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I have divided my army into three sections, more for deployment and tactics than anything else, but the units can be intermingled if the enemy's army / deployment demands it.

Section 1: (911 pts)

Tomb Queen - Destroyer of Eternities, Collar of Shapesh - 265 (I'll be using the Khalida model)
6 Ushabti - 390

A little expensive, but this is the nutcracker of my army. This will be placed opposite the Dragon / Chaos Knights / Hard Nut of the enemy and beat the (soon-to-not-be-everliving) stuffing out of it. As the Ushabti are not monsters, they can be joined by a character. At a unit size of 19 and 13 attacks (assuming two ranks of three Ushabti with the Queen in the front rank as well), this unit also stands a very good chance of outnumbering basic units at the end of the combat.

2 Units of 16 Skeletons - Bows - 256

Set to either side of the Ushabti unit, and slightly ahead, these will advance with them and provide the charge target for the enemy. The Queen's Incantations will help them provide covering fire as they advance and if needed they can reform into 3 ranks of 5 (with an extra model) to flank and help outnumber.

Section 2: (718 pts)

3 Chariots - Standard Bearer, War Banner - 165
3 Chariots - Standard Bearer - 140
2 Tomb Scorpions - 170

I chose two units of 3 Chariots for maneuverability and so I could pair them each with a scorpion and send them after different units if needed.

Liche Priest - Skeletal Horse, Dispel Scroll x2 - 173
5 Skeleton Light Horsemen - 70

I've downgraded from 8 (though I had put 6) to 5, as they aren't going to be doing much damage anyways, they're just there to protect the liche priest. Also, how improtant are dispel scrolls for a TK army?

Section 3: (285 pts)

Hierophant Liche Priest - Cloak of the Dunes, Hieratic Jar - 165

This liche will be flitting between the other two Sections to aid in spellcasting.

5 Carrion - 120

This unit can be used to screen the Hierophant (shame he can't join the unit...) from enemy ranged attacks as well as go after war machines, enemy fliers, and mages wandering around unprotected... that don't move 20 inches a turn.

Total Army size - 1914

Any comments?

Here is the background for my Army:

Upon the death of Horakhty III of Khortan, his daughter Sekhmet was proclaimed Queen. His jealous generals however, rose up against her and brought civil war to her lands under the leadership of her cousin Horash who claimed the throne of Khortan. Blessed of the Gods as she was, she drove her enemies from her lands, and ruled for many years. Upon her death she was to be buried in Khortan's necropolis but the funeral rites were barely completed when her cousin returned to Khortan, slew her sons, and claimed the throne he long coveted. As he had been exiled in life, he exiled her in death, having her corpse and those of her sons taken to the Mountains and buried in a cairn. As a final insult, upon his death he told the priests to inter him in her Pyramid.

So great was the presumption and arrogance of Horash that he had the other pyramids of the Khortan's necropolis looted and the corpses of his ancestors desecrated to augment "his" Pyramid. Though Alcadizaar of Khemri heard of this, not much could be done, as two years after the death of Queen Sekmet Nagash's plague swept through Nehekhara and false King Horash was one of the first to fall. Upon the completion of the Accursed One's spell, Horash awoke and was immediately slaughtered by the now undead protectors of Sekhmet's Pyramid.

Greatly angered by the place where she awoke, Queen Sekhmet had her sons march with her to Khortan. Bereft of any family besides that which she awoke beside, she has commanded her sons to stay in Khortan and rebuild it, while she goes out to war and seeks to quench her eternal thirst for vengeance.

Hereditary Titles of Queen Sekhmet
Mistress of the Sands
Regent of the Rains
True Queen of Khortan (in previous rulers it had been only "King/Queen of Khortan")
Princess of the Palace of the Gods (the title given to the heir presumptive; her son has the title as well, though as Prince)

Personal Titles of Queen Sekmet
Consort of the Gods (though she never took a husband, she had many sons, and some claim that each had a different face...)
Powerful One
One Before whom Evil Trembles
Mistress of Dread
Lady of Slaughter
Scarlet Lady
Avenger of Wrongs
Lady of Flame (thought she has not used this title since her awakening, it has not been struck from the records in the palace...)

As far as I know, the only advantage to the brooch of the great desert is that you can give it to a tomb king/prince, whereas normally only a liche can have a dispel scroll?

you don't need champions or musicians on the chariot units, I personally don't see the use of light horsemen, sure they shoot but the will crumble against anything but skinks even if they hit the flank. The ushabti sound nice but against any ranked unit your already down by 4CR and ushabti don't hit all that hard at WS4 plus they will be limited to the hero's movement/charge of 4/8 instead of their own 5/10. Undead are only really going to win combats with CR so you need ranks and banners for that static CR

PapaSmurf

PapaSmurf wrote:I personally don't see the use of light horsemen, sure they shoot but the will crumble against anything but skinks even if they hit the flank.

I agree with you in principle, if not to the degree you seem to take it. As such, the light horsemen are there to shoot what they can, but the main reason for them is to absorb wounds from ranged units (or anything else) trying to take down my Liche Priest, not to get into combat!

PapaSmurf wrote:The ushabti sound nice but against any ranked unit your already down by 4CR and ushabti don't hit all that hard at WS4

I fail to see the big issue with WS, as they will hit on a 3+ against any regular (WS3) or lesser unit and on a 4+ on anything up to a WS8. That's better than anything else in the army other than a Prince or a King! Only Tomb Scorpions hit as well. (...and Icon Bearers and Casket guards, but we'll pretend they don't exist as they can't bodyguard my Queen)

If I do come upon a WS9 or 10, well, I'm usually anyways, so that's when I use Destroyer of Eternities and hit them anyways. Twice.

As far as combat resolution goes, a ranked unit will have +3 from ranks and probably a +1 from a standard. It will usually be about 20-25 models big, with T3 W1 and A1. Five models face 3 Ushabti and my King. My King has 4 attacks he'll probably hit and wound with (WS6, S7 w/ great weapon). The Ushabti (WS4 S6) will usually hit with half their attacks(a 3+ or a 4+ to hit), so 4-5 hits, and they'll probably wound. So against a rank and file unit, I'll have caused 8-9 models to die off. Let's assume a 25 model unit because the enemy player was expecting some to die, that leaves him with 16 or 17 units. That's only +2 from ranks, and of course he still has his standard. My unit will take 2-3 wounds (if that) and lose one model. I still have Unit Strength 16, about the same as him. So the score ends with 8-9 (mine) to 5-6 (his). I win. He runs away in fear for his life.

Now consider if he had 20 models (suppose the two archer units to either side of this one actually hit something)...

I can bring my Priest over to resurrect the fallen Ushabti, however, and back to full strength before I charge his General. Moral of the Story? Ushabti do hit hard. But all this is secondary as I plan to use this unit to go Dragon/Greater Daemon/Giant hunting.

- The combat res for ranks is calculated at the start of combat. And getting 3 Ushabti and a king in btb means he's more then 5 wide.

- No need for muso and champ on chariots. if you use a standard bearer, a war banner is good and cheap

- 6 Ushabti in one unit is 195 points for a back rank that doesn't even give +1 combat res... I'd start off with three and use the points for other stuff.

- If you drop a carrion and 3 ushabti you could include a bone giant, which will add hitting power and draw away attention from your Ushabti and chariots.

As stated drop some ushabtis and the champion guys from the chariots. Add more skellies, you could trade the bows for hand weapon and shield in one of the units for extra endurance as your skellies must be the anvil units while you hit the flanks with the scorps and the queen unit.

M.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll have to think hard about those Ushabti... but the recommendation for the chariots are good. You can only have one War Banner, right? What do y'all recommend for the other unit of Chariots?

Aren't Ushabti mounted on 40mm bases? And regular troops on 25mm? Then wouldn't the frontage of my unit be 145mm vs 125mm of five regular units? As the unit on the end would be a 40mm Ushabti, he'd still be in btb contact, no? Please let me know if I am mistaken on this.

Also, I've noticed alot of lists for 2250pts. Is this tournament size? Or just a way to squeeze in a few more troops? If so, why do so many make 2000pt armies?

In regards to my Hierophant and the Carrion screening him, can he see through a unit of skirmishers/flyers? Can those returning fire do so as well?

I've updated the first post with my new choices, I have 86 free pts. I'm thinkin of taking 2 carrion away, to insert another chariot unit, but will that make the carrion too weak?

2250 = USA average point size game
2000 = Rest of the world

Dispel scroll depends on your usual opponents. You only have 4 dispel dice (2 army, 1 per priest) Against high strength magic armies it´s not enough

M.