Trencher Commandos

Trencher Commandos Cygnar Trencher Unit Scattergunner Weapon Attachment Officer Command Attachment

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

Forged during years of warfare in some of the most brutal fighting in all the Iron Kingdoms, the toughest soldiers of the Trenchers are singled out for special training. These commandos must master a variety of skills that include camouflage and covert unit coordination in addition to the deadly knife fighting techniques that are their trademark. In battle they crawl to the very edge of no man’s land to silently neutralize enemy scouts and snipers and disappear back into the woods without a trace.

A coordinated commando assault supported by grenades and scatterguns rapidly turns units of enemy of soldiers into ground meat.

Masters of covert operations, sabotage, and targeted elimination behind enemy lines, the officers of the trencher commandos are the best of the best. These officers lead squads of commandos on the most dangerous and sensitive assignments, where their paramount goal is always simple: complete the mission at any cost.

Basic Info

Trencher Commandos
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Small SPD 6 STR 6 MAT 7 RAT 6 M.A. N/A DEF 13 ARM 13 CMD 8 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 1 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 2 UNIT SIZE 6 / 10 +1CA +0 to 2 WA COST 8 / 13 +3CA +1 per WA 1.3 each (base unit) 1.4 each (max attachments) N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Abilities

• Entire Unit
  • Stealth
  • Advance Deployment
  • Tough
  • Pathfinder
  • Anatomical Precision - When this model's melee damage roll fails to exceed the ARM of the living model hit, that model suffers 1 damage point. A model disabled by a melee attack made by this model cannot make a Tough roll.

• Officer only
  • He has +1 MAT, RAT, CMD, and 5 hitpoints
  • Officer
  • Granted: Reposition [3"] - While this model is in formation, models in its unit gain Reposition [3"]. (Reposition [3"] - At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [3"] can advance up to 3", then its activation ends.)
  • Tactics: Quick Work - Models in this unit gain Quick Work. (Quick Work - When a model with Quick Work destroys one or more enemy models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved it can make one basic ranged attack.)
  • Mission Objective [ Minifeat ] - Once per game at any time during its activation, this model can use Mission Objective. When this model does so, choose an enemy model/unit in this model's LOS. This activation, models in this unit gain +2 to attack and damage rolls against the chosen model/unit.

Weapons

Leader, Grunts, & Officer	Carbine  RNG   ROF   AOE   POW  10 1 - 10 Grenade  RNG   ROF   AOE   POW  6 1 3 12 Cumbersome - This model cannot attack with this weapon and with another weapon on the same activation. Trench Knife  RNG   POW   P+S  0.5 3 9
Scattergunner	Scatter Gun  RNG   ROF   AOE   POW  SP 8 1 - 12 Trench Knife  RNG   POW   P+S  0.5 3 9

Theme Forces

• Cygnar
  • Gravediggers. This unit gains Rise in this theme.

• Other Factions
  • Infernal players can use this unit in the Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Sloan is leading the army.
  • Mercenary players can use this unit in the Llaelese Resistance theme. They become Llaelese models and gain Pathfinder.

Thoughts on the Trencher Commandos

Weapon Attachment

Trencher Commandos in a nutshell

Trencher Commandos are something of a toolbox unit. They're capable of taking on light infantry with their carbines and light jacks/heavy infantry with their grenades if enough of them can get into range. They're also a great counter to units such as Widowmaker Scouts, which have no natural ability to deal with Stealth.

Thoughts on adding the WAs

• Scattergunners aren't that different from their common brethren, except for the fact that they got a shotgun. Which should be more than enough reason to consider adding as many of them as possible, especially with the CA since it gives them Quick Work and Mission Objective. They can charge in, kill a model thanks to anatomical precision and lay down some spray templates to absolutely shred infantry. With the changes to the points values in late 2021 the WAs are cheaper per model than the main unit, making them even more attractive.
• A Battle Priest can be a huge boon to the unit, as it grants them Rise which works perfectly with native Tough. Mission Objective also affects him. The downside is that the Priest will have nothing to do on turns you just want to shoot and cannot Quick Work either.

Thoughts on adding the CA

As if Cygnar needed more ways to massacre single box infantry - but the CA is very very good at that, especially combined with the Scattergunners. Reposition's great on a stealth unit - and if you're expecting a lot of enemies then quick work with rifles or scatter guns can create a hell of a mess in the enemy's back line. The commando grenades are well suited to dealing damage to multi-box infantry or to light warjacks/warbeasts when combined with the CA's Mission Objective.

Combos & Synergies

• If you're taking Commandos, you will probably want to take Captain Maxwell Finn. Not only is he an unholy terror by himself, your Commandos become effective MAT8 as a result. RAT7 sprays from the Scatter Gunners makes their ranged output very nasty, too.
• Both of the iterations of Siege work wonders with the Commandos.
  • Colonel Markus 'Siege' Brisbane extends their threat radius immensely via Desperate Pace and his feat, effectively turning the Commandos into SPD11 models.
    • Fury also mitigates their subpar melee damage vs non-living or multi-wound models. Stealth also means the DEF penalty is less of an issue as they close on the enemy.
    • The feat-created Dig In is also nice for their survivability, although they generally prefer it for the threat extension.
  • While Major Markus 'Siege' Brisbane doesn't add much to their threat radius, under his feat they hit like trucks. POW14 grenades and Scatterguns are far more scary when they can damage an ARM20 model at dice plus four.
• Captain Allison Jakes gives them a surprise boost during her feat, making their melee weapons RNG2.
• Captain Allister Caine as with all Trencher units, can keep them from being knocked down when they succeed Tough checks.
• Captain Jeremiah Kraye Countermeasure turns them into anti range monsters. With Stealth preventing shooting over a distance of 5 inches or greater, Countermeasure prevents shooting over a distance of less the 5 inches. This makes them screen/jamb much harder then most units.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Anatomical Precision has no impact on Undead models, or the Construct infantries of the Convergence.
• They're reliant on Stealth and terrain to keep them alive - their base DEF and ARM are not hard to get through for most units in the game. If you are up against models with True Sight or Eyeless Sight, your Commandos will not last long.
• Their short melee range means it can be hard to get the charge on to their main prey - high ARM - single wound, Tough infantry.
• No Take Up or anything on the Scattergunner
• The addition of Quick Work from the CA doesn't allow you to throw grenades since they are Cumbersome.

Tricks & Tips

Command Attachment

• Anatomical Precision means they're great against high ARM, single box infantry. But with the low melee range of their trench knives, you may have to use some of the unit to absorb a charge and then attack with the rest of the unit in your next turn.
• Anatomical Precision also gives Tough units such as trollkin pause for thought.
• Position the Scattergunners throughout the unit to make it harder for your opponent to take them out without either getting into melee or putting his units squarely in your commandos' threat range.
• Between AoE shots, templates, Reposition and occasionally Quick Work, this unit can eat up your death clock pretty fast. Practice accordingly.
• Remember AoE deviation rules, as a point blank thrown grenade cannot deviate far enough to not hit your target.
• Charge as much Commandos into a target as possible (with the right positioning you can get 5 of them into melee with a heavy), then reposition away to make room for a flanking Trench Buster to finish the target off.

Other

Trivia

• The unit & WA were released in Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar (2010.02)
• The CA was released in the Gravediggers expansion (2017.06)

Other Cygnar models

Cygnar Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warcasters	Caine1 - Caine2 - Caine3 - Constance - Darius - Haley1 - Haley2 - Haley3 - Jakes2 - Kraye - Maddox - Nemo1 - Nemo2 - Nemo3 - Sloan - Stryker1 - Stryker2 - Stryker3 - Siege1 - Siege2 - Sturgis1
Warcaster attachments	Squire (Cygnar) - Madelyn Corbeau (Merc) - Reinholdt (Merc) - Wyshnalyrr (Merc)
Other Warjack Controllers	Battlegroup Controllers: Caine0 - Nemo4 - Jakes1 - Journeyman - T. Warcaster Lieutenant 'Jack Marshals: Runewood - Strangewayes - Anson Hitch - Stormblade Captain - T. Master Gunner - Gun Mage CA - Stormblade CA - Sword Knights CA
Light	Charger - Firefly - Grenadier - Hunter - Lancer - Minuteman - Sentinel Ace - Thorn
Heavy	Avenger - Centurion - Cyclone - Defender - Hammersmith - Ironclad - Reliant - Stormclad Brickhouse - Dynamo - Gallant - Ol' Rowdy - Thunderhead - Triumph
Colossal	Stormwall - Hurricane
Units, Solos, Battle Engines, & Structures
Units	Arcane Tempest Gun Mages - Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team - Field Mechaniks - Legion of Lost Souls - Long Gunner Infantry - OoI Resolutes - OoI Vigilants - Precursor Knights - Rangers - Silver Line Stormguard - Storm Lances - Stormblades - Stormguard - Stormsmith Grenadiers - Storm Tower - Sword Knights - Tempest Blazers - Tr Cannon Crew - Tr Chain Gun Crew - Tr Commandos - Tr Express Team - Tr Long Gunners - Tr Infantry - Tr Mechaniks Special CA : Captain Jonas Murdoch (Mercenary unit) - Special WA: Morrowan Battle Priest (any unit)
Solos	Arcane Tempest Rifleman - Archduke Runewood - Captain Arlan Strangewayes - Captain Maxwell Finn - Commander Anson Hitch - Dreyfus1 - Dreyfus2 & Flubbin2 - Grand Master Gabriel Throne - Glyn Cormier, Illuminated One - Gun Mage Captain Adept - Journeyman Lieutenant Allister Caine - Journeyman Warcaster - Harlan Versh, Illuminated One - Lieutenant Allison Jakes - Lieutenant Bastian Falk - Lieutenant Gwen Keller - Major Katherine Laddermore - Major Harrison Gibbs - Morrowan Archon - Savio Montero Acosta - Squire - Stormblade Captain - Stormcallers - Tr Buster - Tr Master Gunner - Tr Patrol Dog - Tr Warcaster Lieutenant - Viktor Pendrake
Battle Engines & Structures	Nemo4 - Storm Strider - Trencher Blockhouse
Theme Forces
Flame in the Darkness - Gravediggers - Heavy Metal - Sons of the Tempest - Storm Division
Mercenaries
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Cygnar Mercenary
This index was last updated: 2021.11

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Cumbersome - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Advance Deployment      (Edit) Sometimes you can attach a WA or CA that doesn't have AD to a unit that does have AD. If you do, the attachment effectively gains AD and they can all advance deploy together. (Locked Thread)

Rules Clarification : Stealth      (Edit) Stealth models are not invisible and you can target them - you'll just auto-miss most of the time. You can target them with a charge. You can target them with an AOE, have it auto-miss and scatter, luckily land on top of them anyway, and that will hit them.

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

Rules Clarification : Tough - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Blight Storm and/or Anatomical Precision and/or Affliction     (Edit) With an AOE, only the model directly hit by the AOE will take auto-damage, other models in the AOE take normal damage. You don't get auto-damage on stuff which isn't an attack, like Electro Leap and Flak Field. If someone is immune to damage, you can't trigger the auto-damage vs them. Because you never got a damage roll in the first place. (Infernal Ruling) When this ability is triggered by a spell (ie Blight Storm or Affliction) then that does not change the source of the damage to the caster, nor change the damage type to magical. It merely changes the result of a damage roll. (Infernal Ruling)

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 : Reposition      (Edit) Models out of formation cannot move via Reposition. Refer to the "Out of Formation" rules in the core rulebook. End of Activation (Edit) You cannot resolve two end-of-activation movement effects (refer to "End of Activation Movement" in the core rulebook). For EOA stuff that doesn't involve movement, though, it gets a bit more murky: Some EOA abilities explicitly state your activation ends as part of resolving the ability (like Reposition), and some don't (like Refuge). Whether it is explicit it or not, by definition an EOA ability is the last thing you can do for that activation. For instance, if you resolve Refuge and then continue your activation to cast more spells, then you have not used Refuge at the end of your activation. You cannot do an "at any time" ability during or after triggering an EOA ability; you cannot cast spells, purchase additional attacks, use a mini-feat, etc. If you start resolving an EOA movement (such as Reposition) then you cannot trigger abilities that occur "at any time" (such as Go To Ground). Because you can't trigger it while resolving the EOA movement, and after the EOA movement your activation has ended. (Infernal Ruling) For units: if any model in the unit starts resolving the unit's EOA movement, then no model in the unit can trigger an any-time ability. (Infernal Ruling) See also the training article: LPG - End of Activation.

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 : Quick Work      (Edit) If you're still engaged in melee when Quick Work triggers, you won't be able to make the ranged attack. Unless you have a special rule that lets you shoot while in melee (such as Gunfighter). (Infernal Ruling) Quick Work specifies "Combat Action" so doesn't work with Impact Attacks or out-of-activation attacks Attack-Generating Abilities (Edit) From the core rulebook: When a model is granted more attacks as a result of an attack it made, it gains only one. If two or more special rules would grant the model another attack as a result of making an attack, its controlling player chooses which special rule to apply. If you trigger two attack-generating abilities (such as Black Spot and Kill Shot) you choose to resolve one and "lose" the other (unless you trigger it again later). If you trigger two attack-generating abilities, and one of them is compulsory (such as Black Spot and Berserk), you must choose to resolve the compulsory one. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Mission Objective      (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)

Note to Editors To edit the WA's tagged abilities, Click here To edit the CA's tagged abilities, Click here