7th Ed. Are Temple Guard worthwhile without a Slann?

the burning blade of chotec is only 20 points, its usually worth it if you fight heavily armoured things

edit: ive never used temple guards though

 

aret they BS 0???

 

Since when does one give a BBoC to a RG instead of a SV? It is the reason why i bring a SV in the first place.

 

I want to say he was being sarcastic and making a joke. Because Sarus are BS0.

 

Was mostly intending it as a joke, since I always think of the staff of the lost sun as a las gun. and you tend to use it like the uzi smiley =D

was too lazy to see if one could even grab one =D or shoot with it =D (drr, which side's the *foom* ... we need another champion!)

 

Any time I hear about SotLS or use it, I always think of Jafar from Disney's Alladin movie. Thats the kind of staff I imagine when I hear someone talking about it.

I'm not sure that you'd want to give your RG any kind of magic items, unless you really don't want him to be targetted by multiple attacks. Yes, sarus have great saves now and TG are tough as nails. However, if you do have a Slann parked in that unit, the enemy is likely to be throwing his hardest hitting troops at your TG, making your RG a tantalizing piece of meat that tastes just like chicken for <insert name of hammer unit here>.

Without a Slann, I'd be more tempted to utilize the RG and perhaps even a magic item on him. Most of the time thouigh, when I have extra points in a list, I look to see what kind of extra troops I can add first, instead of magic items. I'm not sure what the math says, as to wether or not adding the RG is worth it (let alone the 25pts of items). Seems like it'd only be worth it if you wanted to park a character in that unit.

 

I am pretty sure Stegs cannot join units.

Also, it seems to me TG just are such pale shadows of their Slann-protecting selves when running around by themselves, why even bother? Halbreds are a pretty weak unit, regardless of the army.

 

Mounted Stegs are able to join a unit.. See many other topics where this was stated... Also.. I can't say TG are weak in any way.. You don't have to take Halberds.. they are able to use HW&Shield too.. They are far from crap IMHO.

I myself most of the time try to get some more skinks if i got a few points left.

 

WheelR is right, characters riding a stegadon may join a unit, but single monsters may not.

TG are a great unit, but I'm not sure they're worth the points without the Slann. For what you get anyways, it seems like it costs just a bit too many points. I'd also say that the decision should be comp dependent and highly situational if you choose to add this unit without a Slann.

 

A big unit of TG is expensive, a small flanking unit hits very very hard. For the 5 odd points more than a saurus, you get extra armour, extra strength, extra WS and I, and I believe extra Ld? They are a bit tougher and more versatile, able to fill a few more roles, and could be a great small support unit.

Unit of 20 without a Slann? Probably too expensive to be worth it.

 

They have the same leadership as regular saurus. Without a Slann being in them makes the unit a bit tricky to take, while with a Slann they're practically a given. Against most units in the game these days that enemies throw at Temple Guard, I think it's safe to say that majority of the time they're going to be using their HW&Shields. Personally I think Halberds are crap compared to the extra armor save for just one more strength. Because in combat, to the front of course, TG go from having a 2+ save to a 4+ save in combat, not including strength modifiers. Personally I wish TG were like the models and could wield halberds and shields together, but they don't.

Personally I think I'm going to see how they do in a less than 2000 point game, I'll probably take no more then 15 cause I've got a 1500 point fight coming up. I'll let y'all know how they do.

Oh, and as for the RG's magic weapon 25 point limit, if I do give him one, it's always the Sword of Might, so it's the best of both worlds, HW&shield and +1 Strength.

 

You don't get the hand weapon and shield armour bonus for a magic weapon, it isn't a hand weapon.... You still get to use the shield, but his save would be 3+ not 2+ as the rest of the unit would have.

 

What? Are you sure about that? I always thought and have played everywhere that a normal magic weapon is a hand weapon with magical properties. If it's one handed, and doesn't count as any special weapon such as a spear or great weapon, then it is a hand weapon. Is there some rule or errata stating otherwise?

 

Stewart is right. Magic weapons ignore any special rules that apply to the mundane type of that weapon (magic sword ignores the special rules for a mundane sword). While the BRB doesn't specifically say that you loose the HW/SH bonus, it is understood that it would be a special rule regarding the usage of the HW/SH combination. (BRB121)

If it is listed in the errata somewhere for clairification, I wouldn't have that reference. Perhaps stew can offer that, or possibly an explaination which is clearer than my own.

 

Yeah top of page 121 says magic weapons ignore the rules for their mundane version unless specifically stated, which is why the HE Phoenix Guard special character Caradryan (who has a magic halberd) needed an errata in the FAQ saying that it gives +1 strength like a halberd, since it didn't say that to start with. There are a couple of magic weapons that specifically say they count as a hand weapon too so can be used with the hand weapon and shield bonus, but most don't.

 

Wow, that definately threw a wrentch into the gears of my list making skills!