The Best
Gnarled Hide: +2 armor save that stacks with anything. Fantastic.
Dispel Scrolls: They are frighteningly overpowered. Nothing else in the game can totally neuter a feature of your opponants offense. Imagine a Scroll of No-Damage-In-Melee. Would you take some? I ALWAYS take 4 in every game I play.
Talisman of Protection: Better than the Enchanted Shield since it can be combined with a mundane shield and it can’t be reduced by enemy strength bonus. Roughly comparable to the Gnarled Hide.
Trollhide: Regeneration on a 5W Doombull? Yes please!
Ramhorn Helm: +1 armor save that stacks with anything. Cool. A free attack for every successful armor save? Awesome. I would always try to have this stacked with Gnarled Hide, heavy armor, and a shield to maximize the number of attacks back I can make.
Cacophonous Dirge: This is the item I have been waiting for. I want it just so I can verbally abuse my opponent when it goes off. “Hey buddy I guess you can just shove that musician right up your *$@#. Looks like you wasted 5 points there, sucker. Thought it was going to be a tie? Well #@& you. I win the combat by one mother@#&*@#.”
The real dilemma is whether to use it in a unit with a musician or one without a musician:
Option 1) Your opponent THINKS he has won the combat by 1 due to his musician and your lack of one. But then you spring the bad news. No win for him. It’s a tie biatch.
Option 2) Your opponent THINKS that the combat is a tie due to dueling musicians. Then you spring this on him and win the combat by one. This crushes his spirit and he weeps softly.
Honestly both options are really fun. Option 2 is probably more psychologically damaging, but Option 1 is sneaky and very unexpected. I would probably try to switch things up in my games so my opponents never know what is coming at them.
This item should be in EVERY beastmen army. Period. Frankly, being able to use the phrase “shove that musician up your @#&!” is well worth the price of buying an entire beastmen army.
The Moderate
Crown of Horns: I think the best use of this item would be on a Doombull. As long as he was within 12” of a BSB he would break only 7% of the time (and wouldn’t have to worry about being outnumbered by a fear causing enemy). The reason that I prefer him to the Ld 9 Beastlord is that he has W5 (rather than W3) so he can stay alive longer. I would also give him Gnarled Skin and Heavy Armor and a Shield to try to keep him alive (as well as a Great Weapon so you can decide whether you want its offense or the shield’s defense).
Many-Limbed Fiend: On a Doombull this is a nice +1 S6 attack while retaining the option of carrying a magic weapon or great weapon.
Gouge Tusks: This is a great way to pump up the large number of attacks your Doombull/Gorebull is going to be dishing out.
Enchanted Shield: Inferior to the Gnarled Hide/Talisman of Protection/Ramhorn Helm, but still good.
War Banner: The key drawback is that it can only be used by your BSB (who has better things to buy) or a unit of Bestigors (who aren’t particularly impressive).
Stonecrusher Mace: Basically you are paying 65 points to have an additional +1S (beyond your mundant great weapon’s +2S) and the ability to also use a shield (perhaps the Enchanted Shield) for +1-2 armor save. Those are both nice benefits… but it is pretty expensive.
Axes of Khorgor: Redundant for Beastlords (who already re-roll to hit 85% of the time or more). But very cool for Doombulls/Gorebulls. They have a crap ton of high strength attacks and re-rolling to hit is fantastic (especially with another +1A stacked on…) The only downside is that you must use your base strength (which is admittedly a 6 for Doombulls) and can’t use a shield (which is one of your few defensive options.) Still it’s a nice option.
The Beast Banner: Can only be taken by a BSB. Nice effect but it means your most “survivable” BSB would be a Gorebull (T5, W4) with heavy armor and a shield (4+/3+ in melee armor save). Frankly I think it is pretty risky since your opponent is going to be hunting for your BSB for both the easy VP’s and to stop the banner from working. But use your own judgment…
Manbane Standard: -1 Ld in a 6” radius around a unit of Bestigors. Lowering enemy Ld is always nice. The problem is you have to field Bestigors to have it (I guess unless you want your BSB to be running around trying to use it near important combats.)
The Brass Cleaver: This should generate 2-3 attacks each round when used by a 40mm based model. In addition, you can use it with a shield. I’m not totally convinced it is better than a great weapon but it might be as good.
The Weak
Slug-Skin: This is best on a Doombull/Gorebull since they have a bigger base. That said, S3 auto-hits are really, really weak.
Rune of the True Beast: Too situational to be worth taking regularly.
Uncanny Senses: Uh… why would I want +1 Initiative?
Shadow-Hide / Pelt of the Shadowgave: For 50 points you can make it really hard to shoot at the bearer. Why you would want to do this I don’t know.
Primeval Club: It is inferior to the Stonecrusher Mace and yet costs more points… Huh?
Sword of Striking / Sword of Might / Sword of Battle: I like Great Weapons more than any of them.
Biting Blade: Has anyone ever used this?
Staff of Sorcery: Ditto.
Axe of Men: An unbreakable general and major unit is very, very nice. The problem is that your opponent has to be dumb enough to feed you a character (unit champions don’t count) and it only works after that fight is over. The unbreakability will occur so infrequently that it’s a waste to pay 75 points for basically just killing blow.
Mangelder: Funny name. Weak effects. Terror is not what it used to be with all the fear causing armies out there. Additionally, there isn’t enough multi-wound stuff to worry about whittling away its Ld score.
Hunting Spear: 50 point bolt thrower that can stand and shoot. Fair nuff. Sadly all Beastmen characters have BS3 so you aren’t real accurate. I guess if you trying to play magic heavy you could give it to one of your Bray Shaman’s just for something to spend points on…
The Steel-Claws: Since it requires 2 hands to wield (thus preventing you from using a shield) and costs 5 points more I think it is slightly inferior to the Brass Cleaver.
Everbleed: 83% of the time this item does nothing. No thanks.
Blade Blunter Armor: This only works against magic weapons so it is too situational to be taken regularly.
Blackened Plate: Sadly you can’t give it to somebody with the Trollhide. And for non-regenerating stuff flaming attacks just aren’t that scary. No thanks.
Horn of the Great Hunt: Well… you can’t use it to charge (I THINK that is what they mean by “you must stop within 1” of another unit). But I guess most opponents would be tempted to dispel it just out of fear of your whole army moving a bit. The problem is that you can’t put it on a mage. I would rather have a 4th mage than a mediocre bound spell.
Horn of the First Beast: 50 points is pretty darn pricy for a ~+15% chance of gaining Hatred each round. To spendy for my taste.
Stone of Spite: This should be guaranteed to draw two dispel dice or a scroll. Cuz otherwise your opponants dispel scrolls all go boom. The problem is that yours do too. But I guess if you are playing big magic you could try to rely on your 7 dispel dice for magic defense and take this rather than the scrolls. But I’m not sure that drawing out two dispel dice is worth foregoing all arcane items in a big magic army. Pass.
Skin of Man: No thanks. I don’t want to put my scroll caddy in harms way.
Eye of Night: So a really sucky version the Infernal Puppet with MR 2 strapped on. Uh… no thanks?
Chalice of Dark Rain: One use only. Usable against shooty enemies only. Why not also make it only effect Empire State troops while you are at it. Way too situational unless you always play Woodelves or something. But if you had to do that you would just quit the game because any sane person would rather be waterboarded that play multiple games against Wood Elves.
Jagged Dagger: Can only be taken by casters. Who suck in melee. No thanks.
Totem of Rust: Hmmm… only available to Bestigors, it negates their heavy armor. And the benefit is… your opponent suffers an identical penalty. Wow. I get to pay to screw myself and my opponent equally. We need more items like this. Thanks for the waste of ink GW.
The Banner of Outrage: Yep. You guessed it. This thing is outrageous. It’s the baby brother to the Banner of Rust. You have a slightly increased chance to get Hatred. Your opponent is guaranteed to get Hatred (albeit only for the first round of combat). Ummm… no thanks.
Good (but only in a big magic army)
Power Stones: Suprisingly helpful in a magic heavy offense. Most players overlook these gems.
Shard of the Herdstone: If you are going big magic this is a no-brainer since it would generate 4 power dice / turn.
Skull of Rarkos: Pronounce this item’s name with a Scooby-Doo accent. “Hey Schwaggy, wook at the Schkull of Rarkos.” Notice that the pronunciation of Rarkos is unchanged. Coincidence? I think not. I guess if your 4 shamans are all hanging out within 6” of the Herdstone of +1 power die, you might as well have them hanging out within 6” of this item of +1 to casting results.
Staff of Darkoth: 17.5 S1 hits. S1 wounds T3-4 on a 6. Which means you’ll do an average of 3 wounds against totally unarmored foes. Against anything with armor/ward/regen it sucks. So I suppose it is fine for shooting at unarmored skirmishers and the like. Fair but not amazing for a magic heavy army.
Hagtree Fetish: Very, very nice for a magic heavy army. Who doesn’t want all their spells to re-roll to wound?
1 Response to “Beastmen: Chaos Gifts & Magic Items”