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Post by NIGHTBRINGER on Apr 27, 2019 17:48:23 GMT
This thread has been set up to analyze and discuss the merits of the Tomb Kings magic items. Which ones do you like and which ones do you dislike? And why? What are some general strategies/builds you have come across in the use of the items? In my mind, the only ones I would consider taking are: - Destroyer of Eternities
- Blade of Antarhak
- Golden Death Mask of Kharnut
- Standard of the Undying Legion
I feel the rest of the items are either too situational or too expensive.
Vote and discuss!
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Post by knoffles on Apr 29, 2019 7:55:04 GMT
I like the scroll on a level 4 as it gives you 4 additional power dice to use when evoked (with the 1+ from your pool you have to use) and almost guarantees you can cast a big spell when you need it. Combined with the hierotitan and casket it should really help you dominate the magic phase (I’m going up against this combo in the club comp so I’ll let you know how effective it was when I face it).
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Post by livewaaaaagh on Apr 29, 2019 14:03:36 GMT
I've really only used the Standard so I voted for that. the scroll is also good though. But I've fielded Mr. Khatep, and like his scroll too.
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Post by NIGHTBRINGER on May 2, 2019 4:42:07 GMT
I like the scroll on a level 4 as it gives you 4 additional power dice to use when evoked (with the 1+ from your pool you have to use) and almost guarantees you can cast a big spell when you need it. Combined with the hierotitan and casket it should really help you dominate the magic phase (I’m going up against this combo in the club comp so I’ll let you know how effective it was when I face it). That is an interesting selection, though not one of my favorites. Two things concern me about the Neferra's Scrolls: - 50 point Neferra's scroll can often be neutralized by a 25 point dispel scroll
- 50 points seems awfully expensive for a one use item to cast a single spell
I suppose you can always wait until you have drawn out the dispel scroll before using the item. As for the one use aspect of the item, I suppose if the circumstances are right and you have the right spell it might be worth it. I'm thinking something along the lines of casting a Purple Sun against Ogres or Lizardmen, etc. Which spells do you usually save it for? Which spell lore would you say it works best with?
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Post by knoffles on May 2, 2019 7:39:34 GMT
The other reason I really like the scroll is it also gives you an almost guaranteed way of casting a spell at a crucial moment (as long as there are no Dispel scolls/runes still in play). In a game where the winds are so fickle and magic has the ability to be so game changing, I think it is worth the points. 50pts isn’t too bad for that I don’t think. As discussed in a different rules threads (http://eefl.freeforums.net/thread/1367/rules-query-magical-boosts) it is also something that can be used even if the winds role had been 12 so can make a powerful phase even better.
Now it is a bit conditional and there will be games where it won’t be used to it’s maximum potential but that thought can be applied to most things in a list.
In terms of best lore/spell to use it with, again it’s subjective but it lends itself to larger cast spells and something that could be cast at that critical moment to influence the game.
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Post by NIGHTBRINGER on May 3, 2019 1:57:41 GMT
My two choices are: Destroyer of EternitiesThis option obviously leaves you a bit light on the defense, but in terms of offense it is scary. S7 and HKB pose a huge threat to anything in the game. Plus it lends itself very well to Lore of Nehekhara buffs, both offensively [in the form of Incantation of Cursed Blades (HKB on 5's  ) and Incantation of of Righteous Smiting] or defensively [Incantation of Protection, or hex the opponent with Desiccation]. Here is a good potential magic item build for the DoE TK: - Destroyer of Eternities
- Other Trickster's Shard
- Dragonbane Gem
Alternatively you could spend the remaining 20 points on a little bit more defense. However, the OTS helps ensure that a landed HKB strike is not thwarted by an opponent's ward save. So the question becomes can your opponent remove your 4 wounds before you get to unleash the HKB. Of course, you are extremely slow at M4 (and no march) so your opponent can just avoid you (in the case of open lists). In close list games, the mere possibility of the DoE can be a very large deterrent. Mind games!
Blade of AntarhakThis option is the very opposite the DoE build above, as it is designed around defense instead of offense. The point here is to keep the TK alive so that he may continue to pass on his WS to his unit. Only the most offensive or defensive opponents will pose any sort of threat, as the TK will constantly heal himself. Here is a good potential magic item build for the Blade of Antarhak TK: - Blade of Antarhak
- Armour of Silvered Steel
- Dragonbane Gem
A solid 2+ save, ability to heal wounds and a 4+ regen save when you make a kill at full wounds. With the Dragonbane Gem, if your opponent has flaming attacks (which would negate your regen save) you get a 2+ ward. The build has three weaknesses. First, if you come across a very killy opponent, they may take you down before you get your regen save. Second, if you come across a very defensive opponent, the TK's S5 may have difficulty wounding (thus inhibiting your ability to heal wounds and generate a regeneration save). Lastly, the build does not like killing blow which will cut through your armour, your regen and doesn't care if you have healed yourself to full wounds.
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Post by killerangel on May 5, 2019 9:33:26 GMT
I tend toward the Blade of Antarhak. I like to keep alive my Tomb King (well, my main characters as a rule), so i look for defense firstly. and 50 pts gives me plenty of room for other items.
second place for the Standard of the undying legion. It's truly good, and this means that an opponent will try to negate the use of it. This could be good to play some mind games, as your opponent will save those dispel dices to counter it.
Destroyer of eternities. So good. So good. but 80 pts…. come on, how am I supposed to protect my King with only 20 pts remaining?!?
Golden Death Mask: very limited use. Stack it upon a king of chariot and play around it. Can be very potent, but it's also really situational.
I don't use the other ones
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Post by NIGHTBRINGER on May 5, 2019 17:09:32 GMT
I tend toward the Blade of Antarhak. I like to keep alive my Tomb King (well, my main characters as a rule), so i look for defense firstly. and 50 pts gives me plenty of room for other items. second place for the Standard of the undying legion. It's truly good, and this means that an opponent will try to negate the use of it. This could be good to play some mind games, as your opponent will save those dispel dices to counter it. Destroyer of eternities. So good. So good. but 80 pts…. come on, how am I supposed to protect my King with only 20 pts remaining?!? Golden Death Mask: very limited use. Stack it upon a king of chariot and play around it. Can be very potent, but it's also really situational. I don't use the other ones What accompanying magic items do you run with the Blade of Antarhak? I haven't much used the Standard of the Undying Legion, but it does look pretty good. It's a shame that Ushabiti or Necro Knight units can't take a magic standard on their standard bearer like Tomb Guard can. It would be nice to be able to bypass the Restless Dead lore attribute on constructs. Placing a BSB with the standard of the undying legion in the unit is a possibility, but then he is more exposed to ranged attacks because he doesn't benefit from a LOS roll in those units. Do you ever use the Standard on anything other than Tomb Guard? The Destroyer of Eternities is definitely risky. Absolute offense at the cost of defense. You can be killed, but you can also kill anything in the game. I've never tried the Golden Death Mask, it seems really expensive. I know some people swear by it, but as you say, it seems a bit situational. |
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Post by killerangel on May 5, 2019 19:11:34 GMT
I tend toward the Blade of Antarhak. I like to keep alive my Tomb King (well, my main characters as a rule), so i look for defense firstly. and 50 pts gives me plenty of room for other items. What accompanying magic items do you run with the Blade of Antarhak?
Glittering scales & dragonbane gem.
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Post by NIGHTBRINGER on May 5, 2019 19:29:48 GMT
What accompanying magic items do you run with the Blade of Antarhak?
Glittering scales & dragonbane gem.
Solid! Similar to my Armour of Silvered Steel + Dragonbane Gem combo. |
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Post by lordofskullpass on Oct 19, 2019 13:15:54 GMT
Sorry to necro this thread, but having read my copy of the Tomb Kings army book I managed to snaffle not long ago, I feel I'm eligible to have my own say in this discussion. It's a shame that I could only put 2 answers in the poll, but the 4 main items I would consider taking are: - The Destroyer of Eternities - Great for turning your Tomb King into a Monstrous Infantry and Monster blender, so especially nice against Ogres, but great against any enemy who tries to charge a big monster into your King's Tomb Guard or Chariot escort thinking it will stomp them into the dust, when actually your Tomb King has a fair chance of chopping it into crowsmeat (or should that be carrionsmeat?
 ). The main downside is, of course, its great expense preventing your King from taking many good defensive items, so I would avoid challenges with him in case you don't roll any 6s, and keep your King in his unit so that he can help blend enemy Monstrous Infantry. - The Blade of Antarhak - Healing wounds previously lost makes your King extremely survivable, and Regeneration is always nice given that you're going to give your King the Dragonbane Gem or Dragonhelm to give him a 2+ Ward against Flaming Attacks anyway.
- Standard of the Undying Legion - gives you a spell better at resurrecting your warriors than regular Lore of Nehekhara spells. While it can only be used on units that can take magic banners, it's great for keeping a unit of Tomb Guard alive for as long as possible, especially alongside a Lore of Nehekhara spell as well, as multiple spells on the same unit give cumulative resurrections. Tomb Guard you want to keep alive for as long as possible given that they can inflict Killing Blow and have Strength and Toughness 4, so this is certainly worth taking as the unit's Magic Standard.
- Banner of the Hidden Dead - I know it's very expensive at 90 points, and I know nobody else voted for it, but I just like the idea of being able to deepstrike one of your Warrior, Archer or Chariot units near a herald with this standard bunkered with your King in a Tomb Guard unit to reinforce your legions if they're having trouble, especially as I personally prefer many smaller units to one or two large hordes as a thematic player. That extra charge in the flank or rear could help change the tide of the combat your way, or the extra unit could be used to block an enemy's charge in the flank or rear if you deepstrike them behind the unit. What's more, this can be used against any enemy with similar results.
As for the other magic items, I'll explain why I just feel they're not as good:
- Golden Death Mask of Kharnut: For an army that already causes Fear, causing Terror isn't that much of a step up compared to armies that for the most part don't cause Fear. Can be useful against armies with poor overall morale like Greenskins and Skaven and those that have few Immune to Psychology units, but personally I wouldn't use it as there are other far more useful pieces of equipment you can take in its stead.
- Cloak of the Dunes: While it can be fun seeing a Tomb King with Fly zoom about the battlefield on his own and damaging enemies as he goes over them, the hits are only Strength 2 so damage will be minimal against all units except swarms and lower-tier chaff, and on his own he is a lot more vulnerable to being shot to pieces or charged and bogged down for the rest of the game, and he also can't give out his Weapon Skill to friendly units through My Will Be Done. I actually give one of my Lizardmen Skink Priests the Cloak of Feathers as a way of escaping imminent enemy charges, but any Tomb King character with Cloak of the Dunes can only fly 10" rather than 20", so the same effect would not be achieved so easily with the Cloak of the Dunes on a Liche Priest.
- Neferra's Scrolls of Mighty Incantations: An extra boost to the number of power dice you get is nice, especially when combined with other sources of power dice like Hierotitans and Caskets of Souls as others have said, but my main concerns with this one are that it is one use only, again as others have said, and also that it increases your chances of a miscast, which you really don't want with your Hierophant otherwise you get knocked onto the back foot. Perhaps try it with a more disposable Level 1 or 2 Priest, but certainly not with the Hierophant and certainly not while there are other magic items in the main rulebook which are a lot more useful.
- Enkhil's Kanopi: Dispelling Remains in Play spells can be useful, especially if it gives you power dice in return, but augment, magic missile and direct damage spells that don't remain in play are much more common and more often used, so this is certainly a situational piece.
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Post by NIGHTBRINGER on Oct 19, 2019 23:35:45 GMT
- Golden Death Mask of Kharnut: For an army that already causes Fear, causing Terror isn't that much of a step up compared to armies that for the most part don't cause Fear. Can be useful against armies with poor overall morale like Greenskins and Skaven and those that have few Immune to Psychology units, but personally I wouldn't use it as there are other far more useful pieces of equipment you can take in its stead.
You're forgetting to mention the best effect of the item. Enemies within 6" of the bearer are unable to use the General's leadership or the BSB's re-roll. That is what you are truly getting when you choose to field the Death Mask. |
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Post by lordofskullpass on Oct 20, 2019 8:53:43 GMT
- Golden Death Mask of Kharnut: For an army that already causes Fear, causing Terror isn't that much of a step up compared to armies that for the most part don't cause Fear. Can be useful against armies with poor overall morale like Greenskins and Skaven and those that have few Immune to Psychology units, but personally I wouldn't use it as there are other far more useful pieces of equipment you can take in its stead.
You're forgetting to mention the best effect of the item. Enemies within 6" of the bearer are unable to use the General's leadership or the BSB's re-roll. That is what you are truly getting when you choose to field the Death Mask. True (I was just remembering the artefacts out of the corner of my mind and remembered there was something else about the mask but forgot what it was until I revised it this morning), but 6" is quite a short range so only really works against units directly in combat with the wearer, and on top of that it relies upon the general being within Inspiring Presence range and also that there is a BSB in the army and that he is within Hold Your Ground range. True it can certainly help to turn the tide of some combats, but it is situational. |
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) and Incantation of of Righteous Smiting] or defensively [Incantation of Protection, or hex the opponent with Desiccation].
). The main downside is, of course, its great expense preventing your King from taking many good defensive items, so I would avoid challenges with him in case you don't roll any 6s, and keep your King in his unit so that he can help blend enemy Monstrous Infantry.