What are hex wraiths for?

[Pirate Robot Ninja of Death]

I'm about a dozen games in with my vampires at this point, and starting to get the feel for things a bit. I've been running hex wraiths the last few games and...just...not really seeing the point of them. I found they were getting blasted with magic missiles early on and either wiped out or knocked way below effective levels.

I tried upping the unit to 8 for my last tournament, but this really just exacerbated the problem. The same thing happened, but I was losing more points to do it. There was a definite psychological power in having this unit that my opponents threw loads of ranged hate at, but I couldn't figure out how to harness that into anything useful. In the end they made exactly one contribution to my tournament, and that was catching a cannonball for my hellsteed-mounted vampire lord.

So to the people who use hexxies...how do you use them? How do you avoid them getting magic missiled off the board turn 1? How do you run through stuff when everyone stays away from them until they're gone? How do you keep them in your general's range? Do they only work run alongside black knight buses? What's the deal?

 

[Banshee Talespinner]

...dying in a fire, literally.

Mine have existed either in my carrying case, facehugging a building opposite wizards, vanguarded out, or vaporized after a spell. There's no middle ground. If you field them, you need to toss most if not all dispel dice when they're targeted or even a dispel/save scroll. Otherwise your investment is lost and you curse your dimness in choosing them.

Love to see a video of someone actually getting a drive-through attack completed too. That's not easy to set up and execute.

 

[Alabaster427]

I don't use them over 1000 points. Usually that's low enough for the enemy to only want to take augment spells or a damage spell that they might think is too strong to waste on a small unit of cav.

 

[Pirate Robot Ninja of Death]

If you field them, you need to toss most if not all dispel dice when they're targeted or even a dispel/save scroll. Otherwise your investment is lost and you curse your dimness in choosing them.

This was basically my experience. But with all the Purple Suns, Fiery Convocations, or Savage Beasts out there I found it really hard to justify wasting my dispel scroll on a measly 3-diced magic missile.

Right now I'm thinking the best way to use hexxies is to keep them in the case...

 

[billybaker101]

Hey I have had some success with these guys I only ever run 5 and usually when I have a bk bus. I usually run these guys alongside vargheists so the vargs get a cover save from shooting and the player has to decide between taking out the hexies or the vargs with gives me one unit to get the charge on those war machines. I have done the drive through move 2 maybe 3 times, but I think really they are just there to scare the shit out of the other player in to thinking they are any good lol

 

[Skittelz1981]

I run a unit of 10 regularly.
If you vanguard that unit and keep them in range of your lord for the first 2 turns and makes sure they survive they can become your opponents worst nightmare once behind enemy lines. Ofc it depends who youre playing but with enough dangerous targets (ie: 2TG maybe some Vargheists etc) he is going to have to choose his priority targets.
10 hexies usually survive 1 spell (unless its the completely OP Doombolt or the Deamons thingy) If you manage to dispel the first attempts on their unlives, wether that measn scrolling it or just dicing it, you can have them in a very dangerous position at the end of turn 1. They might even already have caused damage.

I usually like to charge stuff with it, It neatly ties up stuff and is going to kill it pretty fast.
Yes theyre abit fragile and idd attract alot of spelldamage. But that also means something else is being left unchecked.

Hexwraiths are psychological warfare. They dont always live up to their cost when it comes to doing damage and getting points from your opponent but theyre a big threat and a pain in the ass for the enemy.


Defensively i think these guys are even worth more, our only fastcav unit is ethereal and that makes for an excellent means to protect flanks and cover the rear.

Imo theyre an excellent unit, especially if you Dual Mortis engine the game and get them the 5+ regen. You can quite easily run a vamplord on hellsteed within 6" for a lookout sir and make sure they have marchrange at all times.

I once fielded a list with 2x10 hexies + dual ME, my Darkelf opponent was scared shitless and eventually i won the game with those terrorcausing ethereal horsemen that wreak havoc. Watch 20 s5 flaming autohits go on Hydras and anything t3 and youre laughing your balls off.

 

[najo]

I use them successfully. I normally play 2800 points and I run two units of 6 with a champion. This keeps them one rank to make run through easier, but maximize their hits.

Hexwraiths work best in aggressive armies where they run up alongside the general. You want them able to march at all times. Your general can be mounted or on foot, just make sure he poses a bigger threat and then run some units that distract from the hexwraiths (8 crypt horrors, TG, Black night bus are all good examples)

Deploy hexwraiths away from things that can kill them, vanguard up along the flanks so they are crossing ground and can march once you march your general up. Then once they moving, take advantage of their ability to move through other models and fast cavalry. These guys are very mobile. You are using them right when you get 16" of movement, run through an enemy while moving and then end your moves in positions your opponent can't charge and doesn't want to reform to let his wizards cast at them.

Their weakest point is when they are in the gap between armies. Get that down, and get them into the enemy flanks and you're golden!

As for the champions, hexwraiths have a secondary role. They work really well as redirectors and tarpits against certain units. There are times parking your hexwraiths in front of another unit is a good use of them. When they do end up in combat, use the Champion to add an extra attack or to challenge enemy characters to pin them down and keep a magic weapon off your unit. If they charged you, and your champion dies, use IoN to raise him back next turn. Buys you another round. The best use of hexwraiths in combat are units with no ranks and no magical attacks (mournfangs die so easily to them). Hexwraiths just grind those units down.

Finally, hexwraiths are great chaff removal. Just run them over before they are a problem. What sabertooth?

 

[The Sun King]

Hexwraiths are amazing, and here's why

1. They are ethereal. Yes this make them magnets for magic missiles, but that is also a bonus because of target saturation. If you dislike them getting roasted there's a lot of ways to mitigate this:
... 1a. Get the Scroll of Shielding.
... 1b. Get them into combat.
... 1c. Keep them out of range.
... 1d. Bring something more terrifying that your enemy has to target.
... 1e. Keep them within range of IoN.
... 1f. Bring superior magic defense. Balefire, Black Periapt, DS, High Levels etc.
2. They IGNORE ARMOUR SAVES. This is huge. Skullcrushers? What Skullcrushers?
3. They have FLAMING ATTACKS. This is great (unless fighting a character with DBG) since you ignore regens. Hellpit Abomination? What Hellpit Abomination?
4. They are fast cav. This is amazing, even outside the march bubble. They can easily get to where they are needed and charge what they need in what formation they need. Good stuff.
5. They are cheap. Yes, their price tag is low for what they do.
6. They have good strength. If left untouched by magic attacks they can munch through most things.
7. The can ride THROUGH enemies. This is amazing, not only do they deal damage by doing it but you can get them to places where other units cannot go. Bye-bye gunline.

 

[najo]

I agree with everything sunny said. Wood elves are potentionally a problem, other than that, keep magic missiles and direct damage under control for a couple turns and your hexwraiths are home free!

 

[Seneschal]

A unit of 10 and a unit of 5; big unit gets into combat with 1+ save foes, little unit uses their funky ability on what can be killed quickly. Scroll of Shielding is your friend.
Bring swift moving units + black coach if you are tailoring for Asrai or if they are in your local meta.

 

[Bounce]

Needing to be near the genaral to march cripples them for me. There is also so much magic flying around it is a struggle to get to combat. Once in combat they do 1 to 2 wounds and my opponent wont really care and then flank charge them in his turn. Moving through units is extremely difficult to acheive. You need a lot bemore skilled then me to acheive stuff with hexwraiths but if you can manage it they will rock

 

[najo]

Once you get comfortable with run throughs and keeping them within 12" of the general when they go to move, hexwraiths just really shine. Its not to hard.

 

[Pirate Robot Ninja of Death]

Once you get comfortable with run throughs and keeping them within 12" of the general when they go to move, hexwraiths just really shine. Its not to hard.

Are you running a BK bus? My army is footsloggers, so I think this may be where my problems with them lie. There's just not enough real estate in my march bubble for the hexwraiths to operate effectively.

 

[najo]

Are you running a BK bus? My army is footsloggers, so I think this may be where my problems with them lie. There's just not enough real estate in my march bubble for the hexwraiths to operate effectively.

I run a foot slogging army. Typically I have:

40+ skeletons. Full Cmd
35+ ghouls
2-3x 5 dire wolves
8 crypt horrors
2x 6 hexwraiths
3 varghiests
1 mortis engine or terrorgiest

I always field a level 4 and level 2 LoV. One with black periapt and one with book of arkhan. I never run a dispel scroll. I always take a BSB too. Its worth the +1 scr and -1 crumble within 12"

My lists might vary a bit, I've ran black knight buses before (w/ hexwraiths orbiting). But I enjoy the power and stability if a foot slogging vampire army. You magic is more potent and you can grind attrition better.

Thing with hexwraiths, because they move through other models, there is always operating room for them. It takes practice, but they are really mobile and able to get into places nothing else can. They take a lot of practice to get good at moving them, but once you have them down you will love them. Make sure they end their moves in flanks and behind things with nothing having LOS to them. Hexwraiths never stop moving. You need to be aggressive with general though. I'm engaged in combat by round 2 - 3 with everything usually.

 

[The Sun King]

Footslogging doesn't mean that you cannot field hexies effectively. Remember that the Hexies have Vanguard and that it's only when the Hexies start their movement that they need to be within the march bubble. Sure you cannot run through units with many ranks but that would be a hopeless thing to do in the first place. You want to ride over small expensive units like knights, monstrous cav and elite infantry.

 

[Demian]

Also, you want to deploy your General in front of stuff he will melt, therefore, one usually deploys with a preferred flank (where the tasy stuff is). However, if you feel like fielding a more central army (one that can stand bashing things upfront), then you can choose to use your Hexwraiths to prevent counter-charges on the flank, or just send them far away and have them close in on your enemies by turn 3 at most.

Don't always vanguard, or if you do, figure out if having them move the whole 12'' is worth it, so they don't accidentally get in charge range of cavalry, or end up absent cover from the new fance WE arrows. Like everyone else has said, keeping them alive in earlier turns may drain your spell defense, but it's really worth it once they've been positioned where no wizard can cast a spell and not be left open to serious danger, or archers shooting at them despertely and your army a few inches away from smashing elves to the afterlife. Psychological warfare is a good title for them!

 

[najo]

Lol, I love when advancing hexwraiths in to position, you will some times get opportunities to run over enemy chaff and literally delete it. A buddy of mine plays ogres, and runs a couple three sabertusks as redirectors. Hexwraiths just run over the sabertusk and it pops! No redirecting for you son! Its like the tusk didnt even exist. Even funnier when those hexwraiths then park in front of his big mournfangs and get ready to accept a charge. Mournfangs don't like hexwraiths.

 

[filescraps]

Are there any battle report where hexwraiths are used?
I myself have never been able to use soul stride. Often I find myself at a Mexican standoff because I don't want to give my opponent a free charge. This means that I can't clear the unit with one move. I'm not comfortable with parking them 1" away and hoping to get VDC off in the magic phase.
I normally use a group of 6 because of Swedish Comp.

 

[The Sun King]

@najo Unless those Mournfangs have Dragon Hide Banner

 

[najo]

ya that's a bummer. Its one word away from not being a magical attack though. To bad

 

[filescraps]

Both hellpit and skillcrushers have magical attack upgrades. :tongue:
Hexwraiths? What hexwraits. :c
I think hexwraiths might work against inexperienced players, but against semi-good players the do 0 wounds for me.

I think that the fast cav movement "free reform" might be played different.
Free reform isn't really free, you can reform as many times as you like, but it costs movement.
If I would be allowed to simply lift my hexes and place them 16" away in any formation they might be worth their points, but now they remain stranded. :C

Here are two examples of moves that aren't allowed with fast cav free reform:
Here fast cav #1 moves about 12" to be able to reform to 1 wide (not allowed without marching)


Same thing here, first you reform to become 1 wide to fit the gap, then move 16"forward, then reform to become 5 wide again. This would be a 19"-20" move.

Just swap the house and enemy block for two friendly blocks in this example and it effects hex wraiths to.


Edit:
as najo pointed out example nr2 is ok for hex wraith since they use soul stride in this case, but I think that normal fast cav would exceed their movement allowance.
filescraps, on Flickr

 

[najo]

Hexwraiths can move into any formation as long as no part of their unit moves more than its movement allowance.

Second, hexwraiths can move through enemy units. And since they are ethereal, they can move through obstacles and buildings. So they ignore the presence of those things. They just have to end their move 1" past them.

 

[filescraps]

yes but the question is more like this:
do people take in to account that a reform cost movement?

 

[SothaMortis]

I only got five so far and my local opponents hate all my ethereals like the plague. I usually end up running around my own march bubble since the rest of the army is foot sloggers. I failed the first game I used them (wood elves hahaha), but had great success with chariot hunting vs chaos and beastmen.
My idea was to put spirit hosts in the way of the chariots asap, which caused my opponent wanting to get rid of them first for all the nice impact hits. Once I managed to get the chariots stuck I launched the hexies as fast as I could. March and vanhels. Afterwards I enjoyed the points coming in. Also managed to claim the soul of a sorcerer lord that with a bit of luck got in range.

 

[filescraps]

Here's an example of my point of "free reform" do you play them like this?

hexies move3 by filescraps, on Flickr