The Book of Deathstalkers

[dnutt99]

The Book of Deathstalkers

Thora's Vengeance - Collection 5 - "Soulborgs"
Valkrill's Gambit - Collection 10 - "Soulborgs"

If you cannot see the Army Card graphic, check Hasbro's Unit Page for stats and special powers, plus "character biography" and other non-game unit info.

Character Bio: A shrill howl rings out through the night air. It sends a chill up the spine of a lone member of the 4th Massachusetts, who pulled guard duty for a small party of soldiers camped on the northern edge of Upper Bleakwoode. The soldier’s eyes dart back and forth, frantically straining to see the source of the sound. A second howl, now louder, reverberates off his ears, the noise somehow as sad as it is frightening. Suddenly, in the space between the surrounding trees, a dozen pairs of eerie red eyes light up. The soldier jumps up to alert his troops, but his warning cries are cut short. The Deathstalkers have claimed another victim. These cold, uncaring creatures once had a will of their own. Some say you can still hear it in their howl: a cry of resistance to the circuits that now force them to do naught but search and destroy. (Hasbro)
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-Rulings and Clarifications-

- MAUL : Number of Attack Dice to Use
Can a Deathstalker roll less attack dice than it should in order to ensure that Maul Special Power works?
No, per page 14 of the 2nd edition rulebook; number 2 under "To carry out the attack" states you have to roll the number listed on your army card, plus any enhancements. (Hasbro FAQ)

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-Combinations and Synergies-


Synergy Benefits Received

- N/A

Synergy Benefits Offered

- N/A

C3V and SoV Custom Synergies

Spoiler Alert!

Synergy Benefits Offered

EXECUTIONER 616: REMOTE DETONATION
As Soulborgs, Deathstalkers may be exploded by Executioner 616.

Synergy Benefits Received

DEATHCOMMANDER MARK 3 : HEAVY SUPPORT COMMAND BEACON
As a Large Soulborg Squad who follow Utgar, Deathstalkers may benefit from Deathcommander Mark 3's activation synergy.

DEATHCOMMANDER MARK 3 : MARKED FOR DESTRUCTION
As Soulborgs who follow Utgar, Deathstalkers may benefit from Deathcommander Mark 3's MARKED FOR DESTRUCTION.

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-Strategy, Tactics and Tips-

- TBA

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-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

Power Rankings

Jexik: Deathstalkers- With questionably the silliest ability in the game, the Deathstalkers might be better if the Hounds weren’t already around. C+

OEAO: C+

Cleon: Tier 4 (149/208)

dok (VC inclusive): Nice synergies with the Deathcommander, and shifts in the competitive metagame are working for these guys. But still pricey and tricky to use well. B


Master Index

Originally Posted by MKSentinel

Deathstalkers
General Discussion
http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=1984
General Discussion
http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=3986
Maul and Successful Non-All-Skull Attack?
http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=4433
Maul Wording?
http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=1964
Skulls on Bonus Die too?
http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=2599

Unit Strategy Review

Unit Strategy Revies: How to use Deathstalkers

[jcb231]

These figures are LARGE and SOULBORGS. Those two things make them immune to a plethora of special abilities, including throw, chomp, toxic skin, and marro plague.

[Aranas]

-Rulings and Clarifications-

• - MAUL : Number of attack dice to use
  Can a Deathstalker roll less attack dice than it should in order to ensure that Maul Special Power works?
  No, per page 14 of the 2nd edition rulebook; number 2 under "To carry out the attack" states you
  have to roll the number listed on your army card, plus any enhancements. (Hasbro FAQ)

This means the more enhancements you get affecting your attack (height, glyphs, attack aura), the more difficult it is to trigger that Maul Special Power. Remember, you need to roll a skull on every die.

We need a math guy here. Is it better to attack an opponent on level ground (using 3 attack dice with higher chances of using the Maul) or gaining height advantage and attack with 4 dice?


Aranas

[netherspirit]

Originally Posted by Aranas

We need a math guy here. Is it better to attack an opponent on level ground (using 3 attack dice with higher chances of using the Maul) or gaining height advantage and attack with 4 dice?


Aranas

The chance of rolling all skulls on 3 dice is 12.5% (0.50^3)
The chance of rolling all skulls on 4 dice is 6.25% (0.50^4)

[Eclipse]

You have to take the enemy Defense into consideration when considering the usefulness of Maul. With 3 defense or less, the average roll is 1 Shield or less. With 3 attack the average attack is less than 2 shields. By getting height, you bump the average to 2 shields, meaning you'll pierce 3 defenses on average without needing Maul. When the opponent has more than 3 Defense, the likelyhood of rolling 2 Shields increases pretty significantly, making the Maul chance a little more important.

[netherspirit]

Originally Posted by Eclipse

You have to take the enemy Defense into consideration when considering the usefulness of Maul. With 3 defense or less, the average roll is 1 Shield or less. With 3 attack the average attack is less than 2 shields. By getting height, you bump the average to 2 shields, meaning you'll pierce 3 defenses on average without needing Maul. When the opponent has more than 3 Defense, the likelyhood of rolling 2 Shields increases pretty significantly, making the Maul chance a little more important.

Also, the amount of life the defending figure has could be a factor in determining whether you want to not get a bonus in order to have a better chance of Mauling. Against a multi-life hero three damage is a lot.

Against a single life common hero or squady you might be better off just taking the bonus and hoping to get 1 skull through. Like Eclipse said that will likely depend on how many defense dice they roll.

[Aranas]

Originally Posted by netherspirit

The chance of rolling all skulls on 3 dice is 12.5% (0.50^3)
The chance of rolling all skulls on 4 dice is 6.25% (0.50^4)

Well, thank you Netherspirit! But this is not exactly what I was looking for. Suppose you are fighting against a Hero figure (5-6 life) and you have the choice to fight on level ground or from above. Which choice is better? Although your chances of using Maul goes down when you have height advantage, is it better to use 4 attack dice or 3 on level ground?


Aranas

[ASmiles]

In addition to the number of defence dice, you also need to consider the amount of life the figure has left. If you are attacking a squad figure or a hero with only 1 or 2 lift points left, then you are usually better off taking more height (and glyphs). Even if you decrease the chance of a maul occurring, you increase the odds of inflicitng at least 1 wound.

Against heros with decent life points (3 or more) the ability to inflict 3 wounds with a single maul becomes much more important than simply going for the roll most likely to inflicting some damage. It's a trade off. By staying on even/lower terrain you're less likely to inflict damage with your attack, but when you do inflict damage, it will be much more painful.

...and of course while I spent time writing and re-writing, nether beat me to the punch.

[ASmiles]

Originally Posted by Aranas

Well, thank you Netherspirit! But this is not exactly what I was looking for. Suppose you are fighting against a Hero figure (5-6 life) and you have the choice to fight on level ground or from above. Which choice is better? Although your chances of using Maul goes down when you have height advantage, is it better to use 4 attack dice or 3 on level ground?

3 Attack Dice against 3 Defense Dice:
0 Wounds 48.6%
1 Wound 27.8%
2 Wounds 11.1%
3 Wounds 12.5%

4 Attack Dice against 3 Defense Dice:
0 Wounds 34.6%
1 Wound 29.6%
2 Wounds 22.2%
3 Wounds 7.4%
4 Wounds 6.3%

So at 3 defense dice, it's always better to take the high ground. i'd imagine that at higher defense dice (possibly 4) it's worth it to stay on even ground. I'd repeat the calculations, but I have actual work I should be getting back to .

[TheRealQ]

Originally Posted by ASmiles

3 Attack Dice against 3 Defense Dice:
0 Wounds 48.6%
1 Wound 27.8%
2 Wounds 11.1%
3 Wounds 12.5%

4 Attack Dice against 3 Defense Dice:
0 Wounds 34.6%
1 Wound 29.6%
2 Wounds 22.2%
3 Wounds 7.4%
4 Wounds 6.3%

So at 3 defense dice, it's always better to take the high ground. i'd imagine that at higher defense dice (possibly 4) it's worth it to stay on even ground. I'd repeat the calculations, but I have actual work I should be getting back to .

I didn't do all the calculations so can't show all the stats but the same pattern shows up for a defense of anything from 3-8. In defenses lower than 3 the chance to inflict a wound on a squad has only a minimal difference but still has an advantage with 4 dice.

The one obvious time that the lower dice count would be advantageous is against DW9000 with his 9 defense. At 9D neither an attack of 3 or 4 has much of a chance of penetrating(theory...we all know what really happens with WhiffWalker9000) but with the Maul ability you have double the chance to ignore defense with 3 dice than with 4 dice.

Other times that the lower dice total may prove useful would be against Counterstrike(Samurai), Defensive Agility(Warriors of Ashra), and One Shield Defense(Crixus)

[Eclipse]

Originally Posted by TheRealQ

The one obvious time that the lower dice count would be advantageous is against DW9000 with his 9 defense. At 9D neither an attack of 3 or 4 has much of a chance of penetrating(theory...we all know what really happens with WhiffWalker9000) but with the Maul ability you have double the chance to ignore defense with 3 dice than with 4 dice.

Maul only affects Small or Medium figures. DW9K is Large, so he's immune.

[IAmBatman]

On the other hand, when going against counterstrike, that's a calculated risk, as rolling one fewer attack die lowers the average amount of skulls you roll and makes you more vulnerable to getting killed by counterstrike. So it's a high risk, high reward maneuver.