Hey: Im new to lizardmen although in just a few days I will have all my models assembled. I already have all my troops picked out, and we are almost ready to go....except my general. I have already chosen an oldblood as my general (un-mounted) and I am having trouble deciding what to equip him with. Could all of you please help me decide P.S: I want him to accompany a unit of saurii into close combat so he needs to be a multi-attack beast capable of tearing Wood Elves apart. And he must include the shield of maiming in his build, I really like that item Thanks, Kudos, and Gracias Kov
If you're going for staight number of attackes, the Scimitar of the Sun Resplendent is the item of choice. This plus the Maiming Shield will cost you 80 points for items, but gives you +3 attacks to the already impressive five he normally gets. In addition, if you have the points to spare, give him the Sacred Spawning of Sotek if you think that block will be getting charges in (against WE... not something I'd bet on). Another 20 points down, another attack on the charge. So with this equipment you're at eight/nine strength 5 attacks.
Thanks for reminding me ninja: You got me thinking about sacred spawnings now. Is sotek really worth it? Or should i invest points in something else. I dont know, but i will take your word for it that sotek is a good choice. If anyone else has other sacred spawning ideas the please share them
BSOSotek is my favorite, but against certain armies you may want to look at some other ones, versus Wood Elves BSOHaunchi may prove useful and BSOQeutzl raises your armor quite a bit, just be sure if you take Haunchi that you equip it with the unit he's in, or they will not be able to move through woods as well. Another think if you give the unit BSOSotek, BSOHaunchi and spears, and somhow work haunchi's banner in there you have a group of guys that can move through woods, can charge in the movement phase (Totem of Haunci) and have about 30+ attacks on the charge. I've used this tactic with great effect. Though be forwarned that it will hurt if you don't get the charge due to the fact that you get about 10 less attack, and also the unit will be point heavy, which is risky. So I wouldn't field this every time against the same opponent as they will catch on, however if you sneak it in now and again it should work for you and put fear into him of Saurus Warriors.
I see what you mean...slip him in with a saurii unit every once in a while to give a little shock to the opponent that your front rank (5) without charging has 16 attacks all str 4 or 5 with WE I was thinking of the armor, it would be handy for the shooting phase (my friend's army is made of almost entirely archers) P.S: My friend tends to put his archers in a line (attack or defense) and move them within range and just pound away, what do you think would be the better buy: Cham Skinks, or just regular Skinks. Bear in mind that I want to get the drop on him in close combat so he can not shoot at my more capable troops Thanks
@Craken: Am I mistaken and spears can attack from the second rank on the charge? If you are playing against a Wood Elf player, I would strongly suggest fielding a Oldblood with a Jaguar Pendent as you oftentimes wont have to worry about a great deal of static CR on your oppnonent's part. This way, he can close with your opponents smaller units (archers, waywatchers, scouts, dryads, etc.) quickly thus mitigating potential shooting casualties. I would always suggest the enchanted shield over the maiming shield as a 1+ Armor Save will be better than a 2+ Save and an additional unmodified attack any day.
I thought the maiming shield gave you another un-modified attack and 1 AS and the enchanted shield gave you plus 2 AS It would be logical because of the names to assume that the maiming shield would allow you to Maim more people, but hey....what do I know
@Kovash: Im sorry if I may have offended you, but in my post I in no way suggested that you had a wrong interpretation...so I will explain my logic. Against woodelf opponents, keep in mind that all of their arrows can become armor piercing at short range. That means that the 1+ save will allow you to maintain the best possible save even when charging into the ranks of the wood elves. This is combined the point that against woodelves you will most likely be getting charged either on his impetus or to relieve his troops, and in protracted combats you will be striking afterwards due to the Oldblood's low initiative. Combined with the many tricks (such as nettlings), there will be situations in which you will be striking second. Furthermore, the maiming shield seems to be overpriced for the benefits conferred (+1 attack and a shield would be about 23-26 points normally), and although I do not have my army book on me I believe it is 30 pts.
@SohCahToa Ya the second rank gets an attack even on the charge, and with Sotek that would give them a two attacks each on a charge.
!?! It has always been the case that spears fight in one less rank than they usually would if they have moved that turn. BRB, p.55 under 'fight in ranks', third paragraph. It even specifically mentions charging. Unless, of course, there is some errata you can point me to
@SohCahToa: No, you have not offended me in any way, but thank you for apologizing I see your logic, but what I really want from my oldblood is to have the max # of attacks and an ok AS. With his strength he can beat most (if not all) basic infantry in large numbers. With the Maiming shield he gets another attack and an AS. It is pricey like you said, but for the task I want him to preform, it is a solid upgrade in my opinion. Also: If someone could tell me some other combinations to equip my oldblood with, that would be helpfull Thanks
Nope I've just missed that somehow over the course of my gaming, well that completly takes the effectiveness away from spears. Thanks for pointing that out to me guys.
alright, so here are two of my builds for the oldblood. As you can see, both are rather specialized. Beyond these special builds, you will normally see Oldbloods with BSoQuetzl, LA, Shield, Aura of Quetzl, and a magic weapon suited for the players style and a smattering of other spawnings. vs. Wood Elves: Oldblood: BSoQuetzl, BSoTlazcotl, BSoSotek, LA, enchanted shield, jaguar pendent, BBoC I use this build when I am tailoring a list towards Wood Elves. The reason for this is that the biggest difficulty is often treemen. It is not uncommon to see a Wood Elf army with two of these buggers, so the fact that they are flammable means that the Oldblood is the best bet of chopping them down quickly. Tlazcotl is important for the initial charge (terror), and in order to survive one or two rounds of combat (the treeman has higher US). The armor save should ensure that he gets in enough rounds to take the treeman down, while the pendent is important as you will often have to be running through woods to reach the treeman (tree-singing). Generally: Oldblood: BSoQuetzl, BSoSotek, BSoItzl, LA, shield, Pirahna Blade, Bane Head, Cold One With a 0+ save, this guy is not going to be shifted very easily. Moreover, he can flee 3d6, and isnt too expensive that you loose the game if he dies. The reason this is important is that he is the General slayer. While the previous Oldblood could not take the banehead because he targets multiple units, this Oldblood acts simply as a torpedo that goes straight for the nominated target. 4 wounds caused if only one of his 6 attacks on the charge gets through isnt too shabby. Against VC a quick charge like this can be an early game sealer. Also, your opponent might be hesitant to move his general anywhere near your mounted general, meaning that you can steal the initiative before the first turn even begins.
Why not for an extra 7 points take the enchanted shield and give yourself an even better armor save of -1+. Going to take str 7 to bring your armor save above a 2+. Still got points for a 5+ ward save too. That guy ain't going to die anytime soon.
Well, I want him to have the max # of attacks, so I have to say the maiming shield and SotSR. But if I do need a general killer, I know who to call P.S: What are the strengths and weaknesses of an all skink or normal army thanks, it is kind of off topic, but I need to know
I agree with Stonehambly, in fact I'm 100% sure he's right. You lose that extra rank on the charge, so with Saurus armed via spears you'd be looking at 3 attacks (per guy) on the charge or 3 attacks (per guy) when being charged.
My General Old Blood has, light armor, shield, great weapon, Jag. charm, Aura of Quetzl. A combo I like with the maiming shield: Old Blood- light armor, maiming shield, Sword of battle. You have one atk less than you would with the maiming shield and sun scimitar, but you save 35 pts with which you can give him the Aura of quetzl (4+ ward vs. str 5 or higher) and still save 25 pts. so he has 7 str 5 atks, +2 AS in CC, +3 AS vs. shooting and a 4+ ward. Pretty solid for 226 pts. Another cool combo I found the other night for general hunting is: Old Blood- Light Armor, shield, Piranha Blade, Bane Head, Jag. Charm. Aura of quetzl- 251 pts Curse the enemy general with the bane head at the beginning of the game and any unsaved would inflicted by your character becomes 4 wounds (2 from the piranha blade and 2 from the bane head). All you would need to do is inflict one wound and their general is dead.
You can't have the bane head and jag charm on the same guy (both enchanted items). It's a nice idea, but you need to choose one or the other.
Not really related to the original question, but against wood elves you might want to reconsider mounting him on the Carnosaur. Treemen and dragons can be a tough nut to crack otherwise...