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This blog is designed to cover my up and coming Fantasy and 40k armies, some of my musings, and a revamp of my much read AoD blog.
Arena of Death! (v 2.0) (Arena Piece)
Posted April 15th, 2009 at 16:35 by daelrog
Right, for those of you who are new coming to my blog, I previously had a blog specifically designed to keep track of my Arena characters. I talked about their backstory, their matches, and then ranted when they lost (followed by some editing the day after.)
Now that the Summer is looming closer, I now feel it is a good time to come back to the blog that ganed so much popularity back in the day (well, half a year ago). Like beore, I will post up each of my Arena characters and provide a synopsis for them. This will include (but is not limited to)
-Name, Unit Type, Wargear
-Background Story
-The Making Of
-Match(es)
-Picture (once I convert and paint them)
-Future plans for character
What I hope to accomplish with this is to have my Arena characters in one organized place, as well as showing other members a process into how they can make characters if they want.
What I hope to avoid is bitter ranting. That is why I scrapped the last one. After a the last otugh series of losses, I decided to take a break.
So, I hope everyone enjoys as in the coming weeks and re-examine the greatest characters ever to step into the AoD forums!
Now that the Summer is looming closer, I now feel it is a good time to come back to the blog that ganed so much popularity back in the day (well, half a year ago). Like beore, I will post up each of my Arena characters and provide a synopsis for them. This will include (but is not limited to)
-Name, Unit Type, Wargear
-Background Story
-The Making Of
-Match(es)
-Picture (once I convert and paint them)
-Future plans for character
What I hope to accomplish with this is to have my Arena characters in one organized place, as well as showing other members a process into how they can make characters if they want.
What I hope to avoid is bitter ranting. That is why I scrapped the last one. After a the last otugh series of losses, I decided to take a break.
So, I hope everyone enjoys as in the coming weeks and re-examine the greatest characters ever to step into the AoD forums!
Total Comments 10
Comments
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Hello, hello! I have no idea how AoD (Arena of Death?) works, but you make it sound fun! Or at least 'intense' since it sounds like you got very passionate about your losses last time. I presume you make up a codex legal character and pit her against other people's creations? Do you roll dice and use the rules, or do people vote to determine your fate?
Thank you for posting this, I am going to go off and look at the Arena of Death now
FrancoisPosted April 16th, 2009 at 03:15 by Petite Francois
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You can find the comprehensive rules at the start of any Arena of Death thread. Though, here are the very basics...
Tournaments usually have sixteen people making characters under Arena of Death rules. The base max people can spend is usally 250 points, keeping armies that can produce 500 point killing machines and armies that can't on equal footing. Some armies are allowed a few more points to accomdoate for not being able to use magic (vampire lords for example) or shooting (wood elves).
People build their characters, give them a name, ad add in a description to spice their character up. They are then pitted against each other. Fights are rolled up as if it were a Challenge in the Warhamme game until one opponent kills the other. Then, a short story is written up about it.
The ultimate challenge for the people participating is to find a character who can win, and who can be liked at the same time. The ultimate challenge for the writer(s) is to keep people interested even after they lose.
EDIT: Thanks for the interest!Posted April 16th, 2009 at 11:08 by daelrog -
Shi Lian (Vampire Counts)
Summer Arena 2008
"I will mend her. I will restore her to the way she was. All I ask of you is one thing Winter. Don't tell her it was me." -Woe, Vampire Lord of the Lost 23
Wight Queen
Shield (Comes as standard)
Barded Steed
Sword of Kings
Nightshroud
Corwn of the Damned
The Cursed Book
Vampire Counts
For an army that relies so heavily on its characters, Vampire Counts actually struggle in AoDs. They easily pull out one or two contestants each Arena, but they rarely make it too far. When creating my first AoD character, I took a close look at trying my hand at a vampire.
Vampire Lords get 35 extra points to compensate for their magic not being used for a total of 285 points. At first glance that seems pretty good. Top stats across the board, and no need to take any powers or equipment based on magic casting. However, even with this, you are still very, very limited. Vampire Lords really need to be outfitted to get the best bang for your buck (most of the time).
Vampires on the other hand you can go to town with. Though you don’t get the extra 35 points, you don’t really need it. You can get any arrangement of deadly weapons and powers. The problem vampires face is only having 2 wounds, which is a big deal. The fact that other characters now probably also have a better statline doesn’t help either.
Wight Kings seem to be the best option for AoD. Starting at under 100 points, it also makes one of the cheapest options for AoD characters. With innate killing blow, and the ability to get a barded steed essentially free in AoD terms (you will never go over 250 points with a wight), it’s pretty solid. Wights mostly struggle with low I, and a lack of penetrating power.
For my Vampire Counts character, I opted to go with the Sword of Kings (KB on a 5+) for some attack. Other options include the black axe, great weapon, and lance. For armor, I got the nightshroud to strike first, always. Could have gone for better armor protection but not as big of a deal after getting crown of the damned(4++ ward). The other viable alternative is the blood gem. Finally, just for kicks and with extra points I got the Cursed Book (enemies at WS 1 first round).
So actually a very sturdy build, with massive KB potential.
Shi Lian
This build did not seem to represent some lumbering undead king. Swifter than an elf, focus on killing blow? Combine this with the fact that there aren’t enough female characters in AoDs to begin with, gave me the inspiration to make a Wight Queen. Clad in black leather armor, and carrying along a three-tailed whip, she would be the antithesis of undeath. However, femme fatales are over used in my opinion. So, rather than make her seductive, and cunning, I decided to make her an empty shell of a soul. I mean, she was a wight, not a vampire. She did not lead, she was the pawn of another. I integrated her into my developing fluff for my Vampire Counts Army, the Lost 23, and she came to life… uh… you know what I mean.
Shi (high pitch) Lian (descending pitch) in Mandarin means “Unrequited love.” Basically, she in life she was in love with the monstrous Stefan von Carstein as he spent his days in Cathay, masquerading as an Empire diplomat. Before he fled back to the Old World, he drowned her, bringing her back, and sending her to be a bodyguard to his top underling, the Lady Winter (who won my the Summer Fluff Competition).
The First Fight
Writer - Tekore
Opponent – Elthinivel Arvan
Owner - Demandred
Wood Elf Highborn
Wardancer Kindred
Blades of Loec
Stone of Crystal Mere
Result- Victory in 5 rounds
Quote of the Match: She was a silent river of black death flowing across the arena sand, and every living creature that saw her quailed in their secret hearts to see such exquisite death among them.
Roll of the Match: Round 5 Shi Lian inflicts 6 wounds after finally getting through the Stone of Crystal Mere in the 4th Round.
Why I won: As Demandred pointed out, I cancelled his strength increase on the charge. Took away his high intiative. It was going to come down to whether Shi Lian got through the stone first, or if Arvan could get in a KB (of which he only had every other round).
The Second Fight
Writer – Tekore
Opponent – Dagul Morkinson, Ironbeard of Kazzad Dolvir
Owner – Arklite
Dwarf lord
Shield bearers
Great weapon
Rune of stone
Rune of resistance
Rune of preservation
Master rune of spite
Result – Lost in ? Rounds
Quote of the Match: More importantly, he had done with determination and guile what a quicker, leaner opponent could not. He had withstood the pain of the blows and let the whip strike him, and now had its barbs embedded in his arm, with the length of the end wrapped around his arm and caught up in his hand.
Roll of the Match: Actually the roll was that there was none to note. The fight went as it should.
Why I lost: I believe out of over a hundred arena fights I’ve seen, there has never been a more one-sided match. Hitting on 4’s, wounding on 5’s, re-rollable 2+ save, then a 4+ ward? Dagul ended up winning the whole thing, and rightfully so.
Best Lesson Yielded : Just as one round you can seem on top of the world, so too can the next round be just the opposite. So much of AoDs is a game of rock, paper, scissors just trying to make your paper extra rocky, rock extra scissory, and so on.
Future of Shi Lian?: Shi Lian was broken into tiny pieces by that mean old dwarf. Nothing a year’s worth of black magic can’t fix. Though probably done with Arenas, she will find a place leading a large unit of black knights without the Cursed Book or Crown in my Vampire Counts army.Posted April 16th, 2009 at 11:10 by daelrog
Updated April 18th, 2009 at 04:59 by daelrog -
Shademourn (Daemons of Chaos)
Off-Seasonal Arena # 2
"I could hear them screaming in the night. At first when I thought them to be having night terrors, but then everything went silent. As I approached their tent I could see a shadow in the far corner, and all I could do was run." -Captain Brindswell, the day before he died
Herald of Slaanesh
Many Armed Monstrosity
Etherblade
Steed of Slaanesh
215 points
Daemons of Chaos
Right off the bat, you are behind 80-90% of your opponents. Why? Every single choice you have is a Herald, and therefore you have 2 wounds.
The Herald of Khorne has one piece of wargear that is better than all the others; the obsidian armor. However, most arenas ban this item, greatly decreasing the heralds’ abilities. However, with several killing blow attacks, an automatic 5++ ward save, and hands down the best legal mount in AoD, he can contend. Best to spend points to keep him alive as his offense is going to be good no matter what.
Heralds of Nurgle can be tough as well. At first I disregarded them (remember this), but now I see what they can do. With the ability to have regeneration, ward, odd abilities, and poisoned attacks, they can outlast many enemies. However, they are far from the best tanks, and really do suffer in offense.
Heralds of Slaanesh are the other viable option to take. With the ability to attack with several ASF strikes, it can take force your enemy to roll a lot of dice. However, they are very, very fragile. All they have is the 5++ ward save with no armor, and not even a decent toughness. For my Herald of Slaanesh, I decided to give it the two expensive powers, Many Armed Monstrosity (two more attacks!) and Etherblade (ignores armor!).I added on a steed of Slaanesh simply because I could.
Shademourn
Shi Lian took me a couple months to create. Shademourne took me a couple days. I wanted to go a different direction than your normal, sexy, man woman (or woman man?) that tempted their adversaries. Instead, I thought that I would cover the darker side of Slaanesh. Slaanesh to me is the one with all the monsters in the closet, with all of the boogey men. Though exteriors may be titillating, the inside would make Papa Nurgle seem like a top contender for Miss Universe. So, I decided to make a much uglier, more predatory daemon.
At the time, it seemed like dreams were the best way to go. It would be a nightmare incarnate, a creature that could use the visage of any fear, and tear its opponents’ souls asunder with it long, black talons. Thus the concept of Shademourn was created, a creature of our darkest dreams.
The First Fight
Writer – Demandred
Opponent – Prince Rupentine Tercumpat Amadalgus a.k.a. Stink S'badly
Owner – Undead Bonzi
Herald of Nurgle
Noxious Vapors
Nurgle’s Rot
Pestilent Mucus
Soul Hunger
Result – Lost in 5 Rounds
Quote of the Match: Stink finally recognized who his first opponent would be and gave a hearty laugh. "How goes the debauchery old chap!"
Roll of the Match: Probably in Round 5, Nurgle’s Rot finally taking off Shademourn’s second wound.
Why I Lost: I think that the quote of the match kind of expresses the reason why. Shademourn was facing an opponent which had its number. No armor, ward, regen, and high T spelled doom. Whilst most characters will be lacking two or three of these things in exchange for armor, this Herald did not. That’s what I get for dissing on Nurgle Heralds. I’m just glad Shademourn lasted so many rounds.
Best Lesson Yielded: If you go for a specialist, don’t get surprised when you face an opponent you don’t want to. Also, I have never seen a character win a regular AoD without some good form of protection, ever.
Future of Shademourn?: Shademourn is gone as far as I’m concerned. Not a competitive enough build to bring back. Story wise, it’s getting mangled apart by several Great Unclean Ones. A fitting ending, and proof that though I don’t like killing off my characters, I will sometimes.
Posted April 17th, 2009 at 17:06 by daelrog
Updated April 18th, 2009 at 05:03 by daelrog -
Wilhelm von Strolm (Empire)
"It was the first time I had ever seen a soul to turn its back to Chaos. I had heard tales of the rengade gods, but this was different. If only it had lasted." -Trez Sol
Arch Lector
Barded Warhorse
Shield
Mace of Helmstrung
Dawn Armour
Empire
The Empire is surprisingly a competitive army for the Arena of Deaths. Perhaps not as much as Dwarfs, Lizardmen, or a few others, Empire characters have done particularly well.
The Templar Grand Master boast some ery well rounded stats, as well as having a 1+ save automatically. This frees up a lot of points to get on juicy magic weapons and a ward. Sword of righteous steel and the hammer ofj udgement are the two most common I’ve seen, though there’s a few others with some potential. They make for a good all round build, however they can still suffer against KB specialists.
Generals… well… I suppose there may be a place for them if you have to have an extra 20 points of magic. One extra attack may be better than a Lector’s hatred. Haven’t seen a general yet… perhaps worth a try?
Arch Lectors are very, very potent if any magic is allowed. With 2 bound spells, most opponents will only be able to step one, and even then only half the time on average. Of course, this can backfire against a dwarf of a Khorne daemon, but then again, everything’s a risk in this game. Arch Lectors struggle with their low attack. Gamewise, that’s wh you give them the speculum which is illegal in AoD. So, I chose to give my priest the weapon that low attacks didn’t matter: The Mace of Helmstrung. Added with some mundane equipment and the dawn armor for a re-rollable save, it was a very cheap, very effective build.
Wilhelm
As my last two characters were shadowy and lithe, I wanted a different kind of character. Thus entered the holy priest covered with white-silver armor carrying around a giant cleaver. Nothing says ‘redemption’ like a cleaver.
However, just that by itself is fairly bland. I wanted a character that could still put some real fear into his enemies. There came the burns. A man covered completely in burns. If you’ve ever seen Sunshine (great, great movie) you know what I’m talking about. Though not as crazy as the villain, Wilhelm is about as scary.
Then came the question, why was he burned? No doubt to redeem himself for some past wrong. The idea came to me of a Norseman redeeming himself. Not too common, but I don’t think it’s out of the question. Thus, Wilhelm was born.
The First Fight
Writer - ArchonFarseerGuy
Opponent - Sniphphen-Skratch
Owner – mpdscott
Skaven Lord
Hand Weapon
Plague Censer, Warpstone Armour, The Foul Pendant, Warpstone Charm
Result – Victory in 1 Round
Quote of the Match: With that, he raised his hand to the heavens, and a torrent of fire was unleashed. Sniphphen gurgled a pained scream from his cloak.
Roll of the Match: 5 wounds first round, 1 of them from soulfire. Just brutal.
Why I won: I have yet to see a Skaven win. I know it’s possible but the only army I can think of at a bigger disadvantage is Dogs of War.
The Second Fight
Writer - ArchonFarseerGuy
Opponent – Johnny von Bladdersfull
Owner –Dwayne
Vampire Lord
Avatar of Death
Infinite Hatred
Crown of the Damned
Result – Vicory in
Quote of the Match: Gah. Screw this," said the priest, careful not to use any curse/naughty words. "I'm fighting on foot."
Roll of the Match: Getting six wounds on Johnny the second round of combat, with only one wound left.
Why I won: This was a close fight, but in the end Wilhelm forced Johnny to roll more dice. A little bad luck (not a lot, just a little) could have turned this one around.
The Third Fight
Writer – ArchonFarseerGuy
Opponent - Lord Ryc'Haa'D Haa'Mon'D
Owner – mpdscott
Chaos Dwarf Lord
Heavy Armour
Black Hammer of Hashut
Enchanted Shield
Talisman of Protection
Gauntlets of Bazhrakk the Cruel
Result – Victory in Round 1
Quote of the Match: Wilhelm replied, “It’s all part of the job.” With that, he cleanly removed the dwarf’s head with one swing, watching it hit the ground.
Roll of the Match: Four wounds first round.
Why I won: I because Rcy didn’t even have the chance to fight back. One round of attacks and it was over. It probably would have taken an average of two rounds for the evil Dwarf to take the priest down, but it didn’t matter.
The Fourth Fight
Writer - ArchonFarseerGuy
Opponent – Skarseth and Fluffy
Owner – Gingerninja
Herald of Khorne
Obsidian Armour
Soul Hunger
Daemonic Robes
Result – Lost in 6 Rounds
Quote of the Match: “Ha. Ha. Ha,” laughed Skarseth, as he dismounted, “my enemy is unarmed, dismounted, and can’t leave the arena, How convenient.”
Roll of the Match: Actually I think the roll of the match was the fact it lasted six whole rounds, three with one wound, three without any.
Why I lost: Outclassed. Plain and simple. The quote above shows that Skarseth owned it. Only by pure luck would I have won.
Best Lesson Yielded: There will always be a tougher build than yours. I had most of my opponents beat defensively, offensively, and had the prayers on top. However, I hit a brick wall that was Skarseth.
Future of Wilhelm?: Wilhelm is no more. For losing the match, his soul now belongs to Khorne. He is now the very thing he had once tried to forget, a follower of Chaos, and a particularly cruel one at that.Posted April 21st, 2009 at 12:58 by daelrog -
Sethiss Rend (Dark Elves)
"That traitor has been conspiring to usurp me? I thought he hadn't the spine. Bring me his head." -Ka'Riel Sellyne shortly before his demise
Dreadlord
Soulrender
Pendant of Khaelith
Armour of Eternal Serviture
Heavy Armour
Sea Dragon Cloak
Dark Elves
Dark Elves actually have quite a variety of potentially deadly options. Of course, like the other elves, everyone gets T3 which can really hurt. However, they have their nifty hatred which comes in handy and some of the best equipment there is to offer.
Assassins and Death Hags are made to have KB potential. That pretty much sums it up. One can go all out with up to some ridiculous number like nine attacks with re-rolls all over the place. You can be a little more cautious and grab a 5+ ward, hopefully getting a second round. However, if your opponent can’t take off your two wounds with no armor in one turn, I’d hope it would be due to bad dice. Also to note, there is no real reason to take the Death Hag instead of the assassin except for pure fun as Assassin’s have better stats, and the same armory. The only thing Death Hags have is the Cauldron of Blood. Not worth it in my opinion.
Beastmasters… unless you just HAVE to have the extra points for a cold one mount, I don’t see a reason to have one.
Dreadlords, up there as one of the most versatile AoD classes. They have a number of weapons, armor, and other items to help. They have a few really expensive weapons such as the executioner’s axe, but probably not worth the price. Instead, I’d go with the chill blade that can ignore armor if your opponent is slower, stop them from attacking at all. The heartseeker let’s you re-roll all hits and wound rolls. You can get a killing blow lance, or a weapon that is always S6. For me though, nothing beats a good old great weapon or it’s magical armor piercing cousin the Soulrender. Cheap as dirt but still enough to get at least a 4+ to wound (more likely 3+ or 2+) and a -4 to armor saves. The best armor seems to be armor of darkness with a 1+ save, armor of eternal servitude (regen), or the blood armor which improves with each wound you inflict. With extra points from the soulrender, I could splurge a little on the regen armor. A few other items are there to help. Potion of strength makes for a good charge, though too expensive for my taste. Black Amulet is probably the best ward save in the game, that is except for the Pendant of Khaelith.
Sethiss
Sethiss is actually a character introduced as just a side character to give access to the Lady Winter for Shi Lian’s Arena. Of course, Shi Lian only made it to the second round, so not much came from it. I thought it would be a chance to bring him back and see what he could do.
Sethiss is frankly armed to the teeth with nasty equipment. He is a cruel, cruel build, even with a modifier placed on the Pendant of Khaelith. So, I took each piece of equipment and put it on him one by one. For his regen save, I came up with the idea of a wrapping, possibly sentient violet armor to cling to his skin. For his ward that bounced back attacks a single dull black stone seemed the most appropriate for the “black amulet”. The armor I wanted to make snow white. A bit of a change to the normal Druchii. Many people like to make them all dark and brooding. I see the Dark Elves as evil beauty more than anything. They are a refined, cultured race that delves into the deepest arts of pain and hate. So, I thought making a more bright color for my guy would bring that about.
With challenges in the arena, I proceeded to do what any Druchii would, and go on the most vicious challenge streak ever. (Not sure if I’m proud of that.)
The First Fight
Writer- Tuxedo Clank
Opponent- De Lu An 'Var
Owner- Lore_Colten
Bretonnian Lord
Horse with Barding
Questing Vow
Shield
Sword of the Quest
Insignia of the Quest
Virtue of purity
Result- Victory in 2 Rounds
Quote of the Match: “yes!!i won!!i won!!! *dances randomly*” – Lore_Colten prior to the fight
Roll of the Match: Nothing really to note. Three wounds to zero worked out for me.
Why I won: Sethiss is one of those builds that tends to be better at both offense and defense. I had both my ward and regen, plus got through most of his armor. Better WS and re-rolls the first round gave me the edge. By the by, if anyone ever copies the quote above in one of my arenas, they will automatically forfeit their character.
The Second Fight
Writer- Tuxedo Clank
Opponent- Margar
Owner- magila
Doombull
Mark of Khorne
Result- Victory in 3 Rounds
Quote of the Match: “Sethiss heard the creak of the string tightening and brought his blade up. The arrow flew toward Sethiss as the dark elf brought the blade up and the arrow was sliced clean in half long ways.”
Roll of the Match: He got a wound on me in the third round of combat. First blood on the Druchii.
Why I won: This character was actually made for the archery contest. (PS, My Halfling using DoW rules won the archery contest which was just pure luck.) As such, it really shouldn’t have gone the other way.
The Third Fight
Writer- Tuxedo Clank
Opponent- Naldic Darkheart
Owner- Stunted_Merc
Chaos Dwar Lord
Black Hammer of Hashut
Shield
Armour of the Furnace
Result- Victory in 3 Rounds
Quote of the Match: “Looking up at the shadow now getting bigger around him Naldic saw the shield and wished he hadn't hit Sethiss so hard. a crunch and the shield landed heavily.”
Roll of the Match: Probably having three of only four successful to wound rolls go through.
Why I won: Chaos Dwarfs are good all round fighters, but they are limited by an extremely small armoury. He got one wound on Sethiss, but it just wasn’t plausible to get two more in time.
The Fourth Fight
Writer- Tuxedo Clank
Opponent- Psa-Trel
Owner- Avatar of Khaine
Tomb King
Armour of Eternity
Vambraces of the Sun
Great Weapon
Shield
Result- Lost in 4 Rounds
Quote of the Match: “The challenge was clear; Sethiss would win or die trying.”
Roll of the Match: Two rounds with only one hit each.
Why I lost: Bad luck on my character, average luck for my opponent. First, he opted not to take the great weapon (if I hadn’t been messing with the challenge system, I would have protested more). His armor turned my inability to hit into even less.
Best Lesson Yielded: Challenges are fun, but should be kept in check. I abused it, and deserved my loss. Also, remember that even if odds say you should beat each of your opponents, doesn’t mean odds are you will beat all of them.
Future of Sethiss?: He’s dead. I may throw a private arena with all of my characters from each book. If he wins (which he might) I’ll probably give him another shot. However, sometimes you have to let characters die.
Posted April 23rd, 2009 at 17:24 by daelrog -
Grace (Wood Elves)
"Froggies, froggies are so green,
Ribbit, ribbit oh so sheen!
Hoppity, hoppity all day long,
Now I'll sing another song!" -Grace
Highborn
Alter Kindred
Spirit Sword
Armor of the Fey
Wood Elves
Potentially the most popular race for LO AoDs, and also potentially the least successful. They are an army designed around shooting and skirmishing, not straight up fights. As such, they suffer a lot… A LOT. Of course, they do get a little help. Due to their longbows being of no use, they are given a standard of twenty extra points. However, without the annoyance of netlings (banned, and for good reason), they are left in a spot they are not used to.
The Highborn is the only real option available. Treemen ancients are too expensive and noble and branch wraiths are too cheap. As such, you have to pick a kindred (if one at all) and go from there.
I won’t bother with any non-combat lores and stick to those that could actually help with combat. Wild Rider kindreds are going to be left out as well. I dare you to prove me wrong on this one.
Wardancer kindreds have seen some success. It is always paired with the nigh-mandatory blades of loec. From there, you can either grab a ward save, strike faster, or snag a murder of spites. Same thing with slightly different flavors.
Alter kindred is probably the most competitive as the initiative means you can strike first most of the time. The plus one attack also really, really helps. From there, you have several great weapon options. Great Weapons are always a choice, though they take away that initiative. Spirit Sword is by far the most lethal, and my personal choice (if you can’t match them in combat prowess, take a nasty sword with weird rules!). However, the other weapon that has done well enough is Daith’s Reaper . Re-rolls are the silent killer in arenas. Defense is a trickier issue. You really have four options available. Regeneration is nice, but the way to get it costs half of your wargear. Other races can do it way easier. You have the two special wards. One saves against mundane only, the other against magic only. I chose the magic only one as I figured it would be the majority of my opponents. The last choice, and the one I probably should have gone with is the stone of crystal mere. A 3+ ward that once it fails, it’s gone for good. This is a definite gamble as once its gone, you WILL NOT last another round of combat. However, with wood elves, I think a gamble is necessary.
Grace
Wood Elves are skinny little sissies. They prance around the forest in assless leather chaps dancing and singing merry tunes. Many people have gone for the hunter edge, others just your good old natural wardancer. However, I wanted something different. Other than elves, the other thing that the wood elves have are forest spirits. A little ‘count as’ ever hurt.
However, I’m not over fond of how the spirits of Athel Loren are depicted. A lot of it is hazy at best, and it is all dark and broody. For a bit of a jump from my previous characters, I want a character that was fun, and silly. This led me to a Disney-esque character, Grace.
She is inspired by two sources. Her appearance comes from the forest spirit in the second Fantasia. The innocent young girl that dances around merrily, life springing all around her. The second source is my own imagination, and the limits of where innocence can go.
The First Fight
Writer- Avatar of Khaine
Opponent- Psa-Trel
Owner- Avatar of Khaine
Tomb King
Armour of Eternity
Vambraces of the sun
Great Weapon
Shield
Result- Lost in
Quote of the Match:
Roll of the Match:
Why I lost: I was facing a character with a great weapon for one. No saves whatsoever. The second problem was the rolls for the Spirit Sword just didn’t go through. Bad match-up and the luck the build was designed to require didn’t come through.
Best Lesson Yielded: I will be shocked the day a Wood Elf wins. Also, if you depend on luck, you’ll lose by luck.
Future of Grace?: No way I could kill her. She’ll be back.
Posted April 28th, 2009 at 08:55 by daelrog -
Hir'Kadezh, Lost Weapon (Chaos Dwarfs)
"Gir'Nars may not have lived to see his pet create the mayhem it did, but it would have made him proud."
-Mardosh, Chaos Dwarf Slave Driver
Hir’Kadezh
Chaos Dwarfs
Bull Centaur Lord
Great Weapon
Gauntets of Bazhrakk the Cruel
Armor of the Furnace
Chaos Dwarfs
Chaos Dwarfs, one of only two armies allowed into AoDs (or a standard game of Warhammer) without an army book. They have been hanging around by the tip of their beards, waiting until GW has felt it has sufficiently incorporated them enough into the other Chaos armies to snuff them once and for all. However, it hasn’t happened yet!
You get two choices for Chaos Dwarfs. You get the Chaos Dwarf Lords and Bull Centaur Lords. Both are near the same, the difference being that the Bull Centaur has a slightly better stat line, but will not be able to take as many magical items. Of course, this army has little to choose from. The other three viable options are a great weapon, hammer of hashut, and obsidian blade. The first two are probably better do to lower point cost, and the high strength will most likely compensate for the ignore armor of the obsidian blade. You can get an ability for +1 strength, you can choose between a 4+ 5++ armor that is immune to fire, or a 1+ armor save for less. Enchanted shield can be used if that’s how the points roll. That’s about it. I think that summed up everything.
As the Bull Centaur Lord has better stats, I went for it. I’m not going to beat people from a better selection of magic items. I also gave the great weapon as I wanted some more points on other magic items. Armor of the Furnace gave me my only ward save possible with enough points to spare for 1 more strength point. All around solid fighter, though not as brutal as previous characters.
Hir’Kadezh
This is a character based off a modeling idea. The Inquisitor range on GW is quite impressive. One I like in particular is the Chrono Gladiator. Those claws are just too wonderful, yet I have never found an excuse to buy him. Now I do. However, those stubby little legs didn’t seem right. So, I thought perhaps scratch built spidery-mechanical legs would look nice. Thus, Hir’Kadezh was born.
So then, what was he? I went off Chaos Dwarfs by a lot, so how could I incorporate him back in? Well, with demon forgers it was obvious of his origins. As far as his body though… it looked like a primitive giant with some troll and undead in him. A creature from the past. A monster with no sense of reason, and most likely never did.
The First Fight
Writer- Avatar of Khaine
Opponent- Rafiq, Emissary of Angels
Owner- Lore_Colten
High Elf Prince
Talisman of Loec
Sword of Might
Vambraces of Defense
Dragon Armour
Enchanted Shield
Result- Victory in 1 Round
Quote of the Match: “Lord Rafiq tumbled back down, into the mouth, which snapped shut, and he was seen no more.” (Yummy!)
Roll of the Match: Talisman of Loec doing just enough for a 1st round kill.
Why I won: When building an AoD character, you need synergy (not a fan of the word, but I find it appropriate in this case). The difference between my elf with the talisman of loec, and this one, is mine has a KB sword where that re-roll means a KO. At most you might hope for one extra wound in which case you’ve just traded off.
The Second Fight
Writer- Avatar of Khaine
Opponent- The Unnamed One
Owner- Avatar of Khaine
Nautican Lord
Pearl Charm
Spirit Shroud of the Seas
Swordfish Broadsword
Scale Mail
Result- Lost in 2 Rounds
Quote of the Match: “The face… It recognised the face in the fogged dimness of its recollections. It gave up; thinking was too painful for it.”
Roll of the Match: Nothing in particular. Even if all of Fishy’s D3 wounds were rolled 1, he still would have won.
Why I lost: Well that Swordfish uh…, you see that pearl charm hmm… I got two wounds on him out of three, so maybe it could have gone either way? I really have no idea. Suffice to say I think 17 armies to choose from are quite enough. I also say that experimenting an army is best outside of an arena with other people’s characters first.
Best Lesson Yielded: Some armies, despite the equalizers should not win an Arena unless given incredible luck. Chaos Dwarfs are such an army. Although they have made it as far as semi-finals, they have buckled against the top fighters of other armies. Then again, for how old the rules are, it’s not too shabby. Still, if you go for the win, some armies won’t make the cut.
Future of Hir’Kadezh?: Hir’Kadezh, Lost Weapon is gone. Though I like him, he is my least favorite character I’ve made for AoDs. It was an experiment with character creation (literally!). He was a creature of a time log gone, and has finally found his rightful place in a world he would have never understood.
Posted May 7th, 2009 at 18:09 by daelrog -
Murdim Stonebeard (Dwarfs)
"Poor ol' Murdim, one of the few who could almost drink me under the table, ALMOST."
-Barri of the Wolfback Rangers
Dwarf Lord
Shield Bearers
Rune of Might
Rune of Fire
Rune of Stone
Rune of Resistance
Master Rune of Spite
Dwarfs
Beards, stunties, and dwarfs, oh my! Dwarfs have two choices (I have theories of a third).
I’ll start with Daemon Slayers. These guys have no armor whatsoever, and frankly aren’t as killy as assassins are. What do you get though? Toughness that might hold up and some vicious offense. You need a Master Rune of some sort. Alaric ignores armor saves, smiting does D6 wounds. Not matter what though, an opponent with good enough defense will survive, and you won’t find an AoD character that will have trouble killing a Slayer in less than 2 turns. Not my pick, but given the right opponents can, and has made it relatively far.
The second is the Dwarf Lord, the second, the Daemon Slayer. Either way, you get the standard WS7 for higher end lords, great toughness, and some juicy runes to choose from.
The Dwarf Lord has one of the top five best AoD items in existence… shieldbearers. I honestly see no reason not to take one. For not too many points, you get immune to KB, you get 2 saves lower than before, immune to KB, and two extra attacks that put most mounts (save a DoC juggernaut) to shame. You can even use a great weapon as if you were on foot. That’s just silly. The tried and true way of the Dwarf is defense. Master Rune of Spite gives you that wonderful 4++ ward. Other items such as Rune of Resistance lets you re-roll, master rune of steel can give you +1T (but is expensive.) Suffice to say, you need to outlast your opponent. Whatever you do, you’ll still need to spend at least the point to get a great weapon, if not, a runic weapon. No matter how tough a dwarf is, you CANNOT win with just regular, non-magical, non-KB strength 4 attacks.
I opted for the rune of might instead of a great weapon. Give me a distance advantage over any T5 opponents such as vampire lords, Lizardmen, and Orcs (races that were common at the time.) Loaded up on defense and added the rune of fire because I had some points to spare.
Murdim Stonebeard
Making a unique Dwarf is not easy. Games Workshop has done little to give them any diversity. In fact, any of the non-human races struggle with this. So, I took one of the many, many easy roads to take, this time by scarring my character. 100 years in pitch black underworld with the horrors rarely spoken of. Enough to knock even the most determined of minds of its hinges.
From there I worked out a description or an armored individual without eye holes to look through. Seemingly helpless until you were within arms reach. The other flavor I added was his two hounds that saw for him, representing the two attacks given by the shield bearers. Overall he was a tragic mockery of the dwarf race and one that the arena writers could have fun with, hopefully.
The First Fight
Writer - Exarch Thomo
Opponent – Gar-Loc, Chosen of Quetzl
Owner – Lore_Colten
Saurus Oldblood
Scimitar of the sun
Aura of Quetzl
Spawn of Quetzl
Enchanted shield
Result – Victory in 2 Rounds
Quote of the Match: “Sitting atop the dead lizard Murdrim sobbed as he hacked repeatedly at the body of his foe, his mind retreating once more into that place, that tunnel, and he watched again as his world came crashing down; watched once more as the goblins swarmed around him, separating him from his clan, hacking and slashing at the filthy greenskins but inexorably being pushed back.”
Roll of the Match: Seven hits in 2 rounds. Not too shabby if I say so myself (and I say so).
Why I Won: Murdim was build to kill Lizzies and other such creatures. When your magic items pull more than their weight from a normal Wahrammer Fantasy game, you’re gold. Any lizard from the old book would have trouble with this dwarf.
Fight 2
To come...
Posted July 4th, 2009 at 03:49 by daelrog -
The Grand Holiday Ogre (Ogre Kingdoms)
"It was dawn when he arrived, throwing Cathayan rockets at us, blabbering some nonsense about a Republic and not wanting our tea. When the sun set, he was gone." -Fanthus, Truthsayer of Albion
Ogre Tyrant
Great Weapon
Luck Gnoblar
Mawseeker
Wyrdstone Necklace
Ogre Kingdoms
Although hunters can be taken, lets go ahead and forgo it. There are only a few items that they can use, and sabretusks are not allowed. So, unless you’re going for a bit of extra fluff, leave it at home.
The cruelest combination imaginable is the combination of the wyrdstone necklace (your best save) and the hungry fist that ‘eats’ opponents magic weapons. Thankfully, LO has banned the hungry fist, one of the most broken magic items in an Arena of Death setting. So, you have to rely onother equipment to save you. The tenderizer is by the far the most potent, being able to do D3 wounds. Other weapons such as the siegebreaker and skull plucker can also be competitive, but not as much. Though most also go for the cheap, useful Mawseeker (trust me, T6 is a can be a game winner) Giantbreaker and Deathcheater can also be potentially devastating with the right combination. The piece to keep in mind is the Greyback Pelt. Chances are you won’t have points for it, but is on the table if you have room. It’s unfortunate that you don’t see more diversity in Ogre builds.
The big question with Ogres is Tyrant or Bruiser. Bruiser automatically gets heavy armor, 2 sword gnoblars, and a luck gnoblar (points let this happen). On top of this, they get an extra fifty points on magic items. What do Tyrants get? One more attack, better WS, on more wound, and better leadership (rarely needed, but you never know). Either one has the close to mandatory immunity to KB.
I opted for Tyrant more kicks than anything. This was a little less competitive for me, but I still wanted someone who could go a few rounds. I gave the ward save for survivability (5 wounds are going to go fast without a save), mawseeker, for the toughness and cheapness, a great weapon for the strength, and a luck gnoblar with just a few points to spare.
The Grand Holiday Ogre
I wanted something a little different. In fact, I wanted a fun character as ogres are rarely serious to begin with. However, I also wanted to avoid the ogre htat is bigger, dimmer, and dumber, the kind that doesn’t know he’s in a fight or not. No, I wanted to go in a different direction.
With the holidays coming up and taking my own advice on a good ‘comedic’ AoD character, I created an Ogre that wasn’t just appropriate for Chirstmas, but for other holidays as well. So, thus was born the Grand Holiday Ogre, the spirit of partying hard on the greatest of holidays.
I offered a small background of an ogre named Torgo risign to ascension, and there you have it! (Torgo is a reference to an episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 on Manos: The Hands of Fate).
The First Fight
Writer - Throkkenn
Opponent – Stranglehold, Captain of the Sshades
Master
Black Amulet
Deathpiercer
Cold One
Heavy Armor
Sea Dragon Cloak
Shield
Owner – Attila the Hun Jr
Result- Lost in 2 Rounds
Quote of the Match: “Yep what looked like a giant mother stepped out in her hands a rolling pin of gargantuan size.” (I really wish he had gotten the fight in time for Valentine’s Day).
Roll of the Match: 2 Wounds on Turn 2 despite S4 vs T6.
Why I lost: Bad luck on the GHO’s part, good luck on his opponents. Nothing extraordinary, but losing a wound to the Wyrdstone Necklace didn’t help. The roller forgot he was immune to KB, but it didn’t affect the result. Close, but didn’t quite do it. EDIT: Looking at it again, Attila actually was wrong on his summary. He said he had 4 attacks when his character only had three. Oh well, a little late now. Won’t make a scene.
Best Lesson Yielded : When you make a build that is partially, or fully for kicks, you will lose. You’re not going to make a winner unless you are cutthroat in making your character.
Future of The Best Holiday Ogre?: He’ll be showing up around the holidays. I tried to get a challenge for the 4th of July (American Independence). Didn’t happen, but meh, there are other holidays.Posted July 7th, 2009 at 02:52 by daelrog
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