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Beard, check. Cheese? Perhaps.
So I slapped some paint on my MM Long Fangs tonight. Only 3 of them 'cause one of them is still Bone and Green, and hasn't been dipped yet. So in stead of showing a picture of 3 dudes, that have just had some blue-grey slapped on them, I figured I'd talk about the new Space Pup special character that every has been talking about. Njal Stormcaller.
WS 5, BS 4, S 4, T 4, W 2, I 4, A 3, Ld 10, Sv 2+.
Along with that he comes with:
Runic Armor (2+/5+ save)
Wolftooth Necklace (3+ to hit in CC)
Staff of the Stormcaller (Runic weapon, that nullifies enemy psychic powers on a roll of 3+, no psychic test for the dumb Eldar power to F with)
Nightwing (a cyber-raven that counts as a chooser of the slain, which allows Njal at +1 to BS when shooting, and adds D3 S3 CC attacks with a single model in base contact with Njal)
Bolt Pistol
Frag and Krack Grenades
Saga of Majesty (any unit within 6" gets to re-roll failed morale tests)
He can upgrade to Termie armor for 25 points
For special rules he has:
ATSKNF
Acute Senses (gets to re-roll night vision rolls)
Counter-Attack (Pass Ld test and get +1 attack when assaulted)
Independent Character
Master Psyker (may cast 2 psychic abilites per turn, and knows all SW psychic powers)
Psychic Powers:
Thunderclap: Large Blast that touches Njal and hits everyone with a S3, AP5 hit
Living Lightning: Unlimited Range, S7, AP5 assault D6 attack.
Storm Caller: all squads within 6" get 5+ Cover Save
Tempest's Wrath: All skimmers, jetbikes, jump infantry and deep strikers within 24" treat all terrain (even clear) as both difficult and dangerous.
Fury of the Wolf Spirits: Two wolf spirits attack. One is 12" S5. AP-, Assault 3. The other is 12" S4, AP 2, assault 2. If either cause a casulty, the unit must make a moral check.
Murderous Hurricane: Range 18". Target takes 3d6 S3, AP- hits. That uit treats all terrain (even clear) as dangerous and difficult.
Jaws of the World Wolf: Lay out a straight line 24" from Njal. Any, non-vehicle model that is touched takes an init test. If they fail, they are removed from play. Not instant death, removed. No eternal warrior, Tyranid BS. Monstrous Creatures subtract 1 from their roll, but a 6 always kills ya.
As if that weren't enough, he is also "Lord of the Tempest." At the begining of Njal's turn, you roll d3 and add the turn number and consult the table.
2) Calm Before the Storm: No in-game effect
3) Driving Gale: Enemy models within 24" are -1 BS
4) Living Hurricane: Everything is difficult terrain to enemies within 24"
5) Howling Cyclone: At the end of assualt, any non-stuck-in units within 18" must pass a morale check or fall back.
6) Vengeful Tornado: At the end of Njal's turn, any enemy model within 18" takes d3 S9 hits. Vehicles are hit on side armor.
7) Chain Lightning: At teh end of Njal's turn, any enemy model within 12" take d6 S8 hits with an AP of 5.
The Lord of the Tempest rule makes me think this guy is packin' provolone in his runic armor. I hope you clear all your guys out from Njal after turn 5, cause its GUNNA be ugly.
Other than that I don't think the guy is TOO broken. He costs more than a Land Raider Redeemer before buying Termie armor. He is only S4 and T4. His Runic weapon only stops psychic powers within 24" of him, and most damning is that he has no Eternal Warrior. I mean you could stick him in a pack of 15 Bloodclaws to give him some cover, but I'd be scared to death to put him in CC with something nasty.
All in all I think he'll be nutty the 2-3 times I play him, but I think I'd just rather put points elsewhere, and I think for the casual games I play, he'd be a bit unbalancing.
Njal represents a significant departure in character power from previous characters. The man has an AoE missile launcher, potentially as early as turn 4. He's almost worth the points without his super powers - 3+ Rune Weapon means he stomps enemy Psykers, and the Rune Priest powers are quite effective (he will on average kill more than his points cost with his powers) and he provides an enormous bucket of threat that has to be dealt with.
If Njal sets the bar for special characters in new books, I can't wait to see the super bugs in the Tyranid book.
As a non-bug player, I can safely say, I can wait for the super bugs :)