29 Nov CROM Unit Preview #2 – Scion of Set

“Instantly the monster whirled and was upon him like the rush of wind through tall grass. The long knife quivered in its neck, point and a foot of blade showing on one side, and the hilt and a hand’s breadth of steel on the other, but it only seemed to madden the giant reptile. The great head towered above the man who faced it, and then darted down, the venom-dripping jaws gaping wide.” -The People of the Black Circle

Although we have teased this unit before when discussing movement and charging, let’s now take a more in-depth look at the Scion of Set.

Notable Abilities

With eight attack dice on a melee attack, the Scion is the hardest hitting unit in the game, especially when you add in its “venomous” ability that lets Sigils eliminate defensive dice. Its movement is fairly standard at 6″, but that’s deceptive since “sudden strike” lets it charge an enemy up to 12″ away. Defense is more problematic. Its three defense dice are decent for a monster or hero, but because the serpent packs so much punch it will undoubtedly draw a great deal of fire.

On the Battlefield

The Scion of Set is all about that single vicious first strike. Initially try to stay just outside 9″ of foes so they can’t charge it but it can strike them, so you aren’t dependent on initiative for its charge. The charge is devastating, rolling a whopping 10 dice, or 13 if you invest the maximum Destiny tokens – recommended since this attack has a particularly good return on investment! On average that’s a 6 hit attack, and the defender loses 2 defense dice before they are even rolled.

Maximize that overwhelming first strike, because every turn the Scion remains locked in melee is another turn it can’t use that awesome charge again. Kill units and move on. It may even be worth it to flee and then return for a strike later.

A characteristic worth noting is its 3″ base size, common among many monsters. The Scion favors open ground, and worse there’s lots of room for many opponents to pile on for counterstrikes. And this is the trickiest thing about the scion: because it can charge far and needs to get in fast to deliver that strike, it can get too far ahead of its supporting units – especially since the The Legion of Set favors ranged units and their dedicated infantry (The Ancestral Guard) is particularly slow. This can easily lead to a situation where the Scion is trapped in a fight, and Circle of Iron units start charging it and piling on, and the beast gets quickly overwhelmed. So make sure your Scion has support. Or if not be patient with it, and pick off units that aren’t too close to one another.