Hey guys, trying to brush up on the rules before I get back to warhammar.
I’m not sure I exactly understand this item. Let’s say I activate it during my opponent’s turn, does that mean I lose D3 dispel dice, and he loses D3 casting dice?
Oh and does anyone use this item and why?
As for the Black Gem of Gnar, seems like a really good item. I was thinking of putting it on a sorcerer, and then challenging some big brute, and then holding him there until either my or his unit broke. Thoughts?
Black gem is a very nice item for a dragoncatcher. I tend to give it to a sorcerer lord when I field him. An unseen lurker and his blundies are charging a dragon, and with standard, bsb, 2 ranks and outnumber, the enemy loses by 5!
The chalice is only useful in a very magic heavy army where you have more magic levels than your opponent.
In your turn, it can take can up to 3 dice from your opponents dispel pool, but only 2 dice from your power dice pool since power dice are no longer shared. This means he has much less magical defense than you have in offense.
In your opponents turn, you can wipe out his power dice pool if he has a single scroll caddy so he can usually attempt to cast only once. You should have maybe 3 dispel dice left which should be more than enough. You’ve always got a dispel scroll or two should he get lucky with the high numbers. If he has more than a scroll caddy then it is generally useless in his turn.
Way back in 5th ed I would never consider leaving the Black Ziggurat without the Chalice and the Banner of Sorcery.
However, since the advent of 6th ed. I’ve ignored the item. Without a means of storing dice the item is of limited use, unless you really go magic heavy. Personally, I don’t go that heavy given the unreliable nature of magic.
Personally, i love the black gem. It really help if, as in my style of play, you take a hero level general in a good sized unit of CDwarriors. Chrage them into the enemy general (preferably a big tanking esq kinda guy) and use the black gem, eliminating the bulk of the units front row of attack meaning that your CD can contribute to a good first round of combat, hopefully wining combat.
I have only taken the Gem twice. The one time (against Brets), I forgot about it all together but the other time it stopped a Wood Elf Alatar Kindred Hero from ripping apart a Blunderbussmen. It’s handy but you really kinda to have the right enemy to use it against. Like with Brets, it’s excellent as you know the other guy will challenge you and can’t decline.
In my army I have my high sorcerer use his flaming sword (if he rolls it) to kill rank and file and if a combat hero character comes to kill him I just nerf them and then leave with an aptly used steed of shadows.
As for the Chalice, I used to use it when in the last edition (I proxied my force from my brothers dwarfs :sick) as it quite often stopped the opponent using higher casting spells and also made it easier for me to handle the amount of dice that’s on the table, be warned that you must be very magic reliant to consider this item, dont go near it with just 4 power dice, thats two level 2 sorcerers. Its one of those items that is now not really worth its points, imagine you could have a Hobgoblin unit instead of that arcane item. I have tried it and it works somtimes and not others, its not worth it really I am sad to say.
I took the chalice against wood elves in the first game I played with CD’s. I had two lvl 2 sorcerers, and the guy I was playing had a lvl 2 plus a treeman with the tree singing.��It came in pretty handy, most turns leaving him with one power dice and me with one dispel.��He was only able to cast tree singing with the treeman, and with one dice it was 50/50 to dispel.��Now, if he’d had more magic I’d have been screwed.��But this time worked out pretty well.
Long story short, chalice isn’t the best. The black gem is great though.
I found they are both quite useful. But the Black Gem is as already stated just pricelses. Ive had it on both a BC Hero, a Sorceror and a Hobgob and it works well on all.
The Chalice as already stated is fantastic in a magic heavy army, but not so great in anything less.
The Black Gem of Gnar is one of those pet items that used to be available to every army in 4th or 3rd along with the Heart of Woe but is now confined to an army few people recognise as a whole or in the case of the heart a single DE Special Character. The Gem is best used on a mobile character such as a Hobgoblin Wolf rider or a Bull Centaur or even on a Sorcerer Lord on Lammasu (or on foot is a nasty surprise for alot of people). Use the gem Bearer to set up charges on big units in concert with other units and use the bearer to issue or accept any challenges from the obvious big man himself. If a mere champion is pushed forwards, you’re still a hero and can grind them into the ground, so use the Gem wisely.