4/3/2024 - The Leaders of Dunland

Hey Everyone!

Today we finally get in to my favorite part of Isengard, the Dunlendings!

Hail to the Chief

Thrydan Wolfsbane is the "leader" of Dunland. He clocks in at 85 points, being able to pay 10 points to mount on his horse. He has the typical Fight 5 and Strength 5 of Isengard heroes, but unlike what his armor would appear to give him, is only Defense 5. He has 2 attacks, 2 wounds, courage 4, and 3 might, 2 will, 2 fate. He comes equipped with a sword and two-handed axe, giving him the ability to 2-hand and pierce for mega damage, which takes us to his special rules. His first rule is Mighty Blow, making wounds he inflicts that are not fated deal 2 wounds instead of 1, making him exceptionally good at killing 2 wound 1 fate heroes. His Lord of Dunland special rule extends his Stand-Fast! to 12" instead of the usual 6", making him better at keeping his troops around, if he does not run away himself. He comes with Heroic Strike and Strength as well, making him able to fight big monsters, who with Mighty Blow, he can take down very well. All around, Thrydan is a good hero and monster killer, he has even one shot an Elendil for me before, but his low armor makes him susceptible to bow fire, and a bad roll against warriors can leave him wounded or dead. He is pretty hard to slot into normal Isengard, but is the centerpiece hero of the Army of Dunland Legendary Legion, which we will cover later.

Enjoy your 6s

Gorulf Ironskin is arguably the best Isengard hero overall. At only 70 points, he is Fight 5, Strength 5, Defense 5, Courage 4, 2 Wounds, 3 Might, 1 Will, 1 Fate and 3 Attacks. He also comes in with a pair of axes, and heroic strike, strength and defense. You might be saying "he just looks like a beefed up Mauhur!" Gorulf, however, has his key special rule Ironskin. From a mere flex of his muscles, Gorulf intimidates opposing heroes (calls a Free Heroic Defense for fighting them) into being unable to wound him. Free Heroics are nice, and free heroics that make it much harder to kill you are even better. Gorulf really excels at smashing into big heroes, calling heroic defenses and watching them spin their wheels unable to take him down, preventing heroic combats or repositioning. He can also combine this with piercing to do some real damage at no penalty. His weakness comes when facing magic, as most Isengard heroes struggle to deal with, and a bad roll against warrior models can result in him keeling over. 

No one expects the Dunlending Long Spear

Frida Tallspear is a pretty underrated hero, with most only taking her in the Dunland Legendary Legion. At 65 points, she dips down to  Strength 4, but still maintains Fight 5, and has a Defense of 6 due to her shield, Courage 4, 2 Wounds, 3 Mihgt, 1 Will, 1 Fate and 2 Attacks. Her heroics are strength and defense, but she rarely uses them in favor of supporting the line with heroic moves. Frida comes with a dagger and spear, and has a couple really cool special rules. Go for the Horse! allows Frida and friendly Dunlending models within 3" of her to reroll wound rolls against mounts during the fight phase, make the typically S4 Dunlendings very reliable at killing mounts (cough this works against the Dragon Emperor's Palanquin mount cough). Her main special rule is Readied Stance. When Frida is fighting or supporting a fight, Cavalry models do not get their Extra Attack or Knock to the Ground bonuses. This is massive. Outside magic, there is no other rule that prevents these, apart from monsters or high strength models ignoring the Knock the the Ground. She excels at throwing models in front of herself into big mounted heroes to stop them from Heroic Combating, or just taking out their mount if they whiff. She can also very much surpise heroes by shifting her position on the backline. Combine her with Gorulf, who is already tough to kill, but who can suffer when knocked prone, and suddenly big heroes like Gil Galad are getting stuck against a brick wall that can't be knocked over. I also like to use her to shore up that weakness in the rare occasion I take Lurtz.

We will die, for Saruman!

The Wild Man Oathmaker is one of the most cost efficient and impactful models in not just Isengard, but, in my opinion, the game. While his stats aren't impressive, at only Fight 4, Strength 4, Defense 4, 2 Attacks, 2 Wounds, Courage 4, he does boast the all important 3 might, 1 will 1 fate, at only 55 points! His only heroic is Strength, but he is generally using his might for Heroic Moves. He is Fearless which makes him stick around long into the game if he stays safe, providing a very good stand-fast for non-Isengard troops. But in case he is engaged, he has We Will Die For Saruman, which gives Wild Men of Dunland the Isengard keyword for the battle. And just in case you don't have the army bonus, he also has Blood Oath, which makes Wild Men of Dunland within 6" of him, Fearless. This of course also makes Wild Men very good at charging terror models, tying up big models (we will talk about them more next week). He also has Hatred (Rohan), something most Dunlendings only get in the Legendary Legion. Because of all this, he tends to be an extremely impactful hero for the Isengard roster, and makes his way into almost all of my lists.

Insert barbarian screaming

Dunlending Chieftains are the generic Dunland hero. They are only Fight 4, but boast Strength 5, Defense 5, 2 Attacks, 2 Wounds, 4 Courage, and 2 might, 2 will and 1 fate. They have the option to take a two-handed axe or an axe and shield, swapping for free, and can also buy a bow for 5 points. They also have a dagger, so can choose between that and two-handing if they take that option. They are the only base level generic hero that has 2 will, which is interesting. The only others are bigger generics like Kings of Men or Dwarf Kings and the like. At 55 points, they are a respectable stat-line, though they have really no place outside the Dunland Legion, in which they provide a key Heroic March to help get your forces in faster against bow-fire.

All in all, the Dunland heroes are very cost effective, and come with some very good special rules that benefit not only the Dunland Legion, but the overall Isengard roster. I routinely am taking Gorulf, Frida and the Oathmaker in most lists, along with some of the Dunlending Warriors we will cover next week.

Thanks everyone for reading, and I will see you next time!

-Scott