Table of

Contents

CREDITS

Welcome to War! . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

WARMACHINE: Tactics
Game Development

WARMACHINE Creator
Matthew D. Wilson

Multiplayer Tactics. . . . . . . . . . 4

WhiteMoon Dreams

No Mans Land Story

Cygnar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Matthew D. Wilson

Project Manager

Protectorate of Menoth. . . . 17

Michael G. Ryan

Khador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Writer

Stu Liming

Cryx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Tactics Campaign Guide . . . . .

Editors

Michael G. Ryan
Michael Sanbeg

35

Graphic Design Director

Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Josh Manderville

Graphic Design
Bryan Cutler

Visit: www.privateerpress.com
Privateer Press, Inc. 13434 NE 16th St. Suite 120 Bellevue, WA 98005
Tel (425) 643-5900 Fax (425) 643-5902
For online customer service, email frontdesk@privateerpress.com
Game 2014 Privateer Press Interactive, Inc. and WhiteMoon Dreams, Inc. All rights reserved. WARMACHINE property and related
intellectual property rights are the property of Privateer Press, Inc. and are used under license. WARMACHINE, WARMACHINE: Tactics,
Cryx, Cygnar, Khador, Protectorate of Menoth, warcaster, warjack, and related logos are trademarks of Privateer Press, Inc. in the United States and
other countries and are used under license. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective holders.

Welcome to War!
WARMACHINE: Tactics is the first video game based on the
award-winning tabletop game WARMACHINE. If youre
already familiar with the tabletop game, youll recognize
the world of the Iron Kingdomswarcasters, warjacks, and
bloody clashes between enemy factions. If youre new to
the world of WARMACHINE, youre about to discover a
place where magic and technology blend together to make
warfare especially brutal and unpredictable.
This guide will arm you with knowledge and strategy to
help you compete in online multiplayer matches as well
as conquer the No Mans Land single-player campaign
effectively and efficiently. By the time you reach the end
assuming you survive that longyoull have encountered
an incredible array of heroes and villains. Get ready to take
your first step onto the battlefields of the Iron Kingdoms to
experience war like never before!

MULTIPLAYER TACTICS
The Basics

SPD bonuses are affected by any multipliers, like a run. A run

will always be double a units SPD in distance.

Playing head to head can introduce challenges and issues

you would never face during the WARMACHINE: Tactics
campaign. This section includes a few tips for surviving
against the hordes of other players out there.

MAT: This stat refers to how accurate the unit is with its melee
attacks. You wont need to do the math, thoughwhen you
select a target, the menu shows you the hit percentage.
RAT: This refers to a units skill with crossbows, guns, and
any other ranged attacks.

The First Rule of WARMACHINE

There is one immutable rule to WARMACHINE, no matter

the faction or the point size: dont let your warcaster die.

MAG: This is used to represent a units accuracy with spells.

Dont worry: spells that target friendly units, such as Defenders
Ward and Boundless Charge, automatically hit. Your MAG stat
only comes into play if youre targeting an enemy unit with a
spell, such as Earthquake or Crippling Grasp.

Warcasters are sorcerer-soldiers trained to fight not only

with martial and arcane prowess but also with the rare gift
of being able to mentally control warjacks. Warjacks are
hulking, mechanikal constructs built for destruction. Normal
soldiers might be able to direct warjacks with coded phrases or
gestures, but the degree of control a warcaster can exert over a
warjack is exponentially better, and warcasters have the added
bonus of being able to command several warjacks at once.

DEF: This is used to represent your units ability to evade

attacks. Its used against all forms of attacks.
ARM: ARM reduces the damage from an attack for every
point it has. Some units, such as the Lancer, gain a bonus to
their ARM unless they are attacked from behind.

The battles in WARMACHINE: Tactics multiplayer currently

can only end one way: with the death of a warcaster.

Weapons

Anatomy of a Unit

Each weapon in the game is

categorized as melee or ranged.
Within these categories, each
weapon has a name. The DAM
stat tells you how much damage
the weapon can do, to within
a few points. Just as with MAT,
during an attack command, a
rough estimate of the damage
it will inflict is displayed. These
predictions are adjusted if you
are spending focus, gaining
charge bonuses, and so on.

Units have numerical representations of their battlefield

prowess. These are abbreviations of which aspects they
represent. Consider Commander Coleman Stryker.
First, notice the HP and Focus callouts are next to the units
portrait in the red and blue gear. This allows you to view
them at a glance from the activation queue.
HP: This represents how many points of damage the unit
can take before it is destroyed.
Focus: Some units have a
Focus stat, showing how many
focus points they currently
have. Warcasters are unique in
that focus points add to their
ARM stat if those focus points
remain unspent. This is called
overboosting.

There is also a word that follows in parentheses. This is

the damage type. Most weapons in WARMACHINE: Tactics
are the Physical type. Occasionally, a weapon will have a
different type, like the Purifier ranged attack here, which is
Fire type. Some units and abilities grant immunity to certain
types of damage. Immunity means the affected units do not
suffer damage or effects from any attacks of that type.

SPD: This refers to how fast a

unit can move. Each point of
SPD allows the unit to move one
square in a straight direction.
Diagonal movement does not let
you move as far. Occasionally,
bonuses are granted to either
SPD or movement. Movement
adds only statis squares to your
movement potential whereas

So, in the example of the Flameguard Cleansers Purifier

weapon, Cleansers are also immune to Fire type damage,
meaning if one Cleanser hits another Cleanser with the
Purifier attack, the other Cleanser is safe from harm! Units
have this information under the Advantages section.
Some units have spells they can cast, and they have the
same profile as ranged attacks, with the exception of the
associated focus cost, if any.
4

Line of Sight

Line of sight is an important concept in WARMACHINE:

Tactics. Typically, its used to determine if a unit can charge
or make attacks against another unit, but line of sight also
applies to other abilities, such as Kommander Sorschas
feat, Icy Gaze.
A units line of sight is determined by its facing. Units are
able to see in three directions: the direction theyre facing
and the directions to either side of them. For larger units,
this extends to the middle of the sides of their profiles.
If a unit highlights an enemy unit for an attack and
the attacking unit is outside of the enemys line of
sight, this icon appears over the enemy unit. This
grants a +1 to the attackers MAT and ignores 1 ARM on the
enemy unit.
If a unit is on elevated terrain, such as on top of a barricade
or a platform, that units line of sight extends past certain
units that would normally block line of sight.
AOEs also have a chance to put some damage on the board
if they miss. An AOE attack that misses its intended target
deviates up to 6 squares away in one of eight directions
the four cardinal directions and the 4 directions in between
them. If an AOE attack misses, all units in the AOEs new
location take the reduced damage that the targets neighbors
would have taken.
Sometimes the RNG, or range, is defined as SP or has AOE:
Spray listed. These are spray attacks. Some ranged attacks
or spells list Spray X as their range, with X being either 6,
8, or 10. Spray attacks hit everything their template touches,
and an attack and damage calculation is made separately
for each unit in the template.
Be careful: review your targets, as the templates change
depending on the angle between the attacker and the target.
Consider the differences between these two templates. No
units have moved; only the selection of the primary target
has changed.

Normally, this Winter Guard could not see the

Mechanithrall through his compatriot; however,
being on elevated terrain allows the Winter Guard to
shoot the undead servant of Cryx.
Some attacks may not need line of sight to affect a specific
target. Area of Effect, or an AOE, attack affects several
squares at once. Typically, the target of an AOE attack
suffers greater damage than the targets neighbors, but
several AOE attacks come with secondary effects, such as
Knockdown or the continuous effect of Fire.
5

Actions

When you select a unit by left-clicking on the unit or on the

units portrait in your activation queue, you get several
options:

Continuous Effects

This command allows you to move your

unit. A light blue barrier shows you all the
places a unit can move to and still get an
action. A large red barrier shows where
the unit can move to if it forfeits its action.
Note that, with a few exceptions, such as warcasters
casting spells, performing an action first automatically
forfeits your movement.

Some attacks and abilities cause status effects.

Continuous Corrosion: Continuous Corrosion does 2
damage and ignores all mitigation at the beginning of a
round in which it doesnt expire.
Continuous Fire: Continuous Fire does 5 damage at
the beginning of a round in which it doesnt expire. This
damage is lowered by mitigation. When calculating this
damage against a warcaster, that warcaster receives only
his or her ARM bonus from the focus the warcaster didnt
spend during the previous round.

Before and after a move action, you have

the opportunity to change a units facing to
one of the four cardinal directions. Facing
determines which adjacent squares are in
your melee range, which units are in range
and line of sight for ranged attacks and spells, and where
enemy units have to be to get a back strike.

Continuous Stall: Warjacks affected by Continuous

Stall cannot run or charge and lose their defense bonus.

This arrow shows which direction your

unit is facing.

If performing the attack would consume focus

or if the particular roll is to be boosted, this icon
lights up.

This action opens up a sub-menu,

displaying the available melee attacks for
the unit. If the unit only has one melee
attack, the weapons name is added to the
text. If no targets are eligible for attacks, it is
not displayed with white text.

This acts like the Melee action, but it

outlines ranged attacks. Remember that
range and line of sight factor into which
attacks are available, and a unit cant make
a ranged attack if it is engaging a unit with
one of its melee weapons or if it is being engaged by an
enemys melee weapon.

If an attack would require focus to perform or if a

roll could be boosted with a focus point, this icon
is displayed in the upper right-hand corner of the
command.

This displays all special actions for this unit.

Common special actions are Combined
Melee/Ranged Attack, Shield Wall, and
Combo Strike. If you hover your mouse
over the special action, a description of
its effect comes into play. Every unit in the game has a few
special and unique actions, so be sure to explore them all!

Whats in an Attack?
All attacks have mathematical odds of being successful
or not. When you make an attack, imagine three sixsided dice being rolled. Now we add and subtract the
MAT, RAT, or MAG against the targets DEF, we include
other bonuses and detriments, and then we compare
them. The difference moves the percentage probability
by that difference between that number and 10. This
number is now the Target Number. Next, imagine three
six-sided dice being rolled again. These three dice are
trying to roll the Target Number or above. This may
seem complex, but the computer does all the work for
you when it displays the percentages. Critical effects are
calculated on whether two of the three dice would result
in the same number.

If a unit suffers Knockdown, the first thing

it will have to do is Stand Up. This forces
the unit to give up either its movement or
its action.

If a unit has an enemy in range and line of

sight for a charge, this icon appears. If you
could charge with multiple weapons, it
asks you to select which weapon you wish
to use.

The UI

The basic user interface has a few features that are quite
handy.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Activation Queue: This list shows all remaining units for

your army. Units still in color have not activated yet this
turn; once activated, they fade. Left-clicking a unit selects it
if it has not yet activated and displays the units information
in place of the queue.

You dont have to use the mouse for all of your commands.
There are several commands that can be executed with
keystrokes.

If you ever select a unit you do not wish to

activate, you can click the "Deselect Unit" button
to put that unit back into an inactivated state.
You can also press the Z key to deselect the unit.
Timer: The timer information at the top center of the screen
tells you what Round it isa Round is defined as the period
of time it takes for the activation of all of your units and all
of your opponents units. It also tells you what Phase the
Round is in, with a timer telling you how long you have
been in the current Phase. Note the End Turn button is
currently grey. This turns red once all of your units have
activated. You can also press the Delete key to end the turn
instead of clicking the button.

G: The G key toggles the grid on the map. Your

melee range, movement range, and control
area are still displayed.

Z: The Z key deselects a unit you have selected if

you havent taken any action or ends that units
activation if you have.

Space: The space bar allows you to cycle through all

available targets in your attack menu.
Alt+F9: This quick combination toggles the UI. This
doesnt have an in-game benefit, but it can
make screen shots much nicer. Perfect for
bragging to your friends!
Delete: The delete key ends your turn. A warning will
appear if you try to end your turn before all
units have activated, but you can forfeit their
unused activations.

The Combat Log: The Combat Log keeps brief notes of

what has occurred in the game so far.

Tab: The tab key selects the next unit in your squad.
Units that have already activated do not enter
into this cycle.

Advanced Tips

have a RNG stat that is measured in grid squares. So, a RNG

6 gun on the Nightwretch can shoot a target in line of sight
within 6 grid squares of him.

Thinking Moves Ahead

Thinking moves ahead means you need to think not just

in terms of what you want to do on your turn but also in
terms of what your opponent is likely to do in response to
your moves. Lets look at a prime example.
Here we have a few troopers just a turn away from dishing out
some pain. Lets move our Stormsmith Stormcaller to here

Hmm. Close enough to arc some spells but not for the
Nightwretch to get in on this action.
If you count the grid squares, you can already see the
Nightwretch cant shoot any of the Flameguard. Yet.

An aggressive stance for Cygnar but not as aggressive as it

could be... Why not?
with the Stormblades backing him up left just a bit behind.
Its not because theyre slower but because they want to be
in position for the Temple Flameguards response:

Combined Ranged and

Combined Melee Attacks
Some Units have a Special Ability of Combine Ranged
Attack (CRA) or Combined Melee Attack (CMA). To
perform a CRA/CMA:
1. A unit declares the CRA/CMA Special
ability and chooses a target. All other units
of the same type can now only move and
contribute to the CRA/CMA. (Those units
have the CRA/CMA icons above them.)
2. When other units of the
same type (i.e., Winter Guard,
Trenchers, etc.) activate, the
squares in which they can
contribute to the CRA/CMA are
highlighted.

Oh...thats why.
Sure, that poor Stormcaller is in dire straits, but now we
have a Temple Flameguard and a Cleansereach worth
more than the Stormcaller cost usin assault range of our
Stormblades. This technique of baiting out units by offering
a weak or sacrificial unit in exchange for luring other units
into charge or attack range of your more powerful units is
a basic demonstration of thinking moves ahead. Knowing
that your moves not only advance your cause but also affect
your opponents decisions is a big advantage, and you
should keep it in mind at all times. Notice the Exemplar
Cinerators are waiting for the Stormblades to charge in to
counter on the Cinerators turn!

3. Once all units you want to have contribute to the CRA/

CMA are in position, re-select one unit and execute the
CRA/CMA (for added help with a CRA, choose the unit
that didnt move, if possible.).
4. The attack resolves and the round continues. Note that
until the CRA/CMA resolves, units of other types cant
activate.

Knowing Your Ranges and

Measurements

Being able to see a grid gives you a lot of information, and

that information can be put to great use. Ranged attacks
8

vulnerable and can be destroyed like any other unit in the

game. Sometimes allocating focus judiciously is the wiser
course of action.

Deneghra on the left has

a much better chance of
surviving to see the next
turn with cover and several
focus points than she does
with a more aggressive
stance, on the right.

There we go! The Defiler can have his pick of

Menite targets there!
Fortunately, the Defiler doesnt have these problems! With
its spray template, it can potentially hit many targets at
once. The yellow lines show potential targets.
Additionally, while highlighting a square or set of squares
where your unit can go during its movement, the game also
draws lines to all available targets, giving you a nice visual
reference of what you can and cannot shoot. Since you still
need line of sight, be mindful of your facing before you
commit to an attack.

You Can Move in Parts

Many times, you will just select where you want your unit to
end its movement and select it. You can move less than your
maximum distance, however, and still have the remainder
to use. Heres an example:

Know Your Abilities as Well as

Your Opponents

Every unit in this game has Special abilities. Knowing what

options you both have is your key to victory. I wouldnt
bunch up my Mechanithralls when Winter Guard Infantry
Rocketeers have AOE attacks that can deal damage to
multiple targets at once!

This Winter Guard moves forward cautiously...

Time to hand out a bunch of damage to those undead!

You Do Not Have to Spend
All Your Focus

...and, upon seeing that the coast is clear, goes on to

complete his movement. Use this to get in position while
avoiding free strikes.

It can be tempting to allocate all your focus and let your

warjacks cut loose, but that may not always be the best
course of action. While warjacks are powerful, they are still

You Dont Have to Move Forward

While instinct might suggest you need to always move

forward, many times that is not necessary. Sometimes, its
wiser to back up.

A Guide to
Command Hints
When you place your cursor during a units activation,
the grid has a few hints to show you what will happen if
you commit to the command right then. Here's a quick
look at what they mean:
The blue circle means a unit moves
here and will get an attack or action to
perform. Remember, they may need to
change their facing in order to make
some attacks, so if you moved up to hit and cant attack,
check your facing!
The red circle means a unit moving here
is giving up its action in order to do
so. Early turns will typically see forces
running, but be careful about running up
so far you run right into your opponents attacks!

This Arcane Tempest Gun Mage could charge in and show

that Man-O-War his mettle, but he decides his pistol is what
makes him valuable, not his sword, and so he backs up...

The shield icon shows that a unit

stepping here will gain cover from at
least one angle. Be sure the wall or
terrain is facing a probable angle of
attack to get the bonus, though!
This icon means that moving a warjack
here will place it out of the warcasters
current Control Range. The thin yellow
line you see around the battlefield shows
the current Control Areas borders. A
warjack wont lose focus on it by leaving the Control
Area, but it wont be able to arc spells or get more focus
until its returned to the warcasters Control Area.
When making a charge or assault
attack, these sections light up around
your current target. The red square (or
squares, for larger units) shows where
your unit ends its charge. Green squares
represent other squares your unit can
successfully end its charge in. If you want multiple units
to charge, make sure the previous units end its charges
with space for its allies to get in on the beatdown!

...to take a smaller shot now but, more important, to

survive to take more shots in the future. This also allows
the Stormblades, who tend to do much better in melee, to
charge in.
Even not moving at all can have an advantage. By forfeiting
your movement, you gain a bonus to your ranged attack values.
Arc Nodes Keep Your
Warcaster Safe

Spells have ranges, just like ranged attacks, and sometimes

putting your warcaster forward to cast a spell can expose
him or her to danger. The Revenger, Lancer, Deathripper,
Nightwretch, and Defiler all have an important ability
called Arc Node. This allows the warjacks controlling
warcaster to cast a spell at a target as if he stood where the
Arc Node is, thus enabling the warcaster to add spells to
the fray without exposing himself to danger. The Arc Node
needs to remain in the warcasters Control Area in order to
be used, so dont let that warjack stray too far!

10

Cygnar
WARCASTERS

Known as the Jewel of the

Iron Kingdoms, the great nation
of Cygnar is beset by enemies on
all sides. Against these threats
stands the elite army of the
Cygnus, including battle-hardened
trenchers, deadly long gunners,
and the legendary Storm Knights,
warriors whose weapons bristle with lightning. Armed
with the most advanced mechanika in the Iron Kingdoms,
the stalwart and courageous soldiers of Cygnar stand resolute
against those who seek to destroy their beloved homeland.

Commander Coleman Stryker

A paragon of Cygnaran virtue, Coleman

Stryker embodies the newfound hope in
Cygnar. Joining the Royal Guard at the
age of sixteen, Stryker would, within the
next few years, become a critical player
in his nations history, fighting during
the military coup that saw Cygnar's
leadership shift from a malignant king
to his benign brother. Diligently trained
in the arts of martial spellcraft, Stryker
has defended Cygnars borders with a
singular devotion to saving the lives of
his compatriots. Stryker is a man dedicated to duty, honor,
and the preservation of the Cygnaran people.

In play, Cygnar is very much a faction of position and

precision. Cygnaran units can typically play several roles
at once (think jacks-of-all-trades with no specializations
like some of the units found in other factions), or they are
dedicated to a single act in war but don't do as well if they
must act in another capacity. This requires you to use pieces
in specific roles and to understand that the forces of Cygnar
are more than just the sum of their parts. Your opponents
will often forget or ignore the flexibility of your troops, and
this can be used to your advantage.

Stryker can make everything seem easy: Snipe allows units to

shoot from impossible distances. Arcane Shield makes units
stand tough as nails against attacks. Blur prevents enemy
ranged attacks from finding their targets. Plus, Strykers
weapons cause Disruption, and his feat Invincibility causes his
squad to truly live up to its name. As if that werent enough,
Earthquake creates a massive AOE that causes Knockdown.

11

Electro Leap, as properties on his dual blades. His feat,

Dead on Arrival, pushes all enemy units three squares
closer to Sturgis, and those that end within three squares of
him take 4 DAM. Any units destroyed by his feat generate
focus points for Sturgis warjacks. With all this, you may be
tempted to let Sturgis loose and go all-out on the offensive,
but be cautious. Sturgis isnt invulnerable, even with his
Arcane Shield spell in place.

Major Markus Siege Brisbane

Whenever Cygnaran leaders

are forced to crack fortified
positions, they call on Major
Brisbane for his infamous skills.
Armed with his mechanikal
hammer Havoc and his rocket
cannon, Siege has laid waste
to more enemy forces than
he can count. Major Brisbane
is famed for breaching the
notoriously impervious walls
surrounding the Protectorate
city of Sul, which had not
been penetrated for millennia. Uninterested in the politics
or intrigue some warcasters actively pursue, Siege is the
consummate soldier, and has served the Cygnaran military
faithfully for over two decades.

WARJACKS
Lancer (light warjack)

The Lancer is the pinnacle

of Cygnaran ingenuity and
technology,
designed
to
maintain and defend its arc
node on the field of battle. Arc
nodes are expensive, made
of fairly rare materials, thus
necessitating a warjack with
the defensive capabilities of
the Lancer. Built on the agile
chassis of the Charger, its shield generates a shock field
that can disrupt the processes of an enemy warjacks cortex
when struck. Add in a heavy war spear, and the Lancer is a
formidable weapon for any warcaster.

Sieges talents are represented by abilities designed to

bring the hurt to enemies who would otherwise be safe.
Spells like Foxhole protect your forces and can be used to
remove problem units blocking line of sight to juicy targets.
Mage Sight lights up units relying on Stealth to keep
them safe from Cygnars many ranged attacks, and Rift
can slow down your opponents approach and throw out
damage as a bonus. BreachSieges feateven allows you
to ignore all ARM and damage mitigation for one attack,
including any focus a warcaster kept to help him weather
your attacks. On top of all that, Siege can use an ability on
his rocket cannon called Ground Pounder, allowing him to
place an AOE in his Control Area and make attacks against
everything in that AOE.

Set Defense and the Shield ability allow the Lancer to stay at
the vanguard of a Cygnaran force, allowing its controlling
warcaster to cast spells from a position of safety and daring
enemies to approach. Once engaged, its Shock Shield causes
Disruption, blunting the capabilities of any warjacks that
hope to take it out. The Lancer can also be quite difficult to
eliminate, as the Shield ability gives it an effective 5 ARM,
and it has only two HP less than Cygnars heavy warjacks.

Commander Dalin Sturgis

Commander Dalin Sturgis is

a master duelist who believes
in leading his troops from
the front lines. Nimble and
deadly, Sturgis has honed his
impressive combat skills to
lend support to his warjacks
and soldiers even as he surges
across the battlefield delivering
death from his twin-bladed
mechanikal staff. For those
who dare threaten his beloved
homeland, a flurry of precisely
targeted blades rends their lives from their bodies before
Commander Sturgis disappears in a flash of arcane light to

Charger (light warjack)

The Charger is the most

heavily produced light warjack
in history. Its flexibility and
superior articulation make it the
prime choice for commanders
throughout
the
nation.
Employing
the
reloading
mechanism originally intended
for the Defender, the Charger's
device has been modified to allow the recoil of one shot to
load a second round almost instantly.
Dont let the Charger fool you: although it is the least durable
of Cygnars warjacks, it can put damage out like no other,
wielding a gun that is able to fire twice in a single activation.
To make it even better, Powerful Attack means that giving
a Charger its full allotment of 3 focus points can allow it to
make two attacks with boosted attacks as well as boosted
damage! At a mere eight points each, a few of these can create
a serious threat for anything but the hardiest of enemies.

track down his next opponent.

Commander Dalin Sturgis plays far more aggressively than

the average Cygnaran warcaster, using Snap Strike to get
two additional attacks for the price of a single focus point
and featuring Chain Attack: Flash, and both Feedback and
12

as gravediggers, as they typically precede the bulk of an

army to set up cover and trenches for the battle to come.
Trenchers can also cover their fellow soldiers advance by
dispersing small explosives, clouding an area with smoke to
hide their allies from enemy fire. Interestingly, the trencher
infantry first began as an experiment by Cygnaran generals
to see if they could discipline surly or insubordinate soldiers
into skilled combatants.

Ironclad (heavy warjack)

The Ironclad is the mainstay

of Cygnars frontline heavy
warjacksit signified the shift
from creating jacks for labor
to designing them specifically
for war. The Ironclad wields a
Quake Hammer it can slam to
the ground, causing anyone
nearby to lose their balance.

Trenchers are soldiers with many talents. They feature the

Assault ability, allowing them to combine a ranged attack
with a charge, making them one of the few units able to
potentially kill another unit in a single activation. With
Dig In, Trenchers can be very pesky to remove if they find
cover on the battlefield. Their Smoke Bombs are also highly
useful, providing concealment and blocking line of sight
behind them. They also have Combined Range Attack,
allowing several Trenchers to assist the others in taking
down difficult targets. Trenchers are well suited to several
tasks but do not individually excel at any one thing.

Not only does the Ironclad

have one of the highest natural
DAM stats in the game, it also has the Tremor special ability,
granting it the chance to knock down anything within two
squares. This means the Ironclad can be used as an excellent
face beater or as a synergistic piece, knocking down enemy
units to allow its allies to make short work of them.
Defender (heavy warjack)

No other warjack has such

range with a cannon. Though
ranged weaponry is nothing
new in warjack technology, the
Defender sets a new bar for
excellence with its heavy barrel
rapid reloading mechanism
and the ability to maintain a
melee presence. The Defender
features a significant shift in
the Cygnaran armory, introducing long-range firepower of
unprecedented accuracy.

Trencher Infantry Grenadier

Trenchers with experience

and interest in demolitions are
often granted a newer piece of
military technology: a grenade
that can be fired from a rifle,
allowing these trenchers to
expend them with reasonable
accuracy. This ordnance is
essential for breaking tight
formations of Winter Guard
and those of other enemies of Cygnar.

A variant of the Ironclad, the Defender exchanges the

powerful Quake Hammer and Open Fist for a Disruptiongranting melee weapon and an impressive ranged attack.
Sporting RNG 16 and DAM 7, the Defender has the longest
potential threat range of any warjack in the game. Thanks to
Disruption, the Shock Hammerthough not as impressive
as the Quake Hammerforces enemy warjacks to think
twice before engaging the Defender. It is currently the most
expensive of all the Cygnaran warjacks, but it is also the
most flexible, being a potent combatant both at a distance
and up close.

Trencher Infantry Grenadiers have Grenade rounds, a

special ability that turns their ranged attacks into AOEs
ahd lower armor, though you cannot make Combined
Ranged Attacks with Rifle Grenade rounds. Apart from the
Rifle Grenades, The Grenadier is in all respects a Trencher.
For only one extra point to get an AOE attack each round,
however, a Grenadier can be a great value.
Stormblade

WARRIORS
Trencher infantry

The trencher infantry corps is made

up of common Cygnaran folk trained
for war, steadfastly representing the
enduring spirit of the nations people.
While trenchers are not brutal masters
of either melee or ranged combat, it is
certainly a mistake to underestimate
them. They are sometimes referred to

13

Pioneered by Leto Raelthorne

before he seized the crown,
Stormblades are trusted with
the most advanced mechanika
wielded by any soldier in the
Cygnaran military. Stormblades
undergo intensive training to
supplement ancient martial
tradition with state-of-the-art
weaponry, and are counted
among the finest fighting men
in service of the king.

Brutal: Brutal shots provide boosted damage on a critical hit.

Short of heavy warjacks, Stormblades are the hardest hitters

you can bring. Their Storm Glaives hit for an impressive
DAM 7, and their ranged attack is DAM 6. RAT 1 and
RNG 6 means they arent going to be shooting opponents
down from across the board, but they do have access to two
excellent abilities: Assault and Thunder Thrust. These allow
Stormblades to dish out some incredible damage if they
can land the two attacks. Storms Eye also means ranged
attack hits can hurt nearby units. Finally, if they truly have
a difficult time putting out damage, Stormblades have
Combined Melee Attack.
Stormguard

Thunderbolt: This shot will slam into the target, pushing

it back 13 squares and knocking it down on a critical hit.
Phantom Seeker: This allows the Gun Mage to ignore line
of sight considerations.
Phantom Seeker and Thunderbolt will often be your best
options, allowing you to dictate positions and to counter
clever moves by your opponent.
Stormsmith Stormcaller

Many of the best and brightest minds in Cygnars army are

recruited for their mechanikal aptitude and trained at the
Strategic Academy to become masters of the arcane, capable
of harnessing the power of the storm. Using complex devices
known as Stormcallers, they can conjure lightning from the
sky to scorch men or disrupt the
delicate cortexes of warjacks.
Multiple stormcallers can assist
in their fellows efforts and
chain lightning between them
or into a large area.

Eschewing the Storm Glaive in

favor of a Voltaic Halberd, the
Stormguard use a mechanikal
capacitor to discharge an
electrical arc with every swing.
The very air darkens around
them in combat, thick with the
smell of ozone and the promise
of death.

Stormguard are possibly the

best front line unit in Cygnar.
Reach and Set Defense allow them to get into melee early and
often. Once there, Electro Leap allows them to take down
nearby enemies. Electrical Charge lets them put damage out
to several units at once by charging past, zapping them with
their electrical fields. Stun Strike is a very solid ability to
lower the DEF of a target and to prevent it from moving as
wellperfect for locking down a big target!

Stormcallers dont cost a lot of

points and dont offer much in
the way of durability; however,
these critical units can affect a
huge portion of the field. They
have three special abilities,
each dependent on how many
Stormsmiths are on the field:
Stormcall: A RNG 10 attack that ignores Concealment
and Stealth, inflicting 4 DAM (Electric). It can also cause
Disruption to warjacks.

Arcane Tempest Gun Mage

Elite arcanists trained to channel their magical energies

through specially crafted rune bullets imbued with deadly
effects, gun mages from the Militant Order of the Arcane
Tempest are unique problem
solvers. Their very presence
inspires confidence among
other Cygnaran troops.

Surge: If two Stormcallers are within 20 squares of each

other, they can draw a line of electricity between them. This
causes the same DAM and possible Disruption as Stormcall.
Triangulation: If there are three Stormcallers within 20
squares of each other, they form a triangle in which three
targets are selected. There is a separate attack for each
unit, and each attack has the same damage and effects as
Stormcall.

Gun Mages are not going to

be the star players, killing
everything in one shot. They
are, however, going to be key
in many games. When they
make a ranged attack, they can
choose between one of four
different effects:
Snipe: Snipe shots are given +4
RNG, allowing them to place a few potential damage points
on units that would otherwise be safely removed from the
front lines.

14

Faction Feel

Stormsmiths, Gun Mages, and

Stormguard

Cygnar tends to cover its bases with specialists.

Stormblades, for example, are typically not fielded to
contribute to a ranged attack threat. Fortunately, you can
rely on the more accurate Gun Mages or the more powerful
Defender to take care of that concern. This combined
arms thinking is required for success with Cygnar. There
are also several significant themes in Cygnar that center
around warjack supremacy.

At first, these three may not seem to have a lot of synergy,

but this combo shuts warjacks down. Disruption, Critical
Knockdown, and Set Defense all work together here, making
it an above-average task to take down these Cygnarans.
Toss in a couple of hard-working warjacks, and by the time
your opponent reaches your front line, youll be in a prime
position to deliver the hurt with a minimum of pain.

Facing other Cygnaran armies can sometimes prove a

challenge, as a significant number of your units are immune
to Electrical-type damage. If you believe you may face
Cygnaran opponents, consider how that could affect your
plansand what you can do to disrupt theirs.

Power Combos

Please come inplease.

Stryker, Stormblades, and

trenchers

Major Markus Siege Brisbane really brings this list

together, assisting in the early game with Rift, Foxhole, or
even Force Hammer. He can use Mage Sight to circumvent
Stealth and cloud effects, while Breach allows this army,
which might otherwise struggle against multiple heavy
warjacks, to unleash some surprising damage.

Stryker has an oft-forgotten spell in Earthquake.

Coincidentally, Stormblades suffer from difficulty in hitting
with ranged attacks. Consider knocking a target down,
raining lightning down on that knocked-down target, and
then using Trenchers to either produce clouds or pump
more ranged attacks into the helpless enemy.

Sample List
Major Markus Siege Brisbane
Ironclad x2
Arcane Tempest Gun Mage x4
Stormsmith Stormcaller x3
Stormguard x5

Remember: stick with your buddy!

This list can be a little light in the HP department, so be
aware of effects like Wretched Rain that can chip off a few
points in a large AOE. Siege may want to concentrate Rift
spells or Ground Pounder attacks against models with such
attacks to put them down before they become too irksome.

The Lancer is there to arc Earthquakes beyond the reach

of Strykers control area. Trenchers should lead the way
and use their Smoke Bombs to block line of sight to the
Stormblades until those Stormblades can unleash their
deadly assaults on the knocked-down target.

stryker and heavy 'jacks

Another way to use Stryker is to cast Arcane Shield and

Blur to make your units nearly invulnerable. Its also wise
to place single-target buff spells on units that will hang
around long enough to enjoy them, so warjacks like the
Defender and the Charger make ideal targets.

Sample List
Commander Coleman Stryker
Charger x2
Lancer
Stormblade Infantry x5
Trencher x4
Trencher Grenadier
Be wary of losing Trenchers too quickly, and be especially
cautious of continuous effects like Fire and Corrosion.
Should your opponent neutralize your Trenchers defenses
too soon, do not be afraid to spend your feat and run
everything into melee just to rob your opponent of options
and to get into the thick of combat.

Go on, try and take out a warjack. I dare you.

15

Strykers feat needs to be timed very well to keep things

moving smoothly. Units like Stormsmith Stormcallers and
Gun Mages can pin down troublesome enemy elements as
you focus fire into designated targets. A Lancer is useful
not simply for firing off spells as they are needed on the
front line, its also as a fine bulwark to take point against the
brunt of an enemy attack.

Sample List
Comander Dalin Sturgis
Lancer x2
Stormblade Infantry x4
Stormguard x6
Stormsmith Stormcaller x3
Unlike the role they play in many other lists, the Stormguard
are not here to be thrown away. Sure, they are your front line
units because of Reach and Set Defense, but even they are
valuable, and you should not sacrifice them lightly. Dont
be afraid to Arcane Shield one of them if he is staring down
several potential charges next turn.

Sample List
Commander Coleman Stryker
Defender x2
Charger x2
Lancer
Arcane Tempest Gun Mage x2
Stormsmith Stormcaller
Keep in mind that, with this many warjacks and upkeep
spells, your focus points will be stretched pretty thin, and
youll still need to keep Stryker safe. Dont be afraid to
let warjacks take their chances with unboosted shots or
to transfer Arcane Shield to Stryker himself to maintain a
degree of safety.
Stormblades, Stormguard, and
Stormsmiths

What could be better than jamming all the factions

lightning-generating units together and making your
own Storm Division! The Stormguard can absorb the first
wave, freeing the Stormblades to use Assault while the
Stormsmiths sit back and zap away at their leisure or set up
a massive Triangulation attack!

Mosquitos everywhere, beware!

This army is all about setting up waves of attack. It may be
tempting to use Sturgis feat early to get the Stormguard into
the fray as quickly as possible, but they are primarily there
to keep the backfield alive and to stay in prime position
for a counter-assault. This list can really lay into an army,
as all units but Sturgis and his battlegroup are immune to
Electrical damage.

16

Protectorate of Menoth
WARCASTERS

While the Menite religion itself

is rooted in antiquity, the rise of
the Protectorate of Menoth as a
military power has occurred only
within the last several decades. It
has been extremely successful in
expanding and revolutionizing
its military while staying true
to its religious convictions. Driven by Menoths will,
the Protectorate now wages a crusade against the other
nations and lesser faiths of western Immoren. Powerful
warcasters imbue their towering warjacks with divine
might while masses of zealots, mighty Knights Exemplar,
and ranks of disciplined Temple Flameguard stand ready
to cleanse the stain of heresy wherever it may be found.

Grand Scrutator Severius

Few can match the majesty and presence

of Grand Scrutator Severius. Before
the Protectorate of Menoth initiated its
ongoing war against the other powers of
the Iron Kingdoms, Severius frequently
traveled to those nations as an
ambassador of the Sul-Menite faith. On
one such occasion, he inspired so many
Khadorans to abandon the Motherland
for the Protectorate that he was formally
banned from Khador. Now he strides
the battlefields, thundering the Litany of
Menoth, blasting disbelievers as he goes.

Where other armies must rely on less certain traits like

loyalty and duty, the Protectorate of Menoth military has
proven that faith has a tangible power. There is no army in
western Immoren as singularly united. Against those who
carry out the Creators will, there can be no hope of victory!

Severius is perhaps the most vulnerable warcaster in the

game; however, he more than makes up for this vulnerability
with his potent spell list. Eye of Menoths importance cannot
be overstated, as it grants all your units a +1 on all attack
stats along with an additional point of DAM. Defenders
Ward adds 2 to a units DEF and ARM stats, and Vision can
prevent the next attack that unit is hit by from inflicting any
damage. His feat can set up an assassination, as it prevents

17

WARJACKS

enemies from casting spells, and any warcaster or other unit

that uses focus caught with the feat will not replenish focus
points on their next turn.

Crusader (heavy warjack)

As part of the peace accord

following the conflict with
Cygnar that led to the
creation of the Protectorate of
Menoth, it was declared that
the Protectorate would not
be permitted to maintain a
standing army. Yet warjacks
were still produced using
cortexes
smuggled
from
Khador and parts scavenged
from various battlefields, and the greatest of the new
Protectorate designs was the Crusader. Built with heavy
armor, the Crusader was made to endure any assault and
retaliate with devastating force, enhanced by the inferno
mace inspired by the flaming maces of the Reclaimers.

High Exemplar Kreoss

Kreoss is a prime example

of the virtues extolled by the
Exemplar order. Originally
from Khador but later taken
in by Protectorate Menite
pilgrims, Kreoss channeled the
feeling of loss that came with
separation from his family into a
relentless pursuit of perfection.
Members of both the clergy and
the military respect his prowess
as he directs interdictions of
zealous soldiers and warjacks
to key points in a battle, a living
legend among the people of the Protectorate.

Crusaders are simple but effective warjacks. Costing only

12 points, theres certainly an argument for throwing one
in just to have a unit on the field that can bring a lot of pain
and take a lot of punishment. The DAM 10 Inferno Mace
features the Critical Fire ability, but otherwise its not a
complex unit full of special rulesits simple and powerful.

Kreoss offers an answer to any situation. If there are too

many upkeep spells or continuous effects, Kreoss can
cast Purification, which can also prevent more spells from
coming into play. Defenders Ward keeps his units safe
from harm. His feat, Menoths Wrath, knocks down all
enemy units in his control range, allowing your units to
disengage without free strikes and to land melee attacks
with incredible ease.

Vanquisher (heavy warjack)

The Vanquisher was built in

secret and not fully revealed
until the Protectorate had
entered into full revolt. It
lumbers across the field
whirling its massive spiked
flail, known as a blazing star.
Deafening thumps emit from
its flame belcher as cannonballs
explode with a fire so hot it
melts metal to slag on impact. Once the Vanquisher closes
in on its targets, its blazing star crushes bone and steel alike.

Feora, Protector of the Flame

Feora, Protector of the Flame

is the head of the Temple
Flameguard, but her ambition
extends well beyond their
ranks. During the Cygnaran
assault against the Protectorate
city of Sul, Feora was nearly
crushed under the weight of
a destroyed warjack. Rather
than simply succumb to death,
she rose again to become
instrumental in repelling the
enemy from her city. Reforged
in purpose, she will purge in
righteous flames everyone who stands against her.

The Vanquisher is the Protectorates most expensive

warjack, but its well worth the cost. The Blazing Star, a
Chain Weapon with the Thresher special ability, inflicts a
respectable DAM 8. The Flame Belcher ensures nothing
reaches the Vanquisher undamaged. Its impressive AOE
attack covers a fairly large area and inflicts continuous Fire
against any units within it, perfect for eliminating massed
troops and for taking on light warjacks.

Feora plays with fire in a very literal sense. She has a range
10 spray attack (the biggest in the game), two spells that can
cause fire damage to enemy models (Ignite and Cleansing
Fire), and she prevents continuous Fire effects from expiring
within her control range. Her feat, Wild Fire, allocates
focus to her warjacks for each enemy unit suffering from
Fire and allows her to manipulate which units suffer from
continuous Fire.

18

temples dedicated to Menoth, this order has over time

become one of elite infantry. A small, perpetually burning
reservoir of Menoths Fury in every Flame Spear inflicts
burning wounds with each strike.

Revenger (light warjack)

Protectorate forces captured

and reverse-engineered early
Cygnaran arc nodes to lengthen
the reach of the True Faiths
arcane warriors, while the
development of the repulsor
shield was a true Protectorate
innovation,
allowing
the
Revenger to rebuke opponents.
Once those enemies have been
pushed away, the Revenger uses its halberd weapon to
retaliate from a safe distance, giving it an edge in combat
against foes bigger than itself.

Flameguard are a cheap and potent unit that can hold

the line like no other. Shield Wall and Set Defense make a
formidable combo, but Protectors Rush gives you the best
of two worldsa charge attack and Shield Wall! This can
allow you to set the line of combat and force your opponent
to react defensively. Menoths Howl can also put fire
damage out there and Terrify your enemies as well!
Flameguard Cleansers

Flameguard Cleansers are

charged with a grim duty.
Once, they were dispatched
to the homes and hideouts of
heretics within the Protectorate
to incinerate those structures
and anyone within them. Now
they take to the field with the
same zealotry displayed in the
execution of their sacred duties. With the flames of raw
Menoths Fury lighting the sky, Cleansers stand a grim
vigil to execute enemies with the curved blades at the end
of their purifier weapons.

The Revenger, much like Cygnars Lancer, is a light warjack

that sports a heavy warjacks ARM, thanks to its shield.
Unlike the Lancer, however, the Revenger is suited to be
highly aggressive. Powerful Charge encourages you to charge
rather than bracing to absorb a charge, and Repel as a quality
on the shield allows the Revenger to push back would-be
assailants, denying them multiple attacks. The Revengers
arc node will make it a staple in almost any Protectorate list.
Repenter (light warjack)

Menoths Fury, the volatile

oil found throughout the
Protectorates desert lands, is
refined to produce many of the
fiery effects of the nations arsenal,
but the Repenter is armed with
the substance in its most basic
form. The Repenter pumps out
this substance as a spray, igniting
it to immolate those who would
reject the True Law of Menoth.
Should heretics survive this trial by fire, the Repenters threeheaded war flail is sure to deliver them to the afterlife.

Flameguard Cleansers are the most common means for

players to put the Fire continuous effect onto the field. They
are immune to Fire themselves, so dont be concerned if
Cleansers get in the way of each others attacks. If Cleansers
arent in range of an enemy unit, Flame Wall will provide
an excellent deterrent to their enemies, as any units moving
through take 2 DAM and are then affected by the continuous
effect Fire. Incinerate is also a handy ability to have, sending
out a fiery cloud effect. While this may not hit as many units
as the Cleansers default Spray attack, blocking line of sight
with cloud effects is extremely useful when playing against
ranged-heavy forces.

At only 8 points, the Repenter is a warjack of true value. Its

War Flail is not to be underestimated, but the real manner
in which the Repenter earns its keep is its spray attack,
causing continuous Fire to anyone hit by it.

Exemplar Cinerator

Only the most dedicated

soldiers are invited into the
Exemplar order, and to become
an Exemplar Cinerator, one
must endure punishing trials
of endurance and stamina in
preparation of the burden of
their massive armor. Years
of prayer and training allow
Cinerators to channel wounds
into a spiritual fervor, speeding these Exemplars ever closer
to their enemies. Their blades are imbued with countless
blessings, and their flickering suggests an unquenchable
flame that explodes when wielded in battle.

WARRIORS
Temple Flameguard

TFG

While many average citizens

of the Protectorate take up
arms in their nations crusade,
the Temple Flameguard were
formed in the Protectorates
earliest days to create a
permanent, dedicated order of
disciplined soldiers. Ostensibly
formed to guard the many

19

Cinerators are the Protectorates heavy hitters with plenty

of HP and Weapon Master to let them dish out serious
damage. Flame Burst is also a real boon, setting nearby units
on fire when a compatriot dies. Shield Wall is excellent,
Relentless Advance extends the Cinerators threat range,
and Melting Blade can, with clever placement of fire, ignore
an opponents ARM to cause massive damage.
Exemplar Errant

The Errants are an order within

the Exemplar brotherhood,
acting as its advance strike
force. Often deployed beyond
the
Protectorates
borders
for extended periods, they
understand that too often their
exploits and even heroic deaths
will go unrecognized, save by
their brothers awaiting them
in the afterlife. Armed with
heavy crossbows inscribed with
blessed sigils to bypass heretical
magic and with a traditional
sword and shield for when the fighting gets close, Errants
stand ready to sacrifice themselves for their righteous cause.
Exemplar Errants are a powerful advance unit. Their
crossbows are deceptively potent due to Blessed, which
allows them to ignore any spells enhancing an opponents
DEF or ARM. Like all Exemplars, they are Weapon Masters
in melee, but Self-Sacrifice is their truly interesting ability,
granting them Tacticss only tool to heal units. This doubles
the amount of HP healed if an Errant gives his life for it,
which could net a possible 10 HPperfect for keeping key
units alive. Be warned, however, that warjacks cannot be
repaired in this manner.

Vassal of Menoth

Whether native born or

captured from foreign powers,
arcanists were once reviled
by the Protectorate but have
in recent years found a place
within its military, shackled and
convinced that their sorcerous
powers are shameful and
corrupt. As the Protectorates
army became a power to be
feared by its neighbors, its
reliance on arcane abilities
to maintain and construct
warjacks increased with the use of these poor souls.

retreat to safety, while Ancillary Attack is perfect for when

you need just one more attack to seal an enemys fate. Arcane
Bolt is a basic but useful ability as well. Normally, standing too
close to a key target like a warjack can put a unit at risk, but the
DEF and ARM bonuses granted by Iron Sentinel, along with
immunity to Knockdown, can mitigate that concern.

Faction Feel

The Protectorate of Menoths strength is built on the use

of abilities that must be activated in a specific order to
achieve maximum effectiveness. Unlike most factions, the
Protectorate often brings units that enhance other units
rather than contributing directly to combat. The Vassal of
Menoth is a good example of this, using Ancillary Attack or
Enliven to deliver victory. Protectorate armies also punish
opponents for not being able to completely eliminate
models such as the Exemplar Cinerators.
Most Protectorate warcasters serve to enhance their armies;
only Feora, Protector of the Flame is really a melee powerhouse.
Given that protecting your warcaster is of paramount
importance anyway, being called on to pay more attention to
your warcasters vulnerabilities isnt that much of a detriment.
Just a few Temple Flameguardto Shield Wall in front of your
warcaster, blocking line of sight, and to provide a hefty speed
bump for any units that want to engage with them in melee
may provide all the extra protection youll need.

Power Combos
Flameguard Cleansers and
Temple Flameguard

Fire can be potentially more devastating that Corrosion.

While Corrosion does bypass ARM and other forms of
damage mitigation, Firelike that of the Flameguard
Cleansersstarts at a whopping 5 DAM. Warcasters
suffering Fire damage are protected only by the ARM bonus
of unspent focus points from the previous round. This can
force enemy warcasters to hoard focus points instead of
spending them on warjacks or spells, which works to your
advantage. Combine this talent of the Flameguard Cleansers
with the inexorable wall of armor the Temple Flameguard
provides, and you can light the fire and watch your enemies
burn to the ground!

Vassals of Menoth are not warriors in the traditional sense,

but they are still a potent addition to any Protectorate force.
Enliven allows a warjack to bait out an enemy unit only to
20

Burn, baby, burn!

With plenty of ways to put Fire out there, it will be

simplicity itself to mow down wave after wave of troops
while marching forward, giving the enemy warcaster
less and less room to maneuver. Enemy troops will crash
upon the shields of the Temple Flameguard while the
Flameguard Cleansers either make Incinerate attacks or
set up Flame Walls to punish heretics for attempting to
engage your forces.

Sample List
High Exemplar Kreoss
Repenter
Vanquisher x3
Vassal of Menoth x3
There are ways canny opponents can mitigate the power
of this list, and you should be aware of them. First and
foremost, cloud effects block line of sight, and you wont
have a way to remove that. Also, a warcaster can hoard
focus points to boost ARM, making it difficult to assassinate
him. While a warcaster with his full allotment of focus is
hard to injure, keeping all that focus means he isnt casting
spells or empowering warjacks to buy more attacks or boost
rolls. With this army, its best to concentrate on their units
and warjacks and wait until they have no choice but to try
and take you on personally.

Sample List
Feora, Protector of the Flame
Crusader
Vanquisher
Flameguard Cleanser x3
Temple Flameguard x6
Vassal of Menoth
You may find yourself struggling to deal with high-ARM,
heavy-HP units like warjacks. Combined Melee Attacks
from the Temple Flameguard can alleviate that, and Feora
herself can certainly get into combat and help out. Her
naturally high ARM, combined with Escort, will allow
Feora to survive all but the heaviest blows.

Grand Scrutator Severius and

Revengers

Like Kreoss, Grand Scrutator Severius has several great

spells, but in this interaction we want to focus on one in
particular: Eye of Menoth. Eye of Menoth adds +1 to all
attack stats and to the DAM of any weapon. This is huge,
and it affects all friendly units in Grand Scrutator Severius
considerable control area.

High Exemplar Kreoss,

Vanquishers, and Repenters

High Exemplar Kreoss brings a lot of powerful options to the

game, such as Defenders Ward and Purification, and his feat
can be used to extremely potent effect. Knocked down units
do not block line of sight and cannot engage your units in
melee, so Vanquishers and Repenters can use their ranged
attacks to lay down attacks against your opponents back
lineincluding even the enemy warcaster himself!
Further, both warjack types have jacks with Chain
Weapon, allowing them to negate any attempts to bolster
ARM by forming a Shield Wall. Kreoss assassination
angle is very hard to counter, as no blocking and no units
to deny line of sight can stop Kreoss when he decides the
game ought to be over.

The Eye has fallen on Kreoss . . . and found him wanting!

With Eye of Menoth, your units are getting an effective halffocus point boost with each attack. This means handing out
your remaining focus for further boosting or for additional
attacks should give you all the edge you need. A Revengers
arc node allows Grand Scrutator Severius to put out any
spells he needs to even the odds. Ashes to Ashes, while
expensive, can remove smaller targets to lower the enemy
unit count in your favor.

Normally, it would be a slog to try and kill all these Winter

Guard. Lets just cut to the chase, shall we?
21

Sample List
Grand Scrutator Severius
Revenger x4
Temple Flameguard x3
Vassal of Menoth x4
With such a low unit footprint, be conscious of getting
flanked by units that could bypass your front line and take
out the Grand Scrutator. If you're confronted by enemies
your own units can't cope with that may have a route to
attack to Severius, drop Eye of Menoth in favor of Defenders
Ward on Severius himself to increase his survivability.
Exemplar Cinerators and
Exemplar Errants

Just as the two types of Flameguard units can assist one

other, exemplar units give each another synergistic support.
Exemplar Cinerators are nigh-unstoppable melee monsters,
but none in Immoren are truly invincible. Exemplar Errants,
however, can restore life to their allies wounded bodies.
Errants can inflict early damage with their ranged attacks
to cover the Cinerators as they advance. Then, once the
Cinerators have joined the battle, the Errants should fall
back to use Self-Sacrifice to keep the Cinerators alive.
The flaw here is that Cinerators are slow, so they can take
a while to get into melee and will likely be charged rather

That is a lot of HP to chew through.

Sample List
Grand Scrutator Severius
Revenger
Vanquisher
Exemplar Cinerator x3
Exemplar Errant x5
Vassal of Menoth x2
than charge the enemy themselves. Try to limit the models
your opponent can kill outright to a minimum by spreading
your forces out and staggering them rather than running
them all up in a line. Grand Scrutator Severius spells Vision
and Defenders Ward can blunt the damage inflicted by
enemy charges, so cast your spells wisely.

22

Khador
In the cold north of western
Immoren
lies
the
mighty
Khadoran Empire, whose massive
military epitomizes the national
ideals of strength and resilience.
Legions of Winter Guard march
at the call of the empress, bent
on conquest. Led by powerful
warcasters as unrelenting as the Khadoran winter and
backed by elite soldiers such as the disciplined Iron Fang
Pikemen and the imposing Man-O-War troopers who stride
into battle in great steam-powered suits of armor, the army
of Khador is ready to crush all who stand against it.
In play, Khador is a faction of brute force. Its warjacks are
heavily armored and loaded with HP, and its troops
notably the Man-O-Warspack a substantial punch. Even
the humble Winter Guard can shoot, chop, and spray into
the heart of their enemies. The faction has much more to
offer than just Winter Guard, however, and can readily
field fearless Iron Fang Pikemen, those robust Man-O-Wars,
mysterious Greylords, and ruthless Assault Kommandos.

WARCASTERS
Kommander Sorscha Kratikoff

Driven by the image of her

fathers death to survive the
rigors of war and excel as a
soldier, Sorscha Kratikoff is a
warcaster who channels her
strength and bitterness into
her arcane prowess. Fiery
rage and icy hatred! she was
once heard to say. These
things a good soldier makes,
not warmth and comfort. Her
fury has been described as that
of some goddess of frost and
death; she is driven by her patriotism, but this is becoming
increasingly eclipsed by the darkness growing in her heart.
Sorscha brings a swift and surprising threat to the game, but
her high DEF can lead players to overconfidence. Her feat,
Icy Gaze, makes enemies Stationary, locking them down as
theyre frozen in place. She has to tread a fine line between
aggression and arrogance, however. Fog of War keeps
her army safe on the approach, Boundless Charge allows
models to increase their threat ranges, and Tempest grants

23

Knockdown. Sorscha herself can use Wind Rush to skyrocket

her DEF and in essence gain a second move. And Icy Gaze
freezes everything Sorscha can see in her Control Range,
which is more restrictive than one may think. Keep those two
caveats in mind before you commit to using her feat.
Kommander Strakhov

When the Khadoran High

Kommand requires a dangerous
operation to be conducted deep
behind enemy lines, they call
on Kommander Oleg Strakhov.
Fearlessly infiltrating enemy
territory, Strakhov was crucial
in the early days of the war
against Llael. Strakhov was also
the driving force behind the
creation of the Assault Kommandos. If he has any weakness,
it is his impetuousnessoften, he executes maneuvers and
operations before his superiors have approved his actions.
In WARMACHINE: Tactics, Strakhov plays as a dodgy,
sneaky warcaster until the moment arises when he or one of
his warjacks can eliminate the enemy warcaster. Occultation
removes the threat of ranged attacks, Battering Ram slows
the enemy advance, and Rift places rough terrain to slow
down an oncoming opponent. Sentry is excellent for keeping
enemies paranoid about their movements, and Superiority
gains one of Strakhovs warjacks an edge against any other
warjacks and warrior units. Strakhovs feat, Iron Fist,
increases units threat ranges, adding free Charge and Slam
attacks while granting Pathfinder and an additional four
squares of movement when charging or slamming. This all
makes Strakhovs forces incredibly unpredictable, for an
enemy knows that at any moment impassioned Khadorans
may surge forth to crash into their lines.

Orsus Zoktavir,
the Butcher Unleashed

Orsus Zoktavirs patriotism

may be beyond reproach, but
his methods have often been
criticized. Zoktavir earned
the nickname the Butcher of
Khardov after slaughtering
both the citizens of the village
of Boarsgate and his own
detachment of Winter Guard
who were unwilling to raise
arms against them. A mountain of a man, the Butcher
strides across western Immoren with his mechanikal axe,
affectionately named Lola, in hand. Anyone with any sense
fears the Butchereven those under his command.
The Butcher plays a fairly straightforward game, moving
ahead and destroying everything. Lola hits for a massive 8

damage and has both Reach and Weapon Master. Add to that
the Butchers spell Flashing Blade, and the focus point you
would have spent to make one additional attack can now
buy an attack against everything in melee range and line
of sight. The Butchers feat causes units to become Terrified
automatically and replenishes his focus, and his Impending
Doom spell drags in units from beyond his melee range.
All in all, the Butcher is more than capable of killing almost
anything in the game, and he can withstand an incredible
amount of damage before he will be put down.

WARJACKS
Juggernaut (heavy warjack)

In Khador, bigger is usually

better, and the Juggernaut is a
testament to that attitude. Its
merciless Ice Axe encases its
target in layers of ice, freezing
pistons and gears and forcing
them to seize up. Size and
power are prized attributes in
Khador, and the Juggernaut is a
prime example of both.

The Juggernaut might seem

like a fairly basic warjack at
first, but looks can be deceiving. While it lacks ranged
attacks or clever movement abilities, it more than makes
up for those deficits with raw power. The Ice Axe inflicts
a massive DAM 11 and causes Stationary on a critical hit.
Even its Open Fist has DAM 7, granting the Juggernaut
unparalleled damage potential.
Destroyer (heavy warjack)

Whereas some nations develop

new warjacks and their
associated technology with
speed, Khadors development
cycle is on a slower track.
This is because Khadoran
workmanship, more so than
that of any other nation, is
designed to last. The Destroyer
has been Khadors warjack of
choice for siege warfare and troop dispersal for nearly a
century. Do not mistake the power of the Bombard Cannon
as an indication the Destroyer cannot perform in meleethe
Executioner Axe it wields is more than capable of rending
man and metal apart.
The Destroyer is able to handle several small threats with its
Bombard AOE attack or rush into melee with its Executioner
Axe, which can cause Critical Amputation to lower a units
MAT and RAT for the rest of the game. The Destroyer is a
warjack eager to earn kills every round.

24

Marauder (heavy warjack)

Even when Khador builds a

secondary purpose into its
warjacks, these machines still
epitomize the brutal efficiency
of the Khadoran temperament.
The Marauder, which was
designed to pulverize buildings
and heavily armored warjacks,
employs its ram pistons to
slam targets back and reduce
them to scrap. Other warjacks
require a running start to slam their enemies, but the
Marauder needs no such room.
The Marauder is a subtle unit some Khador players may
pass over in favor of more straightforward warjacks, but you
should not underestimate the effect the Marauders Combo
Smite can have. By sending enemy units flying about, you
can open charge lanes and create attack opportunities that
didnt exist at the start of your turn.

Decimator (heavy warjack)

The Decimator was developed

to take on other warjacks with
direct fire before ripping them
open with its enormous rip
saw. Mighty walls and heavy
warjacks alike have fallen victim
to the Decimators wrath. It is
brute force personified.

The Decimator, much like

other Khadoran warjacks, is
built to withstand the mightiest blows. It is, however, more
heavily dedicated to ranged warfare against other warjacks.
Whereas the Destroyer uses an AOE to affect several units
at once, the Decimator targets a single unit, knocking it
back each round and advancing in sync with that forced
movement. The Rip Saw is a potent melee weapon, using
Sustained Attack to eliminate its odds of missing with
subsequent attacks.

WARRIORS
Man-O-War Shocktrooper

Manufacturing warjack cortexes is both expensive and labor

intensive. The Khadoran solution to this resource drain was
to create steam-powered suits
men could wear to become
wrecking machines in their
own right. Wielding powerful
axes and shield cannons, they
stride through the battlefield,

smoke billowing from their armors engines, laying waste

to all they encounter.
Man-O-War suits grant their wearers massive HP bonuses
and make them excellent as smaller unit-count solutions to
enemy armor. They tend to fall into the same broad category
as light warjacks in terms of durability and damage output,
but they have a few other tricks up their metal sleeves.
Armor Splitter removes armor mitigation from targets,
allowing less-powerful units in your army to make a
healthy damage contribution. Shove and Shoot is useful to
give your troops breathing room, as this ability pushes a
target back one square and then allows the Shocktrooper
to make a ranged attack. The Shocktroopers have Reach,
so this push will leave a target in their melee range, thus
blunting any ranged counterattacks. Further, Man-O-War
Shocktroopers have the Shield Wall and Combined Melee
Attack abilities.
Assault Kommando

Founded by the deadly

Kommander Strakhov, Assault
Kommandos are well versed
in trench warfare. Girded with
alchemically treated armor and
masked for protection against
their own Strangle Gas attacks,
these patriots were critical
in the siege of the Cygnaran
fortress of Northguard during
the Llaelese War. Any Assault Kommando would be filled
with satisfaction after driving Cygnaran Trenchers out of
their own trenches.
Assault Kommandos work best in teams and boast
immunity to some of the games most insidious effects:
Fire and Corrosion. Shield Wall keeps Kommandos in the
game longer than one might expect, and Assault & Battery
is not to be underestimated, allowing a ranged attack to
precede a Charge or Run action. Combine this with masks
allowing them to ignore cloud effects, and they can bring
a counter-effect against every other faction in the game.
Finally, Strangle Gas is of interest to tactical players: the
Kommando makes a ranged attack, and if it hits, it centers
on the target a 3-x-3 square cloud effect that lowers DEF and
all attack stats, forcing anyone in the AOE to either suffer
those effects or flee from their position.

25

Assault Kommando Flame Thrower

As the Assault Kommando

program bloomed into a
success beyond the front lines,
High Kommand continued
to capitalize on its success,
introducing Flame Throwers
as a new addition to the
Kommandos.
Training
is
both rigorous and dangerous,
but there is no shortage of
volunteers.

Winter Guard, and war is now even more devastating to

enemies of the Motherland.
The Rocketeer has all the abilities of a normal Winter Guard,
along with the ability to fire a Rocket to create a small AOE
to knock down small- and medium-based units. These units
are well worth an additional point for their added value.
Iron Fang Pikemen

Proud
soldiers
of
the
Motherland, these hardened
soldiers are members of one
of the oldest military orders
in Khador. Far evolved from
the
steadfast
spearmen
who stood firm against the
roving horselords who once
dominated the edges of their
empire, modern Iron Fangs
wield pikes with blasting caps
at the tips that can knock an
opponent off his feet, should an
explosive thrust fail to end that
foes existence.

This variant of the Assault Kommando forgoes gas grenades

and carbines for a spray attack with Fire as a continuous
effect. This also gains the Flush Out ability, which drives
enemy units from cover. Be cautious, though, as a Flame
Thrower that is destroyed will explode in a glorious ball of
flame, catching anything nearby on fire.
Winter Guard Infantry

Its ranks filled by the common

citizens of Khador, the Winter
Guard is the heart and soul
of the Khadoran war effort.
Whether they are volunteers
driven by a sense of duty and
patriotism or conscripts forced
to serve a mandatory tour of
duty, Winter Guard patrol their
nations cities and fill their
nations ranks on the front
lines.

Winter Guard are cheap, solid units. While Combined

Ranged Attack and Combined Melee Attack make them
dangerous in groups, both at a distance and up close, they
have a few other clever options they can offer as well. Grape
Shot exchanges a small bit of power in favor of a spray
attack, and Aim Low allows a few choice Winter Guard
to take point and trip up the enemy lines, giving the rest
of your force more rounds of shooting before the battle
degenerates into a melee brawl.

Iron Fangs take an aggressive stance and are bent on taking

down enemies much bigger than themselves. Combined
Melee Attack allows them to gang up on a target while
Shield Wall helps them survive a counterattack, but their
tricks dont end there. Penetrating Blast can take advantage
of a knocked down target by inflicting 5 DAM that cannot be
mitigated by ARM, and Dash allows them to move through
enemy troops, taking them out in the process.
Greylord

Winter Guard Infantry Rocketeer

Following the fall of Llael, many

alchemists within that nations
Order of the Golden Crucible
have been captured and
forced to enhance the power
of Khadors growing arsenal.
Amid the various products
of this forced labor, portable
rockets have been fabricated
and distributed among the
more trusted members of the

The premiere occult order of

the Motherland, the Greylords
Covenant began as a splinter
group of the Cygnarandominated Fraternal Order of
Wizardry and is responsible for
bringing the secrets of warjack
cortex fabrication to Khador.
Some Greylords focus on arcane
mastery, some work closely
on warjack technology and
mechanika, and others search
their frozen lands for forgotten
weapons from a terrible age.

Greylords can deliver Critical Stationary attacks and

provide rough terrain. They primarily set up obstacles for
the enemy rather than eliminating them. Blizzard shrouds
ally units in obscuring cloud effects that follow them, Rime
Blast places rough terrain on the map, and Ice Cage can
potentially freeze units in place. Even if Ice Cage doesnt

26

succeed in making anyone Stationary, it still lowers the SPD

and DEF of the target.

Faction Feel

Khadoran armies can go in multiple directions, fielding a

swarm of agile warriors or an implacable wall of armor, one
that is seemingly impossible to breach. While some players
may skew to one extreme or another, many prefer to bring a
balance of the two, forcing their opponents to provide both
high accuracy and high damage. While Khadoran warjacks
are characteristically slow, each warcaster can mitigate this
to catch unsuspecting opponents off-guard.
Khador can also introduce interesting challenges that
opponents may not expect. Stationary can lock down
warrior units and force a warjack to spend a focus during the
Control Phase, just like Knockdown. Unlike Knockdown,
however, one cannot ignore it and still be productive that
activation, so youll force your opponent to deal with it or
accept that hes essentially lost that unit for the round.

Power Combos
Iron Fang Pikemen and
Man-O-War Shocktroopers

These units can march forward in an impervious wall,

their ranks unbroken until it comes time to bring the pain.
Between Knockdown, Shield Wall, Armor Splitter, and
Combined Melee Attack, this is a list that is tough to crack
at range and even tougher to stop once youre engaged.

The calm before the Iron Storm.

This list may lack speed and long-range threats, but Iron
Fangs and Man-O-War Shocktroopers are among the
hardiest units in the faction. Even after five grueling rounds
of combat, this list remains very durable. Depending on
your ratio, you will have an average of 13 to 15 HP per unit.
The sample list here comes in at an average of 14.23 HP per
unit, which is pretty durable relative to the typical damage
output of most enemy armies.

Look at all the HP thats left!

Sample List
Kommander Strakhov
Decimator
Marauder
Iron Fang Pikemen x8
Man-O-War Shocktrooper x2
The key to playing this list is in knowing when to shift
gears. Because you cant attack and Shield Wall, you need
to practice and learn when to Shield Wall, when to attack,
and when to use Combined Melee Attack, Armor Splitter,
and so on. Developing an intuition about when to change
tactics will make all the difference.
Assault Kommandos and
Greylords

Assault Kommandos ignore all sorts of things: Fire,

Corrosion, and even low-damage ranged attacks, thanks to
Shield Wall. Strangle Gas is great, but they need to directly
hit for it to function, and sometimes they struggle with that.
Enter the Greylords, who can cast Ice Cage to lower DEF
values and make enemies more susceptible to Strangle Gas.
Not
only
are
the
Kommandos immune
to Fire and Corrosion
damage, they can now
shoot and gas enemies
with impunity. The
Greylords Ice Cage
ability lowers DEF and
hits with regularity,
which in turn can allow
Kommandos
to
hit
more easily. Dont be
shy about having one
Kommando shoot gas to
further lower the DEF of
a target. While Strangle
Gas does create a cloud
effect,
Kommandos
ignore cloud effects.

27

You dont have to go home, but

you cant stay here.

Its important to be aware that Greylords need line of

sight to their target, but they cannot withstand a lot of
punishment. Iron Fangs should be positioned to block and
discourage enemy units from attacking the Greylords. Some
Greylords may want to use Blizzard on the lead Iron Fangs
and forward Greylords to protect them.

Sample List
Kommander Sorscha Kratikoff
Destroyer
Assault Kommando x5
Assault Kommando Flame Thrower
Greylord x6
The only problem with this combo is that it lacks punch
against high-ARM targets. While you can make enemies
Stationary and distribute rough terrain, this list will not
casually remove warjacks from battle. Its best to let your
own warjacks take them on and to rely on their higher
durability to see them emerge triumphant. Save Sorschas
feat for when the Greylords cant afford to use Ice Cage.

Greylords and Assault

Kommando Flame Throwers

Khador brings more effects to the game than any other

faction, and thanks to Assault Kommandos, it can ignore
more effects than any other faction as well. Make good use
of Stationary, but follow it up by setting targets on fire.
Combined with Rime Blast to slow them down, youll be
able to eliminate enemy units before they can even begin to
deal damage.

Iron Fang Pikemen and Winter

Guard Rocketeers

Winter Guard Rocketeers can knock down targets, and Iron

Fangs inflict vast amounts of damage to targets suffering
from Knockdown, thanks to Penetrating Blast. This is a
pairing that can stall out an enemys offense and take down
just about anything in the game!

These bonejacks are about to get a little freezer burn.

The bigger they are...
Penetrating Blasts biggest downfall is that it needs a
knocked down target to work, but the Rocketeers bring
more Knockdown to the fight and at range to boot!
Normally, youd have to rely on Critical Knockdown from
other Blasting Pike attacks or from Sorschas Tempest spell.
Rocketeers free you from having to try your luck with other
Iron Fangs or free you to plan Sorschas entire action around
one spell. This also allows you to bring another warcaster
who can make use of Knockdown to either clear a path
or make attacking a mere formality: Kommander Orsus
Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov.

Sample List
Kommander Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov
Juggernaut
Greylord x4
Iron Fang Pikeman x4
Winter Guard Rocketeer x3

Assault Kommando Flame Throwers can Shield Wall to

protect the Greylords, while the Flame Throwers, immune
to their own spray attacks, can shoot with impunity without
fear of harming each other. On turns in which Greylord
attacks are not a priority, the Kommandos can Shield Wall
and the Greylords can cast Blizzard on them to make the
Flame Throwers nigh unstoppable.

Sample List
Kommander Sorscha Kratikoff
Destroyer
Assault Kommando Flame Thrower x6
Greylord x5
One thing to beware of in this list is Flame Thrower death.
While other Flame Throwers wont be affected, Greylords
certainly will. These explosions can also be used to your
advantage, however, and any Flame Throwers near death
should be put into positions where their Fiery Blast would
be most devastating to your opponent.

28

Cryx
Cryx focuses on massive swarms
of troops, lots of spells, and
bonejacks with arc nodes to sling
those spells from a safe distance.
Ruled by Toruk the Dragonfather
and overseen by his twelve Lich
Lords, Cryx is a nation of pirates,
slavers, and worse. Like all
dragons, Toruk radiates an unnatural blight, and this warps
and twists the populace of his island nation in terrifying
ways. Necromancy is a common and well-understood magic
here, and undead servants that would horrify mainland
folks are a common sight. From the cruel-but-alluring
Satyxis to the cannibalistic trollkin Bloodgorgers that dwell
across the islands of Cryx, this faction has no shortage of
troops to further the machinations of the Dragonfather.
Cryx typically relies on spells like Parasite and Crippling
Grasp to make up for its units generally lackluster attributes.
Under Crippling Grasp and The Withering, Deneghra can
threaten even the highest DEF units with nothing more than
lowly Mechanithralls. Debuffs arent the only tools in her
arsenal, though. Spells like Hellfire and Venom are quite
capable of eliminating opponents from the battlefield. As
if that werent enough, Cryx has a number of units that can

capture the souls of fallen enemies and convert them into

focus the following turn, punishing your opponent beyond
simply losing a unit. Combine this with the dodgy and
deadly arc node-bearing bonejacks, and Cryx can put out a
spell just about anywhere!

WARCASTERS
Warwitch Deneghra

Years ago, a Satyxis witch

under the command of Iron
Lich Asphyxious received a
portent that a girl born off the
coast of Cygnar would hold
unparalleled arcane potential.
Satyxis
raiders
massacred
the populace of the village of
Ingrane and stole the child,
bringing her back to Cryx. There she was subjected to horrors
and twisted rituals that nurtured her arcane gifts as her full
warcasters powers bloomed under Asphyxious tutelage.
Warwitch Deneghra, this abductee warcaster, is emblematic
of the playstyle of Cryx. Crippling Grasp and Scourge can
circumvent high DEF targets, and Parasite can mitigate
high ARM from the toughest foes. Combine this with her

29

debilitating feat, The Withering, and she can threaten

almost anything your opponent dares to bring against you.
Deneghra doesnt care how high you stack your statsshe
can knock them down.
Iron Lich Asphyxious

A former druid of the Circle

Orboros,
Asphyxious
has
great power equaled only by
his ambition. Commanded by
Toruk to prove his devotion,
the druid who would become
Asphyxious
cast
himself
into the molten lava of the
dragons volcano. Toruk then
scooped the druids remains
from the volcano, pleased with
the mortals willingness to sacrifice himself, and sealed
Asphyxious soul into a vessel of necromantic power.
Asphyxious came to serve the Lich Lords of Cryx, but he
desires their level of power above all else and has begun
scheming to ascend within Cryxs dark ranks.
Asphyxious tends to be more hands-on in the carnage,
with his Sustained Attack ability, Scything Touch, and a
feat that essentially gives him double his normal focus
points. This feat, Consuming Blight, also inflicts 3 points
of damage and ignores all damage mitigation. Asphyxious
doesnt simply walk up and challenge all comers, though.
Teleport and Hellfire allow him to engage only when and
where he is ready. He also brings Parasite to the table. With
these combined abilities, Asphyxious plays much more
aggressively than his protg Deneghra.

Sturgis the Corrupted

Having pledged his immortal

soul
in
service
to
the
Dragonfather, Dalin Sturgis
is as corrupt as he was once
honorable. Death has done
nothing to curb the depraved
power of this once great
Cygnaran warcaster, who now
pits his formidable fighting
prowess against those he used
to call brother and friend.
Though he maintains the same reflexes and skills he held in
life, Dalin Sturgis no longer seeks to use his power to protect
those around him; instead, his service to Lord Toruk has
turned his arcane strength to delivering death to his enemies.

in his melee range to suffer decreased ARM. His spell list

features a few changes as well, trading Teleport and Arcane
Shield for Occultation and Parasite. Most interestingly, he
also picks up Blood Rain, which is a small AOE spell that
inflicts 4 DAM and Continuous Effect: Corrosion to anyone
in the AOE.

WARJACKS
Deathripper (light warjack)

Great beasts are blighted and

bred solely for the purpose
of harvesting their skulls for
these quintessential bonejacks.
Though a common sight on
the battlefield, bounding forth
on two legs while arc nodespewing their masters foul
magic, these machines should
not be taken lightly.

While Cryx players will definitely include Deathrippers

in their armies for their high speed, high DEF, and Arc
Node ability, Sustained Attack can take some of the risk
out of attacking a target, should an enemy attempt to pin a
Deathrippers arc node down by engaging it in melee.
Defiler (light warjack)

Other nations of Immoren

have
only
a
few
true
innovators of mechanika, but
Cryx is not bound by such
limitations. Toruk has blessed
the Nightmare Empire with
legions of necrotechsmad,
unstable, but brilliant minds
that ceaselessly labor to propel Cryxs war machines toward
brutal victory. The Defiler is one such invention. Unlike the
Deathripper, the Defiler stops short of charging into the
front lines, preferring to spray opponents with its Sludge
Cannon. Veteran troops know the wisest course of action is
to engage a Defiler in close combat before it can wreak too
much havoc at range.
The Defiler is a clever little bonejack, boasting a RNG 8
spray attack with Continuous Effect: Corrosion. Sprays are
a great way of mitigating the defense bonus of concealment
and are handy for affecting multiple units at once, if you can
line opponents up in a single shot. As with all bonejacks, the
Defilers arc node is an ever-present threat.

Sturgis has already died in combat, but he hasnt missed

a step. His feat, Dead on Arrival, works exactly as it did
when he was alive, as do Relentless Charge, Snap Strike,
and Reversal. He has, however, traded Chain Attack: Flash
for Chain Attack: Dark Shroud, causing all enemy models
30

All Cryxian warjacks emulate beasts, but more than any

other helljack the Slayer tends to favor an all-out animalistic
assault. This mainstay helljack cant stand up to as much
punishment as a Juggernaut, and it cant dish out status
effects like a Crusader, but it is unique in that it has three
initial attacks, and, with Combo Strike, it is the only warjack
with the ability to naturally increase the damage potential
of an attack.

Nightwretch (light warjack)

The first Nightwretches were

deployed for a test raid onto
Cygnars shores long ago, and
the Cygnarans, ignorant of this
new threat, lined their riflemen
up shoulder-to-shoulder, eager
to drive back the nightmarish
machines. The sound of the
Nightwretches volley soon tore
the skies asunder, and before the
riflemen could wonder what these new weapons would do,
their ranks were eradicated in showers of lead and caustic
waste. There were no survivors to tell the Cygnarans tale,
and the Nightwretch was approved for expanded production.

WARRIORS
Mechanithralls

The most common troopers

of the Nightmare Empire,
mechanithralls strength lies
not in their individual power
or even their speed but in their
numbers and their surprising
abilities. Necrosurgeons pick
over the slain after every
conflict,
evaluating
both
flesh and metal for useful
components. They then set
about their grisly work,
cobbling together skeletons
and fitting them with crude boilers and large, menacing
steam-powered fists. Once reassembled and granted
the spark of unlife, theses horrors are sent out as grim
harbingers of Cryxs armies.

The Nightwretch is the last bonejack on the list, but it is

certainly not the least. This jack has a RNG 6 attack, perfect
for adding a little insult to the injury for a warcaster arcing
a spell through it. Additionally, if you give it a focus point,
the Blaster ability in the Range Attack menu can turn it into
an AOE attack, allowing the Nightwretch to tag multiple
models at once.
Reaper (heavy warjack)

The Reaper approaches battle

not as a rampaging animal
but as a stalking predator
waiting for the precise moment
to strike. With a thunderous
boom and a rapid staccato of
its heavy chain, the Reapers
Harpoon lances through boilers
and gears, dragging its target
back to be torn apart.

Combo Strike allows Mechanithralls to deliver the pain in

exchange for one of their two attacks, and Pounce, a new
ability for WARMACHINE: Tactics, can help them advance
a bit farther up the board, put out damage against nearby
small-based troopers, and possibly deliver a few Knockdown
effects. At a mere two points each for 8 Health, they are only
matched by Cygnaran Stormsmith Stormcallers for pointcost-to-Health efficiency.

While the Slayer brings raw aggression to the battlefield,

the Reaper offers a certain cunning rarely seen in a warjack.
Its Harpoon not only launches a deadly barb to pierce
flesh and metal, it also drags its target back into range of
its Reach melee weapon, the Helldriver. This allows a Cryx
player to potentially reposition enemy units, and triggering
Drag with the Harpoon gives the Reaper a free melee attack.
Combined with Sustained Attack on the Helldriver, a melee
hit from its Harpoon can net a Reaper up to five attacks in a
normal activation.

Brute Thralls

Slayer (heavy warjack)

As the eerie green glow of its

unhallowed furnace pulses in
the twilight, the Slayer tramples
its way toward each fresh kill.
Rending steel, bone, and flesh
with equal ease, a Slayer tears
through its victims with a pair
of claws and twin tusks.

There are races physically

larger than humans in western
Immoren, such as trollkin and
ogrun, and Cryx does not ignore
their impressive carcasses when
creating weapons for its wars.
Striding through swarms of the
much smaller mechanithralls,
brute thralls bring their pistonpowered fists to bear, smashing
anything within reach.

Not only are Brute Thralls stronger and bigger, they also
can cause Terror with their Soulless Roar, cause Knockdown
with Grab and Slam, and break up Shield Wall formations
with Line Breaker. As medium-base units, however, they

31

also provide a bigger target and cant get into all the small
places their man-sized counterparts can access.
Skarlock Thrall

The skarlock thrall isnt just

another
mindless
undead
automaton. Instead of the
dull flicker of undeath most
thralls
possess,
skarlocks
are granted a higher degree
of intelligence. During the
creation of a skarlock, dense
rings of corrupt sigils are
carved into their desiccated
flesh. Skarlocks are among the
few thralls crafted that retain
memories, bits of lore they
picked up in life, and they are
even capable of creating and pursuing their own agendas.
During the creation process, a warcaster leaves arcane
echoes in their skarlocks, allowing them to cast some of
that warcasters spells.
Skarlock Thralls can ease a warcasters burden of fueling
spells with precious focus points, freeing the warcaster to
either horde focus to increase his or her ARM, fuel even
more spells, or bolster the warcasters warjacks. Skarlock
Thralls can also gain the souls of nearby living enemies and
pass them to their dark masters, furthering that warcasters
nefarious plans with great efficacy.

Iron Lich Overseer

Centuries ago, an invading force

known as the Orgoth took one
final, destructive stand at the
fortress city Drer Drakkerung
on the Cryxian island of
Garlghast. In the devastating
wake of that battle, Cryx came
upon several necromancers
and other persons of arcane
potency. Never prone to let a
resource go to waste, Cryxian
necrotechs fused these mental
and
physical
fragments
together to form a complete
mind. This process was far from elegant or perfect, and
thus the three minds often function in discordance with
one another. Freshly slain souls nearby can be drawn in
to temporarily alleviate their bickering and allow them to
function as a single entity. Overseers are undeniably mad,
but even madness can generate a spark of singular power.

Iron Lich Overseer is capable of granting Stealth to itself

and any warjacks in base-to-base contact with it, causing
Terror and inflicting 3 DAM to every enemy within two
squares, or firing a RNG 10 DAM 4 attack that, should it
deal the fatal blow to a living unit, gains the Overseer a soul
to convert into focus the following turn.
Bile Thrall

Distended corpses pumped full

of their own putrid payload,
bile thralls are among the most
horrifying of Cryxs creations.
Former men and women of
Immoren now doomed to
waddle across the field at their
masters bidding, expelling
viscous acids and poisons created for their corrosive
properties. Rare survivors of bile thrall attacks tend to go
weeks afterward without eating, and few ever wipe away
the memory of the stench and horror of the attack.
In addition to their corrosive spray attack, Bile Thralls have
a special ability called Bile Spill. This creates a 3 x 3 square
of rough terrain and causes Corrosion to anyone who enters
those squares. Moreover, Bile Thralls can serve a purpose
even in their destruction, triggering an ability called Purge.
A 3 x 3 square directly in front of the thrall covers any
units with bile, inflicting 3 DAM along with the Corrosion
continuous effect. Wretched Rain is also an ability not to
overlookit creates a 50% chance that anyone within a
large area these thralls create will suffer from Terror and
take a single point of damage.

Faction Feel

Cryx is unafraid to trade a few models for advantageous

positioning. Thralls arent terribly hardy or agile, and they
only have middling attack values, but a plethora of debuff
spells elevates them to powerhouses. Light warjacks are
important for delivering arc nodes into position to hamper
foes sufficiently to tip the scales in Cryxs favor, while Iron
Lich Overseers and Skarlocks add to the spell-superiority
flavor of the game. A canny Cryx player wont just run all
his units forward, hoping things will pan out (although that
can work too, as youll see below). Instead, hell keep the
more valuable units protected by waves of thralls he can
afford to lose due to their low point costs. Many of these
Cryxians are also quite opportunistic, stealing the souls
of fallen enemies to generate additional focus points the
following turn.

As Cryxs Jack Marshals, each Iron Lich Overseer has the

ability to grant a single focus point to any warjack under its
command. They are also armed with a trio of spellseach
32

Power Combos
Deneghra, Bile Thralls, and
Reapers

Between Crippling Grasp and Scourge, Deneghra can

mitigate the higher DEF of your opponents units by
allowing Bile Thralls to spray with impunity. Bile Spill
and Crippling Grasp can all but guarantee an enemy
unit wont get far, giving you the edge on charge ranges.
These DEF mitigation spells also do wonders for Reapers,
allowing them to reel in important targets and set them up
for destruction.

Sir, II think we need more guns.

Sample List
Warwitch Deneghra
Deathripper
Defiler
Bile Thrall
Brute Thrall x6
Mechanithrall x5
Skarlock Thrall

Sample List
Warwitch Deneghra
Deathripper
Reaper x2
Bile Thrall x5
Mechanithrall
Skarlock Thrall x2
Use the Deathripper to arc Scourge around the field;
otherwise, let the Skarlocks do the heavy lifting and have
them use Spell Slave to cast Crippling Grasp and Parasite.
Position the Bile Thralls and Mechanithralls to take the brunt
of the first wave of attackers, and wait for an opportunity to
knock down the enemy warcaster or a similarly important
target and drag it in. Deneghras feat can be used to either
blunt a retaliatory strike or further debilitate the enemys
defensive effects in preparation for the final blow.

The Skarlock and a pair of arc nodes keep the threat of

Crippling Grasp and Parasite active across the entire
battlefieldthere are simply too many targets for most
enemy armies to keep up with.
Skarlocks and Iron Lich
Overseers

Cryx can bring forth a greater variety of spell slingers than

anyone else in WARMACHINE: Tactics, so bring all of them
and show your arcane might! Skarlocks can replicate a
warcasters attack spells, and the Iron Lich Overseers Dark
Fire spell can snatch enemy souls away. Many Cryxian
warcasters can kill an enemy warcaster through spells
alone, and Skarlocks can bring even more spell attacks to
the game. Asphyxious himself excels at this with his DAM
6 spell Hellfire.

That Defender was happily blasting away at thrallsit was.

Theres more than one way to bring a lot of firepower

to the game.

Brute Thralls, Brute Thralls,

andBrute Thralls

While its true the game has a 16-unit cap, theres no

reason not to max that out! Thralls are cheap, plentiful, and
unholy wrecking machines. They arent the most skilled
combatants, but quantity has a quality all its own.

These models tend not to be very durable, so have a heavy

warjack lead the charge, or use the Bile Thralls Bile Spill to
slow the enemy down long enough for the rest of your army
to eliminate them.

Any Cryxian warcaster can be successful with enough

bodies, and an army like this can make the most of
Deneghras spell list.
33

warned, Corrosion may fade off the target before inflicting

any damage, so this is no guarantee. Forcing most of your
opponents units to suffer the condition does, however,
whittle them down with alarming speed.

Sample List
Iron Lich Asphyxious
Deathripper x2
Slayer
Iron Lich Overseer x4
Mechanithrall
Skarlock Thrall x4
Allow the jacks to take point while the Overseers use Cloak
of Darkness to keep themselves and the bonejacks safe from
ranged attacks. The Skarlocks should hang back and shy
away from any heavy ranged elements while Asphyxious
and the Skarlocks expose themselves only to concentrate
fire on a few targets at once.

No one makes it to your front line unscathed. No one.

Defilers and Bile Thralls

Corrosion is a continuous effect found almost exclusively

in Cryx. Corrosion is helpful, causing an automatic 2
damage points at the beginning of the next turnthough be

Using Bile Thralls to lay out Bile Spill and Wretched Rain
will slow enemies down and start eroding damage away.
While Wretched Rain only inflicts 1 damage point and
only triggers half the time, its important to remember that
this isnt simply 1 DAM. Wretched Rain avoids all ARM
mitigation. Even a warcaster with all his focus points will
still take the damage.

Sample List
Sturgis the Corrupted
Defiler x3
Bile Thrall x7
Skarlock Thrall x2
Take note: its important to understand that these models
do not have the raw strength to take down a heavy warjack
quickly. Instead, you need to focus on making sure a few
points of damage and Corrosion are put on nearly every
enemy model on most turns, and let Corrosion do the work
for you. Positioning is key hereyou will need to open
lanes and finish the game by assassination.

34

Tactics Campaign Guide

This guide will help you navigate the WARMACHINE:
Tactics single-player campaign called No Mans Land.
While there are many paths to victory and little is certain,
this guide is one way to complete these missions and assist
Jakes through her most troubling trial yet. You may find a
number of other ways to reach the same objectives. Vitals
gives you the bare minimum requirements to succeed,
and the Rewards section shows which skills Jakes and her
battlegroup can develop over time.

Tutorial

A new pair of Winter Guard will appear to the west of the

trenches. Fully loaded, Bandit can make short work of one,
and two Assaulting Trenchers should be capable of killing
the other. An Iron Fang Pikeman will be right behind the
last pair of Winter Guard, so either Bandit can charge in and
get his hands dirty or a boosted shot from Bandit along with
a Combined Range Attack from the Trenchers should take
him down. A trio of Man-O-War Shocktroopers appears to
the north after you have cleared out the other Khadorans,
but Commander Sturgis and his trusty Ironclad will arrive
to intervene, saving Jakes from having to worry about them.

Mission 1

Objective
Jakes needs to reunite with her Charger, Bandit, and
must repel the Khadoran forces.

Objective
Open the gates and eliminate the Khadoran guards to
access the town of Fisherbrook.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Bandit must survive

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Bandit must survive
Sturgis must survive

Jakes' Rewards
+1 MAT
WARMACHINE: Tactics opens with Lieutenant Allison Jakes
providing narrative, recounting to a Cygnaran tribunal her
final moments in the field with Commander Sturgis. This
sets off the action in a border skirmish outside of Corvis,
with Jakes and a few of her Trencher comrades separated
from Sturgis and Jakes Charger, Bandit. As the level begins,
the game gives you the option of having the first few rounds
explained in detail as a crash course in its controls. You can
choose to skip this guided tutorial.
As the Trenchers advance to deal with a pair of Winter
Guard attempting to destroy Bandit to the northeast of
Jakes, Jakes should take on the two Winter Guard to the
west. Move north and just a tad west and take a single
boosted hand cannon shot at the northernmost Winter
Guard. Then cast Energizer for 3 and move to the north and
east. The remaining Winter Guard should have caught up
to Jakes by now. Make a pair of fully boosted melee attack
rolls, killing the last Winter Guard.
Sprint up to your Trenchers to help
them with the next two Winter Guard.
Once Jakes and the Trenchers finish
the last two Winter Guard, move Jakes
next to Bandit and reactivate it with a
special action icon.

Jakes' Rewards
+1 Focus
The earlier skirmish opened the way into Fisherbrook,
a Cygnaran city that serves as a junction between the
Thornwood and vital coalmines. Now Jakes and Sturgis
have to breach its gates.
Commander Sturgis and Jakes need to break through
Khadoran forces barring entrance to the captive town of
Fisherbrook. Use Energizer and give Bandit a focus point
to run so you can move as fast as you can to the east,
reaching the upper platform. Sturgis needs Jakes to shut
down those bunkers, and the oil drums on the upper level
will do the trick. These
barrels should be your
first priority, as additional
Khadoran reinforcements
will continue to spill out to
confront Sturgis until they
are blown up.
There are two sets of barrels here that must be destroyed.
Sturgis and his Ironclad will take on the Khadorans on the
train tracks below, but they will be overwhelmed if Jakes isnt
quick enough. Once the first set of barrels has been destroyed,
a pair of Iron Fang Pikemen will appear to the northeast.
Casting Sidekick after the first set of barrels is destroyed will

35

help keep the Pikemen from hitting Jakes or Bandit too often.
Deal with them and the second set of barrels.
Sturgis tells you about the switch to open the door to the
north. Bandit can stand at the end rows of the upper deck
to provide supporting fire to Sturgis and his warjack. Target
the Iron Fang Pikemen first. Have Jakes head to the north,
keeping Bandit in her control area, and allocate focus to
have it fire on the Pikemen. You can safely drop Sidekick
after the Pikemen are dead.

vulnerable. Deal with the two new Winter Guard quickly,

because the two at the end of the street have heard your
ruckus and are even now moving to intercept.
Be cautious as you round the corner, because...

Jakes can open the gate if she is in

front of the controls, even if she runs.
Once the gate is opened and the
remaining Khadorans are eliminated,
Sturgis will congratulate Jakes on a
job well done.

Mission 2
Objective

Ambush!

Wind through the treacherous streets and discover the

reason underlying Fisherbrooks occupation.

Two pairs of Iron Fang Pikemen appear from within the

nearby buildings in an attempt to flank you. You may lose
a few brave Trenchers to these heartless Iron Fangs. Keep
advancing, though, allocating focus to both the Lancer and
Bandit as needed.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Bandit must survive
Lancer must survive

As you round the last corner, a surprise awaits: a

Juggernaut, commanded by a Greylord! Bandit pumping
boosted shots into the Juggernaut will take it out, and you
can leave the Greylord and the remaining troops to Jakes
and her Trenchers.

Bandit's Rewards
Prowler (When this unit is affected by cloud effects
or concealment, it gains Stealth.)

Lancer's Rewards
Energy Link (If this unit activates within 5 squares of
its controlling warcaster, it gains +1 movement.)
Youve now managed to sneak into Fisherbrook to take the
fight to the streets. A fully focus-loaded Bandit can deal
with one Winter Guard while the Lancer charges the middle
one and the three right Trenchers Combined Range Attack
the third.

The first unit to round the corner past this sandbag barricade
will spawn another two Winter Guard. Be mindful that
additional units will spawn as the level progresses, so
use a Trencher to recon ahead to set up attacks. Jakes will
also want to cast Sidekick on the Lancer to make it less

Bandit will receive the Prowler bond, granting it Stealth

whenever its affected by concealment. Handy! The Lancer
will gain Energy Link, which grants it +1 movement when
Jakes activates within 5 squares of it.

36

Mission 3
Objective
Defend the train escorting your forces out of
Fisherbrook, and find out what the Greylords are doing
here.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Rourke must survive
Lancer must survive
Bandit must survive

Jakes' Rewards
+1 DEF
Sturgis congratulates Jakes on her survival through the night,
but he fears for her safety. Dawn breaks at the Thornwood
station as Winter Guard advance on a nearby train.
Start by having Jakes cast Sidekick on the Lancer and have
it advance just past the barricades near the trains engine.
A Lancer affected by Sidekick can keep several Khadorans
occupied indefinitely, even though it may not kill them
very quickly.

This is the ideal place to lay down covering fire for the Gun
Mage. At their meeting, the Gun Mage quickly introduces
himself as Lieutenant Rourke. A Greylord flanked by two
Kommandos will appear near the bunker where Bandit
has hunkered down. Eliminating the Greylord is a priority.
Jakes and Rourke can take shots to help Bandit keep up
with the carnage. Dont let Rourke get too cocky, though.
He should rely on his Snipe and Phantom Hunter attacks.
Trenchers can assist the Lancer as the Winter Guard
numbers drop. The Lancer with Sidekick can slow down
any Khadorans from the south. Combined Ranged Attacks
do not work against units currently in melee, so setting up
Assault Charge attacks will work best to clean up the rest of
the Lancers targets.
Jakes, Sturgis, and Rourke board the train with their troops
and discover what turned Rourke into the most wanted
man in Fisherbrook.

Mission 4
Objective
Recover what forces you can and get them away from
the impact site to lead them farther into the mountains.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Rourke must survive
Lancer must survive
Bandit must survive

Jakes' Rewards

Let the Trenchers head toward the front of the train to take
on the Winter Guard with Combined Ranged Attacks. Jakes
and Bandit have another task to attend to.
Shortly after the initial volleys and activations, Assault
Kommandos emerge from the flames at the rear of the train.
Around this time, a Gun Mage appears from a building with
Assault Kommandos in pursuit! Jakes and Bandit should
head a bit west of the train to here:

Electrify ([Spell. Cost: 2, Range 6, AOE: -, Upkeep: Yes,

Offensive: No] If target friendly unit is hit by a melee
attack after the attack is resolved, the attacker is
pushed 13 squares away from the affected unit and
suffers 6 Electrical damage, then Electrify expires.)
Level 4 introduces a desperate situation: Kommander
Strakhov managed to get ahead of Jakes to set explosive
charges on the trains bridge. Jakes approaches Bandit just
in time to see a pair of Winter Guard approach. Bandit
takes priority, so Jakes should move to Bandit, turning to

37

face the Winter Guard and firing a hand cannon shot at a

Winter Guard after she activates Bandit. Bandit can take a
shot as well.
Once those two are dealt with, Bandit and Jakes need to
move quickly to catch up to the other Cygnarans who have
survived the crash. Jakes will pick up a pair of Stormblades
and reactivate her Lancer. Sturgis can be seen on the other
side of a gorge, fending off Strakhovs Juggernaut. Move
Bandit and Jakes up to the bridge where Rourke and the
Trenchers are battling the Winter Guard. Keep the Lancer
and Stormblades facing toward the back of the formation,
as once Strakhov has decided discretion is the better part of
valor, he will send in more of his Kommandos to keep you
from pursuing him.

Once up the hill, Sturgis confronts Orsus Zoktavir, the

Butcher of Khardov, in a bid to buy Jakes more time to escape.

Mission 5
Objective
Escape your pursuers and find asylum at the monastery
on the mountain.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Rourke must survive
Lancer must survive
Bandit must survive

Lancer's Rewards

Once the Winter Guard have been cleared, a Trencher

Sergeant sent off to find a way out of the crash site will flag
Jakes, revealing a path farther into the mountains and away
from the Khadorans.

Stubborn (When this warjack is brought below 25%

health, it gains +1 SPD, +1 MAT, +1 RAT, +1 DEF, and
+1ARM.)
The Khadorans are hot on Jakes heels. The good news is
that the Trencher Sergeant has discovered a Morrowan
monastery that can shelter them. The bad news, however,
is that the doors are locked, and the monastery is either
unwilling or unable to welcome you. The ever-prepared
Sergeant has some demolition charges left to blow the doors
open. The charges have a timer, so it takes 4 rounds for the
charges to blast open the door.

Sturgis moves to hold off the other flank of Khadoran forces

and orders Jakes to move up the mountain, taking as many
soldiers with her as she can. Move Jakes and her group up
the ramp to safety while firing at the Assault Kommandos
attempting to flank the Cygnarans.
In the meantime, the Khadorans are catching up. The
Trenchers should take advantage of the terrain and keep
boulders between themselves and the Khadorans, using
Combined Ranged Attacks where needed. Once again,
Sidekick on the Lancer and a full load of focus for Bandit is
the best way to keep them at bay until the doors open. The
blast range is within 2 squares of the doors, so dont be too
eager to get through.

38

Once past the first doors, youll find that

there is another entryway set with thick
stone doors. To make matters worse, some
clever Khadorans found a shortcut and are
now coming into the courtyard! The far
side of the wall has fallen into disrepair, though, so a few
more charges should do the trick.

Mission 6
Objectives
Rescue the Stormsmiths and move to meet Siege
Brisbane.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Rourke must survive
Lancer must survive
Bandit must survive
At least one Stormsmith must survive

Jakes' Rewards
Positive Charge ([Spell. Cost: 2, Range 6, AOE: -,
Upkeep: No, Offensive: No] Target friendly Faction
warjack gains +1 MAT and gains +2 damage on its
normal melee attacks. While within 3 squares of the
affected warjack, friendly Faction units gain +1 MAT
and gain +2 damage on normal melee attacks.)

At this point, you should engage enemy units on your

own terms and take what shots you can without becoming
engaged. The good news is that after a few waves of Assault
Kommandos, a few Iron Fang Pikemen, and a couple of
Winter Guard, Man-O-War Shocktroopers will follow up,
and their limited speed will help you cover your retreat past
the second wall. Once past the wall, a short bridge is all that
separates you from the monastery, and our loyal Trencher
Sergeant has a few charges left! Remember that it still take
4 rounds for the charges to go off, so set them a few rounds
ahead of your forces crossing the bridge.

Miraculously surviving the monasterys bombardment,

Jakes leads her crew through the mountain pass to meet up
with Major Marcus Siege Brisbanes forces. As they near
the rendezvous point, some poor Stormsmiths can be seen
pinned to the ground by Protectorate of Menoth soldiers.
You will have to move quickly to save their lives.

Once across, array your forces to give cover fire to those last
few stragglers.

Start by splitting your forces. The Lancer, Rourke, and the

Trenchers go right while the Stormblades, Jakes, and Bandit
go left. As always, Sidekick works well on the Lancer, and
Combined Ranged Attacks are the best way to take out
large chunks of a units HP.
Now that the bridge is blown, Strakhov feels it is too late
to pursue. The Butcher and his Destroyers, however, feel
differently.

You wont have a lot of time on your hands, though. As soon

as the Temple Flameguard are alerted to your presence,
they will send two of their number out to intercept you,
but the third will remain behind to finish the Stormsmiths
execution.

39

The best way to counter this is to

attack in an order that allows the
closest units to the third Temple
Flameguard to be freed from melee
by those who arent as far forward
in the field. You do not have to
save all three Stormsmiths, but it is
recommended you try to do so.
The Stormsmiths come under
your control once you defeat the
Temple Flameguard, but they
begin in knocked down status. At
least one of them must survive, so
they should not be put in harms
way if at all possible. Once a few
of the Stormsmiths are freed, the remaining Protectorate
forces begin to advance. Deal with Exemplar Cinerators all
at once. Try not to damage them until you can eliminate
them, because once you do, their threat range increases
dramatically. Also, eliminating the Vassal of Menoth is
helpful in stunting the Repenters potential damage output.

Mission 7
Objective

them off. There are only a few Protectorate units that add
to the battle each round, so utilize your attacks to make
certain they are removed. Bandit with 3 focus points and
the Trenchers Combined Range Attacking will help ensure
the few units that make it to your front lines are eliminated.
And the two Stormblades are adept at taking on the couple
of Temple Flameguards that come from the far side of the
walls to charge.

Beginning in round 9, Flameguard Cleansers will appear

and begin to burn down the wooden barricades. At this
point, its time to start withdrawing past the burned-out
husk of a building, taking on the two Flameguard Cleansers
and then a Revenger with a Vassal backing it up.
If you can, try to bait the Protectorate forces near the house,
as a Troll Axer is sleeping inside! As you round the corner,
you march into the mines above another Vassal, backed by
a Crusader and two each of Exemplar Errants and Temple
Flameguards. Just when things are looking grim as all these
religious fanatics close in, Major Brisbane appears with his
troops! Get your forces up the hill and let his Defenders
provide cover for your retreat.

Survive the Protectorate onslaught.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Rourke must survive
Lancer must survive
Bandit must survive

Bandit's Rewards
Prowler (When this unit is affected by cloud effects
or concealment, it gains Stealth.)

Jakes' Rewards
Acrobatics (This unit can advance through other
units and cannot be targeted by free strikes.)
Replaces Parry.
Having freed the Stormsmiths, Jakes has now alerted the
Protectorate army to her squads presence; their forces have
followed her to an abandoned mine, so she and her crew
must hold off a Protectorate offensive. At first, the barriers
you have been deployed to seem the best places to hole
up and defend yourself, but the bridge to Jakes right is a
deployment point for Protectorate troops. You have several
mining charges, left behind by whoever was here before.
These charges can inflict serious damage to
anyone nearby when they explode, so the key
is to bait troops in and fire on the charges,
then fire on the troops themselves to finish

Be mindful of the Orgoth totems left

behind. A nearby Greylord corpse hints
at why these profane markers were
exhumed. Move to this chokepoint
as quickly as you can, and prove that
greater numbers are not as meaningful
when battling in tight spaces. Soon, the
Protectorate forces will be vanquished,
and you and Brisbane can go stop the
Greylords from taking the Molicron!

40

Mission 8
Objective
Assault the Khadoran train to stop its progress.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Rourke must survive
Lancer must survive
Bandit must survive
Siege must survive

Jakes' Rewards
Ambidextrous Gunfighter (Jakes gains a second Hand
Cannon ranged weapon.)
Wall of Steel ([Spell. Cost: 2, Range: SELF, AOE: CTRL,
Upkeep: Yes, Offensive: No] While in this units
control area and adjacent to one or more units in
this units battlegroup, units in this units battlegroup
cannot be knocked down and gains +1 DEF.)

Once these are dealt with, the back car will open to reveal
the deadliest trap yet: A Man-O-War Kovnik marshaling
a pair of deadly Decimators! Take out the Kovnik first to
limit the Decimators offensive output. Again, Trenchers
Combined Ranged Attacking, Rourke using Critical Brutal
shot, Bandit boosting his attacks, and Jakes boosting her
Hand Cannons should finish them off. Siege has a pair of
Defenders on his side and should require minimal support.

Major Brisbane has a job for Jakes. Theres a Khadoran

train set to deliver troops and supplies, and it needs to be
derailed . . . permanently. Theres just a small trick to it.
The train cars are being guarded by a pair of
gun turrets. To make matters worse, theres an
even bigger turret at the front of the train!

The keys to countering these are range and defense. Use

Trencher Smoke Clouds and cast Sidekick to screen your
troops as they clear enemy infantry, and then hit the turrets.
By this point, you should be well versed in the Cygnaran
doctrine of war: Combined Ranged Attacks, Bandit using
two Boosted shots, and Sidekick on the Lancer to tie up a
flank you cant concentrate on. Major Brisbane hasnt left
you behind, though. His contingent is on the other side of
the train. There is no easy way to help him at this point, so
let him do his job while Jakes focuses on hers.

Mission 9
Objective
Destroy the Khadoran supply outpost so Jakes can
continue her quest for the Molicron.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Rourke must survive
Bandit must survive

Lancer's Rewards
Haste (This warjack can advance 1 additional square
and gains +1 DEF against ranged and magic attacks
for 1 round when using Energizer.)
Once the main turret is destroyed, the car with the smaller
turrets opens to reveal another pair of Assault Kommandos
and Man-O-War Shocktroopers each. Given that your units
are likely assembled in a firing line already, these should
present no real challenge.

Jakes' Rewards
Field Marshal [Sprint] (All warjacks in this
warcasters battlegroup gain Sprint). Replaces
Sprint.

41

Major Brisbane is hesitant to let a valuable resource such

as Jakes run loose following some Orgoth legend, but he
permits her to leave on the condition that she eliminate a
Khadoran supply post.

The plan is simple: bust in, blow the ammo dump, and
get out. The station is full of Khadorans, however, and a
Winter Guard patrol is just coming back. Youve swapped
your Lancer for an Ironclad by now, which will make a fine
target for Sidekick. Eliminate the Winter Guard and have
your trusty and eager Trencher Sergeant set up explosives
by the door. Unlike in the mountains, these charges will
detonate in only two rounds. Once the door has been
blasted open, several Khadorans are waiting. Tie them
up or eliminate them quickly so they will not reactivate
the Juggernauts standing by. Once inside, youll see more
Winter Guard coming from a path off the side of the map,
and youll find a pair of Troll Axers lingering outside the
other door. Your tenacious Trencher can blow the doors to
let them in. This is entirely optional, but feel free to add to
the chaos and occupy those Winter Guard by forcing them
to deal with the trolls.

With the supply post eliminated, and leaving the trolls to

their own devices, Siege allows Jakes to continue pursuing
the Molicronand to avenge Sturgis death.

Mission 10
Objective
Defend the Cygnaran outpost in the swamp and recruit
the Gun Mages on duty there.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Rourke must survive
Bandit must survive

Ironclad's Rewards
Bullish (This warjacks trample attacks gain critical
Knockdown.)
Before Jakes can go after the Molicron, shell need more
troops. Siege doesnt have any he can spare, but he knows
where more can be found. Out in the nearby swamps, Gun
Mages are even now holed up, fending off the occasional
Khadoran patrol.

As youre fighting your way up the hill, the door from

the loading dock lowers to reveal a Man-O-War Kovnik
marshaling a pair of Juggernauts, thankfully lacking their
trademark Ice Axes. Your Ironclad with Sidekick should
make quick work of the Juggernauts, and of course your
ranged elements should eliminate the Kovnik before
engaging the Juggernauts. As the warjacks are pounding
dents into each other, your troops need to plant more
charges at three storage depots. Once all three depots are
set to explode, get everyone out of the fortress and blow the
place sky high!

Jakes and her contingent approach this outpost just as the

Khadorans are making a push. A few Assault Kommandos
and Winter Guard are approaching the towers. Once youve
eliminated the enemy, the Gun Mages will speak to you.
Theyll be a bit surlyuntil they realize you mean to let
them leave.

42

The outpost is built so that no one side is blocked off.

For this level, the front is the facing the Khadorans are
assaulting at the beginning. The rear of the station has more
formal walls as well. Your initial deployment is to the front
and left of the fort.

Mission 11
Objective
Survive the ambush and pursue the Cryxian forces.

Vitals

As a bonus, the Gun Mages have an old, working Defender.

Get Jakes to start it up, pronto! Send a Stormblade, two
Trenchers, and Rourke to the back of the outpost, a couple
troops to the top of the barricades, and the rest of your units
to the front.

Jakes must survive

Rourke must survive
Bandit must survive

Jakes' Rewards
+1 Focus
Deep within the swamps, Jakes and her crew come to a
stop after realizing the natural sounds of the swamp have
vanished. Cryx is about to ambush your forces!

There will be increasingly intense waves of Khadorans

assaulting the outpost shortly after the Defender has been
reactivated. Jakes will have to either leave some of her
warjacks out of her control range or keep herself in the
center of the outpost. It may be tempting to abandon the
walls and barriers of the outpost, but dont! Rourke can
hide behind a wall and use Phantom Hunter to attack
without line of sight. Straying too far from the protection
of the outpost will not only separate you from The Gun
Mages in the tower but can also distance you from the other
Cygnarans who can help back you up.
The attacking Greylords will each be accompanied by a
marshaled warjack. A Juggernaut will assault the back of the
fort, and a Destroyer will attack the front. After the warjacks
appear with a few Winter Guard and Assault Kommandos,
some Assault Kommando Flame Throwers, followed by a
final wave consisting of a pair of Marauders, approach from
both the front and the rear of the outpost simultaneously.
Once the dust settles, the Gun Mages will gladly join you.

As the level begins, eight Mechanithralls are waiting in

the corners nearby. The order of the day here should be
shoot and scoot. Move your units up the path, but use
the preview information when advancing to ensure they
end up in good position to shoot. Once you reach two rocks
flanking the path at about the halfway point, a pair of Bile
Thralls will appear on either rock. Keep advancing while
firing as many shots as you can. As you approach the road
at the top of the map, an Iron Lich Overseer will burst from
the brush and retreat farther up the road.

Once your forces reach the road, you will need to outlast a
few more waves of undead monstrosities. Mechanithralls
will continue to enter from either side of the swamp. Your

43

Ironclad should take point on the road leading out the top
of the map. Prepare your forces to settle into this section of
road, as Cryx is far from done testing your mettle.
Mechanithralls, and later Brute Thralls, will appear from
all directions, so dont assume any direction is safe to turn
away from. A Skarlock Thrall will deploy with more thralls
at the top of the map to signal the last wave of the attack.

Taking a brief moment to catch their breaths, Jakes squad

knows its unlikely theyve seen the last of the Nightmare
Empires forces.
By this point you have seen Bile Thralls milling about.
These disgusting servants of Cryx will explode upon death,
causing caustic damage to anyone nearby. Make sure you
deal with them at range, even if Bandit has to refrain from
shooting something hardier in order to do so. Its wiser to
keep your units in top shape.

Mission 12
Objective
Destroy the Cryxian Necrotite rigs and eliminate the
undead.

Vitals

Keep moving as you destroy the rigs, not allowing yourself

to wander too far. An Iron Lich Overseer with a few
Deathrippers is nearby but wont attack Jakes until either
you get too close or destroy all three rigs.

Jakes must survive

Rourke must survive
Bandit must survive

Jakes' Rewards
+1 ARM
Following the trail of the Iron Lich Overseer has brought
Jakes to a harrowing discovery: a Necrotite mining
operation fueling a full Cryxian army. Jakes knows the only
way to deal with such a horror is to destroy the mining rigs.
The key concept is to maintain a relatively small footprint.
The Cryxian thralls will not be alerted to your presence
until you wander too close, so the notion of spreading out
to engage as much of the field as possible is not advisable.
Sometimes this means not every unit activates meaningfully.
That is okay here, as it is better for a Stormblade to hang
back a round than to run into combat with something and
thus invite more units to enter the fight.
The Necrotite rigs have ARM 4 and 25 HP each. An Ironclad
with a Stormblade will make quick work of a rig while
other elements of your squad eliminate the various thralls
surrounding the dig site. Moving slowly and methodically
is the best path to victory here.

44

Mission 13
Objective
Defend your hasty alliance against waves of Cryxian
soldiers.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Rourke must survive
Bandit must survive
Strakhov must survive

Finally, another Overseer will deploy at the southern edge

with a Reaper and a Slayer. Trenchers should Smoke Bomb
to prevent the Reaper from using its Drag ability, and the
Ironcladespecially if you cast Positive Chargecan make
short work of the Cryxian helljacks.

Defender's Rewards
Energy Link (This warjack gains +1 Movement for 1
round when it starts its activation within 5 squares
of its controlling warcaster.)
Jakes and Strakhovs forces are on the verge of battling
one another when Cryxian forces attack, surrounding both
forces. Their only hope at survival, Jakes quickly surmises,
is if they work together.
And it seems you and Strakhov can agree on at least one
thing: youd both like to live. Cryx is sending its forces
after both of you, and you need to outlast their seemingly
unending tide.

Mission 14

You will deploy blind to all other forces. Jakes will take two
sides of the Orgoth ruin with Strakhovs forces on the other
two. The easiest way to survive this assault is to actually
abandon the two edges you share with the Khadorans and
hunker down in the southeast corner.

Objectives
Escape Sturgis grasp and reunite with your allies.

Vitals
Jakes must survive

Jakes Rewards

Mechanithralls will attack, but they are easily dispatched.

Soon after, Bile Thralls will appear. Because of their Purge
ability, you should not engage them in melee if at all
possible.

Once the Bile Thralls are dispatched, an Iron Lich Overseer

with a pair of Defilers arrives. Combined Ranged Attacks
and boosted melee attacks from the Ironclad will make
short work of the Defilers, and you can dedicate Jakes
ranged attacks to taking out the Overseer.

Feat: Powerhouse (While in Jakes control area,

friend Faction units gain Immunity: Electricity.
Affected units melee weapons gain Reach and
Electro Leap. Powerhouse lasts for one round.
[When a unit is hit by a weapon with Electro Leap,
you can have lightning arc to the nearest unit within
4 squares of the unit hit, ignoring the attacking unit.
The unit the lightning arcs to suffers 3 electrical
damage.])
Blades: Jakes gains Sturgis Blade (left) and Sturgis
Blade (right).
Jakes has been separated from her troops, and a horrific
surprise reaches her before her battlegroup does. Sturgis is
alive! Well, still moving, anyway. He still has the key to the
Molicron, but he lacks the map. Fortunately for Jakes, she
doesnt have it; unfortunately for her, Sturgis believes he
can extract the memory of the map from her mindonce
she surrenders her life to him.

45

But Sturgis has a surprise for you. The Mechanithralls may

not actively search the swamps, but a pair of bonejacks is
rooting through to find you. Try to stay one step ahead of
them because you cant simply hide forever.
As you progress, it gets more difficult to end your turn in
the grass and remain undetected. It may be necessary to
eliminate thralls with ranged attacks and wait in the current
patch or to attack and then sprint back into the grasses
where Jakes began. In the end, there is no good cover. Jakes
needs to make a desperate dash for her friends.

This mission is all about evasion. Use the tall grasses in the
swamp to hide, as Sturgis will teleport to the rocks above.

Sturgis leaps from the rocks to engage Jakes. Things look

bad as he disarms her, and all seems lost until your faithful
Ironclad slams into Sturgis, breaking his staff and tossing
him from the battle to retreat for now. Jakes has lost her
Mechanika Blade and Parrying Dagger, but she can now
wield Sturgis blades as a pair of weapons. Theres no time
to rest, as you have only found a fraction of your troops, and
you need to unite the remaining forces to stand a chance
against this new threat.

Mission 15
Objectives
Free your compatriots and stop the Cryxian thrall
foundry.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Bandit must survive
One of the captured Trenchers must survive

Jakes Rewards
Mechanithralls are patrolling those grasses, and if they find
Jakes, they alert their new master to her presence. Thus, Jakes
will be caught by Sturgis if she ends a turn either outside the
tall grasses or with an alerted Mechanintrall in play.
This all sounds like pretty dire
news, but dont fret: Jakes has
a couple of things going for
her. Sprint allows her to move
away from a recent scene of
violence, and Energizer can
further help her move back
into the grassy shadows.
Mechanithralls occasionally
patrol and investigate nearby
patches of tall grass. Keep
moving from patch to patch,
eliminating Mechanithralls as
necessary. Jakes Cygnaran friends, along with Bandit and
your Ironclad, appear at one end of the swamp.

Lightning Storm ([Spell. Cost 3, Range 8, AOE 3,

Upkeep: No, Offensive: Yes.] Units hit take 3 damage.
The AOE remains in play for one round. Units
entering or ending their activations in the AOE
suffer 3 electrical Damage.)
Your compatriots are trapped, and its up to Jakes to rescue
them for certain doom!
Move up, eliminating as many thralls as you can. You need to
free the prisoners locked in the cage from that Brute Thrall!
Jakes notes there is a nearby Reanimator creating thralls as
well as a large Soul Chamber off to the side. These structures
are ARM 4 with 20 HP each, so theyre unlikely to be
destroyed by individual Gun Mage and Trencher shots; have
those units take on the Mechanithralls. Task the Charger with
firing boosted ranged attacks into the bonejacks and Iron
Lich Overseers. Once the Trenchers are rescued, they will
confirm Rourke is not among their number and that he had
abandoned them prior to their capture.

46

Mission 16
Objectives
Assault the Khadoran stronghold and drive Kommander
Strakhov from his command post.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Bandit must survive
Rourke must survive
Siege must survive

Ironclads Rewards
Distinguished (When this warjack kills an enemy
warjack it gains +1 SPD, +1 MAT, +1 RAT, +1 DEF, and
+1ARM for one round.)

Now that the Trenchers are free, its time to push ahead and
take out the Reanimator. This machine will produce one
new Mechanithrall each round until it is destroyed, so work
quickly! An Iron Lich Overseer watches over each of these
structures.

Kommander Strakhov has blocked your route into the

Orgoth structure, placing a variety of fearsome defenses.
March forward, conscious of your threat ranges. The
Charger and Defender are more than capable of taking out
the Assault Kommandos youll encounter early on. As you
approach the Khadoran battlements, youll find several
Winter Guard Infantry Rocketeers perched high in the
surrounding watchtowers.

Finally, its time to move on to the

Soul Chambers. The Overseers have
brought in a Slayer to join the fray.
Wall of Steel can help keep your
Ironclad in good shape for this final
fight. Jakes will mutter about the
content of Rourkes character as she
soldiers on and destroys the rest of
these profane contraptions.
These Rocketeers should be your priority targets, as their
AOE attacks can damage several units at once. After the
Rocketeers have been eliminated, take the right path up and
rely on your units superior range to kill the intervening
Winter Guard Infantry. Proceed to the bottom of the hill
and wait before continuing along the path to the wooden
ramp up to the next level. Bandit and the Defender can fire
on several of the Khadorans on the area above before the
enemy will move to engage you. Use this to your advantage
to cut down enemy units before continuing on.

47

Mission 17
Objective
Eliminate the Destroyers on the Orgoth battlements.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Siege must survive

Defenders Rewards
Sprint-Fire (This warjack may trigger Sprint if it
kills an enemy unit with a ranged attack during its
activation. [At the end of its activation, if a unit
with Sprint destroyed one or more enemy units
with melee attacks this activation it can make a full
advance.])

As you reach a pair of Iron Fang Pikemen, a few Trenchers

appear on the cliffs above to help you!

Jakes has made it to the top of the Orgoth parapets, and

shes hot on the trail of Kommander Strakhov. With Siege
below, its up to Jakes to take out the Destroyers above.

Stay close to the walls as you approach Strakhovs command

post. As you work on taking out two Destroyers at once,
Major Brisbane will come in from the uppermost level to
flank Strakhov!

Jakes is up against the clock to eliminate Strakhov and his

trio of terrifying warjacks. This means the Cygnarans need
to push forward and move up the board every round. This
will test all of your previously learned skills, especially since
Bandit and your other warjacks will not be at Jakes side.

Now your job is to give Siege some covering fire. He and his
Ironclad can take on Strakhovs Destroyers after you pump
them full of Cygnaran lead! Strakhov decides to fall back
before he gets too entangled and escapes into the Orgoth
compound. Clean up the remaining Khadorans and follow
him deeper into the ruins.
You will face small groups of Assault Kommandos, along
with an occasional Flame Thrower and Iron Fang Pikeman.
Youll fall back on the same techniques as before: ranged
attacks to soften up enemy units and Stormblades using
Assault or charging in to finish up. Jakes can go in herself
and potentially take out two foes each round, since she
wont be spending her focus points on warjacks, and can
use Sprint to keep up with her troops.
In addition, using ranged attacks from the rear to free up
units in the front will help maximize the value of each

48

soldier and allow you to gain more ground to take on the

Destroyers sooner.
Remember the power of the Gun Mages Thunderbolt
shots to push back or knock down targets. Rourke and the
other Gun Mages can use these to delay enemy offensives
as you push forward or knock down troops to deny them
a charge attack.
In either case, Jakes can ill afford to waste time. As you round
the first corner, the Orgoth torches lining the parapets flare
up in some arcane signalthe Khadorans must be closing
in on their goal.

After the third Destroyer goes down, its time to eliminate

Strakhov himself. Occultation will do a lot to keep him safe
from your ranged attacks, however, and hes likely to have
kept much of his focus to increase his ARM. Take him down
and get ready to breach the Orgoth inner sanctum!

Divide your forces to threaten each aisle, then converge

back onto the center platform and take on enemy units as
they approach. Take out the Assault Kommando Flame
Throwers first, as their Flamethrowers will explode in fiery
blasts when destroyed. As you reach the end of the platform,
youll find two three-man teams of Greylords conducting
their sinister arcane rites. Eliminate them and move on to
face the final Khadoran guardian.

Jakes hasnt forgotten what the Butcher did to her former

commanding officer, and now she aims to exact her revenge.
Her blood boils at the sight of him, and Bandit is caught up
in the emotional link they share. Rourke is nervous about
taking on the infamous Butcher of Khardov, but Jakes wont
hear of abandoning her vendetta.

Mission 18
Objective
Slaughter the Khadorans and take revenge for Sturgis
death.

Vitals

Once the Butcher is down to about half of his HP, however,

Rourkes urging overcomes Jakes desire for blood. You
descend into the inner depths of the Orgoth fortress to
confront the evil within.

Jakes must survive

Bandit must survive
Ironclad must survive
Youve finally forced your way into the Orgoth stronghold to
eliminate the remaining Khadorans and stop the Greylords
from completing their dark ritual. As you descend the stairs,
dedicate as many ranged attacks as possible to the formation
of Winter Guard Rocketeers on the center platform. The
stairs force you to split your squad, but dont wander too
far. You never know when a critical hit will leave you with
a few attacks to support the other side.

Mission 19
Objective
Confront your former mentor and eliminate the
Cryxian incursion into the Orgoth stronghold.

Vitals
Jakes must survive
Rourke must survive
Trencher Sergeant must survive
Cryx has corrupted the once-noble Dalin Sturgis, and it is
Jakes duty to put him downor die trying. He has a small
Cryxian force with him. The room has a large hole in the
center; use this to your advantage, as there are only a few
Cryxian units with ranged attacks.

49

Mission 20
Objective
Destroy the chain holding up the Orgoth structure and
bury the Molicron.

Vitals

Deploy Bandit and your Ironclad to either side of the map.

The mission is successful when Sturgis goes down, so wait
and see which side he takes. Take out the other Cryxian
units as soon as opportunities present themselves. Bile
Thralls in particular should be targeted before they draw
too close; they are packed in with several other Cryxians.
If Sturgis deploys on Bandits side, boosted shots from
Bandit, Stun Strike from the Stormguard, a Combined
Ranged Attack from the Trenchers, and Thunder Thrust
from the Stormblades are all excellent tools for bypassing
his higher than average DEF.

Jakes must survive

Bandit must survive
Trencher Sergeant must survive
Sturgis bid to kill Jakes has failed, and she now knows the
only way to thwart her former commander is to bury the
Orgoth structure and the Molicron with it.
This mission is on roughly the same map as Mission 19, but
instead of Sturgis and his battlegroup, a scattering of Brute
Thralls and Mechanithralls will start out on the map. Jakes
needs to blow the chains out from the walls to collapse the
structure. These chains have ARM 3 and 15 HP.

If instead Sturgis goes to the Ironclads side, use boosted

Quake Hammer attacks to trigger Critical Knockdown so
the Gun Mages can pour Phantom Hunter attacks into him.
Once he goes down, Sturgis intercepts Jakes attempt to
deliver the coup de grce, knocking her back and choking
her. Slamming her into the Orgoth artifact, he prepares to
deliver the final blow.

As you destroy the chains and eliminate the thralls, a few

Cygnarans left from earlier in the fight join you. More
significantly, thrall reinforcements will come out of the
ramps in the corners of the map.

50

In the end, Jakes knows to use the battlefield to her

advantage, and she maneuvers Sturgis into position for a
horrifying death. He falls, along with the Molicron, into the
abyss, eliminating both threats from the world.

These new thralls are a mix of Mechanithralls, Brute Thralls,

and Bile Thralls.
Every other round, more of Cryxs horrific creatures
emerge, so dont dawdle! At the end of the round in which
you destroy the third chain, Sturgis the Corrupted appears
to confront you directly, standing between you and the
final chain. Jakes has little choice but to destroy the horror
claiming to be the noble Cygnaran warcaster.

Perhaps.
Jakes tribunal comes to a close. The Cygnaran officials
confirm what Jakes already knew: her trials as a journeyman
are over, but her trials as a full-fledged warcaster have
only begun. Just as Jakes has bled and fought hard for her
country, so too have you earned your commission as a
warcaster in your own right by completing this campaign.

Shortly after this moment, Siege catches up and helps hold

the tide of thralls at bay, leaving you to deal with Sturgis
and the final chain.

CONGRATULATIONS!

51

Glossary
Abomination

Back Strike

Advance Deployment

Base Sizes

This character is terrifying. All unitsboth friendly and

enemywithin 3 squares of this unit have a 50% chance to
become Terrified for one round. This effect can be applied
only once per turn to any one unit the first time that unit is
within 3 squares of a unit with Abomination.
This character can be deployed up to 6 squares farther than
the standard deployment zone. The deployment for this
character occurs after all other deployment is completed.
Additional Damage

Certain abilities and effects, such as the Weapon Master ability,

cause an attack to inflict additional damage. Additional
damage increases the damage dealt by 24. Additional
damage stacks with other damage-increasing effects.
Aiming Bonus

When a unit forgoes its movement, it gains +2 RAT that

activation.
AOE (Area of Effect)

The area in squares that a weapon, spell, or ability can affect.

Some AOE attacks must be centered on a targeted enemy
while others affect the map itself and can be placed anywhere
within line of sight. When placing an effect directly, the center
of the AOE must be within range of the attack.
Arc Node

This unit is a channeler. A warcaster can cast spells through

a channeler in his battlegroup that is also within his control
area. The spellcaster is still the attacker, but the channeler
becomes the spells point of origin. The channeling warjack
must have line of sight to the target, and the range is
measured from its position. A channeler that is engaged by
an enemy unit cannot channel spells. A channeler can be the
target of a non-offensive spell it channels, but a spell with a
RNG of SELF cannot be channeled.
Attack Against a Target in
Melee

An attacker suffers -2 RAT when making a ranged attack

against a target engaged in melee combat. A spellcaster
casting a spell against a target in melee that they are engaged
with does not suffer this penalty.
Attack Arc

If an attacker is fully outside a targets attack arc, the attacker

gains +1 MAT, +1 RAT, and +1 MAG. When making a back
strike against a target with the Shield ability, the attacker
ignores the +1 ARM bonus granted by the Shield advantage.
Back strike also ignores bonuses from Shield Wall.
Any unit that occupies a 2x2 space must end its movement
on a 2x2 flat area unless the area is a ramp. Any unit that
occupies a 3x3 space must end its movement on a 3x3 flat
area unless the area is a ramp. Units cannot squeeze through
locations that are too small to accommodate their size.
Blast Damage

AOE attacks typically have a primary target. The attack is

made against this primary target. If the primary target is
hit, that target takes full damage from the attack, and all
other units in the AOE take damage equal to that but one
step lower on the damage chart. A direct hit from an AOE
attack may critically hit, but blast damage does not. When
the damage of an AOE attack is boosted, the blast damage
from the attack becomes POW 4.
Boosting Damage

Warcasters and warjacks can spend focus to boost damage

on an attack. Spending focus to boost damage increases the
damage dealt by 24. Certain abilities and buffs may also
boost the damage inflicted by a unit for the same effect.
Boosts do not stack.
Cloud Effects

Any unit that is in a cloud effect receives the +1 DEF

concealment bonus. Units trying to draw line of sight (LOS)
for an attack cannot draw LOS through a cloud effect.
Cloud effects are treated as having an infinite height and
block LOS as such.
Charging (Power Attack)

A warjack can spend focus to charge, moving directly

toward its target in a straight line up to its current SPD, plus
movement bonuses, plus an additional 3 squares. At the end
of this movement, the warjacks first attack has its damage
boosted. It can then make the rest of its initial attacks and
buy additional attacks.
Combined Melee Attack

All units have attack arcs extending from the left and
right of their own spaces and filling the 180-degree arc
in the direction they are facing. Certain units have a full
360-degree view of the battlefield and ignore attack arcs.

Units with Combined Melee Attack (CMA) may improve

their accuracy and damage by attacking in unison with
other units that also have Combined Melee Attack. During
its combat action, a unit with CMA can choose to make a

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Combined Melee Attack against another unit. This ends the

units activation and puts the unit in a waiting state, as
indicated by a line drawn to its target and how the game
shades the character. Subsequent friendly units that make
a Combined Melee Attack against the same target will
be added together with all other friendly units making a
Combined Melee Attack against the target. At any point
during the players turn, he or she can select any unit
within a CMA group to trigger the attack from all units in
that group. The chosen unit is the primary attacker, and the
attack will use that units MAT, the DAM of its weapon, and
all other relevant stats for the attack. This attack receives a
bonus +1 MAT and +2 to the damage of the attack, which
increases by an additional +1 MAT and +2 DAM for every
participant in the CMA, to a maximum base damage of 10.
Combined Ranged Attack

Units with Combined Ranged Attack (CRA) may improve

their accuracy and damage by unleashing their attacks in
a unified volley with other units that also have Combined
Ranged Attack. During its combat action, a unit with CRA
can choose to make a Combined Ranged Attack against
another unit. This ends the units activation and puts the
unit in a waiting state, as indicated by a line drawn to its
target and how the game shades the character. Subsequent
friendly units that make a Combined Ranged Attack against
the same target will be added together with all other
friendly units making a Combined Ranged Attack against
the target. At any point during the players turn, he or she
can select any unit within a CRA group to trigger the attack
from all units in that group. The chosen unit is the primary
attacker, and the attack will use that units RAT, the DAM of
its weapon, and all other relevant stats for the attack. This
attack receives a bonus +1 to RAT and +2 to the damage of
the attack, which increases by an additional +1 RAT and +2
DAM for every participant in the CMA, to a maximum base
damage of 10.
Concealment

Concealment confers +1 DEF against ranged attacks.

Concealment stacks with Cover. Set pieces that provide
concealment include shrubs and smoke.
Construct

A construct is not a living unit and never suffers the Terrified

effect. All warjacks have the Construct advantage.
Continuous Effect: Corrosion

Continuous Corrosion inflicts 2 DAM, ignoring all damage

mitigation, at the beginning of a round in which it does
not expire.
Continuous Effect: Fire

Continuous Fire inflicts 5 DAM at the beginning of a round

in which it does not expire. This damage is lowered by

damage mitigation. When calculating this damage against

a warcaster, that warcaster only receives bonus ARM from
focus left unspent during the previous round.
Cover

Cover confers +2 DEF against ranged attacks. Cover stacks

with Concealment. Set pieces that provide cover include
low walls, rubble, and wreckage.
Critical Hits

An attack that critically hits increases the damage dealt by

24. Other effects may apply.
Damage Mitigation

Certain abilities will provide damage mitigation. Damage

mitigation lowers the final damage inflicted by an attack by
a set damage mitigation value.
Deviation

When a ranged AOE attack misses, the center point of the

attack drifts up to 6 squares in a random direction. An attack
cannot deviate a greater number of squares than half the
distance between the attacker and the designated target. All
characters under the new position of the AOE suffer blast
damage from the effect.
Difficult Terrain

Difficult terrain requires double the normal amount of

movement to pass through. Difficult terrain includes
uneven rubble, thick foliage, and shallow streams, but is not
limited to these features. Some spells and abilities may also
create areas of difficult terrain.
Disruption

Disruption disables one of a warjacks focus slots for one

round. A warjack that has had any of its focus slots disrupted
cannot channel spells for the duration of the disruption.
Elevation

When a unit attempts to make a melee attack against an

enemy unit one elevation step higher than itself, the attack
is made without penalty. If a unit attempts to make a melee
attack against a unit two elevation steps higher than itself,
the range of its weapons is lowered by 1. Melee attacks
cannot be made against enemies three or more elevation
steps higher than the attacker.
When a unit attempts to make a ranged attack against an
enemy on a higher elevation, that targeted unit receives
+1DEF.
Engaged in Melee

A unit engaged in melee cannot make ranged attacks.

Eyeless Sight

A unit with Eyeless Sight ignores cloud effects when

determining line of sight (LOS). This unit ignores

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concealment and Stealth when making attacks.

Falling

Certain abilities can push units from their current locations,

in some instances leading to falls from height. If a unit falls
from a height of up to 2 elevations, no additional effects
occur. At an elevation difference of 3, the unit takes an
additional 24 damage and is knocked down. For each
additional elevation difference, the damage increases by
another 24. If the unit would fall to a space smaller than
its size, it continues to fall additional elevations down until
it lands in a space large enough to accommodate it. If a unit
falls into a space occupied by another unit, the other unit is
pushed until sufficient room is made. If the unit pushed is
smaller than the falling unit, it takes damage equal to that
inflicted on the falling unit due to the fall.
Fearless

This unit never suffers the Terrified effect. All warcasters

and warjacks have the Fearless advantage.
Free Strikes

When a unit moves out of an enemy units melee attack

arc, that unit can make a standard melee attack against
the retreating enemy. Free strike attacks receive +1 MAT
and deal additional damage. Free strikes are resolved
immediately once a unit moves out of an attacking units
melee range.
Gunfighter

This unit has a melee range of 1 square and can make ranged
attacks targeting units in its melee range.
Head-butt (Power Attack)

A warjack can spend focus to make a head-butt power attack

at the beginning of its activation. When making a head-butt
attack, a unit makes a melee attack against the target, and if
the attack hits, it inflicts 3 damage and the target is knocked
down. A warjack cannot make a head-butt attack against a
target larger than itself.

Magical Weapon

Attacks made by a weapon with the Magical Weapon

property are Magical attacks; however, these attacks are not
spells. Magical attacks can affect certain units in the game
that are immune to normal attacks.
Melee Range

Melee weapons, by default, have a range of 1 space. This

means they can attack to the front, sides, and at a diagonal
of the attackers attack arc. Some long melee weapons have
Reach, which increases their melee range to 2 spaces.
Obstructions

Obstructions completely block line of sight and movement.

Obstructions include buildings, large boulders, and trees.
Pathfinder

Units with Pathfinder can advance through rough terrain

without penalty and can charge and make slam and trample
power attacks across obstacles.
Push (Power Attack)

A warjack can spend focus to push an adjacent target. A

push attack automatically hits, and the target is pushed 1
square directly away from the warjack.
Range

The maximum distance in squares between an attacks point

of origin and its target.
Reach

Jack Marshal

This character can have up to two warjacks marshaled

under its control. Warjacks under the control of a Jack
Marshal can boost to hit, boost damage, buy an attack, run,
charge, or make a power attack once each round.
Knockdown

A unit affected by Knockdown is automatically hit when

targeted by melee attacks, loses any DEF bonus against
ranged attacks, cannot make free strikes, and has no back
arc. During the units activation, it must sacrifice either its
movement or action to stand up.
Line of Sight

make melee, ranged, and magic attacks. Units can draw LOS
to another unit if you can draw a line that is not blocked by
an obstruction from the center point of a square it occupies
to the center point of a square the other unit occupies. This
line cannot be drawn through other units that are the same
size or larger than the target. When checking LOS against
the height of an obstruction, use the units bounding box to
determine whether a line of sight line can be drawn over the
obstruction. Line of sight cannot be drawn through small
gaps in terrain or units.

Units must be able to draw line of sight (LOS) to a target to

Weapons with Reach can be used to make attacks from 1

additional square away in the attacking units melee range.
Shield

The Shield modifier gives a warjack a +1 bonus to ARM.

This bonus is circumvented if an attack made against the
unit receives the back strike bonus.
Slamming (Power Attack)

A warjack can spend focus to slam a target, moving directly

toward its target in a straight line up to its current SPD, plus
movement bonuses, plus an additional 3 squares. At the
end of this movement, the warjack makes a DAM 4 melee
attack against the target, and on a hit the target is pushed

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16 squares back and knocked down. If the slammed target

collides with a unit of equal or lesser size, that unit also
takes 4 damage and is knocked down. If the slammed target
collides with a unit of larger size or with an obstacle, the
slammed target takes 24 additional damage, immediately
stops, and is knocked down; however, the unit it collided
with is unaffected.
Spray Attacks

Spray attacks are ranged attacks that fire outward in a cone

from the attacking unit. Spray attacks have one of three
range designations6, 8, or 10that denote the range
of the end point of the spray. To make a spray attack, an
attacker must have a valid target within range. When a
spray attack is made, the cone effect is centered on the
target extending outward from the attackers location.
If the cone touches the center point of a square, any unit
occupying that square is also affected by the spray attack;
however, a separate attack roll is made for each targeted
unit. When a spray attack roll is boosted, only the accuracy
of the attack roll against the targeted unit is improved.
When a spray damage roll is boosted, only the damage
against the targeted unit is improved. Effects that modify
weapon range do not affect spray attacks. Spray attacks
ignore concealment, cover, Stealth, and intervening units.
Spray attack rolls made against units in melee do not suffer
the target in melee penalty.
Stationary

A stationary model cannot activate, is automatically hit by

melee attacks, loses any DEF bonus against ranged attacks,
and cannot make free strikes.
Steady

This unit cannot be knocked down.

Stealth

Ranged and magic attacks declared against a unit with

Stealth automatically miss when the point of origin of the
attack is greater than 5 squares away.
Terrified

A unit that is Terrified suffers -1 MAT, -1 RAT, and -1 MAG

for one round and does not gain a MAT bonus or deal
additional damage when making free strikes.
Terror

This unit is terrifying, causing enemy units in the melee

range of this unit or with this unit in their own melee range
to have a 50% chance of becoming Terrified for one round.
This effect can apply only once per turn to any one unit the
first time it enters into melee range of the unit with Terror.
Throw (Power Attack)

To make a throw power attack, an attacking warjack must

have at least one Open Fist. The warjack makes a melee

attack against the target using its MAT and, on a hit, selects
a location within 6 squares to throw the target. The throw
automatically deviates 13 squares in a random direction
from that chosen point. The thrown target then suffers 4
points of damage and is knocked down. If the target collides
with another unit of equal or lesser size, that unit also takes
4 points of damage and is knocked down. If the thrown
target collides with an obstacle or with a unit of larger
size, the thrown target immediately stops, takes additional
damage, and is knocked down, but the unit it collided with
is unaffected.
If the warjack making the throw has two Open Fists available,
it makes a melee attack against the target using its MAT+2,
and then either selects an unoccupied location or targets a
second unit. If an unoccupied location is chosen, the attack
is resolved as above. If a second unit is selected, the warjack
makes a melee attack against that second target. If the attack
hits, the thrown target travels directly at the second target.
If the attack misses, the thrown target deviates from its
point of origin. The throw then automatically deviates 13
squares in a random direction from the chosen point. The
thrown target suffers 4 points of damage and is knocked
down. If the target collides with a target of equal or lesser
size, that unit also suffers 4 points of damage and is knocked
down. If the thrown target collides with an obstacle or with
a unit of larger size, the thrown target immediately stops,
takes additional damage, and is knocked down; however,
the unit collided with is unaffected. A warjack can only
throw targets its own size or smaller.
Tough

When this unit is disabled, it has a 33% chance of healing

1 damage point. If it heals, it is no longer disabled and is
knocked down. A unit that is already knocked down cannot
trigger Tough.
Trampling (Power Attack)

A heavy warjack can spend focus to trample during its

movement activation. Trampling requires no target and
allows the warjack to move an additional 3 squares, though
the movement must be in a straight line. During a trample,
a warjack can move through small units, making a DAM 4
melee attack against each unit it moves through. These units
cannot make free strikes against the trampling warjack, but
if the warjack passes through the melee range of another
unit, that unit does make a free strike against it.
Undead

This unit is not a living unit and never suffers the Terrified
effect.
Weapon Master

A hit with a weapon with this quality deals 24 points of

additional damage.

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