Farrow Bone Grinders

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.

Farrow Bone Grinders Minion Unit

Prime This model is available in one Prime Army, The Thornfall Alliance. 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.

Well versed in the mystic arts of butchery, farrow bone grinders seek out choice organs and marrow-filled bones from slain warbeasts in order to harness the mystical power lingering within. These parts are combined with blood, bile, and lymph to create powders, unguents, and talismans able to empower farrow warlocks toward victory on the battlefield.

Basic Info

Farrow Bone Grinders
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 13 ARM 14 CMD 6 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 1 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA U UNIT SIZE 4 / 6 COST 5 / 7 1.2 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

• Combined Melee Attack
• Tough
• Bloodthirst - When it charges a living model, this model gains +2" movement.
• Craft Talisman (★ Action) - Target friendly warlock. If the warlock is in range, when it casts a spell and is the point of origin, the spell gains +2 RNG. Spells with a RNG SELF, SP, or CTRL are not affected. Craft Talisman lasts for one turn.
• Dismember - When this model hits a warbeast with a melee attack, roll an additional damage die.

Weapons

• Cleaver - 0.5" reach, P+S 10 melee weapon.
  • Damage Type: Magical
  • Attack Type - Each time this weapon is used to make an attack, choose one of the following special rules:
    • Grievous Wounds - A model hit by this weapon loses Tough and cannot have damage removed from it for one round.
    • Inflict Pain - When it hits a warbeast with this weapon, this model can place 1 fury point on or remove 1 fury point from the warbeast.

Theme Forces

• Minions
  • The Thornfall Alliance. Farrow Bone Grinders gain Rise in this theme.
  • Will Work for Food

• Other Factions
  • As a minion unit, they can also be taken in a bunch of other Faction's themes. Refer to #Other Theme Forces.
    Special mention to the following, which have no limits on the number of Minions:
  • Disciples of Agony (Skorne)
  • Oracles of Annihilation (Legion) In this theme, this Minion becomes a Blighted model. Also, enemy models that end their activation within 2" of this model suffer continuous corrosion.
  • Secret Masters (Circle)

Thoughts on Farrow Bone Grinders

Farrow Bone Grinders in a nutshell

Farrow Bone Grinders are an interesting unit - a cheap unit with the cost of jammers that are designed to hurt warbeasts (and are conscripts against everything else). Alternatively, they help any warlock without a channeler or arc node help sling spells from a little further away. They are also cheap if limited access to Grievous Wounds.

Combos & Synergies

• Paingiver Task Master - no knockdown tough on conscripts is just plain obnoxious to deal with - and the Task Master's STR buff means that charging bone grinders can do significant damage to a warbeast.
• Midas - has Curse to make them more accurate and Battle Lust for another dice vs warbeasts.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Small units are often not worth buffing
• When not against warbeasts the Bone Grinders show why they are so cheap
• They have a very low threat range on the charge against non living targets 8.5 will regularly see them taking a charge vs construct heavy or undead heavy armies.

Tricks & Tips

• Know your metagame - these guys will be either good or useless, depending on what your opponents bring.
• Even if your opponent didn't bring warbeasts, Grievous Wounds prevents healing on 'jacks and infantry (multi-wound or Tough), which can sometimes be game-winning.
• They can continue to Craft Talisman for your warlock as long as at least one is alive, it is not tied to any specific member of the unit.
• They are cheap enough you shouldn't sweat if some die.
• Their Craft Talisman rule affects friendly Warlocks, not friendly faction warlocks, so you can use them as your minion choice in factions they work for to give your 'lock a range boost.

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 : 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 : Tough - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Bloodthirst - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Craft Talisman      (Edit) Lesser Warlocks cannot benefit from Craft Talisman because they are not warlocks. The warlock only needs to be within 3" when Craft Talisman is used. After that, the warlock can move away and still keep the buff. The range bonus doesn't apply to other models that cast the warlock's spells (Spell Slave, Geomancy, etc).

Rules Clarification : Dismember - None yet. (Edit)

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 : Attack Type and/or Arcane Savant     (Edit) If you forget to declare your Attack Type before rolling the attack, and you and your opponent can't agree on a fair fix, then the Judge's Policy is that the first listed Attack Type is the one that will be used. If your target can only be targeted by certain kinds of attack (ie a Menoth warjack with Passage), you can first choose the correct Attack Type (ie Magical Damage vs Passage) and then that allows you to target it. The Attack Type selection and target declaration both occur at Step 1 (Refer Appendix A). (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Grievous Wounds      (Edit) GW prevents "repairs" as well as "heals". It does not stop a warlock transferring damage, or stop the wounded model from being able to 'heal' someone else. Does not affect models with the Massive rule.

Rules Clarification : Inflict Pain - None yet. (Edit)