Dark Acolytes

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Lord Drakon
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Dark Acolytes

Post by Lord Drakon »

Please share your experiences, synergies and uses of your Dark Acolytes!
Vulcan
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Re: Dark Acolytes

Post by Vulcan »

Fast cav with 2 S4 poison attacks with 4++ saves? YES PLEASE! One more point for short ranged S4 poison shooting doesn't suck either.

The only real complaint I have is that Bolt of Darkness is quite difficult for a L1 caster to get off without using a hefty amount of power dice. Fireball would be a better choice, especially for that hefty price tag for the Champion.
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Thraundil
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Re: Dark Acolytes

Post by Thraundil »

Two things to keep in mind, Vulcan: they are not fast cavalry in the 9th age, they merely have free reform. So no feign flight, no vanguard. In addition, the ranged shooting attack is only S3.

However, bolt of darkness is a great spell on them and I think the casting value is justified. It is hard to make the casting value without dropping 3-4 dice, but thats how it should be. The spell can potentially oneshot chariots, significantly thin out medium-armored units including elites, and put tons of pressure on T5 and T6 monsters as well. A fireball is just not that dangerous, and I'd rather have the bolt of darkness spell on a M9 unit, any day.

My main complaint about them is that they are costly due to their double S4 poison attacks - which makes me want to commit them to a fight. However, if you purchase the champion, you lose that utility if you charge with them.
Name: Ladry (female)
Class: Mage (Pyromancer)
Equipment: Staff, longsword, dagger, 20 gold, insignia ring.
Skills: Power of Aqshy (2), defensive figthing
WS4, S2, T3, D4, I6.
Vulcan
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Re: Dark Acolytes

Post by Vulcan »

I do wish they'd quit changing things all the time; I can't wait for this whole shebang to settle down.

I'd rather have a spell I can RELIABLY use and not chop too deeply into the PD pool. If I want to cast Bolt of Darkness, I can take it as the default on my L4 and cast it significantly easier.

Although I'm probably complaining about nothing that'll ever come up in my army; I find the champion a wee bit too expensive AND vulnerable to commit the points to. But proposing that solution kept the R&F of the unit from going up to some 40 points each. And since I rarely cast with them anyway, sacrificing the magic capacity to keep that lovely not-quite-fast-cav unit with S4 attacks and 4++ save affordable was well worth it.
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Thraundil
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Re: Dark Acolytes

Post by Thraundil »

Vulcan wrote:I'd rather have a spell I can RELIABLY use and not chop too deeply into the PD pool. If I want to cast Bolt of Darkness, I can take it as the default on my L4 and cast it significantly easier.


Bolt of Darkness is no longer the signature spell of black magic =]
Name: Ladry (female)
Class: Mage (Pyromancer)
Equipment: Staff, longsword, dagger, 20 gold, insignia ring.
Skills: Power of Aqshy (2), defensive figthing
WS4, S2, T3, D4, I6.
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toots
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Re: Dark Acolytes

Post by toots »

i can't see myself ever using these. they're costed for combat, but as soon as combat is reached the champion will most likely die and that's your sorcerer gone.
Vulcan
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Re: Dark Acolytes

Post by Vulcan »

Simple solution: Don't take the champion if you're going to want to use the unit in CC.

With a champion, it's pretty similar in cost to a L2 caster with the 4++ save amulet. The only real difference is that this caster comes with a built-in bunker. Treat it as such and you won't go wrong.
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Re: Dark Acolytes

Post by Vulcan »

Thraundil wrote:
Vulcan wrote:I'd rather have a spell I can RELIABLY use and not chop too deeply into the PD pool. If I want to cast Bolt of Darkness, I can take it as the default on my L4 and cast it significantly easier.


Bolt of Darkness is no longer the signature spell of black magic =]


Another pointless change. Sigh.
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DarkSky
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Re: Dark Acolytes

Post by DarkSky »

Vulcan wrote:
Thraundil wrote:
Vulcan wrote:I'd rather have a spell I can RELIABLY use and not chop too deeply into the PD pool. If I want to cast Bolt of Darkness, I can take it as the default on my L4 and cast it significantly easier.


Bolt of Darkness is no longer the signature spell of black magic =]


Another pointless change. Sigh.


So without actually playing 9th Age, you can make that statement and decide what is and what isn't pointless?
I think Black Magic is very well balanced in 9th Age, except for the Black Horror. The removal of the additional signatures from White and Black magic allowed these paths to be more in line with the others and provided easier balancing. Additionally we now have a killer Lore Attribute, the superb and cheap Freezing Gale and our magic phase does not depend on Word of Pain alone anymore.

Back to the Dark Acolytes: I don't like, that they have the dual role of ranged unit and/or caster and melee unit. As I like the melee part better, I'd rather remove the Bolt of Darkness from the Champion and instead give him augments/hexes only as spells. This way the unit would have a clear melee loadout. The other option could be to remove the close combat skills, make the poison darts multiple shots and make them a mobile shooting and magic missile platform.
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toots
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Re: Dark Acolytes

Post by toots »

lol +1 to black horror. what a horrendous spell! miscasting is utterly devastating in this version, and you need to 5-dice it to ensure it goes off. and even if don't miscast it's 1/6 chance of landing on the caster!! horrendous!! and it's not even particularly good given that most troops are S4 in this day and age!
grim1
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Re: Dark Acolytes

Post by grim1 »

Vulcan wrote:Simple solution: Don't take the champion if you're going to want to use the unit in CC.

With a champion, it's pretty similar in cost to a L2 caster with the 4++ save amulet. The only real difference is that this caster comes with a built-in bunker. Treat it as such and you won't go wrong.


I always take one. They are still great as warmachine/chaff killers with 2 great spells. 1 which is always useful, bolt I cast once per game when my wizard is maneuvering or dead.
squirrelloid
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Re: Dark Acolytes

Post by squirrelloid »

Having pretty decent experience with Yema Acolytes. Good in combats against weaker foes, and Wicked Lash is pretty awesome at softening up infantry blocks (also pretty awesome at drawing dispel dice). Also had decent experience in close combats with them against weaker foes, including killing off some Gutter Blades and killing an entire unit of Slaves (to the rat no less) over several turns of combat in my last game. (Wicked Lash can be cast while in combat, so... yeah). And yes, that was with an oracle on horse joined to them... Only slaves, right?

Do not like the non-yema version champion. Bolt of Darkness is too hard to cast for what it does.

A larger block of these without champion seems emminently plausible. I'll need to try it.
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