Saurians Tactics

Saurians

Setting:	Age of Fantasy
Games:	Age of Fantasy, Age of Fantasy: Skirmish, Age of Fantasy: Regiments
Species:	Saurian
Version:	v2.50

Note: as v2.50 is in constant development the following might not be accurate.

Why play Saurians?

Saurian infantry is split between the flighty shooty geckos who can't take a blow and the ferocious but single-minded saurian warriors. However, their common bond is in their monsters, all terrifying creatures that are just as capable of supporting as they are devouring the opposition.

Pros

Some of the strongest wizards out there
Predator makes melee a particularly deadly threat short of poison.
Plenty of monsters
Near-universal presence of Fearless to handle Morale issues
Geckos possess Strider to avoid terrain issues.

Cons

Most of your shooting is short-ranged without resorting to costly add-ons to your monsters
Your geckos are pretty flimsy

Special Rules

Lizard Handler: An upgrade for your Dragon and Spiked Lizards, this allows them to re-roll one of their die when determining the number of hits they make, guaranteeing a better shot at handling herds.
Predator: Exclusive to your Saurian Warriors and those like them. When they roll a natural 6 to hit, they scan roll an extra attack. It's pretty much your incentive to keep your lizards on the offense.
Primal Roar: Exclusive to your monsters. Once per game, they can grant two friendly units within 6" with the Predator rule the ability to proc it on a 5+ the next time they fight.
Rock Bombs: When a unit of pterodactyls with this rule fly over an enemy unit, they can take three AP 1 hits on a 2+. Considering that these are ridden by squishy geckos, they'll need all the mobility they can get.

Wizard Spells

Scrutiny (4+): Enemy unit within 12" takes -1 to their next hit roll in melee. Pretty important for protecting your geckos, but it'll also have uses for your bigger warriors.
Serpent Egg (4+): Enemy unit within 12" eats four hits. Pretty much made for handling chaff rather than doing anything beefy or with good saves.
Transcend (5+): Friendly unit within 12" raises a model (with a Tough model being set at one wound) or heals a wound off a Tough model. It's not much, but it's capable of keeping your big guys fighting a tiny bit longer.
Jaguar Pounce (5+): Enemy model within 12" takes an AP 3 hit. A pretty powerful spell, capable of taking down a strong enemy on their last legs.
Energy Reservoir (6+): Friendly unit within 12" adds +9" to their next move. Have a monster that needs to make it to the thick of a big fight? Have a unit that absolutely needs to fall back? Here's your spell.
Piranha Swarm (6+): Two enemy units within 6" take six AP 1 hits each, the to-go choice for troops and elite infantry alike.

Unit Analysis

Heroes

Frog Mage: Quite expensive, but it's also your most powerful wizard and most elite unit with 2+ in quality and defense. Despite that tough, it's weapons are quite pathetic - Upgrading is a possibility (5 points for either more attacks with Rending or Blast and AP 1), but it's easier to just focus on casting, possibly by buying another level of Wizard. You can also buy ancient palanquin for a mount, ramping the price up considerably but also providing Fear, Strider and more wounds to support it.

Saurian Veteran: Your honest-to-goodness beatstick and a half. A 3+ to quality and defense ensures that it'll hold in a fight and it has AP 1 on even its base weapons, so you can handle not buying something bigger if need be - and if you do, they will also keep that AP 1.
- Mounts: Your veteran has two options for steeds. The raptor is your basic horse-equivalent, providing speed, Impact, and two more attacks to the offense. Your more costly option is the Tyrannosaurus, a mighty beast that provides ample defenses, a devastating attack and Primal Roar to support your fellow Saurian warriors.

Gecko Chief: Most likely your go-to hero if you're going for cheap or if you're supporting a stronger hero. While vulnerable, the chief has a few options to handle itself. That said, this will definitely require protection from a herd of geckos.
- Melee: If you're planning to focus on melee, your only option is to dual wield. If you're riding a pterodactyl, then the lance becomes available if you intend on charging.
- Shooting: The chief is your only hero with shooting, and it's likely that you'll pick one of these options up just to support the herd. The javelin has AP 1 and poison, a nice combination for handling larger foes if you get lucky. Fire Bolas also have AP 1 but sacrifice Poison for an extra shot. The blowpipe gives you the best range out of all these short-ranged weapons and Poison, but will fall flat against any defenses.
- Mounts: The pterodactyl is interesting because it offers a lot to the gecko: Flying, Fast, extra wounds, and some more attacks. Also potent are its two exclusive upgrades: Ripper Brood ups its Impact value to 3 and provides Furious, making it the best pick for a chief with a lance just to stack it on. Rock Bombs are for more dodgy chiefs who want to avoid conflict and will likely be shooting more than chopping.

Gecko Priest: Even weaker than the chief, but that's because it's not supposed to be up front. Its place is to hide among its own kind, casting spells and hiding behind terrain.

Infantry

Geckos: Your small scouting infantry, offered in small packs for maximum mobility. Though flimsy, they come with options for shooting via the armor-piercing javelins and longer-ranged blowpipes. They can also buy Stealth for protection (unfortunately not extended to the chief or priest) and Poison for their meager weapons - A proposal more suited for suicidal chaff that wants to take something down with it.

Chameleons: Geckos with blowpipes already equipped. Scout is helpful for getting them in position for sniping enemies down and Chameleon acts as Stealth +1, all but guaranteeing their safety against most archer hordes. That said, they're just as vulnerable to any charging hordes so they will need cover and probably some units to screen for them.

Pterodactyl Riders: Your gecko cavalry are quite unique, as they're the only such unit that can fly. They are also Tough 3, allowing them to shoulder some damage on their own. Their biggest sticking point is their modularity, as they can either be kitted out to be charging monsters, sniping fiends, or something in between that drops rocks on heads.

Saurian Warriors: Your workaday close-combat infantry, decently protected with a 4+ defense and capable of equipping any weapon they need in order to take down the opposition. Predator can help provide a small boost to their output as well if the opportunity arises.

Guardians: The most elite warriors, blessed with a 3+ to quality and defense to make an elite bunker. They're also considerably more expensive, enough to discourage taking more than one block. While arguable on whether or not it is a restriction, they are restricted to either their stock halberds or great weapons.

Raptor Riders: Your saurian cavalry is considerably stronger, touting a 3+ to quality and defense like the guardians as well as speed and ferocity. That said, their weapon selection has been cut down to only their lances if you intend to ride on that Impact value - this means that their effect on armored units leaves something to be desired.

Gators: Bigger bruisers than the saurian warriors, boasting Tough 3 and devastating weapons that can crush cavalry and heavy infantry all the same. Their weakness lies in their average 4+ quality, meaning that those hits have a good chance at missing and, more troubling, a bad turn might do more damage to them than it might an equivalent unit of Saurian Warriors.

Snake Swarms: Swarms tend to be little more than distractions and fodder, though these are a bit better offensively with Poison. Strider is also a good help here, allowing them to run to cover if you need to bait the enemy.

Dragon Lizard: More a mobile artillery than a proper monster, this beast offers quite a good defense with a 2+ and Tough 3. It's central feature is its flame breath, spewing out a randomized number of attacks with AP 1, allowing it to focus more on armored units.

Spiked Lizard: Statwise, it offers the same protection as the dragon lizard and can be just as capable at defending itself. The difference is its ranged weapon: while it also spews out a random number of shots, these spikes cover a longer distance - better for handling light infantry rather than cavalry or heavy-armor units.

Monsters

Triceratops: A basic monster that can spit out some javelins for some fire support but is better geared for melee. Its combat prowess can be improved by slapping on Impact as well as improving its AP if you plan on throwing it at other monsters. For its shooting, your options are either giant blowpipes for rapid-fire poison, a giant crossbow for striking down elite goons from afar, or the Altar of the Gods, an optio ntat grants two nearby units Stealth so you can protect your front lines from gunfire.

Spinosaurus: A more offensive monster, able to spit a blast to harry blobs while its claws are the shining feature, bolstered by the presence of Predator. Its upgrades are also more focused, with Primal Roar allowing it to bolster Saurian warriors and the Priest Rider allowing you to have a monster that can also cast spells.

Ankylosaurus: Beefier than the monsters above with Tough 9 and also supported by a bundle of attacks, including one swing with its tail - something that can easily eradicate any hero or elite infantry it whacks. Its ranged options are quite limited off the bat with only two javelins to add in. With upgrades, you can add in either a solar beam for a more respectable cannon made to melt most infantry and dent monsters or the Ark of Snakes to get some off-turn damage that can better manage mobs but lacks any AP.

Dread Behemoth: An absolute behemoth, gifted with the ability to crush whatever it confronts but is so costly that you'll likely be forced to skimp out on troops and heroes just so you can fit it in. With upgrades, that cost is even more, between Primal Roar, a generous transport capacity, a boatload of impact hits and some short-ranged shooting attacks made to crater things that it can't reach. Worst of all is Saurian Ancient, an 100+ point upgrade that adds +1 to its attack rolls, turning it into the single most OP monster in existence at the cost of being able to include anything else besides the bare necessities. Seriously, buying this means that your army must absolutely be focused on keeping it alive and murdering everything it sees.

Saurians Tactics

Contents

Why play Saurians?

Special Rules

Wizard Spells

Unit Analysis

Heroes

Infantry

Monsters

List Building & Tactics

General Advice

Tactics

See Also

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Saurians Tactics

Why play Saurians?

Special Rules

Wizard Spells

Unit Analysis

Heroes

Infantry

Monsters

List Building & Tactics

General Advice

Tactics

See Also

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