Crypt Horror Unit Size

[Wolf1771]

Hey all,

I'm currently looking at buying some crypt horrors but am unsure as to how many I should buy. What do you guys think is the best unit size? I've seen 8 mentioned many times due to its sticking power as 6 is likely too small. Furthermore, should they be 4 wide or 3 wide?

Thanks in advance for any advice! !

 

[Skittelz1981]

4 wide, 2 ranks.

Theres basically 2 ways to play with CH, if you go for them as a main feature in your army its gonna be at least 1 unit of 8, which is a tremendous tanking unit that can ravage or hold up almost everything.

the other way is as a smaller support in which 5 or 6 is usually enough, the rest of the points can then be spent on other things. Use it to get smaller units held up or covering flanks of whatever needs its flank covered.

I would personally like to try a horde one time, 6 wide, 3 ranks

 

[Wolf1771]

8 it is!!!
I'm probably going to end up buying the flesh reapers from titan forge because they look soooooo much better than the GW models.
I'd put that horde of CH right beside my horde of BK
Just out of curiosity, would there ever be a situation where you would take only 3?

 

[Skittelz1981]

Sure why not.
You can play with 2 units of 3 or just 1 unit of 3, its unusual since its impact on the game will be small but it can be useful

 

[Craie]

3 crypt horrors would be about as useful as a unit of zombies. 3 crypt horrors will against most things strike last, and be reduced to 1-2 models before they strike. Leaving you with 3-6 attacks which result in 3 average hits on 4s, one which will be poison. Of those 2 left one will wound. 2 wounding hits + stomps. you are looking at 3-4 combat res, which will be equal to ranks + standard against anything that matters.

 

[Burnanation]

6 or more is my two cents.

The "or more" depends on what you want to do with them.

Since I use them mostly as support I go with 6.

 

[Wolf1771]

@ Burnanation
What do you usually find they can hold up? On paper they seem pretty durable!

 

[Mc1gamer]

T5 is nice, though S4 is decent as most armored units tend to have T3 or 4. Even though T5 and multi-wound, their 5+ regen is not helping vs KB and easily erased from any flaming attacks. Remember that if someone shoots flaming arrows, it only nuetralizes your regen for the rest of the shooting phase. You still get it in CC, unless a unit before you has flaming on their CC weapons. Same goes for magic. If they use flaming, your regen won't help the rest of the magic phase (if more non-flaming spell derived hits aren't dispelled) but unless they shoot you first with flaming arrows, you are good to go with regen that phase.

There are a number of uses that warrant 8. They work very well with Mortis Engines, which will increase their regen to 4+. A Crypt Scavengers Battlescroll and the Garden of Morr special rules are crazy for them (+1 regen, rerolling missed saves if within 6" of the graveyard!). But I mainly use them to screen the Mortis Engine, Coven Throne, or most often, the Terrorbat! If cannon fire hits the CH's, it needs to make it through two ranks of multi-wnd regening monstrous infantry in order to hit whats on the other side. If any rank doesn't die, either to a low wounds roll, or saves enough to not get killed, the cannon fire stops. 8, 4x2, is enough to cover most if not all the length of your TG. If you take 2 TG's, take 2 units of CH's to screen both. March them up (I usually have my Lords unit in between them) and launch your TG's ahead to liquify enemy units when in range. Or protect your ME's which will increase their Regen. Its a nice strategy combo, but it does have weakness (Fire...bad....and mass shooting).

So minimum, 8 models. Ideally, 16 Don't forget, you can use 40x40 bases as unit fillers with gravestones, withered trees, etc. I plan to use the extra CH stuff from my box that I made Vargeists with to show them coming up out of the ground, as I don't have the full models on those bases, but it works!

 

[RarerMonsters]

T5 is nice, though S4 is decent as most armored units tend to have T3 or 4. Even though T5 and multi-wound, their 5+ regen is not helping vs KB and easily erased from any flaming attacks.

They're immune to killing blow, they're Monstrous Infantry

 

[Mc1gamer]

Yep!. Meant that Regen doesn't save vs KB, but in this case it'd be Heroic KB.

 

[Burnanation]

They can hold up any non elite infantry unit until they break (generally speaking). If you can heal them back up a bit, all the better. They will crush any fast cav or chariot they can get their mitts on.

With support they can take out elite infantry, but watch out for elite inf with high static CR and good saves. I'm thinking Dwarves, Daemons, WoC.

Won't do so hot against other monstrous infantry, and monstrous or heavy cav, but that doesn't mean avoid combat with them. Beastmen minos (especially if they are super frenzied) I would avoid all together.

This is by no means an exhaustive list but you get the idea.