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Hero of Skirmish
doubtofbuddha
Commander
3371 Posts
    
 | | 03/16/2006 2:14 PM |
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I am not gone. | |
| Hero of Skirmish
doubtofbuddha
Commander
3371 Posts
| | 03/16/2006 2:17 PM |
| Lawful Good
By Jesse Dean (doubtofbuddha)
Special Thanks To: Christopher Groves (ChristopherGroves), Mike Derry (derry), and Pat Lynch (lynchpt)
This has been quite a qualifier season for Lawful Good. At the beginning many people bemoaned its position, assuming that it was in third place behind Lawful Evil and Chaotic Evil. Even I, at first, was a bit pessimistic about what War Drums brought to the table for the faction. (Though I quickly changed my mind.) It turns out that these initial impressions were incorrect, and Lawful Good has proven to be the most powerful faction right now, with over 50% of the qualifying and winning bands being part of this faction.
One interesting trend that has emerged is the increasing position of Lawful Good as the “techy” faction. While it doesn’t have the absolute best tech, it has the widest variety of good tech, allowing it to create a wide variety of permutations even within the context of some of the more popular archetypes such as Githzerai Monks, Titan/Couatl, Ballista/Couatl, and Sacred Watchers swarms.
Core Toolkit
These are the “must have” pieces for Lawful Good competitive play. If you wish to build around the pieces that are at the bleeding edge of efficiency and the most useful for competitive play, then these are the pieces you should acquire. They have a place in proven competitive bands, and are likely to have a similar place for some time to come. The number of pieces included at the end of the stat block are only those that are likely to be useful. Moving beyond that value may have the potential to create interesting bands, but has yet to prove competitive.
Aasimar Fighter (Lawful Good; 4 points; War of the Dragon Queen; 2)
The Aasimar Fighter combines well with the Cleric of Dol Arrah, giving it fearlessness, though with 15 hit points there are few circumstances where the Aasimar Fighter will be able to take advantage of it. Its true benefit, in comparison to similarly priced Lawful Good pieces, is its ability to hit chaotic units for 10 damage. While its speed 4 limits its ability to be in the location it needs to be to deal this damage, this is common of most Lawful Good units in this point range.
Aramil, Adventurer (Lawful Good/Chaotic Good; 13 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
Aramil is a useful support caster thanks to both its inexpensive price and its useful spells: magic missile and ray 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. Its magic missiles are also useful, especially in knocking down the last 5 hit points off of 65 hit points beaters and in allowing an early lead in activations or points.
Arcane Ballista (Lawful Good; 48 points; War Drums; 1)
The best ranged unit in the game, the Arcane Ballista provides something Lawful Good has always lacked: a reason for enemy warbands to come to it. The Arcane Ballista’s competitiveness is tied directly to that of the Couatl, as the Couatl allows it to reposition itself and still fire of its deadly bolts. The Arcane Ballista has proven to combine well with other, proven Titan blockers (such as the Aspect of Kord and Marut) and each one brings different benefits to the table.
Aspect of Kord (Chaotic Good; 65 points; Underdark; 1)
The Aspect of Kord, which can be brought into Lawful Good via the Couatl, provides a fast, hard hitting low-level titan that gains especially well from some key synergies that Lawful Good can bring into play: reasonable commander ratings and the presence of snake’s swiftness on one of its most competitive pieces. 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 30 with a near-complete certainty of being able to successfully pull this off thanks to his high attack bonus. Like most
Cleric of Dol Arrah (Lawful Good; 45 points; Angelfire; 1)
The second commander 7 released for the game, the Cleric of Dol Arrah has a host of special abilities and spells that make him a useful commander. Her 30 hit point heals are perhaps the only truly activation-worthy heals in the game, her outsider banishment is useful, especially with the continually increasing quantity of competitive outsiders in the game, her aura of protection is a great bonus against evil warbands, and her divine retributions are just icing on the cake. Her speed 6 also allows her to be placed where she needs to be in order to cast her spells as well as to keep up with the ever-increasing speeds of the more competitive figures in the Lawful Good arsenal.
Cleric of Order (Lawful Good; 24 points; Harbinger; 1)
The Cleric of Order has long stood as one of Lawful Good’s better commanders. With a commander rating of five and a number of useful spells for a mere 24 points, he provides the most bang for your buck as far as low-cost commanders go. Also, while his AC buff is useful, his save buffs are becoming increasingly useful with the rise of high DC effects. With many save 10 titans or pseudo-titans, the save buff makes them almost fearless as long as he stays alive.
Cleric of Yondalla (Lawful Good; 14 points; Harbinger; 1)
The Cleric of Yondalla’s claim for fame lies in the fact that it is the cheapest commander that LG has access too. Unfortunately he is slow and weak and very vulnerable to commander assassination. He works particularly well in combination with the Marut, allowing it to gain magic damage, and allowing for the inclusion of a maximum amount of other figures when combined with the Couatl.
Couatl (Lawful Good; 42 points; Deathknell; 2)
THE definitive Lawful Good commander at this time, it is difficult to consider a Lawful Good warband that does not include the Couatl. Its commander effect is excellent, giving Lawful Good bands the ability to withstand fireballs, various breath weapons, and line of sight energy attacks with some ease, resulting in their relatively slow speed to be less of a hindrance than it would be in any other faction. Add to that its ability to generate 15 points of automatic sonic damage to a target, heal for 10, and allow another member of its warband to get an additional attack makes the Couatl both the best commander Lawful Good has access to and the best support spell caster. Its only real weakness is its commander rating which results, in many warbands running the Couatl with a less pricey secondary commander such as the Cleric of Order or Cleric of Yondalla. He combines particularly well with titans such as the Aspect of Kord and Marut, allowing them to double their damage potential per round.
Githzerai Monk (Lawful Good; 34 points; Underdark; 4)
The second truly competitive mid-ranged hitter for Lawful Good, four things make the Githzerai Monk effective were previous mid-ranged Lawful Good hitters were not. First off, he moves over twice as fast as Lawful Good hitters in previous eras, and faster than most hitters even in the relatively speedy Chaotic Good and Chaotic Evil factions. Second off, his Armor Class of 25 makes up for his relatively low hit points (55), especially when combined with something like the Couatl that gives him protection from auto-damage. Third off, he has more (three) stuns than any previously released monk with a DC (18) that is very respectable even against creatures with a reasonably high save. Fourth off, he can automatically hit once, allowing for a crit against anything not immune to critical hits. His big weaknesses is against units immune to stunning attack. This can be avoided to some degree, but it remains a challenge.
Hill Dwarf Warrior (Lawful Good; 4 points; Aberrations; 1)
An effective fodder piece, the Hill Dwarf Warrior especially benefits from the presence of the Couatl and the increase of energy damage in the metagame. Its saves are phenomenal for its point cost, allowing it the capability to avoid entirely even high DC effects like a chraal’s breath weapon.
Human Commoner (Lawful Good; 3 points; Harbinger; 4)
Once a near-useless unit thanks to the onerous Difficult 7 restrictions it suffered under, the Human Commoner now has a definite place in Lawful Good warbands as the only 3 point Speed 6 figure available. While the Timber Wolf and Warforged Scout serve as better victory area grabbers, the Human Commoner can perform that role in warbands that do not have the points for either figure.
Jozan, Cleric of Pelor (Lawful Good/Chaotic Good; 4 points; Harbinger; 1)
An excellent fodder choice, Jozan brings a useful command and cure light wounds to the table, allowing him to provide a minimal amount of spell power or even allow an arcane ballista to fire while he is present.
Justice Archon (Lawful Good; 32 points; Angelfire; 2)
The Justice Archon revolutionized the tournament capabilities of Lawful Good warbands, sitting as the first cost-efficient hitter in the 30-45 point range. Its Justice Strike is the primary reason behind this rise to prominence, allowing it to damage an opposing miniature at the same level that it could inflict damage, resulting in it be an excellent piece to counter high damage warbands. The fact that it has flight, DR 5, and bold (fearless when under command) added up to a nice combination of abilities that allowed it to be competitive with the chaotic evil and chaotic good hitters. Its weaknesses are those its attack bonus (+10/+5) and its level (6), both of which have made it less competitive against today’s competitive high armor class builds. Fortunately, Lawful Good’s mid-range titans (the Aspect of Kord and Marut) have the attack bonuses that the Justice Archons lack, allowing them to serve as key support hitters against the high damage low armor class bands that these titans have trouble against.
Marut (Lawful Good; 74 points; Underdark; 1)
A hard hitting titan who rarely, if ever, misses, the Marut is one of the few constructs that does not suffer from a commander-based restriction. Combined with its spell-resistance, blind sight, DR, and general ability to deal damage, it makes a perfectly serviceable titan, especially when combined with the Couatl and appropriate side-kicks in the 30-40 point range. His main weakness is his poor hp : cost ratio, which is barely less than 1:1. This is made up for slightly with his high AC and immunity to crits, but it is still a definite weakness. The Warforged Bodyguard and pieces like the Sacred Watcher have reduced this weakness, allowing the Marut to become a very successful warband in the current metagame environment. While counters certainly exist, they are not enough to prevent it from being one of the more efficient titan options currently available.
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 units to damage creatures protected by damage reduction. 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.
Rikka, Angelic Avenger (Chaotic Good; 31 points; Underdark; 1)
Rikka serves a comparable but in many ways different role in Lawful Good warbands than the Justice Archon. Rikka and the Justice Archon both are flying hitters with damage reduction and a low level, but there the similarities end. The Justice Archon is useful primarily as a near-fearless anti-chaotic piece that is particularly effective against the low armor class high damage beaters that are frequently found in those factions. Rikka, is more useful as an efficient striker, starting behind enemy lines (if necessary) to strike at vulnerable pieces or setting up flanks with less accurate pieces for the purposes of causing damage that is far more assured than that which is available for the low attack bonus Justice Archons. Her use depends largely on the metagame and how much versatility you want in your warband. If you are expecting frequent Lawful Evil or Lawful Good builds, than Rikka is more useful. If you are expecting a Chaotic-dominant metagame, then the Justice Archon has more staying power. Note that she can only be typically brought into Lawful Good with the Couatl.
Sacred Watcher (Lawful Good; 18 points; War Drums; 6)
Lawful Good’s first incorporeal creature, the Sacred Watcher exists as the second incorporeal undead to have any level of competitiveness (the first being Chaotic Evil’s cursed spirit.) The Sacred Watcher combines a reasonably low cost, a good armor class, a reasonable attack bonus for 10 damage, and high hit points (for an incorporeal creature) into a combination that allows for a number of interesting options for Lawful Good. It serves as both a useful tech hunter and support hitter, combining a decent AC and hit point total with the incorporeal ability, allowing it to be a frustrating counter to many pieces.
Standard Bearer (Lawful Good; 10 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
Another reasonable support piece, the Standard Bearer for allows for a commander effect and rating to cover a much larger portion of the board while protecting units within 6 with a countersong. This is proving to be increasingly effective with the presence of more useful commander effects, allowing for both protection against and extension of these commander effects to a wider part of the board. The Standard Bearer is particularly useful if you are relying on energy damage in a Couatl-heavy metagame or if you are dealing with a monk heavy metagame.
Timber Wolf (Any; 5 points; Deathknell; 2)
The Timber Wolf serves a similar purpose as the Wolf in every band that does not include the Greycloak Ranger. 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. The Timber wolf is generally an inferior choice to the Warforged Scout, but there are instances where the points do not work out in the Warforged Scout’s favor. In those instances the Timber Wolf is a good choice.
Tordek, Dwarf Champion (Lawful Good; 59 points; War of the Dragon Queen; 1)
An effective mini-titan, Tordek serves as a more cost-efficient option for warbands that wish to explore options that the Aspect of Kord or Marut provide. Tordek is the only efficient unit in the game that provides ghost touch, serving as an excellent counter for incorporeal units such as the Sacred Watchers. Its AC bonus against giants allows it to withstand competitive giant pieces, particularly when combined with AC boosting units. Its attack bonus is high enough that it can consistently hit even the highest Armor Class units in the game.
Warforged Bodyguard (Lawful Good; 32 points; War Drums; 2)
The Warforged Bodyguard is Lawful Good’s new 32 point option, and provides a nice alternative to bands that would benefit more from its defensive capabilities than the offensive capabilities that the Justice Archon or Rikka provides. It combines particularly well with Lawful Good’s competitive titans, allowing for pieces like the Aspect of Kord, Marut, or Sword Archon to last longer than they would normally while still providing some offensive potential.
Warforged Scout (Lawful Good; 8 points; War Drums; 1)
Lawful Good’s premier victory area grabber, the Warforged Scout allows for almost guaranteed first round victory points. Its sturdiness, hide ability, and defensive capabilities combine to make it the best choice for lawful good builds in its point range.
Young Master (Lawful Good; 43 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
The Young Master is a specialty commander, who typically only works when combined with Githzerai Monks. The combination is effective enough, however, to allow for it to be a prominent piece within the larger competitive environment. The Young Master himself is not competitive without pieces like the Githzerai Monk, with it he allows the potential for a competitive theme warband. His speed, 10 damage attacks, and ability to heal himself, and his personal stuns allow for him to be useful within this context.
Extended Toolkit
These are the “almost there” pieces, those that either were used in competitive warbands in the recent past but have since fallen out of favor due to metagame shifts, or those that have the potential to be competitive but have yet to be proven. They are useful to acquire for what they might potentially bring to the table, but are not needed for competitive play.
Azer Raider (Lawful Good/Lawful Evil; 5 points; Harbinger; 2)
The Azer Raider is a decent 5 point piece, and serves both as an adequate fodder option and a decent screener against fire units. His use has decreased lately with the removal of the Speed 2 rule, which allows for the better choice of the Timber Wolf, and the presence of the Couatl, which allows many LG pieces to serve as adequate fire screeners.
Aspect of Moradin (Lawful Good; 93 points; War Drums; 1)
A powerful titan-commander, the Aspect of Moradin suffers from its ability to consistently deal damage. While its damage, ranged attack ability, and Cleave are all decent, its low attack bonuses prevent it from being consistent as it needs to be against other high armor class units. Despite this, it serves as an interesting option in dual titan builds or ones with it serving as the titan core of multiple hitters.
Cleric of Lathander (Lawful Good; 27 points; Archfiends; 1)
The Cleric of Lathander is a good option both in combination with the Arcane Ballista as well as in undead heavy metagames. The Cleric’s turn undeads allow it to easily get rid of Sacred Watchers from a distance, while its heals serve as a way to ensure the continued survival of the units it is commanding, and its searing lights enable you to get the last bit of non-elemental damage you need on an enemy unit or to clear out blocking creatures for your arcane ballista.
Cleric of Moradin (Lawful Good; 14 points; Dragoneye; 1)
A reasonably good support piece, the Cleric of Moradin is particularly effective in boosting the armor class of two units. While this is generally useful, it frequently pales in comparison to the options provide by the Cleric of Order or Aramil.
Golden Protector (Lawful Good; 41 points; War of the Dragon Queen; 3)
The Golden Protector is an interesting tech hitter option, providing a high damage breath weapon, the first anti-evil radius effect, healing, resistances, an AC-boost vs. evil, and a pair of 15 damage pounce attacks. Unfortunately it suffers from low hit points and level, preventing it from serving as a true hitter option.
Half-Orc Paladin (Lawful Good; 48 points; Underdark; 1)
The Half-Orc Paladin is the best of Lawful Good’s damage boosting commanders, providing bonus damage against the sort of units that frequently have the most hit points: high level creatures. Unfortunately, the Half-Orc Paladin is lacking the fearless or high level hitters it needs to truly shine, but when they do it will likely be a highly effective choice.
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.
Justicator (Lawful Good/Lawful Evil; 48 points; Underdark; 3)
A mobile, paralysis-immune, high attack bonus hitter, the Justicator has potential but suffers from its high point cost. Despite this, it might be a worthy option in considering in warbands that lack a high attack bonus “can opener” such as those built around justice archons.
Large Silver Dragon (Lawful Good; 122 points; Archfiends; 1)
Once one of the best units that lawful good had access to, the Large Silver Dragon has suffered with shifts in metagame conditions. The increase in paralysis immune units, the change in the energy vulnerability rules, the decrease in figure quantity from 12 to 8, and the change to maps have all done their part in reducing the overall effectiveness of the Large Silver Dragon. It remains an interesting option, and something to consider when building warbands, but is no longer the powerful force it was at one time.
Man-at-arms (Lawful Good; 3 points; Harbinger/Aberrations; 4)
Once the standard 3-point filler for Lawful Good, he suffers both from his low speed and the increasing attack bonuses of enemy units. They are as vulnerable to breath weapons and other area effects as any other fodder, but their armor class makes very few melee attacks certain. They may be very likely, but that uncertainty is enough to make them worth their 3 points.
Slayer of Domiel (Lawful Good; 46 points; Underdark; 1)
One piece with potential to be devastating in the right warband, the Slayer of Domiel’s primary ability is its capability to score double victory points from the first creature that it kills. This can be a game winner in a timed tournament, and has the capability of completely winning said tournaments if applied to the right, high-cost opponent. Even in situations where that isn’t viable, even killing a smaller fodder piece might be enough to ensure victory in the last round of the game. On top of this, the Slayer is a reasonable competent combatant especially against evil opponents or those who are vulnerable to sneak attack damage. She has a high save, Evasion, Concealment, and the proper minimum amount of hit points for most competitive hitters (65), and a reasonable armor class (20.) Unfortunately her ability has proven to be too unreliable to be used effectively in competitive Lawful Good, builds but the potential remains.
Sword Archon (Lawful Good; 82 points; Angelfire; 1)
The Sword Archon serves as an effective titan commander option in combination with masses of fearless units. Currently the most effective of said fearless units are the Sacred Watchers, which when used in masses have proven to be competitive warband option. In addition to its damage boosting commander effect, the Sword Archon is a fast flyer with a high attack bonus high damage attack, allowing it to strike behind enemy lines at both enemy commanders and tech pieces.
Village Priest (Lawful Good; 21 points; Angelfire; 1)
The Village priest provides a nice low-cost option between the Cleric of Yondalla and the Cleric of Order. His spells are useful, providing magic weapon to hitters who either need the attack bonus (Justice Archons or Githzerai Monks) or the magic damage (Aspect of Kord, Large Silver Dragon). The bless spell is additionally useful for almost any build, with additional utility provided for those same builds that can benefit from the increased attack bonus. The Village Priest combines especially well with the Warforged Bodyguard, providing it with enough attack and defense bonuses to hit and make saves consistently.
War Weaver (Lawful Good; 33 points; War of the Dragon Queen; 1)
The War Weaver provides a number of interesting tech options for Lawful Good. Its ability to cast a mass magic weapon is particularly useful in combination with multiple units that could benefit from magic weapon such as Golden Protectors, Maruts, and Sacred Watchers. Its ability to dimension hop allows it to instantly rearrange the battlefield. Its snake swiftness allows it to ensure your hitters gain extra attacks. In combination this allows for a nice combination of proven abilities and new abilities to allow for new options for Lawful Good warbands. | |
I am not gone. | |
| Hero of Skirmish
doubtofbuddha
Commander
3371 Posts
| | 03/16/2006 2:22 PM |
| Chaotic Good
By Jesse Dean (doubtofbuddha)
Special Thanks To: Christopher Groves (ChristopherGroves), Mike Derry (derry), and Pat Lynch (lynchpt)
Chaotic Good is currently seen as the weakest of the factions, based both on metagame preferences and the efficiency of units in other factions. Some new units in War of the Dragon Queen have the potential to change that, but the question remains how much they will end up mattering. The Spellscale Sorcerer, for example, may be enough to shift things away from spellcasting based warbands, but will it be enough to cause Chaotic Good to rise to the fore?
Core Toolkit
These are the “must have” pieces for Chaotic Good 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. They have a place in proven competitive bands, and are likely to have a similar place for some time to come. The number of pieces included at the end of the stat block are only those that are likely to be useful. Moving beyond that value may have the potential to create interesting bands, but has yet to prove competitive.
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 positioned to be able to move in, eliminate a vital target, and then escape. The Archmage works particularly well on the King’s Road Map.
Aspect of Kord (Chaotic Good; 65 points; Underdark; 2)
The Aspect of Kord, provides a fast, hard hitting low-level titan that works especially well with mid-to-high commander ratings, which allow them to take full advantage of their aggression. 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 30 (thanks to the attack bonus) with a near-complete certainty of being able to successfully pull this off thanks to his high attack bonus.
Celestial Pegasus (Chaotic Good; 32 points; Angelfire; 1)
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. He works particularly well against metagames with a high presence of energy based or non-magical pieces where his relatively low damage isn’t overshadowed, and his damage reduction can actually have an impact.
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. While overshadowed by the Inspiring Marshal, he still provides things such as bless and magic weapon that the Inspiring Marshal does not.
Crow Shaman (Chaotic Good; 26 points; Aberrations; 2)
The Crow Shaman is a valuable tech piece, that provides a number of options, the most noteworthy of which is its ability to cast a large number of snake swiftness spells. Combined with its swift flys, it has the ability to be exactly where it need to be in order to increase the overall damage potential of the warband. Unfortunately, the tech that the Crow Shaman provides will frequently prevent the inclusion of a secondary hitter such as Rikka or a Xen’drik Champion.
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, the bonus damage of the Young Master, 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.
Frenzied Berserker (Chaotic Good; 52 points; Aberrations; 3)
The Frenzied Berserker is one of CG’s more efficient hitter options, providing a unit with multiple reasonable attack bonus 30 damage strikes, an aura of fear, fearlessness, and a death strike, at the cost of an almost auto-hit armor class and taking 5 damage a turn. The 5 damage a turn limits the Frenzied Berserkers flexibility, forcing you to be offensive to avoid taking too much damage before engagement.
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. While its not as useful as it once was, the Greycloak Ranger still brings some warband flexibility to the table particularly if you are dealing with other high-activation builds and those that do not possess a great degree of damage reduction. It is especially useful against builds that take advantage of giants.
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.
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 damage reduction. 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.
Rikka, Angelic Avenger (Chaotic Good; 31 points; Underdark; 1)
The third in the trio of Chaotic Good’s low-30 point options, Rikka combines the damage of the Goliath Barbarian with some of the durability of the Celestial Pegasus. She has damage reduction, energy resistances, and spell resistance, all of which allow her to avoid many of the problems that the Goliath Barbarian suffers from, but does not have his same damage capability (having only a single attack) or general ability to avoid non-spell or energy-based ability (being only level 5). She is chaotic good’s highest attack bonus cheap hitter, and makes a good option for bands that are dealing with a lawful-heavy metagame. She works well with the Brass Samurai, as her high speed flying enables her to get into good positions for whirlwind attacks.
Spellscale Sorcerer (Chaotic Good; 31 points; War of the Dragon Queen; 1)
An excellent tech option for spell-heavy metagames, the Spellscale Sorcerer provides enough additional spellcasting options to be useful even when not dealing with such builds. The key ability of the Spellscale is its capability to twice counter any spell of 3rd level or lower cast by any spellscaster within line of sight. The usability of this ability is obviously dependent on the local metagame, but even in situations where non-spellcaster warbands are faced, the Spellscale’s Blur, Melf’s Acid Arrow, Ray of Enfeeblement, and Sleep spells can be useful.
Warchanter(Chaotic Good; 30 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
While very fragile, the Warchanter provides a combination of a powerful commander effect and an equally powerful improved countersong ability that when combined make it an interesting option compared to the Inspiring Marshal. Particularly in metagames with a high number of save-inducing effects, powerful commander effects, or low morale save hitters, the Warchanter may be a better choice than the other available options.
Wild Elf Raider (Chaotic Good; 6 points; Angelfire; 2)
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 OR Timber Wolf (Any; 5 points; Harbinger OR Deathknell; 2)
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 Timber Wolf’s primary use lies in its Speed 10, allowing it to grab victory points during the first turn in many situations. Its stun attack is 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. It also makes a great flanker.
Xeph Warrior (Chaotic Good; 3 points; Deathknell; 4)
Chaotic Good’s best (and many would say only, considering how poor of a piece the Gnome Recruit is) 3 point option, the Xeph has a greater speed than any other 3 point piece in the game. As such it makes not only a decent victory point grabber but, with certain maps, a good way to ensure you are getting the energy protection you need or closing teleporters you don’t want your opponents using.
Extended Toolkit
These are the “almost there” pieces, those that either were used in competitive warbands in the recent past but have since fallen out of favor due to metagame shifts, or those that have the potential to be competitive but have yet to be proven. They are useful to acquire for what they might potentially bring to the table, but are not needed for competitive play.
Brass Samurai (Chaotic Good; 56 points; War Drums; 1)
The Brass Samurai combines a number of positive features into one, powerful whole. Her commander effect makes both Chaotic Good’s single and double attack hitters better, allowing the single attack hitters to greatly increase their total damage potential, while giving Chaotic Good’s double attack hitters greater tactical options. Her commander rating is a perfectly acceptable 4, and her breath weapon has the dual use of clearing out enemy fodder and forcing down enemy hit points to several useful thresholds. This is definitely a piece to watch.
Dire Bear (Any; 44 points; Deathknell; 1)
The Dire Bear serves as a reasonably good hitter option in bands featuring the Greenfang Druid or Warden of the Wood, 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.
Elf Pyromancer (Chaotic Good; 32 points; Harbinger; 1)
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 useful at controlling your opponent’s movement or clearing out their fodder, but suffers because of the frequency of fire resistance and immunity. His close ranged spells are useful during the end game to finish off injured enemy units.
Elf Warrior (Chaotic Good; 4 points; Aberrations; 2)
The Elf Warrior has the distinction of being the cheapest line of sight range attacker in the game. The Elf Warrior frequently ends up an inferior choice compared to the Xeph Warrior or Timber Wolf, but still has a use in metagames with large numbers of low AC or fodder units. Even then the inconsistency of its attacks results it being an inferior choice compared to other ranged options.
Goliath Barbarian (Chaotic Good; 31 points; Deathknell; 1)
The Goliath Barbarian is an interesting hitter option but suffers primarily from its low AC (11), save (6), and attack (+10/+5) but makes up for at least the last limitation with the ability to reroll its attack three times per game. It does possess 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, especially those that are dealing with a Chaotic-heavy metagame such as those that Rikka and the Celestial Pegasus are less useful in.
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.
Half-Ogre Barbarian (Chaotic Good; 25 points; Underdark; 1)
A strong secondary hitter option, the Half-Ogre Barbarian provides a fast, hard hitting 65 hp attacker with melee reach. Unfortunately, the unit suffers from very easy to hit armor class, a low attack bonus (+12), and a low save (5) allowing it to be easily routed or damage by special abilities.
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.
Hyena (Chaotic Evil; 4 points; Harbinger; 1)
An acceptable alternative to the Timber Wolf for Greenfang Druid or Warden of the Wood warbands, the Hyena provides a cheap tile grabber that has almost the same level of resiliency as a Timber Wolf, particularly if you only have 4 points left.
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. In addition it provides a useful blocker against status-affecting conditions such as stun, paralysis, and confusion.
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.
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. The existence of the Brass Samurai opens new options for him, however, allowing for him to damage a greater quantity of opponents than a Frenzied Berserker can usually manage. Despite this he will probably remain less useful, especially considering what the Aspect of Kord adds for only 13 more points.
Ryld Argith (Chaotic Good/Chaotic Evil; Aberrations; 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. Unfortunately, he pays a lot for his improved initiative, and ends up being less efficient than the Lawful high-commander rating options.
Small Copper Dragon (Chaotic Good; 15 points; War of the Dragon Queen; 1)
A hunter and harrier, the Small Copper Dragon provides a lot for its 15 points. Particularly when combined with 30 or 15 damage hitter options, the Small Copper Dragon’s acid breath can be useful in knocking the crucial 5 hps off enemy units to allow for a morale save. Even against Couatl-based warbands, the Small Copper Dragon’s speed and breath weapon allow it to strike at vulnerable targets such as timber wolves, softer commanders, and long-ranged tile grabbers who aren’t within the Couatl’s radius of protection. The Copper’s Slow breath is just gravy, giving it a way to dramatically effect a battle even if only a few units fail the save.
Steelheart Archer (Chaotic Good; 15 points; War Drums; 2)
The second 15 point chaotic good archer option, the Steelheart Archer brings two advantages over the comparably costed Greycloak Ranger. The first of these is its ability to ignore the cover provided by their allies. The second is that their ranged attack does 10 magic damage. In addition they suffer slightly less from being based than the other elf archers, as its melee attack does the same damage as its ranged attack.
Warden of the Wood (Chaotic Good; 46 points; War of the Dragon Queen; 1)
The Warden of the Wood combines a potent commander effect (making animals fearless and plants immune to fire) with a number of useful spells, including the tactically limiting briar web and the potentially high damage call lightning and flame strike. Its most obvious combination is with the dire bear, but as more efficient plants and animals are released, the usefulness of the Warden of the Wood will only grow.
Warforged Barbarian (Chaotic Good; 49 points; War Drums; 1)
The third of the four main ~50 point Chaotic Good hitter options, the Warforged Barbarian brings a number of abilities to the table that truly differentiate it from the other options. It has the highest armor class of the 50 point CG hitters, damage reduction, and immunities to a number of afflictions that are particularly painful to Chaotic Good’s other high end hitters. Unfortunately the Warforged Barbarian also has the lowest save in its point range, reducing its overall effectiveness.
Wemic Barbarian (Chaotic Good; 53 points; War Drums; 1)
While not being differentiated enough from the Frenzied Berserker to end up in the Core Toolkit, the Wemic Barbarian’s combination of higher attack bonuses, greater speed, a higher armor class, and the potential to become fearless. The Frenzied Berserker still ends up being a more frequently used option, but the Wemic Barbarian is worth considering in warbands where the Frenzied Berserker’s weaknesses make it a less useful choice.
Xen’drik Champion (Chaotic Good/Chaotic Evil; 23 points; Underdark; 2)
One of the best medium-cost units in the game, the Xen’drik Champion is a true hybrid unit, providing effective ranged capabilities with respectable melee attacks. It suffers from a low damage potential when based, however, and to be truly effective it needs to be able to be backed-up with more efficient melee options or have the ability to perform hit and run tactics (such as on the King’s Road.) | |
I am not gone. | |
| Hero of Skirmish
doubtofbuddha
Commander
3371 Posts
| | 03/16/2006 2:26 PM |
| Lawful Evil
By Jesse Dean (doubtofbuddha)
Special Thanks To: Christopher Groves (ChristopherGroves), Mike Derry (derry), and Pat Lynch (lynchpt)
Lawful Evil remains the king of multi-hitter bands, providing a combination of efficient 33-45 options that allow you to tailor your warband to deal with most any metagame environment. War of the Dragon Queen has continued this trend, providing a number of new hitter and commander options that allow you to continue to build plug and play Lawful Evil hitter warbands.
Primary Toolkit
Blue (Lawful Evil; 5 points; Giants of Legend; 2)
The second, equally useful, 5 point option for Lawful Evil, the Blue has the advantage of having a muli-use long range attacks that allows for the potential of early activation control. His utility decreases with the 8-figure limit, but only barely. He will still be useful against high-fodder warbands such as those lawful evil is likely to field, and even against tougher opponents there is still a chance he will be able to swipe 5 hit points off of their total, a chance that is high enough for him to be worth his 5 points.
Chraal (Lawful Evil; 35 points; Angelfire; 4)
One of the most efficient hitter that Lawful Evil has available to it, the Chraal combines a high hp: cost ratio, an effective breath weapon, high saves, plenty of immunities, and the ability to punish opponents who kill it. It has one major weakness in that it is destroyed it the commander it is tied to is also destroyed, which while devastating can be minimized with effective play strategies. It also suffers against DR and cold resistant creatures, particularly lawful good titan warbands built around the couatl.
Dark Moon Monk (Lawful Evil; 15 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
A figure whose utility has only increased with the advent of War Drums and the 8 figure limit, the Dark Moon Monk is a figure whose presence allows the elimination of at least part of the weaknesses of non-magic damage hitters, while still being useful in the late game to hunt enemy victory area grabbers, knock 5 crucial hit points of an enemy unit with her true strike spell, or even serving as a victory area grabber herself.
Dark Naga (Lawful Evil; 42 points; Underdark; 1)
One of the three effective 40ish point commanders that Lawful Evil has available to it, the Dark Naga works best when combined with warbands that feature aberrations (often a single Gauth or Beholder is enough), though any band that can benefit from the offensive spell power it has available to it in the form of lightning bolts and bigby’s slapping hands. The Dark Naga is largely ineffective against Helmed Horror bands, but in metagames with less Helmed Horrors present, is reasonably effective.
Dire Rat (Lawful Evil; 4 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
An excellent secondary tile grabbing option, the Dire Rat works well in warbands where you have 4 points left to spend but don’t have any particular unit you want to spend it on. Also works as a reasonable flanker, if you have no other options.
Duergar Champion (Lawful Evil; 33 points; Underdark; 5)
The standard mid-priced beater for Lawful Evil warbands, the Duergar Champion is the staple of most Lawful Evil warbands. He combines a good attack bonus with magical non-elemental damage and the defense of a solid armor class and conceal, giving two opportunities for most attacks to miss him. With the eight figure limit, the Duergar Champion now has the ability to be combined in multiples of up to five with Urthok the Vicious (though this limits your activations to six), or the Half-Orc Fighter.
Half-orc Fighter (Lawful Evil; 21 points; Harbinger; 1)
Lawful Evil’s cheapest commander, the Half-orc fighter has a reasonable commander rating for his cost (3) and a useful commander effect. Include him if you want to maximize the number of hitters or tech you can include in your warband but are less concerned about a high commander rating.
Goblin Skirmisher (Lawful Evil; 3 points; Dragoneye; 6)
The goblin skirmisher, kobold miner, and the warrior skeleton are the main options for lawful evil fodder, with enough utility between them to allow for a variety of possible configurations. While the warrior skeleton provides an immunity to cold that synergizes well with chraals and serves as an interesting form of protection against beholders, the goblin skirmisher has both a greater potential for damage (especially when combined with snig) and a greater threat range due to their ranged 6 attack. The kobold miner’s usability is based on its ability to quickly gain early victory area points and the fact that it is not worth points for opposing warbands. Which you use depends largely on the local metagame, and warband choices. If you use Snig, you will of course use Goblin Skirmishers. If you are using Chraals you will generally use Warrior Skeletons. If you have no other way to get first turn victory area points you will use kobold miners.
Helmed Horror (Lawful Evil; 45 points; Underdark; 4)
The Helmed Horror combines an excellent cost: hp ratio with all of the immunities that constructs benefit from, additional immunity to fireball, lightning bolt, and magic missile, a high attack bonus and armor class, and great mobility thanks to its ability to fly. It costs a little bit more than Lawful Evil’s other primary hitter-level components and thus takes some thought before including, especially considering its low damage considering its cost, but it still provides interesting options for many builds. It has a weakness against fire resistant and immune creatures, particularly things like the Marut who have the ability to consistently hit them.
Human Blackguard (Lawful Evil; 46 points; Harbinger; 1)
The Human Blackguard has the honor of being the cheapest “tough” commander that Lawful Evil has access to, and thus the one with the greatest ability to maximize the offensive potential of Chraal bands. His Tyrannical Morale commander effect has the added bonus of making it so Efreeti, Chraals, Duergar Champions, and even the low-save Zakya Rakshasa are all virtually fearless. His smite good and sneak attack abilities are a bonus, allowing him to perform some late-game engagement when the benefit of engaging him is greater than the risk potential.
Large Green Dragon (Lawful Evil; 51 points; War of the Dragon Queen; 1)
The Large Green Dragon combines several advantages into one, providing a fast, high hit point unit that makes up for its low attack bonuses with the ability to boost the attack rolls if its entire warband and a high-damage acid cone. While a little more expensive than many Lawful Evil beaters, there are still configurations that can be built that allow 4 beaters including a Large Green Dragon, making it so he will find a place in metagames that can use what he is offering.
Rakshasa (Lawful Evil; 41 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
The Rakshasa was the first real competition for Urthok. He doesn’t do nearly as much damage as Urthok, but is more mobile, has DR and Spell Resistance and has spells that make it so he isn’t required to engage enemies to be effective. The steady increase in useful commander effects has expanded the Rakshasa’s utility greatly allowing a Lawful Evil warband to turn its opponents strengths against them. His slapping hands spells have great utility when combined with multiple beater warbands, and his slides can allow for unit engagement or disengagement to maximize survivability or damage potential.
Snig the Axe (Lawful Evil; 20 points; Archfiends; 1)
Snig is a great support commander for most any lawful evil band, providing with you the ability to boost your activations 3 beyond your limit by including just a single piece. On top of that Snig provides all of the normal benefits of a commander as well as a bonus to damage for all small pieces. His only down-sides are his low commander rating (0) and his relative fragility, but neither of these are out of line for his cost.
Timber Wolf (Neutral; 5 points; Deathknell; 2)
A great primary victory area grabber, the Timber Wolf has additional utility as a tile grabber hunter and a flanker.
Urthok the Vicious (Lawful Evil; 34 points; Dragoneye; 1)
For awhile Urthok was the commander of choice for Lawful Evil bands for a sheer lack of better options for his point cost. With the shift in competitiveness that the most recent sets have brought, Urthoks utility has diminished but he still works as a primary lawful evil commander, especially in combination with Snig and a number of goblins.
Warrior Skeleton (Lawful Evil/Chaotic Evil; 3 points; Archfiends; 4)
The Warrior Skeleton has gained increased popularity lately due to the increase viability of cold-based effects in the metagame. As it is though he is reasonably effective for his cost, giving the benefits of cold immunity and fearlessness at the cost of having only a +1 bab. This is not very significant if you are involved in a fodder war against orc warriors or goblin skirmishers but it can become so if you are going against men-at-arms.
Zakya Rakshasa (Lawful Evil; 36 points; War Drums; 4)
Another addition to Lawful Evil’s general selection of efficient 30-40 point hitters. The Zakya Rakshasa is particularly effective against other Lawful Evil hitters, having something that aids it against each of them. It has a higher armor class and blind fight against the Duergar Champion, damage reduction against the chraal, helmed horror, and efreeti, and spell resistance against the efreeti. Additionally, it is faster than any of the LE hitters except the Chraal, and will hit 95% of the time on its first attack against any of these units. Its main downside is a low save for an LE hitter (7), and its lack of major physical defensive features such as the Duergar’s conceal and the Helmed Horror and Chraal’s large number of hit points. Still, it provides an excellent option for Lawful Evil builds, with the amount used depending on the composition of your local metagame.
Secondary Toolkit
Azer Raider (Lawful Good/Lawful Evil; 5 points; Harbinger; 2)
The Azer Raider is one of the best low-cost units in the game, serving as an excellent fodder choice for both lawful good and lawful evil bands. It combines decent speed (especially for lawful armies), armor class, and damage potential into a combination that is difficult to beat in similarly priced units.
Beholder (Lawful Evil; 83 points; Deathknell; 1)
The best titan option that Lawful Evil currently has available, the Beholder sits as the best option for a potent, high-variance piece. It suffers from the inclusion of pieces that are able to resist its abilities, but when combined with the right support (such as Lord Soth), it can overcome these limitations to some extent.
Blackguard on Nightmare (Lawful Evil; 68 points; War of the Dragon Queen; 1)
A serviceable titan commander, the Blackguard on Nightmare combines a great speed with the capability to strike through walls and pits, getting into an enemy’s backfield and take out key commanders or tech units. Her commander effect makes sure that her attendant beaters won’t run, and her Mounted Melee Attack allows her to get at distant fodder or support units for late (or early) game point grabbing.
Blood Ghost Berserker (Chaotic Evil; 37 points; War Drums; 4)
An interesting option for Lawful Evil bands using Urthok as a commander, the Blood Ghost berserker provides a fast, heavy hitting damage dealer. While probably inefficient in large groups, it is still an option worth investigating, especially when combined with the cover-units such as some of Lawful Evil’s sturdier options such as the Helmed Horror, Chraal, or Duergar Champion.
Cadaver Collector (Lawful Evil; 103 points; War of the Dragon Queen; 1)
The Cadaver Collector is an expensive titan that combines exceptional attack bonuses, good damage, a paralysis breath weapon, and an adequate hit point/cost ratio. Unfortunately it suffers from a relatively low armor class for its cost, and lacks the offensive flexibility that titans of other factions have available for them.
Efreeti (Lawful Evil; 42 points; Angelfire; 2)
While the Efreeti has been superseded somewhat by the tougher Helmed Horror, the Efreeti still provides some interesting capabilities that the Helmed Horror lacks. The Efreeti does slightly more damage than the Helmed Horror (15 + 5 fire rather than 10 +5 fire), has a greater ranged capability (line of sight and range 6 fire attacks as opposed to a single slow ranged attack), immunity to fire, and possesses reach. Unfortunately, it has 30 less hit points, a vulnerability to cold, and the maneuverability problems that come with a large base (though these are alleviated slightly by its ability to fly.) In most cases the Helmed Horror is a better option, but the Efreeti’s other advantages are enough to warrant consideration.
Gauth (Lawful Evil, 39 points; Archfiends; 2)
The Gauth goes up and down in popularity depending on the popularity of its most powerful counter (the Large Red Dragon) and the strength of other Lawful Evil figures, but its always been an effective piece. The combination of special ability-based 15 fire auto-damage and the chance to paralyze any creature (besides those that are immune to paralysis) is a powerful combination and will only become more so as Lawful Evil gets creatures that have automatic save reducing abilities (like stench) or DC boosting effects (like the Dark Naga). Its overall utility has been weakened thanks to the presence of the Couatl, the Dragon Temple map, and various paralysis immune figures, but its general utility is enough to still make it a viable choice for many warbands.
Green Dragon (Lawful Evil; 28 points; Aberrations; 1)
The Green Dragon’s main utility lies in the three areas: 1) His cost/hp ratio; 2) His breath weapon; 3) His extraordinarily high speed. The combination of these factors create a versatile, yet survivable, figure that can serve a number of roles. He can grab victory areas, even in maps where most victory areas are in tough locations. He can serve to assassinate weaker commanders such as Snig, the Tiefling Captain, and the Cleric of Order. He can weaken tougher enemies thanks to his ability to place himself in exactly the correct position to unleash his breath weapon. He can do all of these things while still surviving any but the most concerted efforts to defeat him thanks to his high hit points. And any turn an orc champion or ogre ravager is focusing on him, is a turn where he isn’t focusing on a more important threat in your warband.
Greenspawn Razorfiend (Lawful Evil; 45 points; War of the Dragon Queen; 2)
The Greenspawn Razorfiend fits into the same point slot as the Helmed Horror, and has a similar, though slightly lower, level of survivability. What it loses in construct traits and immunities it gains in variance based increased damage, and non-elemental damage output. This can be alleviated by the Dark Moon Monk.
Inspired Lieutenant (Lawful Evil; 45 points; War Drums; 1)
An interesting option for 40ish point commanders, the Inspired Lieutenant provides a generally useful commander effect with the ability to put direct damage on enemy units. This works both in the round of engagement with her Recall Agony, as well as the rounds after engagement where she can place a guaranteed 10 hit points of damage on a unit that needs to take this damage to ensure your victory. She is slightly more fragile than commanders of a similar point value, but if used effectively the problems this entails can be reduced.
Kobold Miner (Lawful Evil; 3 points; Underdark; 2)
The kobold miner is almost completely ineffective in combat, lacking any real capability of being a near credible melee threat, and being forced to make a morale save if it is so much as attacked. However, it has two advantages that make it worthy of consideration: 1) It is not worthy any victory points to the enemy; 2) It is a wandering monster. Being a wandering monster is also a bit of a disadvantage for the kobold miner, making it something of a gambit to use in a warband.
Khumat (Lawful Evil, 51 points; War Drums; 1)
Useful not just for the Jaws of Doom (though they are, of course, useful) but also because of its flexibility and sheer resiliency, the Khumat provides a combination of reach, a high armor class, and lots of hit points with a reasonably high 20 damage attack. While it suffers some from larges, its hit points are competitive for its price range, and its ability to force morale checks on units that it is particularly weak against (namely the high damage, fast, medium hitters) can be enough to win games for this unit.
Kobold Sorcerer (Lawful Evil; 20 points; Aberrations; 1)
The kobold sorcerer serves are as a reasonable second commander, but in most cases is a suboptimal choice when put in competition with Snig the Axe. He is more useful when using multiple kobolds in your warband or when magic weapon would be helpful in a DR-heavy metagame. His magic missiles are useful at picking off enemy fodder, but this is less useful in the faction that is currently the most effective at controlling activations. Still, when compared to the advantages that Snig provides (particularly the three activations that come with him), he is rarely the best choice.
Large Duergar (Lawful Evil; 15 points; War Drums; 2)
An excellent mid-range fodder choice, the Large Duergar serves as a sturdy blocker and second line attacker whose effectiveness is even greater against medium sized units whom it can hit for an impressive 20 points of damage. It will probably fall against a real hitter, but a combination of 45 hit points and conceal 6 can provide it with a surprising level of staying power.
Lord Soth (Lawful Evil; 98 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
Lord Soth suffers quite a bit from his high cost, though with the arrival of chraals and the beholder he has gotten a new look. Lord Soth benefits from being the single toughest commander in 200 points, allowing him to be a safe tether for chraals as well as a reasonable opponent (thanks to the effects of his abyssal blast.) In addition, when combined with a beholder, he benefits from being a tough commander in that the beholder can heal or slide him even when they aren’t any other good options for ray effects.
Orog Warlord (Lawful Evil; 71 points; Angelfire; 1)
A tough commander that combines some level of activation control (in the form of two minions) with a reasonable commander rating and effect, and potent melee ability, the Orog Warlord is one of the best options for running a warband with Chraals. He works well with other warbands as well, but is slightly less efficient when combined with pieces who have less of a need for a commander who absolutely must survive an entire skirmish. The Orog Warlord has the advantage of being effective vs. both Chaotic Evil and Lawful Evil builds. His commander effect is more useful against Lawful Evil builds, but he is personally more effective vs. Chaotic Evil builds. He has the added benefit of a degree of cold resistance and fire resistance, which provides him some level of protection against opposing Helmed Horrors, Chraals, and Red Samurais.
Shuluth, Archivillian (Lawful Evil; 59 points; War Drums; 1)
A promising new commander for LE, Shuluth is priced high enough that he is a significant portion of your warband while still being inexpensive enough that you can combine him with four of LE’s low-cost hitter options. This alone is significant enough that you should be able to expect to win games even if his abilities do not end up coming into play. In situations where they do come into play, he can be devastating, forcing a hitter into not being able to activate for a round, or forcing a unit to suffer multiple attacks of opportunity before being able to do anything. | |
I am not gone. | |
| Hero of Skirmish
doubtofbuddha
Commander
3371 Posts
| | 03/16/2006 2:34 PM |
| Chaotic Evil
Chaotic Evil, while always strong, has a new lease on life thanks to the emergence of a figure so influential that it got a set named after it: the Orc Wardrummer. This piece both makes old pieces even more useful than before and makes newer pieces all the more effective, allowing for the potential emergence of such pieces as the Hill Giant Barbarian on to the competitive scene. Will this result in a new era of Chaotic Evil dominance? Perhaps, but if it does it will not be in any way like the old one considering how much the other factions have similarly gained in power since this situation was last in evidence.
Core Toolkit
These are the “must have” pieces for Chaotic Evil 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. They have a place in proven competitive bands, and are likely to have a similar place for some time to come. The number of pieces included at the end of the stat block are only those that are likely to be useful. Moving beyond that value may have the potential to create interesting bands, but has yet to prove competitive.
Abyssal Maw (Chaotic Evil; 5 points; Dragoneye; 4)
An efficient 5 point piece, the Abyssal Maw provides a nice option for warbands that aren’t using any of the damage-boosting commanders that the Orc Warriors can benefit from. In addition to doing as much damage as a boosted orc warrior, the Abyssal Maw has an improved Armor Class, improved attack bonus, and a number of useful immunities and resistances. Additionally, as an outsider, it can be summoned by the dragon cultist, providing a bonus activation that is useful beyond its mere presence on the field.
Cursed Spirit (Chaotic Evil; 11 points; Archfiends; 2)
An incorporeal, undead who forces opponents to suffer a -2 penalty to all saves, the cursed spirit is one of the most effective support pieces in the game. The incorporeality alone is worth the point cost, but the ability to force -2 to enemy morale saves can become key in a wide number of situations. If only it was LE…
Drow Sergeant (Chaotic Evil; 16 points; Archfiends; 1)
The lowest-cost CE commander available, the Drow Sergeant allows you to pack as much cost-efficient CE muscle into a warband as possible or serve as a reasonable secondary commander, though at some risk. Its commander effect is also useful in combination with the most cost-efficient fodder in the game (Orc Warriors), allowing them to hit for 15 damage. On top of this the Drow Sergeant’s conceal and spell resistance abilities provide it with some protection from likely threats, leaving it truly vulnerable only to breath weapons (or a lucky shot that gets past its protections.) With the 8 activation era and the Wardrummer she provides an interesting option for warbands that want to maximize offensive potential at the expense of commander options.
Eye of Gruumsh (Chaotic Evil; 44 points; Dragoneye; 3)
One of the four pieces that serve as the core of CE hitter bands, the Eye of Gruumsh is a fast effective commander that has the highest attack bonuses of any of the core CE hitters. In addition to this, he provides the orc champion and orc warriors with an additional 5 points of damage allowing good pieces to get even better. Unfortunately, he suffers from a low AC (11) and suffers 5 points of damage whenever he successfully damages an opponent.
Hill Giant Barbarian (Chaotic Evil; 78 points; War Drums; 2)
Chaotic Evil’s new titan of choice, the Hill Giant Barbarian combines speed, hit points, and a massive amount of damage into a single package. His primary downsides are his low save, which can be alleviated by the Orc Wardrummer, and his attack bonus, which makes him less consistent then he potentially could be. Still, it is a piece to be accounted for in warband construction, and if you have any expectation of them showing up in your metagame, it is something you need to be able to deal with if you are to be successful.
Hyena (Chaotic Evil; 4 points; Harbinger; 2)
An excellent choice when you are using the Orc Druid (or Greenfang Druid), the Hyena has the same threat radius as the Goblin Skirmisher, without having to deal with the potential of cover and melee bonus to AC. The Hyena also serves as the best tile-grabber in the game, being the cheapest Speed 10 creature available.
Ogre Ravager (Chaotic Evil; 38 points; Dragoneye; 2)
Probably the least effective of the four core CE hitters, the Ogre Ravager has suffered in the face of the Justice Archon and the Chraal. Both have the AC necessary to make the ogre ravager’s attacks unlikely to hit, both have a DR that causes the Ogre Ravager to do no more damage than an Orc Champion, and both have other abilities that make the Ravager suffer. That combined with the Ravager’s large base and relatively slow speed, make it a less optimal option in chraal and justice archon heavy metagame.
Orc Champion (Chaotic Evil; 39 points; Archfiends; 3)
Another miniature frequently on the list of the most powerful miniatures in the game, the Orc Champion ruled the roost for many sets as far as hitters went. With its speed, hit point total, sheer ability to do damage, and cleave it remains one of the best hitters in the game, despite its lessened utility against pieces like the Chraal and Justice Archon.
Orc Druid (Chaotic Evil; 27 points; Dragoneye; 2)
The reason to use the orc druid lies in one area: its three snake swiftness spells. These spells allow a CE hitter band to pull off a large amount of impact-round damage, enough to break opposing warbands.
Orc Wardrummer (Chaotic Evil; 19 points; War Drums; 1)
The most useful piece of tech in Chaotic Evil’s arsenal, the Orc Wardrummer is already considered a mandatory piece by many skirmishers. His flexibility in effect is only exceeded by the power of his effects, enabling you to keep your units on the board for longer, avoid the negative effects of enemy spells, special abilities, and commander effects, and make it more likely that enemy creatures will route.
Orc Warrior (Chaotic Evil; 3 points; Harbinger; 4)
Arguably the best piece in the game, the Orc Warrior is the most effective fodder piece in any faction. With a +4 attack for 10 damage and numerous synergies (both the Drow Sergeant and the Eye of Gruumsh can make that at a +4 attack for 15 damage), makes him incredibly useful. Required for any serious chaotic evil player.
Quaggoth Slave (Chaotic Evil; 10 points; War Drums; 4)
Along with the Cursed Spirit and Troglodyte Thug, CE’s most competitive low teens fodder piece, the Quaggoth Slave provides a fearless, high-attack, offensive punch that the other units lack. His initial hit point rating of 15, leaves him somewhat vulnerable but, especially when combined with the Orc Wardrummer, he is usually resilient enough to avoid being instantly destroyed by many breath weapons. His attack bonus and damage are high enough to be significant, especially considering his cost, and he serves as an excellent fodder upgrade option for warbands that can’t afford another full hitter.
Red Samurai (Chaotic Evil; 40 points; Dragoneye; 4)
While the Ogre Ravager has suffered with the introduction of the Chraals and Justice Archons, the Red Samurai has become even more effective. The Justice Archon’s justice strike is less useful against Red Samurai’s than any of the other CE hitters (as the Red Samurai still does more damage to the Justice Archon than the Justice Archon does to it, not accounting for the presence of the Couatl), and its combination of high level, fire damage, and attack bonuses put it into a better position to deal with chraals than any other CE hitter.
Ryld Argith (Chaotic Good/Chaotic Evil; 55 points; Abberations 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.
Tiefling Captain (Chaotic Evil; 21 points; Harbinger; 1)
One of the best commanders in the game, the Tiefling Captain combines an excellent for CE commander rating (4) with a reasonable level of survivability and a great commander effect. Played in most serious CE warbands, he is typically only left out when using a single, high-power commander or when using the drow sergeant for maximum offensive potential.
Taer (Chaotic Evil; 8 points; Aberrations; 2)
The Taer has a similar role as the Troglodyte, but is in most ways better. He is immune to cold, giving him some level of protection against Chraals, and hits for 10 damage rather than 5. Generally if you have 8 points left and want stench-tech the Taer is a better choice than the Troglodyte.
Troglodyte (Chaotic Evil; 7 points; Dragoneye; 2)
The Troglodyte and the Cursed spirit share a similar role, providing a mobile automatic debuffer that persists as long as the creature it is attached to lives. Unfortunately for the troglodyte, while its debuffer is stronger, the troglodyte itself is considerably weaker than the cursed spirit. Still, if you have room in your warband there are few fodder units that are better choices for helping your other Chaotic Evil units effectively demolish your opponent’s warband.
Troglodyte Thug (Chaotic Evil; 11 points; War Drums; 1)
A more powerful version of the Taer and the Troglodyte, the Trolgodyte Thug offers a more survivable and combat-significant stench-tech without being so costly as to be an inefficient choice like the Troglodyte Barbarian. It serves as one of the three options available to Chaotic Evil in its point range, with the Cursed Spirit being more survivable and the Quaggoth Slave having a higher damage potential.
Warrior Skeleton (Lawful Evil/Chaotic Evil; 3 points; Archfiends; 4)
The Warrior Skeleton has gained increased popularity lately due to the increase viability of cold-based effects in the metagame. As it is though he is reasonably effective for his cost, giving the benefits of cold immunity and fearlessness at the cost of having only a +1 bab. This is not very significant if you are involved in a fodder war against orc warriors or goblin skirmishers but it can become so if you are going against men-at-arms.
Extended Toolkit
These are the “almost there” pieces, those that either were used in competitive warbands in the recent past but have since fallen out of favor due to metagame shifts, or those that have the potential to be competitive but have yet to be proven. They are useful to acquire for what they might potentially bring to the table, but are not needed for competitive play.
Blue Slaad (Chaotic Evil; 50 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
An excellent choice as a third of a Slaad band, the Blue Slaad brings a large base, reach, greater damage potential, and resistances to the Death Slaad’s already-existing arsenal of abilities. Its chaos hammer is not as effective as the Death Slaad’s, and it lacks the Death Slaad’s deadly rend and regeneration, but its +15/+15 to attack (with the Death Slaad’s commander effect) and resistances make it a viable option.
Choker (Chaotic Evil; 14 points; Aberrations; 1)
The Choker is primarily useful for his dual activation ability, one of the few ways that Chaotic Evil has to get activations beyond the 8 figure limit. His constrict ability is reasonably good, even if it has a low DC, and gets even better when combined with the DC enhancement of the Dark Naga.
Death Slaad (Chaotic Evil; 53 points; Underdark; 3)
One of the more interesting new pieces in Underdark, the Death Slaad’s viability is enhanced by the lawful faction’s increased competitiveness in the larger metagame. His chaos hammer is a nice bonus ability, allowing him to punish lawful warbands before he engages with them. His deadly rend is equally useful against chaotic hitters, allowing him to eliminate low-save creatures like Rikka, the Grimlock Barbarian, Orc Champion, Goliath Barbarian, and the (Lawful Good) Justice Archon from play without having to go through all of their hit points. In addition he has a solid amount of hit points for his cost, the ability to regenerate, and an exceptionally good Armor Class for a Chaotic Evil piece. Unfortunately his commander rating and commander effect are poor, usually requiring that he be combined with another commander such as the Tiefling Captain.
Gnoll Skeleton (Chaotic Evil; 5 points; Aberrations; 4)
While in general inferior to Chaotic Evil’s other 5 point options, the Gnoll Skeleton serves as an excellent blocker against both arrow fire and beholder eye rays. In addition he currently exists as the best possible option for the Lich Necromancer’s commander effect, providing a tough, fodder option to set up flanks, block passages, and provide a no victory point target for enemy effects.
Grimlock Barbarian (Chaotic Evil; 28 points; Underdark; 2)
The cheapest cost effective hitter in Chaotic Evil’s arsenal, the Grimlock Barbarian serves as an excellent option for warbands (such as those with the Hezrou) that require high-cost figures to fill them out or use various tech that prevents them from reaching the three or four hitter benchmarks. In addition, possibilities exist for using the Grimlock Barbarian in five hitter bands that do not suffer from the same activation problems that using 5 mainline Chaotic Evil hitters cause. His biggest weaknesses are his low attack bonus and his 60 hit points. Even when enhanced form his bloodlust effect, he attacks only at a +11, which is barely sufficient to hit some of the higher-end titans such as the Marut and the Large Silver Dragon. Also, one hit from an ogre ravager, or an eye of gruumsh-enhanced orc champion is likely to make him route, resulting in a decreased utility in comparison to the mainline hitters. However, he is also ten points less than the cheapest mainline hitter.
King Obould Many-arrows (Chaotic Evil; 65 points; War Drums; 1)
An interesting, new high-point cost commander option for Chaotic Evil, King Obould continues the trend of fighting commanders along the lines of the Eye of Gruumsh and Ryld Argith. King Obould is more physically potent than the lower-costed Ryld, with a powerful commander effect, that can be enough to swing a battle decisively in your favor, especially when dealing with low armor class enemy hitters. It requires finesse to use, however, as it has the potential of leaving you fatally exposed to enemy counter-attacks. Even if you are unable to effectively used the commander effect, he has a high commander rating and is a solid force in melee, making him a potentially worthwhile commander option, though this depends in part on your metagame. His viability is increased in chaotic-heavy metagames and decreased in lawful-heavy ones.
Large Red Dragon (Chaotic Evil; 83 points; Dragoneye; 2)
While largely playing second fiddle to the Large Silver Dragon in the overall effectiveness and respectability field, the Large Red Dragon is still a very effective piece especially when backed-up by Chaotic Evil’s most cost effective hitters. His breath weapon is especially effective, particularly when paired against creatures that are vulnerable to fire or large amounts of fodder, and the Large Red Dragon itself is so tough that it can easily take out a single hitter in a one-on-one fight (or two if it gets off a particularly effective cone.)
Lich Necromancer (Chaotic Evil; 64 points; Giants of Legend; 1)
A very solid choice for Chaotic Evil, the Lich Necromancer will become even more solid with the arrival of the 8 figure limit and its ability to bring in 3 hitters for support. The Lich’s paralysis effect is very useful, especially when combined with a trologdyte and/or a cursed spirit, and in rounds where it can’t effectively use these spells it has an empowered magic missile that hurts almost every creature in the game. Even after it is based or it runs out of spells the lich necromancer is still an effective melee combatant with a large amount of hit points, a reasonable AC, and the ability to paralyze enemy melee combatants. Unfortunately, it suffers from its high point cost, and many players prefer other options.
Mountain Orc (Chaotic Evil; 12 points; Aberrations; 2)
The Mountain Orc provides the best option for the two piece availability of minions for the Orog Warlord. He also serves as reasonably good secondary beater for Eye of Gruumsh oriented bands when you have a 12 point block of points available, but generally having tech such as a cursed spirit or troglodyte thug or a more efficient mid-range fodder piece like the Quaggoth Slave is a better option.
Mounted Drow Patrol (Chaotic Evil; 27 points; Underdark; 1)
An interesting tech piece, that allows for the first truly effective use of the Mounted Combat special ability, the Mounted Drow Patrol is the perfect hit-and-run piece, possessing the ability to move in, strike an opponent, and fall back without suffering any sort of retaliatory attacks of opportunity. Unfortunately it suffers from a low attack bonus and the fact that a part of its damage is reliant on cold damage, making certain creatures that would be likely targets (such as the Couatl and the Orog Warlord) resistant to its effects.
Orc Skeleton (Chaotic Evil; 5 points; Underdark; 4)
A nice alternative to the Gnoll Skeleton as likely fodder for the Lich Necromancer’s commander effect, the Orc Skeleton provides the capability to hit for 10 damage, where the Gnoll Skeleton hits for 5. The Gnoll Skeleton is tougher, and harder to kill, and thus more useful in certain situations, but the Gnoll Skeleton provides flexibility when dealing with low-AC/high-damage enemy hitters.
Tiefling Blademaster (Chaotic Evil; 27 points; War Drums; 1)
An effective low-cost commander option, the Tiefling Blademaster provides the most inexpensive general attack bonus and general damage bonus in the game. These are both useful in a metagame that has an increasingly large number of high hit point and high armor class units.
Timber Wolf (Any; 5 points; Deathknell; 1)
The Timber Wolf’s usability in Chaotic Evil is decreased by the presence of the equally useful, but less expensive Hyena. The Timber Wolf is still useful in situations where an extra point is available, but these points are often more useful where they would have more of an effect (such as for upgrading a troglodyte to a taer.)
Umber Hulk (Chaotic Evil; 30 points; Harbinger; 1)
The removal of the speed 2 rule has presented new viability for this ancient unit, allowing for the most powerful confusion effect in the game to actually be used in an effective manner. Unfortunately the Umber Hulk suffers from a slow speed in comparison to most other Chaotic Evil units, from being unable to be put under command (and thus being unable to rally), and from its key feature (its confusion gaze) being only a DC 15. When you are able to successfully use this ability it can be devastating, but its potential for successful use isn’t high enough that it can be relied on.
Zombie White Dragon (Chaotic Evil; 37 points; Deathknell; 1)
A large, high hit-point blocker, the Zombie White Dragon serves more as a mobile battlefield control mechanism than anything else. It is easy to control the tempo of battles in more enclosed terrain, when running the Zombie White Dragon, allowing you to cut off portions of the enemy warband, and even commander hunt. Unfortunately, you are sacrificing 37 points for this ability, which is probably be better suited for being used on another hitter. This piece still has potential though, especially when combined with pieces like the Mounted Drow Patrol. | |
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