Greygore Boomhowler & Co.

As of 2022.08 Warmachine University has turned into an archive for Mk3 rules (3rd Edition). Refer to the Privateer Press website for all modern Mk4 (4th Edition) related content. This site has been kept online for any players who want to continue using Mk3 rules and/or anyone who wants to compare Mk4 Legacy models to Mk3 models. Privateer Press have an official wiki that covers all their main game systems, and my understanding is that Warmachine Mk4 will be on the PP wiki. More information can be found on the Talk:Main Page area of this wiki.

Greygore Boomhowler & Co. Mercenary, & Minion, & Trollblood Partisan, Trollkin Character Unit

Mark IV Status: Limbo - This model has not (yet) been updated with Mk IV rules, as of 2022.12. Privateer Press have promised it will get updated ... eventually. You can view the Mk3 models that have been updated on this page. Note that the rest of this page is about the model's Mark III rules.

Led by the legendary Trollkin fell caller Greygore Boomhowler, this mercenary company can match lead and steel with any regiment of soldiers in the Iron Kingdoms. The brutal combination of Greygore’s devastatingly ear-splitting cries and the natural resilience and tenacity of his Trollkin mercenaries has frequently proven invaluable to military commanders across the land.

Basic Info

Boomhowler1 Greygore Boomhowler & Co.
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Boomhowler / Grunts BASE Medium SPD 5 STR 7 MAT 7 / 6 RAT 5 / 4 M.A. N/A DEF 12 ARM 15 CMD 8 / 7 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 8 / 1 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA C UNIT SIZE 1 Boomhowler 5 or 9 Grunts COST 8 or 12 1pt per grunt, 3 for Boomhowler N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Mercenary - This unit will work for Crucible Guard, Cryx, Cygnar, or Khador.

Minion - This unit will work for Trollbloods.

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

Abilities

• Entire Unit
  • Combined Melee Attack
  • Tough
  • Shooting Gallery - This model gains +2 to ranged attack rolls against models within 5" of it.

• Boomhowler
  • +1 MAT, +1 RAT, +1 CMD, +7 HP
  • Officer
  • Fell Calls - This model can make one of the following calls at any time during its activation. A friendly Faction model/unit can be affected by only one call each turn.
    • Cacophony - While in this model's command range, enemy models/units cannot cast spells or be used to channel spells. Cacophony lasts for one round.
    • Call of Defiance - While in formation, models in this unit do not lose Tough while knocked down. Call of Defiance lasts for one round.
    • Reveille - Knocked down friendly Faction models in this model's command range immediately stand up. Models that became knocked down this turn are not affected by Reveille.

Weapons

Blunderbuss
		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		8			1			-			12
Great Axe
		RNG				POW				P+S
		1				5				12

Theme Forces

• Mercenary
  • Operating Theater (Only if a Cephalyx Dominator is attached)
  • The Irregulars
  • The Kingmaker's Army. They gain Feign Death and Ambush in this theme.

• Minions
  • Will Work for Food

• Trollbloods
  • As a Minion unit they can go in every theme, but they'll use your "Up to one Minion unit" slot most of the time.
  • Band of Heroes They gain "Optional Take Down" in this theme.
  • Kriel Company. They don't use up your Minion slot in this theme.
  • Power of Dhunia
  • Storm of the North. They gain Immunity:Cold and become Northkin models in this theme.

• Other Factions
  • As a merc/minion unit they can also be taken in a bunch of other Faction's theme forces. See #Other Theme Forces.

Thoughts on Boomhowler1

Boomhowler1 in a nutshell

Boomhowlers are a marginal tar pit jamming unit with Boomhowler's ability to keep the unit making tough rolls and with their innate toughness and resistance to blasts and small arms fire making them a minor nuisance to remove. The fell call that will make the enemy grind their teeth when it works, however, is Cacophony - which shuts down animi as well as some spellcasting units.

They have taken possibly the biggest rebalance, the cost of the maximum sized unit dropping by five points. Essentially Boomhowler himself is a three point solo with his groupies being one point chaff models which is a good price for them.

Combos & Synergies

    Mercenaries    

• The unit gains Ambush & Feign Death when taken in the Kingmakers theme. Ambush gives them an impressive threat with their guns,though you ideally want shooting gallery to trigger.
• Drake MacBainGreygore can use his Reveille call to stand up all knocked down models within 8" after MacBain's feat, which adds another very powerful dimension to Macbain's feat turn. He can also yell Cacaphony and run 10" forward to create a no magic bubble (no-shooting as well with Countermeasure) that can't be removed without Grievous Wounds or the like.
• Fiona the Black can put Roth's Mercy on the unit to keep Boomhowler alive to sustain a cacophony.
• Lieutenant Crosse - they are cheap enough to be great lifebound targets and they love his feat and ghost walk. Dauntless Resolve is great on them but they are already tough.
• Gorten Grundback - Solid Ground keeps them standing so they can keep on Toughing.
• Durgen Madhammer - His feat gives them Dual attack, enabling the use of both of their weapons. Primed makes them hit harder.

    Trollbloods    

• Krielstone dramatically improves their survivability.
• Power of Dhunia currently lacks any 10 model units to contest or jam.
• In Band of Heroes, they fill the combined arms role.
• In Kriel Company they are a nice alternative to Northkin raiders, shooting gallery and Mark Target makes them very accurate at close range. They also do not take up your minion slot.
• Madrak3 - The are the cheapest 10 man unit to put Battle Lust on, after Kriel Warriors, meaning you get a lot of value out of a comparatively small point investment.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Easy to hit and they go down pretty easily, even with tough.
• A lot of things (especially Grievous Wounds) counter Tough.
• Offensively they are jacks of all trades and masters of none. Without buffs MAT 6 is acceptable but not great for killing infantry, and POW 12 isn't quite enough to maul heavies. Any buffs and their offensive stats become really useful but they need a small buff in whatever direction you want to use them in.
• Including this model prevents you taking Boomhowler2 or Boomhowler3 - both of them important support models in their own right.

Tricks & Tips

• Keep Boomhowler at the back to keep him alive.
• Shutting down channeling and animi can be worth its weight in gold.

Other

Trivia

• Released way back in Warmachine: Prime (2003)

Other Theme Forces

Cryx (Edit)

• Black Industries
• Dark Host
• The Ghost Fleet
• Scourge of the Broken Coast

| Cygnar (Edit)

• Gravediggers
• Heavy Metal
• Sons of the Tempest
• Storm Division

Crucible Guard (Edit)

• Magnum Opus

Khador (Edit)

• Armored Korps
• Jaws of the Wolf
• Legion of Steel
• Winter Guard Kommand

Other Faction models

Trollbloods Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warlocks	Borka1 - Borka2 - Calandra - Gunnbjorn1 - Gunnbjorn2 - Grim1 - Grim2 - Grissel1 - Grissel2 - Doomshaper1 - Doomshaper2 - Doomshaper3 - Horgle2 - Jarl - Kolgrima - Madrak1 - Madrak2 - Madrak3 - Ragnor
Warlock Attachment	Trollkin Runebearer	Lesser Warlocks	Horgle1 - Madrak0
Light warbeasts	Ice Troll - Night Troll - Pyre Troll - Slag Troll - Storm Troll - Swamp Troll - Troll Axer - Troll Basher - Troll Bouncer - Troll Impaler - Winter Troll
Heavy warbeasts	Dire Troll Blitzer - Dire Troll Bomber - Dire Troll Brawler - Dire Troll Mauler - Dozer & Smigg - Earthborn Dire Troll - Mulg the Ancient - Rök
Gargantuan	Glacier King - Mountain King - Sea King
Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units	Dannon Blythe & Bull - Boomhowler1 - Dhunian Knot - Kriel Warriors - Stone Bearer - NK Bears - NK Fire Eaters - NK Raiders - Pummeler Crew - Pyg Burrowers - Pyg Bushwhackers - Pyg Lookouts - Sons of Bragg - Scattergunners - Thumper Crew - T Champions - T Fennblades - T Highwaymen - T Long Riders - T Runeshapers - T Scouts - T Sluggers - Warders Special WA: Trollkin Sorcerer
Solos	Boomhowler2 - Boomhowler3 - Braylen Wanderheart, Trollkin Outlaw - Bumbles - Dhunian Archon - Fell Caller Hero - Fennblade Kithkar - General 'Thunderstone' Brug - Horgle1 - Horthol, Long Rider Hero - Janissa Stonetide - Ledfoot & Tredz - Madrak0 - Northkin Shaman - Pyg Tank - Stone Scribe Chronicler - Troll Whelps - Trollkin Champion Hero - Trollkin Skinner Valka Curseborn, Chieftain of the North
Battle Engines	Hearthgut Hooch Hauler - War Wagon
Theme Forces
Band of Heroes - Kriel Company - Power of Dhunia - Storm of the North - Vengeance of Dhunia
Minions that work for the Trollblooods
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Trollblood Minion
This index was last updated: 2021.10

Rules Clarifications

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 : 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 : Officer      (Edit) Even if they're not on the Officer's card, an Officer can give (and benefit from) any non-standard orders that are on the unit's card (such as Shield Wall). Refer main rulebook. A Ranking Officer can't do this, though. When the Officer dies, the Leader model becomes the new Unit Commander (you don't get to choose). But if your unit doesn't include a Leader model, then you do get to choose any of the remaining models to be the new Unit Commander. You don't swap the model, but it may be worth putting a token down so you can tell that grunt apart.

Rules Clarification : Fell Calls      (Edit) Restrictions on "Any Time" abilities     (Edit)         [Show/Hide] "Any Time" abilities can be used at any time during a model/unit's activation, except: Before any compulsory forfeiture of movement/action. See step 2 of the activation sequence, appendix A. After the model with the "Any Time" ability has had their activation end "prematurely". By this I mean you resolved something which includes the phrase "its activation ends". Examples include: Running, failing a charge, or failing a slam. Abilities that include "then its activation ends" (such as Reposition and Teleport). In between declaring your charge target and making your charge movement. (Infernal Ruling) In between completing your charge movement and determining whether it was a successful charge. (Infernal Ruling) When you're in the middle of moving. (Note: Impact Attacks count as being in the middle of movement). When you're in the middle of an attack. Which also includes effects that occur "after the attack is resolved". (Although the attack is "resolved" at Step 11, in terms of using an "Any Time" ability the attack is not "finished" until after Step 14. Refer to the first paragraph of Apdx A.) Your opponent interrupted your activation to trigger one of their own abilities (such as Countercharge). Warcasters/warlocks/etc can normally cast a spell or use their feat "At any time". However, there is a core rule saying they cannot do so on the same activation that they run. So, they are subject to all the same restrictions listed above, plus they can't cast/feat before running. Units: See below. In general you can use "Any Time" abilities while you're knocked down or stationary (except Spells and Feats which specify you can't). If you have a gun with a random ROF, you can use an "Any Time" ability inbetween rolling the number of shots and actually making the first attack. (Infernal Ruling) Units with "Any Time" abilities You cannot use an "Any Time" ability before issuing/receiving orders. See step 1 and 2 of the activation sequence, appendix A. A model in a unit can't use an "Any Time" ability after they run (Infernal Ruling) or fail a charge. Because that makes that specific model's activation to end even though the unit's activation is still ongoing, and you can't use abilities on models that are not active. You can use an "Any Time" ability before running, however. A model in a unit can't use an "Any Time" ability after anyone in the unit has begun a Reposition move. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Cacophony      (Edit) Because it uses the term "model/unit" then if any models from a unit are in your CMD range, no one in that unit can cast/channel spells.

Rules Clarification : Call of Defiance and/or Cry of Defiance - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Reveille - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Shooting Gallery - None yet. (Edit)