So what does Shadows in the Warp really mean? Well for one, that you're way too close to a big, nasty bug... But for those of you still wanting to cast or running those big bugs, here's the math-hammer:Shadows in the Warp forces Psychic tests on 3d6. Additionally, if any of them are double 1s or double 6's, the Psyker suffers Perils in the Warp. So really, it works similar to Eldar Runes of Warding*.
Unmodified Ld 9: 80.6% Success, 13.9% Failure, 2.8% Perils & Success, 2.8% Perils & Failure
Shadows in the Warp Ld9: 37.5% Success, 47.7% Failure, 7.4% Perils & Success, 7.4% Perils & Failure
Unmodified Ld10: 88.9% Success, 5.6% Failure, 2.8% Perils & Success, 2.8% Perils & Failure
Shadows in the Warp Ld10: 50.0% Success, 35.2% Failure, 7.4% Perils & Success, 7.4% Perils & Failure
So what are you really looking at? 2.6 times as many Perils tests and a pretty harsh drop in Success. It's not quite as painful as Runes of Warding, about as successful as Space Wolves's Runic Weapons (but with more Perils), and better than a normal Pyschic Hood. Psykers near a big bug might want to cast that power a little farther away or just skip on it entirely.
*As an interesting side note, running these numbers made me note an error in my Runes of Warding post. I'd love to blame Colonel Corbane's Multiple Edition Syndrome, but it really was a case of thinking one rule entirely replaced another. The reality was that it only replaced PART of the rule and that I was short changing myself. Heh. I knew blogging could improve my game...
***Image borrowed from Matthew Jue's art page and will be removed if asked***
Throw Deathleaper in the mix for even more fun times :)
ReplyDeleteOnce again thanks for the math.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with your comment that if you are experiencing Shadows in Warp you are way to close to a Big Bug. There in lies my biggest problem with Shadows in the Warp - for it to be truly effective you have to be right up in the enemies face for Shadows in the Warp to be truly effective. Which is where you want to be with Big Bugs, but at the same time you have to eat quite a few powers to get there - and as I have said before - if those are Space Wolf powers that will really hurt.
I've seen Shadow In the Warp as the Tyranid defense against force weapons now that Eternal Warrior is out. That's all it will get the most use for (I think, haven't played enough games).
ReplyDelete@Faolain: Yeah, Deathleaper makes things a headache. But with the random amount of change, different starting values, and if SitW was functioning... too many variables and I didn't really feel like doing the math for Ld6-8.
ReplyDelete@Magilla: Being that I play Space Wolves and not Tyranids, I'm not exactly sorry about that.
I really think it's one of those things to encourage players away from stand off and shoot type lists. It gives yet another reason to get up close and personal.
With Flyrants, Mycetic Zoanthropes, and all the other beasties, SitW should be getting in in range quickly. Combine that with most Psychic being 24" range or less... I think Nids shouldn't suffer more than a single turn of getting hit with unchallenged enemy Psychic.
@Consadine: That's certainly an excellent use for it and likely to be the most common one. But I think it will also be critical for shutting down close-in buffs like Marine Null Zone, Eldar Fortune (especially Seer Councils), Chaos Warptime and others. As a "free" built-in ability, it's pretty nice.
How does shadows work with Runes of Witnessing?
ReplyDeleteHow does shadows work with Runes of Witnessing?
ReplyDeleteHeh. That, my friend, is the $100 question. Right now there's nothing that really says clearly. It's a debate of when the test happens and if the rules are additive or supercedent.
RaW in the 5th ed rulebook says Perils is taken "if the result". Thus you look at the end product for Perils.
RaW in the Eldar says "you must use the lowest two rolls". Thus you look at the end product for Perils.
RaW in the Tyranids says "on the roll of". Thus you look at the transitory state before product is taken.
So you get:
1. Favor Eldar/supercedent-RaW: Roll 3d6, discard highest, check for Perils. (Highly unlikely.)
2. Favor Nids/additive-RaW: Roll 3d6, check for Perils, discard highest, check for Success. (Unwieldy, but possible)
3. Chuck the books out the window and have a beer: Follow the old FAQ and have the two cancel out. (Easiest)
#2 is my personal preference and vote for the FAQ. Yakface and crew have been fairly RaW=law of late, as evidenced by the ruling on JotWW. But #3 was the ruling on the prior version and is the solution I see currently accepted by most. Until the FAQ comes out, I'm just letting my opponents pick which one they prefer. I'm good for any and it makes for easy sportsmanship points. :-p
Problem though is the Old Codex had you roll 3d6 and discard the lowest, and the eldar one had you discard the highest, so it made sense to cancel them out.
ReplyDeleteBut now it doesn't really work that way, as the Nid codex isn't dropping any dice. I think 1 or 2 is prolly the way to go, and being eldar I'd go for 1 but be ok with 2.