Re: Advice re Arming Oldbloods / Scar Vets with Magical Item
In a nutshell, it's all about efficiency.
Scar Vets and Oldbloods can cheaply, reliably achieve some of the best defense this game has to offer - and can do it over multiple characters (know many other armies whose 4th most defensive character can have a 1+/5++ with 1 re-roll at T5, while still toting 4 Strength 7 attacks?)
Think of it like this - what does it take to strike first?
Always Strikes First (ASF)- A special rule which we can only access through 1 Magic Weapon or 1 Lore of Light Spell (Birona's). Taking the magic weapon negatively effects the output of the character while also putting a dent in his ability to take defensive items (less so for an Oldbood, but it still does). Even if you have ASF, what does that get you? It allows you to swing before opponents who themselves don't have ASF (if they do have ASF you both swing simultaneously). For a tournament player such as myself, that's not a good enough reason. With 3 Elf armies toting ASF virtually across the board, and 2 of them (DE and HE) performing well in the current meta (though this could be region-dependent), in addition to anyone else who might have ASF (Keeper of Secrets or Quickblood Vampire anyone?) - the advantages aren't good enough to outweigh the drawbacks.
Also, to truly take the best use of ASF, you'd ideally like to have Initiative 5 or 6, so that you can get re-rolls to hit against most other non-ASF opponents.
High Initiative Items - Again the question is: how do you get high initiative? Gold Sigil sword is nice, but suffers the exact same problems as the Sword of Swift Slaying (ASF) - if you run into Elves, or other ASF opponents, the benefit is largely lost (although taking away an opponents re-rolls is nice, don't get me wrong). If you could get high Initiative without having to spend Magic Weapon, Armor, or Talisman points, it might be worth it.
In fact, there is a Potion in the Enchanted Items section that grants +3 Initiative for one use. This items has some value on a non-GW character. JustDaly uses this item on a Halberd wielding Scar Vet to allow him to poke Flaming Attacks (given by another Scar Vet - BSB with Banner of Eternal Flame) through on a Re-genning unit before his Piranha Blade guy opens up them.
So, assuming you can't go first - what gear do you take?
Great Weapons - For a relatively cheap cost, you give your Scar Vet or Oldblood (who is likely striking last anyway) +2 Strength. You can do this without using up Magic Item points and, if mounted on a Cold One, can still achieve a 1+ armor save with a small investment in some Magic Armor. The strength boost makes it easier for the Vet/OB to wound AND cuts down on the likelihood that the opponent will save the shot with his own armor. Again, efficiency.
Armor and Talismans - An Oldblood on CO can achieve a 1+ with just light armor or a shield. You can do this via magical and non-magical means (Charmed Shield with a Piranha Blade being a favorite of mine). A scar Vet can achieve the 1+ with Heavy Armor or Light Armor and a magical helm, or light armor and a shield, etc (all on CO of course). And THEN you can spend points on talismans that can do anything from re-roll armor to provide a 4+ ward. There are many combos that can fit under 50pts, and some even better ones that fit under 100. You can have a 1+ re-rollable save for only 35pts of magical gear on a CO scar vet (who also has light armor). My High elf heroes would KILL to get defense that cheap while maintaining a strength of 6 or higher. It's really all about the BRB magic items and how they combine with the basic 3+ or 2+ starting points that Scar Vets and OB's mounted on Cold Ones start at.
Overall - At the point a model has T5, a 1+ save and either a 5+ ward or better, or a re-roll on their save, or is making the opponent -1 to hit (Glittering Scales on an OB), you are likely going to get to swing at least one round with your character. There are exceptions (Mindrazor on Elves, or just about anybody, or Savage Beasts on a non-GW character) - but these require spells to be cast - and you generally have a chance to defend against those.
Good luck!
