Advances for a ghoul

As I said in my post on skills for a vampire, I've started running an undead warband. Luckily, one of my ghouls had talent and is now a hero. He's got Strength 4 as his only advance so far. The group I play with agree that ghouls can't use weapons or armour. What skills have people found useful for ghouls. Resilience and mighty blow seem obvious. Step aside maybe?

I prefer using Strength and Speed for my ghouls. Dodge and Sprint can help them get into combat and do some damage and Jump Up can help out a bunch also.

Using a combination of Strength and Speed gives a nice mix and will help your ghoul keep up with the faster Vampire.

Combat and Strength is also a nice path, being able to access Step Aside and Strike to Injure is a definite plus. Instead of the Vampire running off in front of the warband, I advance slowly taking advantage of cover and hiding. (Of course if the Vamp becomes T6, I treat it as a one man army...

Agree with the Speed skills, but I think Combat is a good second choice for skills, mainly because of "Step Aside" and "Strike to Injure". Combine these with Sprint and Dodge, and you have a pretty nasty Ghoul fighter that can move quick and has a 5+ save against any attacks that can't be modified. Up his Initiative, and "Lightning Reflexes" is another good choice.

Pick Academic & Speed. Get Arcane Lore. Buy a Tome of Magic. Make sure you don't roll the arrow spell. Get Scale Sheer Surfaces, Dodge, Sprint or whatever fun skill you want. Have a blast casting spells with your Ghoul.

... Or be boring - go Strength/Speed or Combat/Speed and pick off snipers, take objectives and hold them, etc.

Strength/Speed: Sprint, Dodge, Scale Sheer Surfaces, Resilient, Pit Fighter, Mighty Blow.
Combat/Speed: Sprint, Dodge, Scale Sheer Surfaces, Step Aside, Combat Master.

If you don't roll enough wounds, get Jump Up.
Resilient is not needed if you get T5 and just go for snipers with S3 - depends on what you're facing. Pit Fighter is just to get the 6 attacks if you want, same with Combat Master, which isn't as good against snipers, but good with the all alone tests, if you're running away from the rest of your group, when you're on a mission!

It also depends on the terrain. If you don't play with a lot tall buildings, just go Combat/Strength.

The Speed/Acedemic path won't help those whose ghouls can't take equipment much...

Minor detail - stop trying to ruin my plans!

Von Kurst wrote:

The Speed/Acedemic path won't help those whose ghouls can't take equipment much...

I thought ghouls could only not take weapons or armour but still can have "familiars" , lucky loin cloths etc

The warband's rules state that ghouls may not 'carry any equipment'. The FAQ states that the game's author held this to mean that ghouls could have no equipment even if they learned a skill to allow them to use weapons, however, he then made a statement that kind of left it up to players. So I expect some groups allow great latitude and others, like my own, allow only Lucky Charms and Rabbit's Feet.

Thanks. My group allows equipment but not weapons or armour. We read the statement under weapons/armour for ghouls to mean they can't have those but then follow the general rule that heroes are allowed miscellaneous equipment.

Great! Dave, I stand by my Academic/Speed skills!

Well, it would be amusing to have the ghoul as the academic in the war band. That's quite a change from the slavering, bloodthirsty beast he was as a henchman! You've given me something to think about Alpha.

Haha, yeah, it will indeed be a change ^_^
However, there might be a problem with the Sword of Rezhebel, since he cannot use weapons. Also the Silver Arrows of Arha sucks.
I'm not saying he's going to be effective (Though Luck of Shemtek and Flight of Zimmeran ain't too shabby for him!), but it's most likely a hell'lotta fun

I'm not sure why Silver Arrows would suck, the ghoul has a ballistic skill and his BS is as good as a hired warlock. Silver Arrows is one of our favorite spells to roll for a Warlock. An LGT ghoul has way more possiblity to increase his BS than a warlock.

As for the Sword, its magic after all!

Aye, his balistic skill is as good as the Warlock's, and I agree, it''s still good at BS2. Only problem is; no, a Ghoul cannot increase his BS with LGT - he has a max of 2 so a Warlock actually has more potential with it.

About the sword... I'd say that's up to the individual group. Tbh. I don't know if I would allow it ^_^

I am having a hard time deciding if you are making a case for or against your own proposal. At the moment, the Acedemic path doesn't seem like it would be all that usefull, at least for you.

Why are conjured bows and arrows not a problem to use, but a conjured sword is?

Quote :

Only problem is; no, a Ghoul cannot increase his BS with LGT - he has a max of 2 so a Warlock actually has more potential with it.

Oops! Thats what I get for taking part in a discussion outside the range of my groups' rules. Oh well it was a slow night.

I never sold it as useful - only fun!
I'm also just presenting both sides. Even though it might be fun, it might not be as effective as other skill combinations, so it depends on why you're playing Mordheim in the first place ^_^

About the conjured bows and arrows: I've never read the Silver Arrows of Arha as being fired from a bow, but just the wizard conjuring them, and sending them on their way. So he's technically not 'equipping' a weapon. I see your point though, but I never really understood why ghouls can't use weapons, and then still use bones/stones/etc.
If the reason behind this rule is uncovered, we might have a better foundation for a discussion