Carnasaur
Caneghem
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These are damage spells with generally fewer targetting restrictions. The disadvantage is the Slann cannot channel these through a skink. These are generally more diverse, so I won't be able to clump them up as easily as the magic missiles. I will give my own subjective ranking, but it is much harder to quantify what is better and worse in this case. Like before, I will evaluate all of these based on a Slann taking the lore, and with respect to the Slann being tucked into a unit of temple guard. Note that for Synergies I will account for mostly just Lizardmen magic items and Heavens magic, since you'll probably want a flying skink priest to aid your Slann. I'll start with what I see as least effective and go from there.
EDIT: The targeting restrictions have been edited on some of these, thanks to Celticfire and Strewart for finding in the BRB that spells (not just magic missiles) can't be cast into combat unless specifically stated.
Master of the Wood - 6+ - Unengaged enemy unit within 12", or 12" of woods, LOS - D6 str4, D6 str5 if at least partially in wood
Not as terrible as it might first seem. It is in many cases like forked lightning, since if there is a forest anywhere in your enemy's deployment zone you can hit anything within 12" that you can see. The partially within the wood strength bonus is nice if you can get it, but if your opponent is careful he will just make sure he is more than 2 inches into the wood. If there are a decent number of forests on the table you may find this one pretty useful, for making the enemy nervous about how they use the woods.
Synergies - Possibly war drum of Xahutec to march into better casting positions.
Conflagration of Doom - 11+ - Unengaged enemy unit in LOS - D6 Str4 flaming + D6 for every time you beat opponent's roll
This can effect anything the Slann sees, and so it has really great range. The big problem of course is that it relies hugely on luck to do big damage.. but it CAN do large amounts of damage. I might cast this early in a magic phase to try to draw out dispel dice, assuming I was not in position to make Burning Head worth casting. It's a spell that sounds a lot scarier than it is. I guess this might be best considered as the Lore of Fire's "sniping" spell since it has only LOS as it's target restriction and can potentially annihilate a unit in one go. The problem is more often than not, your opponent will win the "roll off", so it is not a very reliable damage dealer.
Synergies - Portent of Far. Casting portent of far on the Slann's unit is a good idea when you have Lore of Fire, since you'll be rolling tons of dice for all those magic missiles. Re-rolling all 1's starts to add up.
Wall of Fire - 12+ - 24" Unengaged enemy unit - Str 4 hit to entire front rank, if unit moves each model takes str 4 hit.
If you are facing a ranked up "uber-unit", something for example that has 30+ models, it might be worth trying to cast this spell on it. Essentially it means they cannot move until they dispel the wall, which means burning power dice in their own magic phase. It also is great against ranged units since it will hit every model in that long front rank. Finally there are units which have no choice but to move in certain circumstances. Cast this on a frenzied block of troops and then charge bait them... watch as every model in the unit takes a str 4 hit and see the numbers of the unit dwindle. With its high casting cost and relatively short list of worthwhile targets, this becomes an ok sort of situational spell. Yet one more reason I love Focus of Mystery on the Slann, it just gives him the ability to cast situational spells once per game but mostly stick to the bread and butter of each lore. It should also be noted that this gains a little bit of flexibility since it does not require line of sight.
Synergies - Portent of Far - If you're casting this at a line of 10 archers portent of far will serve you well.. and you'll likely have portent on the Slann when using Lore of Fire anyway. I don't think you'd get to reroll 1's if the enemy moves through the wall though, since that would happen in the next phase. Now if somehow they were made to panic in the shooting phase.... I think the rerolls would work for the damage they take when they move.
Forked Lightning - 6+ - Unengaged enemy unit in LOS - D6 str4 hits
This is kind of a neat little imitation magic missile. The D6 str4 magic missiles all cast on a 5+, this one goes off on 6+ but you get the added benefit of unlimited range. Not a bad tradeoff at all, and it makes for some very flexible damage application if used properly. You still need LOS... if only you had some sort of flying spellcaster...
Synergies - The flying skink priest. With unlimited range on the spell, it's just a matter of landing in a spot that gives you a line of sight to your target.
Master of Stone - 8+ - Unengaged enemy unit within 12", or 12" of stone feature, LOS - D6 str5, D6 str6 if at least partially in feature
Well if your enemy has any hills that he's castling up on, this one is a nice solid damage spell for a pretty low casting cost. Consider a unit of Dwarf gunners on a hill with T4 and 5+ armor... this spell lets you wound on 2+. You'll even wound warmachines on a 5+.. crazier things have happened than wiping out the machine itself. I've had one wiped out by a single D6 str4 magic missile. Great spell for someone entrenched on a hill. Not so great with no hills or stone features on the table.
Synergies - Portent of Far (surprise). You'll be wounding on 2+ usually, might as well reroll those few 1's into actual wounds.
Uranon's Thunder Bolt - 9+ - Unengaged enemy unit in LOS - D6 str4 hits no armor save
Big brother of forked lightning, cast this on those pricey units of enemy knights. The more armor your target has, the better! Like forked lightning, it has unlimited range, so it is a very flexible spell. Considering the relatively low number of hits, it may only be worth casting at relatively expensive troops with lots of armor. In most cases though, you'll have something worth hitting with this spell.
Synergies - Flying skink priest, he can fly to good LOS positions and to spots where he can see characters etc. Portent of Far might be worth it with this spell (say you are planning to set off your rod of storms). You may have only 3 or 4 rolls to wound with this, but each wound counts for a lot more since after that there are no armor saves. Against a key target you may wish to use Second Sign of Amul to help reroll as well.
The Burning Head - 8+ - everything in a line of 18" - Str4 flaming hits as cannon, panic check for one casualty
This is actually really good, 18" is one heck of a long cannon ball bounce. The obvious downside is you'll always be pegging one or sometimes two of your TG, but they are pretty resilient and you should weigh this very small risk against possible benefits. Look at the bright side, at least you don't have to take a panic check! I'm not entirely sure you can even cast this while your TG are in combat, because that would be hitting models engaged in close combat. It should also be noted that the panic check isn't redundant with the one from salamanders, as theirs occurs in the shooting phase. 8+ to cast isn't exceptionally high, considering you will probably only cast this when it will net you lots of hits and a couple panic checks.
Synergies - Portent of Far, War Drum of Xahutec - have the war drum tucked somewhere in your TG, and you'll be able to set up some truly spectacular shots with the template, hitting whole lines of enemies, etc. Don't forget the panic checks! A foolish opponent may underestmate the ability of the TG to march up parallel to a line of light cav. Blast 6 automatic hits at str4 on them with this spell and possibly enemies on the other side, then watch the carnage ensue. You can never make the enemy take enough panic checks.
Pit of Shades - 12+ - 24" Unengaged enemy unit LOS - Small round template 4+ partials to hit, those effected take initiative test or die
Well this one is a good bit of fun in terms of shutting down enemy warmachines and even big lumbering models with low initiative. Even the dreaded War Hydra has only an initiative of 2. The Pit of Shades will need to roll that 4+ partial hit to have a shot at the big old hydra.. but after that there is a 2/3 chance of the big beastie going away for good. No saves of ANY kind are allowed against this beast of a spell. Of course warmachines fall right in, as they can't even test for their initiative. The ability to just kill things instantly is a nice perk, and casting this against a large block of expensive temple guard or dwarf hammerers is going to wreak some serious havoc. This is another situational spell though, and there will be times when it is not worth casting. Fortunately Lore of Shadows is rife with other good choices if there's nothing big and slow that needs instant killing.
Synergies - Can't think of any offhand, the spell doesn't need any help really. Would be nice if the 4+ partial roll was considered a "to hit" roll. The War Drum of Xahutec may help you get the Slann and TG into better position.
Rule of Burning Iron - 5+ - Enemy model within 24", LOS - Does a hit against a single enemy model, based on AS of target, no armor save for target
Everybody knows this spell, it is your textbook character sniper. With this spell at your disposal, enemy characters are no longer safe inside their units. Picking out single knight models is worth the points as well, especially enemy unit champions. A great spell to be sure. Be careful when facing dwarves though, they can take the "Rune of the Furnace" for only 5 points that makes them immune to purely flaming attacks, which this spell is. You may also find yourself facing armies who have characters with low armor saves, so you'll be stuck plinking off single knights and such. This spell also negates the EotG ward save bubble, since the Slann is actually just heating up the target's armor and not "throwing" anything at the target. Thus "direct damage" and not "magic missile". Little skink doesn't stand a chance!
Synergies - Portent of Far, Bane Head - Nothing better than one-shot sniping the enemy's 1+ armor save BSB! Bane head makes sure that one wound doubles and kills the target. The portent of far just makes darn sure you get him. Even a str7 hit will fail to wound 1/6 times. Portent of far pushes that to 1/36.
The Spirit of the Forge - 12+ - Unengaged enemy Unit 24" LOS - 2D6 hits, strength determined as with Rule of Burning Iron
This one is a cav crusher every time, yielding an average kill total of 5.83 wounds (6.81 with portent of far active). Also watch out with Brettonians, as the high strength is enough to set off their 5+ ward save, knocking this back to 3.89 (4.54) kills on average. Still really really good mind you, but they will be a bit more resilient. Other great models to crush with this spell are treemen and big monsters with a good armor save. As with the Rule of Burning Iron, you'll want to make sure your opponent has models with decent armor save, or you may want to consider another lore.
Synergies - Portent of Far, Bane Head - Portent of far is great anytime you will be wounding on a 2+, because rerolling 1's in that case means you are rerolling ALL failed wounds. Bane head in the case of a treeman ancient... Remember the recent Lizardman FAQ concerning how to deal with doubling wounds with the piranha blade and the bane head? The same will probably apply to bane head and a flammable target. Cast this at the Treeman Ancient with the bane head on him, and he takes 4 multiplied wounds per actual wound. Juicy.
Steal Soul - 8+ - Any enemy model within 12" - Target takes a wound with no armor save, caster gains wound
What a great spell! No rolling to wound is phenomenal. Burning Iron is ok for sniping high armored characters, but this one doesn't even need Line of Sight, and wounds any target regardless of armor AND TOUGHNESS. It is great because it is guaranteed damage unless they have a ward or regen save. The 12" range is a limitation, as otherwise this would probably be overpowered. The 12" range also means you should plan to march your Temple Guard into the thick of combat, so be sure to take your likely targets into account. Remember you don't need line of sight either, so enemy units containing characters will be hesitant to charge your TG block.
Synergies - Bane Head, War Drum of Xahutec. The Drum in the TG unit will help you close the gap with your intended enemy character target. The Bane Head lets you double wounds against the target, though I'm not sure your Slann would gain 2 wounds (not that it matters that much).
Well, that's 11 more spells done. 20/48 spells complete! Part 3 will be shorter, as I will cover the last type of damage spell.. radial damage spells.
EDIT: The targeting restrictions have been edited on some of these, thanks to Celticfire and Strewart for finding in the BRB that spells (not just magic missiles) can't be cast into combat unless specifically stated.
Master of the Wood - 6+ - Unengaged enemy unit within 12", or 12" of woods, LOS - D6 str4, D6 str5 if at least partially in wood
Not as terrible as it might first seem. It is in many cases like forked lightning, since if there is a forest anywhere in your enemy's deployment zone you can hit anything within 12" that you can see. The partially within the wood strength bonus is nice if you can get it, but if your opponent is careful he will just make sure he is more than 2 inches into the wood. If there are a decent number of forests on the table you may find this one pretty useful, for making the enemy nervous about how they use the woods.
Synergies - Possibly war drum of Xahutec to march into better casting positions.
Conflagration of Doom - 11+ - Unengaged enemy unit in LOS - D6 Str4 flaming + D6 for every time you beat opponent's roll
This can effect anything the Slann sees, and so it has really great range. The big problem of course is that it relies hugely on luck to do big damage.. but it CAN do large amounts of damage. I might cast this early in a magic phase to try to draw out dispel dice, assuming I was not in position to make Burning Head worth casting. It's a spell that sounds a lot scarier than it is. I guess this might be best considered as the Lore of Fire's "sniping" spell since it has only LOS as it's target restriction and can potentially annihilate a unit in one go. The problem is more often than not, your opponent will win the "roll off", so it is not a very reliable damage dealer.
Synergies - Portent of Far. Casting portent of far on the Slann's unit is a good idea when you have Lore of Fire, since you'll be rolling tons of dice for all those magic missiles. Re-rolling all 1's starts to add up.
Wall of Fire - 12+ - 24" Unengaged enemy unit - Str 4 hit to entire front rank, if unit moves each model takes str 4 hit.
If you are facing a ranked up "uber-unit", something for example that has 30+ models, it might be worth trying to cast this spell on it. Essentially it means they cannot move until they dispel the wall, which means burning power dice in their own magic phase. It also is great against ranged units since it will hit every model in that long front rank. Finally there are units which have no choice but to move in certain circumstances. Cast this on a frenzied block of troops and then charge bait them... watch as every model in the unit takes a str 4 hit and see the numbers of the unit dwindle. With its high casting cost and relatively short list of worthwhile targets, this becomes an ok sort of situational spell. Yet one more reason I love Focus of Mystery on the Slann, it just gives him the ability to cast situational spells once per game but mostly stick to the bread and butter of each lore. It should also be noted that this gains a little bit of flexibility since it does not require line of sight.
Synergies - Portent of Far - If you're casting this at a line of 10 archers portent of far will serve you well.. and you'll likely have portent on the Slann when using Lore of Fire anyway. I don't think you'd get to reroll 1's if the enemy moves through the wall though, since that would happen in the next phase. Now if somehow they were made to panic in the shooting phase.... I think the rerolls would work for the damage they take when they move.
Forked Lightning - 6+ - Unengaged enemy unit in LOS - D6 str4 hits
This is kind of a neat little imitation magic missile. The D6 str4 magic missiles all cast on a 5+, this one goes off on 6+ but you get the added benefit of unlimited range. Not a bad tradeoff at all, and it makes for some very flexible damage application if used properly. You still need LOS... if only you had some sort of flying spellcaster...
Synergies - The flying skink priest. With unlimited range on the spell, it's just a matter of landing in a spot that gives you a line of sight to your target.
Master of Stone - 8+ - Unengaged enemy unit within 12", or 12" of stone feature, LOS - D6 str5, D6 str6 if at least partially in feature
Well if your enemy has any hills that he's castling up on, this one is a nice solid damage spell for a pretty low casting cost. Consider a unit of Dwarf gunners on a hill with T4 and 5+ armor... this spell lets you wound on 2+. You'll even wound warmachines on a 5+.. crazier things have happened than wiping out the machine itself. I've had one wiped out by a single D6 str4 magic missile. Great spell for someone entrenched on a hill. Not so great with no hills or stone features on the table.
Synergies - Portent of Far (surprise). You'll be wounding on 2+ usually, might as well reroll those few 1's into actual wounds.
Uranon's Thunder Bolt - 9+ - Unengaged enemy unit in LOS - D6 str4 hits no armor save
Big brother of forked lightning, cast this on those pricey units of enemy knights. The more armor your target has, the better! Like forked lightning, it has unlimited range, so it is a very flexible spell. Considering the relatively low number of hits, it may only be worth casting at relatively expensive troops with lots of armor. In most cases though, you'll have something worth hitting with this spell.
Synergies - Flying skink priest, he can fly to good LOS positions and to spots where he can see characters etc. Portent of Far might be worth it with this spell (say you are planning to set off your rod of storms). You may have only 3 or 4 rolls to wound with this, but each wound counts for a lot more since after that there are no armor saves. Against a key target you may wish to use Second Sign of Amul to help reroll as well.
The Burning Head - 8+ - everything in a line of 18" - Str4 flaming hits as cannon, panic check for one casualty
This is actually really good, 18" is one heck of a long cannon ball bounce. The obvious downside is you'll always be pegging one or sometimes two of your TG, but they are pretty resilient and you should weigh this very small risk against possible benefits. Look at the bright side, at least you don't have to take a panic check! I'm not entirely sure you can even cast this while your TG are in combat, because that would be hitting models engaged in close combat. It should also be noted that the panic check isn't redundant with the one from salamanders, as theirs occurs in the shooting phase. 8+ to cast isn't exceptionally high, considering you will probably only cast this when it will net you lots of hits and a couple panic checks.
Synergies - Portent of Far, War Drum of Xahutec - have the war drum tucked somewhere in your TG, and you'll be able to set up some truly spectacular shots with the template, hitting whole lines of enemies, etc. Don't forget the panic checks! A foolish opponent may underestmate the ability of the TG to march up parallel to a line of light cav. Blast 6 automatic hits at str4 on them with this spell and possibly enemies on the other side, then watch the carnage ensue. You can never make the enemy take enough panic checks.
Pit of Shades - 12+ - 24" Unengaged enemy unit LOS - Small round template 4+ partials to hit, those effected take initiative test or die
Well this one is a good bit of fun in terms of shutting down enemy warmachines and even big lumbering models with low initiative. Even the dreaded War Hydra has only an initiative of 2. The Pit of Shades will need to roll that 4+ partial hit to have a shot at the big old hydra.. but after that there is a 2/3 chance of the big beastie going away for good. No saves of ANY kind are allowed against this beast of a spell. Of course warmachines fall right in, as they can't even test for their initiative. The ability to just kill things instantly is a nice perk, and casting this against a large block of expensive temple guard or dwarf hammerers is going to wreak some serious havoc. This is another situational spell though, and there will be times when it is not worth casting. Fortunately Lore of Shadows is rife with other good choices if there's nothing big and slow that needs instant killing.
Synergies - Can't think of any offhand, the spell doesn't need any help really. Would be nice if the 4+ partial roll was considered a "to hit" roll. The War Drum of Xahutec may help you get the Slann and TG into better position.
Rule of Burning Iron - 5+ - Enemy model within 24", LOS - Does a hit against a single enemy model, based on AS of target, no armor save for target
Everybody knows this spell, it is your textbook character sniper. With this spell at your disposal, enemy characters are no longer safe inside their units. Picking out single knight models is worth the points as well, especially enemy unit champions. A great spell to be sure. Be careful when facing dwarves though, they can take the "Rune of the Furnace" for only 5 points that makes them immune to purely flaming attacks, which this spell is. You may also find yourself facing armies who have characters with low armor saves, so you'll be stuck plinking off single knights and such. This spell also negates the EotG ward save bubble, since the Slann is actually just heating up the target's armor and not "throwing" anything at the target. Thus "direct damage" and not "magic missile". Little skink doesn't stand a chance!
Synergies - Portent of Far, Bane Head - Nothing better than one-shot sniping the enemy's 1+ armor save BSB! Bane head makes sure that one wound doubles and kills the target. The portent of far just makes darn sure you get him. Even a str7 hit will fail to wound 1/6 times. Portent of far pushes that to 1/36.
The Spirit of the Forge - 12+ - Unengaged enemy Unit 24" LOS - 2D6 hits, strength determined as with Rule of Burning Iron
This one is a cav crusher every time, yielding an average kill total of 5.83 wounds (6.81 with portent of far active). Also watch out with Brettonians, as the high strength is enough to set off their 5+ ward save, knocking this back to 3.89 (4.54) kills on average. Still really really good mind you, but they will be a bit more resilient. Other great models to crush with this spell are treemen and big monsters with a good armor save. As with the Rule of Burning Iron, you'll want to make sure your opponent has models with decent armor save, or you may want to consider another lore.
Synergies - Portent of Far, Bane Head - Portent of far is great anytime you will be wounding on a 2+, because rerolling 1's in that case means you are rerolling ALL failed wounds. Bane head in the case of a treeman ancient... Remember the recent Lizardman FAQ concerning how to deal with doubling wounds with the piranha blade and the bane head? The same will probably apply to bane head and a flammable target. Cast this at the Treeman Ancient with the bane head on him, and he takes 4 multiplied wounds per actual wound. Juicy.
Steal Soul - 8+ - Any enemy model within 12" - Target takes a wound with no armor save, caster gains wound
What a great spell! No rolling to wound is phenomenal. Burning Iron is ok for sniping high armored characters, but this one doesn't even need Line of Sight, and wounds any target regardless of armor AND TOUGHNESS. It is great because it is guaranteed damage unless they have a ward or regen save. The 12" range is a limitation, as otherwise this would probably be overpowered. The 12" range also means you should plan to march your Temple Guard into the thick of combat, so be sure to take your likely targets into account. Remember you don't need line of sight either, so enemy units containing characters will be hesitant to charge your TG block.
Synergies - Bane Head, War Drum of Xahutec. The Drum in the TG unit will help you close the gap with your intended enemy character target. The Bane Head lets you double wounds against the target, though I'm not sure your Slann would gain 2 wounds (not that it matters that much).
Well, that's 11 more spells done. 20/48 spells complete! Part 3 will be shorter, as I will cover the last type of damage spell.. radial damage spells.
My armies are going to be character heavy enough as it is though...