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Tactica: Tomb Kings - Bored1 | |
Treasures of the Necropolis (or, the Tomb Kings Armory)I’m going to separate this section into the various varieties of magic items, and then sub-divide into “good”, “alright”, and “bad”. Not too complicated, but I’m hoping it’s clear. I’ll try and give my logic in general forms, not for each particular item, unless I feel it is noteworthy, just to save space and writing time (this is taking WAY too long…).Magic WeaponsGoodDestroyer of Eternities Yes, it’s expensive. But, look what it does. Adds +2 strength and killing blow, plus the unbelievable special ability. And the special really is that good. It nearly guarantees that there will be 2-3 wounds (depending on number in base) against almost any opponent in the game. Combine that with tomb guard or even skeletons and you have a rather powerful unit. The on-foot isn’t really a drawback, so the only negative is the cost. Flail of Skulls A bit pricey, again, but adding +2 strength and doing double wounds makes this one of the best purely character killing items in the TK list. Not to mention against multi-wound creatures/monsters. Spear of Antarhak Should be obvious. Great for chariots. Alright Crook & Flail of Radiance Blade of Setep Both of these items suffer from the same problem. They’re cost-prohibitive for a prince, and a great weapon on a king (or prince really) will probably be more useful. Blade of Mourning Almost good. Would be good in another army. The issue is that there are only a few units in the list that actually rely on a break test to break opponents. Of these, only chariots really frequently have characters. And for chariots it can be great. However, a tomb prince with only 3 attacks and s4 is far from guaranteed to do a wound. Plus it negates the opportunity to take any other magic gear, such as the chariot of fire. Put on a King, with a chariot of fire, this weapon can help the king break unit after unit, with impact hits from the unit and the chariot of fire, plus 4 s5 attacks nearly guarantee a win in the first round of combat, and a subsequent favorable break test. Bad Serpent Staff Obvious. Magic ArmorGoodScorpion Armor Armor of the Ages Both are good for their special abilities, and are well-priced. Alright Armor of Eternity Nice ability, just a very prohibitive cost. Bad Shield of Ptra While this can make hitting back easier for skeletons if the bearer makes an armor save, that’s just not reason enough to take it. TalismansGoodGolden Ankhra Collar of Shapesh Both are ward saves for your characters, depending on usage and other items on your character. Alright Crown of Kings Golden Eye of Rah-Nutt I’m tempted to put the both of these items in the bad section, due to lack of appeal. On their own, neither is bad. The crown makes the Tomb King’s “My Will Be Done” a much more likely incantation (I think it works out to 75% chance of being a 4+?). The Golden Eye makes a character’s chariot a bit more resistant to those cannons and such. Unfortunately, these items compete for points with better items, and I can’t really recommend picking them over the other items that are “good”. Bad Amulet of Pha-Stah Not really going to do much. Weapons are the things I really want to stop. In addition, it prevents other magic items from being taken. That said, a prince or king with a great weapon and this item would probably be pretty good at taking on characters that rely on gimmicks such as the Von Horstman’s Speculum or a magic item based ward save. Not the best use for these characters, but it could work, if you really need such a tool. Enchanted ItemsGoodDeath Mask of Kharnut Chariot of Fire Cloak of Dunes All of these items are good, and I would think for obvious reasons. The main one is cost efficiency. All of them can easily earn their points back, and more. The cloak is especially useful, and in many ways better than a ward save for your hierophant. In fact, I’d say the Cloak has a place in just about every single tomb kings list I’ve ever seen. Alright Brooch of the Great Desert Dispel scrolls are the same cost, and you are required to take a wizard. If you have many melee characters, then this could be a good choice for a bit more anti-magic. I would suggest taking another liche priest instead. Bad Blue Khepra Icon of Rulership Vambraces of the Sun These items really aren’t that bad, but they just aren’t good uses of the points for TK, which really need to use their points efficiently. Arcane ItemsGoodStaff of Ravening Hieratic Jar The latter should be obvious. The former however, is a bit harder to use. In truth, it probably belongs in the “alright” section. However, on a High Liche Priest with a Cloak of Dunes, this item can be quite nice. It helps defend the priest, and is great at picking apart fast and weak units, such as fast cavalry or skirmishers. In addition, it adds another incantation for the opponent to stop. Alright Neferra’s Plaque of Mighty Incantations Enkhil’s Kanopi Each of these items is decent. However, they are competing for valuable points in a tough list, as I’ve mentioned before. If the points are available, they are certainly viable options (especially the plaque). However, if points need to be trimmed, look here. Bad Staff of Mastery Given the item’s placement, I almost want to say it was mis-costed. Maybe there has been an update on the GW boards. But as-is in the book, the item is over-costed by at least 10 points. Magic BannersThis section is tough. The two expensive banners are decent, however are only able to be taken by an Icon Bearer. Taking Icon Bearers is a bad thing, and by extension, therefore these banners are not good choices. A tough decision, but losing a character slot for a sub-standard character, even one with a decent magic item, is just not worth it. In addition, I find the Banner of the Hidden Dead to be a bit of a letdown. It seems the tactical opportunities presented are great, until you realize just how bad Tomb Kings core are, except for chariots, which cannot be taken. As for the rest:Good Icon of the Sacred Eye Icon of Rakaph Banner of the Undying Legion All of these banners are great. The first belongs on a chariot unit with a character. It just makes it so much easier to do the necessary damage on the charge. The second goes to Tomb Guard, which makes them super maneuverable, and among the more dangerous units in the game (especially with a character wielding the Destroyer of Eternities). The banner of the Undying Legion can work anywhere, from chariots to normal skeletons to tomb guard. Its versatility, cost and added incantation make it another must take for just about any Tomb Kings list. Alright Mirage Standard I think the Icon of the Sacred Eye is a better choice, but the Mirage standard isn’t a bad choice for chariots, for obvious reasons. Bad Standard of the Cursing Word The only unit with the frontage to use it well is chariots. Chariots need help getting to and winning combat. This standard doesn’t really help too much in either case. Relying on Ld checks to kill models is just too inconsistent to make this item worthwhile. Part 6 - Army Selection - Creating The Army | |
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