Disc of Death

Sometimes an army presents an element in an unorthodox way. For example: Dwarfs don't have any cavalry. But what is cavalry? A unit that gets behind enemy lines quickly to attack from the side or rear. Well, that's Miners.

In Eighth Edition some things are turned on their ear. It's like those good-news/bad-news jokes. The bad news is the Cavalry can't stand against Infantry in a head-on battle. The good news is that it's a LOT harder to march block. That means that units can get around behind enemy lines a lot easier. Old things need to be looked at in new ways.

Units need to be looked at not in terms of size but in terms of point cost. With a limited area in the deployment zone, main block units need to weigh in at least 250-350 points. Even consider units that costs 500+ pts. What about a block of 12x Chaos Knights? What about a unit of 50x Phoenix Guard?

This doesn't mean there isn't a role for throwaway units.

I came across this little gem the other day for Warriors of Chaos: Exalted Hero with mark of Tzeentch on Disc. With proper protection he weighs in around 190 points. His role is to take care of gun lines and war machines. This is the WoC answer to no shooting units. Give him a Talisman for a ward save. If you take the 5+ ward save item for 30 pts you can also take the Enchanted Shield (a fave of mine) boosting his armor save to 1+. This guy is a threat to ranged units and he gets in their face really fast.

Let's take a unit of twenty Lothern Sea Guard with bows. Fifteen shots = 10 hits = 3.3 wounds = 0.55 failed saves = 0.266 failed ward saves. In other words it would take about a HUNDRED Sea Guard firing at close range to reliably cause one wound. Even cannon shots can bounce off that ward save.

Remember: Mark of Tzeentch improves the ward save by +1.

The other defensive option is to drop the shield and give the 4+ ward save talisman, which gives him a 3+ net ward save. You can still give him a regular shield. On the net this is probably a better option. It depends on what you're up against.

He delivers four S5 attacks at WS7. That doesn't include the weapon bonus. He can stand his own against Chariots as well, and moreso if attacking from the side. For a sledgehammer army like WoC he's a good disruptor unit. He's a monkey in the works.

Arming with Halberd, Flail or Great Weapon is a subject for another debate. For punching power and if you don't think your combats will go into a third round I recommend the Flail.

And besides, this model looks cool and zips around the board. Fun Factor is high.