I don't think it would be too good to add up the points of the possible buffs to the character himself. In the old army book, that was alright. Almost every prayer had something to do with character models - not with units. And 90 Points turned quite hefty, in my opinion, when 8th began. I'd rather pay 65 Pts. for a Warrior Priest, hence get more points remaining in the heroes section, and pay more for the buff receivers, which are mostly core units and get my core up to minimum quickly enough.
Also, the math for the swordsmen points even out for me. Because:
- For 6 Points, you get a halberdier. He carries light armour, and, thanks to his halberd, he gets S4. Hence, he wounds +1 better than the swordsman does. If you add another point, he gets to carry a shield, but he can't use it in CC, making it useful only for missile attacks.
- For 7 Points, you get a swordsman. He carries light armour, AND has the shield in there. Also, he has a basic WS of 4. Against enemies with WS3, he hits +1 better than the halberdier. In addition, enemies with WS4 hit the swordsmen on -1 compared to halberdiers. Apart from that, the shield CAN be used in CC, and hence the swordsman has a 5+ AS at all times. Plus, in CC, he gets to have a parry save at 6+.
What I'm trying to say is: If the Swordsmen were 6 points, they'd be just a bit undercosted for what you get. At 7 points a model, compared to our other choices of 6 points (halberd without shield) and 5 points (spearmen without shield), I believe them to be just fine. I believe that the shield's extra point is often forgotten.
Basically, you get 5+ AS at all times, Parry save and +1 WS for 7 points.
A halberdier gets +1 S, 5+ AS against missile and 6+ in CC, for 7 points. Seems legit to me, when you count the shield.
