Just how good is Stab?

[Smeborg]

I just played my first game in 5th/6th Edition with a Stabber on my roster (Rashnak Backstabber, Hobgoglin Star Player).

In his first match, he got 5 KOs, 1 CAS and 2 or 3 stuns. Just how good is that? It's fair to say that he won me the match single-handed (this was my all-Hobgoblin team playing its first match against a newish Underworld Pact team). Now this involved a modicum of luck, but not an outrageous amount.

I have played against Dark Elf Assassins, and I have a lot of respect for them - indeed I feel they are underrated. But what I saw in practice in this match was the awesomeness of Stab when combined with other skills (in this case Sidestep, Dodge, MA7). Extraordinarily good. And I note that a staggering 15 out of 24 teams have access to a Stabber Star Player, all of them coming with excellent skill combinations.

So I wonder what is everyone's experience of Stab, especially on Star Players, or on Assassins that have skilled up?

All the best.

[Darkson]

Against majority AV7 (or less) teams they're great.
Against majority AV8 teams they either suck or rock, dpending on how the dice roll.
Against AV9 teams, they suck (unless the dice gods really like you).

[Grumbledook]

Just bought an assassin for my dark elf team after 12 games (I'm facing amazons next)

Otherwise not played with stab yet, either for or against.

Though I'm not surprised it was really useful against underworld ;]

If my team was playing them though, I'd be blitzing with my block tackle players to get SPP potential, so unless the assassin was already in a tz I wouldn't get that much use out of it.

[Joemanji]

I just played my first game in 5th/6th Edition with a Stabber on my roster (Rashnak Backstabber, Hobgoglin Star Player).

In his first match, he got 5 KOs, 1 CAS and 2 or 3 stuns. Just how good is that? It's fair to say that he won me the match single-handed (this was my all-Hobgoblin team playing its first match against a newish Underworld Pact team).

I hope you weren't adding the Stunty +1 to Injury if you were playing LRB5. Stab doesn't benefit from that/ Alhough I guess in LRB6 with the "9 = BH" rule it will.

I have not used Stab that much. Heard it rip through some teams, but like you say only on developed players. Zara has ripped through many a blodge Ghoul, but there she gets the +1. I think Stab seems underrated because the only roster player who can access it is the DE Assassin, and thet are pretty weak without block, dodge and side step. And even then you'd be better off pumping those SPPs into other positions.

[besters]

Against majority AV7 (or less) teams they're great.
Against majority AV8 teams they either suck or rock, dpending on how the dice roll.
Against AV9 teams, they suck (unless the dice gods really like you).

I think you can just leave it as "they either suck or rock, depending on how the dice roll"

I have K O'd a Treeman with it, and done nothing. In one game my opponents assassin did nothing until the final turn when he stabbed the ball carrier who was on the point of scoring the winning TD, caught the ball and laughed when I double skulled the blitz!

But that's the game does Nuffle love you?

[Grumbledook]

why doesn't stab get +1 for stunty nothing in stab or stunty skill implies that

In addition, add 1 to any Injury roll made
against a player with the Stunty skill

[swntzu]

I think stab is an unmodified injury roll if you break armour in a way similar to throw a rock.

[Grumbledook]

stunty says ANY injury roll

I've always played +1 for throw a rock as well, doesn't say unmodified injury roll iirc

[swntzu]

I just checked throw a rock and I was wrong on that.

I'm sure the "unmodified injury roll" part overrides stunty and niggles though.

[Grumbledook]

suppose the intention is that, can be argued either way

one says unmodified the other says ANY injury roll

though why put unmod. in there compared to say mighty blow which says you add 1

niggles also say any subsequent injury roll

if these are meant to be ignored (what other modifiers could be ignored?) then I'd remove the unmodified word from both the av and inj and just put "do an armour roll and if you succeed roll for injury ignoring stunty and niggled modifiers"

would clear it right up

[Joemanji]

why doesn't stab get +1 for stunty nothing in stab or stunty skill implies that

The Stab skill states "...an unmodified Injury roll must be made." Now this is a bit obtuse, and was clarified in LRB6 to "This Injury roll should ignore all modifiers from any source - including Niggling injuries." but Galak has confirmed that it was always intended that Stab not get any modifiers.

[voyagers_uk]

Stab is rubbish

[DoubleSkulls]

Though I'm not surprised it was really useful against underworld ;]

ditto - especially if you were stabbing goblins all day and getting a cas on a 9.

[cyagen]

I used Hemlock against Woodies and he rocked!

Stab was really useful send Woodies in the KO and injury bo.

[Toby Wardman]

Hang on, though - isn't it the case that in LRB5+, Stunty no longer modifies the injury roll but instead provides a new injury table? So even injury rolls that "can't be modified", like Stab, will still do better against Stunty players?