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Post by saniles on Jan 6, 2019 2:05:18 GMT
Here’s an excellent spell review from Espace’s Slann Party 2012 blog. paint-hammer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/lore-of-beasts-party-slann-2012-slann.htmlI would like to add some things. First, Espace only covered Slann in Temple Guard blocks. Beasts opens up the possibility of running a lone Slann that can actually fight. I’ll admit that would be a risky endeavor. I haven’t tried it myself, but I intend to at some point. If anyone who actually tried it has any insight on a lone Beasts Slann, let me know. Second, a Skink priest can be used to aim the Amber Spear for a nice rank penetrating sideways shot. Third, with Skink priests now able to take Lore of Beasts, you can use a Beast Slann and a level two Skink priest to give you a 100% chance to give the Skink Transformation of Kadon if you roll the Slann's spells first. High Magic Slann and WD Slann Beasts has one of the best signature spells so a WD will probably get a lot of mileage out of the signature spell Beasts isn't the best lore to dabble in for a High Magic Slann that likes to swap but it isn't bad. Wyssans is a great spell and you can be guaranteed to not do worse than that spell. Flock of Doom is good if you are facing low Toughness chaff units, Amber Spear is good If you are facing well armored foes (especially cavalry in a line), and the Curse of Anraheir is a good counterpart to Wyssan's. I like Wyssan's but if I have a Skink Priest with it, I don't see a reason to double up on it with a Slann having it too. Most Battle Reports I've read that try this have the Skink Priest doing nothing at all and that's a waste of points.
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Post by knoffles on Jan 1, 2023 15:52:51 GMT
Adding the content of the link to the thread:
Lore of Beasts Slann
A very underrated lore (well except the signature spell but we will get to that!) but one which I think has alot of potential for lizards with the right army. Beasts has a quite an interesting lore attribute where by any beasts spell cast on a unit of warbeasts, cavalry, monstrous beasts, monstrous cav, chariots, monsters, swarms or anything from the Beastman book has its casting value lowered by 1. Lizardmen being lizardmen that's quite alot of our army: Jungle Swarms, Terradons, Carnasaurs, Stegadons, Ancient Stegadons, Terradons, Cold one Cav, Salamanders and razordons! Not to mention Coldone Mounted Scar vets! Now -1 doesnt seem like much but that's 8.5% reduction on what you need to roll on 2D6. Not bad and can make a big difference over the course of a game, the last thing you want is your Slann to loose concentration!
So the famous and ever abused signature spell, Wyssan's Wildform: the unit gains +1 Str and Toughness. Doesn't seem much but it changes saurus from wounding on 3s and being wounded on 5s to wounding on 2s and being would on 6s from standard S and T 3 infantry. That's a 32% swing in your favour before you consider the fact that you are reducing your targets armour save further. Some armies include lvl 1 Wyssan caddies just for that very reason. Chuck this on scarier units like temple guard or cold one cav and your really onto a frightening combo!
Flock of doom is a magic missile causing 2D6 S2 hits on very low casting value, its ok but isn't going to win you any games if im honest. Its nice to chuck on other lizardmen's skink or chameleons since it hits automatically, wounds on 4s with no armour saves but that's one of the very few niche targets for the spell and even the its only going to kill 3-4 (well that's alot against chameleons to be honest!).
Savage Beast of Horros is a very situational spell but used at the right time with the right army build it can be absolutely amazing. It causes a character within 12" to gain +3 str and +3 attacks and when boosted it effects all characters within 12". Naturally that's not always best on your slann since in temple guard he will still only get one supporting attack. However if you chuck this on your obligitory scar vets it turns them into 7 attack, s8 monsters. Get this off on a couple tho and you can pretty much gurantee that you will delete mournfangs and the like. Another application I'm toying with is a bunch of naked(or next to naked!) Skink chiefs in the front rank of a unit. Even they will be putting out 6 str 6 attacks each and at only 55pts a model that's pretty hitty! The trouble with this plan is that your opponent will see it coming and dispell scroll it if they can, ruining your day! Also your slann has to be pretty damn close to get it off which will probably be putting him in danger in practise. Overall though I think this spell is great with alot of very good uses but with Lizardmen generally having a low character count this spell's application is probably limited in the army.
Pann's Impenetrable Pelt is to be honest in my opinion a bit sub par in the lizardman army. It increases the toughness of a character within 12" by 3+ (or all characters within 12" when boosted) which can make your Scar vets and Old bloods nigh unkillable (toughness 8!) but considering that life can do the same thing but better (+4 Toughness) to an entire unit, this spell can be overlooked. It is certainly very situational ie a scar vet in a challenge but you have to be in range and thus possibly in danger!
Amber Spear is actually a really good spell for lizardmen as it fills a gap in the lizardmen arsenal by provide high strength, multi wound ranged damage with the possibility to snipe. It fires like a bolt thrower that auto hits and then penetrates ranks. S6 D3 wounds or S10 D6 Wounds with no armour saves when boosted is nothing to be sniffed at and can quite easily take down or severely damage targets which Lizards traditionally struggle with at long range (Empire Warmachines, cannons etc). It is also good for enfilading fire down ranks of expensive cavalry (Mournfangs, Chaos Knights, Empire Knights) where I can easily remove a whole rank at the boosted strength.
The Curse of Anraheir is a Hex spell which causes the target unit to suffer a -1 to hit with all attacks (Shooting and Close Combat) which on its own is excellent and well worth the casting however the additional effect is really where it can be a deadly effective spell. The hexed unit treats all terrain (except impassable terrain) as dangerous terrain and further more fails dangerous terrain test on a 1 AND a 2 instead of just a 1. So 33% of the hexed unit will fall down a horrible hole on the charge with no armour saves... absolutely filthy. Now this is where it gets disgusting, because of some (very) sloppy wording in the main rule book open ground eg flat ground is classed as a type of terrain and thus the unit must always take dangerous terrain tests when charging... Personally I don't play it this way but read as written it is perfectly legal, but you wont make any friends and Jervis will be crying somewhere but its true! Cast this on a big unit of knights about to charge or a unit of Ironguts and watch as your opponent has suddenly decided that his scary unit is unable to fight some little chameleon skinks! Brilliant spell cast it at every opportunity if you play the above queer rule.
And finally Transformation of Kadon...due to a FAQ Slann cannot cast this spell so this will be a short paragraph! Useless for Lizardmen lol!
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Post by jamesacon on Jan 3, 2023 2:01:18 GMT
Great summary knoffles! Just wanted to add some of my experiences and thoughts. I use lore of beasts almost exclusively with my lizards. It's one of the only lores we get access to without a slaan. And I never use slaans So I usually have two level 2 skink priests with beasts. I run a lot of monsters, so the +1 helps quite a lot for the lower level wizards! Now one thing I have noticed and use quite a lot when I get the spell, is savage beasts of horros. In particular used on Gor rok. It turns him into an absolute murder machine with his re roll attacks and predatory fighter procing on 5's. I know it's situational but just thought to share that here.
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Post by grandmasterwang on Jan 3, 2023 14:30:35 GMT
Great summary knoffles! Just wanted to add some of my experiences and thoughts. I use lore of beasts almost exclusively with my lizards. It's one of the only lores we get access to without a slaan. And I never use slaans So I usually have two level 2 skink priests with beasts. I run a lot of monsters, so the +1 helps quite a lot for the lower level wizards! Now one thing I have noticed and use quite a lot when I get the spell, is savage beasts of horros. In particular used on Gor rok. It turns him into an absolute murder machine with his re roll attacks and predatory fighter procing on 5's. I know it's situational but just thought to share that here. Heh, I can only imagine on Gor rok. He's a savage beast even without the spell!
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