Saurus apparently stick with their units as they have a kind of psychic link with them, what happens when they become combat-ineffective? Like, after some battle you have a Saurus unit with like four guys left. Are they expected to go on to fight elsewhere as 4 guys or would the join another unit? Finally, do Skinks have a similar thing about unit cohesion for those born together?
In tabletop terms, a Skink Cohort is a group of Skinks that fight in a block as opposed to fight as skirmishers. We don't have a lot of fluff about them. In my fluff I have three broad castes of Skinks, worker caste skinks, beast caste skinks, and Sotek caste skinks. Workers fight as cohorts, beast skinks ride Terradons or Stegadons or crew Salamanders, and Sotek caste Skinks run as skirmishers. They usually go into battle with their spawning brothers but they will form units with their "caste cousins" if its not practical to field with their spawning brothers. In most cases, skinks spawn in such large numbers that a single spawning can create multiple units. There is two things they can do. One, if they are sufficiently experienced they can become Scar Veterans and go solo. Two, they can perform the Ritual of the Adopted Brother which in this article under "Spawning Rituals" or via this informal discussion or you can read about it in this short story "Brothers to Remember" written for the January-February 2020 Contest. In my fluff at least. The answer is yes, the Skinks have a similar thing to Saurus, just not as intense or emotional. Saurus can only die from violence whereas Skinks can grow old, so they don't have centuries to grow attached to their brothers.
True, but I suppose the majority of the time, diseases and accidents capable of slaying Saurus warriors originate from skaven or Chaos.
I've tended to write my lizardmen as being biologically different enough that the diseases that affect warmbloods are mostly ineffective against them, at most giving them the equivalent of a cold. The diseases of the skaven/Nurgle that do affect the lizardmen are typically purpose made with them as the intended recipient. That isn't to say that the lizardmen aren't a potential danger regarding poxes and diseases that affect the warmbloods, however. Immunity from the symptoms does not stop you from being able to spread the pox. As for accidents? Well, sure, violent ones. I'd say a building collapsing on a saurus would be deemed pretty violent. The large predatory dinos do on occasion do harm, they're trained not domesticated. Granted, you tend to hear more often of skinks getting caught in the dinosaurs being feral beasts than you do saurus.
I think there was a line in teh 7th or 8th ed army book about the occational saurus falling foul of Cold Ones when trying to aquire a mount or when they have a moment of confusion. Also, it occurs to me that they don’t really have much of an integrated healthcare system. It must suck to catch some kind of jungle malady. He/She/It can’t call into work sick, still gotta go out marching into battle feeling like death. Though I guess they can get some kind of tree bark equivalent of aspirin maybe. Licking toads to get through the day.