Wrackspawn
ChristopherGroves
Warlord
6093 Posts
    
 | | 12/02/2005 3:19 PM |
| By Jesse Dean (doubtofbuddha) and Christopher Groves (ChristopherGroves)
Coming into Underdark, Chaotic Good benefits from having among the best and most abundant tech pieces and ranged attackers in the game, a reasonable selection of powerful and moderate hitters, and a small selection of good commanders, all of whom are overshadowed by the ultimate CG tech powerhouse: The Inspiring Marshal.
Core Toolkit
These are the “must have” pieces for competitive play. If you wish to build around the pieces are at the bleeding edge of efficiency and the most useful for competitive play, then these are the pieces you should acquire. Please note that the number at the end of the stat block is the quantity that you are most likely to need for warband building purposes.
Aramil, Adventurer (Lawful Good/Chaotic Good, 13 points, 1) Aramil is useful in both Chaotic Good and Lawful Good warbands thanks to its combination of magic missiles and rays of enfeeblement. The rays of enfeeblement are typically the most useful of its array of spells, nerfing dragons almost completely, and hurting any figure that relies on melee damage to dominate. In Chaotic Good bands he is often overshadowed by the presence of the Greycloak Rangers, but brings several abilities to the table that the GR can not.
Archmage (Chaotic Good; 98 points; Angelfire; 1)
The definitive Chaotic Good titan piece, the Archmage is the best primary spellcaster in the game. He suffers some weakness against fast heavy hitter bands, but against many bands, and in the hands of a skilled player, the Archmage can be devastating. The most potent of its abilities are its auto-damage Mordekainen Swords and its pair of dimension door spells. When combined with the ability to quicken any one spell over the cost of the game, the Archmage is uniquely position to be able to move in, eliminate a vital target, and then escape. This is a figure that must be planned around in order for a band to be competitive at a major tournament.
Devis, Half-Elf Bard (Chaotic Good; 6 points; Harbinger; 1)
Devis is one of Chaotic Good’s most effective low-cost figures based on one ability alone: Countersong. This ability removes the energy protection of the Couatl, the bonus damage of the Eye of Gruumsh, and the attack bonuses of countless miniatures throughout the various factions. Devis is useful now, and his value will only grow as more cost-efficient and powerful commander effects are released throughout the factions.
Elf Pyromancer (Chaotic Good; 32 points; Harbinger; 1)
One of the best spellcasters in the game, the Elf Pyromancer provides a number of useful spells that are difficult to find in cost-efficient packages in other factions. His energy resistance and energy immunity spells are the most potent of these, as it allows you to instantly make your important units invulnerable or resistant to the key energy attacks of your opponents. The fireball is excellent at controlling your opponent’s movement or clearing out their fodder, and his close ranged spells are useful during the end game to finish off injured enemy units.
Elf Warrior (Chaotic Good; 4 points; Aberrations; 4)
One of CG’s better fodder options, the Elf Warrior has the distinction of being the cheapest line of sight range attacker in the game. This can be critical in winning the fodder wars that help determine when and how two war bands clash. With the change to 8 activations, this war will be slightly less critical, but the Elf Warrior will still serve as a useful anti-fodder piece and activation control.
Frenzied Berserker (Chaotic Good; 52 points; Aberrations; 3)
After a long period where Chaotic Good was considered at the bottom of the barrel (or near it), the Frenzied Berserker (in tandem with other important pieces such as the Inspiring Marshal and Greycloak Ranger) opened the field for non-Chaotic Good armies and allowed for a Chaotic Good war band to rise to tier 1 status. Since then Chaotic Good has been broadened even further, but the Frenzied Berserker remains one of the best hitters in both Chaotic Good and the game in general.
Goliath Barbarian (Chaotic Good; 31 points; Deathknell; 3)
The Goliath Barbarian is, along with the Frenzied Berserker and the Celestial Pegasus, one of Chaotic Good’s three mainstay hitters. The Goliath Barbarian suffers primarily from its low AC (11), save (6), and attack (+10/+5) but makes up for those limitations with the ability to reroll its attack three times per game. However, it makes up for this with speed, hit points, and the ability to hit for 20 damage, resulting in it being a perfectly servicable low-cost hitter option for many Chaotic Good warbands who can’t fit a Frenzied Berserker or want to fit in more hitters than Frenzied Berserker builds allow.
Greycloak Ranger (Chaotic Good; 15 points; Archfiends; 3)
For 15 points you get a +10/+10 range attacker with hide and a single wolf minion that allows you to violate the maximum warband size limit. These things in combination make the Greycloak ranger one of the best pieces in the game and almost a vital component in most CG warbands. Its not quite at necessary as orc warriors are for the CE player, but its pretty damn close.
Half-Elf Bow Initiate (Chaotic Good; 42 points; Aberrations; 1)
The most offensively powerful archer in the game, the Half-Elf Bow Initiate suffers from the weakness of ranged attackers in non-support roles in general. However, including one as support can provide for a reasonable way to reduce enemies overall toughness in the face of CG’s other hitters. Especially with the change to 8 figures reducing overall activations, the HEBI will have many more useful targets for his ranged attacks.
Ialdabode, Human Psion (Chaotic Good; 5 points; Archfiends; 1)
Every toolkit has to contain parts to optimize your points. Every toolkit needs a 3-, 4- and 5-point option and for CG Ialdabode is the best choice. He's got a decent ranged attack, moves 6 and has a 10-damage mind thrust he can pull off twice. If you want, you can keep around is pp for some stun attempts. He's the best choice at 5-points hands-down. (added by christophergroves)
Inspiring Marshal (Chaotic Good; 29 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
THE commander for Chaotic Good, the Inspiring Marshal has been the preferred commander for Chaotic Good since Aberrations, and is likely to continue to be for the foreseeable future. The one ability that makes him such a dominant piece in Chaotic Good is his Grant Move Action, which allows him to instantly restructure the tactical environment in ways that are uncomfortable for enemy bands. The fact that he is a reasonably priced commander 4 with an adequate commander effect is just a bonus.
Ryld Argith (Chaotic Good/Chaotic Evil; 55 points; 1)
Ryld Argith is one of the more solid commanders in the game, combining good combat stats and reasonable commander effects with the highly useful “Improved Initiative” ability which can be key in a game where winning initiative can often be the difference between victory and defeat. This will only become increasingly important with the change over to maps, as improved initiative will be useful both in determining map selection but also piece placement.
Wild Elf Raider (Chaotic Good; 6 points; Angelfire; 3)
A great low-level fodder option, the Wild Elf Raider provides a fearless, fast attacker that hits for 10 damage. Serves as an excellent tertiary hitter in warbands that need more damage capability.
Wolf (Any; 5 points; Harbinger; 3)
The Wolf’s utility lies mostly in its existence as a minion of the Greycloak Ranger. In most other situations its better to take the Timber Wolf. The Wolf’s primary use lies in its Speed 10, allowing it to grab a tile during the first turn in many situations. Its stun attack is also very useful, allowing it to potentially stun a key target (such as an orc champion) during the rounds of initial contact. Assuming the battle isn’t already won or lost this can be enough to tip the balance enough to bring about a victory for one side or another.
Xeph Warrior (Chaotic Good; 3 points; Angelfire; 3)
The standard 3 point figure for Chaotic Good, the Xeph Warrior has the benefit of being the fastest 3 point figure in the game, and the only viable 3 point option in Chaotic Good.
Extended Toolkit
Aspect of Kord (Chaotic Good; 65 points; Underdark; 1)
The Aspect of Kord, provides a fast, hard hitting low-level titan that works especially well with Ryld, who allows him to take full advantage of his aggression special ability. On rounds where the Aspect of Kord moves first this allows him to move up to a fairly large portion of the board and hit once for 40, and again for another 40 (thanks to the attack bonus) with a near-complete certainty of being able to successfully pull this off thanks to his high attack bonus. Unfortunately, he is slightly less good in Chaotic Good then he is in Lawful Good, lacking the protections and offensive aids that the Couatl offers.
Celestial Pegasus (Chaotic Good; 32 points; Angelfire; 2)
The third in the triumvirate of current Chaotic Good hitters, the Celestial Pegasus serve as an excellent blocker and counter against the most popular Lawful Evil builds. It combines spell resistance and DR with a plethora of energy resistances and the capability to deal an additional 10 damage on a strike against Evil pieces. The ability to fly at a speed of 10 provides a maneuverability that is at times surprising for a piece of large size.
Cleric of Corellon Larethian (Chaotic Good; 25 points; Harbinger; 1)
A reasonably effective commander for a decent point cost, he frequently ends up being completely overshadowed by the Inspiring Marshal. Typically useful for bands that are designed to maximize pure offensive potential, his synergies aren’t typically enough to give them the edge they need to compete against LE Chraal builds or CE quad builds. With the introduction of Rikka, this piece is likely only useful as a secondary commander.
Crow Shaman (Chaotic Good; 26 points; Aberrations; 1)
A reasonably strong tech piece, the Crow Shaman suffered from decreased usability as the metagame shifted away from Drider Sorcerer based war bands towards ones that packed in more beefy hitters. Despite this, the Crow Shaman remains a reasonable option with numerous useful spells (the most useful of which are cat’s grace and snake’s swiftness) and high mobility.
Dire Bear (Any; 44 points; Deathknell; 1)
The Dire Bear serves as a reasonably good hitter option in bands featuring the Greenfang Druid, allowing for a high hit points blocker that has little difficulty in dealing with the high ACs that are abundant in lawful warbands. Unfortunately, he is not nearly as useful against chaotic warbands, lacking the damage to be able to effectively deal with things like the Frenzied Berserkers and Orc Champions. He is still useful though, for his hit point/cost ratio and his potential when used in combination with other CG hitters.
Drizzt, Drow Ranger (Chaotic Good; 87 points; Archfiends; 1)
Drizzt has always lived in a borderline between effectiveness and ineffectiveness but as the number of efficient uniques has increased, so has his value. On his own he is a pretty powerful combatant, though not quite worth 87 points. When combined with pieces such as Ulmo, Rask, or Guen, he comes close but fails to quite reach competitive status. He remains in this document simply because his potential increases with each new unique that is released.
Elf Stalker (Chaotic Good; 15 points; Underdark; 2)
If the Greycloak Ranger didn’t exist the Elf Stalker would quickly become a staple for Chaotic Good bands and quild make its way up to the core toolkit list. His additional hit points, attack bonus, and capability to deal magic damage are good, but in most builds not quite to the point where you would pick this piece over the Greycloak thanks to the one benefit that the Greycloak has over the Elf Stalker: an additional activation. The increased prevalence of DR and reduction in good locations where sniping from a magic circle is a viable option, increases this figures functionality quite a bit though, and as more maps develop he may end up being a superior alternative in certain builds.
Greenfang Druid (Chaotic Good; 50 points; Deathknell; 1)
A tough, effective commander, the Greenfang Druid is often misused by people who things his commander effect means that you need to build animals into a warband around him. You do not. Granted, some animals work well with him, particularly the Celestial Pegasus, which is reasonably strong on its own, the Dire Bear (though you should rarely include more than one), and Timber Wolves, but it is slightly more viable to include a mixture of the better animal pieces and other effective factional figures. The Greenfang Druid benefits from his high speed, AC, and hit points combined with two greater vigor spells which regenerate him for 5 hit points per round, the ability to be a ranged threat with the produce flame spell, and to enhance what little animals you do use with the legion’s magic fang spell. His main down side is his low attack bonuses, but his speed helps alleviate this slightly, as he is reasonably well suited to set up flanks.
Halfling Ranger (Chaotic Good; 23 points; Archfiends; 1)
Scout on a unit as survivable as the Halfling Ranger is a big deal. Lots of folks use him w/ the Pyromancer to set up nice fireball targets. He was a key part to Pat Ellis's 9-round undefeated victory at the GenCon grinder this year. As a scouting assault-point grabber he can't be easily taken out forcing your opponent to let him sit on his scoring tile shooting at him or to devote a heavy hitter to removing him instead of focusing his might on your main force. (added by christophergroves)
Healer (Lawful Good/Chaotic Good; 12 points; Archfiends; 1)
One of the few effective healers in the game, the Healer provides the ability for units to survive just a little bit longer at a reasonably efficient price. Her remove paralysis is especially effective in a LSD-heavy metagame.
Medium Astral Construct (Chaotic Good; 10 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
A fast, fearless, non-living high-hp blocker. The Medium Astral Construct gives you a mobile source of battlefield control or victory area grabbing that won’t flee like a wolf or timber wolf.
Mialee, Elf Wizard (Lawful Good/Chaotic Good; 6 points; 1) The cheapest source of magic weapon in the game, Mialee allows high cost lawful good and chaotic good units to damage creatures protected by magic weapon. Her use has only increased as effective non-magical and DR-based creatures have increased in frequency. Still, she should only be used when another caster with magic weapon doesn’t provide a better fit for the warband.
Moon Elf Fighter (Chaotic Good; 49 points; 1)
Largely supplanted by the Inspiring Marshal as the default CG commander, the Moon Elf still bears mention. He's got the highest commander rating in CG (commander 5), level 9, speed 9, AC 22, 65 hit points and hits reliably in melee. In alot of ways he is the CG analogue of the PDK, Human Blackguard, etc. His commander effect is something that is hard to really exploit. Consider holding on to one as an investment for the future. (added by christophergroves)
Nentyar Hunter (Chaotic Good; 47 points; Underdark; 1)
The Nentyar is everything that the Valenar Commander wanted to be, a solid, tough commander for Chaotic Good ranged warbands. Her commander effect is the equivalent of a legion’s snake swiftness for all within her command radius, and she additionally benefits from a great speed, a host of protections (namely her plant type, conceal, and cold resistance), and her ability to launch a line of sight damaging effect. It remains to be seen how effective warbands built around her end up being, especially as many will be tempted to build complete or nearly complete ranged builds, ignoring the blockers that are essential to allowing ranged attackers to have the protection they need to succeed.
Rikka, Angelic Avenger (Chaotic Good; 31 points; Underdark; 1)
An efficient piece, who is already warping the metagame, Rikka, Angelic Avenger allows one to do a number of interesting strategic moves thanks to her Waylay ability. Weaker support pieces and commanders (Cleric of Order, Dragon Cultist, Elf Pyromancer, Inspiring Marshal) are all vulnerable to her ability to appear on any victory point area and strike at a very large attack bonus for moderate (20 magic) damage. She can appear behind enemy lines in other situations where you only have one figure in position to strike at some important target and need two (to set up a flank, for example.) She can also, if all else fails, guarantee that you get first turn tile points. She can also be brought into Lawful Good by virtue of being an outsider.
Timber Wolf (Any; 5 points; Deathknell; 3)
The Timber Wolf serves a similar role as the Wolf in every band that does not include the Greycloak Ranger or includes any sort of beastmaster. It is tougher, with a higher attack bonus and level than a regular wolf, and serves as a great speed 10 tile grabber. With the change in the out of command movement rules, the Timber Wolf has increased viability as a tile grabber, as other competitive options lack the speed and hit points for the cost.
Voice of Battle (Chaotic Good; 29 points; Deathknell; 1)
The Voice of Battle puts Improved Countersong on a more survivable mini than the Warchanter. This ability can be brutal ... dropping your opponents speed to 2, removing commander effects, not allowing commanders to put creatures under command (to rally them, say). A bit on the squishy side but I've seen some pretty wicked IF / Go-Go bands that use a Voice of Battle. (added by christophergroves)
Wizard Tactician (Chaotic Good; 27 points; Underdark; 1)
A reasonable support spellcaster, the Wizard Tactician suffers from having the excellent Elf Pyromancer also existing for the faction. The one advantage she has over the Elf Pyromancer is the ability to cast spells at any target on the board. This can be devastating when combined with her empowered magic missile, but is also highly useful when used with her array of bigby’s slapping hands. These aren’t quite as useful as the Elf Pyromancer’s energy protections and fireball, but they are enough that this piece deserves consideration.
Driz’zt Toolkit
So many people like Driz'zt and playing him would require you to have a few other pieces you may not normally keep.
Guenwhyvar (Chaotic Good; 33 points; Underdark; 1)
Guenwhyvar suffers in comparison to the other low-30 point CG options, but becomes a decent choice when combined with driz’zt. The bonus damage and save modifiers allow it to be competitive with the Goliath and Pegasus, but not to the point where it’s the obvious or only real choice.
Lidda, Adventurer (Chaotic Good; 9 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
Only useful in certain warbands (involving Driz’zt or the Cleric of Yondalla), Lidda Adventurer provides a slow, hidden ranged attacker. In most warbands she is overshadowed by the greycloak ranger, but with the CoY the Grey Cloak is not an option, and with driz’zt her attack bonus and damage get boosted to the point where she is hardly not an option.
Rask, Half-orc Fighter (Chaotic Good; 52 points; Deathknell; 1)
Rask suffers from the fact that he is the exact same point cost as the powerful Frenzied Berserker. While he brings some interesting things to the table (a high attack bonus attack for 20 damage and the ability to stun) its not enough to make him compete with the Frenzied Berserker except when he is running with Driz’zt. Driz’zt’s commander effect is enough to push Rask over the table from decent to competitive, and serves as a nice option in Driz’zt-based warbands.
Notes
There are so many pieces that are simply on the cusp; close ... but that haven't quite broken into the foreground. They've got the stats but simply haven't been able to work their way into a successful tournament build. Keeping these around is an investment in the future and not based on their current productive value.
The Dark Traveler has all the hallmarks as one of these pieces ... but until someone can demonstrate a reliable build with him, he's still relegated to being a fun quirky piece. As we see more Drow develop the Champion of Eilistraee could see a resurgence.
The Warchanter gives you improved countersong and a bonus to all of your saves, but it's general lack of survivability keeps it out of play (at least in 200 points). It probably deserves a spot in the Epic toolkit, but that's not the focus of this article.
I feel the Longstrider needs some mention as well; Speed 12 is a big deal. It doesn't have a home in a successful warband yet ...
CG also has plenty of functional spellcasting pieces that you can work into a band ... Wand Expert, Renegade Warlock, Adventuring Wizard, Evermeet Wizard, etc.. These aren't the strongest pieces in constructed but can be useful in spellcasting-heavy bands. Who knows where Elminster will lead?
I have a thing for the Bladesinger. I can't help it. She rocks. Squishy, but rocks. 100-point is where she really thrives though, so not in this toolkit. | |
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