Ulrik wrote:
If Banshees had First Strike in their notes they would get FS on FF attacks too. Warp Spiders get it in the notes because the entire first strike thing is because they disappear and reappear where you don't expect it, so it helps all the attacks. The fix would be what EUK has done and give the Exarch first strike on her weapon directly.
If you do that, should Banshee Autarchs get first strike on their CC MW too? Or are they good enough as it is given that they got the best CC value? (Which they probably won't get a lot as a canny opponent will always remove the units in contact with the Autarch after FS hits, leaving the MW attack at FF5+...)
It does seem silly to me that the Autarch could be worse than the exarch.
However, I just read the rule for first strike in the updated rulebook PDF:
"If the ability is noted for a weapon with extra attacks (see 2.2.3) then only the extra attacks gets the first strike ability; otherwise it will count for all close combat attacks if noted for an assault weapon, or all firefight attacks if noted for small arms."
Banshee masks are not extra attack, thus all CC attacks gain first strike, no? That means the Autarch gets it for his MW, as does the exarch (even without the Epic-UK clarification). A 3+ first strike MW is the best option for an autarch damage wise, whether it's enough to counterbalance the liability of a CC supreme commander with 5+ armour I'm not sure.
On the other hand the fire dragon Autarch doesn't get MW for his FF attack like the exarch does, which makes him actually a worse option than a regular exarch (as opposed to being the same, like the other ranged autarchs).
