The General’s Handbook Pitched Battle Profiles have landed at Sprues and Brews HQ and we couldn’t wait to dive in and see what changes were in store for our favourite armies. We’ll take a look at the Lumineth Realm-lords points changes and how we feel the units are shaping up below.

We would like to thank Games Workshop for sending us a copy of the General’s Handbook 2021 to review.

Vanari Starshard Ballista

The Vanari Starshard Ballista has increased by 20 points and has the Single type (meaning it cannot be reinforced). It still has a max unit size of 1 but I really like this artilery piece in the new edition of Age of Sigmar. Command Abilities such as Unleash Hell really work well on a Starshard Ballista sitting just behind a unit of Vanari Wardens!

Vanari Auralan Wardens

Vanari Auralan Wardens look as dangerous as ever in 3rd edition, even after receiving a 25 point increase. Aetherquartz combined with the fact that unit Champions can now issue Command Abilities (such as All-Out Defence) means Rend -2 attacks will be bouncing off your spear elves. Couple with Protection of Hysh for a 5+ Ward save and you have yourself a resilient and killy Battleline unit – very important in Matched Play when you consider some of the Grand Strategies and Battle Tactics options.

Alarith Spirit of the Mountain

Monsters are now much more powerful in Age of Sigmar 3rd edition and as result points increases were expected. The generic Spirit of the Mountain has increased by 35 points and is now substantially cheaper than Avalenor. Previously I would always opt for the named version of this unit but now I’m not so sure. With access to Command Abilities like All-Out Attack it’s main melee weapon now looks much more impressive. It also benefits from the new Monstrous Rampage abilities and counts as 5 models for the purposes of controlling objectives. The fact that modifers to hit rolls now cap at +1/-1 means I think most lists can now make do with a targetted -1 to hit debuff provided by the Spirit of the Mountain compared to the aura effect of Avalenor – I’m sure we’ll see one or two of the big cows in most lists through 3rd edition.

Alarith Stonemage

No change to the Alarith Stonemage despite the fact that I think this unit is much improved in 3rd edition as a result of the new Enhancement rules. A single Stonemage can now cast Voice of the Mountains and Crippling Vertigo if you take the Spell Lore Enhancement meaning it’s much easier to get the combo off. With Aetherquartz you can even pull this off in a single Hero Phase!

Ellania and Ellathor, Eclipsian Warsages

Despite receiving a 25 point increase I think the twins are looking pretty good this edition. Their biggest drawback in the old rules was the fact that they only knew one spell from the Lore of Hysh. Now you potentially get access to two spells from the Lore of Hysh, it’s a great way to take advantage of their +1 to cast and their ability to cast two spells!

Hurakan Windmage

No change to the Hurakan Windmage either which has really surprised me. There are some great spells in the Lore of the Winds and the potential for each Windmage in your army to know two of them opens up a lot of options for a Lumineth player. Previously you’d be looking to take Teclis to cover your Wind Lore options but in the new edition I think a Windmage would give you this flexibility at a much cheaper cost.

The Light of Eltharion

Quite a big change for Eltharion (+30 points) but I think he is looking much better in 3rd edition myself. With access to Heroic Recovery and Their Finest Hour Eltharion should now live longer and get more done in close combat. You can’t overlook his “Unflinching Valour” Command Ability either, this could potentially save you from having to issue the Inspiring Presence Command Ability, freeing up a unit to issue a different Command Ability.

Lyrior Uthralle, Warden of Ymetrica

With a small 5 point increase I think the named version of the Lord Regent is looking like a more interesting prospect in 3rd edition, mainly down to his ability to generate Command Points in each of your Hero Phases (an even more important resource nowadays).

Myari Lightcaller and Myari’s Purifiers

Myari and his Warband receive a 20 point increase but I’m not sure how often these were included in Lumineth armies anyway. Arguably with the additional spell from the Spell Lore Enhancement you’re now able to make more use of his +1 to casting ability and his -1 to hit to ranged attacks on nearby units means he can also offer some nice protection to your army as well.

Scinari Calligrave

The Calligrave remains a cheap Wizard with only a 15 point increase and again benefits from an increased repertoire of spells under the right circumstances.

Scinari Cathallar

The Cathallar was already a strong unit with access to unique and powerful leadership shenanigans. She receives a small 5 point increase but I think this is more than compensated for by the improvements to heroes overall in 3rd edition.

Scinari Loreseeker

Already an expensive Hero, the Loreseeker recieves a 10 point increase however do not fear, you’ll be happy to find out that the Loreseeker is no longer a Unique unit. This means it now gets access to both Artifacts and Command Traits, opening the door to a whole raft of crazy combinations. Loreseekers with Blades of Leaping Gold for additional attacks or Simulacra Amulets to come back to life on a 4+ for example. Couple this with the Arcane Bolt and Flaming Weapon spells and you now have an extremely capable combat caster!

Sevireth, Lord of the Seventh Wind

Quite a large increase of 45 points for everyone’s favourite fox, that said however I think the addition of Heroic Actions really benefit this unit, the potential to heal 2D3 wound each turn is great. It’s still reasonably priced unit and the impact it can have on a game, disrupting opponent’s movement and dishing out mortal wounds for example, means I think it should still find a place in people’s lists.

Vanari Bannerblade

A small increase of 10 points to this unit. It will be interesting to see if it’s included in more Lumineth armies in 3rd edition. The 18″ range on issuing Command Abilities thanks to its Totem keyword could prove very useful.

Vanari Lord Regent

The Lord Regent remains a great deal with only 5 point increase. He was already a great force multiplier with his Greater Power of Hysh spell but now, with access to Heroic Actions and potentially additional spells via a Spell Lore enhancement, he is looking even better!

Archmage Teclis and Celennar, Spirit of Hysh

The largest points increase in the army at 80 points, not quite as bad as I expected. He’s definetly more resilient in the new edition and it’s potentially easier now to fit him in a single drop list thanks to the Core Battalion changes. Previously I would look to take Teclis purely for the flexibility of access to the entire spell list however I’m not sure that is such an issue any more now that Spell Lore Enhancements can be taken. The Protection of Teclis spell is still very appealing though, especially when you look at the amount of mortal wounds the new Stormcast and Orruks can dish out!

Avalenor, the Stoneheart King

Another larger points increase here at 55 points. He is now quite expensive but does benefit from both Heroic Actions and Monstrous Ramage, but still, I’m not sure he now compares favourably to the generic Spirit of the Mountain. Modifiers to hit rolls now cap, so it is no longer nessecary to take him to further buff your Shining Company units which was the main reason I took him over the unnamed version.

Alarith Stoneguard

I think Alarith Stoneguard are one of the units impacted most negatively by the 3rd edition changes. They receive a 20 point increase which is not too bad, but then you have to keep in mind the changes to unit coherency means they will struggle to get many attacks through in larger units thanks to their 1″ reach. In addition they have now lost access to their re-roll saves bonus due to the changes in the way Warscroll Battalions now work. I think small units of 5 could still be useful to hold objectives perhaps and it is quite cool to combine the All-Out Defence with the innate ability to ignore Rend.

Hurakan Spirit of the Wind

The generic wind spirit receives a small 15 points increase but, lacking both the Hero (and also Monster keyword), does not benefit in the same way as Sevireth.

Hurakan Windchargers

To be fair, these were a bit of a steal at their original points cost so it’s not too surprising to see them receive a 25 point increase. I can see some great synergy between the Helon Great Nation bonus,the new Unleash Hell Command Ability and then the ability to ‘pile out’ of combat!

Vanari Auralan Sentinels

Everyone’s favourite archers have come out of the points changes quite well, with only a 10 point increase. Previously you saw a lot of Generals take 80+ Sentinels to focus down key units in the opponent’s army but I think with the new edition we’ll start seeing only 1-2 units of 10 sprinkled into Lumineth armies. The overall reduction in the number of ‘horde’ style units you’ll likely to face in a single battle as the result of the Reinforcement and Coherency rules changes coupled with Command Abilities like Unleash Hell mean a unit of 10 Sentinels sitting behind a unit of Wardens creates a fearsome obstacle for your opponent to approach.

Vanari Bladelords

The ‘Swordmasters’ themselves are looking pretty good in 3rd edition, still a relatively cheap unit with only a 10 points increase. I think the new All-Out Attack Command Ability looks good on the Bladelords, to make sure as many of those Flurry attacks get through. Endless Spells look to be much more dangerous in this edition so we may see more benefit from their Vanahimor Banners than we have previously. I’m really temped to form a unit of Bladelords up around a Loreseeker for hard hitting and resilient melee unit! They are conditional Battleline as well which means you have some good options for reinforcement.

Vanari Dawnriders

The Dawnriders have gone up by 10 points but otherwise remain as useful as they always have. I think the new 3rd edition changes favour small units of 5 rather than units of 10 which could hinder their effectiveness against ‘horde’ units (especially when you start factoring in Command Abilities like All-Out Defence and Redeploy).

Endless Spells

The way Endless Spells work in 3rd edition has changed, making them much more useful and dangerous so a points increase was expected. The Twinstones themselves have increased by 20 points but remains a very useful tool in most Lumineth armies (especially if you’re trying to maximise the use of those additional Spell Lore Enhancements). Rune of Petrification has increased by 5 points but it’s the Sanctum of Amyntok that has received the biggest increase, doubling in cost!

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