Cyclops Shaman

Among the Savage Cyclops are those of keener minds, those who have used their unique perception and primitive rituals to evoke crude but effective primal magic. Skorne houses strong enough to capture and tame such Shamans value their ability to curse their enemies, to harness the inner power of nearby beasts, and to unravel enemy spells.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Craft Talisman
• Template:Primal Magic

Weapons

• Evil Eye - 10" range, POW 12 ranged attack
  • Template:Magical Weapon
  • Template:Ghost Shot

• Battle Spear - 2" reach, P+S 11 melee attack
  • Template:Magical Weapon

Animus

{{Category: Template:Spirit Blade }}[[Category: Template:Spirit Blade ]]

Theme Forces

• Template:Disciples of Agony
• Template:Masters of War
• Template:The Exalted
• Template:Winds of Death

Thoughts on the Cyclops Shaman

Cyclops Shaman in a nutshell

The Shaman is a flexible model, able to both support warlocks and to hunt solos really effectively - and it also brings some much needed upkeep removal. It synergises with a vast range of other warbeasts, making it something of a swiss (Skorne?) army knife.

It's raw stats are all ok, it is quite an easy to kill beast if left out of position. But versitility is why you take it.

It's the cheapest Skorne beast with a gun that actually deals damage (sorry Krea we still love you) so even if you are playing a warlock who doesn't need upkeep removal or craft talisman it's rarely a bad choice warbeast.

Combos & Synergies

Every beast loves Paingiver Beast Handlers.

There are only normally a handful of warlocks that use direct-fire spells and can't channel the way e.g. Hexeris or Rasheth can; the synergies are generally in the animus and shooting not the craft talisman.

• Beast Master Xekaar or Lord Assassin Morghoul - casting Mortality from 2" further away is always a good thing. There are also Morghoul2 assassination lists that rely on multiple shamans.
• Archdomina Makeda - get her in range for that Jackhammer. Possibly for Molik Karn.
• Supreme Aptimus Zaal - Hex Blast is always something to look for, but this may be the rarest use.
• Zaal, the Ancestral Advocate sometimes loads up heavily on FURY and goes for a sunder-spirit spell assassination.

There are also some animi worth borrowing from other warbeasts - of which the first adds an extra level to the Shaman and the second and third are amazing.

• Far Strike from either the Cyclops Raider or the Titan Cannoneer gives the Shaman some really effective solo-sniping ability and means it's sometimes worth taking pot shots at casters (especially if you can aim and fully boost)
  • Some pretty effective gimmick lists use four or so Shamans and a Raider alongside either Lord Assassin Morghoul or (more rarely) Dominar Rasheth for some LoS-ignoring assassinations.
• Rush from the Titan Gladiator is a backbone animus.
• Force Aura from the Basilisk Krea provides an extra bubble of protection for your army. As a rule of thumb unless you plan to make use of Flank a Shaman is more useful than a second Krea.
• Repulsion from the Agonizer is a niche ability, but when it's good, it's really good.
• Sandstorm from the Desert Hydra can shut down a lot of incoming fire.
• In the Disciples of Agony theme Rites of Power from the Blind Walker allows your warlocks to channel through the Shaman.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Low ARM meaning that the main thing preventing it from going down fast is its range and attacking from a long way away.
• Support model
• It can't cast character warbeast Animi, so even though it can cast rush from a Titan Gladiator he can't do it from the Terrorizer he has the same issue with Chiron and counterblast.
• Low accuracy and casting other animi makes it a fury hog, keep beast handlers near.

Tricks & Tips

• It's an amazingly good sniper. It's even worth watching for casters to wound or kill; boosted POW 12 is no joke and it's easy to forget it can shoot through walls.

Other

Trivia

Released in Hordes: Metamorphosis (2009)