Bane of Commorragh.... Rune Priests?

[MRC(+)]

So, much still has to be discovered (mainly through experience on the Table Top, but also just studying the new Dex), yet based on what we have seen so far about the Dark Eldar rumors/confirmations, I am going to hypothesize that Rune Priest Psychic Powers are going to give the evil Space Elf Pirates fits. Here is my reasoning so far:

 

1 - Thunderclap - Currently considered a sub-par Psychic power, I can see it being highly effective against DE, since so many of their main troops are T3 with 5+ or worse armor saves. Being able to drop a 5" template on squad of DE Warriors or Wyches that have had their transport shot out from under them BEFORE they get into CC with you has to be a tremendous advantage.

 

2 - Speaking of killing transports, Living Lighting is going to have a heyday against AV 10 opened top vehicles....attach Logan to the Squad with the Rune Priest and now you in essence get D6 S8 attacks... kind of like having your own personal Exorcist with unlimited range in your squad (minus AP 1, of course). Also, if a Rune Priest gets Saga of the Beast Slayer and Chooser of the Slain, he can make it virtually guaranteed to hit Grotsques (they are T5) and Talos/Chronos (T7), since he has BS5 with a re-roll against all "To Hits on T5+ units (includes shooting attacks... see SotBS description).

 

3 - Like with Eldar, Blood Angels, and other high mobility/skimmer dense armies, Tempest Wrath is going to cause many difficulties for the DE. Pretty much all their vehicles, Scourges, Hellions, Reaver Jet Bikes, etc. are going to have trouble if they venture into the RP's 24" bubble.... oh, and they will have trouble Deep Striking too, even further limiting DE mobility, which continues to appear to be the key to their "glass cannon" style of play. Also, even the HS options of bombers/fighters are Skimmers, so they too are affected by TW.

 

4 - Murderous Hurricane: It remains to be seen how many DE units get grenades, but for those who don't, this power will definitely temper out the DE's normally high initiative on the charge. As an added bonus, since most DE troops are T3, MH is bound to cause a few casualties as well, due to its high number of shots. Again, like Tempests Wrath, you can greatly reduce the mobility of a key DE unit, which hamstrings their ability to operate effectively.

 

5 - Fury of the Wolf Spirits is another rarely used power in most games, but against DE it can be used to potentially wound some of their bettered armored troops (i.e. Incubi, heroes) and has the chance to cause Morale Checks, again hampering the mobility that is so critical to their fighting ability. In a pinch, it can even be used against Raiders, since you have a small chance of penetrating and even destroying them with 3 x S5 and 2 x S4 attacks.

 

6 - JotWW is probably the least useful ability due to high initiative throughout the DE army, but remember, it still always works on a 6+, so you can have a chance of ignoring some of the fancy Invuls/regenerating units and putting them down for good if you hit them with it.

 

7 - Storm Caller is useful against many current armies, but due to the high-end Anti-Vehicle Weapons the DE look like they are getting (i.e. lots of melta weapons with Lance rule, Dark Lances, Void Lances, etc.) and the inherent high mobility of these weapons/units using them, friendly vehicles are likely to be very vulnerable against a DE army. To combat this, Storm Caller can give a small "bubble" of vehicles a 5+ cover save, significantly increasing their survivability and giving you the ability to last a little longer, often just long enough to take down that DE unit threatening your expensive vehicle. Also, DE seem to have a pretty good stable of low AP weaponry, so providing Cover Saves for your basic PA Wolves still seems pretty useful.

 

So, again, much is yet to be learned about DE and their strengths/weaknesses, but this is my initial take on how Rune Priests will be useful against them.

 

Any comments or feedback or theories of your own, love to hear it.

[Wolf Guard Dan]

Heard one of their special characters actually makes the unit it is in immune to psychic powers. So maybe she is the anti-bane.

 

Everything looks good there. Good strategy for dealing with weak, high-volume armies/ skimmer armies.

 

I wonder if the DE will have anymore anti-psychic wargear or abilities.

[Grimtooth]

And then he pops his Crucible of Malediction and your Rune Priest is removed from play.

[MRC(+)]

True, but as I understand it, the Crucible of Malediction requires an Ld test (easy enough) and then has a range of 3D6 (3"-18", average of about 11" range).

 

Very good counter to Rune Priests, but most of their powers can be used effectively well outside that 11" range and cause a lot of hurt to DE before they have a chance to vaporize all Psykers.

[Grey Mage]

I havent seen the newer version of this wargear....

 

Is there no counter to it? No save, no test to take?

[Skirax]

I'm sure that the Crucible can be negated by one of the many anti-psychic power saves a Rune Priest with Runic Armour and a Wolf Tail Talisman can make.

[Lord Ragnarok]

This thread would be better if opened when the actual dex was out. Lots of speculation until the full reveal.

[Spacefrisian]

I'm sure that the Crucible can be negated by one of the many anti-psychic power saves a Rune Priest with Runic Armour and a Wolf Tail Talisman can make.

 

The only problem being that the Crucible isnt a psychic power its a 40k style pokeball. (that rarely works)

 

 

But than again why fear a Runepriest that can be shot down with a Dark Lance. Why would Wyches fear Thunderclap if they get a Dodge save against it. etc etc.

[Brother Nathan]

when we last had the crucible it murdered phsycers, and they wernt as prevealent as they are today... so we shall see. id bemore worried about the new token system...

[S. Bloodhowl]

I'm not that bothered about the psychic stuff but more that new Wych character, read here rules today and she has something like 4 attacks basic, +2 on the charge iand an extra attack for each point her WS is above yours (she's WS 9 if your wondering)! Against a Tactical Squad she gets something like 12 attacks!!!! Our only morsel of luck is that she doesn't have combat drugs.

 

 

PS did I mention she has a 3+ Invulnrable Save in combat?

[MaveriK]

A nice shooty list will bring them down, just like before. Only difference now is they got new stuff, and more poisoned weapons. Don't go towards them, let them go to you. Bolters Bolters Bolters... rapid fire! and have other packs like Blood Claws support Grey Hunters once they get into combat for a counter-attack. Tempest Wrath and Murderous Hurricane is going to be nice against Dark Eldar.

[Gree]

I'm not that bothered about the psychic stuff but more that new Wych character, read here rules today and she has something like 4 attacks basic, +2 on the charge iand an extra attack for each point her WS is above yours (she's WS 9 if your wondering)! Against a Tactical Squad she gets something like 12 attacks!!!! Our only morsel of luck is that she doesn't have combat drugs.

 

 

PS did I mention she has a 3+ Invulnrable Save in combat?

 

Lelith? She's the least of your worries. Is'nt she just T3 without eternal warrior? And is'nt she just S4? She nasty but not really cheesy.

[Wolf Guard Dan]

I'm not that bothered about the psychic stuff but more that new Wych character, read here rules today and she has something like 4 attacks basic, +2 on the charge iand an extra attack for each point her WS is above yours (she's WS 9 if your wondering)! Against a Tactical Squad she gets something like 12 attacks!!!! Our only morsel of luck is that she doesn't have combat drugs.

 

 

PS did I mention she has a 3+ Invulnrable Save in combat?

 

Lelith? She's the least of your worries. Is'nt she just T3 without eternal warrior? And is'nt she just S4? She nasty but not really cheesy.

I think she is only Str 3.

[Skirax]

Assualt Cannon her face!

[Brother Nathan]

wonder does she have grenades...cause i rember a post before about a tooled up lord and retinue of dark eldar incubi assaulting bloodclaws in cover, who got like30/40 attacks before the eldar got to swing... think this dex will hurt angels more than wolves... although handflamers....

[Gree]

wonder does she have grenades...cause i rember a post before about a tooled up lord and retinue of dark eldar incubi assaulting bloodclaws in cover, who got like30/40 attacks before the eldar got to swing... think this dex will hurt angels more than wolves... although handflamers....

 

Read the Codex again, A DE lord can take an item which gives him assault and defensive grenades.

 

I think she is only Str 3.

 

Only S3? She''ll be used as a Horde killer, not for MEQ purposes. Shoot her enough times with bolters and she'll die. (She just has a 4+ save and is T3)

[Glimpse the Void]

I think the answer to dark eldar is going to be long fangs. I don't think there is a better way to bring those transports down, point for point. Lets see how emo those space elves are once put on foot patrol.

[Stormbrow II]

Yay! The mass-hysterical Codex speculation begins anew!

 

I think she is only Str 3.

Yes, that is correct. Although with Pain tokens she can be brought to S4 with Furious Charge. 10+ Attacks on the charge with S3 will still do damage to a Marine squad and she'll be hard to drag down with models in B2B losing an attack and her 3++ save.

 

As has been said earlier the Crucible is nothing to worry about as you get a Leadership test to save yourself.

 

I reckon that my Rune Priest will stay with Living Lightning although I might be more tempted to try out Murderous Hurricane for a while to see what it can do. Against T3 Dark Eldar it'll be good for a laugh.

[Grimtooth]

This thread would be better if opened when the actual dex was out. Lots of speculation until the full reveal.

 

I was reading the store copy of the dex at my flgs on Friday. Not a whole ton of speculation left.

[CainTheHunter]

I must admit that I am tempted by the idea of starting a small evil army :tu:. But apart of that, I was also thinking how to counter such fast moving skimmer force and I think wolves are actually the best equipped to deal with it. Two priests, Tempest, Living Lightning and 10+ missiles per turn will see most of their transports down in Turn 1. Even if they go first - and I think they be given Turn 1. As somebody else already said - don't go to them, make them come towards You. And with indefinite range of LL, there is not enough place to hide on the table, especially if bubbles of tempest's wraith force them away. I fear though that they will have more anti-psyker than before - in the light of general fuss towards psykers after Codex:SW came out. Maybe Brother Ramses spotted something about this one?

[S. Bloodhowl]

I forgot to mention that that 3+ invulnrable save is a 4+ out of combat, and she has power weapons, and for 10 points dedicated transports can deep strike

[CainTheHunter]

and for 10 points dedicated transports can deep strike

 

But in the rumour version (dunno how much these are rumours now after the Codex has hit gaming stores for reading) I was reading they still cannot assault from Raiders on the turn they appear - just as in case with other DS transports. Sure, they get now 5++ as an upgrade for skimmers, but they won't save them from 3-5 rockets.

[S. Bloodhowl]

Your right, but if the deep strike in their close enough for an assault next turn and it's only a S3 hit from vehicular explodiness due to them being open-topped

[Brother Nathan]

str3? ok ill us introduce her to mephy so sh wounds on 6s...then cut chunks outa her, muah... prety much the same sending your thunderwolves at her...

[CainTheHunter]

str3? ok ill us introduce her to mephy so sh wounds on 6s...then cut chunks outa her, muah... prety much the same sending your thunderwolves at her...

 

 

It's poison man, which matters now. Pretty much she is wounding on 3+ or even 2+ and that is opposed to the new standard issue poisoned splinter rifles (which wound on 4+). So toughness won't be an issue for DE anymore.