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The Book of Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep

cmgames

cmgames

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The Book of Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep

C3V Wave 5 ("Wave 18") - Lodin's Discord - Sentinels of the Dark Hills

c3v_shieldsmiths_master_original.jpg


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  • The first figure used for this unit is from the Underdark set from the D&D Miniatures line. The name of the figure used is #05 Gold Dwarf Soldier.
  • The second figure used for this unit is from the Aberrations set from the D&D Miniatures line. The name of the figure used is #07 Hill Dwarf Warrior.
  • The third figure used for this unit is from the Angelfire set from the D&D Miniatures line. The name of the figure used is #31 Dwarf Mercenary.
  • The backup figure used for this unit is from the Giants of Legend set from the D&D Miniatures line. The name of the figure used is #10 Eberk, Adventurer.


Character Bio: Time and time again, the Axegrinders of Burning Forge have taught the enemies of the Allied forces that underestimating a small enemy can be a fatal mistake. The dwarves of Feylund have become respected and feared across Valhalla for their resilience and determination. But among the society of dwarves back on Feylund, the Axegrinders are considered reckless and foolhardy when compared to their brethren, the Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep.
With Indomitable, the Shieldsmiths can adapt to any situation; they can charge ranged enemies, or shifting their strength into powerful attacks to deliver deadly blows. And with their Steadfast ability, not even the mighty Jotun can throw them aside.

Spoiler Alert!


Indomitable
If a Shieldsmith of Granite Keep begins his turn unengaged, add 2 to his Move value this turn. If he begins his turn engaged, add 2 to his Attack value this turn.

Steadfast
Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep cannot be moved by any special power on any opponent's Army Card.

Climb X2
When moving up or down levels of terrain, Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep may double their height.
Click to expand...
_________________________________________________________________
-Rulings and Clarifications-

- TBD
_________________________________________________________________
-Combinations and Synergies-

Synergy Benefits Received
  • CONCAN THE KYRIE WARRIOR : Knight and Sentinel Enhancement
    As Sentinels, the Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep may benefit from Concan the Kyrie Warrior’s KNIGHT AND SENTINEL ENHANCEMENT attack and defense bonus.
Synergy Benefits Offered
  • MOK: Gunner Special Attack & Gunner Casualties
    As Dwarf Squad figures, Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep may help Mok's GUNNER SPECIAL ATTACK and GUNNER CASUALTIES special abilities.
Synergy Imposed
  • WARDEN 816: Evisceraxe Special Attack
    As small figures, the Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep are immune to Warden 816's EVISCERAXE SPECIAL ATTACK.

_________________________________________________________________
-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

Power Ranking and Master Index
Plenty of hitting power and staying power. Turns out good stats are good. B+ (Dok's Master List)

Unit Strategy Review
- TBD
 
Last edited by a moderator:
For bonding, these guys can be Gunners for Mok. With that said:

220 Mok
280 Axegrinders
600 Shieldsmith x4
600pts/18hexes

Load up with Axegrinders and protect Mok with the Shieldsmith.
 
Shieldsmiths were played in seven games over Online Heroscape Season 16, winning four. Here were the matchups/formats (won):

Escape:
Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3, B-11 Resistance Corps, Major J15, Marcu Esenwein
Bahadur, Manauvi, Varkaanan Darkclaws, Varkaanan Swiftfangs, Eldgrim the Viking Champion

Treasure Quest:
Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3, Emperor Andask, Heirloom
Cyprien Esenwein, Skeletons of Annellintia x3

Heat of Battle:
Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3, Emperor Andask, Heirloom
Nicholas Esenwein, Bloodburst Thrall x5, Deathstrike Thrall x3, Preyblood Thrall x2, Marcu Esenwein

Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3, B-11 Resistance Corps, Major J15, Marcu Esenwein
Azurite Warlord, Roman Legionnaires x3, Me-Burq-Sa, Raelin the Kyrie Warrior [SotM]

Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3, Emperor Andask, Heirloom
Microcorp Troopers x3, Agent Skahen, Heirloom, Otonashi

Claim the Flag:
Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3, Emperor Andask, Heirloom
Mok, Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3

Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3, B-11 Resistance Corps, Major J15, Marcu Esenwein
Cyprien Esenwein, Skeletons of Annellintia x3

I participated in five of those games, and I think the Shieldsmiths are very solid. Their low written stats are deceiving, and that 5 defense is no joke. Even though they lost three, I would take the Shieldsmith side in every one of those matchups except the Romans one (but only in HoB; kill-'em-all I would prefer the Shieldsmiths).
 
Are you sure you would take their side in this matchup?
Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3, Emperor Andask, Heirloom
Mok, Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3
Click to expand...

:razz:

--

Cool. I'm glad to see they are getting use and have shown themselves to be effective.
 
capsocrates said:
Are you sure you would take their side in this matchup?
Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3, Emperor Andask, Heirloom
Mok, Shieldsmiths of Granite Keep x3
Click to expand...

:razz:

--

Cool. I'm glad to see they are getting use and have shown themselves to be effective.
Click to expand...

Hah, I had the Mok side. Almost won. Andask and Heirloom w/2 wounds each vs. Mok w/5 wounds, 2 Gunners, and 2 Smiths left. Andask disengaged (hit), rolled 4/4 skulls, in which Mok roll 1/4 shields. Gunner Casualties didn't trigger (7), so Mok died and dropped the glyph. I lost an OM, and Andask flew over to grab the glyph to win.

SOOOOO close.... :|
 
Well, after a few weeks of internal back-and-forth, I finally took the plunge and ordered enough figures to get two squads of Shieldsmiths. Even though all three are apparently out of production, I was still able to scrape them up for less than $20 USD total. We'll see how they work for me when I get ahold of them, but I can easily see these fellows becoming my favorite melee squad.
Now I just need Mok and some Gnids...
 
Dark_Stranger said:
Well, after a few weeks of internal back-and-forth, I finally took the plunge and ordered enough figures to get two squads of Shieldsmiths. Even though all three are apparently out of production, I was still able to scrape them up for less than $20 USD total. We'll see how they work for me when I get ahold of them, but I can easily see these fellows becoming my favorite melee squad.
Now I just need Mok and some Gnids...
Click to expand...
I hope you like 'em; they're one of my favorite squads.
 
Now that I've had a chance to use them a few times, I'd say these guys are easily in my top five favorite squads ever. Five defense gives them real staying power, and Indomitable just makes them fun to play and frightening to go up against. I'm in serious danger of forgetting my quest to proxy the Axegrinders and just getting a few more squads of these guys.
 
They really are powerhouses. My one game with them they felt like mini heroes with how sturdy there were. I will probably play with them today now that I remember how good they felt.
 
The 5 defense won't help them against Chompy or the Dragon Queen, and with only three per squad @ 80 points, they could die off pretty fast. Every time I try to build a dwarves-themed army with these guys, I always end up using the Axegrinders instead - 4 @ 70 AND bonding just works out a better value.

Of course, if I weren't going for a themed army, they might work better. Or in a non-drafting build, I suppose.

~Z
 
They aren't as good as the Axegrinders, but that's on purpose; the Axegrinders are a versatile, A-ranked squad. With that said, Raelin-backed Shieldsmiths are a meaty, meaty screen that can really hit back.
 
For their steadfast power, it says they can't be moved. Can they be locked down though with powers such as Gladiatron's Cyberclaw?
 
ThugMisting said:
For their steadfast power, it says they can't be moved. Can they be locked down though with powers such as Gladiatron's Cyberclaw?
Click to expand...

Sounds to me like they can be locked down. Steadfast prevents them from being moved, but it does not prevent them from being prevented from moving.
 
Basically Steadfast prevents an opponent from moving them. Cyberclaw prevents *anyone* from moving them.
 
I've been playing a 1000pt Dwarf army with Mok and I'm having a hard time finding a place for this squad. The Axegrinders with bonding make it hard to justify taking these guys over them.

Originally I had planned on using them for gunners for Mok but since you only have 3 figures per 80 point squad that seems like a waste especially since they seem to be more powerful on the ground than as a gunner.

I think they fit better in non-Dwarf armies and as pointed out earlier, paired with someone like Raelin.

Interesting squad nonetheless. I'll have to try them in different builds and in different maps and scenarios.
 
SuperSamyon said:
I've been playing a 1000pt Dwarf army with Mok and I'm having a hard time finding a place for this squad. The Axegrinders with bonding make it hard to justify taking these guys over them.

Originally I had planned on using them for gunners for Mok but since you only have 3 figures per 80 point squad that seems like a waste especially since they seem to be more powerful on the ground than as a gunner.

I think they fit better in non-Dwarf armies and as pointed out earlier, paired with someone like Raelin.

Interesting squad nonetheless. I'll have to try them in different builds and in different maps and scenarios.
Click to expand...
I think it's more that, this squad doesn't care whether you have any Dwarf Heros. Where as the Axegrinders and the Heros need each other. Axegrinders with 6 move are neat, but a 5th attack per turn is better 4 out of 5 turns. The Sheildsmiths on the other hand don't care who's with them, because they can take anything. 4 Attack, 5 Defense, is crazy good. They make up for the 2 less attacks, by having Attack and Defense stats so high that it doesn't matter. The one thing they can't make up for, is board control. 5 figures moving per turn will just always have a greater flexibility than 3. If you are running 1000 point Dwarf armies, I think the Shieldsmiths can fit in, but they only fit in at the point where you've lost your dwarf heros. The Axegrinders will serve you better until you can't bond them with someone anymore. At that point, the Shieldsmiths will have their time to shine.
 
Leaf_It said:
SuperSamyon said:
I've been playing a 1000pt Dwarf army with Mok and I'm having a hard time finding a place for this squad. The Axegrinders with bonding make it hard to justify taking these guys over them.

Originally I had planned on using them for gunners for Mok but since you only have 3 figures per 80 point squad that seems like a waste especially since they seem to be more powerful on the ground than as a gunner.

I think they fit better in non-Dwarf armies and as pointed out earlier, paired with someone like Raelin.

Interesting squad nonetheless. I'll have to try them in different builds and in different maps and scenarios.
Click to expand...
I think it's more that, this squad doesn't care whether you have any Dwarf Heros. Where as the Axegrinders and the Heros need each other. Axegrinders with 6 move are neat, but a 5th attack per turn is better 4 out of 5 turns. The Sheildsmiths on the other hand don't care who's with them, because they can take anything. 4 Attack, 5 Defense, is crazy good. They make up for the 2 less attacks, by having Attack and Defense stats so high that it doesn't matter. The one thing they can't make up for, is board control. 5 figures moving per turn will just always have a greater flexibility than 3. If you are running 1000 point Dwarf armies, I think the Shieldsmiths can fit in, but they only fit in at the point where you've lost your dwarf heros. The Axegrinders will serve you better until you can't bond them with someone anymore. At that point, the Shieldsmiths will have their time to shine.
Click to expand...

Very good points. I've started to treat them as endgame units. Once my opponent has been withered down, they come out to stand their ground. Usually by then squads with bonding have lost too many figures to attack multiple times.

You're absolutely right about board control and I think thats why early on its hard justify them moving out first.

Thanks for the perspective!
 
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