# Versus... Slann



## squeek (Jun 8, 2008)

Hi all,

Continuing with the Fantasy Versus... series, next on the list is Slann (suggested by maddermax, Critta, Mutants_Ho! and Pertoleum). If you want to add your suggestions as to who Fantasy Versus should deal with next, go here for the general thread.

So, Slann, how do you combat the irksome jabba the toad? They are cold-blooded with high leadership and a level 4 caster. They have a 4+ ward and due to the guardians special rule can hide amongst a block of Temple Guard casting as normal, completely oblivious to most attacks. Best yet they have the choice of up to 4 Disciplines of the Ancients raging from MR3 and Regeneration, causing Terror or having immunity to mundane attacks, or really make their mark on the magic phase with options like free power dice or re-rolls of miscasts.

So how do you plan to combat them? Do you have a preferred unit or tactic that works every time? Do you just rely on shooting and artillery and hope your opponent fails the saves enough? Are you always able to counter with your own powerful units? Do you go heavy magic and try to shut them down?


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

With the possibility to make them virtually immune to all attacks (Only Magical Melee attacks would have an effect on them, and then you have a Stubborn Tough as nails unit, lead more often than not by an Old Blood or Scar Veteran, maybe even Gor'rok, or Chakax to make your day even worse.

While it seems like the eggs in one basket syndrome, you can't afford to ignore them - that unit ties up 1000+ Victory Points in, and has the ability to shrug almost everything at it.

That means you're down to throwing a Magic weapon armed high powered Close Combat unit - which is where Chakax and Gor'Rok come into their own. Chakax always strikes before those challenging him, (Opponents gain Always Strike Last) and Magic Weapons revert to ordinary weapons against him. Gor'rok is in a way even worse - he's cheaper, and dedicated to munching through other enemy units rather than characters - as the entire unit he is in counts as being behind a Defended Obstacle - meaning Always Strike First 2 Str 5 attacks from the Temple Guard. Temple Guard should usually take the Totem of Prophecy, to cause Fear as well. 

Combined with some spells - Shades of Death (Terror Causing), Unseen Lurker (Can become an attacking unit with an effectively 16" Charge), The Beast Cowers (Elite Cavalry lose their Cavalry attacks, which do add up), Wolf Hunts (Potential 20" Charge), Portent of Far (Re-roll 1's in Close Combat), Second Sign of Amul (D3 re-rolls), Celestial Shield (Unit becomes immune to Magic Attacks), Healing Energy (Heal your Slann from any Magical Rank Penetrating Ranged attacks, or more likely your Saurus Character), Dazzling Brightness (Make enemy attack at WS1), Guardian Light (Immune to Psychology), Cleansing Flare (All enemy units in 12" take D6 Str 5 attacks), Mistress of the Marsh (If successful, enemy can't charge you else unless they have a Movement of 7 or Greater), Master of the Wood (None Magic missile D6 Str 4 Hits on enemy unit in 12"), Girft of Life (Fully Heal your Slann/Saurus Hero), Howler Wind (Immune to standard shooting), Rain Lord (Even More Immune to Shooting), Master of Stone (even nastier Master of the Wood), Steal Soul (Use against a Rank and File model to heal (i.e give more wounds) to your Slann), Walking Death (Terror Causing), Doom and Darkness (-3 to Leadership for a turn), and Drain Life (Heavy Armour Killing Machine - very, very good versus Grail Knights/Chaos Knights).

That's _only_ what you have to deal with for this unit. 1000 points+, and it can take on an army. 

Still, I've found with Warriors of Chaos, Bretonnians, and Spirit Wood Elves (Naturally Daemons, they have Magic Attacks any way), can do okayish against that unit - purely by just annhilating the unit in the first place with cheaper targetting.

I've found Death, Fire, Life, and Light to be the nastiest for that sort of unit, so taking a couple of Dispel Scrolls, a Magic attacking unit, and some Spammable units to cut down numbers are must haves.

Skaven have a good opportunity to do that with Slaves, and Warp Lightning Cannons. Very nasty. Elven ASF as well will cut down a lot of Saurus - however Swordmasters are pretty much Must Haves for that role - you still will only wound on 3's, they still have a 6+ armour save, and any you don't kill will wound in return on 2's, ignoring your armour. Chaos have their Marauders - same as the Elves, but Mark of Khorne is good - you are ItP, and have Great Weapons. Unless they have Gor'Rok in there, you're hitting on 4's, wounding on 3's. In return, you'll get cut down, but it's a case of just grinding them down.

When you're down to 3 Saurus (unfortunately, you must kill nearly the entire Temple Guard unit before you can melee the Slann - unless you rear/flank charge it of course), you can finally charge it. Your elite Combat Characters (strangely, Lizardmen have the perfect tool for this - Banehead Oldblood with Piranha Blade (with Ld9, Blade of Realities isn't confirmed), and Carnosaur, you're capable of dealing 20 wounds (5 attacks, 2 wounds for Pirahna, each wound is doubled against Bane head character) with the Oldblood (if the Slann doesn't have Higher State, 32 wounds are possible) to it) and Combat Units, with magical attacks naturally, are capable of charging it.


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## Dafistofmork (Jan 9, 2009)

Organ gun/helblaster volly gun the temple guard to death, then charge in a tooled up character(on monstrous creature-dragons, hippogryphs, griffions, manticores-alright, so some of those combos can not happen but you get the idea) to take out the surviors.

rear charge them with a tough/fast/many small units/expendable unit-that will slow down there advance, even if the slann can keep on casting. this alows you to take out the _other_ 1000pts-if succseful then 2000pts will always beat 1000pts of bog standard lizardmen (not counting the uber unit above.)

skaven-as vaz said, only shoot everything into that unit. plague censor bearers and the like may work as well.


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## Vorag of Strigos (Feb 25, 2009)

24 str 4 hits usually does the trick, Gaze of Gagash = ownage


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

What about a Hellcanon? Doesn't that pack a hell of a punch with d6 wounds?


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## Ascendant Valor (Jan 3, 2009)

Tha Tall One said:


> What about a Hellcanon? Doesn't that pack a hell of a punch with d6 wounds?


Not to mention the S10 right under the template. If guessed properly, you could potentially deal some serious hurt. Potentially, of course; you'd have to get past any saves or "Look Out, Sir" roles (if and when applicable).

On that note, War Machines (Dwarven rune-inscribed, anyone?) could do the trick almost as well.


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Ah, I forgot Look out sir! But does an Slann benefit from it? I don't know it's unit strength, but if is more then 5 he shouldn't get one...


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## Gharof von Carstein (May 19, 2008)

its 3 :S he gets one


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## Vorag of Strigos (Feb 25, 2009)

either way, with Vampire Counts, I usually let a slann die in a hail of magic missle/blood knight frenzies. or a 6 VERY lucky rolls with Konrad von Carstien


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## whirlwindofdecay (Mar 13, 2009)

that's kind of odd, i've never even seen a blood knight unit even make it to the temple guard, but thats also because im sitting 2 engines nearby for the slann to cast through the skink priests from, after i use the actual engines for a 1d6 str4 hits from the engines with no armor saves, and an uranons thunderbolt or two. although, cannons are the bane of my existance from dwarves.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

1D6 Str 5 versus Undead, remember.


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## whirlwindofdecay (Mar 13, 2009)

thankfully i forgot about it on the forum instead of in a game.


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## karix bloodfist (Mar 3, 2009)

lets see...

i think the best way is you hold the frog and his unit with a spawn or two. then you flank charge it with chosen, knights or a shagoth! Smush! all dead! mwhahahahahahahahahaha!


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## neilbatte (Jan 2, 2008)

I've not faced this yet but saw a deamon slaanesh list of ld annoyance make them run away fairly easily thanks to all the modifiers, admittedly this is very army specific but as I said I've not faced them yet.


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

Palanquin is a big problem, even in combat he can cast spells. Also any Lizardmen player with an ounce of sense will screen the unit with those little dudes, the Skirmishers, or a Skink unit with those big, lovely, muscled Kroxigor :shok: . Just thought I';d aware you to other dangers that often guards Slann and co.

P.S
Stegadon, Stegadon, STEGADON, ENGINE OF THE GODS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## HiveMinder (Feb 8, 2010)

I've found the best way of dealing with the slann is with magic, believe it or not. Skaven magic to be precise. The tricky part is actually casting the spells. 

First and foremost is Cracks Call. Casting on 11+, its great at sniping, since it doesn't actually target anything. Just point it at the Slann, and watch him pray while he tries to pass an Initiative test. It's a 2/3 chance of instant killing the slann. The downside is that it only has a range of 4D6", so getting in range is the biggest problem. Just hope your opponent decides that dispelling Skitterleap is a waste of time.

The second Slann killer is Curse of the Horned Rat. This is a much more effective, albeit harder, way of killing the slann. This spell casts on a 25+, so you basically have to pray for IF/miscasting. I generally soften up the unit with whatever artillery I can bring to bear to whittle down the Temple Guard numbers. Then a successful cast will wipe out the unit, including the Slann, since he counts as infantry. No saves, just death. (And a brand spanking new unit of clanrats).


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

If you want to get the 13th spell off you could just use a power scroll and throw 6 dice at it... its almost impossible to fail the cast, just dont be standing by anything you care about.

While I know this isnt a particuarly good way to counter the slaan I feel it must be said- use a hex scroll. Thats right, you can turn his frog into a frog... then laugh manically for the 5 mins it takes him to turn back. I certainly want to get a hex scroll in my army at some point, not because its very good or because it'll even take effect in most games, but it is utterly hilareous.


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## Crimzzen (Jul 9, 2008)

Tim/Steve said:


> If you want to get the 13th spell off you could just use a power scroll and throw 6 dice at it... its almost impossible to fail the cast, just dont be standing by anything you care about.




That's actually really nasty against anything, especially on a suicide wizard. You're bound to make your points back. Is there any way to stop it?


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Crimzzen said:


> That's actually really nasty against anything, especially on a suicide wizard. You're bound to make your points back. Is there any way to stop it?


There's nothing that can stop it... but there might be ways of bouncing it around. While I know it doesnt affect me my ogres can bounce spells with the rune maw, I dont know if other armies have similar items... but there must be 1-2 out there. You cant even use one of the new scrolls to try to get some revenge.

Its not really much of a suicide- most miscasts dont kill the wizard, and if you know what you're about to do then you can leave your wizard out in the open away from your units (but sods law is thats the turn you roll double 1 for the winds of magic).


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