Which Characters are Broken?

[BilboBaggins]

And you can't use those character together

[Faultie]

That's true. I suppose if you're restricted to a single special character or the other, it's hard to spam them.

[rabscutle]

Eh... I think when you look at special characters, they are reflective of their books. The books that feel over powered, seem to have really over powered special characters (see Daemons and the mega chicken).

Really, I think special characters are fine, as long as everyone knows you can bring them to the table. That said, they all tend to be game changing and do far more than any other character can by themselves.

One example of cramming a lot of points into one space is Valkia in the CW book. She's a beating as a lord, but also the BSB. Its a way, in a book starving for points, to get many things out of one character. Never mind all of her other powers, that saves you the points and allows you to free up your hero slots to defensive casters or exalted heroes to serve as beat sticks. I played BoLScon with her, because I was still having to borrow half my army at that point and because I didn't know my book as well as I would like. She's awesome, but she's also expensive. I probably could have gotten more flexibility from a tooled out Lord and some versatile heroes.

So what is my point after rambling... playing special characters doesn't make you a cheesy or worse player. Sometimes you can get a combination of magic items on a Lord/Hero that is far more destructive than a special character might be. Sometimes the special character takes the rules and bends them over a knee, but you usually pay through the nose points wise. Like anything in an army book, get to know what's in there, and actually try to learn *all* of it. If a special character works better for you because it frees points up to do something, awesome. If it is overpowered and makes you feel dirty for putting the army on the table, well, don't play it.

As far as the original subject of the thread... The Tzeentch Super Chicken in the Daemon book is pretty damn broken. Sadly I can't remember the name, but its the casting potential is insane with that thing...

[Randroid]

I like special characters. There are some that are a bit OTT, but for the most part I think they have a way of balancing themselves out. I don't look down upon people taking them... unless it is a friendly game and I don't know about it ahead of time perhaps.

[CitizenZero]

Bottom line - gw doesn't want you to make the game you own - they want you to play the game(s) how they want it to be played!

Your argument was pretty much invalidated by this statement. Games Workshop goes out of its way in nearly every way I have ever seen to say "make up your own ways to do things" (Doesn't apply in tournaments yes, but GW doesn't tend to have much interest in the tournament scene...)

When I started (about 15 years ago) Special Characters were "permission only" IE you had to ask for permission from your opponent to use them...this has changed since then, especially in 40k...I don't have a problem with people wanting to play special characters, I have a problem with anybody who powergames ("Unkillable" Dreadlord for example...you have to go out of your way to make him up, and he is more annoying by far than Malekith...)

This months White Dwarf actually has a decent article on this exact subject, and why some people choose to have special characters in their army...

[S0ULDU5T]

I like special characters. There are some that are a bit OTT, but for the most part I think they have a way of balancing themselves out. I don't look down upon people taking them... unless it is a friendly game and I don't know about it ahead of time perhaps.

I think this is the second or third time this is mentioned; If I want to bring a special character in my army list I do not need to fax a written consent form to your house 24 hours in advance, notoraized, so you'll play a game with me. Bottom line, I'll put a special character in my list which I'm nto showing anyone till the gme starts (then it's open list as far as I'm concearned) and if you don't like it you can cry that your weren't notified in due order to someone else.

Btw, no undue insult towards you specificly as I've read through some of your posts and like what you have to say, I'm just generally speaking to all that feel that advanced notice should be given to play anything. Whats next? Can I have permission to play Dark Elves? Can I have permission to put a unit champion here? This is a slippery slope of whining.

I made a post defending special characters on the 40k forums but in fantasy it's a bit different in that they don't really change your playstyle much, just enhance it. Given this, I can't really defend them the same nor feel the same about them, I really think it's whats fun for the person building the army as most characters are at least balanced point-wise but not always. As for custom built characters like 'unkillable dreadlord', seriously, quit *****ing about it. It's hardly unkillable as it gets run down, flees in fear, or enough wounds are finally dealt to it to matter; more often the running part. *****ing about Dark Elves has gotten to such an extreme that I will pull out my DE army, hear people ***** about it for three full turns then they 'somehow' beat me and still complain to me that I shouldn't have access to what I do. You might think it's Dark Elves ruining the game when in fact, it's your whining thats ruining it.

[Randroid]

Woah... chill out.

I was referring to the more commonly known "broken" ones like Thorek or Kairos.

[S0ULDU5T]

Woah... chill out.

I was referring to the more commonly known "broken" ones like Thorek or Kairos.

I'm sorry, I didn't know you had to take a qualude in order post here so you could be "chill", I thought forums were open to heated discussions. Silly me.

[Randroid]

Its not me I am worried about. Reading you ranting about DE and lists made me worry for your health. Don't want you blowing a gasket over something like tabletop gaming.

But in general - yes I think people complain a bit too much about the game. I know I have fallen into that trap before with my Ogres but you just gotta get past that and try to enjoy yourself. It is just a game. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't mean anything.

[the drake]

At my LGS special characters are neither frowned upon or encouraged. If anything it does seem to be the Lord level SC that are a bit over the top. The only SC I use or wish to use is Korhil and only then because he is the captain of the White Lions, and I can't give a normal hero a Lion's pelt (which is utter rubbish). I love the fact he has str 6, killing blow, asf, and his immune to poison pelt. I also love when he fluffs all his attacks due to the helm of command and he takes a killing blow and 2 regular wounds from the Grave Guard he failed to kill. Yeah he lasted a whole 1 round of combat.