Blighted Nyss Hex Hunters

Blighted Nyss Hex Hunters Legion Blighted Nyss Unit Bayal, Hound of Everblight Character Command Attachment

Prime This model is available in one Prime Army, Ravens of War. It can also be used in the Unlimited game mode. You can view the other Mk3 models that made it into a Legacy Army at this page. Note that the rest of this page is about the model's Mark III rules.

Nyss hex hunters are blighted sorcerers who have forsaken the greater arcane mysteries to focus purely on the destructive aspects of magic. A unit of Nyss hex hunters can unleash hellish bolts of concentrated energy, reducing enemies to blight-scarred ruin in a matter of seconds, or slash them to ribbons with wickedly sharp enchanted blades called hex razors.

Bayal, called the Hound of Everblight, is first among hex hunters. He is an incredibly potent battle wizard who can unleash withering bolts of blighted energy upon foes or freeze their bones with blasts of icy power. When leading his men in battle, Bayal becomes a whirling dervish of destruction, eviscerating his victims with twin hex blades or channeling his blighted magic through the weapons to bind a foe in shadow.

Basic Info

Blighted Nyss Hex Hunters
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Unit / Bayal BASE Small SPD 6 STR 6 MAT 7 / 8 RAT N/A M.A. 6 / 7 DEF 14 ARM 12 CMD 8 / 9 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 1 / 5 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 2 / C UNIT SIZE 6 or 10 +1 CA COST 9 or 15 +5 CA 1.5 pts each (excl CA) 1.8 pts each (incl CA) N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Abilities

• Everyone
  • Pathfinder
  • Stealth
  • Apparition - During your Control Phase, place this model anywhere completely within 2" of its current location.
  • 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.
  • Magic Ability [ 6 ] - This model can cast spells. Normally this uses up the model's Combat Action and as such is limited to one spell per activation, but exceptions do exist. The Leader & Grunts have only 1 spell

• Bayal only
  • He has a better statline
  • Officer
  • Granted: Shadow Bind - While this model is in formation, models in its unit gain Shadow Bind. (Refer to Bayal's weapons)
  • Magic Ability [ 7 ] - He has an extra spell
  • Tactics: Advanced Deployment - Models in this unit gain Advanced Deployment.

Weapons

Leader & Grunts	Hex Razor  RNG   POW   P+S  0.5 4 10 Damage Type: Magical
Bayal	Hex Razor (x2)  RNG   POW   P+S  0.5 4 10 Damage Type: Magical Weapon Master Shadow Bind - A model hit by this weapon/attack suffers -3 DEF, and for one round when it advances it cannot move except to change facing. Shadow Bind can be shaken.

Spells

		COST	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
Leader, Grunts, & Bayal
	Hex Bolt	(★ Attack)	6	-	13	Round	Yes
	Models hit cannot make special actions, special attacks, or power attacks for one round
Bayal only
	Frostbite	(★ Attack)	8" Spray	-	12 (Cold)	-	Yes
	Models hit suffer a POW 12 cold damage roll.

Theme Forces

• Children of the Dragon
• Oracles of Annihilation. In this theme, enemy models that end their activation within 2" of this model suffer continuous corrosion.

Thoughts on Blighted Nyss Hex Hunters

Command Attachment

Blighted Nyss Hex Hunters in a nutshell

Hex Hunters are elite mage ninjas in the Legion with a toolbox to handle multiple tasks. They can be offensive spell-slingers, capable combatants for hunting down light/medium infantry, jammers or denial pieces. Unlike the Swordsmen they are by no means a plug&play unit, and you must choose their targets carefully to get the most out of them.

Between Pathfinder, Apparition and Stealth they rarely have problems reaching their targets, while a good MAT and an acceptable Magic Ability 6 ensures that they may hit them as well. All that comes with a price however; their protection is solely based around their high DEF and Stealth, so the last place you want them to be is in protracted combat.

Hex Bolt is an OK spell with enough power to hurt medium infantry, but most importantly it can shut down power & special attacks and actions. Heavies who rely on these to work effectively, like the Marauder's combo-smite, the Ironclad's Tremor or the Slayer's combo strike must be wary of the spell's effect, even though its POW won't do much harm to them. Last but not least their blades are magical, making them favoured tools against Incorporeal models.

Battle Wizard is yet another of their selling points, but to get the most out of it you must take the following into consideration:

• Hard (ARM 17+) targets will rarely be scared by P+S10 attacks. Don't expect Battle Wizard to be triggered outside of charges against them.
• Tough rolls can deny your Battle Wizard attacks to be triggered, as well as abilities that cause the damage to be re-distributed (Self-Sacrifice, Martyrdom, Bond of Brotherhood, etc).
• If you killed your target, Battle Wizard takes place immediately, so you'll need another suitable target. Those standing in melee with your squad mates are rarely ideal choices, but line of sight issues can make this your only choice sometimes. Hopefully you are in melee with multiple models, so you can cast Hex Bolt on them.

Thoughts on adding the CA

Bayal adds tremendously to their the aforementioned denial function. Shadow Bind makes them the bane of Battle Engines and can severely mess with the resource management of warjacks and warbests as well. Also, enemies will rarely risk a free strike from your Hex Hunters while he's alive. Shadow Bind also has its merit against Archons who are immune only to Knockdown and Blind, but not Shadow Bind. Bayal is a capable combatant on his own right, and his accurate spray plus the 2 weapon master attacks make his Battle Wizard all the more threatening. He's a lynchpin model in the unit, so be mindful about committing him into combat early on. Since Shadow Bind is a granted ability it is lost with his death, so keep him hidden from enemy sprays and AoEs.

Combos & Synergies

Hex Hunters have the tools to operate independently but there are a couple of casters, units and solos who will definitely help them performing even better.

Warlocks

• Absylonia1 - Opponent heavies can't shake Shadow Bind in her Blight Burst aura. Same goes with Saeryn1's Blight Bringer.
• Lylyth1 - Her feat fixes accuracy issues while Parasite makes even their P+S10 attacks all the more threatening.
• Vayl1 - Same as above; Incite fixes both damage and accuracy (the latter further with Frost Field). She has the added benefit of her feat, letting you to advance with the Hex Hunters into the most inconvenient places, or back into safety.
• Rhyas1 - She helps their mobility with Dash, making them able to jam units up to 16,5" away, while her feat gives another chance to trigger Battle Wizard. The place/teleport effect from the feat will work even if you destroy your target, so you can add a little range to a Battle Wizard shot by placing the Hex Hunter in question before you remove the enemy model from the table (placing it on the back side of a small base model adds about 2" to the range of the spell).
• Kryssa - The forward-operating Hex Hunters will rarely benefit from her Total Obedience aura but her feat and Ignite will provide a hefty +5 damage boost, making them able to dent heavies and trigger Battle Wizard more often. If you want to buff their DEF even further, Cloak of Ash will bring them up to DEF16 against living models - a level where unboosted blows may start to miss them even with elite MAT.
• Fyanna2 - That's a complete package - DEF buff with feat, more hitting power with Fury, and long range AoE immunity thanks to Iron Flesh and Stealth.
• Kallus1 - He's also a melee support caster between Dark Guidance + Ignite, and some Incubi popping out of them under his feat can be a nasty surprise.
• Bethayne1 - She already has a strong de-buff game between Disintegration and Blood Thorn, and her feat is purpose-made for the Hex Hunters. Very few non-colossal target can walk away unscratched after a barrage of fully boosted Hex Bolts, especially when backed up by Disintegration and their magical protection stripped off by Hex Blast.

• Nephilim Bloodseer - A solid, warlock independent method to add a crucial accuracy bonus for Hex Bolt with Telemetry. Since both its CMD (where Telemetry works) and Hex bolts have the same range, it is hardly a problem that he has to be on the front to be effective.
• Hermit - Yet another source of Telemetry, but his main attraction is Master of Ruin. Hex Hunters already have negligible ARM, so lowering it won't be such a huge blow as in the case of heavier infantries or warbeasts.
• Swordsmen with Warlord, Zuriel, Nephilim Soldier - All have (or can have) Precision Strike, ensuring that once you tagged heavy targets with Shadow Bind, they can carve out their cortices/spirits to shake it off. For extra nastiness consider some source of Grievous Wounds, like Proteus.
• Blight Archon - Its Veteran Leader aura provides accuracy bonus, especially for their magic attacks.
• Blackfrost Shard - Their bigger and better brothers, who can help them both in terms of damage output and accuracy.
• Thagrosh0 - Opponent heavies can't shake Shadow Bind in his Blight Burst aura.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Armor is like wet paper - whatever bypasses their solid DEF and Stealth may kill them almost outright.
• Low P+S means they cannot really hurt heavies and can't reliably trigger Battle Wizard on them.
• Bayal is a priority target due to Shadow Bind.

Tips and Tricks

• Try to get into the back arc of a beatstick jack/beast and war engines. Even if you can't reliably scratch them, you can threaten them with effectively MAT 9 Shadow Bind-causing free-strikes, forcing them to deal with the Hex Hunters first.
• If you are in B2B with a model with 2" melee weapon at the start of your turn, Apparition still won't take you out its reach as you'll be still exactly 2" away.
• If engaged or anywhere near melee at the beginning of your turn use Apparition to get the crucial 3" distance for a charge attack.

Other

Trivia

The unit and CA were both released in Forces of Hordes: Legion of Everblight (2010)

Other Legion models

Legion Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warlocks	Absylonia1 - Absylonia2 - Anamag - Bethayne1 - Bethayne2 - Fyanna2 - Kallus1 - Kallus2 - Kryssa - Lylyth1 - Lylyth2 - Lylyth3 - Lylyth4 - Rhyas1 - Saeryn1 - Saeryn2 & Rhyas2 - Thagrosh1 - Thagrosh2 - Vayl1 - Vayl2
Other Warbeast Controllers	Beast Mistress - Blight Archon - Thagrosh0
Lesser	Blight Wasps - Shredder - Harrier - Mekanoshredder - Stinger
Light	Afflictor - Naga Nightlurker - Nephilim Bloodseer - Nephilim Bolt Thrower - Nephilim Protector - Nephilim Soldier - Raek - Teraph
Heavy	Angelius - Azrael - Carnivean - Golab - Neraph - Proteus - Ravagore - Scythean - Typhon - Seraph - Zuriel
Gargantuans	Archangel - Blightbringer
Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units	Blackfrost Shard - B.N. Archers - B.N. Hex Hunters - B.N. Legionnaires - B.N. Raptors - B.N. Scather Crew - B.N. Swordsmen - B. Rotwings - B.O. Warmongers - B.O. Warspears - Chosen - Grotesque Banshees - Grotesque Raiders - Hellmouth - Ice Witches - Strider Blightblades - Strider Scouts - Spawning Vessel - Virtue Host
Solos	Ammok - Annyssa Ryvaal - Beast Mistress - Blight Archon - B.N Shepherd - B.N. Sorceress - B.N. Warlord - Craelix - Forsaken - Fyanna1 - Grotesque Assassin - Incubi - Spell Martyr - Strider Deathstalker - Succubus - Thagrosh0 - Virtue Champion - B.O. Warmonger War Chief - Yssylla
Battle Engines	Throne of Everblight
Theme Forces
Children of the Dragon - Oracles of Annihilation - Primal Terrors - Ravens of War
Minions
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Legion of Everblight Minion
This index was last updated: 2021.11

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification:  : Magical Damage      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

* The "Damage Type: Magical" is not inherited by "secondary" damage from a weapon. That is, stuff like arcs (Electro Leap) or hazards (Scather). (Infernal Ruling) All spells have "Damage Type: Magical" (refer errata). This is inherited by "immediate" secondary damage (such as Eruption of Spines). (Infernal Ruling) and might be inherited by "lingering" secondary damage (see below). If a spell leaves a template in play that does damage to models that walk around in it, then: if it is not described as a hazard it will do magical damage to models that walk around in it. (Example: Razor Wall) if it is a hazard then it will not do magical damage to models that walk around in it. Instead, it does whatever damage type is specified by the spell description. (Example: Breath of Corruption). (Infernal Ruling) If a weapon/spell includes Magic Damage and another kind of elemental damage it will still damage Incorporeal models. Incorporeal models are not affected by the rule "if an attack does multiple types of damage and a model is immune to at least one it is immune to the entire attack." The phrase "immune to non-magical damage" should be interpreted as "immune to damage that doesn't include Damage Type: Magical" (not interpreted as "has immunity to Corrosion and Electricity and Cold and etc.")

Rules Clarification : Shadow Bind , Force Hold, Force Lock, Quagmire, and/or Crawling Chaos     (Edit) Models affected by this ability may still advance 0" and thus abilities that trigger on "ends their movement within ..." or "after this model advances ..." will still trigger (for example Slipstream, Countercharge, etc). Models may still be placed, so abilities like Apparition will still work. The restriction applies to all advances: normal activation, bonus in-activation (like Overtake), and out-of-activation (like Energiser). Shadow Bind only If you manage to free strike a charging model and Shadow Bind it, their charge movement ends because they can no longer advance. At that point, you check whether their charge movement was successful or not.

Rules Clarification : Weapon Master - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Pathfinder      (Edit) Pathfinder (Edit) - Pathfinder does not apply to involuntary movement (pushes & slams). (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Stealth      (Edit) Stealth models are not invisible and you can target them - you'll just auto-miss most of the time. You can target them with a charge. You can target them with an AOE, have it auto-miss and scatter, luckily land on top of them anyway, and that will hit them.

Rules Clarification : Apparition      (Edit) Apparition is an "Other" Control Phase effect, so it happens at Step 7 of the Control Phase. It happens after paying for upkeeps, Power Up, etc If you have another "Other" Control Phase effect, you get to choose the order to resolve them. If a model is B2B with you when you use Apparition then they will be exactly 2" away afterwards. So you'll still be in the melee range of anything with RNG 2 or higher. Unit members must always be placed in formation. Refer to the "Placed" section of the core rulebook. If a trooper can't be placed in formation (because it's more than 2" out of formation to begin with) then it can't be placed at all. The unit commander is always "In Formation" by definition, so can be placed where it likes.

Rules Clarification : Battle Wizard      (Edit) A Battle Wizard doesn't have to kill a model to cast a spell. They can instead skip making melee attacks and use their Combat Action to cast a spell. Cavalry Battle Wizards can trigger it from their Mount Attacks. (Infernal Ruling) This does not, however, allow them to trigger it twice in the same turn. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Magic Ability      (Edit) Using a Magic Ability counts as a spell, for effects such as Spell Ward, Witch Hunter, etc. Combat Action Nearly all Magic Ability spells require the spellcaster to use their Combat Action to cast the spell. As such it is not an "at any time" ability (like it is when warcasters/warlocks cast spells). This means ... You must complete your movement before you use a MA. A model in a unit cannot use its Combat Action to cast a spell until all members of the unit have completed their movement. (Infernal Ruling) You cannot make initial ranged or initial melee attacks on the same turn you use a MA. You cannot buy additional melee/ranged attacks after using a MA special attack. Refer to the core rulebook, "Special attacks listed as a rule of the model itself are neither melee attacks nor ranged attacks. The rules for these special attacks indicate the nature of any additional attacks that can be made afterward, if any." You cannot use a MA on the same turn you charge. Because a charge must (almost always) be followed by a melee attack. Non-Combat Action There are a few models that can use a Magic Ability without using their Combat Action. These models get around all the restrictions listed above. Models with Geomancy or Necromancy can use a Magic Ability at "any time" just like a warcaster/warlock. Models with Battle Wizard or Necrophage can make melee attacks then get a bonus "free" spell. Models with Combat Caster can cast a spell before charging, then do a normal charge + melee attack. Note that Battle Wizards, Combat Casters, etc have the option to use their Combat Action to cast a spell. Their special rule is in addition to the normal spell casting, not instead of.

Rules Clarification : Hex Bolt - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Officer      (Edit) Even if they're not on the Officer's card, an Officer can give (and benefit from) any non-standard orders that are on the unit's card (such as Shield Wall). Refer main rulebook. A Ranking Officer can't do this, though. When the Officer dies, the Leader model becomes the new Unit Commander (you don't get to choose). But if your unit doesn't include a Leader model, then you do get to choose any of the remaining models to be the new Unit Commander. You don't swap the model, but it may be worth putting a token down so you can tell that grunt apart.

Rules Clarification : Frostbite - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Tactics vs Granted     (Edit) Granted = The unit loses the ability as soon as the model that grants it is taken off the table. (think "G for Goes away") Tactics = The unit keeps the ability for the entire game, regardless of who dies. (think "Tac-Tick = K for Keeps")   Granted [ Vengeance ] If the model granting Vengeance dies, the unit will not get any Vengeance attacks. It is "If you have Vengeance, and you were damaged last turn, you get a move+attack." It is not "If you get damaged, you get Vengeance next turn." If you lose Vengeance halfway through resolving Vengeance, then you stop resolving Vengeance immediately. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Advance Deployment      (Edit) Sometimes you can attach a WA or CA that doesn't have AD to a unit that does have AD. If you do, the attachment effectively gains AD and they can all advance deploy together. (Locked Thread)

Note to Editors To edit the CA's tagged abilities, Click here