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Dealing with the Undead?

Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 3:57 pm
by Dante valentine
Generally, i have no issues dealing with the living dead. During my last game however I did come up against a unit that caused me no end of issues which led me to ask the question:

How do i deal with Cairn Wraiths?

Normally i would magic the buggers until they were nothign more than piles of greasy ectoplasm. However, fate was unusually cruel to me and my opponents three wizards (2 level 1, 1 level 2) managed to dominate the magic phase while my mages (1 level 4, two level 2) didnt even manage to get a spell off until turn 3.

While i ultimately was victorius, the etheral's avoided my magic wielding nutters and managed to cleave through reasonable points in terms of RXB and DR. With three strength five attacks each, there is no realistic way i could beat them through SCR to cause them to crumble.

So, how else would i deal with them? Lifetaker? A few low level hero's or champions with magic weapons?

Or some other devious tricks that people know?

Regards

D

Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 6:14 pm
by Silverheimdall
If there is a banshee, you send in a hero, force a challenge and kill the banshee, crumbles at least another wraith or two. He is forced to raise the banshee again to heal the unit further than the banshee, so let him cast it ;D


If no banshee then make sure the magic weapon you send against them can survive S5 hits o;

Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 6:17 pm
by Dalamar
Magic, Lifetaker, or hit them with the unkillable BSB.

Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 6:49 pm
by Dante valentine
Unkillable BSB sounds good, bye bye unit through SCR.

Ideally a spell that makes attacks magic (lore of fire and metal spring to mind) would be ideal on my RXB's but with no guarntee of the spell and then having to cast it (and with my luck with magic..... well)

Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 12:29 am
by Tethlis
It depends quite a bit on the size of the Cairn Wraith unit. A unit of 3 or 4 models is pretty susceptible to static combat resolution, and things like Lifetaker, hero/champion attacks with a magic weapon, and other factors will crumble them nicely. However, once you start looking at a unit of 6+ models, properly supported with magic, things get more difficult.

Generally speaking, I think Cairn Wraiths are the number one reason to take Lifetaker in any list.

If you end up without any source of magical attacks at all, then I would hit them a ranked-up-unit and just be prepared to lose that unit over time. With the new Steadfast rules, skirmishers have to kill a LOT of ranked-up infantry in order to break them, so you can buy yourself tons of breathing space by simply tackling those Cairn Wraiths with spearmen until help arrives or the game ends. Cairn Wraiths are VERY expensive, so using a Core regiment to take them out of the game for multiple turns is often a good investment in points.

Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 12:42 pm
by Jbtheslipperking
Im curious how you didn`t get a spell of in the first two rounds. You got alot of magic power with a lv4+lv2+lv2. As an example, with one lv 2, move her up, cast all your pd on a big fire ball on the ghosts. Big chanse of IF and at least guaranteed to hit the mark. I suppose hes got 2 scroll, but still.

Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:59 pm
by Dante valentine
Bad luck really.

I got low roll's on the winds of magic, i didn't manage to generate any more power dice on my rolls while my opponent managed to succesfully generate lots of extra dispel dice.

Each spell i tried to cast was just met by awful rolls. lots of one's, two and three's, most of them failing to actually meet the casting value. To maximise my chances of casting is started throwing more dice than was needed just to watch my opponent dispel them with utter ease.

I wont lie, it was the worst magic i have ever seen and in the hundreds of games ive played (i've been at this 15 years!) i'll probably never see another one like it. I was just more curious as to how to deal with the buggers "just incase" i even fail at magic again.

Obviously some other noble had been drugging/bribing/partying with my sorceress' the night befor ethe battle!

Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 9:13 am
by Dafedge
I have a similar query about the Black Coach. By the time he got into combat he was ethereal, leaving either my general or my sorceress to try and take it down. I went with my general, only to be taken down by killing blow, but not before him taking out the unit of Cold One Knights that went wit the unit.

Not to mention he was drawing power dice out of the power pool, making it difficult for my sorceress to get any other spells off that game.

Ideas?

Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 12:20 pm
by Meteor
Yea VCs are really terrible with their nasty ethereals, I had to contend with a black coach and spirit hosts created from winds of undeath myself too. Obviously that was the ONLY spell I saved my DD for haha. I dealt with Black Coach using Pit of Shades, it was fortunate it's a lore I take as a standard thing, and so I used the Power Scroll my lv3 carries around and cast Pit with IF, didn't need a big blast, since you don't want it scattering away from the coach. It's also a handy spell for dealing with cairn wraiths and spirit hosts too since they're also low on I and are multi wound models.

I recommend people to take blade wind if they're using dark magic and facing these ethereal creatures. Chances are they'll engage you in combat to avoid your magic missiles of death, blade wind will fix that up nicely. Obviously the best way to deal with ethereals is to actually have a semi combat character with a magic weapon, or lifetaker as suggested, for your sorceress. That way you don't rely on luck to get magic off to kill them.

Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 6:39 pm
by L1qw1d
Hrm... my "VC regular" hasn't wised up to this yet... does noxious breath do anything? I mean it would be a lame waste of it... but a breath weapon is a breath weapon. Flaming Banner (Sorry. I just... really like fire)

btw: if done properly you have the drugging&bribing&partying, and don't have to choose! lol

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 5:09 pm
by Icing death
Dalamar wrote:Magic, Lifetaker, or hit them with the unkillable BSB.


I am curious to how the "unkillable" bsb is outfitted. What is it exactly?

Icing Death

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 9:59 pm
by Tethlis
Icing Death wrote:I am curious to how the "unkillable" bsb is outfitted. What is it exactly?

Icing Death


Depends on whether you're on a steed or on foot a bit. Pendant of Khaeleth, and either Enchanted Shield or Blood armor plus full mundane kit is generally accepted as being hard to kill. I believe Druchii.net is using specific names for different wargear kits though, so THE Unkillable BSBâ„¢ might be something else entirely.

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 10:00 pm
by Camaris
Icing Death wrote:
Dalamar wrote:Magic, Lifetaker, or hit them with the unkillable BSB.


I am curious to how the "unkillable" bsb is outfitted. What is it exactly?

Icing Death


BSB Master, Pendant of Khaeleth, Sword of Might, Heavy Armour, Shield, SDC, and Dark Steed

1+ Armour Save(2+ in combat), and reverse ward save make him very hard to kill; he basically eats ethereals, flamers, and war machines for breakfast, and he is very good at tying up MCs in a never ending combat. He was very poupular in 7th, but he's becoming rare in 8th due to the fact that most people have started putting the pendant on the stubborn dreadlord.

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 5:03 am
by Icing death
Camaris wrote:
Icing Death wrote:BSB Master, Pendant of Khaeleth, Sword of Might, Heavy Armour, Shield, SDC, and Dark Steed

1+ Armour Save(2+ in combat), and reverse ward save make him very hard to kill; he basically eats ethereals, flamers, and war machines for breakfast, and he is very good at tying up MCs in a never ending combat. He was very poupular in 7th, but he's becoming rare in 8th due to the fact that most people have started putting the pendant on the stubborn dreadlord.


Thanks man.

Icing Death

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 6:18 pm
by Valkyre
well, if he is your regular opponent, try (for once) an assassin with venom sword, that will take out cairn wraths np (esp with a banshee in it to challenge and overkill every turn again).