Jump to content

Ravenwing characters in attack squadron - possible tactics


Recommended Posts

Hi everyone,

 

I’ve been thinking about our special detachment (RAS) from vigilus, and the stratagem that gives units in the RAS +1 to hit against the target once a ravenwing unit has wounded it. The trick, as I understand it, is to get that first wound off as efficiently as possible, to maximise the benefits of the stratagem (assuming you’re targeting something big like a knight etc)

Previously, I’d been thinking about landspeeders and attack bikes as good candidates in this role, but the difficulty is that they can be a bit unreliable on the move (hitting on 4+), and are easy to target for first blood/strike and kill points.

So now my attention has turned to the ravenwing characters - champion, apothecary and ancient. Previously I’d discounted these characters, esp the apothecary and ancient, as I felt like the benefits they brought were not worth the cost when you could just take some more black knights. But have they found a new niche role in an attack squadron?

And if so, what are the strengths and weaknesses of each (eg you don’t want to risk trying to heal with the apothecary in case he fails his roll and doesn’t get to shoot). And is it better to keep the plasma Talon, or swap to the grenade launcher (in a knight-heavy meta, the ability to stasis the grenade a knight character is such a good way to trigger Signal the Attack, but is the grenade launcher worth it outside these circumstances?)

Just some tactical musings - I’m interested to hear other people’s opinions

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem is, if using them to plink the initial wound off something big you're going to want to be overcharging, which has risk and these models aren't the cheapest to shoehorn into your army.  That being said, I do think all have their place in a RW force and offer something pretty decent for those points.  

 

I go for Plasma Talons on all of them, the Grenade Launcher stasis stratagem is just another sink for already sparse command points in a RW force.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For reliably plinling one wound Sableclaw is the solution. Talonmaster can do it as well, albeit a little less reliably. I'm going to stick my neck out and say if the aim is competitive play, neither the Apothecary, ancient or champion will cut it, as they are too many points. And yes, G8keeper is right, you need to overcharge with plasma to have a decent shot at getting damage in against a knight, in which case a 1 to hit could be a dead ancient, which costs about the same as 3 Black knights, I believe... Edited by sneakybamsen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree, Sableclaw is the best option for starting signal the attack from a game mechanic POV (and from the fluffy POV too).  He can be made more reliable by having Talonmaster next to him.  In a pinch you can have Talonmaster give you a second attempt to signal the attack (again very fluffy).  Between the 2 of them with all the re-rolls to hit and wound and ignoring cover on top of all the bullets they will be flinging you should get the Knight to fail a save.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.