Librarium Online Wood Elf Tactica (WiP)

[Cyric the Mad]

The Lore of Athel Loren - My Spells Bring All The Trees to the Yard
Contributors: GeordieSteve005

General Tips
The best use for Athel Loren is support (as opposed to direct damage). Most of the spells provide enhancements and improvements to the units you have on the table, and the two spells that can deal direct damage are not particularly effective at it most of the time. Additionally, none of the spells are remains in play, which means that you can cast more than one of them per turn, and your opponent can’t dispel them in his magic phase. All of the ‘enhancement’ spells last from the moment they are cast until the beginning of the next Wood Elf magic phase (i.e. throughout your intervening opponent’s turn). This fact, more than anything else about the Lore, makes it by far and away the best option for Wood Elves most of the time. As you might expect, it’s designed to complement the units available to a Wood Elf general, and perhaps to compensate for certain weaknesses that some units possess.

Remember that your opponent can dispel your spells. This is an obvious, but crucial point. Don’t pin entire strategies on casting a spell, as a skilled opponent will see what you’re doing and react accordingly. Dispel Scrolls can really put a spanner in the works. Magic is a weapon, a support tool, and often a distraction for your enemy. Don’t expect it to win games. Have a backup plan.

Spell Summaries
Treesinging: Basic spell, used to move forests or deal damage to enemies in forests.

Fury of The Forest: The only purely direct-damage spell in Athel Loren. Does more damage to enemies close to woods.

The Hidden Path: Use to make units immune to mundane shooting, and to move through terrain without penalty. This does not allow them to shoot through terrain.

The Twilight Host: Makes a unit cause fear, or upgrades fear to terror.

Ariel’s Blessing: Target unit gains regeneration.

The Call of The Hunt: Moves a unit towards the nearest enemy, or gives the unit additional attacks.

Treesinging
Ok, so low casting value, and two possible effects. Move trees or deal damage. Dealing damage is fairly obvious, so I’ll concentrate on the moving aspect of the spell.

This ability to adjust the terrain to suit your battle plan is a phenomenal boon to the Wood Elves, and is available to no other army. Forests can be moved to protect a flank, or to block line of sight of/to dangerous units (for example, a Casket of Souls). Putting them in the path of your enemy’s heavy cavalry and/or chariots is also an effective way to confound your opponent. Remember that enemy units in a forest can’t march, and are at half movement until they’re out of it. Most opponents will attempt to go around a forest or wood instead of through it.

The other major use of Treesinging is to allow your own units to move just a bit further than normally allowed. Often referred to as ‘treesurfing’, this tactic can be used to get certain units into combat more quickly, as well as providing some protection from shooting.

There are also two magic items available to Wood Elf spell-casters that can be used in conjunction with Treesinging; these are Calaingor’s Stave and The Deepwood Sphere. Calaingor’s Stave is the more useful of the two, allowing you to cast Treesinging more than once - in other words, as many times as your power dice pool will allow. It also increases the distance you can move the forest. The Deepwood Sphere allows you to re-roll the effects of the spell, whether for movement or damage-dealing purposes. It can also provide some protection for the mage that carries it, if your opponent is foolish enough to enter the woods.

The Fury of the Forest
Deals damage. Deals more damage if the target is close to a wood. Occasionally useful, but mostly it’s not worth having. Swap it for Treesinging if you can, otherwise save your power dice for other spells. The spell is best used to either cause a panic check, bring a unit to below half strength, or to kill a model or two to remove a point of rank bonus. Don’t expect it to win battles for you.

The Hidden Path
This spell is one of the best in the Lore. It’s extremely useful for protecting your units. A single unit of skirmishers (say Dryads) protected by this spell can defend half your army from shooting attacks, by blocking your opponent’s line of sight. Since the affected unit is now immune to most ranged attacks, your opponent can’t shoot anything. Think of it as a ‘firewall’ – a line of almost invulnerable troops in front of your other units. You can get a whole lot of troops across the table unscathed by making use of this spell. The only spell that can have a significant effect on other friendly units than the one it’s cast on. The “moving through terrain” aspect of the spell can be useful if there’s a building in the way (for example) but most of the time it’s not necessary.

The Twilight Host
Terror-causing Dryads? Fear-causing Glade Guard? A useful spell. The ability to cause enemy units to take terror tests from fear-causing units is powerful, especially if your opponent is not expecting it. Mostly, though, this spell is useful for altering the fear/terror liabilities. The ‘auto-break’ rule can be a pain, and having a key unit run away because it’s beaten by a fear-causing enemy is extremely annoying. The solution? Cast The Twilight Host on the threatened unit, and watch your opponent’s face fall when you announce that you won’t auto-break. Never ever underestimate the power of fear and terror.

Ariel’s Blessing
Regeneration. Every unit in the Wood Elf list can benefit from this, especially Forest Spirits, as it allows them a chance to save against magic attacks. Glade Guard can also benefit tremendously, as it allows them a save. The only downside is the casting value. Realistically, it needs three power dice to cast, and four dice to guarantee it. You need to decide how important it is that you cast this spell. Nevertheless, it’s a useful spell.

The Call of the Hunt
This spell has two effects: units in combat gain extra attacks, units not in combat move towards the nearest enemy. It’s a high casting value, so you need a lot of power dice. As a result, it’s not much use to mages less than level 4. If you do cast it, though, it can make a significant difference in combat. Move a unit around the flank, then cast the spell to get a charge off. If the unit gets a flank charge against a unit already engaged in combat as a result of this, then you’re onto a winner. Alternatively cast it on a unit locked in combat to give them the edge. The effect can be devastating if cast on Wardancers or Eternal Guard. Wardancers can chuck out three basic attacks each if affected by this spell. This is a powerful spell that can really spoil your opponent’s day, which has an appropriately high casting value. This spell can make or break a combat and, if you’re lucky, the game.

[Cyric the Mad]

Spites – Your Capricious Allies
Contributors: Cyric the Mad

Overview
Spites can add a hidden kick or nasty surprise to your Wood Elf Lords and Heros. They can boost the combat performance of your character, augment your character’s shooting, or just make enemies soil themselves in your character’s presence. Spites can be a valuable addition to Wood Elf armies, and should never be overlooked.


A Blight of Terrors
This spite is simple enough: it causes your character to cause Terror. On an infiltrating character (most often a Wayatcher Kindred), adding a Blight of Terrors is often referred to as a “Terror Bomb”. Deploying a character with this Spite in the midst of (or at least nearby) enemy troops can cause vast amounts of enemies to flee. The Terror Bomb may win games for you, but it will certainly not win friends for you.

Another use of this Spite is to guarantee that your character will not have a Psychology choke on a critical charge against a Fear or Terror causing enemy. However, given the relatively high points cost of this spite, a particular set of circumstances may be required in order to take it. This spite is only likely to be a worthy investment against low-leadership armies and hordes.


A Befuddlement of Mischiefs
Being a bound spell with a power level of 3, this spite is easy for your enemy to dispel if you are unwise with it. Like with most bound spells, it should either be used to force your opponent to use dispel dice early, or used after your opponent runs out of dice.

As with most magic items that cause stupidity against an enemy, this Spite is a dubious investment. In order for this Spite to have a significant impact, it must be allowed to cast by your opponent (per above), and your enemy must subsequently fail a leadership check in their next turn. Given the alignment of circumstances necessary, one should expect this Spite to have a meaningful impact on a game less than half of the time.


A Murder of Spites
This is a favorite Spite, and with good reason. This Spite can greatly increase the combat effectiveness of any Noble or Highborn (or Branchwraith or Treeman). While D6 extra attacks at low-strength and moderate initiative may, at first glance, seem underwhelming, the fact that the attacks are both Magical and Poisoned makes up for these deficits.

Add this spite to a Wardancer Kindred to increase his already obscene amount of attacks, or to a Wild Rider Kindred for that extra combat-winning punch. Even if the attacks have little impact on combat, their presence will be enough to put fear in the heart of your enemy – right where fear belongs.


A Muster of Malevolents
As the ranged counterpart to the Murder of Spites, the Muster of Malevolents allows your character to have a Stand-and-Shoot reaction regardless of the charge. With D6 Magical and Poisoned attacks, this spite has a decent chance of softening up an incoming target on a S&S reaction. However, with a 6” range, this spite has little use outside of this.

Since the Golden Rule of Warhammer – Charge and Don’t Be Charged – applies to Wood Elves more than to most armies, using valuable points on a Spite designed to survive a worst-case-scenario is considered unwise by some. Since the Spite itself is not likely to make or break a combat situation, these points may be better spent elsewhere.


An Annoyance of Netlings
If you expect your Highborn or Noble to be challenged at all during a game, this Spite is worth its weight in gold. Making your enemy require 6’s to hit your character can help your Highborn stand up to the meanest Chaos champion, at least for a while. This Spite won’t keep your character alive indefinitely, so be sure to have a trick or two up your sleeve.

Taking this Spite is an easy way to give any character some challenge-confidence. In a unit, this character can either work on taking down enemy characters and champions, or at the very least force the cowardly dogs to the back rank, negating their attacks.


A Resplendence of Luminescents
Given the large number of units in the Wood Elf army that already have magical attacks, this Spite seems to be made for Glade Guard. Adding a Noble with this Spite to a unit of Glade Guard can make a nasty surprise for anything with a limited ward save, including Demons and Forest Spirits, and ethereal units.

Adding this spite to any character attached to Eternal Guard can also make things difficult for ethereal units. However, this use is situational, since you will more often need the upgrade points on your Eternal Guard-attached nobles for more important things. If you’re sure to go up against Demons or ethereal units, this would be a worthy upgrade.


A Lamentation of Despairs
Being a bound spell with a power level of 3, this spite is easy for your enemy to dispel if you are unwise with it. Like with most bound spells, it should either be used to force your opponent to use dispel dice early, or used after your opponent runs out of dice.

Against low-Leadership characters, this Spite can be used for a quick assassination attempt, but its “one use only” caveat, combined with the required failed Leadership check on behalf of the target enemy makes it somewhat of a gamble. Against moderate or high-Leadership characters, this item is likely a waste of points.


A Cluster of Radiants
A must-have on any Branchwraith, this Spite provides some much-needed magic defense to the Wood Elf army. This Spite adds a dispel dice to your army’s pool, which for its point cost is a worth investment.

This Spite may only be taken by Branchwraiths and Treeman Ancients. Given how infrequently Ancients are seen, this Spite turns up most often on the Branchwraith, who is well-equipped to protect the dispel power. See Maraschino’s Branchwraith writeup for more information.


A Pageant of Shrikes
The Sniper Spite can be a great addition to most characters, but has good synergy with a character kitted out for shooting. With a comparatively short range, it can take a turn or so before you can start using this Spite, but hitting with a S4 ranged attack on 3+ is nothing to sneeze at. This Spite may target a different unit than the character itself, so can be used to snipe at lone wizards while the hero himself guns for bigger meat.

This Spite can also be useful for taking down enemy unit champions before combat begins, exposing enemy characters to challenges that may have otherwise been accepted by a peon.

The fact that this Spite cannot be used on S&S reactions diminishes its usefulness somewhat, but not enough to discount it.

[Cyric the Mad]

Effective Treesinging – Win Games, Not Friends
Contributors: Cyric the Mad

Overview
Alone in the ability to alter the terrain setup in the game, Wood Elves have, with their Treesinging, earned the ire of many opponents. Treesinging can be used to safely move your units up-field, block enemy charges and ranged attacks, or smite enemies foolish enough to enter the forest.

While Treesinging is a fun spell and a great asset to any Wood Elf strategy, most savvy opponents are aware of the trouble that this little spell can make for them, and will therefore dispel it without question. In early games, you may find that your ability to Treesing goes unopposed by your opponent – revel in these early games. Before long, you will come to regard Treesinging as an unexpected luxury when your opponent lets it get cast. For this reason, forming your strategy with this spell in mind is almost universally a bad idea.

Intreevention
This use of Treesinging is the single easiest way to turn a friendly opponent into a mortal enemy. With practiced use of this spell, you can maneuver trees to block key enemy charges, often leaving units stranded or worse.

To use the spell to block enemy charges requires a lot of advance planning, a good eye, and a bit of luck. Most opponents will see what you are doing ahead of time and try to stop you or maneuver their units along a different route. They key here is to remember that the enemy unit need only clip the terrain in order for it to complicate their charge.

The more frequent use in this way will be to block Line of Sight. Doing this involves moving the trees in front of enemy warmachines or ranged units. Again, this use of the spell happens very occasionally, since most opponents will either not deploy such units near wooded terrain, or will devote resources toward dispelling such attempts.

Treesurfing
What I would consider to be the most frequent use of Treesinging, “Treesurfing” involves either using trees to safely move units toward the enemy, or to give your units a small boost of movement in the magic phase.

For either of these uses, a friendly unit is simply placed completely within a piece of wooded terrain, and Wood Elf mages push the woods toward the enemy. If the unit within the wood can be placed 2” in, the will benefit from total immunity to enemy fire. However, they will also be unable to charge out of the trees. More often, units will be placed near the edge of the woods, affording them soft cover, and the opportunity to safely flee unwanted charges.

Unfriendly Treetment
Most opponents know better than to enter wooded terrain when fighting Wood Elves. But for those novice opponents out there, or for those occasions when the flow of battle leaves an opponent no other choice, Wood Elves have this lovely secondary effect of Treesinging to make sure that they think twice before trying it in the future.

That said, this use of Treesinging seems to be rare. The odds of your opponent entering woods in a battle against the sons and daughters of Athel Loren are slim enough, without factoring in the need for it to occur within 18” of your Spellsinger/weaver. While an argument can be made for this 2nd effect of Treesinging to have unlimited range, until a FAQ is released (a GW FAQ - despite the hype it gets, the Direwolf FAQ is far from official), there is little evidence to support such an argument.

Conclusion
I find Treesinging to be a nice “added bonus” spell. That is, I don’t expect to cast it very often, but it’s always nice when it does get cast. The main difficulty with this spell is that most opponents recognize it for the threat that it is. Unless you’re willing to throw 3 or more dice into its casting, it is generally easy to dispel. This is not to say that the spell is without usefulness but, as mentioned, making it an integral part of your strategy is not advised. If you’re dealing with an opponent of limited dispel means, use your bound spells first (forcing him to either burn dice or let it by). If you have taken bound spell spites, you can also use these to try to reduce your opponents dispel pool before casting.

In short: love it when it works, but shed not a tear when it doesn’t.

[Cyric the Mad]

The Principles of Defense
Contributors: Cyric the Mad, DavidVC04

Charge Reaction: Hold
Since a fair amount of the Wood Elf army is Immune to Psychology, this will most often be your charge reaction. It is worth mentioning at this stage that the Warhammer axiom “Charge - Don’t be Charged” holds doubly true for Wood Elves. With the possible exceptions of Eternal Guard, Treekin, and Treemen, few of the units in your army are designed to take a charge from a ranked-up enemy and live to tell the tale. Even hard-as-nails troops, such as Dryads, will quickly fall to the magic 5 combat resolution (+1 for outnumbering +1 for a banner and +3 for ranks) that most enemy units can claim over your skirmishers.

This is also the essence behind the habit of Wood Elf players to rely on minimum unit sizes – if you are forced to accept a charge with a unit of Dryads, you can take some comfort in knowing that you will only lose ~100pts worth of Dryads.

Wood Elves have the mobility and speed to run circles around most units. Take advantage of this fact. While it is typical to accept a charge or two in order to leave your opponent in an unfavorable position, all other combats should begin on your terms.

If you absolutely must take a charge, which is often the case against Cavalry-heavy forces and Ogres, it is a safe bet to count on your charged unit to lose combat, and have contingencies in place. If you are up against one of these speedy armies, it is usually best to designate 1 or 2 “sacrificial units” to take the initial charge, leaving other units in position to countercharge after the first round of combat. This is where skirmishing units are highly useful.

Also consider how accepting the charge and anticipating a losing combat will force the opponent to either overrun or hold. Don't put yourself in the position of having a hard-hitting opponent domino through your lines because you aligned your units poorly. Force the opponent to make a tough decision; for example, the enemy unit can overrun and be out of the game for a turn while your units encircle him, or he can hold his ground and expect an immediate countercharge.

Charge Reaction: Stand and Shoot
Knowing when to Stand and Shoot can be a tricky prospect. In addition to meeting all of the requirements for this reaction, there are other questions involved in the decision. Of course, if a flee reaction would be likely to see your archers run down anyway, then the majority of these issues become immaterial. Otherwise, consider some of the following:

**NOTE: The following examples are not based upon probability or statistics – this is a replay of a combat once experienced by myself. If you nitpick the math in this, please keep it to yourself.

Am I likely to inflict enough damage on the charging unit to justify the sacrifice of my archers?
Example:

• 5 Chosen Knights charge 10 Glade Guard.
• Glade Guard Stand and Shoot, hitting 5 times, wounding 3 times, with 1 knight failing his armor save.

If you’re likely to significantly reduce the number of incoming enemies, then fire away. However, if you are unlikely to take down even a single model, then a flee reaction might be wiser. Again, many things may effect this decision, such as:

Does my unit stand any chance of survival?
Example:

• 5 Chosen Knights charge 10 Glade Guard.
• On a Stand and Shoot reaction, the Glade Guard bring down 1 Knight
• The 4 remaining Chosen Knights crash into the Glade Guard, attacking 11 times, hitting 8 times, and wounding 7 times.
• For Combat Resolution, the Knights have scored 7 wounds, outnumber, and have a standard, giving them +9 CR. The Glade Guard Flee and are run down.

Let’s be honest here – your archers will most likely die in close combat. With low toughness and no armor save, your archers just don’t have what it takes to survive a slugfest. If your enemy is likely to wipe out your archers on the charge, then you really stand to lose nothing by fleeing. However, if your archers can soften up the incoming unit enough to leave the enemy vulnerable, then the losses may be worthwhile – which leads us to:

Do I have units nearby for a countercharge?
Example:

• 5 Chosen Knights charge 10 Glade Guard
• On a Stand and Shoot reaction, the Glade Guard bring down 1 Knight
• The 4 remaining Chosen Knights break and run down the Glade Guard
• In the following turn, a nearby unit of 8 Dryads flank charges the Chosen Knights, attacking 8 times, hitting 4 times, and wounding twice. The Knights fail 1 armor save, leaving no Knights to attack in return.
• The 8 Dryads now outnumber the Knights, resulting in an autobreak.

Suddenly your 10 Glade Guard and 8 Dryads have joined forces to take down more than their combined points worth of Chosen Knights, which would not have been possible had your Glade Guard not taken down that single knight on the Stand and Shoot reaction.

In the end, this decision comes down to whether or not you feel that the sacrifice of your Glade Guard is worth it. If you’re lucky enough to be facing an unarmored or lightly-armored opponent, there is a chance that your Glade Guard can come out on top, but the safer bet is to assume that they will be lost when charged.

When it comes to a unit like Glade Guard fleeing, consider how they can be of use late in the game. Can they claim a table quarter? Can they stay alive long enough to preserve their victory points? Fleeing on turn 5 or 6 is not necessarily the same as fleeing on turn 3 or 4.

Charge Reaction: Flee
Since the majority of Wood Elf units do not have the option to flee from charges, this reaction shows up with surprising frequency. The truth of the matter is that this reaction can be a vital part of the Wood Elf battle plan.

You must choose when to flee very carefully. If your unit will undoubtedly be run down by the charging enemy, then you obviously stand to lose nothing by fighting. However, if you can safely flee the charge and then occupy the charging enemy with a stronger close combat unit, then a flee reaction is valid.

It is worth noting that, if you do not have a unit in place for a counter-charge, then fleeing from a charge is always a risky proposition. If you are not caught and run down immediately, you will only be charged again in the following round. At times like this, it is usually better to Hold, with the hopes of keeping the enemy unit busy until reinforcements can arrive.

This decision can also be guided by remaining turns in the game – a fleeing unit is the same as a dead unit in turn 6. You may as well go down fighting. Whether you include a musician or not is your decision, but even elves fail to rally on occasion. If you have the points, it may be a wise investment


Bait-And-Flee
A flee reaction can, of course, be vital in an army with as many Immune to Psychology units as Wood Elves. You can use your standard units as retreating screens for your ItP units, thus preventing the ItP units from being forced to accept an unwanted charge.

The essence of Bait-and-Flee is this: A weaker unit roams in front of a stronger unit, trying to provoke the enemy into charging it. When charged, the weaker unit flees from the charge, leaving the enemy in position to be charged by the stronger unit. This works wonders against Frenzied units. Send them whichever direction you prefer.

This strategy is ideal when the stronger unit is Immune to Psychology, thus allowing the weaker unit to flee through it without provoking a panic check. To see an example of this tactic as a battle plan, see the section on The Retreating Fire Line.

Glade Riders make ideal bait for this purpose; they are likely to rally and, being fast cavalry, will have some mobility upon rallying, instead of losing a turn to reform. A unit of Wild Riders screened by a unit of Glade Riders is a favorite tactic. With the Bait-and-Flee tactic, most opponents are perfectly aware of what you’re doing, so be careful that you do not let yourself get baited in turn. Before each and every combat, you must consider how the following 2 turns will play out. If it seems likely that your opponent can bring in support units in the following turn, you may want to re-think your plan.


March Blocking
Most battle plans rely upon having time to whittle down enemy units with missile fire, and having time to set up multi-charges – the common element in both being time. The trick, of course, is that your opponent will do everything in his power to deny you that time. This is where March Blocking becomes your friend. This is also where Waywatchers can be a nuisance for your opponent.

Waywatchers are alone in their ability to March Block an opponent from the very start of the game – with their Forest Stalker special rule, they can deploy with no minimum distance from an enemy (albeit out of LOS). Keep this in mind of your opponent places key units near any kind of terrain.

Other units that are useful for March Blocking include Scouts, Flyers, and Fast Cavalry. The key to remember when March Blocking is to keep your units in the side or rear arch of all enemies. This fact is why Fast Cavalry units make good March Blockers. Few ground units in the game can keep pace with Fast Cav on Elven Steeds. Effective March Blocking can earn your force an extra round or two of shooting and positioning before combat begins.

When combat inevitably starts, you have two options for your March Blocking units. The first option is to charge them into the fray in the hopes of annihilating the enemy unit. If you are using Scouts or Waywatchers as March Blockers, take care when using this tactic. If the enemy unit is solid enough that you cannot inflict enough casualties, your opponent will likely make a target of your scouts. The second option is to position them so, when the enemy unit flees, it will flee through your March Blockers. This, of course, will only work if your March Blockers have not been reduced below US5. If casualties have forced them below the required Unit Strength, you are likely better off sending them hunting after other targets.

Vs. Fast Enemies
Fast enemies leave you very little time to arrange your charges, even when March Blocked, so be prepared for their quick advance.

Fast enemies include any army capable of, in normal turns, charging your line in the 2nd turn. Against this type of army, it is beneficial to deploy your archers further back than you might normally – for example, 6” from the table edge instead of 12”. This will gain you an extra round of shooting before combat beings. Just be aware of their proximity to the table edge should you need these units to flee.

Fast units are essential against these armies, especially if your opponent gets the first turn. If your opponent charges the majority of his units 12+” forward, then your flyers and Fast Cav will have the speed to run (fly) past them on the flanks, ending their march safely out of the frontal arch of the enemy. These units can then either hunt warmachines and vulnerable characters, or position themselves to rear charge the enemy when combat begins.

[Cyric the Mad]

Great Eagles - Death on Swift Wings
Contributors: Skarsgard

Strengths

• Speed & Maneuverability
• Low point cost

Weaknesses

• No armour save
• Uses a Rare choice for one Eagle

Tactics/Roles

Marchblocking – Great Eagles, as flyers, are perfect for this role. Placement is important to maximize the benefits of marchblocking. Ideally should be placed so that it marchblocks more than one unit. Things to consider are not putting them in charge range or direct line of fire of enemy units if at all possible as if they flee from a charge they will no longer be marchblocking anything.

Warmachine Hunting – The two strength 4 attacks make them the useful at taking out warmachine crews. Their low point cost means that they are not great targets for warmachines but when threatened they have to choose to shoot at the eagle or something else. Make sure that more than one unit is threatening the crew so that that your opponent has to choose which to attack.

Character Killing – Almost exclusively used against mages. A mage out in the open is a juicy target for the Great Eagle; they can also potentially kill a mage in a unit (this is mostly used to “finish off” a wounded mage.

Baiting Charges – As a fast unit the Great Eagles excel at baiting charges to set up enemy units for a flank charge. Simply place the Eagle in front of the target unit at an angle advantageous to you and force you opponent to either charge it or remain bogged down. When charged the 3d6 flee will get you away from most opponents on an average role. But the low cost means that its not an issue if they get caught. Due to being US3 they do not cause panic checks in your army when caught and destroyed.

Deflection – Sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice units to win the battle. One area where the Great Eagle excels is in deflection. This is the ability to act as a speed bump. Set up your Great Eagle in front of a unit that is about to charge you, behind the eagle have a friendly unit behind it and other skirmishing units around. For example; a unit of glade guard is about to get charged by a unit of dwarves. Move the eagle in front of the dwarves so that they are forced to charge it. This results in either the dwarves charging or taking short range fire from glade guard. When they charge, the eagle should be positioned in line with the two units so that any overrun leads them into your glade guard. When they defeat the eagle they can either;

a. remain in place for the countercharge
b. overrun into the glade guard

Either way you will be able to flank charge the other unit. So you have sacrificed a cheap unit to set up a flank charge on a fully ranked unit. But this does rely on you having a unit nearby that can execute the flank charge.

Deployment
Due to the ability of this unit to rapidly redeploy it can be placed at any stage as whatever your opponent does they will be able to reach a target very quickly. Always deploy out of line of sight behind some cover.

Threats
Enemy shooting units can quickly neutralize this unit. Know the ranges of enemy weapons and stay out of range or line of sight. Magic, as a single model it is very vulnerable to offensive magic, so try and keep it back until you can strike.

[Cyric the Mad]

Dryads - The “Real” Fury of the Forest
Contributors: _Toast_

Strengths

• Great Maneuverability
• Highest toughness/strength for a core unit
• Models get two attacks
• High Initiative
• Forest Spirits
• Cause Fear

Weaknesses

• No rank bonus
• Cannot take banners or musicians
• No Bows
• Skirmishers (truly a mixed blessing)
• A nasty target for magic

Unit Options and Composition
Branch Nymph – As stated before, Dryads do not have the ability to take a full command, so it is important for dryads to dish out as much pain as possible. This can be done by always upgrading one model to a Branch Nymph, which gives an extra attack, and the ability to make challenges.

Size – Because Dryads do not get rank bonuses, or the ability negate them, units should be fielded in smaller compact units. This means that the unit will have more maneuverability, and you get more attacking troops, rather than having a few just hanging out in the back. Fielding small units of 8-10 dryads in packs of 2, means that you can get 2x the amount of attacks you regularly would, if you fielded them in one huge group of 20

Characters – This unit can be joined by Branchwraiths, Drycha, and Spellsingers or Spellweavers who have been given the Glamourweave Kindred, so it’s important to realize what this means to the unit. If a unit is being joined by a non-wizard Branchwraith or Drycha, then it still functions as the unit normally would. If the Branchwraith has been upgraded however, then the unit takes on a more of a bodyguard stance. Wizard Branchwraiths are usually meant to be dispel dice generators, so it’s important not to throw this unit into the most intense regions of fighting. This does not mean that the unit should not advance, but rather it should move along the flanks, where it can still be used as an attack unit on weaker troops.

Tactics
Pack of Wolves – Dryads are not meant to be used as huge blocks of angry trees, but rather swift and agile packs of hunters. This means that units with dryads should move around close to each other, and engage targeted units at the same time, being swift and brutal on the charge. Dryads work well in picking off lone stragglers, and units that have been separated from the rest of the “herd”, so it is wise to put them in a position where they can do so. Moving them in areas with tree cover, or just having them sulk around the table edges, works best for this tactic. They can engage almost any type of core troop, but can only do so if all of the Dryads are able to charge.

Flank Protection – Small contingents of Dryads can also be used as support groups for other more conventional units, like Eternal Guard, and work well when positioned at the flanks of the bigger units. When being used in this manner, dryads offer 360 degree flank/rear charge coverage, and also work as shock troops for when the protected unit engages in combat.

Don’t Get Swamped – The only main weakness of Dryads is that to field them most effectively, they must be in small unit sizes. This means that being in prolonged combat or shooting zones will wear them down fast. They do have the saving grace of a high toughness and a decent ward save, but this should not be heavily relied upon.

Deployment
I always place my dryads on the ends of the table, as I rely heavily on the “pack of wolves” tactic. They can move freely around the table as skirmishers, so even if they are not totally in the best spot at the beginning of the game, with their fast movement and small unit sizes, can adeptly weave around the battle field. In a normal force, I would allocate 16 as hunters (2 groups of and then another 8 as flank support for my eternal guard retinue.

Because Dryads are skirmishers, they benefit from being able to move through difficult terrain without any penalties. They are also Wood Elves, so they can nimbly weave in and out of the trees as well. This can be exploited very easily if your opponent uses big blocks of rank and file troops, because it gives you the ability to A) rear/flank charge and have them positioned behind units that you believe can be broken. This causes the broken unit to die instantly, the moment it flees into the dryad unit. One thing to watch out for is, even though they move without any penalties, they still can only see through terrain for a certain distance, so prepare by moving them so they can always "see" their destination.

[Cyric the Mad]

Principles of Attack – Fast Cavalry
Contributors: Skarsgard


Overview of Fast Cavalry Rules.

1. Can reform as any stage whilst moving (not if charging) for free.
2. If they rally after a voluntary “flee” reaction they can move as normal in the remaining moves phase.
3. No rank bonus.
4. Can shoot in any direction, but not through models.
5. Can shoot even if they march.
6. Characters joining fast cavalry units only benefit from the movement abilities of the unit (i.e. the free reforms).

Deployment
Fast cavalry can have an impact on the game as soon as it deploys. With their fast movement and free reforms first turn can see them rapidly change their position on the battlefield. These units are perfect for setting up on a flank and having your opponent commit forces to that area of the board only to have the fast cavalry units rapidly redeploy first turn and leave the enemy unit facing nothing.

The unique abilities of Wood Elf fast cavalry, the ability to move through woods unimpeded, allows you to do this even if a woods are in the way. In fact it is even better as generally the woods will block LOS to the unit. They make the refused flank tactic work very well.

In addition to refused flanks, they can be used to bolster a flank. Sometimes your opponent will have more units to deploy than you and could load up one flank with a large amount of their force. Fast cavalry allow you to redeploy your units to face the threat.

Movement Phase
This is where fast cavalry excel. The ability to march and do as many reforms as you want whilst moving allows fast cavalry flexibility usually only enjoyed by skirmishers. Something to remember when using fast cavalry is that the 1” Apart rule must be observed at all times during the movement phase.

Fast cavalry can use their movement abilities to do many things. They can skirt around units and marchblock, they can threaten flanks and rears, they can punch through between enemy units (if there is a 3” gap between enemy regiments fast cavalry can move in between the two units without breaking the 1” Apart rule). This means that wherever you need them they can be. The wide footprint of a unit of fast cavalry allows you to easily marchblock several units at the same time.

Declaration of Charges
Here is the area where fast cavalry excel; it is important to note that this is not applicable to Wild Riders as they have the Immune to Psychology special rule and cannot choose “flee” as a charge reaction.

Bait and Flee
This is the main tactic used by fast cavalry. The ability to choose “flee” as a charge reaction and then if you rally at the beginning of your next turn you can move as normal in the remaining moves phase allows you pull enemy units out of the battleline. This allows you to get units facing the wrong way, deny them valuable movement, set them up for flank chargers and protect other units.

The way “Bait and Flee” works is to place the fast cavalry unit in such a way that your opponent has to charge them or they are effectively blocking their unit and marchblocking several others. This will force most opponents to declare a charge your positioning of the fast cavalry unit becomes crucial as your flee path determines the enemy units pursuit path. With a roll of 3D6 for the flee, on average they should get away from most infantry units.

Now that the enemy unit is pulled out of position you can ignore them for a turn or execute the flank charge you have set up. Remember, the “Bait and Flee” must have an objective, otherwise you are risking the unit for nothing.

“Bait and Flee” will only work if you can apply pressure. Most of your opponents know how this tactic works, your job is to make sure that they have no choice but to declare that charge. Application of pressure can some in many forms, firepower, magic and other units. Every turn a combat regiment isn’t fighting is a turn it is not earning its bacon. Your opponent has to be faced with the choice, “leave the unit alone and have half my army marchlbocked and exposed to more shooting” or “I know if I charge they will get away but I can’t have my army doing nothing for a turn”. Either way, you win.

Support
Most fast cavalry units are lightly armed and armoured and this is true for the Wood Elves. However both our units are armed with spears which can be of great assistance. They can be used to support the charge of another unit by hitting an enemy unit in the flank or rear and removing rank bonus and adding that valuable +1 or +2 to combat resolution for a flank/rear charge. However, a word of caution, choose your enemy wisely. Some enemy units can have a horrendous amount of attacks and you will be bringing more of them into the fight. Enemy units that have no ranks, things like Ogres, should be avoided as the bonus to combat resolution rarely overcomes the casualties you will take. Wild Riders with their high strength and multiple saves can choose their opponents more freely but the above cautions should still be considered.

Multi-threat
This is really a combination of shooting and combat. The ability of fast cavalry to shoot backwards means that you can threaten two units at once, one with shooting and the other with a charge. You could be facing a warmachine crew and lending fire support to a unit of glade guard. It is important with fast cavalry units to put as much pressure on your opponent as possible. Try and marchblock, lend fire support and threaten with a charge as much as possible.

Shooting Phase
Fast cavalry can shoot in any direction even after marching but note that they cannot shoot through friendly models. This means that you can move them anywhere you wish and still be able to bring maximum firepower to bear.

[Cyric the Mad]

Kindred of Laith-Kourn: The Highborn Alter
Contributors: DavidVC04

Overview
Alters are easily among the most deadly of Wood Elves characters. Though the kindred isn't cheap, it's less costly than a Wardancer, Wild Rider, or Waywatcher kindred. If you exercise prudence with this character, he's sure to pay dividends. Even so, he's vulnerable, very much so. Don't forgo the basic Wood Elves tenets of sneakiness and patience.

Strengths

• Movement equal to an Elven Steed
• An extra attack
• Initiative almost on par with a Dark Elf assassin

Weaknesses

• May not take a mount
• May not join units
• Vulnerable to missile fire and magic

On this last bullet, knowing when and how to protect the Alter is paramount. Against armies with strong magic and shooting, he might be better off charging into combat early, or he might hide in the woods for a turn or two, which is particularly helpful if the enemy needs line of sight to cast his spells. Again, patience is a virtue. Just because he has some awesome combination, like the Bow of Loren and Arcane Bodkins, doesn't mean that he should be sticking his neck out at the first opportunity. He represents a lot of Victory Points to the opponent and a lot of killing power to you. Keep him alive, and let him payoff later in the game if that's for the best.

He's not a game-winner on his own. Just like all Wood Elves units, he works best in conjunction with other units.

Uses & Composition
As a general rule, Alters tend to have the following equipment: light armor, shield, and great weapon. This combination of equipage allows the general to take advantage of his long charge range and extra attack by yielding a rare high strength attack for a Wood Elf model. Still, the Alter maintains the option of having a 4+ save in combat if he chooses the hand weapon and shield combination. Furthermore, the character has a 5+ armor save against any wounds in the shooting or magic phase.

Combat Oriented:
Charge small or vulnerable units early with him. Unarmored Witch Elves, war machine crews, Handgunners and the like are especially vulnerable, though don't forget to get position him so that he can't be shot at as he charges. Also, you can charge him in tandem with other units to pile on the attacks. If assassinating an enemy character would benefit your overall game plan, it may even be wise to charge him into a losing combat. Chances are that with three dice for fleeing, he'll successfully flee.

Weaponry:

• The great weapon is the first and most often taken choice. Even enemy knights have to fear this character.
• Daith's Reaper, an oft-overlooked weapon, could do well here, too. Almost all, if not all, of the attacks should hit, and then enemies are forced to reroll successful armor saves.
• Taking Rageth's Wildfire Blades is probably a better option than taking an additional hand weapon if the points are available. Against the right opponent, like Trolls, six flaming attacks are going to hurt.

Armor:

• The Helm of the Hunt is always an option. A sixth attack, or seventh with an extra hand weapon, is that much more combat resolution.
• The Oaken Armor provides a lot of survivability.
• The Briarsheath works well if the Alter faces a great deal of shooting that uses BS.

Talismans:

• The Amaranthine Brooch is a very strong, but limited ward save.
• The Amber Pendant works wonders in conjunction with a great weapon.
• The Stone of Crystal Mere is a strong ward save, that could be lost.
• The Glamourweave is terrific against shooting and magical missiles, especially in conjunction with the Briarsheath.
• The Fimbulwinter Shard will mean he's on 5's and 6's most of the time.

Enchanted Items:

• The Wraithstone could work well if Terror causers are nearby.
• The Moonstone of the Hidden Ways can be terrific on any character, though the ability to move an entire unit is lost.
• Launch the Hail of Doom Arrow and then charge into combat against a weakened unit.

Spites:

• A Murder of Spites can add even one crucial wound to a combat, and potentially more.
• A Blight of Terrors can send an entire unit running with a failed terror check.
• The ever-popular Annoyance of Netlings would allow an Alter to charge the front of a unit and quite possibly eliminate even the strongest of enemy characters, but if he's intended for flanking and rear charges, it's a waste.

Shooting Oriented:
Weaponry:

• The Bow of Loren combined with an Alter's extra attack can mean a lot of dead enemies, especially with the Arcane Bodkins.
• The Hunter's Talon can mean sniping War Machine crews or enemy mages at close range.

Armor:

• Consider the Briarsheath armor as you don't intend to charge this Alter into combat unless it's in your interest.
• The Helm of the Hunt is cheap if you do need him to pull combat duty.

Talismans

• Again, the Amaranthine Brooch is good against mundane shooting attacks.
• The Stone of Crystal Mere is fairly reliable save.
• The Glamourweave is terrific, especially as already noted, with the Briarsheath.

Enchanted Items:

• The Hail of Doom Arrow is a no-brainer.
• The Arcane Bodkins are terrific with the Bow of Loren.
• Starfire Arrows are strong against low leadership armies.

Spites:

• A Muster of Malevolents can bolster the shooting phase, though the low strength shots aren't always useful.
• A Pageant of Shrikes can make for more sniping to truly annoy your enemy.

Combination Combat & Shooting:
Perhaps the best option, this Alter can perform multiple roles. Here are some possible builds:

• Bow of Loren, Arcane Bodkins, Amber Pendant
• Briarsheath, Hail of Doom Arrow, Stone of Crystal Mere, Sword of Battle
• Bow of Loren, Arcane Bodkins, Enchanted Shield, Murder of Spites

Essentially, you can be creative here. Just remember that he's vulnerable as long as the enemy can see him. Keeping out of their line of sight is imperative.

[Cyric the Mad]

Using Psychology
Contributors: Skarsgard

Panic
There are four situations that cause panic. When playing with Wood Elves, one should be mindful of the battlefield situation and how they can be applied. As a shooting army, stereotypically, Wood Elves have an opportunity to force a lot of panic checks. So let’s look at the four situations and how we can use them.

1. 25% Casualties: Fairly self explanatory, any unit that takes 25% or more casualties in either the Shooting or Magic phase must take a panic check. So when targeting units, look for where you can realistically inflict the casualties required. Work out how many models you need to kill and apply as much fire as needed to do it. Once you have caused one unit to panic, move on to another (unless you can inflict situation 2).
2. Unit destroyed within 6” Any unit with US of 5 at the beginning of a phase that gets wiped out during that phase forces a panic check on every friendly unit within 6”. This is one of the most important aspects of panic. There will often be several small units near larger units -- for example, a unit of fast cavalry protecting the flank of a block unit. One could target the block unit to get the 25% casualties or target the fast cavalry, wipe them out, and force a panic check on the bock unit. The second option allows you to achieve the same goal (panic check on the block unit), but also wipes out another unit. Be mindful of what you want to achieve, for there may be more than one way to do it.
3. Friends breaking from combat within 6” Once again this only applies to a unit that was US 5 or higher. If the unit flees from combat, all friendly units within 6” must test for panic. How can we achieve this? In the example above of the fast cavalry unit near the block unit, if we charge it with say an Alter noble and wipe it out the block unit must test for panic once again. The recurring theme is to try to achieve more than one thing with each move.
4. Friendly models fleeing through unit. Once again the magic US 5 applies. Here the trick is to force a fleeing unit to move through more friendly units to force panic checks. All units that flee from panic do so from the source of panic (a very important point). If, for example, we shoot at a unit of cavalry and inflict enough casualties to force it to flee through an infantry due to panic, the infantry unit will have to check for panic. It is important to preserve the cavalry’s US 5 (if possible) in this case, since US 5 is necessary to provoke the check. If the infantry unit fails their panic check and flees far enough to take it through a third unit, then the third unit also has to take a panic check. This seldom a planned event and mostly a byproduct of chance, but if you keep it in the back of your mind you can recognize a potential situation arise and try and make the most of it.

Fear
As Wood Elf players we have an abundance of Fear causing models. There are three situations where Fear comes into the game. Two rely on leadership checks when charges are declared and won’t be dealt with, as their fate is determined by a dice roll and not by player consideration. The main consideration is a defeat at the hands of a Fear -causing unit. If the losing unit is outnumbered by the Fear -causing victor, then the losing unit must either roll Insane Courage on their break test, or flee from combat. It is important to note that the loser must be outnumbered by actual Fear -causing enemies, not just outnumbered with fear-causers present.

For example, 12 Dryads and eight Wardancers defeat 18 Swordsmen in combat. The Swordsmen are outnumbered, but they are not outnumbered by the Fear -causing Dryads alone, allowing them to take a normal break test.

We must ensure that our units are in a position to outnumber a unit, or at least have the possibility to outnumber a unit.

For example, 20 Swordsmen are charged by two units of eight Dryads. The Dryads do not outnumber the Swordsmen, but it is reasonable to assume that the Dryads will inflict enough casualties so as to outnumber the swordsmen at the end of the combat phase. If the Dryads win the combat, the Swordsmen must either roll Insane Courage on their break test, or flee from combat.

Terror
Terror is another trait that Wood Elves can get in abundance. Units within 6” of a Terror -causing unit at the start of their movement phase must pass a Leadership test or flee from the Terror -causer. Remember that each unit only has to test for Terror once. The application of this is fairly simple; get your Terror -causer within 6” of as many enemy units during your phase so that they test at the beginning of their turn. All the rules for fear in combat apply as well. So an enemy unit who has lost combat to, and is outnumbered by, a Terror -causing unit must either roll Insane Courage on their break test, or flee from combat.

Frenzy
Some armies have frenzied units/characters. The important thing to note is that frenzied units must declare charges if they are in range. This is done at the end of the Declare Charges phase. This nice quality can be used to lure frenzied units out of formation or into dangerous terrain or woods. The key is to know which of your enemies units are frenzied and move just into their charge range. If a frenzied unit breaks another unit in combat it must pursue, which is another facet of Frenzy that can be used to lure enemy units out of formation. The Great Eagle is fantastic for this purpose. It is one of the few “sacrificial units” in the Wood Elf army. One thing to note is that frenzied units are Immune to Psychology, so do not take panic checks, amongst other things.

Hatred
A unit that hates another and defeats it in combat must pursue, just like frenzied units. However, they are under no compulsion to charge.

Immune to psychology
This is something Wood Elves have a lot of. How do we use it though? Knowing the vulnerabilities of units like Glade Guard, you can intersperse your battle line with units Immune to Psychology. For example, instead of having two units of Glade Guard within 6” of each other, have a unit of Dryads in between them so that you still have a solid line but one panicking unit won’t affect other vulnerable units.

[Cyric the Mad]

The Wild Rider Kindred - Mardis Gras, Wood Elves Style
Contributors: Skarsgard, DavidVC04

Strengths

• Fast Cavalry
• Get limited Ward Save, true Ward Save and Magic Resistance
• Attacks count as magical, including steeds
• Immune to Psychology
• Great Stag as mount
• 5+ Armor if horse-mounted, 6+ on Stag
• +1 Strength on charge (spear)

Weaknesses

• Severe limitations on magic items
• Can only join other Forest Spirit units

Uses & Composition
Due to their Kin providing them with many upgrades, the Wildriders tend not to need to buy any more equipment. They pack a significant punch and add more killing power to a unit of Wildriders. However, there are a few choice items that make this Kin even more impressive and increase the effectiveness of their unit as a whole.

Weaponry:
Wildrider characters can only take two of the magic weapons available to the Wood Elf characters:

• Dawnspear – This allows the Wildrider to protect themselves and their unit by making them harder to hit in combat.
• Spear of Twighlight – Killing blow can let you deal with heavy armour and enemy characters. But with the 3-4 attacks the character may get you are relying on luck.

Armor:
This is where the Wildriders get hurt. They can only take armour that counts as Light Armour, so no Helm of the Hunt or Shields.

• Oaken Armour – probably the best armour as it combines nicely with the multiple saves the Wildrider already has.
• Armour of the Fey - Adds a 4+ ward against magical close combat attacks, which stacks nicely with the 5+ vs. non-magical attacks.

Talismans:

• The Amaranthine Brooch- excellent item as it provides a ward save against mundane attacks
• The Stone of Crystal Mere – true ward but can be lost, excellent for Stag mounted characters
• The Fimbulwinter Shard – makes them harder to hit

Enchanted Items:

• The Moonstone of the Hidden Ways – can get the unit to where it needs to be
• Hail of Doom Arrows – a sneaky one, the Wildrider Kin doesn’t lose their bow so this item can add a little extra shooting punch from an unexpected source

Spites:

• A Murder of Spites – extra punch in combat
• A Blight of Terrors – causing Terror can have its benefits
• Annoyance of Netlings – allows the character to protect their unit by challenging enemy characters and taking them out of the equation

Tactics
A fairly versatile character but due to the limitations on its wargear its effectiveness can limited. Best used as a support character for a unit of Wildriders but keep in mind it can join any Forest Spirit unit.

It is important to note that, while heavy-hitting, this character can be very fragile. Direct damage spells and missile fire can spell quick death for him and his Wild Riders (if any). A screening unit of Glade Riders can help bait charges and soak up damage. Otherwise make the most out of any terrain available.

For more on the use of Wildriders refer to their section in the tactica.