8th Ed. Building up from scratch slowly to 1250 NEED HELP

[wbarobinson]

Hello! I wanted to introduce myself, I am new to Lizardmen. I have been playing High Elf for a while and wanted to try something different. I thought Lizardmen would be a nice choice and my store had a Salamander and Skink Priest on clearance. I saw that these were popular choices so I grabbed them and decided to build up to 500, then 750, then 1000, then 1250.

I would like to end up with a Slann and a Stegadon.

So I figure from 750 to 1250 is pretty easy, just add them.
I have the salamander so thats 75 points off... so 675 points to go. (I can understand if you shouldn't field a Slann and a Skink Priest at 1250 so I wont count him unless someone says otherwise.)

So, I guess this is where I ask for your help in making a competitive list that is also fun to play/paint.

I am somewhat tired of infantry blocks that run forward and slice everything up. I was hoping to avoid doing that and thought skinks with blowpipes might be cool to use (but I have never seen them in action and I do not know how useful or even how to use them, over the Saurus, which look cheaper to buy for the points and more fun to paint).

With High Elves, the core troops such so much that you never field a point over minimum, is that the case with Lizardmen? It doesn't seem to be.

Also, in the past I have made jack of all trades armies which have failed quite miserably (half had to run into battle before dying and half had to stay back and shoot, meaning I wouldn't get to cause panic tests from shooting and I wouldn't win combat). So I want to design an army holistically.

I was hoping for suggestions of things that would work nicely with the Slann/Stegadon, hoping to do something different then how I use Archmage (Life)/Lion Chariot/Block of Infantry (i.e. buff infantry, combo charge with lions on flank)...

Can you run a stegadon usefully at really low points? Like this would be 550 points...
Priest l2
15 Skinks, with Krox and standard
Stegadon
Salamamder

Sorry for so much text... answer what you feel like...

 

[T`hinker`er]

Surprised no one answered this yet. I am doing fairly well with one unit of 18 Saurus and one unit of 24 Skinks with 3 Kroxigors in the second rank. 3 units of 10 skirmishing skinks with javalin, 2 units of chameleons with blowpipes and a salamander. I use a Skink priest as the general and a skink BSB. Not the most powerful list, but a good basis to build on that gives you a chance to get comfortable with how Lizardmen work as an army. Good luck!

 

[Battlehamster]

Well of course you know that to even have a slann or a stegadon, you need to be at least at the 1100 pt army value level (25% of 1100 is 275, the price for a bare, bare bones Slann and/or a single ancient stegadon). Though even at that point, you take a Slann and an ancient steggie, that is half your pts tied into 2 single models; a dangerous proposition.

So basically I would never take a Slann in any point value less than 1500. You just won't have enough points to make them shine. My slann always have at least 2 disciplines (rumination is the first one, and either lore of mystery or becalming as the second). Plus I like to make them the BSB with a +1 discipline banner (LD 10 with rerolls ftw!). All this and maybe an arcane item puts my solitary slann at over 400 pts so that means you need a 2000 pt game to fit him in. Also I like bunkering my Slann with a Temple Guard (16 models + slann to make a 5x4 configuration). So that adds another 300 points or so.

At the low values you are talking about (500-1000 pts), I would suggest you take a Scarveteran or Oldblood general with a skink priest lvl2 with plaque of tepoc for your magic. This gives you a nice LD8 general that can fight with a wizard who can know 3 spells from lore of heavens. I also usually don't take a BSB at this low level since cold blooded should take care of you pretty well.

Also, keep in mind that a stegadon by itself will be the biggest warmachine magnet you ever saw. Nothing sucks worse than losing your 275 steggie on the first turn due to a well aimed rock lobba or three. You combat this by either magic (iceshard blizzard the warmachines), kill the machines early (chameleon skink scouts or terradons) or target saturation (have more than one stegadon to spread the wealth).

Finally, especially at low levels, use your saurus warriors! These troops are really good and you'll need the staying power they provide. I try to use them in units of at least 20-25. A skink with Kroxigor sounds nice but is not meant to be your front line fighters. They are more flankers and monster killers. They will lose to most other core infantry troops in a straight up brawl. I like to have a unit of Saurus paired with a unit of 10 skink skirmishers out front to divert and harass the enemy until my saurus can get there.

For the TLDR crowd:
-Don't use Stegadons at low point values! And when you do use them later on, make sure you have a plan to take out opposing warmachines before they destroy your stegadons.
-Don't use Slann in any army below 1500.
-Use Saurus Warriors.
-All these are my opinions and may be resoundingly refuted by anyone, anywhere, anytime!

 

[magma796]

skinks with blowpipes work deliciously, on another note you need at least 2000 pts minimum before you can field any lord. thats my two cents

 

[Agrem]

... on another note you need at least 2000 pts minimum before you can field any lord.

Wrong. This was the case in previous editions. Now you can field a lord if you can fit him in the 25% cap.

On the topic then. I think your draft list looks pretty decent on the given point value. But as said the skrox unit is a bit fragile. Also the stegadon even though it is good takes up alot of your points. I think you would be better with a unit of saurus and some skirmishers. And when upgrading to 750 points add the stegadon.

 

[vict0988]

heeeey.

IMO a slann is allways worth it if he can fit, because a slann with plaque of tepok. and focused rumination lore of life. is just a game winner in 1250. lore of life is just way better than lore of heavens and you get 5,5 extra power value per spell you cast (3,5 for extra dice 2 for extra levels) also he has 2 extra spells and in such low point level a slann can devestate an army. i would suggest for you not to take a skink priest as a general as anyone within 12 inches of the general HAVE to use his ld 6 which is bad... therefor either take a scar-vet as general or a slann i dont see oldbloods bieng worth their points
at 500 a salamander, a unit of saurus and a scar vet would be very good i think.
at 750 grab some chameleons and a skink priest.
1000 here you can add a steg.
1250 take a slann and make scar vet bsb and drop the priest add skrimishers or more salamanders.
1500 make scar vet a challenger (he should choin TG) and add 15 temple guard.
you should not make it an ancient stegadon untill 1750 points, as rare space will be needed for salamanders. ancients might be better but salamanders are simply awesome, they can turn the tide of a game a stegadon becoming an ancient cant. (well it can but....)

 

[Cowboy jet]

I just have to point this one out:

anyone within 12 inches of the general HAVE to use his ld 6 which is bad...

This has been corrected, the errata now says: MAY use etc..