New to AoS and the Dead things!

[Lost Son]

Good morning fellow Deadmen!

Ive been hanging around playing some Ninth age with some friends and due to a lack of playing opportunities I’ve decided to start up an AoS army. 

 

I was cruisin Ebay and found a Nagash for a good 30Aud cheaper than any others so though feckit. Also picked up five glaivewraiths cheap as. 

My playing history with AoS is nil with some Whfb back in the day.  I know I want to use Nagash and I am also fond of vampires. 

Model wise I love the Morghasts, those big skeletal things with glaives?, the corpse cart and those types. Grave Guard I have fond memories of and the new Nighthaunts are sweet looking. 

I realise I’m being quite vague an I apologise for that. I prefer a more aggressive style and raising and magic shenanigans. 

Any help or advice or tips is greatly appreciated. 

Regards Lost Son. 

[Evil Bob]

If I understand correctly you want an overview on expanding your purchase.  So that you don’t have to buy everything and figure it out from there?

A few things to consider with what you have mentioned and the bare minimums I wanted to point out.  The following is under the assumption everything centered on Nagash.

Leaders:

Vampire: Can’t really go wrong with one of these guys.  The foot one’s great at boosting a horde unit and keeping a deathless minion save going.  Get a flying one.

VLoZD: Fitting him in a list with Nagash is “difficult” otherwise great in other lists for his high wound count, mobility, okay damage output, and has one of the best warscroll command abilities in the game.

Necromancer: Another force multiplier.  His buff to a summonable unit is even more scary than a Vampire CA (but can be stopped).  Thanks to the FAQ he can pass on wounds to more than skeletons now.

 

Core: 

Skeletons: screen for Nagash from alpha armies.  In full units a solid beat stick (with spears)

Direwolves: Cheep battleline,  maneuver element.  Crazy good armor for their points.

Grave Guard: Battleline In Nagash’s list.   Nice dice output on damage if enough synergies stack.  Optimal squad size is a matter of opinion but know packing in these guys and Nagash will eat vital points from elsewhere.  Subpar to everyone else’s new stuff.  These guys are not AOS 2.0 compliant and require serious efforts on your part.

Chainwraps:  The tanky-est battleline we’ve got.  Mobile screen.  Without stacking Nighthaunt synergies their damage dice output is terrible.

 

Elites:

Grimghast Reapers: Durable beat stick.  Has a rough time on incoming spammed attack dice.  Otherwise pretty mobile for their rending damage.  These guys are AOS 2.0 compliant.  

Morghasts: A tactical weapon.  Best used in GHoN.  Not point efficient on the attack dice.  Some of us like them for surgical alpha charge, others to tank (for Nagash).  Use them wisely and be rewarded.

Glaivewraiths: Get enough to have ten. Convert them into Grimghasts.  Ridiculously cool looking miniatures, hot steamy garbage in the game.

 

Lastly and most important get comfortable and read this thread.

Edited April 29, 2019 by Evil Bob

[Lost Son]

Heya Mr Bob. 

Money wise I’m fine with buying whatever I want or need. Cheers for the run down. How capable are Haunts I’m a GhoN army compared to skells? I do prefer their looks...

I’ll get myself comfy and have a read now..

[AverageBoss]

2 hours ago, Lost Son said:

Heya Mr Bob. 

Money wise I’m fine with buying whatever I want or need. Cheers for the run down. How capable are Haunts I’m a GhoN army compared to skells? I do prefer their looks...

I’ll get myself comfy and have a read now..

As far as Legions battleline choices go, Skeletons hit the hardest (especially in a 40 man unit), Chainrasps are the most durable, Dire Wolves are the fastest option (great for snatching an objective, tying down a unit, or just getting in the way), and Zombies sort of lack a role unfortunately.

[Tropical Ghost General]

@AverageBoss zombies are tarpit fodder. 60 zombies constantly getting healed back is just a pain in the bum to deal with

[AverageBoss]

22 minutes ago, Tropical Ghost General said:

@AverageBoss zombies are tarpit fodder. 60 zombies constantly getting healed back is just a pain in the bum to deal with

I feel the other three units are better tarpits. The complete lack of a save at all means they suffer 50% more wounds from rend - attacks than the other 3 options (completely negating their 50% numbers advantage), which also means they lose even more from battleshock.

[punkycloud]

Nagash is awesome to paint and use, he does limit some list options tho due to his high points cost.

U definitely need 3 battleline choices, in GHoN Morghasts are battleline so there's 1 as you've said u like them, (I love these things with halberds). Take a unit of dogs, they're cheap and perfect for nabbing objectives. That leaves 1 spot, take either chainrasps or skeletons in a block no smaller than 30 as you'll need at least 1 big block for objective holding, I would choose chainrasps personally, more durable and fly. 

To support nagash a necromancer is a must for van hels plus amping nagashs spell pool. An additional hero (I'd pick vamp on steed, cheap but effective) is optional but again adds spells to nagash and can take character only objectives. For a  super spell aggressive list u could take arkhan with nagash. 

Whatever points are left should go towards an elite unit choice, the concensus is that grimghast reapers are the go to choice in most situations but u can just double down on heroes, morghasts or skeletons/chainrasps if u want. 

Hope this helps, pick the stuff u want / are required to have and work around that. Welcome to team death

[Evil Bob]

12 hours ago, Lost Son said:

Heya Mr Bob. 

Money wise I’m fine with buying whatever I want or need. Cheers for the run down. How capable are Haunts I’m a GhoN army compared to skells? I do prefer their looks...

I’ll get myself comfy and have a read now..

Please, Mr. Bob is my father.  Feel free to call me Eeeevil or Evil.

Bedsheets LOVE Grave Site markers and the model regen by heroes.  Regular LoN units suffer from perhaps the worse shield rules in AoS.  Skeletons getting no save at Rend -1 and Grave Guard going to 6s.  Nighthaunt skips all of the shield shenanigans with a nice consistent reliable save.  AverageBoss pretty much covered it with skeletons having damage output.  Stack enough buffs on a spear unit of skeletons and you can drill through to-hit-penalties and shrug-saves.

There’s nothing wrong with getting both Skeletons & Chainwrasps.  80 models at 560 points that will have no issues identifying the two squads if they get close.  After early game moves the Chainwrasps can always be left defending a rear objective alone.  If points are tight halving the Chainwrasps to 20x for a 120 point savings can work.  March or summon the skeletons mid-map for the objective game.  Skeletons should always be Hero supervised for the hit buff and deathless minions (unless it is a 10 man sword-n-board Speed-bump unit, at that point I’d prefer using Dire Wolves for 20 points cheaper).

A unit of 30x Grimghast Reapers is a tournament bane.  Their inclusion basically fixes Battletomb:LoN biggest problem of a reliable elite unit.  Mobile, killy, and durable to everything except massed dice.  Being able to regenerate models is almost criminal.  All at a fair points price, which is really unusual compared to elites in other Death factions (including Battletomb:Nighthaunt where they are battleline).

The problem I’ve had with Nighthaunt in LoN has been trying to “over reach” on integrating the Nighthaunt synergies.  The only hero I ever bring anymore is the Guardian of Souls, even then that is in Sacrament lists.  The issue with Nighthaunt armies is the pressure to bring smaller units (“wholly within” rules) and in LoN forces it is the opposite with large units (survive the hit/regen/counter punch).

By all means if you are skipping Nagash’s First Cohort then surround him with a sea of ghosts.  Just be sure to slip in a few Vampire Lords/Necromancers for the boosts.

[Lost Son]

I’ve heard of the First cohort before, what is this? Bear in mind I don’t yet have any books or tomes. 

I do like the idea of running some ghosts so I’ll be heading down to GW today to buy a box. Might take the skeleton start collecting box that gives you a choice or making a mortarch. That lets me make Arkhan right?

I do like the idea of regen feckery and shenanigans so that could be fun. I’ve never thought of Dogs as a useful or tough unit due to other games but I’ll definitely pick a few up going by the advice from yall

oh and Eeevil it is!

[XReN]

1 hour ago, Lost Son said:

I’ve heard of the First cohort before, what is this? Bear in mind I don’t yet have any books or tomes. 

I do like the idea of running some ghosts so I’ll be heading down to GW today to buy a box. Might take the skeleton start collecting box that gives you a choice or making a mortarch. That lets me make Arkhan right?

I do like the idea of regen feckery and shenanigans so that could be fun. I’ve never thought of Dogs as a useful or tough unit due to other games but I’ll definitely pick a few up going by the advice from yall

It's a battalion with Nagash, some skelletons and Morghasts, allows you to put wounds going into Nagash's face onto his bodyguard Morghasts

Indeed you can make him

Dogs are amazing and lots of regen just make bedsheets much better. 

[Lost Son]

I’ll definitely have a look at the first cohort then. 40 skells is a bit more affordable that I thought and morghasts just look sweet. 

I picked up a necro and some bedsheet reapers today to go with big Naggy. Morgs, skells and more bedsheets to come!

are Hexwraiths useful at all?

[Honk]

9 minutes ago, Lost Son said:

are Hexwraiths useful at all?

They look pretty... 

if you want to Conan the Bavarian your enemies, they are not the first choice. 

There are interesting lists with Black Knights around (deathmarch)

18 hours ago, punkycloud said:

definitely need 3 battleline choices, in GHoN Morghasts are battleline so

Only if Nagash is the general!!! But grave guards are line in GHoN, a block of 30 is expensive, but tends to kill everything.

 

7 hours ago, Lost Son said:

That lets me make Arkhan right?

Yes, think about magnetizing the heads and saddle, so you can field all three (they are way less effective, but still)

 

and yes, dire wolves are great.

[Lost Son]

Heya Mr Honk, seen your posts around the place so I view you as on me of the Deathly Gosus. Bonus points if ya get the reference. 

I kinda like the idea of a stupid big ****** off unit of GG and magnetising the heads n that is a great idea!

[Honk]

15 minutes ago, Lost Son said:

Deathly Gosus

Being a Gosus is on my Murtaugh-List, I just have too much time and like chatting away on AoS... and rules wise you best have your bucket of salt with you 🥳👍

Below my FU-List for tonight, doggos will be reduced from 20 to 5/5/5 and a CP. New Khorne was a bit killy that day, need more speedbumps and resummoning... tonight vs Nurgle 😈

and the mortarch kit is great for the first magnetizing attempts 

Edited May 2, 2019 by Honk

[Lost Son]

That army looks sweet as my bro. Hope all goes well and ya mash them into the ground. 

 

Off topic I have some varanguard and chaos warriors and a chariot and some blood warrior guys laying around too

[Honk]

4 hours ago, Lost Son said:

Hope all goes well and ya mash them into the ground.

Those ghouls are zombers...

vamp lord, 4xnecro, corpse cart, 3x5 wolves, 40 skellis, 60 zombers, total 1440 grind.

went up against a unclean one 3x20 plaquebearer 5x blight King list... those zombers chewed through everything with brutal relentless certainty. New Khorne was able to delete stuff the week before, but that nurgle list was pillowfighting lushly just to be slowly dragged down and torn apart...

friendly game stupid lists, sudden hard counter

The moment I told him those zombers are 2+\3+, with 2 attacks (vl ca), piling in twice from Van hels and my average regeneration is 18 models, he called it end of round two, when I got all my models back and half his army was munched. 

[Lost Son]

Heya guys, update I now have 30 Grimghasts on the way and 20 skells with more to come and two morghasts.

Stupid here decided to try to get his missus into AoS so I can play easy and she chose Daughters of Khaine...

Curious as to what my next purchases should be. 

 

Cheers cuzzies