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Alright, kinda confused about what a bonesword does and what has to bought along with it:

1. Does a bonesword straight-up give a tyrant the catalyst power?
2. Does a bonesword put the tyrant under the catalyst effect, no test required, but doesn't give her the power itself?
3. Does a bonesword do nothing special without catalyst also being purchased (taking up the 1 free psychic slot)?
4. Does a bonesword require the purchase of catalyst as well?
5. Does a bonesword do something else, or some combination of the above??

Thanks for the insight, kinda lost here. Pity the model I'm looking at has a whip/bonesword, otherwise I'd just get a pair of scytals

- Boss Salvage

2 and 5
The bonesword puts the Tyrant under the effect of catalyst. Also, with a test the Tyrant can extend the Catalyst effect to other broods within a very short distance (see codex).
The Tyrant does *not* need to purchase the Catalyst power - the Bonesword does all of this by itself.

In contrast, the Catalyst psychic power allows the Tyrant or Zoanthrope to designate a *single* unit within a much greater range (see codex).

So Bonesword: constant on Tyrant, extend to *all* units within (short range) with test
vs
Catalyst Power: test to use on a *single* unit within (long range).

Why a Tyrant would need to use Catalyst is a mystery to me. The only instance would be if fighting a Broodlord, Dark Eldar and Eldar Characters, or Harlequins. Otherwise his Initiative is higher or equal to anyone he's fighting, so he doesn't need the Catalyst effect.

IMHO, the bonesword+lashwhip is the second worst weapon to take on a Tyrant (worst being Rending Claws). I just magneted and painte my Tyrant, and all I bothered to paint up for weapons were: 1 VC, 1 set of Devourers, 1 set of Scytals.

Thanks for clearing that one up for me, SL.  Agreed on bs&lw being a pretty poor load-out for a tyrant, only might have to take it if I keep the paint on a 2nd edition tyrant I picked up ... Might be worth stripping and adding talons after all

Thanks again.

- Boss Salvage

I use the LW+BS combo on one of my HT.  It's a 2nd Edition model that I didn't feel like modifying.

I found it to be useful when I used a screamer killer carnifex (all of my models are 2nd Edition) in the role of tyrant guard, and then charged the carnifex into combat against a nurgle daemon prince with manreaper who was in cover.  The catalyst effect came in very handy during that combat.

It's not always useful, but when you are charging models into cover, it's not as horrible as it would be in other circumstances.

I suppose...I'd rather throw the real Catalyst power on a tyrant or zoanthrope though. 18" beats 6", especially if charging is involved. I've used a Zoey's Catalyst on basic hormagaunts that charged a bunch of Necrons in cover...very effective.

Posted By Tiderian on 11/02/2006 8:33 PM

I use the LW+BS combo on one of my HT.  It's a 2nd Edition model that I didn't feel like modifying.

I found it to be useful when I used a screamer killer carnifex (all of my models are 2nd Edition) in the role of tyrant guard, and then charged the carnifex into combat against a nurgle daemon prince with manreaper who was in cover.  The catalyst effect came in very handy during that combat.

It's not always useful, but when you are charging models into cover, it's not as horrible as it would be in other circumstances.

Pretty much everything in the game has a use, but when you consider how many points it costs vs. the spot it takes away from your Tyrant (either an additional shooting weapon or +1A) it becomes a terrible, terrible choice.

Posted By Strangelooper on 10/30/2006 10:35 PM


Why a Tyrant would need to use Catalyst is a mystery to me. The only instance would be if fighting a Broodlord, Dark Eldar and Eldar Characters, or Harlequins. Otherwise his Initiative is higher or equal to anyone he's fighting, so he doesn't need the Catalyst effect.

I

the reason why is now the tyrand does not have to pay for fleshhooks and if assualt with rippers ensures that the rippers will get to strike no matter what. think of it as a really cheap frag grenade.  

Ummm....what?

What do rippers have to do with it?

If you're saying that paying for a Bonesword and Lash Whip because it's cheaper than Flesh Hooks, then I would disagree. You have to give up a decent weapon option (Scytals, VC or TwinDevs) to get the BS+LW. The Flesh Hooks are pretty cheap and do not require you to give up a weapon slot.

Re the manreaper Nurgle prince - at T6, I would think that you'd only take a 2-3 wounds. So you'd lose a Guard, maybe take a wound on your Tyrant. Then the tyrant should do a wound or two, and follow up the next round at Initiative 5 and finish off the daemon prince. Even without Flesh Hooks. The Tyrant cannot be singled out in HTH as it is not an independent character, so the Guard can take wounds for him. Just don't be silly and give the Tyrant Extended Carapace, as it becomes trickier to allocate wounds when his save is better than the Guard's.

I'm not sure he's just talking about the flesh hooks on the tyrant. What I think he's trying to say is: people don't take the bonesword option to give the tyrant catalyst, it's to give the other units within 6" catalyst. If you are good at coordinating your charges, you won't need to buy flesh hooks for all of those units.

Not that I'm advocating using it over other weapon options in all cases, but it's certainly attractive in a couple of scenarios (example: gaunt hordes in CoD).

Taking the true Catalyst psychic power is better in almost all circumstances. There will be many more times when you've got a Hormagaunt brood between 6" and 18" in front of your Tyrant that needs the boost, than when you've got 2+ units of gaunts within 6" of your tyrant after they charge...