Post by saniles on Jan 6, 2019 2:11:36 GMT
Whenever a Lizrdmen Player starts to work on a brand new army list, the first thing on his mind is always "Gosh, how am I going to build my Slann?!" Am I going to run my Slann in a Temple Guard Unit, another bunker, or am I going to go Solo Slann? Well whatever you choose,
Meet the Slann - A Quick Review
======================================
The Slann is not only one of the best casters in the entire Warhammer world, it's also one of the toughest. A vanilla Slann comes with 4 Toughness, 5 Wounds, 9 Leadership, and a 4+ Ward Save. That's nothing to scoff at and will already give him a great deal of longevity.
Another bonus the Slann has is he can take a bunch of Discipines that will make him even better. These disciplines can make him a Loremaster of High Magic, give him the Signature Spell of every lore in the main rulebook, or even make him ethereal. Choosing these will be essential to making a
Wait, that's not all. In addition to all of this he can also be a Battlestandard Bearer and if he takes a BSB, he can still take a his full allotment of Magic Items and Disciplines.
Common Combos
======================
Forbidden Rod with Transcendental Healing or Healing Potion
Normally no one in their right mind would take the Forbidden Rod. D3 Wounds is a death sentence for most mages in the game, or close to one. However, since a Slann has 5 wounds, he can absorb the damage from a Forbidden Rod and heal himself in good order.
Personally this is my current favorite combo since it can give a much needed boost in an important magic phase, and the Healing can always be useful.
Harmonic Convergence and the Channeling Staff
A combo many of us figured out early on. Useful as it gives you 1 extra die on avrg for each phase. Good combo if you are going for something cheap and balanced.
Solo Slann Ethereal with the DragonBane Gem
IF you are planning on running a Solo Slan that's Ethereal, a common idea is to bring along a DragonBane Gem to give it a 2+ Ward Save against Flaming Attacks. Since a bunch of Artillery and Magic Missiles are flaming attacks, this can be a life saver when running Solo Slann.
Solo Slan with Crown of Command, Standard of Discipline, and Transcendent Healing
An uncommon combo where you use a Solo Slann as a tarpit. With the Crown of Command and the Standard of Discipline, it will be almost impossible to break the Slann. That and with Transcendental healing along with some other healing spells (like Lore of Life or Apotheosis from Lore of High Magic), you can keep him healed up indefinitely.
I've had some success with this combo as something fun to try, but I haven't used it in a tournament. You have to be really careful about what you are going to tarpit, but so long as you are, this Slann can tie up a unit for a long time to come. Plus, if you miscast, the unit your fighting will pay dearly
Skavenpelt Banner with a unit of Temple Guard with Razor Standard
It's a bucket of points, but this combo can turn your Temple Guard into a pack of psychotic killing machines that can give Khorne Warriors a run for their money. This basically gives you a Frenzy Unit of Temple Guard with Armor Piercing, allowing it to go tow to tow with some of the most powerful units of the game.
Better, this is a combo that works great with Wandering Deliberations as the sig spells of Lore of Beasts and Lore of Life can give this unit easy to cast boosts that will make it utterly ridiculous. If you are planning to rely on Temple Guard to bring the pain, consider this combo.
Standard of Discipline
Not really a combo, just a commonly used exploit as since the Slann is usually the general and the BSB, you can pump him up to LD10. In fact, even Games Workshops FAQ allows this.
Wandering Deliberations versus Focus of Mystery
===========================================
Here's a question many Lizardmen Generals ask, "Should I go with Wandering Deliberations and have every signature spell or go with Focus of Mystery and get Lore of High Magic?"
You can go either way, and it's a matter of preference, but my thoughts are is if you want to run your Slann in the Temple Guard or not.
The nice thing about Wandering Deliberations is you get a bunch of effective, low cost spells, you can cast from a Temple Guard bunker and not have to worry as much about miscasts. (Less dice, less double 6's). Also since you have a bunch of Direct Damage and Magic Missile Sig Spells at your disposal, you can use your Skink Priests to fire them off and increase your range without having to boost up the spell or move your Temple Guard. That and several sig spells like that of the Lore of Life and Beasts work great on Temple guard.
With Focus of Mystery, this is something more for a Solo Slann. You have some big ticket spells in this lore you want to throw 6 dice at and will greatly increase your chance at getting double 6's. Also, as you siphon out your Lore of High Magic or another lore, odds are you'll also get some more big ticket spells you'll want to throw 6 dice at. Think of a Slann with Focus of Mystery as a giant cannon that will damage everything around it.
Meet the Slann - A Quick Review
======================================
The Slann is not only one of the best casters in the entire Warhammer world, it's also one of the toughest. A vanilla Slann comes with 4 Toughness, 5 Wounds, 9 Leadership, and a 4+ Ward Save. That's nothing to scoff at and will already give him a great deal of longevity.
Another bonus the Slann has is he can take a bunch of Discipines that will make him even better. These disciplines can make him a Loremaster of High Magic, give him the Signature Spell of every lore in the main rulebook, or even make him ethereal. Choosing these will be essential to making a
Wait, that's not all. In addition to all of this he can also be a Battlestandard Bearer and if he takes a BSB, he can still take a his full allotment of Magic Items and Disciplines.
Common Combos
======================
Forbidden Rod with Transcendental Healing or Healing Potion
Normally no one in their right mind would take the Forbidden Rod. D3 Wounds is a death sentence for most mages in the game, or close to one. However, since a Slann has 5 wounds, he can absorb the damage from a Forbidden Rod and heal himself in good order.
Personally this is my current favorite combo since it can give a much needed boost in an important magic phase, and the Healing can always be useful.
Harmonic Convergence and the Channeling Staff
A combo many of us figured out early on. Useful as it gives you 1 extra die on avrg for each phase. Good combo if you are going for something cheap and balanced.
Solo Slann Ethereal with the DragonBane Gem
IF you are planning on running a Solo Slan that's Ethereal, a common idea is to bring along a DragonBane Gem to give it a 2+ Ward Save against Flaming Attacks. Since a bunch of Artillery and Magic Missiles are flaming attacks, this can be a life saver when running Solo Slann.
Solo Slan with Crown of Command, Standard of Discipline, and Transcendent Healing
An uncommon combo where you use a Solo Slann as a tarpit. With the Crown of Command and the Standard of Discipline, it will be almost impossible to break the Slann. That and with Transcendental healing along with some other healing spells (like Lore of Life or Apotheosis from Lore of High Magic), you can keep him healed up indefinitely.
I've had some success with this combo as something fun to try, but I haven't used it in a tournament. You have to be really careful about what you are going to tarpit, but so long as you are, this Slann can tie up a unit for a long time to come. Plus, if you miscast, the unit your fighting will pay dearly
Skavenpelt Banner with a unit of Temple Guard with Razor Standard
It's a bucket of points, but this combo can turn your Temple Guard into a pack of psychotic killing machines that can give Khorne Warriors a run for their money. This basically gives you a Frenzy Unit of Temple Guard with Armor Piercing, allowing it to go tow to tow with some of the most powerful units of the game.
Better, this is a combo that works great with Wandering Deliberations as the sig spells of Lore of Beasts and Lore of Life can give this unit easy to cast boosts that will make it utterly ridiculous. If you are planning to rely on Temple Guard to bring the pain, consider this combo.
Standard of Discipline
Not really a combo, just a commonly used exploit as since the Slann is usually the general and the BSB, you can pump him up to LD10. In fact, even Games Workshops FAQ allows this.
Wandering Deliberations versus Focus of Mystery
===========================================
Here's a question many Lizardmen Generals ask, "Should I go with Wandering Deliberations and have every signature spell or go with Focus of Mystery and get Lore of High Magic?"
You can go either way, and it's a matter of preference, but my thoughts are is if you want to run your Slann in the Temple Guard or not.
The nice thing about Wandering Deliberations is you get a bunch of effective, low cost spells, you can cast from a Temple Guard bunker and not have to worry as much about miscasts. (Less dice, less double 6's). Also since you have a bunch of Direct Damage and Magic Missile Sig Spells at your disposal, you can use your Skink Priests to fire them off and increase your range without having to boost up the spell or move your Temple Guard. That and several sig spells like that of the Lore of Life and Beasts work great on Temple guard.
With Focus of Mystery, this is something more for a Solo Slann. You have some big ticket spells in this lore you want to throw 6 dice at and will greatly increase your chance at getting double 6's. Also, as you siphon out your Lore of High Magic or another lore, odds are you'll also get some more big ticket spells you'll want to throw 6 dice at. Think of a Slann with Focus of Mystery as a giant cannon that will damage everything around it.