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 Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS?

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Yodhrin
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PostSubject: Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS?   Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS? Icon_minitimeSat 14 Oct 2017 - 2:58

The Chameleon Skink is just...bad. Really bad. But it's a cool concept and I really want to convert one up to add to my WiP Lizardmen, so I'm trying to figure out how to fix it.

For reference in case you don't have the appropriate pdfs:

70gc hire + 15gc upkeep

M6 WS4 BS4 S4 T2 W1 I5 A1 Ld7

Dagger, Blowpipe+poison darts, Buckler

Can take Shooting, Speed, and Lizardmen skills.

All the basic Lizardmen special rules(Scaly Skin, Cold Blooded, Aquatic, Jungle Born)

"Chameleon Skin" - foes half initiative when trying to detect if Hidden, is also -2 to-hit with missile fire.
"Infiltrator" - as per Skaven.


So it's marginally more survivable than the Lizardmen warband's Great Crest Skinks but is still, in the end, a T2 W1 Skink, and is more likely to actually get the chance to use the Blowpipe and darts it has at least once, but still suffers from the fact the Blowpipe is monstrously overpriced(I'm assuming its 25gc cost was factored in when determining his hire fee). Its equipment is also sub-optimal - a Shield to boost its inherent Scaly Skin armour save would be substantially more useful than a Buckler on a model that should only ever be in melee if you screw up.

At the moment I'm leaning towards tweaking with a cost reduction and swapping the Buckler for a Shield, rather than any kind of drastic rewrites - it has an obvious intended role(thinning the herd or attempting to assassinate a key enemy model while having a modest chance to survive), it's just not good enough at that role for the cost, and I don't think making it strong enough in that role to justify the existing cost would make it very fun to play against.

If it was 55gc hire + 15gc upkeep and had the Shield instead of a Buckler, what would you think of it then? Too cheap, not cheap enough?
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Von Kurst
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PostSubject: Re: Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS?   Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS? Icon_minitimeSat 14 Oct 2017 - 19:49

Unless you have alternate rules for blowpipes reducing the cost doesn't do much. (I never pay for him, I only hire him if I roll returning a favor type exploration results). I do use him in most Lustrian campaigns that I play Lizards in, just to have an infiltrator for those grab the objective scenarios. Lustrian HS are all overpriced, but if you use them only in Lustria it works out.

I can't see him as being worth more than 30 gc actually though. Making the blowpipe a S3 multi shot weapon has been suggested (as per 6 or 7th Warhammer).
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PostSubject: Re: Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS?   Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS? Icon_minitimeSun 15 Oct 2017 - 3:38

Hmm, I can't actually find the rules for them in WHFB, are they in the rulebooks or the army books and whereabouts?

That said, would an infiltrating BS4 skink firing multiple shots while remaining Hidden not be a bit much? I may just be being too conservative, but I'm always conscious when I start messing with rules stuff that it should be fun to play against as well as with.
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PostSubject: Re: Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS?   Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS? Icon_minitimeSun 15 Oct 2017 - 19:07

The chameleon skinks started as a special character in 5th and became a unit later. I'd say 6th, but I can't remember exactly anymore. The rules would only be found in Lizardmen army books, because GW.

My experience is that the Chameleon only gets one shot unless you pick on the extreme flank (in which case the enemy probably doesn't care.) As far as the shooting while hidden rules we apply the Shadow Warrior fix that any warrior who survives the attack can spot his attacker by passing an initiative test after the shot, in which case the shooter loses hidden status.

This is just a suggestion as we play the blowpipe as is (and I'm the only one who bothers with the Chameleon of the Lizard players in the group).
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Yodhrin
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PostSubject: Re: Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS?   Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS? Icon_minitimeSun 15 Oct 2017 - 22:11

Found them, for some daft reason in the Skink Chief bestiary entry in the 7thEd Lizardmen book Neutral

12" range, Str3, fires twice. Hmm. With the hidden rules and the tweak you suggest that might come close to justifying the cost of the weapon without being too ridiculous to face. Keeping auto-wound on a 6 to-hit from poison could be a bit much, but if we preserve the "cannot crit" rule and use Fire Twice from the Repeater Crossbow that should ensure it's not too mental. Still expensive enough there shouldn't be any issues with Skaven or Lizardmen warbands spamming them.

Also while I have you - what's your experience of using Javelins? At first glance they don't seem to have much to offer relative to Shortbows, but I was hoping they have some utility I've missed as I already have too many "chaff henchmen with Shortbows" warbands.

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PostSubject: Re: Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS?   Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS? Icon_minitimeTue 17 Oct 2017 - 0:45

Javelins: I always try to have a group of them once I get a strength increase to build on. Otherwise I occasionally have a hero carry one, but for the mass of rank and file shortbows are better.
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PostSubject: Re: Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS?   Fixing the Chameleon Skink HS? Icon_minitime

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