Woo!
Let me start off by saying, I love 'Nids. Love 'em to tears, and since none of my gaming groups fields them, I enjoy reading news and rumors about them (when I'm not trying to talk someone, including myself, into making a Tyranid army).
Mostly, as usually happens with rumors about a new Codex, the noise I've been hearing is negative - so lets talk about some of the highlights I'm seeing.
First!
There are a few things that scare the crap out of me. Here's a quick list:
1.) Shadow in the Warp - rumored to be -3 to the Ld. of any enemy Psyker in range. Imagine what that will do to a Warlock unit, now trying to cast powers on an Ld. of 5. Ouch.
2.) 'Nid flyers - The 'Nids already have gnarly FMCs that were problem enough, now they have what appear to be proper flyers. These will have the same toughness and mobility (despite the vulnerability to Grounding) but much more ranged threat than Flyrants.
3.) The Horror/Psychic Scream - So it looks like the 'Nid version of Psychic Shriek is now a Witchfire Nova, 6", 2d6+2, but otherwise the same as the Core Telepathy version. However, another power they have access to is the -3 Ld./autopinning test power (The Horror). You won't always get either, let alone both, of these powers BUT, if you do...
Well, picture this: a big, fat juicy Seer Council in Shadow in the Warp range. They get hit with The Horror and Psychic Shriek (and fail both Deny rolls). That's a unit with an Ld. of 4 tops (10 - 6, if the Farseer is alive), they will take wounds unless the 'Nid rolls snake-eyes, up to 12 wounds on their 4+
It's not perfect, it's not guaranteed to work, but it's probably the single most dangerous thing to a Seer Council that I've seen yet. Just saying. And, imagine if more than one 'Nid Psyker is in range with either or both of those powers.
And let's end with some of the things I'm excited about:
1.) Carnifex Broods - with the points drop rumored to be around 25-30% per model, fielding a Carnifex Brood is that much more viable. I can't say how competitive it is, but three of those bad boys thundering across the field is at the very least distracting as crap. I might be tempted to have one or two just base, so minimum cost, just to soak fire and *maybe* punch something.
2.) 4+ Regeneration - most armies are lucky to get a 6+, these guys get a 4+? Sweet! That adds a lot to survivability. It's a cool trait that I've always thought wasn't as good as it should be.
3.) Deathleaper/Old One Eye as HQs - a lot of players write these guys off as not worth the points. Well, I'm waiting to see their rules (OOE may get an even better regen), and having always loved their fluff, am eager to seem them on the field. I would imagine they get some extra perks as Warlords, and they're a heck of a lot cheaper than the average Flyrant.
4.) TONS of Big Bugs - With an across the board drop in points, you can field more (and bigger) bugs than ever before. Take a whole slew of giant bugs and give them no upgrades but Regeneration, and see just how much punishment your army can take (watch out for Instant Death special rules).
So that's that. Stay tuned for when the Codex actually breaks this weekend!
Mostly, as usually happens with rumors about a new Codex, the noise I've been hearing is negative - so lets talk about some of the highlights I'm seeing.
First!
There are a few things that scare the crap out of me. Here's a quick list:
1.) Shadow in the Warp - rumored to be -3 to the Ld. of any enemy Psyker in range. Imagine what that will do to a Warlock unit, now trying to cast powers on an Ld. of 5. Ouch.
2.) 'Nid flyers - The 'Nids already have gnarly FMCs that were problem enough, now they have what appear to be proper flyers. These will have the same toughness and mobility (despite the vulnerability to Grounding) but much more ranged threat than Flyrants.
3.) The Horror/Psychic Scream - So it looks like the 'Nid version of Psychic Shriek is now a Witchfire Nova, 6", 2d6+2, but otherwise the same as the Core Telepathy version. However, another power they have access to is the -3 Ld./autopinning test power (The Horror). You won't always get either, let alone both, of these powers BUT, if you do...
Well, picture this: a big, fat juicy Seer Council in Shadow in the Warp range. They get hit with The Horror and Psychic Shriek (and fail both Deny rolls). That's a unit with an Ld. of 4 tops (10 - 6, if the Farseer is alive), they will take wounds unless the 'Nid rolls snake-eyes, up to 12 wounds on their 4+
It's not perfect, it's not guaranteed to work, but it's probably the single most dangerous thing to a Seer Council that I've seen yet. Just saying. And, imagine if more than one 'Nid Psyker is in range with either or both of those powers.
Talk about a bad break! Those Jetbike seers will have to start wearing helmets!
1.) Carnifex Broods - with the points drop rumored to be around 25-30% per model, fielding a Carnifex Brood is that much more viable. I can't say how competitive it is, but three of those bad boys thundering across the field is at the very least distracting as crap. I might be tempted to have one or two just base, so minimum cost, just to soak fire and *maybe* punch something.
2.) 4+ Regeneration - most armies are lucky to get a 6+, these guys get a 4+? Sweet! That adds a lot to survivability. It's a cool trait that I've always thought wasn't as good as it should be.
3.) Deathleaper/Old One Eye as HQs - a lot of players write these guys off as not worth the points. Well, I'm waiting to see their rules (OOE may get an even better regen), and having always loved their fluff, am eager to seem them on the field. I would imagine they get some extra perks as Warlords, and they're a heck of a lot cheaper than the average Flyrant.
4.) TONS of Big Bugs - With an across the board drop in points, you can field more (and bigger) bugs than ever before. Take a whole slew of giant bugs and give them no upgrades but Regeneration, and see just how much punishment your army can take (watch out for Instant Death special rules).
So that's that. Stay tuned for when the Codex actually breaks this weekend!
Old one eye... he must be a really shit... crushing claws do nothing (OOE have S10, AP 2... and because of cc it have I1) and have s talons, that give him AP 6 (really...?) so... his weapons do NOTHING.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't seen rules for him, so we don't know for sure that that's true. We do know that he has Regeneration (4+) at minimum and that he's cheaper. My guess is too he still has some kind of Ld. buff bubble and some form of Rampage. There's a rumor that Crushing Claws have some bonus against vehicles, but I agree that's a bit of a waste.
DeleteI'm still hoping for some more useful bonuses. I've always loved OOE's fluff, even though he was never really competitive.
A little update on OOE, his Initiative isn't good, but as a Monstrous Creature he doesn't strike last with Unwieldy weapons (nice), and the Crushing Claws grant him Armorbane, so he is guaranteed to pound heavy vehicles into paste without using Smash and losing half of his attacks.
ReplyDeleteHe also does suffer from loss of Synapse (lame), but with Ld. 8 is better off than some. And he allows nearby units to use his Ld., which for many of the really low Ld. units in the game is a decent buff.
However, he is still mind-numbingly expensive for what he does, takes an HQ slot, and is very vulnerable at range...