Gorbad Ironclaw:
The big Boss orc himself, Gorbad is basically a dick kicker with a stat line of 4 7 3 5 5 3 5 4 10 riding his favorite war boar, Gnarla who's rocking a stat line of 7 3 0 4 4 1 3 1 3. His point cost is 187.5 Skaven Slaves. He comes generically with Heavy Armor, Choppas, Waaagh!, and Size Matters. Gnarla comes base with Tusker Charge and Thick-Skinned. In addition, Gorbad's got only one but one badass weapon in the form of Morglor the Mangler. It gives him ASF, Multiple Wounds (D3), and allows no Armor Saves to be taken against it. Demigryphs run for your lives! He also has three pretty crafty rules. First off, he's Da Great Leader. If any of your units fails an Animosity test within 18" of Gorbad, you get to his number of Wounds to their roll on the animosity table. We will talk about it later, but theres a much better rule in the book to help deal with Animosity. He also comes with Da Boss 'as a Plan! This rule makes him automatically the army's general and BSB, and gives him an 18" range of inspiring presence. This, this is money. Last but certainly not least, we've got Orcs are da Best. This rule allows you to upgrade more then just one unit of Orcs or Boat Boyz to Big Uns. This is also fucking metal. So let's to start with the reasons you'd want to take this guy in an army build. Well, for one, he's the only source of LD10 in this book which for an army like this is certainly a nice little trick to have up your sleeve. Second, he's an ass kicker with a tremendous stat line and a Magic Weapon that will fuck some shit up hardcore. Third, and most importantly, he allows you to maximize your Big Uns allotment. Orcs are pretty tough, but at S3 they're not anything to write home about. Once they're Big Uns? S4 baby! And for a measly one point more appiece? Yeah you should definitely be capitalizing on that little baby right there. The cons? He's only got a 3+ Armor Save and no Ward Save of any kind. So against heavy kitted out fighting Lords, he's gonna have a bad day. Also, he's kind of a target, which forces you to hide him in a unit of Boar Boyz, which if you've ever fought against Boar Boyz, well, they're worse then Cold One Riders really. Now, he's is by no means the most expensive special character in the book, so there is some potential that you could have him and a Level 4 in the same list. He's okay, but he's not an auto-include by any means. Also, why the fuck is he not in Total War Warhammer?! I mean, Grimgor, duh! He's easily the most kickass greenskin to ever exist. But Azhag? Just, just jesus christ. To put it in perspective, Gorbad is like the Karl Franz of the Orcs and Goblins. To me, I would've preferred some fluff bending to set the timeline so you could get this guy in here. Whatever, moving on to the only way to get a generic BSB magic Lore...
Azhag the Slaughterer:
Weighing in at 225 Skaven Slaves and with a stat line of 4 7 3 5 5 3 5 4 9, this guy's a prime example of how taking two good things and putting them together doesn't always result in Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, you know what I mean? So, much like Gorbad, Azhag is pimping out on his pet Wyvern, Skullmuncha, whom he, and I quote, "subdued the beast with but a single glance." Skullmuncha rocks out with a stat line of 4 5 0 6 5 5 3 3 6. He comes base with the rules Choppas (Azhag only), Waaagh!, Fly (Skullmuncha only), Large Target (Skullmuncha only), Poisoned Attacks (Skullmuncha only), Scaly Skin (4+) (Skullmuncha only), Size Matters, Terror (Skullmuncha only). He also comes with the special rule Get on Wiv it! This special rule allows any unit within his Inspiring Presence range to re-roll failed Animosity tests. This is a pretty nice rule, but we will talk about it later. He also comes with three pretty nice items. He comes with Azhag's 'Ard Armor, which gives him a 5+ Armor Save and a 5+ Ward Save. Additionally, he has the Crown of Sorcery, which besides making him a wee bit bipolar, also makes him a Level 3 Wizard on Death Magic and Stupid. This, this kicks serious ass. Again, we'll talk about it later. Finally, we've got Slagga's Slashas. This item counts as Magical Paired Weapons and allows Azhag to re-roll failed to-hits. So in total, let's break this down. Azhag is basically Gorbad, but with +1 Attack, re-rolls failed hits, magical attacks, 4+ Armor Save, 5+ Ward Save, on a 3 Attack WS5 Poisoned Dragon, who's also a Level 3 Death Wizard. Yeah, he's a badass. But there's a couple of things that really discourage you from taking this guy. First of all, he's really damned expensive. Sacrificing your level 4 hurts, because now your going to be at Magic casting and dispelling disadvantage. Second, he's a big damned target, and take it from a Bretonnian player, relying on a 5+ Ward Save against at least two Cannons is a terrifying event. Now, he does have the power to just nuke entire armies with Purple Sun and also run around and Death Snipe. He's also no slouch in close combat, but against going to be a little nervous around dedicated combat charachters. His model is also insanely expensive and ugly. I've played against some nice homemade models of this guy before, and he's certainly a really powerful charachter, but I've found a kitted out Dwarf Lord or a Saurus Old-Bloody can just smash this guy's face in. Bottom line, if you want to take him, he's not the worst choice in the book, but by God is he expensive.
Wurrzag:
This guy is basically the best caster in this book for his price tag. He's 175 Skaven Slaves, and he comes generically with Choppas and Frenzy. He's also got a stat line of 4 3 3 4 5 3 2 1 8. He's a Level 4 in the Lore of the Big Waaagh! He also comes with the Warpaint of Wurrzag, which gives him a 5+ Ward Save. He's also got Wurrzag's Revenge, which is a Hex spell that goes off on an 8+. All enemy Wizards within 12" of Wurrzag roll a D6 first each Wizard within range. On a roll of 1-5, nothing happens. On a 6, the Wizard turns into a Squig and is removed as a casualty. For each wizard affected, you can store one additional die in your Squiggly Beast special item. He's also got the Baleful Mask, which gives him the Vindictive Gaze Spell (Little Waaagh!) on a bound power level of 3. Also, he's rocking the Bonewood Staff, which counts as a Magical Hand Weapon, gives him MR3, and allows him to re-roll miscast results. Last but not least, he's got the Squiggly Beast, which is an Arcane Item that allows him to store one unused dice from the end of either player's magic phase, and at the start of the next magic phase that stored dice must be used. Oh, almost forgot, he can ride a War Boar for 24 points. So, yeah, this guy's a very dangerous caster for a couple of reasons. He is a caster that can actually fight and he's got 5 spells and a bound spell. He has a 2+ Ward Save to any magical damage and basically comes with a reusable grounding staff. His ability to store magical dice is also amazing, so hes going to be getting really high magic phases and just dickslapping enemy magic away like it's going out of style. This is one of the more common special charachters you'll see, and there's a reason why. Stick him in a unit of Savage Orcs with a back up Savage Orc Shaman who's carrying the Lucky Shrunken Head just to be a douchebag. Putting him on a Boar gives him some more killy power and some armor, but I like him on foot better. Great character, he's also only 15 Skaven Slaves more expensive then a Level 4 fully kitted out Savage Orc Great Shaman and comes with a ton more gear that more then justifies his point cost. Great charachter, wonderfully priced. Try him out if you want to have a really powerful magic phase as the Orcs and Goblins.
Grom the Paunch of Misty Mountain:
Never heard of this guy? Well, there's a pretty good reason why that is. Coming in at 142.5 Skaven Slaves this is our first Goblin Lord and he's kind of weird. His stat line is 44 5 3 4 4 3 4 4 8 and he's pimping out in his chariot that has S5, T4, and W3. It's pulled by Giant Wolves who have M9, WS3, S3, I3, and 1 attack apiece. He's also got a little Night Gobbo buddy named Niblet who's got WS, BS, and S of 3, I2, and 1 attack. He has only generic special rule and that's Regeneration (5+). After that, we get into his unique special rules. Niblet is a special rule that makes Grom the BSB and the little goblin cannot be engaged separately, or issue/accept challenges. If Grom gets killed then the BSB is considered lost. There's also Grom's Chariot, which is basically the most useless rule because all it does is state the abundantly obvious. Next up, we've got Eats Elves for Breakfast which means Grom and anyone in his army who has the Fear Elves special rule actually get to ignore that rule. Lastly, he has Grom's Waaagh! This just basically means he gets to call a Wagggh like a normal Ord Warboss, but it also effects units of 5+ Goblins, Goblin Wolf Riders, Night Goblins, and Forest Goblin Spider Riders. Next up, we've got the his two magic items. First up, we've got the Axe of Grom. It's a magic weapon that gives him +2 Strength and Killing Blow. Against Elves he gets Killing Blow on a 5+. Last of all, he's got his Lucky Banner which gives him and hi Chariot a 5+ Ward Save. Okay, so lets look a little at the good things about him. First off, he's the second cheapest special character in the book. Secondly, he's really good against Elves and in my opinion, that's never a bad thing. Thirdly, he is pretty nasty in close combat with S6 and Killing Blow and a 5+ Ward Save. Now, let's look at the bad things here. First, he's on a chariot. Chariots are just not all that good to begin with, especially Greenskin chariots. Second, Ward Saves and Regeneration do not stack, meaning this guy's a little awkward. Thirdly, he's got Leadership 8 which is not really all that good especially in a Goblin themed army as he is obviously supposed to be in charge of. This is all a really sad thing, because I love this guy's fluff. I mean, anyone who just decides, "Yeah, I'm going to sail to Ulthuan and just kick the shit out of some Elves." In fact, anyone who kills Elves, good on you man.
Skarsnik:
Ah, hands down one of my favorite characters in Warhammer Fantasy right up with Thanqol. Coming in at 137 and half a Skaven Slave Skarsnik is the first Lord level goblin worth paying for. So, as with all Night Goblins, he comes with Fear Elves and Hatred (Dwarves). However, he also comes with a buddy in the form of Gobbla the giant cave squig. With a stat line of 4 5 3 4 4 6 5 4 8 and a pet that has stats of - 5 - 6 - - 4 4 - Skarsniks stat line comapred to the other big boys listed above seems really lame, but kind of like Tetto its not the stats that make him worth his points, but two stats in particular are worth looking at. First, Ld8 as a Night Goblin is astronomical and 6 Wounds on any Lord is amazing. Also, he has 8 attacks, half of which are at S6 and all at WS5. It should also be noted that Gobbla has Killing Blow. He only has one magic item, Skarsnik's Prodder. Its basically a Magic Weapon that has a bound spell (Power Level 5) that turns out to be a Magic Missile with a 24" range. It causes D6 Strength 6 hits no armor saves allowed. This increases to 2D6 hits if he's within 12" of a Night Goblin Horde. He has two special abilties, Sneaky Schemes and Tricksy Traps. Sneaky Schemes makes your enemy roll a D6, before deployment, for each unit. On a roll of a 6, the unit does not deploy as normal but instead enters play as reinforcements in their first movement phase. We'll get back to this, but this is in and of itself worth every point you pay for him. Last in terms of abilities, Tricksy Traps allows any Night Goblin units in the same army as Skarsnik that choose to flee as a charge reaction and then rallies the next turn may reform as normal AND then may also move normally but they may not charge. They can shoot however, but the unit always counts as having moved. Lastly of all, he has Light Armor. So, as you can tell, Skarsnik is supposed to be used in a Night Goblin themed army. However, the single best ability he has works in any list. I would say in any large army builds, Skarsnik would be an acceptable pick in the Lords category, and in Night Goblin hordes, almost indispensable. However, his low Movement, mediocre Toughness, and pathetic armor save with nothing in terms of a Ward Save, he's very vulnerable to enemy attention. The only way to really avoid this is put him in a horde and stick him in a corner and pray to god the enemy doesn't have a 10 wide horde formation. I really like Skarsnik, but I would be so worried about loosing him and to be honest, his Leadership also means you're really going to be relying on winning combats or simply being steadfast for days. Fun, but by no means competitive. Don't worry though, we're getting into some good stuff soon!
Grimgor Ironhide:
The biggest, the baddest, and hands down the single best named Lord level character, the great green demon himself, Grimgor. I freaking love this guy. Grimgor is a prime example of what Games Workshop should've been doing, but instead they made the mistake of letting Mat Ward get anywhere near pen and paper. At 177 and one-half Skaven slaves Grimgor comes generically with Waaagh!, ITP, Choppas, and Hatred (everyone). He weighs in at 4 8 1 5 5 3 5 5 9. He also comes with Da Immortulz. Basically he has to be accompanied and deploy with a unit of Black Orcs, and they get +1 WS and and as long as Grimgor is alive, they also get Hatred (everyone). Now on to magic items. Starting off, Gitsnik. This Magic Weapon gives Grimgor +2 S and ASF in close combat. Yes, 5 Attacks with ASF at S7. Last of all, he's wearing Blood-Forged Armor. This gives Grimgor a 1+ Armor Save and a 5+ Ward Save. Honestly, I don't think I need to even say anything. His stats alone make him worth his points then factor in his special armor and weapons and you've got a recipe for destruction. I know a lot of people who bitch about having to take Black Orcs, but to be honest, I usually take a brick of them anyway because trust me, the few times that I bring my Greenskins to the table, I fail animosity rolls like a fat man goes through tacos. Hands down my favorite and the best character in the book. And in case you think I'm exaggerating about just awesome this greenskin is. He kicked Archaon in the balls. Arcahaon, the Everchosen. The guy clad head to toe in magical plate armor, perhaps the largest antagonist in all of Warhammer, fell to a kick in the nuts. From this guy. Just, just too stupidly awesome.
Snagla Gobspit:
Okay, fair warning for this guy and the guy after him. I have absolutely no experience going up against or with these two. That aside, this is the first of the named Hero level characters. 57 and a half Skaven Slaves buys you a 4 4 3 4 4 2 4 3 7 Goblin on top of a 7 3 0 3 3 1 4 1 2 Giant Spider. He comes generically with a shield, Creeping Assualt, Fast Cavalry, Fear Elves, Forest Strider, Obstacle Strider, Hatred (Empire), Poisoned Attacks (Spider only), and Wall-Crawler. Snagla brings the Sting of Snagla, a one use only throwing weapon that has Poisoned Attacks and Multiple Wounds (D3). He's also got Fangspike, a Magic Weapon that also has Poisoned Attacks and Multiple Wounds (D3). Lastly, he comes with Deff Creepers, meaning he must always be deployed in a unit of Goblin Spider Riders, but they have Ambushers, Devastating Charge, and Hatred (Empires). Also, the cause Fear any time they charge successfully. Snagla cannot leave this unit and must set up in it and no other character can join the unit. So, this character very much reminds me of Oxyotl from the Lizardmen book. In 2500 point games and below, I can definitely see him and his unit as a great way to hunt war machines, counter chaff, and hunt lone characters. Also, his insane maneuverability because of all the spider abilities make him really unpredictable against people not familiar with this unit. Other than that, I don't see him as being all that amazing. Against any dedicated combat unit or character, he's going to get pasted. In a themed Forest Goblin army, I think he'd be a perfect little addition if you've got the points.
Gitilla Da Hunter:
Stepping in at 55 points with a stat line of 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 3 7 and a Great Wolf named Ulda at 9 3 0 3 3 1 3 2 3. He comes generically with Fear Elves, a Spear, and Fast Cavalry. His first ability is Ulda the Great Wolf. This gives him and his unit the ability to re-roll any Pursuit or Flee rolls they make. Also, he has Da Howleraz. Very similar to the Deff Creepers, but instead its Goblin Wolf Riders. They get +1 BS and Quick to Fire. He must set up in this unit and cannot leave, and no other character can join the unit. He has two special items, firstly is the Stinky Pelt. This gives him a 4+ Armor Save, giving him a total of a 3+ from the mounted bonus. Lastly, he has the Bonebow. It's a 24", S3, Quick to Fire, and Multiple Shots (3). Most would assume my opinion would be similar to Snagla, but that is because most people are idiots. Honestly, this guy seems like a complete waste to me. You want to know why? Because a Goblin Big Boss on a wolf with a bow is less than half of what this guy is. Every OnG list I make has at least two or three of these guys running around chaffing, hunting war machines, and assassinating characters. Three of these guys are a much better investment and a much smaller target than a pack of Wolf Riders. If you've got the points in a larger army, then maybe. But just to throw him in seems like a waste.
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