Can we make skink only lists work in 8th? With no slann/temple guard you get a ton of points to put in special and rare. I'm editing this post as we go. Right now I'm trying to minimize the effects of low leadership and increase the combat power of my 'hard hitters' so that I'll still be able to play the game to some extent. 2500 on the nose Tetto'eko Skink Chief, BSB, lustrian javelin, shield, light armor, standard of discipline Skink Priest, Cube of Darkness 24 skinks, FC, poison 3 Kroxigor 10 Skink cohorts with banner, muso 10 Skink cohorts with banner, muso 10 Skink skirmishers with blow pipes 10 Skink skirmishers with blow pipes Bastiladon, Solar Engine Bastiladon, Solar Engine 6 Chameleon Skinks 6 Chameleon Skinks 3 Ripperdactyls 3 Ripperdactyls 8 Kroxigor Ancient Stegadon, Sharpened Horns 2 Salamanders As you can see I have a ton of points in special, 1500 points are in special and rare. This should make it a fun army to play and potentially powerful if used correctly. Right now, the general counts as LD 7 unless the Kroxigor leadership overrules it to make it LD 8 for the unit. The skink cohorts get +1 to rally for the musician which helps. Kroxigors are LD 7 naturally, Stegadons are stubborn. I've got some good warmachine hunters in the rippers and chameleon skinks. The Bastiladons are good at clearing chaff and should help take down some of the combat blocks so that the Kroxigors can handle them. Tetto'eko can vanguard the salamanders into position to flame away the big units. Magic is key for this army and, unfortunately, we're stuck with a level 2 as our primary caster if I'm not using Tenehuin. He has some special rules to help and I could drop poison from the big unit of Skrox to get an engine of the gods on the ancient stegadon to help with casting. However, the strategy is going to be to choose which spells I need and power those through. Wyssam's Wildform will be a key buff and lore of heavens always has some useful spells to cast. I am at 5 Fortitude though which is really low especially with T2 troops... Not sure how to get around that without sacrificing too much for skink cohorts. Thoughts?
You're going to take a LD hit, since your max non character Ld is 6, you'll need a special character to have it be decent. An MSU kinda list with a mobile BSB though might work without... i won't dismiss the idea.
Interestingly the banner of discipline on a bsb in that skrox unit makes them LD 8. I would include tenehuin at 3000 and maybe LD 7 Oxatyol below that. If you include fear causers in your units then you're immune to terror also. With low level casters you really have to decide which spells are important and force those through, tetto'eko helps.
Due to unfortunate working in the BRB, I don't think anything can overrule your general's Ld. BRB Pg 107: "Provided that the General is not fleeing, all friendly units within 12" use his Ld instead of their own." The rule doesn't give you the choice to use your Generals Ld or your unit's Ld, which ever is higher. This can lead to Ld-affecting spells being cast on your General which then reduces the Ld of all the nearby units. (This keeps happening to me with a Dark Elf opponent) But Ld 7 is still better than Ld 5 for the majority of your units!
Also you do not get immunity to terror as such, only the terror specific effect (the automatic flee reaction if you fail leadership), you still have to roll through terror's fear affect as though it causes fear.