Fall of the Necromancer: What I Want To See In The Legendary Legions

Good morning gamers,

Less than a month ago, we got a preview from Games Workshop about the next supplement coming to the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game: the Fall of the Necromancer. Unlike other supplements, there are no new models being released with this supplement - instead, the game designers have developed a scenery kit for Dol Guldur and are bringing back older sculpts back to the range (including the much-sought-after White Council blister which has the very-rare Galadriel, Lady of Light sculpt - why did I buy the old Lady of Light sculpt when it was MTO?!?!?!?!). 

Photo Credit: Warhammer Community
Another supplement I didn't know I wanted . . .

They also announced that alongside the 13 narrative scenarios (an upgrade over the 7 scenarios from the original Fall of the Necromancer sourcebook released in the early 2000s) there would be four Legendary Legions in this book with a bit of a spoiler about what they are. Like I did with Quest of the Ringbearer, let's dig in today and make our predictions for the next supplement!

The White Council

This Legion, called the Vanquishers of the Necromancer, is likely to be based on the characters from the Battle of Five Armies film instead of the current members of the White Council (which include Celeborn and Glorfindel) or members of the White Council from previous editions (which included Legolas, Thranduil, Cirdan, Erestor, and Arwen). The army list is shaping up to be one of the lowest profile-count Legions in the game (the Return of the King has 6 profiles, the Riders of Eomer has 5 profiles, and the Black Riders LL has 2 profiles) and the fourth Legion to have a points ceiling (alongside the Breaking of the Fellowship at 600pts, the Black Riders at 1155pts, and the Defenders of the Shire at 1387pts if they only take 1 war horn). 

Photo Credit: Warhammer Community
Weird that they didn't show off the new scenery kit in this photo . . .

The trick with this Legion is that with the reduced profiles we expect to see in the Legion (most Legions reduce the profiles you have access to - the Return of the King and Grey Company LLs being the notable exceptions), the rules you get from the Legion need to make up for the restricted list building options you have. The White Council army bonus is almost never kept (you're historical allies with Rivendell and convenient allies with almost everyone else) and gives your White Council models +1 to their Resist rolls if another White Council model is nearby. With access to Fortify Spirit from Galadriel (and Glorfindel having it by default), this means your heroes can shut down magic very effectively (see my post on the best anti-caster models in the game for more info). 

So what does this all-hero army currently struggle with that other all-hero/hero-heavy lists don't struggle with (I'm looking specifically at the Fellowship/Breaking of the Fellowship LL, Thorin's Company, and Erebor Reclaimed)? Here are the three big things:

• Banners - the White Council has no access to banners and while many of its models are F6+/3A heroes (Elrond, Galadriel, Celeborn, Glorfindel), the wizards are F5/1A (Saruman, Gandalf, Radagast - though Sebastian will give Radagast a second die that he can't modify). Thankfully, the 1A heroes in the list have access to mounts (horses for all three and the option to upgrade to the sleigh or an Eagle for Radagast), so you're not limited to just 1 Attack, but you have to pay even MORE points AND have the charge in order for them to have a good chance of winning their fights against 2+ opponents.
• Heroic March - if you're running all-mounted White Council (aka no Galadriel or Celeborn), you don't need March. I expect that only one model in this list will have access to a mount (Radagast will have his sleigh as an option) so you're all walking. And naturally, no one in this list has Heroic March. Oops . . .
• Lots of Might - the White Council has a lot of Might on paper, but once you get to actually using them, you find that you have far fewer Might than you really want/need. Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast all have spells that are valuable to channel (though Gandalf doesn't need to channel Blinding Light if Galadriel is near him, and none of the wizards need to channel Terrifying Aura unless you're going to be mobbed by C1-3 troops). Since this list is going to be tiny, Heroic Combats are critical to evening the model count - and if Elrond and Galadriel are calling Combats (or Striking), you're probably going to run out of Might very quickly.

While having high Defense would be good (you certainly get that from the Champions of Erebor in Erebor Reclaimed), factions like Thorin's Company and the Fellowship have average to low Defense, so the fact that Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, and Galadriel have average to low Defense isn't a big deal to me. If you don't have banners and if you don't have mounts, that could be a HUGE deal though - something the Breaking of the Fellowship Legion addresses quite well. Similarly, all of the Champions of Erebor (and Thorin) treat Thorin as a banner in Erebor Reclaimed, so if you have a Boar Snout of these heroes charging at the enemy, you've got effectively +1 Attack when you finally get engaged.

While the rules writers might just borrow the mechanic that the Breaking of the Fellowship has (you count as being within range of a banner if you're within 3" of a friendly model), I'm not sure that's going to be enough for them. Yes, their current army bonus requires that they be close together, but 3" is a fine range when you have up to 8 models in your army. I'm not sure that this works when you're down to five (realistically, though, it'll be less than that).

Another key question is what hero becomes the Army Leader and required for the army. There is only one Hero of Legend in the White Council list (Saruman - all of the others who are Heroes of Legend in other lists are down-graded to Heroes of Valor in this list) and I'm not sure that Saruman will be the one that is required to be taken in this list. I feel like Gandalf or Galadriel is more likely to be chosen, since they play a more critical role in the defeat of the Necromancer.

Last thing to cover in prologue: as we've already said, the White Council is pretty good at resisting magical powers (what with the +1 to their resist attempts if they're near a friend and Fortify Spirit from Galadriel), but without Fortify Spirit, these guys have very limited Will stores (the wizards all have lots of Will, but they can burn through it pretty easily and the combat heroes only have 3 Will each). I'd be very curious to see if there is an attempt to help with this . . .

Unless Celeborn chooses to show up (though at that point, you might as well bring Glorfindel too so he would be the only one left out), here's what we've got (maxing out at 850pts):

• Units/Gear:
• Saruman the White
• Gandalf the Grey [required, ARMY LEADER]
• Radagast the Brown (option for the Sleigh, maybe Sebastian)
• Galadriel, Lady of Light
• Elrond, Master of Rivendell with heavy armor
• Rules:
• Are You In Need Of Assistance, My Lady? Models from this Legendary Legion count as being in range of a banner if there is another friendly model within 6". Additionally, models from this Legendary Legion gain a +1 to their Resist rolls if there is another friendly model within 6".
• The Council of the Wise: Elrond, Master of Rivendell may spend a Will point each turn without reducing his Will store. Additionally, Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, and Radagast the Brown start the game with Terrifying Aura already cast on themselves. If all three of the wizards are in your list, they begin with the channelled version of this spell cast on themselves.
• Return to the Void From Whence You Came: Models from this Legendary Legion gain a bonus of +1 To Wound against Spirit models. This is cumulative with other rules that confer a similar benefit (such as two-handed weapons, Hadafang, or a channelled Enchanted Blades).

These rules are pretty sick, but with 4-5 models on the board and a need to stay together, I think this is pretty balanced. Elrond is the only model who can't spend a Will point for free in this group, so we've given him the free Will to cast Wrath of Bruinen or Renew (both of which are super useful). The wizards don't cause Terror by default normally and we've given them Terror (channelled Terrifying Aura if you happen to bring all three - otherwise I think Radagast will be left at home most of the time). 

I predict that their banner bonus will be 6" because they need to spread out more (and because it aligns nicely with their resistance range). Finally, getting a +1 to Wound against Spirit models makes them more damaging to the thematic foes they'll be facing and makes them reasonably competitive in matched play where many of them would need 6s to Wound models like the Warriors of the Dead or Ringwraiths.

The Halls of Thranduil

The all-Mirkwood-Ranger list has been seen here at TMAT before, but it lacks three things that other shooting lists have. 

• Spears - Mirkwood Rangers can have multiple Attacks if they are engaged by more than one model, which generally means they need to be charging (and rolling 6s). Charging into bad odds is generally countered by having spears to support you, but this list can't do that. As such, you can have your Rangers charge two guys, but if they lose, they're probably dying and leaving a big gap in your battle line.
• Banners - If you don't have spears, you want a banner. These guys don't have that either, which means if you don't charge and your opponent charges a Mirkwood Ranger with a single model and brings in a spear support, you're rolling fewer dice with no remedy for a bad roll.
• Expensive D3 Models - At 14pts each, some players question if they are worth taking because they're only D3. They sure are expensive, but multiple Attack models aren't cheap (unless you're Hunter Orcs of course). One final critique of the Halls of Thranduil is that Wood Elf Sentinels count towards your bow limit, so you can only bring one. Talk about expensive troops that are D3, but it would be nice if that was solved while they're at it.

So what does this army need to do to be useful (and worth taking over the current Halls of Thranduil list)? I think it boils down to solving the banner and support issues - let's look at what I think is coming.

• Units/Gear:
• Legolas Greenleaf Prince of Mirkwood with Elven cloak (maybe the option for Orcrist, but I doubt it) [required, ARMY LEADER]
• Tauriel with Elf bow
• Mirkwood Ranger Captain
• Mirkwood Ranger (option for war horn)
• Wood Elf Sentinel
• Rules:
• Skirmish Force. Mirkwood Rangers do not count towards your bow limit. In addition, for each hero taken in this force, one Wood Elf Sentinel does not count towards the bow limit.
• Rally To The Captains. Mirkwood Rangers, Wood Elf Sentinels, and Mirkwood Ranger Captains count as being within range of a banner if they are within 6" of Tauriel or Legolas. Additionally, Legolas and Tauriel count as being within range of a banner if they are within 6" of each other.
• Tandem fighting. Mirkwood Rangers can support other Mirkwood Rangers as if they had spears.

In the Halls of Thranduil list right now, you can take 1 Wood Elf Sentinel and all of the rest of your models can be Mirkwood Rangers (because one-third of 1 is 1 when you round up). With this force, you could choose to spam out Mirkwood Ranger Captains in order to spam Sentinels - if you wanted to. You could also "just take Mirkwood Rangers" - whatever suits your fancy.

Like the White Council, I think the banner bonus is going to be tied to heroes - no actual banners here and no innate rerolls being granted. I've avoided language like Elessar has that say that friendly models within 6" of Legolas/Tauriel count as being in range of a banner, as this requires Legolas and Tauriel to actually be near each other in order to get the banner reroll themselves. The rules writers will probably go the easier route, but I think this forced synergy is more balanced for the team.

I also allowed the Rangers to support each other - it fits in their theme where they're dancing above and around each other. I could see this not being there, but thought it would give some interesting tactical choices (supporting a friendly model instead of charging an enemy model).

The Dark Powers of Dol Guldur

Some players, like Jeremy from the Green Dragon Podcast, love playing with the Necromancer and the Nazgul of Dol Goldur. The Nazgul don't die (unless they get a 1 on their resurrection roll or a 2 if killed by an Elven-made weapon or magical power) and the Necromancer is very hard to crack through (unless Floi is around). But there are a few things that this configuration struggles with that can be fixed by running warriors instead of just the Nazgul.

• Shooting - D6-8 models don't generally worry about shooting, but catching shooting lists is difficult with this army. While you can throw 1 Will each turn at a Chill Soul against a warrior archer (turns into 2 dice with the current army bonus), this will slowly burn through your resources (and you've only got a 55% chance of passing the roll each time you try). Your Nazgul might be able to "blink" towards the enemy if they die on approach and get resurrected, but any losses you suffer to shooting will be felt deeply - especially if you're playing between 500-700pts and you only have a handful of Nazgul.
• Objective-based Games - all-hero armies that can't March have a hard time with objective-based games - especially if they can't shoot. Sure, you can not-die on an objective, but you can also be outnumbered or shot off of one - and if your Nazgul continue to die each round, when the game does end they count as being casualties. That's not good. With no March in the list (common theme today), you may have a long slog to far-off objectives (and maybe even counting on dying in order to get some free movement and bypass enemy positions). It's a risky game that.
• Heroic-Combat-heavy lists - army lists like the Breaking of the Fellowship and Riders of Theoden LLs can force your Nazgul to spend Might Striking instead of resurrecting for fear of your army crumbling under the oppression of multiple Heroic Combats from big, BIG heroes. Without a banner in your list (another common theme), you need a good roll on 2 dice (3 for Khamul, but you're forced to two-hand and will need your other Might point to boost) or you'll get cleared out. With 2 Might on your Nazgul (3 on the Witch-King), you can't Strike for very long - and the more you Strike, the more likely you are to fail a resurrection roll.

With all this in mind, let's make some predictions!

• Units/Gear:
• The Necromancer of Dol Goldur [required, ARMY LEADER]
• Nazgul of Dol Goldur
• Rules:
• A Power Is Rising. The Necromancer of Dol Guldur may spend a Will point each turn without reducing his Will store. Additionally, friendly models count as being within range of a banner if they are within 6" of the Necromancer.
• Relentless Assault. Nazgul of Dol Guldur gain the Fearless and Resistant to Magic special rules. 
• Terror In The Night. A model in range of between four and six models from this force with the Harbinger of Evil special rule suffers an additional -1 to their Courage value. A model in range of seven or more models from this force with the Harbinger of Evil special rule suffers an additional -2 to their Courage value.

The Dark Denizens of Mirkwood

An all spider army can be a truly terrible thing in the game - and some people run it now. Like Moria and the Depths of Moria LL, the change for this Legion and the Dark Denizens list appears to be wrapped up primarily in the loss of one unit: Bat Swarms (and also Fell Wargs). Thankfully, spider-heavy lists have a few ways of coping with this:

• Paralyze - The Paralyze power is one of the strongest Magical Powers in the game. There are a bunch of models that can apply Paralyze with various brutal power attacks or special rules - and Mirkwood Spiders are one of them. However, they can Paralyze someone from a distance with their Webs - 8" range hitting on a 5+ if you're charging into someone or hitting on a 6 if you're moving and shooting (since you are rarely standing still). If you're shooting at a warrior model who doesn't have Fate, you are literally one roll away from not having to worry about them killing you (and since Paralyze knocks the enemy prone, you can get mega damage off the S5/2A spider despite his horrible Fight Value. 
• Great Combat Profile - Speaking of being S5/2A, both Giant Spiders and Mirkwood Spiders have great Strength/Attack stats and pairs that with poison (rerolling 1s to Wound) and Giant Spiders have F4, which is great if you manage to NOT paralyze something. Without a banner, these guys can be glass cannons, but they're pretty amazing when they win.
• Multi-Wound Models - You know what the great thing about having a spider is? They don't have a single wound. If you're fighting a single model (who only has 1 Attack), you know for sure that even if you lose, you won't be dying at the end of the round. If you face someone with 2 Attacks (or are fighting a model that's spear-supported), you know that they have to wound you with both dice in order to kill you. Once you're facing 3+ dice, things get risky, but if you're able to pick and choose your attack options, you can fight against single foes and find match-ups that guarantee (or all-but-guarantee) no losses.
• Speed (Lots of Speed) - 10" movement that ignores difficult terrain of all kinds and can climb over obstacles without difficulty (and even climb on vertical surfaces) is really good. Obviously, if there isn't a lot of terrain, this doesn't appear to be that useful, but having 10" movement is incredible. Add to that the fact that you're all infantry, you can dig up objectives while moving very quickly - which is great in some scenarios.

So with this in mind, what do I see spider lists struggling with? Well, here's a few things:

• No Banner - As was mentioned above, spiders have no banners in their list (no heroes who count as banners and of course they can't take any at the start - though they can pick them up if they're adjacent to someone who has one and is killed . . . interesting). 2 Attacks is good, but it's finnicky and with low Defense, that can be devastating. Usually you can pair your spiders with models who have banners, but if you don't have that in your army, you need to be VERY careful with your match-ups.
• Low Courage and No Fury - Staying power is a thing when you're broken (and with low Defense, if something goes wrong, it could go VERY wrong quickly). If you need to charge Terror models (with your spider webs, especially), you could be in for some huge trouble. Bringing Druzhag or Ashrak can get your spiders Fury, but without access to these two heroes, you could have a hard time charging Terror walls or staying in the fight when things are getting grim.
• Balancing Combat Models and Skirmish Models - Your Giant Spiders are F4/6+ while Mirkwood Spiders are F2/5+ - and if these are your only models, you need to pick and choose what you want to emphasize in your army. Taking Giant Spiders is good once you're in melee, but being F4 only goes so far when dealing with heroes who are F5+ (so you need to take Mirkwood Spiders too). Finding the right balance is really hard.
• One Hero = Limited Might - Might use is probably the most tactical resource in the game and using it well is important. Having only one hero with 3 Might points (and the need to call Heroic Moves, Heroic Combats, Heroic Strikes, or Heroic Defenses) means you will never have the Might points you feel you need to do what you want. You can get around this normally by allying in other heroes to call Heroic Moves/Marches or Heroic Combats for the Spider Queen, but if she's on her own, she's going to feel VERY left out when she runs out of Might.

With all these in mind, let's make some predictions:

• Units/Gear:
• The Spider Queen [required, ARMY LEADER]
• Mirkwood Spiders
• Giant Spiders
• Rules:
• Spider Webs - every model gets the Spider Webs rule (models with a 6+ Shoot Value will hit on a 6/4+ if they move and shoot). In addition, Mirkwood Spiders get a +1 To Hit bonus when making shooting attacks with their webs.
• She hungers for sweeter meats - the Spider Queen gains +1 Attack when fighting against a Man, Dwarf, Elf, or Hobbit model.
• Fear of the matriarch - Warrior spider models may reroll all failed Courage tests for charging Terror-causing models if they are within 6" of the Spider Queen. In addition, the Spider Queen's Stand Fast radius is increased to 12".

Conclusion

Well, the predictions are in - if you have thoughts on these predictions, leave them below. Also, expect a follow-up post when we learn more (and when I get the sourcebook, I'll do a full review of each). Until next time, happy hobbying!