Praetorian Swordsmen

Praetorian Swordsmen Skorne Unit Officer & Standard Bearer Command Attachment

Prime This model is available in one Prime Army, Army of the Western Reaches. 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.

Praetorians stand as paragons of the warrior caste, their traditions irrevocably rooted in the hoksune code. These soldiers form the backbone of all house armies as well as the Army of the Western Reaches. Praetorian swordsmen require superlative skill to master their distinctive two-weapon fighting style.

Basic Info

Praetorian Swordsmen
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Unit / Officer BASE Small SPD 6 STR 6 MAT 7 / 8 RAT N/A M.A. N/A DEF 13 ARM 14 CMD 8 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 1 / 5 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA U UNIT SIZE 6 or 10 +2CA COST 7 or 12 +3 CA 1.2 pts each (incl CA) N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Abilities

• Leader, Grunts, & Officer
  • Penetrating Strike - When this model hits a warjack, warbeast, or horror with a melee attack, you can choose to have the model hit suffer 1 damage point instead of a normal damage roll.
  • Side Step - When this model hits an enemy model with an initial melee attack or a melee special attack, it can advance up to 2" after the attack is resolved.

• Officer only
  • He has a better statline
  • Officer
  • Power Swell [ Minifeat ] - This model can use Power Swell once per game at any time during its unit's activation. This activation, models in this unit gain an additional die on melee damage rolls.
  • Tactics: Relentless Charge - Models in this unit gain Relentless Charge. (Relentless Charge - While advancing as part of a charge, a model with Relentless Charge gains Pathfinder.)

• Standard Bearer
  • Standard Bearer - While this model is within 5" of its unit commander, the unit commander gains +2 CMD.
  • Take Up - If this model is destroyed, you can choose a Grunt in this unit within 1" of it to be destroyed instead. Effects on this model expire, and it gains the effects on the chosen Grunt. Remove the Grunt from the table instead of this model. This model has the same number of unmarked damage boxes as the chosen Grunt.

Weapons

Leader, Grunts, & Officer	Sword (x2)  RNG   POW   P+S  1 3 9 Combo Strike (★ Attack) - Make a melee attack. Instead of making a normal damage roll, the POW of the damage roll is equal to this model's STR plus twice the POW of this weapon. (Giving a total P+S = 12)
Standard Bearer	Unarmed - This model has no weapons.

Theme Forces

• Masters of War. They gain "Optional Take Down" in this theme.

Thoughts on Praetorian Swordsmen

Command Attachment

Praetorian Swordsmen in a nutshell

Without the Officer and Standard Bearer the Praetorian Swordsmen are basically cheap cannon fodder that can kill infantry - in a faction with Praetorian Karax, Paingiver Bloodrunners, and Nihilators. They boast an elite Mat for their cost with 2 attacks and Side Step but every other stat is fairly average and they normally get melted by any anti-infantry tech, but quantity has a quality all of its own.

Thoughts on adding the CA

With the Officer and Standard Bearer the addition of a turn of Weapon Master means they become top-tier damage damage dealers on the charge, and MAT 7, two attackss. Throw in Relentless Charge for Pathfinder, and point for point they may have the best all-round offence of any single wound melee model in Warmachine/Hordes. But they still have no defensive tech and die very very easily unless they have support keeping them alive (and of course with their offensive power they become a fairly high priority target).

Combos & Synergies

As mentioned above Praetorian Swordsmen with the unit attachment have excellent all round offence, able to kill most things they can reach but need help staying alive to reach their targets. Some warlocks help with this.

• Supreme Archdomina Makeda is the all time champion of using Praetorian Swordsmen; she grants them Vengeance, she can put up Deflection to keep them safe, and then Stay Death to keep the officer alive. And Dash to allow them to side-step without taking free strikes. Some Makeda2 lists use the Masters of War theme to spam three to five full units of Praetorian Swordsmen.
• Archdomina Makeda can shield guard the Officer and keep them all alive on feat turn.
• Tyrant Xerxis offers defenders ward or repo 3" and he can also push their damage to unreal levels combining minifeat, feat and a relentless charge for 5d6 on damage, add in an already respectable MAT and you can put damage on just about anything. He also allows them to charge through other units which is a good way of keeping them safe.
• Dominar Morghoul & Escorts can give one unit Stealth, a second Apparition (to appear from behind walls or other out of line of sight places), and the Parry/Side Step/Overtake combo is impressive while Acrobatics is always useful
• Master Aescetic Naaresh can blur a unit.
• Supreme Aptimus Zaal doesn't protect them but ensures that any do get through are scary, and can redirect their souls as well as loving cheap models to power up the feat.
• Zaal the Ancestral Advocate again can power up the ones that do get through, and powers up off their souls. Unfortunately he's mostly used in The Exalted thanks to his feat.

There are also other things than Warlocks that support Praetorian Swordsmen.

• The Masters of War theme grants them take down
• Tyrant Commanders have battle plans.
• They are cheap souls, much to the delight of the soul-collectors; the Ancestral Guardian and Hakaar the Destroyer, the Extoller Soulward and Aptimus Marketh.
• Praetorian Karax are Girded, have Set Defense and are cheaper than Praetorian Swordsmen so are good at taking the charge.
• Praetorian Keltarii are faster than the Swordsmen and can jam for them.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• With DEF 13, ARM 14, and being a melee unit with no defensive abilities just about any anti-infantry tech melts them unless you have some way of protecting them.
• The enemy will work on sniping the Officer. And this really reduces their power.
• Without the UA a minimum unit costs as much as the Legends of Halaak. The Legends are almost always better.
• If you want cheap cannon fodder then Praetorian Karax are cheaper and normally hard to kill, and Venator Slingers cost the same, advance deploy, and shoot. Both also hand out buffs (Girded and Flare respectively).
• The unit loses a lot of value if the Officer is sniped out before you've used Power Swell.
• Unless you're investing in the officer (or have Supreme Archdomina Makeda) it's very hard to justify not paying one more point for the faster Praetorian Keltarii with reach weapons and blade shield to ward off incoming shooting.

Tricks & Tips

• Even when you charge and Power Swell for maximum damage you want to combo-strike against anything with an ARM over 16 and multiple wounds.
• Use Side Step to move out of charge lanes so you can get other infantry in.
• Keep the Officer back as far as possible to keep them alive until you've used Power Swell. Or behind solid walls; you lose little if the Officer runs every turn.

Other

Trivia

• The Praetorian units are named after the ancient Roman "Praetoriani" the elite of the elite of Roman legionaries meant to guard the most important military leaders. Obviously Privateer Press isn't that worried about units being like their real world inspirations on the tabletop.
• Released way back in Primal Mk1 (2006)

Other Skorne models

Skorne Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warlocks	Hexeris1 - Hexeris2 - Jalaam1 - Makeda1 - Makeda2 - Makeda3 - Mordikaar1 - Morghoul1 - Morghoul2 - Morghoul3 - Naaresh1 - Rasheth1 - Xekaar1 - Xerxis1 - Xerxis2 - Zaal1 - Zaal2 - Zaadesh2
Lessers & Attachments	Aptimus Marketh (Warlock attachment) - Zaadesh1 (Lesser Warlock) - Makeda0 (Lesser Warlock)
Lesser	Agonizer - Aradus Scarab - Reptile Hounds - The Terrorizer
Light	Basilisk Drake - Basilisk Krea - Cyclops Brute - Cyclops Raider - Cyclops Savage - Cyclops Shaman - Razor Worm
Heavy	Aradus Sentinel - Aradus Soldier - Archidon - Chiron - Bronzeback Titan - Despoiler - Molik Karn - Rhinodon - Tiberion - Titan Cannoneer - Titan Gladiator - Titan Sentry
Gargantuans	Desert Hydra - Mammoth
Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units	Cataphract Arcuarii - Cataphract Cetrati - Cataphract Incindiarii - Immortals - Legends of Halaak - Nihilators - Paingiver Beast Handlers - Paingiver Bloodrunners - Praetorian Ferox - Praetorian Karax - Praetorian Keltarii - Praetorian Swordsmen - Tyrant Commander & Standard Bearer - Venator Catapult Crew - Venator Flayer Cannon Crew - Venator Reivers - Venator Slingers
Solos	Abidan the Keeper - Ancestral Guardian - Aptimus Marketh - Extoller Novitiate - Extoller Soulward - Hakaar the Destroyer - Immortal Vessel - Makeda0 - Mortitheurge Willbreaker - Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor - Paingiver Task Master - Tyrant Rhadeim - Venator Dakar - Void Spirit - Zaadesh1
Battle Engines	Siege Animantarax - Supreme Guardian
Theme Forces
Disciples of Agony - Masters of War - The Exalted - Winds of Death
Minions
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Skorne Minion
This index was last updated: 2021.11

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Combo Strike      (Edit) You cannot make a Combo attack if the weapon is crippled. Refer "Crippled Systems" in the core rulebook.

Rules Clarification : Unarmed      (Edit) Since this model has no weapons it does not have a melee range. This means it can't engage other models, declare charges, or make free strikes Also it can't gain abilities that require a melee range (such as Ragman granting this model Dark Shroud). However, other models that do have melee weapons can engage this model. So this model can still gain the "target in melee" shooting bonus.

Rules Clarification : Penetrating Strike - 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 : Tactics vs Granted     (Edit) Granted = The unit loses the ability as soon as the model that grants it is taken off the table. (think "G for Goes away") Tactics = The unit keeps the ability for the entire game, regardless of who dies. (think "Tac-Tick = K for Keeps")   Granted [ Vengeance ] If the model granting Vengeance dies, the unit will not get any Vengeance attacks. It is "If you have Vengeance, and you were damaged last turn, you get a move+attack." It is not "If you get damaged, you get Vengeance next turn." If you lose Vengeance halfway through resolving Vengeance, then you stop resolving Vengeance immediately. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Side Step      (Edit) You can't trigger Side Step by hitting friendly models. You can't trigger Side Step from additional attacks that you buy, or out-of-activation attacks (such as free strikes). If you have multiple initial attacks, you have to step after each one. You can't "save up" all your side steps then get a single big 4" or 6" move.

Rules Clarification : Power Swell      (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 : Relentless Charge      (Edit) Pathfinder (Edit) - Pathfinder does not apply to involuntary movement (pushes & slams). (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Standard Bearer      (Edit) If the Officer dies, the Standard Bearer can give the CMD bonus to the Leader model.

Rules Clarification : Take Up      (Edit) If you use Take Up the attacking model cannot trigger anything that needs the attacker to "Destroy" a model (such as Alpha Hunter, Killing Spree, Berserk, etc). Although the model that was attacked reached the Destroyed step of the timing sequence, Take Up negates that entirely. (Infernal Ruling)

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