Special List: The Dark Elf Slavers

Have a question about the Warhammer rules? Ask them here!

Moderator: The Dread Knights

User avatar
Langmann
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Posts: 5170
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 9:41 pm
Location: Putting needles into people.

Special List: The Dark Elf Slavers

Post by Langmann »

Special List by Jeff Leong and I. Feel free to try it out or abuse it. ;)

Dark Elf Slaver Special List

BESTIARY:

Slaves: Dark Elves generally use slaves as a source of labour, however in some situations they have been seen on the battlefield, driven forth in a state of ferocious intoxication under the dispassionate whips of the Dark Elf Beastmasters. Before battle the slaves are drugged with a cunning poison. This poison drives the slaves into a pliable fighting mass under the instruction of the Beastmasters and the Dark Elves ruthlessly utilize this source of ready fodder to their advantage, thrashing them towards enemy cavalry or artillery or using them as triggers for traps and other ambushes.

The presence of slaves is often extremely unsettling to the enemy, as a Dark Elf slaving raid often engulfs the unfortunate citizens of that region. Many times have defending enemy forces had to fire upon their drugged comrades to prevent being overwhelmed themselves. Due to the nature of controlling a mob of slaves, there must be a sufficient force of Dark Elves available to control them, and this alone prevents the steadily growing wake of slaves from destroying an entire country.

Slaves do not count as core choice and number of slave units may not exceed the total number of DE warrior or corsair units. Slave units must be accompanied by at least one Apprentice Beastmaster who leads the unit from the rear rank but otherwise follow all the rules for champions. Slaves may use Apprentice Beastmaster leadership or Beastmaster leadership if a Beastmaster joins the unit.

Slaves are Beneath Contempt.

SPECIAL RULES:

Master of the Sea. Dark Elf raids are conducted on smaller vessels that depart a roving Black Ark, unload their bleak cargo, and return laden with spoils of the Dark raid. These forays are led by Corsair Captains and in larger raids by the Master of the Black Ark with several ships under his command. The raids are conducted under their watchful eyes and bounty divided according to tradition.

The dark elf army must be led by a Master of the Black Arc or a Corsair Captain.

Raiders: During raiding expeditions, Dark Elven Corsairs adopt a unique raiding formation that is extremely effective for rapid forays deep into enemy territory. Corsairs are able to strike rapidly and then melt away with their captives before the enemy is able to mount a counterattack.

Raiders may reform freely during a normal move or march move. This ability is similar to the movement ability of Fast Cavalry. Raiders charge as normal, and may not reform during a charge. Due to the rapid and fluid formation, corsairs may only obtain a maximum rank bonus of +2 for the purposes of calculating Combat Resolution. Characters inside the unit may use the Raider special rule.

Beneath Contempt: Slaves are below all contempt and are worth only their price upon the slaver market. When slaves are driven into battle, they are simply fodder or more sadistically as a source of amusement to Dark Elf slavers. No Dark Elf would disgrace himself by joining a unit of slaves and their grim fate is left under the capable hands of the Beastmasters.

If a unit of slaves breaks, flees, or otherwise would causes any panic test, this is ignored by Dark Elf and Harpy units. Moreover slaves cannot use the general’s leadership nor may any character other than a Beastmaster join them.

CHARACTERS:

LORDS:

Master of the Black Ark. (Highborn as per army book with this exception: must include a sea dragon cloak as a sign of leadership. No dragon choice.) Master of the Sea.

HEROES:

Corsair Captain (Noble as per army book with this exception: must include a sea dragon cloak as a sign of status.) Master of the Sea.

Dread Sorceress. Sorceress as per army book. Master of the Sea.

Beastmaster. As per army book. Master of the Sea.

CORE:

Corsairs 1+. As per army book. Raiders.

Warriors. As per army book.

Dark Riders. As per army book.

Slaves 3 Points – M5 WS2 BS1 S3 T3 I2 W1 A1 Ld5.*
Apprentice Beastmaster 10 points – M6 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 I5 A1 W1 Ld8 two hand weapons.
Unit Size 10+ and 1-2 Apprentice Beastmasters.
Beneath Contempt.
*Does not count as core choice and number of slave units may not exceed the total number of DE warrior or corsair units.


SPECIAL:

Shades. As per army book.

Executioners. As per army book.

Reaper Bolt Thrower. As per army book. #

# One Reaper Bolt Thrower per unit of Corsairs. The Reaper Bolt Throwers are attached to each unit of corsairs who transport and deploy them before battle.

Black Sea Dragons 0-1. See below.

RARE:

Harpies. As per army book except not limited to 0-1.

Cold One Knights 0-1. As per army book.

SPECIAL CHARACTER:

Lharek “The Lame” S’Darqth. (230 points)

Vicious and extremely cunning, Lharek is loyal to naught but “the bottom line” and is thus one of the most infamous of Druchii raiders. Named “Lharek the Lame” by his detractors, Lharek was wounded by a human slave who desperately clubbed Lharek with a blazing steel brand, permanently laming Lharek’s left leg. The unfortunate result of this wounding was Lharek’s own pride and he now has only hatred and scorn for all races, considering them nothing but cattle and subjects for his painful experiments. In battle, Lharek is driven by his hate, which more than makes up for his near useless leg and it is rumoured amongst his followers that Lharek’s current concubine, a sorceress of Dark power, concocts evil potions to give Lharek strength in his leg and tolerance of his own inner pain.

M5 WS7 BS6 S4 T3 W3 I8 A4 Ld10 (125 points)

Equipment: Light armour (3 points), Whips of Torment (30 points), Cloak of the Black Sea Dragon (50 points).

Whips of Torment: These are two whips held in each hand. After being lamed by a human slave Lharek and his sorceress concubine created the whips to inflict incredible wracking pain upon his enemies.

For every successful hit from the whip the enemy must make a toughness test or be unable to strike in that round. The whips provide an extra attack by that model.

Cloak of the Black Sea Dragon: Crafted from the remains of a hideous ancient sea dragon, these pearly black scales wrap the wearer in a magical darkness shielding him from blows.

The Cloak provides a normal sea dragon cloak armour save that may be combined with regular armour and in addition gives the wearer a 4+ ward save.

Despise: Lharek has a deep bitterness for all lesser races and he inspires the troops he leads with his hate of all beneath him. (25 points)

Lharek and the unit he leads has hatred as per the Warhammer Rulebook.

Leader of the Black Sea Dragons: Lharek has personally selected corsairs who have proven themselves in at least 50 raids. These corsairs are given an extra tenth of a slaving share due to their status.

Lharek must be accompanied by a unit of t least 9 Black Sea Dragons, which includes a Standard Bearer and Musician and counts as a rare choice. The unit must take a magic standard, which may cost up to 75 pts. Lharek may not leave the unit or join another unit unless the Black Sea Dragons are destroyed. An additional unit of Black Sea Dragons may be taken as a special choice. Lharek counts as a Lord Choice.

The Black Sea Dragons 0-1 Special.

Black Sea Dragon – 13 points- M5 WS5 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I5 A2 Ld8
Musician 6 points, Standard Bearer 12 points, Dragon Captain 12 points A3.

Equipment: extra hand weapon, light armour, sea dragon cloak.

Options: may take a magic standard of up to 75 points.

Special Rules: Raiders. Extra Tenth.

Unit size 10+.

The Black Sea Dragons, named by their cloaks made exclusively from the scales of a deep sea dragon, are a veteran regiment of corsair slavers that have been made wealthy by numerous raids. Their ability in combat is legendary among the Druchii, and the Black Sea Dragons are well known for their rapid and cunning combat ability.

Extra Tenth. Black Sea Dragons are composed of worthy veteran corsairs and are under consideration for advancement to command their own ships. As such they are allocated an extra tenth of the raiding share.

Any standard captured by the Black Sea Dragons count as double the number of victory points.
While running a million dollar company, singing at weddings, and his frequent jetting to Spain Elton Jon style, Dark Alliance found the time to stand on the doorstep of Games Workshop like Moses and the Pharoah and calmly state, "Let my people go."
User avatar
Rautha korhadril
Black Guard
Posts: 270
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:08 am
Location: Wandering City 17 (Burnaby) with my crowbar (umbrella)

Post by Rautha korhadril »

Cool list, and fits the concept of a raiding or black ark force perfectly. My only suggestion would be to make the executioners 0-1, as I don't think they really belong in a raiding force (that may limit the special choices too much, though).

And what about some kind of Sea Dragon, like the new HE Merwyrm, as either a rare choice or a mount for the Lord and/or Beastmaster? It would have to be different from the HE one somehow.

Again, cool list and I hope some people get around to trying it.
"Imagine what you'll know tomorrow." - Agent K, Men in Black
User avatar
Sneaky
Daemon Prince
Posts: 2072
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2002 1:59 am
Location: In the wind, so to speak.

Re: Special List: The Dark Elf Slavers

Post by Sneaky »

As usual, some fantastic ideas from you and Jeff. I'll put up my comments, but they're pretty minor. The list itself is pretty much as most people have suggested on these boards, and feels very balanced to me.

langmann wrote:Special List by Jeff Leong and I. Feel free to try it out or abuse it. ;)

Dark Elf Slaver Special List

BESTIARY:

Slaves: Dark Elves generally use slaves as a source of labour, however in some situations they have been seen on the battlefield, driven forth in a state of ferocious intoxication under the dispassionate whips of the Dark Elf Beastmasters. Before battle the slaves are drugged with a cunning poison. This poison drives the slaves into a pliable fighting mass under the instruction of the Beastmasters and the Dark Elves ruthlessly utilize this source of ready fodder to their advantage, thrashing them towards enemy cavalry or artillery or using them as triggers for traps and other ambushes.

The presence of slaves is often extremely unsettling to the enemy, as a Dark Elf slaving raid often engulfs the unfortunate citizens of that region. Many times have defending enemy forces had to fire upon their drugged comrades to prevent being overwhelmed themselves. Due to the nature of controlling a mob of slaves, there must be a sufficient force of Dark Elves available to control them, and this alone prevents the steadily growing wake of slaves from destroying an entire country.

Slaves do not count as core choice and number of slave units may not exceed the total number of DE warrior or corsair units. Slave units must be accompanied by at least one Apprentice Beastmaster who leads the unit from the rear rank but otherwise follow all the rules for champions. Slaves may use Apprentice Beastmaster leadership or Beastmaster leadership if a Beastmaster joins the unit.

I read this as meaning that the number of slave units may not exceed the number of Warrior units or the number of Corsair units (so if there's one Warrior and two Corsair units, there may only be one Slave unit, because otherwise it would exceed the number of Warriors). If I read wrong, I suggest that this be the case.

Slaves are Beneath Contempt.

SPECIAL RULES:

Master of the Sea. Dark Elf raids are conducted on smaller vessels that depart a roving Black Ark, unload their bleak cargo, and return laden with spoils of the Dark raid. These forays are led by Corsair Captains and in larger raids by the Master of the Black Ark with several ships under his command. The raids are conducted under their watchful eyes and bounty divided according to tradition.

The dark elf army must be led by a Master of the Black Arc or a Corsair Captain.

Given that an army is made up of a garrison of a specific Black Ark and the accompanying vessels, I think that as part of this special rule Master of the Black Arks should be a 0-1 choice. Also, as further clarification, a Corsair Captain may not be general if a MoBA is present.

Raiders: During raiding expeditions, Dark Elven Corsairs adopt a unique raiding formation that is extremely effective for rapid forays deep into enemy territory. Corsairs are able to strike rapidly and then melt away with their captives before the enemy is able to mount a counterattack.

Raiders may reform freely during a normal move or march move. This ability is similar to the movement ability of Fast Cavalry. Raiders charge as normal, and may not reform during a charge. Due to the rapid and fluid formation, corsairs may only obtain a maximum rank bonus of +2 for the purposes of calculating Combat Resolution. Characters inside the unit may use the Raider special rule.

Taking the Fast Cavalry similarities a little further, I think that the Corsair unit should be allowed to move as normal in the turn it rallies (but it cannot charge!). Also, the Corsair unit could possibly have a 180 degree LOS.

Beneath Contempt: Slaves are below all contempt and are worth only their price upon the slaver market. When slaves are driven into battle, they are simply fodder or more sadistically as a source of amusement to Dark Elf slavers. No Dark Elf would disgrace himself by joining a unit of slaves and their grim fate is left under the capable hands of the Beastmasters.

If a unit of slaves breaks, flees, or otherwise would causes any panic test, this is ignored by Dark Elf and Harpy units. Moreover slaves cannot use the general’s leadership nor may any character other than a Beastmaster join them.

Fair enough, but I doubt a Dark Elf Lord would be very happy about losing an entire cartload of slaves. The General should have to pass a leadership test or he and his unit must make an immediate march towards the nearest enemy unit, and if they hit it they count as charging.

CHARACTERS:

LORDS:

Master of the Black Ark. (Highborn as per army book with this exception: must include a sea dragon cloak as a sign of leadership. No dragon choice.) Master of the Sea.

HEROES:

Corsair Captain (Noble as per army book with this exception: must include a sea dragon cloak as a sign of status.) Master of the Sea.

Dread Sorceress. Sorceress as per army book. Master of the Sea.

Beastmaster. As per army book. Master of the Sea.

CORE:

Corsairs 1+. As per army book. Raiders.

Warriors. As per army book.

Dark Riders. As per army book.

Slaves 3 Points – M5 WS2 BS1 S3 T3 I2 W1 A1 Ld5.*
Apprentice Beastmaster 10 points – M6 WS4 BS4 S3 T3 I5 A1 W1 Ld8 two hand weapons.
Unit Size 10+ and 1-2 Apprentice Beastmasters.
Beneath Contempt.
*Does not count as core choice and number of slave units may not exceed the total number of DE warrior or corsair units.

No arguments.

SPECIAL:

Shades. As per army book.

Executioners. As per army book.

Reaper Bolt Thrower. As per army book. #

# One Reaper Bolt Thrower per unit of Corsairs. The Reaper Bolt Throwers are attached to each unit of corsairs who transport and deploy them before battle.

Black Sea Dragons 0-1. See below.

Interesting idea on the Boltthrowers. I approve. I'll discuss the Black Sea Dragon where it's listed, although it may work better as a Rare choice.

RARE:

Harpies. As per army book except not limited to 0-1.

Cold One Knights 0-1. As per army book.

SPECIAL CHARACTER:

Lharek “The Lame” S’Darqth. (230 points)

Vicious and extremely cunning, Lharek is loyal to naught but “the bottom line” and is thus one of the most infamous of Druchii raiders. Named “Lharek the Lame” by his detractors, Lharek was wounded by a human slave who desperately clubbed Lharek with a blazing steel brand, permanently laming Lharek’s left leg. The unfortunate result of this wounding was Lharek’s own pride and he now has only hatred and scorn for all races, considering them nothing but cattle and subjects for his painful experiments. In battle, Lharek is driven by his hate, which more than makes up for his near useless leg and it is rumoured amongst his followers that Lharek’s current concubine, a sorceress of Dark power, concocts evil potions to give Lharek strength in his leg and tolerance of his own inner pain.

M5 WS7 BS6 S4 T3 W3 I8 A4 Ld10 (125 points)

Equipment: Light armour (3 points), Whips of Torment (30 points), Cloak of the Black Sea Dragon (50 points).

Whips of Torment: These are two whips held in each hand. After being lamed by a human slave Lharek and his sorceress concubine created the whips to inflict incredible wracking pain upon his enemies.

For every successful hit from the whip the enemy must make a toughness test or be unable to strike in that round. The whips provide an extra attack by that model.

Presumably, this counts as two hand weapons and always strikes first?

Cloak of the Black Sea Dragon: Crafted from the remains of a hideous ancient sea dragon, these pearly black scales wrap the wearer in a magical darkness shielding him from blows.

The Cloak provides a normal sea dragon cloak armour save that may be combined with regular armour and in addition gives the wearer a 4+ ward save.

Despise: Lharek has a deep bitterness for all lesser races and he inspires the troops he leads with his hate of all beneath him. (25 points)

Lharek and the unit he leads has hatred as per the Warhammer Rulebook.

Leader of the Black Sea Dragons: Lharek has personally selected corsairs who have proven themselves in at least 50 raids. These corsairs are given an extra tenth of a slaving share due to their status.

Lharek must be accompanied by a unit of t least 9 Black Sea Dragons, which includes a Standard Bearer and Musician and counts as a rare choice. The unit must take a magic standard, which may cost up to 75 pts. Lharek may not leave the unit or join another unit unless the Black Sea Dragons are destroyed. An additional unit of Black Sea Dragons may be taken as a special choice. Lharek counts as a Lord Choice.

Good special character. I'd suggest that he may join slave units (after the BSD unit is destroyed of course), and the slave unit gains the Frenzy special rules. The unit cannot lose their Frenzy unless the character leaves the unit.

The Black Sea Dragons 0-1 Special.

Black Sea Dragon – 13 points- M5 WS5 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I5 A2 Ld8
Musician 6 points, Standard Bearer 12 points, Dragon Captain 12 points A3.

Equipment: extra hand weapon, light armour, sea dragon cloak.

Options: may take a magic standard of up to 75 points.

Special Rules: Raiders. Extra Tenth.

Unit size 10+.

The Black Sea Dragons, named by their cloaks made exclusively from the scales of a deep sea dragon, are a veteran regiment of corsair slavers that have been made wealthy by numerous raids. Their ability in combat is legendary among the Druchii, and the Black Sea Dragons are well known for their rapid and cunning combat ability.

Extra Tenth. Black Sea Dragons are composed of worthy veteran corsairs and are under consideration for advancement to command their own ships. As such they are allocated an extra tenth of the raiding share.

Any standard captured by the Black Sea Dragons count as double the number of victory points.

Not bad, but I wonder if they're a little underpriced. Still, I'm no expert there, so I'll defer judgement to those who know better.
Goodbye.
User avatar
Daod
Black Guard
Posts: 250
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2003 9:28 pm
Location: Good old Massachusetts

Post by Daod »

The black dragons are at least 1 point too cheep- that's the same stats as Witch Elves, except that they don't have frenzy, but the extra attack straight, and they have a save better by 2 (3 against shooting). In exchange for this, their standard (which costs you points to get) gives another 100 vp if it gets captured (not common at all with some armies, all though it can happen fairly often against others).
There is no truer friend than a blade, no swifter argument than a bolt.

... no matter what you say in a discussion with a woman, it's always the wrong thing.
-Yokozuna
User avatar
Lord meaglin
Highborn
Posts: 733
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2004 8:32 pm
Location: manchestser

Post by Lord meaglin »

Slaves 3 Points – M5 WS2 BS1 S3 T3 I2 W1 A1 Ld5.*


why would slaves move 5 as they are being wiped regulally and only elves move 5 as a universal movement men and stuff move 4 then -1 for them being tired and wounded 3 it makes more sence
hullo wat yar du in ahrrr
User avatar
Lethalis
Loremaster
Posts: 4327
Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2003 12:30 pm
Location: wow, who says I have a location?

Post by Lethalis »

Well, since I am a great opponent of the idea that slaves actually fight, I'll get to them first.

First of all, why the M5? Only skaven and elves are that fast, and as the majority of slaves are orcs, goblins and humans (somewhere said in the book I thought, or something likewise) I would think it should actually be M4.

Secondly, I think they're a bit underpriced. As a missile screen they will prove to be very popular, allowing the Druchii player to make 2 big units of say 30, and deploying them in one long line which will prove to be a good missile screen. That doesn't fit the Druchii, and it gives the idea of a Druchii horde, which is ashaming, because they are supposed to excel in small numbers (also got that from the book ;)).

Also, since this is supposed to be a raiding fleet and not an invasion fleet, I'd get rid of the knights and exe's. I love the idea of corsairs manning the reaper though.

Overall, a cool list, though the slaves are just wrong.
User avatar
Langmann
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Posts: 5170
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 9:41 pm
Location: Putting needles into people.

Post by Langmann »

lord meaglin wrote:
Slaves 3 Points – M5 WS2 BS1 S3 T3 I2 W1 A1 Ld5.*


why would slaves move 5 as they are being wiped regulally and only elves move 5 as a universal movement men and stuff move 4 then -1 for them being tired and wounded 3 it makes more sence


Because they are drugged and whipped into a moving riot. They don't have weapons, armour or any such things to slow them down, nor are they required to march in step.

In reality, slow slaves would slow the entire fast moving DE army down, and result in an army that is not fluid gamewise.

If you notice slaves are unlikely to win against any unit, and a large unit of them is more of a waste: they cannot get the rank bonus leadership that the skaven can, nor can they use the general's leadership. SO a large unit is a waste of points rather than the cheap soldiers that the Skaven use with so much benefit. Be careful in your use of them, spending a lot of points on slaves could wate your HB money and yourself... points.

It kind of balances out the fact that slaves are capital.
While running a million dollar company, singing at weddings, and his frequent jetting to Spain Elton Jon style, Dark Alliance found the time to stand on the doorstep of Games Workshop like Moses and the Pharoah and calmly state, "Let my people go."
User avatar
Langmann
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Posts: 5170
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 9:41 pm
Location: Putting needles into people.

Post by Langmann »

Lethalis, Snotling Uniter wrote:Well, since I am a great opponent of the idea that slaves actually fight, I'll get to them first.


Well the fluff differs from your opinion, so we'll have to agree to disagree there and be done with that issue.

Secondly, I think they're a bit underpriced. As a missile screen they will prove to be very popular, allowing the Druchii player to make 2 big units of say 30, and deploying them in one long line which will prove to be a good missile screen. That doesn't fit the Druchii, and it gives the idea of a Druchii horde, which is ashaming, because they are supposed to excel in small numbers (also got that from the book ;)).


Yes, but at the same time they suck in a scrap as I mentioned before. A long line of them, for example, could easily be defeated by a fast cav charge, running them off quite handily. You must be much more careful how you waste this precious commodity in the way we have designed them.

From the Druchii point of view, slaves are not expected to win battles like Skaven slaves can do, but are rather there to die in the place of an elf, allowing them to continue on the raid, turning one slave into three. A kind of investment.

Also, since this is supposed to be a raiding fleet and not an invasion fleet, I'd get rid of the knights and exe's. I love the idea of corsairs manning the reaper though.

Overall, a cool list, though the slaves are just wrong.


Executioners are there to execute useless slaves and unruly leaders. It is what they live for. Naturally they would flock to a slaver expedition.

Knights are nobles and many would have a vested interest in slaving, though not perhaps as intensely as the corsairs. Lord Yeurl was accompanied on his slaver expedition by a unit of knights. We have made them rare reflecting this. I have a hard time believing that knights do not slave.
While running a million dollar company, singing at weddings, and his frequent jetting to Spain Elton Jon style, Dark Alliance found the time to stand on the doorstep of Games Workshop like Moses and the Pharoah and calmly state, "Let my people go."
User avatar
Jeffleong13
Warmaster of Slaanesh
Posts: 1517
Joined: Wed Aug 28, 2002 7:07 pm
Location: The Great Maw

Post by Jeffleong13 »

As always with looking at lists, it is difficult to take a specific unit in isolation and really get a good view of it. You end up with a rather heavily infantry-based force with this list, and one that is unsupported by normal infantry support units (i.e., Chariots).

Slowing down the slaves was considered, but viewed to be unwarranted in the overall conception of the army. As Langmann said, it would overly slow the force without any real reason to do so. Also, a unit of slaves is a minimum of 40 points for 11 models (3x10 slaves + 10x1 BM Apprentice), which is significantly more than is initially apparent.

Jeff
User avatar
Voodoomaster
Lord General Of Khaine
Posts: 2528
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2004 8:53 pm
Location: Exile
Contact:

Post by Voodoomaster »

great list i love it. you seemed to have mached the fluff perfectly.
Image
"For every victory there is a defeat, for every defeat there is a victory. My victory, my defeat are for all to see..."
Khael Vraneth, Lord-General of Khaine.
User avatar
Ash010110
Malekith's Best Friend
Posts: 1237
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2003 4:24 pm
Location: Boston, USA

Post by Ash010110 »

Personally, I think it is fine. Very thoughtfully put together, with synergy in abundance. I must admit that I am partial to Sneaky's extended version of "fast infantry" but other than that, I would not change a thing.

May peace be with you,
Ash
User avatar
Langmann
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Posts: 5170
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 9:41 pm
Location: Putting needles into people.

Post by Langmann »

Ash010110 wrote:Personally, I think it is fine. Very thoughtfully put together, with synergy in abundance. I must admit that I am partial to Sneaky's extended version of "fast infantry" but other than that, I would not change a thing.

May peace be with you,
Ash


Thanks Ash, your opinion is always good. Yeah the part about rallying like fast cav would be nice. The 180' los is OTT. We don't want to price them out of usefullness. It needs to be played and sorted.
While running a million dollar company, singing at weddings, and his frequent jetting to Spain Elton Jon style, Dark Alliance found the time to stand on the doorstep of Games Workshop like Moses and the Pharoah and calmly state, "Let my people go."
User avatar
Jargobae
Terror of the South
Posts: 1322
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2002 7:58 am
Location: Perth, Western Australia

Post by Jargobae »

the list is fine i reckon.

The slaves as a unit isnt perfect but no one has yet to come up with a version that was. BtW what size base are they on?

However i dont think that there is any real hitting power provided that isnt in the execs and CoK's who in all fairness would be the first to get booted for being not as fluffy as the others. They are but not as fluffy.

I liked an idea of a corsair list they had a while ago with special upgrades you could give them like the lizzie sauruses and putting them back to spec and rare the more upgrades
Do you hate Malekith?

Are you interested in seeing the overthrow of his incompetence to be replaced by a system capable of taking Ulthuan back??

Join the spirit of Lakulei today - PM me now!
User avatar
Blackfel
Black Guard
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu Jan 30, 2003 8:18 am
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Contact:

Post by Blackfel »

I really like this list. So many people incorrectly believe that Dark Elves don't use slaves in battle that its a little disconcerting. The fluff clearly states that both the High Elves and the Dark Elves had a lot of problems fielding large armies after their destructive civil wars. The High Elves responded to the problem by creating the Citizen Levy, while the Dark Elves responded by fielding huge armies of drugged slaves. Why that major fact should be overlooked time and again in each edition is beyond me.

I would add one more thing to your list: Witch Elves. Witch Elves would be an excellent addition to the list because they have a vested interest in obtaining as many slaves as possible for their unending sacrifices. Khaine demands sacrifice, and the Witch Elves are his emmisaries.

Other than that, excellent work!

Blackfel
There is one rule, above all others, for being a man. Whatever comes, face it on your feet.
User avatar
Mielkith
Assassin
Posts: 576
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2004 5:46 pm
Location: Coriana 6, where we won the shadow war
Contact:

Post by Mielkith »

Would Lhareks injury not affect his movement at all, or does he have a good prospetic one, it would a good modeling project. Im glad you with held putting in "Sea Dragon" or something to match that pesky Merwyrm, I couldn't bear the thought of this list beign tainted like that. I agree that Executioners should be made a 0-1 choice, I know why they would be there but I can't see alot of them crowded onto a ship. It just dosn't seem right, plus if they fell in the sea that armour would be the end of them.
User avatar
Iron_panther
Black Guard
Posts: 273
Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2003 7:50 pm
Location: The Void

Post by Iron_panther »

Nice list. To provide some diversity and punch, why not arm the black sea dragons with great weapons (this would obviously require their number of attacks to be reduced) and include hell drakes (5th edition fluff, basicly small dragons with an attitude issue. Manticore stats, scaly skin, frenzy?, can be fielded as... say, two rare choices). Also drop the executioners (they're the Har Ganeth honourguard, not some jolly-go-sailing adventurers) and remove the 0-1 restriction on the CoK (remember that many nobles have an economical interest in slave raids, and would like to participate/supervise them. Also consider reinstating the 0-1 restriction on harpies, as this represents them hunting in one large slavering tribe. Aside from that it's kinda nice. Is it going to be published in an upcoming monthly, per chance?
Why does it feel so good to be bad?
User avatar
Langmann
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Posts: 5170
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 9:41 pm
Location: Putting needles into people.

Post by Langmann »

The slaves as a unit isnt perfect but no one has yet to come up with a version that was. BtW what size base are they on?

However i dont think that there is any real hitting power provided that isnt in the execs and CoK's who in all fairness would be the first to get booted for being not as fluffy as the others. They are but not as fluffy


Thanks Jargobae. We did not want to make a slave unit that had so many rules that it took away from the focus of the rest of the list. While we did feel that DE do use slaves (and anything else they can get their hands on) in battle, we did not want them to be a major focus of the lisst. We have seen ideas for slave units that had some pretty complicated rules or ways of using them so much to your advantage that we felt that it would make the slaves seem like they were winning you the game. The slaves should be a part of it, but DE psychology would rebel at the idea of slaves getting the honor of victory. Slaves are scum and there to die as cannon fodder or kill and get killed mercilessly by their friends.

Some hitting power is provided by the black sea dragons who get 3 attacks at WS5 S3. We did feel that it was fluffy to see the executioners in the list as they are profiled in so many fluff battles as being part of a raiding force (and indeed are seen in the most recent battle that occured in the DE revision article). COK, as nobles, would be associated with a slaving force. A slaving force, as such, tends to be small and mobile, hence the restiction on the knight units.

I would add one more thing to your list: Witch Elves. Witch Elves would be an excellent addition to the list because they have a vested interest in obtaining as many slaves as possible for their unending sacrifices. Khaine demands sacrifice, and the Witch Elves are his emmisaries.


Witches, we did not feel, would be found in a slaver list. That is what this list is, not a raiding one. They are too uncontrolled and not stealthy enought to gather slaves. Moreover they have this uncontrollable desire to poison and kill the enemy on the battlefield, a place that they esteem as the manifestation of the temple of khaine. No need to wait to get back to the temple in Naggarond, lets kill them now. Witches as such are essentially bad for business.

Would Lhareks injury not affect his movement at all, or does he have a good prospetic one, it would a good modeling project


His rage keeps him going. You could make a great model of him with a prosthetic limb. Thank you for your comments.

include hell drakes (5th edition fluff, basicly small dragons with an attitude issue.


That would work well for a raiding or naval list. This is a slaver list, and is usually economical on the dragons and other such creatures that require a lot of human meat. ;)
While running a million dollar company, singing at weddings, and his frequent jetting to Spain Elton Jon style, Dark Alliance found the time to stand on the doorstep of Games Workshop like Moses and the Pharoah and calmly state, "Let my people go."
User avatar
Langmann
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Posts: 5170
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 9:41 pm
Location: Putting needles into people.

Post by Langmann »

Nice list. To provide some diversity and punch, why not arm the black sea dragons with great weapons (this would obviously require their number of attacks to be reduced


Thanks for that. The corsairs tend to favour quick weapons. They are highly mobile. Apart from the fact that S is so important in this game, fluffwise elves tend to favour weapons that favor speed over strength.

Also consider reinstating the 0-1 restriction on harpies, as this represents them hunting in one large slavering tribe


True enough. We considered the harpies as more of an annoyance to the slavers than actually an intended part of the army. (Even though the player may select them). We had this vision of the harpies, like crows and vultures, drawn towards a group of slavers. They exist by feeding off the discarded and weak slaves, and generally keep the camp clean. Off course they are an extreme annoyance at times as they have this insatiable desire to feast on the best quality slaves. All part of the life of a Druchii Slaver... ;)
While running a million dollar company, singing at weddings, and his frequent jetting to Spain Elton Jon style, Dark Alliance found the time to stand on the doorstep of Games Workshop like Moses and the Pharoah and calmly state, "Let my people go."
User avatar
Iron_panther
Black Guard
Posts: 273
Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2003 7:50 pm
Location: The Void

Post by Iron_panther »

Well, those statements seems to be true enough, just... what exactly IS a slaver army? You've already stated repeatedly that it's not a naval or raiding army, but since most slaves are taken in raids using naval units, usually trying to avoid unnecessary combat (no point in sacking an unsuspecting village when most high-quality to-be slaves are slain in the defence of it), and a prolonged campaign would just result in a loss of dark elven lives, what's this list for?

Is it some sort of heavy "send-in-the-marines" list? ("That coastal fortress" Khalek said in a cold voice, "is going down"). A "suicide landing party to secure the beachhead" list? (Would explain the slaves). Or something else? Please, enlighten me...
Why does it feel so good to be bad?
User avatar
Langmann
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Malekith's Tastetester & Physician
Posts: 5170
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 9:41 pm
Location: Putting needles into people.

Post by Langmann »

The list is a slaver list. Slavers, by our definition, is a commercial expedition most concerned with the gathering of slaves. Raiding is more of a broader term, as raids can comprise of seizing strategic military positions, other commericial interests, killing an enemy army, etc. Of course DE take slaves as a byproduct of all I have described.

In other words the slavers are concerned with making a profit (and having fun, keeping trained etc), and likely do not have direct links to any of Malekith's political aspirations etc.

Hence the presence of slaves, used in battle as a means of investment. ie: sacrifice some slaves as cannon fodder, cause the enemy to flee, and gather up that large collection of, as you point out, good quality slaves. ;)
While running a million dollar company, singing at weddings, and his frequent jetting to Spain Elton Jon style, Dark Alliance found the time to stand on the doorstep of Games Workshop like Moses and the Pharoah and calmly state, "Let my people go."
User avatar
Da'ghault
Noble
Posts: 457
Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2002 6:59 am
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Post by Da'ghault »

Looks like a very balanced list which shouldn't bother anyone.

Some comments.

Harpies and Executioners could be 0-1 instead as stated.
They feel less common and is more like the knights.
The problem is of course that there will be only two possible rare choices. Why not let units of DoW join in here. Nasty mercenaries seems to fit this list perfectly. Both Slavers and DoW both do things for money.

Instead of making the Black Corsairs have an extra attack why not give them heavy armour instead and lower their cost to 12.
Also let the 'Extra Tenth' rule explain their higher allowance for magic banner and also why their champion may take 25 points of magic items.
The +1A feels much more suited for the crazy devoted ones than for basically ordinary veteran sea warriors. The extra tenth makes them more wealthy which gives more bonuses in equipment instead (like the heavy armour also).

Da'Ghault Deceiver of the Damned
User avatar
Darktremere
Shade
Posts: 118
Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2002 4:09 pm
Location: Holland, MI

Post by Darktremere »

I like the idea of the Extra tenth rule allowing more points for a magic banner and magic items for their champion.
I could see the Black Corsairs wearing heavy armour as far as having more money and being better equiped, it's just I don't think it fits the concept of fast attacking sea going troops.

Has anyone made up an army list using these rules yet?
Enslave those you do not crush.
User avatar
Da'ghault
Noble
Posts: 457
Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2002 6:59 am
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Post by Da'ghault »

darktremere wrote:I like the idea of the Extra tenth rule allowing more points for a magic banner and magic items for their champion.
I could see the Black Corsairs wearing heavy armour as far as having more money and being better equiped, it's just I don't think it fits the concept of fast attacking sea going troops.



As already mentioned it is a slaver list, not necessrily a raider as in sneak in and hit fast. Note also that there are other units with heavy armour in the list.

Da'Ghault Deceiver of the Damned
User avatar
Darktremere
Shade
Posts: 118
Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2002 4:09 pm
Location: Holland, MI

Post by Darktremere »

Yes I know it is a slaver list not a raider list. Due to the fact that it is a slaver force I think they would want to move in fast so they didn't alert potential slaves as to their presence.

Like I stated, I could see them having the money to have better equipment such as heavy armour. However , the Black Corsairs are sailors, unlike the Executioners and Cold One Knights, and I think sailors might be less inclined to wear heavy armour. Perhaps It could be included as a possible upgrade.

I actually agree with you about the +1 At being more suited to crazy devoted. Although the fact that the Black Corsairs are veterans they most likely have acquired more skills, such as the +1 At, than your average Corsair to have survived long enough to be considered veterans.

I do agree with you about the Harpies and Executioner as well as the DOW units. Hopefully Mengil's Manhides will make an appearance soon, they sound like they would fit right unto an army like this one.
Enslave those you do not crush.
User avatar
Da'ghault
Noble
Posts: 457
Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2002 6:59 am
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Post by Da'ghault »

If they were simple sailors then I would agree that heavy armour would be too much, but these fellows are kind of special. This is a matter of opinion though. I still think that this is a better option then giving them extra attack stats to show their veteran status.

Da'Ghault Deceiver ofthe Damned
Locked