The Pale Rider

[Impact UK]

The Pale Rider is one of those models I never got around to in M2E, so how is our horseman holding up in M3E?

[Legislat]

One of the best models in faction. I think only Hoffman gets fine without one. Almost every other of my lists have it. He is fast, beafy and gamechanging starting turn 3.

[4thstringer]

2 hours ago, Impact UK said:

The Pale Rider is one of those models I never got around to in M2E, so how is our horseman holding up in M3E?

I'd go so far as to say best model in faction.  At least until people start effective counterplay.

[GameSoHard]

Yeah, really good. Fits into every crew and when list building, it starts in and I then have to have a good reason to take it out. 

Slightly fragile for the points but the damage output in T3 onwards is crazy. 

[Laosiamus]

As someone who is new to M3, how is the damage output so crazy? 

[Morgan Vening]

12 minutes ago, Laosiamus said:

As someone who is new to M3, how is the damage output so crazy? 

From what I've seen, less about his own damage output than as a damage multiplier. You bubble up even a little bit, and Turns 2-5 (assuming you can keep a 6+ in hand for the Turn 2 and 3 ones), you get a massive bubble of "everything charges".

But looking at it, if your opponent bubbles, Turns 3-5 you can really mess them up with Devastation. You catch even 3 models in that pulse, and that's gonna put some serious hurt on, as the 2/3/4 Irreducible isn't an opposed duel. Plus Slow. Plus Burning. That's a lot of crap to deal with. 

[Vangerdahast]

The damage output becomes crazy when the Rider can use all its Fate Tokens to boost Revel in Conflict with the Devastation Trigger.

 

Remember that Fate Tokens add up and aren't discarded at end of the turn. So at beginning of Turn 3 you have 6 (1+2+3) Fate Tokens. Use Revel and declare Devastation by spending 5 Tokens. Do 2/3/4 IRREDUCIBLE damage, Slow and Burning +1 to ennemies in a 6" Pulse. You have 1 Token left. At the beginnig of Turn 4, you gain 4 Tokens that add to the one you have left  and repeat Revel with Devastation. You have no Tokens left but you gain 5 at the beginning of Turn 5 and repeat again Revel + Devastation.

 

In order to deal with that, you absolutely need to attack early the Rider to make him use his Tokens to reduce incoming damages. It then won't have enough Tokens left for Devastation.

 

[trikk]

2 hours ago, Vangerdahast said:

The damage output becomes crazy when the Rider can use all its Fate Tokens to boost Revel in Conflict with the Devastation Trigger.

 

Remember that Fate Tokens add up and aren't discarded at end of the turn. So at beginning of Turn 3 you have 6 (1+2+3) Fate Tokens. Use Revel and declare Devastation by spending 5 Tokens. Do 3/46 IRREDUCIBLE damage, Slow and Burning +1 to ennemies in a 6" Pulse. You have 1 Token left. At the beginnig of Turn 4, you gain 4 Tokens that add to the one you have left  and repeat Revel with Devastation. You have no Tokens left but you gain 5 at the beginning of Turn 5 and repeat again Revel + Devastation.

 

In order to deal with that, you absolutely need to attack early the Rider to make him use his Tokens to reduce incoming damages. It then won't have enough Tokens left for Devastation.

 

Thats why mine rides with a LLC

[Impact UK]

Well that answers that question, cheers for all the input.

[Cursed25]

Also rider is so fast he can easily stay far away from the action to prevent most attack against him and in turn 3 double move for a 20' threat range devastation!

 

and ride with me in the first 2 turns is just so good for the action economy of your crew! Sonnia who can do triple flameburst instead of move, move flameburst is a force to reckon with!

[4thstringer]

5 hours ago, Vangerdahast said:

The damage output becomes crazy when the Rider can use all its Fate Tokens to boost Revel in Conflict with the Devastation Trigger.

 

Remember that Fate Tokens add up and aren't discarded at end of the turn. So at beginning of Turn 3 you have 6 (1+2+3) Fate Tokens. Use Revel and declare Devastation by spending 5 Tokens. Do 3/4/6 IRREDUCIBLE damage, Slow and Burning +1 to ennemies in a 6" Pulse. You have 1 Token left. At the beginnig of Turn 4, you gain 4 Tokens that add to the one you have left  and repeat Revel with Devastation. You have no Tokens left but you gain 5 at the beginning of Turn 5 and repeat again Revel + Devastation.

 

In order to deal with that, you absolutely need to attack early the Rider to make him use his Tokens to reduce incoming damages. It then won't have enough Tokens left for Devastation.

 

Isn't that 2/3/4?

I'm always shocked by how often when the rider comes riding in I have several models in killable range.  I guess I'm not great at focusing my damage.

[Vangerdahast]

12 minutes ago, 4thstringer said:

Isn't that 2/3/4?

I'm always shocked by how often when the rider comes riding in I have several models in killable range.  I guess I'm not great at focusing my damage.

 

Yes, you're right, it is 2/3/4 but the damage is cheatable so it is very often 4 damage that ignore all abilities and Rst Triggers. In my experience I generally have between two to four models in range when the Rider uses Devastation. Each one taking 4 damage is huge. For example, in one game Colette died of two Devastation  and some shooting (end of turn 3, beginnig of turn 4).

 

[GameSoHard]

Turns 1 and 2 the rider has a good shoot action and ride with me which I think is one of the best quick actions around. 

From T3 onwards, the 6” range is huge so with the riders move plus range it will hit a few models. Where the ‘crazy’ damage comes in though is that it’s unresistable - no failing the duels for no hit. Combined with irreducible so armour and incorporeal etc don’t help and cheatable so if something really needs to take 4 damage - it does!

Anything that doesn’t die then takes a damage at the end of the turn for burning (or soaks up some AP getting it off) and loses an AP for slow.

Say if you’re hitting 3 models, that’s average about 3 damage each plus the 1 for burning and 3AP worth of ‘damage’. It also heals your own models.

If my master did 12 damage, gave 3 models slow and healed some friendlies all for a 6 of rams I’d be happy with that!

The pulse charge is also great in the right circumstance. Repositions models (even engaged ones) gives attacks and heals. Particularly good in Lucius where it also draws cards for you. 

Beware though! Completely countered by stunned.

[4thstringer]

4 minutes ago, GameSoHard said:

 

Beware though. Completely countered by stunned.

I'm beginning to think stunned is the best anti-guild condition.

[Morgan Vening]

2 hours ago, 4thstringer said:

I'm beginning to think stunned is the best anti-guild condition.

There. Fixed that for you.

There's very few crews in any faction where Stunned doesn't just ruin your day.

[4thstringer]

1 hour ago, Morgan Vening said:

There. Fixed that for you.

There's very few crews in any faction where Stunned doesn't just ruin your day.

Can you imagine if the rider put out slow and stunned instead of slow and burning?

[Humphrey]

Stunned is awesome. If only there was a model that heals and removes conditions while being coastly to kill... That would be an ideal support for that totally busted model.

But to be fair, I seriously think the riders in general get their fate tokens way too fast.

[4thstringer]

1 hour ago, Humphrey said:

Stunned is awesome. If only there was a model that heals and removes conditions while being coastly to kill... That would be an ideal support for that totally busted model.

But to be fair, I seriously think the riders in general get their fate tokens way too fast.

I think what makes the pale rider so good is that it can stand off and still shoot/kill things.

[Humphrey]

That is indeed very good. But imagine him starting to get his tokens at the beginning of turn 2 - starting with 1 and additionally allow him to use Soulstones. That would be slightly more balanced.

Keep in mind, that you could also use him as an unstoppable Sheme Runner who moves 19" a turn with unimpeded on a flank .

 

[Michael Curran]

Woe has ‘stunned’ out the heiney, but in my game with Pandora my opponent didn’t make use of it as he was aware I had taken condition removal models to counter it.  I even went out of keyword and hired a witchling stalker to make sure......... didn’t matter.  I ended up succumbing to failed will power tests and misery.  I lost 8:4.

[4thstringer]

34 minutes ago, Michael Curran said:

Woe has ‘stunned’ out the heiney, but in my game with Pandora my opponent didn’t make use of it as he was aware I had taken condition removal models to counter it.  I even went out of keyword and hired a witchling stalker to make sure......... didn’t matter.  I ended up succumbing to failed will power tests and misery.  I lost 8:4.

Pandora is tough. The woes do so much between slow, incorp, and their movement tricks.

[Adran]

2 hours ago, Michael Curran said:

Woe has ‘stunned’ out the heiney, but in my game with Pandora my opponent didn’t make use of it as he was aware I had taken condition removal models to counter it.  

I'd almost say woe wants you to gain the conditions rather than you have them. They aren't so bothered by the condition having an effect on you. 

[Sybarite]

It's amazing. 

[tmod]

New sword for Francisco, new watchers, additional pose for hunters and maybe some more dynamic poses for things like Guardians and I think we're pretty good.

[Dark Reaper]

On 9/7/2019 at 11:17 PM, Adran said:

I'd almost say woe wants you to gain the conditions rather than you have them. They aren't so bothered by the condition having an effect on you. 

You have a point here, but on the other hand, stunned is so good right now that I think they are fine either way.