INTRODUCTION

After writing my tactica for peasants, I decided to write one for Bretonnian characters. They are an important part of the army, giving your forces courage, magic, more hitting power, special equipment and originality. With the right combination of magical weapon and armor, vows, mounts and other upgrades, they can be used in very different ways.




BRETONNIAN CHARACTERS

Bretonnia being the land of heroes, it is only natural that an army from this kingdom has a lot of characters. That's why Bretonnians have an additional character slot, but are obligated to take a paladin who bears the battle standard. This can be bad in a 1000-points game unless you don't fear using half of your points for characters, but in 1500 points and more, it doesn't matter so much. Bretonnian lords and heroes are classic: the warrior-lord, the wizard-lord, the warrior-hero and the wizard-hero. No assassin, engineer, big spell-casting frog or anything else. Let's take a closer look at what we have.

Paladin: Your classic hero choice, who is likely to be your general in most of your little and medium-sized games. The Bretonnian paladin is an average warrior-hero, with stats that somehow look like an Imperial captain's... but come to a higher price for some unknown reason. He is a suitable fighter, alone or with his men, and his leadership of 8 will be of some help for your cowardly peasants. His WS5, although above average, will often meet its match in a few elite Elven, Dwarfen or Chaos units, and his 3 attacks don't exceed the average for a warrior-hero. So it's your usual human general. He may also be upgraded to battle standard bearer without additional cost.

Damsel: Your most common spell-caster, the Bretonnian damsel, is somewhat disappointing as she has only access to two lores of magic (Beast and Life). The army of the King Louen Leoncoeur is geared towards defense when it comes to magic, so I recommend using your damsels that way by equipping them with Dispel Scrolls (and one with the Chalice of Malfleur). Putting them in units is a good idea too, as they are the perfect target for those sneaky scouts that Bretonnian generals hate so much. Plus, the damsel has a Magic Resistance (1), so it helps protecting your units even more.

Bretonnian Lord: The most powerful fighter of the land of Bretonnia is a skilled knight who is well suited to leading armies with his high statistics and his satisfying Leadership. The Bretonnian Lord, be he a duke, a count or anything else, is a fearsome fellow when fully equipped with all virtues, weapons and armors that he can have. He also has access to the best mount of the land of Bretonnia, the flying and Terror-causing hyppogriff. In your big games of 2000 points or more, the Lord is something you must absolutely have.

Prophetess: Bretonnians are not the best magic-users in the game, but they do have access to a level-3-or-4 spell-caster, the Prophetess. Although expensive, this experienced wizard can use the Lore of Heavens and may be mounted upon a Pegasus (a flying Prophetess is something dangerous). The main drawback is that you probably won't take her in games of under 3000 points since you'll want to use your only Lord choice for a duke who will have much more Leadership and combat skills. And although the Prophetess is a powerful spell-caster, she's still more defensive than offensive.




OPTIONS, EQUIPMENT AND MOUNTS
Before considering the magical equipment, start by giving your character what he will need as options. Which vow to give him? Which weapon will he wield? On what will he ride into battle?


Vows:

Knight's Vow: This vow costs nothing and your character already has it. It's handy if your peasants, following their customs, decide that they are no longer needed on the battlefield and run away.
Questing Vow: This optional vow is very cheap and enables your character to re-roll failed psycho tests. However, he can't use a lance anymore, but now he can take a heavy weapon.
Grail Vow: Much more expensive than the Questing Vow, the Grail Vow makes your character Immune to Psycho. His attacks are magical and he has the Lady's Blessing even if the army didn't pray. In addition, he now has access to a lot of magical items that are not available to knights who have sworn a lesser vow.


Non-magical equipment:

Heavy armor: All knightly characters of Bretonnia come with heavy armor without additional cost. It's a pity that you don't have access to the full plate armor, but a heavy armor is still a good protection.
Shield: The ridiculously low cost of the shield makes it an essential option for any knightly character.
Lance: This is the symbol of Bretonnia. This excellent weapon brings the character's Strength to 6 when charging, enabling him to slay a large number of foes in one turn.
Heavy weapon: This weapon is available only to characters under the Questing Vow, which is a pity since it can boost your knight's Strength for all the combat.

Mounts

Bretonnian warhorse: Those excellent battle horses have the same stats as any horse, but their movement is not affected by the barding. It's the basic mount of any knight and an interesting option for a damsel who wishes more mobility and armor save or wants to join an unit of cavalry.

Royal pegasus: This great flying horse is a powerful and fast way to maneuver on the battlefield. Its good combat stats, its wings and its speed make it a great choice for any character. Available to paladins, lords and prophetesses.

Hyppogriff: Woe upon the foes of Bretonnia: this is dangerous. This powerful monster can bring its master fast and high over the battlefield, dive upon its enemies and make them flee, then tear apart those who are not fast enough to escape its claws. Although extremely expensive, this huge horse-eagle hybrid is a great choice for the leader of a large army. Only a Bretonnian Lord may ride one.




BRETONNIAN EQUIPMENT AND VIRTUES

Like all races and armies of the Warhammer world, Bretonnians have their own unique equipment that is related to their background. And like a lot of other races, they have additional options that are in fact their style of fighting (called, in their case, virtues). So here is the summary of what I think about their virtues and magical equipment. I even gave them marks:
A means that the virtue or equipment is a great value and is highly recommended.
B means that the virtue or equipment is worth its cost (no more, no less).
C means that it is too expensive or useless. Don't take it.


Virtues
This is an important part of the Bretonnian characters' options. They take up equipment points, but they are in fact related to how the hero fights or behaves on the battlefield. They are only for knightly characters. You can take the same two times, but it will cost twice as much the second time.

Virtue of the Penitent: C. One of the worst virtues ever. Stubborness is really never worth not being able to join a friendly unit or carry equipment.
Virtue of Knightly Temper: B. Not bad against numerous regiments like Skaven, Empire and Goblins. You will in average get 2 more attacks on the charge with this virtue, which makes it good to smash units. However, it's a little expensive and you can't have a magical weapon.
Virtue of Heroism: B. Worth it only if you know that your opponent will use large targets. You can kill a dragon or a Greater Daemon in one blow if you're lucky.
Virtue of Stoicism: B. A little expensive, but it's still not bad. I prefer a battle standard, though.
Virtue of the Ideal: B. Excellent increase in the knight's combat stats, but the negative Ld modifier to nearby troops is a little frustrating.
Virtue of the Impetuous Knight: C. Really bad. It's way too expensive, it works only for one charge and you don't even know if you will succeed to reach your foe.
Virtue of Audacity: A. Great against strong enemies like Chaos lords and monsters. Take it if you have to face powerful foes.
Virtue of Duty: B. Suitable for a BSB. A trifle expensive, though.
Virtue of the Joust: A. For smashing units on the charge, this virtue is the way to go.
Virtue of Confidence: A. Excellent for a duellist or a character-killer. Take it if you want to fight the Bretonnian way: honorable challenge!
Virtue of Noble Disdain: A. Amazingly inexpensive, this virtue is my favorite. Against shooty enemies, it's unvaluable. Great for your BSB.
Virtue of Purity: B. The improve in the Lady's Blessing is handy, but the price is five points too high in my opinion. Not bad, though.
Virtue of Discipline: B. Another virtue for your BSB. Good against big units.
Virtue of Empathy: A. For a mere 10 points, it will greatly help your peasants to hold the line. It's useful only on a knight who isn't your general, or in siege battles if you have to field your hero on foot.


Weapons
Bretonnian weaponry is quite good. They have access to the best magical lances in the game and to a few excellent swords. From the unit-slaughterer to the dragon slayer, weapons of the land of heroes are suited to their role.

Silver Lance of the Blessed: A. This great lance, although quite expensive, is no doubt worth its cost as its wearer is easily able to use every attack he has without wasting any.
Sword of the Quest: B. This weapon comes handy to slay heavily armored foes. However, only a questing knight may wield it, and the sword is expensive.
Sword of the Lady's Champion: B. Good to fight tough and well-armored enemies like Chaos and Dwarves, but the opponent has to be T5 or more for the sword to be worth it.
Sword of Heroes: B. A suitable monster-killer. Use it with the Virtue of Audacity.
Heartwood Lance: A. This excellent lance increases your chances to wound your foe.
Birth-Sword of Carcassonne: A. My favorite Bretonnian weapon. More Strength and better chances to get through your opponent's armor save make the Birthing Sword an awesome blade.
Morning Star of Fracasse: B. The duellist's choice. This weapon will easily smash the powerful sword or axe your opponent is so proud of.
Lance of Artois: B. This lance is fearsome on the charge, but becomes useless the rest of the time.
Wyrmlance: C. Not worth it. Most of the time, it won't do much in the game.


Armors
This is probably the best part of all Bretonnian equipment. Their armors are amongst the most awesome in the game. Most of them are much more than worth their cost.

Gilded Cuirass: B. Useful to regenerate your wounds, but is just out of price range for a paladin.
Armour of the Midsummer Sun: B. You become harder to hit, but it's still expensive.
Grail Shield: A. An inexpensive ward save, but you lose it if you flee or refuse a challenge.
Gromril Great Helm: A. My favorite Bretonnian armor. An 1+ re-rollable armor save is very close to invincibility against enemies with average strength.
Armour of Agilulf: A. The incredible increase in WS means that you will hit on 3+ all the time and be hit on 5+ most of the time. Great!
Cuirass of Fortune: A. Increasing your chances to wound for so low a cost is really a bargain.
Orcbane Shield: C. Good only against Orcs, as the name implies.


Talismans
Bretonnian talismans are not always great, but some of them are not bad.

Sirienne's Locket: B. Nothing like that to go through Night Goblin Fanatics and live to tell the (painful) tale. Doesn't work against magical attacks, though.
Token of the Damsel: C. C is for crappy. A powerful ward save against your first wound is worthless if you still have high chances to prevent it with your armor save alone. Not worth a third of its price.
Insignia of the Quest: B. Increases your survival chances once badly wounded. Good only for a hero, as a lord would make better use of a 5+ ward save.
Braid of Bordeleaux: B. Handy only if you have a strategy involving going through water. And the extra Ld is never a bad thing.
Dragon's Claw: C. The improved ward save is not worth the extra cost of an useless immunity to fire.
Mantle of Damsel Elena: B. Good against some armies, especially Dark Elves. Cheap, too.


Enchanted Items
Some of those items are handy only if you already have a strategy with them, some are one-use only, and some are useful all the time. Bretonnians don't have the best enchanted items, but a few of them can come handy.

Falcon-Horn of Fredemund: C. Can disturb greatly the enemy's movements, but is way too expensive.
Holy Icon: B. Not a bad deal since the Magic Resistance applies to the entire unit. It would be better if it were a banner, though.
The Ruby Goblet: B. Useful to protect your unit against powerful attacks, but it only works once you get a casualty. And it's none too cheap, too.
The Mane of the Purebreed: C. More Strength to your warhorses during the first charge? Not worth it in my opinion. It would be better if it worked during all charges.
Antlers of the Great Hunt: C. Too expensive considering that you're already likely to outrun your opponent during pursuits.
Tress of Isoulde: C. Expensive for something that works once and won't turn the tide of the battle.
Gauntlet of the Duel: A. Very cheap. It's a must-have for any duellist character.


Arcane Items
Bretonnian arcane items are mostly geared towards defense. Even the best ones come quite cheap.

The Silver Mirror: B. Suitable defensive item, and causes some damage too.
Sacrament of the Lady: B. Not bad, but you need two damsels for the Sacrament to be effective.
The Verdant Heart: B. For a Lore of Life user and a general who uses terrain a lot to win the day, this is something that will be of some use.
Prayer Icon of Quenelles: B. Use this if you want to make sure that your main units has the Lady's blessing at all times. Again, it'd be better if it were a banner.
Chalice of Malfleur: A. Invaluable for a defensive player. It's risky, though.
Potion Sacre: B. Use it before casting a spell using a lot of power dices.


Banners
Bretonnian banners and standards bring courage, strength or protection to your precious knights. Most of them are worth their cost.

Banner of the Lady: B. The nightmare of Skaven, Undead, Empire and other troops using huge blocks of soldiers. But it comes to a price.
Valorous Standard: A. This excellent banner should bring bravery and courage to your knights.
Banner of Defense: B. Use this one against foes using powerful war machines. However, the price is frustrating: 5 points too high to give to an unit of Knights of the Realm...
Twilight Banner: B. If your strategy involves going through a wall or forest to attack your foe when he doesn't expect it, it's good. But as you don't know what the terrain will look like until the battle begins, it can become useless.
Conquerer's Tapestry: A. For a powerful knightly unit that will smash lots of regiments, it's great, but it mustn't be captured by your adversary.
Errantry Banner: A. Cheap and efficient, but unfortunately only Knights Errant may have it, and it makes them even more unpredictable.
Banner of Chalons: A. For a very low cost, this one will be a true blessing against shooty armies like Elves and the Empire. In the same regiment as a paladin with the Virtue of Noble Disdain, it will make an awesome archer-smashing unit.


So that's about all for Bretonnian magical equipment.




BRETONNIAN SPECIAL CHARACTERS

In big games, special characters can turn the tide of battle. Bretonnians' choice is limited to three, but each of them is a powerful hero who can wreak havoc upon your foes. From the terrifying Green Knight to the almighty king Louen, they all have their own role in the history of the Land of Heroes.


The Green Knight

The Champion of the Lady, a mysterious ghost who haunts the forests and sacred places of Bretonnia, is the least expensive of special characters, but is still a great fighter. He wields one of the best swords in the entire game, has high stats, causes terror, is immune to psychology and unbreakable, may live again if slain, may arrive right in enemy territory and is Ethereal. He does have a few drawbacks (can't be your general, may be killed by the combat resolution), but is still not expensive enough in my opinion. So it's a great deal.


The Fay Enchantress

Herald of the Lady, this powerful Wood Elf sorceress is the best wizard available for Bretonnia. She rides an unicorn is battle, but should still avoid close combat if possible. Her ward save and the possibility to be escorted by Grail Knights make her survival chances higher than most wizards'. In addition, if she is included in your army, all your knights have the Lady's Blessing without having to pray. She is also a good general since she has Ld9. However, she comes to a high price.


King Louen Leoncoeur

The beloved king of Bretonnia is impressive with his hyppogriff and his sword pointing at the sky. Great fighter, he can smash numerous regiments on his own, but is also useful to fill his men's hearts with courage: his Leadership extends to 18" and any friendly unit that has a line of sight on him is immune to panic. Even if he dies, he's useful: the whole army becomes Stubborn... However, his weapon is disappointing for so expensive a character, and his armor save isn't so great. But his regeneration and his magical resistance can save his long and adventurous life more than once. The king Louen comes to the exorbitant price of 728 points, and that's why I don't recommend taking him in games under 3000 points.




BEST COMBINATIONS

This section of the essay is about combinations of equipment, virtues, mounts and others. What do you want your character to be? The brave dragon slayer who charges alone the most powerful creatures of the battlefield? The unit-smasher who goes around slaughtering entire regiments? The duellist who challenges everyone... and wins every time? The standard bearer who inspires courage and bravery to his men?

The Monster Slayer:
Those powerful combinations should bring down any dragon, wyvern or hydra easily.
-Bretonnian Lord.
-Royal Pegasus or Hyppogriff (for a chance to get the charge against flying creatures)
-Grail Vow (Immunity to Psycho against Fear or Terror-causing beasts.
-Lance, Sword of the Lady's Champion or Sword of Heroes.
-Either the Virtue of Audacity (if he has a magical weapon) or the Virtue of Heroism (if he doesn't).
-Grail Shield if any points are left, as ward saves will be useful here.

The Honorable Duellist:
This is for a knight who will face his foes like a true Bretonnian.
-Bretonnian Lord.
-Morning Star of Fracasse or Birthing Sword of Carcassonne.
-Armor of Agilulf for an impressive WS.
-Virtue of Confidence (a must-have for any self-respecting duellist).
-Gauntlet of the Duel if your enemy if a coward.

The Slaughterer:
This knight will crush entire regiments on his own.
-Lord or Paladin.
-The best mount you can give him.
-Lance or heavy weapon.
-Virtue of Knightly Temper.

The Icon of Courage:
The mere presence of this knight will bring your men to acts of bravery.
-Paladin.
-Battle standard bearer.
-Virtue of Noble Disdain.
-Valorous Standard.




CONCLUSION

So it's over with this essay about Bretonnian characters. I hope I helped you to make your mind about equipment, virtues and others. May the eternal heroes of Bretonnia forever prevail and may their glorious exploits be sung by bards for even more centuries. From the fearless monster slayer to the beautiful yet dangerous damsel who unleashes the might of the Lady upon the enemies of Bretonnia, our legendary characters will never be forgotten, for it is they who, since the time if Gilles, forged the Land of Heroes into a fine blade that shall bring down any threat to our pure land.

After that, I'll probably write a last essay about Bretonnian knights. Then I will put everything together into a general tactica which, I hope, will be pinned. Until then, please comment my work so far.