Bog Trog Ambushers

99% of this website is about Mark 3 (mk3), which is the previous edition of the game (2016 to 2022). The reasons for this are explained here. 1% of the website is about Mark 4 (mk4), but only in regards to which mk3 models are useable in mk4 Prime and which are mk4 Unlimited. See Legacy Armies for more detail.

Bog Trog Ambushers Minion Bog Trog Unit

Prime This model is available in one Prime Army, Blindwater Congregation. 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.

The fiercely territorial and primitive amphibians known as bog trogs thrive in swampy regions considered undesirable by humans and other more civilized species. Bog trogs are peerless masters of ambush, swimming silently and unseen just below the surface of a stream, river, or shallow pond before springing to attack.

Basic Info

Bog Trog Ambushers
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Small SPD 5 STR MAT 6 RAT N/A M.A. N/A DEF 12 ARM 14 CMD 7 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 1 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 2 UNIT SIZE 6 / 10 COST 7 / 10 1 each N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Minion - Will work for Circle, Legion, Skorne, or Trollbloods

Abilities

• Advance Deployment
• Amphibious
• Combined Melee Attack
• 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 the unit in formation completely within 3" of the chosen table edge.

Weapons

• Fish Hook - 2" reach, P+S 11 melee weapon
  • Pull - If this model hits an enemy model with an equal or smaller base with a basic attack with this weapon, immediately after the attack is resolved the hit model can be pushed directly towards this model until it contacts a model, an obstacle, or an obstruction.

Weapon Attachment

They can attach up to three Void Leeches. The Leech's info has been omitted from this page for brevity.

Theme Forces

• Minions
  • The Blindwater Congregation

• Other Factions
  • Minion models can be hired by other Factions. Normally those Factions' themes will have a limit on how many models they can hire. Refer to #Other Theme Forces, below.

Thoughts on Bog Trog Ambushers

Bog Trog Ambushers in a nutshell

Bog Trog Ambushers are a simple unit with one job- disrupt your opponent's plans. If you're not taking them for that, you're not getting your mileage out of them. They're seldom in range of support and not going to threaten anything beyond basic infantry or support solos; but that's still enough pressure to force an opening elsewhere.

Combos & Synergies

• The Bog Trog Mist Speaker gives them +1 to hit via Veteran Leader.
• Meatshields for Rask.
• Maelok doesn’t get much use out of the swamp shamblers and bricks often struggle on scenario - 1 min ambushing unit can be a saving grace.
• Decent fodder for Jaga-Jaga, the Death Charmer's feat. They can ambush in wherever you need spot removal and run to within 5" of whatever support staff needs killing. Blow them up for free POW 14's, which will kill most squishy backliners dead, and even the random element of her feat will always cover a full min-size unit of these guys.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Farrow Slaughterhousers have a similar cost and threat profile - but hit a lot more accurately and harder.
• You pay a "points tax" for ambush - if you don't intend to use the ambush rule then you've wasted your points.
• The Gatorman Bokor and Bog Trog Swamp Shamblers are much better at the whole Rask-Meatshield thing with recursion and more bodies - but if you need that many you're probably doing something wrong.

Tricks & Tips

• The threat of ambushers is often more dangerous than the reality. But the threat matters.
• Coming in from the edge of the board is a place where you don't need accuracy, because you can instead get the back strike bonus.
• Budgeting yourself to a minimum sized unit will usually yield the same results as fielding them at max capacity while saving you 5 points.
• Pull on their melee weapons does more than you may think. If an enemy takes a free strike you can deny their escape with Pull

Other

Trivia

Released in Hordes: Evolution (2007)

Other Theme Forces

Circle Orboros (Edit)

• Secret Masters. This theme doesn't have a limit on how many Minion units you can take.
• The Bones of Orboros
• The Devourer's Host
• The Wild Hunt

Legion of Everblight (Edit)

• Ravens of War
• Children of the Dragon
• Oracles of Annihilation. In this theme (1) There is no limit on the number of Minion units you can take, (2) Minions become Blighted models, and (3) enemy models that end their activation within 2" of a Blighted model in this theme suffer continuous corrosion.
• Primal Terrors

Skorne (Edit)

• Disciples of Agony. There is no limit to the number of Minion units you can take in this theme.
• The Exalted
• Masters of War
• Winds of Death

Trollbloods (Edit)

• Band of Heroes
• Kriel Company
• Power of Dhunia
• Storm of the North

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification:  : Drag , Pull, and/or Catch     (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

Timing With respect to the Attack Sequence: Pull is resolved at Step 12. Enemy effects (such as Retaliatory Strike or Enliven) are resolved at Step 13. Drag and Catch are resolved at Step 14. Ranged Attack Damage (Drag and Catch only) If a model is destroyed by the ranged attack, Drag/Catch does not trigger. Corpse tokens, soul tokens, and etc will be generated from the model’s original position. Sicne it doesn't trigger, you won't get the free melee attack from Drag/Catch (even if there's something different already in your melee range). The Movement You cannot Drag/Pull/Catch models with a larger base size than you. The movement is a Push effect, which is involuntary movement. It is not an advance and will not trigger stuff like Countercharge. They won't take free strikes because it is involuntary movement. They will take damage from any hazards they're pushed through/into (such as Scathers). You can drag your target through Incorporeal models, if there's enough space on the other side, because the rules for Incorporeal specifically allow this. (If there's not enough space, the push will stop on the far side of the Incorporeal model.) You cannot drag models through Curse-of-Shadows-ed or similar models, because those rules refer to "models can advance through this model" and a push is not an advance. You may drag models that you are already in melee with. However most models can't shoot while in melee, so this is pretty much limited to the Prime Axiom and Galleon (see the corner-case scenarios, below). If you get to trigger Drag/Pull/Catch on a free strike (mostly just Pull), the moving model will never get out of your melee range. They have to keep advancing out and being pushed back until either they run out of movement, or you fail a free strike. (Infernal Ruling) Push - General     (Edit)   [Show/Hide] Pushed models do not change their facing. Pushed models move at half rate through difficult terrain. Also, Pathfinder doesn't apply during pushes. Pushed models stop if they contact anything - a model of any size, or any obstacles or obstructions. You don't get free strikes against pushed models, because it is "involuntary movement" and therefore does not count as an advance. Pushed models suffer the effects of anything they move through (such as acid clouds). If you use a Push vs a charging model (via a free strike for example), this will stop the charge movement (refer core rulebook). However, if the pushed model is in melee range of its charge target after the push, then it is considered a successful charge. (Infernal Ruling) In that scenario, you measure whether the charging model moved 3" or less excluding the push distance. (Infernal Ruling) If you push a model to a position where it regains Incorporeal (for instance you push it out of range of an Exorcist) then what happens is (Being Checked by Infernals) The Free Melee Attack(s) (Drag and Catch only) If the target model doesn't end up in melee range (whether because the ranged attack killed it outright, or something blocked the drag movement) then you don't get a free melee attack and don't get the option to buy additional melee attacks. If the dragged model can't be targeted by melee attacks, you may not make your free drag attack and don't get the option to buy additional melee attacks. (Infernal Ruling) For both of the above two cases, you may still complete your initial ranged attacks and buy additional ranged attacks as per normal (if you have more guns and/or Reload). You may make the free melee attack against models that "cannot be pushed" (assuming you're in melee range already). The "After the model is moved" is a timing clause, not a conditional clause. To pull this off, you need an ability that allows you to make ranged attack while you're already in melee, so is pretty much limited to just Colossals and/or models attacking objectives. After using Drag/Catch, the attacking model may make a single melee attack without spending focus. (So Black Ogrun can make a single melee attack.) After doing the free attack, you may buy additional attacks if you have a method of purchasing them. Models with Drag but no focus/fury (such as Black Ogrun) can't buy additional attacks (despite what is implied by the rule on their card) - it's just a standarised wording for Drag. More corner-case Rules Clarifications Models that can make Ranged Attacks while in melee This section is pretty much limited to the Prime Axiom and Galleon who, thanks to being Colossals, can continue to shoot after dragging something into melee with themselves. It can also apply to any model shooting at a "can never be in melee" model (eg Scenario objectives). When you start your activation, you still need to choose either 'initial ranged attacks' or 'initial melee attacks'. If you choose melee attacks, then you will never get to shoot your Drag weapons. If you shoot a Drag weapon you need to resolve the drag move and the free melee attack, but afterwards you're still in "shooting" mode. The best way to think of it is it's "interrupting" your normal ranged attacks and after resolving it, you go back to completing your initials. So it might go: Shoot the Drag weapon. Drag the enemy closer. Resolve the free melee attack. Drag resolved. Now you finish shooting the rest of your weapons. Once you've completed all your initial ranged attacks (and any free drag melee attacks) then you have the option of buying additional attacks (ranged if you have Reload, melee otherwise. However, if you get overexcited and start buying melee attacks after the free drag one then you don't get to finish shooting the rest of your weapons. This is because shooting the rest of your guns is completing your "Initial Ranged Attacks" but by buying melee attacks you have jumped ahead to "After Initial Attacks" (refer first sentence of "Additional Attacks" pg 36 of Prime). Black Spot + Drag or Catch If you trigger Drag/Catch, then any attacks you get from Black Spot can be either ranged or melee, your choice. (Infernal Ruling) Black Spot plus Drag - Infinite Attack combo (Edit) This combo can lead to an infinite number of attacks, but it depends on your dice. Case A (Fail): Make initial ranged attack, destroy the target with the ranged attack. Drag does not trigger. Black Spot does trigger, and the free BS attack must be a ranged attack because you don't have any rule that gets around the core rule "models cannot make both ranged and melee attacks during the same activation" (unless you have Dual Attack). The free BS attack cannot generate any more free BS attacks. Case B (Success): Make initial ranged attack, damage the target with the ranged attack. Drag triggers, and now you have gotten around the core rule about mixing attack types. (Infernal Ruling) Destroy the dragged model with a melee attack, and trigger Black Spot. The free BS attack can be either ranged or melee. So you make a ranged attack and try to Drag another one to restart the sequence. Theoretically, if you keep managing to damage + Drag targets with the free ranged attacks, and destroy + Black Spot them with the free melee attacks, you never run out of free attacks. Dual Attack & Drag ( Edit ) This is pretty-much limited to just the Prime Axiom under Syntherion, or the Swabber, Galleon or Prime Axiom under Aurora2 If you charge model A then utilise Dual Attack to make a ranged attack vs the same model, then you would get the free melee attack from Drag. The Drag attack is a charge attack. (Infernal Ruling) If you charge model A then utilise Dual Attack to make a ranged attack vs a different model, then you would lose the free melee attack from Drag. Your first melee attack must be versus the charge target, and you cannot save the Drag attack for later. (Infernal Ruling) If you didn't charge then ... just go nuts. There's no restrictions that I know of. Assault & Drag ( Edit ) You determine whether a charge was successful or not before making the Assault attack. If you make an unsuccessful charge but then use Drag to get your charge target into melee range, then: It is still a failed charge and your activation is going to end after the Assault attack is resolved. (Infernal Ruling) You will get the free melee attack from Drag as part of resolving the Assault ranged attack. (Infernal Ruling) Whether or not your charge was successful, this free melee attack is not a charge attack. (Infernal Ruling) You won't be able to purchase additionals (because your activation ended).

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)

Rules Clarification : Amphibious - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Combined Melee Attack      (Edit) Each CMA only counts as a single attack, no matter how many participants are involved. This means, for example, that if Satyxis Raiders damage a warjack and trigger their Feedback ability, the enemy warcaster will only take 1 damage total, not 1 for every Raider. Any bonuses (such as back strike) or penalties (such as intervening terrain) are determined according to the model leading the CMA (the attack leader). If the participants have buffs/debuffs but the attack leader doesn't ... then the CMA doesn't because only the attack leader matters. Simple as that. A single unit can perform multiple CMAs, utilising different groupings of models. eg a unit with 10 models could make one 10-man CMA, or two 5-man CMAs, or five 2-man CMAs, or etc. CMA for units that have more than one melee weapon (the short version) Once you have more than one melee weapon, charging becomes a bit complicated. There are two important rules: A model which charges must use its first attack to make a charge attack. It can't "skip ahead" to contributing its second non-charge attack before it's resolved its first attack. For a CMA to gain the charging bonus, then all contributors must be contributing a charge attack. These two rules have a few, slightly confusing implications. Click the expand box below for a full breakdown. CMA for units with more than one weapon (the long version) (Edit) The following example is about Satyxis Raiders, but is equally applicable to other units with two CMA: Each Raider gets two attacks. Both, one, or neither can be a CMA as you choose. If you are doing two CMA in a row, then you should note that the second CMA doesn’t have to use the same “primary attacker” or the same “participants” as the first CMA. For instance, you could have the first CMA with raider A being the "primary attacker" and raider B being the "participant", then for the second CMA have raider B the "primary attacker" and raider A the "participant". Or leave A alone for a moment and use B plus C. Whatever takes your fancy. Primary attackers and participants don't have to use the same weapon. So, continuing with the above example, you could have primary A use lash and participant B use horns, then primary B use lash and participant A use horns. Effectively granting you two lash attacks with CMA bonuses! Combined Melee Attack and charging Remember the 2 rules above? Rule 1 means you cannot contribute your second, non-charge attack before you have resolved/contributed your first attack. Rule 1 means you cannot "skip ahead" to resolving your second, non-charge attack before you have resolved/contributed your first attack. but wait, there's more! However, thanks to the "Units with Combined Melee Attack ignore the rule that one trooper's combat action cannot begin until the previous model's combat action ends" rule, you can "pause" your second attack if you want to do a CMA with it later. For example: Model A performs its charge attack. Model B performs its charge attack. (Interrupting A) Model C performs its charge attack. (Interrupting B) CMA using A, B & C's remaining attack.

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

Rules Clarification : Ambush      (Edit) If you attach a WA or CA to this unit, and the attachment doesn't have Ambush, then they all get to Ambush anyway. (Locked Thread) Ambush and Apparition both occur at Step 5 of the Control Phase. However, Ambush specifies the "end" of the Control Phase so you cannot use Apparition on a model that Ambushes. (Infernal Ruling) Declaring Ambush: Choosing whether a unit deploys normally or ambushes needs to happen before deployment. So it goes: do the starting roll, Player 2 chooses sides, Player 1 declares Ambushes (if any), then Player 2 declares Ambushes (if any), then Player 1 starts deployment. (Infernal Ruling) If you have both Prey and Ambush, then you declare your Prey target at the normal time (even though the Prey-er isn't currently on the table). (Infernal Ruling)