8th Ed. Help explaining blowpipe/javelin nerfs

[DrrrL]

Hello! I need some help understanding skink ballistics, please! I'm building out my lists and trying to figure out how effective skink skirmishers, skink cohorts and chamo skinks are going to be either with blowpipes or javelins. From what I understand the baseline is that skinks have BS3 so that's:

• D6 4+ to score a hit
• -1 for anything over 6" on either weapon, so D6 5+
• -1 if you move and then shoot, so D6 6+
• and if you're on the pipes, then its multiple shot, so -1 and so D6 7+

But! Poison Attacks, how do you resolve those if you're having to get 7+ for a hit, but 6 for poison?

am I reading that right? If so, does anyone, ever, take blowpipes? I know this is now a decade-running debate, but I'm trying to understand if it's even worth painting up a skirmishing unit with blow pipes.

Maybe best to scenario it out:
unit of 10 skink skirmishers with blowpipes, the decide to move up the board to protect the flank of a SW unit. will they hit anything at all, or just be a 70pt meat shield?

at least if you take javelins you don't get the nerf for multiple shots, so are on 6s to hit/autowound, right?

 

[Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl]

Hello! I need some help understanding skink ballistics, please! I'm building out my lists and trying to figure out how effective skink skirmishers, skink cohorts and chamo skinks are going to be either with blowpipes or javelins. From what I understand the baseline is that skinks have BS3 so that's:

• D6 4+ to score a hit
• -1 for anything over 6" on either weapon, so D6 5+
• -1 if you move and then shoot, so D6 6+
• and if you're on the pipes, then its multiple shot, so -1 and so D6 7+

But! Poison Attacks, how do you resolve those if you're having to get 7+ for a hit, but 6 for poison?

You don't have to fire Multiple Shots with a Multiple Shots weapon - if you do, you suffer the additional -1 penalty to Ballistic Skill, but if you don't, then you fire one shot without any further Ballistic Skill penalty.

This means that if you have Skinks with Blowpipes, it's only possible to fire Multiple Shots with them if the Skinks either haven't moved, or are shooting at an enemy less than 7" away - if they have moved and are still firing at long range, then they can only fire one shot, but at least you still get a shot out of them and any shots that hit will of course automatically wound from Poisoned Attacks.

Also remember that Skink Skirmishers can Fire on the March, giving them more of a chance of being in short range of a target once they have made their 12" march move.

 

[DrrrL]

That's mega helpful, thanks!