Characters Builds

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NonnoSte
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Characters Builds

Post by NonnoSte »

I know that since the new book came out, a lot of small threads about this or that character have already come out.
What I’d like to achieve here is to gather in a single place as many builds as possible, so it will be easy for everyone to find or share some new interesting ideas and, most important, to have them ready and available quickly.

Therefore, anyone who will like to contribute can post here his personal builds and I’ll update the relative post with any incoming suggestion.
Mind that I’m only going to talk about custmizable characters, which substantially means Elven generic characters.
For now, I’m starting to collect the characters I actually use and the most popular and effective builds I’ve seen around on the forum. Since I’m going to describe and analyze their roles too, it’s possible I’ll fail to see some particular use or specific combos. Please, let me know if it happens and I’ll see to update them.

Just a final request to anyone interested in this: please submit only tested and effective characters, providing descriptions of their equipments, stats improvements and their roles in specific armies. Let’s try to avoid theoretical builds to fit strange and unusual items just for the sake of doing it.
It will help new and older players to find out which are the characters that actually work in their role, rather then a collection of fluffy builds that are not going to achieve much, if anything at all.

Glade Lords

Spellweaver

Glade Captains

Shadowdancer

Waystalker
Last edited by NonnoSte on 14 Feb 2015, 19:01, edited 1 time in total.
NonnoSte
Bladesinger
Bladesinger
Posts: 904
Joined: 07 Oct 2013, 14:59
Armies I play: All kind of Elves.
Location: Turin, Italy.

Re: Characters Builds

Post by NonnoSte »

Glade Lords


Tanky Glade Lord
Great weapon, Armor of Silvered Steel, Dawnstone.

30 pts free for a Magic Weapon (I wouldn’t bother, since Str6 is usually better than anything that can be given him) or an Enchanted Item (Potion of Strength or The Other Trickster’s Shard seem to be the best tools. I wouldn’t give him the HoDA, since he will be marching with his unit to get where needed, but it could still be an unexpected stand and shoot surprise)
This is one of the best Lords to lead a fighty block (namely, Eternal Guards or Wildwood Rangers) against other infantry units. The rerolalble 2+ ensures he’s well protected against anything up to Str 5 (on average 12 wounds are needed to kill him through his save, which usually mean at least 28 Str5 attacks) and his Str 6 attracks at good initiative are a great support for an infantry with low Str as Eternal Guards are.
Anyway, infantry blocks are less and less appealing and not much seen in general, because the new character allowance brought an increase on the number of monsters running around the battlefields (quite a big issue for infantries).


Shooty Glade Lord
Armor of Destiny, Bow of Loren, Hail of Doom Arrow, great weapon

He has a mediocre protection with 5+/4++ and the great weapon grants him 4 Str6 attacks without rerolls, but this model alone pumps out 5 BS6 (-1 for multi-shot) shots per turn with AP, plus the well known HoDA at +1 to hit respect of your cheper Captain, reliably hitting on 3+ even in sub-optimal situations. He effectively works like half a unit of Glade Guards, other than being an Ld 10 general and a 3W character protected by a 4++ with Str6 attacks.
His best use is to babysit your caster/BSB in the backfield when they're on foot (Moonstone on BSB is not a bad idea here). To be run possibly in a skirmishers unit, he can pick and delete last survivors from depleted units (when you don't want to waste 10 TFA or a unit of Waywatchers) or present a nasty Stand and Shoot Surprise to units charging the characters bunker.


Killy Glade Lord
Shield, Armor of Destiny, Sword of Antiheroes, The Other Trickster Shard.

Although mounting him will provide the mobility needed to bring him to the selected target, he fares well enough even on foot.
He has 4+/4++ and if he goes up against a character he will pack 5 ASF Str 5 attacks, which force rerolls on ward saves and if he happens to face a deathstar, things can get interesting quickly.
I think he’s a nice addition in a mid-sized unit of Wardancers, since the Skirmish rule allows him to move faster and can bring him easier to his targets.


Mounted Lords
Shield, Asrai spear, Dragon Helm, Talisman of Preservation (Armor of Destiny and Dragonbane Gem do the same thing for the same point cost), Potion of Strength.

Or

Shield, Ogre Blade, Armor of Destiny, Dragonbane Gem, Potion of Foolhardiness.
(thanks to Phil Rossiter for this build)

3+/4++ and a 2++ vs fire make them as survivable as a Wood Elf Lord can hope.

Their first role is to provide a mobile Ld 10 Inspiring Presence bubble anywhere you need on the battlefield, so they have to stay alive. Anyway, both options are good at killing stuff.
The first one packs 4 Str5 attacks with ASF and AP on the charge and 4 Str4, ASF, AP attacks in the subsequent turns, with the possibility to boost his Str with the potion for Str 8 and AP on the charge or Str 7 and AP in another turn. He is more flashy and can put a dent in extremely tough opponents (T6 or more) and well armoured ones (with the potion on the charge he negates armour) or he can still provide high strength attacks for two consecutive turns for grinds.
The second one dishes 4 Str 6 attacks permanently. For this reason, he’s more effective against infantries and at grinding down medium-heavy cavalries.
2++ vs fire makes them decent at tarpitting units with flaming attacks and it gives them some protection against Metal spells or flaming cannons when running alone.

The mounts available are:

Elven Steed: It gives the lord the Fast Cavalry special rule, allowing him to deploy with Wild Riders or Sisters of the Thorn without giving up the Vanguard move or the free reforms during the game. It also makes possible the Look out Sir! roll against template weapons (cannons, stone throwers, breath weapons and magical templates/vortexes) when sitting in a unit of 5+ models of cavalry.

Great Eagle: The added value from the Flying movement here, makes up for the loss of LoS! and the flexibility in deployment to some extent. They can seek shelter and cover easily, while being very effective in reaching enemy’s backlines fast. Furthermore they also gain T4, as well as 2 attacks and a stomp at Str4 from the Eagle.
It’s still possible to join units of infantry or cavalry to protect them from BS shooting altough they will have to “hop” from unit to unit or else the whole regiment will be at M2. (note that you cannot join units of Warhawk Riders because of the flying units rules).

Great Stag: The same arguments of the Eagle are still true, but they can sit inside units without crippling their movement (they still won’t have LoS! rolls and the light cavalries will lose the Fast Cavalry special rule, regardless).
The Stag also adds a pretty punch to the mix, with D3 impact hits and 2 attacks plus a stomp at Str5.
The model will also be Str5 for test purposes (Amyntok’s Net, Dwellers, Black Horror...).
I’d suggest to run them alongside if not even inside a Wild Riders unit to have a Wrecking ball running on the table.

Forest Dragon: Well, it’s a Dragon. What else do you need to know?
It will be an infantry smasher and it can easilly crush some armoured cavalries too.
Your General will also have an IP of 18” and an enormous bullseye on the forehead.
Beware of Metal mages, since they’ll wound the beast on 3+ and it won’t have wards of sort against them. The bright side is that if both the Dragon and the Rider are not dead your anemy won’t gain any VP at all, so the 2++ ward vs fire is quite mandatory.
Dragons are powerfull but need an army designed around them to work properly.
The possibility to run multiple of them is quite strong too and probably it makes for the most powerful combat Wood Elves army possible.


Dragon Lords:
Since recently a lot of Dragon builds are popping around, I thought I could update this thread, with a specific section for Dragon Lords.
With Dragons, The Other Trickster’s Shard is a sensible addition to make all those Str6 attacks count when needed (ie when trying to stomp 3++ Phoenix Guards or incredibly lucky Plaguebearers). However, differently from other elves, we don’t have very survivable characters to take the item, so I believe a wise opponent will be able to kill the Glade Lord carrying the item before the Dragon even strikes any blow.
Another sensible addition is the Charmed Shield. Charmed Shield and Talisman of Preservation instead of Armour of Destiny and Dragonbane Gem lower his saves to 4+/4++ and take away the 2++ vs fire, but he can now dodge the first hit on a 2+ (it’s like a one use only Look out Sir!).
I honestly don’t think it’s worth the loss of a point of armour and the save vs fire, but if you play against a lot of non-flaming cannons it could come to hand.
The two options for the mounted Glade Lord are still viable, but here are some of the alternative Dragon builds I’ve seen around:


Obsidian Dragon Lord:
Obsidian Blade, Armor of Destiny, shield
(thanks to Phazael for this)

The Obsidian Blade, even if costly, is a decent mean to get through 1+ saves, especially if re-rollable like those from Bretonnian characters or Giant Blade wielding Elven ones.
The Str6 of the Dragon lowers them “just” to a 4+, which could still be too much to take the character out after rerolls. Obsidian Blade ensures that some attacks will pass through regardless of their armour.
With just 50 pts free for defensive gears, the most sensible solution is Armor of Destiny for a 3+/4++ (Or the equivalent in Talisman of Preservation + Enchanted/Charmed Shield).


Ironcurse Dragon Lord:
Ogre Blade, Armor of Destiny, Dragonbane Gem, Ironcurse Icon, shield.
(thanks to Phil Rossiter for this)

As far as we can go with cannon protection for the Dragon.
The Icon takes the place of the Potion of Foolhardiness, trading the extra attack on charge once per game with a 6++ save against warmachines. That 1 time on 6 in which the Icon saves the Dragon from a cannon ball, it will be more than worth its cost.


Killer Dragon Lord:
Sword of Antiheroes, Charmed Shield, Talisman of Preservation, The Other Trickster’s Shard
(thanks to Mollesvinet for this)

This build combines the power of a Dragon with the killiness of the Sword of Antiheroes + The Other Trickster’s Shard.
Here the Shard has the double value of benefitting both the Str6 from the Dragon and the attacks from the Lord boosted by the sword. This Lord will be the most dangerous combination for enemy characters in challenges and probably he’s able to take on Deathstars all on his own.
EDIT: on second thoughts, as Mollesvinet found out, the relatively small base size of the Dragon can hardly keep many enemy characters in contact and since the Sword requires to have actual characters in base contact, it's not very functional (It's still dangerous for characters relying just on ward saves tough).

If you want to combine OTS and the Dragon killiness, te best build remains:

Other Trickster's Dragon
Ogre Blade, Talisman of Preservation, Other Trickster Shard, shield
(I think this was suggested by Phil again)

This Lord loses on protection with just a 4+/4++ but in total he packs 9 Str6 attacks (4 of which with re-rolls from the lord) and forces rerolls on wardsaves.
With a kit like this you can munch and stomp Plaguebearers, Phoenix Guards and Tzeentch Warriors like they were skinks. Beware of cannons which can kill both Lord and Dragon in a single shot and don't put him against characters he can't defeat, since the whole model is "just" Str6, so not the best to cut through 1+.
Last edited by NonnoSte on 28 May 2015, 16:15, edited 5 times in total.
NonnoSte
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Joined: 07 Oct 2013, 14:59
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Location: Turin, Italy.

Re: Characters Builds

Post by NonnoSte »

Spellweavers


Generic Spellweaver
Talisman of Preservation, Dispel Scroll/Earthing Rod/Power Stone/Power Scroll.

Altough very simple this is the most effective of the setups and packs the only real important things you need on a caster: the scroll and a ward save.
If she is your general it could be worth considering the Earthing Rod instead of the scroll, especially if you have a scroll caddy. Or else you can give her the Power Stone or the Power Scroll if you’re running more aggressive lores (ie Death, Shadow, Dark) and you can manage to be left with 2-3 spare power dice at the end of a magic phase.
Another viable option is to switch Talisman of Preservation for Obsidian Lodenstone for a nice 4++ against spell on the whole unit. It works particularly well inside units with a built in save (Dryads or Wardancers).


Moonstoning Spellweaver
Dispel Scroll, Opal Amulet, Moonstone of the Hidden Ways
(Thanks to Phil Rossiter again for this one)

The Amulet protects her from lucky cannon shots and the Moonstone makes the Weaver able to teleport her bunker around forests.
It works good only with Acorn of the Age or if you know you’re going to play on tables with at least another forest, otherwise it obviously has chances to be useless.
Very good units to teleport around are Scouts and Waywatchers because Moonstoning a unit counts as having marched and only skirmishers can shoot after marching (Note that Weavers can’t be deployed in such units but they’ll have to join them during the first turn) or also combat blocks like Eternal Guards and Wildwood Rangers.

Another option is to mount her on a steed and teleport around a Sister bunker (they can shoot too, being fast cavalry). I’d advice against using her in a Wild Riders unit, since a Frenzied bunker could be really troublesome for a caster and, what’s more, they should go against stuff a Weaver doesn’t like anyway.

I think the most reccomended lores are short ranged ones or those which require a bit of postioning. The best ones could be Death for snipe spells and good placed Purple Suns, Dark for Doombolts, Ld bombs or again nice vortexes or even Beast and Life if you use a fighty bunker and you try to place occasional Amber Spears or flashy Dwellers.


Book Weaver
Book of Ashur, Obsidian Amulet, elven steed

A fairly standard build since the new book came out, altough lately I’m seeing it less and less.
The +1 to cast of the Book sums up nicely with our unique feature to obtain a +1 when inside a forest on ANY lore we choose. This item grants us a sheer offensive predominance in the magic phase with the possible +6 total to cast whichever spell we’re going to attempt.
The downside is the cost of the Book, which leaves little to no room for defensive gears on the Spellweaver. Thus the logical setup seems to be mounting her inside a Sister bunker with MR(2) to have a 2++ against spells cast on the unit.
Since the Books helps casting attempts from any lore, there’s no real advantage in taking one over the others, although aggressive ones works best if cast with more ease.
Then again, Death, Shadow and Dark seems to get the most from it. Life can have some milleage too, since most of the spells are now cast with ease on one or two dice, boosted Dwellers needs “just” a 15+ on the dice (quite likely on 5 dice and not impossible on 4) and, most important, the Lore Attribute con help in keeping her alive. High Magic can be seen in a similar way too, but it uses counters to keep the Weaver in the battle instead of Lifeblossom.
I’d also consider this as a possible setup for the L4 in a Light council and it must be noticed that if running a cavalry heavy army, the potetial bonus to cast Beast buffs goes up to an outrageous +7.


Combat Darkweaver
Fencer’s Blade, Talisman of Preservation, Power Stone.

A kind of a standard build for a Darkweaver.
This Weaver has 2 WS 10 attacks with ASF, as well as a 4++ save and this is possibly the only viable fighty Weaver we can afford.
She can actually see combat since WS 10 means no one hits her with anything better than a 4+ and most regular troops hit her on 5+. Multiple Soul Stealer early game help in keeping her alive (if you hit combat with her on 6/7 wounds and the 4++, she’s very unlikely to get killed at all).
She’s great leading a unit of Eternal Guards, where the +1 Str from Power of Darkness and the flexibility of Word of Pain help them to kill things, before they die to the last elf. Shroud of Despair also benefits from being cast in the thick of the battle, where you would usually want your fighty block.


Highweaver on Unicorn
There are several viable builds taking advantage from the protection given by the Unicorn combined with High Magic counters and all of them start from the same base:
Unicorn, Talisman of Preservation.

The Unicorn gives the Spellweaver T4 and MR(2), which means that a 4++ ward save becomes an astounding 2++ against spells. High Magic counters ensure that those few wounds that sneak through the save are generally soaked up and with a couple of counters she’s also virtually immune to war machines, being able then to run alone around the battlefield.
People will tend to stop trying to kill her once she collected some counters, simply because the efforts to take them down won’t pay back most of the times and can be nullified by a good magic phase, so she’s effectively safe in most situations, even in combat.
(Note that very high volumes of attacks/shooting can still score enough wounds to burn out all the counters and eventually kill her)
Lastly, in combat the Unicorn adds 2 attacks and a stomp at Str 4. On the charge its attacks are also resolved at +2 Str, so it even stands some chance to wound tougher stuff.

From here on, you can build the Weaver as you like, according to the role you want her to perform.
Here some examples:

Unicorn, Talisman of Preservation, Earthing Rod/Dispel Scroll/Power stone
The esiest one just adds an Arcane Item to the kit.
The Rod grants ultimate protection for your general who shouldn’t even risk to cascade herself now. The Scroll, on the other hand, helps greatly your army if you don’t already have a scroll caddy.
The Stone, lastly, is great to pull off that big spell when it’s most needed (Fiery Convocation or Arcane Unforging usually).

Unicorn, Talisman of Preservation, Dispell Scroll, Sword of Antiheroes.
(thanks to Phazael for this)
The Sword of Antiheroes is not meant to have an enormous impact, but the Weaver can now charge some characrters once she collected some counters and even inflict some wounds.
She will have a good psychological impact, tough. No one will be happy to commit an important character in a fight from which he can’t possibly get out, risking occasional wounds in the meanwhile and this could influence the game greatly.

Unicorn, Talisman of Preservation, Dispel Scroll, The Other Trickster’s Shard.
(thanks to FriedTaterExplosion for this)
She covers a more supportive role, helping other characters/units to kill warded models.
The Unicorn helps her to keep up with Wild Riders or Warhawk Riders, as well as Eagle riding characters and the OTS helps wounds caused by them to pass through ward saves.
You can also add a cheap magic weapon, so that she can go hunting ethereal chaffs on her own. I tried the Relic Sword to have her wounding always at least on 5+, but it never really came into play anyway.

Unicorn, Talisman of Preservation, Power Stone, Crown of Command
(thanks again to Phil Rossiter for this)
She is the best tarpit we can hope for (probably even better than a Treeman Ancient).
With some counters racked up, she can tie a unit forever thanks to Stubborn and the negligible amount of wounds she’ll be suffering.
Drain Magic ensures she won’t be hexed, Apotheosis heals the casual wounds which pass through the counters and Hand of Glory can help keeping her alive, raising her WS up to 7.
The Power Stone enhances a magic phase when a resolutive spell like Arcane Unforging or Fiery Convocation is absolutely needed, but it can also be used to cast one of the forementioned spells with a single dice left at the end of the magic phase.
Including her in ranked unit of Dryads could be the only way make such a block to work properly.
Being on a 50x50 base, she will replace exactly 4 Dryads and it can be used to have ranks in a survivable unit (something WE gnerally lack) or to make way if it’s needed to intercept a powerful character. Stubborn, along the decent statlines of Dryads ensures they won’t be going away easily and MR(2) sums up nicely with the built in 6+.

The Unicorn Weaver is viable with other lores too, altough most of the build rely on counters to bring her in combat safely and, without them, she is suddently at risk of being cannoned out of the table too.
I would be worried to run a Weaver that exposed, since she’s usually 350+ pts easilly given to your opponents shooting.
The only alternative to protect her from war machines is to run a small unit of Warhawks as a screen from cannons or a bigger one (at least 5+) 3” nearby to provide a 4+ Look Out Sir! roll.
Reccomended alterantive lores are always the ones who benefit from the great mobility provided by the Unicorn (Death, Dark, Life, Beast).


Rod Highweaver
Talisman of Preservation, Forbidden Rod
(thanks to Slobber for this)

She is the easiest and safest solution to tip in your favour feeble Winds of Magic:
Slobber wrote:For high magic I like the forbidden rod as an arcane item, with a 4+ ward and tokens it's pretty safe to use. I like to save it for a low magic phase like 2/3 or 3/5 where the ~3.5 dice can make a big difference.
She can always be mounted on a Unicorn or a Steed and run solo or in a unit of Sisters to gat the most from High Counters, but she works well on foot too. The only issue is the general short range of High Magic.
The points left for a Magic Weapon or an Enchanted Item are reduced, but the addition of the Other Trickster's Shard, for instance, could make the Unicorn an interesting solution to contribute greatly to the battle, even after the Rod is used.


Highweaver on Steed
Elven Steed, Asrai Longbow, Talisman of Preservation, Dispel Scroll/Earthing Rod/Power Stone, HoDA.
(thanks to Mollesvinet for this)
Thanks to the Elven Steed and the gained fast cavalry special rule, she can sit in a unit of Sisters of the Thorn or Wild Riders and even join a unit of Glade Riders later in the game, without giving up vanguard or the free reforms of these units.
In the same fashion of the Unicorn Highweaver, she will provide protection counters for any unit she’ll be joining, thus making it extremely hard to kill and good in apporting CR to a stalled combat.
The fast cav also means that she can shoot the HoDA after marching and High Magic provides Hand of Glory to buff the BS of the unit she is in.
I’ve seen Mollesvinet running her in a unit of 9 Swiftshiver Shards Glade Riders, as soon as they show up, for an effective mobile fire platform (the HoDA plus 18 multishot at BS 6/7, hitting on 2+/3+ even after moving are very effective).
Last edited by NonnoSte on 16 Feb 2015, 16:27, edited 2 times in total.
NonnoSte
Bladesinger
Bladesinger
Posts: 904
Joined: 07 Oct 2013, 14:59
Armies I play: All kind of Elves.
Location: Turin, Italy.

Re: Characters Builds

Post by NonnoSte »

Glade Captains

Let me start with saying that I don’t rate Glade Captains very much if not as BSB.
However it’s to be noticed that at lower points levels (less than 1000 pts) it could be worth using a Glade Captain as a General, just to carry the HoDA, which at this point level can really swing a game entirely.

There are also a couple of possible builds where they need NOT to be the BSB to work, like when they’re working as expensive “suicide” single units.
Here are some options:


Chaff Captain
Elven Steed, Shield, Asrai Spear.

It’s the cheapest option to have an expendable fast cav chaff unit, which can work as diverter, chaff clearer and warmachine hunter for less than 90 pts.
He will still die to a sneeze since he has just 2W at T3, protected by a 4+, but he can get the job done, having a relatively easy day with most of other chaffs and war machines crew (I discourage to charge shooty chaffs like Skinks or Deepwood Scouts, tough).
He can be given the Dragonbane Gem to become a tarpit against flaming units or a cheap magic weapon to clear ethereal chaffs.
O&G players often use Goblin Big Bosses on Wolves for the same purpose. They’re undoubtely more effective, being cheaper and with T4, but an elven character has some advantages thanks to ASF, higher WS and a nice Ld9.
(Note that unlike Goblin Big Bosses, our Captains don’t bring anything to Wild Riders units, since they’re already at Ld9 and a single Wildrider packs more attack than a Captain for 60 pts less. So, if the purpose was to enhance the punch of Wild Riders, the points are better spent on more models)


Stag Rider Captain
(thanks to Extol for these, since he run the two of them with good results for some times)
Great Stag, Shield, Asrai Spear, Armor of Destiny

Or

Great Stag, Asrai Spear, Talisman of Preservation, Charmed Shield

The Stag gives him T4 and 3W, as well as 2 attacks, Impact Hits (D3) and a Stomp at Str5 for relatively few points (we are under 200 pts).
The Captains are protected by a 3+/4++ or a 4+/4++ ignoring the first hit on a 2+.
The Spear gives them Str5 on the charge and AP. It’s possible to run them with Great Weapons for Str6 attacks without re-rolls and AP, but their real damage is on the charge anyway. One of them charging can dish out up to 9 Str 5 hits.
The issue here is the absence of Look Out Sir! rolls (for this reason I don’t suggest to use them as BSB, but if you really have to the one with Charmed Shield is a bit safer from cannons) and the loss of the fast cav rule in units of Wild Riders or Sisters of the Thorn if he joins them.
They work very well alone, acting like faster chariots or in a unit made by two of them to split the hits they recieve from light fire.
Joining a Unicorn Highweaver is also a good idea to keep them safe from cannons and you can run them as a Character unit, with all the benefits recently exploited by Millingskink with his simulated Monstuous Fast Cav unit.

It’s possible to run them on Eagles too, to have a greater mobility, but losing the damage provided by the Stag and the possibility to run in units.
I don’t think they’re really worth the points and, if you ask me, it’s a real shame, because I think that a lot of older players will have at least a couple of Eagle Riders models hanging around.


A much more useful way to run a Glade Captain, anyway, is to upgrade him to BSB.
Here are the most common builds I’ve seen.


Foot BSB
Great Weapon, Armor of Silvered Steel, Luckstone.

Or

Great Weapon, Shield, Armor of Destiny.

Both of them can sit in a decent unit of Eternal Guards, Wildwood Rangers or Wardancer, leading them in combat. They are quite survivble with a 2+ with a re-roll or a 4+/4++, while the Great Weapon ensures they’re dishing out 3 Str6 attacks per round, which can help their unit to kill tougher things.
Similarly to the foot Glade Lord, the tendency to run less and less fighty infantry blocks means these builds are not seen that often, since a foot BSB is better suited to sit in Glade Guard unit in the backfield, carrying just the HoDA or the Moonstone.


Foot HoDA BSB
Hail of Doom Arrow, Charmed Shield, Opal Amulet, great weapon.
(thanks to godswearhat and Baardah for this)
godswearhats wrote:The two magic items give her a lot of survivability in the one round of combat she is ever likely to see. The GW gives S6 attacks at I7, which is enough to deal with most fast Cav units that try to threaten your back field.
He (or she, if you prefer) is protected just by a 5+ armor save, but ignores the first hit on a 2+ and the first wound on a 4++.
If you want him to protect your backfield from fast cavs, you can also give him Star/Moonfire shaft, since he will then cause fear in cavalry and warbeasts (at least, in my area they're ruled as regular flaming attacks).


Mounted HoDA BSB
Elven Steed, Asrai Spear, Enchanted/Charmed Shield, Dragonbane Gem, HoDA.

Since it’s common agreement that a BSB is mostly useful in any kind of army, he might as well carry some useful item around.
Mounting a BSB is the best protection we can give him: he gains the fast cavalry special rule and he can then join units of Sisters or Wild Riders to run around the battlefield almost unharmed if well played.
With this setup he’s got also a 3+ and a 2++ against flaming attacks (good for Skillcannons, Breath Weapons, etc...). It’s always worth considering the Charmed Shield instead of the Enchanted one if facing lots of cannons (downgrading the armor save to a 4+, but ignoring the first hit).
The HoDA is well suited for a BSB with the good BS6 and being fast cav, he can still shoot after marching.
Note that being an Enchanted Item and not a Magic Weapon, if the BSB is in a unit with the Banner of Eternal Flame, the HoDA will be flaming.


Mounted Moonstone BSB
Elven Steed, Asrai Spear, Enchanted Shield, Dragonbane Gem, Moonstone of the Hidden Ways.

Almost identical to the previous one, the Moonstone instead of the HoDA makes him better fitting into a Sisters bus with other characters, because of the escape route this item provides.
(Note that being fast cavalry, Sisters can still throw their javelines after moonstoning, since they’re not prevented to shoot after marching).


MR BSB
Elven Steed, Asrai Spear, Charmed Shield, Obsidian Lodenstone.

He is protected just by a 4+, but he provides MR(3) to his unit.
He’s meant to hide in a Sister Bunker (possibly in the second rank, to avoid combat) alongside some killy characters and an Highweaver. His role is just to provide Magic Resistance to the first row characters (ie the Giant Blade Lord) and to the whole unit, protecting them from Death snipes and saving High counters from magic missiles.
The Charmed Shield is there just to save him from the casual Look Out Sir! roll failed.
Last edited by NonnoSte on 30 Mar 2015, 14:55, edited 3 times in total.
NonnoSte
Bladesinger
Bladesinger
Posts: 904
Joined: 07 Oct 2013, 14:59
Armies I play: All kind of Elves.
Location: Turin, Italy.

Re: Characters Builds

Post by NonnoSte »

Shadowdancers

Thanks to their dances, Shadowdancers are good at tanking enemy characters for a turn or trying the lucky KB on them, otherwise their no rank dance can help winning a combat big, essentially granting up to a +3 CR for free.
Lastly the +1 attack dance gives her 5 attacks which can be useful to clear some chaffs.
Thy’re usually better inside ranked units (namely Eternal Guards or Wildwood Rangers) to negate ranks of opposing units and add some other little bonuses. (Note that, against Skaven, to negate ranks means also taking away their Strength in Numbers special rule)
Unfortunately their magic items allowance is reduced to 25 pts and it means there’s no much room to tool them up in so many ways.


Scroll Caddy
Lvl 1 Shadow, Dispel Scroll

Not much to be said.
She’s quite expensive as far as scroll caddies go, but being a fighty shadow mage can enable some interesting tricks with other characters thank to Smoke and Mirrors (ie taking place of a Spellweaver who’s going to end in combat or else switching with a kitted out Glade Lord).


Forestdancer
Lvl1, Calaingor Staff

Not very effective actually, but in lower points games she can lead an Eternal Guards block, moving the free Venom Thicket exactly where it’s needed to fight with your unit inside.
Better if you have a unit of Sisters too, to provide “real” magic support.


Infantry Disrupter
Glittering Scales

She’s the best character to send against rank and file regular infantry.
Her WS of 7 means that she’s hit on 6+ with the Glittering Scales by most non-elite infantries and her no-rank dance can help a unit of Eternal Guard to win combats against other ranked units. (Note that Steadfast will still be there, so the opposing unit is better if it’s of a size similar to or even smaller than your own, otherwise winning combat big or for a single point won’t matter at all)


The Challenger
Potion of Strength, Charmed Shield

The Potion of Strength gives her a turn of Str 7 attacks, which combined with the +1A dance (for 5 ASF attacks) can even harm an enemy Lord level character.
The Charmed Shield can help her staying alive a turn more, soaking up one succesful attack from the opposing character, but those 5 pts are really up to taste. A viable option could be the Dragonbane Gem, which combined with the no-rank dance can tarpit a flaming unit, especially if she’s stubborn in a wood.


Ld bomb enabler
Terrifying Mask of EEE!

When she runs inside a unit of Eternal Guards with a Darkweaver, she enables a lot of nice synergies.
Power of Darkness gives her a much needed +1 Str, Word of Pain helps to increase her survivability and the Terror provided by the Mask can enable an Ld bomb through Shroud of Despair, which can very likely turn a match.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by NonnoSte »

Waystalkers

Waystalkers are considered almost a gimmick, but with the advent of End of Times and the rise in popularity of the various Elven armies (including the Eternity King one), they can turn out being more useful than suspected.
I think one of their main strength, often overlooked, is to carry some magic items close to enemy lines and I’m a bit surprised no one has yet proposed to use them this way.
Sure the reduced point allowance of magic items (as for the Shadowdancer) doesn’t leave much room to experiment, but a couple of things can still be achieved.


Lorenstalker
Bow of Loren, Charmed Shield

Each turn he can fire two sniper shots which ignore armour saves, chosing the aimed-shot. (Note that the Bow of Loren CAN’T be combined with the fast-shot ability to increase the amount of shots the Stalker will fire over 2)
When the new book came out, it looked like the ultimate solution for sniping characters.
It’s been tested and reconsidered since then (you start with -2 to hit for Multishot and Sniper, then add moving and long range and you’re hitting on 4+ without factoring in possible covers, then you have to wound with Str3 and the target will still be allowed to take ward saves). Players realized he’s not likely to kill many powerful or protected characters, but he can still be very useful, especially if run alongside other Waystalkers.
He can still kill an unprotected hero level mage in two turns of shooting (great to force early scrolls or to kill the caddy outright) or chip away wounds at already wounded chracters.
That being said, his most useful application is, probably, alongside Dragon Lords.
He will reliably snipe champions from units (it can be done, since champions are the only command model that can be singled out from the unit) before the Dragon charges them, so the Lord can avoid a challenge which will lock down the entire model for a turn.


Firestalker
Ruby Ring of Ruin

I think this is the best use out of this character. He will provide a Fireball anywhere on the battelfield, deployed after all the enemy’s drops.
If running in a unit of Waywatchers or TFA Scouts, this Stalker can take out a small unit per turn with the Fireball followed by his unit’s shooting. Him plus 9 Waywatchers can reliably kill a unit of 10 archers in a single turn or at least force two panic tests.


Creepy Stalker
Terrifying Mask of EEE!

Useful just against less disciplined armies or combined with Ld reduction spells (Doom and Darkness, Iceshard Blizzard, Shroud of Despair).
In some occasions he could make units flee from the table just by declaring long charges. Being deployed as Scout allows him to stay out of harm while still being able to charge the target unit from interesting angles.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Phil Rossiter »

Good work NonnoSte!

I'm actually starting to see a revival in big Core infantry blocks. Think Blasted Standard Warriors or Plaguebearer-star. EG are less obvious but the Stubborn and possibilities for character interaction are interesting, especially under comp.

As far as Book of Ashur goes, on the one hand it seems wise to spam low-cast spells because that way you're adding the +6 in more times. Alternatively, it could make it harder for the enemy to stop a 6-diced spell. A mention also for Power Scroll. 2-diced Mindrazor for example.

I run BSB, Horse, GW, 4+ Ward armour, Sh. This guy goes in Sisters with Musician, Razor Standard and Stag Lord. The point is that everything has a 4++ which means no soft targets for snipes and you can throw it into armour-ignoring stuff like Trolls. Razor soups up everything. The BSB is still the weakest link but solo characters for example will be challenged out by the Lord.

It's also worth noting that a Great Stag or Unicorn can be moved 18/20" out of a Fast Cav unit in any direction. The unit then makes a Fast Cav move. All you lose is that the unit is split afterwards.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Q10fanatic »

This is just fantastic! I never thought of using Calaingor's staff with the shadow dancer.

One point about The Challenger build, you can choose to run the KB dance, whic will also grant the attacks the AP rule. S7 AP + KB may be even more effective than the +1A dance. Not sure on the math.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Slobber »

For high magic I like the forbidden rod as an arcane item, with a 4+ ward and tokens it's pretty safe to use. I like to save it for a low magic phase like 2/3 or 3/5 where the ~3.5 dice can make a big difference.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Daeron »

Excellent work!

The only thing missing is your take on spellsinger builds.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by nXken »

Great idea of the fireball waystalker :)
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by NonnoSte »

@Phil:
Interesting observations.
Do you think it's safe to run a warriors block with the Blasted Standard with all the elven shooting around? The 1 on 6 chance to face 10-15 TFA, 20 archers with HoG up or even just 20 RXB at Str6 looks quite a gamble to me.

About Power Scroll, are you confident with 2-dicing spells with it? On two dice the odds should be around 17% to get an IF. Or am I doing the math wrong?

Good catch on moving Stags and Unicorns away to regain fast cav. I usually do it by charging them out to clear stuff placed to block the bus.

About the AoD mounted BSB, I thought to add a section specifically for possible Sisters buses.

@Q10fanatic:
I'm at work now, so I don't have time to calculate the odds. As soon as I get home I'll see which option has the upper hand.

@Slobber:
Nice suggestion about forbidden Rod. I'm adding it to the list.

@Daeron:
I left Spellsingers out because they're not very customizable.
With them you just have to choose the lore and the magic item of choice and that's it.
High Elves have some interesting combos and synergies because of their cheap magic items, but we are almost limited to use them as caddies of some sort (Moonstone or Scroll most of the times).
Anyway, I think I can add a section about Light Covens.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by thorpechris »

This is really useful thank you for posting!

Has anyone run a shadow dancer with bow of loren in a unit of 3 x 6 archers/scouts that are in a wood?

He'd be firing four, strength 3, BS6 attacks each turn, and if charged would obviously get to stand and shoot, and then offer a challenge, and sap the rank bonus (if you chose that dance) of the unit that charged you if it's a big unit, or indeed use another dance. In cc not only would you get re-rolls for hits as they're elves, you'd also fight in 3 ranks (18 attacks) and get to re-roll 1s to wound...
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Phil Rossiter »

Blasted Standard Warriors is probably the default build IMHO, certainly in the UK. It protects the characters from cannon (and RBT) Against Wood Elves I think he just rushes the Discs and Daemonic Mounts forwards and doesn't worry too much about the Warriors.

I believe you're referring to the Power Scroll in the BRB? It's been replaced by a completely different item in the FAQ. It now halves the casting cost for one spell.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Gwill_of_the_Woods »

Awesome work! :)

Unfortunately I don't think that you can tree sing a forest with your unit inside any more. It only moves unoccupied forests! :(
I may make a no surfing sign to go in my citadel forest :p

I haven't had the chance to use a shadow dancer yet but I have been experimenting with different ideas, I really found the lists useful and inspiring.

Waystalker with ruby ring...Awesome! :evil:
Long live the King in the Woods!!!
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by NonnoSte »

Phil Rossiter wrote: I believe you're referring to the Power Scroll in the BRB? It's been replaced by a completely different item in the FAQ. It now halves the casting cost for one spell.
I was indeed.
I must have missed some FAQs.
Obviously it's worth way ore than the old one. Any 6-spell becomes a given on 2-3 dice.
Is it still at the same cost?

Gwill_of_the_Woods wrote: Unfortunately I don't think that you can tree sing a forest with your unit inside any more. It only moves unoccupied forests! :(
I may make a no surfing sign to go in my citadel forest :p
You're right, of course.

I used it a couple of times to move the forest, following it with EG.
But we're talking of games under 1000 pts on smaller tables and it was mostly fun, while pretty efficient to get the most out of EG.

I don't think it's worth something up to 2400-2500 games.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Phil Rossiter »

There was a lot of complaint because the BRB item on a lvl2 Peg Sorceress for example could be used to fly up the flank of an I2 army and virtually guarantee IF'ing Purple Sun along it.

Yes it's still the same cost. Very nasty and very popular for Dreaded 13th. Especially good under ETC and other comps that cap casting dice. Mindrazor is a good use, Convocation, Purple Sun. It doesn't work on boosted versions of spells though, so less useful for Dwellers, say.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by NonnoSte »

Is it on the latest update of Black Library FAQs?
I guess I have to go and check them a bit more frequently and a bit more carefully.
Thanks

I think I'll try it next game.
It looks interesting with Heavens too, against MSU armies.
You cast Chain Lightning on what? 7+? It could be even one-diced.
Also L2 on Beast with Kadon are pretty granted to transform with a couple of dice.

(I absolutely agree with the BRB item, but on a L2 it meant that the spell was not granted, so you needed another L4 caster on Death, which was a big investment both in points and comp usually)
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Phil Rossiter »

Yes, it's there. Part of the Errata. Been there for years TBH as this problem hit tournaments early.

It's true that you need more levels on Death to guarantee Purple Sun but that was little comfort to the players of I2 armies. Double Death is not a bad build, I still see it in the armies of strong players sometimes. Yes I could see comp being an issue for this. I also remember some UK comp packs specifically banning the old Power Scroll.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Mollesvinet »

In my current list I use it to cast Fiery Convocation on a 10+, which is nice because if it goes through then the enemy still need to dispel it at 19+ on the following turns :D
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Characters Builds

Post by Baardah »

A couple of glade captain builds I like

Glade captain
Great eagle
Asrai spear
Helm of the hunt
Potion of strength

This guy is a warmachine hunter.


BSB captain
Steed
Hail of doom arrow
Opal amulet
Charmed shield

This guy is actually pretty resilient. First hit ignored on 2+, then a 4++ for first wound and then there is the superb HODA.

Lots of tools with this guy. And he works equally with stag or on eagle...or foot in a bunker too....
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That item is a horse...
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Syphilis »

Wow this is amazing. I've only just started experimenting with a unicorn Spellweaver...but I think I may have to try a combat glade lord, a waystalker with RUBY RING! and maybe even a Shadow Dancer with the bow of Loren. Would you bother to upgrade the Dancer to a Lvl 1?
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Furion »

Has anyone tried a shadowdancer with the other tricksters shard?

I want to try this build out as an assassin build. He's obviously fragile but if you can get him into the enemy general then KB dance could pay dividends
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by Phil Rossiter »

That sounds excellent. I'd had Potion of Strength down but this is a clear competitor.

I've always felt the magic level had legs. Yes it's expensive but it's cheaper than buying a Hero-level mage. Smoke and Mirrors should be great for a gal like this. Miasma is always useful plus you might roll up something powerful or improve another wizard's spell selection.
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Re: Characters Builds

Post by nXken »

Hi guys,

Some ideas I had.

Lord on Dragon
Daith"s Reaper(50) + TOTS (15)(no armor saves + reroll succesful wards)
Enchanted Shield (5)
Talisman of Preservation (45)
Armor save: mounted(+1), E-shield (+2), light Armor (+1) = 2+ AS
Ward Save: Minimum 4+ from the item, don't know if the Forest-spirit gives bonus.... Could swap for MR if this lord gets a ward from his mount.

Your feedback is highly appreciated :)
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