Fiona the Black
Fiona the Black |
Prime This model is available in one Prime Army, Talion Charter. 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. |
An unabashed Thamarite, Fiona the Black brazenly displays her devotion to that widely loathed goddess and takes pride in having liberated herself from quaint, conventional notions of morality. She has found a home among the pirates and privateers of the Broken Coast, where skill and ambition bring ample rewards—and folly and stupidity invite destruction.
Basic Info
Fiona1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mercenary - In a 2+ caster game she can work for Cryx, Cygnar, or Khador.
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 : Dark Omen
Enemy models roll one fewer die when making attack and damage rolls while in Fiona's control range. Dark Omens lasts for one round.
Abilities
- Cultists - (1) Choose one friendly living non-Morrowan Faction unit at the beginning of the game to be Cultists. Cultists are Thamarite models. (2) This model can upkeep one spell without spending focus if there is one or more Cultist models in formation in its control range during the Control Phase. (3) Cultist models do not suffer damage when spells are channeled through them as a result of Dark Rituals.
- Dark Rituals - This model can channel spells through friendly Faction warrior models in its control range. Immediately after a spell is channeled through a model as a result of Dark Rituals, the model it was channeled through suffers d3 points of magical damage.
- Whiplash - When an enemy misses this model with a magic attack, the attacking model becomes the target and is automatically hit by the attack. AOE magic attacks that miss are centered on the attacking model. This model is the point of origin for all these attacks.
Weapons
Viper | ||||||||||||||
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RNG | POW | P+S | ||||||||||||
2 | 6 | 11 | ||||||||||||
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Spells
COST | RNG | AOE | POW | DUR | OFF | ||
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Befuddle
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2 | 10 | - | - | - | Yes | |
An enemy non-warcaster, non-warlock, non-infernal master model hit by this attack can be pushed up to 3˝ in any direction. A model can be pushed only once per turn as a result of Befuddle. | |||||||
Chasten
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2 | 8 | - | 12 | - | Yes | |
Enemy upkeep spells and animi on target model/unit damaged by this attack expire. | |||||||
Curse of Veils
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2 | 8 | - | - | Upkeep | Yes | |
Target model/unit suffers -2 ARM and does not block LOS. | |||||||
Occultation
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2 | 6 | - | - | Upkeep | No | |
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Stealth. Models are not affected while out of formation. | |||||||
Roth's Mercy
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2 | 6 | - | - | Upkeep | No | |
When an enemy attack disables a living model in the target friendly Faction unit, you can choose a non-disabled living model in the same unit to be destroyed. If another model is destroyed as a result of Roth's Mercy, the disabled model removes 1 damage point. | |||||||
Soulfire
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3 | 10 | 3 | 13 | - | Yes | |
When a living non-soulless model is boxed by Soulfire, the spellcaster gains 1 focus point and the boxed model is RFP'd. If the spellcaster does not have the Focus Manipulation special rule it cannot gain a focus point as a result of Soulfire. |
Theme Forces
Thoughts on Fiona
Fiona in a nutshell
Considered by many to be the strongest caster in the game, Fiona is an offensive spell slinger with good control and support spells. With two or three upkeeps, Soulfire, Chasten, and Curse of Veils as offensive options, she will need to prioritize, but she alwaya has good options. Her ability to arc node through any warrior model makes her very hard to defend against.
Befuddle from anywhere to control on scenario and her very powerful feat make her a force to be reckoned with and hands down the most adaptable mercenary caster. Fiona’s weakness is that she does nothing to speed up or keep your army alive but as long as you can deliver them (helped greatly by the flames in the darkness theme benefit) she will cause all manner of frustration to your opponent.
Feat thoughts
Her feat is a solid defensive effect, but is weaker against gunlines who can stay out of her bubble and shoot in. Generally speaking, her feat gives her a massive advantage against melee armies.
In the current environment there are many models that can reach MAT 10 or higher, and since Fiona has no DEF buff, her feat does not keep infantry as safe as it once did. Some casters like Cyrenia or Orion have tools to get through her feat and have a productive turn regardless.
Spell thoughts
Fiona has a flexible toolbox she can use to reach anywhere thanks to Dark Rituals allowing her to channel from any angle. She's an offensive spellslinger who can cast through any of her warrior models and do a whole lot of things to disrupt the enemy.
- Befuddle - Always useful, even post-nerf. Bring enemies into range, or push them out of range, or out of a scenario zone, or into LoS of something big...the possibilities are endless. Just beware of things that are immune to Push.
- Chasten - Upkeep removal is often a huge deal. It's also her cheap nuke.
- Curse of Veils - An ARM debuff is always incredibly useful, and occasionally you'll use the secondary effect. Unlike the two Calamity casters in faction, Fiona has no problems getting this spell out.
- Roth's Mercy - This is used to protect important unit leaders like the Idrian Skirmishers's chieftain or guide or the Press Gangers's lass, but it can also be used for board control when your opponent needs to clear a lane or zone. It's more powerful than it sounds. It can stop effects like Berserk, Killing Spree and probably at least a dozen other nasty effects that trigger on Destroyed. Just watch out for effects that prevent damage removal as those prevent the spell from working.
- Occultation - Give stealth to something you want to protect. Just useful, especially as incoming fire has right of way.
- Soulfire - With a 3" AOE, the Soulfire can potentially be cast for "free" infinite times ... if you can kill 3 troops each time. So first you need targets to be bunched up, then you need to kill them with POW 7 blast damage which is anything but guaranteed. Combined with Sylys' Arcane Secrets, you can generally get your focus back if this is your first spell of the turn - watch out for Tough models, though.
Drawbacks & Downsides
- She's squishy.
- Any effect that prevents offensive spellcasting can foil her if applied to the right targets. Choir of Menoth Shielding, Arcane Ward, etc...
- Her feat can be countered by shooting from outside her control area.
- She does not keep her army alive outside her feat turn.
Tricks & Tips
- Using Dark Rituals to channel through a multi-wound model will not kill it.
- Some people play cultists defensively for the free upkeeps all game long - others play them aggressively for the free channeling.
- Befuddle a model to stand in the perfect spot to catch multiple models with Soulfire.
- RFP key solos or UAs with Soulfire. A boostable S+P POW 13 can take out most solos in the game.
- Alexia1 can collect the corpses of friendly models who die from Dark Rituals, which she can then convert into fresh arc nodes placed in the perfect positions at the start of the next turn. Additionally, if the original model killed is a Steelhead then Sgt. Nick can bring it back.
List Building Advice
Strategy
Fiona is a toolbox spellcaster who does a lot of weird stuff that disrupts the enemy and causes them to tear their hair out.
Fiona has some infantry support with Roth's Mercy and Occultation, and some ranged support with Curse of Veils and Befuddle. High DEF units and high ARM warjacks benefit most from her feat. She also want to have speedy and expendible flanking models around for channeling through via Dark Rituals so she can get good angles for her offensive spells.
Theme thoughts
The Talion Charter
Fiona is a pirate, and unlike the other three pirate casters, she brings an ARM debuff, which Talion desperately craves. With Rockbottom to handle the hit-fixing and Powder Monkeys to run her jacks, there's good stuff here.
- Powder Monkey - effectively a theme benefit, the Anciliary Attack it can grant to a Mariner (or even a Galleon) is excellent, especially with a caster that can hand out ARM debuffs and back strikes.
- Scharde Dirge Seers - if Fiona takes two Mariners and The Commodore Cannon & Crew one unit can give them all eyeless sight for five effective shooting attacks regardless of things like cloud walls and stealth.
- Scharde Pirates - RAT 7 POW 14 sprays when backed by Lord Rockbottom, this unit can put out a whole lot of devastating shooting and melee. POW 16 under Curse. They also do their own threat extension, which she does not do.
- Sea Dog Pirates with Mr. Walls also bring threat extension, and are a solid choice in the theme.
- The Swabber and Swashbuckler warjacks are quite resilient on her feat turn.
- Press Gangers make outstanding Cultists that can replenish their numbers.
- Swamp Gobber River Raiders probably find their best use with Fiona. Not only are they one-shot channelers with interesting debuffs, when they reel themselves in they can place themselves into the target's back arc so they aren't actually engaged by whoever they hit.
The following models can be taken in Talion but elsewhere, too:
- The Commodore Cannon & Crew is an excellent choice if you don't want to risk her cultists - but may not be fast enough to reach play until turn 3 if you go first.
- Lady Aiyana & Master Holt can stack their ARM debuff on her ARM debuff to burn something to the ground.
- First Mate Hawk can get interesting places with Sprint and Acrobatics and as such provides interesting channel vectors. Object of Desire plus Fiona's Arm Debuff also lets Privateers seriously threaten multi-wound infantry.
- Master Gunner Dougal MacNaile cancels stealth - and helps Privateer shooters.
- Bosun Grogspar cancels pop and drop assassinations.
Fiona is extremely strong in this theme. Flames offers many units and solos that will hold up rather well under her feat and gives her pairs of Advocates for free! Double Thamarite Advocates with a damage buff are extremely scary.
- The Thamarite Archon makes up for the loss of Sylys, allowing her to re-roll her attacks. He's also a self-contained ranged powerhouse and he is nigh invulnerable under her feat. Shoot away!
- Jakes1 can bring high DEF jack, which under Sidekick, will be very hard to deal with under Fiona's feat. The Swashbuckler in particular gets to DEF 17 in melee with dodge while under Sidekick.
- Precursor Knights - They are untargetable by enemy magic natively and hit like trucks when they get there. Fiona helps deliver them.
- Order of Illumination Resolutes are good for arcing spells, taking charges on her feat and being useful in general.
- The Legion of Lost Souls are heavy hitters with good range and are blast-resistant on her feat turn. Take Alexia3 if you take them, for the damage buff.
- The Morrowan Archon adds that extra kick of DEF to make your army extra unhittable in melee during her feat.
- The Hermit of Henge Hold grants an ARM debuff or an accuracy boost, enhancing her effectiveness greatly.
- Alexia2's Thralls hit quite hard on a Cursed target. And she herself is tough to remove when she has stealth. Most importantly however, Alexia can move up spawn a Thrall or three, repo back, and then Fiona can channel through the Thrall, meaning the enemy caster has to constantly worry about her assassination threat.
- Ragman & Gabriel Throne - Your owther resident damage buffs, but at this point the buffs become a bit over kill. Throne also hands out Pathfinder however, which can be a real lifesaver.
- Gallant - A great beastick heavy and with power up, Accumulator and an Advocate you will never have to fuel it.
- Field Mechaniks - always bring at least a minimum unit. They are the cheapest (and only) option for Cultits outside of the maligned The Devil's Shadow Mutineers.
The Irregulars allows the widest possible range of models, including powerful 10 man ranged units to make use of Curse of Veils, Eliminators as mobile arc nodes and most importantly Nemo4, but sadly no Archons. She's very viable here as well.
- Nemo4 is a powerful ranged platform to begin with, totting boostable POW 14 guns with potential for Signs and Portens to really make use of Curse. He can summon a Steelhead Ironhead as a means of threat extension, and recurrs infantry, which synergises with Alexia2.
- One or two units with powerful guns and good DEF are recommended to really make use of Curse and her feat.
- Idrian Skirmishers are an amazing combined arms unit - thanks to their CA - so they love Roth's Mercy. Their ability to Reposition often lets you place one model in an ideal position to arc from once the unit's activation is over.
- Croe's Cutthroats - They have native stealth to keep them safe and with Backstab and Prey they become terrifying with Curse of Veils.
- Kayazy Eliminators are great to channel through as they have acrobatics and multiple hit points - and can survive.
- Asphyxious4 - He's a super "solo" and really loves her feat to stay alive. His respawning servitors can serve as throwaway arc-nodes. His clouds add to the board control.
- Greygore Boomhowler & Co - Probably the best recipient of Roth's Mercy. Have Boomy use his Cacophony Fell Call and run him up next to the spell caster you want to neuter. Unless the enemy has Grievous Wounds or Entropic Force, they cannot get rid of him without burning through his company first.
Most of the non-archon solos in Flames are also available in this theme, as well as a myriad of other solos and lesser warlocks.
- Harlowe Holdemhigh - He brings a tool box of shot types at a low price.
- The other shooty solos also deserve a mention: Eiryss1, Kell Bailoch, Alten Ashley and Scythe
- Boomhowler, Solo Artist - Giving a key ranged solo or unit Reposition allows them to be a bit more aggressive.
- Sylys Wyshnalyrr, The Seeker - Another free upkeep if you brought cultists, extra dice on magic attack and damage rolls and extra range on spells (albeit only on non-channeled ones). Combos very will with the Hermit for Telemetry.
- Lanyssa Ryssyl has a speed buff (which Fiona lacks) which also lets her jack charge for free, which saves her focus, but you rely on Lanyssa hitting and damaging the target. Upgrading her into a Diffuser on Nemo4 for 2 points might prove more worthwhile.
- Gastone Crosse - Discombobulate is a handy accuracy buff and it enables Backstabs to Croes.
- Anastasia - Should be in every Irregs list so you have a high chance to go first.
- Dez & Gubbin - The get Veteran Leader from the Princess and have a powerful long range AOE gun.
- Gudrun the Wasted - Kinetic Distortion makes things not worth shooting udner her feat. Her Advocates can Sucker! to him to fill him with tokens.
Fiona runs this theme quite well. SOF lacks an ARM debuff outside Gorman, so Curse of Veils is helpful and makes the Steelhead Heavy Cavalry extremely powerful. Likely she will cast Occultation on the Cavalry, bring Verendrye and Alexia2 plus a couple units of Steelhead Halberdiers and Rhupert plus whatever else and let the army do its thing while she does hers.
- Rocinante only needs one focus to do its job well, so she can use the rest of it for spellcasting and camping.
Various Themes
- Thamarite Advocate - They can accompany Fiona into any theme. Power lest them top off a jack of hers, or even herself. Knowledge is great for a spellslinger.
- Princess Delores Graciela - For the low price of a Toro somewhere in your list you can get a very shooty solo that is essentially DEF 13, ARM 20, with 35 boxes if you Safe the Princess every attack against her towards the Toro.
Battlegroup
She's not a battlegroup caster, having no innate boosts to jacks or jack spells. She wants to sling spells. So don't bring too many. 2-3 is a fine amount
- Mariner - two Mariners fit almost perfectly into Fiona's jack points. They are good all-round shooty jacks with long ranges, large AOEs, and in the Talion theme they can get a second shot thanks to the Powder Monkey. It is possible to blow heavy targets away by dropping Curse and Kiss on them and shooting them with 3 Mariners plus ancillaries.
- Fiona runs a mean Blockader - turning the sprays up to 11 on the advance, protecting it on her feat turn and after that - rocket fists.
Other
Trivia
- Sculptor: Werner Klocke
- Fiona is Warmachine's first Thamarite, and was the first mercenary caster with a FOCUS stat over 6.
- As a Thamarite, she will use any means necessary to achieve victory. (Thamar's central tenet is that everyone can improve themselves, and should do so by whatever means they deem necessary - as opposed to Morrow's, that everyone can improve themselves and should do this and help everyone else do so)
- Released in Pirates of the Broken Coast (2007)
- This model has a limited edition sculpt, released in 2020.10.
Warjacks she can take
With the way Mercenary battlegroups work, this model can't simply control any Mercenary warjack, and instead is limited to the following choices:
Mercenary Warjacks (Human) (Edit) | |
Light | Buccaneer - Renegade (Magnus only) - Scallywag - Swashbuckler - Talon - Vanguard |
Heavy | Freebooter - Gallant - Mangler - Mariner - Mule - Nomad - Rocinante - Rover - Toro - Swabber |
Colossal | Blockader - Galleon |
- Note: Other restrictions may apply, such as 'Jack Marshals can't control Colossals, character warjacks aren't allowed in most theme forces, etc.
Other Mercenary models
Rules Clarifications
Rules Clarification: : Warcaster (Edit) | |||||
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Rules Clarification : Cultists - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Dark Rituals (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Whiplash (Edit)
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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 : Blessed and/or Creator's Wrath (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Grievous Wounds (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Befuddle (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Chasten (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Curse of Veils - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Occultation (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Self-Sacrifice and/or Roth's Mercy (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Soulfire (Edit)
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- Mercenary
- Privateer
- Thamarite
- Model
- Does have Mk4 rules
- Cryx Mercenary
- Cygnar Mercenary
- Khador Mercenary
- Warcaster
- Cultists
- Dark Rituals
- Whiplash
- Magical Damage
- Blessed
- Grievous Wounds
- Befuddle
- Chasten
- Curse of Veils
- Occultation
- Roth's Mercy
- Soulfire
- Flame in the Darkness
- Soldiers of Fortune
- The Irregulars
- The Talion Charter
- Limited Edition Sculpt