Aradus Scarab

Aradus Scarab Skorne Lesser Warbeast

Prime This model is available in one Prime Army, Exalted. 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.

Scarabs are enormous, ravenous insect-like creatures native to the Trembling Waste. Skorne beast handlers drive scarabs mad with hunger, then loose them onto the battlefield in advance of a main force to consume any living thing in their path. The terrifying sight of these voracious beasts swarming over defenses has caused even veteran soldiers to flee for their lives.

Basic Info

Aradus Scarab
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Small SPD 5 STR 5 MAT 5 RAT N/A M.A. N/A DEF 11 ARM 12 CMD 5 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY 2 THRS 7 HP 13 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA U UNIT SIZE N/A COST 3 N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Warbeast - All warbeasts share a huge stack of special rules. The short version is they're big, furious, and beat stuff up pretty good. Click here for a newbie-friendly recap, or click here for the full rules.

Abilities

• Carapace - This model gains +4 ARM against ranged attack damage rolls.
• Hunting Pack - This model gains a +1 cumulative bonus to melee attack and damage rolls for each other Aradus with the target of this model's melee attack in its melee range. This cumulative bonus cannot exceed +3.
• Steady - This model cannot become knocked down.

Weapons

Mandibles
		RNG				POW				P+S
		0.5				5				10
Critical Paralysis - On a critical hit, a living model hit has its base DEF reduced to 5 and cannot run, charge or make slam or trample power attacks for one round.

Animus

	COST	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
Scuttler	1	6	-	-	(★)	No
Target friendly Faction lesser warbeast immediately Digs In. Dig In - While dug in, a model gains cover, does not suffer blast damage, and does not block LOS. A model remains dug in until it moves, is placed, or is engaged.

Theme Forces

• Disciples of Agony
• Masters of War
• The Exalted
• Winds of Death

Thoughts on the Aradus Scarab

Aradus Scarab in a nutshell

The Scarab is a missile resistant lesser warbeast. Unless you have a caster that can mitigate its low threat range it is mostly a 3 point animus bot and transfer target that may make it into the fight in the second wave.

It has a lot of rules on its card, but most are hampered by poor basic stats. As a result it likes a caster with a field marshal or passive Warbeast buff - of which there are plenty in Skorne.

Combos & Synergies

• Agonizer - probably the best recommendation for the Scarab as the Scarab can have the Agonizer dig in
• Archdomina Makeda - each of these little bugs becomes a shield guard with Carapace. It almost feels like cheating against gunlines...almost.
• Tyrant Zaadesh - His Tag Team stacks with the Scarab's own mini-gang.
• Lord Arbiter Hexeris - his Field Marshall-Channeler turns each beast into an arc node. In addition, Scarabs have several aids to channeling with both Dig In and Carapace making them resistant to shooting and magic. While they die in melee by droves unless enjoying Ashen Veil, if the opponent runs to engage to prevent channeling, then Carapace gives the bugs a slight chance at sucking up the free strike and channeling anyway.
• Lord Tyrant Zaadesh - They can use Battle Charged to engage channelers and ranged attackers, if they are lucky they may even paralyse them. They can enable the Flank of Zaadesh. Zaadesh can sacrificial pawn ranged attacks to them. Under the feat, they hit notably hard for such cheap models. All in all, a lot of utility especially if the battlegroup contains Aradus Warbeasts.
• Terrorizer another great animus target
• other Aradus warbeasts to stack Pack Hunter - this is easier to use in conjunction with Zaadesh2 or as a semi effective way to clear chaff infantry from your more expensive beasts before they activate
• Xerxis Fury of Halaak his field marshal is great on any beast and his feat let’s you choose the dice you want to drop so you can crit fish a bit easier

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Slow. Rush is remarkably ineffective on them
• Very low base MAT and P+S. You need to stack bonuses, including hunting pack, to make them worth their point.
• Fragile in melee. Charging infantry almost always kill them in two shots, and killing in one charge attack isn't exactly hard.
• this does not affect their gameplay in any way - but they are very frustrating to assemble as miniatures due to lots of very small parts

Tricks & Tips

• You can have them run and have someone else cast Scuttler on them.
• remember that although it’s a spell Dig In lasts until you move or are engaged it does not expire
• They are the cheapest souls you can buy with warbeast points.
• They are pretty good charge lane blockers when dug in. Removing them with magic or ranged attacks is often obnoxiously hard because they will be 15/16, and sending melee models without interfering with the charge can be a headache. Especially because they often require two models to be removed reliably.
• Never put your hopes too high with them. They are significantly cheaper per model than elite infantry for a reason.
• Remember you can use dig in on the agonizer or the Terrorizer you can also cast it on a Reptile Hound if you are a masochist and choose to field 1 and a Razor Boar if playing in disciples of agony.
• 3pts makes 1 a cheap enough investment that it can just be kept back as an animus bot and transfer target if you have spare points.

Other

Trivia

Released in Hordes: Exigence (2014)

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 : Paralysis - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification:  : Warbeast      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

See also the Warbeast page for a recap of the core warbeast rules. Forcing If an ability doesn't specify how much it costs to force, it costs 1. (Infernal Ruling) Animi A single Animus can be on several models at the same time. (Infernal Ruling) Unlike in Mk2, in Mk3 if a model has an animus on it from any source and then another animus is cast on that model, it will lose the first instance of an animus and will be replaced by the second. It does not matter if either the first animus or the second animus is from a warlock or warbeast. (Infernal Ruling) An animi cast by a warlock is an animi and a spell. (Infernal Ruling) Transferring Damage If both the warlock and the warbeast are damaged by the same attack (such as an AOE), then you need to apply the 'normal' damage to the warbeast before the transferred damage. This distinction can be important when you're working out who/what actually destroyed the beast. (Infernal Ruling) Frenzy (Edit) You cannot trigger optional abilities (such as Cleave or Sprint). (Infernal Ruling) You must trigger compulsory abilities (such as Consume) ... except for compulsory abilities that also generate an extra attack (such as Berserk). In that case, you don't get the Berserk attack. (Infernal Ruling) A warbeast may not make an Assault shot as part of a Frenzy activation. If the closest target to a warbeast resolving a Frenzy cannot be charged, then the warbeast will forfeit movement and action (as per the rules of having to charge and not being able to). (Infernal Ruling) If a frenzying warbeast can't reach its charge target (because the charge lane is blocked by terrain, etc) then it will make a failed charge and end its activation. (Locked thread) If a frenzying warbeast has two melee weapons with the same POW, it can choose which one to use. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Carapace - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Hunting Pack - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Steady      (Edit) If you are hit by a knockdown effect during your own turn then ... nothing happens. Unless it was a Slam or a Throw that knocked you down. In that situation, there is a core rule that says "models immune to knockdown that become knocked down from a slam or throw must forfeit either movement or action when they activate". But that core rule doesn't apply to other knockdowns (lots of players assume it does) Steady models are still susceptible to other effects of knock-down attacks (if there are any). For instance, a Head Butt attack causes damage and knockdown - a Steady model would still take the damage. A knocked down model that gains Steady will remain knocked down, because the "cannot be knocked down" is not retroactively applied. Steady models who make a tough check during an advance can continue advancing. (Locked Thread)

Rules Clarification : Scuttler      (Edit) Scuttler doesn't have a duration, it just applies the Dig In effect. If you are then hit with a "animi expire" debuff, you will stay Dug In. Rules Clarification : Dig In and/or Foxhole Buddy     (Edit) Unlike nearly every ability in the game, Dig In doesn't have a "expires after one turn/round" clause. Thus you could spend your action on turn 1 to Dig In and (assuming you don't move or get engaged) stay Dug In on turn 2 and use your action to make ranged attacks. Being pushed counts as moving. (Locked thread) If a model with Dig In is added to play or returned to play, it does not count as "starting the game". It can't be put into play already Dug In. (Infernal Ruling) You can use Dig In while you're in someone's back arc. You are engaging, but not engaged.