That name brings to mind the original Tyranid Carnifex, until I then recall that it was instead called a 'Screamer-Killer'. Anyways...
o/
So, I've been tweaking around my Purge/Blood Eagles list and thought of Swapping my HQ's around. Normally I run Ivan as a sorcerer, and Exedore (doubt that name will work, as I still call him 'George' then correct myself) as a Lord. After the repaint and name change, I thought to move Exedore to a sorcerer, omitting a lord choice all together. I know people swear by demon princes, but I've gunned down enough of those with lasguns to ignore the supposed 'only viable HQ choice' (and I also use the DP model as a greater demon which dies just the same, but only for about half the points + a champion which is much cheaper).
Now, usually Ivan just has his trusty 'doom bolter' and no marks, but I was reading through the Demon weapons entries and happened on the Tzeentch 'Deathscreamer' which when given to a lord is far better than a sorcerer with doom bolter. It requires a mark of Tzeentch, but that's both cheap & useful, so no issue there. However the Deathscreamer rules, when combined with the Demon weapon rules seem broken if taken literally.
Demon weapons:
•Are a power weapon
•Require 2 hands
•Grant the wielder an extra D6 attacks (unless you roll a '1', in which case you take an automatic wound with no armor save and make no attacks)
•and have the additional benefit as detailed per Chaos mark.
Those essentially being:
• Undivided: +1 strength
• Khorne: ungodly potential number of attacks!
• Nurgle: Poisoned 4+
• Slaanesh: instant death regardless of toughness (I wonder why I don't see this one more?)
• Tzeentch: 'can' (will come back to that word) make a shooting attack @ ST:4, AP:3 Assault D6, 24" range. If you roll a '1', you get no shots & instead take an auto wound with no armor save.
Now, it says 'can' make a shooting attack, but nothing in there states that it replaces the HTH attacks, like its an either/or kind of thing. Personally I think that the shooting profile replaces the HTH profile, and you end up with a lord that's a potential shooting monster, yet only has 3 savable attacks in HTH (which is presumably why I've never seen this piece of wargear on the table top). BUT 'rules as written' basically says you get both (which just sounds broken), while 'rules as intended' (I think and is how I will play it till proven otherwise) is that the shooting profile replaces the HTH characteristics.
I checked the FAQ, but it mainly focused on Typhus, and the stupid 'lash' issues. I didn't see any mention of any other demon weapons at all. So I'll ask all of you out there wandering through the blogosphere, which do you think it is?
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6 comments:
I've always read it as an extra ability and have never heard it questioned before IIRC.
Looking at the entry for daemon weapons, it spells out abilities all have in common, then "Has an additional ability..." which to me means they're, well, additional.
Nothing in the Deathscreamer writeup says or implies that it replaces any of the generic abilities. Contrast with the Bloodfeeder which specifies 2d6 *rather* than the 1d6 all daemon weapons get.
So IMO yes, you can shoot with it, then zoom in on your disc and use the +d6 power weapon attacks, and if you end up rolling those one's, the bonus inv save from MoTz is an extra help.
It just seems like MoTz Demon weapon gets a whole lot more than the others do. Strikes me as curious as to why its not used more often. Perhaps the threat of rolling a '1' in shooting phase and another in assault is considered to be too risky?
I think it comes down to more that for those who do mono-god lists, Tz is perhaps least represented, and for a lot of those Tz "purists" they want sorcerers and dps with actual psychic powers as HQs.
For those that do mixed god lists, they tend to go for the lash sorc/dp or the MoN warptime princes.
I think it's a fine option, and whenever I toy around with Tz lists a disc lord with DS is one of the first things I put down!
Well, I googled the Deathscreamer & read links on several forums (even got this post as I wasn't looking @ whose link I had) and the common consensus is that you do get both, which you've also stated.
True, Warp Time is so common that I specifically don't use it as I'm tired of seeing it (awesome as it may be). We see lash here periodically, but it hasn't hurt me much. In my experience it strikes me as over blown. Of course I've never had to deal with a dual lash list...
The flip side of this discussion is we have a TS army locally that's never used this bit of Wargear, instead he always takes Ahriman & a DP. So now I may soon find myself facing the DS as well as wielding it...
You are no loyal servant of Tzeentch. You secretly serve Malal (which, if you think about it, is quite ironic since all things happen because Tzeentch willed it so). It won't really matter in the end. Lord Ahriman shall turn you into a spawn (just like the Daemon Prince and Deceiver) and only then shall you be a TRUE servant of Tzeentch.
ALL IS DUST!
Loyalty? Who said anythingbout loyalty?
...snicker...
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