So I'm not sure if this should go in the tactics or just the discussion section, but I feel that this is the most appropriate place for it. Is running a lone slann worth it? I looked briefly and could not find a post about this, so if there is one already just post up a link to it and I will be eternally grateful. But if there really hasn't been one yet, lets discuss it. I see a massive amount of lists containing the classic slann and anywhere from 10-20 temple guard. I have played a few games with this setup and it seems to work quite well, but I'm just not one to go for the cookie cutter setups, so I was thinking that running a lone ethereal slann could be fun. So, how viable is a lone Slann?
a slann with 2+ ward save vs shooting, ethereal, regen and MR 3 seems fun to deploy in teh middle of your army and draw all the enemy fire/magic while the rest of your army goes unharmed for a few turns. never tried this so i don't know how it works in practice, but i like the theory
I've done it in previous editions and have been thinking about it again. I'm thinking you could just place your Slann in the middle with Higher State of Consciousness (or he'll be shot to death by cannons and RBTs) and advance a couple of Stegs just infront of him (nothings going to break through them in a hurry).
Ya, I was thinking the standard focused rumination and focus of mystery then make him ethereal with a 2+ ward. I could put him out in the open if my opponent has a lot of shooting and not a lot of flyers, or I could just pop him in a Forrest. With BSB warbanner I'll be winning combat against anything that can get to me and does not have magical attacks. And I'll most likely have 2 engine of the gods running around so if they are focusing on trying to bring my slann down then they are going to feel the pain of the ancients running into them. I feel that this would make a lot more of a fun game than just sitting in a bunker, wheeling to see a target, and casting away.
Nah, I wouldn't get Plaque of Protection. Bane Head is to awesome to not get. Plus, you'd spending 30 points to change his 4+ ward to a 2+ against only Magic Missiles, Flamers and Dwarf artillery, not worth it.
If I was going to field a Lone Slann, I'd definitely take Higher state of consciousness. Then as long as you bring along some Dispel Scrolls, all you'll really have to worry about is characters with Magical weapons.
Ya, Higher state looks awesome but I would have to see them to use it and I'd like to keep my slann out of LoS as much as possible. The fact that I would need to find 50 more points in my list to do it is also a deterrent. but if I can manage the points I'll look into it.
You don't need to see them with many lores. Fire can either be channeled or dos not require line of sight (wall of fire). Unseen lurker does not need LoS, comet doesn't. Lots of vital spells are free of line of sight restrictions.
You can't assume you're Slann will always be out of LoS (and you'd have to casting Magic Missiles only through Priests and would never be able to cast the following spells; like Rule of Burning Iron, The Spirit of the Forge, Pit of Shades, the 2 'magic missiles' from Heavens, Master of Wood and Master of Stone). What if the opponent has a hill to place artillery on? What if he has fast cav with bows? (Dark Reapers ) What if he 'accidently' over guesses with his artillery to make it hit the Slann?
Does the Slann still cast as if it were a large target even when it is not inside a TG unit? I was reading the lizzies book today and saw that this rule was stated under the guard rule for the Slann and its temple guard. If it still does draw line of sight as if it were a large target, then a simple skink screen could be a cheap way to achieve staying out of LoS of others. If the skinks were positioned next to a forrest, a lone slann could have a very flexible area of maneuverability in which to cast spells from. The general consensus to the question at hand, "is a lone Slann viable?", seems to be that yes with the right gear and some practice it can work. Am I correct in my assumption?
FAQ says no. http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m220263a_LizardmenFAQJuly2009.pdf Yes, a forest is an excellent place to put a lone Slann in. It lets him choose what he can see and when, makes him immune to flyers, harder to shoot (but idealy he should have ethereal anyway) and difficult to charge. Definitely viable. More viable in this rule book then the last IMO. The Slann is much cheaper (so don't have to be the focus of the list) and Stegs are so much better and easier to get (so he can be more easily protected without TG).
I play under a comp system where TG+slann is less viable. I always play with the "lone" slann with only etheral as protection. This way only magic can really hurt him (or dwarven cannons) and if you face heavy magic users I usually just either stick him out of LOS and use the skink priest on the EoTG for LOS when casting, or stick him in a cheap skink cohort unit. as missle protection. He is risking panic tests this way, but he got a skink shield of 10 wounds (start randomizing hits after 6) and he has a 94% chans of passing panic tests. If you play with the lone slann it should simply mean he has no TG bunker, dont be afraid to stick him in skink units or saurus untis for protection, just like any other caster would (except the slann cant be mage hunted thanks to the etheral discipline).
Well, that makes me sad that Slann can't cast as large targets out of a TG unit. It's kind of dumb that it can't when you think about it, but what the FAQ says goes so I guess I'm SoL on that. But regardless, I'll be trying out a lone slann + 2 engine of the gods list today and tomorrow and I'll report back on how things go. If they don't go so good, I'll probably just change an engine for some cold one riders and give the unmounted priest the cloak of feathers for some flying goodness.
I heard a great tip for those planning on using the lone-ethereal Slann. Vs. Dark Elves, and the DE had a dragon-ridden by a lord character. The LM has a block of saurus nearby and some skirmishers. He charges the skirmishers into the dragon and manages to keep a couple skirmishers alive so that the dragon and lord were forced to pursue into the block. He then challenged with his Slann, which seems crazy, but then you remember the dragon is going to whiff against the ethereal frog, and the lord has to get through 5 wounds worth of slann with 4+ ward. The Lord did poorly on his attacks, and the LM won the day. Kind of something neat to think about doing, putting him into a block of just regular saurus so that he can issue a challenge and cancel out a bunch of attacks.
Well, the lone Slann did fantastic today! I played a total of 3 games...and got a massacre in all 3 of them! I played a warriors of chaos army twice and a dwarf army once. With lore of metal and a focused game plan on evasion, I was easily able to whittle down the mortals of chaos with very little combat taking place where I didn't want it to. I was nervous of the drawf player, as guns make my army cry, but once I saw my opponent put down a lone cannon and a block of thunderers as his only shooting, I knew I was in for some fun. Using my extreme mobility and the dwarves lack there of, I danced circles around them and left only a block of warriors remaining! Surprisingly, my slann drew very little fire to itself, as I guess my opponents saw bigger threats on the field. In the 3 games I played, my Slann took an entire 1 wound (damn cannons). Overall, I like running a lone slann far more than being confined to a block of temple guard. Spending my points elsewhere really allows me to make quite a mobile and hard hitting force. Thank you guys for all of your input, and I will be going up to my local game store tomorrow for some more action so I will report back later. P.S. here is a link to my list: http://lustria-online.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2731&p=22162#p22162
Woot! The lone slann strikes again, taking down a dwarf player with that damn anvil special character. I'm really like the slanns versatility.
Damn post got wiped. Long and short of it, with he new true LOS rules can the slann see through a friendly units of skinks/saurus to cast on the enemy and likewise can the enemy see him? Main reason for asking is if he can still be targeted by the stuff that can hurt him when behind units, Might as well have him front and center so he soaks a round of archers before they realize he's immune. PS are there any scout units that have magical weapons that could sneak up and assisinate the slann?
It's TLS so it depends on how high your palaquin model sits and distances on the battle field etc. Also, I have 3 (technically 2) words for you guys that are thinking of running a Lone Slann against Skaven... Dreaded 13th Spell You can have all that regen, ward save, magic resistence and etherial you want. If your running your Slann by himself he's considered an infantry model. Against the 13th he's doom if your opponent rolls irrisistable or you can't dispel it. And if you don't think they get it off very much I've played in games where it was cast 2-3 times.