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Post by gobber on Jul 11, 2017 22:33:24 GMT
In case people haven't heard, Skorne's new theme allows Naaresh, Xekaar, and the Morghouls to take *any* minion warbeast in their battlegroup as a skorne beast. They can mix and match gators and pigs, and everything benefits from skorne's buffs. I'm fine with all the infantry stuff (except maybe sacpawn shamblers), but the beasts? What on earth....
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Post by Azahul on Jul 11, 2017 22:37:09 GMT
On the one hand, that's basically how Skorne Mortitheurgy works, so it's a very thematic theme force.
On the other hand, this coupled with the fact that Merc and Minion theme forces were left out of the "one non-theme solo, unit, and Battle Engine" buff has me feeling like this CID is really hammering us.
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Post by gobber on Jul 11, 2017 22:49:14 GMT
Farrow beasts (with the exception of lights and tuskers like Brine) usually aren't wild animals though; they're largely constructed by Arkadius. I'm a little unsure Skorne has the alchemical and mechanikal skill to maintain them; there certainly aren't any pig models at this point which are capable of that.
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Post by Azahul on Jul 11, 2017 22:53:50 GMT
That certainly crossed my mind, yes. Strictly speaking the only light that would be easily available for the Skorne would be the Gun Boar, too, since the other two both heavily involve Arkadius.
That said, Arkadius does work for Skorne. So they could be paying him to keep the Warbeasts running. It's not an enormously convincing scenario, but it's probably easier than having a stupidly extensive list of unavailable Warbeasts that would need to be updated just about every time pigs get a new Warbeast.
I'm not liking the fact that any future Gargantuan will also need to be balanced around access to Paingivers and Naaresh though.
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Post by perilsensitive on Jul 11, 2017 23:18:48 GMT
Well it is still in CID - these are all salient points. My initial reaction was that Minions can buy some Beast Handlers and play with 5 new casters. I can understand why it feels like pure minions got crapped on though.
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Post by Gaston on Jul 11, 2017 23:33:49 GMT
I was struggling with the release schedule already, this sapped a lot of the enthusiasm left...
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Post by Cryptix on Jul 12, 2017 0:14:08 GMT
Aren't Gator beasts necromantically trained or is that just the Blind Walker?
In any case before this leaves CID I think that the Warbeast thing will just turn into they count as whatever the hordes equivalent of autonomous is.
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Post by Azahul on Jul 12, 2017 0:29:40 GMT
I was struggling with the release schedule already, this sapped a lot of the enthusiasm left... For the longest time I've been saying that if I were to ever play outside of pigs, I would be all over Exulon Thexus. He's looking real appealing right now, and there's a local who has been asking me to borrow his Cephalyx and run it into him so he can practice the match-up. I was going to do that at the next tournament to practice the list for him but now I'm idly wondering how much 60 Drudges actually cost...
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Post by gobber on Jul 12, 2017 0:33:22 GMT
Unleashed: "Swamp warbeasts cannot be trained;" they're instead just dominated by their warlock by breaking its will. Fluffwise it seems like mortitheurgy might be able to do that at least for the living ones. Though if that's the case this should work just as well on Argii, Goraxes, etc.
Blind walker is poisoned with venom of Kossk then buried alive. If it survives this process it ends up in a half-life; entirely mindless and controlled by the Bokor. Boneswarm is swamp spirits possessing remains of sacrifices; "Training: none. (are you kidding? That would be like trying to train angry roadkill!"
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Post by huckebein on Jul 12, 2017 0:43:25 GMT
On the one hand, that's basically how Skorne Mortitheurgy works, so it's a very thematic theme force. On the other hand, this coupled with the fact that Merc and Minion theme forces were left out of the "one non-theme solo, unit, and Battle Engine" buff has me feeling like this CID is really hammering us. It isnt really how mortitheurgy works though, because the surgical and alchemical processes to enable a new type of beast to become a 'Skorne warbeast' that is compatible with their mortitheurgy takes generations to develop and is uncommon enough that developing a system for a new beast is grounds for exalting a house. And that's for animals that arent already pumped full of different crazy alchemical concoctions and machinery.
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Post by Azahul on Jul 12, 2017 1:33:34 GMT
It isnt really how mortitheurgy works though, because the surgical and alchemical processes to enable a new type of beast to become a 'Skorne warbeast' that is compatible with their mortitheurgy takes generations to develop and is uncommon enough that developing a system for a new beast is grounds for exalting a house. We just did a time jump forward in the fluff. The Skorne have been operating in Western Immoren for decades. But it's not surprising that these new additions to their ranks are only being fielded with the Paingivers, the ones responsible for breaking them in. My suspension of disbelief is holding. And that's for animals that arent already pumped full of different crazy alchemical concoctions and machinery. Yeah, well, the Farrow stuff only makes sense to begin with if you assume they hired Arkadius to help maintain the beasts. He does work for them. It's a stretch, but still not implausible.
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Post by gobber on Jul 12, 2017 2:53:05 GMT
Arkadius' relationship with Carver/all of thornfall is sufficiently tenuous that Carver considers eating him despite the utility of the warbeasts. If he starts doling out beasts to Skorne, he'd have to be A: becoming a skorne caster or B: have a realllly good reason that benefits thornfall too. Knowing Arkadius, this is almost certainly some critical beast-related knowledge he's trying to gain. Maybe this ends with archidon wings stapled to a pig?
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Post by Cryptix on Jul 12, 2017 3:05:32 GMT
Inb4 Arkadius character Gargantuan: "It's totally not a Mammoth, promise."
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Post by Azahul on Jul 12, 2017 3:14:12 GMT
Arkadius' relationship with Carver/all of thornfall is sufficiently tenuous that Carver considers eating him despite the utility of the warbeasts. If he starts doling out beasts to Skorne, he'd have to be A: becoming a skorne caster or B: have a realllly good reason that benefits thornfall too. Knowing Arkadius, this is almost certainly some critical beast-related knowledge he's trying to gain. Maybe this ends with archidon wings stapled to a pig? Guys, Arkadius is a mercenary (well, a Minion, a lower-case mercenary). He's for hire. Skorne is on the list of factions he works for. It's as easy an explanation as, "The Skorne paid Carver for the rental of his resident mad scientist and some warbeasts".
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Post by gobber on Jul 12, 2017 3:52:59 GMT
Guys, Arkadius is a mercenary (well, a Minion, a lower-case mercenary). He's for hire. Skorne is on the list of factions he works for. It's as easy an explanation as, "The Skorne paid Carver for the rental of his resident mad scientist and some warbeasts". Well that's no fun
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