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Forces of WARMACHINE: Khador Command
First printing: November 2016. Printed in China.
Hardcover: 978-1-943693-35-1 Softcover: 978-1-943693-34-4
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CONTENTS Foreword . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Military of the Khadoran Empire . . Theme Forces. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6 16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Warcasters of Khador . .
5
18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Warcaster Model Entries
Supreme Kommandant Irusk . Karchev the Terrible.
26
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Vladimir Tzepesci, the Dark Champion.
Koldun Kommander Aleksandra Zerkova .
38
Iron Fang Pikemen. .
Iron Fang Pikemen Officer & Standard .
52
Iron Fang Kovnik.
54
Manhunter .
56
. . .
58
. . . . . . . . . . .
60
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
62
64
Decimator.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
69
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
70
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
71
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Marauder. . Rager .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spriggan .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
War Dog .
102 103
.
105
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
106
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
107
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
108
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
113
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Widowmaker Marksman . Kovnik Andrei Malakov . Uhlan Kovnik Markov . Yuri the Axe.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
120 122 123
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
124
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
126
Painting Your Army . . Templates . .
116 118
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kayazy Assassin Underboss. .
Model Gallery . .
114
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kayazy Assassins .
111 112
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kayazy Eliminators . 68
Mad Dog. .
Iron Fang Uhlans .
101
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Greylord Forge Seer .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Juggernaut. .
100
50
Berserker .
Kodiak .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Great Bears of the Gallowswood.
Warjack Model Entries
Grolar .
99
Widowmaker Scouts .
Kommander Zoktavir, the
Devastator .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
48
. .
98
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
44
. . . . . . . .
Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov. Kommander Orsus Zoktavir. .
Unit & Solo Model Entries
40
. .
96
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34
42
92 94
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Black Dragon Officer & Standard.
. .
Vladimir Tzepesci, Great Prince of Umbrey . Obavnik Kommander Zerkova & Reaver Guard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Troops of Khador.
88 90
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kossite Woodsmen .
Vladimir Tzepesci, the Dark Prince. .
Destroyer.
Torch .
Conquest.
Black Dragons. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
86
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
32
. . .
. . . . . . . . .
Assault Kommander Strakhov & Kommandos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Demolisher.
Drago . Ruin .
30
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Warjacks of Khador. .
84
Battle Mechanik Officer .
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Forward Kommander Sorscha. .
Butcher Unleashed. .
82
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Battle Mechaniks. .
. . . .
The Old Witch of Khador & Scrapjack.
Kommander Oleg Strakhov.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Black Ivan .
28
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kommander Andrei Malakov.
22 24
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Lord Kozlov, Viscount of Scarsgrad. .
Kommander Sorscha.
. . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
80
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Behemoth.
Victor .
Kommander Harkevich, the Iron Wolf. . Kommandant Irusk. .
Beast 09.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
135
144
72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79
3
4
FOREWORD As brutal and enduring as their homeland of thick forests, towering mountains, and bone-chilling winters, Khadorans are known for their pragmatism in the face of hardship. Descended from the warriors of the ancient Khardic Empire, the men and women of Khador—the largest of the Iron Kingdoms—will stop at nothing to see the glory of their past revived. Khadoran soldiers personify the ideals of strength and resilience and are as varied as the many peoples who make up this land. From the professional ranks of Iron Fangs marching in perfect step behind shining shield walls to companies of patriotic Winter Guard who form the backbone of the empire’s armies to auxiliary troops such as the eagleeyed Widowmakers and lethal kayazy assassins, the warriors of the Khadoran Army provide their kommanders with the tools to dominate even the trickiest engagement. Alongside these brave soldiers march hulking warjacks that are, ton for ton, the strongest and most heavily armored of any force within the Iron Kingdoms. Equipped with simple yet brutally effective weapons that include explosive bombard cannons, armor-chewing rip saws, and ice-crusted frost axes, the warjacks of Khador can outlast and overpower any who stand in their path. Leading the unrelenting armies of Khador are its warcasters, patriots and heroes gifted with the ability to control warjacks through their arcane mastery. From the tactical genius of Supreme Kommandant Gurvaldt Irusk and the occult
mastery of Obavnik Kommander Aleksandra Zerkova to the raw, berserk rage of Kommander Orsus Zoktavir, the strength that Khador’s warcasters bring to the field is unsurpassed. When controlling the brutal warjacks of their homeland, they are a force no foe is eager to confront. Within its pages, Forces of WARMACHINE: Khador Command gives you an extensive look at the background of the Khadoran Empire and access to all of its fearsome warcasters and thundering warjacks, as well as a range of units and solos to support them on the battlefield. In addition, this volume introduces two new warcasters—Assault Kommander Strakhov and Kommander Andrei Malakov—and a new Man-O-War solo, the Greylord Forge Seer. Along with the wealth of information about specific models that can form the backbone of any Khador army, this book also includes the first new theme forces for Khador. The Jaws of the Wolf theme force brings Khador’s indomitable warjacks front and center, while Legion of Steel musters Khador’s hard-bitten Iron Fangs to allow you to overwhelm your opponents with disciplined ranks of shield and pike. As relentless as the harsh winters of the Motherland, the glorious army of Khador is ready to march at your command. Now is the time to mobilize your troops and crush all enemies beneath your iron might—for Empire and Empress!
5
THE MILITARY OF THE KHADORAN EMPIRE LOYALTY, STRENGTH & CONQUEST
The Khadoran people value strength, loyalty, and ingenuity above all else. To its enemies, Khador is the wolf at the gates, a warlike nation characterized by its vast armies of grimfaced patriots hardened by the endless winters and dedicated to the dream of empire. Supporting these fighting forces are the lower-class masses that spend their lives toiling in fields to feed the nation or expending their blood and labor in vast factories to keep the Motherland’s great warjacks lumbering toward victory. The rugged and hardy citizens of Khador are united in their faith in their empress, Ayn Vanar, and in her iron ambition. It is the Khadoran thirst for conquest coupled with mandatory military service and the esteem bestowed upon its soldiers that has enabled Khador to mobilize such a large and disciplined army. With ongoing efforts to modernize its military and optimize its industrial capacity, the Motherland represents one of the great powers of western Immoren. Khador’s victories in the wars of the recent past have galvanized the population in support of the empress and her policies, and these military successes have led to other tangible gains for the Motherland as well. The invasion of Llael brought vital new industrial resources, raw materials, and technological developments to Khador. Plundering the holdings of the Order of the Golden Crucible, once based in eastern Llael, provided the Motherland with stockpiles of alchemical substances and other useful weapons as well as the secrets of their creation. Even more importantly, seizing the mines of Rynyr yielded additional supplies of the vital materials necessary for the manufacture of blasting powder.
6
Nearly all of Llael’s industry, primarily in Laedry and the former capital of Merywyn, now serves to satisfy Khador’s ravenous military appetite. In appropriating these assets Khador has also deprived its longtime enemy, Cygnar, of its oldest ally. Many Khadorans now believe nothing can prevent their ultimate triumph.
The Empress
In Khador all power ultimately trickles down from the empress. Ayn Vanar’s powers are vast and all-encompassing, including but not limited to the ability to declare war, to write and approve laws, to have commands obeyed with the authority of law, to determine punishments for high crimes, to pardon those judged guilty by any court, and to raise and command the army and navy. Believing her to personify their nation, the people call her the pervichyi rodinovna, or “prime daughter,” of the Motherland. The empress is a shrewd and powerful politician with ambitions deeper than the Khardic Sea. Intent on expanding her empire, she created a new and formidable army trained for a singular purpose: the conquest of western Immoren. Convinced her destiny is to rule all the Iron Kingdoms, she will go to any length and use any means to realize her ambition. This army has already achieved great successes, having seized most of Llael’s former territories and for a time driven the Cygnarans out of the Thornwood Forest. Empress Ayn Vanar has solidified her esteem in the eyes of the people through careful displays of political acumen and
ROYAL COURT
MINISTRY OF THE GREAT VIZIER
EMPRESS AYN VANAR
prince consort
Great Prince Vladimir Tzepesci of Umbrey
great princes
Great Vizier Simonyev Blaustavya
Section One: Sovereign Office Section Two: Legislative Office Section Four: Sustenance Board Section Five: Commerce Board Section Six: War Acquisitions Board Section Seven: Prisons Office Section Eight: Census Office
Rulers of the other sixteen Volozkya
vassals and liegemen
section three
Includes Counts, Viscounts, Posadniks, and household officers
Intelligence Kommand Kommander Myrra Starov
Khadoran nobles regularly serve as military officers
high kommand Premier Mhikol Horscze Officer Emeritus Advisory Staff
1st Army Director Supreme Kommandant Ivon Krasnovich, Count
2nd Army Liaison Kommandant Sergei Marvor, Great Prince
greylords prikaz chancellery
greylords covenant High Obavnik Arbiter Vasily Dmitrilosk
3rd Army Director Supreme Kommandant Menshik Sergevich, Count
Obavnik Fedor Rachlavsky
Arcane Espionage, R&D
Internal Security
strategic warcaster allocation Supreme Kommandant Gurvaldt Irusk
1st army
2nd army
"The Anvil" Kommandant Mikhail Ivdanovich
1st division
Thornwood Border Kommandant Ilyevich
3rd army
"The Hammer" Supreme Kommandant Boris Makarov
2nd division
3rd division
Llaelese Interior Kommandant Klimovich
4th division
Northern Llael Kommandant Holcheski
Southern Llael Kommandant Marvor
khadoran navy
"The Forge" Kommandant Karl Szvette
5th division
Port Vladovar Fleet Admiral Jasek Donekev
6th division
Border Legions Kommandant Zhukovy
Training/Reserves Kommandant Antonovich
3RD DIVISION 2ND ARMY Includes the 4th Assault Legion, Supreme Kommandant Irusk's Advance Assault Force
6th kommand assault legions
8th kommand standing and support legions
9th kommand assault and standing legions Kommander
21st standing legion
23rd standing legion
Mixed Infantry
4th assault legion
Standard Infantry
Heavy Infantry
Kommander
22nd assault battalion
24th assault battalion
Iron Fangs
83rd iron fang pikeman kompany
Iron Fangs
90th iron fang pikeman kompany
27th assault battalion
28th assault battalion
Iron Fangs, Man-O-War
31st man-o-war kompany
Assault Kommandos, Man-O-War, Winter Guard
33rd man-o-war kompany
29th assault battalion
Iron Fangs, Man-O-War, Uhlans
12th iron fang uhlan kompany
Kovnik
15th iron fang uhlan kompany Kapitan
1st force
Iron Fang Uhlans, Man-O-War Drakhuns
2nd force
Iron Fang Uhlans, Man-O-War Drahkuns
3rd force
Iron Fang Uhlans
4th force
Iron Fang Uhlans
5th force
Iron Fang Uhlans
6th force
Iron Fang Uhlans Lieutenant
benevolence. She possesses a fearsome reputation not only for dealing harshly with nobles who abuse their people but also for tirelessly rooting out treachery. She deftly handles matters of religious differences in her vast nation. Though openly Morrowan, she pays considerable respect to the ranking visgoths of the Khadoran Temple of Menoth. Her inclusion of both religions is viewed favorably by many, and she is beloved by Menite and Morrowan faithful alike. This perception has been aided by her considerable acts of charity, through which she supports the efforts of both religions to tend to Khador’s poor and disenfranchised. Ayn Vanar’s most recent political maneuvering unified eastern and western Umbrey under the rule of Great Prince Vladimir Tzepesci. The Umbreans had long been viewed as rebellious, and the Tzepesci bloodline comprised the primary contenders for the throne. The empress’ declaration made Umbrey the largest and most powerful province, or volozk, in all of Khador, at the same time bringing to heel several fringe elements not fully aligned with the crown. The united volozk was made responsible for the defense of its own lands, pitting the hardy Umbreans against the impending threat of incursions by the Northern Crusade of the Protectorate of Menoth. This in turn freed much of Khador’s military to deal with threats elsewhere, including bolstering the defense of its southern border with Cygnar. The unification of Umbrey was followed by the announcement of the empress’ engagement to Great Prince Vladimir Tzepesci, the inheritor of the storied Tzepesci line and leader of the Umbrean people. This announcement promises to bring the two strongest royal lines in Khador together, with the hope that their heirs will be looked upon with equal adoration by both the Umbreans and the rest of Khador. The Tzepesci family has long been suspected of harboring aspirations to the throne, and with the engagement, this
SIMONYEV BLAUSTAVYA, GREAT VIZIER OF KHADOR The empress’ closest advisor and primary chancellor is Simonyev Blaustavya, Great Vizier of Khador. The great vizier holds the highest appointed office in Khador and is the only individual other than the empress who can make demands of the great princes. Charged with enacting the will of the empress, when bearing a royal writ he speaks with her authority and must be obeyed. Blaustavya helps run many aspects of the empire through the powerful and extensive Ministry of the Great Vizier, which is divided into eight sections and forms the bureaucratic hub of the capital. While this ministry has oversight over many aspects of governance, its most infamous division is Section Three, Khador’s Intelligence Kommand and secret police. The Greylord Covenant’s Prikaz Chancellery also answers to Blaustavya, putting him in charge of all Khadoran espionage.
8
THE MILITARY OF THE KHADORAN EMPIRE
threat should be put to rest. By conquering dissenting opinions within her realm, Vanar has prepared the empire for the conquests ahead.
Recent Conflicts Of all the wars Khador has waged, none have proved bloodier than those conducted against the kingdom of Cygnar to the south. Any peace between the two great military powers has been delicate at best, with each side waiting for the opportunity to strike a devastating blow against the other. The borders they share are pockmarked with countless battlefields both ancient and recent. With the undead multitudes of Cryx teeming throughout the Thornwood, Khador and Cygnar were forced into a brief alliance to stamp out the threat to their mutual security. As soon as the Cryxians were defeated, the brief alliance ended when Empress Vanar launched an offensive, taking advantage of Cygnar’s weakened state as it entered a second civil war. The clash between Khador and Cygnar extended for several months after Cygnar’s civil war ended with the crowning of King Julius Raelthorne. The internal conflict within Cygnar was over too quickly for Khador to properly exploit the chaos, and efforts in the Thornwood proved costly and inconclusive. When Julius Raelthorne sued for peace, the empress consented, acknowledging the need to rebuild reserves and strengthen Khador’s depleted treasury. A treaty was signed legitimizing Khador’s claim to occupied Llael unless a legitimate heir to the Llaelese throne rose to reclaim these ancestral lands. In return Khador agreed to quit the Thornwood, leaving the fetid swamp to the Cygnarans so that they might expend their own resources in its defense, thus eliminating a drain on the empire’s coffers and military might. Cygnar had entered into this agreement under false pretenses, however, having secreted away an heir to the Llaelese throne with the aim of using the stipulations of the treaty to oust Khador from Llael without a fight. The empress rightly refused to remove her soldiers from Llael; she saw the southerners’ ploy for what it was and would not fold to such dishonorable tactics. Cygnar responded by attacking the city of Riversmet and declaring war against the Motherland, thus sparking the escalating conflict currently spreading throughout western Immoren. While the ongoing war with Cygnar over the fate of Llael remains Khador’s primary concern, there is no shortage of other threats facing the empire. Fighting in Llael has not only brought Khador into conflict with the tattered remnants of the Llaelese Resistance, but also with the fanatical zealots of the Northern Crusade. While Khador supports both Menite and Morrowan faiths, the strict religious doctrine of the Protectorate of Menoth and its designs on Llael have left them at odds with Khador, making clashes between the Northern Crusade and the soldiers of the empire unavoidable.
The threats of the wild have likewise become a concern, as has always been the case with an empire as large as Khador that spans such remote regions. Trollkin kriels of the north have been stirred to action in response to the incursions of civilization into wilderness regions, and their assaults on frontiersmen have not gone unanswered. Though every Khadoran is a capable combatant, especially those living on the fringes of civilization, the military regularly dispatches Iron Fangs and Winter Guard to drive back the hordes of savage trollkin when they arise. Other villages have found themselves under attack by the dragonspawn and blighted Nyss that roam the wastes and forests in search of easy prey. While little is understood about the nature of these beasts, they too fall to the blasting pike and blunderbuss. These threats would be more than enough to dissuade a lesser people from claiming what is rightfully theirs, but the Khadorans’ resolve remains as hard and uncompromising as the lands they inhabit.
High Kommand
One of the strengths of the Khadoran military is the centralized leadership of the High Kommand, an influential council serving the empress by overseeing the armies of the Motherland. The High Kommand is made up of Khador’s ruling military elite led by Premier Mhikol Horscze, absolute commander of Khador’s military forces. Reporting to Horscze are three
supreme kommandants who have authority over each of Khador’s three great armies. The High Kommand also includes an advisory body open to all retired high-ranking officers. These estimable men and women draw upon decades of experience to analyze current engagements and evaluate possible strategies. In 607 AR, following Khador’s first attempt to take Northguard, the empress promoted Gurvaldt Irusk to supreme kommandant. While the other supreme kommandants continued to oversee logistics and planning for their armies, Irusk was given command in the field. Some members of the High Kommand argue that Irusk’s ability to countermand their orders critically compromises the High Kommand’s authority. Empress Vanar, however, maintains the High Kommand exists primarily to advise the sovereign and to formulate top-level strategies—not to lead soldiers fighting hundreds of miles away. The High Kommand is served by an extensive hive of clerks and supply workers who maintain vital military correspondence and an ever-increasing vault of military records. A high volume of information passes through the High Kommand on a daily basis, including a constant stream of incoming requests and outgoing orders. One of the most important tasks handled by this bureaucracy is the military payroll. Many Khadoran soldiers defer significant portions of their wages to their families, and the efficient administrative system allows the Motherland’s soldiers to feel confident their loved ones are being taken care of. THE MILITARY OF THE KHADORAN EMPIRE
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Armies of the Motherland
Khadoran forces are divided into three armies, each answering to the High Kommand and with a supreme kommandant dedicated to its direct oversight. With Supreme Kommandant Irusk’s presence in the field to make snap judgments as required by ongoing operations, this system has served to keep the Khadoran Army functioning smoothly and to prevent top-level miscommunications. The current Khadoran military doctrine was concisely described in Irusk’s definitive tome, On Conquest. This treatise on modern warfare, now required reading at military academies throughout the Iron Kingdoms, first established the current three-army system of Khador: the Anvil, Hammer, and Forge. Khador’s 1st Army corresponds to the Anvil; the 2nd Army to the Hammer; and the 3rd Army to the Forge. The Anvil is intended to establish hardened positions that are impossible to rout, while the Hammer strikes where it is needed and the Forge defends the Motherland and trains her capable soldiers. The Winter Guard serves as the backbone of the three armies. Redressing any shortcomings of conscripted soldiers are several highly specialized branches, including powerful heavy infantry, skilled cavalry, and sniper and reconnaissance forces.
The 1st Army: The Anvil The 1st Army, or the Anvil, is called upon for Khador’s protracted engagements, and its soldiers have been trained and conditioned for stamina. In theory, the 1st Army is intended to engage and tie up enemy forces across a large area until the 2nd Army, the Hammer, is ready to strike. The officers of the Anvil consider themselves to be Khador’s foremost experts on enduring sieges. In practice the Anvil is most often relied upon to hold conquered territories and to assimilate them into the empire. The 1st Army played a major role in the invasion of Llael and its subsequent subjugation, and many Llaelese cities are still garrisoned by its soldiers. Since Khadoran forces withdrew from the Thornwood, the bulk of the 1st Army has returned to Llael to safeguard vital holdings there, including industrial capacity harnessed for military production. Active resistance within Khadoran Llael has greatly diminished thanks to the efforts of the 1st Army, though recent renewed conflicts with Cygnar have put this region directly in harm’s way. Likewise, the Anvil has continually held its ground against the Protectorate forces amassing in the east where clashes between the 1st Army and the Northern Crusade have become routine. The 1st Army is nominally commanded by Supreme Kommandant Ivon Krasnovich of the High Kommand, but Kommandant Mikhail Ivdanovich, who controls the army
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from Merywyn, has operational command. Ivdanovich was credited by Supreme Kommandant Irusk as being instrumental in the swift and successful conquest of Llael, in large part due to his oversight of supply lines during the rapid invasion.
The 2nd Army: The Hammer The 2nd Army, known as the Hammer, specializes in delivering crushing offensives and therefore includes the largest number of assault legions, warjacks, and heavy infantry of the three armies. Where the 1st Army trains in surviving sieges, the 2nd Army is the best at conducting them against the enemy. During the invasion of Llael, the Hammer laid siege to Elsinberg, Laedry, and Redwall Fortress, and later Merywyn. The 2nd was also instrumental in Khador’s subsequent operations against both Cryx and Cygnar in the Thornwood, including the seizure of Northguard and the final assault on the Necrofactorium. With these victories, it currently reigns as the most esteemed of Khador’s armies, and most new recruits seeking action ask to be assigned to the Hammer. Although Supreme Kommandant Irusk was in direct command of all Khadoran forces during these engagements, he is most strongly associated with the 2nd Army—in particular, with the 4th Assault Legion of the 3rd Division. These handpicked officers and soldiers have fought under Irusk longer than any others and are among the Motherland’s most battle-hardened troops. The 2nd Army falls under the purview of Supreme Kommandant Boris Makarov, who was promoted to this position following the death of Alex Gorchakoff. Makarov had been the field commander of the 2nd under Gorchakoff since the invasion of Llael. He is a close ally and friend of Gurvaldt Irusk and was placed in charge of governing the former Llaelese capital, Merywyn. Due to his success in overseeing this city, Makarov remains in Llael, which has required accommodations with the High Kommand. In his stead Great Prince Sergei Marvor, kommandant of the 4th Division, has remained in Korsk to coordinate with the supreme kommandants of the 1st and 3rd Armies and the premier. The great prince was glad to stay in the capital to manage his political affairs while Makarov governs Merywyn. As is common with great princes serving in such posts, his leadership of the 4th Division is something of an honorary position. Actual field command of the 4th Division is shared between several capable subordinate officers when Irusk is not personally directing these forces. In the aftermath of Khador’s withdrawal from the Thornwood, the 2nd Army has undergone substantial reorganization and resupply. Having returned to full combat strength, the rank and file of the 2nd once more march to war, actively engaged against Cygnar’s armies in Llael, working alongside elements of the 1st Army.
The 3rd Army: The Forge The 3rd Army, or the Forge, is responsible for training and supply. It also maintains garrisons in Khador’s cities and oversees the five border legions that safeguard the Motherland’s vast perimeter. The Forge operates numerous military prisons, border crossings, and training grounds, in addition to governing the military city of Volningrad. By most measures, the Forge is less of a single cohesive fighting force than the other two armies. Along with the border legions, it comprises six distinct elements that have little contact with one another. The 3rd retains the dubious distinction of being the most far-flung army in the empire. Its soldiers operate as far northwest as Uldenfrost and as far south as Ravensgard—more than 600 miles apart. Garrisoning Khador’s interior seen as the easiest and least dangerous assignment in the army. Such postings bestow very little prestige yet are highly desired by those with strong ties to family, such as young fathers. Recent years, however, have seen many unexpected threats challenge the Khadoran interior, making the defense of cities both more vital and more dangerous than before. Among the most dreaded are the horrors of rampant dragonspawn, blighted Nyss, and ogrun that first emerged from the northern fringe of the empire starting in 606 AR. This periodic menace remains a problem in remote areas, and Khadoran intelligence has struggled to acquire useful information on this foe. Some of these hostile elements have reportedly moved on to other areas, fleeing into Rhul or beyond, but reports of such attacks persist, particularly in the northwest. Other internal threats include unrest among the trollkin kriels, particularly near the Scarsfell Forest in the northwest, and attacks in other remote regions led by enigmatic blackclads. It falls to the 3rd Army and its garrisons to stand ready to react to such unexpected and unconventional attacks. In addition to protecting Khador’s citizens, the 3rd Army must secure vital industries like logging and mining. The Forge benefits from the authority of Supreme Kommandant Menshik Sergevich at the High Kommand. Direct oversight falls to Great Prince Karl Szvette, who also administers the Druzhina. Kommandant Konstan Zhukovy commands the 5th Division, which includes all five border legions. The larger 6th Division, which oversees training and reserves, is commanded by Kommandant Grezko Antonovich. The most active soldiers in the 3rd Army serve in the border legions. The 1st Border Legion was once positioned along Khador’s border with Llael and has traditionally been headquartered at Ravensgard. Much of the 1st was sent south to occupy the Thornwood during Khador’s recent conflicts with Cygnar. Following Khador’s withdrawal from the Thornwood, the 1st Border Legion returned to Ravensgard. It now patrols the nearby border with Cygnar and is sometimes tasked with operations inside Llael.
The 5th Border Legion defends the western portion of Khador’s border with Cygnar as well as a portion of the Ordic border. This much-esteemed legion earned its initial fame during the First Thornwood War, stalwartly fighting Cygnar despite heavy losses. This fighting force never gave up the battle against Cygnar and barely restrains its hostility for the southerners even in times of peace. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Border Legions are considerably smaller and generally less distinguished than either the 1st or the 5th. The 2nd is charged with garrisoning Khador’s quiet border with Rhul. Though historically there has been little risk of death in combat for those who join the 2nd Border Legion, many in the army dread the service for the freezing cold and monotony of life in its far northern mountain posts. Recently this legion has had a greater share of battles against dragonspawn and other hazards. The 3rd Border Legion garrisons Khador’s northern interior. This legion has a dark legacy, as it is rumored to obey Zevanna Agha, the Old Witch of Khador. While never officially assigned to the Old Witch, the officers of the 3rd Border Legion grimly follow her orders when they are given. Though its activities were rarely discussed in past decades, the 3rd has come to greater prominence in recent years due to its efforts to battle inexplicable threats such as dragonspawn and blackclads plaguing Khadoran towns in many remote regions of the north. The presence of the 3rd, appearing unexpectedly and without warning, has become something of a bad omen, presaging ill fortune or imminent bloodshed. The 4th Border Legion watches the majority of Khador’s border with Ord and has endured the least hardship but also the least glory of these fighting forces. It is customary, however, for Khadoran forces in this region to conduct periodic strikes and raids against Ordic defenses to test for weakness, sometimes joined by young warcasters in need of field experience. Occasional Ordic reprisals combined with mercenary forces require this legion to remain on high alert and ready for action at any time.
Khadoran Navy
In recent years, no branch of the Khadoran military has suffered such defeat, or experienced such revitalization, as the Khadoran Navy. The navy has traditionally lacked the honor lavished upon the army by the Motherland’s citizens and rulers; indeed, throughout its history, this military branch has been underfunded as well as underappreciated. Nevertheless, the High Kommand is acutely aware of the strength at sea possessed by its southern rival, Cygnar, as well as the sizable and highly trained fleet of the neighboring nation of Ord. In 606 AR the relative weakness of the Khadoran Navy was made evident by a massive Cryxian attack that destroyed much of its fleet at Port Vladovar. Fleet Admiral Pahvel
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Nahimov took his own life shortly after this disgrace and was replaced by Jasek Donekev, the new fleet admiral. In the years since that disaster, Donekev has worked tirelessly to restore Khador’s naval might. His first battle was not at sea, but in the halls of bureaucracy, as he strived to get the funding necessary not only to replace ships lost during the attack, but also to modernize his forces with ironhulls and steam-sail hybrids. Donekev has worked hard to institute better discipline among enlisted sailors. In addition to raising standards, the fleet admiral has sought able bodies wherever he can find them. Several khardstadts have been emptied of prisoners to fill the crews of the fleet, and many of the conscripts have been surprised by the harsh discipline employed by the Khadoran Navy. Officers are also feeling the heat of Donekev’s attention. The fleet admiral has singled out the most aggressive kapitans for rapid rise through the ranks, while those who have lost their taste for war are forced to retire. Donekev intends to do nothing less than revolutionize the whole of the Khadoran Navy. His tireless efforts could not have come a moment too soon. With the growth of Khador’s colonies in Zu and other expeditions abroad, the Motherland has had to move quickly to protect the flow of goods and trade from the increasing predations of pirates and privateers. Never before has a strong naval presence been so necessary to the empire’s security.
Service Branches
The core of the Khadoran Army is composed of the soldiers of the Winter Guard supported by warcasters and their battlegroups of warjacks, specialist forces, and a wellmanaged logistical bureaucracy. Khador’s specialist forces include Assault Kommandos, Iron Fangs, Man-O-War, Widowmaker scout-snipers, the enigmatic Greylords, and various auxiliary forces.
Warcasters The Khadoran military has become more regimented by modern reforms, but enormous liberty is still afforded to those rare few who manifest the ability to mentally control warjacks. Such individuals, once identified, are extensively trained and rapidly advanced through the ranks. Empress Ayn Vanar and her predecessors have demonstrated a willingness to adapt to the needs of these men and women and even to indulge them. Preferential treatment includes virtual immunity to criminal prosecution and tremendous leeway when conducting missions against the enemy. Though warcasters are technically obligated to obey the dictates of the High Kommand, they tend to operate outside the ordinary chain of command, including being given operational control over the battlefields on which they confront foes of the Motherland.
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THE ARMIES OF THE GREAT PRINCES The great princes retain special liberties, including the right to raise and equip armies of liegemen for war. Though some nobles have voluntarily abandoned this privilege to concede their vassals to the sovereign and the High Kommand as officers in the Khadoran Army, others have preserved their martial traditions as a matter of familial pride. Many of those vassals who serve the armies of the Motherland for a time return to their ancestral lords, giving the small armies of the great princes a professionalism and discipline that belies their provincial origins. Most warcasters emerge from the ranks of the military, their innate talents revealed by the stress of combat. Others arise from prominent sorcerous lines or are discovered through the diligent recruiting efforts of the Greylords Covenant. Scholars in Khador insist certain family lines possess higher potential for this aptitude, and each manifestation of power is carefully documented and examined. The Greylords Covenant oversees the initial training of those not yet versed in arcane theory. Apprentice warcasters then undergo officer training at the Druzhina before being assigned to senior warcasters for mentoring. Upon the completion of this training, warcasters are promoted to the rank of kapitan in the Khadoran Army.
Winter Guard Comprising the majority of the Khadoran military by a substantial margin, the men and women of the Winter Guard provide the foundation for nearly every substantial combat force fielded by the empire. Service in the Winter Guard is a common denominator for Khadorans, as all conscripts enter the military as part of the Winter Guard unless they are accepted into a more elite military branch. Winter Guard soldiers are typically trained in the use of small arms and light artillery. Guardsmen who serve in Khador’s city garrisons receive additional training in urban combat and pacification.
Assault Kommandos The Assault Kommandos were instituted with the intention of giving Khador the edge against Cygnar in the trench warfare that bogged down the Motherland’s forces following the invasion of Llael in 604 AR. Cygnar had long enjoyed an advantage in this type of conflict because of its superbly trained trencher units, an imbalance that has been eliminated since the first Assault Kommandos took to the field. Only the hardiest new recruits ever make it into the ranks of the Kommandos. Heavily armed and armored, these troops augment their battle training with advanced alchemical weaponry. They advance on enemy trenches and fortifications
behind a wall of shields before opening fire with carbines and short-range grenade launchers that poison the air with choking gas. The Assault Kommandos are led by the warcaster Kommander Oleg Strakhov, a legend of the Llaelese War. Once the invasion of Llael had transitioned from war to occupation, Strakhov was assigned to help further modernize the Khadoran Army. His suggestions led to the formation of the Assault Kommandos, whom he would lead. Since then, Strakhov and his Kommandos have executed the High Kommand’s most dangerous missions, and they proved pivotal in the Khadoran victory at Northguard. Virtually all the armament carried by the Kommandos resulted from alchemical knowledge seized from the Order of the Golden Crucible in Llael. The strangle gas emitted by their grenades is alchemically refined to be heavier than air so that it will settle into trenches where it is not easily dispersed by wind, and their armor is treated to resist fire and acid.
Iron Fangs Serving as an elite cadre within the Khadoran military as well as being the most numerous heavy infantry soldiers in the army, the Iron Fangs are the inheritors of an ancient tradition of Khardic pikemen. With mechanical precision they flow as a single wall of steel bristling with devastating blasting pikes designed to fell warjacks on the battlefield. Their training allows them to virtually ignore the weight of their heavy
armor on the field, wearing it as if it were a second skin. A soldier accepted into this brotherhood swears a blood oath to his fellow soldiers, to his country, and to the art of war. From then on, an Iron Fang knows that he will be sent to the most intense fighting in every battle in which his kompany is included and that his shared duty will be to find the most dangerous enemies and destroy them—or die trying. Advancing ahead of Iron Fang formations are the uhlans, peerless horsemen steeped in the legendary traditions of their forebears. Many descend from the horselords of old, scions of Khador’s great and noble lines. Their lances bear blasting charges similar to those of the pikemen, lending even greater impact to their powerful charges.
Black Dragons The Black Dragons are distinguished Iron Fang veterans who have refused to retire from service despite advancing age. Their signature black-and-gold armor and dragonemblazoned heraldry stand apart from the crimson and steel of other Iron Fangs—a bold testament to their skill, ferocity, and perseverance.
Man-O-War Encased in mechanical armor that grants them the strength of steamjacks, the Man-O-War soldiers are Khador’s heaviest infantry. Lacking the resources to produce great numbers of warjack-quality cortexes, Khador prefers to build the
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heaviest warjacks possible. Instead of relying on the light warjacks fielded by rival powers, Khador turns its greatest resource—its people—into steam-powered engines of tireless destruction. Slow and ponderous yet able to weather the storm of battle, Man-O-War troops both hold battle lines and advance on the heaviest enemy positions. Despite the obvious strength and impenetrability granted by this armor, drawbacks do exist. The steam boiler integrated into the armor’s metal shell makes Man-O-War troops susceptible to heat stroke and exhaustion; worse, the occasional steam leak can cook a soldier alive. Yet Man-O-War soldiers never complain or ask for comfort; they are proud of their tradition and willingly embrace the risks in order to serve their country. Support mechaniks frequently travel alongside Man-O-War platoons to see to their armor, and so long as equipment is properly maintained, fatal accidents are rare.
Widowmakers Widowmakers form the elite scout-sniper division of the Khadoran military, which has embraced and elevated them to the status of national heroes. The standards to join this force are among the most stringent of all Khador’s specialist branches, and only those riflemen who demonstrate peerless skill are accepted. Because the Widowmakers are first and foremost a merit-based corps, membership is open to any who possess the requisite skills, whether peasant-born, rural hunter, or of noble blood. A Widowmaker’s primary role is to foment chaos among the enemy by neutralizing key officers. They frequently advance ahead of the main force, their arrival indicated by enemy officers abruptly falling dead even before the report of rifle fire can be heard. They also support withdrawals by ensuring their own wounded avoid capture. If a downed officer cannot be retrieved, Widowmakers accept the grim task of denying the enemy a living prisoner. In addition to their primary purpose as snipers, Widowmakers also serve as forward scouts and are skilled at making use of terrain to remain unseen as they gauge the enemy. Gathering military reconnaissance and preventing the enemy from doing the same gives them a value and utility well beyond the number of those they slay by rifle.
Irregulars Khadoran law requires all its citizens to serve in the military, even those who live at the farthest reaches of the empire. Because these rugged individualists and clannish people usually do not integrate well into the strict hierarchies of the military, the High Kommand allows them to encamp separately from the regular army and follow commanders promoted from within their own clans, tribes, or villages. Such “irregulars” are often drawn from the Kossite clans and other rural folk of the far north. Operating in tight bands, irregulars benefit from lifetimes of familiarity with their comrades. Given
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general orders from their superiors, they stage devastating ambushes before melting back into the forest. The most dangerous irregulars are the hunters and trappers who prowl the backwoods of Khador alone, pitting their skills against the savage denizens of the wild and sometimes taking work as bounty hunters. Irregulars may also serve alongside regular soldiers who are acting as scouts or advance forces. Their familiarity with the deep woods of the north allows them to navigate terrain otherwise impassable to normal foot soldiers. Senior Widowmakers are often given authority over irregulars attached to a given kompany or battalion, coordinating scouting efforts and perimeter patrols.
Greylords Covenant The Greylords Covenant is the premier occult order in service to the Motherland and is effectively the arcane branch of the Khadoran Army. Accomplished arcanists, patriots, and soldiers together make up one of the most formidable organizations in western Immoren. Individual Greylords are integrated into the army, usually in small teams, and serve alongside infantry officers, but their leader, the high obavnik arbiter, answers to Great Vizier Simonyev Blaustavya, not the High Kommand. Greylords are sometimes tasked with special assignments and secret priorities as an aspect of their occult expertise, which makes some officers uneasy. The order provides Khador with cortexes and complex mechanika, offers arcane expertise, supplies trained battle arcanists to the military, assists in the identification and training of warcasters, and sees to the internal security of the nation. Their varied roles and the tactical flexibility afforded by their arcane abilities make them highly valued specialists. Leaders among the order often have political influence beyond their rank, and the Greylords Covenant as an organization is both wealthy and well connected. Initiates enter the organization with the rank of uchenik. These neophytes come from a wide variety of backgrounds, their only commonality being an aptitude for the arcane. Ucheniks spend years as menial servants while learning the fundamentals of arcane theory and military history before promotion to rastovik. A rastovik is a junior member of the Greylords Covenant, roughly equivalent to a lieutenant in the regular army. After five years or more of faithful service, a Greylord may be promoted to the rank of magziev. A magziev holds a rank loosely equivalent to a kapitan and is considered fully qualified for all the regular tasks expected of a Greylord. Magzievs who make a career of military service are expected to attend the Druzhina and earn the right to join a ternion—a trio of arcanists specializing in the application of battle magic who train and fight together. Ternions are typically made up of two magzievs and a commanding koldun. When not on active military duty, a magziev
is expected to contribute to the Covenant in research, intelligence gathering, or cortex production. A magziev with an impeccable service record and solid connections with influential members of the Covenant may eventually be promoted to koldun. While virtually all kolduns have some military experience, many choose more prestigious postings later in life in which they supervise training, production, and research facilities. A koldun holds a rank roughly equivalent to a kovnik in the Khadoran Army. Those kolduns specifically recognized by the empress may have a lordship bestowed upon them. The rank of koldun lord brings honors and privileges loosely equivalent to knighthood and the equivalent rank of a kommander. Those granted lordships also receive token lands, minor titles, and possibly other honors. Obavniks are the penultimate leaders of the order. Although there is no fixed number of obavniks, there are rarely more than nine at any time. This rank is typically reserved for Greylords who command strongholds or chapter houses. An obavnik has a rank equivalent to a kommandant in the Khadoran Army. It is not uncommon for the High Kommand to consult with obavniks regarding occult issues affecting ongoing operations or future plans. Overseeing the Greylords Covenant is the high obavnik arbiter, who exercises absolute authority over the entire order from its central stronghold in Korsk, the Strikoya. The empress appoints the high obavnik arbiter under the advisement of the Prikaz Chancellery and the great vizier. Without fail, each obavnik promoted to the position is an arcanist of superior skill, acute military insight, and unquestionable patriotism. The rank carries with it the title of count. In practice the high obavnik arbiter enjoys authority only slightly less than that of a supreme kommandant and is essentially the great vizier’s expert counselor on matters involving mechanika and the arcane. The great vizier is also in regular contact with the head of the Prikaz Chancellery, a secretive Greylord office dedicated to internal security. Members of the Prikaz operate outside the normal chain of command. The Greylords Covenant maintains five great strongholds, the foremost being the Strikoya. Smaller strongholds exist in Khardov, Ohk, Rorschik, and Skirov. All of them are formidable fortresses, nearly impervious to attack or infiltration, and are home to workshops, laboratories, libraries, and living quarters for members of the Covenant. The Covenant also maintains lesser holdings, called chapter houses, in cities and towns with a significant Greylord presence. Under the reign of Empress Vanar, the Covenant has become an increasingly pervasive tool of the government. Highranking Greylords lead significant military efforts, including the governance of captured cities, the direction of mechanikal and arcane innovation, and the coordination of the nation’s internal security apparatus.
Doom Reavers The Khadoran commitment to victory at any cost is plainly evident in their use of the dreaded doom reavers. Commanded by arcanists of the Greylords Covenant, doom reavers are conscripted from the ranks of convicted criminals, most often soldiers found guilty of gross insubordination. The Greylords chain these men to the nightmarish fellblades, relic weapons once crafted by the Orgoth—a fate some argue is worse than death. The earliest known fellblades were unearthed among a cache of Orgoth artifacts that lay beneath the haunted city of Khardov. Saturated with dark magic, the swords are adorned with howling faces that shift eerily at the fringes of vision and seem to come alive when wielded. The first swordsmen unfortunate enough to pick up these powerful weapons descended into savage homicidal madness, spurred on by incomprehensible whispering in their minds. Even during sleep, the swordsmen heard foreign babbling that urged them to acts of bloodshed. These men lashed out with berserk abandon and doubled strength, killing anyone who crossed their path. Since then, the Greylords have studied fellblades and found ways to restrain the bloody impulses of those who wield them—at least off the battlefield. Set loose in war, doom reavers exhibit only minimal control and may strike down anyone, friend or foe, as their bloodlust grows. Inexplicably, some doom reavers can maintain their sense of self, while others are driven irrevocably mad. Even those who maintain their sanity, however, are forever changed. Such soldiers are typically confined to the outskirts of Khadoran camps, where their unnerving lunacy can disturb neither man nor beast. Their oversight is generally handled by Greylord attendants specialized in such work who can enforce obedience.
Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly Based out of the Rigevnya Complex in Korsk, the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly (KMA) has partnered with the Khadoran military since it was founded in 393 AR. The mechaniks, smiths, and engineers of this august organization are the undisputed mechanikal experts of the nation, responsible for designing, fabricating, and maintaining all Khadoran warjacks as well as Man-O-War armor. The brotherhood’s engineering philosophies inevitably trickle down to private industry; for example, Khadoran laborjack designs are largely inspired by the work of the KMA. The KMA wields considerable influence in Khador, in no small part because Great Vizier Blaustavya began his rise to power in Korsk as director of munitions at the Rigevnya Complex. The KMA has recently expanded its operations to create a sizable secondary foundry in Merywyn, and other occupied cities may eventually lend additional production capacity.
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KHADOR THEME FORCE
JAWS OF THE WOLF
The deployment of warjack-heavy forces to eliminate hard targets is a standard response to military threats. A common Khadoran tactic involves augmenting such forces with a contingent of scouts who venture ahead to ensure the slow and steady column of Khadoran steel reaches its target intact. Once engaged, the warjacks rely on overwhelming strength and raw firepower to batter the enemy into submission.
ARMY COMPOSITION An army made using this theme force can include only the following Khador models: • Khador warcasters
• Widowmaker models/units
• Non-character warjacks
• Yuri the Axe
• Behemoth
• Greylord Forge Seer solos
• Battle Mechanik models/units
• Manhunter solos
• Kossite models/units
• War Dog solos
• Kayazy models/units
SPECIAL RULES • For every full 25 points of warjacks in this army, you can add one command attachment or noncharacter solo to the army free of cost. • Battle Mechanik units in this army gain Reposition [3˝]. (At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [3˝] can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends.) • Enemy warrior models, warjacks, and warbeasts lose Advance Deployment
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KHADOR THEME FORCE
LEGION OF STEEL
The brotherhood of the Iron Fangs maintains traditions arising from ancient warriors who battled the beasts of the north armed only with spears and the indomitable courage all true Khadorans possess. Iron Fang assault forces are tasked with breaking enemy lines regardless of whether those lines are composed of towering warjacks or masses of infantry. Surrounding a hard center of warjacks, an Iron Fang legion marches in lockstep behind a wall of shields, supported by swift and brutal cavalry to protect their flanks.
ARMY COMPOSITION An army made using this theme force can include only the following Khador models: • Khador warcasters
• Battle Mechanik units
• Non-character warjacks
• War Dog solos
• Iron Fang models/units
SPECIAL RULES • For every full 20 points of Iron Fang models/units in this army, you can add one Iron Fang command attachment or small-based solo to the army free of cost. Free models do not count toward the total point value of Iron Fang models/units in the army when calculating this bonus. • The Great Bears and Iron Fang solos in this army gain Countercharge. (When an enemy model advances and ends its movement within 6˝ of a model with Countercharge and in its LOS, the model with Countercharge can immediately charge it. A model can use Countercharge only once per round and not while engaged.) • One small-based Iron Fang unit in the army gains Advance Move. (Before the start of the game but after both players have deployed, a model with Advance Move can make a full advance.)
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WARCASTERS OF KHADOR
Boasting the most formidable modern military in western Immoren, the Khadoran Empire is capable of simultaneous and sustained campaigns in multiple theaters, deploying both disciplined, loyal soldiers and an impressive arsenal of warjacks, artillery, and mystical might. Khador’s true strength is its people, and regardless of the other weapons at its disposal, the army’s greatest battlefield assets by far are its formidable warcasters. The Khadoran military places a high priority on preparing its warcasters for the challenges they will face. Each is a trained commanding officer capable of serving as a lynchpin in both offensive and defensive engagements. The prosperity and glory of the Motherland is contingent on the split-second decisions of these warcasters. They are relied upon to make the best call even when far removed from the High Kommand. Considerable expense has been invested to modernize the Khadoran military and to create an effective and systematic regimen of arcane training. Regardless, the warcasters of Khador are extremely varied; the previous military training and experience of these individuals shapes the evolution of their individual fighting styles and powers. Traditionally, Khador has struggled to compete with rival nations in their arcane and mechanikal innovations. The great inventions that led to the overthrow of the Orgoth came from other regions—from the alchemists of Llael, the arcanists of Cygnar. In the modern era, efforts to rectify this imbalance have fallen to a single group of its most ambitious and talented citizens.
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Arcane Traditions The preeminent arcane organization in Khador is the Greylords Covenant, a powerful group that serves as an arm of the state and which has unified all those gifted with magic in the empire. The very formation of the Greylords Covenant was an act of solidarity for the Motherland. While Khador had been esteemed for its engineering before the Occupation, having invented the first steam engine, southerners conspired to undermine the knowledge and expertise of the northern peoples during the Rebellion, leaving the nation of Khador with a distinct deficit. To redress this injustice, the crown sent loyal gifted citizens abroad to acquire lore and secrets from foreign organizations such as Cygnar’s Fraternal Order of Wizardry and Llael’s Order of the Golden Crucible. In brave acts of espionage, the first Greylords acquired vital intelligence, including the manufacturing techniques for steamjack cortexes and knowledge of alchemy, and by their efforts they helped modernize Khador’s military. In a very tangible fashion, the Greylords Covenant paved the way for the nation to reclaim its rightful place at the forefront of the Iron Kingdoms, and its current warcasters benefit directly from these efforts. Nations like Ord and Cygnar endure a bewildering array of cabals and organizations to which arcanists and alchemists belong, creating divided loyalties. Their governments compete with private businesses and organizations for talent, and their mechaniks and warcasters can betray them for a higher bidder at any time. Not so in Khador, where the
Greylords Covenant holds exclusive sway over arcane lore and techniques. Greylords have long served alongside and supported the Khadoran Army, and they have developed battlefield magic to bolster and advance military tactics. Magic utilized by the Greylords draws power from the harsh frozen landscape, with arcanists calling upon cold itself as a weapon. Spells that freeze adversaries in place, invoke cutting winds to injure or deflect incoming fire, and blanket allies in concealing fog and snow are well known to the Covenant. As part of its natural evolution, the Covenant became heavily involved in warcaster identification and instruction, and the magic employed by Khador’s warcasters reflects this.
Recruitment and Training The Greylords Covenant seeks out anyone among Khador’s populace with arcane gifts that can be put to proper use for the Motherland. The Covenant has various means to find such people, including interviews and tests as well as investigators checking into unusual supernatural manifestations. It is common for arcanists other than warcasters to first show signs of their ability in their early teens through spontaneous and involuntary acts of magic. Khadoran law demands such individuals be reported to the authorities and collected by the Greylords Covenant for proper training.
But the emergence of warcaster talent is especially capricious—their gift has been known to manifest later in life, well past the point at which most citizens have committed to a profession. While some rare family lines, such as the Umbrean Tzepescis, have been noted for powerful sorcerers and a few warcasters over the centuries, this is the exception rather than the rule. Greylords maintain genealogies of the gifted to try to anticipate such talents, but most warcasters arise unpredictably. The most likely place for warcaster talent to reveal itself is in life-or-death combat situations, especially in the proximity of warjacks. Because of this tendency, Khador’s policy of mandatory military service has helped in the discovery of many warcasters whose talents might have remained hidden in civilian life. Requiring military service also greatly facilitates the integration of new warcasters, as many have already been through military training and may also have direct combat experience. Once someone with the warcaster potential has been identified, instruction with the Greylords begins at once. Arcanists in training are referred to as ucheniks, or apprentices. They are sent to one of the Covenant’s chapter houses for an intensive but abbreviated regimen to learn the fundamental aspects of arcane manipulation. The studies undertaken by warcaster candidates are more narrow and selective than
WARCASTERS OF KHADOR
19
other gifted apprentices, focused mainly on battlefield magic. Once ucheniks have learned how to control their magic, they are sent to the Druzhina to become officer kadets and learn to control warjacks. Those who pass their initial tests earn the arcane rank of rastovik, loosely equivalent to southern journeymen. Such arcane ranks are a formality, being purely a gauge of arcane progress, and are separate from the authority associated with actual military rank. Most non-warcaster kadets who graduate from the Druzhina become lieutenants, but a warcaster is promoted to kovnik, in consideration of their greater responsibilities and authority. New rastovik kovniks undergo a probationary period during which their training is put to the test in the field. Each must perform a focused mission or series of connected missions involving a difficult objective with no direct oversight from higher-ranking officers. These missions may connect to a current conflict or, in times of peace, they may involve risky patrols along a contested border or in an untamed wilderness region. For example, the Ordic defenders along the Murata Hills have often been targeted as part of such combat trials. To accomplish their missions, the warcasters are provided with a battlegroup of warjacks and a complement of soldiers and support crew, but they must otherwise rely on their wits and powers. A warcaster’s performance is evaluated at the
20
WARCASTERS OF KHADOR
end of this mission. If successful, a warcaster is promoted to kommander and gains the arcane rank of magziev, signifying a fully qualified warcaster. One who fails to impress remains a kovnik and receives a cycle of corrective instruction and missions. Failure is not an option. It is possible, if rare, for a warcaster to arise from among the Greylords themselves, having been a skilled arcanist before the warcaster talent is discovered. Such individuals have a leg up in terms of arcane expertise but must learn to perform the other duties of warcasters. The High Kommand requires the Covenant to reveal such members and surrender them to general officer training. It is possible, if difficult, to uphold warcaster responsibilities while retaining higher ranks in the Covenant, but this requires a tricky juggling of priorities. While every warcaster technically retains a rank in the Covenant, the demands of Khador’s imperial mandate prevent most warcasters from pursuing the esoteric research, field studies, and political maneuvering required for advancement to Covenant leadership. Obavnik Kommander Aleksandra Zerkova is one of the few exceptions, someone who has managed to excel and advance within the organization without alienating the High Kommand. Some warcasters choose to pursue such advancement when old
age and infirmity forces retirement from active duty, though others prefer to join the High Kommand. Very few warcasters “retire” from the military in this way; most find a more noble end to their careers, dying in combat while earning glory for the Motherland.
Role within the Military Hierarchy Although burdened with responsibilities and expected to risk their lives fighting at the forefront of major engagements, warcasters also enjoy considerable autonomy and liberty. Even young warcasters are trusted with leading sizable armed forces and controlling numerous warjacks and large numbers of soldiers. Due to their nature as a force multiplier and the unique perspective they gain on unfolding battles by joining their minds with multiple warjacks, warcasters are given tactical command of an engagement even over senior ranking non-warcaster officers. Strategy is the purview of the kommandants, but tactics are a warcaster’s dominion. While warcasters are technically required to heed the High Kommand, in practice they operate outside the ordinary chain of command. Supreme Kommandant Gurvaldt Irusk, himself a warcaster, serves as an operational link between the High Kommand and most of Khador’s active warcasters, determining where each should be deployed. A number of these warcasters have earned special prominence through distinguished service, each having become a living legend among the rank-and-file. Empress Vanar has demonstrated a willingness to indulge the needs of these men and women so long as they are successful.
A dark example of the empress’ policy in this regard is Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov, whom many officers consider a reckless madman and who inspires fear even in his own soldiers. Despite this reputation he holds the honored rank of kommander and has been entrusted with missions requiring unflinching resolve. On several occasions Empress Vanar has directly tasked him with inflicting punishment on perceived traitors to the Motherland. Because of the empress’ support, warcasters enjoy virtual immunity to criminal prosecution as well as tremendous leeway in conducting their missions. To most of these warcasters, the military hierarchy and infrastructure exists first and foremost to facilitate reinforcements through its supply lines. As long as warjacks and soldiers arrive where and when they are needed, warcasters do not bother with many of the trivial tasks that occupy other officers. Adjutants are assigned to them to handle such matters and free them for their true purpose—seizing victory at all costs. Some warcasters remain outside the military structure, such as Great Prince Tzepesci and the crone Zevanna Agha. The former is a high-ranking noble in addition to being engaged to the empress, while the latter is an enigmatic figure out of myth and legend. These individuals are obeyed like ranked kommanders and are given similar liberties with the empire’s supply lines. Any who might feel disgruntled at these unconventional arrangements are wise to swallow their opinions. In one way or another every warcaster in the Khadoran Army serves the empress; so long as they have her favor, they are not to be questioned.
GREYLORDS COVENANT RANKS Warcasters who have received initial training and evaluation by the Greylords Covenant are afforded arcane ranks, which signify their aptitude and power as arcanists. Due to the wide scope of their responsibilities and the fact that warcasters are preferred on the battlefield, it is rare for these individuals to
UCHENIK
RASTOVIK
MAGZIEV
KOLDUN
rise above the rank of magziev, which conveys full capability and competence. Arcane ranks have no inherent authority outside the Covenant. A warcaster’s military rank is the real measure of their authority.
KOLDUN LORD OBAVNIK
HIGH OBAVNIK ARBITER
WARCASTERS OF KHADOR
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KOMMANDER HARKEVICH, THE IRON WOLF KHADOR WARCASTER
FOCUS: 6 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 7 7 6 14 16 8
HARKEVICH 1
HAND CANNON RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 12
MINISTER RNG POW P+S 1 7 14 DAMAGE:18 WJ +28
FA C
BASE:SMALL
HARKEVICH 1 FIELD MARSHAL [REPOSITION 3˝] – Warjacks in this model’s battlegroup gain Reposition [3˝]. (At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [3˝] can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends.) IRON SENTINEL – While B2B with a friendly Faction warjack, this model gains +2 DEF and ARM and cannot become knocked down.
MINISTER DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL STAGGER – Models hit by this attack lose their initial
attacks and cannot make power attacks or special attacks for one round.
FEAT: HOUR OF THE WOLF Kommander Harkevich, the Iron Wolf, advances alongside his warjacks as part of an indomitable pack. His will is so strong that nothing can stand in their way during the Hour of the Wolf. Neither enemy fire nor obstacles can slow him or his warjacks as they drive forward to deliver a perfectly coordinated final assault. While in Harkevich’s control range, models in his battlegroup gain +3 ARM. Models in his battlegroup beginning their activations in his control range can charge or make slam power attacks without spending focus. A model in Harkevich’s battlegroup that declares a charge or slam against an enemy model while in his control range can make a basic ranged attack before advancing. Hour of the Wolf lasts for one round.
SPELLS BOMBSHELL
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 3 10 3 13 – YES
On a critical hit, models hit are thrown d6˝ directly away from the attacker. Roll distance once for all models affected. Models thrown do not deviate. Move models farthest from the attacker first. Instead of suffering blast damage, models hit but not directly hit suffer a POW 10 damage roll. The POW of collateral damage is 10. BROADSIDE
3 SELF CTRL – – NO
Models in the spellcaster’s battlegroup currently in its control range can immediately make one basic ranged attack. Broadside can be cast only once per activation. JUMPSTART
1 SELF CTRL – – NO
Models in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that are currently in its control range stand up and are no longer stationary. Affected models can turn to face any direction. Models that were knocked down this turn are not affected by Jumpstart. MOBILITY
3 SELF CTRL – TURN NO
Models in the spellcaster’s battlegroup currently in its control range gain +2 SPD and Pathfinder for one turn.
Khador’s Iron Wolf has earned a reputation as a peerless master of heavy armor on the battlefield, a war hero beloved by his soldiers and respected even by the enemies of the Motherland. Where Izak Harkevich and his iron army marches, the enemy finds itself hounded, outmaneuvered, cornered, and eventually obliterated by overwhelming firepower. His men say his drills are bloodless battles and his battles are bloody drills—a tough compliment but one he has earned from a lifetime of military service. Harkevich has nothing but the highest expectations of his soldiers, who endure grueling training until they can fight seamlessly alongside his warjacks. Little arouses his wrath as much as Khadorans who do not love the Motherland enough to work hard and bring the best of their abilities to bear, whether they be farmers, merchants, or nobles. All citizens must shoulder their share of the burden to strengthen the Khadoran Empire. Due to his simple beginnings growing up in a farming family near Khardov, Harkevich would have led an ordinary career as a lifetime Winter Guardsman if not for his warcaster gift. He feels a closer affinity to the citizens he protects and to the enlisted fighters risking their lives on the front line than he does to the ranking officers to whom he reports. Harkevich believes being a warcaster does not elevate him above his soldiers but rather requires him to assume greater responsibility for their lives. Entering into officer and warcaster training at the Druzhina in Korsk, he demonstrated the exceptional capability of dividing his attention to simultaneously direct a half-dozen or more warjacks, a level of control ordinarily requiring years to attain. Ranking kommandants were eager to put his abilities to work in the field and sent him to fight alongside the border legions. During more than a decade of conflict, Kommander Harkevich honed his skills alongside the 1st, 4th, and 5th Border Legions, fighting countless skirmishes against both Ordic and Cygnaran forces. Through this extensive service, Harkevich had already established his reputation by the time the invasion of Llael began, when he helped seize the city of Elsinberg. The city was barely damaged during the battle that resulted in the surrender of its leaders and has since shown every sign of smoothly integrating into the Khadoran Empire, a fact Harkevich credits to the civil treatment of its people. Nothing would please him more than to see Llael become a productive arm of the Khadoran Empire, its citizens gladly serving the empress and its farmlands fertile with crops rather than churned into mud by soldiers’ boots. The Iron Wolf is also famous for his ability to move large numbers of warjacks at an unprecedented pace to strike where the enemy least expects. A master of logistics, he coordinates the delivery of coal and other supplies to facilitate his forced marches, and he shows willingness to march alongside his ’jacks day and night and to use any means at his disposal to reach his objective. His steely professionalism has earned him the commendation of Supreme Kommandant Gurvaldt Irusk, who has also acknowledged Harkevich’s significant contributions to Khadoran tactics. Harkevich, ever mindful of his soldiers’ lives, prefers to let his warjacks bear the greatest risk in battle. His approach is not to utilize warjacks to support his army, but rather the reverse. Harkevich employs his soldiers primarily to steer the enemy toward the guns of his ’jacks, to fix foes in place on ground of his choosing, and later to mop up the routed enemy after their morale is broken by the overwhelming force brought against them.
TACTICAL TIPS Bombshell – Incorporeal models are not thrown; they just suffer a damage roll. Iron Sentinel – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
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Jumpstart – Remember, a model cannot stand up during a turn in which it was knocked down.
23
KOMMANDANT IRUSK KHADOR WARCASTER
FOCUS: 7 IRUSK 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 6 15 15 10
SWORD CANNON RNG ROF AOE POW 10 1 — 13
ONSLAUGHT RNG POW P+S 1 6 12 DAMAGE:17 WJ +27
FA C
BASE:SMALL
IRUSK 1 ASSAULT BATTLE PLAN – This model can use one of the following plans at any time during its activation. A friendly Faction model/unit can be affected by only one plan each turn. • MARCH – RNG 5. Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit. If the model/unit is in range, it gains Pathfinder for one turn. • REVEILLE – Knocked down friendly Faction models in this model’s command range immediately stand up. Models that became knocked down this turn are not affected by Reveille. • SPECIAL ORDERS – RNG 5. Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit. If the model/unit is in range, it gains Reposition [3˝] for one turn. (At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [3˝] can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends.)
SWORD CANNON RELOAD [1] – This model can spend 1 focus point to
make one additional ranged attack with this weapon during its Combat Action.
ONSLAUGHT DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
TACTICAL TIPS FEAT: UNDYING LOYALTY Irusk’s reputation as a fearless and loyal kommandant has earned him the eternal respect and devotion of the entire Khadoran military. Troops will follow this national hero and esteemed military mind into battle without hesitation. His inspiring words bolster his forces with a courage that defies fear, injury, and even death. While in Irusk’s control range, friendly Faction warrior models gain +2 to attack rolls and Tough and cannot become knocked down. When a friendly Faction warrior model makes a Tough roll of 4, 5, or 6 while in Irusk’s control range, remove 1 damage point from that model. Undying Loyalty lasts for one round.
SPELLS AIRBURST
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 3 CTRL 4 8 – YES
Special Orders – Remember, if a model is part of a unit, its activation does not end until all models in its unit have completed their activations. Superiority – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown. Undying Loyalty – Remember, if a damage point is removed from a disabled model, that model is no longer disabled. Even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
Target any model in the spellcaster’s control range, ignoring LOS. When resolving Airburst, ignore cover, concealment, elevation, and Stealth . Models hit suffer a POW 8 blast damage roll. BATTLE LUST
3
6
–
–
TURN NO
Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit gains an additional die on melee damage rolls. Battle Lust lasts for one turn. GRIND
3 10 – 14 – YES
When a warjack is hit by Grind, it suffers 1 damage point to its first available Movement system box. INHOSPITABLE GROUND
3 SELF CTRL –
RND NO
While in the spellcaster’s control range, enemy models treat open terrain as rough terrain. Inhospitable Ground lasts for one round. IRON FLESH
2
6
–
–
UP NO
Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit gains +2 ARM and does not suffer blast damage. Models are not affected while out of formation. SUPERIORITY
2
6
–
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction warjack gains +2 SPD, MAT, and DEF and cannot become knocked down.
Kommandant Gurvaldt Irusk was born to wage war. As the chief military advisor to Empress Ayn Vanar XI, he is the foremost architect of the Khadoran wars of expansion. From battle magic to combined arms, Irusk mastered every aspect of the modern battlefield. His treatise on tactical warfare, Irusk on Conquest, is required reading at military academies throughout the Iron Kingdoms. His accomplishments have inspired a generation of Khadoran officers and made his name known throughout western Immoren. Irusk was born to a prominent military family and trained in the arts of warfare since birth. His mother died when he was young, leaving his father to raise him. The retired soldier imparted to his son his knowledge of battle, his martial skill, and his ruthless persistence. Irusk spent his childhood studying Khadoran military doctrine. He enlisted in the Winter Guard several years before he could be conscripted and was already an accomplished soldier when his superiors realized his arcane potential. He graduated from the Druzhina military academy with high marks and was recognized as a full warcaster soon thereafter. It was the start of a long and prestigious military career.
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Reveille – Remember, a model cannot stand up during a turn it was knocked down.
The invasion of Llael starting in the last weeks of 604 AR cemented Irusk’s reputation as one of the greatest military minds in history. He began the campaign with a series of lightning attacks in the heart of winter. Irusk’s attack on Laedry was the first real-world test of his experimental strategy of annihilation. Irusk flawlessly coordinated artillery, heavy infantry, and cavalry to unravel the city defenders. This devastatingly rapid siege and similarly successful strikes on Redwall Fortress and Elsinberg—all part of Irusk’s master plan—led to the collapse of the kingdom’s western defenses. The Khadoran invaders swept into central Llael and seized a large portion of the kingdom almost uncontested. This offensive is now considered a landmark in modern warfare. Attentive to a fault, Irusk is an unrelenting perfectionist whose stern demeanor carries an air of undeniable authority. He despises political machinations, yet he has the subtle pragmatism to cultivate friendships and alliances within the High Kommand and even with the kayazy merchant princes who control the purse strings of the empire. Irusk stands ready to redraw the old maps and lead his legions to boundless victory.
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SUPREME KOMMANDANT IRUSK KHADOR WARCASTER
The High Kommand has spoken of Gurvaldt Irusk as “the empire’s perfect officer,” and his accomplishments have impressed warriors of all creeds and nations. He exercises absolute control over his soldiers even in the chaos of battle. However, his promotion to supreme kommandant came on the heels of defeat, which served to strengthen his resolve to redeem himself in his sovereign’s eyes.
FOCUS: 7 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 6 15 15 10
IRUSK 2
HAND CANNON RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 12
ENDGAME RNG POW P+S 0.5 7 13 DAMAGE:17 WJ +27
FA C
BASE:SMALL
IRUSK 2 TACTICIAN [FACTION WARRIOR] – While in this model’s
command range, friendly Faction warrior models can ignore other friendly Faction warrior models when determining LOS. Friendly Faction warrior models can advance through other friendly Faction warrior models in this model’s command range if they have enough movement to move completely past them. TOTAL OBEDIENCE – While in this model’s command range, friendly living non-warcaster Faction warrior models gain Tough .
ENDGAME DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
FEAT: DESPERATE GROUND In his lifetime of innovating tactics on countless battlefields, Supreme Kommandant Irusk has learned how to wrest the initiative from his enemies and turn untenable ground into an advantage. He strikes at the crucial hour and raises the Khadoran standard as he leads his army through any obstacles to seize victory. Friendly Faction models currently in Irusk’s control range ignore cloud effects and forests when determining LOS and gain Pathfinder . Affected models currently knocked down immediately stand up unless they became knocked down this turn. Enemy models/units beginning their activations in Irusk’s control range suffer –3 SPD. Desperate Ground lasts for one round.
SPELLS AIRBURST
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 3 CTRL 4
8 – YES
Target any model in the spellcaster’s control range, ignoring LOS. When resolving Airburst, ignore cover, concealment, elevation, and Stealth . Models hit suffer a POW 8 blast damage roll. ARTIFICE OF DEVIATION
2
CTRL
5
–
UP
NO
Place a 5˝ AOE anywhere completely within the spellcaster’s control range. While in the AOE, friendly Faction models have cover. Enemy models treat the AOE as rough terrain. BATTLE LUST
3
6
–
–
TURN NO
Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit gains an additional die on melee damage rolls. Battle Lust lasts for one turn. ENERGIZER
2 SELF –
– – NO
Each model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that is currently in its control range can immediately advance up to 2˝. Energizer can be cast only once per activation. FIRE FOR EFFECT
3
6
–
–
UP
NO
Boost the attack and damage rolls of target friendly Faction model’s first ranged attack each activation. SOLID GROUND
2 SELF CTRL – UP NO
While in the spellcaster’s control range, friendly Faction models cannot become knocked down and do not suffer blast damage.
Irusk’s successes have never satisfied him; he remains critical of any plan and constantly seeks to perfect his approach to war. Yet even this habit of frank selfappraisal did not prepare him for the scathing words of his empress after his initial failure to capture Northguard in late 606 AR, during the Second Thornwood War. Her indictment shamed him more than any other setback in his lengthy military career. During a short leave at his neglected family home, he realized it was her accusation that he had wasted the lives of his soldiers that troubled him most. As an officer, he had come to measure lives as a resource, reducing his compatriots to abstract quantities of force and valuing them too little. Uncertain how best to reclaim his honor, Gurvaldt Irusk considered falling on his sword, an act still considered a brave death for a disgraced soldier. He found a well-worn cavalry saber among the neglected relics of his father’s military career, and it brought to mind forgotten lessons from his gruff sire. A summons from the empress stayed Irusk’s hand, but when he appeared before her, the last thing he expected was that she would promote him to the rank of supreme kommandant. All through the ceremony, her eyes bored into his with a message that required no words. His promotion was a challenge, and the empress would accept nothing less than total victory. Before his march back to Ravensgard, Irusk took up his father’s old saber, Endgame, and had the mechaniks at the Rigevnya Complex set the fine blade into a worthy mechanikal housing. Irusk wields this weapon as a reminder of his family honor and his promise to deliver victory to his empress. On his return, he gathered his soldiers to a spot where he stood illuminated atop the inner ramparts and told them of the battle to come. The ringing tones of his voice echoed from the sky and quickened the blood in the veins of every listener. A ripple of revitalized enthusiasm spread through the army like a shock wave. When Irusk marched on Northguard for the second time, he did so with the finest force ever assembled by the Khadoran Empire. He led this army with the meticulousness of an artisan. In a single day the greatest Cygnaran fortress in the north fell, and with it, the Thornwood. Irusk personally raised the Khadoran flag in Northguard, an act that sealed his reputation as the greatest military commander alive. This event stands as one of the high points of his career, one still untarnished by certain unavoidable setbacks in subsequent forays into the Thornwood. During battle, Irusk coordinates the assets in his forces to move with absolute precision, like thousands of interlocking gears. He has demonstrated time and again his ability to think one step ahead of his foes and to make unconventional and unexpected decisions that place his soldiers in a position of strength. By his commands, even the worst terrain becomes an advantage. Nonetheless, he must persevere in honing his skills for the wars ahead, since he can never rest until all enemies of the empire lie broken and submit to the empress.
TACTICAL TIPS Solid Ground – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown. Tactician – Remember, a model is within its own command range. Total Obedience – Remember, a model is within its own command range.
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27
KARCHEV THE TERRIBLE KHADOR GREYLORD WARCASTER FOCUS: 6 KARCHEV 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 7 5 12 19 8
FISSURE RNG ROF AOE POW SP 10 1 — 12
R
OPEN FIST RNG POW P+S 1 3 15
L
SUNDER RNG POW P+S 2 7 19
R
MAN IN THE MACHINE – Karchev is a living model
but is neither a warjack nor a warrior model. He has a damage grid and suffers damage like a warjack. Karchev can make slam, trample, and throw power attacks without spending focus but cannot make throw power attacks while his Open Fist is crippled. Effects modifying the amount of damage to or the manner in which damage is applied to a warjack also apply to him. Karchev cannot spend focus points to remove damage. REPAIRABLE – This model can be targeted with Repair special actions as if it were a construct model. UNYIELDING – While engaging an enemy model, this model gains +2 ARM.
FISSURE DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL KNOCKDOWN – When a model is hit by an attack
DAMAGE
with this weapon, it becomes knocked down.
L
L M R
R
L M M R
WJ +30
FA C
BASE:LARGE
KARCHEV 1 ARCANTRIK TURBINE – At the start of this model’s
activation, it can spend 1 focus point to gain +2˝ movement when advancing as part of its Normal Movement and Pathfinder for one turn.
OPEN FIST OPEN FIST
SUNDER DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
FEAT: UNEARTHLY RAGE Karchev was preserved to serve the Motherland, and his seething rage at its enemies has only grown over the decades. He can tap into this anger to guide his warjacks as a singular mechanical maelstrom of unrestrained destruction. Karchev gains boosted melee attack and melee damage rolls, and his melee weapons gain Damage Type: Magical . While in Karchev’s control range, warjacks in his battlegroup gain boosted melee attack and melee damage rolls and their melee weapons gain Damage Type: Magical . Unearthly Rage lasts for one turn.
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF
BATTLE-CHARGED 2 SELF CTRL –
UP NO
While in the spellcaster’s control range, models in its battlegroup gain Countercharge. (When an enemy model advances and ends its movement within 6˝ of a model with Countercharge and in its LOS, the model with Countercharge can immediately charge it. A model can use Countercharge only once per round and while not engaged.) ERUPTION
3 8 3 14 RND YES
Models hit suffer a POW 14 fire damage roll . This spell’s AOE is a cloud effect and hazard that remains in play for one round. Models entering or ending their activations in the AOE suffer an unboostable POW 14 fire damage roll . GROUND ZERO
3 SELF 5 13 – NO
Center a 5˝ AOE on the spellcaster. Each other model in the AOE is hit and suffers a POW 13 damage roll. Immediately after this damage is resolved each enemy model damaged by Ground Zero is pushed d6˝ directly away from the spellcaster in the order you choose. JUMPSTART
1 SELF CTRL –
– NO
Models in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that are currently in its control range stand up and are no longer stationary. Affected models can turn to face any direction. Models that were knocked down this turn are not affected by Jumpstart. ROAD TO WAR
3
SELF CTRL
–
UP
NO
When a friendly Faction model in the spellcaster’s control range destroys one or more enemy models with a melee or ranged attack during its activation, immediately after the attack is resolved one warjack in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that is in its control range can advance up to 3˝. A warjack can advance as a result of Road to War only once per turn.
For over a century, Kommander Alexander Karchev has been crushing the enemies of his beloved nation. After enduring the worst horrors of war, Karchev chose a tortured existence encased within the shell of a warjack rather than accept the peace of death. His sheer brutality and astounding control over warjacks make him among the most feared of Khadoran warcasters.
fight again. A decade later, he was presented with an iron monstrosity built around a modified Berserker chassis that combined the life-sustaining machinery he needed with the shell of a warjack. This new body gave Karchev the mobility for which he longed. Over his long years of service, he has taken to the field in numerous mechanikal forms.
Karchev was already a respected Greylord magziev and decorated warcaster of forty-two winters when the Thornwood War broke out in 511 AR, and he led a large battlegroup on the west flank during the Battle of the Tongue. On the heels of the retreating Cygnarans, he pushed into an ambush that decimated his forces. Although he was gravely wounded, he knew he could not wait for the arrival of reinforcements. He instead drove forward to assault the enemy warcaster, Colonel Drake Cathmore. Karchev slew his foe in the ensuing duel, but at a terrible cost to his own body.
The High Kommand views Karchev as a national treasure— a brilliant arcanist and officer with more than a century of battlefield experience. The High Kommand listens when Kommander Karchev speaks. Indeed, Supreme Kommandant Irusk personally chose the kommander to accompany him in the final assault on the Cygnaran fortress of Northguard, where Karchev cut down General Hagan Cathmore, a descendant of Drake Cathmore.
Despite his horrific wounds Karchev refused to die, clinging tenaciously to life even as he lay helpless on the field of battle. Eventually he was discovered and returned to the Motherland, where his body was mechanikally sustained. Though he survived, his shattered limbs could not be saved. Others in this position would have faded into obscurity, but this highly decorated war hero confronted the High Kommand and demanded a machine body be built to let him
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SPELLS
Despite the agony inflicted by the very machines keeping him alive, the venerable warcaster has cut a bloody path across western Immoren. Spending the majority of his life enclosed within the hull of a warjack has given Karchev a special affinity for his machines, and they serve him more like a pack of hunting wolves than as mindless constructs.
TACTICAL TIPS Ground Zero – Roll separately for each model pushed. Jumpstart – Remember, a model cannot stand up during a turn in which it was knocked down. Man in the Machine – Karchev can run and charge without spending focus.
585 ar (521 ar)
800 lbs
12 ft
5 hrs
12 tons
60 mins
SUNDER, ARCANTRIK TURBINE NONE (KARCHEV’S INDOMITABLE WILL)
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LORD KOZLOV, VISCOUNT OF SCARSGRAD KHADOR WARCASTER
The northern reaches of Khador are a harsh and unforgiving landscape riddled with ice and snow. Only the hardiest men and women call these lands their home. While those to the south trouble themselves with the larger concerns of the empire, the inhabitants of northern Khador are more entrenched in day-to-day survival, battling not only the cold but also the threat of starvation as well as incursions of beasts native to the mountains and tundra. It is this frigid land that Rikard Kozlov, Viscount of Scarsgrad calls home.
FOCUS: 6 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 7 5 15 17 9
KOZLOV 1
GREAT AXE RNG POW P+S 2 5 12 DAMAGE:17 WJ +28
FA C
BASE:SMALL
KOZLOV 1 TOUGH PRECISION STRIKE – When this model damages a
warjack or warbeast with a melee attack, choose which column or branch suffers the damage. SIDE STEP – When this model hits an enemy model with an initial melee attack or a melee special attack, it can advance up to 2˝ after the attack is resolved.
GREAT AXE DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL WEAPON MASTER
FEAT: ONRUSH As viscount of Scarsgrad, Lord Kozlov has the responsibility of protecting his people. He has a special bond with the soldiers he leads, able to inspire singular acts of courage and valor. At his command both men and machines swiftly cross the battlefield and close with the enemy, shrugging off incoming blows. Friendly Faction models currently in Kozlov’s control range gain +2 SPD and Unyielding for one round. (While engaging an enemy model, a model with Unyielding gains +2 ARM.)
SPELLS AVALANCHE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 3 8 4 14 – YES
On a critical hit, models hit by this attack become knocked down. CHOSEN GROUND
2 SELF CTRL – UP NO
While in the spellcaster’s control range, models in its battlegroup gain Pathfinder and Steady. (A model with Steady cannot become knocked down.) FURY
2
6 –
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +3 to melee damage rolls but suffers –1 DEF. RAZOR WIND
2
10
–
12
–
YES
A blade of wind slices through the target model. TACTICAL SUPREMACY
2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Reposition [3˝]. (At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [3˝] can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends.)
Born to a Khadoran nobleman and a Ruscar commoner, Kozlov spent his childhood with his mother’s tribe in the wilds of the Feodoska Volozk just beyond the edge of the Scarsfell Forest. His days were dedicated to tending the sheep; his nights, to fending off wolves. The fact that the boy was the viscount’s heir was of no consequence among the fringe people who lived beyond Khador’s courts, and so his upbringing was no different from that of other Ruscar children. Kozlov left the northern wilds at the age of ten, summoned by his father to the town of Scarsgrad, the Kozlov family seat. There the boy learned the ways of the nobility and the art of civilized combat and was gradually shaped into a creditable heir for this proud family. The Kozlovs have a long history of service to the Iron Fangs, and in time Kozlov, too, underwent the demanding training regimen of the distinguished fighting tradition. He learned to fight with shield and blasting pike, to face warjacks in melee combat, and to command warriors to the greatest effect in battle. Even after the manifestation of Kozlov’s warcaster powers made it necessary for him to leave their ranks for training at the Druzhina military academy, his commitment to the Iron Fangs remained strong. This warcaster talent and Kozlov’s combat prowess have made him a great asset to the Khadoran military, though his heart remains with the people of his ancestral home. As a vassal of the stern Great Prince and Koldun Lord Forovi Descra, Kozlov sometimes chafes at the military responsibilities that keep him continually on the move, often far from his lands. Walking the line between his obligations to the Khadoran Army, the desires of Lord Descra, and his own convictions can prove difficult, but Kozlov has adapted to his role as viscount. His loyalty to the Motherland is unquestionable, and above all else he is a man who respects all traditions among the diverse peoples who inhabit Khador’s vast empire. Since inheriting his title upon the death of his father, Kozlov has taken a keen interest in local matters when time permits. He pays close attention to relations between Scarsgrad and the Ruscar and other Khadorans living in the surrounding wilds, for his parentage and upbringing give him particular insight into the ways these cultures can come into conflict. A man of simple convictions who prefers to avoid overblown politics, Kozlov becomes restless when required to attend court for long. At these times Kozlov cannot help but think fondly of the cold simplicity of his home lands, where the deeds of the brave speak louder than words.
TACTICAL TIPS Chosen Ground – Remember that even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown. Tactical Supremacy – If a model is part of a unit, its activation does not end until all models in its unit have completed their activations.
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31
KOMMANDER ANDREI MALAKOV KHADOR WARCASTER
FOCUS: 6 MALAKOV 2 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 6 15 14 8
HAND CANNON RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 12
EVANGELINE RNG POW P+S 0.5 6 12 DAMAGE:15 WJ +28
FA C
BASE:SMALL
MALAKOV 2 BATTLE PLAN – This model can use one of the following
plans at any time during its activation. A friendly Faction model/unit can be affected by only one plan each turn. • FIGHTING DIRTY – RNG 5. Target friendly Faction warrior model. If the model is in range, a model hit by its next basic melee attack becomes knocked down. • SNEAK – RNG 5. Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit. If the model/unit is in range, it gains Prowl. Models are not affected while out of formation. Sneak lasts for one round. (While a model with Prowl has concealment, it gains Stealth .) • THROAT CUTTER – RNG 5. Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit. If the model/unit is in range, it gains Backstab. Throat Cutter lasts for one turn. (While completely within the back arc of an enemy model, a model with Backstab gains an additional die on its attack and damage rolls against that model.) SUCKER! – If this model is directly hit by an enemy ranged attack, choose a friendly non-incorporeal warrior model within 3˝ of it to be directly hit instead. That model is automatically hit and suffers all damage and effects.
TACTICAL TIPS FEAT: POISON PILL
Sucker! – Note that this special rule is not optional.
Malakov weaves his devious tactical acumen together with his reserves of arcane power into a final desperate gambit. The warjacks under his control surge forward, turning the momentum of their enemies’ attacks against them.
Tactical Supremacy – If a model is part of a unit, its activation does not end until all models in its unit have completed their activations.
When a model in Malakov’s battlegroup suffers damage from an enemy attack while in Malakov’s control range at any time except while it is advancing, after the attack is resolved the damaged model can immediately make a full advance. Additionally, while in Malakov’s control range, models in his battlegroup gain Parry and cannot become knocked down. Poison Pill lasts for one round.
SPELLS ESCORT
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2 SELF CTRL –
UP NO
Warjacks in the spellcaster’s battlegroup beginning their activations in its control range gain +2˝ movement when advancing as part of their Normal Movement. The spellcaster gains +2 ARM while one or more warjacks in its battlegroup are within 3˝ of it. RAZOR WIND
2
10
–
12
–
YES
A blade of wind slices through the target model. TACTICAL SUPREMACY
2
6
–
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Reposition [3˝]. (At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [3˝] can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends.) VEIL OF MISTS
2
CTRL
4
–
UP NO
Place a 4˝ AOE cloud effect anywhere completely within the spellcaster’s control range. This AOE does not block friendly Faction models’ LOS. While in the AOE, friendly Faction models gain Pathfinder and can move through obstructions and other models if they have enough movement to move completely past them.
EVANGELINE DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
Kommander Andrei Malakov has developed into a ruthless but eminently capable young officer. In only his first few years as a full warcaster, Malakov has secured several victories for the Motherland through unconventional tactics. Despite the prestige earned through his military accomplishments, he has become known for spilling Khadoran blood in the vainglorious execution of his assignments. To Malakov, the lives of the Motherland’s soldiers are expendable. Driven by a bold self-confidence he has no qualms about ordering artillery strikes close to his own lines or pushing feints to their limits despite casualties. In one instance he executed enemy soldiers after they surrendered because he could not spare the men to watch them. This action prompted an inquest by the High Kommand, but the charges were dropped. After Malakov successfully completed his rastovik training mission, delivering the first Conquests to the front lines, he was placed under the command of Supreme Kommandant Gurvaldt Irusk. Some believe Malakov used his friendship with Great Prince Levanid Trevanik to arrange this appointment. Malakov gained combat experience in several major battles
32
against Cygnar before Khador withdrew from the Thornwood, and more recently against the Llaelese Resistance. The young warcaster seeks not simply to emulate but to exceed Irusk, developing his own more-aggressive doctrine. Although Malakov has not been formally reprimanded by the High Kommand, his methods have drawn scrutiny and criticism from fellow officers. Rather than focusing on improving relations with those who do not approve of his tactics, Malakov has surrounded himself with ambitious subordinates from influential families who are eager to curry his favor. It is unclear whether Malakov notices or cares that the morale of his soldiers continues to erode. While some have adapted to his approach to war and admire his resolve, many others have requested transfer, adding to his dubious reputation. Irusk continues to hold the young warcaster in high regard, not yet aware of the extent of Malakov’s ambition and the extremes he is willing to embrace in order to succeed. Khador has need of warcasters with the talent and tactical insight Malakov possesses, but his methods may well come back to haunt both him and the Motherland.
33
THE OLD WITCH OF KHADOR & SCRAPJACK KHADOR WARCASTER & KHADOR LIGHT WARJACK FOCUS: 7 OLD WITCH 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 7 6 3 15 14 8
IRON CLAW RNG POW P+S 0.5 6 13 DAMAGE:16 WJ +18
FA C
BASE:SMALL
OLD WITCH 1 PATHFINDER APPARITION – During your Control Phase, place this
model anywhere completely within 2˝ of its current location. FIELD MARSHAL [APPARITION] – Warjacks in this model’s battlegroup gain Apparition. GREAT POWER – During your Control Phase, this model can upkeep one spell without spending focus or fury. PROWL – While this model has concealment, it gains Stealth . SOUL TAKER: CULL SOUL – This model can gain soul tokens. When a living enemy model is destroyed within 2˝ of this model, this model gains the destroyed model’s soul token. After this model replenishes its focus during your next Control Phase, replace each soul token with 1 focus point.
IRON CLAW
FEAT: FIELD OF TALONS
SPELLS
More ancient than Khador itself, the Old Witch commands a connection to the land that allows her to force submission even from the trees and stones. At her word the earth spews forth metal barbs to snare and rip at her enemies like the deadly black talons of a terrible predator.
IRON FLESH
Enemy models that advance except to change facing and end their movement in the Old Witch’s control range immediately suffer an unboostable POW 14 damage roll. Warrior models damaged by Field of Talons become knocked down. Field of Talons lasts for one round.
SPELLS AVATAR OF SLAUGHTER
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
– UP NO
Target the Old Witch or Scrapjack. The affected model gains +2 MAT, +2 STR, Berserk, and Overtake. (When a model with Berserk destroys one or more models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved it must make one additional melee attack against another model in its melee range.) (When a model with Overtake destroys one or more enemy models with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action, after the attack is resolved it can immediately advance up to 1˝.) GALLOWS
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
–
UP NO
Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit gains +2 ARM and does not suffer blast damage. Models are not affected while out of formation. MURDER OF CROWS 3 CTRL 5
*
UP NO
Place a 5˝ AOE anywhere completely within the spellcaster’s control range. This AOE is a cloud effect and hazard. A model that is not part of the spellcaster’s battlegroup that enters or ends its activation in the AOE suffers an unboostable POW 8 damage roll. UNSEEN PATH
2
CTRL
–
–
–
NO
Unseen Path can be cast only while Scrapjack is in the Old Witch’s control range. Immediately place the Old Witch completely within 2˝ of Scrapjack or place Scrapjack completely within 2˝ of the Old Witch. A model cannot advance this turn after being placed by Unseen Path. WEALD SECRETS
2
6
–
–
UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Pathfinder and Hunter. (A model with Hunter ignores concealment and cover when making a ranged attack.)
3 10 – 13 – YES
When an enemy model is hit by this attack, it can be pushed d6˝ directly toward Gallows’ point of origin.
DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
Khador’s primal forests stretch across lands soaked in memory and blood, and the stories of peasants hold truths from time immemorial. Such accounts speak of a wizened hag, primeval and terrible, who has advised chieftains, monarchs, and princes and has influenced the decisions that have shaped Khador for millennia. All too often folk tales and superstitions are dismissed, but peasants from the Khardic Sea to Old Umbrey know the Old Witch has watched them for countless generations. Though her origins are long lost, tales of the Old Witch still circulate by firesides across Khador. The oldest stories are retellings of Molgur myths about a hunched and shriveled creature of shadow—a thing of slaughter that drank deeply of the blood of the fallen and feasted upon human flesh. Legends from the time of Khardovic describe an ugly old woman of untold power advising the priest-king and his council. The Old Witch appears in hundreds of later stories demonstrating her subtle guidance of the northern peoples of western Immoren. Some of the oldest Skirovite folk tales speak of the time when Menoth himself walked the world and found the Old Witch in her cave, waiting for him. She is known by many names, but the most common is Zevanna Agha, the Old Witch of Khador. Few accounts describe her in detail, but most agree on certain particulars: She appears as a decrepit, hunchbacked woman of ancient years supporting herself with a walking staff, bearing a writhing sack on her twisted shoulders, her fingers ending in sharp metal talons. It was not until after the formation of the
34
Iron Kingdoms that stories began to mention her companion, a primitive steamjack cobbled together by her own hand. Built during the infancy of warjack development from parts of wrecks left on various battlefields, the Scrapjack is a mechanikal beast of burden that serves the witch faithfully. She tinkers with it and adds improvements from time to time; for example, it bears an arcane relay scavenged from the ruins of the First Thornwood War. The Old Witch’s occult powers are primal and ancient, but she has had no trouble adapting to the mechanika of modern warfare. She commands warjacks with the same arcane prowess that draws the crows of the forest to serve her and causes the iron claws of the earth to rend her enemies. To her, even the most advanced machines are but puzzles, and she has long been adept at solving them. One legend maintains that Sveynod Skelvoro declared himself the first Emperor of Khard at her behest and that she has appeared to every Khadoran monarch since. The tale claims she hammered the gold and iron from the weapons
TACTICAL TIPS Field of Talons – Because a model suffers damage before it is disabled, a warrior model disabled by Field of Talons becomes knocked down before it can make a Tough roll. Gallows – This means the model is moved before it suffers damage. Murder of Crows – This is not an offensive spell, and no damage is dealt when the AOE is placed. Soul Taker: Cull Soul – A model can have more focus points than its FOCUS as a result of Cull Soul. Remember, if more than one model is eligible to collect a model’s soul token, the closest eligible model collects it.
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SCRAPJACK 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 8 5 3 14 16 —
MECHANIKAL TALON RNG POW P+S 2 4 12
—
DAMAGE
FA C
M C
A A C M
M C C M
BASE:MEDIUM
SCRAPJACK 1 ARC NODE CONSTRUCT PATHFINDER BOND [OLD WITCH] – This model begins the game bonded to the Old Witch. This model is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent’s control. When the Old Witch is damaged by an enemy attack, this model gains +2 SPD and +2 to attack and damage rolls for one round. COMPANION [OLD WITCH] – This model is included in any army that includes the Old Witch of Khador. If the Old Witch is destroyed or removed from play, remove this model from play. This model is part of the Old Witch’s battlegroup. PROWL – While this model has concealment, it gains Stealth .
UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN
13 ft
UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN
TWIN MECHANIKAL TALONS, ARCANTRIK RELAY ZEVANNA AGHA
36
of slain chieftains into the first Khardic crown and adorned it with red jewels, powerful enchantments, and human blood. She openly opposed the Orgoth in Khardic lands, killing them wherever she found them and washing her talons in their blood to deny power to their dark gods. The journals of Exarch Voltor Drydestiev, lifelong confidant of King Ivad Vanar, tell of how, mere days after Ivad assumed the throne, a time-worn crone came uninvited to him in his garden. No one knows the full extent of the bargain struck between Ivad and his visitor—the king would reveal only that the safety of the Motherland would be guaranteed for generations to come—but secret orders were passed down to his generals ensuring their cooperation with the witch. The Old Witch has been active with regularity in the modern era, often accompanied by soldiers and warjacks. By the command of the empress, Zevanna Agha has the right to requisition troops and materiel when and where she requires. Most often she relies on the 3rd Border Legion, whose cagey and battle-scarred officers are accustomed to her strange demands. She has long meddled in the lives of Khador’s noble bloodlines, and the Tzepesci lineage in particular has drawn her attention. For centuries her careful ministrations have guided their wars, lives, marriages, and children, culminating in their current heir, Prince Vladimir Tzepesci. As the last of his line, a heavy doom was laid upon him at birth. The Old Witch waited until he nearly sacrificed his life in a valiant battle against Cryx to reveal his destiny to him, and she has since watched and smiled as fate has tightened its grasp on him. Far more active now than at any time since the Orgoth occupation, the Old Witch has moved beyond the shadows of history to directly intervene in the affairs of the Motherland. The world now knows the truth by which generations of Khadoran peasants have lived. The Motherland has a spirit, a face, and a form: a wicked crone with iron claws.
37
KOMMANDER SORSCHA KHADOR WARCASTER
When a teary-eyed Sorscha Kratikoff looked into her father’s face at the age of thirteen winters and asked to be a soldier like him, he just smiled, stroked her black hair, and strode out the door to join his unit. Later that month her mother received word of the massacre at Boarsgate. Sorscha’s father lay among the dead, killed by Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov. Two years later, Sorscha lied about her age and joined the Winter Guard. She fought against all odds and excelled as a soldier, surviving the rigors and mayhem of war fueled by the image of her father’s bloody end.
FOCUS: 6 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 6 6 16 15 9
SORSCHA 1
HAND CANNON RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 12
FROSTFANG RNG POW P+S 2 7 13 DAMAGE:17 WJ +29
FA C
BASE:SMALL
SORSCHA 1 IMMUNITY: COLD
FROSTFANG DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL CRITICAL FREEZE – On a critical hit, the model
hit becomes stationary for one round unless it has Immunity: Cold . SHATTER – This weapon gains an additional damage die against stationary models.
FEAT: ICY GAZE Wherever Kommander Sorscha treads, winter follows. The celebrated Khadoran warcaster manipulates extreme cold through sorcery, storing up her power to unleash a massive blanket of ice that freezes her enemies in their tracks. Enemy models without Immunity: Cold currently in Sorscha’s control range and LOS become stationary for one round.
SPELLS BOUNDLESS CHARGE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
–
TURN NO
During its activation, target friendly Faction model can charge without spending focus or being forced and gains +2˝ movement and Pathfinder when it charges. Boundless Charge lasts for one turn. FOG OF WAR
3 SELF CTRL – UP NO
Models gain concealment while in the spellcaster’s control range. FREEZING GRIP
3
8
–
–
RND YES
Target model/unit becomes stationary for one round unless it has Immunity: Cold . RAZOR WIND
2
10
–
12
–
YES
A blade of wind slices through the target model. TEMPEST
4 8 4 12 – YES
Models hit by Tempest become knocked down and suffer a POW 12 damage roll. WIND RUSH
2
SELF
–
–
–
NO
The spellcaster can immediately make a full advance and gains +2 DEF for one round. Wind Rush can be cast only once per activation.
Sorscha served three consecutive tours of duty with the prestigious border garrisons at Ravensgard and participated in frequent bloody conflicts with Llaelese mercenaries and her Cygnaran counterparts. She demonstrated considerable natural tactical prowess and was chosen for officer training at the Druzhina in Korsk before returning to her men as a lieutenant. She advanced quickly through the ranks to kapitan and kovnik. A warcaster named Torisevich valued her opinion above those of his other officers and chose her to serve as an aide. Perhaps some part of her felt an affinity with armored machines even before she demonstrated her gift for warcasting. Sorscha had already shown hints of inborn sorcery but had kept them to herself, for she had been raised in a rural border area where such powers prompted superstition and dread. Her true potential surfaced during a conflict near the Ordic border when Torisevich was slain in an ambush and his ’jacks suddenly fell dormant. In desperation, Sorscha charged unescorted into the combat. She cut men down like stalks of grain, but her troops were demolished and she found herself far outnumbered. One foe sliced her thigh and she fell. Suddenly, the world froze. Everything around her, including her enemies, stood encased in a layer of ice and frost. Leaning against one of the nearby Juggernauts, she found herself able to reach into its mind. She reactivated its cortex by mimicking the arcane sequence her untrained vision had perceived from her kommander. Sent forth at her bidding, this warjack charged into her adversaries. Days later Sorscha Kratikoff was presented to the High Kommand and her queen in Korsk. Her new talents were quickly put to the test, and it was decided she should receive training in controlling her sorcery and warcaster ability from the enigmatic and gifted Umbrean prince, Vladimir Tzepesci, who had earned a reputation as a peerless tutor in these arts. In her year of study with the nobleman, she fell in love. She saw in him ancient nobility, a deep sense of duty, and devotion to the memory of his ancestors. This began an off-and-on romance that has had a profound effect on both warcasters. Both have always known their romantic relationship to be doomed given the gulf in their status and roles in the military, yet this has not diminished their feelings for one another. When they are apart, Sorscha often becomes emotionless and aloof, pouring her strength and concentration into the tasks at hand. Those who see her at these times would never suspect any ardor lingering beneath her iron discipline and unfaltering dedication as a model Khadoran soldier and officer. Only the infrequent presence of Dark Prince Vladimir can thaw Sorscha’s soul, if but for a moment. “Icy resolve and loyalty to the Motherland,” she was once heard to say, “these are what make a good soldier, not warmth and comfort.” Despite these words, there seems little doubt her fate is tied to Tzepesci by a cord that will not be easily broken.
TACTICAL TIPS Tempest – This means every model in the AOE becomes knocked down, friendly and enemy alike.
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39
FORWARD KOMMANDER SORSCHA KHADOR WARCASTER
Sorscha Kratikoff learned to live with loss at a young age. When her father died, she resolved to feel nothing and hid her pain. When she witnessed Winter Guard comrades killed and maimed, she placed all her grief behind her icy exterior. Slowly she grew numb to the suffering around her, feeling little even when her own troops died or when innocents stumbled into the path of war.
FOCUS: 6 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 6 16 15 8
SORSCHA 2
QUAD-IRON RNG ROF AOE POW 10 d3+1 — 10
Throughout her career, Sorscha moved among officers descended from nobility. Given her peasant upbringing, she chafed at their arrogance and entitlement but drove her feelings of resentment even deeper. Only Vladimir Tzepesci—a great prince—gave her the honest and open words of a man without pretense. To her surprise, she found in him the only man to open her heart since the death of her father. Vladimir’s enemies among the kayazy were quick to take advantage of such vulnerability, spreading rumors of improper conduct and even whispers of sedition.
FROSTFANG RNG POW P+S 2 7 13 DAMAGE:17 WJ +27
FA C
BASE:SMALL
SORSCHA 2 IMMUNITY: COLD DESPERATE PACE [WINTER GUARD] (HACTION) – RNG CMD. Target friendly Winter Guard unit. If the unit is in range, Winter Guard models in the unit gain +2˝ movement during their Normal Movement this turn. FREEZER – When an enemy model without Immunity: Cold ends its activation within 2˝ of this model, the enemy model becomes stationary for one round.
FROSTFANG DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL CRITICAL FREEZE – On a critical hit, the model hit becomes stationary for one round unless it has Immunity: Cold . SHATTER – This weapon gains an additional damage die against stationary models.
FEAT: WINTER’S CHILL Summoning the icy fury within her soul, Forward Kommander Sorscha unleashes the elements upon her enemies. The deadly rime with which she covers them freezes both steel and flesh. When an enemy model without Immunity: Cold suffers a damage roll while in Sorscha’s control range, double the damage that exceeds the model’s ARM. Winter’s Chill lasts for one turn.
SPELLS BOUNDLESS CHARGE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
–
TURN NO
During its activation, target friendly Faction model can charge without spending focus or being forced and gains +2˝ movement and Pathfinder when it charges. Boundless Charge lasts for one turn. CYCLONE
2 SELF –
– – NO
The spellcaster immediately makes a full advance, ignoring free strikes during this movement. At the end of this movement, the spellcaster can make one basic melee attack against each model in its LOS that is in its melee range. Cyclone can be cast only once per activation. IRON FLESH
2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit gains +2 ARM and does not suffer blast damage. Models are not affected while out of formation. RAZOR WIND
2
10
–
12
–
YES
A blade of wind slices through the target model. SHATTER STORM
2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Detonator. (When a model with Detonator directly hits and boxes an enemy model with a ranged or melee attack, center a 3˝ AOE on the boxed model, then remove that model from play. Models in the AOE are hit and suffer an unboostable POW 8 magical blast damage roll .)
The occupation of Llael brought great suffering and loss, and not just to the people of that war-torn nation. Amid the worst fighting, Vladimir Tzepesci vanished, an apparent victim of Cryxian violence. Duty alone kept Sorscha from riding out to find him. Soon the kayazy began questioning his competence, his habits, and even his loyalty to the Motherland, as if his past accomplishments meant nothing. Sorscha yearned to hunt down the cowards who were spreading these lies. Promoted to forward kommander, she was assigned a cadre of handpicked Winter Guard and ordered to shed southern blood. Sorscha and her battalion tore into those who opposed the Khadoran Empire. Compelled by duty as much as her need to unleash the violence in her heart, her fury was like that of a goddess of frost and death. When Vladimir returned, he came to her before any other. The hope she had thought crushed by his death returned in the time they spent together, but this reunion was brief. Kommandant Irusk called Sorscha back to duty in eastern Llael. By the time she returned on leave, Vladimir had been summoned to war; soon after, Sorscha was recalled to Ravensgard. She quickly concluded that the High Kommand wished to separate them. As the months of constant battle passed, Sorscha’s thoughts darkened, causing her to channel her frustrations into combat, where she fought like a woman possessed. A number of developments in the last few years have made it difficult for Sorscha to maintain the sharp divide between her military and personal lives. During the Second Thornwood War she thought herself free of the man who had murdered her father, as she had witnessed the grievously wounded Butcher of Khardov fall beneath an onslaught of sword knights and did not intervene. Some months later he emerged from the woods, alive, to the surprise of all. Sorscha and Supreme Kommandant Irusk exchanged words that suggested he knew what she had done, but he did not punish her. He saw that Orsus Zoktavir’s survival was punishment enough. Recently, she also learned that, for political reasons, her true love became betrothed to someone else, a rival beyond all others: the Khadoran empress. While she knew her relationship with Vladimir Tzepesci was ill-fated from the start, this development was almost more than she could bear. Sorscha’s patriotism still drives her, but it is increasingly eclipsed by the darkness growing in her heart. She does not care why the Motherland asks her to fight, only that she can find a few moments of peace in the clarity of action.
TACTICAL TIPS Shatter Storm – Because the boxed model is removed from play before being destroyed, it does not provide a soul or corpse token.
40
41
KOMMANDER OLEG STRAKHOV KHADOR WARCASTER
FOCUS: 6 STRAKHOV 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 7 6 15 16 9
CINDER BOMB RNG ROF AOE POW 6 1 3 14
CINDER BOMB
SPELLS
DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE
OVERRUN
SMOKE – This weapon’s AOE is a cloud effect
that remains in play for one round.
TRENCH SWORD DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL BRUTAL CHARGE – This model gains +2 to charge
RIOT GUN
attack damage rolls with this weapon.
RNG ROF AOE POW 10 d3 — 12
FEAT: IRON FIST
TRENCH SWORD RNG POW P+S 0.5 6 13 DAMAGE:17 WJ +28
FA C
BASE:SMALL
STRAKHOV 1 IMMUNITY: CORROSION IMMUNITY: FIRE PATHFINDER ALCHEMICAL MASK – This model does not suffer gas effects. When determining LOS or resolving attacks, this model ignores cloud effects. RESOURCEFUL – This model can upkeep spells on models in its battlegroup without spending focus. SPRINT – At the end of an activation in which it destroyed or removed from play one or more enemy models with melee attacks, this model can immediately make a full advance, then its activation ends. VETERAN LEADER [ASSAULT KOMMANDOS] – While in this model’s command range, friendly Assault Kommando models gain +1 to attack rolls.
Kommander Strakhov is famous for his unrelenting and aggressive advances. He can manifest his will as a tide of raw arcane force that drives both man and machine past their normal limits before he commits them to the final charge across the battlefield to hammer into the enemy like a fist of iron. Friendly Faction models that charge or slam power attack an enemy model while that model is in Strakhov’s control range gain +4˝ movement when advancing as part of their Normal Movement and Pathfinder . Warjacks in Strakhov’s battlegroup can charge or make a slam power attack targeting an enemy model while the enemy model is in Strakhov’s control range without spending focus. Iron Fist lasts for one turn.
SPELLS BATTERING RAM
2
6
–
– TURN NO
When target model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup destroys one or more enemy models with an attack, immediately after the attack is resolved one model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that is in its control range can make a full advance, then Overrun expires. A model can advance only once per turn as a result of Overrun. Overrun lasts for one turn. SENTRY
2
6
–
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model gains Rapid Fire. (A model with Rapid Fire can make one basic ranged attack during your Maintenance Phase.) SUPERIORITY
2
6
–
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction warjack gains +2 SPD, MAT, and DEF and cannot become knocked down.
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
8
–
12
–
YES
An enemy model hit by Battering Ram can be pushed 3˝ directly away from the spell’s point of origin. OCCULTATION
2
6
–
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Stealth . Models are not affected while out of formation.
Few soldiers are as hated and feared by the Motherland’s enemies as Kommander Oleg Strakhov. This is the man the High Kommand turns to for its most dangerous missions, for if he cannot succeed, the task is truly impossible. Strakhov is a consummate soldier and lives to test his limits. His combination of ruthlessness and tactical genius has earned him notoriety among Khador’s enemies. Strakhov has served Khador for nearly two decades, but the details of his service were known only to a select few until the invasion of Llael. Strakhov spent the opening weeks of the invasion eradicating Llael’s most competent commanders and warcasters. One of his more significant accomplishments was the elimination of Archduke Alreg Vladirov and his entire command. The Umbrean was a lord general of Llael’s army and a master tactician, and his disappearance early in the war delivered a major blow to the Llaelese forces. Strakhov’s final operation of the Llaelese War required infiltrating Merywyn and destroying several major munitions depots within its walls hours before the capital fell. As the invasion of Llael moved from war to occupation, Kommandant Irusk called upon the kommander, who was recuperating from wounds sustained in Merywyn, and together they outlined plans for what would become the new
42
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF
Assault Kommandos. Irusk appointed Strakhov to train their officer corps and forge them in the kommander’s image. Throughout 605 AR, Strakhov personally led the Assault Kommandos in countless battles against Cygnaran forces occupying trenches around Northguard. The Assault Kommandos were instrumental in overrunning Cygnar’s forward positions at the onset of Irusk’s final attack on Northguard. On more than one occasion, Strakhov devised and executed dangerous and high-profile operations against the enemy without waiting for approval from the High Kommand. Only the overwhelming success of these missions has kept him from a formal reprimand. Strakhov and his ’jacks launch brutal strikes against enemy positions, hurling themselves into the midst of trenches and pillboxes to slaughter the enemy’s forces before they can react. With each engagement, Strakhov changes the face of warfare in the Iron Kingdoms to match his vision of bloody excellence.
TACTICAL TIPS Superiority – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
43
ASSAULT KOMMANDER STRAKHOV & KOMMANDOS KHADOR WARCASTER UNIT FOCUS: 6 STRAKHOV 2 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 8 6 16 15 9
DEATH WHISPER CARBINE RNG ROF AOE POW 8 1 — 6
FA C
this activation. (When a model with Overtake destroys one or more enemy models with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action, after the attack is resolved it can immediately advance up to 1˝.) WARCASTER UNIT – This unit is made up of Strakhov and two Kommandos.
TRENCH BLADE
DEATH WHISPER CARBINE
RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 11
ARMOR-PIERCING – When calculating damage
DAMAGE:17 WJ +22
• RED TIDE – Affected models gain Overtake
STRAKHOV 2 ASSAULT IMMUNITY: CORROSION IMMUNITY: FIRE OFFICER PATHFINDER ALCHEMICAL MASK – This model does not suffer gas
effects. When determining LOS or resolving attacks, this model ignores cloud effects. TACTICAL FLEXIBILITY – This model can use one of the following special rules at any time during each of its unit’s activations. Each model in this unit gains the benefits listed. • BATTLE MANEUVERS – Affected models gain Reposition [5˝]. (At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [5˝] can advance up to 5˝, then its activation ends.) • QUIET ADVANCE – Affected models gain Stealth for one round.
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +2 ARM and cannot be moved by a push or a slam. Models are not affected while out of formation. LAST STAND
2
6
–
–
UP NO
from this weapon, halve the base ARM stats of models hit.
TRENCH BLADE
LOCK THE TARGET 2
COMBO STRIKE (HATTACK) – Make a melee attack. Instead of making a normal damage roll, the POW of the damage roll is equal to this model’s STR plus twice the POW of this weapon. GRIEVOUS WOUNDS – A model hit by this weapon loses Tough and cannot have damage removed from it for one round.
FEAT: MISSION CRITICAL Nothing can stop Assault Kommander Strakhov and his elite strike team from completing their objectives. Strakhov weaves arcane power to lend unwavering resolve to those under his command, allowing them to weather the heaviest assaults and still press onward to ensure the will of the Motherland is done.
10
–
10
* YES
A model damaged by Lock the Target cannot run, charge, make slam or trample power attacks, or be placed for one round. QUICKEN
3
6
–
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +2 SPD and DEF against ranged and magic attack rolls. RETURN FIRE
1
6
–
–
RND NO
When target friendly Faction model is targeted by an enemy ranged attack, after the attack is resolved the affected model can make one basic melee or ranged attack, then Return Fire expires. Return Fire lasts for one round.
While in Strakhov’s control range, friendly Faction warrior models gain +3 ARM, Tough , and Feign Death. Mission Critical lasts for one round. (A model with Feign Death cannot be targeted by ranged or magic attacks while knocked down.)
With trench knives in hand, Assault Kommander Oleg Strakhov has spent decades carving a bloody trail through the kingdoms of western Immoren, eliminating highprofile targets and destabilizing opposing forces with wellorchestrated strikes. Having carried out numerous operations deep behind enemy lines and in some of the harshest environments imaginable, Strakhov stands as a Khadoran legend, and tales of his exploits are told throughout the empire. Those who tell of his deeds speak of him as more specter than man, an unseen force capable of accomplishing impossible tasks under cover of night and leaving no evidence of his passage. Strakhov’s sole purpose in life is the advancement of the empire. He is an uncompromising soldier for whom “victory or death” is a guiding tenet. With the war between Cygnar and Khador reignited, there is no shortage of assignments befitting a man of Strakhov’s considerable talents. In this new war, Strakhov has been used as a scalpel to hit the enemy at key vulnerabilities and weaken their resolve. He has assassinated Cygnaran officers, infiltrated pockets of the Llaelese Resistance, and even conducted covert operations deep within Ord to sabotage mercenary outfits accepting coin from the wrong employers. Strakhov’s missions often come with unique challenges, and it is the warcaster’s remarkable ability to adapt that so often
44
INVIOLABLE RESOLVE
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains an additional die on its melee attack and melee damage rolls. If an affected model makes a melee attack, it is destroyed at the end of the turn.
DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
BASE:SMALL
SPELLS
results in victory. He possesses an uncanny ability to blend in where he is unwelcome, taking advantage of enemy uniforms and hard-earned intelligence to avoid detection and conduct sabotage. The kommander’s familiarity with a wide array of combat gear facilitates this sort of subterfuge, along with his fluency in several languages and a knack for accents. When attempts at stealth must be set aside, the warcaster is almost unparalleled in launching quick and decisive assaults. Strakhov also relies on a diverse team of operatives and dedicated soldiers serving alongside him. For over six years he has personally managed the evolution of the Assault Kommando Corps, one of Khador’s most elite military outfits. Under Strakhov’s guidance they have become a vital component of the Khadoran military, often deployed where combat is thickest or tasked with clearing defenses in preparation for larger invading forces. As the Assault Kommandos expand, Strakhov has continued to oversee their development. From their ranks he has handpicked the most promising soldiers to fight alongside him in the field.
TACTICAL TIPS Officer – Because the Strahkov is an Officer, when he is destroyed he does not replace a Kommando in his unit. Instead a Kommando becomes the new unit commander.
45
KOMMANDO SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 6 13 14 8
DEATH WHISPER CARBINE RNG ROF AOE POW 8 1 — 6
TRENCH BLADE RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 10 DAMAGE:
5 EACH
BASE:SMALL
KOMMANDO ASSAULT IMMUNITY: CORROSION IMMUNITY: FIRE PATHFINDER ALCHEMICAL MASK – This model does not suffer gas effects. When determining LOS or resolving attacks, this model ignores cloud effects. SMOKE BOMBS (HACTION) – Center a 3˝ AOE cloud effect on this model. This AOE remains in play for one round.
DEATH WHISPER CARBINE ARMOR-PIERCING – When calculating damage from this
weapon, halve the base ARM stats of models hit.
TRENCH BLADE BRUTAL CHARGE – This model gains +2 to charge attack
damage rolls with this weapon.
46
Only one kommando in a hundred is seen as worthy enough to join Strakhov’s inner circle, and being selected for such a role is regarded as an honor. These individuals exemplify speed, precision, and unflinching dedication. Strikes made by such outfits either leave no survivors or avoid eyewitnesses altogether, and assignments given to Strakhov and his elites are considered guaranteed to succeed by those in the military’s upper echelons. Elite kommandos train in a manner that allows any combination of operatives to function effectively as a team. This allows personnel to be chosen for missions that best match their particular talents. When an assignment is received from the High Kommand, Strakhov evaluates the upcoming mission and then selects soldiers for it in much the same way as he selects the tools most suited to the task. Once in the field, these teams function with a ruthless efficiency. Working in tight coordination, they charge trenches under cover of poison gas while delivering shots of armor-piercing rounds with pinpoint accuracy, the movements of one member complementing and covering the others. Yet they are just as capable of creeping through urban landscapes to catch their targets unawares. Like the warcaster responsible for their rise, they can be called upon to handle any situation the Motherland requires. As Khador continues to expand its empire, soldiers like Strakhov are pivotal to lasting victory. His contributions to his nation’s goals are numerous, and his disinterest in the fame he has achieved only serves to make his dedication all the more admirable. More than just accomplishing the impossible time and again, Strakhov has risen to stand as a testament to the iron will all true Khadorans possess. It is through examples such as his that the ranks of the Motherland push forward into the wars of tomorrow with the grim determination necessary to obtain victory.
47
VLADIMIR TZEPESCI, THE DARK PRINCE KHADOR WARCASTER
Even in times of old before the Iron Kingdoms, when certain lands in Khador were the provinces of barbaric tribes, among those who rode to battle were some possessed of rugged honor who united their people with a clarity of vision. Chieftains ruled these hordes, and horselords ruled the chieftains. Of noble stock, horselords ruled for generations with oppressive strength, calculated cruelty, and a will to dominate the chaos of the world. The Tzepescis are one of the strongest families to rule Khador’s eastern territories. Indeed, a millennia ago the Tzepescis were the governors of Old Korska before it fell into ruin, and they even held the throne of Khador for a time. Though reduced in influence, the Tzepesci name still resonates with Khador’s eastern people.
FOCUS: 7 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 5 15 16 9
VLADIMIR 1
SKIRMISHER RNG POW P+S 1 7 13
RUIN RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 10 DAMAGE:18 WJ +28
FA C
BASE:SMALL
VLADIMIR 1 PARRY
SKIRMISHER DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL BLOOD BOON – Once per activation, immediately after
resolving an attack in which it destroyed an enemy model with this weapon, this model can cast a spell with COST 3 or less without spending focus.
RUIN DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
FEAT: FORCED MARCH The strategic and tactical prowess of the Dark Prince of Umbrey is legendary across the Motherland and respected throughout the Iron Kingdoms. Vladimir carefully conserves the power of his warjacks to expend it in one great battlefield maneuver. Warjacks in Vladimir’s battlegroup beginning their activations in his control range double their base SPD and can run, charge, and make power attacks without spending focus. Forced March lasts for one turn.
SPELLS BLOOD OF KINGS
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 4
SELF
–
–
RND NO
The spellcaster gains +3 SPD, STR, MAT, DEF, and ARM for one round. BOUNDLESS CHARGE
2
6
–
–
TURN NO
During its activation, target friendly Faction model can charge without spending focus or being forced and gains +2˝ movement and Pathfinder when it charges. Boundless Charge lasts for one turn. RAZOR WIND
2
10
–
12
–
YES
A blade of wind slices through the target model. SIGNS & PORTENTS
4
SELF CTRL
–
TURN NO
While in the spellcaster’s control range, friendly Faction models gain an additional die on attack and damage rolls. Discard the lowest die in each roll. Signs & Portents lasts for one turn. WIND WALL
3
SELF
–
–
RND NO
The spellcaster cannot make ranged attacks after casting this spell, and non-magical ranged attacks targeting it automatically miss. While completely within 3˝ of the spellcaster, models cannot make ranged attacks and non-magical ranged attacks targeting them automatically miss. Wind Wall lasts for one round.
48
Vladimir Tzepesci holds the title of great prince, a ruler of a limited number of great houses that govern the volozkya, or provinces, of Khador, each with limited sovereignty over their territories. Yet he represents much more. Umbrey was its own kingdom in ancient times, and its people have remained proud of their heritage and eager to see that kingdom reunited; it is upon the Tzepesci family they pin this hope. Recent conflicts created an opportunity for this to come to pass, which has only elevated the status of Vladimir Tzepesci in the eyes of all Umbrean people. Many esteemed and powerful families, including several other great princes, owe his family fealty from old oaths set in bone and sworn in blood. The influence he wields in this region has been enough to create a constant tension with the capital, where he has at times been considered a possible threat to the Vanar dynasty. Above all else he is a living relic of past glories and bloody deeds; prophecy delivered to the Tzepesci kings of old tells of a great doom to befall Khador when the Tzepesci line comes to an end. Those who know of this legend call Vladimir Tzepesci the Dark Prince. So powerful is the blood in his veins that men shy from his gaze. He is a man of few words, accustomed to being heard when he speaks. As some are born to capture strength and beauty with paints or to write great works of poetry, Vladimir was born to make war. He has waged many campaigns in the service of his nation as a brilliant tactician as well as a potent warcaster. A swordsman with few equals, he brings swift death to all who dare cross blades with him. Worthy opponents he treats to longer duels, but he dispatches most enemies with little consideration. Vladimir takes great pride in wearing the ancient plate of his forefathers. Although it has seen some sorcerous repair over the centuries, it is the same suit of crimson mail his ancestor, Prince Buruvan Tzepesci, wore in battle against the Orgoth. Vladimir has served the crown by training other warcasters, and it is no great secret that he became intimately acquainted with the promising young Sorscha Kratikoff during her mentoring. Little is publically known of the affair other than it seemed to end abruptly but may have been subsequently resumed, though the two have only rarely been seen together since. Whatever the nature of this relationship, it changed both of them. There was some initial speculation that Sorscha was rebuffed due to her lowly heritage, but those who know Vladimir cannot credit such a motive and believe the situation was more complicated than it appeared. Whatever the case, Vladimir seems determined to stay true to the legacy of his forefathers, who were always committed to their duties even at the expense of their own happiness. There are those who call such notions—and his adherence to ancient tradition—exercises in vanity, but for Vladimir Tzepesci it is part of a code that defines him and connects him to his past. Though Vladimir is respected for his great accomplishments, not all who meet him love him. It is whispered among the courts that the time of the Tzepescis needs to end, and some see Vladimir as an unpleasant reminder of a vanished era. These conspirators anticipate the day when the Dark Prince falls and the vast treasures of the Tzepesci family are annexed into the vaults of the Khadoran Treasury.
49
VLADIMIR TZEPESCI, THE DARK CHAMPION KHADOR WARCASTER
Within Vladimir Tzepesci flows the blood of kings. All his life the prospect of doom has haunted him, a specter lurking just beyond the edge of his vision. Skulking behind every battle and behind every enemy, it has served as a constant reminder of his past and his future. His blood is as potent as that of Khardovic and as powerful as the soul of Khador itself.
FOCUS: 7 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 5 15 16 9
VLADIMIR 2
DOMINION RNG POW P+S 2 8 14 DAMAGE:18 WJ +27
FA C
BASE:SMALL
VLADIMIR 2 GREAT POWER – During your Control Phase, this model can upkeep one spell without spending focus or fury. MIGHT OF KINGS – While this model is damaged, it gains +2 STR and ARM. If a friendly model damages this model with an attack, this model loses Might of Kings for the rest of the game. RIGHTEOUS VENGEANCE – If one or more friendly Faction warrior models were destroyed or removed from play by enemy attacks while within 5˝ of this model during the last round, during your Maintenance Phase this model can advance up to 3˝ and make one basic melee attack.
DOMINION DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL THRESHER (HATTACK) – This model makes one melee
attack with this weapon against each model in its LOS that is in this weapon’s melee range. Thresher attacks are simultaneous.
FEAT: BLOOD LEGACY As the descendant of ancient kings, Vladimir shares a profound connection to his homeland and its citizens. Those sons and daughters of Khador carry the blood of conquerors and heroes in their veins, and in times of great need Vladimir may call upon its ancestral power to manifest in his people. Choose d3 + 3 friendly Faction non-character warrior models currently in Vladimir’s control range. Those models gain +3 SPD, STR, MAT, RAT, DEF, and ARM for one round.
SPELLS ARCANE MIGHT
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2 SELF CTRL – UP NO
While in the spellcaster’s control range, friendly Faction non-warcaster warrior models can spend 1 focus point on the spellcaster to boost a melee attack or melee damage roll during their activations. ASSAIL
2
6 –
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction warjack can charge or make slam or trample power attacks without spending focus. The warjack gains +2˝ movement when it charges or makes a slam or trample power attack. Models slammed by the warjack are moved +2˝. HAND OF FATE
2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains an additional die on attack and damage rolls. Discard the low die in each roll. MARTIAL PARAGON
2
SELF
–
–
UP
NO
The spellcaster gains an additional die on melee attack rolls and Parry . RAZOR WIND
2
10
–
12
–
YES
A blade of wind slices through the target model. WIND BLAST
2
CTRL
5
–
RND NO
Place a 5˝ AOE anywhere completely within the spellcaster’s control range. Cloud effects overlapping the AOE expire. Models cannot make ranged attacks while within the AOE. The AOE remains in play for one round.
50
In the final days of the invasion of Llael, Vladimir nearly gave his life battling the minions of Cryx. The Old Witch of Khador sought the prince and found him dying in the Thornwood after his courageous efforts. The ancient hag took him up and bore him to her earthen lair. Deaf to the rumbles of passing battles and the murmurs of kayazy seeking to claim his lands and title, the dark prince lay in a feverish slumber. Days passed into weeks, and weeks became months. Throughout the Motherland Vladimir was presumed dead, for no sign of him had been discovered since his battle against the Cryxians. Within the witch’s caverns, however, his body grew stronger, and he dreamed. As the sole remaining member of his royal line, Vladimir is as dear to the Old Witch as a child is to his grandmother. She saw to his wounds and spoke secrets in his ears as he slept. Guided by her prophetic whispers, Vladimir saw terrible visions of the future and his role in them. There was no place in these dreams for weakness, and Vladimir tore himself from his torpor. When he awoke he found himself whole, his body restored and his spirit strong. The prince labored tirelessly in the Old Witch’s dimly lit caverns to forge his shattered weapons into a single blade, the great sword Dominion. Vladimir returned to the world with his destiny revealed to him and his purpose renewed, and the Old Witch’s imparted doom tightened around him. Raising his army, he ventured again into the Thornwood to play out his part in the prophecy. There, in the benighted ruins of the Temple of Garrodh, Vladimir fought Lich Lord Asphyxious, who seemed invincible. In the heat of a desperate battle, it was revealed to him that the only way to prevent the lich lord’s bid for godhood was to strike down the Harbinger of Menoth, who opened her arms to him and did not evade the blow. Only a few know the necessity of this deed and the terror averted by her sacrifice, which has given Vladimir the undeserved reputation as a heretic and enemy of the southern Menites. He has not concerned himself with such rumors, however, for his mind remains as ever on his duty. As the rightful heir to the throne of Umbrey, a nation it would be his destiny to reunite and lead for the first time in centuries, Vladimir quickly learned to balance increasingly conflicting demands placed on him. With quiet conviction he has come to walk a careful line in honoring both his loyalty to Empress Vanar and the Umbrean blood he shares with his people. He is their champion, and the vows he has made in their name strengthen his hold on the sword he wields against all who would threaten his people or the Motherland.
TACTICAL TIPS Righteous Vengeance – This model moves after continuous effects have been resolved during your Maintenance Phase. Thresher – These attacks are not optional.
51
VLADIMIR TZEPESCI, GREAT PRINCE OF UMBREY KHADOR WARCASTER
FOCUS: 7 VLADIMIR 3 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 8 6 7 5 15 17 9
HORSE LORD’S SPEAR
FA C
BRUTAL CHARGE – This model gains +2 to charge
attack damage rolls with this weapon.
RNG POW P+S 2 6 12
HUNTSMAN
MOUNT
RNG POW P+S 1 7 13
CRITICAL KNOCKDOWN – On a critical hit, the model hit becomes knocked down.
MOUNT
FEAT: CHARGE OF THE HORSE LORDS
RNG POW 0.5 12
When Vladimir Tzepesci calls his host, the ground shakes beneath the countless hooves of warhorses and the heavy tread of warjacks on the charge. Cavalry and machines alike crash into the enemy and leave broken lines behind them as they turn to ready for another onslaught.
BASE:LARGE
VLADIMIR 3 CAVALRY BLOOD-QUENCHED – This model gains a cumulative
+1 STR and ARM for each living enemy model it destroys with a melee attack during its activation. This bonus lasts for one round. RELENTLESS CHARGE – While advancing as part of a charge, this model gains Pathfinder . REPOSITION [3˝] – At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends.
CHAIN WEAPON DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
While in Vladimir’s control range, friendly Faction warjacks and cavalry models gain Side Step and Sprint. Charge of the Horse Lords lasts for one turn. (When a model with Side Step hits an enemy model with an initial melee attack or a melee special attack, the model with Side Step can advance up to 2˝ after the attack is resolved.) (At the end of an activation in which it destroyed or removed from play one or more enemy models with melee attacks, a model with Sprint can immediately make a full advance, then its activation ends.)
For the first time in generations, the people of Umbrey stand united behind their rightful lord. Reclaiming the birthright denied his family for centuries, Great Prince Vladimir Tzepesci rides into battle wielding weapons of the ancient Tzepesci horselords and leading the people of Umbrey to seize their destiny. While the Umbrean lands have been under Khadoran rule since the empire conquered Llael, their fate was initially uncertain. Many among the nobles and kayazy sought to claim them, but driven by a greater purpose, Vladimir persisted even as he fought in the empress’ name. He steadily won the loyalty of all Umbreans, who gathered to his banner, whether Khadoran or former Llaelese. Proving her political prowess, Empress Vanar declared that any noble who would be considered for the lands of Umbrey would have to fight to defend them against external enemies. Amid escalating Cryxian and Sul-Menite assaults, only Vladimir was willing to risk his life for the Umbrean people. By the empress’ decree, the two smaller volozkya and single Llaelese duchy that had once been Umbrey were joined into a single massive volozk beholden to Great Prince Tzepesci. The great prince was left to defend Umbrey virtually on his own, which freed up the soldiers stationed there to fight in other battles. Though Vladimir has been able to defend the volozk against the invading armies of Cryxian undead
52
SPELLS
DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
HUNTSMAN
DAMAGE:18 WJ +27
HORSE LORD’S SPEAR
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF
DASH
2
SELF CTRL – TURN NO
The spellcaster and friendly Faction warrior models activating in its control range gain +1 SPD. While in the spellcaster’s control range, friendly Faction warrior models gain Parry . Dash lasts for one turn. FLASHING BLADE
1
SELF
–
–
–
NO
The spellcaster immediately makes one basic attack with one of its melee weapons against each enemy model in its LOS that is in the weapon’s melee range. These attacks are simultaneous. HAND OF FATE
2
6
–
–
UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains an additional die on attack and damage rolls. Discard the low die in each roll. INFERNAL MACHINE 2
6
–
–
UP NO
Target warjack in the spellcaster’s battlegroup gains Murderous and +2 SPD. (A model with Murderous gains an additional die on melee attack rolls against warrior models.) RAZOR WIND
2
10
–
12
–
YES
A blade of wind slices through the target model. WIND WALL
3
SELF
–
–
RND NO
The spellcaster cannot make ranged attacks after casting this spell, and non-magical ranged attacks targeting it automatically miss. While completely within 3˝ of the spellcaster, models cannot make ranged attacks and non-magical ranged attacks targeting them automatically miss. Wind Wall lasts for one round.
and Protectorate zealots, Cygnar’s new king has also set his sights on conquest of Llael, so once more Vladimir Tzepesci must ride to battle. Should he fail, the shame will fall on him alone. He has gathered his vassals and a great Umbrean host to wage this latest war for his homeland, and his soldiers know they fight for their destiny as well as the safety of their families and ancestral lands. Vladimir has gone so far as to cement his ties to the crown by entering into an engagement with Empress Ayn Vanar, thus uniting these royal lines for the first time in history. Though other Khadoran nobles see this as a shrewd political move, one that will make it impossible for his detractors to accuse him of sedition, it is also a great sacrifice. Once again Vladimir has put aside his own desires for the needs of his nation, knowing that in this union he can avoid the prophesized doom that might otherwise bring darkness to his people. Vladimir Tzepesci rides his warhorse, Vsada, at the head of an elite guard of heavy cavalry and wields the weapons of his ancient namesake, who usurped the throne and united Umbrey four centuries ago. Carrying the spear in one hand and the mace Huntsman in the other, Vladimir feels his blood stirring with power as he lashes out with dark sorceries during battle.
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KOLDUN KOMMANDER ALEKSANDRA ZERKOVA KHADOR GREYLORD WARCASTER FOCUS: 7 ZERKOVA 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 6 5 15 15 9
ROD OF WHISPERS RNG ROF AOE POW 10 1 — 13
QUIETUS RNG POW P+S 0.5 6 11 DAMAGE:16 WJ +28
FA C
BASE:SMALL
ZERKOVA 1 IMMUNITY: COLD PATHFINDER ARCANE ARTIFACTS – When this model casts a spell, you can choose to use one of the following special rules. Each special rule can be used only once per activation and expires after the spell is cast. • FOCUS SPHERE – Reduce the COST of the spell by 1. • LENS OF TARVODH – The spell gains +5 RNG. • TRUE SIGHT – This model ignores cloud effects when determining LOS. This model also ignores Stealth . SACRED WARD – This model cannot be targeted by enemy spells.
ROD OF WHISPERS GRAVE DOOR – A model disabled by this weapon cannot make a Tough roll. When a living or undead enemy model is boxed by this attack, you can choose to take control of it. If you do, remove 1 damage point from it, causing it to no longer be boxed. You can then immediately change its facing. For the rest of the turn, this model can channel spells through the affected model while it is in this model’s control range and is not engaged. The affected model cannot activate. At the end of the turn, the affected model is destroyed.
QUIETUS DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
FEAT: HOWLING WIND With a call Aleksandra Zerkova summons a tornado of icy-cold wind that howls in answer to her. The shrieking vortex moves like a living creature as it pushes against Zerkova’s enemies, drowning out their voices and making concentration all but impossible. While in Zerkova’s control range, enemy models cannot make ranged attacks. Enemy models beginning their activations in Zerkova’s control range cannot run, charge, make power attacks or special attacks, give or receive orders, or make special actions. Howling Wind lasts for one round.
For years the Greylords Covenant has plundered crypts and forgotten tombs for ancient secrets and weapons to employ in the name of the Motherland. Aleksandra Zerkova is among the most ambitious and ruthless of these occult researchers. She has become a living repository of esoteric and unholy lore. The Zerkova name strikes envy and fear in the ears of northerners and southerners alike. This long line of distinguished officers has contributed to the strategic legacy taught at the Druzhina, Khador’s officer academy. It was a Zerkova who led the attacks against Ord during the Second Expansion War, and that kingdom remembers the Zerkovas as sadistic villains. Even some Khadorans, however, associate the family with an obsession with lost secrets and dubious roads to power. For the last four generations in particular, an interest in occult studies has gone hand in hand with their patriotic zeal. Aleksandra’s father set her to the mastery of dead languages, and her childhood passed surrounded by dusty tomes. The ways of magic came naturally to her. After induction into the Greylords Covenant, Aleksandra demonstrated the beginnings of a lifelong interest in ancient civilizations and their mysteries. High Obavnik Arbiter Vasily Dmitrilosk granted her authorization to travel abroad unsupervised in search of weapons for the Motherland, and she spent over a decade venturing into ruins such as Uld Vroggen and descending deep into the uncovered Orgoth chambers within the mines of Khardov. She has amassed an impressive collection of mystical relics from across western Immoren.
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SPELLS
DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF
FREEZING MIST 2 CTRL 3 – RND NO
Place a 3˝ AOE cloud effect completely within the spellcaster’s control range. While in the AOE, models without Immunity: Cold suffer –2 to their attack rolls. The AOE remains in play for one round. FROST HAMMER
2
SP 8
–
12
* YES
Frost Hammer causes cold damage . On a critical hit, the model hit becomes stationary for one round unless it has Immunity: Cold . GHOST WALK
2
6
–
–
TURN NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Ghostly for one turn. (A model with Ghostly can advance through terrain and obstacles without penalty and can advance through obstructions if it has enough movement to move completely past them. It cannot be targeted by free strikes.) HEX BLAST
3 10 3 13 – YES
Enemy upkeep spells and animi on the model/ unit directly hit by Hex Blast immediately expire. WATCHER
3 SELF –
– UP NO
Once per turn when an enemy model advances and ends its movement within 6˝ of the spellcaster, you can choose a warjack in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that is in its control range. That warjack can immediately make a full advance toward the enemy model and then can make one basic melee or ranged attack targeting the enemy model. The attack and damage rolls against that model are boosted.
Her activities were not limited to occult investigation, however. During the “Night of Howling Wolves” preceding the siege of Merywyn in 605 AR, Aleksandra led a strike force against the city’s lodge of the Fraternal Order of Wizardry. She obliterated those arrogant wizards with such thoroughness and efficiency that the means by which they vanished remains a mystery. Zerkova’s stronghold was one of the first targets of the Retribution of Scyrah when it conducted a series of attacks inside Khador in 608 AR. Only the most highly ranked in the Covenant knew that Aleksandra had secured priceless Nyss relics, and few suspected she held the slumbering elven god Nyssor. Her efforts to pry the secrets from the god’s frozen encasement were cut short when the elves reclaimed Nyssor’s frozen body. Though Zerkova was forced to abandon several carefully secured facilities, this did not deter her from her research. Zerkova throws both soldiers and warjacks into battle with equal abandon, and most who come to know her deem her heartless and cruel. She will go to any length to accomplish her goals, but Aleksandra’s voice commands respect in the halls of power. She is a woman of destiny. Whether the legacy of that destiny is one of triumph or ruin remains to be seen.
TACTICAL TIPS Hex Blast – Because they expire immediately, upkeep spells and animi that had an effect when the model/unit was hit or damaged will have no effect. Lens of Tarvodh – This does not affect magic attacks with RNG SP.
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OBAVNIK KOMMANDER ZERKOVA & REAVER GUARD KHADOR WARCASTER UNIT FOCUS: 7 ZERKOVA 2 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 6 5 15 15 9
ORGOTH BLADE RNG POW P+S 0.5 7 12 DAMAGE:16 WJ +24
FA C
SPELLS
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF
BANISHING WARD
2
ZERKOVA 2 IMMUNITY: COLD OFFICER CALL TO SACRIFICE [REAVER GUARD] – If this model is disabled by an enemy attack, you can choose a nondisabled friendly Reaver Guard model within 5˝ of this model to be destroyed. If another model is destroyed as a result of Call to Sacrifice, remove 1 damage point from this model. GREYLORD – This model is a Greylord model. SACRED WARD – This model cannot be targeted by enemy spells. WARCASTER UNIT – This unit is made up of Zerkova and two Reaver Guards.
ORGOTH BLADE BLESSED DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
–
–
UP
NO
Enemy upkeep spells and animi on target friendly model/unit expire. Affected models cannot be targeted by enemy spells or animi. HOARFROST
Hoarfrost causes cold damage . On a critical hit, models in the AOE become stationary for one round unless they have Immunity: Cold . SELF
–
SACRIFICIAL LAMB 1 CTRL –
–
– NO
Remove one friendly Faction warrior model in the spellcaster’s control range from play. Each warjack in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that is currently in its control range gains 1 focus point. Sacrificial Lamb can be cast only once per activation. 2
10
–
10
–
YES
Spectral Fire gains +1 POW for each focus or fury point on the target model at the time the spell was cast. TELGESH MARK
FELL AXE RNG POW P+S 2 5 12
2
6
–
DAMAGE:
5 EACH
– TURN NO
While in the spellcaster’s control range, friendly Faction models gain an additional die on their magic attack rolls. Occult Whispers lasts for one turn.
SPECTRAL FIRE
REAVER GUARD SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 7 4 13 15 7
3 8 3 14 * YES
OCCULT WHISPERS 3
BASE:SMALL
6
–
UP NO
The spellcaster can channel spells through target friendly Faction model as if it were a model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup with Arc Node .
FEAT: ARCANE CONVERGENCE
BASE:SMALL
REAVER GUARD TOUGH BERSERK – When this model destroys one or
more models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved it must make one additional melee attack against another model in its melee range. COUNTERCHARGE – When an enemy model advances and ends its movement within 6˝ of this model and in its LOS, this model can immediately charge it. This model can use Countercharge only once per round and not while engaged. DOOM REAVER – This model is a Doom Reaver model. SACRED WARD – This model cannot be targeted by enemy spells. SILENCE – This model does not have to make Berserk attacks.
FELL AXE
Drawing upon a lifetime spent gathering forbidden knowledge, Aleksandra Zerkova summons a torrent of raw arcane power for her allies to seize upon and shape.
DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL WEAPON MASTER
Each friendly Faction model currently in Zerkova’s control range can immediately cast one spell without spending focus, performing a special action, or performing a special attack.
Through her fearsome reputation, ruthless tactics, and occult knowledge, Aleksandra Zerkova has scaled the ranks of the Greylords Covenant faster than any believed possible. Her willingness to utilize any knowledge available has made her increasingly dangerous. For Zerkova, military protocols and conventional morality are weaknesses to exploit rather than principles to be followed. Time and again she has proven to be a master of the occult as well as of espionage. Years ago, Zerkova was involved in the secret seizure and investigation of a powerful Nyss relic recovered from Korsk. In fact, she had unknowingly taken possession of a vault containing the frozen elven god Nyssor, a find of enormous significance. Her studies were cut short by Iosan strikes on two hidden Greylord facilities deep in Khador. Zerkova ultimately entered into an unsanctioned collaboration with the unliving elven warcaster Goreshade in a failed attempt to recover the frozen Nyss vault, which the Retribution of Scyrah had secured and returned to Ios. This demonstrates the lengths she is willing to go for knowledge—even to the point of provoking hostilities with foreign powers without regard for the plans of the empire or the desires of her superiors.
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Her disregard for protocol earned her the ire of a number of prominent obavniks, several of whom sought to halt her operations, but Zerkova was aided by High Obavnik Arbiter Vasily Dmitrilosk, the head of the Greylords Covenant. The high obavnik found Zerkova’s research invaluable and prized her successes despite her questionable methods. In the face of concerns over Zerkova’s disregard for the chain of command, the High Obavnik promoted the warcaster to the rank of obavnik in late 608 AR, shielding her from interference within the order. With her promotion, Zerkova’s quest for power has only gained momentum. With forbidden relics and an entourage of guardians enslaved to her will, she flaunts occult power that far overshadows that of her ancestors. Unhindered, she delves into forgotten Orgoth and Morrdhic ruins or other accursed places, seeking lore and relics while eliminating anyone who gets in her way.
TACTICAL TIPS Call to Sacrifice – Remember, if a damage point is removed from a disabled model, the model is no longer disabled. Countercharge – A countercharge is not a model’s combat action, so Berserk will not trigger.
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ORSUS ZOKTAVIR, THE BUTCHER OF KHARDOV KHADOR WARCASTER
The varied cultures of Khador’s vast lands are proud of their fighting spirit, and Orsus Zoktavir embodies elements of each of these proud lines. Although his parentage is uncertain, each of the peoples of Khador have at times claimed him as their own. Seven and a half feet tall and over half as wide, he is a massive man who manifested natural arcane skills early in life.
FOCUS: 6 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 8 9 5 14 18 7
BUTCHER 1
BLUNDERBUSS RNG ROF AOE POW 8 1 — 12
Orsus’ past is wrapped in mystery; none seem to know of his life before he appeared in Korsk with two old warjacks in tow, demanding to be enlisted in the army. He was sent to the Orgoth fortress turned industrial city named Khardov, which would become his only home. Before long he was given his first command and dispatched to patrol the southern border alongside the 5th Border Legion.
LOLA RNG POW P+S 2 8 16 DAMAGE:20 WJ +28
FA C
BASE:MEDIUM
BUTCHER 1 TOUGH
LOLA DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL WEAPON MASTER
FEAT: BLOOD FRENZY The Butcher’s rage runs deep. It is the well from which he draws his power and the drive to lead his forces into battle. When the Butcher relinquishes what little control he has over this infectious fury, all who march by his side—man and machine alike—succumb to its bloodlust. While in the Butcher’s control range, friendly Faction models gain an additional die on attack damage rolls this turn.
SPELLS FULL THROTTLE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 3 SELF CTRL – TURN NO
Warjacks in the spellcaster’s battlegroup beginning their activations in its control range can run, charge, or make slam or trample power attacks without spending focus that activation. While in the spellcaster’s control range, models in its battlegroup gain boosted melee attack rolls. Full Throttle lasts for one turn. FURY
2
6 –
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +3 to melee damage rolls but suffers –1 DEF. IRON FLESH
2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit gains +2 ARM and does not suffer blast damage. Models are not affected while out of formation. OBLITERATION
4 10 5 15 – YES
The force of this attack blasts apart the earth itself. VENGEFUL
2
6 –
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model gains Retaliatory Strike. (If a model with Retaliatory Strike is hit by an enemy melee attack during your opponent’s turn, after that attack is resolved it can immediately make one basic melee attack against the attacking model. A model with Retaliatory Strike can make only one Retaliatory Strike per turn.)
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He gained notoriety during these patrols in 587 AR when a village just north of Boarsgate Keep was accused of attempting to withdraw from Khador to join with Ord. Orsus took it upon himself to crush the “traitorous rebellion.” When a waiting contingent of militiamen tried to parley, Orsus howled and charged. What followed was carnage. Halfway through the slaughter the militiamen surrendered, but Orsus kept cutting them down. His accompanying soldiers tried to restrain him, but in a wild rage he turned on his own men and with his massive axe rent every one to pieces. His fury was boundless. Moments later, the dismembered parts of eighty-eight warriors lay strewn about the village square. Those who witnessed the aftermath told of blood so thick in the muddy streets that rats leapt from one body to the next to avoid drowning. The event became known as the Boarsgate Massacre. Word spread quickly, earning Orsus the title “the Butcher of Khardov.” The news ultimately reached the ears of the newly crowned Queen Ayn Vanar. The pragmatic young queen absolved the warrior of blame, openly condoning his behavior as the reaction of any true patriot. Most of her kommanders guessed at the queen’s true intent. In parading a new weapon against internal dissent, she instilled fear that to speak or act against her could result in a visit from the Butcher. Her maneuver had the desired effect and instantly stifled all speculation of whether the new queen would be a strong monarch. The Butcher remains both an embodiment of Ayn Vanar’s strength and a potent symbol of the consequence of treachery. Younger warcasters view him with disdain and do not comprehend the leniency he has been afforded by the High Kommand. More traditional warcasters like Vladimir Tzepesci see him as nothing more than a weapon. Orsus Zoktavir wields his axe, Lola—named after a love whose loss fuels his rage—with singular fury. He wears a modified suit of steam-powered armor that was shaped from the hull of a warjack to suit his frame by loyal battle mechaniks once in his service. In its protective casing, the Butcher is a force of destruction, a one-man wrecking crew. Soldiers across western Immoren cannot forget the vision of the axe-wielding giant, a man from their nightmares become a living personification of warfare and bloodshed.
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KOMMANDER ORSUS ZOKTAVIR KHADOR WARCASTER
FOCUS: * BUTCHER 2 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 8 9 5 14 18 7
BLUNDERBUSS RNG ROF AOE POW 8 1 — 12
LOLA RNG POW P+S 2 8 16 DAMAGE:20 WJ +28
FA C
BASE:MEDIUM
BUTCHER 2 TOUGH ARCANE DEMENTIA – Zoktavir begins the game with 7 focus points and a base FOCUS of 7. At the start of each of your turns, if Zoktavir destroyed three or more enemy models with melee attacks during the last round, his base FOCUS becomes 7 for one round. Otherwise, his FOCUS becomes d6 + 1 for one round. Zoktavir’s control range is always 12˝. BERSERK – When this model destroys one or more models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved it must make one additional melee attack against another model in its melee range. CONFERRED RAGE – When this model destroys one or more enemy models during its activation, warjacks in its battlegroup beginning their activations in its control range gain +2 SPD and MAT for one turn. HOMICIDAL MANIAC – If there are no models in this model’s melee range after resolving a basic melee attack in which this model destroyed one or more enemy models, this model can advance up to 1˝.
LOLA
TACTICAL TIPS FEAT: FEEL THE HATE When Kommander Zoktavir enters battle, madness becomes infectious, and his berserk rage sweeps those at his side into his maelstrom of hate.
Arcane Dementia – Zoktavir’s control range cannot be modified.
Each time an enemy model is destroyed in Zoktavir’s control range, you can place one rage token on a friendly Faction model in his control range. A model can have up to three rage tokens at any time. Models can spend rage tokens during their activations to make additional melee attacks or to boost melee attack or melee damage rolls. A model can make one additional attack or boost one roll for each token spent. Feel the Hate lasts for one turn. Remove unspent rage tokens at the end of this turn.
SPELLS BOUNDLESS CHARGE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
– TURN NO
During its activation, target friendly Faction model can charge without spending focus or being forced and gains +2˝ movement and Pathfinder when it charges. Boundless Charge lasts for one turn. ELIMINATOR 3 8 3 13 – YES
Immediately after this attack is resolved, the spellcaster can advance up to 2˝ for each enemy model destroyed by the attack. FURY
2
6
–
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +3 to melee damage rolls but suffers –1 DEF. RAVAGER
2
6
–
– TURN NO
Target warjack in the spellcaster’s battlegroup gains Berserk for one turn. While affected by Ravager, a model cannot make Chain Attacks. (When a model with Berserk destroys one or more models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved it must make one additional melee attack against another model in its melee range.)
DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL WEAPON MASTER
Constant battles against the enemies of the Motherland have deepened the madness of Orsus Zoktavir and brought forth dark echoes from the depths of his being. The only soldiers who feel an affinity with the man commonly known as “the Butcher” are the Doom Reavers, for they recognize in him the same force that whispers to them and urges them to slaughter. Even those who once endorsed unleashing Orsus as a weapon against their enemies have begun to doubt the wisdom of that course. The invasion of Llael seemed to be Kommander Zoktavir’s finest hour. He hurled himself against Redwall Fortress like a force of nature. It had been the strongest point of resistance, the greatest garrison of the Llaelese Army supported by a massive contingent of Cygnaran soldiers. The stones of Redwall fell to the Demolition Corps, and it was Orsus Zoktavir who pushed first through the breech. He swept through enemies as his warjacks emulated his berserk frenzy, tearing through any obstacle in their path. Some speculate that Kommandant Irusk hoped the Butcher would perish in the attack and take the most uncontrollable of his followers with him. If that was indeed the goal, it failed
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utterly. As the conquest continued, Kommandant Irusk faced a difficult conundrum. The Khadoran forces were in Llael to annex land and resources, not to wipe out its inhabitants. Orsus was mindful of these orders in the calm light of day, yet when the battle madness came upon him, there was no stopping him. Orsus was sent southwest, thrown into battle, and allowed to engage his appetites where they could bring little harm to the Motherland. When he was given more specific orders, his objectives were often extremely hazardous, and he rarely returned unwounded. In the final stages of the Khadoran conquest of the Thornwood, Orsus’ bloodlust reached new heights, and he led an unauthorized, suicidal attack on the well-fortified Cygnaran fortress-city of Fellig. Not even his prodigious fury and strength were sufficient to the task. When he failed to return, some members of the High Kommand breathed a sigh of relief. Months later, Orsus walked out of the wilderness as if he had never vanished. Whatever transpired during those lost months remains unexplained. What is evident, though, is that his rage has not diminished. Even his arcane powers are affected by his inner demons; they surge up and then simmer low, like the memories haunting him. Never at peace, Orsus Zoktavir is at home only amid the chaos of war.
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KOMMANDER ZOKTAVIR, THE BUTCHER UNLEASHED KHADOR WARCASTER UNIT FOCUS: 6 BUTCHER 3 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 8 9 5 14 18 7
BLUNDERBUSS RNG ROF AOE POW 8 1 — 12
LOLA RNG POW P+S 2 8 16 DAMAGE:20 WJ +22
FA C
BASE:MEDIUM
BUTCHER 3 OFFICER TOUGH GRANTED: VENGEANCE – While this model is in formation, models in its unit gain Vengeance. (During your Maintenance Phase, if one or more models in a unit with Vengeance were damaged by enemy attacks during the last round, each model in the unit can advance 3˝ and make one basic melee attack.) WARCASTER UNIT – This unit is made up of Zoktavir and two War Argus.
LOLA DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL WEAPON MASTER
WAR ARGUS
FEAT: RED HAZE Many consider Kommander Zoktavir the empress’ mad dog, a brutal beast to loose upon her enemies. When the red haze overcomes his vision, every foe before him becomes a loathsome thing he feels compelled to obliterate. Facing this cyclone of blood and suffering, enemies have but a moment to flee or perish. Zoktavir immediately gains 6 focus points. He cannot have more focus points than his current FOCUS as a result of Red Haze. Living enemy models cannot charge Zoktavir. Red Haze lasts for one round.
SPELLS
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF
ENERGIZER
2 SELF – – – NO
Each model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that is currently in its control range can immediately advance up to 2˝. Energizer can be cast only once per activation. FLASHING BLADE
1
SELF
–
–
–
NO
The spellcaster immediately makes one basic attack with one of its melee weapons against each enemy model in its LOS that is in the weapon’s melee range. These attacks are simultaneous. IMPENDING DOOM 2
SELF
*
– – NO
Enemy models within 5˝ of the spellcaster are pushed 5˝ directly toward it in the order you choose. OBLITERATION 4 10 5 15 – YES
The force of this attack blasts apart the earth itself. SILENCE OF DEATH 2
6
–
–
SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 5 4 14 14 6
BITE RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 11 DAMAGE:8 BASE:MEDIUM
WAR ARGUS GANG – When making a melee attack targeting an enemy model in the melee range of another model in this unit, this model gains +2 to melee attack and melee damage rolls. GRANTED: RELENTLESS CHARGE – While this model is in formation, when advancing as part of a charge, models in its unit gain Pathfinder . SPRINT – At the end of an activation in which it destroyed or removed from play one or more enemy models with melee attacks, this model can immediately make a full advance, then its activation ends.
BITE COMBO STRIKE (HATTACK) – Make a melee attack. Instead of making a normal damage roll, the POW of the damage roll is equal to this model’s STR plus twice the POW of this weapon.
UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +2 STR and Take Down. (Models disabled by a melee attack made by a model with Take Down cannot make a Tough roll. Models boxed by a melee attack made by a model with Take Down are removed from play.)
Orsus Zoktavir’s story is savage and brutal, and his name synonymous with slaughter and madness. Those who have observed him fighting side by side with his pair of twoheaded hounds see these ferocious beasts as an apt reflection of his untamable darkness. Though his patriotism is without question, its fanatical nature has caused him to turn on any he suspects of acting against his nation—a precarious standard, given that he is subject to delusions. For Kommander Zoktavir any movement that does not bring a soldier closer to the enemy is cowardice, and any action that does not bring death to enemies is treason. His killing prowess and potency as a warcaster make him seemingly invulnerable when he is swept up in a frenzy of destruction, but even he has limits. His self-destructive impulses nearly laid him low when Orsus, defying his orders during the Siege of Fellig, let himself be goaded into an impossible attack. Outnumbered a hundred to one, he committed to an orgy of slaughter against the horrified defenders. Violating orders, his soldiers fled, leaving Orsus to fight on alone. Beyond exhaustion and driven from the battlefield, he wandered off in a delirious haze, eventually collapsing in eastern Ord. Death would have been certain if not for an unexpected kindness. A young Ordic servant girl found the unconscious
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giant and tended his wounds. She was repaid for her good deed with turmoil and chaos: when the Butcher learned she had been mistreated by her masters, he flew into a rage and demolished the estate where she worked. Even at his most compassionate, Orsus Zoktavir is a force of destruction. He plunged back into the Thornwood to return to the Khadoran Army, the only place where he knew his purpose. His return through the Thornwood was a nightmare descent into the visions of his warped mind, exacerbated when he was immediately confronted with accusations of criminal misconduct. While walking the army camp to quiet his thoughts, the Butcher discovered a dog trainer about to put down a pair of argus. Feeling a kinship with the beasts, Orsus saved them. Though his own comrades might shun him, in these untamable beasts he found companionship and acceptance. In turn the argus gained an uncompromising master every bit as fierce as they were. He has come to appreciate their unspoken loyalty when he feels unmoored and incapable of discerning friend from foe.
TACTICAL TIPS Granted: Vengeance – Models move after continuous effects have been resolved during your Maintenance Phase. Silence of Death – Because the boxed model is removed from play before being destroyed, it does not generate a soul or corpse token.
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WARJACKS OF KHADOR
While every nation employing warjacks has its own approach to their design, nowhere is the favored aesthetic more plainly evident than in the Khadoran Empire. Its war machines embody the priorities and approach to battle preferred by the proud and implacable warriors of the north. Although fewer in number than the machines serving Khador’s rivals, each Khadoran warjack is a heavy and massive engine of destruction, layered in thick armor and possessing brutally direct weapons intended to obliterate the foe. These are machines designed for conquest, perfectly complementing the Khadoran Army itself.
Khadoran Design Paradigm Over the centuries since the founding of Khador, the nation’s mechaniks have designed and constructed a broad array of warjacks, each with its own function and role on the battlefield. For over a century the Khadoran approach to warjack manufacture has been steadily refined and improved, yet the fundamental design paradigm has remained consistent. In particular, Khadoran warjacks are built to be rugged and long-lasting, to be quickly repaired, and to continue to function even when heavily damaged. Other nations have created more maneuverable and reactive light warjacks to fill a variety of battlefield roles, but Khador addresses those needs differently. The empire’s heavy warjacks are often capable of carrying out multiple battle functions, and their durable chassis allow them to be equipped with staggeringly powerful weapons. To compensate for the large number of light warjacks fielded by its enemies, Khador has
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responded with steam-powered Man-O-War troops, which serve a similar purpose while being easier to deploy in volume. The Man-O-War infantry has allowed Khador to operate on equal tactical footing, countering cortex-driven machinery with armor-encased manpower. There are significant reasons behind the Khadoran approach to warjack design, especially the decision to forego fabricating smaller light warjacks. In addition to a general preference for heavier and more robust engines of war, there are important resource considerations. One of the largest obstacles the Khadoran warjack industry has faced is the lack of rare minerals and metals required for cortex manufacture. The artificial brain inside every steamjack is by far the most specialized, expensive, and complicated of its systems, each an intricate and many-layered metal sphere. Militarygrade cortexes are more sophisticated than their laborjack counterparts, requiring greater quantities of rare and expensive elements. These resources are relatively scarce in Khador compared to the southern mountains, and so cortexes are at a premium. It is a top priority of the Khadoran military to get the most out of every cortex it can produce—to ensure each serves as long as possible and is also well protected against destruction in battle. The delicate arc nodes attached to warjacks employed by several of Khador’s rivals require similar materials and are also costly and time-consuming to produce. It has long been Khadoran policy to eschew such devices in favor of maintaining military-grade cortex production.
The Greylords Covenant, which is responsible for Khadoran cortex manufacture, prefers to employ a less-advanced cortex grade than its southern counterparts in most of its warjacks for similar reasons. The High Kommand does not deem this strategy a vulnerability, as Khadoran warjack design focuses on simpler weapons and engine systems that do not require advanced cortexes to regulate them. To most Khadoran mechaniks, simplicity is a virtue. They perceive some of the designs of their enemies to be heavily flawed due to their reliance on delicate systems with too many moving parts. Nothing gives a Khadoran mechanik more joy than to see an enemy warjack topple under a blow that his own machines can endure without breaking stride. There are exceptions to this rule of simplicity, and Khador’s arsenal does include a few machines that utilize more complicated weapons systems. But such machines have highly specific roles or were created to counter a particular threat, and each has its share of problems, including the need for frequent maintenance and specialist mechaniks. There is currently a growing divide between younger and older members of the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly on this topic. The more youthful engineers believe they must adapt or perish—many, for example, are eager to reverse engineer some of the technologies of their rivals for use in their own designs—while the more traditional mechaniks see this pragmatism as a betrayal of Khadoran principles. The impact of design philosophies can be seen in a number of ways, some less overt than others. Khador has less variety in its heavy chassis than its rivals, with most of its warjacks built on the exact same architecture that has been used for nearly a century, as exemplified by the solid Juggernaut. This highly successful chassis was the successor to an older and less robust frame still found among warjacks like the Berserker, Mad Dog, and Rager. These aging machines are maintained and continue to serve even past the point when their cortexes have developed dangerous instabilities. Other chassis types exist but have been adopted slowly and in some cases incrementally, and only when a clear need is demonstrated. The warjacks built on the Devastator frame were initially intended to shoulder especially heavy armor and support a new integrated weapons system, and this chassis was created after Ayn Vanar specifically challenged the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly to come up with a new design. The Kodiak, with its
WARJACKS OF KHADOR
65
powerful expanded engine, was geared toward allowing the warjack to quickly traverse difficult terrain. While Khador’s designs are conservative, innovation does occur—usually in the form of occasional special projects like the Behemoth. But the majority of Khador’s warjack production relies upon the ease of sharing parts across similar chassis. The preference for simplicity over complexity is especially evident in the weapons employed by Khadoran warjacks. These machines wield a number of highly effective mechanikal weapons, like the Juggernaut’s ice axe, but even these killing tools are relatively simple compared to finicky southern apparatus. So too with Khadoran ranged firepower. Some degree of complexity is required for a functional auto-loading cannon or mortar, but Khadoran mechaniks have made these systems as resilient as possible. Similarly, Khadoran warjacks rely on delivering high-explosive yields and heavy shells rather than on pinpoint accuracy or extended range. Even the nation’s ranged warjacks are engineered to close on the enemy after firing rather than to conduct a protracted shooting engagement. This posture affects the behavior and tactics of these warjacks, which are generally aggressive and direct.
Logistics & Infrastructure Khador’s newly invigorated infrastructure and military reforms have not had a significant impact on its approach to warjack design. Even with the captured resources of Llael, the northern nation still lacks the precious metals necessary for the fabrication of warjack cortexes in large quantities. Because of this scarcity, the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly’s ruling body, the Mekaniburo, continues to allocate most of
66
WARJACKS OF KHADOR
its resources to the creation of the medium-grade cortexes intended for heavily armored and highly survivable warjacks. Within the last century, warjack fabrication techniques have been greatly standardized and streamlined, and the Khadoran military industry is now a cohesive and ordered assembly process stretching across factories in multiple cities, each connected by well-defended railways. Different systems and parts are created in far-flung corners of the empire and then brought together and assembled into fully functional machines of war. The bulk of this work is done by members of the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly, headquartered at the Rigevnya Complex in the capital of Korsk. Other sizable manufacturing centers are located in Khardov, Volningrad, and Skirov, as well as the captured former Llaelese capital of Merywyn. Warjacks are massive machines not easily transported from place to place, though the expansion of the railways has facilitated such logistics a great deal. Khador has proven particularly quick to lay new track across the Motherland as well as through newly conquered territories. Stout wagons hauled by oxen or draft horses take warjacks where the rail cannot, and if necessary the metal giants can travel under their own power, although doing so consumes prodigious amounts of coal and water. Ongoing war has forced the construction of new firebases— forward positions at key points where ample supplies of coal, water, food, ammunition, and weapons are placed for resupply. As the front lines have shifted with the vicissitudes of war, more of these bases have been built to allow warcasters and warjacks to strike wherever they are needed. Some
firebases become permanent fortifications as they expand into true command posts. A network of roads and resupply points stretches from the war front through occupied territories and ultimately to the centers of production and industry deep within the Khadoran interior.
Colossals The last few years have seen the rise of new challenges and threats, forcing the High Kommand and the Rigevnya Complex to adapt. Proving they were up to the task of quick thinking and innovation, Khadoran leaders began an emergency project in 608 AR to create the first Khadoran colossals. The need to develop considerably larger warjacks, each carrying a correspondingly more impressive array of firepower, was a reaction to intelligence brought by Khadoran spies.
KHADORAN WARJACK SERVICE MARKERS Warjacks that have served in notable battles are often decorated with service markers to denote their length and regions of service. The warjacks do not notice such distinction, but the honors inspire confidence in the soldiers fighting alongside them. SIEGE OF MERYWYN
The new Khadoran Empire was born the day Merywyn fell and surrendered to Khador, and this marker distinguishes the warjacks that fought during the lengthy and difficult battle that crushed the spirit of the Llaelese rulers. Soldiers who played important roles in this fight wear a service medal of similar design. ASSAULT AT REDWALL
The attack on Redwall Fortress was the most crucial of the initial assaults during the Llaelese invasion, because the fortification was the strongest western bastion of Llaelese and Cygnaran armed forces. Warjacks with this marker were hurled against the fortress under the leadership of Kommander Orsus Zoktavir. THE FALL OF NORTHGUARD
Although Khadoran forces would eventually withdraw from the Thornwood, the fall of Cygnar’s mightiest northern fortress late in 607 AR is held as one of the greatest victories in the last few decades, and the warjacks that survived this clash proudly bear this marker.
Through espionage Khador learned that Cygnar was already well on the way to developing a new generation of colossals quite different from the massive but inefficient machines first deployed against the Orgoth. Taking advantage of modern advances in cortexes, metallurgy, articulated movement systems, ranged weaponry, and other warjack systems, these new colossals were bound to change the face of modern warfare. Had Cygnar accomplished its goal unimpeded, it might have gained a decisive edge. Given unprecedented support by Empress Vanar, the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly rose to the challenge. Entire factories once dedicated to regular warjack production were overhauled and repurposed, while the brightest Khadoran minds drew ambitious diagrams and blueprints for new designs. Resources were gathered from across the empire in a massive collaborative effort. Through these measures, the first of the mighty Conquests was unveiled in record time and put into the field even ahead of the first Cygnaran colossal. This achievement clearly demonstrated the capability and resolve of Khador’s skilled citizenry. Other designs such as the Victor soon followed, and each of these mighty war machines has since fought at the vanguard of Khador’s armies, employed by indomitable warcasters to ensure the ongoing supremacy of the Motherland.
WARJACKS OF KHADOR
67
BERSERKER
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK BERSERKER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 11 5 3 11 18 —
WAR AXE L
RNG POW P+S 1 5 16
R
RNG POW P+S 1 5 16
WAR AXE
DAMAGE
Those who know the merits of these brutal machines make excellent use of them. Armed with a pair of immense axes, a Berserker is ruthless in close combat, and its volatile cortex and propensity for violence become assets when facing its ironand-steel counterparts from other nations. A Khadoran general with a Berserker views it as a rampaging force of destruction to be unleashed at the right moment and expended in battle.
L
PC 9
L R L M C R
R
M M C
FA U
TACTICAL TIPS BASE:LARGE
BERSERKER CONSTRUCT BERSERK – When this model destroys one or more
models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved it must make one additional melee attack against another model in its melee range. UNSTABLE – At the end of an activation in which this model spent more than 1 focus point, roll a d6. If the roll is equal to or less than the number of focus points spent, this model explodes and other models within 3˝ of it suffer an unboostable POW 14 blast damage roll. Remove this model from play.
430 ar
715 lbs
10 ft 11 in
5 hrs
8.4 tons
55 mins
TWIN WAR AXES GREYLORDS COVENANT
68
There is something uniquely terrifying about the Berserker. The oldest Khadoran warjack still in service, it is also among the oldest relied upon by any modern nation. Some proudly view this fact as proof of both the genius of Khadoran engineering and the timelessness of their weapons of war. Berserker cortexes have become unstable in the years since their first manufacture well over a century ago; the ’jacks are prone to charge without orders when near the frenzy of combat, and the bloodthirsty manner in which they slaughter enemy infantry has long been legendary. Worse yet, their cortex alloys and the alchemical mixtures in which their cortexes bathe have become critically compromised by decay and are prone to massive concussive overload if stimulated with too much arcane energy.
Cortex Boxes – Due to their extreme age and cortex decay, Berserkers have only two boxes in their Cortex system.
DECIMATOR
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK As the Khadoran Empire has expanded its territories and come up against the toughest defenses of its enemies, it has needed increasingly powerful tools to sow destruction. Enter the Decimator, which Khador engineered to annihilate wellarmored targets with powerful direct fire. The ’jack’s thunderous cannon smashes its victims to the ground before it closes and tears them to unrecognizable scrap with its mighty saw.
DECIMATOR SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 7 4 10 20 —
DOZER RNG ROF AOE POW 10 2 — 15
L
The heart of the Decimator’s dozer repeating cannon is a revolving chamber housing the weapon’s oversized ammunition. The impact of one of these massive slugs smashes its unfortunate target backward—if not annihilating it outright— and punches a hole in the enemy line. In close combat, the Decimator relies on its massive rip saw, a wicked weapon capable of shredding anything in its path. The ’jack has been used extensively in recent years to assault the most impregnable fortifications of Khador’s enemies, where it deals staggering punishment to their heaviest defenders.
RIP SAW RNG POW P+S 1 5 17
R
DAMAGE
TACTICAL TIPS
L
Beat Back – You cannot move toward a model you destroyed. PC 16
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
FA U
BASE:LARGE
DECIMATOR CONSTRUCT
DOZER BEAT BACK – Immediately after a basic attack with
this weapon is resolved during this model’s Combat Action, the enemy model hit can be pushed 1˝ directly away from the attacking model. After the enemy model is pushed, the attacking model can advance up to 1˝ directly toward it.
RIP SAW SUSTAINED ATTACK – During this model’s activation,
when it makes an attack with this weapon against the last model hit by the weapon this activation, the attack automatically hits.
587 ar
783 lbs
11 ft 7 in
4 hrs
9.8 tons
45 mins
DOZER, RIP SAW GREYLORDS COVENANT
69
DEMOLISHER KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK DEMOLISHER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 6 4 10 23 —
SHOULDER CANNON RNG ROF AOE POW 8 1 3 15
L
SHOULDER CANNON RNG ROF AOE POW 8 1 3 15
R
SHIELD FIST RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
L
SHIELD FIST RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
R
DAMAGE
L
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
PC 16
FA U
BASE:LARGE
DEMOLISHER CONSTRUCT GUNFIGHTER ARMORED SHELL – If this model makes an attack other than a head-butt, slam, or trample power attack, its base ARM is 19 until the start of its next activation. BULLDOZE – When this model is B2B with an enemy model during its Normal Movement, it can push that model up to 2˝ directly away from it. A model can be pushed by Bulldoze only once per activation. Bulldoze has no effect when this model makes a trample power attack. GIRDED – This model and friendly models B2B with it do not suffer blast damage. STEADY – This model cannot become knocked down. STURDY – This model cannot be pushed.
SHIELD FIST OPEN FIST
606 ar
1,200 lbs
11 ft 5 in
4 hrs
16.9 tons
40 mins
DUAL SHOULDER CANNONS, TWIN SHIELD FISTS GREYLORDS COVENANT
70
There is no such concept as “excessive force” among the armies of Khador, and the Demolisher embodies this philosophy perfectly. This truly massive warjack is an intimidating sight as it moves across the battlefield deflecting even direct artillery fire. With armor almost half a foot thick in places, speed is an unnecessary luxury. When the hulking ’jack finally reaches its position, its tremendous plated arms drop to reveal integral cannons. Though this makes the warjack briefly vulnerable, the staggering destructive force it unleashes ensures no enemy survives to return fire. A Demolisher in action embodies the guiding philosophy of the Khadoran military mind: endure and annihilate. The Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly has long grappled with the challenge of delivering short-range but powerful ordnance on the battlefield. Such weapons draw significant attention from the enemy and make easy targets for massed firepower. The incredible armor of the Devastator chassis provided a suitable vehicle, however. Through brilliant engineering, Khadoran mechaniks developed a way to integrate the cannons, which in turn led to breakthroughs in cortex design to maximize their use. The specialists of the Greylords Covenant refined the firing routines of the cortex to allow it to stabilize itself even in the midst of punishingly close combat. The Demolisher’s shoulder cannons also carry some of the heaviest ammunition of any warjack weapon system. The great weight of the ’jack is itself a weapon; its hulking form provides all the cover of a mobile artillery emplacement for those who accompany it. Any who fight beside a Demolisher benefit from the brutal strength of the Motherland itself.
TACTICAL TIPS Steady – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
DESTROYER
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK Compared to other nations, Khador’s technological advancement of warjacks has been slow—mostly because the country’s mechaniks build their warjacks to last. A prime example is the Destroyer, which has served in various iterations as the premier Khadoran siege-assault warjack for over a hundred years, gaining particular fame in the First Thornwood War. The whistling of its shells arcing overhead is a prelude to destruction, heralding the thunderous blasts that tear apart everything in the target vicinity. The Destroyer’s current design has not changed in over seventy years, but the series goes back as far as 480 AR. Even with antiquated armament, those impressive early ’jacks shelled Cygnaran fortifications from across the Dragon’s Tongue River. Improvements to the bombard cannon in 537 AR cemented the Destroyer as the centerpiece of Khadoran war engineering.
DESTROYER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 7 4 10 20 —
BOMBARD RNG ROF AOE POW 14 1 4 14
L
EXECUTIONER AXE RNG POW P+S 1 5 17
R
DAMAGE
Though most famous for its role in delivering a punishing bombardment, the Destroyer is no less formidable when engaged in close combat. Its designers did not skimp on armor: its iron-plated chassis is as heavy as the Juggernaut’s and provides formidable protection. One mighty stroke from a Destroyer’s axe can shear entire limbs from an enemy warjack.
L
PC 14
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
FA U
BASE:LARGE
DESTROYER CONSTRUCT
BOMBARD ARCING FIRE – When attacking with this weapon, this
model can ignore intervening models except those within 1˝ of the target.
EXECUTIONER AXE CRITICAL AMPUTATION – On a critical hit on a warjack
or warbeast, fill in the unmarked damage boxes or circles on the last column or branch damaged.
537 ar (480 ar)
815 lbs
11 ft 7 in
4 hrs
9.5 tons
50 mins
BOMBARD, EXECUTIONER AXE GREYLORDS COVENANT
71
DEVASTATOR KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK DEVASTATOR SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 6 4 10 23 —
SHIELD FIST RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
L
SHIELD FIST RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
R
DAMAGE
L
PC 14
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
FA U
BASE:LARGE
DEVASTATOR
Few sights inspire the troops of the Khadoran Empire—or demoralize their enemies—like the appearance of an advancing Devastator. Lumbering forward like a walking fortress, this warjack is implacable. Even concentrated artillery fire only causes the Devastator to stagger a bit before reaching its target and deploying its catastrophic ordnance. Two decades ago, when the High Kommand requested a new, more heavily armored warjack chassis, the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly was quick to respond. The mechaniks presented a truly monstrous design that took advantage of recent advances in mechanikal weaponry and was capable of supporting almost a third more armor than the venerable Juggernaut. In the Devastator’s closed configuration, its plates interlock to give the warjack full armored protection that is nearly impossible to breach. As a result of its great weight and power, it can shove aside nearly anything in its path. The Devastator is equipped with an array of powerful short-range grenade launchers that can reduce the enemy to smoking ruin. Because these can be fired only while its carapace is open, unleashing its full destructive power exposes vital machinery. To compensate, the grenades are timed to explode in rapid succession, ensuring that the air around the ’jack is filled with deadly shrapnel for a few protracted moments. The blasts ravage enemy troops and can split the armor of warjacks at close range. The result is what its designers proudly call the “Rain of Death.”
CONSTRUCT ARMORED SHELL – If this model makes an attack other
than a head-butt, slam, or trample power attack, its base ARM is 19 until the start of its next activation. BULLDOZE – When this model is B2B with an enemy model during its Normal Movement, it can push that model up to 2˝ directly away from it. A model can be pushed by Bulldoze only once per activation. Bulldoze has no effect when this model makes a trample power attack. RAIN OF DEATH (HATTACK) – This attack does not need a target. Models B2B with this model suffer a POW 18 blast damage roll. Other models within 3˝ of this model suffer a POW 9 blast damage roll. When this model charges, instead of making a charge attack it can make a Rain of Death attack. Rain of Death damage is simultaneous. After a Rain of Death attack, this model can make additional melee attacks. STEADY – This model cannot become knocked down. STURDY – This model cannot be pushed.
SHIELD FIST OPEN FIST
598 ar
1,125 lbs
11 ft 5 in
4 hrs
16 tons
45 mins
TWIN SHIELD FISTS, RAIN OF DEATH GRENADE LAUNCHERS GREYLORDS COVENANT
72
TACTICAL TIPS Steady – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
GROLAR
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK Unhindered by terrain, this deceptively fast machine often leads the charge into enemy lines. The heavy warjack can charge across—or through—any obstacles in its way with bursts of speed unexpected from anything of its size and weight. Such capabilities make the Grolar ideal for supporting fast-moving Khadoran forces. Since this warjack first entered service in 605 AR, the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly has produced the design in ever-greater numbers to bolster the nation’s fighting forces across western Immoren. Though the Kodiak has long been touted as one of the finest achievements in Khadoran engineering, and rightfully so, the Grolar is renowned for its integrated advanced weapon systems. The machine combines a rapid-fire cannon and devastating melee capabilities with a powerful steam engine, enabling it to reach the best vantage points to rain down heavy fire into the opposition.
GROLAR SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 7 4 10 20 —
AUTO CANNON RNG ROF AOE POW 8 d3+2 — 12
L
OPEN FIST RNG POW P+S 1 3 15
L
PISTON HAMMER RNG POW P+S 1 6 18
R
DAMAGE
The Grolar’s cannon can deliver a truly withering rate of fire, even in close combat, while its thunderous piston hammer strikes with the force of a falling comet, pounding targets to scrap or stringy pulp. The concussive force of the hammer can easily knock aside any target, leaving it vulnerable to the full fury of the warjack’s auto cannon. The Grolar serves as a swift deterrent when armies must claim objectives quickly rather than as a replacement for ’jacks like the Juggernaut and the Destroyer, which Khador will surely continue to produce for generations to come. Typically, this mighty warjack is deployed as part of warcaster battlegroups at the head of Khadoran advances and along the nation’s disputed borders, where its mobility and sheer firepower can be used to greatest effect. With its ability to swiftly traverse any terrain, the Grolar has been especially valuable to the Motherland’s forces in the Thornwood and other challenging landscapes.
L
PC 18
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
FA U
BASE:LARGE
GROLAR CONSTRUCT PATHFINDER DUAL ATTACK – This model can make melee and ranged attacks in the same activation. When this model makes its initial melee attacks or a power attack, it can also make its initial ranged attacks. This model can make ranged attacks even while in melee. HEAVY BOILER – This model gains +2˝ movement when running.
OPEN FIST OPEN FIST
PISTON HAMMER RAM – When an enemy model is hit by this weapon
during this model’s Combat Action, it becomes knocked down and can be pushed 1˝ directly away from this model. If the model hit is pushed, this model can immediately advance 1˝ directly toward it.
605 ar
1,050 lbs
11 ft 11 in
6 hrs
11.8 tons
70 mins
AUTO-CANNON, PISTON HAMMER GREYLORDS COVENANT
73
JUGGERNAUT KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK JUGGERNAUT SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 7 4 10 20 —
OPEN FIST L
RNG POW P+S 1 3 15
R
RNG POW P+S 1 7 19
ICE AXE
The current Juggernaut’s armament and chassis date to 516 AR, but its original chassis is older, having been designed in 465 AR to replace the aging models based on the Berserker chassis. In fact, this chassis design is the basis for a number of today’s Khadoran warjacks. The Juggernaut combines powerful steam engines with as much armor as its chassis can carry.
DAMAGE
L
PC 12
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
FA U
BASE:LARGE
Inspired by mechanikal techniques of the Greylords Covenant, the Mechaniks Assembly created the ice axe for the Juggernaut in 517 AR. This weapon encases its target in a layer of ice, causing it to seize up. Even glancing blows can freeze enemy warjacks in their tracks and cause their engines to screech in protest against their frozen limbs. Khadorans respect power, and there is not a soul in the Motherland who does not admire the storied Juggernaut and its endless list of accomplishments in battle.
JUGGERNAUT CONSTRUCT
OPEN FIST OPEN FIST
ICE AXE CRITICAL FREEZE – On a critical hit, the model hit becomes stationary for one round unless it has Immunity: Cold .
516 ar (465 ar)
798 lbs
11 ft 7 in
4.5 hrs
9 tons
50 mins
ICE AXE GREYLORDS COVENANT
74
Bigger is usually better in Khador, and the country’s mechaniks employ this principle with each successive warjack they design. As brutally efficient in modern warfare as when it was first conceived, the Juggernaut is a mammoth of plated armor regarded as the embodiment of Khadoran temperament and an example of the supremacy of the Khadoran martial warjack. Fewer Juggernauts come off the assembly lines today than in past decades, but they can endure brutal punishment and be rebuilt and repaired countless times before being scrapped. Some Juggernauts serving on the front lines have persisted for more than a hundred years.
KODIAK
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK The Kodiak was inspired by the tenacity of the 5th Border Legion, which refused to admit defeat at the end of the First Thornwood War. Having learned many harsh lessons in that conflict, the High Kommand realized the Khadoran arsenal required an all-terrain weapon that could negotiate the dense forest. Thus the Kodiak was conceived, a ’jack capable of smashing its way through heavy foliage before delivering crushing blows with its reinforced fists. Almost nothing can withstand the steam-driven assault of a Kodiak set into action; the ’jack barely notices obstacles and other terrain impediments. Its huge boiler grants the ’jack increased speed as needed to traverse the span of a battlefield and enables the Kodiak to exhale clouds of superheated vapor to scald nearby troops and envelope itself in a broiling fog.
KODIAK SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 7 4 10 20 —
ARMORED FIST RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
L
ARMORED FIST RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
R
DAMAGE
Once battle is met, the Kodiak’s hammer-like fists are powerful enough to crumple the steel plating of a heavy warjack’s hull. Because it carries no weapons, the Kodiak is adept at grappling enemy warjacks, slamming them to the ground or hurling them through the air with ease. With such wide utility, the Kodiak can be found in service throughout the Motherland’s armies, as staunch a fighter as the soldiers that gave rise to it.
TACTICAL TIPS Chain Attack: Grab & Smash – A model with a crippled weapon system cannot use it to make chain attacks, special attacks, or power attacks.
L
PC 13
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
FA U
BASE:LARGE
KODIAK CONSTRUCT PATHFINDER HEAVY BOILER – This model gains +2˝ movement when
running. VENT STEAM – This model can use Vent Steam once
per activation at any time. Center a 4˝ AOE cloud effect on this model. Living and undead models in the AOE when it is placed suffer a POW 12 damage roll. The AOE remains in play for one round.
ARMORED FIST OPEN FIST CHAIN ATTACK: GRAB & SMASH – If this model hits
the same model with both its initial attacks with this weapon, after resolving the attacks it can immediately make a head-butt or throw power attack against that target.
547 ar
990 lbs
11 ft 9 in
6 hrs
11.2 tons
75 mins
TWIN ARMORED FISTS GREYLORDS COVENANT
75
MAD DOG
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK MAD DOG SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 11 5 3 11 18 —
HAMMER SPIKE RNG POW P+S 1 3 14
L
HAMMER SPIKE RNG POW P+S 1 3 14
R
DAMAGE
L
PC 9
R
M M C
FA U
BASE:LARGE
TACTICAL TIPS Cortex Boxes – Due to their extreme age and cortex decay, Mad Dogs have only two boxes in their Cortex system.
MAD DOG CONSTRUCT SMASHER – This model can make trample power attacks
without spending focus and gains an additional die on trample attack rolls. UNSTABLE – At the end of an activation in which this model spent more than 1 focus point, roll a d6. If the roll is equal to or less than the number of focus points spent, this model explodes and other models within 3˝ of it suffer an unboostable POW 14 blast damage roll. Remove this model from play.
460 ar
715 lbs
10 ft 11 in
5 hrs
8.4 tons
55 mins
TWIN HAMMER SPIKES GREYLORDS COVENANT
76
The Mad Dog’s modified steam engine generates sufficient power to send the machine through ranks of the enemy without slowing. While its design has since been eclipsed, the Mad Dog can still make a deeply demoralizing impact as it crashes into groups of tightly packed infantry. Despite the wear and tear these warjacks have endured over many decades of warfare, some few have been maintained and are quite capable of fighting on the modern battlefield. They barrel onward, heedless of resistance, to tread on the broken bodies of enemies caught beneath their hulking frames. Once in the fray, the Mad Dog employs its spiked gauntlets with vicious enthusiasm, crushing anything within reach. The havoc it wreaks among the enemy is enough to break even the most disciplined battle line. Few Mad Dogs remain wholly functional, but some kommanders are quite partial to their use nevertheless. Over the course of their lengthy term of service, these heavy warjacks have become increasingly unstable, making psychotic rampages and explosive overloads all but inevitable.
L R L M C R
A veritable battering ram of steel, the Mad Dog is the bane of enemy infantry facing Khador in the field. Among the oldest Khadoran warjacks still in service, the Mad Dog was designed for the sole purpose of smashing its way through enemy formations.
MARAUDER
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK Designed to pulverize both buildings and armored warjacks with equal ease, the Marauder is armed with a pair of pneumatically driven battering rams. Though originally developed to aid in siege warfare, these crushing rams are even more useful for obliterating or displacing enemy warjacks, and they provide unsurpassed tactical control to their battlegroup commanders. The Marauder can hurl ten tons of enemy warjack to the side with no more difficulty than a rampaging bear knocking aside a man. An industrial mechanik named Targh Fedro was inspired to try this design after observing stonemasons in a quarry. After replacing an old laborjack’s broken arms with battering rams, he tested it against the quarry walls and nearly brought down the entire face with a single blow. Excited at the military potential, he took the design to the Mechaniks Assembly to build a prototype using the ubiquitous Juggernaut chassis. Those who witnessed trials against similarly heavy Khadoran ’jacks were astonished at the power wielded by the piston-driven rams. Though any warjack can knock away an adversary if it has sufficient distance for a full charge, the Marauder can achieve similar results standing still. With the devastating power of its twin rams, a Marauder can send lesser machines flying through stone walls to become mere wrecks of torn metal and shattered pistons.
MARAUDER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 7 4 10 20 —
RAM PISTON RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
L
RAM PISTON RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
R
DAMAGE
L
PC 10
MARAUDER
Combo Smite – A model with a crippled weapon system cannot use it to make chain attacks or special attacks, including power attacks.
RAM PISTON
R
M M C C
FA U
TACTICAL TIPS
L R L M C R
BASE:LARGE
CONSTRUCT COMBO SMITE (HATTACK) – The model hit is slammed
d6˝ directly away from this model. If the model hit has a larger base than the attacking model, it is moved only half the distance rolled. When resolving damage for this attack, the model hit suffers a damage roll with POW equal to the STR of this model plus twice the POW of this weapon. The POW of collateral damage is equal to the STR of this model. SIEGE WEAPON – This weapon gains an additional die to its damage rolls against huge-based models.
522 ar
860 lbs
11 ft 7 in
4 hrs
10.25 tons
45 mins
TWIN RAM PISTONS GREYLORDS COVENANT
77
RAGER
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK RAGER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 11 5 3 11 18 —
SHIELD CANNON RNG ROF AOE POW 8 1 — 15
L
SHIELD RNG POW P+S 1 2 13
L
GLADIUS RNG POW P+S 1 4 15
R
Most of the original Ragers have been destroyed, often having been reduced to scrap as they interposed their frames between their warcasters and danger. While few remain in service today, they continue to demonstrate the same steadfast resolve and loyalty as when they first set foot on the field of battle. Weathering blows from enemy warjacks and absorbing artillery fire directed at their controlling warcasters, Ragers endure as an eloquent testament to the strength and resilience of Khadoran engineering.
DAMAGE
L
L R L M C R
While not as prone to unprovoked violent outbursts as other aging machines in the Khadoran arsenal, the Rager is inclined toward fierce overprotectiveness and will throw itself upon any perceived threat to its master without hesitation. It is for this reason that many of Khador’s veteran warcasters still find a place for the aging warjack in their battlegroups, though they keep the machine at arm’s length, given its increasing tendency toward destructive cortex overloads. The Rager was designed with a heavy shield cannon of the sort used by Man-O-War Shocktroopers, lending the ’jack the means for a strong defense without depriving it of a second weapon. Rather than hacking into the enemy with reckless abandon, the Rager employs a more measured fighting style, making effective use of its sword and shield.
R
M M C
TACTICAL TIPS PC 11
FA U
BASE:LARGE
RAGER CONSTRUCT POINT-BLANK – During its activation, this model can
make melee attacks with its ranged weapon, with a melee range of 0.5˝. Do not add this model’s STR to damage rolls made with ranged weapons. Charge attacks made with ranged weapons are not boosted. SHIELD GUARD – Once per round, when a friendly model is directly hit by a non-spray ranged attack during your opponent’s turn while within 3˝ of this model, you can choose to have this model directly hit instead. This model is automatically hit and suffers all damage and effects. This model cannot use Shield Guard while it is incorporeal, knocked down, or stationary. UNSTABLE – At the end of an activation in which this model spent more than 1 focus point, roll a d6. If the roll is equal to or less than the number of focus points spent, this model explodes and other models within 3˝ of it suffer an unboostable POW 14 blast damage roll. Remove this model from play.
SHIELD SHIELD
463 ar
715 lbs
10 ft 11 in
5 hrs
8.4 tons
55 mins
SHIELD CANNON, GLADIUS GREYLORDS COVENANT
78
Cortex Boxes – Due to their extreme age and cortex decay, Ragers have only two boxes in their Cortex system.
SPRIGGAN
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK When Queen Ayn Vanar ordered the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly to give her a warjack that would turn the tide of the Motherland’s ongoing border wars, it provided her with the Spriggan. The mechaniks who built the first Spriggan looked to the drakhuns of old for inspiration; the warjack wields both a war lance and a heavy shield in addition to its tremendous underlying chassis armor.
SPRIGGAN SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 6 4 10 19 —
GRENADE LAUNCHER RNG ROF AOE POW 10 1 3 10
L
Dual grenade launchers set into the machine’s armored exterior give the Spriggan greater tactical flexibility. Using its grenades, the warjack can tear apart massed infantry with shrapnel, preventing them from overwhelming it with sheer numbers. These explosive grenades are supplemented with alchemical flares that illuminate enemies wherever they are hiding.
GRENADE LAUNCHER RNG ROF AOE POW 10 1 3 10
R
SHIELD RNG POW P+S 1 2 14
L
The Spriggan’s most potent weapon is its massive lance, with which it can pierce a warjack from cortex to boiler before the enemy machine can close to defend itself. If an opponent somehow survives this onslaught, the ’jack can fend off blows with its formidable assault shield, which is sturdy enough to turn aside almost any weapon and weighty enough to deliver a crushing counterattack.
WAR LANCE RNG POW P+S 2 6 18
R
DAMAGE
TACTICAL TIPS
Steady – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
L
PC 19
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
FA U
BASE:LARGE
SPRIGGAN CONSTRUCT BULLDOZE – When this model is B2B with an enemy
model during its Normal Movement, it can push that model up to 2˝ directly away from it. A model can be pushed by Bulldoze only once per activation. Bulldoze has no effect when this model makes a trample power attack. STEADY – This model cannot become knocked down.
GRENADE LAUNCHER ARCING FIRE – When attacking with this weapon, this
model can ignore intervening models except those within 1˝ of the target. TARGETING FLARE – Instead of making an attack with this weapon, you can place a 3˝ AOE anywhere completely within 10˝ of this model, with a center point in this model’s LOS, ignoring intervening models. While a model is within the AOE, it loses Stealth and models can ignore cloud effects when determining LOS to it. The AOE remains in play for one turn.
SHIELD SHIELD
WAR LANCE POWERFUL CHARGE – This model gains +2 to charge
attack rolls with this weapon.
602 ar
1,200 lbs
11 ft 5 in
4 hrs
16.5 tons
45 mins
ASSAULT SHIELD, WAR LANCE, DUAL GRENADE LAUNCHERS GREYLORDS COVENANT
79
BEAST 09
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK BEAST 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 8 4 10 20 —
OPEN FIST RNG POW P+S 1 3 15
L
ICE BREAKER RNG POW P+S 2 7 19
R
DAMAGE
L
PC 21
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
FA C
Beast was assembled at the Rigevnya Complex in 600 AR. It was shipped south by rail to one of several supply depots, like countless others of its design, and was soon assigned to Kommander Kratikoff. In her pragmatic fashion, Sorscha gave the warjack an identifying number based on the order of allocation to her kommand. It still bears the “09” designation, even though it has long outlasted those that came before it. Sorscha found Beast to be a tenacious fighter and has kept it on the front lines through the years. The intense crucible of constant warfare has tested the warjack to its limits and allowed it to develop certain fighting instincts. More than mere survivability sets Beast apart. It possesses a battle cunning that makes it seem alive, and Beast will sometimes act on its own initiative rather than rely solely on the orders of its master.
When it breaks through the trees with the splintered crack of exploded timber, its prey already knows a monster approaches. This is the hulking Juggernaut called Beast 09. Its very posture conveys animal menace. The ’jack becomes docile only when Sorscha Kratikoff calls it to her side, and in battle it seeks her approval.
BASE:LARGE
BEAST 1 CONSTRUCT BOND [SORSCHA] – If this model begins the game in
Sorscha’s battlegroup, it is bonded to her. This model is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent’s control. While this model is bonded to Sorscha and in her control range, it gains Shield Guard. (When a friendly model is directly hit by a non-spray ranged attack during your opponent’s turn while within 3˝ of a model with Shield Guard, you can choose to have the model with Shield Guard directly hit instead. It is automatically hit and suffers all damage and effects. A model can use Shield Guard only once per round and cannot use Shield Guard if it is incorporeal, knocked down, or stationary.) HYPER-AGGRESSIVE – When this model suffers damage from an enemy attack at any time except while it is advancing, after the attack is resolved it can immediately make a full advance directly toward the attacking model. MURDEROUS – This model gains an additional die on melee attack rolls against warrior models.
OPEN FIST OPEN FIST
ICE BREAKER CRITICAL FREEZE – On a critical hit, the model hit becomes stationary for one round unless it has Immunity: Cold . THRESHER (HATTACK) – This model makes one melee attack with this weapon against each model in its LOS that is in this weapon’s melee range. Thresher attacks are simultaneous.
During the War in Llael, for example, while Sorscha was fighting outside besieged Merywyn, the kommander found herself driven into a ravine by a Cygnaran counteroffensive, cut off from the bulk of her kommand. She had sent Beast to refuel and resupply, but it had lingered nearby, against her directive, perhaps having spotted the smoke of approaching enemies. Despite its low fuel, the warjack rejoined Sorscha just as she was engaged. Sorscha used its sudden arrival to turn the tide of battle, keenly aware of its nearly exhausted fuel supply and her very limited time. With its last bit of steam, the ’jack charged forward to intercept the enemy, sweeping its axe in wide arcs. Sorscha saw the will of the defenders crumble and fail just as Beast itself ran dry. Unaware the ’jack was spent, the enemy fled the field. The nascent bond between the two deepened in the battles that followed. The warjack has picked up its warcaster’s inherent ruthlessness after their long association and seems to take pleasure in each kill. Blows striking its armored plates only encourage its destructive frenzy. Kommander Kratikoff has found these qualities a particular boon in battles where she has a numerical disadvantage— Beast has always evened the odds. To maximize the machine’s full potential, Sorscha requisitioned an extensive overhaul of its armament and engine design after the empress declared the conquest of Llael complete. Outfitted with a massive engine and boilers similar to those utilized by Kodiaks and an improved axe called Ice Breaker, Beast stands ever ready to fight alongside its master. For her part, after years of relying on the machine the normally unsentimental Sorscha speaks of it with genuine fondness.
TACTICAL TIPS Thresher – These attacks are not optional.
605 ar (600 ar)
970 lbs
12 ft
6 hrs
9.75 tons
75 mins
ICE BREAKER GREYLORDS COVENANT
80
81
BEHEMOTH
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK BEHEMOTH 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 7 4 10 20 —
BOMBARD RNG ROF AOE POW 14 1 4 14
L
BOMBARD RNG ROF AOE POW 14 1 4 14
R
OPEN FIST RNG POW P+S 1 0 12
L
OPEN FIST RNG POW P+S 1 0 12
R
DAMAGE
S S
L
L M M C C R
PC 25
L M C R
FA C
R
BASE:LARGE
BEHEMOTH 1 CONSTRUCT SUB-CORTEX – The S boxes of this warjack’s damage grid
represent its Sub-Cortex system. While this warjack’s Sub-Cortex system is not crippled, its ranged weapons gain Powerful Attack. (When attacking with a weapon with Powerful Attack, a model can spend 1 focus point to boost all attack and damage rolls for the attack.)
BOMBARD ARCING FIRE – When attacking with this weapon, this
model can ignore intervening models except those within 1˝ of the target.
OPEN FIST OPEN FIST ARMOR-PIERCING – When calculating damage from this
weapon, halve the base ARM stats of models hit.
Standing nearly seventeen feet high and carrying some of the most destructive weapons available to heavy warjacks in the Motherland, the Behemoth strides at the vanguard of the Khadoran Empire. The incredible effort and determination put into this unique machine make it the mechanikal embodiment of Khador. The Behemoth was first introduced to the Khadoran people during the celebration following the crowning of Empress Ayn Vanar, who along with tens of thousands of loyal citizens watched it march majestically through the streets of Korsk alongside the full military might of Khador. Great Vizier Simonyev Blaustavya rose and presented the unique warjack as a gift from the kayazy to their new empress. First conceived over a decade ago as the ultimate Khadoran ’jack, the Behemoth exists today solely due to the patriotism and tireless efforts of Blaustavya and Master Mechanik Dahlrif Salvoro. Soon after the project’s inception it became entangled in the vicious politicking for which the kayazy are known. Salvoro, a member of the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly, had designed the Behemoth as an experiment to showcase Khadoran military mechanika. The staggering costs associated with the warjack made it a lightning rod for criticism. The Behemoth was declared unfeasible, and the project was suspended only weeks after it had begun. Salvoro was frustrated, but other work consumed the time he would have needed to continue to fight for his vision. The plans gathered dust until Great Vizier Blaustavya discovered them almost a decade later. The former regent instantly recognized the Behemoth’s potential and insisted the Mechaniks Assembly resume its work on it. Blaustavya wields considerable influence and enjoys an excellent reputation both within the Mechaniks Assembly and among the kayazy—to say nothing of his close relationship with the empress, whom he had guided to her majority as if she were his own daughter. Declaring the Motherland would never be “chained by coin,” he contributed a startling amount of his own money and set about convincing and coercing the kayazy to do the same. Salvoro was pleasantly surprised to have his pet project endorsed from the highest quarters and resumed construction. The Behemoth exemplifies the best qualities of Khadoran warjack design: heavy armor, a devastating array of weapons, and immense strength. Each of its mighty fists is armed with integral blasting charges housed in reinforced cylinders. These directional charges augment the punishing power of the machine with armorpenetrating blasts. A blow from one of the Behemoth’s fists can rip through armored opponents and literally disintegrate softer targets. Additionally, each of the warjack’s shoulders houses a bombard slaved to a sub-cortex. These miniature cortexes are the most innovative aspect of the design, allowing for the independent targeting of each of the Behemoth’s bombards. Since its commission, the Behemoth has been in the thick of some of the Motherland’s most crucial battles, including the final siege at Northguard. There it served on the front line, supporting the initial waves of Assault Kommandos and Demolition Corps forces as they stormed the Cygnaran trenches. The Behemoth was pushed to its absolute limits, functioning as a mobile artillery platform even as it engaged enemy heavy warjacks. Its presence on the battlefield in those violent hours rallied the Khadorans as they watched it barrel into the heart of the most difficult fighting and emerge victorious.
606 ar
1,428 lbs
17 ft
5 hrs
20 tons
55 mins
DUAL BOMBARDS, TWIN ARMOR PIERCING FISTS GREYLORDS COVENANT
82
83
BLACK IVAN
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK BLACK IVAN 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 7 5 10 20 —
BOMBARD RNG ROF AOE POW 14 1 4 14
L
BEAR CLAW RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
R
DAMAGE
L
PC 19
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
FA C
BASE:LARGE
BLACK IVAN 1 CONSTRUCT BOND [HARKEVICH] – If this model begins the game in Harkevich’s battlegroup, it is bonded to him. This model is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent’s control. While this model is bonded to Harkevich and in his control range, it gains boosted ranged attack rolls. BULLDOZE – When this model is B2B with an enemy model during its Normal Movement, it can push that model up to 2˝ directly away from it. A model can be pushed by Bulldoze only once per activation. Bulldoze has no effect when this model makes a trample power attack. EVASIVE – When this model is hit by an enemy ranged attack, immediately after the attack is resolved this model can advance up to 2˝. POINT-BLANK – During its activation, this model can make melee attacks with its ranged weapon, with a melee range of 0.5˝. Do not add this model’s STR to damage rolls made with ranged weapons. Charge attacks made with ranged weapons are not boosted.
BOMBARD ARCING FIRE – When attacking with this weapon, this
model can ignore intervening models except those within 1˝ of the target.
BEAR CLAW OPEN FIST CRITICAL BRUTAL DAMAGE – On a critical hit, gain an
additional die on this weapon’s damage rolls against the target directly hit.
605 ar (596 ar)
845 lbs
11 ft 7 in
4 hrs
9.6 tons
55 mins
BEAR CLAW, BOMBARD GREYLORDS COVENANT
84
A lumbering, coal-black engine of destruction, the warjack called Black Ivan is a peerless instrument of war. The machine strides the battlefield with the awareness and responsive reflexes of a living thing, sidestepping incoming fire while unleashing its own devastating barrages. Once in striking range, Black Ivan barrels into the enemy, knocking aside anything in its path and shredding both flesh and steel with savage ferocity. It has learned how to scan the battlefield and gauge the shifting tide of war, sensing where to shatter opposing lines or shore up friendly ones. Black Ivan is the most prized companion of Kommander Harkevich, a warcaster renowned for his tactical ingenuity and resourcefulness in the field. Having fought countless battles alongside Harkevich, Black Ivan has become adept at anticipating its master’s will and executing his wishes with brutal efficiency, allowing the warcaster to concentrate on commanding his other forces. A further mark of their close connection is the calming effect Harkevich’s presence exerts on the belligerent warjack, which greatly increases its natural accuracy in battle. Together, Harkevich and Black Ivan have defended the Empire’s holdings against a slew of different enemies. The warjack has scored victories against the ’jacks of the Northern Crusade, hacked through the bodies of Cryxian infiltrators, and even knocked a Cygnaran lord general off his horse. Over the years Black Ivan has undergone countless repairs and modifications. For example, after the warjack lost its axe by burying it in a Cygnaran Centurion, Harkevich ordered the axe replaced with a mighty grappling claw—a weapon his spirited ’jack could not lose. It pairs this claw with the traditional bombard of a Destroyer, though it is as likely to fire the weapon while grappling with an enemy as it is to shoot targets downrange. While Black Ivan is under Harkevich’s control, its mastery of the weapon is superlative, picking off otherwise elusive targets with ease. The most dramatic changes to the machine, however, have occurred within its cortex, where the warjack’s intelligence and tenacity enable it to surpass the expected limits of its chassis. While other Khadoran warjacks plod obediently across the battlefield, Black Ivan moves with singular purpose. The sooner it reaches the enemy, the sooner it can strike.
85
DRAGO
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK DRAGO 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 7 3 11 18 —
EXECUTIONER AXE RNG POW P+S 1 5 17
L
EXECUTIONER AXE RNG POW P+S 1 5 17
R
DAMAGE
L
PC 14
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
FA C
BASE:LARGE
DRAGO 1 CONSTRUCT BERSERK – When this model destroys one or more
models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved it must make one additional melee attack against another model in its melee range. BOND [VLADIMIR] – If this model begins the game in Vladimir’s battlegroup, it is bonded to him. This model is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent’s control. While this model is bonded to Vladimir and in his control range, you can choose not to make Unstable rolls for it. IMPRINT: GRAVE WIND – This model can spend 1 focus point at any time during its activation to gain +2 DEF and Poltergeist for one round. (When an enemy model misses a model with Poltergeist with an attack, immediately after the attack is resolved you can choose to push the enemy model d3˝ directly away from the model with Poltergeist.) UNSTABLE – At the end of an activation in which this model spent more than 1 focus point, roll a d6. If the roll is equal to or less than the number of focus points spent, this model explodes and other models within 3˝ of it suffer an unboostable POW 14 blast damage roll. Remove this model from play.
EXECUTIONER AXE CRITICAL AMPUTATION – On a critical hit on a warjack
or warbeast, fill in the unmarked damage boxes or circles on the last column or branch damaged.
605 ar (427 ar)
350 lbs
10 ft 11 in
10 hrs
8.6 tons
90 mins
TWIN EXECUTIONER AXES GREYLORDS COVENANT
86
All Berserkers have the roughened look of more than a century of service and cortexes that have become unstable over time, but Drago stands out even among such company. The battered ’jack serves as a prime example of why mechaniks traditionally wipe most old cortexes clean: the passing of long years has removed many of the restraints against incidental violence that once held the machine back. It unleashes unmitigated brutality at the slightest provocation. Drago is almost certainly the oldest warjack still seeing regular service in the Khadoran military. It is fitting the machine still serves the Tzepesci line, since long ago the family provided the financial backing for the Berserker chassis. Even in those years the Tzepescis had demonstrated an unusual proclivity for siring sorcerers and warcasters and therefore had a stake in developing a chassis that suited their approach to war. Drago would eventually be named in homage to Drago Tzepesci, who fought in the horrendously bloody battles to overthrow the necromancer Ivan Vladykin, also called Ivan the Frenzied, when he briefly seized the Khadoran throne from 457–459 AR. It is likely that this Berserker battled at Drago Tzepesci’s side in that famous battle. Tzepesci had a reputation for martial prowess, bloodlust in combat, and a tendency toward recklessness that eventually cost him his life. The warjack has since been passed down to other warcasters of the Tzepesci line, but it seems to have developed a particular affinity for Vladimir Tzepesci, perhaps because the latest great prince feels an undeniable connection to the ancestor who is the warjack’s namesake. Some of Vladimir’s vassals find it peculiar that their well-disciplined and noble lord enjoys the company of this savage and seemingly untamable machine, but to Vladimir, Drago represents his bloodline’s warrior spirit. Even when it has been severely damaged, Drago demonstrates tenacity, resilience, and a refusal to give up the fight. It will crawl toward its opponents even if its legs lie shattered beneath it. When let loose upon the enemy, the machine seems fueled by bloodlust, almost reveling in each death like some demon of folklore. The Dark Prince understands that victory sometimes requires unbridled violence, but the restraints required to keep Drago’s brutality in check in times of peace also serve to remind him of the dark emotions that color his own temperament. Given its tendency to hurl itself into harm’s way, Drago requires frequent repair, but the mechaniks who maintain the machine see no need to keep it neat or tidy. Its armored plates and spikes bear the evidence of countless engagements. Each nick and dent is a battle honor. Drago itself salvaged its current armament in Llael, taking its executioner axes from wrecked Destroyers that littered the battlefield outside Merywyn. With an axe in each iron fist, Drago faces enemies with rampant ferocity.
87
RUIN
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK RUIN 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 8 3 10 20 —
ARMORED FIST RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
L
BLACK IRON MACE RNG POW P+S 2 6 18
R
DAMAGE
L
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
PC 17
FA C
BASE:LARGE
RUIN 1 CONSTRUCT BOND [BUTCHER] – If this model begins the game in
the Butcher’s battlegroup, it is bonded to him. This model is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent’s control. While this model is bonded to the Butcher and in his control range, it gains Boundless Charge. (During its activation, a model with Boundless Charge can charge without spending focus or being forced and gains +2˝ movement and Pathfinder when it charges.) SACRED WARD – This model cannot be targeted by enemy spells. SOUL TAKER: SPIRIT HARVESTER – This model can gain soul tokens. When a living enemy model is destroyed within 5˝ of this model, this model gains the destroyed model’s soul token. This model can have up to five soul tokens at any time. At the start of this model’s activation, you can remove soul tokens from this model to give it 1 focus point for each token removed. • ARCANE VORTEX – This model can immediately negate any spell that targets it or a model within 3˝ of it by spending 1 soul token. The negated spell does not take effect, but its COST remains spent.
ARMORED FIST OPEN FIST
BLACK IRON MACE DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL DISPEL – When this weapon hits a model/unit, upkeep
spells and animi on that model/unit immediately expire.
Ruin is a blend of engineering and black magic, an unsettling fusion that has resulted in a malevolent, self-aware machine. The Greylords Covenant considers the warjack’s creation a great accomplishment, but others wonder if it is a triumph of madness over reason. For years the Greylords scoured the ruins below Khardov for answers to the dark riddles of the Orgoth. Greylord Obavnik Aeniv Rolonovik eventually unearthed a vast burial chamber housing the remains of the terrible Orgoth warlord Torazard, whom legends described as a hulking giant and a walking terror. The enormous relics buried with him thrummed with an underlying willfulness mixed with a hunger to commune with the living and harvest souls. Among these items were a rune-inlaid shield and a massive mace too large for a normal human to wield. Eager to see these relics put to use, Rolonovik contacted High Obavnik Vasily Dmitrilosk, whose interest in Orgoth artifacts rivaled his own, and the two initiated a closely guarded occult experiment to weld these items to a warjack such that their powers could be harnessed. Rolonovik labored to derive a sequence of Orgoth runes that might serve as a new type of runeplate intended to bridge the gap between a warjack’s cortex and the Orgoth weaponry, circumventing the need for the artifacts to be wielded by mortal hands. Once the link was established, though, the artifacts began to utter incomprehensible syllables directly into the warjack’s cortex. The strength of these voices became apparent during a field test near Khardov. Under the control of an experienced ’jack marshal, Ruin initially obeyed all spoken commands but soon became willful, then outright defiant. Eventually the machine turned on the ’jack marshal, smashing his body to gore and feasting on his soul. The Greylords in attendance rushed to subdue Ruin with their frost magic, only to have their power turned against them. The Orgoth runes on the wild warjack gleamed with malicious energy, and the remaining arcanists withdrew to wait for Ruin to run out of fuel. Five Greylords and the ’jack marshal lost their lives to the rampaging machine—yet Rolonovik considered the test a success. The whispers from the artifacts proved to be interfering with external commands; Ruin’s cortex was struggling to determine which voice to obey. Maintaining control of such a ’jack would require its direct supervision by a warcaster, preferably one with a mind inured to such voices. On Rolonovik’s recommendation, the high obavnik ordered the machine’s transfer to Orsus Zoktavir, the Butcher of Khardov, a man with an inexplicable but proven affinity for Doom Reavers. The senior Greylords hope to discover whether Orsus is capable of working with the voices of the artifacts rather than against them. The ethics of such an experiment does not trouble these Greylord leaders, who remain determined to exploit powerful weapons for the Motherland, whatever the cost.
TACTICAL TIPS Dispel – Because they expire immediately, upkeep spells or animi that had an effect when the model was hit or damaged will have no effect. Soul Taker: Spirit Harvester – This model cannot exceed normal focus limits as a result of Spirit Harvester. Remember, if more than one model is eligible to collect a model’s soul token, the closest eligible model collects it. If this model already has five soul tokens it is not eligible to collect another one.
608 ar (558 ar)
990 lbs
11 ft 9 in
6 hrs
12 tons
70 mins
ARMORED FIST, TORAZARD’S BLACK IRON MACE GREYLORDS COVENANT
88
89
TORCH
KHADOR HEAVY WARJACK TORCH 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 12 7 5 10 20 —
GRENADE LAUNCHER RNG ROF AOE POW 10 1 3 10
L
GRENADE LAUNCHER RNG ROF AOE POW 10 1 3 10
R
FLAMETHROWER RNG ROF AOE POW SP 6 1 — 12
L
SPIKED FIST RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
L
RIP SAW RNG POW P+S 1 5 17
R
DAMAGE
L
PC 18
L R L M C R
R
M M C C
FA C
BASE:LARGE
TORCH 1 ASSAULT CONSTRUCT IMMUNITY: CORROSION IMMUNITY: FIRE BOND [STRAKHOV] – If this model begins the game in Strakhov’s battlegroup, it is bonded to him. This model is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent’s control. If this model is bonded to Strakhov and begins its activation in his control range, it gains Sprint that activation. (At the end of an activation in which it destroyed or removed from play one or more enemy models with melee attacks, a model with Sprint can immediately make a full advance, then its activation ends.) RELENTLESS CHARGE – While advancing as part of a charge, this model gains Pathfinder .
GRENADE LAUNCHER ARCING FIRE – When attacking with this weapon, this
model can ignore intervening models except those within 1˝ of the target. TARGETING FLARE – Instead of making an attack with this weapon, you can place a 3˝ AOE anywhere completely within 10˝ of this model, with a center point in this model’s LOS, ignoring intervening models. While a model is within the AOE, it loses Stealth and models can ignore cloud effects when determining LOS to it. The AOE remains in play for one turn.
FLAMETHROWER CONTINUOUS EFFECT: FIRE DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE
SPIKED FIST OPEN FIST
RIP SAW SUSTAINED ATTACK – During this model’s activation,
when it makes an attack with this weapon against the last model hit by the weapon this activation, the attack automatically hits.
90
If there is a nightmare common to soldiers across western Immoren, it is sure to involve the horror of trench warfare. Soldiers unlucky enough to find Torch descending upon their position can witness that nightmare come to life in the form of ten tons of flame-spitting death. Torch was created specifically to fight through blasted trenchworks and foxholes. It seeks out its targets with fearsome eagerness, moving through enemy positions like a great mechanical predator. Excess steam vents with a terrifying hiss as the warjack plows into the midst of its enemies, burning and cutting them down with brutal efficiency. Torch is the product of Kommander Oleg Strakhov’s exacting designs: a warjack capable of accompanying him on the most difficult missions behind enemy lines. The lumbering machine is perfectly equipped to deal with all the challenges of trench warfare. It tears apart obstacles and wreckage with its rip saw, and its powerful legs and internal stabilization system allow it to hurdle nearly impassable terrain in order to reach its targets. As it comes ever closer, its integral grenade launchers propel grenade flares into the air, illuminating the battlefield and all who would lurk in its shadows, revealing them and allowing them to be swiftly dispatched. Strakhov’s doctrine of war is fully expressed in Torch, his ideal weapon of pitiless destruction. Torch fought at Strakhov’s side in the attack on Point Bourne in 608 AR and was nearly lost there. Strakhov and Torch were among the first to be ambushed by Cryxian attackers, even as the Khadorans were concluding their successful invasion of that Cygnaran city. Torch valiantly intercepted the Cryxian helljacks sent by Wraith Witch Deneghra that otherwise would have set upon its master, but it was torn apart in the process. Other high-priority missions occupied Strakhov for some time, including his daring mission to rescue Kommander Karchev from the Thornwood necrofactorium. Thus, it wasn’t until nearly a year later—amid escalating fighting between Khador and Cygnar—that Strakhov had the opportunity to go recover Torch’s cortex, calling upon a handpicked team of veteran kommandos. They infiltrated a warehouse holding recovered military spoils in Point Bourne and retrieved what remained of the warjack. Returned to captured factories in Merywyn, Torch was soon rebuilt under Strakhov’s watchful eye. The warcaster insists the machine is even more clever and ferocious than it was before, having learned a degree of selfpreservation from this setback.
600 ar
805 lbs
11 ft 7 in
4 hrs
9.9 tons
50 mins
GRENADE LAUNCHER, FLAMETHROWER, RIP SAW, SPIKED FIST GREYLORDS COVENANT
91
CONQUEST
KHADOR COLOSSAL WARJACK Among the proudest expressions of Khadoran martial determination, the Conquest is a walking mountain of steel bristling with some of the most powerful weapons ever used on the battlefields of the Iron Kingdoms. It advances slowly but inexorably, weighed down by impenetrable armor and boasting the firepower of a mobile artillery battery. The deafening roar of the colossal’s steam-fed engine is punctuated by the staggering percussion of its devastating guns, which unleash a punishing hail of shells able to reduce warjacks to slag and render the ground impassable.
CONQUEST SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 19 6 4 7 20 —
MAIN GUNS S
RNG ROF AOE POW 15 1 4 15
L
RNG ROF AOE POW 12 2 3 10
R
RNG ROF AOE POW 12 2 3 10
SECONDARY BATTERY
The Conquest began as a triumph of espionage by the Prikaz Chancellery of the Greylords Covenant. Agents within Caspia in the employ of the chancellery discovered a massive project underway there. A number of detailed schematics were secured and brought to Great Vizier Simonyev Blaustavya, who discerned the impending birth of a new colossal—and a grave threat to Khador. It took little effort for Blaustavya and the supreme kommandants to convince Empress Vanar to meet the new danger with a colossal of their own. The empress decreed that not only would the Motherland field its own colossals, but the machines would be completed before Cygnar’s.
SECONDARY BATTERY
FIST L
RNG POW P+S 2 4 23
R
RNG POW P+S 2 4 23
FIST
LEFT DAMAGE
RIGHT DAMAGE
S S
S S
L L L S C
L
C S R R R
L
C
L C M M M M
C C C
PC 37
FA 2
C
C
C C R
R
M M M M C R
BASE:HUGE
CONQUEST CONSTRUCT PATHFINDER
MAIN GUNS CRITICAL DEVASTATION – On a critical hit, models hit
are thrown d6˝ directly away from the attacker. Roll distance once for all models affected. Models thrown do not deviate. Move models farthest from the attacker first. Instead of suffering blast damage, models hit but not directly hit suffer a damage roll with POW equal to half the POW of this weapon. The POW of collateral damage is equal to half the POW of this weapon.
SECONDARY BATTERY CREEPING BARRAGE – Instead of attacking with this
weapon during this model’s activation, if it is not currently crippled you can place one 4˝ AOE anywhere completely within this weapon’s RNG and field of fire, centered on a point in this model’s LOS, ignoring intervening models. A model entering or ending its activation in the AOE suffers an unboostable POW 10 blast damage roll. The AOE remains in play for one round. If this model is destroyed or removed from play, immediately remove the AOE from play. HIGH-EXPLOSIVE – Blast damage caused by this weapon is POW 10.
FIST OPEN FIST
Plans for the Conquest were laid out in a matter of weeks. Both the empress and the great vizier used their formidable presence and political clout to quash all potential opposition, transforming the cost and challenge of the project into a mechanism for gaining favor and prestige. The Greylords Covenant, Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly, and numerous kayazy soon vied for recognition. Though they all received credit for the effort to some extent, the KMA was ultimately recognized as the primary architect of the Conquest due in large part to the political currency and immutable vision of Simonyev Blaustavya. Given the difficult task of completing the project ahead of Cygnar, Blaustavya quickly arranged for the colossal’s components to be fabricated in numerous factories and workshops across several major cities, particularly Ohk, Khardov, and Korsk. He also modified the Cygnaran arcanum supernum cortex to account for his country’s dearth of several vital rare minerals required for its refined metal alloys. This Khadoran variant cortex was less sophisticated, but it could be built quickly and more cheaply. The engineers and mechaniks tasked with designing the Conquest rose to the challenge of devising weapons powerful enough to be worthy of the colossal without requiring the same degree of cortex supervision. Ultimately, they looked to the massive guns of the Khadoran Navy’s ironhull warships, whose enormous turrets boasted cannons designed to be fired in tandem, the recoil of one being used to reload the other. This principle proved crucial, as it prevented the need for the Conquest’s cortex to regulate reloading. The main guns were supplemented by two sets of twin-linked cannons mounted in the colossal’s shoulders. It soon became clear that the raw materials needed to build the Conquest would be a burden, but the leadership indulged no compromises. Thousands of citizens in Korsk and Khardov went without coal for a winter, and hundreds froze to death— an unfortunate but necessary sacrifice made to fuel the foundries required to smelt ore for the Conquest’s hull. During production, laborers worked around the clock, some dying of exhaustion or in accidents brought on by fatigue. The combined efforts resulted in a resounding victory. The first operational Conquest paraded through the Khadoran capital for the benefit of the people and the empress weeks before the debut of the Cygnaran Stormwall. With such a clear symbol of their unrivaled superiority, the Khadorans unleashed the first Conquests upon those who would deny them their right to empire.
TACTICAL TIPS
92
Secondary Battery – One Secondary Battery can be used to make attacks and the other can use the Creeping Barrage ability.
608 ar
3,150 lbs
31 ft
6 hrs
100.8 tons
45 mins
MAIN GUNS TURRET, DUAL SECONDARY BATTERIES GREYLORDS COVENANT
93
VICTOR
KHADOR COLOSSAL WARJACK Through the scream of shells arcing overhead and the ceaseless rattle of auto cannon fire, the Victor brings the culmination of Khador’s finest engineering against any enemy it faces. Beneath the might of the colossal’s versatile siege mortar, fortifications are reduced to rubble, infantry is erased, and warjacks are turned into smoldering heaps of scrap.
VICTOR SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 19 6 4 7 20 —
SIEGE MORTAR RNG ROF AOE POW 20 1 5 15
S
A number of brilliant young innovators at the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly laid plans for the Victor during the production of the Conquest, which was intended to serve as a framework for the Motherland’s future colossals, each with distinct weaponry and different roles on the battlefield. The Victor’s ambitious engineers sought to create a multi-use heavy artillery platform capable of neutralizing all manner of high-priority and hard targets. The concept of a complex loading system capable of feeding multiple types of shells into a high-caliber siege mortar would ultimately become the backbone of the Victor’s design.
AUTO CANNON L
RNG ROF AOE POW 10 d3 — 12
R
RNG ROF AOE POW 10 d3 — 12
AUTO CANNON
FIST RNG POW P+S 2 4 23
L
FIST RNG POW P+S 2 4 23
R
LEFT DAMAGE
RIGHT DAMAGE
S S
S S
C S R R R
C
L L L S C
L
L C M M M M
L
C C C
PC 38
FA 2
C
C
C C R
R
M M M M C R
BASE:HUGE
VICTOR CONSTRUCT PATHFINDER
SIEGE MORTAR ARCING FIRE – When attacking with this weapon, this
model can ignore intervening models except those within 1˝ of the target. ATTACK TYPE – Each time this weapon is used to make an attack, choose one of the following special rules: • CRATER – The AOE is rough terrain and remains in play for one round. • FLARE – Models hit by this attack lose Stealth and suffer –2 DEF for one turn. • INCENDIARY – This attack causes fire damage , and models hit suffer the Fire continuous effect . INACCURATE – This model suffers –4 to attack rolls with this weapon. MINIMUM RANGE [6˝] – Attacks made with this weapon cannot target models within 6˝ of this model.
AUTO CANNON FLAK FIRE – This model gains an additional die on
attack rolls with this weapon against models with Flight .
FIST OPEN FIST
94
The Victor’s primary weapon stands as the largest piece of field ordnance ever joined to a cortex. Additional supports welded to the colossal’s interior accommodate the significant weight and recoil of the siege mortar, and a series of massive gears and cranks serves to adjust its trajectory. A sophisticated multitrack loading mechanism occupies a large portion of the chassis and feeds one of three distinct types of ammunition into the siege mortar as needed, requiring only that the cortex make a selection according to the needs of its warcaster. Similarly complex systems augment the Victor’s dual auto cannons. Belted ammunition manufactured on a large scale ensures continuous fire without long reload times, while a heat-dispersing cowling and a water-circulation cooling system prevent the ’jack from overheating during sustained use. While the old guard within the Assembly dismisses the Victor as overly complicated and worries it will require frequent and prohibitively expensive maintenance, most see it as a step forward in Khadoran engineering. The advances developed during its production are expected to lead to future innovations in armament for the empire; furthermore, the Khadoran Army has over time become better versed in establishing the augmented supply lines necessary to keep these machines operating at peak effectiveness. That the machine requires added maintenance after the battle is generally considered to be a more than acceptable trade-off given its superlative performance in the middle of the action. The battles to come will prove whether Khador’s investments in the Victor were worth the cost.
608 ar
3,150 lbs
31 ft
6 hrs
102 tons
45 mins
SIEGE MORTAR, DUAL AUTOCANNONS GREYLORDS COVENANT
95
TROOPS OF KHADOR
Khadorans are a hardy people willing to lay down their lives for the empire. Service within the Khadoran military is both an honor and a tradition, and those who take up the call and march forward in the name of the Motherland do so with steadfast resolve and a love for their country in their hearts.
Recruitment & Training
The duty to serve in the national defense is seen by most Khadorans as a basic part of life, a vital aspect of becoming a mature adult. A single tour is required of all men, with the exception of those with extreme physical disability. Women are not required to enlist, but those who are without children are encouraged to serve either in the active military or among myriad support units for at least one tour. Enlistment can begin as early as fifteen years of age, and those who have not been exempted must enlist by their eighteenth year or risk imprisonment and forced service. Those caught attempting to evade conscription are sentenced to serve without pay in penal battalions stationed in the least desirable outposts and stations, such as Icewatch or one of the other isolated bases along the western seaboard or the freezing mountains along the Rhulic border. The only members of Khadoran society who regularly evade conscription are the criminal bratyas in the larger urban cities, most of whom are wanted for a variety of crimes.
96
After receiving their initial training, most conscripts enter the Winter Guard, but those demonstrating exceptional qualities or special aptitudes can apply for the more prestigious and higher-paying specialized branches of the Khadoran Army. Each force has its own requirements, and some are extremely stringent. Branches like the Man-O-War and Iron Fang units, for example, require recruits of particular height and strength, as their armor cannot be borne by lesser men. In some remote areas conscripts can fulfill their obligation by serving in a local militia or as part of the irregulars, employed as scouts, hunters, and ambushers. Irregulars do not receive the same systematic training or standard equipment as the Winter Guard, but they have other useful skills and are deployed alongside regular military.
Rank Structure
A newly conscripted member of the Winter Guard holds the rank of privat. Conscripts who survive their first tour of duty and re-enlist might rise to the first non-commissioned officer rank of korporal, leading a small fire team. The toughest and most successful korporals may in time earn promotion to lead squads of Winter Guard as sergeants, the highest rank that most in the Guard ever achieve. As with other ranks in the Khadoran Army, there are several grades of sergeant related to pay and time served. Sergeants of the Winter Guard may be given broad authority to lead multiple squads, particularly in protracted battles. More typically, however, operational command is given to a lieutenant, the first tier of commissioned officers.
Entry into the commissioned ranks by attending the Druzhina Academy in Korsk is easier for those of noble blood, while those of lesser stock must prove exceptional to earn a commission. Although kommandants are opposed to the practice, their limited oversight cannot entirely prevent nepotism and coin from greasing the wheels, and it is not unknown for a candidate from a wealthy family to be given an officer commission before a poorer candidate of equal or greater aptitude. In general, though, skilled officers will rise above their less competent peers. Kadets graduate with the rank of lieutenant and are immediately expected to lead a group of multiple squads, called a force. Competent officers can achieve the rank of kapitan relatively quickly and take on responsibility for a kompany comprising up to six forces and their lieutenants. Those who dedicate themselves to a life in the military and who demonstrate considerable leadership capability may rise to the higher command ranks. Above the rank of kapitan is the kovnik, who oversees battalions of troops. Above these officers are the kommanders, who lead legions or kommands, depending on seniority. Khadoran warcasters receive the rank of kommander upon completion of their training. The more senior kommanders report to the kommandants leading the major army divisions and the supreme kommandants leading each of Khador’s armies. Premier Mhikol Horscze wields absolute authority over the High Kommand and thereby all of Khador’s military might. During times of war and crisis, there may not be time for commanding officers in the field to await decisions from the High Kommand. As senior-ranked warcaster, Supreme Kommandant Irusk is entrusted to make snap decisions in the premier’s stead. Vassals and heirs of the great princes have their own martial traditions to maintain, and their relationship with the military is complex. It is not uncommon for such nobles and their vassals to serve in the military, sometimes earning high ranks. The degree to which these nobles actively lead army forces in the field varies greatly, with some rarely leaving their ancestral lands or the capital. In such cases their military rank and posting is considered honorary, and another equivalent officer will be stationed to command these forces in their absence.
After fulfilling their military service, citizens are allowed to return to their lives and resume whatever trade or craft they practiced before enlistment. They do have the option to re-enlist. While most Winter Guard who desire to return to civilian life encounter little resistance, soldiers enrolled in more elite forces are often pressured to continue their military career, particularly if considerable resources have been expended in their training. Warcasters are rarely allowed to return to civilian life and must remain in the military unless severe physical or mental disability prevents further service.
ARMY RANKS Most branches of the Khadoran Army wear their insignia on the left shoulder and a Khadoran Anvil on the right. Irregular or covert forces, however, might place the insignia less prominently or leave it off entirely. Those at the lowest rank of privat do not wear insignia.
KORPORAL
SERGEANT
KOMMANDER
LIEUTENANT
KOMMANDANT
KAPITAN
SUPREME KOMMANDANT
KOVNIK
PREMIER
Deployment & Service
Upon completion of their training, soldiers are assigned to kompanies within one of Khador’s three armies. There is an exception for those with arcane talents, who instead devote their service to the Greylords Covenant, which operates independently of the other military branches. New recruits are typically assigned to established kompanies to ensure a mix of veterans among soldiers who lack combat experience.
TROOPS OF KHADOR
97
BATTLE MECHANIKS KHADOR UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 6 5 4 12 12 6
MONKEY WRENCH RNG POW P+S 0.5 2 8 PC
Leader & 3 Grunts Leader & 5 Grunts
3 5
FA 3
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS REPAIR [d3] (HACTION) – RNG B2B. Target friendly Faction construct model. If the model is in range, remove d3 damage points from it.
No matter how heavily armored the great Khadoran warjacks are, even they eventually wear down and become wrecked in the crush of battle. Battle mechaniks are the skilled and brave individuals who dodge bullets and evade explosions to get the huge battle machines back into the fight. These loyal brothers of the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly are patriots equal to any fighting soldier and often must withstand even heavier fire in the execution of their duties. Steadfast at the sight of spilled blood or oil, they are willing to put themselves in harm’s way to conduct repairs. Before proving their knack with a wrench and being redeployed as battle mechaniks, many of these skilled workers served their expected time in the Winter Guard, so they are often older and more seasoned than the freshly recruited youths bearing blunderbusses next to them. Few enemies are foolish enough to underestimate battle mechaniks bearing wrenches—implements as capable of crushing skulls as they are of loosening stubborn oversized warjack bolts. Chiefs are the hearts of battle mechanik teams. Sometimes the old vets get injured on the battlefield, but Khadorans do not let a simple thing like a shorn-off limb get them down! Injured mechaniks repair their own broken bodies with cleverly improvised mechanikal limbs, often salvaging finer gears and mechanisms from the detritus of the battlefield. This indomitable ingenuity shows the same spirit and optimism the battle mechaniks apply to the ’jacks they tend, finding ways in the most challenging circumstances to engineer machinery that can outlast any one battle and stand ready for the next.
98
BATTLE MECHANIK OFFICER KHADOR COMMAND ATTACHMENT
The battle mechaniks of the Khadoran Army are no mere support specialists but hardened veterans who have taken part in as many battles as regular troops. Their critical task is one of the most dangerous to be found: repairing warjacks in the midst of combat. Officers with combat experience are highly valued, particularly those who specialize in maintaining and repairing Khador’s formidable Man-O-War korps and warjacks. Some with the proper qualifications and aptitudes are further trained in the use of steam-powered armor, affording them greater protection in the field. Battle mechanik officers accompany their mechaniks into the heart of war to carry out necessary repairs, often under harsh battlefield conditions while taking enemy fire. Every battle mechanik officer knows his tools are as important to Khadoran victory as the weapons of the soldiers whose armor he keeps functional. In addition to spending significant time in combat, officers are expected to have complete expertise in their trade. By the time a senior mechanik is given a command, he will have mastered all the tools and machines of mechanikal warfare utilized by the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly, including battle-ready warjacks. The officers’ skill with repair and fabrication must be superlative, but it is their ability to maintain the notoriously dangerous Man-O-War armor that is their most valuable asset.
OFFICER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 9 6 4 11 16 8
WRENCH RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 13 DAMAGE:8 PC 3
FA 3
BASE:MEDIUM
ATTACHMENT [BATTLE MECHANIKS] – This attachment
can be added to a Battle Mechanik unit.
OFFICER OFFICER GIRDED – This model and friendly models B2B with it
do not suffer blast damage. REPAIR [d3 + 3] (HACTION) – RNG B2B. Target friendly Faction construct model. If the model is in range, remove d3 + 3 damage points from it. REPAIRABLE – This model can be targeted with Repair special actions as if it were a construct model.
TACTICAL TIPS Officer – Because this model is an Officer, when it is destroyed it does not replace a Grunt in its unit. Instead the Leader becomes the unit commander.
99
BLACK DRAGONS KHADOR IRON FANG UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 4 12 14 8
BLASTING PIKE RNG POW P+S 2 7 13 Leader & 5 Grunts PC Leader & 9 Grunts
10 17
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS COMBINED MELEE ATTACK PRACTICED MANEUVERS – Each model in this unit
can ignore other models in this unit when determining LOS and can advance through them if it has enough movement to move completely past them. PRECISION STRIKE – When this model damages a warjack or warbeast with a melee attack, choose which column or branch suffers the damage. SHIELD WALL (ORDER) – Until the start of their next activation, each affected model gains +4 ARM while B2B with another affected model in its unit. This bonus does not apply to damage originating in the model’s back arc. Models in this unit can begin the game affected by Shield Wall.
BLASTING PIKE CRITICAL KNOCKDOWN – On a critical hit, the model hit
becomes knocked down.
100
The Black Dragons are an elite force of veteran Iron Fang pikemen who have refused to abandon their comrades despite their advancing age and instead fight on with even greater resolve. Their signature black-and-gold armor and dragonemblazoned banners and shields stand apart from the crimson and steel of other Iron Fangs, a bold testament to their skill, ferocity, and perseverance. The foundation of the Black Dragons can be traced to the end of hostilities between Khador and Ord in 468 AR. After the war, many Iron Fangs were forced into retirement, as they had reached or surpassed the mandatory age. However, some of these veteran Iron Fangs had proven that their experience and skill made them as capable, if not more so, than their younger companions in arms. They petitioned the High Kommand for permission to remain on active duty. As many of these veteran Iron Fangs were highly decorated war heroes, their request was granted, and the Black Dragon kompany was formed. Their tactics are similar to those of regular pikemen, but the veterans’ age, experience, and precision allow them to excel in certain areas. Survivors of countless battlefield injuries, they are all but inured to pain, and tales of Black Dragons fighting on despite terrible injuries are not uncommon. On the battlefield their resolve is unquestionable, and they will stand fearlessly against overwhelming odds or even supernatural horrors that would send lesser men fleeing. The Black Dragons fight as if every battle could be their last, and enemies engaged in melee with them find their shields impenetrable, their thirst for battle unquenchable, and their blasting pikes unerring and lethal.
BLACK DRAGON OFFICER & STANDARD
KHADOR IRON FANG COMMAND ATTACHMENT
War is not a profession that suffers the careless to live long. The veteran Iron Fangs who take up the mantle of the Black Dragons have accumulated lifetimes of hardwon experience, cunning battlefield maneuvers, and unshakeable zeal. Leading these soldiers are warriors who exemplify the qualities of their elite fighting order and of the resolute Khadoran fighting spirit. Veterans of some of Khador’s fiercest conflicts, these officers bring that extensive combat experience to bear in leading the Black Dragons. Many are former kovniks or kapitans already familiar with the challenges of leadership. They command unquestioned authority, for each one has witnessed the bloodiest days that war has to offer and still prevailed. Similarly, each has seen too many comrades in arms die to ever give up an inch of the battlefield to the empire’s enemies. Accompanying the officers of the Black Dragons are select soldiers deemed worthy of holding aloft the company’s distinctive black banner. To be chosen for this task is a high honor, for the standard of the Black Dragons inspires not only the members of the unit but all Iron Fangs, who look to the black-and-gold pennant as a symbol of their entire fighting tradition. Should the standard bearer fall, no Black Dragon would hesitate to drop his blasting pike to take up the standard again.
TACTICAL TIPS Iron Zeal – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown. Officer – Because this model is an Officer, when it is destroyed it does not replace a Grunt in its unit. Instead the Leader becomes the unit commander. This model can issue the Shield Wall order.
OFFICER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 8 4 12 14 8
BLASTING PIKE RNG POW P+S 2 7 13
STANDARD BEARER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 4 12 14 8 OFFICER’S DAMAGE: PC Officer & Standard
5 4
FA 2
BASE:SMALL ATTACHMENT [BLACK DRAGONS] – This attachment can
be added to a Black Dragon unit.
OFFICER COMBINED MELEE ATTACK OFFICER IRON ZEAL – This model can use Iron Zeal once per game at any time during its unit’s activation. Models in this unit gain +3 ARM and cannot become stationary or knocked down. Models are not affected while out of formation. Iron Zeal lasts for one round. PRACTICED MANEUVERS – Each model in this unit can ignore other models in this unit when determining LOS and can advance through them if it has enough movement to move completely past them. PRECISION STRIKE – When this model damages a warjack or warbeast with a melee attack, choose which column or branch suffers the damage. TACTICS: SIDE STEP – Models in this unit gain Side Step. (When a model with Side Step hits an enemy model with an initial melee attack or a melee special attack, the model with Side Step can advance up to 2˝ after the attack is resolved.)
STANDARD BEARER PRACTICED MANEUVERS – See above. STANDARD BEARER – While this model is within 5˝ of its unit commander, the unit commander gains +2 CMD. TAKE UP – If this model is destroyed, you can choose a Grunt in this unit within 1˝ of it to be destroyed instead. Effects on this model expire, and it gains the effects on the chosen Grunt. Remove the Grunt from the table instead of this model. This model has the same number of unmarked damage boxes as the chosen Grunt.
BLASTING PIKE CRITICAL KNOCKDOWN – On a critical hit, the model hit
becomes knocked down.
101
IRON FANG PIKEMEN KHADOR UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 4 12 14 8
BLASTING PIKE RNG POW P+S 2 7 13 PC
Leader & 5 Grunts Leader & 9 Grunts
9 15
FA U
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS COMBINED MELEE ATTACK SHIELD WALL (ORDER) – Until the start of their next
activation, each affected model gains +4 ARM while B2B with another affected model in its unit. This bonus does not apply to damage originating in the model’s back arc. Models in this unit can begin the game affected by Shield Wall.
BLASTING PIKE CRITICAL KNOCKDOWN – On a critical hit, the model hit
becomes knocked down.
102
The Iron Fangs are proud examples of the Khadoran fighting spirit. They stand toe-to-toe with six-ton, steam-powered machines that can crush the life out of them in a single blow. These hardened soldiers are part of an ancient tradition of spearmen who once fought the northern bear. They later evolved into pikemen deployed by settled Khards to stand against the roving horselords who dominated the southern plains and eastern hills of their empire. Just as they stood firm against the seemingly unstoppable tide of warlords on muscled horses, they now form up behind their shields and bring weapons to bear against the warjacks that dominate the modern battlefield. Their pikes tipped with powerful explosive charges, Iron Fangs can blast through infantry and heavy warjack armor with equal success. Behind their tower shields, Iron Fangs are notoriously difficult to kill; even coordinated rifle fire sometimes bounces off their armored frames as they continue their implacable advance. They have trained to regard their heavy armor as a second skin and are able to ignore its weight and even sleep comfortably in it. In battle they move with military precision, interlocking their shields to form a nearly impenetrable mobile wall. After centuries of service, the Iron Fangs have become a heralded tradition of the Khadoran Army, their fraternal bond legendary. Upon acceptance into the legion of Iron Fangs, a soldier swears a blood oath, casts off the life he lived before, and dedicates himself to his fellow soldiers, his country, and the art of war.
IRON FANG PIKEMEN OFFICER & STANDARD
KHADOR COMMAND ATTACHMENT
The Iron Fangs are devoted to being the finest martial order in the Iron Kingdoms. Their recruiting and training regimen borders on superhuman and ensures that those who “earn their fangs” are without equal and that the men who bear the honor of commanding them are consummate leaders. When Iron Fang units charge into action, double-timing toward the enemy across unforgiving ground, the calls of their lieutenants and kapitans urge them onward. Once the troopers are within striking distance, their officers lead them in precision attacks with their blasting pikes, rending iron-hulled warjacks and dismantling them where they stand. Some revered veterans among the Iron Fangs are bestowed with the honor of carrying the unit’s standard. The bearer holds high the banner of the Motherland to fill the hearts of his countrymen with pride and determination and provide a rallying point on the field. The pikemen truly become men of iron under the bold Khadoran colors. Signaled into motion by their commanding officer, the unit swiftly forms a shield wall in the thick of battle. When Iron Fangs are protected by their brothers under the skilled coordination of their officers and inspired by the sight of the company standard bearers, no enemy exists that they cannot overcome.
TACTICAL TIPS Officer – Because this model is an Officer, when it is destroyed it does not replace a Grunt in its unit. Instead the Leader becomes the unit commander. This model can issue the Shield Wall order. Reposition – If a model is part of a unit, its activation does not end until all models in its unit have completed their activations.
OFFICER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 8 4 12 14 8
BLASTING PIKE RNG POW P+S 2 7 13
STANDARD BEARER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 4 12 14 8 OFFICER’S DAMAGE: PC Officer & Standard
5 4
FA U
BASE:SMALL ATTACHMENT [IRON FANG PIKEMEN] – This attachment
can be added to an Iron Fang Pikeman unit.
OFFICER COMBINED MELEE ATTACK OFFICER DEFENSIVE FORMATION – This model can use Defensive Formation once per game at any time during its unit’s activation. This activation, models in this unit currently in formation gain Reposition [5˝]. Additionally, at the end of this activation any previous orders this unit was issued expire and this unit is affected by the Shield Wall order. (At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [5˝] can advance up to 5˝, then its activation ends.) TACTICS: RELENTLESS CHARGE – Models in this unit gain Relentless Charge. (While advancing as part of a charge, a model with Relentless Charge gains Pathfinder .)
STANDARD BEARER STANDARD BEARER – While this model is within 5˝ of its unit commander, the unit commander gains +2 CMD. TAKE UP – If this model is destroyed, you can choose a Grunt in this unit within 1˝ of it to be destroyed instead. Effects on this model expire, and it gains the effects on the chosen Grunt. Remove the Grunt from the table instead of this model. This model has the same number of unmarked damage boxes as the chosen Grunt.
BLASTING PIKE CRITICAL KNOCKDOWN – On a critical hit, the model hit
becomes knocked down.
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IRON FANG UHLANS
KHADOR UNIT
Uhlan traditions define Khadoran cavalry warfare. The descendants of the horselords of old employ tactics and feats of riding that few outside of Khador can hope to master. Their bravery is a legend they prove in every battle. Serving as the vanguard of the Iron Fang legions, the uhlans are often the first to make contact with the enemy. In tightly bound formations these mounted Iron Fangs fluidly ride together, melding classical equestrian tactics with the fighting formations of the pikemen.
LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 8 6 7 4 12 17 9
BLASTING LANCE RNG POW P+S * 10 16
POMMEL SPIKE RNG POW P+S 1 4 10
Uhlans clear the way with blasting lances and the striking hooves of their Pozdyov warhorses, enabling them to storm across even the most heavily contested battlefield. These lances are the explosive point of the crushing onslaught that is the uhlan charge. Once they enter close combat, the riders employ the short blades on the hafts of their lances to cut the enemy down. The uhlan tradition demands that a horse fight as fiercely as its rider. The heavily armored mount can crush a man’s skull with ease under its hooves. So powerful are these horses that they can even knock aside warjacks as they charge across the battlefield. The loyal and intelligent warhorses carry the massive weight of the armored Iron Fangs with ease. They charge over obstacles that would stall less skilled riders, moving with graceful strength and agility as they bear down upon the enemy.
TACTICAL TIPS Reposition – If a model is part of a unit, its activation does not end until all models in its unit have completed their activations. Steady – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
MOUNT RNG POW 0.5 12 DAMAGE: PC
Leader & 2 Grunts Leader & 4 Grunts
5 EACH 12 20
FA 2
BASE:LARGE
LEADER & GRUNTS CAVALRY RELENTLESS CHARGE – While advancing as part of a
charge, this model gains Pathfinder . REPOSITION [3˝] – At the end of an activation in which
it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends. STEADY – This model cannot become knocked down. WALL OF STEEL – While this model is B2B with one or more models in its unit, it gains +2 ARM.
BLASTING LANCE CRITICAL KNOCKDOWN – On a critical hit, the model hit becomes knocked down. LANCE – This weapon can be used only to make charge attacks. This weapon’s RNG is 0 unless this model charges. When this model charges, this weapon’s RNG is 2 until the charge attack is resolved.
POMMEL SPIKE CLOSE COMBAT – This model cannot make an initial
attack with this weapon during an activation in which it charged at least 3˝.
MOUNT CRITICAL KNOCKDOWN – See above.
105
KOSSITE WOODSMEN KHADOR UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 5 4 13 11 7
HUNTER’S WEAPON RNG ROF AOE POW 10 1 — 10
HAND WEAPON RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 8 PC
Leader & 5 Grunts Leader & 9 Grunts
7 11
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT PATHFINDER AMBUSH – You can choose not to deploy this unit at the start of the game. If it is not deployed normally, you can put it into play at the end of any of your Control Phases after your first turn. When you do, choose any table edge except the back of your opponent’s deployment zone. Place all models in this unit in formation completely within 3˝ of the chosen table edge. PROWL – While this model has concealment, it gains Stealth .
Khadoran law requires that all citizens serve in the military, even those on the far fringes. The Kossite clans of the far north receive no exemption from conscription but are allowed to serve in a different manner, as irregulars. Their clothes may be motley, but their minds are sharp, and like other Khadoran peoples, they descend from ancient warriors. While their muskets and elk-horn bows bear the patina of years, they are no less deadly for their age. Expert trackers and deadly hunters, the Kossites trust in nothing save their own abilities and rely on no one but themselves. The wilderness skills of these fiercely independent people prompt the High Kommand to allow Kossite troops some latitude within the military structure. The woodsmen encamp separately from Winter Guard and demonstrate limited discipline. Members of a Kossite band usually come from the same clan and are accustomed to working together; they need no guidance to lay devastating ambushes before retreating back into the forests they know so well. That they are ill suited to withstand direct confrontation with lines of infantry in no way diminishes their usefulness. Wise Khadoran officers know every weapon has its place. The ambushes the Kossites specialize in have earned them a fearsome reputation among the enemies of the Motherland. Even the most experienced of Cygnaran rangers have on occasion found themselves surrounded by these peerless woodsmen. The rank and file of the Khadoran military have a grudging respect for Kossites, having been saved more than once by the timely arrival of a band of woodsmen appearing as if by miracle on the enemy’s flank. Many enemy forces have believed themselves well deployed only to be undone by Kossites waiting patiently in ambush.
TACTICAL TIPS Ambush – This unit can use either Advance Deployment or Ambush.
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WIDOWMAKER SCOUTS KHADOR UNIT
The Widowmakers are the elite scout-sniper division of the Khadoran military, which has embraced and elevated them to the status of national heroes. The standards to join are among the most exacting of all Khador’s specialist forces, and only those riflemen who demonstrate peerless skill with the rifle are accepted. Because the Widowmakers are first and foremost a merit-based corps, membership is open to any who aspire to bring death from afar, whether peasant-born or of noble blood. Widowmakers wield their long-barreled hunting rifles with skill that cannot be overstated, able to take apart incoming warjacks piece by piece with well-placed shots. Killing a foe is as automatic as drawing breath. A Widowmaker’s primary role is to neutralize officers to facilitate chaos among the enemy. They frequently advance ahead of the main battlegroup, their arrival indicated by enemy officers abruptly falling dead before the report of rifle fire can even be identified. They also support strategic withdrawals by ensuring Khador’s own wounded do not become prisoners. If a downed officer cannot be retrieved, Widowmakers make certain he does not fall into the wrong hands for interrogation. A true patriot knows it is better to die by a comrade’s bullet than to be placed in irons on an enemy’s torture rack. The very reputation of the Widowmakers inspires fear and hatred in many quarters, and the scouts understand that this, too, is part of their service. Officially, Widowmakers are not assigned roles in domestic conflicts, but it is rumored that their talents have been employed to pick off dissenters, rabblerousers, or corrupt kayazy suspected of disloyalty to the crown. From their enemies, captured Widowmakers expect little charity; indeed, Cygnarans often hang them without trial.
LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 4 7 14 11 6
HUNTING RIFLE RNG ROF AOE POW 14 1 — 10
SWORD RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 8 PC Leader & 3 Grunts
8
FA 1
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT PATHFINDER MARKSMAN – When damaging a warjack or warbeast
with a ranged attack, choose which column or branch suffers damage. SNIPER – Instead of making a damage roll to resolve a ranged attack, this model can inflict 1 damage point. A model disabled by a ranged attack made by this model cannot make a Tough roll.
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GREAT BEARS OF THE GALLOWSWOOD KHADOR IRON FANG UNIT VOLKOV 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 8 4 13 14 6
GREAT AXE RNG POW P+S 2 4 11
KOLSK 1 & YAROVICH 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 8 4 13 14 6
GREAT AXE RNG POW P+S 2 4 11 DAMAGE:
5 EACH
PC Volkov, Kolsk & Yarovich
9
FA C
BASE:SMALL
VOLKOV 1 OFFICER TOUGH FLANK [ANOTHER MODEL IN THIS UNIT] – When this model makes a melee attack against an enemy model in the melee range of another model in this unit, this model gains +2 to attack rolls and gains an additional damage die. RAPID STRIKE – This model can make one additional melee attack each Combat Action. RELENTLESS CHARGE – While advancing as part of a charge, this model gains Pathfinder . WALL OF STEEL – While this model is B2B with one or more models in its unit, it gains +2 ARM.
KOLSK 1 & YAROVICH 1 TOUGH FLANK [ANOTHER MODEL IN THIS UNIT] – See above. RAPID STRIKE – See above. RELENTLESS CHARGE – See above. WALL OF STEEL – See above.
The Great Bears of the Gallowswood are the survivors of an Iron Fang kompany once based out of Kragvold Fort, a rugged bastion overlooking Khador’s border where it touched both the Ordic hills and Cygnar’s Thornwood Forest. They have earned such a reputation for honor and self-sacrifice that the mere mention of their name can cause a respectful silence to fall over a room. The common people eagerly relate stories of the Great Bears as if they witnessed their deeds rather than hearing them secondhand. Joreslev Volkov, the sixth in an unbroken line of Iron Fangs, earned fame with this unit while still a lieutenant. He won his Shield of Khardovic and Sash of Valor in a series of bloody engagements near Fellig, including attacks to destabilize Cygnaran border garrisons and numerous skirmishes against disreputable mercenary companies paid in Cygnaran coin to harass Khadoran citizens living near the border. Volkov earned the honorific “Fang of the First Bear” when just twenty-two years old, the youngest ever to do so, by leading his squad against five times their number near Karlwine Creek. In 593 AR, the southlanders grew tired of their losses from border skirmishes and decided to destroy Kragvold Fort entirely. Volkov, foremost among those who stood against the Cygnaran attack, fought beside his trusted brother in arms Moskor Kolsk. A heavily muscled younger scrapper named Kartov Yarovich soon joined them. As Cygnarans poured into the breach and the trio’s Khadoran countrymen died around them, these three warriors held one of the largest passages into the open courtyard by themselves, yielding their position only when the countless Cygnaran dead had formed a bleeding wall that pressed down on them. Every inch of ground the Great Bears surrendered they soaked in Cygnaran blood. Volkov eventually saw that the fortress had fallen, and they retreated. Their foes cheered in relief to see them go, weary of sacrificing their own against these bloody-minded heroes. Meanwhile, the Great Bears watched in fury as their home collapsed and burned. The Cygnarans erased the fort and their dead comrades from the face of Khador in a great pyre—an ignoble end to such worthy fighters. The High Kommand awarded each of the Great Bears accolades for having fought on past any hope of victory, yet they cared little for such honors. Volkov refused to reconstitute his kompany even after his superiors promoted him to kapitan. He pointed to Kolsk and Yarovich and said that they carried the weight of the fallen dead. The sight of this trio joining an engagement sends an immediate thrill through their war-weary allies. The Great Bears have fought in countless battles over the last two decades, and on many occasions their tireless ferocity has turned the tide. Volkov, the bearded and dark-eyed leader admired by every officer, has a feel for the shifting fortunes of battle and an uncanny ability to show up where most needed. The older Kolsk’s Sabers of Service testify to twenty unflinching years in uniform, and he serves as the lieutenant every kapitan and kommandant dreams of having at their side. He never questions his orders and can find ways to execute the most impossible plans. Yarovich, the wildest of the three, is called “the Brute” by some, but with affection. A kovnik once baited Yarovich into a fight outside a drinking hall, thinking himself safe behind his uniform, but Yarovich killed him with a single punch. No one dares pick a fight with Yarovich now, and his laughter rings out on the battlefield as he sweeps his axe in killing arcs alongside his Great Bear brothers.
TACTICAL TIPS Officer – Because Volkov is an Officer, when he is destroyed he does not replace Kolsk or Yarovich. Instead Kolsk or Yarovich becomes the unit commander.
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GREYLORD FORGE SEER KHADOR MAN-O-WAR SOLO FORGE SEER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 9 6 5 10 16 7
RUNE WEAPON RNG POW P+S 2 5 14 DAMAGE:8 PC 4
FA 2
BASE:MEDIUM
FORGE SEER IMMUNITY: COLD ’JACK MARSHAL BATTLE WIZARD – Once per turn, when this model
destroys one or more enemy models with a melee attack during its activation, immediately after the attack is resolved it can make one Magic Ability special attack or special action. DRIVE: DARK SIGILS – While in this model’s command range, the melee and ranged weapons of a warjack under its control gain Blessed and Damage Type: Magical . MAGIC ABILITY [7] • EMPOWER (HACTION) – RNG CMD. Target friendly
Faction warjack. If the target warjack is in range and it was suffering Disruption, it is no longer disrupted. The warjack also gains 1 focus point. • HOARFROST (HATTACK) – Hoarfrost is a RNG 8, AOE 3, POW 14 magic attack that causes cold damage . On a critical hit, models in the AOE become stationary for one round unless they have Immunity: Cold . • WINTER’S WIND (HACTION) – RNG 5. Target friendly Faction model with Immunity: Cold . If the model is in range, it gains Freezer. Winter’s Wind lasts for one round. (When an enemy model without Immunity: Cold ends its activation within 2˝ of a model with Freezer, the enemy model becomes stationary for one round.) REPAIRABLE – This model can be targeted with Repair special actions as if it were a construct model.
RUNE WEAPON DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL CRITICAL FREEZE – On a critical hit, the model
hit becomes stationary for one round unless it has Immunity: Cold .
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The Forge Seers are a special order within the Greylords Covenant whose members are masters not only of arcane lore but also of the intricacies of mechanikal formulae and schematics, particularly as they pertain to the fabrication of warjacks. As the arcane mechaniks of the Covenant, the Forge Seers both develop and maintain mechanika for use in the field. It is through their efforts that the majority of Khador’s military grade cortexes are created, each a layered crucible or group of runeplates distilling the complex and intricate lore gathered over multiple generations of Greylords. More than just craftsmen, Forge Seers also take to the battlefield alongside the warjacks they help to create. These heavily armored Greylords apply their knowledge of magic and mechanika to imbue the weapons of warjacks with the power needed to cut down unnatural foes who are more than flesh and steel. Clad in Man-O-War armor, Greylord Forge Seers charge into battle with the hiss of steam in their ears and the chill of winter at their fingertips. Whether unleashing the unforgiving ice magic of the Covenant to stop the empire’s foes in their tracks or crushing the opposition beneath the weight of ten-ton warjacks, the Greylord Forge Seers turn even a modest military presence into a potent fighting force. Staring into the glow of the forges of the Motherland’s foundries, these seers perceive many victories to come.
TACTICAL TIPS Magic Ability – Performing a Magic Ability special action or special attack counts as casting a spell.
IRON FANG KOVNIK
KHADOR SOLO
Axes in hand and fur-lined capes billowing behind them, the fierce and warhardened Iron Fang kovniks can be seen commanding thousands of troops wherever Khador marches to war. Bellowing orders, these imposing veteran officers refuse to remain safely at the rear but lead from the front, striking where the fighting is the thickest. These kovniks see themselves as Iron Fangs first and foremost, eschewing the comforts of rank to live the austere life of their proud brotherhood, sleeping in their armor and marching alongside their forces. As the army marches, Iron Fang kovniks inspect the troops regularly, checking on supplies and general morale while also keeping subordinate officers on their toes. Having led thousands of the empire’s loyal men and women, a seasoned Iron Fang kovnik knows just how hard a unit can be driven and where its breaking point lies. These elite soldiers have fought every type of enemy and have emerged wiser, bringing new tactics to each engagement. Together with other senior officers, kovniks representing separate forces often meet between battles to compare notes, assess the state of their combined forces, and plan the Motherland’s next great conquests.
TACTICAL TIPS No Sleeping on the Job – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
KOVNIK SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 8 4 12 15 10
GREAT AXE RNG POW P+S 1 5 12 DAMAGE:5 PC 4
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
KOVNIK LEADERSHIP [IRON FANGS] – While in this model’s command range, friendly Iron Fang models gain Precision Strike. NO SLEEPING ON THE JOB [IRON FANGS] – This model and friendly Iron Fang models in its command range cannot become knocked down. PRECISION STRIKE – When this model damages a warjack or warbeast with a melee attack, choose which column or branch suffers the damage. UNYIELDING – While engaging an enemy model, this model gains +2 ARM.
GREAT AXE WEAPON MASTER
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MANHUNTER KHADOR SOLO MANHUNTER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 8 8 4 14 14 7
AXE RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 11 DAMAGE:5 PC 4
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
MANHUNTER ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT PATHFINDER STEALTH TOUGH
AXE WEAPON MASTER
Fishing and hunting are significant sources of food for many rural areas of Khador. Khadoran hunters tend to be held in higher regard than those of other kingdoms, particularly in the cold and rugged northern mountains and forests. Experts at tracking and killing dangerous game, some have moved on to the most cunning prey of all: man. Above all, manhunters are trackers skilled at traversing the hostile wilderness. Lowland brush, forests, and snow are all as accessible as well-paved roads to a manhunter. Long years of harsh life in the Khadoran wilds have hardened their bodies and refined their skills even as it darkened their skin. Masters of camouflage and hiding in plain sight, manhunters are scouts, and sometimes assassins, for the right price. Manhunters often accompany reconnaissance groups of Widowmakers and their Kossite peers to strike at the enemy from unexpected directions, usually operating behind enemy lines. Whether stalking prey in silence or swinging their twin hand axes with blinding efficiency, they are frightful killers. The hiring of such men by the Khadoran Army is an old tradition, and their value on the fringes has been exploited in many wars. In exchange for their services, they are well provided for by the armies that hire them. There are dark whispers of manhunters who enjoy the hunt too much and give in to their animal urges and the euphoria of the kill. These hunters often possess track records good enough to offset the dark rumors, however—and there are none better at chasing an enemy to ground.
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WAR DOG
KHADOR SOLO
The breeding of war hounds is a high art in the rugged hills and lowlands of Khador—provided one’s concept of “art” allows for the likelihood of having one’s fingers chewed off by two hundred pounds of raw muscle. Many competing philosophies exist concerning the best execution of the time-honored tradition of breeding war dogs, and entire family lines stake their reputation and honor on the fighting prowess of their animals. Khadoran officers commonly bring these beasts to the battlefield and look to them as both companions and protectors. While the ignorant prefer the most bloodthirsty and savage war dogs, experts consider such traits the lowest expression of breeding. Those who know a fine war dog typically prize loyalty as its best asset. This holds particularly true for warcasters, who must necessarily divide their attention between their warjacks, troops, and the opponent’s activity. Warcasters cannot afford to disrupt their concentration to discipline an unruly beast at their side, and they much favor the Kovosk-bred bullmastiff as a result. This stout animal shows great aptitude for training and demonstrates an instinctive desire to bond with and protect a human master. With a finely trained war dog standing ready, a warcaster can focus on other matters while the hound serves as another set of eyes in battle. Such dogs latch onto an enemy with bone-crushing jaws and refuse to let go. They hinder more dangerous threats until their warcaster can deal with the situation. And the strength of the dogs’ loyalty means they gladly give up their lives to save those to whom they have bonded.
TACTICAL TIPS
WAR DOG SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 7 6 1 13 14 3
BITE RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 11 DAMAGE:5 PC 3
FA 1
BASE:SMALL
ATTACHED – Before the start of the game, attach this
model to a friendly Faction warcaster for the rest of the game. Each Faction warcaster can have only one model/unit attached to it.
WAR DOG TOUGH COUNTERCHARGE – When an enemy model advances
and ends its movement within 6˝ of this model and in its LOS, this model can immediately charge it. This model can use Countercharge only once per round and not while engaged. GUARD DOG – While this model is within 3˝ of its warcaster and is not knocked down or stationary, its warcaster gains Parry and +2 DEF against melee attack rolls, and models attacking the warcaster do not gain back strike bonuses. RETURN – Immediately after resolving a charge attack, this model can make a full advance toward its warcaster. This model cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement.
Attached – This model cannot be reassigned if its warcaster is destroyed or removed from play.
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WIDOWMAKER MARKSMAN KHADOR SOLO MARKSMAN SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 4 8 14 11 8
VANAR LIBERATOR RNG ROF AOE POW 14 1 — 12
SWORD RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 8 DAMAGE:5 PC 4
FA 1
BASE:SMALL
MARKSMAN ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT PATHFINDER STEALTH LEADERSHIP [WIDOWMAKERS] – While in this model’s command range, friendly Widowmaker models gain Swift Hunter. MARKSMAN – When damaging a warjack or warbeast with a ranged attack, choose which column or branch suffers damage. SWIFT HUNTER – When this model destroys one or more enemy models with a basic ranged attack, immediately after the attack is resolved it can advance up to 2˝.
VANAR LIBERATOR DEADLY SHOT – Instead of making a damage roll to resolve an attack with this weapon, you can choose to have a model hit by this weapon suffer 3 damage points instead. A model disabled by this attack cannot make a Tough roll.
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Tales of the sharpshooting skills of Khador’s Widowmakers abound, some growing in scale and grandeur with each telling. When it comes to the Motherland’s senior marksmen, though, the stories need no embellishment. Only the best Widowmakers can hope to join their ranks, and the intense additional training they endure to achieve marksman status is even longer and more grueling than that required to become Widowmakers. Few make the cut, but the high price they pay shows its worth on the field: time and again, it is the shot of a Widowmaker marksman that turns the tide of battle and decides the fate of entire battalions. Operating independently, these highly specialized Widowmaker snipers move unobserved across the battlefield. Each is an expert in the selection of effective targets—those individuals whose loss will hurt the enemy most, whether because of rank, skill, or position—and will neutralize the unfortunate prey with a single shot before relocating. A lone marksman can completely demoralize opponents with just a few carefully chosen shots. The marksman’s steely eyes miss nothing, and they are skilled at silently communicating the disposition of potential targets to fellow Widowmakers. The expert marksmen are equipped with a special military variant of the Vanar Liberator rifle, a more powerful weapon than the custom Vislovski hunting rifles issued to Widowmaker scout units. Capable of tearing through plate armor, Liberator rounds are as precise as they are lethal in the hands of a marksman. Some Widowmakers claim the heft of the rifle itself grants an advantage, adding to its stability and thereby increasing its accuracy.
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KOVNIK ANDREI MALAKOV KHADOR SOLO
A star among the rastoviks in one of the most recent classes of the Druzhina, Kovnik Andrei Malakov pushes the warjacks under his control to crush those who dare oppose him. His desire to succeed regardless of the consequences sometimes demands a high cost from his men and machines, but to Malakov, such is the price of victory.
FOCUS: 4 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 6 4 14 13 7
MALAKOV 1
HAND CANNON RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 12
Born the son of a Khardic count and raised near the city of Rorschik, Malakov comfortably navigates the world of Khadoran political intrigue. He was taught the superiority of noble blood and learned early on to apply his intelligence to improving his position whenever possible. When that requires his inferiors to fall in his place, whether in battle or in the eyes of his commanding officers, he sees it as the natural order of things.
MECHANIKA BLADE RNG POW P+S 0.5 5 11 DAMAGE:5 PC 4
FA C
BASE:SMALL
MALAKOV 1 BATTLEGROUP CONTROLLER – This model is not a warcaster but has the following warcaster special rules: Battlegroup Commander, Focus Manipulation, Power Field, and Spellcaster. This model must have at least one warjack in its battlegroup at the start of the game. SUCKER! – If this model is directly hit by an enemy ranged attack, choose a friendly non-incorporeal warrior model within 3˝ of it to be directly hit instead. That model is automatically hit and suffers all damage and effects.
MECHANIKA BLADE DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
SPELLS RAZOR WIND
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
10
–
12
–
YES
A blade of wind slices through the target model. REDLINE
2
6 –
– UP NO
Target warjack in the spellcaster’s battlegroup gains +2 STR and SPD and can run, charge, or make slam or trample power attacks without spending focus. At the end of each of its activations, the affected warjack suffers d3 damage points.
With his family standing, there was no question Malakov would enter the military as an officer. The Greylords at Rorschik detected his arcane aptitude immediately, and he went to their stronghold for the early portion of his training. By the time he transferred to the Druzhina for officer training, his confidence in his abilities only added to his ambition. For someone of lesser birth or talents, this arrogance might have been a hindrance, but for Malakov it enhanced his aura of command. He demonstrated excellence in the most essential qualities demanded of a Khadoran officer. Though he received the highest scores in his evaluations, Malakov was a loner among the kadets, which he blamed on his classmates’ jealousy. The only one worthy of his companionship was the senior kadet Levanid Trevanik, whose father was the great prince of Dorognia Volozk and Count Malakov’s liege. The two kadets became fast friends despite their strongly differing personalities. When Great Prince Trevanik was later executed for treason, young Levanid became the region’s ruler, a situation Malakov could not help but consider in terms of how he might eventually benefit from it. He graduated from the Druzhina primed to stand in the upper echelons of Khadoran society, as befitting his birthright. All that remained was to prove himself in battle and commence a glorious military career. After his graduation Malakov was promoted to kovnik and given the arcane standing of rastovik, the rank at which a junior warcaster is traditionally sent into the field before earning the responsibilities of a full kommander and magziev. At this stage, every warcaster must prove capable in combat alongside a battlegroup, leading subordinates while operating without direct supervision. Malakov’s standing and reputation earned him the singular honor of a special mission: delivering the first new Conquests to Supreme Kommandant Irusk deep in hostile territory. Though Malakov handled himself well, the mission’s complications provided a harsh lesson on the gulf between theoretical training and the realities of war. In many respects Malakov views people the same way he sees his warjacks: as disposable means to an end. Friendship and loyalty have little value to him. He is an adroit manipulator, able to switch smoothly from charm to intimidation in any situation. Malakov’s ruthlessness is also reflected in his cold intellect in battle. No sacrifice is too great in his quest for victory, and it is likely many soldiers will find themselves placed in the path of bullets meant for him. His superiors might overlook his apparent disregard for those serving under him, however, so long as he brings glory to the Motherland.
TACTICAL TIPS Battlegroup Controller – This model is a non-warcaster model and is not affected by special rules that specifically affect warcasters. Models with the Attached rule cannot be attached to this model. Sucker! – Note that this special rule is not optional.
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UHLAN KOVNIK MARKOV KHADOR IRON FANG SOLO MARKOV 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 8 6 8 4 12 18 10
CONCUSSION LANCE RNG POW P+S * 10 16
POMMEL SPIKE RNG POW P+S 1 4 10
MOUNT RNG POW 0.5 12 DAMAGE:10 PC 7
FA C
BASE:LARGE
MARKOV 1 CAVALRY REPOSITION [3˝] – At the end of an activation in which
it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends. RELENTLESS CHARGE – While advancing as part of a charge, this model gains Pathfinder . STEADY – This model cannot become knocked down. TACTICIAN [IRON FANG] – While in this model’s command range, friendly Iron Fang models can ignore other friendly Iron Fang models when determining LOS. Friendly Iron Fang models can advance through other friendly Iron Fang models in this model’s command range if they have enough movement to move completely past them.
CONCUSSION LANCE LANCE – This weapon can be used only to make charge attacks. This weapon’s RNG is 0 unless this model charges. When this model charges, this weapon’s RNG is 2 until the charge attack is resolved. WARHEAD – When this model directly hits a model with an attack with this weapon, you can center a 4˝ AOE on the model directly hit. Models in the AOE are hit and suffer a POW 10 blast damage roll. This damage is not considered to have been caused by an attack. On a critical hit, models in the AOE become knocked down. This model is not affected by Warhead.
POMMEL SPIKE CLOSE COMBAT – This model cannot make an initial
attack with this weapon during an activation in which it charged at least 3˝.
MOUNT CRITICAL KNOCKDOWN – On a critical hit, the model hit
becomes knocked down.
The blood of ancient horselords flows in the veins of Uhlan Kovnik Dorek Markov. The admired kovnik has come to represent everything the Iron Fangs revere. Under his leadership the soldiers of his 29th Assault Battalion advance as a single body driven by one mind. They remain unwavering despite casualties and grind down all opposition with tireless resolve. Markov sees every Khadoran soldier as kin, but the Iron Fangs are his closest brothers. Growing up with every expectation that he would follow in his father’s footsteps as an Iron Fang uhlan, young Markov trained from sunup to sundown to care for his steed and learn the traditions of the uhlans. Years after joining the service and earning his commission, Markov had the rare honor of serving directly alongside his sire, fighting together in skirmishes along the Cygnaran border. He will always remember the brutal battle where he saw his father fall from his horse in a clash against Cygnar’s Storm Lances. The younger Markov rallied his forces and drove the Cygnarans from the field but could do nothing for his father in his final minutes. The quiet dignity with which his father accepted death in battle left a lasting impression on Markov, and he endeavors to do justice to this legacy. Markov serves alongside the Iron Fangs of the 2nd Army with distinction. He has earned nearly every award and accolade offered by the Khadoran Army. His battalion played a key role in the early battles at Riversmet during the invasion of Llael and proved its merit during the siege of Merywyn. Markov’s sterling service record was at the forefront of Kommandant Irusk’s mind when he chose the kovnik to lead the 4th Assault Legion, the spearhead of the 2nd Army. Markov’s Pozdyov warhorse Gorvech carries him into battle alongside the formations of Iron Fang pikemen under his command. Markov has conditioned the steed to endure the chaos of battle unfazed, and to bear him and his customized concussion lance in battle. As Markov hammers into the enemy, the tip of the lance detonates with an earth-shaking explosion that sends soldiers, beasts, and even warjacks tumbling while he and his mount emerge unharmed from the ensuing cloud of gore and debris. Markov has proven as adroit with battlefield tactics as any kommandant. Irusk counts Kovnik Markov among his most trusted officers, and they frequently dissect recent battles at Irusk’s table. When preparing for the massive second attack on Northguard, Irusk entrusted Markov with leading the sizable diversionary force. Thought to be a suicide mission by some, the critical feint drew two Cygnaran warcasters away from the fortress, leaving it vulnerable to attack. Markov not only successfully diverted the enemy but also survived, along with the core of his forces, which speaks volumes about his ability to lead men and react to the most violent of clashes. The senior uhlan expects and receives tremendous effort from his forces when he exhorts them to push themselves harder. Markov has gained their respect through his willingness to share in the dangers they face and has engendered in them a keen desire to earn his approval. Markov’s quiet strength serves as an inspiration and a reminder of the ancient nobility that still rides forth in the name of Khador.
TACTICAL TIPS Steady – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown. Tactician – Remember, a model is within its own command range.
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YURI THE AXE KHADOR SOLO YURI 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 8 8 4 14 14 9
GREAT AXE RNG POW P+S 2 5 13 DAMAGE:8 PC 6
FA C
BASE:SMALL
YURI 1 ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT PATHFINDER STEALTH TOUGH ELITE CADRE [KOSSITE WOODSMEN AND MANHUNTERS] –
Friendly Kossite Woodsmen and Manhunters gain Treewalker. TREEWALKER – This model ignores forests when determining LOS. While completely within a forest, this model gains +2 DEF against melee attack rolls.
GREAT AXE WEAPON MASTER THRESHER (HATTACK) – This model makes one melee
attack with this weapon against each model in its LOS that is in this weapon’s melee range. Thresher attacks are simultaneous.
Khadorans have a reputation as hardy and rugged people, descended from the blood of warriors toughened by their unforgiving land. Yet even stoic Khadorans describe the wild mountain folk of the far northern reaches with a respect born from fear. They hail from a harsh and bitter landscape whose inhabitants must survive extreme cold, unforgiving terrain, and bloodthirsty creatures prowling the Nyschatha Mountains. Among those who call the frozen north home is a brutal killer named Yuri the Axe. This man loves the Motherland with fierce devotion and sees no contradiction between his patriotism and his scornful disdain for the law. Many Khadoran families consider it nothing short of criminal that Yuri walks the world as a free man and would gladly put an end to him if they could. The widows and orphans he has created take no comfort from Yuri’s insistence that he has never slain a man who did not earn it. Yuri does not kill from any deeper malice; as a hunter by nature, he finds killing an easy and often expedient solution to any given problem. Yuri moved easily from hunting animals to hunting men. He took up bounties on gangs of outlaws and rid the northern hills of bandits and poachers. The thrill of this kind of hunt appealed to him, and eventually he set on the trail of a rogue kompany of Winter Guard that had turned to extortion near Uldenfrost. Yuri hunted them for weeks, first eliminating their sentries, then methodically exterminating every patrol that ventured from their barracks. In the end those he did not kill died of cold and starvation, too frightened to step outdoors. Word of his deeds spread. Even the warlike Nyss of the Shard Spires learned to avoid Yuri’s hunting grounds and called him slyeshar, the “maddened bear.” The destruction of the Winter Guard kompany drew the ire of the 3rd Border Legion, who made bringing the killer to justice a top priority. Yuri made sport of his hunters by leading them into switchback ambushes and bone-crushing traps. A procession of local manhunters and highly skilled agents in the service of Great Prince Bolovric was set on Yuri’s trail. Yuri delighted in testing the manhunters who came to slay him. He called them out before ending their lives with a quick sweep of his axe. Such a man as Yuri could suffer only one of two fates: execution or service to the state. The four northern great princes wintering at the Haus Prinkov in the city of Tverkutsk decided the latter option seemed less costly, so they sent an offer of amnesty on the condition that Yuri lend his talents to the High Kommand. Yuri accepted the bargain with surprising enthusiasm. He has proven true to his word, destroying the enemies of the Motherland where and when required. He has even gained a following among Khadoran wilderness fighters, many of whom seek him out to learn the ways of the hunt. They could find no better teacher, and Yuri instructs best by grim example. While Yuri has no friends, he has found a bloodstained camaraderie with both the doom reaver Fenris and the Butcher of Khardov. When Orsus Zoktavir went missing after the siege of Fellig, some thought Yuri somehow responsible, but the persistence of their association since the Butcher’s return quelled the rumors. The soldiers of the Winter Guard still shudder to see these inhuman monsters keep such close company.
TACTICAL TIPS Thresher – These attacks are not optional.
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121
KAYAZY ASSASSINS MERCENARY UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 6 4 13 12 7
ASSASSIN BLADE RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 10 PC
Leader & 5 Grunts Leader & 9 Grunts
9 15
FA 2
BASE:SMALL MERCENARIES – This unit will work for Khador. PARTISAN [KHADOR] – When included in a Khador army, this unit is a Khador unit instead of a Mercenary unit.
LEADER & GRUNTS PARRY STEALTH ANATOMICAL PRECISION – When this model’s melee damage roll fails to exceed the ARM of the living model hit, that model suffers 1 damage point. A model disabled by a melee attack made by this model cannot make a Tough roll. GANG – When making a melee attack targeting an enemy model in the melee range of another model in this unit, this model gains +2 to melee attack and melee damage rolls.
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While the kommanders have earned their share of glory, others seek profit from Khador’s recent conquests. The kayazy, the great Khadoran merchant-princes and industrialists, have supported the war with hard work and coin. These scheming manipulators have long preserved their interests by employing highly skilled killers against their rivals in the bloody games of commerce. Their deadly emissaries work together to surround and slaughter an enemy with brutal stabs from their plunging blades. On the orders of the kayazy, these gangs of assassins have come south to bring the skills they have honed at swordplay and murder onto the battlefield. In this fashion the merchant-princes assure that their profits continue to flow unimpeded by the vagaries of military command. Drawn originally from bratyas—the most ruthless and skilled street gangs in the larger Khadoran cities—these grim killers survived many a treacherous alleyway encounter by slitting the throats of those who would do the same to them. Serving the kayazy as assassins brings a measure of respect and status, and these individuals climbed the ranks of the underworld on a mounting pile of corpses to gain the patronage of their influential masters. Many soldiers feel uncomfortable around these murderous duelists, but none can fault their skill and efficiency. These blademasters learned the duelist’s art in a school where failure brought deadly consequences. They fight in the Korsk style, wielding a thrusting blade in one hand while using their cloak in the other to entangle a foe’s weapon or arm before striking. Kayazy assassins boast expertise in swordplay equal or superior to that of pompous blade masters of noble lineage. Few can stand against the flurry of flashing blades as several assassins close at once on their chosen victim.
KAYAZY ASSASSIN UNDERBOSS MERCENARY COMMAND ATTACHMENT
Some say the ruthless underbosses that lead handpicked bands of assassins hold the true power among the killers employed by the kayazy. These criminal commanders achieve their status through cutthroat competition among the Korsk bratyas. Beyond deadly efficiency with a blade, an underboss must demonstrate intelligence, patience, and the ability to accumulate and preserve wealth. Surviving long enough to enjoy one’s fortune is an accomplishment in itself, but underbosses cannot afford to become soft, as their underlings stand ready to replace them at any sign of weakness. The kayazy often set rival bratyas against one another in underworld shifts of alliances and betrayals. The vast riches that the kayazy offer them to participate in the ongoing war effort have not gone unnoticed, and many underbosses want to claim a piece of the action. These ambitious assassins make the necessary arrangements for their kills and handselect the best murderers among their crews. Underbosses often lead particularly important strikes personally to show subordinates exactly how to do things properly. Hiring an underboss and his crew represents a substantial investment but one well worth the coin, for such a group can all but assure completion of the task. These seasoned killers know that no peaceful retirement awaits them should they fail; those that displease the underboss will be maimed—if he is feeling merciful—or have their throats slit.
TACTICAL TIPS Officer – Because this model is an Officer, when it is destroyed it does not replace a Grunt in its unit. Instead the Leader becomes the unit commander.
UNDERBOSS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 8 4 13 12 9
ASSASSIN BLADE RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 10 DAMAGE:5 PC 4
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
ATTACHMENT [KAYAZY ASSASSINS] – This attachment can be added to a Kayazy Assassin unit. PARTISAN [KHADOR] – When included in a Khador army, this model is a Khador model instead of a Mercenary model.
UNDERBOSS OFFICER PARRY STEALTH TOUGH ANATOMICAL PRECISION – When this model’s melee damage roll fails to exceed the ARM of the living model hit, that model suffers 1 damage point. A model disabled by a melee attack made by this model cannot make a Tough roll. GANG – When making a melee attack targeting an enemy model in the melee range of another model in this unit, this model gains +2 to melee attack and melee damage rolls. KILL STROKE – This model can use Kill Stroke once per game at any time during its unit’s activation. This activation, models in this unit gain Backstab. (While it is completely within the back arc of an enemy model, a model with Backstab gains an additional die on its attack and damage rolls against that model.) TACTICS: DUELIST – Models in this unit gain +2 DEF against melee attack rolls.
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KAYAZY ELIMINATORS MERCENARY UNIT LEADER & GRUNT SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 5 7 4 15 11 7
ASSASSIN BLADE RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 9 DAMAGE:
5 EACH
PC Leader & Grunt
5
FA 2
BASE:SMALL MERCENARIES – This unit will work for Khador. PARTISAN [KHADOR] – When included in a Khador army, this unit is a Khador unit instead of a Mercenary unit.
LEADER & GRUNT PARRY STEALTH ACROBATICS – This model can advance through other models if it has enough movement to move completely past their bases. This model ignores intervening models when declaring its charge target. ANATOMICAL PRECISION – When this model’s melee damage roll fails to exceed the ARM of the living model hit, that model suffers 1 damage point. A model disabled by a melee attack made by this model cannot make a Tough roll. DUELIST – This model gains +2 DEF against melee attack rolls. GANG – When making a melee attack targeting an enemy model in the melee range of another model in this unit, this model gains +2 to melee attack and melee damage rolls. SIDE STEP – When this model hits an enemy model with an initial melee attack or a melee special attack, it can advance up to 2˝ after the attack is resolved.
ASSASSIN BLADE COMBO STRIKE (HATTACK) – Make a melee attack. Instead of making a normal damage roll, the POW of the damage roll is equal to this model’s STR plus twice the POW of this weapon.
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When the kayazy require that a killing be carried out with utter discretion and assurance, they turn to the eliminators of the Korsk underworld. No mere thugs, eliminators practice their deadly trade with the finesse of artists. They hold their criminal peers in disdain, sneering at those who require strength in numbers to ply their bloody trade. In a loose tradition, most eliminators prefer to work in pairs, choosing their professional partners with the same care they exercise in selecting their blades, for their lives and livelihood depend on the choice. Eliminators are consummate professionals who constantly refine their lethal arts. They spend countless hours training their bodies and steeling their minds to their murderous purpose. Eliminators make each step with careful calculation, no motion wasted and no sound betraying their intentions. A partnered pair moves in tandem, each anticipating the other’s every move. When the time comes to perform their bloody services, they do so with a grace that would seem like ease, were anyone present to observe it. Since the expansion of the Khadoran border, the kayazy have found themselves increasingly entangled in the affairs of the army. Accordingly, individual kayazy now often hire eliminators to aid those kommanders in whose success they take a special interest. Though eliminators spend most of their careers cutting throats in darkened hallways and alleys, they are equally talented at dealing death on the battlefield. Slipping into the press of combatants, eliminators evade their enemies with mocking deftness until they can close in to deliver the killing blow.
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KOMMANDANT IRUSK Warcaster
SUPREME KOMMANDANT IRUSK Warcaster
KOMMANDER HARKEVICH, THE IRON WOLF Warcaster
LORD KOZLOV, VISCOUNT OF SCARSGRAD Warcaster KARCHEV THE TERRIBLE Greylord Warcaster
KOMMANDER ANDREI MALAKOV Warcaster
THE OLD WITCH OF KHADOR & SCRAPJACK Warcaster & Light Warjack
KOMMANDER OLEG STRAKHOV Warcaster
KOMMANDER SORSCHA Warcaster
FORWARD KOMMANDER SORSCHA Warcaster
VLADIMIR TZEPESCI, THE DARK CHAMPION Warcaster
VLADIMIR TZEPESCI, THE DARK PRINCE Warcaster
126
MODEL GALLERY
VLADIMIR TZEPESCI, GREAT PRINCE OF UMBREY Warcaster
ORSUS ZOKTAVIR, THE BUTCHER OF KHARDOV Warcaster
KOLDUN KOMMANDER ALEKSANDRA ZERKOVA Greylord Warcaster
OBAVNIK KOMMANDER ZERKOVA & REAVER GUARD Warcaster Unit
KOMMANDER ZOKTAVIR, THE BUTCHER UNLEASHED Warcaster Unit
KOMMANDER ORSUS ZOKTAVIR Warcaster
DECIMATOR Heavy Warjack
BERSERKER Heavy Warjack
MODEL GALLERY
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DEMOLISHER Heavy Warjack DESTROYER Heavy Warjack
GROLAR Heavy Warjack
DEVASTATOR Heavy Warjack
KODIAK Heavy Warjack JUGGERNAUT Heavy Warjack
MAD DOG Heavy Warjack
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MODEL GALLERY
MARAUDER Heavy Warjack
RAGER Heavy Warjack
SPRIGGAN Heavy Warjack
BEHEMOTH Heavy Warjack BEAST 09 Heavy Warjack
BLACK IVAN Heavy Warjack
DRAGO Heavy Warjack
RUIN Heavy Warjack
TORCH Heavy Warjack
MODEL GALLERY
129
CONQUEST Colossal Warjack
VICTOR Colossal Warjack
130
MODEL GALLERY
BATTLE MECHANIKS Unit
BATTLE MECHANIK OFFICER Command Attachment
BLACK DRAGONS Iron Fang Unit
BLACK DRAGON OFFICER & STANDARD Iron Fang Command Attachment
IRON FANG PIKEMEN OFFICER & STANDARD Command Attachment
IRON FANG PIKEMEN Unit
MODEL GALLERY
131
IRON FANG UHLANS Unit
KOSSITE WOODSMEN Unit
WIDOWMAKER SCOUTS Unit
KAYAZY ASSASSINS Mercenary Unit
132
MODEL GALLERY
KAYAZY ASSASSIN UNDERBOSS Mercenary Command Attachment
GREAT BEARS OF THE GALLOWSWOOD Iron Fang Unit
KAYAZY ELIMINATORS Mercenary Unit
IRON FANG KOVNIK Solo
WIDOWMAKER MARKSMAN Solo
MANHUNTER Solo WAR DOG Solo
KOVNIK ANDREI MALAKOV Solo YURI THE AXE Solo
UHLAN KOVNIK MARKOV Iron Fang Solo
MODEL GALLERY
133
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PAINTING YOUR ARMY As a hobby miniatures game deeply rooted in lore and character, WARMACHINE offers hundreds of distinctive and highly detailed models designed for maximum modeling and painting enjoyment. Each model is a canvas on which to unleash your own creativity and imagination. You can choose to try your hand at the tried-and-true P3 Studio scheme, dive deeper into the Iron Kingdoms setting with an alternate paint scheme drawn from the lore and background of your Faction, or throw convention to the wind and create a completely original look for your models. Whatever your choice, few things are as rewarding as bringing your army to life with your brush and some paints. When painting an army, as in life, the fun truly lies in the journey more than in the destination. And like every journey, the road to a fully painted force begins with a crucial first step—in this case, deciding how you want your army to look! The following pages contain color guides and quick tips designed to provide inspiration for your Khador painting adventure. We begin with a look at models painted in the traditional studio scheme for the Khadoran Army. This scheme is shown throughout the model gallery on pages 126–133. Whether or not you decide to emulate the studio scheme, it is a great foundation to draw from with its bold, imperialistic reds, stark contrasting black, and rich, regal gold. Next we present some alternative approaches to painting your Khador models. The Khadoran military is filled with notable
companies and regiments that are easily distinguishable by their individual battledress. Such regimental colors include the olive drab of the infamous 5th Border Legion, the crisp winter white of the 95th Frost Wolves, and the umber brown of the Howling Wolves Iron Fang Kompany. By combining ideas from the setting, the studio scheme, and the real world, you can easily create a unique look for your army that still feels right at home in the Iron Kingdoms. Finally, for those who really want to flex their creative muscles, we present a radically different paint scheme drawn straight from the imagination of the painter who created it, as well as some great examples of Khador models painted by the WARMACHINE and HORDES community to inspire your own unique creations. Choosing a more original or whimsical approach can result in a truly eye-catching army, but such schemes rely on careful planning and a willingness to experiment with multiple combinations of colors until everything has been dialed in just right to create a balanced yet visually striking effect. When it comes to your army’s special look, inspiration can spring from anywhere. Regardless of which direction you decide to take in painting your own Khadoran force, we hope this guide provides you with the spark needed to set your imagination on fire as you sit down with brush in hand to create an army as individual as you!
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STUDIO PAINT SCHEME GROLAR
Red
Bronze base: Molten Bronze shade: Umbral Umber highlight: Rhulic Gold
base: Khador Red Base shade: Exile Blue highlight: Khador Red Highlight
Black base: Thamar Black highlight: Coal Black highlight: Frostbite
Heartfire base: Heartfire shade: Skorne Red highlight: Khador Red Highlight
Silver base: Pig Iron shade: Armor Wash highlight: Cold Steel
Painter’s Inspiration The key color for nearly every Khador model is the bright primary red of Khador Red Base. The other colors used in the studio paint scheme were carefully chosen to take advantage of the color contrast to create a look that is visually striking without being busy. Because the warm Khador red is such a bright, strong color, we used the cold and muted tones such as Thornwood Green and Greatcoat Grey to balance the color scheme. For a professional look, remember this strategy of balancing a single strong primary color with contrasting muted tones whether formulating your own alternate paint schemes or recreating the studio scheme laid out here. For more examples of Khador models with studio paint schemes, see the gallery on pages 126–133, or go to privateerpress.com.
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PAINTING YOUR ARMY
STUDIO PAINT SCHEME WIDOWMAKER
Hair
Skin
base: Thamar Black highlight: Coal Black highlight: Frostbite
base: Khardic Flesh shade: Flesh Wash highlight: Ryn Flesh
Leather base: Bootstrap Leather shade: Umbral Umber highlight: ’Jack Bone
Bronze base: Molten Bronze shade: Umbral Umber highlight: Rhulic Gold
Black base: Thamar Black highlight: Coal Black highlight: Frostbite
Gun Stock base: Battlefield Brown shade: Umbral Umber highlight: Rucksack Tan
Red base: Khador Red Base shade: Exile Blue highlight: Khador Red Highlight
Silver Trim base: Bastion Grey shade: Thamar Black highlight: Menoth White Highlight
base: Pig Iron shade: Armor Wash highlight: Cold Steel
PAINTING TIPS For Khador’s red armor, highlight it by mixing Menoth White Highlight into Khador Red Highlight for a peach-like color. Then use glazes of one part Red Ink and fifteen parts water to tie the colors together.
PAINTING YOUR ARMY
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95TH FROST WOLVES PAINT SCHEME GROLAR
Green base: Thornwood Green shade: Cryx Bane Base highlight: Ordic Olive
White base: Thamar Black, Morrow White 1:1 shade: Ironhull Grey highlight: Morrow White
Steel Rust base: Battlefield Brown shade: Umbral Umber
base: Pig Iron shade: Exile Blue, Battlefield Brown highlight: Cold Steel
Heartfire base: Heartfire shade: Umbral Umber highlight: Cygnus Yellow
Black base: Thamar Black shade: Coal Black highlight: Frostbite
Painter’s Inspiration The 95th “Frost Wolves” Winter Guard Battalion is part of the 3rd Border Legion that guards Khador’s interior. Charged with watching over Uldenfrost and the Targoss Forest, the 95th is viewed as a comfy, if cold, assignment by most Khadorans due to the extreme distance between Uldenfrost and the active war fronts. However, the 95th has seen its fair share of bloody fighting in recent years due to the rise of the dragon Everblight and his legion of blighted Nyss, ogrun, and dragonspawn. The brutal guerilla-style warfare against this nefarious foe has honed the 95th into skilled wilderness fighters, able to go toe to toe with their blighted foes in one of the harshest landscapes in Immoren. The crisp whites of their color scheme harken to the permafrost-covered landscapes of northern Khador and
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PAINTING YOUR ARMY
95TH FROST WOLVES PAINT SCHEME WIDOWMAKER Red
Skin
base: Khador Red Highlight shade: Exile Blue highlight: Khador Red Highlight
base: Midlund Flesh shade: Battledress Green, Skorne Red highlight: Ryn Flesh
Hair base: Moldy Ochre shade: Umbral Umber highlight: Sulfuric Yellow
White base: Thamar Black, Morrow White 1:1 shade: Ironhull Grey highlight: Morrow White
Leather base: Bootstrap Leather shade: Umbral Umber highlight: ’Jack Bone
Steel Gun Stock base: Gun Corps Brown shade: Brown Ink highlight: Menoth White Base
Brown base: Gun Corps Brown shade: Umbral Umber highlight: Hammerfall Khaki
Trim base: ’Jack Bone shade: Battlefield Brown highlight: Menoth White Base
Black
base: Pig Iron shade: Exile Blue, Battlefield Brown highlight: Cold Steel
base: Thamar Black shade: Coal Black highlight: Frostbite
contrast starkly with the deep fatigue green of the soldiers’ armor and sashes. Cold steel and warm bronze tones provide striking accent colors, whether they are applied to the weapons of the 95th’s warjacks or to the medals decorating its officers. A tertiary use of black stands out dramatically against the broad white base of the scheme.
PAINTING TIPS When painting a black element, be sure to leave 60–70 percent of the surface pure black. This ratio ensures that the area comes across as black and not grey or blue.
PAINTING YOUR ARMY
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“COLD WHITE SILENCE” PAINT SCHEME GROLAR
Light Blue base: Greatcoat Grey highlight: Underbelly Blue highlight: Frostbite
Bronze base: Molten Bronze shade: Battlefield Brown
Black base: Thamar Black
Red base: Sanguine Base highlight: Khador Red Base highlight: Khador Red Highlight
Steel
Heartfire
base: Pig Iron shade: Thamar Black
base: Heartfire highlight: Cygnus Yellow
Painter’s Inspiration By Dan Roman I’ve long been a fan of Khador’s 5th Border Legion and how it uses the traditional red as an accent rather than the dominant color. I wanted to do something similar for my army and give it a scheme that implied a certain history or style of combat. Originally, I sought a military blue-grey, intending to imply ties to Gurvaldt Irusk. After some experimentation, though, I found an icy mix that was quite striking. Underbelly Blue contrasts with the desaturated shadows, while Frostbite as a highlight suggests the trace light of a pale grey sky. I keep the placement of red and black generally consistent across my army but make slight variations to suit each model. Winter Guard are mostly grey with duller reds, while warcasters and characters stand out with plenty of shiny red armor. Snow and a few tufts of hardy grass on
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PAINTING YOUR ARMY
“COLD WHITE SILENCE” PAINT SCHEME WIDOWMAKER
Hair
Skin
base: Thamar Black highlight: Coal Black
base: Khardic Flesh shade: Thornwood Green highlight: Midlund Flesh
Leather base: Bootstrap Leather
Bronze base: Molten Bronze shade: Battlefield Brown
Steel base: Pig Iron shade: Thamar Black
Gun Stock
Black
base: Bootstrap Leather
Red base: Sanguine Base highlight: Khador Red Base highlight: Khador Red Highlight
base: Thamar Black
Cloth and Trim base: Greatcoat Grey highlight: Underbelly Blue highlight: Frostbite
the base complement the theme. The result is an army that looks like it hails from the far north, its troops able to conceal themselves among snowdrifts before crashing into the enemy like an unstoppable avalanche.
PAINTING TIPS High-ranking officers in the Khadoran military have badges and medals to show their rank and achievements. After you apply a matte finish, reclaim these areas with Solid Gold followed by a mix of Solid Gold and Radiant Platinum. This effect makes the medal stand out against the other golds on the model.
PAINTING YOUR ARMY
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JUGGERNAUT by Justin Cottom
DECIMATOR by Justin Cottom
LORD KOZLOV, VISCOUNT OF SCARSGRAD by Justin Cottom
JUGGERNAUT by Brien Dulaney DESTROYER by Brien Dulaney
KOMMANDER SORSCHA by Brien Dulaney
SUPREME KOMMANDANT IRUSK by William Shick KOMMANDER ORSUS ZOKTAVIR by Stuart Spengler WAR DOG by Stuart Spengler
DESTROYER by Rafal Maj
EXTREME JUGGERNAUT by Dallas Kemp FORWARD KOMMANDER SORSCHA by Dallas Kemp
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PAINTING YOUR ARMY
BLACK IVAN by William Shick
BEHEMOTH by William Shick
CONQUEST by Stuart Spengler
KOMMANDER OLEG STRAKHOV by Bryan McClaflin
PAINTING YOUR ARMY
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TEMPLATES
STRANGLE GAS (Assault Kommandos, Assault Kommando Officer & Gunner)
VENT STEAM (Kodiak)
CREEPING BARRAGE (Conquest)
TARGETING FLARE (Spriggan, Torch)
You may photocopy these templates for your personal use.
