Zoanthropes and Biomancy?

[whoadirty]

Has anyone had success swapping out the regular Zoanthrope powers for a couple rolls on the Biomancy table?

One idea that I was thinking about was a single support Zoanthrope. Gives you a fairly cheap source of synapse, and possible support psychic powers in the form of Enfeeble and Endurance. At 60 points floating around in your backfield, it wouldn't be as tempting a target without the shooting powers. Or this too big a risk when some of the Biomancy rolls could be wasted?

[wisdomseyes1]

Theoryhammer dictates that rolling on biomancy on 1 or 2 of them for endurance then keeping the lat of them in base powers is a good idea, giving them feel no pain and eternal warrior, helping with missiles.

I think it's just a fun idea to take a unit of 3 and roll from 3 disciplines. It's a funny idea to me

[fragile]

They would only have 2 rolls, which makes the odds low on getting what you want. However, you can go with Psychic Shriek and 1 roll on Biomancy. It would make them mini-Dooms, just not quite as good.

[wisdomseyes1]

The chances of rolling a specific power of your choice is what? 36%? 16.5% on the first roll and 20% on the second because you can't repeat (assumes you don't trade the first power out for smite) and about 33 if you do trade the power out.

Chances aren't that bad. I mean, if you don't get it with the first zoey you can just go all out and choose for the rest of them to take support powers, in which case you will get endurance, but you won't be using it on itsel anymore.

[coredump]

If you are happy with either of the two powers, then you have a 60% chance of getting at least one of them with a single zoan.

[angeleania]

Was in a comp last weekend, 6 games 1999 pts (yea was 2k but dropped due to new FOC rules) I ran a pair of Zoans and swapped out their powers every game. Don't think there was any game where i didn't get at least 1 of enfeeble or endurance with them. I ran them purely as a back up synapse and support powers team. And in all games that's how they ran, with the flying hive tyrant 3 Tervigons and 2 Trygons no one bothered with them till last game where they assaulted the Necron lord with wraiths. (backed up by the trygon and a few gargs) Mind scarabs are a pain..... Though they did bog down the lord for the whole game.

So yea as a support team, they worked great 4 chances to get endurance or enfeeble for 120 pts. Was tempted to keep the powers but when facing CSM and sisters, but never needed them.

Opponents were
1. Imp guard
2. CSM
3. Blood Angels
4. Tyranids
5. Sisters
6. Necrons

[Koyori]

Just to remind you guys, you only get to roll a number of powers equal to your mastery level, which for zoans is ONE.

[angeleania]

no you get to roll for the number of abilities you have. as in warp blast and warp lance, you swap both ot nothing, the level is for how many you can cast, so one each, and as the FAQ says, zoans do not need to cast the same power.

Swarm lord gets 4 powers can swap 4, but level 2 so can cast only 2.

[whoadirty]

I am going to assume you have to declare switches at the same time? So I couldn't have a unit of two Zoanthropes and roll one on the Biomancy table, wait to see what I got, then decide what to do with the other one?

[Lanesend]

No, you declare and roll per psycher.
So in a brood of two Zoans, you first swap two powers and roll for them (on any of the three tables). Then you pick the second Psycher (Zoan) and decide if you want to roll for him. If so, swap all powers and start rolling.

[coredump]

Correct, it is detailed in the FAQ.

[DarkGuard]

I've not had great experience with Biomancy Zoanthropes. Basically, I'll give them Psychic Shriek, and then pretty much always end up rolling Iron Arm or Warp Speed for them. Of course I do, those are the powers I definitely don't want. So I think I've given up on them already. But when you roll well they can be great, handing out buffs and debuffs all the time.

[halos]

I have been using a couple of Zoanthropes as buff engines. Not least because Warp Lance became even more unreliable with the introduction of Deny the Witch...

Anyway sometimes they perform perfectly, rolling up double Endurance or Enfeeble or what-have-you. Sometimes not so good with a useless combo like Leech Life/Haemorrage. It's a bit of a gamble I suppose.

However they provide a valuable asset in that it means you can adapt to your opponents list as you deploy; lots of tanks or MEQ infantry? Stick with the base powers. Lots of low Ld infantry units? Take Psychic Shriek. Lots of dangerous firepower? Roll on Biomancy and hope for the best etc etc.

[wisdomseyes1]

Aug 20, 2012 8:51:21 GMT Koyori said:

Just to remind you guys, you only get to roll a number of powers equal to your mastery level, which for zoans is ONE.

2nd page f the tyranid FAQ, second amendment, under psychic powers. "replace all the codex powers with..."

Psychic mastery, as it stands, only counts for the number of powers you can use.

[DarkGuard]

Grey Knights, which is a recent Codex, uses that system of Psychic Mastery = number powers in BGB. I believe that when new Codices out, that's what they'll use as well.