Wrapping my head around Nicodem

[Toonook]

...Grave Spirit cannot give armor to Nicodem anyway, right?

Wrong.

Embrace Death: This model can choose to gain the Undead characteristic when affected by talents or spells that affect undead.

[Mach_5]

Yeah, for 1ss I'll take grave spirit even if it's just sitting there giving Nicodem Armor +2. Add in the Dead Rider who can Mounted Combat, attack Nicodem, and drag him halfway up the field round 1, all for the cost of a single wound on Nicodem. Now you're blasting Decay and Rigor Mortis into your opponent's deployment zone turn 1.

[Clement]

I find vultures are at their best with mortimer around. They make a very handy target for fresh meat in the first turn or two. After that, if they outlive their usefulness you can just kill them off for the counter.

[Q'iq'el]

I find vultures are at their best with mortimer around. They make a very handy target for fresh meat in the first turn or two. After that, if they outlive their usefulness you can just kill them off for the counter.

Huh, Eyes and Ears?

I use them to cast Decays from the flank or in the back of my opponent, when my own models block LoS. You can also use them for table control - place one with view on an objective and you can paralyze or decay opponents trying to get there, giving you enough time for the undead to get there and deal with the problem.

Obviously it all depends on the terrain and the opponent. A crew with lots of ranged attacks or terrain which lacks tall and difficult to access features (trees, ruins, tall walls and rocky outcrops etc.) would make Vultures considerably less useful.

[Jonas Albrecht]

I like Vultures too, but their low cast means using them to fire off Decay is expensive and ineffective.

[Q'iq'el]

I like Vultures too, but their low cast means using them to fire off Decay is expensive and ineffective.

With Eyes and Ears you cast with Nicodem's Ca. There's a penalty, but it still makes sense to do it in plenty of situations.

For one Nicodem is too slow to reposition himself if the opponent is trying to hide a mini from him. Getting a Rigor Mortis or perhaps landing a killing blow with Decay may be even worth burning a Soul Stone, but without the Vulture you'd never pull it off.

Then by not having to move him, you save his APs for casting.

Either way, Vultures are fragile and require some experience to use right, but they help the most in the area Nicodem is considered the weakest at. Even with the cost associated, it still is huge to be able to bridge that ability gap when it counts, even if it is just one turn during the game.

[Jonas Albrecht]

You can't cast Decay with Eyes and Ears.

[Q'iq'el]

You can't cast Decay with Eyes and Ears.

Huh? Of course you can!

The only limitation is on models in melee. Nicodem cannot cast it if he is engaged in melee (normal restriction) and he cannot use Vulture if the Vulture is engaged in melee (restriction in the E&E description). The later is actually quite unlikely to happen.

[Jonas Albrecht]

Huh? Of course you can!

The only limitation is on models in melee. Nicodem cannot cast it if he is engaged in melee (normal restriction) and he cannot use Vulture if the Vulture is engaged in melee (restriction in the E&E description). The later is actually quite unlikely to happen.

Wow, I never noticed the melee clause. I have been undervaluing E&E for a long time.