In all of Warhammer Fantasy, few units inspire awe in the same way as the Treeman. The Treeman is among the most diverse models in the game; able to contribute to every phase of a turn. The dual-Treeman list, featuring a Treeman Ancient and a regular Treeman in games of 2000 points or more, has become a staple of the competitive tournament scene. However, the Treeman is still a major point investment, and can be quite vulnerable to certain opponents. This article is written to ensure you get the most value out of your Treeman, protecting him from harm and using him to dominate the battlefield. In addition, it will discuss the respective strengths of the Treeman and Treeman Ancient, highlighting the similarities and differences between the two and which is better suited for your army.
1. Treeman Basics
- 1.1. The Movement Phase
- The Treeman is a monster, and uses monster movement. Though monsters do not have 360 degree line of sight like single characters on foot, monsters still benefit from unique movement rules that set them apart from other troops. Remember that a Treeman is able to move through forests without penalty, allowing you to use trees as a safe way to move your Treeman forward while keeping him hidden from enemies. Monsters do not wheel, but spin in place, and are allowed to make one free spin at any point during their charge movement.
Since a Treeman is a large target, he can see over intervening troops to enemies behind them. A well-positioned Treeman can see an enemy, declare a charge, move straight forward to move past intervening troops, spin in place, and hit home with his charge. However, as a large target, he can be seen by enemy troops, and therefore cannot be screened by friendly troops to keep him safe while he advances. More on this later.
1.2. Magic Phase
- New players often overlook the presence of a Treeman's bound Treesinging spell (the Treeman Ancient has two of such spells). This bound spell is a key component of a powerful Wood Elf magic phase, putting important pressure on the enemy dispel dice pool. Wood Elf casters, featuring Spellweaver/Singers with Calaingor's Staff, can cast a tremendous number of Treesinging spells per turn. The bound spell is a guarantee, a free spell that your opponent has to dispel or allow to happen with no chance of the Wood Elf character failing to cast it. These bound spells, coupled with Calaingor's Staff, can move woods around the board to protect your troops and hinder the enemy.
A Treeman can be placed inside a forest, allowing him to advance without being seen. As long as the Treeman is hidden two inches or more within the trees, he cannot be targetted by enemy magic missiles, shooting or charges. He can still cause Terror tests from within the woods, as well as use his dangerous strangleroot attack until he is in position for combat. This strategy, nick-named "Treesurfing", is an excellent use for a Wood Elf magic phase.
1.3. Shooting Phase
- In addition to the movement and magic uses, a Treeman excels at shooting. The strangleroot attack can cause tremendous damage to light, mobile units like skirmishers, fliers and fast cavalry, as well as damaging large regiments to help remove their rank bonus. Since the spell does not require line-of-sight, it can help protect a Treeman's flank or be used when the Treeman is hidden inside a forest. Strangleroot is also a nasty surprise for an enemy who thinks they are out of range of a Treeman's charge: Though a Treeman can only move a maximum of ten inches, Strangleroot allows him to threaten enemies sixteen inches away by moving and then using the attack. If any opponent is foolish enough to venture into Woodland terrain, the Strangleroot attack becomes much more lethal. The May 2008 FAQ has said that the Treeman can use Strangleroots as a Stand & Shoot charge reaction so his enemies will have a harder time breaking him.
1.4. Combat Phase
- Though the Treeman's abilities in other phases are very useful, it is combat where the Treeman truly excels. Tougher than a dragon with his Forest Spirit ward save, a Treeman can withstand all but the most deadly opponents. The Treeman is one of a few units in the Wood Elf army that strikes with Strength 6, the other sources being a Forest Dragon or Noble or Highborn with great weapon. This high Strength makes the Treeman very valuable against heavily armoured opponents, such as enemy knights or characters. The Strength 3, Strength 4 and Strength 5 attacks of other units struggle to penetrate 1+ and 2+ armour saves, making a Treeman very important when fighting well-armoured opponents like Bretonnians, Empire or Chaos.
Perhaps the greatest use of the Treeman comes from his Stubborn ability: since the Treeman is so durable, breaking him in combat seems the only way for some opponents to kill him. However, with Stubborn, the Treeman will roll the same break test no matter the combat result. This can allow a Treeman to occupy overwhelmingly dangerous opponents who could threaten the rest of your army, locking them in combat and keeping the rest of your army safe. The Treeman can also make an enemy unit very vulnerable, locking a unit in place while fast, rank-negating units like Wild Riders attack the flanks. The Terror-causing abilities of a Treeman are useful also, allowing him to force Fear tests in Fear-causing opponents while also disrupting enemies with Terror tests.
2. The Treeman Ancient
Now that the versatility of the Treeman has been established, let's look at the differences between the Treeman and the Treeman Ancient. The differences between the Treeman and Ancient seem very slight at first:
- • The Ancient has one more point of leadership.
• The Ancient can cast two bound Treesinging spells instead of one.
• The Ancient has access to Spites.
- 2.1. When to take a Treeman Ancient
- The Treeman Ancient is the nastiest single model available to a Wood Elf army. Not only does it have the advantages of a regular Treeman, but the access to Spites and boosted leadership significantly increase his durability. Perhaps the greatest value of the Treeman Ancient comes in one form: point efficiency. It is very common to see Wood Elf armies have the following format:
- • Expensive Lord choice
• Two or three support characters
• Treeman
In a 2000 or 2250 point game, this means that half of the army or more can be spent on four or five models. A lord choice (combat Highborn or Spellsinger) and a Treeman alone can cost a third of an army by themselves. By taking a Treeman Ancient, you gain the advantages of a very effective Lord choice AND the advantages of a Treeman in the same model. The Treeman Ancient can serve as a general, giving your army Leadership 9, gains useful access to Spites, strengthens your magic phase with his bound spells, while retaining all the usefulness of your regular Treeman.
When do you take a Treeman Ancient? When you don't have any specific lord choice in mind, want to save points on characters and a Treeman, and want a nasty and unstoppable combat choice that's more effective than a regular Treeman. The Treeman Ancient basically condenses three choices into one neat package: Higher leadership makes a Battle Standard Bearer less necessary than for a regular Treeman, access to the Cluster of Radiants helps eliminate the need for a Branchwraith, the two bound Treesinging spells are similar to a Level 2 Spellsinger, all while retaining all the usefulness of a standard Treeman.
The presence of Leadership 9 is very useful for armies that do not include a Battle Standard Bearer, with Leadership 9 being far more reliable for Stubborn than Leadership 8 (more on that below). The disadvantages of the Ancient are increased point cost over a regular Treeman, and a lot of victory points if your opponent successfully kills the Ancient (since he will likely be the army general). However, these disadvantages are small compared to the benefits.
2.2. Spite Choices
- The access to Spites really changes the dynamic of a Treeman Ancient. I would immediately suggest the Cluster of Radiants and Annoyance of Netlings.
Cluster of Radiants
Magic, particularly magic missiles, are very dangerous to Wood Elves. The Cluster of Radiants is a very useful item, but is only available to Forest Spirit characters. The Treeman Ancient and Branchwraith are the only characters who can take the Cluster of Radiants, making this an easy choice for an Ancient.
Annoyance of Netlings
Loved by Wood Elf players, hated by everyone else. Take the Treeman (an already tough and dangerous opponent) and make it so he can only be hit on rolls of a 6 in a challenge, and you have a nightmare character who can take on virtually any enemy character and win. The Annoyance of Netlings makes a Treeman Ancient very durable in a challenge, allowing him decimate Chaos Lords, Vampires, Saurus Oldbloods, and any other dangerous combat opponent you can think of. The Annoyance can occupy these opponents, keeping the rest of your fragile Wood Elf units safe while they focus on killing the opponent's unit.
There are other useful choices as well: The Murder of Spites or Pageant of Shrikes can increase the lethality of an Ancient. However, since the Ancient is already very expensive, I prefer to simply use the Cluster of Radiants and Annoyance of Netlings.
Warning
Use of an Ancient with Annoyance of Netlings is considered unsportsmanlike/cheesy/beardy by many opponents. It is a perfectly legal choice, great for use in competitive tournaments, but will often result in poor sportsmanship or composition scores from some players. Every army has its own way of dealing with a Treeman or Treeman Ancient, but some players continue to penalize the Ancient/Annoyance combination anyway. Be forewarned!
3. Dangers to a Treeman: How to protect your investment
We have highlighted the usefulness of a Treeman, but have not discussed the vulnerabilities. Despite the Treeman's durability, he is far from an invincible. A clever opponent can avoid your Treeman completely, or reduce him to kindling with little difficulty. This section discusses the greatest threats to a Treeman, and how to best protect your arboreal monstrosity.
- 3.1. Serious threats to a Treeman
- The threats a Treeman or a Treeman Ancient can face on the battlefield can be broken down into the following categories: Dangerous enemy characters. As nasty as a Treeman is, some enemies are simply more nasty. The Treeman's Strength 6 is nice, but often no match for a 1+ armour save and good ward save. Chaos Lords, Dwarf Lords, Vampires, Saurus Oldbloods, Orc Warbosses, and in particular, Skulltaker, Greater Daemons, and Ogre Tyrants can all destroy a Treeman in a turn or two of combat, while being relatively safe from a Treeman's return attacks. Characters with flaming weapons, or weapons that inflict D3 or D6 wounds, are an extreme threat. Monstrous steeds, such as Dragons or the dreaded Carnosaur, who inflicts D3 wounds against large targets, are a threat as well. The biggest threat a Treeman character can face in close combat, in my opinion, is an Ogre Tyrant with Tenderizer. High Weapon Skill and Toughness help keep the Tyrant alive for multiple rounds of combat, and five attacks with the Tenderiser will easily dispatch a Treeman.
For those not familiar with the Tenderiser, it is a magical great weapon that inflicts D3 wounds. A Treeman will be hit on a 3+, wounded on a 3+, and receive no armour save (due to high strength attacks) and no ward save (due to magical attacks). If an Ogre Tyrant is present on the board, be very, very cautious with your Treeman. The Tyrant is just one example of how opponents can make a mockery of your beloved rare choice. Treesinging can help your Treeman avoid dangerous characters, and don't be afraid to sacrifice other Wood Elf units to distract other dangerous characters to prevent them reaching your Treeman.
- Being a Large Target
All good Wood Elf players know the benefit of being an army that's mostly skirmishers, and moves freely through woods. Against opponents with lots of shooting attacks, Wood Elves can be very, very hard to shoot. Any opponent that has to roll to hit will be at a disadvantage, struggling to eradicate skirmishing units as penalties like skirmishing, long range, and soft cover all add up. In addition, fragile skirmishers (like Wardancers) can be screened with more durable, inexpensive units like Dryads. A Treeman receives none of the benefits. A Treeman is not a skirmisher, cannot be screened by Dryads or other troops, and even gives the enemy +1 to hit since he's a large target. A Treeman is an easy target for war machines, and even massed fire from crossbowmen, archers, handgunners, etc. can be a danger. Treesurfing can be an ideal way to protect your Treeman from ranged attacks.
Being Flammable
Being flammable is not as huge a disadvantage as it may sound. There are relatively few flaming attacks out there, and most of them will struggle to defeat the high toughness and good armour save of a Treeman. However, there is nothing worse than taking an unexpected wound and finding out that it's from a flaming attack. Certain magic weapons, attacks from Warpfire Throwers or Dwarf Flame Cannons, certain Magic Missiles, and the much-hated Dwarf Cannons and Bolt Throwers with the rune of Rune of Burning can all burn the wounds from a Treeman very quickly. Most of these attacks are ranged, however, so a Treeman can use terrain and Treesurfing to help avoid these dangers while the rest of the army helps to neutralize the source of the flaming attacks. If the flaming attacks come from a character's magic weapon, follow the advice given in the previous section to avoid dangerous characters.
Low Initiative
For all the high numbers in a Treeman's stat line, Initiative is the poorest. A humble Initiative value of 2 may not seem very important, and in most cases it is not. However, certain spells and attacks can kill a Treeman outright if he simply fails an Initiative test. The spell Pit of Shades from the Lore of Shadow, The Brass Orb (A Skaven One Use Only item that has essentially the same effect as Pit of Shades) Mork Wants Ya!, as well as the Giant attack Bash with Club, are examples of ways to kill or severely weaken a Treeman because of his poor Initiative. Fortunately, they can be countered. In the case of dangerous magic, always keep a dispel scroll or handful of dispel dice to ensure the spell is never cast. Giants and Skaven characters can be avoided, or also easily killed by the rest of the army in support of a Treeman. It is important to pay attention to threats to your Treeman!
Combat Resolution
There are a lot of different aspects to a game of Warhammer Fantasy, but combat resolution is by far the most important. Games are won and lost by single points of combat resolution. A Treeman, for all his strengths and fancy toys, can still be broken in combat and run down by any enemy. Yes, the Treeman is Stubborn, but Leadership 8 (for a regular Treeman) and Leadership 9 (for a Treeman Ancient) can still be failed. If you're going to use a Treeman to occupy an enemy regiment, be sure to reinforce him as soon as possible. Every turn that he loses a combat and is forced to take a Stubborn break test, you are risking an expensive investment. I try to use my Treeman in this capacity as little as possible, because I am aware that even a unit of Gnoblars with three ranks and outnumber can still break a Treeman and give your opponent a good laugh.
Magical Attacks
Not a huge threat, but worth mentioning. Magical attacks, such as magic missiles, magic weapons, or attacks by Daemons and Forest Spirits negate the 5+ Forest Spirit ward save of a Treeman, making him slightly more vulnerable to damage. I try to never depend on that 5+ ward save, since I never try to expose my Treeman to serious damage. If facing opponents with magical attacks, particularly characters with magic weapons, spells, Dwarf war machines with runes, or attacks by Daemons or other Forest Spirits, etc., be aware that your Treeman will not receive his ward save.
Terror Tests
The Treeman is Immune to Psychology and causes Terror, so obviously is not vulnerable to Terror himself. By this, I mean that the Treeman's ability to cause Terror can work against him. If you plan to charge a Treeman into combat, and his target flees from a failed Terror test, then the Treeman may fail his charge and be exposed to enemy shooting or a countercharge. Simply address this problem in the same way as an enemy unit who flees as a charge reaction: be aware that it's a possibility, and plan accordingly.
Poison Attacks
In addition to the massive war machines that can kill a Treeman, massed poison attacks can be equally effective. Poison is not very common, but Lizardmen Skinks, Dark Elf Witch Elves, and other units can make very effective use of poison. A Treeman can still take his 3+ save and 5+ ward against most poison attacks, but enough of these instant-wound hits can gradually wear a Treeman down. Use longbow shots to try and weaken enemy units with poison attacks, and finish them off with expendable combat troops like Dryads.
3.2. Keeping your Treeman alive
Now that we are aware of the dangers to a Treeman, here are some ways to preserve your investment from danger:
- Battle Standard Bearer
The Treeman benefits immensely from having a Battle Standard Bearer present. The ability to re-roll Leadership 8 and Leadership 9 break tests dramatically increases the chances of surviving if a Treeman loses a combat.
A Treeman with Leadership 8 has a 72.222% chance of passing his break test, and a 27.778% chance of failing. In crude terms, a Treeman will likely fail one out of every four break tests. An Ancient has an 83.333% chance of passing his break test and a 16.667% chance of failing; significantly improved odds over the regular Treeman, but still able to fail. However, with a Battle Standard Bearer nearby to re-roll failed break tests, a Treeman has a 92.284% chance of passing one of the two rolls while an Ancient has a 97.222% chance of passing. As you can see, the Battle Standard really helps a Treeman to pass his Stubborn break tests, allowing him to stay firmly in close combat. These numbers also highlight a useful aspect of the Treeman Ancient: even without a Battle Standard Bearer, his ability to pass Stubborn break tests is significantly higher than the regular Treeman.
In fact, many players will take a Battle Standard Bearer specifically to follow the Treeman around, either joining a unit of Wardancers (a great choice, since they make the Standard Bearer immune to psychology) or else staying by himself. The Battle Standard Bearer, essentially an upgrade for a Treeman, greatly increases his point cost. In return, however, you maximize the resilience and Stubborn ability of the Treeman.
Treesurfing
We know that Treemen are not invincible. Certain enemy characters can hack them apart in a round or two of combat, while warmachines can shoot them to pieces easily. A Dwarf cannon with Master Engineer and flaming attacks can inflict up to twelve wounds on a Treeman with a single shot! With these dangers present on the battlefield, it is useful to keep the Treeman hidden until he is ready to attack. However, if your Treeman is hiding, he cannot march forward to attack the enemy. How can we reconcile this issue? Treesinging!
Treesinging has already been discussed elsewhere in this article, but it is worth mentioning again. A Treeman, hidden in woods and being propelled across the board with Treesinging, can be kept safe from enemy threats until he is ready to leap out of the woods and start hurting things. If an enemy comes into the woods to attack the Treeman, you can use the secondary ability of Treesinging as well as Strangleroot to inflict many D6 Strength 5 hits on your unfortunate foe. D3+1 inches may not seem like a lot, but Calaingor's Staff makes this D3+2", and this can become quite a distance if you cast five or six Treesinging spells in a single turn!
Ariel's Blessing
If your army is using a lot of Treesinging, it is possible that you have rolled the spell Ariel's Blessing as well. A Treeman is already durable with his Toughness 6, 6 wounds, a 3+ armour save and 5+ Forest Spirit ward save. Imagine giving your Treeman regeneration, and you have one of the most durable characters in the game. It is probable that your opponent will do anything in his power to dispel Ariel's Blessing, allowing you cast other spells more freely. If you do successfully cast Ariel's Blessing, a Treeman can withstand many dangerous combats and shooting.
Annoyance of Netlings
My favorite reason for taking the Treeman Ancient is the Annoyance of Netlings. While a regular Treeman is very vulnerable to dangerous enemy characters, the Annoyance of Netlings can make an Ancient almost invincible. Worried about that nasty Chaos Lord? Declare a challenge. The Chaos Lord either has to accept, needing 6's to hit, or refuse, in which case you can move him to the back rank and he cannot fight this turn (if he has a champion, that model may accept of course, but a Treeman Ancient should beat that champion to a bloody pulp). The Annoyance of Netlings makes the Treeman Ancient one of the most feared characters of the game, and is a way to make him all but invincible in close combat.
Remember, an opponent has to be able to receive challenges in order for the Annoyance of Netlings to be used! In a battle against a Lizardmen player, my Waywatchers used Lethal Shot to assassinate a Carnosaur-riding Oldblood in turn 1. I was overjoyed that I had killed the enemy general with a lucky arrow. However, I had made the situation much worse. The Carnosaur failed his Monster Reaction test, and became frenzied and subject to hatred. I did my best to avoid the monster with my Ancient, but my opponent managed to pin my Ancient in combat. The Carnosaur charged into the Treeman's flank with five Strength 6 attacks, doing D3 wounds each, re-rolling to hit. Since the rider was dead, the Carnosaur was no longer a character model, and the Annoyance of Netlings was useless. Be aware of large creatures who are just as threatening as characters, but are not actually characters themselves.
4. The Treeman Roles
Now that we have discussed the strengths and weaknesses of a Treeman, how do we use it in a battle? We know that the Treeman has tremendous strengths, and significant weaknesses. This section of the article will discuss using the Treeman to enhance the effectiveness of your army.
- 4.1. Battle objectives
- Knowing the capability of an enemy is crucial to any Wood Elf player. Ideally, you will go into a battle knowing the rules and stat lines for every unit your opponent will field. If you do not, take some time before the battle begins to discuss the capabilities of different units. Like with anything, it really pays to do research in Warhammer Fantasy (and check out the Art of War articles ~ Nag). When using a Treeman, it pays to know what will be the greatest use of your huge Forest Spirit, and what will be a threat or waste of the Treeman's potential.
As soon as you know what race your opponent will be playing, start thinking about possible objectives and threats: If fighting Empire, your Treeman can help neutralize knights and a Steam Tank, but should beware dangerous magic weapons and great cannons. If fighting Lizardmen, your Treeman can force Terror tests in Skinks and chew through Saurus, but has to beware Kroxigor, Stegadons, poison attacks, and magic. A good opponent will attempt to shoot down your Treeman, kill it with a more powerful combat unit, or simply distract the Treeman with disposable troops (Skaven Slaves, Skink Skirmishers, Chaos Hounds, Bretonnian Peasants etc.). Having your own objectives will prevent your opponent from dictating how you use your monster.
Think about how you want your Treeman to perform this battle. Do you want him to form the core of your advance, marching straight in to the enemy? Do you want him to hold a flank, protecting the rest of your army? Do you want to send him against hard hitting enemy cavalry? All of these factors will determine how you deploy your Treeman.
4.2. Deployment
- Deployment is always an important factor for a Warhammer battle, but deployment is especially important for the Treeman. He is slower than the rest of your army, so will have a more difficult time relocating to face new threats. In addition, heavy enemy shooting or magic missiles could potentially kill the Treeman in the first turn. Hiding your Treeman behind forest (the free 6-inch forest that Wood Elves can deploy, for example) keeps your Treeman safe from Turn 1 shooting while still allowing him to advance. In addition, if you plan to use Treesurfing, be sure your Treeman is close enough to a forest that he can enter it on Turn 1 and you can start Treesinging. It is a terrible mistake to plan on Treesurfing a Treeman, only to realize he is too far away from a forest to get there quickly.
Also, remember how a Treeman will affect your opponent. Seeing a tremendous monster on the other side of the table will force him to react to it, and he will deploy accordingly. The Treeman may force him to deploy his warmachines to counter, his hard-hitting characters to fight it, or it may force him to deploy as far from the Treeman as possible so that the Treeman spends most of the battle marching instead of fighting. The Treeman Ancient and regular Treeman vary a bit during deployment. A regular Treeman can be placed early in the deployment, while the Treeman Ancient (as a character) will be deployed last. This can allow an Ancient to surprise an enemy and capitalize on a weak point in your foe's deployment, but you lose the ability to place the Treeman early and force your opponent to react.
Lastly, remember the rest of your army when deploying your Treeman. Make sure that the Treeman has nearby flanking units to support the Treeman if he is charged.
4.3. Team Up!
- Now that you have an objective for your Treeman, and now that you know where to put him during deployment, I will discuss how to use your other units to help your Treeman. Hopefully you already have some ideas from the rest of this article! Remember, the Treeman is excellent for engaging tough enemy units and locking them in combat. Keeping rank-negating units nearby, like Treekin and Wild Riders, lets you smash into an enemy once the Treeman has them locked in combat. Remember that the Treeman himself can negate ranks, so luring the enemy into a bad position with fleeing Glade Riders or a Great Eagle can give the Treeman an easy flank charge.
One of my favorite combinations is the Treeman/Alter duo. The "standard" Alter Noble is a popular choice for a Wood Elf army (see the article on Combat Characters for more information). The Treeman and Alter combine for ten Strength 6 attacks when they charge, which can smash almost any small unit and can even threaten large regiments and knights in a frontal charge. The Alter Noble can hide behind the Treeman's base to protect the Elf character until they are close enough for combat.
If using a Battle Standard Bearer to support your Treeman, be sure the character is close enough to actually provide your Stubborn re-roll for break tests. By deploying the Standard Bearer with Wardancers, you create a very lethal unit that can help the Treeman. While the Treeman engages the enemy, the Wardancers and Noble position to charge next turn. With a Treeman engaging them in front, and a flank charge from dozens of Strength 4 attacks, most enemies will break quickly.
4.4. Dual Treemen
- I reserved a special section for the dreaded dual Treemen list. For those who do not know, using two Treemen in a single 2000 or 2250 point army has earned the Wood Elves a nasty reputation in competition. We know how powerful a single Treeman is, so imagine having two! Frequently, the dual Treeman list has a Treeman Ancient with appropriate Spites, a regular Treeman, a Battle Standard Bearer to support them both, and Spellsingers/Branchwraith to provide lots of Treesinging. The rest of the army is then filled with popular unit choices (Dryads, Wardancers, and other lethal units).
The Dual Treeman list takes the highlights of a Treeman, and does more than double them: The presence of Strength 6 attacks, Terror-causing, double strangleroot attacks, enhanced Treesinging bound spells, and two tough Stubborn units is a challenge for any opponent. This list is the embodiment of the Win At All Costs (WAAC) mentality for Wood Elves, and most opponents look upon it as a powerful choice. Remember: if you field two Treemen, you're likely to lose your less competitive friends or sacrifice your composition score in a tournament setting.
5. The Treeman in an army list
Having discussed the Treeman in full, I have listed a few sample army lists using the Treeman and Treeman Ancient. Note: these lists are merely examples, and I would encourage all players to experiment and find army composition that bests fit your playstyle in support of your Treeman. These army lists are here to give ideas, and show how the Treeman fits in with the rest of the Asrai army to create a lethal force.
- 5.1. 1000 Point List
Using the Treeman in a 1000 point game is nasty. In fact, it is possible your opponent may simply refuse to play you, given the power of the Treeman and the inability of many armies to combat a Treeman in small point games. However, any good opponent will have a means to deal with a Treeman at any point value. The list provides a strong balance of Elven units, using a strong contingent of core choices to add much-needed numbers to an already small army. Special choices have been limited to Wild Riders, whose relative speed and durability in combat allow them to keep up with the Treeman's advance. Note that the Noble can also be swapped out with a Branchwraith or Spellsinger for added magic presence.
- Noble with spear, light armour, shield, Hail of Doom Arrow, rides an Elven Steed - 123 points
8 Dryads - 96 points
8 Dryads - 96 points
10 Glade Guard - 120 points
5 Glade Riders with musician - 129 points
5 Wild Riders with musician and standard - 148 points
Treeman - 285 points
Total: 997 points.
Power dice: 2 (no wizards), one bound spell.
5.2. 1500 Point List
This list maximizes the effectiveness of the Treeman's Stubborn ability by using a Battle Standard Bearer, while also providing strong magic offense and defense with two Spellsingers. This list will likely not earn many sportsmanship awards or composition points, since it uses all available character and rare slots. Removing the Battle Standard Bearer or either Spellsinger could help to "soften" the list. Like with the 1000 point list, many core choices have been included to provide a foundation for the army and add numbers to the force. This list can field a very strong Treesinging magic phase, and has a number of units capable of supporting the Treeman.
- Spellsinger (Level 2) with Calaingor's Staff, dispel scroll - 175 points
Spellsinger (Level 2) with two dispel scrolls - 175 points
Noble with Battle Standard, Asyendi's Bane, Hail of Doom Arrow - 132 points
8 Dryads - 96 points
8 Dryads - 96 points
10 Glade Guard - 120 points
5 Glade Riders with musician - 129 points
5 Wild Riders with musician and standard - 148 points
8 Wardancers - 144 points
Treeman - 285 points
Total: 1500 points.
Power dice: 6, one bound spell.
Dispel dice: 4, three scrolls.
5.3. 2000 Point Ancient List
This is my personal 2000 point list, using the Treeman Ancient as my Lord choice. Due to the Ancient's Leadership 9, I have opted not to include a Battle Standard Bearer in favor of two Spellsingers and the "Standard" Alter Noble. These characters choices provide me with good magic defense, as well as two very lethal combat characters capable of attacking with a total of ten Strength 6 attacks. One Spellsinger uses Calaingor's Staff to maximize Treesinging, which is enhanced by the two bound spells from the Treeman. Once again, core choices form the foundation for the army, with lethal troops like Wild Riders and Wardancers filling the special slots. I have included Waywatchers in the list, but a Great Eagle and third unit of Dryads or a unit of Warhawk Riders would be good alternatives. The presence of a flying unit would increase the mobility and utility of the list.
- Treeman Ancient with Annoyance of Netlings and Cluster of Radiants - 375 points
Noble with longbow, great weapon, shield, Helm of the Hunt, Hail of Doom Arrow, light armour, Alter kindred - 158 points
Spellsinger (Level 2) with Calaingor's Staff, dispel scroll - 175 points
Spellsinger (Level 2) with two dispel scrolls - 175 points
10 Glade Guard with musician - 126 points
10 Glade Guard with musician - 126 points
8 Dryads - 96 points
8 Dryads - 96 points
5 Glade Riders with musician - 129 points
7 Wardancers - 126 points
7 Wardancers - 126 points
5 Wild Riders with musician and standard - 148 points
6 Waywatchers - 144 points
Total: 2000 points.
Power dice: 6, two bound spells.
Dispel dice: 5, three dispel scrolls.
5.4. The Yak Dual-Treeman 2000 Point List
There are a lot of ways to run a dual Treeman list, but I have included this list in homage to Yak. Using this list, Yak placed third in the final heat at the 2006 United Kingdom Grand Tournament. The list is meant to be as competitive as possible, and only includes reliable units that give few Victory Points to the enemy. Yak chose to exclude Glade Guard because he felt they were too vulnerable in the intense environment of a Grand Tournament. The two Treeman are supported by the Battle Standard Bearer, who helps ensure the Treeman pass their Stubborn tests. The Spellsingers provide magic defense, while also allow a strong Treesinging phase due to the combined three bound spells from the two Treemen. The rest of the army is fast and disposable, designed to aid the Treemen or eliminate warmachines or other significant threats that could damage them.
- Treeman Ancient with Annoyance of Netlings and Cluster of Radiants - 375 points
Noble with battle standard, light armour, Moonstone of the Hidden Ways - 127 points
Spellsinger (Level 2) with Calaingor's Staff and dispel scroll - 175 points
Spellsinger (Level 1) with two dispel scrolls - 140 points
8 Dryads - 96 points
8 Dryads - 96 points
5 Glade Riders with musician - 129 points
7 Wardancers with musician - 133 points
7 Wardancers - 126 points
6 Wild Riders with musician - 156 points
4 Warhawk Riders - 160 points
Treeman - 285 points
Total: 1998 points.
Power dice: 5, three bound spells.
Dispel dice: 5, three scrolls.
6. Conclusion
- A Treeman is an important part of a Wood Elf army. He lends crucial durability and strength to an otherwise fragile list. He is an inspiring presence on the battlefield, and can be a great asset to your army and a bane for your opponents. However, as with any unit, a Treeman can be used poorly and squandered. Be aware of a Treeman's strengths, guard against his weaknesses, and you will benefit from one of the greatest battlefield presences in all of Warhammer Fantasy.
Written by: Tethlis
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