Guide: Strategy guide for the Skaven mod by Sombre “Die manthings die!”

[Sombre]

I'm reluctant to add something like fly swarm summons because it isn't mentioned in WHFB and while I have taken some liberties to fit them in dom3, these are supposed to be Warhammer Skaven.

People have asked for the horned rat as a pretender choice a few times. Here are the issues:
1) I don't like doing pretenders. I can't even explain why, I just don't. I'm half tempted to delete the seerlord and I even hate adding vanilla pretender selections to the nation (though I will do so, under duress).
2) The verminlord graphic isn't even finished because I find big graphics really, really hard. See the Ogre Slavegiant and the skaven Screaming Bell and Doomwheel as examples. I tend to get halfway then get frustrated. Thus if I were to add the Horned Rat it would be very challenging for me to do him justice graphically. Perhaps he's an oversized verminlord, perhaps he's a size 6 giant rat with horns - either way I'm not really up to the artwork.
3) The gods in warhammer tend to be gods in the modern sense. They represent certain ideologies and are invoked and worshipped, rather than having a physical presence. Sigmar isn't a giant titan that leads armies around blasting **** with a thunder hammer. Khorne doesn't personally go decapitate people. Same deal with the horned rat, only moreso as he's very mysterious and has many aspects (for example pestilens worship him in his harbinger aspect). They're also proper GODS. Not pretenders that can be killed, or who need boosters to cast stuff. Now I could easily get around this. It could be a statue of Sigmar, an avatar of Khorne, an aspect of the Horned Rat. To an extent, this is what the seerlord is.

[Sombre]

Tonight I'm going to do some skaven updating. I'm going to basically remove their autosummoning, change the way packmasters work so they get some free battlefield rats summoned up and make numerous other code only tweaks.

No new graphics though folks! Just code. But it's going to be really nice stuff all the same.

[Kheldron]

I's going to be a long long day then

Wait, do you mean I'll have to update half the guide?!??

Oh ok, you're the father, raise the child

[Sombre]

Unfortunately, yes, you may end up having to change some details in the guide. I will document exactly what I've changed though.

[Kheldron]

Has Father Sombre Christmas forgotten us?

I guess he had a lot to do these last days with all those little skavens waiting for their human playthings. Well, at least those who had been naughty enough

[Sombre]

I'm working on it. Lots to add and surprisingly little free time.

The update will add at least 2 pretenders, 1 unit, 2 spells and 2 heroes. Anything more than that will be a bonus, of course. It'll be out early Jan.

[chrispedersen]

Sombre,

I've given thought to your swarm issue, and come up with a very acceptable compromise, I think.

Modify the howl spell so that it summons rats. Hordes of rats from everywhere - make it cheap, and spammable.

[Sombre]

Here's a preview of Skweel Gnawtooth. One is zoomed in, since he has a lot of detail but unfortunately it's rather hard to see ingame.

[chrispedersen]

Damn that is great sombre!

[Sombre]

What swarm issue? I don't really like the effect the howl spells have on AI behaviour, so I try to avoid them. I did use one for Skrag's gorger onebattlespell, that said, but he's a hero and it doesn't summon a huge number of them.