Help me find my synergy

[Ithai]

I've been playing warmachines for 5 months now and I've been trying to find a synergy with my faction as my firend have with their factions. I see their stuff work in concert and mine only has bright spots of working together. Here are my owned models:
battle box
pkreoss
crudaser
revenger
repenter
pfeora
iridian skirmishers and ua
knights exemplar
avatar
piper
vanquisher
2 min groups of choir
2 vassels
vassel mechanik
reckoner

my piper and reckoner are not assembled and have not played with them in a game yet. I am considering getting another box of knights exemplar but am not totally convinced of this. Advice would be welcomed. I love the game and I'd like to have a coordinated group that could apply some organized smackdown on my friends every once in a while instead of getting lucky.

[Alzer]

Well you've got a good list of stuff to work with. I'd say maybe a different warcaster could help.

Are there models/units that you particularly like to work with?

I could see a pretty effective list buit for shooting with pKreoss with this set.

pKreoss
-Reckoner
-Vanquisher
Max Idrians +UA
Knights Exemplar
Min Choir
Vassal
Rupert

So really how synergies come into play is how you use what, and where. Shooting is great with pKreoss because of how strong his feat is in combination with ranged abilities. The Reckoner and Vanquisher are just great go-to jacks and if needbe can combo-up on na enemy heavy with their guns. Reckoner shot with assault one turn, Reckoner shot followed by two vanquisher shots the following turn (one from a vassal) Remember your Def Debuf for that. That's two pow 15s and two pow 16s with cont. fire on a heavy which starts to take chunks off.

I'm unsure on Idrians, since I've minimal interest with them, but I'd say throw them Defender's Ward and put them up a flank. What stands out to me is you're missing a tarpit unit, which Menite armies tend to excel with, and we have a TON of them. Then give one of Rupert's buff, I think the Defense buff would be better but Tough is also good. (getting up to...16 Def I think? that's pretty great) If you can find a wall or some trees to hide them in, and just sit and CRA it'd be very nasty.

How'd you end up with two min-choirs?

[Ithai]

I actually have a max choir and a min but only plan on playing 2 min because I find a max choir a hindrance to me. What are some of the good tarpit pieces of our faction? I've seen the tarpit term thrown around but guess I dont fully understand who does it or what they do.

[Bollster]

Temple Flameguard are my favourite tarpit. A tarpit unit is a unit that screens the rest of your army and is difficult to remove, getting your opponents army all tangled up in it and allowing you to punch back hard. TFG are great because they have a high defence, 16 with Defender's Ward and Rhupert the Piper, and so most infantry are struggling to hit them at all, if they shieldwall, theyre ARM 19 and hard for infantry to kill. That allows your ranged units to sit behind them and shoot down approaching enemies then when they're caught in the TFG pit, charge and wreck face.

[Silverstar843]

TFG, Knights Exemplar Errant, and Zealots are tarpits. Each provides a little something different. TFG are masters of mitigating attacks and surviving in melee. Set Defense, Shield Wall, Iron Zeal and Terror all help them to survive someone getting to melee with them. If something IS in melee, they can combine melee attacks as well as light things on fire. Zealots are a tarpit no one wants to deal with. Aside from being Fearless with the Unit Attachment (UA), the UA can make them invulnerable for a turn an no one wants to waste time working around them or trying to kill defense 12 armor 12 models when there is something more valuable behind them. Errants are frustrating to many opponents. While easier to injure than Flameguard and unable to stop taking damage like the zealots, Errants shut down many enemy abilities. For instance, Bane Lord Tartarus (a Cryx solo) has an ability that says when he kills living enemies, he makes Bane Thralls or Knights. If he kills an Exemplar Errant and you have another model within 3" to kill instead, the first errant lives and the second one counts as dying to the Self-sacrifice ability and so Tartarus doesn't make any extra Bane units. In addition, they have a ranged weapon with actual range and Weapon Master melee attacks, however, they are slower than the other 2 units.

[Ithai]

Thanks for the input. I'm going with temple flameguard as my tarpit unit. I like the idea of reach and setting stuff on fire. So what warcasters should I consider as I grow my forces? I like to shoot from afar.

[IRIAD]

Thanks for the input. I'm going with temple flameguard as my tarpit unit. I like the idea of reach and setting stuff on fire. So what warcasters should I consider as I grow my forces? I like to shoot from afar.

I'd recommend Grand Scrutator Severius. You have a good collection of models for him (if Temple Flameguard are included): Defenders Ward helps your tarpit, Severius desperately needs an arc node (and you already have a Revenger) and he can ramp Vanquisher's Blast Damage all the way to 9 (with Battle Hymn and Eye of Menoth). Severius also helps you overall shooting (Eye of Menoth, Death Sentence and Battle Hymn equals RAT 8 warjacks with re-rolls) and can blast stuff away himself with Ashes to Ashes and Immolation (with focus 8 and Eye of Menoth up he doesn't really even need to boost attack rolls).

[Alzer]

I'd say pSeverius is a caster that everyone should take a few swings with, and he does a mean shooty list with Eye Of Menoth. Also you never EVER want him near the front. Temple Flameguard are pretty ridiculous with +2Def/Arm from defender's ward also, from what I've heard.

Though if you like shooting, you may want to consider that Errants have guns AND can tarpit and with their Seneschal can ignore all kinds of things that cause issues like Forests/Clouds and whatnot.

If you like shooting from afar, I'd strongly suggest purchasing a Redeemer and/or Deliverers.

EDIT: Iriad, the blast damage on a choir'd eye of menothed Flame Bealcher is actually 10.

[stupidmonkey]

+1 to both of the Severi..... (E-Sevi and P-Sevi) P-Sevi can be an absolute beast, and can make a great shooting list. A Redeemer, sacking movement, under battle, and in the Eye is Rat 6, range 16, pow 16, ROF 3!! SYNERGY BABY

The Temple Flame guard are a great unit with SEVI also, because Defenders ward makes them silly, as already stated. Add in Rupert Carvollo, and the UA and you are looking at a tough unit. DEF18 against the charge.... Armor 21 and cannot be knocked down or made stationary on mini feat turn

Try to proxy your Revenger for the Blessing of Vengeance. He is great in lists like you are talking about. He has Defensive strike, Repel, and Vision (From Psev). He adds punch to Ash2Ash and can take charges for days and live, especially if the Covenant of Menoth is laying around...

E-Feora is good at shooting things also, well, setting things on fire from far away.... that is almost the same right? That same Redeemer can stop trying to hit and just set EVERYTHING on fire (From her bond) from 16 inches away with 4 (ROF3+1 from the Vassal) 3" AOEs a turn. Synergy much?

Good luck and have fun