Raptor Chariot

[Lord Drakon]

Please share your experiences, synergies and uses of your Raptor Chariots!

[DarkSky]

Raptor Chariot
The Raptor Chariot is the first chariots of the Druchii and a solid choice compared to similar chariots in the game. It doesn't make it to army lists as often, probably because of the competition with other support units. That doesn't make the Raptor Chariot any weaker however.

Sorry to say, but I can't disagree more. The Raptor Chariot is utterly useless. For more context: Most chariots got a massive price drop in 9th Age compared to 8th edition. Raptor Chariot still costs 100 points. Here are my thoughts I wrote to a member of the Army Book Committee some time ago:

What is the Raptor Chariot?
Comparing the Raptor Chariot to other chariots the advantages are: Very sturdy (t5, 3+) chariot with a quite strong crew (WS5, S4, Reflexes) and mounts (2A, S4). It also has above average impact, thanks to scythes with the more of less default S5 for chariots in this price range.
It does have a very minor "special" in the repeater crossbows of the crew, but I would rate it as rather insignificant.
On the downside, the movement is very limited, with only M7 and the stupidity rule severly discourages the deployment outside of the BSB's range. I would rate the mobility as poor.
An additional rule is immune to psychology.

What roles can it fulfill?
As a chariot without a significant special attack, the classical chariot scenarios apply:
- create a zone where no chaff may enter, because impact hits would destroy the unit right away
- help out in fights, by adding impact hits and combat ability of crew and mounts
- clear out smaller units

How good does is it in the roles it has [chaff removal]?
Very(!) weak. As chaff does usually not have enourmously strong ranged attacks the added sturdiness compared to Highborn chariots or the Hunting chariots is of no matter. The better stats of the crew aren't either. However the drawbacks (stupidity, low movement) really hurt the chariot. Losing two movement is huge as the zone to make a successful charge becomes lower and the setup is also harder, because you cannot move as fast. Additionally the Raptor Chariot on a flank suffers from the stupidity (which the other chariots don't have), as the BSB or general are most likely to be somewhere else. One failed test may often lead to the destruction of the chariot.

Conclusion: Even without a Harpoon/Giant Bow, the Hunting Chariot is much, much better to fulfill the role of chaff killer of flank protection, as it never suffers from stupidity and has a much larger threat range. ItP for a chariot is a massive disadvantage, as the chariot will be destroyed easily when being in a bad position, where all other chariots may rescure themselves with a long flee movement. The chariots of the Highborn Elves are much cheaper and do this better as well.

How good does is it in the roles it has [combat support]?
Weak. As the Dread Elves troops are all M5, the Hunting Chariot can keep up, the Raptor Chariot however can not. This means it happens more often, that the Raptor Chariot fails the combined charge or the subsequent support charge than other chariots.
if the Raptor Chariot makes it into combat successful at the right time, it is stronger than the other Chariots, because of crew and raptor. The added sturdiness however is of nearly no value. As even the Hunting Chariot is much better defense-like than all Dread Elves infantry, the enemy will most likely be directing all attacks on the Rank and File anywhere.

Conclusion: If the Raptor Chariot makes it into combat it somewhat pays off with a better combat ability, but reaching that combat at the right time is certainly harder. The added defense capabilities are mostly irrelevant as Elvish infantry is a soft target.

Verdict
In the current rules/abilities/points cost/army composition the strengths of the Raptor Chariot (defense, superior combat ability of crew and mounts) are neglible or flat out irrelevant. As timing and getting that crucial charge at the right point in time is (nearly) everything for a chariot the Raptor Chariot suffers massively because it is really bad it, because of low movement and stupidity. Additionally the stupidity grants ItP which further limits the Raptor Chariot as it cannot flee once out of position, making "snipes" into the enemy battleline a suicide mission. All this is without even touching the ranged weapons of the Hunting Chariot, which would be better at all the "classic chariot scenarios" even without it. The same is true for the Highborn Elves chariot, which only costs 2/3 of the Raptor Chariot and outshines it also in every regard and can be fielded as unit to open up other uses on the battlefield. The Lion Chariot also outperforms the Raptor Chariot in every regard, plus has even better combat capability and is cheaper.

The Raptor Chariot as it is, is broken. It cannot perform the chariot duties with the standard Raptor Ruleset. The special rules and stats would be okay for a slower, sturdier army, but are especially non-synergetic for the Dread Elves.