local slow grow 15pt Q

[paranorm]

we are having a local slow grow league coming up. I know we start at 15 pts and go up to 35. quick rules that i know of so far are no epic caster until week 6. Stuck with same caster until week 5. 35 pt games start at week 5. I also believe we are stuck with are 15 pts list until week 5. I am a new player as well. If it helps I believe myself and one other person will be taking Hordes armies. I do believe he will be bringing Legion. The rest will be bringing Warmachine.

I know I want to play Hexeris1 and 2 but I am having difficulties picking a 15pt list to take for Hexeris1.

Hexeris1-6
~Gladiator-8
~Sentry-9
Beast handlers Min-2
Agonizer-2

or

Hexeris1-6
~Gladiator-8
~Sentry-9
~Krea-4

If someone else has a better list I am all ears.
Thanks for the help

[PG_Farseerixirvost]

Hmmm... Interesting conundrum. Hexeris2 is a better choice at 15 points than Hexeris1, but alas, that's not possible. So it is what it is, and I'm sure we can make something good. Here's a few comments followed by a list.

Hexeris1 will have some rough edges at this point level. Mostly, his feat won't be "all that and a bag of chips." Primarily because of the heavy Warmachine element you'll be facing. Hexeris1's feat works good vs. enemy infantry, OK vs. enemy beasts, but not at all vs. enemy jacks. Related, its easier to get his feat going via your own infantry simply because they generally put out more attacks than beasts can. My whole point here is simply "don't expect a lot out of using his feat."

As for lists, I think the Beast Handlers are a must, so in that sense, I'm not a fan of your 2nd list.

But I do have another list to suggest. I'll list it, then explain it.

Hexeris1 +6
> Titan Gladiator 8
> Cyclops Shaman 5
Min Beasthandlers 2
Min Praetorian Swordsmen 4
- Swordsmen UA 2
= 21 of 21 points

I'd love to get an Agonizer in there, but I think this list would serve you better in the long run. I may be wrong; maybe someone with a bit more experience can comment on if the Agonizer in this format and at this points level (and vs. the largely Warmachine opponents you'll face) would be better than the Swordsmen UA?

First and foremost, this list is a Tier 1 list. Therefore, you get to start the game with all Hexeris' upkeep spells already in place AND you don't have to pay for their upkeep on the first turn. Death March on the swordsmen, Psychic Vampire on Hexeris himself, and Soul Slave on the Shaman.

As for individual models...

Hexeris is no slouch himself. Good stats, a reach weapon with beat back (note: even if the target model dies, Hexeris can still do his 1" advance; 2nd note: Hexeris' 1" advance doesn't have to be towards the model beat back, you can push it one inch away from you then move one inch away from it, or one inch "sideways" towards another model to attack). Vampiric Reaving sounds like it will be very situational if the group at large is mostly fielding Warmachine armies. High enough Fury to cast a couple offensive spells and still have leftover to transfer damage if needed.

Titan Gladiator. Beatstick. 'Nuf said.

Cyclops Shaman. His eye gun is a magic weapon, good if you have to face incoporeal models. That won't come up all that much, but it does mean when it does come up, you have more than just Hexeris to deal with it. The eye gun has Ghost Shot, so you don't have to have LOS to target and it also ignores cover and concealment; you can literally shoot it completely through woods or LOS-blocking models/terrain. Shaman's craft talisman will allow you to cast Obliteration and Soulfire 12" instead of 10" (note: Hexeris has to be the point of origin for this); conversely, with Soul Slave, the Shaman can have spells channeled through him, which is another way to extend the range of Hexeris' offensive spells. Finally, the Shaman's animus will get rid of pesky enemy upkeep spells on your models.

Beast Handlers. Solid choice and will be in 99% of Skorne lists. Their main deal is to enrage your Gladiator and then later on heal him. Also, these guys are pretty squishy, but I've gotten tons of mileage out of them late-game in a more offensive role. The anatomical precision is good to take out single-wound infantry. It's also something to keep in mind for Hexeris' feat turn.

Swordsmen + UA. Oddly, I don't own any and haven't used them. But here's my "paper-theory-machine" thoughts on having them in this list. 1. They are cheap. 2. They get two attacks, thus maximizing attack output for a small unit. 3. Vs. the Warmachine-centric opponents, their Penetrating Strike can be useful - e.g., if you can get 6 of them on a Khador heavy Jack, they'll hit on 4s, and with 2 attacks each, can 'ping' the Jack for 12 points of damage. 4. With the UA, they get a once-per-game Perfect Strike - instead of rolling damage, they auto-damage one point vs. models. In combination with Hexeris' feat and vs. enemy infantry, this can go a long way; it's also a great tool should you come up against models with low DEF but high ARM (note on 3 & 4: this is NOT anatomical precision. You have to choose either to roll normal damage OR auto-deal 1 point). 5. With the UA, they get ranked attack (even after the UA is killed). This helps with both 3 and 4 above. 6. Finally, this unit has Hexeris' Death March on them, so if one/some die, the rest get a free attack in your next maintenance phase.


Hopefully some vets will come along and tell us both where I've gone horribly wrong in any of that. Good Luck!

[Triumph Of Man]

If you go with Hexeris you're going to have to accept that your opening weeks until the points get bumped up are going to suck. You're going to be playing alot of games heavy on beasts and jacks, and Hexeris' spell list and feat kinda suck against that.

[paranorm]

Thanks. Morghoul1 is the only caster i have played with and i kind of wanted to get away from him and try someone else. Who do you think I would be better off playing?


Thanks

[PG_Farseerixirvost]

I'd say stick with Hexeris1. The feat may be weak at times but with a decent list he'll be fun to play. Compared to pMorg it's nice just having a 14" control area.

I'd say at 15 points all of our warlocks are going to have deficiencies one way or another. And if anything that will help you learn better.