Kassill Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Ok, so Njal is probably my favourite character in the SW's codex. He is just so awesome, I mean, when he gets angry the weather changes! ;) But, Im trying to figure out how best to run him. I currently have the new one in term armor and have been running him with a lightly kitted WG term squad in a LRC, but sadly, his powers are null in there, and I usually dont get to use his awesomeness stuff till turn 3/4 and on. So, my question, how best to run Njal? I know some may say take two or three normal priests instead, but I really have my heart set on Njal, for my current list anyways :P Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
DV8 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Njal is a total waste of points. You're better off fielding 2 priests than Njal. There I said it, it's out of the way. ;) It depends whether you intend to field Njal in Power Armor or Terminator Armor. If you take Njal in Power Armor, he fits better in a mechanized army, where you can stick him in a Rhino and have him casting powers out of the top hatch (both shooting and area of effect, or AoE). The same rules that apply to building a mechanized army apply here. You need target saturation, with units in transports advancing under cover of (preferably mobile) firepower (Land Speeders, Predators, Vindicators, Long Fangs, whatever) to get to the enemy. If you take Njal in Terminator Armor, he fits better in a footslogging army, where you can stick him in a big unit to act as ablative wounds and where you can maximize his special rules. You'll probably get the -1 to enemy BS quite early on, so that will help you minimize incoming casualties as you advance up. The same rules that apply to building a footslogging army apply here. Consider Wolf Scouts to tie down/eliminate enemy shooting units. A unit you can consider is a squad of 10 Grey Hunters with 2 Meltaguns in a Drop Pod as a distraction/alpha strike unit to throw right into the face of the enemy. Not only will it provide some cover (you can use it to block LoS from a devastator squad, effectively taking them out of the game for a turn or two!) but you can use it to knock out enemy armor or cripple a unit early in. If you run a Drop Pod list, you can take Njal in either Power Armor or Terminator Armor, but note that you cannot have a single Drop Pod with Njal + friends. You need to have a list built around Drop Podding, or know how to properly support a small number of Drop Pods effectively or else this is just a waste of points. In all cases remember you aren't building an army around Njal. Even if fielding him is an absolute must, he is a support character that has to work in synergy with your army. DV8 Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2655603 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CainTheHunter Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Njal is a total waste of points. You're better off fielding 2 priests than Njal. There I said it, it's out of the way. ;) I'd rather say that Njal is truly an Apocalypse character - he shines in these games. Any thing smaller and he messes up the list. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2655612 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassill Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 Hmm...I fear what you Brothers say is a sad truth. I just may have to modify my list and leave him home for now. ;) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2655616 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ragnarok Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Well, listen to DV8's advice. It seems you REALLy like him. You may have more fun playing with the character/model you love. ;) Also, some folks play better with models they love. Look at littlbitz's lists. Most folks would simply blow it off as not being able to work. But he loves his bikers and supporting units and wins very often. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2655619 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DV8 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Aye, it all boils down to whether you love the character enough to want to field him regardless of how effective he is, versus optimizing your army list. For example, I personally love Ragnar to death (platonic love I swears! although my model is mighty hawt... ;) ), but outside of Apocalypse I would not spend the 240 points to field Ragnar, when I could field 2 Rune Priests for only 200 and have 40 points left over for my army (and where the Rune Priests are more utilitarian and can support my mechanized list better). You can bet your ass I field Ragnar (with Legion Relic if I have the spare asset) in an Apocalypse game though)! Just a "statistical" analysis of his Lord of Tempests ability (really just basic odds-of based on likelihood of dice results): Result - Effect2 - No effect 3 - Enemy within 24" are -1 BS 4 - Enemy within 24" in Difficult Terrain 5 - Unengaged enemy within 18" make Morale test 6 - Single model within 18" takes D3 S9 hits 7 - Unengaged enemy within 12" take D6 S8 AP5 hits To activate Njal's Lord of Tempests ability, you must roll a D3 at the start of the turn and add the turn number. Remember that only enemies within direct Line of Sight of Njal are affected. Turn 133.3% chance of no effect 33.3% chance of -1 enemy BS 33.3% chance of enemy in difficult terrain Turn 2 33.3% chance of -1 enemy BS 33.3% chance of enemy in difficult terrain 33.3% chance of forcing Morale test Turn 3 33.3% chance of enemy in difficult terrain 33.3% chance of forcing Morale test 33.3% chance of inflicting D3 S9 hits on a model Turn 4 33.3% chance of forcing Morale test 33.3% chance of inflicting D3 S9 hits on a model 33.3% chance of inflicing D6 S8 AP5 hits on all enemy units Turn 5 33.3% chance of inflicting D3 S9 hits on a model 66.6% chance of inflicing D6 S8 AP5 hits on all enemy units Turn 6 and 7 100% chance of inflicing D6 S8 AP5 hits on all enemy units And in other news, we have a cold front moving in from the north, with an 80% chance of precipitation. The temperature is a frigid 30 below, with the windchill making it feel like a frosty negative 50. The storm front blowing in from the west could throw some hail into the mix, with thunderstorms for flavor. Lock your doors and bar your windows folks, it's gonna be a chilly night. Turns 1 and 2 will hamper either the enemy's mobility and or shooting. Turn 3 is a pretty mixed turn, because it has really random effects (1/3 affects mobility, 1/3 may force enemy units to flee, 1/3 inflicts damage). Turn 4 on becomes damage-inflicting. What this tells you is that to really take advantage of his powers, you need to be within 18-24" of the enemy by Turn 3, and definitely within 12-24" of the enemy by Turn 4 (right in the thick of it) if you really want to maximize Njal's abilities. It also tells you is that you can expect some pretty fantastic results the first two turns, and from turns 4 onwards, Njal will start throwing his weight around. However, that also means you need to gear your army towards accomplishing this goal (otherwise, you're wasting a lot of Njal's potential). DV8 Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2655632 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kjarl Bluetooth Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 All this based on Space Wolves going first - they get to go second and most of Njal's effects just don't affect the opponent! Don't get me wrong, I love Njal and use his old PA figure as one of my standard Rune Priests. But I don't see that I'd ever find a good reason to field him in a game! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2655658 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki-LaughingDeath Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Now for the Devil's Advocate to come out and speak! Njal ROCKS!! The simple fact that he has ALL the Rune Priest powers is not something to shrug off. He simply put is the ultimate tool box. I run him in PA in a unit of Grey Hunters in a Rhino and they are THE unit that my opponents have gone through great lengths to avoid or destroy. In the escalation league that I am in I started off with Njal some Hunters and Claws and while I haven't done so well(Njal is the almost the same price as a land raider after all) he usually inflicts massive casualties to equal out his value. I say TAKE HIM!! Besides the look on your opponents face when he comes out on the table is usually worth it alone. This is what his kill list looks like so far 75 Guardsmen of various rank 12 vanilla Marines 5 Guardians on Jet Bikes a Viper a Raider and 5 DE Wyches 4 Kabalite Warriors a trukk 15 boys 3 Khorne Terminators He has done very well for me whether it came down to using his powers or massacring troops in hand to hand he gets the job done. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2655668 Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragon950 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Your best bet is to use him as long range casting then move him as close as you can for turn 4 or 5 where tempest does damage. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2655686 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DV8 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Njal ROCKS!! The simple fact that he has ALL the Rune Priest powers is not something to shrug off. He simply put is the ultimate tool box. The problem with this line of reasoning/thinking is the fact that because the majority of the Space Wolf psychic powers (Living Lightning, Murderous Hurricane, Jaws of the World Wolf) are psychic shooting attacks, the only other powers he can cast in tandem would be AoE powers (Stormcaller, Tempest's Wrath). Which means barring the Lord of Tempest's ability, Njal's offensive power is no better than a single Rune Priest. On a 1 to 1 basis, assuming you give Master of Runes to a generic Rune Priest, you're paying 95 points for the Lord of Tempest's ability, a 2+ save, 2+ Null Rod, and a special Chooser of the Slain. Taking two Rune Priests at 200 points actually becomes better than Njal as support characters, simply because they can put out two offensive (that is, psychic shooting powers) a turn, to Njal's one. Let's not forget too that there is an art to Rune Priests' power selection. That is to say, you should be choosing your Rune Priest's powers in consideration of what your army can and cannot handle. If you're taking Njal simply so you can have all your powers available, might mean that you haven't thought through your army list + Rune Priest(s) selections very well. In the escalation league that I am in I started off with Njal some Hunters and Claws and while I haven't done so well(Njal is the almost the same price as a land raider after all) he usually inflicts massive casualties to equal out his value. I say TAKE HIM!! Besides the look on your opponents face when he comes out on the table is usually worth it alone. This is what his kill list looks like so far 75 Guardsmen of various rank 12 vanilla Marines 5 Guardians on Jet Bikes a Viper a Raider and 5 DE Wyches 4 Kabalite Warriors a trukk 15 boys 3 Khorne Terminators He has done very well for me whether it came down to using his powers or massacring troops in hand to hand he gets the job done. I mean really anybody can start spewing off kill tallies for their Rune Priests*. What you fail to factor in is the tactical flexibility that comes from taking two Rune Priests (such as the ability to cast Jaws twice in opposite directions to soften up multiple units for combat, or casting Murderous Hurricane on two assault units that are right in your face to charge you next turn, using Living Lightning to pick off two targets a turn, etc.). *For example, I know for a fact, off the top of my head, that my two Rune Priests have accounted for the following: 2 Tyrannofexes 11 Carnifexes Swarmlord 2 Hive Tyrants 7 Hive Guard 25 Ork Nobs Ghazghkull 4 Warbosses And that's not accounting for all the gribblies/rank and file that I've killed along the way, or the models I've saved in combat because I've been able to pick off all the dangerous models, etc. I'm also listing this to illustrate a point. You will notice that these models are all heavy hitters, high wounds/toughness/saves, but with one thing generally in common: low initiative/monsters. These are models my army can't reliably handle en masse and so my Rune Priests pick up the slack. I don't need infantry-killing power from Murderous Hurricane/Living Lightning because my army can handle that. I don't need long-ranged firepower against light armor from Living Lightning because my army can handle that. What I do need is monster killing, particularly low initiative, and the ability to pick out sergeants/fists from squads before I charge in (hence Jaws). What I do need is a defensive power to mitigate the damage of a charge (Murderous Hurricane). And I need something to control the movement of massed skimmers/jump infantry/deep strikers (Tempest's Wrath). All this based on Space Wolves going first - they get to go second and most of Njal's effects just don't affect the opponent! Y'know, re-reading the Lord of Tempest's rule, I hadn't even taken that into consideration! Yet simply another point against Njal. DV8 Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2655717 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki-LaughingDeath Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Okay you are right DV8 when it comes to point costs and efficiency there is every reason NOT to take him. You take him because you want to. I like to take him, he is fun to play and racks up kills like no tomorrow. So can the much more point efficient rune priest, but it isn't the same... That is the reason why I keep going back to Njal even though by now I can swap him out. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2656116 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DV8 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Okay you are right DV8 when it comes to point costs and efficiency there is every reason NOT to take him. You take him because you want to. I like to take him, he is fun to play and racks up kills like no tomorrow. So can the much more point efficient rune priest, but it isn't the same... That is the reason why I keep going back to Njal even though by now I can swap him out. Nothing wrong with that! Fielding a character or particular units purely for fluff/aesthetics/:cusss and giggles is absolutely okay by my books! Just realize that, point for point, Njal is < 2+ generic Rune Priests. DV8 Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2656133 Share on other sites More sharing options...
saphius Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 By removing him from the list.... Really if you want him to be moderately effective you can have some fun running other models that don't deserve to be on the table but actually make a good combo. Take Bjorn, and ally with Daemon hunters while you can, and take a Tarrot. You're almost certainly going to get the first turn now so you don't waste half of Njal's abilities. Build an army around that. Won't work below 2k points though if you're trying to be moderately competative. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2656154 Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragon950 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Isn't Bjorn another model that is kind of a point sink that can be filled by 2 regualr dreads or ven. dreads? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/222173-how-best-to-run-njal/#findComment-2656342 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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