Lictors?

[Lodark]

Thinking of getting some because I love the models and the fluff. Are they any good, and how many would you get? One by itself looks a bit helpless.

[Loki]

Lictors will become much worse in the new edition. Seeing as they won't be able to consolidate into a new unit if they wipe they current one out in combat, they'll probably be good for killing one unit and then being shot to death.

[The griefbringer]

Lictors will become much worse in the new edition. Seeing as they won't be able to consolidate into a new unit if they wipe they current one out in combat, they'll probably be good for killing one unit and then being shot to death.

Very possibly true, but don't they have Hit and Run? If so, they might be good for damaging a unit and then jumping back into cover.

In any case, you won't want to leave them sitting out in the open anywhere. They are going to require a lot more thought to use effectively. Of course, as it stands now they are really only very good against IG and Tau. Most other armies can beat the snot out of them in HTH if it whiffs too many of its attacks. Plus with the rending nerf, they are going to be a lot worse.

[The call of the hunt]

The True Sight rules will make them worse, you'll be able to see it alot, its quite large.

TCOTH

[The griefbringer]

The True Sight rules will make them worse, you'll be able to see it alot, its quite large.

TCOTH

This will be mitigated by its almost-universal 2+ cover save, I think. Remember, in the new edition you might be able to see everything, but it will be much easier to claim a 4+ cover save than before.

[Kargan daemonclaw]

Lictors will / do make great support troops.

If you use them as solo kamikazi units then what you describe is quite likely.

IIRC TYranid units with scuttle can scout. Scout units can chose to come on from the enemies side baord edges and IIRC lictors add +1 to the reserves roll or something like that.

Preferred enemy will also get better because it is reroll to hit rather than just hit on 3+ (so useless for genestealers).

So a sinlge Lictor could be a great force multiplier in a vangard tyranid list with loads of scuttling genestealers and infiltrating brood lords.

If you want to Kamikazi genestealers then pick enemy units that are support units, big guns an little firepower. Even a marine devastator squad would be hard pressed to kill you in a single turn and if you win you can hold them in combat.

Attacks against vehicles become even more likely because you are always hitting the rear armour and a S6 attack is quite likely to penetrate.

There are generallly 2 strategies for lictors. take 3 and use them together as an assault brood. Or take 1 and use it as a reserve booster and to support units assaulting by giving them preferred enemy.

[The call of the hunt]

The True Sight rules will make them worse, you'll be able to see it alot, its quite large.

TCOTH

This will be mitigated by its almost-universal 2+ cover save, I think. Remember, in the new edition you might be able to see everything, but it will be much easier to claim a 4+ cover save than before.

Yeah, don't lictors get an extra cover saave anyway, even in the open? S going to ground will increase that even in the open, so its not all bad.

TCOTH

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[The griefbringer]

Oh yeah--I forgot that Preferred Enemy allows re-rolls in 5th, not just the 3+. That is a *lot* better, even for kamikaze Lictors, since they are less likely to just whiff. Hmmmm...will make a note to keep away from the bushes in future.

[The call of the hunt]

Not just bushes, open ground is the same as dense forest for the everstalking Lictor. If I ever paint up my old 'nid army again(probably not going to happen) A lictor will be first on my list.

Are 'nids at a disadvantage in 5th, as most of their troops, 'cep 'stealers are not so good at holding objectives, could be a problem. But the enemy can't hold the objective if theres n one left alive. Muhahahahaha!

[Rabidnid]

Lictors are very fluffy, but not very useful. They are hlepful for reserves re-rolls and for destroying soft vehicles like artillery. They are perfect for taking out assasins, and being S-6 are good for killing off bases of swarms.

They often scare the opposition into strange behaviour, and occasionally roll gloriously and butcher anything> Mostly though the are a waste of about 40 points, because they are simply not worth their actual point value.

[Kargan daemonclaw]

Lictors are now much better for taking out a tank. Most tanks are rear armour 10 and with S6 rending attacks quite likely to get a penetrating hit and damage / kill the tank. Even a damage would be a good trade for a lictor if you got to kill a battle cannon.

You also need to look at the rest of the army.

There isn't any escallation but scout units can start off table and can come on from the table edges. Llictors enable you ro reroll reserve results so coulc be instrumental in most of your reserve units coming on in turn 2 rather than scattered over turns 2-4.

Lictors are also great at killing really annoying units like snipers, rangers, pathfinders, that are hard to reach by other means.

All the bad comments about lictors seem to come from people expecting the lictor to be an eversore assassin capable of slaughtering whole units in one go.

Prime targets for solo lictors should be support units like pathfinders, artillery units, units of lootas etc. Sending them into the midst of a Blood claw unit is stupid.

Lictors are also best used in a combo charge with a unit of genestealers. Give all the genestealers preferred enemy, all those attacks with 3,s with rerolls is well worth the points value of the lictor.

[Elipsis]

I always take lictors because they are just so much fun!
As mentioned earlier, i take lictors to take out artillery vehicles, support squads and lone characters. Like assasins they add the psychological element, as people wonder where they're going to pop out next.
I either take them as a trio to destroy heavy stuff, like land raiders, or I disperse them to take care of weapon emplacements.

[Alkkrision]

Great for taking out anything with indirect fire as well, just send them headlong out of cover and straight into something such as a basilisk, which can become problematic to deal with early on in-game.

[Sidorio]

thems are pests lictors, i had a strong line of chaos, was having fun killing genestealers then a damned lictor came out and took down half the unit.
they are good for taking out squadsa that have infiltrated aswell, just make sure to use them well

[Joyfulcheese]

Aye they're good for the shock value and for dropping them into objectives to keep them contested. Only thing I hate is the fact that their armour save isn't worth snot. I had 3 of them appear in several guardsmen squads and were all dead after inflicting a mere 5 casualties out of a total of 15 men But get them in early and you can keep the enemy from holding objectives till you can get your better stuff in there to deal with them.

[Heat-13]

Lictors are FUN! They always scare the crap out of my opponents. However, game wise they are quite fragile. And can only really kill stuff if they get those rending "6"s. (I fail at that part =P)

But since they are in reserve, they will usually come out when your front line is about to/has already hit the enemy, so lictors provide valuable support too.

And remember that support is flexible, so you can get your lictor stuck in the most important combat, as there is a lot of cover from which it can appear from in 40k =P