Mark of the Wulfen and Frost Weapons

[Tulkas]

Hi there fellas,

 

I have a question I've not been able to solve (well, I need confirmation tbh).

 

MotW says it does is not affected by other wargear where attacks are concerner, but does that just concern attacks from wargear, or also other benefits, for example Frost Weapons' +1S or a Lightning Claws' re-roll?

 

Also, I need a refresher on what Rending exactly does if that's not again Forum Rules. Normally I'd just look these things up in my rulebook, but there's roughly 5100 KM between me and the book at the moment so that won't be an option. I'm sure you'll understand.

 

And all things considered, is it worthwhile to give a Wolfguard Battle Leader, or even your Wolflord, Mark of the Wulfen?

[Wysten]

Mark of Wolven makes the model forgo all weapons in favour of their fists, so the strength bonus of Frost Blade and Rerolls of Lightning Claws are forsaken along with any other perks the weapons may have.

 

So not entirely sure. The Wolf Guard Battle Leader and Wolf Lord have much less to gain from having the mark of wolven, as it can actually reduce the number of attacks that they can make, often making another weapon more preferable.

[Grizzly Adams]

Hi there fellas,

 

I have a question I've not been able to solve (well, I need confirmation tbh).

 

MotW says it does is not affected by other wargear where attacks are concerner, but does that just concern attacks from wargear, or also other benefits, for example Frost Weapons' +1S or a Lightning Claws' re-roll?

 

no, as per the SW Codex

"These attacks are made using the marked model's claws and teeth, and hence are not affected by wargear, additional hand weapons, and so on."

 

Therefore, since you aren't using the wargear, no benefits from the wargear are conferred. Th Frost weapon does not raise your strength characteristic, it simply augments the strength of your attacks.

 

Also, I need a refresher on what Rending exactly does if that's not again Forum Rules. Normally I'd just look these things up in my rulebook, but there's roughly 5100 KM between me and the book at the moment so that won't be an option. I'm sure you'll understand.

 

Rending attacks ignore armour on to wound rolls of 6.

 

And all things considered, is it worthwhile to give a Wolfguard Battle Leader, or even your Wolflord, Mark of the Wulfen?

 

i personally don't care to, as they already have quite a number of attacks and a good selection of weapons. I would rather have consistent attacks that always ignore armour as opposed to a random number of attacks that only ignore armour 1/6 of the time

[MalachiOfRuss]

It's my understanding that MotW means that wargear is ignored - all affects of it. So, basically, it's totally useless to give them MotW and a special melee weapon. Though the rules are unclear if you get to choose to use one or other in a combat, my guess would be "no." I'll leave the question about Rending for someone who knows the forums rules better.

 

As for using it on your HQ units: Wolf Guard Battle Leader - maybe. WGBL has base Attacks of 3, which means you'll only get less with MotW if you roll a 1, it's the same points value as a Power Weapon so it's not a terrible choice. On a Wolf Lord I would say "not worth it" since the WL gets more attacks meaning your odds of getting less than you should with MotW is greater.

[Tulkas]

It's my understanding that MotW means that wargear is ignored - all affects of it. So, basically, it's totally useless to give them MotW and a special melee weapon. Though the rules are unclear if you get to choose to use one or other in a combat, my guess would be "no." I'll leave the question about Rending for someone who knows the forums rules better.

 

As for using it on your HQ units: Wolf Guard Battle Leader - maybe. WGBL has base Attacks of 3, which means you'll only get less with MotW if you roll a 1, it's the same points value as a Power Weapon so it's not a terrible choice. On a Wolf Lord I would say "not worth it" since the WL gets more attacks meaning your odds of getting less than you should with MotW is greater.

Okay, that answered all my questions just perfectly. I was always under the impression that Rending actually caused an automatic wound on a roll of 6 to hit, though that may have been a previous edition/ wishful thinking instead.

 

Thanks Brothers!

[MalachiOfRuss]

Okay, that answered all my questions just perfectly. I was always under the impression that Rending actually caused an automatic wound on a roll of 6 to hit, though that may have been a previous edition/ wishful thinking instead.

You're close, but not quite.

[Valerian]

In my opinion, Mark of the Wulfen is never worth taking on characters. The 1 in 6 chance for a Rend doesn't compare with the "always ignores armour" of the various power weapons available (Frost Blade, Lightning Claw, Thunderhammer, etc.). Additionally, with a poor roll, the character might actually "lose" attacks. Don't bother with it. I don't bother with it for my Wolf Guard either, although a case could be made that it is worthwhile, as I prefer they use some sort of power-based weapon as well (usually a Power Fist, if they are going to be a Pack Leader).

 

Mark of the Wulfen is really only worthwhile on a basic trooper, like a Grey Hunter or a Wolf Scout, who would otherwise be attacking with a regular close combat weapon. In this case, the model has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, and would not have access to a power-based weapon. Here it is a no-brainer, assuming that you have the 15 points to spare, and it doesn't force you to give up some important capability elsewhere.

 

Regards,

 

Valerian

[MalachiOfRuss]

I love MotW on my Grey Hunters. I've run an experiment at a "standard" 4 to hit 4 to wound scenario: MotW generally produces the same number of "armor penetrating" wounds as the PW, and then adds on 1-2x more regular wounds. That's all win as far as I see it.

[dswanick]

In my opinion, Mark of the Wulfen is never worth taking on characters. The 1 in 6 chance for a Rend doesn't compare with the "always ignores armour" of the various power weapons available (Frost Blade, Lightning Claw, Thunderhammer, etc.). Additionally, with a poor roll, the character might actually "lose" attacks. Don't bother with it. I don't bother with it for my Wolf Guard either, although a case could be made that it is worthwhile, as I prefer they use some sort of power-based weapon as well (usually a Power Fist, if they are going to be a Pack Leader).

 

Mark of the Wulfen is really only worthwhile on a basic trooper, like a Grey Hunter or a Wolf Scout, who would otherwise be attacking with a regular close combat weapon. In this case, the model has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, and would not have access to a power-based weapon. Here it is a no-brainer, assuming that you have the 15 points to spare, and it doesn't force you to give up some important capability elsewhere.

 

Regards,

 

Valerian

I'll agree with you that just about any IC should not have MotW. But I will disagree that WG shouldn't either. True, WG get a lot of nice toys to work with and often it's not the best choice for them either - however with base 2 Attacks and only two weapon options there are a few occasions when I give a WG MotW.

For example - giving a WG MotW will only increase his attacks and I can then exchange his bolt pistol and ccw for a Stormbolter and Combi-bolter giving him a butt-load of ranged firepower options and still keeping a good Assault profile.