I do not see the importance of having salamanders? They get str 3 flaming attacks at -3 right? So that means that someone with a 4+ AS would not get an armor save thats cool and all, but the str 3 attack is kind of weak. The only thing that salamanders would be good at targetting would be a big unit of core. I don't get why everyone loves these guys so much.
The best part about them is.. lots of stuff! They are mobile warmachines that can defend themselves in close combat. They effectively have a Ballistic Skill of 5 that can never be reduced. So you always have a 83% chance of getting a shot off, and depending on your positioning you have a 90% chance to hit the target. Pretty good odds. And yes, S3 isn't great. But how many rank and file troops are higher than T3? On top of that, how many have better than a 4+ armor save? And if you kill just one lowly trooper, the unit is forced to take a panic test. Plus it's fire, so it's good against regenerating SOBs or flammable stuff. Also, your skinks essentially become three or four 5+ ward saves for the salamander on top of his 3 wounds. Not to mention he is a skirmisher so he is harder to hit. Plus a pack of them can be turned into an impromptu flanking unit. They wont deny rank bonuses, but they hit just about as hard as Kroxigor. And they're relatively cheap!
ok so with a 2500 pt army and a main unit of tg and a main unit of saurus warrios. With 2 skrox support units how would i use the salamanders? slann in the tg with the lore of life. Any suggestions.
Played a gale last night with a unit of and another unit of 2. Combined fire, they took out a unit of Marauders who started out 52 strong. I think they had around 14 left. Oh, and they fled right after.
How you use them depends on who you are playing against - target selection is important. If the opponent has big blocks of relatively soft troops, elves, empire state troops, marauders, etc. Then the salamanders are used to strip away ranks (essential for units that rely on being steadfast) and force panic tests. Remember that templates now hit every model touched, which means you can hit a lot of guys in a big unit. Once that unit (which is hopefully much smaller) finally gets in combat the salamandrs can be used to get a flank or rear charge and force a fear test (don't do this if they are still steadfast.) The other use is to go after high value targets like empire or bretonian knights that depend on armor instead of toughness or even trolls or other units that have regeneration. Finally, they can take on soft units like skirmishers, fast cav and war machines (but be careful, they can have a hard time winning combat, even against relatively soft units and will often break without the general near by)
Which rule is it that allows salamanders to cause a panic test if only one member of a unit dies? I was under the impression you'd have to roast a minimum of 25% of the unit? But I am as well gonna agree with everyone else by saying, in the few games I have played, salamanders have kicked complete ass. Roasted an entire unit of storm vermin one game, a solid chunk of Tomb King skeletons another, they generally just never let me down!
Sallies are easily one of my most valuable units. When I play, my opponents usually will spend quite a lot of points trying to take them out before I get them in position. Even when facing Deamons, VC, or TK (who do not take panic checks) they perform well enough to keep them in the list. Multiwound models can be a pain, but they still work out ok.
what are the pro's and cons of taking 2 seperate units of 1 salamander and 4 handlers or 1 unit with 2 salamanders and 8 handlers? Also i see it says in their rules they may "move and fire" but i think i'll have a hard time convincing my opponent that means they can march and fire. How can convince him?