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I dont know about you, but I like special characters myself; they have detailed background, cool models and interesting rules. So I was wondering about other peoples experiences with Special Characters, particularly the underrated ones, such as Lukas the Trickster, Fabius Bile, some Phoenix Lords etc.

(oh and please make them atleast slightly interesting, not something like "I took Vulkan, I won." etc. and if someone can please mention Lukas, as I plan to field him, it would be appreciated!)

Regards, Dave.

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To get the ball rolling, despite all the criticism about him, I have had Typhus tarpit and then Nurgle Rot large amounts of Ork Boys and Hormogaunts to death, which is always fun to see large enemy units bottleneck themselves. He even slayed some of the HQ's or the like that came along to try and stop him! The only problem with this was there was a large number of enemy models that I couldnt shoot at...

Also, although very expensive, Abbadon the Despoiler is good fun as you can try to see how much of the enemy he can plow through! Hell we've even had wagers on it!

Well I never used Fabius, I cannot afford to spend 160 or more on a model that doesn't have a power weapon. But I have used lucius, and teaming him up in a group of noise marines with another doom siren is fun, for whatever they aim at usually will die, unfortunately this will almost always leave the group out in the open, so kinda a double edged sword with him. I have pretty much used each special character for chaos except Fabius, Abaddon, And Huron blackheart. But with my experiences with Ahriman, the ability to absolutetly decimate entire squads of space marines with a single model is fun. Or to take Kharn with a pack of summoned daemons to take the blows away from your berzerkers.

I started running Kharn in my Chaos lists more often after I saw him tear through a Carnifex and most of a Swarmlord in one game. Granted he ate 2 berzerkers but hey, those guys were at that WS1 psychic power crap. Also, he helps when someone wants to Lash his unit...he just says no.

I played around with wazdakka gutsmek in a few games last edition. He almost always missed with his 4 shots and in general acted like a warboss on a bike, just overpriced and not as effective at killing tanks. He's for taking warbikes as troops, and that's generally not recommended.

Admittedly I haven't played any games either against a Special Character or using one. The big concern I have is how much Special Characters make a force bland. That is to say...if you've played one SM force w/ X SpChar then you've played them all?

I personally don't like an army getting special abilities or whatever just because of a Special Character. It seems a cheap way of adjusting your force without actually having to look at it's construction as a whole. Again, these are only my own personal ramblings so I'm looking forward to seeing how others post in this thread.

I've not played a game with a special character for a long time, I found they tend to unbalance the game. And it becomes more about the battle of a single warrior instead of the army. Though having said that, Kharn the Betrayer was a laugh, how many can one guy kill in hand to hand?

I use Maugan Ra on a regular basis and he is quite fun. He and a squad of 10 banshees duked it out with a full mob of 30 sluggas with claw-nob and feel no pain. My farseer came running to fortune Maugan Ra as he was alone against maybe six boyz which were left but she came too late...
Was a nice fight though.

Usually he crushes some stuff with his gun or in melee, but nothing too special. He's nowhere overpowered and my enemies have never complained about him.

Greets
Schepp himself

I used to field R'myr a lot in my Tau army (primarily against MEQs). Surprisingly, he was not as effective as tricked-out Shas'o, which I can field for a slightly lesser point cost. In one game where I got trampled by BA, it was just down to him, and I took out a good chunk of that force when they swarmed him in assault and I popped flechettes.

In another game with the same BA player, I fielded Farsight with 6 bodyguards instead. I killed his Death Company, Mephiston, and his Chaplain ALL IN ASSAULT, then, the timing was perfect, and he deep striked a squad of assault marines right next to them in hopes of joining in on the assault next round, but, instead they got plasma rifles and fusion blasters point-blank. Needless to say, the Force was with me that night and I was rolling like a demon.

tiberius183 wrote:I used to field R'myr a lot in my Tau army (primarily against MEQs). Surprisingly, he was not as effective as tricked-out Shas'o, which I can field for a slightly lesser point cost. In one game where I got trampled by BA, it was just down to him, and I took out a good chunk of that force when they swarmed him in assault and I popped flechettes.

In another game with the same BA player, I fielded Farsight with 6 bodyguards instead. I killed his Death Company, Mephiston, and his Chaplain ALL IN ASSAULT, then, the timing was perfect, and he deep striked a squad of assault marines right next to them in hopes of joining in on the assault next round, but, instead they got plasma rifles and fusion blasters point-blank. Needless to say, the Force was with me that night and I was rolling like a demon.

I've heard criticism, but I've found Farsight to be great fun in high-point lists. Mainly because it's hilarious taking him and 7 Crisis bodyguards, then tricking them all out. Expensive, yes, but they can put out ridiculous amounts of firepower...get them in close (Or hell, even far away they're a threat, what with being relentless + plasma) and they will rip through MEQs. Not that effective against horde, but the mob is a worthy unit to take.

Mad Dok Grotsnik (mine is named Ghorork, and he has his own backstory. But thats not the point).

He himself is mildly entertaining, charging at the nearest unit. But the real fun is in larger matches where you can cybork ANYTHING!!! I have run many "swamp-grot" lists. Obviously they are not tournament worthy, but its fun to tie up a Carnifex with unkillable grots until something proppa gets in there. Using him to Cybork real units is a more serious possibility, but I don't think he can really be considered a tournament level unit. In the end, like all other things orky, I let fun win. Cybork mobs rule.

I know a Space Wolf player at my shop, who has been playing for quite a long time, who uses Lukas regularly.

Out of probably 20+ games, Lukas has never failed to do something amazing with his Bomb, he ALWAYS wins on the test, I just don't know how, lol.

He's took out Ghazghkull, Grotsnik, Calgar, Abaddon, Kharn, Typhus, Chapter Masters, Warbosses, Hive Tyrants, Carnifex's, lictors, Swarmlords, Tervigons, the list goes on.

When I start Space Wolves at some point with the guy who make wolves troops, I'll be sure to include Lukas the Trickster.

I fought against Ahriman once. Krumped 'im good, I did.

I'm eagerly awaiting getting to use Bjorn the Fell-Handed to lead my Space Wolves. I used to use Dreadnoughts as HQs all the time with the old Space Wolves codex, and I'm glad it's still a reasonably intact rule. Sure he costs more than a land raider, but he looks to be incredibly nasty. I'm also looking forward to using Logan, but that's mostly because he makes my dozens of Wolf Guard Terminators troops. Canis is going to be a blast too, once I finish pinning all those fiddly metal bits.

I use Lysander a lot with my Crimson Fists, and he's been fantastic. One time I had Lysander and a Sternguard squad drop in and kill a squad of Warriors, which were half the synapse of the army. While the Sternguard were killed, Lysander managed to fight his way through a bunch of genestealers, kill a broodlord and a carnifex. If I recall correctly he didn't have a scratch on him.

I tend to use captain Lysander/Arjac Rockfist (they're pretty similar rules wise) and they have never failed me because they are so hard to kill!

I also enjoy using Ragnar for CC armies, +d3 attacks on the charge and saga of the warrior make him a CC beast! (always wanted to see him one on one with Kharn though).

Yeah, i've heard only good things about Lysander, but Ive never known anyone to use Arjac which dissapointed me! Also Ive mainly heard good things about Kharn, except that he should be a bit more 'killy', as personally, I reckon ragnar could take him...

@Karon, now that is what I like to hear! Ive never known anyone to use Lukas, but he seems good, particularly as you get what is pretty much and IC as a troop choice!

I used Lucas the trickster in an apocalypse game. He assaulted a stompa wall (suicidally) and multi-assaulted two of them - upon his obvious death he rolled higher than the ork player and killed two stompas by himself.

Well, I used Eldrad and Yriel in a competitive mech Eldar army.
I let them lead a Seer Council mounted in a Serpent.
This is one of the best hammer & anvil unit in the game.
I use no other special characters (in my SM, CSM, DE, or Ork armies).

I played an apoc game with lukas (actually, our side had 2 lukases [lukai?])

my lukas charged into Scabeithrax the overpowered and got killed, failed the roll...

my team mates lukas charged into Angroth the not so overpowered and got killed, failed the roll...

I had Arjac Rockfist, Logan Grimnar, Ragnar Blackmane, and Ulrik the Slayer along with 40 Wolf Guard Terminators all fully loaded charge into Abbadons crazy black crusade unit that has chaos lords from each god, and about 40 terminators. The combat lasted 4 rounds, and in the end it was Logan Grimnar and Arjac Rockfist left alive, no one else.

I've had entire Ork mobs pile into Lucius and been vapourized by his armour.

I've had entire Ork mobs pile into Lucius and been vapourized by his armour.

I saw two imperator titans close in on Lukas the trickster from both sides, and get vaporized by his stasis bomb.

I've seen Kharn kill entire squads - both of enemy troops and of his own berzerkers.

Abaddon needs a land raider otherwise my opponent avoids him all game.

Lucius sucks compared to Kharn. And Typhus is too easily insta-killed.

I've had Old Zogwort squig a few other named special characters. It's ceaselessly entertaining. But his best time was when the squigged BOTH Lash of Submission daemon princes in a cheese lash list in back-to-back turns from the safety of his battlewagon.

I like Karandras. 8 PF attacks on the charge is fun. 8 PF attacks on a 1st turn charge is even more fun!
Yarrick usually rolls solo, so that his unit isn't fearless in assault, and so that he eats bolter fire for breakfast. His baneblade is pimpin' as well. The BlingBlade fights in every Apoc game I play, and I always end up lumped onto the chaos side of the game, as traitor IG, giving birth to the legend of Chaos Yarrick!

I've had Kharn decimate an entire army... shame it was mine...

Kharn hits like a Warp-timed Daemon Prince and dies like a Chaos Lord, otherwise I'd take him more. I've found that some characters that suck on the internet aren't as terrible IRL, mainly because no one expects to see them. Huron blackheart is a very fun playtest, and had the potential to kill a bit

sniperjolly wrote:I like Karandras. 8 PF attacks on the charge is fun. 8 PF attacks on a 1st turn charge is even more fun!
Yarrick usually rolls solo, so that his unit isn't fearless in assault, and so that he eats bolter fire for breakfast. His baneblade is pimpin' as well. The BlingBlade fights in every Apoc game I play, and I always end up lumped onto the chaos side of the game, as traitor IG, giving birth to the legend of Chaos Yarrick!

Isn't it 7 PF attacks on the charge? 4 on profile, 2 for mandiblastes, 1 for charing. You dont get the 8th attack for 2 close combat weapons as they are not both power fists do you?

mikeyboyj wrote:

sniperjolly wrote:I like Karandras. 8 PF attacks on the charge is fun. 8 PF attacks on a 1st turn charge is even more fun!
Yarrick usually rolls solo, so that his unit isn't fearless in assault, and so that he eats bolter fire for breakfast. His baneblade is pimpin' as well. The BlingBlade fights in every Apoc game I play, and I always end up lumped onto the chaos side of the game, as traitor IG, giving birth to the legend of Chaos Yarrick!

Isn't it 7 PF attacks on the charge? 4 on profile, 2 for mandiblastes, 1 for charing. You dont get the 8th attack for 2 close combat weapons as they are not both power fists do you?

he's still armed with 2 CCW's (power fist and chainsword), just because they're not the same weapon doesnt mean they dont get an extra attack...

anyways, any more Special Character stories? anyone actually had success with Aun 'va?!

Just last night my WE army fought some Black Templars. Kharn alone trudged through the Emperor's Champion, his Sword Brethern in terminator armor w. lightning claws squad, a land raider crusader and another squad of initiates and neophytes. My opponent got desperate to the point he had to lob a vindicator round right on his head to stop him. Good show, god I love that crazy, skull hunting bastard.

Just Dave wrote: he's still armed with 2 CCW's (power fist and chainsword), just because they're not the same weapon doesnt mean they dont get an extra attack...

Actually it does.... Page 42 of the BRB clearly states that using a powerfist and a normal weapon prevents you from getting the extra attack.

Well fugger me, I take it back then...