8th Ed. Lets talk Ripperdactyls

thank you derek for reminding me god damn it woulda been some good times there ive done some wrong things in the past then. Is the only reaction for a frenzied charged unit to hold?

 

It's not so much the frenzy that stops them fleeing, it's the fact that Frenzy makes you immune to psychology. ItP makes it so you can't choose flee as a charge reaction. They can only choose hold or stand and shoot. Same reason why you can't flee with stegaons or a temple guard unit with a Slann inside.

 

rippers seem to require a more significant points investment than terradons. 3 terradons acts as an easy warmachine hunting throw away chaff unit.

3 rippers most likely is just going to die before they do anything. to get any mileage out of them you need to beef out the unit or throw in a second (or third )


regardless i think they are pretty awesome models. i wish more of the lizardmen range had been revamped.

 

I totally agree.

But if that's the case is there really a point? Lizardmen don't need help hunting war machines and I'd argue its less fun trying to "get" something to work then just using something nearly identical that already works.

The biggest problem for rippers seems to be they lack a true identity. I don't see a real clear purpose for them in a list other than the aesthetic of the models.

 

@putzfraz they have a purpose they just dont do it all that well XD they are meant for mean unit hunting (side charge) and cannon hunting but they are good at the latter

 

I don't know you keep referring to me as putzfraz when my name is on the reply page.

If rippers were t 4 I'd use them hands down.

 

Im sorry if ur offended by that but its not a name that i can spell well and also i cant scroll well on my phone it gliches out when i try (also the reason my spelling is terrible) but yeah they are t4 if you use wyssans on them and you dont charge em at the front where they get attacked most problem solved na i agree theyre toughness is pretty bad but then so is most normall infantrys and most normal troops are tough 3 too and s3 so it aint that bad really considering that the enemy will hit on 3s with like max 5 attacks in the flank and then on average that is 3-4 wounds on a 4or 3 so they get 2-3 wounds then u get a 4+ save so 1-2 wounds then u get to murder their flanks and win combat significantly lets say you have unit with a frontage of 3 u get on a lucky roll (with toad) max 18 attacks with rippers so doing a bit of simple mathhammer u will hit on 4s so 9hits + lets say 5 for rerolls 14 hits u then wound on 3s ish so thats abo ut 10 wounds at 1 2 to as with maybe 1 killin blow +3 stomps maybe 1 more wound then u get riders (with spears) even if that only did one more wound u still win majorly in my opinion they are ok if you can get side charges

 

As with most flyers, if you play them correctly you should always be able to get flank / rear charges. The slightly tricky part with Ripperdactyls is the Frenzy, but with a bit of forethought and practice it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

 

I'd like to give them a try eventually i actually like the models quite a bit.

 

In some ways small units of ripperdactyls are better warmachine hunters than terradons. I'd say overall it's a push.

The main advantage Ripperdactyls have is the fact that frenzy makes them ITP, so they don't panic. If a cannon shoots a ripper out of the sky, the rest still charge in and murder it. Whereas, a unit of 3 terradons has a good chance of running away.

The main disadvantage Ripperdactyls have is...also frenzy.

 

I've been running rippers not for a while, but enough to know that they are powerful when used right. Survivability is an issue though. I have run a chief on ripper solo and then a unit of rippers, but they wondered why I don't just combine them for a tougher unit. Do I keep the chief solo or join him with the rippers?

 

Loving this thread.
2 units of six rippers.
With support from a Lore of Light Slann, Speed of Light or Birona’s Timewarp a unit of six could be thrown frontally into an enemy block (situational on enemy block)
If you Vanguard them, you don’t need to test for the Frenzy charge in the 1st turn as you can’t charge because of the vanguard?

Fork Tongue

 

Characters on flying mounts can not join units.

 

Yeah, about the best you can do is the "Proximity Ward Look out Sir"

 

Characters on flying mounts CAN join units. But characters can't join units of fliers, and that's why it needs to be FAQed to make it legal. I hope they give they give the characters ripperdactyl super-frenzy and re-roll to hit as well...

 

Yes, if you vanguard them they can't charge first turn.

As far as throwing them in the front, you have to know the matchups really well (or be able to do the math in your head) in order to determine what is a good target.

As a general rule, you can safely go into the front of the following units with 6 Rippers (not counting special characters):

No Toad
- Chaff
- Most small cavalry units (5 models)
- Artillery
- Lone wizards / support characters

With Toad
- Cavalry with S3 and up to 2 attacks
- Cavalry with S4 and 1 attack
- Small infantry blocks with high strength, but low initative, and 1 attack (15 models or less)
- Medium infantry blocks with S4 and 1 attack (20-30 models)
- Large infantry blocks (including hordes) with S3 or less and 1 attack

Going into the flank removes most of the restrictions. 6 rippers will do well against virtually any non-monstrous infantry or cavalry you might face, as long as you can limit the number of attacks back they get.

Also, the best magic buff for Rippers is far and away Wyssan's Wildform.

 

If you vanguard them, they can't charge *if you get* first turn. If you go second, then they can charge on your first turn and you will have to test for frenzy.

 

That is kind of odd for me, as yesterday I had a unit of Rippers charged by Brettonnian Knights of the Realm and after two rounds of combat I broke them, 2 knights left after losing about 1 ripper (The same Rippers then got the Grail Knights in the flank and got butchered)

 

It's just a general rule - rippers are EXCEPTIONALLY dangerous on the flanks, but against something like knights, who often rely heavily on getting a charge as well, you do have a fair chance of taking them on with a frontal assault, even more so with a toad on them.

Doing the same against elves, however, will not end well. Even basic spearmen have a decent chance of wiping out a 6-man unit of rippers in 1 turn. ASF with rerolls to hit is VERY bad for our squishy T3 rippers. +4 AS helps a bit, but I wouldn't count on it to save you in this case.