The best snipers.

[Bigboar]

Ok let's say I want to start a small (1000-1500points) 3rd army, since I already own 4000 points DE and 3000 bretonnia, where I can find a good sniper character to have some fun with? (we are playing a lot T&T at 1000 points with 250 points in mercenaries).

I know empire has the cool, but short range, witch Hunter and also the engineer with h. rifle (can he kill someone?), I think WE has better options with armour ignoring items, but don't know them well... what else?

I'm open to suggestion for single character build (as a mercenary) that could become a small list, with 3-4 units and around 1000points. (don't care for tournament, just want my friend's hate )

thanks

[Dalamar]

Wood elves sound like the best bet for you.

Waystalkers are 90 points a piece and BS7 snipers that can either ignore armor or multi shoot, they're a bane of hero level characters.

And when you want your friends' hate, full avoidance wood elf list will have them foaming

That's what I'll be building.

[Bigboar]

sounds nasty.. but how to protect him? what Armour/save can I give him? or keep him cheap in a bunker of archers and avoid close combat until possible?

[Dalamar]

No armor. He's a wood elf!

Wood elves have all the tools necessary to stay ojt of combat for the whole 6 turns, dancing around the enemy.
Just neutralize incoming shooting (yours is better) and snipe out any wizards with magic missiles.

[Watchmaster]

What would you think of giving the magic bow to a waystalker? At first, it seems like a waste, as he gets only two shots to a glade captain's four. But, both those shots will ignore armor and can snipe...

[Dalamar]

Bow of Loren is amazing on a Waystalker the way I see it. 2 no save shots (even at S 3) with the ability to snipe will put the scare on any character... while 4 S3 shots are kind of laughable.

[Khaleth Blackheart]

Bow of Loren is A+1 shots, so put it on a way stalker, and cast savage beast on him for 5 no armour save sniper attacks

[Bigboar]

does the magic weapon and savage beasts stack with the single sniper shoot? (don't have we book, don't know how the book explain the sniper shoot...)

other than we and empire who has the sniper rule? ogre, skaven?

[Searinox Nagharha]

Skaven dont have the sniper rule, atleast not last time i checked

[Dalamar]

Ogres have sniper maneaters but that's it, and they're very inaccurate, counting on the poison to do any damage. Empire is about as accurate as ogres without the poison but essentially every handgunner champion and engineers can be a sniper (since it's a rule of one of their weapons and not models).

[Calisson]

For Empire, that's the Hochland Long Rifle (HLR) indeed.
Engineers can get it, as well as champions of handgunners and outriders IIRC. The driver of the Steam Tank can get one as well.
Now, it is so unaccurate for its cost that very few Empire players bother to take any.

[Searinox Nagharha]

that and its both "Slow to Fire" and "Move or Fire". sure it has a 36" range but most of the things you can give it at are constantly moving (Pistoliers, Outriders, Steamtank) maybe you could give it to an Engineer thats keeping an eye out for all the warmachines but still not a very good use

[Bigboar]

The problem I have with WE is they are wood elfs no really I really don't like all the dryads and ents and similiar, but maybe a gladeguard unit with a Waystalkers sniper could be a cool mercenary to use unit in Triumph and treachery... (but they can be paid by your enemy to not shoot/attack each round!)

Maneater looks quite powerful to me; AB 4, two shots each at S4 with AP and 24" with sniper and poison (I'm not sure if they can move and shoot)! then in close combat they have 4+1 S5 attacks + stomp (even steadfast if you don't take poison!)
12 bullets hitting on 5+ with poison it's something like 3 wounds with -2 armour can be letal for a mage and scary even for a 2+ hero. Sure it's a lot of point (4-500) but could lead to a dead character each round.

With an Imperial master Engineer you only have 1 shoot at bs4... even if at very long range (36") In the whole game I think you can only kill and unprotected lv2 if lucky...

then the Witch hunter has KB against his quarry, both shoot and close combat, he only has 2 S4 12" shots but a 6 it's always possible... I think he also has the reroll to wound against wizard and demon/undead... I already see the fear in my enemy eyes.

what do you think of this two 1000 points lists (as said for friendly match most on T&T):

- Butcher lv2 (death) 50 points of magic items.
- 6x Ironguts
-3x Maneaters with 2 guns (sniper, poisoned attacks)
-3x Maneaters with 2 guns (sniper, steadfast)
-1x Ironblaster
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Witch Hunter (armour of meteoric iron=1+AC!!! brace of pistols, great weapon)
- Battle wizard lv3 (death?)
- 34 Halberdiers
- 10 handgunners with champion with H. long Rifle
- 20x greatswords
-1x greatcannon

which one do you like most, and which one do you think is most effective at sniping?

[Watchmaster]

Ogres have to take one wizard with gut magic before they can take a different lore (unless you go with a firebelly), so death magic is tough to get at low point levels.

You can't duplicate special rules on maneater squads, so only one can have sniper.

Ogre pistols have quick to fire- move and shoot all you like without penalty!

[Bigboar]

Thanks, I don't know the ogre's rules or their magic...Anyway not a big problem I could turn to a 6 Maneater unit, with sniper and poison, and with quick to fire they are even better, 12 bs4 s4 sniper poisoned shots are impressive ...in combat they are even more impressive with something like 27 s5 ws4 attacks (15 attacks front line, 9 from second and 3 stomps)

one more question on the sniper: Is it possible to use sniper ability as a stand and shoot reaction? (even with a -2 to hit)

[Calisson]

yes, nothing prevents it.

[marcopollo]

Best mage "sniper" for the OK is a butcher with the hell heart.

[Dalamar]

Pretty short ranged though, isn't that like 12" or 18"?

[Watchmaster]

It's D6 x 5", so there's no telling.