8th Ed. Protecting the Carnosaur

[Rizzq]

An oldblood on a carnosaur is a fantastic offensive package.

However...

In close combat the Carno's WS 3 and T5 can make it an easier target than the oldblood.

Has anyone found an upgrade to counter this or at least improve survivability?

Cheers.

 

[n810]

Some of the heavens spell should help protect him a bit, you should havee a few points leftover for a skink priest in a carnie list.

 

[Qupakoco]

Lore of Life! Big army though, lol.

How do other armies protect their big monsters? Are any of the newer books allowing characters to take barding on their monstrous mounts?

 

[Stormfrog]

Im a big fan of the dinosaur, and only really use a Slaan if im forced to. In my list I usually allow for two skink priests and then slam whatever unit my carno is going for with Iceshard Blizzard, as well as any war machines on his way into combat. If you´re truly desperate the ironcurse icon helps a bit (very tiny bit). But when it comes to protecting him in combat youre only real option in an avarage 2000-2500 list is to use iceshard blizzard and Curse of the midnight wind to hell.

To give you an idea, casting two iceshard blizzards and a curse of the midnight wind on a unit of 25 chaos warriors of khorne with halbeards allowed my carno lord to butcher them in two rounds of combat. Granted, it gets a lot of luck to get that sort of stuff of if the enemy has a level 4. But moments like that is what I live for in warhammer.

 

[Moniker]

Wow, that'd be quite the battle. I like the idea though. Two level two priests, one on the engine... And then more stegadons to give him other targets. Love it! The one on the engine could have the Plaque of Tepok as well effectively making him a level 3.

 

[Stormfrog]

Just never let anyone tell you that a Carnosaur is bad. If you do a little effort to build the army around him (like clever use and gearing up of priests), and kit him out extra he is hell incarnate for the enemy. The true streangth of the carnosaur is the element of suprise. When people hear "Lizardmen" they tend to think "Life/light/shadow Slaan and a bunch of Temple guard, and they are largely not on guard to deal with a carnosaur rider. Here's how I use my carnosaur

Oldblood
- Armor of destiny
- Dawnstone
- Great Weapon
- Carnosaur
- The other tricksters shard

Since he's a saurus, and most of the army will be sporting the same LD as he is, you can safely put him on a flank. Then use a fast unit, preferably cold one cavalry (with a scar veteran if youre feeling cheesy). This combination will punch through pretty much anything from large monsters to elite fighting units. Use the priests to support them from a range. I normaly don't use an engine of the gods, since taking it, an extra priest, a scar vet to be youre BSB and optionaly a scar vet to run with the cavlary is impossible to fit in, so i'd stick with two priests with Staff of sorcery/Diadem of power/Cube of darkness etc etc, which gives you a fair magic defence. The other flank is supported by an anchient stegadon and a trio of salamanders, which gives the enemy warmachines a double take as to what they should shoot at, and it gives the saurus the extra support they need to hold on untill my cavalry and carnosaur can smash through the enemys flankers and charge into whatever the saurus are fighting.

As for the warmachine debate, I know these things vary from area to area, but I'v only faced warmachines once versus skaven, and he blew himself up on the first turn, so I don't really see them as that much of a consistant threat.

The Carnosaur lends itself to far more dynamic gameplay than the Slaan ever could, and winning due to your t-rex tearing apart the enemies deathstar with a unit of raptor riders backing him gives a far more satisfying feeling than you´re Temple Guard grinding them down due to the silly buffs you´re slaan cast on them.

 

[n810]

Saurus Oldblood
. . Carnosaur
. . Fencer's Blades
. . Shield of Ptolos
. . Aura of Quetzl
. . light Armour

I ran a build like this the other night and I have to say it did pretty good.

 

[Rizzq]

Thanks for the responses guys, its good to see that there are some carnosaur loyalists out there =)

it seems that magic is the only way to help the carno out.

I was planning something very similar to what you mentioned stormfrog, with a stegadon and cavalry for sure to keep the opponent's shooting split. thats the only way to do it really unless you want the carno to be an obvious target.

I was thinking of this build;

Oldblood-
Carnosaur,
Light armour,
Shield,
Gold Sigil Sword,
Venom of the Firefly Frog.

The plan being that initiative 10 poison attacks should reduce the damage coming back at the carnosaur.

Any thoughts on that or other general discussion about carnosaurs?

 

[n810]

Venom of the Firefly Frog only works with regular non-magical weapons:
Spears, halberds, hand weapons, great weapons, ect...

 

[Rizzq]

haha ah yes i did overlook that, also with the oldblood having strength 5 already and only 5 attacks poison may not be that effective compared to other upgrades.

 

[SouthlandLizardman]

using terrain is the best way to protect your Carnosaur from being shot. In Close Combat, the only thing I have found to work is to charge the Carnosaur into a flank, and I have found that because units want to win Combat Resolution, they will often ignore the carnosaur and attack the Unit which they are engaged in the front with.

Also, Charging in and issueing a challange sometimes works as then your only fighting one guy instead.

 

[Stormfrog]

True this.

Charging a Carnosaur into the flank of a unit fighting Saurus or something relativly squishy will often make the opponent choose to direct its attacks at the main unit, since they often provide easier combat resolution. And a carnosaurs place is allways on the flank, anything else is madness. Pin anything you want to fight with Saurus, Cavalry or kroxigors, then ram the carnosaur into the flank (or better yet, the rear. Only dont waste time trying to position him this way). A good way to use cavalry is to angle it so that the enemy unit can either choose to get a carnosaur or unit of cavalry in the rear, or get flanked by both. It's more or less the good old vice manuever.