by Tuomas Pirinen
updated by Mike Marshall
Taken with permission of Skavenblight
Note: This article was originally written by Tuomas when the original High Elf book came out and was part of his imfamous 'Tactica'. With the release of the new book Mike Marshall has taken it upon himself to update his article to acurately reflect the High Elves in there new glory. The Question is can you spot which bits are Tuomas's and which bits are Mike's?
The Elves have several weak and strong points. They have high weapon skill, ballistic skill, and a monstrous initiative 6. They have a good move of 5 and this can be further improved with Elven Steeds, which are a real steal at 3 points. They have a good leadership of 8 and they cause fear on Goblins that don't outnumber them 2:1. But all this is balanced with mediocre strength of 3, toughness of 3 and a very high point cost of 8. This really starts to tell against opponents like Skaven and Greenskins, who field huge regiment after huge regiment to your dismay. They have a special rules called Enmity which comes into effect when they are fighting Dark Elves that enables them to reroll any leadership or psycology test. They are also able to fire their bows in two ranks and fight with spears in three ranks. Finally their Heavy Armour is made of Ithilmar which means no movement penalty for wearing it.
Well, Skaven get plaque priests and Vermin Lords, Dwarfs get Slayer Champions and Runesmiths, and the High Elves get Errmmmm, Hmmmmm.
Lord, Hero and Champion
These are your standard characters. You know what they are and what to do with them. High Elf General has a pretty decent line of statistics if you boost his weak points with, say Deathsword and the Armor of Protection.
Battle Standard Bearer
Toughness of 3 and 1 wound means that your battle standard will die if the enemy just glances evilly at his general direction. Be very careful with this costly character. I suggest that you put him with a unit so his (compulsory) magical standard helps the warriors and he stays alive long enough to be useful with the break tests.
Wizards
Well, here lies much of the power of the Elves. With High magic, Battle Magic and the War Crown of Saphery, these guys are your best bet against enemy wizardy. Learn the High Magic by heart. Coruscation of Finreir gives your Wizard an immunity from attacks made by ground troops. This is very effective against Dwarfs who you can chop at freely, especially if mounted on a Manticore.
Remember that the Fiery Convocation causes fire damage.
Most dispel items won't work against the Assault of Stone, which affects the hill, not the opponent's unit. If you do not want to use any magic at all, go for the Drain Magic. Very frustrating for undead generals. Never take your wizards into a hand to hand combat unless you are 100% sure you can win. Best place for them is with units or standing at the back of your battle line cowering (hiding) in some woods as most High Magic spells do not require line of sight.
Dragon Princes of Caledor
General Notes: Dragon Princes are heartbreakingly beautiful models, but not very powerful in combat. It would have been nice to have at least one unit with strength of 4 and Lances. They do however get a free Standard Bearer a la the Bretonnians and if you buy a magical standard for this unit then it's half price. A good one to go for is the Battle Banner as the Dragon Princes really need to break any units they charge first turn.
Weaknesses: Toughness of 3 and strength of 3. The Banner of Wrath is the nightmare of every Dragon Prince.
Uses: If you want a unit with 1+ save (using standard of shielding) then go ahead. Otherwise, I prefer Silver Helms. Against Skaven Jezzails, and anybody with low strength (Are there those nowadays, except the High Elves?) They will do fine because of the good armor save value. They have a charge equal to any other heavy cavalry due to their Ithilmar Armour.
Silver Helms
General Notes: Like all Elven knights, the Silver helms suffer from a lousy strength score of 3. Though expensive and weak, they have couple of strong points. First of all, flexibility. They can be made light cavalry if you don't give them any more armor, thus getting unlimited number of turns and changes of ranks free. Also, Silver Helms are very fast, and you can field an unlimited number of regiments. They can carry a magic standard, thus increasing their flexibility even more.
Weaknesses: Strength of 3 and toughness 3 don't give much protection against spells, especially if those that allows no save. The Banner of Wrath is a particularly effective in destroying your 41 point per model cavalry unit in an instant. If a protracted fight ensues, (like when you charge a unit with Crown of Command and thus can't break them) Silver helms will probably lose because of their low strength and lack of ranks.
Uses: Against Skaven, Humans and everybody else with toughness of 3, Silver helms truly excel. Steer clear from units that do not break when you charge them. Without their lance strength bonus, the Silver Helms are in trouble. Note also that you can make Silver Helms a fast cavalry unit by keeping their armor save 5+ This gives you unlimited number of turns making the Silver Helms an excellent "reserve unit". Since they are very fast (Movement 9/18) hit reasonably hard with lances and can change their formation while moving, they can easily sift the pressure from one part of the battlefield to another.
Ellyrion Reavers
General Notes: Very light cavalry. Elven steeds and spears do quite a lot to boost their hand to hand potential, however, together with their ability to fire and flee. Their speed is a great asset as they can make a free march move before the game begins.
Weaknesses: If you compare their point cost value to their armor save, you'll probably pale. Good hand to hand troops will chop the reavers into mincemeat. Don't try it at home, believe my words.
Uses: Either with spears and shields to charge and break Skavenslaves, peasants, and giant rats, or leave out the shields and buy bows. This way, you get fast cavalry with bows. Gallop towards enemy, and shoot until he gets too close. Then turn around, move 9" away, turn around and shoot again! This really wears most enemies down, since, like all Elves, Reaver Knights are good shots. You need quite a lot of Reavers for this, though.
White Lions of Chrace
General Notes: Strong as a hell and skilled beyond the dreams of most opponent's worst nightmares. This magnificent unit suffers from their double handed weapons very badly. Because they always strike last, they have to be used carefully. Other units with double handed weapons are their speciality because of the high initiative. If your general is on foot he should ALWAYS be with the White Lions as they will all become unbreakable.
Weaknesses: Two handed weapons that cause them to strike last. Toughness of 3. Quite expensive.
Uses: With their new abilites the White Lions have become the "must have" unit for the High Elves. Their ability to impose a -1 to hit penalty on enemy attacks when charged means that even if they are charged by enemy shock troops they have a good chance of enough of them surviving so that they can hit back. Most troops will need 5+ to hit them including most races hero's. They are a must against Chaos Dwarfs who have to field a unit of their axemen. Giving that you got higher weapon skill, higher initiative, and higher strength, you will chop them to pieces every time. If the Chaos Dwarfs fall back to their hand weapons to strike before you, so what? They still hit you only with 4+ and wound you on 4+. You, on the other hand hit them with 3+ and wound them with 2+, and still they get no save! Also against the Chaos Dwarfs, you can use them to attack the Bull Centaurs, and with the new ability to do d3 wounds per hit you have a far better chance of winning the combat than you used to. The models are really nice as well.
Sword Masters of Hoeth
General Notes: This unit used to be the cream of the elven elites but have become eclipsed by the White Lions. However an effective strength 5, weapon skill 5 and initiative 7 are still something to stir the heart of any true High Elf general. Equipped with the right magic standard like the battle banner, and joined by a hero with the Crown of Command this is still a very hard unit.
Weaknesses: Toughness of 3, strength of 3 and armor save of 6+ means that missile fire (despite being able to deflect arrows with their swords), spells, and mounted shock troops will kill Sword Masters in droves. They cost an arm and leg in points, so you can't field a 100 strong regiment!!!!!
Uses: Sword Masters fight like blazes, can be supported by other troops very effectively, and have all the usual advantages of the Elves. Use them a lot. Protect them from magic as well as you can. Elven cavalry is nice, but to have enough numbers and ranks is to win battles. Their strength 5 is enough to bother even a fully armored knights.
Phoenix Guard
General Notes: The SuperHalberdiers (TM). With weapon skill of 5 and initiative of whopping 7, they also have an option to carry magic standard or don heavy armor. Halberds give a nice strength bonus. They are now the cheapest High Elf "Elite" troops
Weaknesses: Low toughness plus average strength.
Uses: The days of the Pheonix Guard are over with the new White Lions. Expect to see them less and less on the battlefield as they just don't have a place in the army any more.
Lothern Sea Guard
General Notes: A lot of the flexibility of the Sea Guard has disapeared in the new book but they are still nice all round troops.
Weaknesses: High cost is the only thing that worries me about the Sea Guard.
Uses: Sea Guard are the unit to take if you're not sure what your opponent is going to do. With their equipment options they are very flexible and are able to react to most things that are thrown at them especially as they count as Citizen Levy. Just remember that they are only normal elves.
Elf Spearmen
General Notes: Every Elf general owns lot of them and barely ever uses them. They chop up human and goblin light infantry, but the days of really tough guys are here, so you rarely have any use for them. However with the new rules enabling them to fight in 2 ranks when charging and 3 ranks when charged they have become a far tougher proposition than they used to be.
Weaknesses: Horribly high point cost value and low strength.
Uses: This one is tricky. If your opponent likes to field many numerous but relatively weak regiments, you can fight back with spearmen because their weapon skill 4 and three attacking ranks. Expensive as they are, they are still cheaper than most of the elven troops.
Shadow Warriors
General Notes: The scouts and skirmishers of the High Elves. They can be made decent fighters and equal to best High Elf archers.
Weaknesses: Shadow warriors cost quite a bit, though this is usually points well spent. They are not at their best against armies that do not employ Dark Elves, but all your evil opponents are very likely to do just that, so be on guard.
Uses: They are simply a must against Dark Elves so you can at least fight in equal terms. With long bows and skirmishing formation they can all draw a bead to their foe, even without the deployment in a hill. Of course you can use them as missile screen or as a flanking unit to protect your main units from charges. They are a bit expensive for these sacrificial roles, though. Remember that they count as Citizen Levies.
High Elf Archers
General Notes: These are just what it says. They are just about worth their points if you don't give them light armor. Long bows are essential, as you might imagine. With the Citizen Levy rule can be fielded in two ranks and not lose any firing ability.
Weaknesses: Too few ranks to give much hand to hand staying powerl. Bows have strength of only 3, so anything with toughness of 7 or more (like a Manticore) is totally immune to their fire and can charge them without any worries. Opponents with high armor save value are also quite immune to their arrows.
Uses: I usually field either couple of small units, so I don't have to care if I lose one. My firepower stays high, and a small units don't spread the panic. If I face opponents with relatively few high toughness opponents, I wield a quite large unit of them. This discourages charging them, as their "stand and shoot" response can be deadly. You need about 30 of them at least to make this effective, though.
Repeater Bolt Throwers
Countless words have been written about repeater bolt throwers, and most of them are true. This little device is the bane of any army that relys on large blocks of troops such as Skaven and Goblins.. Against knights it is also particular effective, since it allows no save, ignoring even the thickest plate. It can potentially slay 16 models in a one shot! But alas, it can be easily countered. Ruby Chalice, Harpies, and terror causing creatures usually ruin your carefully laid calculations for their effectiveness. In the new rules the points have increase from a bargin 50 to a slightly more realistic 100 but given the devastatation that these weapons can cause they are still worth it. One of my most successful armies had 15 Repeater Bolt Throwers in a one continual line, and the rest of my army was massed behind them, ready to charge anybody foolish enough to harass my Bolt Throwers. The damage they caused was so immense that only one unit ever made it to my deployment zone.
Tiranoc Charioteers
These things sum up the Elven strategy. Weaken your opponent and then crush him with your troops. It is the latter part where the Charioteers enter the picture. With charge range of 18", and ability to cause D6+2 strength 7 hits plus the attacks of the crew and the steeds, this little thing is what you really need to boost up your combat resolution.
Many people dismiss them as useless and I heartily disagree. True, if they are hit by determined archers or powerful spells, they will be wiped out every time since they are very vulnerable to missile fire, only 1 crew and two steeds. The trick is to hide them behind hills and buildings, and bring them forth when the time is right and your enemy is upon you. Most players sent them forth in the beginning of the game in a glorious charge, and get shot up. Conserve them, bid your time, and when the true melee begins, charge with them to swing the balance in your favor. Relatively low point cost enable you to field quite a lot of them.
These thing can break even the hardiest of regiments with ease. Even if your opponents consist of unbreakable troops, a charge of 3+ chariots causes immensive damage. I usually field 4-5 of them, and I think I will get even more of them. Deploy them very carefully. If the crewman is killed, the chariot may cause immense havoc in your own units. It is also a good idea to cover chariots with each other. E.G. when your chariot is charged by a hero on flying monster, your other chariots are able to charge him in the following movement phase.
As in the Lizardman book all the High Elf special characters are now listed inclusive of their magic items and the all have their magic item slots fully filled.
Tyrion
General Notes: Weapon skill of 8, initiative of 10 and couple of nice items (and a beautiful model) makes Tyrion stand out form the crowd of High Elf lords.
Weaknesses: Tough opponents with the sword of destruction.
Uses: A very good general, unless you want to have a elf lord riding a huge monster. Remember Malhandir's attacks, strength 4,weapon skill 4 2 attacks is not bad. Tyrion is about the best choice for Apotheosis spell. Remember that Tyrion's sword is a flaming weapon (mummy killer!), and that his amulet allows him to try and avoid any spell except those cast with the Total Power.
Teclis
General Notes: The greatest mage in the world, Hmmm. Leadership is 10, but otherwise he is equal to any high elf wizard lord in statistics.
Weaknesses: Why Teclis has to carry his sword every battle is quite beyond me. This boosts his point value by 100 points and since he is not liable to see much hand to hand anyway, it is a complete waste. Even worse it gulps up one out of his magic item total. Cannot ride anything. If your opponent has the Ring of Corin, he will probably try to destroy the Moon Staff of Lileath. This will spell doom to Teclis.
Uses: In a conventional game where you calculate point cost total at the end of the battle, he can unleash the power of his staff in the very last magic phase, and blast away with increased power. If you need a mage with leadership of 10, or want him to lead an infantry unit, he is naturally the best choice. Otherwise, take a normal mage lord.
Eltharion
General Notes: Yet another Elven Lord. Has pretty useless items, but luckily these can be changed. Hates Goblins. A good sidekick for your general.
Weaknesses: Usual elven soft spots. Easily countered.
Uses: War Machine eater, combat resolution booster, Goblin slayer. He is essential against Goblins, and especially if your opponent is going to field Grom.
Imrik the Lord of Dragons
General Notes: Stunningly beautiful model and an Elf Lord with weapon skill 8 and initiative 10. Where did I see this before? An extra point of strength would have been nice. Equipped with the Star Lance. Good for a charge, but after that the lance is a waste.
Weaknesses: Cannot ride anything else but a Dragon. (Well, good gaming groups can bang up house rules.) If he rides a dragon, he has to take Star Lance. GRRRRR! Otherwise. A good and a reasonably cheap (points wise) character.
Uses: With dragon and suitably powerful magic items, Imrik is a good hand to hand fighter. My main trick, however, is to place him amongst infantry and equip him with nice magical things. Also, when not mounted on dragon, he does not have to take the Starblade Lance.
It seems that the High Elf Mages have destroyed every single swarm in Ulthuan, which is a real pity, since these critters could hold the enemy up for a round or two while you shoot at your foes. On the other hand, you get the excellent unicorns so you do not need Amulets of Fire and such to gulp up your magic item total, and still you get 4+ dispel. Unicorn is also a powerful and enduring fighter, and 90 points is not unreasonable. Great Eagle is also nice, for it is cheap and with weapon skill 7 and strength 5 it can fight pretty well. Manticores are always commendable, as are the dragons. The Dragonrage special rule has won me a battle now and then. Dragons are very expensive.
If your gaming group has decided that the shadow armor affects the chariots, this gives you a character mounted on chariot with ability to move through woods, over hills and so on. Highly recommendable. War Crown of Saphery is almost essential. Dragonblade Lance is one of most point cost effective magic items around. I usually give it to a mounted hero and equip him with strength potion in addition to the lance. Then I go looking for enemy Battle Standard Bearer who usually hides in the back ranks of a unit, gulp down the Strength potion and use my lance as a Bolt Thrower. With descending strength of 9, I usually can kill the 1 wound Battle Standard Bearer. Dwarf Generals fall to pieces when they lose the Master Rune of Valaya!
More than any other general, a Commander of the Glorious Host of Ulthuan has to rely on his tactical cunning and a careful deployment. My own firm favorite is the Defensive Arch. Let me explain this strategy.
The Arch of the Heavens
I deploy my toughest and largest infantry units in the middle of the field, supported by fast and hard hitting things like chariots and allied treemen on their left and right. My war machines and archers are on the hills, towers, and deployed between the units. My supporting cavalry and lighter infantry units are deployed in the extreme flanks. When the game starts, I use every possible trick to slow my opponents down. Wardancers, a horn with Master Rune of Dismay, wind blast spell, anything that will do.
I usually have couple of invisible organ guns waiting if a Vampire Lord, Chaos General or a dragon flies to attack my ranks in hopes of snatching an easy victory. Barrels 1-5 ready! Target: Arkhan the Black! Commence Fire!
My bolt throwers, war machines, archers and mages keep a relentless screen of missiles going, causing as much havoc as possible. My mage is usually safely hidden in unit, so flying things can't eat him up. There is, of course, a possibility to negate magic totally with Drain Magic and appropriate items, namely Wand of Jet, Chalice of Sorcery, power scrolls, and so on. These things enable you to have enough power to cast Drain Magic.
When the enemy realizes that he has to charge those main infantry blocks, he will throw everything against them. This could be fatal as the bad guys have such high close combat troops nowadays, but my units are protected against break tests with runes of courage, crown of command and so on. When they refuse to break both my flanks start to bend inwards, engulfing the enemy. Cavalry charges, monsters, chariots and cannon fire are all concentrated against the cream of enemy forces. Hopefully the enemy regiments have been weakened enough so it is possible to break them, or if they are, say Slaaneshi Knights, to simply cut them down.
The Starblade Ram
This tactic is for those hot blooded young Elf Generals who prefer aggressive approach.
The trouble with the offensive High Elf Army is that the Elves are not really suited for offensive warfare. If, however, you wish to field all those magnificent Elf cavalry units, this is what I suggest you should do.
First of all, you must choose who you fight. If Elves ever wish to win a melee combat, you'll need overwhelming advantage. I compose my offensive armies from the fastest moving and hardest hitting units I can, put them all in one flank, and go looking for suitable targets. I always give Ring of Corin to one of the characters, so if I charge a unit with the Crown of Command, I'll have a chance to destroy it and get along with the battle.
The units I use are usually one regiment of eight to twelve Dragon Princes. They usually get the lion's share of missile fire and spells, so I rarely put too many points in them. My real hitting power consists of Silver Helms. At least one large regiment with all possible equipment and one to two fast cavalry regiments to support their advance. If I have points to spare, I buy couple of Chariots to follow my initial charge. Since they can`t make a march move, they usually arrive too late, though.
The cavalry units need all the possible help they can get. I put as many characters in these units as I can, and I always include Banner of Might, Standard of Shielding and the Battle Banner. The characters who lead the units all get magical weapons. Since I have already spent considerable amount of points in buying the actual characters, I give them items such as Dragonblade Lance, Blade of Ensorcelled Iron (to a Hero in a unit with Banner of Might, if he is faced with an enemy with lower weapon skill than his own, he will hit automatically!) And the Ogre Blade. All these items are relatively cheap and effective.
These land bound troops will need some aerial support. Elf Lord mounted on Manticore is my favorite aerial assault unit. He must be equipped with all the best items possible: Black Amulet, Slayer Sword and such. Also, a couple of independent Griffons and Manticores should be a good idea.
Now, you must always concentrate your attacks against one unit at a time. A frontal charge with the cavalry, supported by aerial charges of your flyers, while your fast-cavalry Silver Helms race to the flanks to get ready to charge in the next round. Wounds caused by the charges, the boost given by the War Banner/Battle Banner and Terror and panic tests and your flyers cause should break almost any unit. The trick is to destroy the enemy units as fast as possible, using concentrated attack and a local superiority of arms and numbers.
A word to a wise: Some armies like the Skaven and Chaos are simply so powerful in hand to hand that this tactic is without hope against them. Also, any spare points should still be spent on Repeater Bolt Throwers. There is always some enemy units you'll want to weaken before you engage them in melee.
"From darkness I cry for
you
the tears you shed for us
are the blood of the elven kind
O Isha
Here I stand
on the last shore
a sword in my hand
Ulthuan shall never fall"
-A war song of the Swordmasters.