AoS Shooty Flying Aqshy, 2k Points

[Ixt]

I made a critical error in the first list; please see the updated list below.

Well, it seems I've picked a good time to return!

I've been following folks' posts about all the updates, changes, FAQs, and so on; I got a bit excited and decided to buy some PDFs and make a list.

I used to play extensively around 2016, back when the game was barebones. I wrote up a number of tactics and unit formations (not the battalion stuff, but how to arrange infantry) and played and theorized and loved it all, but life called, ending my hobby for a time.

I thought I'd get my feet wet with something of an unconventional list for me: a skink-heavy monster list with an emphasis on shooting. Typically, I favor the Saurus/Cold One approach, but the Thunderquake Starhost really caught my eye, as well as the Realm of Origin rules.

What I'm going for is an all-in, high-movement, wily, tricky & aggressive force. Survivability is *not* the name of the game for this one.

I thought, "Lizards sure do love the heat...

... and these lizards love bringing the heat...

and, by god, this list cannot take the heat."

I chose Aqshy for Origin, picked two artefacts from there, I've got the Burning Head, I got
Salamanders, Sunleech Bolas... and I think that it all just might synergize.

I suspect it's unconventional to focus on shooting like this, and I'm certainly rusty, but I'd love to hear what y'all think. It seems like this could be a really fun army to play with or play against... and I have a feeling it might even be kinda good?

I doubt that there will be a ton of summoning with this list (in favor of casting), but I also haven't played for like 3 years so I don't have a frame of reference for the new rules. I've looked at the CCP table, though, and I think I'd be content to summon smaller, cheaper units in this list.


++ **Pitched Battle** 2,000 (Order - Seraphon) [1,980pts] ++

+ Leader +

Skink Priest:
Cloak of Feathers and Starbolt

Slann Starmaster:
2. Thermalrider Cloak,
2. Vast Intellect,
2. Claws of Glory,
General

+ Battleline +

Skinks: 40 Skinks,
Boltspitters and Star-bucklers

Skinks: 10 Skinks,
Boltspitters and Star-bucklers

Skinks: 10 Skinks,
Boltspitters and Star-bucklers

+ Other +

Terradon Riders: 6 Terradon Riders,
Sunleech Bolas

+ Battalion +

Battalion: Thunderquake Starhost

. Engine of the Gods:
5. Onyx Blade (Crushing Hooves)

. Hunting Pack

. . Razordons: 3x Razordons

. . Skink Handlers: 3 Skink Handlers

. Stegadon: Skink Alpha, Skystreak Bow

. Stegadon: Skink Alpha, Skystreak Bow

+ Allegiance +

Allegiance
. Allegiance: Seraphon

+ Game Options +

Game Type: 2000 Points - Battlehost

+ Realm of Origin +

Realm of Origin: Origin: Aqshy

+ Malign Sorcery +

Endless Spell: Prismatic Palisade

Endless Spell: The Burning Head

++ Total: [1980pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

Excited to hear folks' thoughts!

 

[Aginor]

Onyx Blade

Unfortunately weapon artefacts cannot be used by weapons of the mount.

As for the list: I think it can work.
I am a fan of Terradons so I definitely want them to work.

The Burning head is quite risky though. Should your opponent get to control it they might move it to hurt you and/or buff his own troops with it.

 

[Ixt]

Unfortunately weapon artefacts cannot be used by weapons of the mount.

Well damn! I had no idea. Just relics then?

As for the list: I think it can work.
I am a fan of Terradons so I definitely want them to work.

The Burning head is quite risky though. Should your opponent get to control it they might move it to hurt you and/or buff his own troops with it.

Totally. From what I understand, both sides get to control endless spells freely? Do they generally become omething of a tug-of-war?

 

[Aginor]

Just relics then?

Disputed, most signs point to 'no' though.

From what I understand, both sides get to control endless spells freely?

The player going second in a round gets to control the first predatory (meams moving) endless spell on the table, and then they take turns controlling spells. So if there is only one on the table, the player who won initiative cannot control it.

Do they generally become omething of a tug-of-war?

Sometimes. Although dispelling them can be an option of course. And because of the way they are controlled it happens that the player who cast it controls it once, and for the rest of the game the other player has it under control.
Which is why I am careful with the predatory spells.

 

[Ixt]

Disputed, most signs point to 'no' though.


The player going second in a round gets to control the first predatory (meams moving) endless spell on the table, and then they take turns controlling spells. So if there is only one on the table, the player who won initiative cannot control it.


Sometimes. Although dispelling them can be an option of course. And because of the way they are controlled it happens that the player who cast it controls it once, and for the rest of the game the other player has it under control.
Which is why I am careful with the predatory spells.

Right on. Thanks for this clarification/help!

 

[Ixt]

Tinkered with it a bit to accomodate the no-artefact-on-EotG ruling.

Not 100% sure on Salamanders vs. Razordons. I kinda like the Salamanders for the aggression.

I suspect I'll be summoning a bit, here. So, what would be a good order of things?

Seems like getting an Astrolith Bearer summoned near the 3 Stegadons (lol 3 Stegadons) would be nice for helping the Slann cast spells, as well as rerolling hits for 9 bow shots from the lol 3 Stegadons.

In the meantime, the Slann has 2 Arcane Vassals and the Skink Alphas will typically use their ability to re-roll 1s on the lol 3 Stegadon bow shots...

++ **Pitched Battle** 2,000 (Order - Seraphon) [2,000pts] ++

+ Allegiance +

Allegiance
. Allegiance: Seraphon

+ Realm of Origin +

Realm of Origin:
Origin: Aqshy

+ Leader +

Skink Priest:
4. Light of Dracothion,
Cloak of Feathers and Starbolt

Slann Starmaster:
6. Stellar Tempest,
2. Thermalrider Cloak,
3. Great Rememberer,
General

+ Behemoth +

Stegadon: Skink Alpha,
Skystreak Bow

+ Battleline +

Skinks: 40 Skinks,
Meteoric Javelins and Star-bucklers

Skinks: 10 Skinks,
Boltspitters and Star-bucklers

Skinks: 10 Skinks,
Boltspitters and Star-bucklers

+ Other +

Ripperdactyl Riders: 3 Ripperdactyl Riders

+ Battalion +

Battalion: Thunderquake Starhost

. Hunting Pack
. . Salamanders: 3x Salamander
. . Skink Handlers: 3 Skink Handlers

. Stegadon: Skink Alpha,
Skystreak Bow

. Stegadon: Skink Alpha,
Skystreak Bow

. Troglodon

+ Malign Sorcery +

Endless Spell: Prismatic Palisade

+ Command Points +

Purchased Command Points: 1 Command Point

++ Total: [2,000pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

 

[Ixt]

Am I right in understanding that The Creator's Will (via Thunderquake Starhost, aka TQ) grants re-rolls that affect missile weapons in the following turn's shooting phase (even if the shooting unit is not in close combat)?

If so, the 3 Skystreak Bows could target monsters and send them down their damage tables very, very quickly by re-rolling 1s from Skink Alpha & re-rolling wounds from The Creator's Will's 'Savage' effect.

The following assumes that the Skink Alpha targets its own Stegadon, that the Stegadon benefits from The Creator's Will (Savage), and that all 3 Stegadons are firing their Skystreak Bows at the same thing.

If this works, that's...

9 shots w/ 1d3 damage @ 25", hitting on 4+, rerolling 1s via Skink Alpha, wounding on 3+, rerolling fails for 2 TQ Stegadons via 'Savage'.

That will typically see 7-9 wounds struck, saving at -1. The graphic lumps in all 3 Stegadons, but 1 Stegadon is not TQ/not Savage/does not reroll wounds.

Assuming that the target is a monster with a 4+ save, its save becomes 5+. That's normally something like 6 wounds getting through per shooting phase.

Context: imagine that this all happens to an EotG -- perhaps even your own EotG.

An EotG that takes 6 wounds is 1 wound away from being a complete slouch... and all of those 6 wounds were, frighteningly, delivered in one phase, and, more frighteningly, delivered reliably, from a long, long way away.

Anyway -- onward with the math!

Summon an Astrolith Bearer nearby, and it gets even better: 10-12 wounds per shooting phase (before saves, meaning like 7-9 get through @ 4+ rended to 5+).

Remember -- this is all rolled against 4+ armor saves. Monsters with 5+ armor saves (rended to 6+) will fold like paper. They will take almost every single wound.

Heck! Even the Troglodon's spit attack becomes something fierce with a Skink Alpha/Savage buff!

Noxious Spittle's 1d3 attacks, before saves...

1 attack: ~70% chance for 2 wounds;
2 attacks: ~50% chance for either 2 or 4 wounds;
3 attacks: ~17% chance for 2 wounds, ~50% chance for 4 wounds, ~33% chance for 6 wounds.

For what it's worth, gaining the 3" charge bonus from 'Drawn To The Screams' is way, way more likely now. Charging in on the same turn (with full health & buffs in place), that Troglodon is likely to generate 7 wounds (before saves) in combat.

BUT I DIGRESS! As much as I love and have always loved the Troglodon (even in 8th edition -- sue me), I'm talking about the shooty Stegadon meta and I think that it seems pretty good.

The Stegadons are likely best-off focus-firing anything with a 5+ armor save, other monsters, or fast units, or heroes, or glass cannons, etc. while moving up field.

Just before combat looms, switch to 'Swift' and have a ball.

It's a good thing that 2 of them are self-healing and re-rolling saves while 'savage,' cuz they'll likely need them heals and rerolls for all the attention they ought to be getting.

I think that giving consideration to the profile to which the Skystreak Bow is attached imparts a greater significance to all of this. This is a unit that can devastate at range, then tarpit or wreck up close. Your mileage may vary, but it's not bad mileage regardless.

ps. I ran the Savage buff on my 3 Salamanders. Unfortunately, they're not eligible targets for the Skink Alpha. That having been said, Claws of Glory works just as well on them (if you must).

Typical result (without any rerolls to hit) sees 5-7 wounds before saves, not counting the mortal wounds from acid.

With rerolling 1s to hit, you're looking at 7-9 wounds.

The d6 damage is random as heck, but gaining 3d6 more reliably is not bad at all for cracking armor.

 

[ILKAIN]

EoTG can take a non-weapon relic. we throw aethereal charms and griffon father cloaks on them all the time. If the relic affects a weapon directly, for instance says "select a weapon to become the hero bane" then only a non mount weapon can be selected.

 

[Ixt]

EoTG can take a non-weapon relic. we throw aethereal charms and griffon father cloaks on them all the time. If the relic affects a weapon directly, for instance says "select a weapon to become the hero bane" then only a non mount weapon can be selected.

Hey thanks for the heads up!

Silver-lining is that this misunderstanding put me out of my usual playstyle/list-building comfort zone, and now I have a pretty fun list here!

 

[LizardWizard]

The revised list looks fun. I think the math favors Bastiladons with Solar Engines in Thunderquake though. Also, a 3+ unrendable & rerollable save on the Bastiladons goes a long way in the current meta.