Squigger's way - Cheap and Nasty
From: squigger
A study of all those inexpensive yet ignored magic items
There seems to be a mentality in players of warhammer now that if a magic item doesn't cost more then 50 points then it isn't worth having. You can almost guarantee that the average cost of an item in most armies now will be somewhere around 60 points. What about all those good cheap items? And why must an item instantly kill everone within a 12" radius? How about those nice SUBTLE items, which don't seem to do much until you think about them?
Believe it or not, there are other and better ways to win a game of Warhammer than to rely on your general with the Hydra Sword, Potion of Strength, 1+ armour save and 3+ special save, along with your wizard lord who carries the Forbidden Rod, Amber Amulet, Wand of Jet, and Book of Ashur.
How many of the following items have you used, and how many have you never really heard of?
Magic Weapons.
What weapons do you usually see? Hydra Sword, Venom Sword, Giant Blade, Sword of Defiance, Sword of Destruction. All useful in their own way, but all very expensive. Why not try some cheap ones?
Copper Sigil Sword +1 Initiative 5 points
Bronze Sigil Sword +2 Initiative 10 points
Silver Sigil Sword +3 Initiative 15 points
Gold Sigil Sword Initiative 10 20 points
Sword of Swift Slaying strike first 25 points
All very useful, especially the Gold Sigil Sword and Sword of Swift Slaying. Greenskins, lizardmen, and dwarfs would all find a few extra points of initiative very nice. Now initiative bonuses don't sound terribly great - they don't kill instantly, they won't make you fight any better, and they won't stop the enemy killing you. However, they will enable you to strike first, and I have found that striking first can be far more important than causing 6 wounds with each attack. It doesn't matter how many times you can dent his armour if he can kill you first. Kill him first instead.
Languisher Sword -1 enemy initiative for each hit 10 points
I almost overlooked this little gem whilst typing this - read the description again. For every hit you score on your enemy (not wound), he permanently loses a point of initiative. This is perfect for all those low initiative forces. Imagine your orc warlord fighting a dark elf general. You've charged him, and have one chance to kill him, because he has a far better initiative than you. If you use this on him, you can knock him to pieces by robbing him of the first attack next turn, and you should be able to kill him. And for only ten points. I've never used it before, but intend to use it next time I take the greenys.
Berserker Sword 10 points
Useful when going up against an enemy such as chaos or undead who will have lots of fear or terror causing troops, because you will be immune to psychology. The sword of fortitude does the same for an extra 40 points. Which will you choose?
Relic Sword +1 WS 15 points
Blade of Ensorcelled Iron +1 to hit 20 points
These do similar things, although the Blade of Ensorcelled Iron is a better item. If you are fighting an opponent with a better Ws than you, you will need 4s to hit, possibly 5s. Both of these will improve your chances of hitting, and if you have the same WS as your enemy then they will give you an edge over him.
Biting Blade -1 enemy armour save 10 points
Blade of Slicing -2 enemy armour save 20 points
Blade of Sea Gold -3 enemy armour save 30 points
Your character is just as good a fighter as his enemy, and just as strong, but just can't get through that armour? Try these. The standard equipment for a general or hero includes some sort of magic armour, or at least a 2+ normal save. Most generals have a strength of 5, and so if they wound their enemy then the victim will still have a 4+ save, 3+ if it's a chaos character or someone tooled up with the best magic armour. This is easy enough to pass. However, take off an extra 2 or 3 points of armour save and see how long they last. Nice and cheap too.
Sword of Might +1 strength 20 points
Ogre Blade +2 strength 40 points
Increasing your strength also makes it easier to wound your enemy successfully. In addition to increasing the armour save modifier like the three weapons above, a strength bonus makes it easier to wound in the first place. Good for all those human and elf generals up against beastmen, orcs, dwarfs, and chaos warbands.
Parrying Blade -1 enemy attack 20 points
Doesn't sound like much, does it. But what if you are fighting someone who is frenzied? This cuts down their attacks by two. How about skaven or dark elf assasins? If you play these armies then you can be guaranteed to come up against them, and this protection is perfect. Give it to a champion and challenge the elf. Any enemy attack you can negate is a good thing - it is far better not to have to roll to save than to hope your 1 in 2 chance turns up.
Rending Sword wound becomes 2 wounds 25 points
Flail of Skulls +2 strength in first round of combat, 30 points wound becomes 2 wounds
Bone Blade wound becomes D3 wounds 35 points
Greatly increase your chances of killing an enemy character or those troops who have multiple wounds on their stat line. The Bone Blade can cause more wounds (each hit with it can potentially kill and entire troll or ogre!), but because it inflicts D3 wounds instead of a straight 3 every time I would favour the Rending Sword or Flail of Skulls - the latter of which is as good as a lance, but doesn't require a charge. Unless you can guarantee 5s and 6s...
Blade of Leaping Copper +1 attack 25 points
Blade of Leaping Bronze +2 attacks 50 points
Having all the attacks you can get is no bad thing, especially if your opponent is better than you. If given to champions, these can quickly beat off an enemy unit and give you a surprise win in combat.
Banisher Sword wound on undead becomes D3 wounds, 25 points no save for undead
Cheap and nasty to the boney ones. If you face wights, mummies, or vampires then this is great value. Use only against undead (because it is just another lump of iron against anyone else).
Sky Arrow of Naloer shoot creature flying high, 30 points +1 to hit, D6 S10 hits
Almost guaranteed to kill anything short of a dragon. It has the added bonus that the rider (and there's usually a rider) will almost certainly be the general, the main wizard, or a vital hero. Just don't miss, because it's a one use only item.
Shrieking Blade causes fear 35 points
Use it when going up against low leadership armies, or, if you have low leadership yourself, give it to someone when facing an army like the undead. Can prove invaluable as a vital advantage should both armies be fielding ordinary troops with no extra psychology tests expected.
Warrior Bane -1 enemy attack for each wound 35 points
Tormentor Sword wounded enemy stupid 40 points
There are a number of weapons like this, which do something nasty to the enemy for each wound suffered, most of which are limited to chaos or dark elves. Both are good, if perhaps a bit expensive for what they do. But a general with a few less attacks, or a stupid general, hero, or main wizard is a fairly good thing. Be aware that you will probably lose whoever has the weapon if it isn't your general. The Warrior Bane can be very useful in a challenge, as the more damage you do to the enemy before you kill him, the worse he will be.
Sword of Resilience +1 toughness 50 points
Should you ever want a goblin warlord, then this is what you need. Or maybe you want to be able to withstand a minotaur or troll charge. Extra toughness of any sort is good - the higher it is, the harder you are to injure, and the less you have to rely on you armour save.
Sword of Fortitude immune to fear, terror, panic 50 points
A compulsory purchase when fighting undead or players who take monsters egularly, or even just for an army prone to breaking. No, it doesn't stop the breaks, but it will keep a lone character from running when someone nearby breaks.
Heart Seeker re-roll missed attacks 50 points
There are times when you simply can't afford to miss. This will make sure you get the best chance of hitting.
Gromril Blade no save except magic armour 50 points
Even the heaviest of armour on the most powerful of chaos lords can't stop this sword. With chaos armoured troops it will cut their save down dramatically. Against ordinary troops, you should be able to kill enough to give you the edge with which to break them, which makes this item good for winning close fought combats. A pity that greenskins can't have it.
Dragon Blade hit becomes two hits 50 points
Just what you need for beating off dryads, wights, and beastmen. A reasonably good substitute for frenzy (you must actually hit before the doubling, so it's not quite as good), and most useful when facing enemy whom you know you will have trouble wounding - this doubles your chances. Don't even consider giving it to a frenzied character. You will be despised ever after.
Dark Mace of Death models in contact take D3 wounds, no save 50 points
It works only once, but that may be all that you need. Just the thing for assassination.
Magic armour.
Charmed Shield save 6+, first hit discounted 5 points
Good for a champion. The first hit he suffers in combat will be ignored - this should secure his survival for a second turn or long enough to kill his opponent.
Enchanted Shield 5+ save 5 points
Gives you the same save as light armour and shield, or heavy armour, is a magical save, and is without a movement penalty. Can be combined with other armour to gove a better save than normal - the advantage is obvious. This can get you a 1+ save for cavalry.
Armour of Endurance 5+ save, 6+ special save 5 points
Magical save, with an added special save. Not for a general, he needs a better save, but perhaps it's just what your hero or favourite champion needs. You can add a shield. This is better than the Enchanted Shield, but for the same price.
Shield of Ptolos 6+ save, 1+ save against missiles 10 points
Excellent for a lone character who will be targetted by everything from the other side. Immune to anything short of a crossbow or war machine, he can go about his business having to worry only about hand to hand combat.
Dragonhelm 2+ special save against fire 10 points
A bit specialised, but if you know that you will face a dragon or something else which breathes fire, or perhaps someone who always takes the hellfire sword, then this is for you. Also good against certain spells, and a must if facing warpfire throwers. In such a situation, simply charge them and see how little they can do.
Armour of Fortune 5+ save, 5+ special save 15 points
Magical heavy armour without the movement penalty and with an added special save. Excellent for a mounted character, especially as it doesn't include a shield.
Armour of Meteoric Iron 2+ save 25 points
Probably the best magical armour in the game. Even though it has a shield and doesn't have a special save, it does give you a 2+ save for only 25 points. Mount the character and he will be immune to S3 attacks (which is what you face most). Possibly used a lot - I know I use it often, but I haven't heard about it being overused like other items.
Spellshield 6+ save, 4+ dispel 50 points
As good as the amulet of fire, plus it gives you an armour save and also wounds the caster on a 4+ - up to 3 S6 wounds, enough to kill any wizard master or worse short of a beastman or slann, and will seriously inconvenience those deadly wizard lords. Give it to whoever is with your unit which is most likely to be zapped - after the first bite, no wizard will risk a second chance. Thus it has a great psychological advantage to bestow upon you.
Shadow Armour 5+ save, no terrain penalties 50 points
Really only good for lone characters, although the -1 strength from an enemy without a magic weapon is good for humans and elves when facing strong opponents. Or anyone when facing an equal opponent, for that matter.
Armour of Protection 5+ save, 4+ special save 50 points
You can't really ask for better than a 1 in 2 unmodified save, can you? What a bugger this must be for those who insist on taking weapons which allow no save...
Wards.
Jade Amulet 2+ special save 5 points
One use only, but it could be what you need to save that all important last wound. A good bit of insurance for an important character, and excellent when combined with something like the Armour of Meteoric Iron. 2+ saves all around?
Vambraces of Lightning 4+ special save from S5 or less missiles 25 points
A good anti-missile item, especially if you've used the Shield of Ptolos, or want to protect a wizard who can't have armour. Just don't go looking for trouble, because a 1 in 2 chance is just as easy to fail as to succeed.
Dawnstone re-roll armour save 25 points
A life saver. Quite often you will roll a one when you only need a 2+ or 3+ - this will help a lot, especially as it has unlimited use. If you know that you will face someone frenzied or using one of the more expensive weapons then you really should take this. If you have an armour save of 4+ or worse then this is compulsory.
Golden Helm of Atrazar 3+ special save 50 points
An even better unmodified save than the Armour of Protection, and for the same price. The trouble is that it can wear out if you use it too much, so don't try to use it against frenzied opponents.
Black Amulet 4+ special save, rebound saved wound 50 points
Many say that this is now much overused. It might well be, but the use is justified - apart from having a damned good save, this item will actually injure your opponent if it works. Use it sparingly, and never give it to anything but your general or wizard lord. Giving it to a champion as a character trap EVERY time you play is despicable and simply abusing the item.
Enchanted Items
Potion of Strength +3 strength for 1 turn 10 points
Used quite a lot, but apparently few people use it properly (at the start of the turn, not in the middle of combat), and so it has developed a bad reputation. Very useful, but can be risky, and any character valued by your opponent will refuse a challenge. The average hero has a strength of 4. This will increase that to 7. With a -4 save modifier, and a 2+ to wound most opponents, you can't lose (well, you can, but you shouldn't). Even chaos characters fear this one.
Whip of Agony 25 points
Very good against a low leadership opponent like a troll. You should hit with it against most enemies, and can save you a lot of problems from powerful troops who succumb to leadership tests.
Heart of Woe 25 points
Post mortem revenge! This is a favourite, and rightly so, but the overuse of it (it turns up in perhaps every second army) can put some people off it. Especially as few people use it well. The usual idea is to give it to the champion of a sacrificial unit (or a cheap mounted hero), then charge the enemy general. When the sacrifice is killed, the general is severely wounded or dies. This is not the way to use it (very well, it works. But it's DULL). Give it to your general as a way of getting back at the opponent should he kill your character. Admittedly it was invented to kill overpowered characters, but that's not the point...
Black Gem of Gnar 25 points
A good way of tying up an irritating character or monster. Again this item seems to be overused in the same way as the Heart of Woe - a quick and easy way to remove the enemy general. Put it to more imaginitive use. Give it to a champion (who else are you going to throw away with it?), and use it to remove that overpowered hero coming your way on the manticore. Get rid of his general some other way.
Amulet of Fire 25 points
Costs the same amount as a dispel scroll, but works more than once. A cheap and effective bit of magical protection. Give it to some large unit which is sure to get more than its share of attention from enemy wizards and watch their frustration mount. I have also noticed that after learning of its existance, players will avoid casting at the unit because a 4+ dispel seems to be too easy to get (it's not, but let them think it is). Even though it dispels only once each turn, most are reluctant to try again that turn. I don't know why, this is just the way people are.
Amber Amulet 25 points
Good for reviving a flagging general in a prolonged combat. Don't even think of giving it to the wizard who has the Forbidden Rod. It will keep your favourite character alive a bit longer than usual.
Van Horstmann's Speculum 35 points
This used to be mentioned a lot, but is now almost unheard of. I consider it to be essential for fighting chaos armies. Just see what happens when you swap the stats of a chaos warlord and a goblin boss ;)
Talisman of Ravensdark flyers need 6 to hit, riders can't attack 50 points
How would you react if your dragon riding general attacked an easy unit and this popped up, and you tooled up with the frostblade or hydra sword and had just drunk your potion of strength? Sound nasty? Try it. Or if you don't have an opponent who fields such monstrosities, give it to the hero who guards you war machines and wait for the flyers...
Healing Potion restore full wounds 50 points
No use to a champion, but it could be all that keeps your general alive. ust don't wait too long to use it. I would seriously consider using it after just the first wound has been taken - you never know how quickly the others will vanish. This is not so much of a worry for beastmen, and this item should never be given to a Slann.
Crown of Command leadership 10 50 points
yes it is fairly common, but is necessary equipment for goblins and skaven, and wouldn't go astray for humans either. Just the thing for giving you an (almost) unbreakable unit to tie up the enemy with. Just remember hat the only unit which gets an unmodified 10 is the one with the character.
Aldred's Casket of Sorcery capture enemy spells 50 points
I've never used it, and never heard of it being used, but it does have great potential. Get a wizard in combat and strip him of his spells, then throw them back in his face. This could be devastating for those who rely on magic, especially the undead. Have you seen them without Vanhel's Danse Macabre?
Wizard Arcana.
Warrior Familiar 25 points
Fairly good for keeping your wizard alive, especially when facing skaven or rk elves who will send someone after him. It has reasonable stats, a bit better than the average warrior, and so should keep your wizard alive. just don't push it by charging a bloodthirster.
Rod of Power 25 points
Good for preparing to cast those power 3 spells, and even better for denying certain cards to the enemy. You really shouldn't fail the test to keep the cards, but if you are unlucky with dice try not to be greedy.
Dispel Magic Scroll 25 points
Everyone says to take them, but do you? No. They just don't kill things. However, they are one of the few items which can be duplicated, and there are often two or three points in a game where a successful dispel can change the way it goes - and guess how many dispel cards you were dealt? I have recently taken to fielding a wizard with nothing but these, or perhaps these and one other item. I may not kill anything with him, but nothing kills my troops with magic.
Power Scroll 30 points
Can be vital against chaos should they drain away the winds of magic with their chaos gift. Also good as a surprise after using all of your cards and his with a magic duel, pulling it out after he's used all his dispels and thinks that it's over...
Power Familiar 30 points
Again, useful against a magic draining chaos force, or just against someone who is lucky at dispelling. Dangerous to you should it get killed, though.
Skull Staff 35 points
Good for telling who to steer clear of, and also when used in combination with the Ring of Corin. A must when facing a force with superior wizards such as high elves or lizardmen.
Chalice of Sorcery 35 points
Should you need an extra winds of magic card, this is what to use. Rolling a 1 on a D6 should only happen 1 in 6 times, so it's fairly safe. Take the risk.
Skull Wand of Kaloth 40 points
This should be terrifying to anyone with a low leadership army, as a hit, not a wound, can kill. Better than any magic weapon, and turns your wizard into a killing monster.
Destroy Magic Scroll dispel automatically, destroy on 4+ 50 points
Just the thing for getting rid of your enemy's best spell. Even if it doesn't destroy the spell it will automatically dispel it.
Bound Spells.
Ring of Volans 25 points
This might just get you a vital spell, and gives you someone other than your wizard who can cast. Try to draw out the enemy's dispel cards before you use it, because you only ever get one chance with it.
Ring of Darkness 40 points
Overlooked by many people, probably because it does not affect magic weapons. It is still good though, especially if you have a militant wizard who simply must fight.
Orb of Thunder 50 points
Get rid of those irritating flyers, or limit their movement. You can keep it up for almost the entire length of the battle.
Ring of Corin 50 points
Just what you want to deprive your enemy of his expensive items with, but first you have to know what they are, and by the time you know what the nastier ones are it's too late. Perfect when combined with the Skull Staff, but it can be expensive for what it does.
Magic Standards.
War Banner +1 combat result 25 points
Good for smaller units who may suffer from fighting huge units, but even better for large units when faced with a high leadership enemy.
Standard of Shielding +1 save, or 6+ save if none 25 points
I recommend this for greenskins. Only boarboyz have a save better than 5+, and you must have a better save. This gives it to you. It's also a magic save, and so if your unit is attacked with certain waepons, then you will at least get a 6+ save.
Banner of Sorcery stores D6 cards at start of game 25 points
Will help fight a war of magical attrition. Just when you both run out of cards, you pull one out of the banner to fry him with. Can give you the advantage of magical superiority, but hwo long will it last?
Banner of Courage 25 points
Excellent for low leadership armies, but you should really have a battle standard to do this. Give it to a unit which will rove far from the battle standard.
Valourous Standard 35 points
If you are facing an army which will cause lots of psychology tests, like the undead, take this to make sure you pass. Just like the lizardmen, you are almost certain to pass any and all psychology tests.
Scarecrow Banner 50 points
Guaranteed to give you victory against flyers. Put it in your best unit, which will of course attract either a hero on a monster or or a unit of flyers to stop you marching, then scare them off.
Dread Banner 50 points
A must against undead, and good for getting the upper hand against an evenly matched opponent. It will also automatically break anyone you outnumber if you beat them in combat. Very good for horde armies, especially if they can fight well.
Banner of Might +1 to hit in combat 50 points
Helping an entire unit to fight is a good thing, and can add its bonus to that of the magical weapon carried by the unit's champion.
Banner of Defiance double rank bonus, never pursue 50 points
Best used by large units, especially if they aren't too good at fighting - this will bog down the enemy and maybe even break them. Don't give it to a cavalry unit - doubling a rank bonus of 1 is a waste of a good banner, it is all too easy to lose that rank bonus, thereby wasting it completely, and cavalry unit are supposed to pursue - that's why they move so fast.
Banner of Arcane Protection dispel on 4+ 50 points
Good magic protection, and will automatically wound undead or daemons in comtact with the unit. Guess which armies it is compulsory against?
There are some 50 point items I have omitted - there is a reason for this. These items are taken quite a lot, or are too expensive for what they do, or are far too powerful for their cost. Or maybe I just don't like them. I know that there are items here that some will not like (Black Amulet, Heart of Woe, Black Gem of Gnar), but that's probably because they have had an overpowered character foiled by these items. True, they can be abused - but that's not as bad as the abuse of the really expensive items, and besides - they were designed to kill overpowered characters.
I've also left out those items which are limited to certain armies - you should always go through them before even thinking of using the general items available.
Think on this, and give away the 50+ point items for a few games and see how much more fun you have. Trust me... ;)
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squigger