D.R.A.I.C.H. - The Druchii Art of War 8th ed.

How to beat those cowardly High Elves?

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D.R.A.I.C.H. - The Druchii Art of War 8th ed.

Post by Daeron »

The D.R.A.I.C.H.- Druchii Rules Analysis, Innovative Counselling & Help.
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The D.R.A.I.C.H. is our collection of the best gaming guides and ideas discussed in our community, selected by the moderators and members of the board.


Topics of the D.R.A.I.C.H.

  1. Getting started with the Druchii. Topics to get started, for new players or players coming over to the 8th edition book.
  2. The Druchii army. A description per unit and popular setups.
  3. Tactical articles
  4. General gaming articles
  5. Know your enemy!



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The Druchii for Beginners

Post by Daeron »


Getting started with the 8th edition Druchii Army

Note: The 8th edition army book is still new, and in a sense we are all beginners at this stage. In time, this part of the D.R.A.I.C.H. will include more comprehensive guides and information for beginning Druchii players.
For now, we can offer the following links.


Adapting to 8th edition

Old links, under revision

Outdated links
I love me a bowl of numbers to crunch for breakfast. If you need anything theoryhammered, I gladly take requests.

Furnace of Arcana, a warhammer blog with delusional grandeur.

"I move unseen. I hide in light and shadow. I move faster than a bird. No plate of armour ever stopped me. I strike recruits and veterans with equal ease. And all shiver at my coldest of whispers."
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Re: D.R.A.I.C.H. - The Druchii Art of War 8th WFB, 8th ArmyB

Post by Daeron »


The Druchii Army


Lords

Dreadlord
"The tyrants, the commanders... the noble-born rulers of Naggaroth."

The Dreadlords are the generic combat Lord choice of the Dark Elves, and a popular pick. With their high point allowance in magic items, they tend to be configured for either resilience, combat prowess or support... And sometimes as a specialised tool to take out difficult enemy units. With mounts such as the dragon, manticore or pegasus, they are fit as a powerful unit on their own. With the cold one, dark steed or even on foot, they tend to be deployed to reinforce a combat unit and add protection or a special property to the unit.

Topics of interest on the Dreadlord:


Supreme Sorceress
The Supreme Sorceress is the high level caster of the Dark Elves. A level 4 is a popular choice to boost both offense and defence in the magic phase. Magic is generally considered a corner stone of the Dark Elves, which is why she is excluded from armies only in exceptional builds or army compositions.
She's generally protected by a bunker, which is either cheap infantry or a fast cavalry unit, mounted on Dark Steeds. There's a few builds that use her on a pegasus or monster, but these are few.
Her magic point allotment is generous, but rarely filled to the rim due to... lack.. of interesting combinations.



High Beastmaster
The High Beastmaster is a rare sight in army lists, but shows his head every once in a while on a Scourgerunner chariot. The Manticore variant is even more rare, and may find his use only in specialized or themed lists.
The reason is simply that he's slightly more expensive than the Dreadlord and delivers lowers stats. His characteristic attribute is his special rule "beast slaver", but it's seldom considered sufficient to outmatch the Dreadlord... At least, as a general purpose combat Lord.

Interesting topics on High Beastmaster.


Black Ark Fleetmaster
The Black Ark Fleetmaster is a fluffy choice to bring to the table. His "Show No weakness" rule is considered difficult to employ to outweigh the cost by many, though in the hands of a skilled player... any rule can become important.

Interesting topics on Black Ark Fleetmaster.




Hero choices

Sorceress
The Sorceress is a regular sight in armies, generally as a supporting caster. Occasionally, she may be employed as the army's main caster, should the army need the points in the Lord choices for other selections than a supreme sorceress. Her Lore choice tends to be chosen as a complement to the army, rather than to define the army.
Unfortunately for the Sorceress, she often competes with Warlocks as a supporting caster.



Master
The Master is a general purpose, jack of all trades combat character. His cheap cost and wide selection of options make him a popular character to boost a combat unit, wether it's mounted or not. Alternatively, he's a popular choice to put on a pegasus, offering an affordable but solid chaff unit. He may mount Manticores in themed armies.
But his most popular use is as Battle Standard Bearer.




Death Hag
The Death Hag makes her way to the scene every once in a while. She's loved for the ability to hand out frenzy to a unit, or to bring in a Cauldron of Blood. Occasionally, she finds herself equipped to handle a specific kind of enemy, such as heavy armor, so she may protect her unit from such enemies.
On top of a Cauldron, she sometimes carries the Battle Standard.

  • No topics yet


Khainite Assassin
The Assassin tends to be loved, mostly for his fluff or style, rather than his strength in the game. The Assassin delivers better combat abilities than other combat options in the Hero slot, but his lack of survivability and cost make him difficult to employ in a world where the most dangerous opponents are opponents that can survive his attacks.




Named characters

Malekith, the Witch King
Interesting topics on Malekith.

Morathi, the Seeress
Interesting topics on Morathi.
  • No topics yet

Hellebron, the Hag Queen
Interesting topics on Hellebron.
  • No topics yet

Malus Darkblade
Interesting topics on Malus Darkblade.
  • No topics yet

Shadowblade
Interesting topics on Shadowblade.
  • No topics yet

Lokir Fellheart
Interesting topics on Lokir Fellheart.
  • No topics yet


Kouran Darkhand
Interesting topics on Kouran.

Tullaris Dreadbringer
Interesting topics on Tullaris.
  • No topics yet
I love me a bowl of numbers to crunch for breakfast. If you need anything theoryhammered, I gladly take requests.

Furnace of Arcana, a warhammer blog with delusional grandeur.

"I move unseen. I hide in light and shadow. I move faster than a bird. No plate of armour ever stopped me. I strike recruits and veterans with equal ease. And all shiver at my coldest of whispers."
- The stiff breeze
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Re: D.R.A.I.C.H. - The Druchii Art of War 8th WFB, 8th ArmyB

Post by Daeron »


Core choices

Dreadspears and Bleakswords
Dreadspears and Bleakswords are the cheapest troops in the book, and used for just that reason: to obtain rank bonuses cheaply, as a bunker for a characters or a shrine or as a cheap reserve. Still, they aren't used for bodies only, as they can hold their ground against other "non elite" infantry in the game.
Dreadspears and bleaksword units tend to come in sizes from 15 to 30, occasionally with a magic banner, like the Standard of Discipline.


Darkshards
Darkshards provide the Dark Elves with a solid backup in shooting, from the core selection. In spite of this utility, their high cost makes them a trade-off. Shooting support can also be provided by Dark Riders, Shades and Bolt Throwers which pushes this unit back somewhat. At small unit sizes, they can give away quite some points too easily and at larger unit sizes they cost a lot. Typical unit sizes range from 12 to 22.

  • No topics yet

Corsairs
Corsairs provide a balanced choice between resilience, thanks to their 4+ armor save, and offense when equipped with two hand weapons. They come just about cheap enough to afford them as speed bumps and bunkers, but usually they come in larger units of 21 models and more.
The repeater handbow is somewhat less popular as equipment, but is occasionally used for its versatility or for smaller units of Corsairs.


Witch Elves
The Witch Elves are our most iconic core choice, and quite popular. They tend to come either as a small chaff unit of 10 to 12 models, or as a considerable fighting block of 25 to 30 models. They are a popular choice in combination with a cauldron of blood, making them a very strong unit for being core.
They'll occasionally sport the Armor Piercing banner.

  • No topics yet

Dark Riders
Dark Riders tend to find their way in most lists. They rank among the top chaff in the game with their high mobility, shooting support and control over an enemy's movement phase. Two of these units is a common choice, though some pick three of four. The most common setup is probably 5 dark riders, with shields and repeater crossbows. Some people prefer them with musicians, some prefer them without, some let the point limit decide.



Special choices


Cold One Knights
Cold One Knights are a solid unit, with "the most reliable attack" in the book. The combination of ASF, lances and murderous prowess makes them very effective on the charge, while the armor provides them some survivability until they get that charge. They come in all sizes, from 5 to 12. They're a popular choice to be combined with a master on cold one, or even a dreadlord to ramp up the number of attacks.

  • No topics yet

Black Guard of Naggarond
The Black Guards are marked by their stubborness and eternal hatred. This makes them a solid grinding unit, provided one can afford the cost. They are a fair matchup against many units, but will require either a strength boost or the armor piercing banner to make them an all purpose unit.
Because of the stubborn rule they can be employed as "trick units" of 10, used in weird formations and deny an enemy's combat power or to provide "stubborn" to whomever character or shrine they host.

  • No topics yet

Shades
Shades are generally liked, but don't always make it to the army lists. They deliver great shooting power and enough combat power to handle small chaff and warmachine crews. Their mobility and scouting adds to their flexibility.
The drawback is their cost, and lack of resilience which might make them cheap victory points in some match-ups. They tend come in sizes from 5 to 10. It is possible to turn them into a deathstar, but it's a rare sight.

  • No topics yet

Cold One Chariot
The Cold One Chariot is a solid choice compared to similar chariots in the game. It doesn't make it to army lists as often, probably because of the competition with other support units. That doesn't make the Cold One Chariot any weaker however.


Har Ganeth Executioners
Executioners are considered the bread and butter troop of the Dark Elf infantry. They come fairly cheap, making them popular for both small support units as well as large infantry blocks. They need little support to be effective, but don't make too bad a host for a combat character or shrine.

  • No topics yet

Reaper Bolt Thrower
The Bolt Thrower gives a Dark Elf list some solid shooting support. The multishot option of this warmachine offers only 6 shots, which is rarely enough for a single target, so most players would pick two or three reaper bolt throwers, or none at all.

  • No topics yet

Harpies
Harpies are a mobile support unit. They aren't as popular anymore, because of their high cost for what little combat power they deliver. Still, they are a match for many warmachine crew and permit some nasty tricks in combo charges, running down fleeing troops or as redirectors. A unit of harpies will rarely exceed 5 models in size.

  • No topics yet

Scourgerunners
The mobile bolt thrower and chariot hasn't been a popular choice yet, but it can find a place in a chariot heavy army. It does offer the unique ability to deliver bolt shots in the enemy's flank. It also has the option to flee, unlike the cold one chariot, giving it a bit more versatility.


War Hydra
The Hydra is still an iconic monster in the Dark Elf list and will be seen occasionally. It's no longer considered as powerful, but it can work well as a support unit or flanking unit. The Breath Weapon is still popular, probably because it doesn't loose on strength as the Hydra takes wounds.




Rare Choices

Doomfire Warlocks
Doomfire Warlocks are probably the biggest rival for Dark Riders to be the best chaff unit in the game. A unit of 5 comes at a 125 points, providing enough combat power to take on small units and a 4+ ward save to keep them alive from retalliation and shooting. Additionally, they are a level 2 caster. They are popular as chaff unit, as support unit, as support caster and as sorceress bunker.
They are rarely seen in units bigger than 5, unless people want to build a deathstar with them.

  • No topics yet

Bloodwrack Medusa
The Bloodwrack Medusa isn't a very popular choice... yet. She's mostly preferred on a shrine instead.


Kharibdis
The Kharibdis has gained some popularity. It's sometimes preferred over the Hydra as it doesn't lose combat power as it takes wounds. On the other hand it is more vulnerable against massed shooting. It's a good support unit that might draw some fire away from other precious targets. If they come in a list, they tend to be paired with another large target like a hydra, shrine or cauldron.

  • No topics yet

Bloodwrack Shrine
The Bloodwrack Shrine is fielded occasionally for its odd mix of special rules. It's employed as a trick unit or to provide tricks to the unit hosting it. It's rarely seen without a unit to host it. Any infantry unit can and tends to be combined with the Shrine. It's extremely rare to see more than 1 on the table.


Sisters of Slaughter
The Sisters of Slaughter rarely make it to the scene. Their use is often subject for debate, probably because they lack a straight-forward use. Some would label them as an anvil for their 4+ ward save, as monster beaters for their combat potential, as a trick unit in conjuction with other units, or as a MSU unit. They generally come in small units, because of their high cost.

I love me a bowl of numbers to crunch for breakfast. If you need anything theoryhammered, I gladly take requests.

Furnace of Arcana, a warhammer blog with delusional grandeur.

"I move unseen. I hide in light and shadow. I move faster than a bird. No plate of armour ever stopped me. I strike recruits and veterans with equal ease. And all shiver at my coldest of whispers."
- The stiff breeze
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Re: D.R.A.I.C.H. - The Druchii Art of War 8th WFB, 8th ArmyB

Post by Daeron »

I love me a bowl of numbers to crunch for breakfast. If you need anything theoryhammered, I gladly take requests.

Furnace of Arcana, a warhammer blog with delusional grandeur.

"I move unseen. I hide in light and shadow. I move faster than a bird. No plate of armour ever stopped me. I strike recruits and veterans with equal ease. And all shiver at my coldest of whispers."
- The stiff breeze
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Re: D.R.A.I.C.H. - The Druchii Art of War 8th WFB, 8th ArmyB

Post by Daeron »


General gaming articles


[anchor]gaming materials[/anchor]
Gaming materials



[anchor]gaming statistics[/anchor]
Warhammer statistics
Theoryhammer - Combat performance of DE troops


Storm of Magic
I love me a bowl of numbers to crunch for breakfast. If you need anything theoryhammered, I gladly take requests.

Furnace of Arcana, a warhammer blog with delusional grandeur.

"I move unseen. I hide in light and shadow. I move faster than a bird. No plate of armour ever stopped me. I strike recruits and veterans with equal ease. And all shiver at my coldest of whispers."
- The stiff breeze
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Re: D.R.A.I.C.H. - The Druchii Art of War 8th WFB, 8th ArmyB

Post by Daeron »

<reserved>
I love me a bowl of numbers to crunch for breakfast. If you need anything theoryhammered, I gladly take requests.

Furnace of Arcana, a warhammer blog with delusional grandeur.

"I move unseen. I hide in light and shadow. I move faster than a bird. No plate of armour ever stopped me. I strike recruits and veterans with equal ease. And all shiver at my coldest of whispers."
- The stiff breeze
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Re: D.R.A.I.C.H. - The Druchii Art of War 8th WFB, 8th ArmyB

Post by Daeron »


Know your enemy!



Enemy per style



Enemy per race






Beasts of Chaos - BC



Bretonnia - Bret



Chaos Dwarves - CD



Daemons of Chaos - DoC



Dark Elves - DE



Dogs of War - DoW



Dwarves



Empire



High Elves - HE



Lizardmen - LM


Ogre Kingdoms - OK



Orcs and Goblins - O&G



Skaven



Tomb Kings - TK



Vampire Counts - VC


Warriors of Chaos - WoC


Wood Elves - WE
Vampire Counts - VC
I love me a bowl of numbers to crunch for breakfast. If you need anything theoryhammered, I gladly take requests.

Furnace of Arcana, a warhammer blog with delusional grandeur.

"I move unseen. I hide in light and shadow. I move faster than a bird. No plate of armour ever stopped me. I strike recruits and veterans with equal ease. And all shiver at my coldest of whispers."
- The stiff breeze
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