Kings of War/Tactics/Basileans

Why Play Basileans

Basileans are an entire army of lawful good paladins, battle nuns, and angels. If that's your thing, these guys are for you. It also is the natural place for your unused Stormcast Eternals to find a home in Kings of War.

Army Special Rules

• Blessed Be The Pious: All units, except those noted, have Iron Resolve, meaning they heal a wound every time they pass a nerve test while steady.

Unit Analysis

Hero

• Abbess: If you are running a lot of sisterhood, she is great for being very inspiring for them. Otherwise, she is strictly worse than the Dictator. On a panther she can be a hilarious flanker in a smaller game.

• Abbess on Chariot: In terms of being a leader, the Abbess of Chariot is no better than the regular Abbess: she helps her sisters, but nobody else. However, taken as simply a chariot she is only slightly less effective than a regiment of them, but is significantly more durable, cheaper, and can use hero only magic items. Remember as a chariot she still can get double or treble attacks on flanking charges, and she is the cheapest hero slot that can do that in the list.

• Bearer of the Holy Icon: Your cheap source of inspiration. He's a basic, single attack hero with Inspiring. As simple and bare bones as you can get. He is dirt cheap though, so you can almost always fit one in if you need it. Good for keeping large groups of infantry in your bubble if you are building towards a large horde.

• Priest: Like an Abbess, put for penitents. The priest however can also be reasonably useful in a general list, as he has both Heal and the ability to gain Bane-Chant as well making him a versatile support character for not just a horde of penitents, but really any Basilean unit.

• Dictator: A cheap general. He is halfway between a Bearer and a High Paladin. He has the armor and nerve of the High Paladin, without being headstrong or having quite as many attacks. As an individual however, his combat potential is severely nerfed in kings of war however, so the Dictator could be skipped for either a Bearer or War Wizard for a cheap hero.

• Gnaeus Sallustis: Gnaeus is essentially a straight upgrade on the Abbess on Chariot, getting a bit more durable and nimble, while also becoming more versatile for inspiring an army without sisters. If you are allowed special characters, Gnaeus is your best melee character who cannot fly.

• High Paladin: A bigger version of the Dictator. He's got Crushing Strength (1), Headstrong, Heal (2), and Inspiring. He can also be put on a horse like the Bearer if you so desire to increase your speed and gain Thunderous Charge (1). The mix of Heal and Inspiring make him more versatile than a Bearer in a lot of ways, granted at more than twice the points cost. Problem is he is split between wanting to be in combat and wanting to be in a support role, kind of separating his focus in two different directions. As an individual however, his melee potential is quite low, so you should probably look elsewhere for a combat character.

• High Paladin on Dragon: The biggest hero available to the Basileans. Comes with all the things you'd expect from a dragon and a high paladin. He'll hit like a ton of bricks in melee, but can also breathe fire if that's more appropriate. Remember as a flyer, you get nimble for extra pivoting.

• High Paladin on Griffin: Not quite as awesome as a dragon, and only slightly more durable than the cheaper Ur-Elohi. The High Paladin on a Griffin doesn't really fill any niche in the heroes slot, but if you like griffins, he'll serve you well.

• Julius: Julius is a upgraded Ur-Elohi, doing everything they do, but strictly better in all respects. His biggest boon is having the only natural 6+ defense in the Basilean army. He also gains Elite if he and Samacris are both in your army and alive. He is cool, but unclear that his personal benefits make him worth taking over an Ur-Elohi, or a High Paladin on Dragon.

• Samacris, Mother of Phoenixes: Where Julius is very much a melee character, Samacris is the Basilean's super wizard, with powerful versions of fireball, lightning bolt, and heal. She also has regeneration like a phoenix. She is definitely a steal for her points in an army that is starved for good ranged attacks, and can use an inspirational angel who actually wants to stick around your basic rank and file instead of flying all over the board to get flank and rear charges.

• Ur-Elohi: The Ur-Elohi is a slightly cheaper, but more durable than a regiment of Elohi, while still largely doing the same amount of damage in combat. He is also the most cost-effective combat hero in the list. He is a straight upgrade on every hero cheaper than him, and is largely competitive with the few that are more expensive. It's incredibly easy to fly him through your opponent's ranks, and cause mischief and rear or side flank attacks, which he can double or triple his attacks on.

• War-Wizard: Your basic wizard. Comes stock with Fireball (8), but can also buy Lightning Bolt (3) or Wind Blast (5). Inexpensive for a source of magic if you so desire. Same risks and rewards apply to him as to any magic user. Consider that with an upgraded Lightning Bolt, he is basically a more accurate and mobile alternative to 10 crossbowmen for only a handful more points.

Infantry

• Crossbowmen:

• Men-at-Arms: These come in two varieties; sword and shield or spear and shield. Their stat lines are the same, but the latter gains you Phalanx. Taking them with sword and shield is the cheapest unit in the army, although in a lot of ways they're not as good for their points as Sisterhood Infantry.

• Paladin Foot Guard: Your more elite infantry. They hit on a 3+ and have a defence of 5+, a point better each from Men-at-Arms. They can also switch out their shields for two-handed weapons to gain Crushing Strength (1) at a cost of 1 defence. They also have Headstrong, like much of the army, giving you a 50-50 chance of shaking off wavering results. Their price is a little high however, making other choices potentially more ideal in your infantry slots.

• Penitents Mob:

• Sisterhood Infantry: Crazy battle nuns. They come with Crushing Strength (1), Headstrong, and Vicious. Cheaper then your spear and shield Men-at-Arms with the same number of attacks, although slightly more squishy as well, their special rules make them good on offense and weak on defense.

Large Infantry

• Elohi: Avenging angels to inspire your troops. Expensive for large infantry, they come with a bunch of special rules; Crushing Strength (1), Fly, Inspiring, and Thunderous Charge (1). Can be used for supporting other units in both offense and for their Inspiring bubble. They move quickly too with a speed of 10 for getting where you need them.

Cavalry

• Paladin Knights: Horse cavalry for your paladins. They come with Headstrong and Thunderous Charge (2). They hit on a 3+ with the same number of attacks as Sisterhood Panther Lancers, but at a noticeable points cost increase. They do hit harder and survive longer though, making a good increase in value for the points difference, if though slightly less maneuverable. Somewhat of a toss up depending on what exactly you want your cavalry to do for your army.

• Sisterhood Panther Lancers: Kitty cavalry for your battle nuns. These have Nimble, Thunderous Charge (1), and Vicious. The extra pivot is nice and they're cheaper than their paladin brethren, but their damage output isn't as good. The sisters hit on a 4+ with a re-roll on 1s, vice the paladins hitting on a 3+, but paladins get a better +2 to damage rolls instead of the sister's +1. Defence is a lot worse, at 3+ against 5+ on the paladins, but again they are more maneuverable and cheaper.

Large Cavalry

• Sisterhood Panter Chariot: Chariots hauled by panthers? Your big nun unit, they lose Headstrong, but keep Vicious and increase to Thunderous Charge (2). They put out a lot of attacks with a speed between the Paladin Knights and Sisterhood Panther Lancers. Good at putting up a lot of damage, although they cost a lot of points.

Monsters

• Dragon of Heaven:

• Phoenix:

War Engines

• Heavy Arbalest: Your war engine choice. This one has Blast (D3+2), Piercing (3), and Reload! Pretty standard compliment for a cheap war engine and not a bad choice for your army considering the range on it. It lacks Indirect Fire, so don't think you're going to be making the same kind of shots as Dwarfs of either variety, but still a solid choice.

Tactics

Tactica here.