ManicMan
Member
I remember little about the Slann at the time as I didn't know anyone who was using or collecting them and they were pretty much not even around during 4ed period, but I knew about them and seen the nice photos in rule books and WD (like Mike McVay's classic Diarama).
But while doing something earlier, I was looking at just.. HOW much Slann seamed to change between 3ed and there return in 5th. In fact, are they even the same?
Starting with the 3ed, the Slann was in the new world, with Emperor Mazdamundi sitting in the Slann Capitol of Cotec. They were an Ancient race who 'roamed the stuff of Chaos' moving between planets in their silver spaceships, seeding the universe with genetic experiments. However, on the Warhammer World (did they ever try a name? probebly not.. just 'Warhammer world') a long-isolated remnants are still alive in Lustria. While once having highly advanced technology, with many hi-tech ruins still around Lustria, they have degenerated into a smaller more limited group, part of which is due to Metals being very rare and Iron unknown to them until humans came to lustria. Most Slann stuff is made from wood or stone.
They recall there time in space with forgotten magics but only know some still, though that is still more powerful then anything in the old world. There are some more primitive slann on the outsides of the slann empire. However, due to there encounters with Man (yeah, very Aztec) they have lost alot of people due to activities and diseases. This has lead them to recruiting lobotomised human slave warriors and allies from the Pygmies.
There was, however, already a race there when the Slann arrived, the Lizardmen. while there wasn't that many, the Slann saw no role for them in their new world and pretty much wiped them out, with only a few still remaining in dark caverns under the ground, while the Slann still try to wipe them out.
By the time Armies book came out, some of the few reminding lizardmen who hide underground were subjugated by the Emperor and used to fight for the Slann. they were, however, small in number and far from the bulk of the army, though there larger, dumber relatives, the Troglodytes could be lead by them, but were much less in number.
Now, come 5Ed, the Army is now the lizardmen. And the backstory has greatly changed.
Now the 'Old Ones' were the ones who visited and seeded many worlds, and they brought others with them. One of these others was their most intelligent servants, the Slann. However, they Slann were small in number and since then, their numbers have decreased more and more.
Since the Slann were very smart with strong mental powers, they greatly lacked in physical energy, so the Old ones found the Saurus race. Already living in the warhammer world, the old ones developed them but there work was never satisfactory and there were eventually superseded by the Elves.
They also tried to breed a species which had a mixture of the brute strength of the Saurus and the Mental powers of the Slann, and create the Skinks. They also bred some other races.. basically the dinosaurs 5ed lizardmen had.
So.. In 3ed, we have the Slann, Originally from space where they were smart people who experimented on various races, but the ones in the warhammer world got stuck there and isolated which lead to them becoming less advanced. They tried to wipe out the local species, the lizard men, but would use the odd ones as slave when needed to, as well as the large Troglodytes cousins of the lizardmen. The Slann had many Warrior types depending on what order they followed, the Jaguar warriors, the Warrior Priests, the Alligator warriors, The Eagle Warriors, the Bull Slann, Venmon tribes, and the bulk 'Spawn bands' and Jungle Braves as the main ones.
By 5ed, the Old Ones came to the Warhammer world, created most advanced life, brought with them the ancient Slann as intelligent servants, experimented on the local 'Saurus' race for use as warriors, and created the Skinks as a inbetween race. The army is mostly a few times of Saurus, with only 'special' characters (Mage-priests really) as Slann.
What the hell happened? a complete revamp of the Warhammer world to add all this 'Old Ones', remove pretty much all the Slann and Slann power really.. and lizardmen was now just a generic term to refer to all the various Lizard types. Oh and they REALLY have the Skaven now...
Was there some 4ed stuff I didn't know about? Was the Slann a bit of a flop but they wanted to keep them around (like the Chaos Dwarfs who had no real army book (just 'from the pages of white dwarf' collection) and were remade into the big hat boyes).
Ultimately, doesn't matter, but I think it's kinda interesting. I got stuck on this thread of thought when I was thinking, Only the Skaven and the Slann use Slaves in combat. Kinda weird that (unless you count mindless reanimated corpses as slaves)
But while doing something earlier, I was looking at just.. HOW much Slann seamed to change between 3ed and there return in 5th. In fact, are they even the same?
Starting with the 3ed, the Slann was in the new world, with Emperor Mazdamundi sitting in the Slann Capitol of Cotec. They were an Ancient race who 'roamed the stuff of Chaos' moving between planets in their silver spaceships, seeding the universe with genetic experiments. However, on the Warhammer World (did they ever try a name? probebly not.. just 'Warhammer world') a long-isolated remnants are still alive in Lustria. While once having highly advanced technology, with many hi-tech ruins still around Lustria, they have degenerated into a smaller more limited group, part of which is due to Metals being very rare and Iron unknown to them until humans came to lustria. Most Slann stuff is made from wood or stone.
They recall there time in space with forgotten magics but only know some still, though that is still more powerful then anything in the old world. There are some more primitive slann on the outsides of the slann empire. However, due to there encounters with Man (yeah, very Aztec) they have lost alot of people due to activities and diseases. This has lead them to recruiting lobotomised human slave warriors and allies from the Pygmies.
There was, however, already a race there when the Slann arrived, the Lizardmen. while there wasn't that many, the Slann saw no role for them in their new world and pretty much wiped them out, with only a few still remaining in dark caverns under the ground, while the Slann still try to wipe them out.
By the time Armies book came out, some of the few reminding lizardmen who hide underground were subjugated by the Emperor and used to fight for the Slann. they were, however, small in number and far from the bulk of the army, though there larger, dumber relatives, the Troglodytes could be lead by them, but were much less in number.
Now, come 5Ed, the Army is now the lizardmen. And the backstory has greatly changed.
Now the 'Old Ones' were the ones who visited and seeded many worlds, and they brought others with them. One of these others was their most intelligent servants, the Slann. However, they Slann were small in number and since then, their numbers have decreased more and more.
Since the Slann were very smart with strong mental powers, they greatly lacked in physical energy, so the Old ones found the Saurus race. Already living in the warhammer world, the old ones developed them but there work was never satisfactory and there were eventually superseded by the Elves.
They also tried to breed a species which had a mixture of the brute strength of the Saurus and the Mental powers of the Slann, and create the Skinks. They also bred some other races.. basically the dinosaurs 5ed lizardmen had.
So.. In 3ed, we have the Slann, Originally from space where they were smart people who experimented on various races, but the ones in the warhammer world got stuck there and isolated which lead to them becoming less advanced. They tried to wipe out the local species, the lizard men, but would use the odd ones as slave when needed to, as well as the large Troglodytes cousins of the lizardmen. The Slann had many Warrior types depending on what order they followed, the Jaguar warriors, the Warrior Priests, the Alligator warriors, The Eagle Warriors, the Bull Slann, Venmon tribes, and the bulk 'Spawn bands' and Jungle Braves as the main ones.
By 5ed, the Old Ones came to the Warhammer world, created most advanced life, brought with them the ancient Slann as intelligent servants, experimented on the local 'Saurus' race for use as warriors, and created the Skinks as a inbetween race. The army is mostly a few times of Saurus, with only 'special' characters (Mage-priests really) as Slann.
What the hell happened? a complete revamp of the Warhammer world to add all this 'Old Ones', remove pretty much all the Slann and Slann power really.. and lizardmen was now just a generic term to refer to all the various Lizard types. Oh and they REALLY have the Skaven now...
Was there some 4ed stuff I didn't know about? Was the Slann a bit of a flop but they wanted to keep them around (like the Chaos Dwarfs who had no real army book (just 'from the pages of white dwarf' collection) and were remade into the big hat boyes).
Ultimately, doesn't matter, but I think it's kinda interesting. I got stuck on this thread of thought when I was thinking, Only the Skaven and the Slann use Slaves in combat. Kinda weird that (unless you count mindless reanimated corpses as slaves)
