OMG The End Times Khaine leaks!

Bat shit crazy powerful.

Have you seen this guys?  Absolute craziness.

I'll just leave this here..

Power overwhelming..

The one true king has returned..

..and his beautiful wife!

For one, I'm happy that Malekith reunites the Elves and is crowned as the true Phoenix King.  That's right, I said it.

PS - Fuck you GW for making this only 500 copies.  That shit literally sold out 5 minutes after I got the email.  So yes, I will torrent your shitty ass business model once someone puts it online instead of giving you my money.  Dipshits.

BR: 2500 DE vs. HE

Killin' er'body.

The list I used was:
2496
10 drops

LORDS:
Crone Hellebron = 310

Lv.4 Supreme Sorc, Scroll = 245
Life

HEROES:
Master BSB, 1+ RR, SoMight = 155

CORE:
30x Witch Elves, FC, Razor Standard = 405
5x Black Riders, Shield, RXB, Mus = 110
5x Black Riders, Shield, RXB, Mus = 110

SPECIAL:
28x Executioners, FC, SoDisc = 381
3x RBT = 210

RARE:
5x Warlocks = 125
5x Warlocks = 125
K-Beast = 160
K-Beast = 160

Opponent was HE:
2x units of Silver Helms core
shooty BSB
Light Wizard
3x units of 21+ White Lions, FC
3x RBT
2x units of Reavers
1x Eagle
1x unit of Archers
1x unit of Shadow Warriors

I got some pictures of the game, but they're not very detailed as to what happened.

Moving all over the place.

• The Witches were deployed in the beginning with their backs turned, so they don't need to Frenzy check.  After the first turn, they SR'd to turn around and move into the forest after the Warlocks.
• Flanks went hard on the sides with Dark Riders and a unit of Warlocks.  They shot at stuff, only managing to kill a few Reavers on the right.  Combined fire from the RBTs dropped the Reavers on the left.
• My magic was absolute ass, rolling 1345 with Life, and defaulting to 0 for the Regen.  With that in mind, everyone got into the Executioners unit and went for the house ASAP.  Kharis went around the house to stay within range and hopefully dodge some bolts.  I ended magic by throwing Throne on myself with IF and stopping the miscast.

His army advances, I pick off what I can.

• Magic is weak for me but for him, I let him have Speed of Light on the Silver Helms.  Nothing else happens as my opponent fails to get Timewarp.
• Riders moved up on the left side to shoot at the Eagle, but only managed to put a wound on it.  Combined fire from 2x RBTs at short range didn't kill a single Silver Helm and he charged it into my Warlocks in the trees.  Combat saw the Warlocks lose and flee 1" away from the board edge.  He fails to restrain and this Silver Helms goes diving into my Witches.
• His entire army center moved up.  I managed to clean up his far right RBT with good charge rolls, but next round he shoots and kills my loan Dark Rider and panics the Warlocks off the board lol.
• His remaining Reavers that were on the right moved up to threaten my RBT, but one of my Kharis jumped on him and that was the end of it.  Both beasts are now hanging out on the right side of the house.
• On his turn, his Eagle runs into my Riders but dies to ASF and good rolls.  I jump onto his RBT from there.

Combat is joined and the Blood Queen feasts.

• I get my Executioners out of the house on my turn and got off Regen after he stopped Shield of Thorns.  My Kharis move into flanking locations to anticipate the charge and that's it for my movement.
• The Silver Helms lose big on my turn and he flees like a coward.  His next unit of Silver Helms charge into the flank of my Witches while I rally my Warlocks.  Combat doesn't do anything as both units stay.
• His shooting drops to rest of my Riders while my RBT shoots down a few White Lions after some sad rolls.
• Magic has him throw a bunch of dice without IF at big Pha's, but I scroll that in a heartbeat.
• On his turn, his charges come in hard with a flank on my Executioners unit, and another charge from the front with two units of White Lions.  He fails Fear on his flanking unit of White Lions at -3 from Cry of War, even with the BSB re-roll.  Hellebron lays into the unit in the front and kills 7 White Lions.  Attacks go off everywhere but Frenzied Executioners dominate the opposition.  I think it was something like 26 White Lions dead from both units and a Champion slain by the BSB in a challenge.  Hellebron takes a wound from the attacks back and after good Regen rolls, my Sorc also takes one.  He rolls his break, the left unit breaks, the right unit decides to stay.

Chasing down the cowards.

• On this turn, the game pretty much ends.  White Lions get shot some more, Hellebron kills the rest of the unit of White Lions by herself, the Khari beasts charged in with nothing to eat because the Blood Queen's a psycho.
• Combat runs down the Silver Helms on the flank of the Witches thanks to the Warlocks charging, and I'm hot on his heels with what seems like an unstoppable army.  I threw dice and got Regen on them again with IF, and dispelled the miscast via throne.  He calls the game here.

Post-Game Thoughts:

• It's always a risky game to play with Hellebron, especially since I have everything in that unit of Executioners.  What if he had rolled a crazy kill spell or Fiery and lit my dudes on fire?  I hate putting everything in one unit, but with my spell selection being balls, I had no other choice.  I needed the Regen to keep Hellebrone alive and the only way I was going to do that is stay in the same unit.
• I think I could of kept the Witches a little closer frankly, they were in a great position by the trees and getting hard and then soft cover, but what if they lost combat?  I guess I looked across the battlefield and didn't think I was going to lose combat to White Lions.  I had high hopes that Hatred and Murderous Prowess would rip through a unit by themselves.
• Silencing those Warmachines and keeping my own up was pretty well-done by me.  I killed his chaff and reduced his units down to something I can coordinate attacks at more readily.  It sucks that one of my Warlock units paniced off the board, but what can you do.

High Elves: Another Perspective

Put 'em up, shut 'em down.

What perspective might this be?  From the other side of the table of course!  Played a few games recently against High Elves with my VC and I must say:  Don't take monster mash lists.

Here's the list I've been running:

2498
13 deploys

LORDS:
Lv.4 Vampire Lord = 553
Lore of Vampires
Quickblood, Red Fury, Beguile
Heavy Armor, Shield, Barded Nightmare
ToPreservation, Ogre Blade, OTS

HEROES:
Lv.2 Vampire = 228
Lore of Death
Aura of Dark Majesty
Heavy Armor, Lance, Barded Nightmare
Enchanted Shield, Scroll, PoFools

CORE:
40x Zombies (Standard) = 125
37x Ghouls (Ghast) = 380
5x Dire Wolves = 40
5x Dire Wolves = 40
5x Dire Wolves = 40

SPECIAL:
12x Black Knights (FC, BoSwiftness) = 357
5x Hexwraith = 150
Spirit Host = 45
Spirit Host = 45
Spirit Host = 45

RARE:
Terrorgheist = 225
Terrorgheist = 225

Having played very little with my VC in the new edition, I'm enjoy my VC quite a bit despite the rust build up.  One of the strangest things I've found with the new HE book is that people tend to gravitate towards the new and shiny.  Of course Frosthearts are great, but I don't think people should be running lists with minimal magic protection, a bunch of Frosthearts, and that silly Anointed running a Frostheart as well.  That's just way too much points investment with very little gain.  I honestly don't feel that Frosthearts at meant to be used as killy units.  They don't do jack shit in combat res compared to a lot of the other meanies out there, and their damage potential to points ratio is outright pitiful.

A lot of people don't realize that Frosthearts are not designed to be killy units.  They're a really strong support element for the High Elf army, and that's the key thing.  They're meant to be played with other elements in the book that takes advantage of the bonuses they provide.  Frosthearts are defensive, denial units, designed to be used in support with the rest of the army.  Alone, they're just bad for the points.  When you compare them to something like a Hellpit, Hydra or Chimera, they just fall flat in terms of expectations.

What else have I found out?  Monster mash lists run into really bad match-ups vs. a list like mine.  I out deploy their list every time; cavstars and Silver Helms just get baited around all day with good chaff, and the Anointed on Frostheart is just trash for his points.  For a lord hovering around the ~500 mark, the guy puts out no damage.  Three S6 attacks is hardly anything to write home about, especially when the bird has a max of 5 attacks on a good day and will frequently hover around 4.  Once the "damage" is dealt, you add up the points and notice that you killed nowhere close to the amount you paid for with the lord.

I'm jumping around a bit so I'll highlight the key weaknesses of the monster-mash list.

• The VC list I have above has 13 drops.  The typical monster-mash list I've seen runs with Dragon Prince buses, Anointed on Frostheart, Lv.2 Mage, 2x Frosthearts, and Silver Helms/Reavers for core.  Let me tell you something right now:  The current style of HE Monster-mash will get out-deployed, out-manuevered, and outplayed if you're a capable general.  I just re-direct all day, force my own combat scenarios and force the HE army to fight my rock solid units.  My VC Lord obliterates Phoenixes, caring not for your ASL and -1S because I just power spells through your weakling Lv.2.  Your other birds just eats tarpit after tarpit and I'll just scream to death any other unit not carrying BotWD.  A couple of days ago, I just looked at a bunch of Silver Helms and they disappeared from the battlefield.
• That's another thing:  Magic superiority.  God honestly, I don't know if monster-mash can survive with cannons and strong magic on the battlefield.  As if cannons aren't enough, a Lv.2 just can't compete with a Lv.4 in terms of casting potential.  I have better dice management, more spells to through and you're not going to stop all my spells regardless of how hard you try.  I understand that no other faction can throw out damage and cast spells like VC, but I find a solo Lv.2 to be outmatched completely in very circumstance in this match-up.
• Overall damage:  You don't have a lot of units that can hit hard and break lines.  A big unit of Dragon Princes will always see a bunch of re-directs, undead fodder, tarpits, followed by a flank-charge or rear-charge from my Lord's bus + Terrorgheists.  Once you accurately scale the amount of damage Dragon Princes can do, you realize that their subsequent rounds in combat are meaningless.  This is why you need to run characters in Dragon Princes and not run around flying in giant stupid birds.  A Frostheart's damage potential cannot and will not bail you out of combat once your DP bus has run its course.  The best way I can describe HE cavalry is this:  They're meant to be precision-based combat res generators.  They hit hard as hell in the first round of combat, but they're wet noodles in the subsequent rounds.
• I walk away this week with 3 wins and a draw vs. HE monster-mash.  I don't know why people insist on playing these kind of lists because it's just not good.  Frostheart's don't do enough damage, cavalry lists might seem like fun until they realize any unit not carrying the BotWD will just get blended/screamed to death, and these lists suck hard vs. Steadfast/Undead tarpits because they don't generate enough damage themselves.  Sure, they negate a lot of damage, but if they don't get themselves out of there they're completely worthless, and easy to gank/kill.

TLDR:  Don't run monster-mash with HE.  Stick to the basics; mixed army, combined arms, and a balanced approach.

I have a guide on Ulthuan.net

This guy looks cool, let's go with that.

I've been getting a lot of Emails asking if I have a consolidated knowledge pool floating around somewhere.

The answer is yes! and it's located on Ulthuan.net.  Clicky.  On this site, you will find many other army blogs because the generals that play them all play quite differently for the most part.  I'm just one of those generals.

Also keep in mind that a lot of Ulthuan.net plays under ETC restrictions whereas I play uncomped or with very little comp.  Be aware of this at all times when browsing because it'll change the way your lists are constructed significantly.

One more thing -- Is there any more High Elf stuff you want to see from me in particular?  Thanks!

Here's my latest army list.  I'm really excited to give the new Sisters a go!

Shadow vs. High Magic

Shadow is best.

After my disappointing trial of High Magic over the last 4 games, I'm seriously thinking of switching back to Shadow.  Here is why:

Miasma - Better than Hand of Glory: Why? Because vs. your WS5 on WS3 units, the spell automatically means they hit you on 5s. With Hand of Glory, you're looking for WS7, which needs a +2 to WS. A third of the time, the spell won't even do anything defensively. Vs. WS4, it's even more apparent. Their WS4 vs. your WS8 changes nothing; your WS5 vs. their WS2 means something.  vs. WS5 like Chaos Warriors, a Miasma for 3 means you're hitting on 3s and them on 5s.

Enfeeble - ALWAYS good and stacks with Phoenix. We have nothing like this to compare in the High Magic lore. Wounding you on 5s and even 6s means the world of difference; keeping your armor save even in most cases. You can cast this into combat.

Withering - White Loins are S6 vs. everything, normally wounding on 2s. However, vs. beefier targets which our army already has an inherent weakness to, reduced Toughness means more wounds gets through and often times that's enough. Every combat unit benefits from lowered Toughness and every shooting unit does too.  Again, you can cast this in combat.

All three of these benefits the Elven race more than any other lore. All 3 of which can be cast in combat and all 3 of these will be useful in all phases of the game. Not so much with High Magic.  We're not even counting the usefulness of the must-stop Mindrazor on ASF Elves at this point.

Let's get off the WS3 S3 troops for a second and think about the wider picture. What I used above was just an example of how much more effective Miasma is compared to Hand of Glory.

• vs. WS5 Warriors, Miasma wins hands down. You can bring them down to WS2, allowing you to hit on 3s, them on 5s. Hand of Glory doesn't even have that option.
• vs. the WoC/Ogres matchup, Enfeeble will allow you to stay in the fight and minimize damage. It stacks with Phoenix; which is an integral part of our warmachine now.
• vs. any fatties, Chimeras, or T5 chariots, or other monsters, you need Withering to do the damage and force wounds that you otherwise wouldn't be able to accomplish.
• vs. any of the bigger guys who are by design, more difficult to deal with our army, Shadow fills in the gaps like it always does since the 8th Ed. book was released. High Magic does not offer this at all.

New test case:
You're in combat with Chaos Warriors. What are you going to do? Hand of Glory over Miasma? Withering over, wait.. that's it. The rest of the lore has magic missiles, direct damage and a heal spell on one model that might not even been wounded or is in the combat. What are you going to do now? Move something with Walk Between Worlds? Combat is what determines the outcome of GAMES, and takes the WIN.

Again, all of these are combat friendly, used in every phase of the game. Shit, you can compliment your S4 Maidens shooting even more if have Withering in the army.  And best of all, all of these are raises and eyebrow in the dispel phase rather than them just staring at your 6-dice Hand of Glory because you have nothing else to cast.  Shadow is useful in combat and don't eat up a lot of dice, allowing you to min-max your magic phase as long as you have Book of Hoeth.  We just don't have that many PD to throw now.  Book of Hoeth makes Pit and Skillrazor easier to cast as well, and we all know how much our opponents fear ASF + Mindrazor.

If you look at a Lv.4 with Book with Shadow, here are some numbers..

Miasma - You can 1-dice this most of the time, or push for 10+ needing a 6 on 2-dice to cast at 89% chance.
Enfeebling - At 10+, you need 2 dice for 89% chance to push.
Withering - At 13+, you need 3 dice for 89.5% chance to push.
Pit of Shades - At 14+, you have 3 dice at 82.47% or 4 dice for 96.69%
the big boy Mindrazor, at 18+, sees 4 dice at 76.22%, or 5 dice for 93.80%

When you compare this specifically to High Magic, the ONLY spell you should be comparing to is Hand of Glory, because it is the only spell that can change the outcome of the current fight (or rather, the fight that you immediately want to change). What would you rather have? 4 spells that can change the outcome of a battle and be able to at least cast them, or hold onto 3 of your DD/MM spells while you only cast Hand of Glory because you can't do anything else. Not to mention the result of casting is relatively the same result value as you would Miasma. People saying Shadow is more expensive than High Magic is a fact, but if you compare the numbers of how much it takes them to cast to their impact on the battlefield, you'll see each spell has significantly better value in a game based around close combat.

If you want Drain Magic, just take a support caster: Lv.1-2, take your pick and default to Drain if you don't pull Hand of Glory. You can also cover your ethereal bases by defaulting to Soul Quench.  That eliminates the last part of the argument to take High Magic over Shadow.  For next game I plan on taking Shadow/Heavens just to play around.

Lv.4 with Book, Shadow
Lv.1-2 with Scroll, Heavens

That's my layout from now on.  Period.

HE BR #4 vs. VC

I buy them frozen.

Played another game vs. Lucas' VC and this one was a killer game.  Tons of action, a lot of laughs and some horrible dice.

Here's my list..

2500

10 drops

LORDS:

Lv.4 Archmage, High Magic = 285

Book of Hoeth, Golden Crown

HEROES:

BSB Noble = 149

GW, Armor of Caledor

Lv.1 Mage, High Magic = 110

Scroll

CORE:

30x Spearmen, FC, SoDiscipline = 315

15x Archers, Mus = 160

14x Archers, Mus = 150

SPECIAL:

27x White Lions, FC, BotWD = 431

25x Phoenix Guard, FC, BoEF = 405

5x Dragon Princes, Mus = 155

RARE:

Frostheart Phoenix = 240

Great Eagle = 50

Great Eagle = 50

His list..

~2500

~14 drops?

Ghoul King, Red Fury, Quickblood, Peripat, Dragonbane Gem

Lv.4 Master Necro, Scroll

Wight King BSB, Nightshroud, GW, Heavy Armor

Mortis Engine

Terrorgheist

Huge unit of Ghouls that had his BSB and Wight King

Bug unit of Zombies that had his Necro

8x Crypt Horrors or something like that

5x Hexwraiths

4x Vargheists

4x units of chaff dogs

2x units of chaff bats

WHFB Review: High Elves

Long live the Asur!

High Elves were my first army in WHFB and I've played them for 12 or so years now.  I will tell you right now that this is the best book they've had in the last 3 books.  As for the review itself, it will be written with Overall Design, Internal Balance and External Balance in mind.  Check out this earlier post if you don't know the meaning of these terms.

Overall Design

The game design for High Elves is a tricky one.  You have an army filled with T3 5+ dudes but you somehow need them to be "elite".  This poses a problem because the only realistic way of getting this done in a points-based system is by having them be expensive.  You can't have cheap High Elves, it just doesn't make sense.  Their entire fluff is that they're dwindling, everyone else is getting stronger and the only way they can compete is with superior units.

Now, let me come out and say that I thought army-wide ASF via Speed of Asuryan was the best thing to happen to High Elves in 7th Edition.  Please keep in mind that I'm talking about the 7th Edition High Elves book being played in 7th Edition and not 8th.  The reason why this is so is because you can outright justify an expensive army of elite units.  The rule was simple, elegant and rightfully justified the cost of the army to be high.  A lot of people looked at SoA in 8th and blindly hated it because it turned High Elf units into blenders. Well guess what?  That's not what it was originally intended to be.

The 7th Ed. book was designed in 7th Ed. where SoA was meant to be a damage buffer.  It was something that stopped incoming damage so the limited amount of High Elf models can cheat death and stay alive in close combat.  High Elves can't have the resilience of Dwarfs, or the numbers of Skaven, this is just not their way.  The elite units of Asur needed something else to mitigate damage and that was through striking first, killing the enemy before they can strike, and thus reduce that unit's damage.  The coming of 8th's Steadfast, stepping up, and the fact that a Skaven Slave can take down a White Lion meant that the book desperately needed a rewrite.  Well, that and the fact that High Elves sell pretty well.

Enter the new book.  What has changed exactly?  Mat Ward kept ASF on all the units and gave them all Martial Prowess (fight/shoot in one extra rank).  ASF now cancels with the ASL of Great Weapons so units like White Lions and Sword Masters are no longer the blenders that they were the previous book.  Because of these changes, Ward continues the ideology that the High Elves should be few in number, elite, and are a naturally defensive army.  You can see this through Shield of Saphery (High Magic's lore attribute) especially since each successful spell from High Magic increases your ward save by +1.  If you don't have one, you gain 6+ ward.  With a heavier reliance on High Magic to obtain defensive bonuses, players will need to take full advantage of their magic to negate that damage.  Works for me.

I give Overall Design a 4.5/5.  The main philosophies of the High Elves have all been translated smoothly onto the table:  Small in number, superior in skill, reliant on magic, and naturally defensive.  I even read the fluff and checked it for Draigo nonsense.  NP, all clear.

Internal Balance

In the previous book, High Elves had 3 Core choices:  Archers, Spearmen and Lothern Sea Guard.  Now in the new book, High Elves get Ellyrion Reavers and Silver Helms as well.  This suddenly opens tons of player options and so far, no list I've seen looks the same.  There is no obvious choice to make in Core and this is something every player loves.  Books should be made where the options are viable and every choice a difficult one.  There should be no auto-includes.

As we advance through the book and check out some of the old units, you will see plenty of old favorites.  Many of the units haven't changed at all, and for the units that got worse, their points cost was decreased.  For the units that either got better or haven't changed in usefulness, their points didn't move.  Finally, for the units that suffered previously, their points were lowered while their stats were improved.  All of these were done with only minor adjustment in points, no large leaps or uncalled for moves.  Teclis has been brought down in power but saw his points decreased slightly, and Book of Hoeth now has new functionality for a more affordable price.  Even units like the Sword Master gained the ability to Deflect Shots with his sword because you know, it's fluffy.  For the first time in a long time, I haven't seen game balance this good in terms of unit layout and pricing.

When we look at the new units, we have to evaluate how they fit in comparison to other choices in the book.  There is quite a bit of uproar on many gaming forums right now because no one can agree upon a single list.  Every new unit in the book seems to be balanced out nicely in points vs. their abilities.  The Anointed is a more expensive Prince with good unit buffing stats, but he's not as good in melee and lacks the Ld.10 a Prince can offer.  The Loremaster is a Lv.2 who knows all 8 signatures with the stats of a Noble, but he can't ride a barded steed or cast as well as Lv.4.  There is literally no obvious choice and that's something very rare when it comes to an army book.  Even the mighty Frostheart Phoenix who can give units -S and ASL have to compete with the havoc it's fiery brother can cause, especially when an Anointed can take him as a mount and erupt come back on a 5+ instead of 6!

Internally, this is the best book I've seen in 8th Ed. by far.  Not only will people have a different list, but they'll have a different list layout as well.  Different core, different special choices, and even different rare.  The only thing stopping me from giving this a perfect score is the fact that some magic items are "off": 4.5/5.

External Balance

Overall, I'd say this book is good and will probably fall into the middle-high tier with 8th Ed. books in mind.  There's a ton of options to make viable and competitive builds, but there are some definite hits and misses.  For one, the Banner of the World Dragon has the community in an uproar.  While not overpowered in the sense that it's just too good in all match-ups, it's a poorly designed item.  The BotWD can be taken on almost every Special choice because of its price, and it gives the entire unit a 2+ ward vs. magical spells, attacks and weapons.  Against someone like Daemons of Chaos who all have magical attacks, this one item basically shuts down their entire army.  Sure, spells like Dwellers Below still gets around it, but the fact that it's utterly imbalanced vs. some armies and useless vs. others makes it the one hit and miss in the book.

High Elves, in short, will go back to their roots with this new book in terms of external balance.  I can personally see 4 main archetypes rise up from the ashes sort of speak and these are it:  Monster mash with a Prince on Star Dragon, multiple Phoenixes and maybe even a Noble on Griffon.  Magic heavy lists running an Archmage or Alarielle, with special infantry blocks and Phoenixes as support.  Cavalry-centric lists with Silver Helms, Ellyrion Reavers, Dragon Princes led by a Prince on barded steed.  Lastly, we might see shooty heavy lists with Archers, RBTs, Sea Guard, Lothern Sky Cutters, and some other units.  Sure, we might see some cheese builds arise such as Alarielle in a unit of White Lions with the Banner of the World Dragon spamming High Magic, but realistically, you'll probably just get kicked in the throat.

Other than that, I'd say the book's designed well to compete vs. the rest of the 8th Ed. books.  That's basically what I'm looking at these days as the golden age of balance.  You can't really compare the book to something like Dark Elves where you triple their magic items at a quarter of the cost.  That's just a byproduct of an era of gaming no one wants to remember.  3.5/5 from me - with the Banner of the World Dragon docking a whole point.  What were you thinking Mat?

Conclusion

The best book of 8th Ed. so far in terms of the solidity of design, great internal balance and decent external balance.  Questionably Mat Ward's best work ever.. which makes me question the outcome of the last Daemons book even more.  Have it at folks!

BR #3 New HE vs. VC

Pretty sure this not Alarielle.

Played a game vs. my buddy Lucas today and his VC.  It was pretty bloody and pretty fun, and our lists were both middle of the line in terms of strength.  Until proven otherwise, from what I've played so far, HE feels very middle of the road in army strength.  Nothing too crazy has jumped out at me yet, well, aside from Banner of the World Dragon.

My list was this..

2498

10 drops

LORDS

Lv.4 Archmage, High Magic = 285

Book of Hoeth, Crown

HEROES

BSB Noble, Dragon Prince = 161

Enchanted Shield, Dawnstone, PoFool

Lv.1 Mage, High Magic = 110

Scroll

CORE

30x Spearmen (FC, SoDiscipline) = 315

15x Archers, Mus = 160

14x Archers, Mus = 150

SPECIAL

27x White Lions (FC, BotWD) = 431

9x Dragon Princes (FC, CShield, BoEFlame) = 306

RARE

Frostheart Phoenix = 240

Frostheart Phoenix = 240

Great Eagle = 50

Great Eagle = 50

I played 2 games with High Elves today!

Banner banned already?!

The first game was against this really nice guy who took a like-wise monster-mash list, and the second game was a against a friendly Ogres player.  To my surprise when I walked in the store today, my order arrived Friday night and I was able to get the Phoenixes together.  I went with double Frostheart Phoenix although I'm thinking about getting a third Flamespyre now.

As always, my BRs will consist of notes and confirmations rather than a play by play report.  I decided to go this route with these so you guys can take more tactical/strategic knowledge from these.

High Elves: Brainstorm #5

Where are my dragons?!

Disaster has struck.  I will not be getting my book or minis anytime soon because of GW stock shortages in North America.  I don't know what the case is, but it seems like the same thing happened with Tau.  Damn the luck.  Regardless, here's the final part of the book review as we close to release date.  I'll probably release one more article tomorrow detailing army lists because I won't have my frozen turkeys to put on the table! FFFFFFFFFFFFF

Special Characters

Tyrion - 3/5
Well, I don't have much to say here.  He's still really well armored, fast as all hell and can take a lot of damage.  The real solid thing is that he's now off a monster base and his rules have been cleared up.  With a 18" IP, he's a pretty solid general on the battlefield.  However, you're paying an awful a lot of points for someone who puts out barely enough damage over a S7 Prince.  A little bit of a shame for the greatest warrior in the known world I'd say.  Sure, he doesn't really die, Sunfang needs to do a little more than just shoot out a S4 breath attack once a game.  D3 wounds or something man.

Teclis - 3.5/5
I am a bit sad.  Why?  Because my favorite SC in all of Warhammer have been nerfed into the dirt.  I'll say it flat out:  I'd rather see Teclis stay the same and be banned in every single comped game than to see him like this.  Overall, not bad terrible because they lowered his price and made him a Lv.5 Wizard.  His staff has completely changed so instead of being a one-man magic phase, he's now a second-string Slaan who becomes even punier after one round of good magic.  His spell flexibility has changed a lot; gaining either Loremaster High Magic with +6 to cast due to Lileath's Blessing, or 8 spells from each of the 8 lores.  Oh, and he also keeps his Scroll of Hoeth so you can have two scrolls in your army if you take him and a supporting mage.  Overall, not bad.. but for 450 big ones, I will pass on Teclis in this edition.

Alith Anar - 3.5/5
For his new points cost of 250, Alith is worth looking at.  His BS7 and S7 D3 wounds no AS Quick to Fire Moonbow at 36" is something really special.  Shadow Crown gives him and his unit Swiftstride, Stone of Midnight provides Alith with a 4+ Ward and enemies shooting at the unit suffers -1 to hit.  The only thing I wish is that they gave him a Great Weapon, or in fact, gave all Shadow Warriors Great Weapons.  As fast as he is with that I9 ASF, he's still swinging with a regular hand weapon.  Boo..

High Elves: Brainstorm #4

Lost it at the eyes.

Alright, here we go.  Onto the Specials and Rares!  I'll probably end up talking about Special Characters and Items tomorrow along side some sample army lists that I want to try out.  I'm really liking what I see so far and I'm pretty eager to get my army onto the tabletop ASAP.

Specials

Sword Masters of Hoeth - 2.5/5
I can't really say I like what they did with the SM.  Taking away their re-rolls on Great Weapons while keeping all their other stats the same is really bad for them when Martial Prowess is factored.  They will forever be used as MSU units.  Being WS6 I5 and striking at I with 2A S5 is still good, but without their re-rolls they'll be missing a lot more.  The points drop is the only thing that's giving them any validity as of now but I can't see them being used outside of pseudo detachment units.  Take a unit that you know will hold Steadfast and then flank charge 5-7 of these the next round.  Even without re-rolls, you'll still be able to add a good amount of combat res.

White Lions of Chrace - 4.5/5
These have always been solid units and with Martial Prowess, these will remain top dog.  The reason why this is so is because they lose nothing with their 1 attack base unlike Sword Masters.  WS5 S6 hits all the right targets and striking in 3 ranks allows them to actually deal more damage than their previous re-rolls.  The delta for damage is definitely greater, but there's a chance you might fark your rolls.  Stubborn is pretty king for an Elite unit and Lion Cloak protects them from getting shot.  I can see a unit of 3x3 w/ Champ to be really popular.  Cheap, tiny ass footprint, puts out high quality attacks, and doesn't die to a sneeze like Sword Masters.

Phoenix Guard - 4.5/5
Still rock solid units.  Has Fear because they don't talk about the 4+ Ward is still there.  They only got better because of their Martial Prowess extending to the third rank.  This gives them more damage potential than they had last book while maintaining all the great things that made them a solid anvil.  No Unbreakable means that every character can join them, and no change in points cost makes them outright better than they were before.

High Elves: Brainstorm #3

Core, core, core!

Let's talk about Core really quick.  No bullshit, right down to the nitty gritty.  If one thing's for certain, it's that there's tons of discussion regarding our Core right now.  This is a very good sign as it shows tons of flexibility in regards to playstyle and function.

Spearmen - 3.5/5

Pretty solid option still.  If anything, they are overlooked a lot because they're exactly the same as the last book.  I've always liked Spears.  They give a lot of bodies that absolutely shred other core-based infantry in the game and can be buffed to levels that upset a lot of people due to the amount of attacks they put out.  Compared to similar Core, High Elf Spearmen are amazing.  Not to mention they can take a magical banner while no one else in core can.  Keep that in mind!

Archers - 4/5

Went down in points, cheap, and throws out a good amount of shots.  With Martial Prowess now affecting Archers in 3-ranks, a unit of 5x3 lets loose 15 S3 shots from 30" away.  This is a great way to clear enemy chaff and they're an absolute staple to the High Elf war machine.  Always have some kind of archery in your army lists unless you're going for a pure melee approach.

Lothern Sea Guard - 3/5

These guys also went down a point and still retain the same function as before.  Sadly, they can no longer take a magical banner and much like archers, cannot take the Banner of Eternal Flame to threaten regen units from far away.  Honestly, LSG are a pretty decent unit.  They double up on shooting and function like Spearmen once they reach close combat.  You can feel comfortable with putting them in a unit of 6x5 and comfortably count 18+3+3 in terms of shots from 24" away while attacking back in 4 ranks in close combat.  Due to their flexibility and points drop vs. the unchanged Spears, they're not a bad choice.

Ellyrion Reavers - 4/5

Take these guys in 5s and never look back.  They are cheap, Fast, Vanguard cavalry which can shoot, block, obstruct charge lanes, and kill chaff.  As solid as these guys are, I can't rank them above Archers.  Archers gives you more shots, more bodies and can keep chaff without ever having to commit.  Reavers, on the other hand, should be used like Eagles that travel on the ground.  They're cheap enough that you can also  employ double flee mechanics.

Silver Helms - 4/5

I graded these guys assuming you don't take them as a Prince bus.  As a bus, I would probably give these guys the max.  With Martial Prowess extending to the third rank, you can now take a decent sized cavalry bus that can chip in more damage than they did before.  With the points of these guys coming out of Core, you can now run a Cavalry Prince with a lot less points commitment from the rest of the army.  Any bit of 2+ armor in core is good, but Ithilmar Barding, ASF and Lances.

High Elves: Brainstorm #2

Brilliant, just brilliant.

In this segment, we'll explore the Lords and Heroes, followed by Core choices in the next installment (tonight).  Please refer to my earlier post on what we know so far as a reference.  At this point, I'm 95% sure of those rumors as being in the book since they've been confirmed by several sources.

Onto the Lords and Heroes!  SCs will come later.

Prince - 3.5/5
The first thing I have to say about the Prince is that I'm a little disappointed.  While he got a slight points decrease, the 390 point Star Dragon is what's really off-putting.  For 90 points less, we have access to the Moon Dragon which has a 6s statline.  The big thing here is the points.  When taking a Dragon Lord, you have to squeeze every little bit out of this guy and with the Star Dragon being so expensive, I'm not sure how I feel about having him in the list anymore.  We'll talk about sample builds as we go along the week, but for now I'm looking at the Moon Dragon as a more cost-effective option.  The main threat of cannons being able to bring down dragons also has me a bit worried.  If dragons are not going to be effective, I'll sure as hell look into Cavalry Princes being the dominant option.

Anointed of Asuryan - 4/5
This guy is the guy to go to when fielding foot lists I'd say.  He comes with 4+ Ward, MR2, ItP, gives his unit 6+ ward, and comes stock with Fear.  His price is pretty good too, although he has worse leadership than a Prince and less attacks.  The ability to mount a Phoenix is also pretty good, especially when you factor the built-in Ward save.  MR2 gives him a 2++ vs. MM and the Phoenix gets a 3++.  He's a definite contender for having 3x Ice Phoenixes in a list, or even competing with the Prince on Moon Dragon.

Loremaster - 5/5
Very solid, I really like him.  His main function is to be a fighting Noble, being able to take a 2+ armor save while still retaining his ability to cast cheap signature spells.  He's going to be a staple in every list that wants to mix the stats of a Noble with a strong, versatile casting mage.  He puts supporting mages to shame because of his ability to mount armor, put out decent damage and spellsling at the same time.  The price tag is a little high, but I think he's worth it every game when combined with an Archmage.

Archmage - 5/5
Lv.4 every time.  Especially with the new point cost, I see him with Book of Hoeth plus either 4+ Ward or Crown every single game.  The same spell versatility makes him very appealing in magic-heavy lists, and with Book of Hoeth he can push out spells and dispels a lot easier.  Personally, I'll be fielding him relatively cheap with Book, Crown and that's it.  Push him back in the back row with a few characters and he'll be quite safe; especially if your unit will be fielding the Banner of the World Dragon.  I plan on taking him with High Magic so I can utilize Blessing of Lileath as much as possible in combination with a unit of Phoenix Guard.

Noble - 4.5/5
Looking pretty fine here.  Nothing has changed for him except the fact he lost a little bit of protection.  BSBs will be mandatory in every army, so he goes perfectly with a Cavalry Prince when mounted, or traveling in an infantry army with 2+ AS.  Having the opportunity to mount a Griffon is also pretty significant here.  I'm not entirely convinced on the beast though mainly due to cannons, no save and a potential to be expensive depending on upgrades.

Sea Helm - 2/5
Not bad, a pretty decent option when in a unit of Sea Guard.  Nice, fluffy, and offers Naval Discipline.  He's a bit more expensive than a Noble, so that alone puts him in on the bottom of my unit bucket.  The only real reason you'll use him vs. a cheaper Noble as a BSB is for Naval Discipline.. which is only really useful in a unit of Sea Guard.  However, I guess you can take him on a Sky Cutter as well for that free 4+ Ward.  Not sure how much benefit that'll give you though, but you will have a flying BSB.

Handmaiden of the Everqueen - 2/5
Used with the Everqueen, can be given Everqueen specific items that'll make Sisters of Averlorn more appealing.  Not my cup of tea, but with the Bow of the Seafearer and Quick to Fire that she confers onto the unit, she can find some use in those kind of lists.

Mage - 4/5
Small, diverse, cheaper, and can take a scroll.  Acts best as a scroll caddy and supporting caster.  Also good in a Coven of Light because of the price.

Dragon Mage - 1/5
Even with Dragon Armor and the ability to take magical armors, I'm not sure how much I'll be looking into this guy.  He lacks the flexibility of the other lores, fights to compete in points for the AM/Loremaster combo, and suffers the same problem as other Large Targets that could attract enemy fire.  Overall, I'm not feeling this guy at all.

HE rules and rumors compilation

Glory to Ulthuan!
Drawing by Aicanor

GENERIC SPECIAL RULES:
-------------------------------------------

All high elves (But not eagles, warhawks, dragons, griffons or elven steeds) have the following rules:
-Always strike first
-Martial Prowess: High elves get support attacks from an additional rank both in close combat and shooting.
-Valour of Ages: High elves reroll any failed panic, fear or terror check against an army with models from Warhammer: Dark Elves

White Lion cloak: +2 AS against shooting
Ithilmar Barding: Normal barding without movement penalty

Dragon Armor: Heavy armor, Fireborn (2+ Ward save against flaming attacks), 6+ ward save


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LORDS:
-------------------------------------------

-Prince 140 pts
Type: Infantry (Character)
M5,WS7,BS7,S4,T3,W3,I8,A4,LD10
Equipment: Hand weapon
-Can equip:
  -Dragon Armor: 20 pts
  -Heavy Armor: 6 pts
  -Light Armor: 3 pts
  -Shield: 3 pts
  -Lion Cloak: 6 pts, can't take along a dragon armor
  -Additional Hand Weapon: 3 pts
  -Halberd: 3 pts
  -Spear: 3 pts
  -Great Weapon: 6 pts
  -Lance: 7 pts
  -Up to 100 pts in magic items
-Can mount:
  -Sun Dragon: 235 pts - M6,WS5,BS0,S5,T5,W5,I4,A4,LD7 Fly, AS 3+, Terror, Large Target, Breath S4
  -Moon Dragon: 300 pts - M6,WS6,BS0,S6,T6,W6,I3,A5,LD8 Fly, AS 3+, Terror, Large Target, Breath S4
  -Star Dragon: 390 pts - M6,WS7,BS0,S7,T7,W7,I2,A6,LD9 Fly, AS 3+, Terror, Large Target, Breath S4
  -Griffon: 150 pts - M6,WS5,BS0,S5,T5,W4,I5,A4,LD7 Fly, Terror, Large Target.
    Can have Swiftsense (ASF) for 20 pts, and Swooping Strike (+1 S and +1 attack in charge) for 25 pts
  -Elven Steed: 20 pts, Ithilmar barding for 7 pts
  -Tiranoc Chariot (replaces one crew member): 70 pts

-Anointed of Asurian 210 pts
Type: Infantry (Character)
M5,WS7,BS6,S4,T3,W3,I8,A3,LD9
Special Rules: Witness to Destiny (4+ ward save), Blessings of Ausryan (6+ ward save and Immune to psichology to the unit he is in), MR 2
Equipment: Halberd, Hand weapon, Heavy armor
-Can equip:
  -Up to 100 pts in magic items
-Can Mount:
  -Flamespyre Phoenix: 225 pts
  -Frostheart Phoenix: 240 pts

-Loremaster 230 pts
Type: Infantry (Character)
M5,WS6,BS4,S4,T3,W3,I7,A3,LD9
Special Rules: Caster level 2, knows all signature spells from BRB lores, Deflect Shots (6+ Ward Save against BS based shooting)
Equipment: Great Weapon, Hand weapon, Heavy armor
-Can equip:
  -Up to 100 pts in magic items

-Archmage 185 pts
Type: Infantry (Character)
M5,WS4,BS4,S3,T3,W3,I5,A1,LD9
Special Rules: Caster level 3, Lileath Blessing (+1 casting High Magic spells)
Equipment: Hand Weapon
-Options:
  -Lvl 4: 35 pts
-Can equip:
  -Up to 100 pts in magic items
-Can Mount:
  -Sun Dragon: 235 pts - M6,WS5,BS0,S5,T5,W5,I4,A4,LD7 Fly, AS 3+, Terror, Large Target, Breath S4
  -Moon Dragon: 300 pts - M6,WS6,BS0,S6,T6,W6,I3,A5,LD8 Fly, AS 3+, Terror, Large Target, Breath S4
  -Star Dragon: 390 pts - M6,WS7,BS0,S7,T7,W7,I2,A6,LD9 Fly, AS 3+, Terror, Large Target, Breath S4
  -Griffon: 150 pts - M6,WS5,BS0,S5,T5,W4,I5,A4,LD7 Fly, Terror, Large Target.
    Can have Swiftsense (ASF) for 20 pts, and Swooping Strike (+1 S and +1 attack in charge) for 25 pts
  -Elven Steed: 20 pts, Ithilmar barding for 7 pts
  -Tiranoc Chariot (replaces one crew member): 70 pts

HEROES:
----------------------------------------------------------------

-Noble 70 pts
Type: Infantry (Character)
M5,WS6,BS6,S4,T3,W2,I7,A3,LD9
-Options:
  -Can be the Battle Standard Bearer: 25 pts
-Can equip:
  -Dragon Armor: 10 pts
  -Heavy Armor: 4 pts
  -Light Armor: 2 pts
  -Shield: 2 pts
  -Lion Cloak: 4 pts, can't take along a dragon armor
  -Additional Hand Weapon: 2 pts
  -Spear: 2 pts
  -Halberd: 3 pts
  -Great Weapon: 6 pts
  -Lance: 6 pts
  -Up to 50 pts in magic items
-Can mount:
  -Griffon: 150 pts - M6,WS5,BS0,S5,T5,W4,I5,A4,LD7 Fly, Terror, Large Target.
    Can have Swiftsense (ASF) for 20 pts, and Swooping Strike (+1 S and +1 attack in charge) for 25 pts
  -Elven Steed: 10 pts, Ithilmar barding for 5 pts
  -Tiranoc Chariot (replaces one crew member): 70 pts

-Sea Helm 100 pts
Type: Infantry (Character)
M5,WS6,BS6,S4,T3,W2,I7,A2,LD9
Special Rules: Wind Rider (4+ Ward save against shooting for his Skycutter, reroll dangerous terrain), Naval Discipline (Unit can regroup after being charged if it did not stand and shoot. Requires a leadership check)
Equipment: Trident (spear), Light armor, Hand weapon
-Options:
  -Can be the Battle Standard Bearer: 25 pts
-Can Equip:
  -Bow: 4 pts
  -Up to 50 pts in magic items
-Can Mount:
  -Skycutter Chariot: 95 pts (replaces one of the crew), can not be upgraded with a bolt thrower

-Handmaiden of the Everqueen 95 pts
Type: Infantry (Character)
M5,WS5,BS7,S4,T3,W2,I7,A2,LD8
Special Rules: Quicksilver Shot (Quick to fire, granted to all sisters of Avelorn in the unit)
Equipment: Bow of Avelorn (S4, Flaming, Magical, Volley fire, AP versus forces of destruction, 24"), light armor, Hand weapon
-Can equip:
  -Up to 50 pts in magic items

-Mage 85 pts
Type: Infantry (Character)
M5,WS4,BS4,S3,T3,W2,I5,A1,LD8
Special Rules: Caster level 1, Lileath Blessing (+1 casting High Magic spells)
Equipment: Hand Weapon
-Options:
  -Lvl 1: 35 pts
-Can equip:
  -Up to 50 pts in magic items
-Can mount:
  -Elven Steed: 10 pts, Ithilmar barding for 5 pts
  -Tiranoc Chariot (replaces one crew member): 70 pts

-Dragon Mage 350 pts
Type: Infantry (Character)
M5,WS4,BS4,S3,T3,W2,I5,A2,LD8
Special Rules: Caster level 1 (Lore of fire only), Reckless (+2 to cast lore of fire spells, do not receive bonuses to dispel), Warrior Mage (First spell generated is always Flaming Sword)
Equipment: Hand Weapon, Sun Dragon
-Can equip:
  -Dragon armor: 10 pts
  -Lv.2: 35 pts
  -Up to 50 pts in magic items

CORE:
----------------------------------------------------------------

-Spearmen 9 pts/each
Type: Infantry
M5,WS4,BS4,S3,T3,W1,I5,A1,LD8
Equipment: Hand weapon, spear, shield, Light Armor
-Options:
  -Standard bearer: 10 pts. 1 unit can pick a magic banner worth up to 25 pts
  -Musician: 10 pts
  -Champion (+1 attack): 10 pts

-Archers 10 pts/each
Type: Infantry
M5,WS4,BS4,S3,T3,W1,I5,A1,LD8
Equipment: Long bow, hand weapon
-Options:
  -All archers in the unit can be equiped with light armor: 1 pt/each
  -Standard bearer: 10 pts
  -Musician: 10 pts
  -Champion (+1 BS): 10 pts

-Lothern Sea Guard 11 pts/each
Type: Infantry
M5,WS4,BS4,S3,T3,W1,I5,A1,LD8
Equipment: Bow, hand weapon, light armor
-Options:
  -All guards in the unit can be equiped with shield: 1 pt/each
  -Standard bearer: 10 pts
  -Musician: 10 pts
  -Champion (+1 attack): 10 pts

-Silver Helms 21 pts/each
Type: Cavalry
M5,WS4,BS4,S3,T3,W1,I5,A1,LD8
Elven steed: M9,WS3,BS0,S3,T-,W-,I4,A1,LD5
Equipment: Heavy armor, Lance, Ithilmar barding, hand weapon
-Options:
  -All silver helms in the unit can be equiped with shield: 2 pt/each
  -Standard bearer: 10 pts
  -Musician: 10 pts
  -Champion (+1 attack): 10 pts

-Ellyrian Reavers 16 pts/each
Type: Cavalry
M5,WS4,BS4,S3,T3,W1,I5,A1,LD8
Elven steed: M9,WS3,BS0,S3,T-,W-,I4,A1,LD5
Special rules: Fast cavalry
Equipment: Spear, light armor, hand weapon
-Options:
  -All ellyrian reavers in the unit can exchange their spears for bows: 1 pt/each
  -All ellyrian reavers in the unit can take bows: 3 pt/each
  -Standard bearer: 10 pts
  -Musician: 10 pts
  -Champion (+1 BS): 10 pts

SPECIAL:
----------------------------------------------------------------

-Sword Masters of Hoeth 13 pts/each
Type: Infantry
M5,WS6,BS4,S3,T3,W1,I5,A2,LD8
Special rules: Deflect shots (6+ ward save against BS based shooting)
Equipment: Heavy armor, great weapon
-Options:
  -Standard bearer: 10 pts. Can take a magic banner of up to 50 pts
  -Musician: 10 pts
  -Champion (+1 attack): 10 pts. Can take up to 25 pts in magic weapons

-White Lions of Chrace 13 pts/each
Type: Infantry
M5,WS5,BS4,S4,T3,W1,I5,A1,LD8
Special rules: Stubborn, Forest Strider
Equipment: Heavy armor, great weapon, Lion Cloak
-Options:
  -Standard bearer: 10 pts. Can take a magic banner of up to 50 pts
  -Musician: 10 pts
  -Champion (+1 attack): 10 pts. Can take up to 25 pts in magic weapons

Phoenix Guard
Type: Infantry
M5,WS5,BS4,S3,T3,W1,I6,A1,LD9
Special rules: Witness to destiny (4+ ward save), causes fear
Equipment: Heavy armor, Halberd
-Options:
  -Standard bearer: 10 pts. Can take a magic banner of up to 50 pts
  -Musician: 10 pts
  -Champion (+1 attack): 10 pts. Can take up to 25 pts in magic weapons

Dragon Princes of Caledor 29 pts/each
Type: Cavalry
M5,WS5,BS4,S3,T3,W1,I6,A2,LD9
Elven steed: M9,WS3,BS0,S3,T-,W-,I4,A1,LD5
Equipment: Dragon armor, Lance, hand weapon, shield, ithilmar barding
-Options:
  -Standard bearer: 10 pts. Can take a magic banner of up to 75 pts
  -Musician: 10 pts
  -Champion (+1 attack): 10 pts. Can take up to 50 pts in magic armor and weapon

-Shadow Warriors 14 pts/each
Type: Infantry
M5,WS5,BS5,S3,T3,W1,I5,A1,LD8
Special Rules: Skirmishers, Scouts, Hatred (Dark Elves)
Equipment: Light armor, Hand weapon, Long bow
-Options:
  -Champion (+1 attack): 10 pts. Can take up to 25 pts in magic weapons

-Tiranoc Chariots 70 pts/each (max 3 as a single unit)
Type: Chariot
Chariot: S5,T4,W4,AS5+
Crew (2 high elves): WS4,BS4,S3,I5,A1,LD8
Drawn by (2 elven steeds): M9,WS3,BS0,S3,I4,A1
Equipment: Hand weapon, Bow, Spear

-Lion Chariot of Chrace 120 pts
Type: Chariot
Chariot: S5,T4,W4,AS4+
Crew (2 high elves): WS5,BS4,S4,I5,A1,LD8
Drawn by (2 War Lions): M8,WS5,BS0,S5,I4,A2
Special rules: Stubborn, Causes fear
Equipment: Hand weapon, Great Weapon

-Skycutter chariot 95 pts
Type: Chariot
Chariot: S5,T4,W4,AS4+
Crew (3 high elves): WS4,BS4,S3,I5,A1,LD8
Drawn by (1 Warhawk): M2,WS5,BS0,S4,I4,A2
Special rules: Fly
Equipment: Hand weapon, spear, bow
-Options:
  -Can exchange one crewman for an eagle eye bolt thrower (bolt thrower rules, S5, D3 wounds, 24"): 25 pts

RARE:
----------------------------------------------------------------

-Great Eagles 50 pts/each (max 5 as a single unit)
Type: Monstrous beast
M2,WS5,BS0,S4,T4,W3,I4,A2,LD8
Special rules: Fly.
-Options:
  -Any eagle can be upgraded to have Sharp Talons (AP): 5 pts
  -Any eagle can be upgraded to have Swiftsense (ASF): 10 pts

-Flamespyre Phoenix 225 pts
Type: Monster
M2,WS5,BS0,S5,T5,W5,I4,A3,LD8
Special rules: Fireborn (2+ Ward save against fire), Flaming attacks, Fly, Large Target, Terror, Wake of Fire (1D6 S4 flaming impacts on a unit the phoenix moved over, +1D3 per rank. Once per turn)
Attuned to magic: Ward save 5+, magical attacks. Each magic phase, the phoenix gains the following effect depending on the higest dice thrown when rolling for magic winds
  -1: Ward save 6+ instead of 5+
  -2: -1 S
  -3: +1 I
  -4: +1 A
  -5: +1 S
  -6: Ward save 4+ instead of 5+
Phoenix reborn: When the phoenix dies, leave a token. Any rider dies too. At the end of the turn, roll D6, adding a +1 if the phoenix is a mount:
  -1-2: Remove the counter. The phoenix and the rider die
  -3-5: Place the large blast marker. All models under the marker suffer a S4 flaming hit, and the token remains in place.
  -6: Place him anywhere within 6" of the center, at least 1" away and remove marker. He is back with d3+2 wounds.

-Frostheart Phoenix 240 pts
Type: Monster
M2,WS6,BS0,S6,T6,W5,I3,A4,LD9
Special rules: Fly, Natural armor 5+, Large Target, Terror, Blizzard Aura (-1S and ASL to all models in a unit in contact base to base with the phoenix)
Attuned to magic: Ward save 5+, magical attacks. Each magic phase, the phoenix gains the following effect depending on the higest dice thrown when rolling for magic winds
  -1: Ward save 6+ instead of 5+
  -2: -1 S
  -3: +1 I
  -4: +1 A
  -5: +1 S
  -6: Ward save 4+ instead of 5+

-Repeater Bolt Thrower 70 pts (Can have up to 4 in a single army, 8 in a grand army)
T7,W2
Crew (2 High elves) M5,WS4,BS4,S3,T3,W1,I5,A1,LD8
Special rules: Volley (Instead of firing a single bolt, the RBT may fire 6 S4 AP 48" shots that can not penetrate ranks)
Equipment: Hand weapon, light armor

-Maiden Guard of Avelorn 14 pts/each
Type: Infantry
M5,WS5,BS5,S3,T3,W1,I5,A1,LD9
Equipment: Bow of Avelorn (S4, Flaming, Magical, Volley fire, AP versus forces of destruction, 24"), light armor, Hand weapon
-Options:
  -Champion (+1 BS): 10 pts. Can take up to 25 pts in magic weapons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MAGICAL ITEMS:
-----------------------------------------------------

Blade of Leaping Gold - 70 points, weapon. +3 attacks, any roll to wound of 6 ignores AS.
Star Lance - 30 points, weapon. +3S and no AS on charge. After that, must use a different weapon
Reaver Bow - 20 points, weapon. 30", +1 S, Multiple shots (3)
Shadow Armor - 25 points, light armor. 5+ AS, Scouts, Strider
Armor of Caledor - 50 points, heavy armor. 2+ AS, 6+ Ward save, Fireborn special rule - 2+ ward vs. flaming
Shield of the Mermrym - 15 points, shield. Unless he's using a weapon that uses 2 hands, he has parry 4+, can be used with a magic weapon
Golden crown of atrazar - 10 points, talisman. One use. 2+ ward against first wounding hit by wearer.
Moranion's wayshard - 50 points, enchanted item. Models on foot only. Has ambushers special rule. He can give archers or Spearmen up to 30 units in size the same immediately before deployment. He has to join that unit if he does.
Kharine's Ring of Fury - 25 points, enchanted item. Soul Quench Bound Spell (3)
Gem of Sunfire - 20 points, enchanted item. All bearer's spells, shooting attacks, close combat (and his mounts) have +1 to wound, provided they also have the flaming attacks special rule.
Cloak of Beards - 10 points, enchanted item. Cause Fear. Against Dwarfs, cause Terror. Dwarfs gain hatred vs. you. At the start of each cc phase, roll d6 for each magic item carried by each model from warhammer dwarfs in base contact with wearer. On a 4+ the magic item is destroyed and cannot be used..etc.
Book of Hoeth - 55 points, Arcane item. Allows the user to re-roll a single dice from each of his casting or dispel attempts, results of 6 cannot be re-rolled.
Banner of the World Dragon - 50 points, Magical banner. 2+ Ward save against magical attacks and spells.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LORE OF HIGH MAGIC:
-----------------------------------------------------

Shield of Saphery (lore attribute)
Each time a spell is succesfully cast, the caster and his unit immediately gain +1 to their ward save to max of 3. If you don't have one, 6+. Stacks.

Soul Quench (signature)
8+, magical missile, 18"
2d6 s4 hits, or 4d6 s4 hits at 16+

Drain Magic (sig)
7+, hex or augment, 18"
all RIP spells affecting the unit are immediately dispelled, and effects of all other spells on the target unit immediately come to an end.
Can be all friendly or enemy units within 18" for 14+.

Apotehosis
5+, augment, 18"
immediately regains 1 wound, 10+ for d3 wounds. Regardless of how many wounds gained, you also gain Fear.

Arcane Unforging
13+, direct damage, 24"
Single enemy model suffers a wound on a dice grear than or equal to unmodified armor save. No AS allowed.
Target reveals to the caster all magic items, if he has more than one, randomly select one and it's destroyed on 2+.

Fiery Convocation
Cast on 19+, Direct damage, 24", RIP
Every model in the unit takes a S4 flaming hit, at the end of every subsequent magic phase, every model suffers another S4 flaming hit.

Hand of Glory
5+, augment, 18"
Target's WS, BS, I or M is +d3. You can choose all for 10+.

Tempest
12+, direct damage, 30"
Large round template within 30" of wizard, scatters d6. All models hit suffer s3 hits (models flying suffer an s4 hit instead).
Any unit that suffers suffers any unsaved wounds, suffers -1 to all hit both shooting and cc. Those that do not use BS need a 4+ to fire.

Walk Between Worlds
8+, augment, 24"
Gain Ethereal until the end of the magic phase and can immediately move to 10" as if it were remaining moves sub-phase.
Can make it go 20" on a 16"

--------------

LORDS

Eltharion:
Cost 295, Stormwing +190
Eltharion profile is M5, WS8, BS7, S4, T3, W3, I8, A4, LD10
Stormwing: Griffon, M6 WS6 BS0 S5 T5 W5 I7 A4 LD8, ASF.
Special rules: As high elves + Hatred (goblins) + Blood Oath (Ethlarion gains +1 to hit vs. Grom)
Equipment:
Talisman of Hoeth - Eltharion has MR1, counts as a Lv.2 Wiz, who uses spells from any of the 8 lores.
Helm of Yvresse - +1 to Eltharion's AS and gives him and his mount 5+ ward.
Fangsword of Eltharion - +2S, no AS caused by Fangsword
Heavy armor, long bow

Tyrion:
Type: Cavalry
Cost: 410
WS9 BS7 S4 T3 4W I10 4A Ld.10
SR: As High elves + Defender of Ulthuan - 18" presence
Equipment:
Sunfang = +3S flaming, S4 breath once a game, magical
Dragon Armor of Aenarion - 1+ AS, 4+ ward and Fireborn 2+ ward vs. fire
Heart of Averlorn - MR2, if he dies, roll d6, on a 2+ he negates the wound and the heart is destroyed

Teclis:
Cost: 450
WS4 BS4 S3 T2 W3 I5 A1 LD10
SR: Wizard level 4; Teclis does not generate spells, he either knows all of the spells from High Magic or can choose one spell from each of the 8 lores, Lileath's Blessing - +1 to cast from all lore of high magic
Equipment:
Sword of Teclis - wound on 2+ no AS
Moonstaff of Lileath - one use only - you can either choose to add a bonus power die to each casting attempt, of if teclis suffers a miscast, the miscast is ignored. In either case, Teclis' S and T are both reduced to 1 for the remainder of the game ROFL
Scroll of hoeth - one use only - same
Warcrown of Saphery - Increases his Wizard level by one, so he's a Lv.5 wizard technically

Alarielle the Everqueen:
Alarielle profile is M5, WS6, BS5, S3, T3, W3, I6, A1, LD10
Cost: 350
I believe Archmage profile, but with better I and WS
She is a lvl 4 wizard, and can generate his spells from the Life, Light or high magic lores. She doesn't need to generate all of them from the same Lore.
SR: As High elves
Lileath's blessing - Models with this special rule gain +1 to cast when using High Magic
Touch of the everqueen - her close combat attacks vs. forces of destruction have HKB
Boon of Isha - All models in the Everqueen's unit are magical. Her unit is Immune to Fear/Terror.
Chaos Bane - At the start of each of Allerille's magic phase, before rolling for winds, every unit with the demonic special rule within 12" of her suffers d6 s4 distriubuted like shooting. However, she suffers -d3 penalty to her casting attempts if there is one of more models with demon within 12" of her.
Equipment:
Stave of Averlorn - one use only, arcane. It allows Alerielle to immediately attempt to cast a spell she already cast that phase, even if failed or miscast.
The shieldstone of Isha - Talisman, the shieldstone of isha grants Alarielle and her unit a 5+ ward vs. any non-magical attacks.
At the start of her movement phase, she restores a single lost wound to a friendly character within 12" - including herself if no one else can be healed.

-If you have the Everqueen on your army, the BSB can buy the following magical banner for 40 pts:
Banner of Averlorn - Spells from Lore of Light and Life by a friendly unit containing the banner are +4 to cast. If Alarielle is slain, this is immediately lost.
-If you have the Everqueen on your army, a Handmaiden of Avelorn can buy the following item for 50 pts:
Horn of Isha. enchanted. one use, can be used at the start of one of your movement phases. For the remainder of the turn, all models in the unit receive +1 to hit on all shooting and close combat attacks.

Alith Anar:
Alith Anar is M5, WS7, BS7, S4, T3, W3, I9, A4, LD10
Cost: No idea
SR: As High elves + Hatred (DE), Scout, Skirmish
Equipment:
The moonbow - 36" S7 D3 wounds quick to fire, no AS. dark Elves suffer -1 ld.
Shadow Crown - Alith and his unit have Swiftstride.
Stone of midnight - Alith 4+ ward, enemies suffer -1 to hit when shooting against Alith or his unit.
Light armor, hand weapon

HEROES:

Caradryan:
Cost: 170, Ashtari +250

5 6 6 4 3 2 7 3 9
ASF, fear, MR1, MP, VoA, WtD (4+ ward)
Mark of Asuryan: if he dies in CC, unit takes D3 wounds no armour save. If in challenge, then the challenger takes them. Wounds count towards combat res

Ashtari 250 points
2 6 0 6 6 5 3 5 9 (so just +1 attack over a normal one)
Same rules as normal Frostheart Phoenix

Equipment:
Phoenix Blade - +1S, flaming, d3 wounds
Heavy armor

Korhil:
Cost: 150
No profiles again (Assuming noble profile)
SR: As High Elves + Stubborn, Forest Strider
Equipment:
Chayal - +2S, Paired Weapon, Killing Blow
Pelt of Charandis - Korhil counts his AS as one higher vs. CC, 2 points higher vs. non-magic shooting. Poison does not auto wound, wound as normal.
Heavy armor

HE rumors on some points cost

More stuff.

Source #1
Spears: same
Archers: 5 Skaven Slaves, half a slave for light armour
PG: same
Swordmasters: 6.5 slaves, great weapons (don't re-roll)
Dragons: 117.5 slaves ;150 slaves ;195 slaves
Griffons: 75 slaves
Heroes may ride Griffons
Prince: 70 slaves
Mage: 42.5 slaves
Archmage: 92.5 slaves
Additional magic levels: 17.5 slaves (contradicts another report from an apparent book owner, probably just a mistake in typing)
Shadow warriors: Cannot have additional weapon

High Elves: Brainstorm #1

Getting pretty excited man.

With High Elves rapidly approaching, I wanted to make a blog post every day until the book comes out this weekend.  These posts will hopefully capture your interest in the army and expand your mind along side mine.

Like I said before, I'm looking at 2 key playstyles with High Elves in their new book.  Those playstyles are the Dragon Lord and the Mage Lord.  To give an idea of the direction I want to go in, I'm going to post up some rough hypothetical army lists.

Dragon Lord
Prince on Star Dragon ~625
Lv.2 Mage, High Magic, Scroll ~160
Noble BSB, Dragon Prince ~175
11x Dragon Princes, Banner of World Dragon ~410
Core of Archers and Ellyrion Reavers ~625
2x Ice Phoenix ~480
2x Great Eagle ~100

Mage Lord
Lv.4 Archmage, High Magic, Book of Hoeth ~315
Lv.2 Loremaster, 2+ AS, Scroll ~250
Sea Helm BSB, 2+ AS, Luckstone ~150
30x Sea Guard, Eternal Flame ~625
+rest of core with Archers and/or Reavers
30x White Lions, BotWD ~470
5x Dragon Princes, Musician - 160
Ice Phoenix ~240
4x RBT ~280
2x Great Eagle ~100

Both of these lists are above the 2500 points window, but that's because I want to give you the best case scenario.  The prices I've listed are pretty ballpark, some we know like the 12pt LSG, the White Lions are rumored to be 13pts a piece, and I'm using a lot of the old values for our heroes/lords.  The Loremaster is complete guesswork, but to give you an idea, the current Prince is 150 points with full SoA benefits.

Alright, let me take you behind the scenes of these two lists and show you what I want to do.  I'll start with the Dragon Lord.  I'm sure as the week goes on and people all around the world gets their books, I'll be able to get a better picture on the points allotment and will adjust as we go.

Huge High Elves info dump

Boom.

By me.. with special thanks to my lovely wife and her iPad.

Now I'm not sure why GW has decided to post a free sample of the book that contains almost every rule, but here it is.

I'm writing this as fast as I can because I have a plane to catch at 6am.. Please excuse the rapid, frantic testing..

Holy crap new HE rumors!

Dragons with wizard levels what?!

The source claims he has the book.  I will be updating this thread with new info as I find it!

Source #1

- Imrik is in the book and it rides a dragon with next attributes:

15,9,0,8,8,1,7,9 Saves:2+/5+, S5 template, Lvl 2 mage

- All dragons can choose Lore of Fire

- Banner of the World Dragon remains

- Book of Hoeth is renamed (same cost). Gives irresistible force with doubles and Loremaster

- There is an expensive weapon that gives +3S

- Dragon Mage wears dragon armour

- No dragons on rare units

Source #2
From sample army book

Teclis - down 25 points - can take all spells from a lore of magic or can take 1 spell from each lore
Tyrion - up 10 points but now cav -

Seaguard - drop 1 point

Bolt throwers - drop 30 points - no stat changes

Eagles - same points but can now be taken in units and have 2 upgrades available - Swiftsense and Shredding Talons

Flame Phoenix - WS5, S5, T5, W5, A3, L8 - 225

Frost Phoenix - WS6, S6, T6, w5, A4, L9 - 240

Star dragon - WS, S,T,W - all 7
Moon dragon - all 6
Sun dragon - all 5

Huge HE picture dump

Pics removed

HE rumors trickle in

Damn I'm good.

Source #1

I don't know if this has been said, so...

Sea Helm provides his chariot with a 4+ invul save. If he joined a unit, it can make a free regroup after it has been charged (!)

Annointed is a pricy Lord with a 4+ invuln save

Frostheart Phoenix gives enemy units in b2b -1 strength and always strikes last

Flameheart deals d6 s4 hits to a unit he flies over , and d3 hits per every aditional rank the unit has. It can ressirect with full life.

Skycutter has s5, t4 and 4 wounds

Can have a s5 bolt thrower

Less then 100 points

Shadowwariors drop in points

Swordmasters, white lions, archers drop in points. Wl and sm more then archers. Lion chariot and bolt thrower drop significantly in points.

Loremaster is quiet expensive

Allarielle is a S4 mage, grants her unit a 5+ invul against non magical attacks, can heal herself or anither character, may grant +1 to hit for 1 turn (cc and ranged), all allied witards which use lore of life or lore of light get +4 on casting