Grand Exemplar Kreoss
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Grand Exemplar Kreoss |
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. |
All Menites are brothers in battle to Grand Exemplar Kreoss, and he is determined to avenge the fallen and the lost. Taking on the burden of every death to stoke the warrior’s furnace within him, his rage and fury have become the spear and shield of Menoth’s vengeance.
Basic Info
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Warcaster - All warcasters come with a stack of standard special rules - most notably being awesome. Click here for a newbie-friendly recap, or click here for the full rules.
Feat : Strength of Arms
- When a friendly Faction model makes a melee attack while the enemy model is in in Kreoss' control range, the attack automatically hits.
- While in Kreoss' control range, friendly Faction models can make one additional melee attack during their Combat Actions.
- Strength of Arms lasts for one turn.
Abilities
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Tough
- Imperishable Conviction - When a friendly Faction model in its control range is destroyed by an enemy attack, this model can remove 1 damage point.
- Paragon of the Faith - While in this model's command range, friendly Exemplar warrior models gain Tough.
Weapons
- Justifier - 2" reach, P+S 14 melee weapon.
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Damage Type: Magical
- Smite (★ Attack) - The model hit is slammed d6" directly away from this model. If the model hit has a larger base than the attacking model, it is moved only half the distance rolled. The POW of collateral damage is equal to the STR of this model.
- Life Trader - When an attack with this weapon hits, this model can suffer 1 damage point to gain an additional die on the damage roll against the model hit. Life Trader can be used only once per attack.
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Spells
COST | RNG | AOE | POW | DUR | OFF | ||
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Battle-Charged
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2 | SELF | Control | - | Upkeep | No | |
While in the spellcaster's control range, models in its battlegroup gain Countercharge.
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Castigate
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2 | SELF | Control | - | Round | No | |
Enemy models cannot be used to channel spells or be forced to cast an animus while in the spellcaster's control range. Castigate lasts for one round. | |||||||
Chasten
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2 | 8 | - | 12 | - | Yes | |
Enemy upkeep spells and animi on target model/unit damaged by this attack expire. | |||||||
Cleansing Fire
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3 | 8 | 3 | 14 (Fire) | - | Yes | |
Cleansing Fire deals fire damage. On a critical hit, models hit suffer continuous fire. | |||||||
Inviolable Resolve
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2 | 6 | - | - | Upkeep | No | |
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +2 ARM and cannot be moved by a push or a slam. Models are not affected while out of formation. | |||||||
Sacrosanct
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3 | SELF | (★) | - | Round | No | |
When an enemy non-warcaster, non-warlock warrior model destroys one or more friendly Faction models in the spellcaster's command range with an attack, immediately after the attack is resolved the attacking model becomes knocked down. |
Theme Forces
- Exemplar Interdiction. He gains Aegis in this theme.
- Guardians of the Temple
- The Creator's Might. He can start the game with upkeeps in play, and upkeep them for free on turn 1, in this theme.
- The Faithful Masses
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Warriors of the Old Faith
Thoughts on Kreoss2
Kreoss2 in a nutshell
In many respects, he is dialed up version of Kreoss1, not necessarily in terms of strength but in terms of play style. He is one trick pony and basically walking feat with limited melee potential and some spells to support his army, that needs to do all the work. It's just that his feat can bring more hurt to the enemy (albeit only in melee) as his spells are generally weaker to offset that. His weapon still has good POW and he has enought FOC to dish a lot of attacks, now he is also pseudo-weapon master thanks to life trader he can delete most thinks if he sets his mind onto it, but his survivability still requires you to be careful with him. If you like exemplar units and want an army that exclusively features them, he's good option.
Feat thoughts
Kreoss1 used his feat to knock the enemy down and make them easier to hit. Kreoss2 says "eh, let's skip that nonsense and just auto-hit them (in melee)". This makes Kreoss2 far superior against anything immune to knockdown (of which there is more and more in the game).
Given that he normally fills his army with hard-hitting weapon masters that on feat turn become super accurate and get an extra attack, his feat is great against high-ARM armies and/or high-DEF armies and/or high-model-count armies - so it's good vs everything, basically. The only downside is mastering timing with this feat, to make sure you can actually get at enough enemy models to justify its use. Your opponent will probably try and "bait your feat" by putting a frontline forward that they're prepared to lose to your feat, then try and counterpunch you.
Note that the extra attack is an "additional" attack which, by definition, occurs after your initial attacks. If something is triggered by your initial attacks, such as Chain Attack, then you have to resolve that before starting the bonus feat attack.
Spell thoughts
- Battle-Charged adds a new dimension to Kreoss' battlegroup. Although skilled opponents won't get caught by it too often, it's still something they have to consider when going in. It's usually worth casting turn one and upkeeping.
- Castigate can throw a wrench into armies relying on recasting key animi or requiring channeled spells. You won't cast it every game, but it can be backbreaking when you do use it.
- Chasten is short-ranged and needs to damage to actually do anything, but it can take care of many annoying spells.
- Sacrosanct can be useful against enemy infantry, especially those with multiple attacks such as Tharn Ravagers or Long Gunners of either stripe. Unfortunately, RFP effects get around it, and several themes give it out to all of their warrior models, making this a situational spell much of the time.
- Inviolable Resolve provides an ARM bonus and protection against control effects. It's best used on already hardy multi-wound models or those you want to protect against small-arms shooting. You can also put it on Kreoss himself if you're worried about his safety.
- Cleansing Fire is a basic nuke. Kreoss usually has better things to spend his Focus on, so its most likely use is to clear off Incorporeal models.
Drawbacks & Downsides
Kreoss has problem with gunlines as he has very limited means of protection for his units and no way to speed them up. He can still do well as those models that make it can do a lot of damage (and Daughters can be immensely helpful) but it is a bit of an uphill battle even in best scenario as he relies on his army to do virtually all of the work, so if not enough of them makes it, he's done for.
Armies that are just naturally strong against infantry with multiple continuous effect AOEs or just obscene number of attacks can ruffle his feathers as well.
Kreoss' play style is also very much predictable and not exactly stunning list in flashy moves department. He marches towards the enemy, feats, charges in the straight line and hopes for the best. It can be very effective but experienced enough opponents will predict him and try to minimize the damage.
Tricks & Tips
- Strength of Arms has an awesome, often maligned perk too; it saves an incredible amount of time on your deathclock. Since you don't have to waste seconds on working out the attack roll, you can go right to the damage rolls. In more exotic cases you can also skip damage rolls too, if the P+S on your weapon is high enough to kill them outright. In both cases however be on the lookout for any rule interaction and sequencing that is tied to an attack or a damage roll. Fast gameplay should not warrant carelessness.
List Building Advice
Strategy
Kreoss2 is all about explosive feat turns. His spells offer only a marginal boost to his army's effectiveness for a Protectorate caster so there will be casualties along the way, but his feat can make up for it. Not wasting his feat pointlessly on the first random charge nor holding on to it until it's too late are steps one, two, and three with this guy. His feat can override high defense values which makes him the bane against certain factions but pointless against others (for instance you don't need help hitting Khador heavies).
With MAT 8 and Life Trader he can do quite a bit of damage on his own, but it's best to use him offensively mid-to-late game once you've hopefully thinned out the models that can threaten him. Until then, he's best deployed in the center of his army.
Kreoss likes any solo that helps him buff his infantry in some way, or even ones to support his jacks. Only thing he might stay clear on are probably spell-support solos as most lists simply don't have anything for Kreoss to do, to be in need of that extra focus.
Jacks benefit slightly less then infantry from his feat as they offer fewer attacks for their cost then squad of infantry, but those attacks are high POW and automatically hit. Additionally, Battle-Charged can make certain warjacks more appealing than others.
Theme Thoughts
Exemplar Interdiction - Preferred theme
Kreoss likes Exemplars. They're all high POW infantry with Weapon Master attacks who love automatically hitting and getting an extra hit in as well.
- Basic Knights Exemplar are relatively cheap and effective Weapon Master infantry with potential for some divine punishment under Battle-Driven. The CA that makes them more reliable outside of feat turn with their mini-feat, or allows for bit more reliable damage output during feat, and each Knight can dish out up to three attacks with overtake thanks to those two.
- Exemplar Errants are not what they used to be but are still fairly effective screen for the rest of your army.
- Exemplar Vengers bring respectable mobility to otherwise sluggish army. Auto-hitting Impact Attacks are great for pushing through chaff, while the extra attack from the feat lets them hit enemies with their sword after a Lance attack.
- Exemplar Bastions and especially Exemplar Cinerators are nice man-brick to hide your caster and still offer potent melee attacks, with Cinerators being a bit faster than the harder-hitting Bastions due to Vengeance, and more survivable thanks to Shield Wall.
- Gravus for Brother's Keeper (and potential beat stick when high on souls), as well as speeding up your slower Exemplars.
- Knight Exemplar Seneschal is a slashy stabby solo that Kreoss can enhance.
- The Exemplar Warder makes an excellent bodyguard to Kreoss with its, er, Bodyguard ability boosting his DEF to a respectable 16 in melee, and Shield Guards are always welcome.
Kreoss 2 doesn't have a lot of synergy with the theme; he prefers having many models making attacks rather than spending his points on a few that will only make a handful of attacks.
- Scourge of Heresy - Combined with Castigate, you can effectively shut down enemy spellcasting with its Arcane Vortex. Additionally, auto-hitting Thresher attacks will wipe out any infantry your opponent is foolish enough to clump together.
Not the best theme for him, but also not the worst. It brings a lot of infantry with average MAT that will appreciate the auto-hitting part of the feat; unfortunately, their low POW means they might just bounce off of high ARM targets.
- Daughters of the Flame - Kreoss also always had a bit of an affair with these girls as three auto-hitting Anatomical Precision attacks with and Acrobatics can be rather devastating.
- Flamebringers - Auto-hitting impact attacks and an additional Weapon Master sword attack will let you decimate most infantry. They're also fast, and with Parry, they can usually go to where they want to be.
- Nicia1 is a slashy stabby solo that Kreoss can enhance.
- Pyrrhus will get a total of four Weapon Master attacks under feat. A fun trick for scenario is assigning both the Rapid Strike and feat attack to his shield for three Beat Backs, allowing you to push an enemy three inches from its initial position.
An interesting way to play Kreoss2. It has Weapon Masters (though not as many as Exemplar Interdiction), but its Paladin models are a bit more resilient, and faster than most of them as well. Although not a key part of his game, Hand of Vengeance can help give his warjacks a solid punch, especially when combined with his feat.
- Kreoss2's main weakness is against shooting. Faithful Masses has numerous shooting resistant models and easy access to cheap Shield Guards in the form of Initiates of the Wall.
- All solo Paladins are Weapon Masters and appreciate the extra attack on feat turn. Combined with Righteous Vengeance from Vilmon, that's a potential of three Weapon Master attacks on feat turn.
Mercenaries
- Rhupert Carvolo can give Pathfinder, Concealment, and Tough to a unit, though the last isn't necessary for Exemplars.
- The Menite Archon is a potent, durable beatstick. Under feat, it can Thresher and follow up with an ordinary attack.
Battlegroup

- The Templar is not only durable, but has 2" reach, Chain Weapon, Beat Back (not as stellar as it used to be still potentially useful tool) and Shield Guard.
- Fire of Salvation is Kreoss' pet warjack that he can take in any theme. It is a solid beat stick that gives extra mobility from fallen warriors, packs Dispel, and its bond with Kreoss makes it incredibly powerful in melee even without the Choir or feat.
- The Sanctifier has one of the longer threat ranges amongst our heavies. Kreoss2 has no natural speed buff.
- The Dervish is an auto hitting, parrying, side stepping model that can wreak havoc on the feat turn. Also, counter charging at Mat 7 is nice.
- Guardian - The Guardian is a great package for Kreoss2! The Arc Node makes using Chasten and Cleansing Fire offensively a reality and Counter charge at MAT 9 thanks to Powerful Charge is amazing, especially with 2" and P+S 18. The Critical Pitch rule on the flame pike means the Counter Charge has to be respected by your opponent, lest their models get thrown back into their army
First Seven Purchases
A few veteran players have put their heads together and tried to figure out the seven best things to buy for this specific caster. This is not designed to add up to a nice round points limit, nor be balanced vs other "First Seven" lists you find on this website. It is simply going to give you some of the essentials this caster needs most of the time.
- Warjack: Fire of Salvation
- Warjack: Indictor
- Solo: Exemplar Warder
- Solo: High Exemplar Gravus
- Unit: Exemplar Cinerators + CA
- Unit: Exemplar Errants + CA
- Unit: Knights Exemplar + CA
Other
Trivia
Released in Warmachine: Apotheosis (2005)
Other Protectorate models
Video Battle Reports
- 2019.01 Arcane Assist, vs Hexeris2
- 2018.08 Deathclock Dave, vs Ossrum1
- See also Category: Video Battle Reports for more casters with videos.
Rules Clarifications
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Rules Clarification: : Magical Damage (Edit) |
* 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)
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Rules Clarification : Smite (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Life Trader (Edit)
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Rules Clarification: : Warcaster (Edit) | ||||
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Rules Clarification : Tough - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Imperishable Conviction - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Paragon of the Faith - None yet. (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Battle-Charged (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Castigate - None yet. (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Chasten (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Cleansing Fire (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Inviolable Resolve - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Sacrosanct - None yet. (Edit)
- Exemplar
- Protectorate of Menoth
- Model
- Does have Mk4 rules
- Warcaster
- Tough
- Imperishable Conviction
- Paragon of the Faith
- Magical Damage
- Smite Attack
- Life Trader
- Battle-Charged
- Castigate
- Chasten
- Cleansing Fire
- Inviolable Resolve
- Sacrosanct
- Exemplar Interdiction
- Guardians of the Temple
- The Creator's Might
- The Faithful Masses
- Video Battle Reports