Rahn - 35 pts. Starting up Retribution

[mikethefish]

So I have precisely two models for Retribution. A Gorgon that I got to use as a painting color test (since I don't plan on actually playing it too much lol), and an Adeptus Rahn that I got just because I liked the figure. I have to plan my purchases for a "starter" army, and I figured why not base it around Rahn since I already have the guy. I figured on a 35 pt list, and that I might use a Tier to do it, though I don't want to go too crazy-overboard on the Tier just yet.

So with that in mind, here's my Tier 2 Battle Mage army.

Adeptis Rahn Shyeel - 6 jack points

Chimera - 6
Hydra - 9
Phoenix - 10
House Shyeel Battle Mages (Leader and 5 Grunts) - 5
Houseguard Halberdiers (Leader and 9 Grunts)- 7
Houseguard Halberdiers Officer & Standard - 2
Arcanist - free
House Shyeel Magister - 2

Well there it is. My plan is to buy all this stuff, paint it, and then get into another caster and build an army around him/her, and then expand it that way. I am not looking forward to painting the Halbardiers (not sure why - just not into them) so I figure it might be a good plan to include them early in my Retribution collecting so I can paint them, and get them out of the way.

Any thoughts on this particular list though? Good? Sucky? Meh-average?

[mikethefish]

I guess my post got lost in the pile here. Any thoughts here people? I'm about to make major purchases.

[Turtle]

Since you've got Rahn and the battle mages, you can probably skip the Hydra for it's extra long threat range and instead go for a manticore which can shoot more often and lay down some cover fire.

[hausdorff space]

Looks like a reasonable (and reasonably common) Rahn tier list.



Personally I suggest you:

Drop the Chimera... you already have an arcnode, and it doesn't add much else.
- if you want another jack, take a griffon for it's long threat range and pathfinder.
Take two more Arcanists... you will want the free focus and pow buff. And repair is handy as those jacks are your only heavy hitters.
If you have space left after that (haven't taken a Griffon), then Magisters are teh Awesome.
Other than that, you may also like to consider a soulless or two, so that you're the only one throwing offensive magis about.

Hydra vs Manticore seems to be hugely playstyle dependant - I'm yet to get anything good out of taking the Hydra.

[Turtle]

With all the battle mages, Rahn, and Magisters, it's likely multiple things will be knocked down. This means you can pick off multiple things with the manticore, as opposed to 1 hard hit with the Hydra. The manticore is also a harder hitter in melee, especially with the arcanist buff alongside its field power.

The hydra has its strengths, I just don't think that one 15"/15pow hit will be worth it when the battlemages will be dragging stuff closer as needed.

[mikethefish]

BTW - for all the people who suggested my taking the Manticore - I actually DID take the Manticore, or at least I did so in my head. Being new to this army, I seem to be forever mixing up the Myrmidon names, and in my head, the Manticore was the Hydra and vice versa. So yeah, I am apparently on the total same page as you folks in this area - just was confuzled lol

OK, thanks a bunch for the replies people! They have generated a question though...

I should drop the Chimera? I don't understand. Rahn is a spellcaster who wants nothing more than to keep away from the battlefield. I would have thought that 2+ arc nodes would have been standard equipment for him.

[possiblyarowbot]

Drop the CHimera!!! Blasphemy. Rahn has to use a 3 focus spell to get his Phoenix out of melee to arc. The Chimera does it for free.

[mikethefish]

Well that was my thought too.

[Draekon Darkstorm]

It depends on how you approach if you want the two arc nodes. Since neither arc node is cheap, you have to choose your assassination vector more carefully. I've found one arc node ok with Rahn, and I usually use the Phoenix. Troop clumping doesn't work and to disengage from a heavy, just use TK. As to what else to use, I actually find that I like the Sentinals+UA more than I like the Halberdiers+UA. Sure they are a few more points, but I kept using my Battle Mages unit out on a flank, and therefore didn't need the ability to shoot through my own guys.

For Rahn, I like a Phoenix, Stormfall Archers, Battle Mages, Sentinals+UA as my initial choices. I'd add in a Magister, and MHA or two along with Arcanists for support followed by a Manticore as an additional warjack. Although, everybody has a different playstyle.

Draekon

[hausdorff space]

I should drop the Chimera? I don't understand. Rahn is a spellcaster who wants nothing more than to keep away from the battlefield. I would have thought that 2+ arc nodes would have been standard equipment for him.6pts for an arcnode is a lot, especially when you already have one.

And Rahn is quite hard... sure he doesn't want to stand in front of a charging enemy warjack and he doesn't have super melee abilities, but he has decent armour, good defense against ranged attacks and is standing behind a unchargable sheildwall unit... he isn't scared of the battlefield at all.

AT 50pts+ sure, take a chimera; but at 35pts, IMO it's better to spend the points on something to kill with, then spend it on something to hide with.

[mikethefish]

I getcha, and that does make sense. I'll perhaps fool around with it a bit more

[Turtle]

The chimera's ability to place itself, even through thin walls to create surprise attack vectors is a bit wasted in your list. As above, you've got a lot of options to simply bash stuff around with Rahn and Mittens. You'll be able to use spells arced through a frontline pheonix, then charge with the pheonix afterwards to do nasty things.

Although... if you're willing to waste some focus, a DEF 12 chimera with 3 focus and in concealment makes it DEF 17 (+3 for the extra focus on it with the field, +2 for concealment), this makes the chimera incredibly difficult to hit by ranged attacks, and even melee at DEF 15. If you arc some spells with Rahn that knocks stuff around, it's likely you can push something back out of charge range. Then, if they run anything up into melee, you can place the chimera out of it. All this is combined with Rahn's large control radius allows you to have an arc node that's way more survivable and could be used more than once, rather than most nodes getting destroyed after the initial volley.

[Der Dexter]

chimeras field only works on ranged and magic, doesn't give any protection against melee. and even at def 17, cra's and boosted and aided things can still hit it, an chimeras aren't all that hard to destroy at arm 16.
I prefer using phoenixes with Rahn, as they also bring good anti-infantry options, especially against stealth

[mikethefish]

In my revised list, I dropped the Chimera, and Rahn's tier. Instead, I spent those points on a unit of Stormfall Archers, and repurchasing the Arcanist that I formerly got for free, back under the caster's tier. Pretty happy with the look of things - we'll see how it fares. Pretty shooting and magic intensive right now, so in the future, I will definitely snag some Sentinels for a stronger melee punch.

[Stevo]

I ran this list tonight and it went ok. I swapped the Hydra for a Manticore.

Rahn
-Chimera
-Manticore
-Phoenix

Full unit of Halbardiers+UA
Battle Mages

2 Arcanists
1 Magister

Played Throwdown. Won on Turn 3 (Caster Kill). My opponent ran a Broadsides Bart list featuring two Mules, a Vanguard, Full unit of Press Gangers, Short unit of Sea Dogs, Hawk, Doc, Rockbottom, Bradigan.

I got a Trample/additonal attack on Bart (which missed), TK'd my Phoenix out of Melee with a Mule that I had reduced to two boxes, Feated, used the Magister to Whiplash the Phoenix into a charge lane against Bart. Charged, boosted Charge attack roll, missed. Spent for an extra swing (too far away for my open fist) and rolled high, nearly killed Bart (setting him on fire in the process). The fire didn't go out and I rolled a 10 for damage in his Maintenance Phase for the Caster Kill.

My losses: 4 battle mages, 2 Halbardiers, and the Chimera.

I'd definitely replace the Chimera with a unit of Stormfall Archers (and buy the Arcanist that used to be free from the Tier).

All in all I thought the game went well, my first time out with Rahn, the Magister, and the Battle Mages. I was pleasantly surprised by the Tier list working so well. Guess I'm addicted to Narn and Eiryss.

[FranzGrenstein]

I have to ask why are you so hyped on the tiers?

At any points Rahn don’t leave the house with out 2 arc nodes, in my lists.

This is a sample 35 point list I ran for Rahn at resurgence:

Chimera
Phoenix
HH min w/ UA and Soulless
Mittens
Sentinels min w/ UA and soulless
Arcanist
pEiryss

It has done respectable especially since it went up against an all stealth list (frelling goreshade.)

[Stevo]

I'm not, in any way, hyped on the Tiers. I find them bad. I was surprised that I was able to win with a Tier 2 Rahn list, especially not having played him.