Has anyone had any luck with using just a single salamander hunting pack as a unit? Or does it usually take 2 to get the job done? I guess with just 1 in a pack, you would need to run them near the flanks so that they can shoot across enemy lines to maximize carnage. Looking for anyone who has actually been able to use them.
The more you have, the more handlers there are thus the longer the unit should survive. However, with only a single wound causing panic I can definitely see a lone salamander being a pain for the opponent as long as you used it carefully and didn't expose it to shooting too early.
I'm thinking you'd want to invest in an extra handler for the pack if you're running it alone. That means 2 wounds are needed to cause a panic test instead of 1.
EDIT: After reading again, yep, absolutely just number of models. Seems weird to me that seeing the sallie die would be just as upsetting as a skink, but then the handlers are probably all drinking buddies and such (or the lizardmen equivalent).
I actually read up on that for a tourney, and if my reading at the time was correct, panic checks are based on the number of MODELS lost. So yes, the extra skink would help.
In the last tourney I was in I ran a pack of 2 with 6 handlers and a pack on one with 4 handlers. I thought it worked pretty well.