Does anyone use the Mortarchs?

[Bradifer]

I noticed I almost never see the Mortarchs.

Personally I like Mannfred a lot, and I think Neferata has a really useful command ability.

Is the reason that they can't have a command trait / artefact and Ruler of the Night is REALLY good?

It seems so goofy to make these awesome hero characters and then gimp them by removing their ability to carry powerful command trait + artefact.

Do you all use the Mortarchs much?

Do you think they will see more play with an updated General's Handbook 2?

[Countmoore]

I use them all on occasion but feel in the main they are uncompetive points wise.  When you compare Mannfred to a regular vamp Lord on zombie dragon for example the VL outclasses poor old Mannfred every time both damage output and survivability.

They cannot be given traits or artefacts!

Arkhan is probably the best of the lot as a support piece as the survivability is less an issue. 

[Oppenheimer]

I use Neferata on occasion because I really like the model and fluff but as Countmoore said the lack of a command trait really hurts. They also don't have as many wounds as I would have liked (died to two wounds from Durthu before) and are very expensive point wise. With only 1 command trait per army you would never field more have one at a time. I own but have never actually fielded Mannfred or Arkhan due to this.

[KHHaunts]

Arkhan all the way but never as my commander.

He has a lowish point cost. Good overall casting ability(even better at summoning), isent totally useless in combat, Curse of Years spell can be potentially brutal and for some strange reason no matter how clearly i state that hes not my general people cant help but focus on him. Ive hardly every played a game without him.

Meanwhile my humble little wight king wanders around within a pack of skellies causing all kinds of hell.

[LJ26]

I 2nd Arkhan, I throw vanhels on him with righteous smiting and he has the movement to strike anywhere and isn't a huge point sink when he dies. He also guarantees that my spells go off! 

[TerrorPenguin]

I'm running a deathlords list at the moment, Mannfred Arkhan and a bunch of archai. It's shockingly inefficient and crumbles to shooting. If it gets into melee it can be brutal.

If they were all the price of Arkhan or had a better save they'd be worth their points. 

[CoffeeGrunt]

Yeah, the VLoZD just makes me not too excited about running Mortarchs. It's a real beast. 

If I got one it would probably be Neferata though. Her playstyle seems really cool and would change things up for me. 

[deynon]

I prefer other models cause theysuits better my strategy in the game, included the option to have the trait in case it's general.

The mortarchs are most of all useful cause their command trait.

If I have to use one I prefer Neferata. Simply I don't use them quite often preferring a GKoTG/DZ

[Bradifer]

I like Monster Mash style so I may use both Mortarch + VLOZD

Even if its like strictly inferior to OP Mourngul.

Hopfully I don't just get shot off the table!

[TerrorPenguin]

35 minutes ago, CoffeeGrunt said:

Yeah, the VLoZD just makes me not too excited about running Mortarchs. It's a real beast. 

If I got one it would probably be Neferata though. Her playstyle seems really cool and would change things up for me. 

I hope a new death battletome takes a leaf from neferrata's warscroll. Debuffing should be a much bigger thing than it is in death currently.

That and bravery reduction (assuming we're not getting teleporting, shooting and all the other fun stuff)

[Sadysaneto]

People like to at least roll on attacks.

Neferatas command is brutal. Pair her with a mourngul and you wont have friends anymore

[Bradifer]

4 hours ago, Sadysaneto said:

People like to at least roll on attacks.

Neferatas command is brutal. Pair her with a mourngul and you wont have friends anymore

Well, I don't think we're saying everything needs to have -X to hit.

Plus, Mourngul isn't a great example of anything really. That thing is way too strong for any faction/alliance. Unless the points go up a lot.

Like the Ice Phoenix, death could do -X to wound rolls as an example too.

There could also be fear mechanics, whether based on bravery or actually useful instead, it could be something as simple as "choose an enemy, every combat you pick a weapon it cannot attack with." There could be a version of that which works on ranged attacks instead, I think we all know those are starting to look ridiculous when the best counter is more ranged attacks.

[Teletomas]

4 hours ago, Bradifer said:

There could also be fear mechanics, whether based on bravery or actually useful instead, it could be something as simple as "choose an enemy, every combat you pick a weapon it cannot attack with." There could be a version of that which works on ranged attacks instead, I think we all know those are starting to look ridiculous when the best counter is more ranged attacks.

 

I actually think that'd be brokenly unfair to the opponent. For one whole unit to loose one weapon because of a dice roll. I see and understand that we don't like shooty units, with our slow chaff and non shooty units. But taking away for instance Savage Orruks one bow or any other one weapon units, in effect making the unit just a wounds on a board with an arrow for melee weapon would quickly make me very unpopular in my local gw store. And be not very funny for any of us.

Though I think a better bravery based attack for Death would be great, Could also be a aoe bravery based spells, in effect affecting your own units as well (but less problem as we have high bravery) combined with war machines (like screaming skull catapult - but new) or monsters that negate enemy bravery a bit. That'd be fun! 

-edited some minor things to make my reply easier to read.

 

[CoffeeGrunt]

Yeah, preventing a weapon from firing would cripple entire units, hardly a great game design idea. That said, there's the Vampire Lord's signature spell that reduces the attacks of all weapons on a unit by 1, which can be really handy against big, bad monsters.