Primus Jalaam
Primus Jalaam |
The northern reaches of the Skorne Empire are a wild untamed place where beasts like the hydra and mammoth roam—only the fiercest of skorne prosper here. Among them is Primus Jalaam, one of the greatest hunters of his people, a cunning warlock who feels no shame killing his enemies at a distance. He is as effective stalking intelligent prey as are the beasts of his homeland.
Basic Info
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- Warlock - All warlocks come with a stack of standard special rules - most notably being awesome. Click here for a newbie-friendly recap, or click here for the full rules.
Feat : Hide in Sight
- The hunters under Jalaam's command are made elusive as a mirage shimmering over the vast desert plains of the east, and the enemy's efforts to target or strike them are rendered as clumsy and futile as those of the blind.
When an enemy model makes an attack roll against a friendly Faction model in Jalaam's control range, the enemy model rolls one less die. Hide in Sight lasts for one round.
Abilities
- Pathfinder
- Tough
- Hunter - This model ignores cover and concealment when making ranged attacks.
- Prey - After deployment but before the first player's turn, choose an enemy model/unit to be this model/unit's prey. This model gains +2 to attack and damage rolls against its prey. When the prey is destroyed or removed from play, choose another model/unit to be the prey.
- Resourceful - This model can upkeep spells on models in its battlegroup without spending focus/fury.
Weapons
- Reiver - 12" range, ROF 2, POW 10 ranged weapon
- Damage Type: Magical
- Burst Fire - Gain +1 to damage rolls with this weapon against medium-based models, and +2 to damage rolls against large- and huge-based models.
- Grievous Wounds - A model hit by this weapon loses Tough and cannot have damage removed from it for one round.
- Blade - 1" reach, POW 6, P+S 12 melee weapon
- Damage Type: Magical - See above.
- Grievous Wounds - See above.
Spells
COST | RNG | AOE | POW | DUR | OFF | ||
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Artifice of Deviation
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2 | Control | 5 | - | Upkeep | No | |
Place a 5" AOE anywhere completely within the spellcaster's control range. While completely within the AOE, friendly Faction models gain cover. Enemy models treat the AOE as rough terrain. | |||||||
Deadeye
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2 | 6 | - | - | Turn | No | |
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains an additional die on each model's first non-spray ranged attack roll this turn. | |||||||
Scavenger's Blessing
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2 | 6 | - | - | Upkeep | No | |
Target model/unit gains Pathfinder and Prowl. Models are not affected while out of formation.
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Vanish
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1 | SELF | - | - | - | No | |
Place the spellcaster anywhere completely within 3" of its current location. Vanish can only be cast once per activation. | |||||||
Warpath
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3 | SELF | Control | - | Upkeep | - | |
When a friendly Faction model in the spellcaster's control range destroys one or more enemy models with a melee or ranged attack during its activation, immediately after the attack is resolved one warbeast in the spellcaster's battlegroup that is in its control range can advance up to 3". A warbeast can advance as a result of Warpath only once per turn. |
Theme Forces
- Disciples of Agony
- Masters of War. He gains "Optional Take Down" in this theme
- The Exalted
- Winds of Death
Thoughts on Primus Jalaam
Primus Jalaam in a Nutshell
Jalaam is a master hunter, who is relatively low ranked in the Skorne army because he's a hunter and low caste. A spell to create cover, Deadeye, a spell for mobility, and one for him to hit and run create a nice little combination.
He has a normal (albeit magical) Reiver, on the other hand he has Prey and gets to boost.
Feat thoughts
Jalaam's feat is purely defensive and pretty effective for protecting infantry even if it does nothing for Titans.
Spell thoughts
- Artifice of Deviation keeps models safe both from shooting and from enemy charges. A great defensive ability,
- Warpath gives him a solid beast game and some beast assassination threat.
- Vanish is extremely flexible
- Vanish lets him snipe and hide. Or just get a couple of shots off from downtown in the first round or two.
- Vanish *also* can be cast before movement, to be in position to charge something. Remember, he hits harder in melee than at range.
- He can Vanish, then Sprint - useful if you engage more people than you can kill.
- Deadeye is really useful to land shots
- Scavenger's Blessing is mostly Pathfinder, but can put Stealth on some very weird things - keeping them safe from shooting from models that aren't in the Artifice of Deviation.
Drawbacks & Downsides
- No anti-ARM tech. He just have to exploit the natural POW of his beasts or, occasionally, his troops.
- Vanish, artifice of deviation, and his feat can keep him safe, but remember his base defensive stats are mediocre.
Tips & Tricks
- He threats 13" in melee and he can be frightening in melee, especially vs his Prey target.
- Don't be afraid of choosing the opposing caster as a prey. In case of doubt, it's better to prey a caster than to prey a heavy you won't easily kill, or a solo that can stay in the deployment zone.
- His high DEF + his feat make him almost immune to free strikes.
- If you Prey a large base then your gun is POW 14. If it's a heavy with low DEF, you've got good chances of hitting.
- Even if you can't damage a model, you can shoot it to prevent it healing.
- Deadeye being an extra dice means that the enemy needs to be very wary of any shooting warbeasts; DEF won't protect them at all. Like most assassinations it's a control effect that makes casters hide rather than in general kills them. Plus, putting this on a Mammoth is just hilarious.
List Building Advice
Strategy
Jalaam is mostly an attrition warlock; two boosted POW 12s are going to make enemy casters keep their head down but not kill. But he can either win shooting due to most of his models being under either Artifice of Deviation or Scavenger's Blessing.
Theme Thoughts
Jalaam's theme choices are slightly unexpected.
- Winds of Death feels like his obvious choice for a theme, but it is less good with him than it looks. Like almost all unboosted shooters, Venators want something to help them hit harder (Reivers having an amazingly accurate Combined Ranged Attack). And Jalaam doesn't have a damage buff.
- Masters of War gives him some quite powerful shooting that likes the damage buff in the form of Cataphracts, and some armour cracking infantry that he can give cover to in the form of Swordsmen.
- Disciples of Agony is Skorne's warbeast film, and minion warbeasts tend to be harder to hit than Skorne's native beasts. And Warpath is great for beasts, especially when you can throw Primal on them. It almost wastes Deadeye other than for some assassinations
- The Exalted is characterised by low DEF and melee models. Not much synergy here.
Winds of Death
You'd think the Venator warlock would want to go in the Venator theme, but actually Jalaam doesn't like Winds of Death too much. Venator Reivers and most Winds of Death staples really, really want a POW bonus that Jalaam doesn't have, and Deadeye doesn't help battle engines or artillery too much. There are still some things to do, especially with Venator Slingers, but casters like Rasheth1 or Morghoul2 will usually work better. Of course you can play a double Siege Animantarax based list and it'll be good.
- Venator Slingers Deadeye lets them land Flare or just kill infantry (with corrosion to drop tough infantry), and Artifice of Deviation prevents them dropping like flies. Scavenger's Blessing can also let them virtually ignore terrain.
- Venator Reivers are extremely effective against infantry under Jalaam. The average 2 man deadeye CRA will hit def 17 on average and has a reroll if you miss. Versus any lower-stat infantry, a withering volley of individual rounds will wipe out units all the while triggering warpath after warpath. Their high accuracy means they can generally contribute to an assassination especially vs lower arm casters.
Masters of War
There's a strong case to use this theme. Cataphract Arcuarii and Cataphract Incindiarii both love Deadeye, and both Artifice of Deviation and Scavenger's Blessing are good to deliver your hard hitting infantry, and praetorian are all defense 13, meaning hard to hit under feat.
- Cataphract Arcuarii really love Dead Eye on their weapon master shots, and really love hiding in the cover provided by Jalaam. (Incindiarii don't worry so much about missing).
Disciples of Agony
This is another natural choice, due to Warpath being a great spell for big battlegroups. Remember that you can take Tyrant Zaadesh, protect him and bring him in melee. Scavenger's Blessing works on minions, which can be particularly handy to protect Farrow Slaughterhousers or other minion units of choice.
The Exalted
With the Skorne update the only major synergy this theme provided disappeared. In general Jalaam goes best with other lists and Immortals go better with other casters.
Support models - Various themes
- Aptimus Marketh - Marketh is an interesting proposition and probably best when he's taken as a free solo. He can upkeep a maximum of 2 spells, and can cast only one usefully. If Scavenger's Blessing goes on a battlegroup model or your ranged forces are decimated, Marketh becomes less appealing - but by that point in the game you probably have your use out of him and the enemy should still be wary of your Spirit Eye.
Minions
- Wrongeye & Snapjaw - Although they don't benefit from Jalaam's feat themselves, Wrongeye can apply Star-Crossed to models which are, affected, which is pretty funny.
- The Wastelander - Scavenger's Blessing can be put on him, giving him Prowl. So if he has concealment he will always be missed by ranged attacks forming a nice combo with his Take a Bullet and Deflect rules.
Battlegroup
- Archidon - DEF 14 with dropping a dice to hit is impressively hard to hit for a warbeast. They also synergise with warpath, allowing them out-of-activation moves. Warpath from outside LOS into LOS, warpath after a sprint to be 10" away etc. Possibilities are limited to the imagination of the player using them.
- Basilisk Krea - a deadeyed Krea hits DEF 18 on average rolls and has Eyeless Sight. It's yet another low-budget assassination from Jalaam or way of taking down a high DEF heavy warbeast, and with warpath it has a threat range of 17". And is good in general.
- Basilisk Drake or Aradus Sentinel - although Deadeye doesn't work on sprays Warpath can offer some really interesting sprays down enemy lines. Also a Drake can spray then warpath to set up flanking for a Krea. This also allows Jalaam to cast the Drake's animus, Lurker, which lets Jalaam shoot, THEN move away to cover, a tactic your opponent may not see coming.
- Titan Cannoneer or Cyclops Raider for Far Strike. Adding 4" to Jalaam's threat range for a single fury is strong enough it's almost automatic. Cannoneers are not to be underestimated in end game melee either, warpath makes them effectively speed 7, and Deadeye is extremely useful for sniping out enemy casters.
- Aradus Soldier and Aradus Sentinel - advance deploying and Pathfinder work really well with Warpath. The Soldier is probably his best full heavy in Masters of War.
Other
Trivia
- A member of House Kevaar
- Released in the Twelve Factions Of Xmas CID (2017.07)
- He has a longer fluff blurb on PP's "extras" page.
- In the story, he is probably one of the most practical and least ambitious of the Skorne. Because of this, don't expect to hear much of him.
Video Battle Reports
- 2019.07 Tactical Supremacy, vs Rahn1
- 2019.04 Feat Fetish, vs Deneghra2
- 2019.04 Feat Fetish, vs Kaya1
- 2019.01 Arcane Assist, vs Harbinger1
- 2018.07 Not Snakes Gaming, vs Goreshade1
- 2018.03 Deathclock Dave, vs Magnus2
- See also Category: Video Battle Reports for more casters with videos.
Other Skorne models
Rules Clarifications
Rules Clarification : Burst Fire and/or Volume Fire - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification: : Magical Damage (Edit) | |
* The "Damage Type: Magical" is not inherited by "secondary" damage from a weapon. That is, stuff like arcs (Electro Leap) or hazards (Scather). (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : Grievous Wounds (Edit)
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Rules Clarification: : Warlock (Edit) | |||||
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Rules Clarification : Pathfinder (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Tough - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Hunter (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Prey (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Resourceful (Edit) |
Rules Clarification : Artifice of Deviation (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Deadeye (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Scavenger's Blessing (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Vanish - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Road to War and/or Warpath and/or Rites of Torment (Edit)
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