7th Ed. Metal v life

[valen]

I've got a 2k campaign battle coming up against Empire and so far they've been running away with it. I'm going to field a Slann with focus of mystery and was wondering whether metal or life is more useful against an Empire gunline?

Also as a second discipline i tend to choose magic resistance but i know he won't have much in the way of magic so i was thinking that maybe terror might be better against the relatively low Ld of humans. what do people think?

 

[DonkeyHotep]

Sounds like a plan. See if a stegadon scares any of his guys to see if terror is helpful. Do note that terror on a slann loses a major benefit because of the TG being Immune to psych when he's around anyway, and since he's in the back rank they don't have to check for Terror to charge because they won't be touching him and once in combat they won't have to check for terror making them flee.

 

[Caneghem]

I've got a 2k campaign battle coming up against Empire and so far they've been running away with it. I'm going to field a Slann with focus of mystery and was wondering whether metal or life is more useful against an Empire gunline?

Also as a second discipline i tend to choose magic resistance but i know he won't have much in the way of magic so i was thinking that maybe terror might be better against the relatively low Ld of humans. what do people think?

Take the Focused Rumination, to add an extra casting die per spell attempt. This will be approximately 20 times better than giving the Slann terror. Terror is what you have your stegadon for. If you want to really slam them with psychology, take the lore of death. Doom and darkness on their big unit followed by a Salamander-inspired panic check will send them packing. Wouldn't hurt if you could have your terradons waiting on the other side. Death also has a nice character sniping spell and one that can upgrade those kroxigors and salamanders into terror causers for a turn, useful if you have one of them within 6 inches of some enemy units, or if you want a block of saurus to be able to auto-break something he has (maybe some stubborn greatswords).

 

[ilnar]

against a gunline?
depends,
if he takes loads of knights and cannons then metal is a solid choice,
lore of brass on the cannons and then spirit on the knights
if he loads up on cannons and handgunners take life,
a slan should be able to soak a unit a turn, hit something on a hill and still get of howler wind at the end

 

[Dumbledore]

Also transmutation of lead is handy for letting your saurus units tear through their infantry. Unless you are facing a pure gunline I would go for metal, even a single unit of knights or steamtank makes spirit of the forge brutally worthwhile.

If you are running your slann with TG get rumination and mystery, no need for terror, regen or magic resistance. Look out sir protects you enough and empire magic is not too scary. The only third focus I would consider is the one that makes them drop 6's as it adds reliability, something always desired in WH.

If running a solo slann I would take rumination, mystery and ethereal, making sure he is BSB with warbanner. Cannons can't touch him (unless dwarf magic ones). You can always bunker him in a saurus unit if needed and if light cav or most knight units actually charge him solo he needn't worry as they can't hurt him (unless containing a hero with a magic weapon) and he has a fair amount of static combat res. I saw a funny report of someone, Bobo on TWF I think, running this and getting charged by a hydra. The hydra couldn't wound him and lost combat by 1, fled and got run down by the slann.

 

[Eternity_Warden]

once in combat they won't have to check for terror making them flee.

Isn't there still the terror test for starting the turn within 6"?

 

[strewart]

Yeah there is, but if you are in combat you are immune to it since you are so distracted by the combat. By the same token, if you are already in combat when a fear/terror causing unit charges you then you don't need to test.