Arena Champion as Warlord

What do you guys think about taking 3 Jetbikes and upgrading one to an Arena Champion, with the dual objective of having a Warlord that is hard to kill and obviously being able to roll a Strategic Trait.

As it's primary objective would be to keep the Warlord alive, it wouldn't be entering combat unless it was 99% likely to wipe the unit (or not die) and it would only likely shoot at stuff if it had the cover to move back out of LOS in the assault phase.  If the shooting is actually usable, I'd likely add a Blaster to the Warlord.  Probably worth it anyway for 10 points.

The unit would cost 58 points without a blaster and 68 with.

Jetbikes aren't hard to kill.

Much harder than anything else in our army though no? If a 48" movement isn't enough to get you out of LOS, I'm not sure what is.

One heavy flamer wipes the unit.


I think I prefer multi wound warlords. Outside of our HQ choices, I would usually only go with an aberration.

Thats 58 points that are not fighting, but hiding.

I agree, but the problem is I can't get any character to last more than 3 turns.

You have hit the question that I was after though. 58 points of hiding to not give away the Warlord point and still take a trait.

The only way a heavy flamer is going to hit bikes is if they droppod in. That's not impossible to avoid.

i have a similar problem, our WL's just die to quickly to instant death and the like... try the haemy from Dark artisan instead for a warlord ;D

I do like the DA haemmy.

What have you been running? And how are they consistently dying? Even my crap little Archons usually last the game, unless I do something stupid. (They suck too bad to be a high priority target.)

From my humble experience, a Lhamaean behind BLOS was the longest surviving warlord. She can also confer the strategic traits for the entire army, and most of all, she's ridiculously cheap as 15 pt!

The dark artisan haemy (with the doll) is another hard-to-kill HQ, but I feel it's too expensive.

Start with you warlord in reserve. With some luck and reserve manipulation, he will arrive late enough to protect him from most harm, and all the deep striking / drop podding.

lelith wrote:

From my humble experience, a Lhamaean behind BLOS was the longest surviving warlord. She can also confer the strategic traits for the entire army, and most of all, she's ridiculously cheap as 15 pt!

The dark artisan haemy (with the doll) is another hard-to-kill HQ, but I feel it's too expensive.

The only way she can be warlord is if you have not characters - plus as she is not a character you get no warlord trait!

OMG, it seems you're right! I've played a huge mistake so far. Thanks for the correction!!!

No worries! Mistakes happen! I don't mind having no trait depending on the opponent

Jimsolo wrote:

I do like the DA haemmy.

What have you been running?  And how are they consistently dying?  Even my crap little Archons usually last the game, unless I do something stupid.  (They suck too bad to be a high priority target.)

I have been using exactly this for a few months, but I'm starting to feel more and more that the DA formation is too expensive to use at 1500 points, so am trying to drop it for the majority of my games. If I use an Archon, it only ever goes with 4 Medusae, so is dropped right into the thick of things and is a very high priority target. I end up just upgrading a warrior to a Sybarite and leaving a unit of 5 at the back of the table on an objective (50 points not doing much) and let their Venom roam and shoot stuff. The problem occurs that something will get to them by the end of the game and of course, just gives away the point easily.

Since many months I'm using an Arena Champion as a warlord and I have to say I'm happy enough, I also take part to a tournament last week and my warlord never get killed, but i don't like the idea of putting him in a small unit just for hiding.

I play my Arena Champion in a unit of 6 reavers, that is about my only close combat / counter attack unit in a shooty army, so people generally tent to ignore the unit thinking to more long ranged treats, and if the don't have ignore covers reavers are really hard to kill in the shooting phase with 3++ and FnP.

In particular I use them with an allied farseer in it, if he get fortune the unit becames almost unkillabe.

Change of plan. I'm going to drop the bikes and take a Razorwing Jetfighter as my Warlord

what o_0, is that even legit, why not take a talos warlord then, take 5 in the deathstar formation to give <expletive deleted> a run for his money.

Post edited for foul language. Do not use the f-word! - Count Adhemar

iknowinewb wrote:

what o_0, is that even legit, why not take a talos warlord then, take 5 in the deathstar formation to give <expletive deleted> a run for his money.

You normally have to have a character as your Warlord. If you do not have any characters in your army then you can pick any other model but it would not then have a warlord trait.

I am planning on Taking a Arena Champion as my Warlord, but in a 9 man squad, more ablative wounds that way. That make my wonder something.... can any Reaver in the squad be upgraded to an arena Champ? As in on of the blast/heat lance bike or one of the caltrop bikes or does it have to be a normal reaver?

Any model can take talons and caltrops but the heat lance and blaster option are restricted to Reavers (ie not Arena Champions).

There's always the argument about whether you can pick a Reaver upgrade first and then upgrade the Reaver to an Arena Champion but let's not open that can of worms again!

I won't That works for me. Lets me put something I don't want to die on something I really don't want to die, so one more ablative would before I lose the units tricks effectiveness.

A Mandrake Nightfiend might be an option:
Start in reserve to avoid drop flamers.
Outflank.
Get into cover.
Rely on 2+ cover saves thanks to Stealth + Shrouded. Take potshots at the enemy if they come within 24 inches. Run away from anything that gets close.

Not at all terrible FuelDrop.

This year I have been running a cheap WWP Blaster Archon who goes usually with 8 Sslyth but has the option of making friends with Blasterborn and Scourges. I find that he survives quite well with the Sslyth but his survivability is usually based on how the game is going, I don't tend to worry about giving away Slay the Warlord unless it is truly avoidable.

Due to a change of list I will now be running an Arena Champion but I don't expect to use those Reavers in any different way.

Sky My "Command" squad is going to be a 9 man squad with blasters, jus for a little more range, and more ablative wounds