Cephalyx Overlords

Cephalyx Overlords Mercenary, & Cryx Partisan, Unit

Mixed How usable this model is in Mk IV depends on the Faction: Mercenaries: This model can be used in the Dark Operations army. Cryx: This model is not (yet) available to this Faction in Mk IV in any shape or form (as of 2023.06) You can view the 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.

As little as surface dwellers know of the cephalyx, they know even less about the subterranean race's cruel overlords. These dark beings project an alien menace as they hover in the shadows and mentally direct lesser cephalyx in enigmatic errands. That overlords control cephalyx society seems clear, though the details of their hierarchy remains as mysterious as their telepathic communication. With their bulbous and distended heads protected behind smooth shells of leather and brass with multiple glowing eyes, overlords appear even more inhuman than their slaver counterparts.

Basic Info

Cephalyx Overlords
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Small SPD 6 STR 6 MAT 6 RAT N/A M.A. 7 DEF 14 ARM 13 CMD 7 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 5 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 3 UNIT SIZE 3 COST 6 2.0 pts each N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Mercenary - This unit will work as a Cryx

• Partisan [ Cryx ] - When included in a Cryx army, this model/unit is a Cryx model/unit instead of a Mercenary model/unit.

Selective - This model can be included in a Mercenary army only if the army is made using a Cephalyx theme force.

Abilities

• Pathfinder
• 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.
• Magic Ability [ 7 ] - 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.
• Veteran Leader [ Drudge ] - While in this model's command range, friendly Drudge models gain +1 to attack rolls.

Weapons

• Prosthetic Blade - 1" reach, P+S 11 melee weapon.

Spells

	COST	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
Influence	(★ Attack)	10	-	-	-	Yes
Take control of target enemy non-warcaster, non-warlock warrior model. The model immediately makes one basic attack, then Influence expires. A model can be affected by Influence only once per turn.
Psychic Assault	(★ Attack)	SP 8	-	12	-	Yes
This attack ignores LOS.

Theme Forces

• Mercenary
  • Operating Theater

• Cryx
  • As a Mercenary unit, Cephalyx Overlords can go in every Cryx theme but they uses your "Up to one Mercanry unit" slot (most of the time).
  • Black Industries. When taken in this theme, they don't use your Merc slot.
  • Dark Host
  • The Ghost Fleet
  • Scourge of the Broken Coast. When taken in this theme, they don't use your Merc slot.

Thoughts on Cephalyx Overlords

Cephalyx Overlords in a nutshell

Cephalyx Overlords have three uses:

1. A nasty spray to kill enemy infantry.
2. Influence (which is situational but can be awesome).
3. And most importantly Veteran Leader (if you're using them in a Merc force; in a Cryx force it tends to be their least important use).

Combos and Synergies

• Mercenary
  • Given that in an Operating Theatre force Drudges form the backbone of your army, these guys are integral to getting the most out of both your Bender and Slaver units.
  • With Anatomical Precision, they can reliably do 1 point of damage to your Monstrosities to give them a Focus point.

• Cryx
  • You can field them alongside the Cephalyx Slaver unit for the Veteran Leader synergy, as both are Cryx Partisans.
  • Scaverous likes a unit of them on his feat turn. 3 sprays with boosted attack rolls? Yes please.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• The Selective rule means that, unlike most Mercenary units, these guys:
  • Cannot be taken in a pure Mercenary force (out of theme)
  • Cannot be taken in a Faction theme force, even if it allows "up to one Mercenary unit."
  • Basically, if you purchase these models, the number of different lists you can potentially field them in is much smaller.
• Paper mache armor; POW 11 hits kill them on average damage rolls.
• If your opponent has "spot removal" tools, they can snipe out the Overlords before they achieve anything useful.

Tricks & Tips

• Keep the unit spread out and mixed in with the Drudges. That bonus really helps.
• Given that you can cast spells in melee, you'll often be better using a Pyschic Assault spray than you would a single melee attack.
  • It depends on who is in your face, though - sometimes that Anatomical Precision bonus can be game-changing.

Other

Trivia

• Released in Warmachine: Legends (2008)

Other Faction models

Cryx Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warcasters	Agathia - Aiakos2 - Asphyxious1 - Asphyxious2 - Asphyxious3 - Coven - Deathjack2 - Deneghra1 - Deneghra2 - Deneghra3 - Goreshade1 - Goreshade2 - Goreshade3 - Mortenebra1 - Mortenebra2 - Rahera - Scaverous - Skarre1 - Skarre2 - Skarre3 - Sturgis2 - Terminus - Venethrax
Warcaster attachments	The Withershadow Combine - Satyxis Blood Priestess - Skarlock Thrall - Doctor Stygius (Partisan) - Madelyn Corbeau (Mercenary)
Other Warjack Controllers	Jack Marshals: Iron Lich Overseer       "Junior Warcasters": Aiakos1 - Asphyxious4 - Deneghra0
Light	Cankerworm - Deathripper - Defiler - Helldiver - Nightwretch - Ripjaw - Scavenger - Shrike - Stalker
Heavy	Barathrum - Corruptor - Deathjack1 - Desecrator - Erebus - Harrower - Kharybdis - Inflictor - Leviathan - Malice - Nightmare - Reaper - Seether - Slayer
Colossal	Kraken - Sepulcher
Units, Solos, Battle Engines, & Structures
Units	Asphyxious4 - Bane Knights - Bane Riders - Bane Warriors - Bile Thralls - BO Boarding Party - BO Ironmongers - BO Smog Belchers - Blackbane's Ghost Raiders - Bloodgorgers - Marauders - Carrion Thralls - Cephalyx Drudges - Cephalyx Overlords - Mechanithralls - Necrosurgeon - Revenant Cannon - Revenant Crew - Satyxis Gunslingers - Satyxis Blood Witches - Satyxis Raiders - Scharde Dirge Seers - Scharde Pirates - Soulhunters - The Devil's Shadow Mutineers - The Withershadow Combine
Solos	Aiakos1 - Agrimony - Axiara - Bane Lord Tartarus - Bloat Thrall - BTO Mobius - Captain Rengrave - Darragh Wrathe - Doctor Stygius - Deneghra0 - Gerlak - Hellslinger - Iron Lich Overseer - Machine Wraith - Master Gurglepox - Misery Cage - Necrotech - Ol' Grim - Pistol Wraith - Satyxis Blood Priestess - Satyxis Raider Captain - Scrap Thrall - Skarlock Thrall - Severa Blacktide - Soul Trapper - Warwitch Siren
Battle Engines & Structures	Wraith Engine
Theme Forces
Black Industries - Dark Host - The Ghost Fleet - Scourge of the Broken Coast
Mercenaries
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Cryx Mercenary
This index was last updated: 2021.11

Rules Clarifications

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:  : Partisan      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

Which Faction am I? Partisans are Mercenary (or Minion) models unless they're taken in their "Home" Faction. For example, a Mercenary model that is Partisan [Cygnar]: When used in most armies it is "friendly Faction" only to other Mercenary models. When used in a Cygnar army it is "friendly Faction" to Cygnar models ... and stops being "friendly Faction" to any other Mercenaries in that Cygnar army. In a multi-caster game, Partisans count as the main army's Faction and not as a Mercenary models (if playing a Faction other than Mercaneries). (Infernal Ruling) Attachments If a Partisan unit can get a special attachment from their Partisan Faction (for instance a Soulless Escort or Trollkin Sorcerer) then they can only get that attachment when they're in the Partisan Faction. They can't take it when working as a regular Mercenary. (Locked thread) When taken in their Partisan Faction, they can't have a Ranking Officer attached. Partisan warcasters If you have a Partisan caster, you must choose whether your army is a Mercenary force or a [Partisan Faction] force. What warjacks the caster can take are then limited by your choice. Partisan casters can be taken in [Partisan Faction] theme forces. Refer to the main rulebook. Partisan casters can be fielded in multiple-caster games. (Locked thread) See also the Category: Partisan for what happens if you mix and match Partisan casters and Merc casters in multi-caster games. Partisans & Theme Forces (Edit) Partisans are Mercenary/Minion models, so there are two ways you can add them to a theme force: Freely: If the Partisan is on the list of allowed models, then you can take as many as you want plus another Mercenary unit/solo. (Infernal Ruling) They can be explicitly allowed (for example Jaws of the Wolf allows "Kayazy models/units" so Partisan Kayayz can be used freely). They can be implicitly allowed (for example Scourge of the Broken Coast allows "living Cryx models/units" and Partisan Cephalyx fit that criteria, so they can be used freely). (Infernal Ruling) Limited: If the Partisan isn't on the list of allowed models, it does use up your "Up to one Mercenary/Minion" slot, so you can only have the one. Whether you used option 1 or 2 above, once they're in your theme force they count as a Faction model and so: They can be taken as a Requistion Option (if they fit the Requistion description). For example Lanyssa can be taken as a free solo in the Legion of Dawn theme. (Infernal Ruling) They will get any theme benefit that they fit the description for. For example Storm Division gives all Cygnar models Immunity Electricity, so Partisan Mercs in that theme get immunity too. For example Nemo4's Mechaniks get Reposition [3] in Heavy Metal. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Selective      (Edit) The Selective rule only restricts which Mercenary armies this model can be included in. It doesn't limit what other Factions this model can work for. Also, when taken outside of Mercenaries this model can go in a non-Cephalyx theme. When working outside of a Mercenary theme, Cephalyx warcasters can have non-Cephalyx attachments (eg Madelyn). (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Blight Storm and/or Anatomical Precision and/or Affliction     (Edit) With an AOE, only the model directly hit by the AOE will take auto-damage, other models in the AOE take normal damage. You don't get auto-damage on stuff which isn't an attack, like Electro Leap and Flak Field. If someone is immune to damage, you can't trigger the auto-damage vs them. Because you never got a damage roll in the first place. (Infernal Ruling) When this ability is triggered by a spell (ie Blight Storm or Affliction) then that does not change the source of the damage to the caster, nor change the damage type to magical. It merely changes the result of a damage roll. (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 : Influence      (Edit) Taking Control of an Enemy Model (Edit)   [Show/Hide] General Several abilities start with the sentence "Take control of a model" then a full stop, then a bunch of stuff you can do with that model. You can't uncouple the first sentence from the rest of the "do stuff" sentence(s), in other words if you want to "do stuff" then you have to "Take control". (Infernal Ruling) Taking control of a model means it is now friendly to you, and will immediately be engaged by it's erstwhile allies. This will limit your ability to make ranged attacks. If you get to make an advance with the controlled model, this can allow the original owner to take free strikes against his own model. He doesn't have to take these, of course. The controlled model does not have a proper Activation, so stuff like Chain Strike won't apply. You can use abilities on the controlled model, as long as they're not restricted to "during its activation" or "during its Combat Action". For example, you can use Mental Force. (Infernal Ruling) Buffs and effects: The controlled model counts as a "friendly model" and will benefit from any "while within" (aura) buffs that your own models are handing out (such as Mark Target), (assuming the controlled model meets the criteria for the buff). If the controlled model has already been hit by a "currently within" (pulse) debuff, then it will keep that debuff while under your control. Even if that pulse only affected enemy models (such as Deneghra1's feat) - temporarily changing who is friendly/enemy doesn't change who was/wasn't affected by the pulse. If your opponent is the same faction, then the controlled model will count as a "friendly faction model" and even more buffs are potentially available (such as Veteran Leader). Theme abilities: If a model gains an ability via a Theme Force rule, and then the opponent takes it over, it keeps the theme ability. (Infernal Ruling) Movement You can advance a model into an area and force them to take damage (like an acid cloud, or a Razor Wall template), but they only take damage once per advance (ref Prime rulebook pg 65). Thus you cannot keep moving them micro-millimetres in and out of said area to inflict infinite damage. The model is friendly while under your control, so you can't force free strikes by walking it past your own models. You can, however, walk it past your opponent's models and politely ask if they want to take free strikes against their own model. Attacks Many "Take Control" abilities allow a basic melee attack. Some allow a basic attack. Gunfighters cannot make a ranged attack unless they're allowed the later. Point Blank attacks cannot be made with temporarily controlled models, as Point Blank is only allowed 'during activation.' With reference to the attack sequence (appendix A) your control of the model doesn't expire until after Step 14. So you can potentially trigger abilities like Snacking (Step 11.4). As long as it's not limited to "during combat action" or "during activation". Destroying the Controlled model If the model is destroyed or RFP'd while under your control (for instance you walked it into a hazard), this has two consequences: It is considered to be under your control at the moment it is taken off the table: Your opponent can't reave fury off a warbeast destroyed this way, because it is an enemy warbeast when it is taken off the table. Your opponent can't trigger stuff that depends on a "Friendly model" being destroyed (such as Righteous Vengeance). You can't trigger stuff that depends on an "Enemy model" being destroyed (such as Cull Soul). It returns to the original owner once it's off the table: Your opponent can use Spirit Bond to get fury from the dead warbeast. Your opponent can use Return To Play abilities to get it back on the table (assuming it wasn't RFP'd). Taking control of an enemy Trooper (member of a unit) A trooper you take control of becomes an independent model. Thus: It will not benefit from any bonuses that it gets from its comrades (such as Gang, Shield Wall, etc). It will not benefit from any bonuses that rely on the trooper being "in formation" (such as Granted and Tactics abilities). Spells on a unit are considered to be on the "unit", not on the "models that make up the unit". So a controlled trooper will not benefit from any spells on the unit. If you take control of the last survivor of a unit then the "unit" ceases to exist for the duration of the control. This means that any spells on the "unit" will expire. Woo, free dispel! (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Psychic Assault      (Edit) Ignore LOS (Edit) Since you ignore LOS, you can target models in your back arc. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Veteran Leader      (Edit) Veteran Leaders don't give themselves the buff, because of the "other models within ..." clause. However, if you have two models giving out the buff, then they can give it to each other. (Locked thread) If a model can get Veteran Leader from two sources (such as Vet Leader [Winterguard] simultaneous with Vet Leader [Assault Kommandos]) then the benefit does not stack. (Infernal Ruling) Some versions say "friendly" and some don't. Regardless, Veteran Leader only buffs friendly models. (Infernal Ruling)