Latest revision as of 18:19, 28 September 2023

Goreshade, Lord of Ruin Cryx Cavalry Warcaster

Unlimited Only This model can only be used in the Unlimited game mode. You can see the other models with / without mk4 rules on this page. Note that the rest of this page is about the model's Mark III rules.

Unquestionably the most influential Iosan ever to have lived, the eldritch and would-be god slayer Goreshade, Lord of Ruin seeks nothing less than the salvation, restoration, and liberation of his people from the gods themselves. After turning the machinations of the Nightmare Empire to his own ends, Goreshade has come closer than ever to achieving his mission. But what Goreshade sees as the path to salvation, Iosans see as a path to damnation.

Basic Info

Goreshade3
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Large SPD 8 STR 7 MAT 7 RAT N/A M.A. N/A DEF 14 ARM 17 CMD N/A ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS 7 FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 17 F. Field N/A WJP +27 WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA N/A UNIT SIZE N/A COST N/A N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

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 - Winter's Grasp

Center 3" AOEs on any number of friendly Faction non-warcaster warrior models currently in Goreshade's control range. Enemy models within an AOE become stationary for one round unless they have Immunity:Cold, then the models the AOEs are centered on are destroyed.

Abilities

• Cavalry
• Undead
• Immunity: Cold
• Spell Vortex - If an enemy model cast a spell in this model's control range last turn, this model can cast one spell without spending focus during his activation this turn.
• Reposition [3"] - At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 3", then its activation ends.

Weapons

• Voass - 2" reach, P+S 15 melee attack. (Still) Stolen from the Iosan god Nyssor!
  • Freeze - A model hit by this weapon becomes stationary for one round unless it has Immunity: Cold.
  • Damage Type: Magical
• Mount - 0.5" reach, POW 12 mount attack

Spells

Theme Forces

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

Thoughts on Goreshade3

Goreshade3 in a Nutshell

He is a highly versatile generalist caster, with a decent statline that lets him mix it up in melee, Spell Vortex to increase his casting, and some useful spells. Unfortunately he is a bit all over the place in terms of army design, such as Mockery of Life encourages you to take powerful undead warriors (such as Bane Riders), but his feat wanting cheap expendable troops (like Mechanithralls). The way theme forces work in Mk3 has exacerbated the problem, with the troops he wants now split apart.

Feat thoughts

His feat is a great solution to high DEF infantry spam, or it can simply be used to reduce the enemy warcaster to DEF 5 before wailing on them with attacks.

It is best to use something expendable (like Mechanithralls) to create the AOEs, but don't overlook the benefit of having an Incorporeal model run through the enemy before triggering the cloud in the opponent's backlines. In this respect, Blackbanes Ghost Raiders are a good choice.

Spell thoughts

• You can stack Mockery of Life with Cryx's other recursive Add to Play abilities. For instance, kill your own thralls and use the Necrosurgeon to build new ones from their corpses at the same time Goreshade brings them back.
  • Note that it can't stack with recursive Return to Play abilities, because you can't return the same model twice.
• Using Mockery of Life before your feat essentially allows you to put stationary wherever you need it.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• A large base is easy to shoot. Depending on your opponent's available firepower, he may be need to put Occultation on himself just to stay alive.
• He doesn't have great DEF for a caster.
• If he pushes forward for combat or to trigger Spell Vortex, he won't have enough focus to camp focus for safety and still cast all the spells he wants.
• With only one offensive spell, he might have a bad match-up vs Incorporeal spam.

Tricks & Tips

• Combine his feat with a Harrower's Quick Work ability. Since stationary models can't engage the Harrower it can punch and trigger Quick Work as many times as it has focus - which is much better than the Harrower's thresher.

List Building Advice

Strategy

His main method of winning is attrition; Mockery of Life brings stuff back, and Infernal Machine and Scything Bolt weight things in his favour. His feat is also excellent for shutting down infantry lists that have bunched up at all, and can be used to set up an assassination as no caster likes being brought down to DEF 5.

Theme thoughts

Mockery of Life, and wanting access to cheap troops for his feat (and preferably incorporeal troops) pushes Goreshade towards the Undead themes; Black Industries, Ghost Fleet, or Dark Host.

    Black Industries    

• Carrion Thralls - The main reason to play this theme for him. With SPD 7 and Flight can can get into inconvenient spaces and be used as feat nodes. Keep one bird back and recur the unit with Necrosurgeon's afterwards.
• Mechanithralls can reliably hit foes that have been made stationary, and with Combo-Strike plus Scything Touch they hit pretty hard, the Brute Thralls especially so.
• Soulhunters - They are a strong flanking unit able to get deep into the enemy lines with their impact attacks and their ability to become incorporeal. This may open a gap to the enemy caster for potshots or an assassination run. You can also return them to play with Mockery.
• The Withershadow Combine - With three upkeep spells, Admonia's free upkeep is very important. When attempting to charge in then reposition to safety with Goreshade, you can secure the stationary from your first attack using Puppet Master. Beyond that, they will be a gunline for you occasionally tearing focus off of the enemy with spell slave.
• Infernal Machine on either Barathrum or Kharybdis is a very good use of the spell.
• Deneghra0 - Soulhunters do pretty well with Curse of Shadows and it is also a crucial damage buff for Shade's army, who, unlike most cryx casters, has none bar Scything Touch.
• Scrap Thrall - They blow up if they are disabled, so you can ignite them yourself with the feat.
• Necrotech - Cheap point fillers who create even more Scrap Thralls for you.
• Infernal Machine on a Sepulcher is a theoretically good use of the spell and in this theme it will have McThralls to recur. Practically, the Sepulcher is still a terrible model and IM does nothing to solve this.

    The Ghost Fleet    

• Blackbane's Ghost Raiders - This is a high-speed incorporeal unit, making them singularly effective to walk through the enemy line so that Goreshade can use his feat on models that would otherwise be unreachable.
• The Misery Cage is available in this theme, helping his focus efficiency.

    Dark Host    

• Bane Riders - Being powerful well armored and very expensive troops, they make some of the best candidates for use of the Mockery of life spell. Place half the unit behind a forest, charge the other half in so they get killed in retaliation. On the next turn Vengeance the remaining members through the forest, revive the 3 fallen members with Mockery repeat the cycle for as long as the opponent lets you. Also, Cavalry tends to attract a great deal of firepower for their ability to cross the field so easily, this makes Occultation a highly valuable spell for this unit.
• You'll want to include some Machine Wraiths as feat targets.

Battlegroup

• Kraken - One of the most grateful recipients of the Infernal Machine spell, this model is nearly guaranteed to make good use of the speed buff as well as the murderous so it can collect those corpses. Once you have stationary targets, enemies in the range of its considerable firepower will have something to worry about.
• Harrower - If you can't find the room for a Kraken, then a Harrower is not a bad substitute. With Pathfinder and Reach, the only thing holding it back is its lackluster speed. Once it receives its buff from Infernal Machine, its murderous thresher will murder thresh.

Other

Trivia

• Released in Warmachine: Vengeance (2014)
• Goreshade 3 is one of the few models to keep the exact same weapon between multiple incarnations. Maybe it's frozen to his hand (like when your tongue gets stuck to an icy pole)?

Video Battle Reports

• 2019.10 Feat Fetish, vs Locke1
• See also Category: Video Battle Reports for more casters with videos.

Other Cryx models

Cryx Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warcasters	Agathia - Aiakos2 - Asphyxious1 - Asphyxious2 - Asphyxious3 - Coven - Deathjack2 - Deneghra1 - Deneghra2 - Deneghra3 - Goreshade1 - Goreshade2 - Goreshade3 - Mortenebra1 - Mortenebra2 - Rahera - Scaverous - Skarre1 - Skarre2 - Skarre3 - Sturgis2 - Terminus - Venethrax
Warcaster attachments	The Withershadow Combine - Satyxis Blood Priestess - Skarlock Thrall - Doctor Stygius (Partisan) - Madelyn Corbeau (Mercenary)
Other Warjack Controllers	Jack Marshals: Iron Lich Overseer       "Junior Warcasters": Aiakos1 - Asphyxious4 - Deneghra0
Light	Cankerworm - Deathripper - Defiler - Helldiver - Nightwretch - Ripjaw - Scavenger - Shrike - Stalker
Heavy	Barathrum - Corruptor - Deathjack1 - Desecrator - Erebus - Harrower - Kharybdis - Inflictor - Leviathan - Malice - Nightmare - Reaper - Seether - Slayer
Colossal	Kraken - Sepulcher
Units, Solos, Battle Engines, & Structures
Units	Asphyxious4 - Bane Knights - Bane Riders - Bane Warriors - Bile Thralls - BO Boarding Party - BO Ironmongers - BO Smog Belchers - Blackbane's Ghost Raiders - Bloodgorgers - Marauders - Carrion Thralls - Cephalyx Drudges - Cephalyx Overlords - Mechanithralls - Necrosurgeon - Revenant Cannon - Revenant Crew - Satyxis Gunslingers - Satyxis Blood Witches - Satyxis Raiders - Scharde Dirge Seers - Scharde Pirates - Soulhunters - The Devil's Shadow Mutineers - The Withershadow Combine
Solos	Aiakos1 - Agrimony - Axiara - Bane Lord Tartarus - Bloat Thrall - BTO Mobius - Captain Rengrave - Darragh Wrathe - Doctor Stygius - Deneghra0 - Gerlak - Hellslinger - Iron Lich Overseer - Machine Wraith - Master Gurglepox - Misery Cage - Necrotech - Ol' Grim - Pistol Wraith - Satyxis Blood Priestess - Satyxis Raider Captain - Scrap Thrall - Skarlock Thrall - Severa Blacktide - Soul Trapper - Warwitch Siren
Battle Engines & Structures	Wraith Engine
Theme Forces
Black Industries - Dark Host - The Ghost Fleet - Scourge of the Broken Coast
Mercenaries
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Cryx Mercenary
This index was last updated: 2021.11

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Freeze      (Edit) Remember Stationary only prevents what it says it does. Refer the page on Stationary for a refresher.

Rules Clarification:  : Magical Damage      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

* 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) All spells have "Damage Type: Magical" (refer errata). This is inherited by "immediate" secondary damage (such as Eruption of Spines). (Infernal Ruling) and might be inherited by "lingering" secondary damage (see below). If a spell leaves a template in play that does damage to models that walk around in it, then: if it is not described as a hazard it will do magical damage to models that walk around in it. (Example: Razor Wall) if it is a hazard then it will not do magical damage to models that walk around in it. Instead, it does whatever damage type is specified by the spell description. (Example: Breath of Corruption). (Infernal Ruling) If a weapon/spell includes Magic Damage and another kind of elemental damage it will still damage Incorporeal models. Incorporeal models are not affected by the rule "if an attack does multiple types of damage and a model is immune to at least one it is immune to the entire attack." The phrase "immune to non-magical damage" should be interpreted as "immune to damage that doesn't include Damage Type: Magical" (not interpreted as "has immunity to Corrosion and Electricity and Cold and etc.")

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

General Damage from a feat is neither an attack nor Damage Type: Magical (unless the feat says it is). FOCUS (uppercase) is the stat printed on the warcaster's card. Focus (lowercase) refers to focus points a model currently has. Your CTRL area is double your FOCUS stat, not double your focus points. (Infernal Ruling) Casting spells or using feats is an anytime ability with the added restriction that you can't use them on the same turn you run even before you run. See also the clarifications on Any Time abilities (below). Some warcasters are also Battle Engines and thus follow all the Battle Engine special rules. There is no particular interaction between the Battle Engine rules and the Warcaster rules. Work out all damage modifiers (such as Decapitation doubling the damage that exceeds ARM) before reducing it with the Power Field. (Infernal Ruling) 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) Warcaster/Warlock Cavalry ( Edit ) Warcasters/Warlocks can't cast spells or use their feat while resolving Impact Attacks. Because Impact Attacks occur during movement - you can use spells or feat before moving, or after moving, but not during movement. Exception: If your Impact target(s) include your charge target, then your movement has ended (refer rulebook, last paragraph of 'Impact Attacks') and thus you're fine to use "any time" abilities before starting the Impact attacks. Rules Clarification:  : Warcaster Unit or Warlock Unit     (Edit) (Click Expand to read) This summary is specific to Warcaster/Warlock units. You may also want to check the Warcaster and Warlock pages respectively, for the "regular" rules clarifications. All models in the unit count as part of the battlegroup. So, for instance, Butcher3's argus can be moved via his Energizer spell. Warcaster units can have attachments. They can even attach units (such as the WSC). (Infernal Ruling) The non-caster models are trooper models but are not normally Grunt models. Therefore they're not normally eligible for stuff like Revive. If any member of the unit start to do their reposition movement, the warcaster or warlock in the unit would no longer be able to feat.(Infernal Ruling) Press Forward Order vs Spells cast at Any Time (Edit) You must issue orders before anything else. If you issue a Press Forward order, you must run or charge. If you cast spells before moving, you can't run so you must charge. If you cast spells before moving, then start the spellcaster's Normal Movement but have no valid charge targets, you are in a situation where you must charge but cannot charge. In this situation the spellcaster must either: forfeit their Combat Action, use their Normal Movement to make a full advance, then their activation ends. (Note that you cannot cast more spells after the full advance). forfeit their Normal Movement, then their activation ends. (Infernal Ruling) Steamroller 2018 The non-caster models can contest scenario zones & flags. The caster model cannot contest. The caster model can control zones and flags by itself, but: to control a zone, the entire unit remaining in play needs to be in formation. to control a flag, the entire unit remaining in play must be within 4" of the flag. Units Buying Attacks (Edit) If you make attacks with model [A], then start making attacks with model [B], you cannot 'go back' and buy more attacks with [A]. Because: A model can only buy additional attacks during its Combat Action. A model in a unit must complete its Combat Action before the next model starts theirs (with some exceptions, like CMA). Rules Clarification : Unit of Warcasters or Warlocks     (Edit) Even though they're warcasters, if they're out of formation they suffer the normal penalties (can't make attacks, actions, spells, etc). They can't upkeep each other's spells. They can only dominate one SteamRoller scenario element at a time. Each warlock/warcaster can have different upkeeps on them if those upkeeps are "target SELF" or "target model". If you cast an upkeep that is "target model/unit", that is the only upkeep any of them can have. Units Buying Attacks (Edit) If you make attacks with model [A], then start making attacks with model [B], you cannot 'go back' and buy more attacks with [A]. Because: A model can only buy additional attacks during its Combat Action. A model in a unit must complete its Combat Action before the next model starts theirs (with some exceptions, like CMA). The Legion Twins Rhyas cannot dominate a zone while out of formation. Rhyas can use the feat while out of formation. Haley3 Only Haley Prime is an 'actual' warcaster model, and as such she is the only one that can dominate a scenario element. The echoes can Control/Contest scenarios like a normal unit. Haley Prime can dominate an element even if the echoes are out of formation.

Rules Clarification : Undead - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Spell Vortex      (Edit) Spell Vortex doesn't stack. You get only one free spell, no matter how many times enemies cast spells last turn.

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 : Infernal Machine      (Edit) Rules Clarification : Murderous - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Occultation      (Edit) 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 : Scything Touch      (Edit) Rules Clarification : Dark Shroud      (Edit) Dark Shroud only applies to your melee range, and this doesn't include behind you. Refer to the latest errata. The ARM debuff still applies during a free strike.

Rules Clarification : Siphon Bolt and/or Energy Siphon     (Edit) The focus/fury is stolen on "Hit", before they have a chance to spend it to reduce/transfer damage. If you hit something which can't have focus reduced (ie Egregore) then you still get +1 focus, and they ignore the -1 focus. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Revive and/or Raise the Dead and/or Mockery of Life     (Edit) This spell can be used on models that cannot be targeted by spells (such as models with Spell Ward), because the spell doesn't 'target' anybody. Anti-spell stuff that triggers on 'target' (such as Arcane Vortex) doesn't work vs these spells, because of the same logic. However anti-spell stuff which prevents all spell-casting (such as Bestial) does work vs this spell. Return/Add to Play - Typical (Edit) If you're returning/adding multiple models simultaneously, they are placed sequentially. Often this will let you leapfrog the "within 3" of [x]" requirement. If you're adding models to a unit, then typically there is no limit and you can go over the unit's starting size. However, some abilities do have a limit (such as Stir the Dead) If you're returning models to a unit, then you're limited by how many there are in the "dead but not removed from play" pile.     (See Add, Return, and Remove From Play for further detail.) If you're adding more models than you started with, then in a Tournament you must physically own the correct models - proxies are not allowed in tournaments. (Locked thread) Return/Add to Play - Other Units (Edit) "Return to Play" and "Add to Play" are quite simple if you only return models to your own unit (like Blood-Bound) or only return independent models (like Thagrosh1's feat). But if you're returning/adding models to other units, then click to read more.   [Show/Hide] If you can return multiple troopers at once, they don't all have to be the same unit. Spread the love around. Troopers must return to their original unit. Even if you have two units of the same type (such as two units of Convergence Eradicators) then you can't have 4 die from unit [A] and return them all to unit [B]. If your rule is something like "return d3 models to units within CMD range" (Old Witch3) then it is d3 models total, not d3 models to each and every unit. If your rule is something like "spend 1 soul to return 1 Grunt" (Enigma Foundry) then it doesn't matter where the souls came from originally. Think of them like currency, in this case. You can Return models even after a unit is reduced to just Attachments (Weapon or Command) If your Return ability lets you return a Leader or Officer model, then they will immediately become the unit commander and redefine the "in formation" bubble. If your Return ability only allows Grunts, then the Grunt will not be field promoted when he arrives. This means that, in the unusual scenario where the Leader model has different wargear to the Grunts (such as Cygnar Stormguard), then that wargear is effectively 'lost'.