Spiderfang! Thoughts and ideas please

[13on2D6]

Hi guys!

Well I wanted something a bit different and have bought loads of spiders!

I was thinking of

30 spiders

10 spiders

10 spiders

Arachnorak x 2 or 3

Spider big boss

Only worry is battleshock with the unit of 30, and the bosses ability to give +1 to hit is awesome, but how do I counter the low bravery without using inspiring prescence?

Any ideas for builds, or some cool allies to go with Spiderfang?

I want something that is fun but wont get walked all over- I don't expect to win a major tournament with them!

I have 3 arachnoraks, 65 spider riders and ordered a big boss on spider but happy to add allies etc

[Sheriff]

I too have been asking myself how to counter the bravery risk. Best I've come up with is having a massive blob of 30 spiders so they can share the single spell buff from mystic shield, and then also get the command trait ability Bellowing Tyrant from the general (lets you use his bravery of 6 rather than 4). 

That means you can't have Big and Brutish on the general, which is good for him (extra wound, with 4+ rerollable save). So he is quite snipable still. 

Remember that you don't have to have a spiderfang allegiance, as they have no abilities or traits of their own anyway, so may as well go general destruction and mix things up, rather than restrict to just 400 points of allies. 

Popular allies include artillery from the regular grots, e.g. you can convert the rock lobber to have a spider-web thrower model, using the spare parts in the arachnarok kits. Other popular ones are moonclan grots for battleline and fanatics, as this gives you good army fodder to distract enemies and take objectives, and shield your buffing general behind a wall of grot fodder. I'm going to experiment with trolls (rockgut) as they should be good for adding tankiness to the front lines whilst also being an unavoidable threat from their puking. Moonclan shaman is a great choice, as it gives an awesome damage spell as well as another mystic shield option (just 80 points).

[Malakree]

One issue with going general destruction is that you lose out on battleline spider riders.

[Sheriff]

5 hours ago, Malakree said:

One issue with going general destruction is that you lose out on battleline spider riders.

Yeah but you benefit from grot fodder to hold objectives and block enemies whilst your spiders do what they're best at - killing. They compliment rather than take away anything. Could always bung them in as allies I guess. 

[13on2D6]

Going general destruction is there anything I can use similar to Chaos where you can use 2 command abilities? Really want to run a block of 30 spiders with the bosses +1 to hit for poison on a 5+ ( hope for some nice damned terrain to sacrifice too) but don't want to leave such a big block of models without protection from battle shock!)

[Sheriff]

Not that I know of, you just have the spiderfang general's command ability, the destruction command trait, and the destruction items. (plus the Firestorm destruction allegiance stuff on top, although the community seems confused about this). 

[13on2D6]

34 minutes ago, Sheriff said:

Not that I know of, you just have the spiderfang general's command ability, the destruction command trait, and the destruction items. (plus the Firestorm destruction allegiance stuff on top, although the community seems confused about this). 

That's what I thought Makes it a potentially high vunerable unit!

Plan would be to mystic shield them for a 4+ but I know if I was playing it I would be targeting that unit to kill as many as I could too battleshock the rest!

[Sheriff]

1 hour ago, 13on2D6 said:

That's what I thought Makes it a potentially high vunerable unit!

Plan would be to mystic shield them for a 4+ but I know if I was playing it I would be targeting that unit to kill as many as I could too battleshock the rest!

Yeah so the solution must come from the rest of the army. My plan is to have a wall of 3x20 Moonclan grots to tie down the enemies in combat / at the objectives, stopping charges at the spider riders where possible (fanatics help too). They also have a -1 to hit AOE debuff from the netters. They are high on 'shrooms and are there to die gloriously on the front lines and throw nets. It's their job. Make sure the netters are last to die/battleshock and keep your spiders/trolls near them for the defense buff. 

Then a second Arachnarok for further tanky distraction, benefiting from the Spiderfang extra mortal wounds buffs too, and dispelling in the heart of the melee combat. 

Then some trolls also to get right up in the enemy's face and be a scary distraction also (they must be focused in order to die, or they just heal back up every turn and continue to puke mortal wounds). 

Oh and Moonclan shaman (1-2) to be a further distraction and easy sniping targets. They will surely be a good distraction as they are easily shot, and if not then they pump out nasty mortal wound spells. The whole army churns out mortal wounds if left un-targeted. 

Basically I'm hoping that the attack setup happens in turn 1, launching out spells and arrows as we advance, with a wall of grots out front to prevent melee charges on the spiders, and loads will die hilariously as the fanatics flail towards the tankiest enemy with -2 rending swinging balls of grot manliness . Then the spider riders hopefully don't get attacked much due to the blocking and baiting above. Then in turn 2 they charge through the holes in the grot-wall and mortally bite the fuc3 out of everything. Turn 2 should be terrifying for the enemy either way - they can't shoot everything to death in turn 1! they either get poison-chomped by arachnaroks and mortally-zapped with spells and puked on, or get mortally-chomped by the spider riders. 

With enough supporting spells from 3-4 wizards, the riders will still get mystic shield in turn 2+, and still get the general's trait buff to bravery. The main threat will be a rain of arrows/artillery on the spider riders (getting through their 4+ save and 6 bravery), or teleporters. But if arrow-shooting enemies are in range of you, you're in range of them also, so can arrow-shred them a bit first hopefully (60 arrow attacks is still decent). 

That's the theory anyway... 

Even if the spider riders get shredded in turn 1-2, you still have a Spiderfang blob of 3 units churning out mortal wound buffs and bites. Those 2 arachnaroks can have double mortal bites on a 4+ still, and can wreck the tankiest beat-sticks your enemy has on show. 

Here is the list I'm on about. Would rather get 6 trolls in somehow but can't figure out a way. Settled for bunging in 3 Nasty Skulkers with the spare 50 points at the end. Fits the concept of stuffing mortal-wounding goblins into the fight, that will mortally-wound in the 'urty bits if left un-targeted. Alternatively you could just have 9 fanatics and no trolls or skulkers. Personally i love the look of the army when it has trolls and skulkers, and would dearly love to have those little 40-point skulkers finish off a behemoth with a mortal stab to the balls  

Sheriff - Allegiance: Destruction

Leaders
Grot Big Boss On Gigantic Spider (100)
- General
- Command Trait : Bellowing Tyrant
- Artefact : Battered Talisman

Arachnarok Spider With Grot Shaman (280)
- Artefact : Battle Brew

Arachnarok Spider With Grot Shaman (280)
- Artefact : Collar of Domination

Moonclan Grot Shaman (80)

Units

30 x Grot Spider Riders (540)
20 x Moonclan Grots (130)
-Pokin Spears & Moon Shields
- Bad Moon Icon
20 x Moonclan Grots (130)
-Pokin Spears & Moon Shields
- Bad Moon Icon
20 x Moonclan Grots (130)
-Pokin Spears & Moon Shields
- Bad Moon Icon
3 x Grot Fanatics (100)
3 x Rockgut Troggoths (180)
3 x Nasty Skulkers (40)

[Sheriff]

But what I think Spiderfang / Moonclan still lack is the debuffs they used to have in the old world, such as Tricksy Traps and Itchy Nuisance. This is the stuff grots need, ways to cripple and CC the enemy rather than relying on just stabbing them in the squishy bits. 

Would love to see those spells or abilities return somehow as allegiance abilities, spells, or new debuffs somehow, and for spider webs to be used as CC somehow (e.g. lobbed with the Arachnarok Flinger kit). Or a tweak to the spider rider banner unit to be like the Moonclan bad moon banner (-1 to hit for ranged enemies).