Post by spideredd on Mar 1, 2017 18:44:37 GMT
The Avatar of Menoth Tactica
(Originally by user nyx on the Privateer Press Forums)
The Avatar of Menoth is the Creator made manifest on Caen. Designed by the Creator through the Harbinger, and fueled by the Lawgiver Himself, the Avatar is a weapon of holy wrath to unleash on the unfaithful. He is, however, our most contentious warjack choice. As much as I’ve loved him and used him since beginning this game, it must be acknowledged that in his present incarnation he is not without question, and as a selection he does require some serious consideration as to his place in your army. Hopefully the below can serve as an unbiased overview and observation of the Avatar of Menoth.
Basics
The Avatar (Avvy) boasts the most impressive native stats among our arsenal of warjacks. Importantly, speed 5 puts him with our fastest, and armour of 19 (with a shield to make 21) puts him with our toughest. Where he shines brightest, though, is his MAT, which stands at an elite 8, making him the most natively accurate warjack in faction (and equal highest in game). The Avatar is the only warjack to lack a “C” system on his damage grid (see: Avatar, below) [this is, of course, excusing Convergence vectors with their comparable “I” system]. He is our (equally) most expensive non-Colossal warjack; moreso given he cannot be paid for with a Warcaster’s bonus warjack points. He is the only truly independent warjack in the game.
The Avatar wields two melee weapons, both of which cause magical damage. With his right fist he wields the butterknife of the faith, Blazing Wrath, which at base PS19 makes him our hardest hitting warjack. Blazing Wrath carries the special rule Flame Burst, giving a little extra game against infantry for what would normally be an anti-heavy model – when the Avatar boxes an enemy, other enemy models within 1” of it suffer the continuous fire effect. This has the chance of blindsiding an unaware opponent as to just how many infantry models the Avatar can deal with in a round, but as it’s contingent on the continuous fire effect it carries with it an innate randomness – only Feora2 and a feated Malekus can ensure that the fire won’t expire before it gets a chance to cause damage. In his left he carries his Divine Shield, which as noted above pumps his ARM up to 21, and provides a secondary melee attack (every attack counts).
Abilities
Avatar
The namesake ability is the first truly distinguishing trait of the Avatar of Menoth, and with the advent of MkIII the most contentious. The Avatar does not possess a Cortex, and with that he can be neither jack-marshalled nor included in a Warcaster’s battlegroup. Due to this exclusion the Avatar cannot be allocated focus; however, the Avatar rule stipulates that he simply gains D3+1 focus during the focus allocation step (courtesy of the Creator himself, and at no cost to your ‘Caster). This means that the Avatar is capable of having and using 4 focus points, in excess of the standard 3 focus cap; however, this is again contingent on randomization – the Avatar on a roll of 1 or 2 will only receive 2 focus points that turn, and there’s every likelihood that that could be a turn you require more out of him. This is able to be mitigated, though…
Another difficulty brought about by the Avatar rule is, as he cannot be included in the battlegroup, he is ineligible for a Warcaster’s bonus warjack points. At 20pt he represents a significant investment – it must be remembered that he is being purchased on top of the warjacks that your ‘Caster’s bonus points must be spent on (and remember, those points must be spent). This typically means a list including the Avatar is going to lean on the Warjack-heavy side.
The final difficulty is, again, brought about by not being a battlegroup model. Many Warcaster’s have abilities, rules, feats, and/or spells that specify a model in their battlegroup. The Avatar can never benefit from any of these. Consideration in list-building must be given to these battlegroup-specific effects, and whether the benefits of the Avatar outweigh the benefits of an alternate Warjack with those effects.
One last thing to note is that, unlike in MkII, the Avatar is now susceptible to disruption, despite not having a cortex.
The Avatar ability represents something of a mixed bag, and a risk versus reward type scenario. His focus will always be a gamble, and his independence both potential blessing and/or curse pending just which Warcaster you’ve brought him along with.
Menoth’s Gaze
The second distinguishing trait of the Avatar, and the second unique in-game ability he brings to the table. For the cost of a focus point, any enemy models that begin their activation within 8” of the Avatar and in his line of sight can only advance towards him. This has the effect of locking models within 8” of him down for a round, keeping them away from your other models and potentially preventing them from being able to do their intended job. This is a board control aspect unique to the Avatar.
The important thing to know about Gaze is that it can be circumvented. If the opponent can move a model between the Avatar and whatever model of theirs is caught in the Gaze, they can block that line of sight, allowing the model to move normally during it’s activation – the Avatar needs to have line of sight at the beginning of that models activation. Further, if they’ve any ability to move or place that model outside of its’ activation, then it can be moved or placed either outside of the 8” range for Gaze, or outside of the Avatar’s line of sight (perhaps by moving or placing it behind another model, as above). Gaze only applies when the model is beginning its’ activation, not if it is moving for any other reason at any other time. Gaze also does not require a model to move directly towards, simply that they move towards and not away. This can lead to simply moving along a diagonal, whereby the model technically moves closer to the Avatar, but still manages to end up where it wants to – this is where positioning is key, try and bear in mind where models caught in his Gaze can still move to when going towards the Avatar.
For more detailed discussion of Gaze, please see the subsequent posts below, particularly Blackraine's consideration of circumvention and the realities thereof (it's not as simple as it can seem).
Sacred Ward
This ability is far more straightforward – the Avatar simply cannot be targeted by enemy spells. Any enemy debuff or damage spell, any magical ability of an enemy model cannot target the Avatar. This is one of the things that also helps boost his survivability – a lot of factions use debuff spells to try and crack armour and take down heavy warjacks – that approach does not work on the Avatar.
Flame Burst
I’ll simply reiterate here what was said above, under Basics. The avatar’s sword Blazing Wrath carries the special rule Flame Burst, giving a little extra game against infantry for what would normally be an anti-heavy model – when the Avatar boxes an enemy, other enemy models within 1” of it suffer the continuous fire effect. This has the chance of blindsiding an unaware opponent as to just how many infantry models the Avatar can deal with in a round, but as it’s contingent on the continuous fire effect it carries with it an innate randomness – only Feora2 and a feated Malekus can ensure that the fire won’t expire before it gets a chance to cause damage.
Warcasters, and the Great Battlegroup Debate
I’ve touched in this subject in previous threads, and indeed gone in to detail on just what there is out there that can and can not affect the Avatar. I will reiterate from those previous posts, and try and delve further here.
Firstly, an initial overview on the battlegroup specific effects that can be found amongst the Protectorate’s warcasters:
Nothing “battlegroup” specific
• Feora, Priestess of the Flame
• The Harbinger of Menoth
• High Exemplar Kreoss
• Grand Exemplar Kreoss
• Intercessor Kreoss
• Grand Scrutator Severius
• Testament of Menoth
• Thyra, Flame of Sorrow
Somewhat “battlegroup” specific
• Feora, the Conquering Flame – Redline
• The High Reclaimer – Sacrificial Lamb
• Malekus, the Burning Truth – Open Fire
• Servath Reznik, Wrath of Ages – Curse [Battlegroup]
• Vice Scrutator Vindictus – Admonition
Very “battlegroup” specific
• High Allegiant Amon ad-Raza – Mobility, Synergy, Fortify, Feat
• Anson Durst, Rock of the Faith – Feat, Bulwark
• Feora, Protector of the Flame – Escort, Firestarter
• High Executioner Servath Reznik – Witchhound, Perdition, Brand of Heresy
• Hierarch Severius – Field Marshall: Oracular Vision, Awareness
• Initiate Tristan Durant – Field Marshall: True Sight, Manifest Destiny, Feat
8 out of 19 Warcasters in our stable do not bring battlegroup effects to the table – these 8 should form a starting point for consideration of the Avatar. The other 11 warcasters have varying degrees of battlegroup interaction, some of whom may or may not still have synergies with the Avatar, or otherwise are able to comfortably offer a place to him for what he brings.
So, on to how these ‘Casters can play with the Avatar. Obviously, a lot of this will be able to be applied to any warjack – this is simply an overview of (hopefully) everything there is available to him.
Feora, Priestess of the Flame
The Priestess of the Flame feels like a good place with the Avatar – she can offer it assistance in the form of unjamming, damage potential, and even a little bit of control. Her spell Blazing Effigy will cause models within 2” of the Avatar to suffer a fire damage roll – if your opponent is trying to jam him up with models to keep him from getting to better targets, this is an excellent way of clearing the field back out. Whilst he already brings an almighty P&S to the table, she can turn this up even more with Ignite, taking him (with Choir) to PS23 on Blazing Wrath and PS18 on his Divine Shield. Lastly, she can bring about a somewhat cute interaction with Wall of Fire and Gaze, to try and force enemy models to go where she wants them to (or otherwise prevent them going where she doesn’t) – models entering into the wall template, or going through it, suffer a damage roll; combined with Gaze restricting just what way they can go, they’re not left with many options.
The Harbinger of Menoth
Harby brings threat range to the Avatar, and again has the potential for some control shenanigans. With Crusader’s Call the Avatar gains an additional 2” of movement on the charge (note Crusader’s Call affects her entire army – you don’t have to cast is just for the Avatar alone). This puts his threat range with his sword at 12”. The control interation comes with the feat; it simply allows you to further lock down models. Models caught in the gaze can only move towards the Avatar, and models caught within her feat suffer a damage roll if they move towards her – position correctly and the models are effectively locked down. The feat can also go towards preventing your opponent from circumventing the Avatar’s Gaze (through moving models to block line of sight) – if the model they intend to block with finishes its activation closer to the Harbinger then what it began, it’s taking that damage roll.
High Exemplar Kreoss
High Exemplar Kreoss simply brings our premier defensive buff to the table – Defender’s Ward. Likely to be placed elsewhere early game (i.e. on a unit), it can help make a late game Avatar something of a terror – a DEF12 ARM21 heavy is not an easy thing to crack. His feat (knockdown) can also assist with managing to hit enemy models, but that is not a place where the Avatar has difficulty.
Grand Exemplar Kreoss
The second iteration of Kreoss brings another defensive buff to the table in the form of Inviolable Resolve, which as with Defender’s Ward will likely be elsewhere earlier on, if not on Kreoss himself. Inviolable Resolve still has game with the Avatar though, putting him at ARM23 and making hin immune to pushes or slams – this makes him a powerful scenario piece, as the only way to prevent him contesting a flag or zone will be destroying a particularly hard to destroy warjack. Further, the feat will grant the Avatar an additional special bonus attack (presumably with his sword, for when you just really need to hit something a lot), and also guarantees that he will automatically hit the target (again, he has high innate MAT, but never knock an autohit).
Intercessor Kreoss
Kreoss’ third incarnation also has a defensive buff in Arcane Ward, which can pop him up to DEF12, but it also double dips on the spell immunity – this will be better applied elsewhere. Assail, however, is delightful in increasing the threat range of the Avatar, making him charge (or slam) further, and for free, helping conserve his focus for buying and/or boosting attacks. He also has Death Sentence and Force Hammer to help engineer hits if MAT 8 doesn’t seem like enough, and Ignite gets him hitting harder, as noted above.
Grand Scrutator Severius
Eye of Menoth, Severius’ signature ability, buffs his MAT and P&S both by 1, giving us a MAT 9 PS 22(with Choir) warjack. Sevvy also ramps up the survivability with Vision, an upkeep that, if on the Avatar, means he can ignore a damage roll (i.e. when an enemy heavy charges him to try and destroy him).He also brings Defender’s Ward, as noted above. Severius also has Death Sentence, as noted above.
Testament of Menoth
Cloak of Ash helps give him concealment, and effectively buffs his DEF in melee against living models, but like Arcane Ward this is probably spent better elsewhere. Hallowed Avenger, however, can help get him around the board (as well as the potential for free attacks) – if an enemy model is destroyed within 5” of the Avatar, he’ll get a 3” out of activation movement as well as a free attack. And the feat (making the Avatar incorporeal) helps him get where he needs to be, by going through whatever he likes (rough terrain, walls, enemy models et al).
Thyra, Flame of Sorrow
Thyra manages to increase his MAT, his damage potential, his survivability, AND his threat range. Her spell Carnage gets him +2 on hits (as well as your other models). Silence of Death gets him +2 on damage. Occultation is amusing – a stealthy Avvy cannot be shot up and softened up on the way in, making it all the harder to take him out when lines clash. Thyra’s feat grants him a 2” place, which can be used both to disengage him from other models, and increase his threat range to other models.
That covers the 8 Warcasters that don’t have battlegroup requirements, leaving the other 11 for consideration.
Feora, the Conquering Flame – No Redline
The third iteration of Feora brings Incite to the table, buffing both his (and everyone’s) MAT, RAT, and P&S by 2 – similar to Sevy1’s Eye of Menoth, but taking him up to MAT10 P&S23 (with Choir); though with Feora it costs some considerable focus outside of her feat turn.
The High Reclaimer – No Sacrificial Lamb
Burning Ash clouds can help protect him on the way in, by both blocking line of sight and debuffing living enemy models MAT and RAT. Hand of Fate grants an additional die to hit and damage rolls (dropping the lowest die) – this skews his already impressive ability to hit and damage up, and is handy if he’s going in for the kill. Note though the High Reclaimer requires friendly faction souls, and the Avatar’s cost makes his inclusion prohibitive, though not impossible.
Malekus, the Burning Truth – No Open Fire
Ignite as noted above for damage potential. His spell Scourge causes knockdown, if needed to ensure hits on priority targets. Also Flame Burst on Burning Wrath works with his feat; the feat will ensure those models take that fire damage roll, and further boosts its damage.
Servath Reznik, Wrath of Ages – No Curse [Battlegroup]
Boundless Charge more than makes up for the lack of Curse, granting him an extra 2” of threat and pathfinder. The feat can potentially negate Flame Burst, as it causes 4” AOE explosions on models boxed, meaning surrounding infantry will probably die to the blast rather than be set on fire. This is only a minor thing though – dead enemy models is usually the goal after all. Reznik can also make the Avatar Blessed with Spellpiercer, circumventing any enemy DEF or ARM buffs.
Vice Scrutator Vindictus – No Admonition
Defender’s Ward again for survivability, as noted above.
High Allegiant Amon ad-Raza – No Mobility, Synergy, Fortify, Feat
No apparent synergy here. Amon is possibly the most battlegroup-intensive Warcaster we have, and thus possibly the least-ideal ‘Caster for the Avatar.
Anson Durst, Rock of the Faith – No Feat, Bulwark
Durst may be fairly battlegroup oriented, but he still has toys for the Avatar. Boundless Charge, as noted above with Reznik is possibly the best threat range buff for the Avatar. He also brings Deceleration, granting the Avatar (and the rest of your army) an additional +2 ARM against ranged attacks on the way in – another way to stop him getting softened up on the approach. Lastly, Durst also brings Hallowed Avenger [see Testament, above]. With two ways to increase his threat, and a little help on the survivability front, Durst is still a good fit for the Avatar.
Feora, Protector of the Flame – No Escort, Firestarter, Feat
No apparent synergy here. Not necessarily a bad place for the Avatar, but neither model here does much for the other.
High Executioner Servath Reznik – No Witchhound, Perdition, Brand of Heresy
Ignite as noted above, for if you’re having trouble smashing something, though if you are I’m not sure you’re really playing Reznik…Smashing things is kind of what this fellow does. The negatives outweigh the positions with the Avatar and Reznik1.
Hierarch Severius – No Field Marshall: Oracular Vision, Awareness
Arcane Ward appears again here, though as noted above it is again better applied elsewhere. Otherwise, there’s not a lot of interaction, and a fair bit of missing-out.
Sovereign Tristan Durant – No Field Marshall: True Sight, Manifest Destiny, Feat
Inviolable Resolve [see Grand Exemplar Kreoss] and Hand of the Creator [an army-wide damage removal spell] combine for quite a bit of staying power (and ensuring Burning Wrath stays operational). Tristan does love his battlegroup though, regardless of how cute Avvy can get with his survivability, and thus again probably isn’t a good fit.
Other Models
Again, pretty generic for warjacks of the Protectorate...
Choir of Menoth
Our quintessential warjack support. These guys can either help his hitting power (with +2 to damage rolls), or protect him from non-magical ranged attacks. Note their Hymn of Shielding (spell immunity) doubles up on Sacred Ward – Avvy doesn’t need that one.
Vassal of Menoth
These little guys are our mitigation for having randomized focus – their special ability Empower will give the Avatar another point worth if he doesn’t roll full focus. They also have Enlivan, allowing the Avatar to make an advance if he’s damaged by an enemy model – just bear in mind that if he’s damaged in melee, he’ll have to take a free strike.
Vassal Mechanic
A 1pt repair option, to remove damage from the Avatar and keep him operational.
The Covenant of Menoth
This guys a more generic support piece – his Power of Faith prevents models within 5” from suffering knockdown or stationary. This saves the Avatar from having to spend focus to shake the effects. Can also give him continuous fire on his weapons, if for whatever reason you so desire, but this is probably not going to be the ideal use of the Covenant.
Reclaimer Gatekeeper
For the cost of a friendly faction soul, this little fellow can grant Future Sight to the Avatar, allowing him to choose to boost attack and damage rolls after rolling. This simply stops you from potentially wasting focus when you aren’t sure whether you’ll hit or not, or cause enough damage – you get to see the initial unboosted result, then decide if you want to pay for a boost or not. The Reclaimer can also grant the Avatar Ashen Veil [see Testament’s Cloak of Ash, above] or block line of sight to it with a cloud – most likely, the interaction will be handing out Future Sight.
Eye of Truth
The Eye of Truth brings an aura of Blessed, allowing models within 5” of it to ignore spell effects that add to a models DEF or ARM – this simply helps the Avatar circumvent the enemies defensive buffs.
Other then these, we’ve a dearth[sic] of models with Shield Guard, to help the Avatar (and everything else) avoid getting shot up.
(Originally by user nyx on the Privateer Press Forums)
The Avatar of Menoth is the Creator made manifest on Caen. Designed by the Creator through the Harbinger, and fueled by the Lawgiver Himself, the Avatar is a weapon of holy wrath to unleash on the unfaithful. He is, however, our most contentious warjack choice. As much as I’ve loved him and used him since beginning this game, it must be acknowledged that in his present incarnation he is not without question, and as a selection he does require some serious consideration as to his place in your army. Hopefully the below can serve as an unbiased overview and observation of the Avatar of Menoth.
Basics
The Avatar (Avvy) boasts the most impressive native stats among our arsenal of warjacks. Importantly, speed 5 puts him with our fastest, and armour of 19 (with a shield to make 21) puts him with our toughest. Where he shines brightest, though, is his MAT, which stands at an elite 8, making him the most natively accurate warjack in faction (and equal highest in game). The Avatar is the only warjack to lack a “C” system on his damage grid (see: Avatar, below) [this is, of course, excusing Convergence vectors with their comparable “I” system]. He is our (equally) most expensive non-Colossal warjack; moreso given he cannot be paid for with a Warcaster’s bonus warjack points. He is the only truly independent warjack in the game.
The Avatar wields two melee weapons, both of which cause magical damage. With his right fist he wields the butterknife of the faith, Blazing Wrath, which at base PS19 makes him our hardest hitting warjack. Blazing Wrath carries the special rule Flame Burst, giving a little extra game against infantry for what would normally be an anti-heavy model – when the Avatar boxes an enemy, other enemy models within 1” of it suffer the continuous fire effect. This has the chance of blindsiding an unaware opponent as to just how many infantry models the Avatar can deal with in a round, but as it’s contingent on the continuous fire effect it carries with it an innate randomness – only Feora2 and a feated Malekus can ensure that the fire won’t expire before it gets a chance to cause damage. In his left he carries his Divine Shield, which as noted above pumps his ARM up to 21, and provides a secondary melee attack (every attack counts).
Abilities
Avatar
The namesake ability is the first truly distinguishing trait of the Avatar of Menoth, and with the advent of MkIII the most contentious. The Avatar does not possess a Cortex, and with that he can be neither jack-marshalled nor included in a Warcaster’s battlegroup. Due to this exclusion the Avatar cannot be allocated focus; however, the Avatar rule stipulates that he simply gains D3+1 focus during the focus allocation step (courtesy of the Creator himself, and at no cost to your ‘Caster). This means that the Avatar is capable of having and using 4 focus points, in excess of the standard 3 focus cap; however, this is again contingent on randomization – the Avatar on a roll of 1 or 2 will only receive 2 focus points that turn, and there’s every likelihood that that could be a turn you require more out of him. This is able to be mitigated, though…
Another difficulty brought about by the Avatar rule is, as he cannot be included in the battlegroup, he is ineligible for a Warcaster’s bonus warjack points. At 20pt he represents a significant investment – it must be remembered that he is being purchased on top of the warjacks that your ‘Caster’s bonus points must be spent on (and remember, those points must be spent). This typically means a list including the Avatar is going to lean on the Warjack-heavy side.
The final difficulty is, again, brought about by not being a battlegroup model. Many Warcaster’s have abilities, rules, feats, and/or spells that specify a model in their battlegroup. The Avatar can never benefit from any of these. Consideration in list-building must be given to these battlegroup-specific effects, and whether the benefits of the Avatar outweigh the benefits of an alternate Warjack with those effects.
One last thing to note is that, unlike in MkII, the Avatar is now susceptible to disruption, despite not having a cortex.
The Avatar ability represents something of a mixed bag, and a risk versus reward type scenario. His focus will always be a gamble, and his independence both potential blessing and/or curse pending just which Warcaster you’ve brought him along with.
Menoth’s Gaze
The second distinguishing trait of the Avatar, and the second unique in-game ability he brings to the table. For the cost of a focus point, any enemy models that begin their activation within 8” of the Avatar and in his line of sight can only advance towards him. This has the effect of locking models within 8” of him down for a round, keeping them away from your other models and potentially preventing them from being able to do their intended job. This is a board control aspect unique to the Avatar.
The important thing to know about Gaze is that it can be circumvented. If the opponent can move a model between the Avatar and whatever model of theirs is caught in the Gaze, they can block that line of sight, allowing the model to move normally during it’s activation – the Avatar needs to have line of sight at the beginning of that models activation. Further, if they’ve any ability to move or place that model outside of its’ activation, then it can be moved or placed either outside of the 8” range for Gaze, or outside of the Avatar’s line of sight (perhaps by moving or placing it behind another model, as above). Gaze only applies when the model is beginning its’ activation, not if it is moving for any other reason at any other time. Gaze also does not require a model to move directly towards, simply that they move towards and not away. This can lead to simply moving along a diagonal, whereby the model technically moves closer to the Avatar, but still manages to end up where it wants to – this is where positioning is key, try and bear in mind where models caught in his Gaze can still move to when going towards the Avatar.
For more detailed discussion of Gaze, please see the subsequent posts below, particularly Blackraine's consideration of circumvention and the realities thereof (it's not as simple as it can seem).
Sacred Ward
This ability is far more straightforward – the Avatar simply cannot be targeted by enemy spells. Any enemy debuff or damage spell, any magical ability of an enemy model cannot target the Avatar. This is one of the things that also helps boost his survivability – a lot of factions use debuff spells to try and crack armour and take down heavy warjacks – that approach does not work on the Avatar.
Flame Burst
I’ll simply reiterate here what was said above, under Basics. The avatar’s sword Blazing Wrath carries the special rule Flame Burst, giving a little extra game against infantry for what would normally be an anti-heavy model – when the Avatar boxes an enemy, other enemy models within 1” of it suffer the continuous fire effect. This has the chance of blindsiding an unaware opponent as to just how many infantry models the Avatar can deal with in a round, but as it’s contingent on the continuous fire effect it carries with it an innate randomness – only Feora2 and a feated Malekus can ensure that the fire won’t expire before it gets a chance to cause damage.
Warcasters, and the Great Battlegroup Debate
I’ve touched in this subject in previous threads, and indeed gone in to detail on just what there is out there that can and can not affect the Avatar. I will reiterate from those previous posts, and try and delve further here.
Firstly, an initial overview on the battlegroup specific effects that can be found amongst the Protectorate’s warcasters:
Nothing “battlegroup” specific
• Feora, Priestess of the Flame
• The Harbinger of Menoth
• High Exemplar Kreoss
• Grand Exemplar Kreoss
• Intercessor Kreoss
• Grand Scrutator Severius
• Testament of Menoth
• Thyra, Flame of Sorrow
Somewhat “battlegroup” specific
• Feora, the Conquering Flame – Redline
• The High Reclaimer – Sacrificial Lamb
• Malekus, the Burning Truth – Open Fire
• Servath Reznik, Wrath of Ages – Curse [Battlegroup]
• Vice Scrutator Vindictus – Admonition
Very “battlegroup” specific
• High Allegiant Amon ad-Raza – Mobility, Synergy, Fortify, Feat
• Anson Durst, Rock of the Faith – Feat, Bulwark
• Feora, Protector of the Flame – Escort, Firestarter
• High Executioner Servath Reznik – Witchhound, Perdition, Brand of Heresy
• Hierarch Severius – Field Marshall: Oracular Vision, Awareness
• Initiate Tristan Durant – Field Marshall: True Sight, Manifest Destiny, Feat
8 out of 19 Warcasters in our stable do not bring battlegroup effects to the table – these 8 should form a starting point for consideration of the Avatar. The other 11 warcasters have varying degrees of battlegroup interaction, some of whom may or may not still have synergies with the Avatar, or otherwise are able to comfortably offer a place to him for what he brings.
So, on to how these ‘Casters can play with the Avatar. Obviously, a lot of this will be able to be applied to any warjack – this is simply an overview of (hopefully) everything there is available to him.
Feora, Priestess of the Flame
The Priestess of the Flame feels like a good place with the Avatar – she can offer it assistance in the form of unjamming, damage potential, and even a little bit of control. Her spell Blazing Effigy will cause models within 2” of the Avatar to suffer a fire damage roll – if your opponent is trying to jam him up with models to keep him from getting to better targets, this is an excellent way of clearing the field back out. Whilst he already brings an almighty P&S to the table, she can turn this up even more with Ignite, taking him (with Choir) to PS23 on Blazing Wrath and PS18 on his Divine Shield. Lastly, she can bring about a somewhat cute interaction with Wall of Fire and Gaze, to try and force enemy models to go where she wants them to (or otherwise prevent them going where she doesn’t) – models entering into the wall template, or going through it, suffer a damage roll; combined with Gaze restricting just what way they can go, they’re not left with many options.
The Harbinger of Menoth
Harby brings threat range to the Avatar, and again has the potential for some control shenanigans. With Crusader’s Call the Avatar gains an additional 2” of movement on the charge (note Crusader’s Call affects her entire army – you don’t have to cast is just for the Avatar alone). This puts his threat range with his sword at 12”. The control interation comes with the feat; it simply allows you to further lock down models. Models caught in the gaze can only move towards the Avatar, and models caught within her feat suffer a damage roll if they move towards her – position correctly and the models are effectively locked down. The feat can also go towards preventing your opponent from circumventing the Avatar’s Gaze (through moving models to block line of sight) – if the model they intend to block with finishes its activation closer to the Harbinger then what it began, it’s taking that damage roll.
High Exemplar Kreoss
High Exemplar Kreoss simply brings our premier defensive buff to the table – Defender’s Ward. Likely to be placed elsewhere early game (i.e. on a unit), it can help make a late game Avatar something of a terror – a DEF12 ARM21 heavy is not an easy thing to crack. His feat (knockdown) can also assist with managing to hit enemy models, but that is not a place where the Avatar has difficulty.
Grand Exemplar Kreoss
The second iteration of Kreoss brings another defensive buff to the table in the form of Inviolable Resolve, which as with Defender’s Ward will likely be elsewhere earlier on, if not on Kreoss himself. Inviolable Resolve still has game with the Avatar though, putting him at ARM23 and making hin immune to pushes or slams – this makes him a powerful scenario piece, as the only way to prevent him contesting a flag or zone will be destroying a particularly hard to destroy warjack. Further, the feat will grant the Avatar an additional special bonus attack (presumably with his sword, for when you just really need to hit something a lot), and also guarantees that he will automatically hit the target (again, he has high innate MAT, but never knock an autohit).
Intercessor Kreoss
Kreoss’ third incarnation also has a defensive buff in Arcane Ward, which can pop him up to DEF12, but it also double dips on the spell immunity – this will be better applied elsewhere. Assail, however, is delightful in increasing the threat range of the Avatar, making him charge (or slam) further, and for free, helping conserve his focus for buying and/or boosting attacks. He also has Death Sentence and Force Hammer to help engineer hits if MAT 8 doesn’t seem like enough, and Ignite gets him hitting harder, as noted above.
Grand Scrutator Severius
Eye of Menoth, Severius’ signature ability, buffs his MAT and P&S both by 1, giving us a MAT 9 PS 22(with Choir) warjack. Sevvy also ramps up the survivability with Vision, an upkeep that, if on the Avatar, means he can ignore a damage roll (i.e. when an enemy heavy charges him to try and destroy him).He also brings Defender’s Ward, as noted above. Severius also has Death Sentence, as noted above.
Testament of Menoth
Cloak of Ash helps give him concealment, and effectively buffs his DEF in melee against living models, but like Arcane Ward this is probably spent better elsewhere. Hallowed Avenger, however, can help get him around the board (as well as the potential for free attacks) – if an enemy model is destroyed within 5” of the Avatar, he’ll get a 3” out of activation movement as well as a free attack. And the feat (making the Avatar incorporeal) helps him get where he needs to be, by going through whatever he likes (rough terrain, walls, enemy models et al).
Thyra, Flame of Sorrow
Thyra manages to increase his MAT, his damage potential, his survivability, AND his threat range. Her spell Carnage gets him +2 on hits (as well as your other models). Silence of Death gets him +2 on damage. Occultation is amusing – a stealthy Avvy cannot be shot up and softened up on the way in, making it all the harder to take him out when lines clash. Thyra’s feat grants him a 2” place, which can be used both to disengage him from other models, and increase his threat range to other models.
That covers the 8 Warcasters that don’t have battlegroup requirements, leaving the other 11 for consideration.
Feora, the Conquering Flame – No Redline
The third iteration of Feora brings Incite to the table, buffing both his (and everyone’s) MAT, RAT, and P&S by 2 – similar to Sevy1’s Eye of Menoth, but taking him up to MAT10 P&S23 (with Choir); though with Feora it costs some considerable focus outside of her feat turn.
The High Reclaimer – No Sacrificial Lamb
Burning Ash clouds can help protect him on the way in, by both blocking line of sight and debuffing living enemy models MAT and RAT. Hand of Fate grants an additional die to hit and damage rolls (dropping the lowest die) – this skews his already impressive ability to hit and damage up, and is handy if he’s going in for the kill. Note though the High Reclaimer requires friendly faction souls, and the Avatar’s cost makes his inclusion prohibitive, though not impossible.
Malekus, the Burning Truth – No Open Fire
Ignite as noted above for damage potential. His spell Scourge causes knockdown, if needed to ensure hits on priority targets. Also Flame Burst on Burning Wrath works with his feat; the feat will ensure those models take that fire damage roll, and further boosts its damage.
Servath Reznik, Wrath of Ages – No Curse [Battlegroup]
Boundless Charge more than makes up for the lack of Curse, granting him an extra 2” of threat and pathfinder. The feat can potentially negate Flame Burst, as it causes 4” AOE explosions on models boxed, meaning surrounding infantry will probably die to the blast rather than be set on fire. This is only a minor thing though – dead enemy models is usually the goal after all. Reznik can also make the Avatar Blessed with Spellpiercer, circumventing any enemy DEF or ARM buffs.
Vice Scrutator Vindictus – No Admonition
Defender’s Ward again for survivability, as noted above.
High Allegiant Amon ad-Raza – No Mobility, Synergy, Fortify, Feat
No apparent synergy here. Amon is possibly the most battlegroup-intensive Warcaster we have, and thus possibly the least-ideal ‘Caster for the Avatar.
Anson Durst, Rock of the Faith – No Feat, Bulwark
Durst may be fairly battlegroup oriented, but he still has toys for the Avatar. Boundless Charge, as noted above with Reznik is possibly the best threat range buff for the Avatar. He also brings Deceleration, granting the Avatar (and the rest of your army) an additional +2 ARM against ranged attacks on the way in – another way to stop him getting softened up on the approach. Lastly, Durst also brings Hallowed Avenger [see Testament, above]. With two ways to increase his threat, and a little help on the survivability front, Durst is still a good fit for the Avatar.
Feora, Protector of the Flame – No Escort, Firestarter, Feat
No apparent synergy here. Not necessarily a bad place for the Avatar, but neither model here does much for the other.
High Executioner Servath Reznik – No Witchhound, Perdition, Brand of Heresy
Ignite as noted above, for if you’re having trouble smashing something, though if you are I’m not sure you’re really playing Reznik…Smashing things is kind of what this fellow does. The negatives outweigh the positions with the Avatar and Reznik1.
Hierarch Severius – No Field Marshall: Oracular Vision, Awareness
Arcane Ward appears again here, though as noted above it is again better applied elsewhere. Otherwise, there’s not a lot of interaction, and a fair bit of missing-out.
Sovereign Tristan Durant – No Field Marshall: True Sight, Manifest Destiny, Feat
Inviolable Resolve [see Grand Exemplar Kreoss] and Hand of the Creator [an army-wide damage removal spell] combine for quite a bit of staying power (and ensuring Burning Wrath stays operational). Tristan does love his battlegroup though, regardless of how cute Avvy can get with his survivability, and thus again probably isn’t a good fit.
Other Models
Again, pretty generic for warjacks of the Protectorate...
Choir of Menoth
Our quintessential warjack support. These guys can either help his hitting power (with +2 to damage rolls), or protect him from non-magical ranged attacks. Note their Hymn of Shielding (spell immunity) doubles up on Sacred Ward – Avvy doesn’t need that one.
Vassal of Menoth
These little guys are our mitigation for having randomized focus – their special ability Empower will give the Avatar another point worth if he doesn’t roll full focus. They also have Enlivan, allowing the Avatar to make an advance if he’s damaged by an enemy model – just bear in mind that if he’s damaged in melee, he’ll have to take a free strike.
Vassal Mechanic
A 1pt repair option, to remove damage from the Avatar and keep him operational.
The Covenant of Menoth
This guys a more generic support piece – his Power of Faith prevents models within 5” from suffering knockdown or stationary. This saves the Avatar from having to spend focus to shake the effects. Can also give him continuous fire on his weapons, if for whatever reason you so desire, but this is probably not going to be the ideal use of the Covenant.
Reclaimer Gatekeeper
For the cost of a friendly faction soul, this little fellow can grant Future Sight to the Avatar, allowing him to choose to boost attack and damage rolls after rolling. This simply stops you from potentially wasting focus when you aren’t sure whether you’ll hit or not, or cause enough damage – you get to see the initial unboosted result, then decide if you want to pay for a boost or not. The Reclaimer can also grant the Avatar Ashen Veil [see Testament’s Cloak of Ash, above] or block line of sight to it with a cloud – most likely, the interaction will be handing out Future Sight.
Eye of Truth
The Eye of Truth brings an aura of Blessed, allowing models within 5” of it to ignore spell effects that add to a models DEF or ARM – this simply helps the Avatar circumvent the enemies defensive buffs.
Other then these, we’ve a dearth[sic] of models with Shield Guard, to help the Avatar (and everything else) avoid getting shot up.