However, I fear that simply being a decent straightforward 270 point beatstick might not be enough of a specialization. Like
@Putzfrau has said, we don't exactly lack damage-dealers. And at 270 points it's not yet like it's going to be so powerfull that none of our stuff can keep up with it.
I would personally put him in the 300s. I'm sorry if I came off as wanting him to be a 400-500 point mega-monster like Gordrakk, I definitely don't. But I think those stats are enough of a buff that when combined with what we can do to boost it would make the Oldblood one of the best damage-dealers in our army, while the Scar-Vet would still be one you take if you still want decent damage but a cheaper unit.
If we lose most of those buffs, even bigger stat boosts might be necessary. I would rather not have Carnosaurs as buff engines, but the fluffy options you mentioned sound cool and would be fun to use.
Another unit that everyone wishes we could use but don't because it sucks is the Troglodon. He suffers from the "mediocre jack of all trades" problem even worse than the Carnosaurs. If I were writing his rules, I'd focus on buffing his support and ranged abilities. He already has the makings of a good monster/wizard, he just needs a little boost to get there. Here's what I'd do:
- Give Noxious Spittle 6-8 attacks and rend -1
- Change Venomous Jaws to 3s to hit and rend -1
- Give him a second spell cast
- Give him a support buff of some kind. I'd personally go with a unique spell that applies poison to one Seraphon unit's weapons. Somewhat high casting value, probably 7 or 8. Either make it increase base damage by 1 or deal the weapon's damage value in mortal wounds on 6s to hit and the attack sequence ends. This should be stated not to stack with any other abilities that give mortals on hit rolls, so no cursing for even more damage.
That's really all I'd do. I think he'd be worth it at his current point cost but I could see them going up to 300 points since he now has the extra cast and a good spell.
For what is probably the worst unit in the army right now, the poor Ripperdactyls, I'd try and make them a real glass cannon unit. Something that will deal reliable damage but won't last too long in combat.
- 14" movement
- Change Tearing Jaws to 6 attacks, 3s and 3s, -1 rend
- Blot Toad is a marker that you place at the end of the charge phase. It grants a bubble (not sure how big) where Ripper attacks on unit in the AOE either get the re-rolls or extra rend. It stays in place for the rest of the battle
- Mortal wounds on the charge
I'd give the Ripper Chief:
- Same jaw attack profile as the Rippers
- Add a once-per battle ability to redeploy the Blot Toad
- Make Ripperdactyls and Terradons battleline if he's the general
For Razordons, I'd like to keep them separate from the Salamanders. Sallies are best at killing elite targets, so Razordons could be made into an anti-horde unit that also serves as a charge-deterrent.
- 12 attacks and rend -1 on the Spike Volley
- Instinctive Defense goes to 6 attacks, still half the original value. But it now has rend -2 within 6", making it a pretty nasty unit to charge. Wounding on 4s balances out the high rend and volume of attacks.
I think this would make Razordons worth taking over Salamanders, especially in Coalesced, as elite screens and "bodyguards" for key units. They'd also be a good choice for adding extra range to lists who just want more dakka rather than surgical Salamander strikes. I think 110-120 points might be a good starting point? But again, I'm really just guessing with point values so if that sounds way too high or low please say so!
