Have you forgotten again?

Maybe I'll do Forgotten Kingdoms tomorrow or saturday.

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"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

Ah, I will definately at least start Fallen Realms tonight after my evening lecture.

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

I cannot do them all tonight as one must sleep, but I have 3 weeks off for Easter, as I do not have 'half-terms' so I should complete it soon.

As with Telchar, the out of 10 ratings will be comparable to other units in the list, not everything.

Haradrim Warband
As a melee unit, an inexperience player might think, oh it rerolls 1s in combat, that must be good. However, you may notice that the cost the same as WoMT and Morannon Orcs w/ shields, and the rerolling 1s does not nearly make up for that, as they die much easier, and 1 is only a fraction of the failed hits against these defence 7 troops. However, with bows, these would be the best long-range unit in the list were it not for th dreaded Arbalesters. They cost the same as Corsair archers but have a highr defence and reroll 1s, this is a more effective ability for archery as they do not take simultanoues hit with their targets and they can do more damage than other bow armed troops, though they would be better with pathfinders and/or enchanted cloaks, they are still good. For a mellee unit, they are a 4 in Fallen Realms, and a 6.5 for an archer unit. One final point about melee, though, is if in used with conjuction with Khamul, their weaknness (defence) becomes their strength, making them much better, however for the same pts you could get Khandish w/ 2-handers, but more on that later.

Haradrim Raider Warband
In melee, these cavary on the charge are the same as their infantry counterparts with the exceptions that a) they have lances, making them the equivalent of strength 5, and b) they strike first, so their low defence is less of a problem. They are in effect, almost as good as KoMT, they hit a little harder due to poison, but whren they take hits, they certainly do take hits. With bows, the reverse is true, for the same cost as their infantry counterpartys but they only produce a quarter of the shots per company and they cannot charge if they do so, giving them a quarter of their charging attacks and without the lance bonus, they are definately not worth giving bows to. Without bows, they are a 6, with bows they are a 3.

Serpent Guard Warband
Remember what I said about haradtim infantry in melee, well for a measly 1pt of fight (just one more attack per coy if fighting against fight 3, for a whole 5pts more, and still the same poor defence, thats right, they cost more than Morannon Orcs. This unit is not one to be taken unless for theme. They are also in metal too, if they weren't ba enough already. My rating for them is a 3.

Serpent Rider Warband
As with the difference between, Haradrim and Raiders, these are better in combat than Serpent Guards, however, that again comes at a hefty cost. As with Raiders, these can also have bows, but you'd be mad as a moose to do so as they are as bad as Harad raiders w/ bows and cost even more. If we again forget about the bows, they do have one valuable item which the harad Raiders lack, and this is a hornblower, meaning that AtD these guys can move 2" faster per turn, making them better at getting into the enemy's flank whwre they are much better, without bows, these are a 5 or 5.5, with them, they are 2.5.

Corsair Raiding Party
These guys cost exactly the same as Haradrim, but with lower defence, courage and no poison, they do have +1 Fight, but I hardly find that adequate componsation. With no equipment, or bows, these are pretty bad, though, unlike haradrim, they do have the option for shields, making them slightly better than Serpent Guards. I have to however compare Corsairs w/ or without shield to the Mordor Orc Warband here, the same strength, defence, attacks, wounds and courage, for 10pts more. They do however have +1 Fight giving them 1 extra attack in direct combat, however they lack the Mob Rule, making their supporting atttacks half as good, so in a 6 coy shield fight between Orcs and Corsairs, each with 3 coys direct, 3 coys support, they willl be exactly the same, both hitting each other on 5s, and dealing out the same attacks. So Corsairs are not worth it, more abou them in relation to Arbalesters later. With bows or nothing they are 3.5, with shields, they are 4.5.

Continued tomorrow or as soon as possible.

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

Hurrah!

I agree with everything, but I think your notes are a bit hard. Haradrim Raiders are more then a simple pass to me, at least a 7.

_________________
"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

I'm positive I have a Rohan writeup kicking around my hard drive somewhere. I oughta look for it.

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"What's so civil about war, anyway?"

@HRM, good luck with that.

@Telchar, thank you, aye but I's put Mogul Knights at 7.5-8 and I don't think the gap was big enough. The reason for the number 's gnerally being low is becauseopf how high Arbalesters will be.

To continue:

Khandish Mercenary Warband
With two-handed weapons or bows, these are the closest thing in your lists to Orcs. They cost a little more but hit a little harder and are a little tougher. So its pretty even, although, an alied block of Morannon Orcs w/ shields costs the same as Khandish, and more than Orcs. With bows, the Arbalester problem is also apparant, but don;t completely rule Khand archers out as they are common, and are good for themed games. With two-handed weapons a 5-6 coy formation could be a very good investment. With two-handed weapons 7, with bows, 6.

Khandish Mercenary Raiders
In general, these guys are not as good as their infantry counterparts as you are forced to take bows with them, and in they cost the same as Haradrim Raiders which, with no bows, are better. They can however make a full move and shoot, which makes them somewhat better than Raiders w/ bows, though they are not expert riders so no charges which would really hurt. They could still be used in a two-turn attack, the first they move in to position and hoot at the flanks, the second time they move in for the kill. For impatient and/or competive players these are not high on the to do list. I give these guys a 5.

Easterling Cohort
The first thing to notice with these guys s that they cost the same as Corsairs w/ shields yet have +2 defence, +1 courage, and no penalty. Thus, they make Corsairs a complete waste, but as you can get Orcs, its not really a problem. Easterlings compare reasonably well with Morannon Orcs, WoMT and Warriors of Arnor, yet they cost 5pts more because the othere are undercosted, so you really need a Ringwraith or something to make them more reasonable, but more on that later. There are two things of import that Easterlings have that those huys don;t however, those are Dragon Knights and pikes. The pikes, unlike their Isengard friends who cost the same, still maintain defence 7 to the front, which means that they can actually be worthwhile. Cavalry would be even more scared of these than Uruk phalanxes, though doing so increases their cost, but they are still reasonable. The Dragon Knights provide a much cheaper AtD which though still vulnerable to ES duels because of its resistance 1, their higher fight does however reduce the damage to its formation. Overal, with or without pikes these guys are 7.5 to a possible 8.

Easterling Archer Cohort
Firs things first, as with AoMT, why on earth do these cost more than the shield guys? These guys are the second most expensive archers in Fallen Realms because of their defence 5 and their fight value, yet they do not have poisoned weapons, better shoot, pathfinders, enchanted cloaks or ambushers, thus these guys are just not worth it. Putting the Betrayer in them makes them better of course, but so it does to all units. The only reason to take them, as with Dwarf Archers, is because they come in the box. I rate these guys a 3.5.

Easterling Kataphrakt Cohort
As with the archers, these somehow cost more than the Warriors, they are better than the archers, they have a decent defence, a strength 4 to make up for their lack of lances and come with a decent array of sizes with access to Dragon Knights and Drummers, thus they seem a good deal. One flip of the page, and you notice Morgul Knights, they cost exacly the same, have similar abilities, swap strength 4 for lances, which are slightly better, have +1 defence and Terror, thus Kataphrakts are not the good deal they look, though still useful. If these guys cost the same as the Warriors on foot, they'd be much better and would get a better rating, but instead they will have to settle on a 6, with a max of 6.5.

Watcher Warband
The first thing to notice is that these giys are Ambushers, meaning they can appear pretty much where they're needed to attack the enemy from behind. Their stats however are no better than Haradrim Warriors and they cost 10pts more for their versitilty in position. Like Haradrim, these giys can still take bows, a must have, as shooting in the rear of an enemy is much safer. They have a better shoot, givng each company a whopping 1 extra attack per company when shooting, they also have a better fight, but thats Easterlings over again. Watchers of Karna do have one extra little trick; they have enchanted cloaks, meanng if they pop up alonside your battle line, the enemy cannot shoot at them in long tande whilst you still can, and have rerolls, if they have shortbows all the better. If they have longbows, it is a little harder to get into the right place. Also, if they pop up behing the enemy, chances are they will be within 12" of the enemy archers, though you still have 2 things on your side, first you'd aim for the shielded guys as they have no shields on their behind so you will aim to deploy next to them,not their archers, second, if their archers tun round to shoot them, your main army will have a much better time. They can also lead on of the best Battlehosts in the game. I give Watchers without bowsm, a 4, with bows they are 7.5.

That will be the second break, I may be able to continue later this evening, but I will definately be able to tomorrow. TTFN.

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

Part 3 of the Fallen Realms.

Half Troll Warband
These guys are on of the toughest units in the game, R2, Indomitable, Strength 5, can have 2-handers, Beserk and Terror, no WSA, and unlike Uruk Beserkers, can go up to three companies. Let that sink in a moment, if we were to completely ignore cost and focus solely on abilty, these would be a 10 out of 10, pair them with Amdur and/or the Betrayer and you can nearly auto-kill, they are like a tougher version of Khazad Guard. Then we come to the cost, at 100pts a company w/ two-handers, and slightly less without, these are incredibly costly, and taking them woul definately hurt your numbers. They are twice the cost of Khazad Guards, who are considerably more spamable, and in a list with 2 Rampage heroes, not 1. When you have the points, and you have a minimum of 2 coys, and a decent Epic in them, you will be glad of their help. I give these guys a 6, or 7-7.5 with 2-handers.

Mahud Warband
Remember how good thes guys used to be in SBG before they got nerfed, it that's whay you expect from them in WotR you'd be surely mistaken, the newer nurfed SBG Mahud are probably based on these guys. They do have a decent streangth and fight, but a poor defence and as with Corsairs, cost the same as pikeless Easterlings, but unlike corairs thes are alo all in metal. These guys should cost 5pts less,but as they don't, they're no good, too fragile and costly, unlike Half Trolls, which are even more costly but much tougher. Mahud also have the options for blowpipes, which have half the range of bows, in order to be in close range, they need to be well within charge distance, not exactly ideal, the only benefit is they still maintain their shields, but thats still poor for their cost. If they had poisoned weapons like Haradrim, and like SBG Mauhud do, they'd be useble, though still uncompetetive, as they do not, they are poor. Score without blowpipes 4, with blowpipes, 3.

Mahud Raider Warband
As with their infantry, and the Corsairs, you'd have to be mad to use them. For the cost of KoMT with shields, they have no lances, a ridiculously low defence, still no poison, and no benefit. With blowpipes they are even worse. These guys are weaker than Warg Riders w/ shields but cost more. Pity for such awesome models, you gotta love camels. Anyway, without blowpipes they are a 3.5, with blowpipes a 2.

Corsair Arbalesters
Suddenly in the midst of all these overcosted troops, we have these guys. It looks like they should be from Mordor or Misty Mountains. For the same cost as Khandish Warriors and Haradrim Raiders, and costing 5pts less than Corsairs with bows or normal shields, we have uber-cheap crossbowmen with extra-defence shields at the same time. They are almost certainly the most undercosted units in the game. They are not however entirely good, in order to move and shoot, you need a Captain, which opens up ES duels, alsi their defence is still 6, so strength 4+ troops should be able to deal with them, provoding tthey make it across the table in one piece. Remember what I said about the Betrayer in Easterling archers, well rather than 35pt defence 5 archers, what about 25pt defence 6 crossbowmen. You see the problem. Though they need a Captain, these are still the crown jewel, you can go without them, and still win, but if you use troops who aren't overpowered and face a lot of Morannons, WoMT or Blackshields, you may wish you'd taken them, if not, and you do take them you will either feel incredibly guilty, or you are incredibly evil, much like some of the game designers. I rate these 9.5.

Black Numenorean Regiment
The first thing abou them, is with Easterlings in this list, and Morannons in Mordor, what use are these guys. They are still pretty decent, being defence 7 infantry and they cause Terror, a nice boon, though not needed if you put a Wraith in there. With Dalamyr though, and the Tainted nearby, these do have a use, but being all metal, costing more than the more economic Easterlings etc, you'd have to be rich to use them, or find suitable alternatives, I plan on converting WoMT, though i've also seen Dark Elf Corsair used, which would theme in a weird sort of way with Arbelesters. These guys are pretty good, but not overly neededd, using one block to replace one of your Easterling Cohorts, and you may want to experiment. I rate these 6.5-7.

Morgul Knight Regiment
Definatley better than their infantry, one of the best units in the list, also unlike Arbalesters, these guys are reasonably costed, so you won't feel as guilty about using them. They are on of the bets value cavalry in the game, having a whopping defence 7, and not costing 50pts. These cost the same as Kataphrakts and are better, they can also take hits better than other cavaly, but that doesn't mena you should just send them straight into the front, they should still aim for the flanks just like other cavalry, and if used well, these can make your day, watch out for enemy SfC and other damage spells as usual, and either go leaderless or put in a suitable epic. They also have hornbowers, and are the reaosn why serpent riders atren't overly good though, for 5pts more and the loss of poison, you get +3 defence ad Terror. They are your best cavalry option valuewise, with Haradr Raiders second, you don't really need to use any of the other. I give these guys an 8.

We will have another break, I did intend to do thes one last night, but something of great significance to me came up, of which I will not disclose. I will be back later.

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

Good reviews!

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Ours is the fury!

Thank you, just as well I remebered then.

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

Would be cool to see a Rohan evaluation.

I looked around my computer, I must have lost it. I might have a go at it again now that I'm getting back into LOTR.

One thing I noticed - is it just me, or does GW seem to think that the CHANCE to do something cool is worth a LOT of points, whether or not it's reliable?

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"What's so civil about war, anyway?"

Correctamundo

Good luck.

I will do the last Fallen Realms items when I have more time.

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

Pray how are you going to do that?

I have been thinking about the same conversion, for when I start my Harad army (ie. in 20 years or so), but my first experiments have come to nothing.

_________________
"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

Right, Forgotten Kingdom's (I will also state where I think these would make for good allies, however, I don't have much experience on allies, so this all pure conjecture):

Hobbit Militia: The worst unit in the game for the lowest price in the game. These are very useful indeed when you're low on numbers, especially when playing Elves. I know, the stat's are sh^t, but they're there to be a meatshield for your Galadhrim Knights to get in that flank without casualties, not to actually do something. And because the price is so low, there's always somewhere to fit them in, and losing them doesn't hurt. One can also use them along the lines of Goblins, putting 25 companies in the field for a 1000 pt game, and using the "main army" to surround and flank charge the enemy or provide some heavy hitters sprinkled through. The only problem is they're metal, and you need to spam them to be effective, so you can really draw your wallet. Best allies for: Elves, any high-cost centered army (except Dwarves, they are so though, they don't need meatshields). Mark: 7

Hobbit Archer Militia: The same as I said for Hobbit Militia applies here, except seeing as they carry bows, these little fellows can actually do something. Throwing 50-something dice a turn, and you're bound to kill a lot of folks. If anyone makes it through, they'll have to die or run, though (if they die, don't worry too much). The low-cost shooting makes them nice allies for Dwarves, because at the cost of one company of Dwarf Rangers with bows (the cheapest dwarf archers) you can have nearly 3 companies of Hobbit, saving you a lot of points for more Khazad's, shieldwarriors and Gimli's. Best allies for: Elves, Dwarves.
Mark: 8

Ent: 125 pts of Hard to Kill monster. This is a lottery, really. He can go on for ever, splattering Orcs all over the map if the dice are right, or fall to a company of Ruffians in luck. The Tree Slumber rule helps, as you can ambush him in any woodland (have you ever seen a wargame without a wood somewhere?), so it's easy to spring him behind enemy lines and wreak havoc with his archers and especially siege engines, or suddenly rear-charge him. This will also prolong his longevity, since he will be out of LOS for archers and can only have 3 attacks directed at him in melee if played right (have something big and nasty up front). If you choose not to ambush him (and that would sometimes be wise, as your enemy will get this trick eventually and post something bigger and nastier on the lookout), take them in multiples, hide behind your lines and use them as a second wave of attack. Lack of might limits this, though. Best allies for: Anyone, really. He always helps, but is never really epic. Mark: 6

Great Eagle: For 140 points, you get a monster that can dish out the pain if played well, but will die in minute if not. D6 is a bit squishy on 6 coy infantry squads, never mind a hard to kill monster. So, how do you stop him from dying? Keep him behind your lines, and swoop attack over when contact is made. (keep him in cover for archers straggling behind) The next turn, charge him into the rear of the enemy. That should hurt pretty hard. However, if anyone gets a decent shot at him, the chances are he's going limp at the least, and more then 2-3 turns of melee aren't what you want either. The best ally for a lower-points army with something to give the enemy a bigger headache then him, ie Gondor and Arnor (and to a lesser extent Rohan). Mark: 6

The legendaries will follow.

_________________
"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

(waiting for the legendary! haha) also for mordor and moria xd

Great thread. Keep the reviews coming!!

Forgotten Kingdoms continued:

Treebeard: An ent with Very Hard to Kill, higher F, S, D and 3 might. The VHTK and D10 means he won't die randomly like a normal Ent, the might both allows him to race around the field (ATD) and to splatter a lot more enemies (Heroic fights). Basically, he is a more expensive ent who is better at everything he does, and well worth the extra cost to me. Tactics: as with Ents, best allies: as with Ents, but leave him for 1500 pts+. Mark: 7

Quickbeam: The fact that he is a hero and has a move of 12 makes this Ent a racing car of unheard-of proportions, but his Defense is even worse then a normal Ent's. I can see only one function for him: move him to the edge of an enemies' range ( a bit to his flank) in a turn, next turn, ATD (or call heroic move if your're second) and move besides him. The probably can't get out of charge range, and you charge, maybe a heroic fight, and kill them. It's not much, but it's all this more expensive ent will do properly. As such, IMO he is not worth his points. At all. Best ally for: Rohan, as they are quick enough to support him. A 4 to me.

Beechbone: An ent with one might for 10 points, this is a far better deal then Quickbeam. Ambush him behind the enemy, ATD up close, charge, call a Heroic fight and watch his troops melt away. He is also far better then normal Ents as a support for your main line, since ATD means he'll keep up and easily be able to flick around a flank. Best ally for: Anyone. He is just a better ent. Mark: 6.5

Gwaihir: A Great Eagle with might and slightly improved stats, he does the same, and has the same weaknesses. He is still quite a low Defense (7), still hard to kill, and as such still squishy, but Heroic fight-ing in an enemies rear with 12 dice makes well up for that. Use him like a normal Eagle, just be damn sure he's gonna make the fight phase, because if not, that's 200 points down the drain. Best ally for: Same as Great Eagle. Mark: 7.

The Three Hunters: This is so lovely. 8 might points!, with huge fight and a nice Strength, D6+3 charge bonus and rerolling failed hits, the only letdown is the fact that these are D5 and just 3 mini's (even though they are R3). This means they have only to face a big infantry block (which there are plenty of in every battle) and you will lose them, or at least most of them. So, use them like hero monsters, keep them behind your lines, and when battle is joined, Heroic Move them into the enemy flank. Call Heroic charge if you're second, and kill the enemy! Heroic Fight to multiply the killing doesn't hurt, of course. The fact that they stike as monsters means that the enemy won't even have time to retaliate. Best allies for: Anyone will profit greatly from these lads. My mark: 8.5

Tom Bombadil: For 200 pts you get either a might point or D3 casualties back a turn, and a chance of leaving any formation immoblised for a turn. To me, that is not worth it at all. However, if you want to use him, make sure Goldberry and Tom are positioned so that he will march straight over as many as possible enemy formations while you are fighting, so you can focus all troops on another formation for that turn. If your planning went wrong, don't be afraid to charge Goldberry so as to move her into a more advantageous position. Best allies for: Those who are outnumbered and need to attack the enemy piecemeal, ie Elves. However, don't even dare use him under 2000 pts when playing elves, you're low enough on numbers anyway. Mark: 5

The rest will be coming soon!

_________________
"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

Quickbeam could be very useful for Ambushing, his might and his extra move means that he should be able to take out any archers or siege weaponry that was deployed in the back, and still be able to get up to the front line in just a turn or 2 to attack them in the rear. Obviously this would require him to survive, which is harder for him as you pointed out, but he still has his uses.

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"Leave Sauron to me."
If you're in the Raleigh, NC area, let me know.

Hm, Treebeard or Beechbone can do this nearly as well, with far better survival chances. Of course, he has his uses, but the other Ents with might are both far better.

_________________
"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

Forgotten Kingdoms, pt 3:

The Fellowship of the Ring: For 500 points, you get a strong caster, 10 might, D7, S8, R3, with two-handed weapons (You have my Sword). The only problem is that even at 2000 pts your putting a quarter of your army into a 6-man (the hobbits count as one) formation with not tremendous defense. However, every problem has a solution, in this case the fact that you get Gandalf, who has Light of the Valar. Use this to keep getting your heroes back, and use the might to heroic move into enemy flanks, where you can wreak havoc big time. Bill the pony doesn't add much to the fellowship, contributing 2" of move and charge for 25 points, but might just come in handy when you cross the 5000 point mark (if you ever do). The only real problem with this formation is the exorbitant cost. Best allies for: something cheap and solid, to compensate for the high price, so Gondor and Arnor. To a lesser extent Rohan, and don't ever use them with Elves. Mark: 7.

The White Council: What do these have that the fellowship do not? Mastery 8, sure, but do you seriously beleive you are going to pass 8 focus rolls in a row? Then, for the same price, you have lower Strength, defence and Attacks, and in many ways inferior special rules. Also, because these are just 4 models instead of 6, they have a bigger risk of dying. So put simply, a very powerful formation, but immensely expensive and simply worse then the Fellowship. Best allies for: Again, we need to compensate this huge expense, so again Gondor. Mark: 7.

Coucil of Wizardry: This, then, is a far better deal. Again, a huge 500 points, but with all spells in the game, mastery 10 (though, again, you're not gonna make it), and some superb special rules (me likes especially the ones for Alatar and Pallando (the blue wizards)). Use them to stand at a distance (D4 is killing), and use Thundercall and Spells of Ruin, Dismay and Darkness to eat away at your foe. Keep them out of a melee at all costs, because they simply won't live, and that's 500 points down the drain. Best allies for: As said before, the cost needs compensation, but here we also need a doughty shieldwall to keep the wizards alive, which is another good reason to choose Gondor (Dwarves are too expensive). My mark: 6,5.

Wardens of the Carrock: These are nice. Use them much like hero monsters, hiding behind your lines (or in ambush), spring them, and either kill the enemy stragglers or rear-charge. Blessing of the Bear helps you along nicely, and Ambushers combined with Pathfinders makes it easy to get there where they don't think you will get. Just make sure there is something in front, because they have a very low defense. Best allies for: Those lacking shock-effect units, ie Minas Tirith. Mark: 7.5.

Woses Warband: I can't really see where these lads fit in. They don't shoot very well, they don't deal damage like hell, and are as squishy as jellyfish. The only use I can get for them is to ambush behind an Orc formation, pepper them with blowpipes at range, and then force them to close in, hoping Orcbane will get you through. However, that is just one very limited trick, for a rather expensive unit. Best allies for: Well, none really. A 4,5.

Saruman the White: For pure damage output, there is no wizard in Middle-Earth who can match Saruman. Spells of Ruin coupled with dismay gives a devastating amount of casualties, certainly when you call Epic Ruination. However, he lacks Gandalf's special rules and defensive aspect. As such, use him only when you have enough hardy warriors to not need Defense, and enough other heroes to counter a lack of "tricks". Best ally for: Dwarves and Gondor both really profit from this mighty wizard. Mark: 8,5

Gandalf the Grey: Instead of Saruman's Ruin spells, you get Counsellor, Inspiring Leader, Touched by Destiny and a unique spell that murders spirits and those fighting a high-fight enemy, but is realily useless outside those two scopes. Epic Defense instead of Epic Ruination again continues the theme of support and defense instead of raw hitting-power. When used well, he is at least the equal of the White Wizard, but he is rather more difficult to use well. Put him in a formation that has low defense (as close as possible to the other heroes you have) and use Touched by Destiny every turn to call Epic Defense, while using the "real" might and Counsellor to recharge other heroes. Best ally for: Those lacking in defense are Elves and Rohan. Mark: 8.5

Gandalf the White: To the prediscussed abitities of Greyhame, he adds Overlord, allowing him to dole out might to leaderless formations as well, Terror, and Voice of Command. VoC is useless (you have a C6 Inspiring Leader), but both the others are quite nice. However, not nice enough to be worth 100 pts. Best ally for: still Rohan and Elves. Mark: 6

Radagast the Brown: The cheapest of the Istari has two rather inferior spell lists (dismay is traded for Wilderness), but adds two nice special rules and a unique epic action. Beastwalk allows him to race through any terrain and charge a lot further as well, and Birdsight means that you don't even have to keep in line of sight to use your spells. The biggest boon of them all is Epic Tranquility, though. In a squad of archers, this guy is capital. You can't charge them, while they get to shoot you up at leisure. The infamous powergaming combo for this is not very strong at all, really - 5 ringwraiths each cast SfC, Sunder Spirit and Visions of Woe each turn, and they'll soon be forced to stop will-of-ironing. Similarly, the Mordor RAF adds 5 swoop attacks to this, and I guess I don't need to explain what Corsair arbalesters with Khamul and the Betrayer will do to this? Still, he is very, very well worth his points. Best allies for: Rohan. Being all cavalry, racing round enemy flanks and not getting charged is very nice indeed. Mark: 8,5.

_________________
"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings