8th Ed. Skink Chiefs

Not much talk about Skink Chiefs yet. I know we are so used to them being worthless no one thinks about them but now at 40 points I think there are a few things they can get done! When you think about 2 skink chiefs being the same price as 1 Scar vet and dealing out 6 WS4 S4 I6 attacks it doesn't look all that bad (other than their defensive stats).

1) I think they synergize pretty well with Skrox units. They have high initiative attacks which can actually do something (unlike skink cohorts). This gives you a shot to take out some squishier heros before they trash your krox or get one into a challenege. Their big drawback is how easily they die. But when enemies are in combat with a Skrox unit they already have the a tough choice of what easy to kill unit they should kill first! They can kill skinks for combat res, or krox to get rid of those nasty S7 attacks. If you add say 2 or 3 skink chiefs now your opponent also has another choice to make only now there is no way in which he will not be punished. Attack the skink chiefs, the krox smash u, attack the krox the chiefs continue to hurt you, attack the cohorts and you may win combat res but its gonna hurt! In this build I would take them as bare + LA + S for a 4+ save and the free 6+ parry. Now for only 44 points you can keep a blender vampire lord from killing 1.5 kroxigors.
The other big move with this type of unit is the lore of beast spam. Wildform, Pann's pelt and Savage Beast are all really powerful on this unit. The great parts about this over the Scar Vet Savage beast deathstar people run are:
A) you can have 3+ skink chiefs and keep the unit under 500 points easily.
B) At movement 6 your opponent can not kite this unit
C) at I6 there is little worry of losing chiefs before you get the attacks off.

4 chiefs + 3 krox and 32 skinks + mus/sb = 556pts
get off a boosted Savage Beast and that unit dishes out 33+(predatory fighter) S7 attacks O.O. If your feeling ballsy give the chiefs additional hand weapons and its 37+
And this is all at a front surface area of 120mm no hordes necessary!

2) the other options are less impressive but putting Skink chief with a unit of skink skirmishers gives them that extra combat boost to charge down things like archer units with mages in them, and for the price of 6 skirmishers? not too bad. Running 20 skirmishers with shield javelins + skink chief makes a unit that can hold its own.

3) Ripperdactyls or Terradons once the faq comes through that says they can join the units.......


I think skink chiefs have a place in 8th, especially as they keep our predatory fighters from auto-pursuing!
Would love to hear some other suggestions on good ways to use them or good builds.

 

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy aren't they Ld 7? Seriously, utterly stupid that they're not a bit braver than Skinks to help them out. As much as I want to love Skink Chiefs it's a bit of a deal breaker for me. Otherwise you're just paying through points to have cool models on the board.

 

Even though everyone will wait for the FAQ to make it 'official' I think chiefs are meant to join units of terradons/ripperdactyls. Tiq'Taktoe is a skink chief as stated on his page and if you read his special rules it talks about 'his terradon unit'. To me that's sufficient evidence that chiefs on flying mounds can join flying units. Now it will be interesting to see if a chief on a ripper can join a terradon unit and viseversa (not that it might be a strategically sound choice, just curious).

 

How valid is it to put them on a stegadon and make them shoot the long bow? Then his BS5 can be used, making it hit on 2s in short range (d3 wounds)?

Something a friend pointed out yesterday.

 

As it stands right now the chief's BS cannot be used for the Stegadon Bow or the A. Stegadon Pipes.

 

I was wondering about the viability of a solo skink shief on a terradon .
lt armor , shield , spear and the stegadon helm .
he would have a 2+ armor save, T4 , 3 S5 attacks on the charge at I6 , 1s4 I1 attack , D3 impact hits and a stomp attack , gets to drop a rock on someones head , had vanguard and causes fear
all for about 120 points give or take .

I was thinking he would make a great war machine hunter .

 

Too expensive for my tastes.

I'm running a chief on foot with light armor, shield and egg. 74 points for a mobile hero that allows you to restrain pursuit is decent. He can jump into any fight and add Significant combat res.
Does he survive? Never. Blaze of Glory! He's my Champion of Chotec.

 

My understanding is that under the rules now the chief simply replaces one of the normal skink crew. If so, you would use the highest BS available to you.

 

A basic chief on a terradon with LA,S, Jav is 81 points and could be one of the best redirectors in the game.

First off he has a 3+ armor save. Second, since the terradon in the mount section of the hero/lord list has the flying cav rule, he is fast cav and he gets the following rules
1) Vanguard
2) Feign flight
3) skimmer - (flying Cav rules)

so he is -1 to hit from shooting backed up by a good armor save. For a cheap 5 point shield you bump his AS to 2+ or ignore the first hit.

For 86 points a Chief on a Razor can do most of the same things as the terradon, but is better at fighting when you get to war machines. You will have to balance the frenzy charge chance vs the extra combat punch.

I think either of these are good choice. Thing High Elf Eagle with more mobility and that hit harder.

 

I'm pretty sure that a rider wearing the Steg Helm will NOT benefit from the D3 impact hits (the terradon is hitting, not the rider)

For a 5 point shield, take the enchanted shield. Gives you 2+ to your armour..

One way for SC to have 2+ armour save would be....

6+ scaly skin
Light armour
Enchanted shield
Mounted

 

I'm confused, why would a Skink Chief not be able to join Flying Cavalry units? What is causing this in terms of the current rules?

 

Characters are not allowed to join units of flyers unless otherwise stated.

 

What makes him -1 to hit from shooting? I also have no idea what skimmer rule you are referring to, I think you might be mixing that up with 40k.

I do agree that that basic loadout of spear/javelin, shield, light armour is a great build for a skink chief. Only a bit on the high side fro war machine hunters but has a lot going for him that others don't and can fill more roles than most.

 

Ohh, flying cav count as skirmishes

 

Well flying cav units count as skirmishers but you have to have more than one model in a unit to count as skirmishers. A lone character doesn't get that bonus.

 

As a skink-based alternative to the Scarnosaur:

Skink Chief - Spear, Light Armour, Egg of Quango, Other Tricksters Shard, Enchanted Shield
Steg/ Ancient Steg - Sharpened Horns

329/344pts depending which steg you want him riding, could also drop the spear and swap the OTS for a magic weapon. (Golden Sigil sword for popping the egg at I10?)

Purpose of the chief here is to:

1) Get an Ancient Steg from your Heroes allotment.

2) Have said Steg putting out even more damage in combat, with multiple wound impact hits + Egg of Quango having a lot of alpha-strike potential.

3) Can fill multiple minor roles (PF babysitting, blowpipe/ Giant Bow duties (FAQ permitting), on the offchance the steg dies and the chief lives you can hide him for points denial, wearing a big target and singing "look at me, Im a hero on a monster!", etc.)

Thinking it might be as viable as a Scar-vet ridden carnosaur at least, with a bit more mount survivability and alpha strike damage VS more sustained-combat damage and rider survivability.

 

Egg is at beginning off close combat phase. They can't stop it, it goes first. Good for killing chaff before combat begins, or add a lot of combat res to an even fight.

 

Page 97 "What unit can i join".

 

Are you sure there is't a small foot note under the terradon entry like last time..?
"the Skink Chief may join a unit of Terradons" -7th edition Lizardmen.

 

I've had a serious read through and can't support St`inky's interpretation.

Army Book p45: "one of the skink crew may fire the giant bow...."
+ p89: "...the Skink Chief replaces one of the Skink Crew)"
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