8th Ed. $25 To Build Your Ultimate WARHAMMER Squad

And just in case anyone has any trouble seeing the image, here is the text format:

$25 to build your ultimate Warhammer squad

Second in Command

· $7 -Archaon (Dorghar)

· $6 -Malekith (Seraphon)

· $5 - Thorgrim Gurdgebearer (Throne of Power)

· $4 - Karl Franz (Deathclaw)

· $3 - Settra the Imperishable (Chariot of the Gods) *

· $2 - King Louen Leoncoeur (Beaquis)

· $1 - Greasus Goldtooth


Wizard

· $7 - Mazdamundi (Zlaaq)

· $6 - Teclis

· $5 - Kairos Fateweaver

· $4 - Drazhoath the Ashen (Cinderbreath)

· $3 - Heinrich Kemmler

· $2 - Drycha

· $1 - Slugtongue


Duelist / Fighter (unmounted)

· $7 - Tyrion

· $6 - Grimgor Ironhide

· $5 - Ungrim Ironfist

· $4 - Skulltaker

· $3 - Gor-Rok

· $2 - Queek Headtaker

· $1 - Konrad Von Carstein


Muscle

· $7 - Kholek Suneater

· $6 - Skarbrand

· $5 - Durthu

· $4 - Taurox, The Brass Bull

· $3 - Throgg

· $2 - Bragg the Gutsman

· $1 - Boneripper


Stealth Rogue Assassin

· $7 - Deathmaster Snikch

· $6 - Shadowblade

· $5 - Araloth

· $4 - Markus Wulfhart

· $3 - Oxyotl

· $2 - Prince Apophas

· $1 - Gitilla Da Hunter (Ulda)


Your Mount

· $7 - Star Dragon

· $6 - Imperial Griffon

· $5 -Carnosaur

· $4 - Khemrian Warsphinx

· $3 - Royal Pegasus

· $2 - Mournfang

· $1 - Giant Wolf


Your weapon/armour made by:

· $7 - Dwarf

· $6 - Chaos Dwarf

· $5 - High Elf

· $4 - Man

· $3 - Skaven

· $2 - Skink

· $1 - Goblin


THE RULES:

· You are thrust into the Warhammer Fantasy world. Your starting point is unknown to you (Chaos is fickle), but where you go from there and what objectives you decide to pursue are up to you. To help you on your journey you have $25 to spend on a squad, mount and equipment from the categories listed above.

· You must make a selection from each category

· You cannot make more than one selection from any one single category

· Your total expenditure cannot exceed the $25 limit, but you can end up with a total less than $25 if you choose to (your remaining funds are simply forfeit)

· All characters chosen into your squad are completely loyal to you and follow your orders and directions. They will not try to overthrow, kill or undermine you (or anyone else in your selected squad). Aside from that, they retain their personality, demeanor, intellect, traits, etc.

· Each character selection is for the character only and does not include any associated allies, armies or loyalties (the rest of the world does not remember the character at all and nor does your character remember them). The characters come with their usual equipment, abilities and skills as described in their non-End Times lore. If a mount is included with the character it will appear next to the character’s name in the lists above; otherwise, assume that the character is on foot.

· When making your selections, consider each of the characters as they appear in the fluff/lore as opposed to their actual gaming rules.

· *If you choose Settra as your “second in command”, he will take control of your squad and you will instead become the second in command. Settra does not serve. Settra rules!




Create your squad and discuss your choices/strategy!

 

of course there is a special rule for the king of kings

 

I really like your format! I might have to steal that to make some of my own if that’s okay with you!

 

@NIGHTBRINGER curiouser and curiouser...

I'll have to think about this a lot...

 

Aha, I take it this was what you have been working on all this time!


So without further ado I will present my choices:

Second-in-Command: Thorgrim ($5) - Not only does the High King of the Dwarfs have one of Grimnir’s axes (which is much more powerful in the lore than the current rules), he’s also got his Throne of Power and his loyal Thronebearers to help him smash face. Not only this but he’s an all-round awesome chap who has ascended above the traditional Dwarf ways and genuinely wants to help other races as well as his fellow Dwarfs and is willing to rebuild bridges to get the job done - an especially reliable, diplomatic and helpful Second-in-Command.

Duellist: Ungrim ($5) - One of Thorgrim’s best buddies, Ungrim is a Slayer extraordinaire who can help butcher enemy monsters and between him and Thorgrim provide a nice layer of Dwarf natural resistance to weaken enemy magic.

Muscle: Boneripper ($1) - If this is the non-End Times Boneripper we’re talking about (and I’m assuming it is given you’ve priced him so low, as the End Times version is bigger than Bragg, Throgg or Taurox), then he’s an automaton, so he can be repaired if he’s beaten up in a fight (especially as I’ve got some Dwarfs to help me do this - indeed with some Dwarf craftsmanship he’ll probably be even tougher than he was to start with). Given I’ve already got Thorgrim and Ungrim as a pair of solid fighters, I don’t need that much extra beef so can afford to take a cheaper character like Mr. Bones here.

Armour and Magic Weapon: Dwarf ($7) - There’s not much point in having a strong squad if I’m a squishy liability. The Dwarfs are the supreme artisans of the Warhammer World, and given I’ve got two Dwarf Kings fighting beside me, I think they could afford to bring some extra armour and weapons with them for me to make use of.

Assassin: Apophas ($2) - Given we’re considering our choices based on fluff rather than rules, Apophas is a bargain at $2, as he can materialise out of thin air and is extremely difficult to kill given he’s a regenerating swarm of scarabs. The only problem I can see with him is that he’s only out to kill those Usirian has marked for death, but given Thorgrim, Ungrim and Boneripper will make swift work of any whose souls don’t appeal to the Nehekharan god of the dead, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

As an aside, I’m surprised Araloth is an assassin choice, because he’s just a Wood Elf noble with a hunting hawk - he isn’t particularly gifted as a murderer, and if his hawk dies he has nothing special to offer (indeed I’m very surprised he’s $5 to Apophas’ $2).

I’ve now used up 20 of my $25, so I’ll finish off with:

Wizard: Heinrich Kemmler ($3) - He can send a frakload of Skeletons to bog down any enemy I want tied up for a while until my other fighters are free to finish them off, especially if they’re large numbers of enemy infantry.

Mount: Mournfang ($2) - I’ve only got $2 left but a Mournfang is a decent combatant for that price. Better than the Pegasus or the Wolf, and given I’ve got a slow-moving but tough team, I want them to be able to keep up with me.


I enjoyed working through this @NIGHTBRINGER mate, thanks for making it for us to enjoy. Just wondering, when making it, did you get the border from a Warhammer Army Book image and overlay it with a cream rectangle and your text? That’s how I would have made something like this

 

Would you expect anything less?

So are you going to post your squad list?

I'm glad you like it! You have my blessings to use the format for your own lists. I look forward to seeing them!

By all means, join in on the fun and post your squad! The more the merrier!

Hahaha. I look forward to it!

That's a great squad. When composing the lists, I thought of you whenever I added any Dwarf options into the mix. I was wondering how many of them you would select.

I still have to work on my squad. I deliberately tried not to think of my choices as I composed the categories.

The category is a mix of assassins, rogues or generally stealthy characters. I think of the category as a mix of non front line characters. I think Araloth fits the bill.

As a base line, I ordered each list by the character's raw points cost. This was only a general guide and I tweaked things slightly from there. That said, Araloth is a Lord level character, while Apophas is only a hero. Lord level characters typically represent more powerful/significant figures in lore. So together, points cost and lord/hero status give a good estimate to a character's general power level. It also helps root out any bias that I might have (for the armies I play) and come up with a fairer list. Of course, it will always be subjective to some degree.

I think Araloth does have many advantages over Apophas. Araloth is probably significantly more intelligent and reliable. Araloth would be a better person to have council with as he could survey the situation and offer useful insight. Araloth could also much better guide your squad through the many wooded regions of the Warhammer world. He is also not magically animated, which could be used against Apophas. Apophas is obviously more orientated towards an assassin role, while Araloth brings the skills of a scout, lord and ranged character (as he is a Wood Elf). In lore, he also killed Morghur the Corruptor, which demonstrates his value.

Ultimately it comes down what you're looking for in such a character. What your squad lacks and how much money you are willing to spend on the category. Preferences and goals will vary, which is the what makes this interesting.

I'm glad you had fun with it. Thank you for taking the time to put forth such a well thought out list.

I did it in reverse (but it works out exactly the same). I cut out the central portion of the army book cover (I found clear picture of an old DoC army book via Google images) and superimposed it onto a cream background.

 

The interesting thing is you're basing this on lore stats, rather than ARB stats...

Makes it a bit harder for me, as I've not delved massively into the lore on every one of these.

 

Karl Franz (Deathclaw)
Fateweaver
Gor-Rok
Bone ripper
Oxyotl
Warsphinx
High Elf

 

Aha! Truly this thread must be SUPER interesting as it has attracted the most elusive and elite members!

 

@NIGHTBRINGER when I enter the Warhammer world, am I as I am now? Meaning my existing training, knowledge, physical stature and experience?

 

Yup... exactly as you are right now.

 

And the magic items I choose the origin of is for me? Or for all of my squad?

 

For you only. Your squad wield their standard/iconic weapons from (non-end times) lore, i.e. Archaon has his Slayer of Kings, Armour of Morkar, Crown of Damnation and Eye of Sheerian, etc.

 

Okay, after much deliberation, I think I finally have my ultimate squad (I made this quite hard on myself, as I was always just a few points shy of getting the squad I wanted). Since posting this thread, I have been concurrently working on three separate lists and repeatedly tweaking and comparing them in an Excel spread sheet. One list even featured both Archaon and Mazdamundi (but obviously not much else ). Truth be told, I really wanted to include Mazdamundi in my squad, but in the end I went in an entirely different direction.

Something @Killer Angel mentioned, really got me thinking, and greatly influenced my list:

This became the impetus that got me thinking about possible secondary and tertiary roles that characters could preform beyond the primary role of their category designation. This influenced several of my choices in the list, but most especially my wizard choice. My list is based on speed, magic, versatility and big monsters. So here we go:

Second in Command: Malekith ($6) ➨ Malekith is the perfect combination of all four elements that my squad is built on (speed, magic, versatility, big monsters). Not only is he a fantastic fighter and experienced leader, but he is also an accomplished lord level wizard. That's already a nice two-for-one bonus, but then there is the fact that he comes with his mount Seraphon, the dragon. This really gives him some significant additional offensive punch and gives him the ability of flight (a major theme of my list).

Wizard: Drazhoath the Ashen ($4) ➨ Drazhoath is the ultimate jack of all trades. While in terms of magical ability he clearly isn't anywhere as powerful as Kairos, Teclis or Mazdamundi; in its place he offers a lot a whole lot of versatility. Firstly, in terms of magic he is still a lord level caster and quite potent. Plus, he doesn't have to necessarily out-magic some of the bigger boys on the list, because he is backed up by my second lord level caster in Malekith. Together, they provide an ample amount of magical dominance. Secondly, Drazoath is not a squishy wizard; he is well armoured and can put up a decent fight on his own. Of course he is not on his own, he also has his mount Cinderbreath, a mighty Bale Taurus. So, just like with Malekith, I now have a second powerful flying monster in my squad. It is at this point where @Killer Angel 's comment really got me thinking... Drazhoath offers me so much more. As an elite level Sorcerer-Prophet, Drazhoath is also a master in the creation of war machines and daemon-binding (think magic weapons, armour and K'daai). Admittedly, some of this is aimed at the long game (one of my key objectives would be to establish a fortress/castle safe-haven), but the creation of some magic weapons/armour for my own personal use would be the first task I would set him upon once we have the facility to do so. So the trick is surviving until that point.

Duelist/Fighter: Konrad Von Carstein ($1) ➨ On the surface level, Konrad is a bit of a liability. He is a wee bit crazy and impulsive, and would pose a risk to any allies or troops I might acquire in time. I was really aiming to try to fit the strong and dependable Gor-Rok into this slot, but I only had a single extra dollar remaining so it was either upgrade to Queek Headtaker or put the money towards upgrading my rogue/assassin choice, I decided on the later. And then as per @Killer Angel 's comment, I had a true eureka moment! Konrad you see, offers one key function that none of the choices across any of the categories can provide. In every one of our lists, what is the weakest link?... We are. We're just plain humans and what's worse, we are coming from an overly comfortable technological age that makes us pretty ill-suited to the harsh realities of the medieval age (let alone the fantastical and significantly more dangerous version of it that is the Warhammer world). We have categories to give us powerful mounts and magical weapons/armour, but the fact still remains that we're still just plain humans. And this is where Konrad offers a unique solution to the problem... vampirism! So say goodbye to human NIGHTBRINGER say hello to Vampire NIGHTBRINGER!!! Of course this course of action has its downsides, but for survival, the upsides are immense. Also, I wouldn't have to commit to this right away (or at all... but I probably would), but the option is nice to have.

Muscle: Throgg ($3) ➨ Throgg is a good bargain for his price. He is an extremely powerful troll, but more importantly his intelligence is truly unique among his kind. Also, his ability to to regenerate from wounds incurred is immensely useful. Sure, I'd rather have Kholek, but I believe that those funds are better spent elsewhere.

Rogue/Assassin: Prince Apophas ($2) ➨ This is a cost saving measure. Originally I had Gitilla, but with the extra dollar I had left over, I decided to take Apophas instead. @Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl raises some good points in regards to Apophas. He is a supernatural entity that is very difficult to kill conventionally and is equally difficult to defend against. He is a unique tool for the squad which provides me unique options. Also... he flies. For those that have been reading along, that is now the third flying element I have in my squad.

Mount: Star Dragon ($7) ➨ Another flying beastie!! Of all the mounts, I knew I wanted one that flies. That left me with the Star Dragon, Imperial Griffon or the Royal Pegasus. In my other two lists I had created, I settled on the Royal Pegasus to save points. @Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl had previously stated that the Mournfang was superior to the Royal Pegasus, I could not disagree more. The Mournfang is indeed more powerful, but flight is worth so much more. Flight allows you to survey the land, to stay out of the thickest of dangers and get out of any bad situation you might find yourself in. It also allows you to get to areas of advantage quickly and relatively unimpeded. You can also access areas that might otherwise be inaccessible. Of course, since I was able to scrap up the points, I can have flight AND significantly greater offensive potential in the form of a Star Dragon. With the Star Dragon I now have 3 powerful flying monsters in my list and the flying Apophas. That is some air force! With that might, my squad would be unmatched in the skies and could very quickly put a lot of pressure on any singular weak point in the enemy lines/formation, before flying off to decimate another target. You know that if your boy NIGHTBRINGER is going to have a mount, it's going to be a mount with style !

Weapon/Armoursmith: Skink ($2) ➨ Why Skink armour?... cost saving (and I don't trust goblin workmanship, even for the short term). I needed the points elsewhere, and my squad gives me alternate ways to protect myself. First, I have flight via my dragon. Second, a star dragon is extremely formidable and will lay waste to most threats. Third, I have Drazhoath who can make magic items, so if I can survive, I will have access to top tier equipment in the long run. Lastly, the Vampirism option provided by Konrad (increased abilities, strength, reflexes). All in all, I fancy my chances of surviving until Drazhoath can do his thing.


And there we have it. My list based on speed, monsters, versatility and magic. I have two lord level casters. I have 4 flying elements in my squad... 3 of which are extremely potent monsters. The slowest thing in my squad is a troll and a vampire, each of which is much faster than an ordinary unmounted human. I have Drazhoath to forge me magic weapons, armour, war machines and K'daai. I have a muscle bound smart troll and a vampire to upgrade my limited human form. That is my ultimate WARHAMMER squad.

 

Surprised to see that my wife didn't choose a single Wood Elf to her squad. A couple of Lizards though!

Thank you kind sir. I admittedly wasted more time on it than I should of!



That's only 4 lists submitted thus far. I must say I was hoping for a bit greater output. I know we have @Lizards of Renown working on his and I looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. Not sure about @Lord-Marcus , he poked his head into the thread but seldom takes part many threads outside of his painting blog.

There must be other WFB players we can call upon. @airjamy @hardyworld @pendrake @Warden @n810 @Krox_v.2 @BrotherSutek @ASSASSIN_NR_1 @Paradoxical Pacifism @Just A Skink

 

The posts and lists posted so far have set a fairly high quality bar...

But I will post mine. Just don't expect it to top Nightbringer's.

 

As we excitedly await @Lizards of Renown 's list, here are a couple of squads submitted by members over on the Eight Edition for Life warhammer forum:

 

I don't know how many people are "excitedly waiting" for my list, but it's nice of you to say so.

I have made my list. Out of respect for the amount of time that Nightbringer spent both on making the choices and on his own list, I have studied up on any characters that I wasn't too familiar with to come up with my choices.

I'm mid typing up my reasoning and will post this later today.