http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/27.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net http://pokeminiatures.blogspot.com/2011/01/battle-hierarch-severius-vs-baldur.html

* Hierarch Severius +6
* Crusader 5
* Guardian 9
* Templar 7
* Hierophant 2
* Minimum Choir 2
* Exemplar Bastions (Full Unit) 8
* Exemplar Cinerators (minimum unit) 5
* The Covenant of Menoth 2
* Wracks 1



* Baldur the Stonecleaver
* Woldwyrd (5pts)
* Megalith (11pts)
* Woldguardian (9pts)
* Sentry Stone (Leader and 3 Manikins) (3pts)
* Stoneward and 5 Woldstalkers (5pts)
* Warpborn Skinwalkers (Leader and 4 Grunts) (8pts)

Opening

Terrain was a little different for this battle. Instead of a forest in the middle of the table, the Hierarch was faced with a gap of sorts. Ruins on one side and some kind of structure on the other. Baldur's side had forest and linear obstacles covered other holes in the terrain.

The Exemplar advanced before the rest of the army, moving 4" forward and holding the middle line. On the first turn they ran, putting them a good 12" ahead of the Hierarch.

On the left flank, the three Warjacks ran into and around the ruins. I placed them so that the Templar (which Severius bonded for this match) was on the left and in the ruins, directly facing off against the Woldguardian and flanked even further to the left by the Skinwalkers. The Guardian was my center 'jack, running 12" on this first turn (thanks to the theme force), and the Crusader hugged the line of Exemplar.

Why a Guardian?

To reach Tier 4 in the Hierarch's Theme Force at 35 points I need the Covenant, three heavy 'jacks and two units of medium based Exemplar. It's the Hierarch, so I'm looking for an arc node. The Blessing of Vengeance would be great due to his affinity with the Hierarch. In fact, I believe the Blessing is in my 50 point version of the list. (I could be wrong, though).

My thought with the Guardian was to run him up the middle and use him to put out some spells. The Hierarch doesn't have much in the way of spam-able spells outside of Influence.
Severius activates to cast Holy Ward on the Exemplar Bastions to make them immune to enemy spells and animi and DEF 13.

The Skinwalkers run down my flank and together with the Woldguardian they start to threaten my Templar hiding in the ruins. He's too far to cast Earth Spikes through Megalith's Geomancy, and his Woldstalkers don't have the range to my Bastions.

But the Sentry stone has three little impish wood sprites that come out and attempt to melee down my Exemplar. They start to take damage from the twiggy models.

Baldur drops Rapid Growth onto the middle of the table, disrupting movement for
Severius's slow moving 'jacks.


Middle Game

The Hierarch pushes his 'jacks only slightly more forward. There's barely enough room in the terrain chokepoints for his Exemplar and 'jacks to fit. The Guardian positions itself with LOS to the Skinwalkers.

The Hierophant uses Harmonious Exaltation to reduce the spell cost by 1 focus point.

Severius activates, and takes a focus point from a Wrack. It explodes leaving him with two.

He now has 9 effective focus points (he spent one to upkeep Holy Ward earlier). And the first spell he casts and boosts to hit with is Fear of God using the Guardian's Arc Node to draw LOS to the Skinwalkers. He hits and the unit can no longer give or receive orders or use special attacks. He follows that up by casting Hex Blast and boosting the attack and damage rolls, doing just enough damage to kill the leading Skinwalker.

This buys him a little time.

The Covenant advances behind the Exemplar and uses the Power of Faith to keep them from becoming knocked down or stationary. Exemplar Cinerators advance into the Mannikins and hit them with their Blazing Swords. Together with the Bastions' weapons, the Mannikins are all eliminated or on Fire.

Miljan briefly considers pooping out a forest with a Mannikin, activating Baldur, Forest Walking with him behind the Exemplar and hitting the Hierarch with two spells; however, he'd have to cast Earth Spikes twice, hit with 8s with both casts, and roll above average damage rolls without boosts to finish off the Hierarch.

Next turn, however, the Sentry Stone pumps out three more Mannikins and proceed to tear at the Exemplar. Woldstalkers are now close enough to take shots at the Exemplar, and together they eliminate the remaining Cinerators.

Baldur dismisses the small opening against the Hierarch and uses his feat and Rapid Growth to try to slow down the Menite advance. He places the forest as best he can to avoid blocking Megalith's charge lane but still mess with the Guardian.

Megalith charges the Crusader and the Woldguardian is just close enough to charge the Templar. Both take beatings, but the Templar's shield barely keeps it safe because the Woldguardian has +2 STR cast upon it. The Crusader takes light damage, but the Templar ends up getting its shield ripped off.

Affected by Fear of God, the Skinwalkers can only advance.

The Hierarch's following turn is the feat turn.

The Templar receives four focus, and the Crusader receives three. If not for Baldur's Broken Earth feat, the Guardian would have had the range to work around the Ruins and added its spear with Reach to taking on the Woldguardian. The Hierarch continues to upkeep Fear of God but drops Holy Ward. The number of Bastions and their wound remaining does not make it worth while.

The Choir advance and use their Battle chant on the 'jacks, giving them +2 to attack and damage rolls. Even with the buff, the Templar cannot hurt the Woldguardian with its Shield (rolling one die for attack and damage) and so forgoes attacks with that weapon. The Templar starts in with its four focus, choosing not to boost the damage rolls at dice minus 1 (if I recall correctly), rolling high on attack rolls and low on damage, exactly the opposite of what it needs to eliminate the Woldguardian.

The Crusader and remaining Exemplar Bastions work at taking out Megalith. A few more Mannikins die in the process. Megalith survives the onslaught.

The Hierarch stands still, aims with his ranged attack, and channels it through the Guardian at Baldur. He took a focus point off a Wrack (exploding it) to boost the damage roll, doing only light damage to Baldur.

Then Severius calls upon the Fires of Communion to take over the three remaining Skinwalker grunts.

The Covenant of Menoth starts to move defensively to cover the Hierarch. Pretty soon he's going to have Woldstalkers and Skinwalkers bearing down on him. The Covenant then reads about the Power of Faith to further protect the Menite army.

The Skinwalkers are too close to charge the Woldguardian, and without Pathfinder while under the effects of Broken Earth they really can't go very far without charging. So they advance into the Woldguardian and make pathetic attempts at finishing it off.

On Baldur's turn, the Skinwalkers try to finish off the Templar, but then the Woldguardian finishes it off instead.

Megalith beats on the Crusader while the Stonewarden and his Woldstalkers keep chipping away at the Crusader, standing still and aiming and hitting them with Concentrated Fire. Miljan and I mistake some math and leave the Crusader alive, but he was basing his hit rolls off of a higher base DEF than the Crusader had (it's DEF 10) , and so hitting would add to damage overall, ending the Crusader.

Baldur himself tries to throw some Earth Spikes at the Guardian and uses the Woldwyrd to blast it with magical ranged attacks, but it only does minor damage.

End Game

This is for all the apples.

The 'jacks receive no focus. The guardian's path to Baldur is hindered by forest, so Severius keeps all 8 focus for himself. He drops Fear of God, freeing the Skinwalkers to do their thing.

The remaining Bastions manage to clear out Megalith and start working on the Mannikins and Sentry stone.

The Hierophant reduces the Hierarch's first spell with Harmonious Exaltation, and then Severius activates, stands still and fires his magic cookie at Baldur. Doing little damage, he then casts two fully boosted Hex Blasts at the druid, taking out half the Stonecleaver's life bar.

And this is why the Guardian is a poor man's arc node for spell assassination purposes. Blessing of Vengeance is the Arc Node of choice specifically because its Affinity with the Hierarch increases the damage of his first spell by 2. If that first spell clears enough ARM, you suddenly have tough 'casters deciding whether or not to deal with an Arc Node or step back and regroup. However, the theme force gets what the theme force wants.

Finally, the Covenant of Menoth positions itself between the Skinwalkers and Severius.

Baldur activates, running the Woldguardian closer in to the Hierarch's position. It would not have reached him with a charge.

The Skinwalkers charge, however, and one kills the Hierophant, and another deals a single point of damage to the Covenant, and the last one that reaches combat kills a choir boy.

Baldur burns his remaining Fury and the Fury of his Woldwyrd to completely dismantle the Guardian.

Baldur's position looks good. Except for one thing.

The Covenant moves out of the Hierarch's way. Severius then charges past the Skinwalker on point and into one of his own choir. The charge kills the choir, but it also brings him within spell casting range of Baldur.

He pulls a focus from his remaining Wrack, destroying it.

Baldur is an open target at DEF 14. The Hierarch has 9 focus to cast two Hex Blasts at 3 focus each. That leaves 3 focus for boosts. Even though his odds are good to hit, (Focus 8 vs. DEF 14), I boost both hit rolls and only boost the damage roll for the first cast. The first shot isn't enough to kill Baldur, but the second one is.
]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/344370/2406033.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/344370/2406033.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/344370/2406146.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/344370/2406146.page GMT Charging your own figs is just so useful ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/344370/2406805.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/344370/2406805.page GMT