Stinger

Like nightmares given form, Stingers swarm among the greater dragonspawn of the Legion. These awful beasts lurk in shallow burrows waiting for hapless victims to approach so they can sink their barbed tails into living flesh. The stinger is then ripped from the creature’s body as its poison gland continues to pump its victim full of venom. This versatile monster is also capable of spewing forth fiery ash, its preferred attack when battling machines or lightly armored foes.

Basic Info

• Template:Warbeast

Abilities

• Template:Eyeless Sight
• Template:Soulless
• Template:Assault

Weapons

Flame Spitter
File:Gun icon.jpg		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		SP 6			1			Template:-			10
Template:Fire Damage
Barbed Stinger
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		1				5				10
Template:Critical Poison

Animus

{{Category: Template:Counterblast }}[[Category: Template:Counterblast ]]

Theme Forces

• Template:Children of the Dragon
• Template:Oracles of Annihilation
• Template:Primal Terrors
• Template:Ravens of War. Stingers gain Mark Target in this theme.

Thoughts on Stinger

Stinger in a nutshell

Stingers are combined arms lessers with meager stats and situational animus. With 1" melee range and a critical effect that enhances melee damage against living models, it seems to be be a solo hunter, but it also possesses a spray with assault and counterblast. It is basically a mini Carnivean, but with the unfortunate low stats it suffers to bring back its cost on the battelfield. The targets you are possibly after with a POW10 spray or a P+S10 blow will possibly not be fazed by your mediocre MAT5/RAT4, and targets that you can reliably hit will most likely be able to just shrug off your attacks. The Stinger is cheap enough to be used just as cannon fodder/harassing piece, but for the same point cost you can get lessers who may actually get job done.

Combos & Synergies

The Stinger's main value is the animus, both at range and in melee. Apart of that it does not really have any explicit combos, but if you for some reason really love this little guy, maybe you can find some use in the following ways:

• In Ravens of War it is your only lesser warbeast that can both trigger Mark target and enjoy its benefit (from other lessers, as the rule explicitly says Other friendly Faction models). An effective RAT 6 is still not game breaking, but can help you to better flush out infantries from cover, and open up charge lanes for your heavier beasts from a distance.
  • Strider Scouts may allow them to charge and thus Assault for free, using their entire stack to boost attack or damage roll.
• Beast Mistress - Her toolkit helps the positioning of the Stinger, but there are way more capable models she can choose into her battlegroup.
• Thagrosh2 - With his Sacrificial Pawn you'd include one or two lessers anyway. The only thing you might want to chose the Stinger for over the Harrier or the more capable Shredder is its animus. Counterblast allows Thags to spray targets coming into his 10" kill-zone with his magical, stationary-causing spray attack. If they come too close, he can hit them with Rapture back to kingdom come.
  • Thagrosh1 also has a decent spray and a strong melee attack, while the Blight Archon has a sizeable 10" Template:Command area for its 10" spray.
• Lylyth1 can also use the Counterblast animus, if the enemy happens to venture within her 8" command range. Tagging a charging warbeast with the Inflict Pain ammo type, and adding a Fury on it will diminish the potential damage it can inflict on her forces. This works however only until the said warbeast won't reach you. If there's any chance that you'll be engaged by it, you better save the Fury for the damage transfer.
• Spawning Vessel - Though it can spawn lessers with more utility, if you find yourself in a situation where you're bogged down by closely clumped, low ARM jamming infantry, there may be some merit in choosing a Stinger. The pot can place a Lesser a significant distance from where it activates if it also moves, and the lesser can activate that turn. Using this to your advantage, it's possible to place the Stinger in a way that maximizes its spray angle and allows it to aim, meaning it might just actually clear that infantry.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Poor stats across the board.
• Very situational animus
• If you want sprays, you can get a maximum unit of Banshees for the price of 4 Stingers, with Gunfighter and better mobility.

Tricks & Tips

• None, really. It's a fairly straightforward model.

Other

Trivia

Released in Forces of Hordes: Legion of Everblight (2010)