So if you want to make your Engine a bit more tougher. Like it isn't tough enough. Take you skink priest to level 2. He becomes of level 3 for casting purposes. Then give him the Channeling rod and make the engine send off the arcane configiguration. This will now pretty much make you a level 5 caster of heavens. Now you can keep him back and send off some of the more lethal heavens spells. Also you may think about adding the ironcurse icon while using the configuration because you won't be able to use the 5+ ward save for range attacks while its going off. Anyways just a thought on a way to build your engine.
Or you can take a Slann with some decent equipment and if you really want rod of storm an ruby ring of ruin to give 8 spells at level 4 with a 4+ ward that costs about the same as a EOTG and isn't the size of most scenic buildings. Just so you know I do like the EOTG but I think the Slann is more important.
In what way does the channeling staff make him "pretty much a level 5 wizard"? I understand your logic for considdering him lvl 4 even though he is still way worse than a lvl 4 because of 1. easier to dispel 2. fewer spells 3. not as good as dispelling On top of that I am not sure if the new rules give him +3 to casting attemps. I recall reading something about him only being lvl three in regard of choosing spells now. That might be wrong though but I thought it was in the FAQ. To end with Im with wolfmage on this subject. A slann will be less likely to die and will dish out way more magic while being the army generall and BSB. The power of a Stegadon however has never been its magic
Stegadons, Engine of the Gods Change the first sentence of the final paragraph to “In addition, a Skink Priest that has taken the Engine of the Gods gets a +1 bonus to all of his casting and dispelling attempts.”
I stand corrected on that point. However you are not allowed an extra spell for the engine is that right?
First let start by saying I love the Engine of the gods; Love the model, love the premise, love the rule set in how it works. I love using the engine and I have lots of fun when doing so. Now with that out of the way let me pick apart why I don't use it in a competitive manner. The basic point cost of an Engine of the Gods is 355 points (including priest as the priest is kind of mandatory), that is with out ANY upgrades, if he is maxed out on stuff his points cost comes to a total of 440 points. So in order to use the engine you have to be playing at at least 1,760 points. Now factor in that unless you use an Old Blood, your general is leadership 6, even with cold blooded that is NOT good. We won't take the Old bloods cost into place just now because I want to talk about something else that is almost a vital addition to an army this edition, that is to say the BSB. The only characters that can take the BSB are; The Slann, the Scar-Vet and the Skink Chief. Now, without a slann in the army we need to add in a BSB, lets make him cheap but survivable, for a Skink Chief we'll give him armour of destiny and a shield at a total of 132 points, add that to the total hero allowance for the EotG and we have a total of 572 points, in other words we HAVE to be playing at least 2,288 points (we'll round that to 2,500). May as well put a slann out at that level and a couple fighty characters, adding a EotG and a slann together might seem like a good idea, but if you do that don't bother upgrading the skink priest in magic levels and items bought sparingly. In short, the only time you would actually be able to field one at a competitive level is the points level where the slann really shines. The EotG's was a very powerful and useful addition to an army in seventh edition, but, much like many other things, has really fallen by the wayside in eighth. I like that you are trying to think up ways to make this awesome model useful in the army, but unfortunately this is one that must either be completely built around, such as a stegadon parade army, or be used only to aid other aspects that are much more important.