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From personal experience I have never had an ethereal survive an entire game without dying. Sometimes they even swing my games because of that single point lost. Does anyone think it is a good idea to forfeit a single victory point in turn for a leadership and firepower boost for 2 to 3 turns?

Depends on how much use you are getting from that boost

I mean even regardless of how much they give you a boost, they still die and give up a victory point. Which is better to have? More kills or more victory points?

I love mine. He always forms the core of my mechanized fire-warrior units by hitching a ride with them. When I am in position and drop all three units at once to rapid fire with storm of fire... yes please. He has saved me from ork hordes, helped to pulverize imperial guard troops, and kept my units in the fight when they might otherwise run away.

 Nightwolf829 wrote:
I love mine. He always forms the core of my mechanized fire-warrior units by hitching a ride with them. When I am in position and drop all three units at once to rapid fire with storm of fire... yes please. He has saved me from ork hordes, helped to pulverize imperial guard troops, and kept my units in the fight when they might otherwise run away.

And how often does he die?

Sitting in an empty devilfish means if you loose your ethereal your opponent has prioritised popping a low priority vehicle and single occupant over some other more dangerous foe. If he weren't worth the VP your opponent might otherwise ignore him. So while the VP is definetly a hinderamce it can help out or at least force your opponent to make a tough decision.

The LD10 bubble by itself makes him worth it.

Always get my butt kicked by fire warriors when my friend brings his ethereal. Killing him has won me a game before, but more often than not the difference in LD and the extra firepower caves my face in first.

Depends on your list really. The more fw's you've got the more worthwhile a ethereal will be. If you're running minimal troops or even all battle suits with the farsight supplement then I would say don't bother with an ethereal.

Maybe your Ethereal always dies because of the way that you play it?

 TNT925 wrote:
Depends on your list really. The more fw's you've got the more worthwhile a ethereal will be. If you're running minimal troops or even all battle suits with the farsight supplement then I would say don't bother with an ethereal.

I don't know; I think that you are not thinking the benefits of the ethereal out all the way. Calm of Tides, Sense of Stone and Zephyr's Grace can all benefit suits. an IC with stubborn isn't a bad investment, especially when you do the math for how much stim injectors could cost for all models in a unit. the ethereal is a toolbox in the same manner as a buffmander, just without the mobility or durability.

If you have 3 squads of Fire Warriors and a Sniper Drone Team then yeah! If not, I'd rather have a Fireblade

 carldooley wrote:

 TNT925 wrote:
Depends on your list really. The more fw's you've got the more worthwhile a ethereal will be. If you're running minimal troops or even all battle suits with the farsight supplement then I would say don't bother with an ethereal.

I don't know; I think that you are not thinking the benefits of the ethereal out all the way. Calm of Tides, Sense of Stone and Zephyr's Grace can all benefit suits. an IC with stubborn isn't a bad investment, especially when you do the math for how much stim injectors could cost for all models in a unit. the ethereal is a toolbox in the same manner as a buffmander, just without the mobility or durability.

Very true, but I find myself having a hard time keeping my ethereal in range of my suits, though that may just be the way I play my army. I generally have an armor-block of hammerheads, skyrays, and devilfish with fw teams inside that either stay put or advance depending on the mission. My suits and riptide generally break off from that block and act as a distraction/harassment/general pain-in-the-neck for my opponent. My buffmander and marker light support stick with either the armor or suits depending on the opponents army.

I feel like an ethereal works better in a static situation. To get anywhere he has to be in a fish, while suits excel at being mobile weapons platforms.