Craftworlds: Let the Sky Fall

At the start of the month, I wrote a blog post about how I would adjust the (then) current codex to correct some of the issues that I had with the book. Well, now the new Codex has dropped and I thought, why not go back and see how close I was?




First of all, I was looking at the Psychic presence of the Eldar, I felt that they needed more clout to compete on terms with the likes of the Grey Knights. Well, I think we are there or thereabouts, I'll need to play them a bit more to try and get to grips with them. Warlocks can go pretty much anywhere with a guardian as a pseudo sergeant upgrade now, and still have a big ball of them in a HQ choice. I think this works a lot better than the previous way of doing it, it's more streamlined and clean.

As for the psychic powers, they fixed Death Mission by getting rid of it and replacing it with a power that can give fearless and adamantium will in a 12" bubble. It fixes two birds with one stone, one by getting shot of a stupid power and two bolstering the Eldar psychic defence in a way that seems to fit with the nature of the army itself.

Another thing worth mentioning is the Seer Council formation, it becomes a little Psychic powerhouse in itself by letting you generate warp charges on a 3+. I can see myself using this as it will fit right in with an Ulthwé force, especially if it is led by Eldrad.

The Hemlock has been adjusted, and it kind of took me by surprise. Thankfully the forced take of terrify is no more, and in it's place you have an extra Psyker Level and a choice of those powers. One of which is telepathy, which will annoy plenty of people by having a flyer that can dance around the field potentially casting Invisibility on some of the more frequently targeted units. Rather surprisingly too, the Mindshock Pod was rewritten almost exactly as I suggested it, it now gives -2 Leadership in a 12" bubble, but only affects morale, pinning and fear tests. Overall, I like the changes to the fighter, especially as it is for no points cost either, I can see myself using it more in games now and not feeling like it is just a highly mobile caster of psychic shriek.

The Falcon is one that hasn't really been touched stats wise, but has been given it's Cloudstrike Formation rules from Apocalypse, and now that they can be taken in a squadron, it might be a nice little gimmick to have. But still, it isn't a dedicated transport, and it still feels less useful than a Wave Serpent, I'm just not sure that it is a worthwhile investment at 375 points base.

Howling Banshees, I think they are now fixed. Really, it does seem like they went back and looked at the fluff when they considered this unit. Does not suffer Initiative penalties for dangerous terrain, -2 leadership when locked in combat thanks to the Exarch, cause fear and best of all, No overwatch. So now, they should find it easier to get into combat, but they still have to get there. However, this is why I would use them in the formation detachment that is in the book, if you take them with two other aspect warriors, you can add +1 to the WS, and the detachment grants you a 6" run guaranteed. This means you can move 15" a turn, keep them in cover turn one and you should be punching things by turn two. I'm going to be giving Banshees a try as soon as possible.

Now, looking at the Wave Serpent, I have to say I am a little disappointed. With all the thought gone behind the other units, this rebalance seems to have just been written by the whining internet crowd. Scatter lasers lost target lock, which, with an AP of 6 only makes them good at forcing saves on models, so will probably be seen less as other options should give better punch, and the Serpent Shield still has it's limp defensive ability now coupled to a one use only shot that has reduced range, strength and effects. It ignores cover and has strikedown, and I still find ignores cover on a gun with no AP very strange as it is very rare that cover is better than the standard armour save. I would have preferred a sub 100 point cost with the Serpent Shield as a vehicle equipment option but I can't really be disappointed that much as it is still a tough unit.

I also looked at Pathfinders as an anomaly that needed fixing, and Games Workshop fixed them in the same way as they fixed Death Mission, by getting rid of them. Now, they have been given Shrouded as opposed to Stealth, which does mean that they won't be getting easy 2+ cover any more. However, Illic has also been adjusted slightly, by taking him, he grants buffs to a squad of Rangers he accompanies, so by being with the squad he grants them precision shots on hit and also the ability to infiltrate anywhere on the board regardless of enemy proximity. I quite like how this little synergy works as it doesn't feel overcosted any more.

Which leads me to the final unit I highlighted, the Wraithknight. If you venture into other sites, you will know that this unit has caused the sky to fall. To be honest, it has adjusted the unit to be in line with the issues I highlighted, and it's also eased the pressure on the Heavy Support section too. One thing that we have to remember is that D weapons and gargantuan creatures were added to the 7th Edition rule book, and this is the first book to really embrace the use of these new rules. I like how the unit feels more tough now it is not easily felled by poison, and with a strength D close combat weapon, it should do better than before and actually be a force to be reckoned with. Heavy Wraithcannons will make mincemeat of your armour, but when it comes to infantry, they are still only taking out the same number of models per shot. I'm not all in on making a decision on how it is going to affect the game until I've used it a few times, but it means that those going against it are going to have to have new tactics to deal with it, and in my eyes, that is still part of the fun of the game.

Besides, Grav Weapons still wreck it, start buying Centurions marine players.