Exemplar Warder

Exemplar Warder Protectorate Solo

Prime This model is available in one Prime Army, Final Interdiction. 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.

While most Exemplars are aggressively deployed on the battlefield against unbelievers, some veterans are singled out for another role. Upon reaching the rank of warder, those with exceptional vigilance and the proper humility and loyalty might be chosen to protect the theocracy’s leaders. Wielding consecrated halberds, these warders drill in defensive tactics and stand ready to endure the blows intended for others.

Basic Info

Exemplar Warder
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Small SPD 5 STR 6 MAT 8 RAT 4 M.A. N/A DEF 12 ARM 16 / 18 (★) CMD 10 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 5 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 2 UNIT SIZE N/A COST 5 N/A N/A (★) 18 when you include the Shield Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Abilities

• Bodyguard - Before the start of the game, choose one friendly warcaster, solo, or unit commander to be the Warder's client. This model cannot be the client of another Warder or have the same client as another Warder. While the Warder is within 3" of its client and isn't knocked down or stationary, its client gains Parry and +2 DEF against melee attack rolls, and models attacking the client do not gain back strike bonuses.
• Inhuman Resolve - 1) When a living friendly Faction model in this model's command range is destroyed by an enemy attack, after the attack is resolved this model can remove 1 damage point. 2) When this model is disabled, it becomes knocked down instead of becoming boxed and its activation immediately ends. While this model is disabled, it cannot activate. 3) If this model is disabled at the beginning of your Maintenance Phase, it is destroyed.
• Set Defense - A model in this model's front arc suffers -2 on charge, slam power attack, and impact attack rolls against this model.
• Shield Guard - Once per round, when a friendly model is directly hit by a non-spray ranged attack during your opponent's turn while within 3" of this model, you can choose to have this model directly hit instead. This model is automatically hit and suffers all damage and effects. This model cannot use Shield Guard while it is incorporeal, knocked down, or stationary. The Shield Guard special rule can only trigger once per attack roll.

Weapons

• Consecrated Halberd - 2" reach, P+S 11 melee weapon
  • Blessed
  • Damage Type: Magical
  • Weapon Master
• Shield - 0.5" reach, P+S 8 melee weapon
  • Shield

Theme Forces

• Protectorate
  • Exemplar Interdiction. He gains Aegis in this theme.
  • The Creator's Might. He gains Reposition [3] in this theme.

• Other Factions
  • Infernal players can use this model in the Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Feora is leading the army.

Thoughts on Exemplar Warder

Exemplar Warder in a nutshell

The Warder combines the fighting prowess of an Exemplar with the bodyguard utility of an Ogrun Bokur. He's a hard and accurate hitter with a decent ARM score for his cost and Inhuman Resolve adding to his survivability and creating headaches for his opponents. When he needs to defend his client, he makes them harder to hit and debilitate in melee from Guard Dog while jumping in front of whatever bullets, cannons, or fireballs to save a squishy target. Inhuman Resolve also makes him an excellent model for contesting and/or controlling scenario elements.

In case you missed it: Inhuman Resolve makes him nigh-unkillable because instead of going disabled-boxed-destroyed he goes disabled-wait until next Maintenance Phase-destroyed and while he waits he can get healed by anyone else that dies.

Combos & Synergies

• If you want a Shield Guard for a squishy warcaster (like the warcaster versions of Severius) or solo but can't afford a Devout, you can do a lot worse than taking the Warder.
• Warcasters who want to be on the front lines will love the additional defensive utility he provides via Bodyguard and Shield Guard. Kreoss2, Kreoss3, Durst, Thyra, Reznik2, and Cyrenia are all potent combatants that appreciate the extra protection.
• The Harbinger of Menoth loves another Shield Guard she can Martyr. Additionally, she becomes an excellent DEF 18 in melee against living models with Bodyguard and Awe.
• High Exemplar Gravus and the Covenant of Menoth can prevent the Warder from being knocked down or made stationary.
• Severius1 can put Vision on it, allowing it to take a big hit as a Shield Guard and live another day.
• A Reclaimer Gatekeeper solo can put Ashen Veil on your client, giving them a total of +4 DEF against non fire immune, living models in melee. This lets us play our higher ARM casters much more aggressively.
• A Menite Archon is among the single clients for him. Parry, Shield Guard, Parry and +2 DEF are all great boons to the Archon. The DEF boost makes it even harder to take down than it is already, and with Flight And Parry it can go right past enemy models without eating free strikes.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• He isn't particularly fast, meaning that some of his clients can leave him behind unless he runs.
• Grievous Wounds will stop him from healing via Inhuman Resolve.

Tricks & Tips

• Although it's not as thematic, the Warder is perfectly capable of Shield Guarding models that aren't its client.
• All your opponent has to do to counter Inhuman Resolve is ignore the Warder until the end of their turn, then kill him last. Thus, you should play the Warder aggressively and make him something they can't ignore until the end of their turn.
• He likes to have squishy models stay in his command range, so he can heal when they get squished.

Other

Trivia

• Originally released in Exemplar Interdiction CID (2018.05)
• The Warder was originally a warcaster attachment but was changed to a solo after the end of the CID but before the release of its rules.

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Blessed and/or Creator's Wrath     (Edit) Blessed ignores spell buffs even if they're not directly on the target. (For example, Haley3's Temporal Distortion spell is cast on Haley and gives a DEF buff to everyone within 5". Blessed ignores it on everyone, not just on Haley.) (Locked thread) You only ignore the DEF/ARM buff if the spell directly adds to the stat (for example Arcane Shield gives +3 ARM). Whereas a spell which grants an ability, and the ability gives a DEF/ARM buff, would not be ignored by Blessed (for example Cloak of Ash gives a model concealment, and concealment gives +2 DEF). (Infernal Ruling) If a spell buffs DEF/ARM and [something else] then you ignore the buff but not the [something else]. (For example, the spell Death Ward grants +2 ARM and the defender chooses which column suffers damage. You would ignore the ARM bonus, but the defender still picks the column.) This ability only ignores buffs from spells, not buffs from feats (such as Stryker1's Invincibility +5 ARM) or abilities (such as Protective Aura's +2 ARM).

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 : Weapon Master - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Shield and/or Buckler     (Edit) The only time you lose the Shield bonus is when the weapon is crippled, or if the attack originates in your back arc. (Infernal Ruling) In other words, you still get the Shield bonus while knocked down or stationary. You don't get the Shield bonus vs stuff originating in your back arc. This includes stuff that "leaps" off models in your back arc, such as Electro Leap. (Locked thread)

Rules Clarification : Bodyguard      (Edit) If your opponent takes control of your Client, they get the Bodyguard bonuses for the duration of that control. Similar to an Ogrun Bokur, a Warder cannot choose himself as his own client. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Inhuman Resolve      (Edit) If a model A with Inhuman Resolve and model B are caught in a simultaneous attack (such as an AOE), then as per the Attack Sequence: Model A will get knocked down at disabled (Step 10b) then "pause" at disabled, Model B will get destroyed (Step 10d), and then Model A will get healed after the attack (Step 12). This model can be healed by normal medics, too. Inhuman Resolve can be triggered multiple times per game. Some attacks can cause a model to be RFP'd before it reaches disabled, which will circumvent Inhuman Resolve. While this model is disabled, it can still be attacked. (Locked thread) It can be targeted. It can be hit, and trigger 'On hit' stuff like Grievous Wounds and Electro-Leaps. It cannot be damaged (because none of its damage boxes are unmarked) and thus your opponent can't trigger 'On damage' stuff like Drag. While disabled, this model still contests scenarios. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Set Defense - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Shield Guard and/or Shadow Guardian     (Edit) You can't use this ability vs spells. You shift all effects onto the new model, including stuff that triggers on "when this attack hits". When you use this ability vs an AOE attack, the template moves too. Because, with reference to Apdx A, the hit 'moves' at Step 6 and the template placement is determined at Step 7. This ability doesn't work vs Point Blank attacks. Because Point Blank attacks are melee attacks that are made using a ranged weapon. On the other hand, it will work vs Gunfighter attacks. Shield Guard only Since Shield Guard specifies "opponent's turn", it can't be used against stuff that shoots in your own turn (such as Watcher or Counterblast). The Shield Guard does not necessarily need to be in the attacker's LOS or range. The Shield Guarder is always hit even if they have an ability that makes them automatically get missed, such as Stealth. (Automatically missing is determined earlier in the timing sequence than the Shield Guard moving the hit.) (Infernal Ruling)