High Magic
This is an article of how to use the High Magic deck as effectively as possible. I feel that the sceptre of the most powerful magic-using race has shifted to the Skaven and the Undead, but there are still quite a lot that High Elves can do to thwart them.
High Elf Wizards have few very useful rules that every
Sapherian General should remember. First of all, High Elves draw
their spells first. Perioid. When you need either a High Magic or
colour spell you can guarentee that you get it. Apart from the
Undead your`re the only general who can field a lvl 6 mage, and
lvl 5 is enough that you can have any High Magic spell you want.
As a High Elf Lord, you really must know all your choises. Study
the Color decks carefully, and think of the best uses for them,
though in the end of the day many players (and I) prefer the High
Magic.
In the beginning of the magic phase, plan carefully what you want
to do, and then decide whatever you will change any power cards
or not. On many desperate ocassions I have traded ALL my power
cards and recieved Total Power in exchange.
Great many players equip almost all of their regiments with
anti-magic items so it is not so rare to see a game where no
offensive spells pass either player`s defenses. This is the hour
of the High Magic: many of it`s spells are of a defensive nature,
so that Amulet of Fire is of no use against it.
Since all good guys can ally with each other I happyly forget
all the hatred between dwarfs and elves. Runes are simply too
useful.
As an Elven lord I never neglect a chance to filed a runesmith
with three Runes of Spellbreaking. This gives my mages a chance
to lay their hands on something far more useful than those boring
old dispel scrolls. I favour Skull Staff, Chalice of Sorcery, Rod
of Power, War Crown of Saphery, Spell Familiars, Wand of Jet and
Book of Ashur as my principle magic items.
My choises are based upon following:
Skull staff is THE best bargain anywhere to be found for
35 points you get +1 to dispels and 12" scan of magic items.
Spell familiar is a very useful thing for mages, though elves
suffer a bit from it`s lower M. It can really slow down elf
infantry regiments.
I prefer Spell familiars over others, since the effect is very
straithforward. It is especially useful for high level wizards
since the spells gained are hard to dispel and come from a wide
choise of spells.
Book of Ashur steps in the picture if I think I need a lvl 6 mage
or couple of lvl 5 ones. This is a rare day, though, since book
of Ashur is expensive (150 points) and battles large enough to
field so many Mage Lords come only so often.
War Crown of Saphery is almost compulsory in the eyes of many,
and I also go to battle with it if the game is at least
3000-pointer.
There is no way going around the fact that High Magic spells
cost quite a bit of power to cast, so it is here where Rod of
Power enters the picture. Since on the early turns of game most
spells are out of the range, it is a good idea to store the
surplus power cards so you can use that Assault of Stone once in
range.
Wand of Jet and Chalice of Sorcery serve a similar role, only
better. They allow you to cast the spells you need by providing
extra power. The only downside is that Chalice can murder your
mage, and more often than not the Wand loses it`s power on a
first try. To balance out the risk involved when using Wand of
jet I often hunt for the Portent spell. I cast it in the
beginning of the Magic Phase, and since it is only a 1 point
spell the enemy rarely bothers to dispel it. It gives me a chance
to modify any one dice roll, so I can use my Wand safely and
lower the cost of every single spell used on that Magic phase.
Called the weakest High Magic spell by many, there are still
plenty of things you can do with this spell. As it gives an
immunity from missile attacks, it makes your wizard immune to
those nasty War Machine hits. In addition, used in conjucation
with the Tempest, the wizard`s newfound manoeuverabilty with this
spell allowes the relatively safe use of this spell since you can
fly away from your own war machines and archers.
I have now and then mounted my mage on a Manticore or even a
dragon and charged my opponents while this spell was activated.
As your opponent can`t attack back from the ground, you can
freely let them have it. Especially useful against dwarfs who do
not have flyers to chase the offending mage away.
The most feared High Magic Spell of all, Assault of Stone is a deadly spell indeed. If you use the conventional set-up rules make sure that there are plenty of hills on the field. Remember that one of the best things about Assault of Stone is that any dispel item(s) held by enemy units won`t save them since the spell affects a hill, not the target as per se. It is of particular use against dwarfs who very often deploy on hills and are too slow to really out-manoeuvre even a hill...
Very nice spell if you manage to cast it early on the game. It is as good as other 2-point spells in first round, causes fire damage, and gets more powerful if it is not dispelled. Of particular use against mummies, who are dead hard, recieve double wounds and are slooooow so you have several chances to try and cast this spell against them when they get in range.
You can base your whole strategy around this spell: It can
effectively take out your opponent`s magic altogether. I use it
primarly against the Undead: thus it has a dual use of denying
the Necromancers of their horrible spells and slowing the Undead
down (even further) because they cannot benefit from Vanhel`s
Dance Macabre.
Just be sure you have right tools for the job! Equip your Mage
Lord with War Crown of Saphery (to guarentee that you get this
spell), Skull Staff (an item I ALWAYS take. Just too
good for 35 points, especially in the hands of lvl 5 mage) and
Wand of Jet plus Chalice of Sorcery to ensure you have enough
points to cast this 3-point spell.
An extremely handy spell: Long range, cheap to cast and quite
effective.
Glamour is excellent spell for defensively-minded Elf Lord: It
slows the enemy down so you have additional chances to shoot at
them. If you get the control of the opposing unit, think VERY
carefully how to use them. Check out whatever the unit is fast
cavalry or not, can they be changed to/from
skirmishing/skirmishers. I once gained a control of a extremely
powerful Wolf Rider unit. I changed them into a skirmishing form
and charged them in the next turn. Because they lost their
rank+standard bonus, I broke them and cut them down!
Remember to recover this spell when it is no longer required: It
is of no use to hold that regiment of Mummies in the other end of
the Table if a unit of Chaos Knights are charging your own lines.
Do not cast this on archers. They have no reason for moving, and
this spell does not hinder shooting.
If you ever see a lake within the range of the unit you got
control of, move them straight to it! 2D6 Wounds with no save and
1D3 for characters! You may also move a chariot to some rough
terrain and cause it D6 S6 hits.
A straighforward spell: Chaos and especially Undead fear this spell more than anything else. The only problem is that your opponent is liable to get many chances to dispel it since units often have some kind of protection against magic. If you get the total power, consider using it on this spell.
The much beefed-up version of the Jade Casket spell. I quite often equip one High Elf hero with appropriate magic items and mount him on an elven steed. This way my resurrected hero doesn`t become a cripple when he returns to the fray. In fact he is more powerful than before because he causes fear. I have of course used Apotheosis to resurrect many other things: Dragons, Runesmiths, Gotrek and especially High Elf Prince Tyrion who is about the best target for this spell.
One of the best spells, but using it requires a good bit of planning. It can be used to rally Dragon Princes (who get to charge on their next turn unlike with the succesful rally test), annoy Undead, and boost and protect your less corageous allies like humans. Remember to use that LD 10 for EVERYTHING, spells, panic etc.
The short range of this spell severly limits this spell`s
effectivness. I don`t want to be within 12" of a Vampire
Lord for any reason!
When you use this spell, use with a foresight. Use the deadlock
on the best possible target you can find. Spells I try to deprive
my opponents of are Such things as Plague, Wind of Death, Vanhels
Dance Macabre, Curse of the Years and Purple Sun of Xereus. The
items I try to wring from my opponents include the Sword of
Destruction, Morgor the Mangler, Black Amulet and of course the
monstrous rune-weapons. Deadlock the Valaya`s Battle Standard and
those dwarfs are in trouble.
A very tricky spell indeed. On the other hand, it is an excellent way to hold up the enemy, but it can maul your own Repeater Bolt Throwers down and make a mess of your archery tourney. If you manage to get your wizard on your opponent`s side of the table, bomb away, and you`ll propably win. Watch out that some Chaos sorcerer doesn`t nab this spell! It could cause your worst defeat in ages...
Once again, comments are appreciated very much indeed. Any other types of magic you wan`t to hear more about?
-Longsword
"I have some powers of Travel and communication."
-Dardalion at the siege of Purdol.