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Tomb Kings of Khemri · 143 points
Are Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers good?
Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers finished 28th of the 29 shooting units I have tested at short range, and last at long range. Their value lies somewhere other than their damage.
Quick answer: it depends what you point Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers at
- Role
- Fast harassment cavalry
- Good against
- Knights of the Realm (1.2, 17th): best ranking
- Struggles against
- Knights of the Realm (1.2, 17th), Ironbreakers (0.4, 23rd), Empire State Troops (1.2, 28th), Skaven Dregs (2.0, 28th), Rat Ogres (1.1, 27th), Skirmishing Empire Archers (1.6, 27th)
- Range
- Loses some damage at range (79% kept)
Fast harassment cavalry is the job Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers did best in my testing, and it is the yardstick I would judge them by, rather than their 28th-of-29 overall average.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 240 volleys with Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers: ten fresh volleys at each of six targets, at both long and short range, standing still and again after moving. Those main volleys were part of the 4,080 I ran across 29 shooting units, and these were the Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers results.
Treat my Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers results as evidence rather than gospel: I strip out terrain, magic, characters and an opponent’s choices so the unit’s own performance shows through. With ten volleys per result, Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers (1.3) and Ushabti with greatbows (1.1) finished level at short range, so I would not read anything into their order. Read the Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers results as a guide to roles and matchups rather than a forecast.
My verdict
I would take them for speed and harassment. Because Arrows of Asaph ignore all To Hit modifiers, they shot about as well after moving as standing still, but that was never much: about 1.2 wounds a volley.
Best and worst targets for Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers
Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers by target. Ranks out of 29. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Target | Long | Rank | Short | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of the Realm | 0.2 | 28th | 1.2 | 17th |
| Ironbreakers | 0.7 | 14th | 0.4 | 23rd |
| Empire State Troops | 1.3 | 26th | 1.2 | 28th |
| Skaven Dregs | 1.5 | 28th | 2.0 | 28th |
| Rat Ogres | 0.6 | 28th | 1.1 | 27th |
| Skirmishing Empire Archers | 1.6 | 16th | 1.6 | 27th |
Range and armour
At long range Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers kept 79% of their short-range damage. Their best long-range target was Skirmishing Empire Archers (1.6).
Against my two heavily armoured targets, Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers averaged 0.8 wounds at short range. That puts them 22nd of 29 for cracking armour.
Rules that shaped these numbers
- Arrows of Asaph ignore all To Hit modifiers, including the penalty for moving.
Do Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers lose damage after moving?
I fired the same Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers volleys again after a legal move to the same firing position. Standing still, Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers averaged 1.3 wounds at short range; after moving, 1.2. At long range the figures were 1.0 standing still and 1.2 after moving.
Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers, standing still vs after moving. Mean wounds per volley. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Target | Short, still | Short, moved | Long, still | Long, moved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of the Realm | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| Ironbreakers | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Empire State Troops | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Skaven Dregs | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 2.2 |
| Rat Ogres | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Skirmishing Empire Archers | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
How I set up the test
I fielded 13 Skeleton Horse Archers with warbows (143 points), and all 13 models could shoot in every matchup. My method page has the full setup.
How do they compare?
Other Tomb Kings of Khemri shooters
- Tomb King Skeleton Archers140 pts · 2.0 avg short, 2.1 avg long
- Ushabti with greatbows147 pts · 1.1 avg short, 1.0 avg long
Similar overall damage
- Bretonnian Mounted YeomenKingdom of Bretonnia · 1.5 avg short
- Goblin Wolf RidersOrc & Goblin Tribes · 1.7 avg short
- Chaos throwing axesWarriors of Chaos · 1.7 avg short
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers for fast harassment and redirecting, with the bows as a bonus, and not for any job that needs real damage, to get the most out of them on the battlefield.
FAQs
What are Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers best at shooting?
Skaven Dregs: Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers did 2.0 wounds per short-range volley against them in my tests. Their lowest number was against Ironbreakers, at 0.4.
Are Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers better at long or short range?
Short range. Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers kept 79% of their short-range damage at long range, 6th of 29 for holding up at range. Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers averaged 1.0 wounds at long range against 1.3 at short range.
Are Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers good against armour?
Against Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers averaged 0.8 wounds per short-range volley, 22nd of the 29 units I tested.