Post by Atreju on Jul 3, 2015 16:15:24 GMT
This is from the en-forum, written by pseudokinetic.
Going for a mild 3.5 revision, the lions got a nice tweek w/ the fact that spells are now 'free' to play, and to a lesser extent w/ new shooting rules:
STRENGTHS:
- high level of magic and a couple of the best mages in the game.
- above average discipline, only truly beaten by dwarves and griffins.
- best heavy cavalry model in the game.
- high courage and an army ability that doesn't allow them to fail a courage test on the roll of a one.
- great mix of low, mid, and high cost models and characters.
- sacred weapons/armor- allows instant kills or ignoring of wounds respectively when doubles are rolled for damage.
going for a mild 3.5 revision, the lions got a nice tweek w/ the fact that spells are now 'free' to play, and to a lesser extent w/ new shooting rules:
STRENGTHS:
- high level of magic and a couple of the best mages in the game.
- above average discipline, only truly beaten by dwarves and griffins.
- best heavy cavalry model in the game.
- high courage and an army ability that doesn't allow them to fail a courage test on the roll of a one.
- great mix of low, mid, and high cost models and characters.
- sacred weapons/armor- allows instant kills or ignoring of wounds respectively when doubles are rolled for damage.
WEAKNESSES:
- lack of high combat offense outside characters, sacred weapons, and mounted knights.
we'll start w/ some run down on some basic troops:
GRUNTS
pretty similar in stats. the GUARDS and KAIBER VETERANS both have modular weapons to increase either initiative +1, defense +1, or strength +2. for the guards i've never bothered with anything but the +2 strength as i tend to treat them as expendable models- they take a charge and will generally go all out attack and try to soften models up before their death.
the kaiber vets are more useful overall and can actually get a good defense 4 w/ a lance or mace option though i'll admit normally going w/ the str bonus w/ these guys also. the only thing i don't see as being worth it in comparison to the others is the init+1. generally i'd always rather have a higher str or def- you can always team these guys up w/ other models to get a higher initiative total (just use the other models and get the +1 bonus for having extra models in the same combat).
SWORDSMEN are more rounded guards- they have +1 init, +1 str, +1 def, and +1 dis for +2ap. they are a little more expensive, but more well rounded for different roles. they can be used in the same fashion as the +2str guards to soften enemies up, but their higher init and def can make them more effective to tie other models up for a couple turns while you whittle away models around that combat.
VALKYRIES are the big standout of my grunt list- they aren't much on their own w/ a meager resilience 4, but get quite nasty when used w/ a pythia which gives them 'fierce' while they stay w/in her 10cm aura of faith (more on their synergy later). these ladies come w/ a couple profiles- one w/ fencer and a new one w/ master strike/3....TAKE THE MASTER STRIKE VERSION! str10 hits vs assigning a combat die should be a no brainer imo.
ROLEPLAYERS
ARCHERS are pretty weak in shooting strength and have a fairly average aim and range (though unless you play wolves, snakes, drunes, or griffins you're getting an average shooter for the game). what makes this model stand out is its ability to be upgraded to an archer of iquour which allows it to shoot twice but w/ a +1 difficulty to both its shots. mainly used to harass the enemy and disrupt their approach (you never know when that lucky damage roll is gonna come...) it's a model that tends to cause more worry than it will actually cause in the course of a game.
REAPERS got a very nice boost to thier playability in 3.5. not only are they a lion player's only scouting choice, but they have a respactable ranged weapon to ake up for some pretty mediocre stats and an attrocious res4. while i never played these guys much in the old rules set, them gaining bull's eye for high str shots and assault fire to actually make a dangerous charge make them fairly formidable if used right.
FALCONERS are the epitome of the role player and support model. for 22ap you have a model that prevents scouts from deploying w/in 25cm of him (unless they're in their deployment area), and can either give a friendly model consciousness or give an enemy model a -1 penalty on att, def, pow, and divination rolls until end of round. add to that a short ranged weapon w/ new shooting abilities and harassment and you have a very versatile model that can give that little push in the right place to help you win the day.
SPARKLINGS are technically elementals not bound to any one faction, but as they come w/ the baron of allmoon i see them as a lion model. these little guys could belong in the grunt section, but flight plants them here for me. they take off on round one and try to harass the enemy ranks from above. being immune to fear they are great to tie up large models for a turn right as combat is beginning (dirz super clones, wolfen predators, dev tyrants, etc)- the armies higher dis should make winning tactical not too difficult. tie them up and work around them for a turn or attack weaker models hiding in back. also great for objective holding in scenarios.
ELITES
PALADINS are borderline between grunt and elite and the cheapest model to come w/ everyone’s favorite item- sacred weapons! for a moderate cost you have a model that can kill everything of large size or less 1/6 of the time who has quite respectable combat stats aside from it's weapon. one of the best models in the game for it's cost, and it even got an upgrade recently to include a higher defense and the choice of reolution/1 or cure/5 for a moderate ap increase.
PALADINS OF DORIMAN have +1str, +1 init, and masterstrike/2 for +6ap. it can be good when you get sick of not rolling doubles w/ the regular paladins as they can master their way to a nice str12 hit.
AVENGERS are a more combatant form of reapers. while they don't scout, they benefit a higher attack and strength and get the assassin ability. while they are just as fragile as their counterparts, they are best suited to charge in at the end of a round and support a grunt w/ their offensive power while using the grunt to take some of an opponent's dice away from them.
ROYAL GUARDSMEN are the granddaddies of the foot soldiers. res10 and hardboiled along w/ sacred armor means alot of all out attack combats . add the fact they have more sacred weapons and these guys are truly worth their points as anchors of a force that can kill anything. alternate profile comes in the baronies pack that's a bit more offensive minded (and my personal favorite of the 2).
and then the big guns come out. the MOUNTED KNIGHT is truly the beast of the army. charge of 40cm w/ a str of 15 and getting 3 dice for combat more often than not (only time you won't is pursuits after a charge). add masterstrike for turns you get bogged down and a healthy res13 and this guy is a monster to take down and the single biggest combat threat in the army (150+ap characters aside).
note that the mounted war staff are just slightly more expensive versions of the mounted knight- the only real difference is they have a bit better courage or dis. for a practical, cheap way to get a single knight, i'd buy the mounted musician as it can be used for tactical rolls, and you get +9 to whatever you roll on a single die!
WARRIOR MAGES/FAITHFUL
previously mentioned, the PYTHIA is a nice warrior monk that is best used in conjunction w/ valkyries. this model has the ability to take points of str and res from the surrounding ladies so can turn into a brute herself in no time. while practical miracles for her can be hard to come by, azel's revenge can get a last damage roll in on an enemy as a friendly model dies and weapon of the angels can give a valk a healthy master strike/6!
BARDS are one of the best warrior mages in the game, though unfortunately don't have much in the way of staying power so their warrior part must be used w/ caution. a healthy pow4 lets them cast higher difficulty spells, unfortunately they don't have hermetisism path like most lion mages to benefit from some of the better lion spells. but given their aim, ability to masterstrike a ranged attack once per game, and ability to give characters a reroll once per round they are great support mages to keep around.
the MOUNTED BARD is, well... a mounted bard! no new tricks, but you're paying 70ap, gain some res and slightly better skill stats, along w/ righteous, war horse, and masterstrike. people might disagree w/ me, but the only time i'd break this model out is for support for a mounted character, and i don't see much use for her in a normal game. the high movement is nice, but for less than half the cost i keep to normal bards. it does come w/ a couple nice spells though, and can be painted to look like nice model (though i've always hated R's version of it). a good buy, but not for normal fielding.
the AGENT OF THE CHIMERA is another warrior mage that's more focused on combat. having higher overall combat stats at the sacrifice of -1pow, these ladies also have the option to spend 2 gems of light to acquire either sacred weapons or armor, making them quite suited to combat. giving them a spell like aura of authority is a good way to keep them casting spells and still getting charges in where they can.
WAR MACHINES-
the BALLISTAE OF THE LION is the armies only war machine (and only 1 of 4 in the current rackham universe!). it has multiple modes of fire- a str14 heavy artillery spear that can fire 2x a round, a str8 heavy artillery zone, and a str12 light artillery zone that can fire 2x a round. to be honest, i don't see the point of the str8 zone as you can get 2 stronger shots w/ better ranges in the 3rd choice.
the ballistae crew can only be used if the ballitae is being fielded. there is a MINELAYER, a SAPPER, and a MECHANIC. they all have pretty bad stats and won't last long in combat, so guarding the ballistae is a primary necessity to make it worth it's points.
CHARACTERS
*just a note- a character or multiple characters totaling 60-200ap are required for official 400ap GDR games and this is what i'm basing most of my views on. this isn't the only way to play but tends to be the standard in terms of tournaments and other competetive play (and alot of casual play also). there is NO character requirement in casual gaming.
also check the con3 rulebook for erreta on cards that are linked here. off the top of my head i know that alahel's artifacts are there along w/ dragan's lance.
COMBATANTS
AGNONN is the basic warrior character. moderate stats for a moderate cost, he works well in small games or can be incorporated in larger games as the leader of a war staff (generally if running w/ another character that doesn't have the leadership ability). his second incarnation is an upgrade in both stats and ap, but can now fall into the range of a GDR legal character by himself to lead a force w/ the addition of an artifact (i'd recommend a supreme rune of healing to make him a total of 80ap).
note that he comes w/ an additional card, the officer of the lion, that can give him a bonus to his leadership range and can give any friendly model w/in it's range a bonus to str when he is part of a complete war staff.
TELIMA DEMANILLA is a valkyrie character from the rag'narok box set. a cheap character, she is mainly designed to lead a unit of ladies in the larger scale game, but can be used in confrontation. quite comparable to agnonn, she is a cheap character w/ leadership but lacks agnonn's strength and resilience but benefits from a better defence. to be honest she doesn't have much placing in a conf game as agnonn is better, but can still be used in a fluff army or one centering around the use of pythias and valkyries.
ALAHEL THE MESSENGER can be a fearsome warrior when properly equiped w/ his reserved artifacts. for 23ap, deliverence allows alahel to hit an opponent in the chest unless he rolls a double for damage and makes the opponent lose a combat die, and for 15ap sacrament gives him sacred weapons in hand to hand attacks. combining the 2 makes him quite deadly in cambat, but it is tempered by his rather dismal res5 (my normal way of using him is just w/ deliverence as you're guarranteed a wound on anything but ethereal and force them to lose combat dice). new shooting rules makes him more deadly w/ assault fire and the fact that he can still advance while using bull's eye.
note that he can also get leadership and authority ability through the officer of the lion. in my view it makes him much more of a strategic leader of a force.
ALDENYSS is a falconer character w/ more combat ability (ie, won't die quickly in combat...). along w/ his falcon he is a perfect 80ap for GDR purposes and you get the 2 in 1 of a respectable combat character and a falconer at the same time (though his str5 and res5 mean you must be cautious in his choice of battles). short pistol range makes bull's eye a dangerous prospect, but assault firing w/ him can help push the odds in your favour.
the THE RED LIONESS is an interesting choice for 128ap. a scouting character w/ very respectable stats and a sacred weapon, she can be devistating behind enemy lines accompanied by a couple reapers (though once again, a little bad luck or a crafty opponent can make short work of her in that placement). courage/9, leadership/15, and bane/acheron make her truely feared by the undead but she's a well rounded character that should be given a serious look. she also comes in a mounted version that takes away scout but adds alot of speed, resilience, and another combat die to her. her artifacts include a breastplate that gives her sacred armour, immunity to masterstrikes (!?!) and hardboiled to make her even tougher to wound (though unfortunately can't be used in a 400ap game w/ her mounted version as she becomes over the 50% character allowance), and a sword that makes her untargetable my spells and miracles of darkness and makes her truely monsterous against the meanders of darkness.
DRAGAN OF ORIANTHE is the epidome of the mounted troopers- at a whooping 192ap he better be! w/ brutish charge, charging str/15, att8, and master strike/4 he has a good chance to kill any model in the first hit of combat and a res13 gives him a great chance of getting there in one piece. his artifact is a lance that allows him to counterspell enemy magic, give gems to a friendly mage, and increase his str for an attack.
and finally, VALDENAR, BARON OF DORIMAN is the living legend of the force. he is a monster of a character for a mere 336ap before artifacts and is obviously not intended for confrontation (though can be fun to break out now and then in large scale games, scenerios, or in a friendly game for a change of pace). there's not much to say about him that his stats don't say aside from him also having artifacts that give him sacred armour, another wound level, sacred weapons, more combat dice, and can teleport him to a friendly mage on the battlefield.
relatively new to town is ARAKAN THE JUST, a well timed 2nd incarnation of ARAKAN THE DUELIST. for +10ap you get better stats and gain assassin and harassement while keeping scout. this is a rather nice combo of abilities, as he can make a nice bull's eye hit and run w/ hit pistol's short range of 15cm and the ability to move (RUN!) after taking the shot at short range!
he also comes w/ a cape of concealment that lets him pratcially hide in plain sight (back of card), and the loyalty trail, a pistol that allows him to exchange hits w/ a friendly model w/in 10cm of him (though you lose range on the pistols). i'm not convinced of his artifacts, but eagerly welcome him into the ranks of my lion force!
DIVINERS
MISAN THE CLAIRVOYANT is the only faithful character in the force. his moderate aspects and the fact he's a devout in both his first and second incarnations mean he isn't getting a ton of temporary faith (TF). he has a crappy artifact that only works 1/6 the time and his miracles are pretty vanilla.
that being said he can be pretty good in a force w/ pythias and valkyries that will benefit from giving consecration (an upgrade that makes a believer count as 2 models in a faithful's arua of faith) to multiple models. note that the officer of the lion gives him leadership and if he forms a war staff, the musician and standard bearer both get loyalty/1 ability (each of them will give 1TF to a faithful who'd aura of faith they are in).
MAGES
starting small, MIGAIL THE SELENITE is a cheap but very effective mage. pow5 mage that masters hermetisism just begs to be played w/ chimeric glaive (i know that's to be said about any lion mage, but the variable difficulty makes it especially good for migail). he can also work well as a sparkling summoner, authority token machine, or just about anything else you need that a light spell w/ diffuculty 9 or less can get you.
SADAR THE SAGE is next in line. a healthy pow6 along w/ leadership/10 and res7 makes him the perfect mage leader of a force as he gives you survivability, ability to make a war staff, and you keep the power of having a lion mage. i'll run him more often than not, just make sure to surround him a bodyguard as he's still a mage and not designed for combat. note the mastery of earth and shamanism for some diversity in spells- he has a 2nd element and path over migail and masters different things than the next mage in line:
MELIADOR THE CELESTRIAL is a different mage all together. a scouting mage that masters light and air, he can be deployed more creatively (remembering the concept of bad luck and good opponents though), he can target a part of the battlefield and then use one of a couple air spells minor teleportation [pg85] or carrier wind) to retreat to 'safe' ground.
and then the daddy of mages is MIRVILLIS, BARON OF ALLMOON. a pow9 master at 167ap, you're not gonna see him in many casual 400ap games (though i've found him fun to break loose now that you can field him w/ multiple spells and stay under 190ap!) and won't see him at all in standard sized GDR games (too high a rank). he comes in his normal version and also as the knight of light, an upgraded version of him riding a light elemental! his artifacts include a sword that gives him more combat prowress and an orb that weakens his enemies stats. his reserved spell lets him set a few designated points on the battlefield he may cast spells through. he also comes w/ the nice chimeric glaive spell (already mentioned) and celestrial scourge [pg174].
SPELLS-
CELESTRIAL SCOURGE [pg174]- nice direct damage spell w/ a better range than chimeric glaive, thogh it takes more gems to get a high strength hit. is an elemental spell of light, so anyone that masters light may take it. comes w/ mirvilis.
CHIMERIC GLAIVE - another great damage spell. has the potential to hit more than one model and has a variable difficulty so can be easier to cast. is a hermetisism spell so is mainly only available to lion mages. comes w/ mirvilis.
PRIMAL ATTACK OF LIGHT is the same as all the primal attacks. difficulty 7 and gives you a 50% cance to do a light wound that ignore res. very short range of 10cm makes it alittle dangerous, but it's a good 2intensity spell that can ignore a models' res- perfect against the anchor beatsticks of an enemy force). also comes in the mirvilis box set (along w/ the light elemental).
the same goes for primal atack of air for meliador and primal attack of earth for sardar- each of them can take one of thier element and the primal attack of light. migail is SoL for a 2nd primal until a water elemental shows on the scene.
SPARKLING SUMMONING is a basic summoning spell for (obviously) sparklings (see thier enter in troops section). a respectable spell to boost numbers, unfortunately it isn't effective in later rounds as they sparklings can't moce the turn they're summoned and aren't very effective w/out a dive (though they can still help in fray splitting and ganging up on tougher models).
WARRIOR OF ALPHAX can be a nice support spell for sardar (as he's the only on who normally masters earth). this will give +2str and +2res to any model it's cast on... now imagine the royal guards w/ those upgrades!
CARRIER WIND is a good spell for movement, only available to meliador and mirvilis (though mirvilis has access to the better shamanistic spell, MINOR TELEPORTATION[]) and comes w/ meliador. reprintd in the book [175].
THE STRANGE ART is another meliador or mirvilis only spell (need air for it)- basically does a str0 hit to a model and ignore it's res! great for taking down beatsticks and high res annoyances. reprinted in book [193]. biggest problem w/ the spell is it's high intensity6!
reserved to meliador, STORM OF LIGHT should see more play time under new rule set. it allows him to hit a model w/in 50cm w/ lightning bolts of a str equal to 2x the number of gems spent. this spell requires some setup as it's dispelled as soon as he moves, takes a damage roll, or is assaulted, so caution must be made w/ the 7 gem investment to start it up.
CALMING GLOW [] is a rather nice hermetisism spell that allows you to heal models multiple levels. intensity4 and high difficulties make it intimidating for a lower pow mage, but meliador or mirvilis should have no troubles casting it pretty consistantly (or constantly in mirvilis's case!).
CHASTISEMENT OF LIGHT [] is another spell that i've grown fond of in the new rules set. having a 2nd opton at a damage spell has saved my poterier on multiple occassions, and the fact that this spell can target multiple models is a great blessing!
as a side note, ELEMENTAL SUMMONING has had a rather substantial boost in the new rules, but i feel the upkeep in gems to be a major trade off. i've had mediocre luck w/ the light elemental thinking it would give me back gems by losing it's elemental projection, but i find they take up too many gems that can be used to more destruction elsewhere...
MIRACLES-
AZEL'S REVENGE is reserved to pythias, but can be fun to see te look on an opponent's face when thier high str, low res kills a friendly model and them suffers a 'free' hit of at least str5! fervour2 means it's the only miracle she could take, but worth dusting off for the odd game.
Going for a mild 3.5 revision, the lions got a nice tweek w/ the fact that spells are now 'free' to play, and to a lesser extent w/ new shooting rules:
STRENGTHS:
- high level of magic and a couple of the best mages in the game.
- above average discipline, only truly beaten by dwarves and griffins.
- best heavy cavalry model in the game.
- high courage and an army ability that doesn't allow them to fail a courage test on the roll of a one.
- great mix of low, mid, and high cost models and characters.
- sacred weapons/armor- allows instant kills or ignoring of wounds respectively when doubles are rolled for damage.
going for a mild 3.5 revision, the lions got a nice tweek w/ the fact that spells are now 'free' to play, and to a lesser extent w/ new shooting rules:
STRENGTHS:
- high level of magic and a couple of the best mages in the game.
- above average discipline, only truly beaten by dwarves and griffins.
- best heavy cavalry model in the game.
- high courage and an army ability that doesn't allow them to fail a courage test on the roll of a one.
- great mix of low, mid, and high cost models and characters.
- sacred weapons/armor- allows instant kills or ignoring of wounds respectively when doubles are rolled for damage.
WEAKNESSES:
- lack of high combat offense outside characters, sacred weapons, and mounted knights.
we'll start w/ some run down on some basic troops:
GRUNTS
pretty similar in stats. the GUARDS and KAIBER VETERANS both have modular weapons to increase either initiative +1, defense +1, or strength +2. for the guards i've never bothered with anything but the +2 strength as i tend to treat them as expendable models- they take a charge and will generally go all out attack and try to soften models up before their death.
the kaiber vets are more useful overall and can actually get a good defense 4 w/ a lance or mace option though i'll admit normally going w/ the str bonus w/ these guys also. the only thing i don't see as being worth it in comparison to the others is the init+1. generally i'd always rather have a higher str or def- you can always team these guys up w/ other models to get a higher initiative total (just use the other models and get the +1 bonus for having extra models in the same combat).
SWORDSMEN are more rounded guards- they have +1 init, +1 str, +1 def, and +1 dis for +2ap. they are a little more expensive, but more well rounded for different roles. they can be used in the same fashion as the +2str guards to soften enemies up, but their higher init and def can make them more effective to tie other models up for a couple turns while you whittle away models around that combat.
VALKYRIES are the big standout of my grunt list- they aren't much on their own w/ a meager resilience 4, but get quite nasty when used w/ a pythia which gives them 'fierce' while they stay w/in her 10cm aura of faith (more on their synergy later). these ladies come w/ a couple profiles- one w/ fencer and a new one w/ master strike/3....TAKE THE MASTER STRIKE VERSION! str10 hits vs assigning a combat die should be a no brainer imo.
ROLEPLAYERS
ARCHERS are pretty weak in shooting strength and have a fairly average aim and range (though unless you play wolves, snakes, drunes, or griffins you're getting an average shooter for the game). what makes this model stand out is its ability to be upgraded to an archer of iquour which allows it to shoot twice but w/ a +1 difficulty to both its shots. mainly used to harass the enemy and disrupt their approach (you never know when that lucky damage roll is gonna come...) it's a model that tends to cause more worry than it will actually cause in the course of a game.
REAPERS got a very nice boost to thier playability in 3.5. not only are they a lion player's only scouting choice, but they have a respactable ranged weapon to ake up for some pretty mediocre stats and an attrocious res4. while i never played these guys much in the old rules set, them gaining bull's eye for high str shots and assault fire to actually make a dangerous charge make them fairly formidable if used right.
FALCONERS are the epitome of the role player and support model. for 22ap you have a model that prevents scouts from deploying w/in 25cm of him (unless they're in their deployment area), and can either give a friendly model consciousness or give an enemy model a -1 penalty on att, def, pow, and divination rolls until end of round. add to that a short ranged weapon w/ new shooting abilities and harassment and you have a very versatile model that can give that little push in the right place to help you win the day.
SPARKLINGS are technically elementals not bound to any one faction, but as they come w/ the baron of allmoon i see them as a lion model. these little guys could belong in the grunt section, but flight plants them here for me. they take off on round one and try to harass the enemy ranks from above. being immune to fear they are great to tie up large models for a turn right as combat is beginning (dirz super clones, wolfen predators, dev tyrants, etc)- the armies higher dis should make winning tactical not too difficult. tie them up and work around them for a turn or attack weaker models hiding in back. also great for objective holding in scenarios.
ELITES
PALADINS are borderline between grunt and elite and the cheapest model to come w/ everyone’s favorite item- sacred weapons! for a moderate cost you have a model that can kill everything of large size or less 1/6 of the time who has quite respectable combat stats aside from it's weapon. one of the best models in the game for it's cost, and it even got an upgrade recently to include a higher defense and the choice of reolution/1 or cure/5 for a moderate ap increase.
PALADINS OF DORIMAN have +1str, +1 init, and masterstrike/2 for +6ap. it can be good when you get sick of not rolling doubles w/ the regular paladins as they can master their way to a nice str12 hit.
AVENGERS are a more combatant form of reapers. while they don't scout, they benefit a higher attack and strength and get the assassin ability. while they are just as fragile as their counterparts, they are best suited to charge in at the end of a round and support a grunt w/ their offensive power while using the grunt to take some of an opponent's dice away from them.
ROYAL GUARDSMEN are the granddaddies of the foot soldiers. res10 and hardboiled along w/ sacred armor means alot of all out attack combats . add the fact they have more sacred weapons and these guys are truly worth their points as anchors of a force that can kill anything. alternate profile comes in the baronies pack that's a bit more offensive minded (and my personal favorite of the 2).
and then the big guns come out. the MOUNTED KNIGHT is truly the beast of the army. charge of 40cm w/ a str of 15 and getting 3 dice for combat more often than not (only time you won't is pursuits after a charge). add masterstrike for turns you get bogged down and a healthy res13 and this guy is a monster to take down and the single biggest combat threat in the army (150+ap characters aside).
note that the mounted war staff are just slightly more expensive versions of the mounted knight- the only real difference is they have a bit better courage or dis. for a practical, cheap way to get a single knight, i'd buy the mounted musician as it can be used for tactical rolls, and you get +9 to whatever you roll on a single die!
WARRIOR MAGES/FAITHFUL
previously mentioned, the PYTHIA is a nice warrior monk that is best used in conjunction w/ valkyries. this model has the ability to take points of str and res from the surrounding ladies so can turn into a brute herself in no time. while practical miracles for her can be hard to come by, azel's revenge can get a last damage roll in on an enemy as a friendly model dies and weapon of the angels can give a valk a healthy master strike/6!
BARDS are one of the best warrior mages in the game, though unfortunately don't have much in the way of staying power so their warrior part must be used w/ caution. a healthy pow4 lets them cast higher difficulty spells, unfortunately they don't have hermetisism path like most lion mages to benefit from some of the better lion spells. but given their aim, ability to masterstrike a ranged attack once per game, and ability to give characters a reroll once per round they are great support mages to keep around.
the MOUNTED BARD is, well... a mounted bard! no new tricks, but you're paying 70ap, gain some res and slightly better skill stats, along w/ righteous, war horse, and masterstrike. people might disagree w/ me, but the only time i'd break this model out is for support for a mounted character, and i don't see much use for her in a normal game. the high movement is nice, but for less than half the cost i keep to normal bards. it does come w/ a couple nice spells though, and can be painted to look like nice model (though i've always hated R's version of it). a good buy, but not for normal fielding.
the AGENT OF THE CHIMERA is another warrior mage that's more focused on combat. having higher overall combat stats at the sacrifice of -1pow, these ladies also have the option to spend 2 gems of light to acquire either sacred weapons or armor, making them quite suited to combat. giving them a spell like aura of authority is a good way to keep them casting spells and still getting charges in where they can.
WAR MACHINES-
the BALLISTAE OF THE LION is the armies only war machine (and only 1 of 4 in the current rackham universe!). it has multiple modes of fire- a str14 heavy artillery spear that can fire 2x a round, a str8 heavy artillery zone, and a str12 light artillery zone that can fire 2x a round. to be honest, i don't see the point of the str8 zone as you can get 2 stronger shots w/ better ranges in the 3rd choice.
the ballistae crew can only be used if the ballitae is being fielded. there is a MINELAYER, a SAPPER, and a MECHANIC. they all have pretty bad stats and won't last long in combat, so guarding the ballistae is a primary necessity to make it worth it's points.
CHARACTERS
*just a note- a character or multiple characters totaling 60-200ap are required for official 400ap GDR games and this is what i'm basing most of my views on. this isn't the only way to play but tends to be the standard in terms of tournaments and other competetive play (and alot of casual play also). there is NO character requirement in casual gaming.
also check the con3 rulebook for erreta on cards that are linked here. off the top of my head i know that alahel's artifacts are there along w/ dragan's lance.
COMBATANTS
AGNONN is the basic warrior character. moderate stats for a moderate cost, he works well in small games or can be incorporated in larger games as the leader of a war staff (generally if running w/ another character that doesn't have the leadership ability). his second incarnation is an upgrade in both stats and ap, but can now fall into the range of a GDR legal character by himself to lead a force w/ the addition of an artifact (i'd recommend a supreme rune of healing to make him a total of 80ap).
note that he comes w/ an additional card, the officer of the lion, that can give him a bonus to his leadership range and can give any friendly model w/in it's range a bonus to str when he is part of a complete war staff.
TELIMA DEMANILLA is a valkyrie character from the rag'narok box set. a cheap character, she is mainly designed to lead a unit of ladies in the larger scale game, but can be used in confrontation. quite comparable to agnonn, she is a cheap character w/ leadership but lacks agnonn's strength and resilience but benefits from a better defence. to be honest she doesn't have much placing in a conf game as agnonn is better, but can still be used in a fluff army or one centering around the use of pythias and valkyries.
ALAHEL THE MESSENGER can be a fearsome warrior when properly equiped w/ his reserved artifacts. for 23ap, deliverence allows alahel to hit an opponent in the chest unless he rolls a double for damage and makes the opponent lose a combat die, and for 15ap sacrament gives him sacred weapons in hand to hand attacks. combining the 2 makes him quite deadly in cambat, but it is tempered by his rather dismal res5 (my normal way of using him is just w/ deliverence as you're guarranteed a wound on anything but ethereal and force them to lose combat dice). new shooting rules makes him more deadly w/ assault fire and the fact that he can still advance while using bull's eye.
note that he can also get leadership and authority ability through the officer of the lion. in my view it makes him much more of a strategic leader of a force.
ALDENYSS is a falconer character w/ more combat ability (ie, won't die quickly in combat...). along w/ his falcon he is a perfect 80ap for GDR purposes and you get the 2 in 1 of a respectable combat character and a falconer at the same time (though his str5 and res5 mean you must be cautious in his choice of battles). short pistol range makes bull's eye a dangerous prospect, but assault firing w/ him can help push the odds in your favour.
the THE RED LIONESS is an interesting choice for 128ap. a scouting character w/ very respectable stats and a sacred weapon, she can be devistating behind enemy lines accompanied by a couple reapers (though once again, a little bad luck or a crafty opponent can make short work of her in that placement). courage/9, leadership/15, and bane/acheron make her truely feared by the undead but she's a well rounded character that should be given a serious look. she also comes in a mounted version that takes away scout but adds alot of speed, resilience, and another combat die to her. her artifacts include a breastplate that gives her sacred armour, immunity to masterstrikes (!?!) and hardboiled to make her even tougher to wound (though unfortunately can't be used in a 400ap game w/ her mounted version as she becomes over the 50% character allowance), and a sword that makes her untargetable my spells and miracles of darkness and makes her truely monsterous against the meanders of darkness.
DRAGAN OF ORIANTHE is the epidome of the mounted troopers- at a whooping 192ap he better be! w/ brutish charge, charging str/15, att8, and master strike/4 he has a good chance to kill any model in the first hit of combat and a res13 gives him a great chance of getting there in one piece. his artifact is a lance that allows him to counterspell enemy magic, give gems to a friendly mage, and increase his str for an attack.
and finally, VALDENAR, BARON OF DORIMAN is the living legend of the force. he is a monster of a character for a mere 336ap before artifacts and is obviously not intended for confrontation (though can be fun to break out now and then in large scale games, scenerios, or in a friendly game for a change of pace). there's not much to say about him that his stats don't say aside from him also having artifacts that give him sacred armour, another wound level, sacred weapons, more combat dice, and can teleport him to a friendly mage on the battlefield.
relatively new to town is ARAKAN THE JUST, a well timed 2nd incarnation of ARAKAN THE DUELIST. for +10ap you get better stats and gain assassin and harassement while keeping scout. this is a rather nice combo of abilities, as he can make a nice bull's eye hit and run w/ hit pistol's short range of 15cm and the ability to move (RUN!) after taking the shot at short range!
he also comes w/ a cape of concealment that lets him pratcially hide in plain sight (back of card), and the loyalty trail, a pistol that allows him to exchange hits w/ a friendly model w/in 10cm of him (though you lose range on the pistols). i'm not convinced of his artifacts, but eagerly welcome him into the ranks of my lion force!
DIVINERS
MISAN THE CLAIRVOYANT is the only faithful character in the force. his moderate aspects and the fact he's a devout in both his first and second incarnations mean he isn't getting a ton of temporary faith (TF). he has a crappy artifact that only works 1/6 the time and his miracles are pretty vanilla.
that being said he can be pretty good in a force w/ pythias and valkyries that will benefit from giving consecration (an upgrade that makes a believer count as 2 models in a faithful's arua of faith) to multiple models. note that the officer of the lion gives him leadership and if he forms a war staff, the musician and standard bearer both get loyalty/1 ability (each of them will give 1TF to a faithful who'd aura of faith they are in).
MAGES
starting small, MIGAIL THE SELENITE is a cheap but very effective mage. pow5 mage that masters hermetisism just begs to be played w/ chimeric glaive (i know that's to be said about any lion mage, but the variable difficulty makes it especially good for migail). he can also work well as a sparkling summoner, authority token machine, or just about anything else you need that a light spell w/ diffuculty 9 or less can get you.
SADAR THE SAGE is next in line. a healthy pow6 along w/ leadership/10 and res7 makes him the perfect mage leader of a force as he gives you survivability, ability to make a war staff, and you keep the power of having a lion mage. i'll run him more often than not, just make sure to surround him a bodyguard as he's still a mage and not designed for combat. note the mastery of earth and shamanism for some diversity in spells- he has a 2nd element and path over migail and masters different things than the next mage in line:
MELIADOR THE CELESTRIAL is a different mage all together. a scouting mage that masters light and air, he can be deployed more creatively (remembering the concept of bad luck and good opponents though), he can target a part of the battlefield and then use one of a couple air spells minor teleportation [pg85] or carrier wind) to retreat to 'safe' ground.
and then the daddy of mages is MIRVILLIS, BARON OF ALLMOON. a pow9 master at 167ap, you're not gonna see him in many casual 400ap games (though i've found him fun to break loose now that you can field him w/ multiple spells and stay under 190ap!) and won't see him at all in standard sized GDR games (too high a rank). he comes in his normal version and also as the knight of light, an upgraded version of him riding a light elemental! his artifacts include a sword that gives him more combat prowress and an orb that weakens his enemies stats. his reserved spell lets him set a few designated points on the battlefield he may cast spells through. he also comes w/ the nice chimeric glaive spell (already mentioned) and celestrial scourge [pg174].
SPELLS-
CELESTRIAL SCOURGE [pg174]- nice direct damage spell w/ a better range than chimeric glaive, thogh it takes more gems to get a high strength hit. is an elemental spell of light, so anyone that masters light may take it. comes w/ mirvilis.
CHIMERIC GLAIVE - another great damage spell. has the potential to hit more than one model and has a variable difficulty so can be easier to cast. is a hermetisism spell so is mainly only available to lion mages. comes w/ mirvilis.
PRIMAL ATTACK OF LIGHT is the same as all the primal attacks. difficulty 7 and gives you a 50% cance to do a light wound that ignore res. very short range of 10cm makes it alittle dangerous, but it's a good 2intensity spell that can ignore a models' res- perfect against the anchor beatsticks of an enemy force). also comes in the mirvilis box set (along w/ the light elemental).
the same goes for primal atack of air for meliador and primal attack of earth for sardar- each of them can take one of thier element and the primal attack of light. migail is SoL for a 2nd primal until a water elemental shows on the scene.
SPARKLING SUMMONING is a basic summoning spell for (obviously) sparklings (see thier enter in troops section). a respectable spell to boost numbers, unfortunately it isn't effective in later rounds as they sparklings can't moce the turn they're summoned and aren't very effective w/out a dive (though they can still help in fray splitting and ganging up on tougher models).
WARRIOR OF ALPHAX can be a nice support spell for sardar (as he's the only on who normally masters earth). this will give +2str and +2res to any model it's cast on... now imagine the royal guards w/ those upgrades!
CARRIER WIND is a good spell for movement, only available to meliador and mirvilis (though mirvilis has access to the better shamanistic spell, MINOR TELEPORTATION[]) and comes w/ meliador. reprintd in the book [175].
THE STRANGE ART is another meliador or mirvilis only spell (need air for it)- basically does a str0 hit to a model and ignore it's res! great for taking down beatsticks and high res annoyances. reprinted in book [193]. biggest problem w/ the spell is it's high intensity6!
reserved to meliador, STORM OF LIGHT should see more play time under new rule set. it allows him to hit a model w/in 50cm w/ lightning bolts of a str equal to 2x the number of gems spent. this spell requires some setup as it's dispelled as soon as he moves, takes a damage roll, or is assaulted, so caution must be made w/ the 7 gem investment to start it up.
CALMING GLOW [] is a rather nice hermetisism spell that allows you to heal models multiple levels. intensity4 and high difficulties make it intimidating for a lower pow mage, but meliador or mirvilis should have no troubles casting it pretty consistantly (or constantly in mirvilis's case!).
CHASTISEMENT OF LIGHT [] is another spell that i've grown fond of in the new rules set. having a 2nd opton at a damage spell has saved my poterier on multiple occassions, and the fact that this spell can target multiple models is a great blessing!
as a side note, ELEMENTAL SUMMONING has had a rather substantial boost in the new rules, but i feel the upkeep in gems to be a major trade off. i've had mediocre luck w/ the light elemental thinking it would give me back gems by losing it's elemental projection, but i find they take up too many gems that can be used to more destruction elsewhere...
MIRACLES-
AZEL'S REVENGE is reserved to pythias, but can be fun to see te look on an opponent's face when thier high str, low res kills a friendly model and them suffers a 'free' hit of at least str5! fervour2 means it's the only miracle she could take, but worth dusting off for the odd game.
