I've been wanting to write a thorough guide to using Kroot mercenaries, so far though I've only finished the HQ choices:
Kroot Mercenary Tactics
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Anghkor Prok himself has blessed your kindred. Yet the galaxy is a dangerous place. While rich in foreign DNA, a kindred requires guidance and leadership to successfully acquire the genetic material necessary to advance our race.
Firstly, we shall discuss Kroot mercenary armies when they venture out on their own. Next, we shall formulate the best strategies for coinciding with our Tau rulers. Finally, unbeknownst to most, we shall recommend the best alien races to ally with and why they will help to increase our genetic data banks.
Kroot Mercenary Armies
When you choose to lead a pure Kroot army, you must take heed to the warning in the army list. It is a specialist army that will only do well in games with heavy terrain. Jungle terrain is preferable, but any cover save will benefit the average Kroot. Fortunately, with the release of 4th edition, terrain is to cover at least 25% of the table. Unfortunately, I have yet to participate in a Rogue Trader Tournament that has more than three hills and a tree on it. In friendly games, however, convince your opponent that the table should be littered with terrain as suggested, if they want a fair game against Kroot that is.
Obviously, I don?t find Kroot to be a very competitive army. Of course not. How many Kroot armies have you seen on the GW website in the Grand Tournaments? I count two, in the past three years. Kroot, on paper, do not appear to be a strong army. However, if infiltration is present in a game, Kroot do become a competitive army. Infiltration has taken a much more prevalent role in 4th edition, and this is only a benefit to Kroot armies. When taking a Kroot army by itself, you have to live with an unfortunate truth- Kroot can?t destroy vehicles, especially skimmers. In ranged combat, a Kroot army can have a total of 6 weapons with strength 8 or greater, and even then that costs about 500 points. It is in close combat, however, that a Kroot army is capable of dealing with vehicles.
A signature evolution adaptation seems like a must-buy, but it really isn?t. If you know who your opponent is, then take the following:
Space Marines, Chaos, Daemonhunters- Fast Reflexes
Necrons, Eldar, Tyranids, Orks, Tau- Ork Hybrid
Imperial Guard, Witchhunters, Sisters of Battle- Sixth Sense
When your opponent is unknown, as in a tournament, it really is best to go without an adaptation and more models- trust me.
HQ
Master Shaper: A Kroot army has to have a master shaper. A master shaper, unlike commanders of other armies, is no stronger than a squad leader. The bonuses that come with a master shaper are the leadership of 10, and the weapons options. A master shaper must, therefore, lead a squad to give it a leadership of 10. This has to be a squad that moves at the same speed of the master shaper. There are only three viable options. A master shaper can lead a carnivore squad, a hound pack, or a vulture kindred. Take the appropriate movement upgrades- hyper nymmune organ for the hounds and wings for the vultures. My personal favorite is a master shaper leading a hound pack. This unit can have so many models that it rarely takes a morale check, and even then it has a leadership of 10. That's almost like being fearless, right?
A master shaper should have a meltagun, as it is one of the few chances to get an anti-vehicle weapon in a pure Kroot list. With a BS of 3, it is also necessary to venerate the meltagun, as when you shoot it, you need it to hit. A meltagun is a two-handed weapon, and cannot be used to gain +1 attack in close combat.
As a result, the only other weapon to give a master shaper is a power weapon. At an initiative of 4, the master shaper has the highest initiative in a Kroot army- take advantage of it. An eviscerator is a waste of points, and should never be taken on an independent character.
Finally, a kroothawk totem is a necessity in all-Kroot armies. The fact that it can?t be taken when Kroot ally with other races should be a clue that it is a good buy. Kroot can survive one turn of enemy fire, but two turns might wipe out the entire army. For only 25 points, a reroll on first turn is crucial.
Shaper Council: A council is the only other option to get meltaguns in a Kroot army. However, they are overpriced for this role and not very durable. Wings are an enormous no-no due to the elimination of screening, but hyperactive nymmune organs with hounds are a reasonable possibility. Then, if the unit gets shot at, a hound can take the hit. A shaper council can be an extremely entertaining unit to take at a tournament, where many players have never faced a Kroot army. A shaper council can look identical to any other Kroot unit, and this can mask its effectiveness. If given hounds, a council must take blood of the stalker and a surefoot charm. For only 35 points, it gives a chance for a shaper council to assault on the first turn, which is truly devastating.
A 5-man council with power weapons will get 25 power weapon attacks on the charge. I prefer, however, a council equipped fully with eviscerators, and the full 2 hounds for each shaper. This allows you to charge any unit in the game, and as long as it doesn?t deal more than 10 wounds, gives you 20 strength 8 attacks that ignore armor, which will kill anything. This trick only works once, of course, as the hounds will most likely be dead after the combat. At initiative 4, the hounds might also get their attacks before they are killed.
Another option is to give a shaper council meltaguns. I stay away from this option, as it costs almost the same as eviscerators, and only gets you 2.5 hits a turn with a meltagun. Sure, it could destroy a landraider, but when the unit costs 400 points it just doesn?t seem worth it. In addition, shapers with meltaguns perform poorly in close combat- even a firewarrior squad can tie them up for a few turns.
Angkhor Prok: The latest rules for this special character now allow him to join mercenary armies. At first, he seems like a steal. Under the perfect circumstances, he basically mastercrafts your entire army. However, he moves at standard infantry speed, and his rules are extremely shady. For instance, he doesn?t have infiltrate or fieldcraft in his description, and does he count as the required master shaper of the army?
If your opponent claims he can?t infiltrate, then he?s useless. However, if you can convince your opponent with common sense, then he can be a great character to take to lead the carnivore kindreds for the second wave of the Kroot assault. Prok can?t keep up with vultures or fleeting units. His weaponry is also quite unimpressive, and he should be hidden in a unit to keep enemies from allocating to him. It is the special rule you are paying for, not the warrior.
- Oaka
