Army Traits
Most High Elf armies are small forces composed of elite troops. As a whole, their
troops are disciplined, well-equipped and well-led. They are a force of brave, well-equipped
infantry supported by devastating missile troops and lightning fast cavalry.
Strengths
-
Skilled infantry that have access to excellent armour and equipment. One of the
few armies whose basic infantry have skill 3 pike and halberd attacks.
- Excellent armour, second only to the Dwarves. Most High Elf melee infantry have
armour 3 and the Shield ability. Despite the heavy armour, they are still able to
move as quickly as most un-armoured humans.
- Brave leaders that are deadly in combat. Elf heroes are morale 10, the same as
most human lords. Elf lords are morale 11, have 4 wounds and evasion 2. This
makes both them and any unit they lead very hard to break.
- Devastating ranged attacks. High Elves are one of the few armies that can field
skill 3 longbows as part of their core army. Longbows are amongst the most deadly
missile weapons in Armies of Arcana as they are strength 2 and able to shoot further
than most other weapons. When used by a High Elf who has missile skill
3, even a small number of them are able to punch holes in an opposing battle-line.
High Elves also have access to the powerful Acolytes, who are missile troops that
fire eldritch missiles at the enemy. These missile attacks are excellent against
troops resistant to conventional missiles such as heavily armoured enemy or undead.
- Excellent Cavalry. The High Elves have access to some of the best cavalry in Arcana.
Their basic knights are as skilled as human elite cavalry, well armoured and yet
are still lightning fast. Able to move 18 inches a turn and hit the enemy with skill
3 lance attacks, even the basic High Elf cavalry demands respect on the battle field.
To support them, the High Elves also have access to skill 3 horse archers that also
move 18 inches and the deadly Noble Cavalry, who are even more heavily armoured
and have skill 4 lance attacks.
Weaknesses
- High elves are an elite force and consequently can rarely bring large numbers
of troops to the battlefield compared to their enemies. High Elf armies are almost
always outnumbered. However, as the High Elf general has access to fairly cheap
longswords and sword cavalry, he or she can still field a larger force if required.
- The high elf army lacks any scouts or infiltrators in its core list. The player
could still field infiltrating monsters from the generic monster list, if required
but this would be at the expense of his elite point allowance.
- Unlike most High Elf infantry, the longbows are lightly armoured and vulnerable
in melee.
- While a fast army, the High Elf army have no units that are able to move well
through terrain. All of their units operate best on open ground. A High Elf force
may struggle if engaging an enemy on a battlefield strewn with forests, lakes, rivers
and other difficult ground.