[Pod 1] PYRIA (Chandra Nalaar, Pyromancer) - Playtesting

[The Long eared bat]

Map: Fairhaven by Flash19
Points: 400
Glyphs: Wannok, Defense +1

Team 1: Pyria, Deadeye Dan, 2x Ashra, 2x Death knights
Team 2: Tetsuo Tyrell, Feral Troll, 2x stingers, 2x rats

Game report: Pyria+Dks moved out first met by Rats+stingers. Rat took Wannok which did 2 wounds on Dan. After round 2 5 rats and 4 stingers dead. This was due to Team 2 reaching the other team first Dks rolling 3/5 defense regularly and stingers rolling terrible attack. Pyria was used aggressively taking out many units with her special attack and risking disengaging and the death of Dks in the process which payed off due to their defense rolls. Pyria killed 1 rat with a normal attack and rolled 3/4 for Twin Flamethrowers special attack 5 times apart from 1 attack of 2!!! With SA killed 2 rats+1 stinger, 1stinger+1rat, 2 stingers+1 own Dk, 3wounds on Tyrell, killed Tyrell+1rat. Tyrell had done 3 wounds on Pyria and she was finished by Feral Troll. However the game was already won. Troll + Otonashi never going to bet Ashra.

Units that survived: 1 life Dan, 5 Ashra, 1 Dk.

How did tested unit do?: Pyria killed 220 points which was a combination of aggression and a lot of luck. Bonding with Dks was very useful because the opponent was forced to spread out more which benefited the Dks. If Pyria didn't reach the other team's start zone so quickly or hadn't rolled so well for her attack and Dks defense she wouldn't have been as powerful. It was a freak performance.

[The Long eared bat]

Map: Fairhaven by Flash19
Points: 400
Glyphs: Wannok, Defense +1

Team 1: Pyria, Deadeye Dan, 2x Ashra, 2x Death knights
Team 2: Tetsuo Tyrell, Feral Troll, 2x stingers, 2x rats

Game report: Otonashi used tricky speed to slow down Pyria+Dks. Which gave time for Tyrell to move up and attacked his own Feral Troll doing 1 wound, however he got Mind Jack which was used to move the Troll up and healed. Pyria attacked with special 2/4 and did 1 wound on Tyrell and killed an advancing stinger. Her other 2 attack were blanks which proved fatal. Pyria was killed by Tyrell and stingers. After that rats and stingers dominated the map taking both glyphs. Stingers rolled well and easily picked of Ashra+Dan.

Units that survived: (Tyrell 4 lives left), 5 rats, 4 stingers

How did tested unit do?: This time Pyria's luck and aggression didn't work. She fell quickly and the void the Dks left behind allowed stingers and rats to dominate. The Troll and Tyrell weren't as easy to shift for Pyria and Dks.

[flameslayer93]

300 point battle on a homebrew map.
Glyphs: Revamped Healing, Recall, Def +1, Move +2

Armies:
Mine: Pyria (120) + Death Knights x3
LE’s: Grimnak, Hrognak, Blade Gruts x3

I tried to rush Pyria to start some wounds on Grimnak, and she did a little bit. My Death Knights tried to cruise in, and tried to deal damage. Mostly failed though, lol. I tried to put Pyria in the middle of the map to maximize damage, but her attack dice mostly lagged after the first throw. The DKs still managed to finish off a wounded Grimnak. After rezzing a DK with a low-ground Recall, a trio of Blade Gruts cut her down. My DKs did a good job cutting through her waves of Gruts, but ultimately fell to superior attack counts. LE wins with Hrognak (full) and 2 Gruts.

Pyria did a total of 4 to Grimnak (1 was healed away) and killed 2 Blades.

It’s good to see that aggro-Pyria doesn’t push the DKs into a higher tier. Even LE noticed that she was steamrolling me.

[kevindola]

500 Points
Map: Ashfall by Flash19
Glyphs: Wannok Valda

Army 1: Aubriens x4, Venoc Warlord, Romans x2
Army 2: Pyria, Raelin, Warriors of Ashra x3, 10th Regiment x2


Which units survived?
Raelin (full)
5 Ashra
3 Regiment

I rushed with Relentless Pyria intent on maximum damage into a clustered startzone. She didn't make it but she still got work done. She flamed archers who came out first while in Raelin's aura. Then she pushed forward, but she picked off straggling archers before the Romans and Snake came out.

She had taken 4 wounds form Archers and then retreated when the Warlord came out picking off a Roman with a normal attack as she retreated back into Raelin's aura.

From there I switched to the squads while the Snake came in. Pyria died in that battle which Raelin eventually won in attrition for that side.

How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?

7 OMs

Once used for movement
4 uses of Flamethrower
2 normal attacks

Flame Usage
Targeted 2 elves (2 kills)
Targeted 2 elves (1 kill)
Targeted 2 elves (2 kills)
Targeted 2 elves (1 kills)

2 normal attacks that killed 1 Roman

Damage: 6 Aubriens, 1 Roman (153)


Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?

She played pretty fun and furious in the SZ rush role. I felt a bit like playing chess with a knight/bishop mix, trying to figure out what position could get me two lines that got targets. Usually this required engaging one of them which would have been reckless against another unit other than Aubriens.

Overall a high offensive output unit that the opponent has to be smart about playing around. Tempered by low defense. Nice unit.

[All Your Pie]

Getting good results so far. Some thoughts:

Pyria doesn't elevate the DKs much, as expected and hoped. The DKs are very bad, so this isn't too surprising. I do want to watch out for if she becomes their overall best bonding option, though, and whether or not that's something we want if it turns out to be true.

She's performed pretty strong overall. Middling results in FS's test and a flop in one of TLEB's, but the latter only on account of two blanked Flamethrower rolls. I don't think we need a price bump yet but we should keep an eye on it.

I'll get the tests added to the OP here in just a moment.

[flameslayer93]

As is, she’s incredibly fun. I wouldn’t tune her stats, so slide the cost as needed.

[kevindola]

400 Points
Map: Morning Skirmish
Glyphs: Wannok

Army 1: Deathknights x3, Pyria, Dumutef x2, Marro Warriors
Army 2: Dreadguls x4, Valguard, Guilty


Which units survived?
Valguard (4 life)
2 Dreadguls

A couple of consecutive Charge rolls by the Dreadguls had them on top of Pyria much quicker than anticipated and they managed 4 wounds on her.

She got one twin flame, but it was blocked and then bonding target was switched to the Dumutefs because of how close the dreadguls were to the Startzone. The Dumutefs and DKs fought off the charge and a Dumutef caught Guilty.

However Valguard came in and and a big 4 skull hit killed Pyria. He then bounced around killing the deathknights with Dreadgul support. THe marro Warriors were boxed in and only managed a few kills before all being wiped out.

How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?

bonded 3 times

Once used for movement
1 twin flame (1/4 that was blocked by 2 Dreadguls)
1 4v3 normal attack that was blocked by a dreadgul


Damage: nothing


Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?

She got caught and hit hard by a couple of dreadguls. On top of that, there weren't very many good options for the twin flame because of how the Dreadguls split up and Guilty hung back.

The concentration on her did allow the Dumutefs to do some pretty big damage, but not nearly enough by the time Valguard started swinging.

I feel like 120 is a good price point for her after my two tests. Especially when you compare her utility to Kaemon. I could be persuaded her normal attack should be brought down in range.

[flameslayer93]

Played against Pyria in a flash-fire game. Map was Castle Mont’ari. Wound and Knowledge were the glyphs.

My Army:
Jotun
Dreadguls x3
Morgan Riflemen

LE’s Army:
Taelord
Pyria (7 range)
Death Knights x3

LE developed Taelord into the middle of the castle, with DK’s in tow. At first I mobilized the Rifles to have control of the mountains. Shortly, Jotun made am appearance and was ready to rumble. Within the first rounds, Jotun obliterated both of LE’s heroes and some DK’s. He did eat 4 wounds during this time.

Notables: Jotun hit Pyria for a 6 skull roll, while she whiffed. It was a OHKO.

Pyria killed 2 Dreadguls and 1 wound to Jotun.

I think Pyria’s performance was mostly bad because I targetted LE’s heroes and Jotun had enough time to develop. LE may have been better off trying to keep Pyria back instead of going straight for the burn.

[Ericth74]

500 point armies
Map: Ashfall
Glyphs: Common Attack +1, Wound

Army 1: Pyria, Azazel, Death Knights x4
Army 2: Guilty, Pel, Valguard, Dreadgul Raiders x4


Which units survived?
5 Life Valguard, 1 life Guilty, 1 Dreadgul Raider

Really fun game, that went back and forth. Pyria was able to get 3 normal attacks in from height early on but rolled 1 skull on 4 dice each time, doing no wounds. Pyria took a wound in round 1 when the Dreadguls hit a Berserk roll(the only one all game). Round 3 looked to put the game in the Death Knight teams hands with Pel going down and many Raiders dropping. But an initiative switch in the next round led to a big momentum change, the Dreadguls opted not to bond and already had control of the Common Attack +1 Glyph, and were rolling 5 attack dice. With that they were able to kill Azazel, a Death Knight and put 2 more wounds on Pyria. Pyria was able to kill that Raider but the next turn took 2 wounds from Guilty and a killing wound from another Dreadgul. After that, the last couple of Dreadguls, Valguard and Guilty were able to clean up the remaining Death Knights before Azazel ever got a chance to return.


How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?

Normal Attacks:
4 normal attacks(3 from height) – no wounds, all blocked

Dual Flamethrower Special Attack – Used twice, killing 1 Raider in each attack(2 Raiders total) Never able to target multiple figures.



Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?
On paper Pyria is pretty potent. Whats not to like about 7 range with 3 attack dice, or a special attack that can hit multiple figures, and don't forget 6 life either. My problem was trying to get the Special Attack set up. First off, your opponent knows it coming and spreads out some(the Mimring effect) making it difficult to line up. Second, a move of 5 is good but not great and can limit you getting to the spot you want/need. I can think of 3 different times where if I only had 1 more move I could've hit multiple figures. And thirdly and maybe most importantly, with a range of only 3 spaces, she gets into harms way much more often than you would want for a figure with only 2 defense dice. In my opinion 120 points is too high, I'd rather see her at 100 or her defense or Special Attack range increased, or maybe look at adding an Engagment Strike d20 power(see Arkmer)? At 120 points you are competing with the likes of Hydra, Keamon Awa, and Krug, in her current form I can't see where I would want her over any of those 3, or Sgt Drake and Alastair at 110.

[All Your Pie]

Right now, Pyria is sitting at 2/5. Not great for her, but I do want to note that we've done a lot of testing her with Death Knights. She might be one of their better bonding options, but DKs are quite bad so they might not be the best army for her.

In any case, I'm sufficiently convinced that Pyria+Dks isn't broken. I'd like for our testing going forward to use her with other units instead of them. The Kaemon Awa comparison seems apt, so that's my suggestion for army building with her as well--use her as a chunky, offensively powerful addition to an army that also functions reasonably well without her, putting her in a cleanup or first-strike role.

[flameslayer93]

Last weekend @LoveElemental and I got a game in. I wanted to use Pyria as cleanup... it didn't get that far.



Map: Castle Mont'ari; glyphs: AotV's Healing, Uniq Attack +1, d20 +1


Armies:
Me: Knights of Weston x3
Finn the Viking Champion
Thorgrim the Viking Champion
Pyria


LE: Su-Bak-Na
Marro Drones x5
James Murphy


Basically, the Knights went on a marro-killing spree. They did lose a few men, but with several 3 skull, and even a couple of 4 skull attacks, they quickly dispatched the Drones. Su-Bak-Na couldn't turn the game around either, only managing to inflict a couple of wounds to Thorgrim. Pyria was mostly employed to speed up the game by firing at LE's engaged heroes during endgame (she was boosted with height and unique attack +1).



Survivors: 7 Kow, Finn (1 life left, healed by the glyph), Thorgrim (1 life left), Pyria at full health.



Powers: Pyria never needed to use her special attack.
Damage dealt: 4 to James Murphy, 1 Drone, and 3 to Su-Bak-Na


Other info:
Crypoliths were never used this game. No need.
A KoW grabbed the Healing Glyph to heal Finn. That's actually a fun tidbit, making the glyph play distinctly from Kelda. I had tried to hold out until Thorgrim took a hit to get more healing, but after Finn took a second wound I just ate the glyph.

[caps]

2020-05-25 - 2020-06-03
vs. my son and daughter
Heat of Battle on Thaw

caps
110 B-11 Resistance Corps
210 Jarek Guy
295 Rendar Fy
345 Soontir Van
475 Calibrax the Kyrie Warrior
605 Bossk (HoSS)
685 Erevan Sunshadow

caps's 7yo
120 Pyria
280 2xRed Mantis Blade Dancers
340 Morgan's Riflemen
405 Brute Gruts
575 Emperor Palpatine (HoSS)
685 Yoda (my own design; 30 points under-priced as of this test)

caps's 5yo
240 Iron Man
310 Josie Whistlestop
350 Leia (DFW Star Wars)
460 Han Solo (DFW Star Wars)
590 Chewbacca (DFW Star Wars)
685 Arktos

This was a pretty lively 3-way battle on the map I recently posted in my map thread. I did not keep a blow-by-blow because it was pretty lengthy.

The summary of Pyria is that she is pretty good; very fun glass-cannon type design, so well done on that. She is very Sharky.

There were enough targets in this game, and she was worth few enough points-per-wound, that I didn't give her much attention early in the game. Big mistake. She had been placed on low ground in the middle of the map, and partway through she got an order marker that sent her right into my Mariedian pod. She rolled 4/4 on her Twin Flamethrowers to wipe out a fair chunk of my army. Then she sat there a bit because she wasn't getting order markers and I was still more worried about other figures. She ended up going back towards the opposite start zone (where my daughter had figures camped out) and wrecking them with a 3/4 (finishing off Arktos and Han Solo, whom you are welcome to discount). Finally her last effective OM of the game saw her destroy Calibrax with a 3/4 hit. She was destroyed by Erevan Sunshadow Fey Stepping to her side of the board and blasting her with a 4/4 Fire Blast to steal on order marker.

In all she took 227 points (254.5 if you count Han Solo). I don't think this is a normal performance for her (she rolled very very very well), but it does pair with the design feedback I'll be offering in my next post.

Pyria wounds: 2 wounds from Wannok, 3 wounds from attacks from B-11s, 1 wound from Erevan Sunshadow

Kills:
3 wounds on Jarek Guy (60 points) to finish him off, killed Soontir Van in one hit (50 points) and 1 B-11 (27.5 points).
Then 3 wounds on Arktos (57 points) to finish him off and 1 wound on Han Solo (27.5 points).
Then 1 wound on Calibrax the Kyrie Warrior (32.5 points).

Twin Flamethrowers Special Attack:
4/4 (killed Jarek Guy, Soontir Van, 1 B-11, and they all had height!)
3/4 (killed Arktos and Han Solo)
and 3/4 again (killed Calibrax the Kyrie Warrior)

Pyria wrecks the Mariedian pod