Karchev & Deathjack, Malignant Fusion
Karchev & Deathjack, Malignant Fusion |
As the world ended at Hengehold, the Greylord Karchev the Terrible fell in battle. The warjack chassis carrying his withered mortal remains was shredded, leaving him to crawl along using his sole functioning mechanikal limb. Yet Karchev was too stubborn to die; he made a dangerous decision how to survive.
In the battle wreckage nearby, Karchev found the remains of the Deathjack, a nightmare helljack of legend. Karchev knew the creature drew much of its power from the enourmous Skulls of Hate fused to it, which were said to regenerate its hull. Thus, Karchev tore the Skulls from the ruined Deathjack and clamped them onto his own metal frame.
The fusion of the two created a mechanikal horror. Karchev's mind constantly pitted against the Deathjack's horrific intent to control their shared body. Karchev has control, but only for now. The unholy terror they've become cares not for loot or gear, fortune or glory; it exists only to destroy.
Spoilers only |
Contents
Basic Info
Deathjack2 & Karchev2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Riot Quest - Although this model has rules which allow it to be played in Warmachine and Hordes, it was primarily designed for the Riot Quest boardgame. RQ is set in an alternate and/or future timeline where the Infernals won the war. Some of the RQ models are slightly more goofy than their WMH equivalents.
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.
- Note: When taken in a Cryx army, he can only take Cryx warjacks. When taken in a Khador army, he can only take Khador warjacks.
Feat: To the Slaughter
Karchev & Deathjack, and models in their battlegroup currently in their control range immediately advance up to 5". An affected warjack that advanced in this manner and ended its movement engaging one or more enemy models immediately gains 1 focus.
Abilities
- Construct
- Hate Infused - The S boxes of this model's damage grid represent its Skulls of Hate system. While this model's Skulls of Hate system is not crippled, it gains +2 FOCUS.
- Meat for the Beast - Once during each of your turns when a model in this model's battlegroup destroys an enemy model with a melee attack while in this model's control range, immediately after the attack is resolved this model can cast a spell without spending focus.
- Monster in the Machine - Karchev & Deathjack is both a living model and a construct model but is neither a warjack nor a warrior model. Karchev & Deathjack has a damage grid and suffers damage like a warjack. Karchev & Deathjack can make slam, trample and throw power attacks without spending focus but cannot make throw power attacks while his Open Fist is crippled. Effects modifying the amount of damage to or the manner in which damage is applied to a warjack also apply to him. Karchev cannot spend focus points to remove damage.
Weapons
Sinkhole | |||||||||||||||
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RNG | ROF | AOE | POW | LOCATION | |||||||||||
10 | 1 | 4 | 12 | None | |||||||||||
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Necroclaw | |||||||||||||||
RNG | POW | P+S | LOCATION | ||||||||||||
1 | 6 | 18 | Left | ||||||||||||
Sunderer | |||||||||||||||
RNG | POW | P+S | LOCATION | ||||||||||||
2 | 7 | 19 | Right | ||||||||||||
Spells
COST | RNG | AOE | POW | DUR | OFF | ||
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Abattoir
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2 | SELF | Control | - | - | No | |
Models in the spellcaster's battlegroup currently in their CTRL range can immediately make one basic melee attack. Abattoir can be cast only once per activation. | |||||||
Death Ward
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2 | 6 | - | - | Upkeep | No | |
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +2 ARM. If an affected warjack is damaged, choose which column suffers the damage. Models are not affected while out of formation. | |||||||
Full Throttle
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3 | SELF | Control | - | Turn | No | |
Warjacks in the spellcaster's battlegroup beginning their activations in its control range can run, charge, or make slam or trample power attacks without spending focus that activation. While in the spellcaster's control range, models in its battlegroup gain boosted melee attack rolls. Full Throttle lasts one turn. | |||||||
Locked Horns
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3 | SELF | Control | - | Round | No | |
While in the spellcaster's control range, friendly Faction models gain Unyielding. Locked Horns lasts for one round.
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Onslaught
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2 | SELF | Control | - | Upkeep | No | |
The spellcaster and friendly Faction models beginning their activations in its control range gain Relentless Charge for one turn.
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Theme Forces
- Khador
- Armored Korps
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Flame in the Darkness - Jaws of the Wolf
- Legion of Steel
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Warriors of the Old Faith - Winter Guard Kommand. In this theme the caster gains Sacrificial Pawn [Winter Guard trooper model].
- Wolves of Winter
Tip ! |
Thoughts on Deathchev
Karjack in a nutshell
He's a battlegroup caster. His jacks have one turn of super-speed (vs Karchev1's multiple turns of medium-speed) and no damage buff.
Feat thoughts
To get use out of the free focus you want Deathchev to activate before the jacks.
In an ideal setup, your opponent has left easy-to-kill models within 5.5 to 7" of your jacks (depending on your melee range). In that case your feat turn will go: activate Deathchev first, cast Full Throttle, use the feat to move jacks into melee with a single easy-to-kill enemy, cast Abattoir so all the jacks get to smash that enemy (with an extra d6 to hit from Full Throttle). Then start activating jacks that now all have 2 focus, aren't engaged, have free charges, and have +d6 to hit.
Spell thoughts
- Abattoir can be cast twice per turn - once during Deathchev's activation, and a second time if/when you trigger Meat for the Beast.
- Remember that warjacks can't trigger Combat-Action-only effects from Abattoir (such as the Decimator's Sustained Attack, or the Desecrator's Critical Shred) ... unless you use Meat for the Beast to cast Abattoir. In that case, whichever warjack triggered Meat for the Beast can potentially trigger Combat-Action-only stuff (to be confirmed).
- You could put Death Ward on Deathchev himself to give him an amazing anti-assassination statline of 12/21 (23 with Locked Horns).
- He also benefits from choosing the column (because "effects that modify the manner in which damage is applied to a warjack also apply to him") - this lets you keep the Skulls of Hate intact for as long as possible.
- You'll generally want to put Death Ward on your highest value character warjack (such as Barathrum) or your highest ARM warjack (such as an Inflictor).
- You could put Death Ward on a unit and sprinkle Locked Horns on top for a tanky +4 ARM unit ... but it is difficult to find a unit that takes such an ARM buff nicely and is fast enough to keep up with Deathchev's battlegroup and that Deathchev can spare the points for.
Drawbacks & Downsides
- As both a living model and a construct model, there are a plethora of debuffs that can be applied to him. For instance Paralysis (works vs living) and Erosion (works vs constructs).
- His feat doesn't work on colossals.
- He has no offensive nuke spell.
- He has no way of buffing damage, which is especially relevant in Khador, where most jacks are P+S 16 and damage buffs are all confined into one theme.
Tricks & Tips
- If you use the Steamroller objective to heal your Skulls of Hate during the Maintenance Phase, you will be back to FOCUS 8 for the Control Phase.
- Sinkhole doesn't require a direct hit to apply Shadow Bind. Just drift that AOE wherever you like.
- Being both a living model and construct model, there are several neat interactions available with Cryx models - refer to the list building section.
List Building Advice - Cryx
Strategy
Text
Cryx theme thoughts
Deathchev will normally be played in either Black Industries (so his warjacks become more durable with Carapace) or in Scourge of the Broken Coast (so his warjacks become more accurate/powerful with Gang Fighter).
Support models - Various themes
- Asphxyious4 is practically an auto-include for Deathchev. Gaspy gives Deathchev Bloodthirst, since he is a construct. Gaspy also provides a damage buff.
- Doctor Stygius can heal Deathchev for 5 hitpoints, since he is living. On the other hand, Deathchev has zero things that Stygius can spell slave so it's probably not the best combo.
- Text
Taking Deathchev in Scourge is tempting for the Gang Fighter bonus, but it becomes a question of balancing non-battlegroup points spent on gang fighter enablers vs spending points on your battlegroup. Do you want the slower Trolls or Ogrun that benefit more from Locked Horns, or the faster Satyxis that are better gang enablers?
- Axiara's Tactician and battle plans can be applied to Deathchev, since he is living.
- Give Deathchev Reposition 3 is always useful. On turn 1 Deathchev can trample 8" forwards, cast spells, then repo another 3" forwards.
- Give Deathchev Prowl, then dump one of Gaspy4's clouds on him.
- Giving Deathchev Dodge is probably not going to save his DEF 12 butt from assassination, but if it ever did you would laugh your head off.
- The Satyxis Blood Priestess can give him a free upkeep and make him even more unkillable by guns.
Cryx Battlegroup
Heavies
- Barathrum is BFFs with Deathchev. He takes Locked Horns well, and between Countercharge, Drag Below, and the feat move he can get to some really unexpected places.
- Slayers are your go-to cheap beatstick heavy. Fill your list with as many as you own, and ram them down the table.
- Inflictors take Locked Horns well, abd have a longer melee range than Slayers. Also they can act as Shield Guards for Gaspy and/or Deathchev.
Lights
- The Helldiver might have some game with Deathchev. Getting an extra 5" move away from their burrow marker can make them worthwhile.
- The Shrike can use the feat move to line up a nice juicy trample lane.
List Building Advice - Khador
Strategy
The strategy remains largely the same as above, it's just the tools that change.
Khador Theme thoughts
Jaws of the Wolf
Jaws of the Wolves gives all of his jacks Pathfinder so you have even less reason to cast Onslaught. You also get an extra forest to hide behind which is neat.
- Sorscha0 - The all important Boundless Charge on a stick. Her jack will miss out on the feat, but still benefit from Locked Horns.
- Ol' Grim and Kayazy Eliminators - Your three requisition options. Ol' Grim snipes out solos and camps a flag for you and the Eliminators go around the flank and contest or kill support.
- Ruin - As the best character jack in the faction Ruin hugely benefit from his kit.
- Koldun Lord - Puppet Master, or a damage buff Karjack does not have himself, OR he can copy a spell from another Greylord, such as Blizzard or even Empower from a Fore Seer
- Void Archon - Another damage buff and a very good combat solo in it'smown right.
- Man-O-War Shocktroopers - This is more cute than good, but Onslaught, Death Ward and Locked Horns are pretty good on these guys, pushing their ARM to ridiculous levels.
Support models - Various themes
- Greylord Adjunct - A free upkeep of Death Ward and +2 RNG on his support spells. Blizzard and Guidance are also very good spells.
- Death Archon - A fitting inclusion for Deathchev, Mortal feat stacks very well with Death Ward and Locked Horns
- Reinholdt - His Shadow Bind gun is actually very, very powerful, so being able to fire it twice can be a very interesting prospect.
Khador Battlegroup
- Juggernaut - The Axe is very powerful with his feat, as P+S 19 is excellent with Abattoir and no damage buffs.
- Marauder - The cheapest and most spammable Khador jack that is not garbage.
- Kodiak - The chain attack means it has 3 initials, so it gets a lot out of Full Throttle.
- Devastator - The highest ARM skew you can archive in Khador. If you cast Abattoir before it activates it can close up again on it's turn, too.
Other
Trivia
- Spoiled 2020.12
- Nicknames: Deathchev, Karjack, DJ Karchev <record scratch noise>
Other Faction models
Rules Clarifications
Note to self: I need to update this rules section after the rules are finalised - juckto.
Abattoir + Meat for the Beast
- cast twice
- during jacks activation
- step 12 vs step 14 (overtake)
- does death ward apply to Deathchev
- Cryx
- Khador
- Greylord
- Model
- Spoilers
- Riot Quest
- Warcaster
- Construct
- Hate Infused
- Meat for the Beast
- Monster in the Machine
- Magical Damage
- Shadow Bind
- Open Fist
- Abattoir
- Death Ward
- Full Throttle
- Locked Horns
- Onslaught
- Black Industries
- Dark Host
- The Ghost Fleet
- Scourge of the Broken Coast
- Armored Korps
- Jaws of the Wolf
- Legion of Steel
- Winter Guard Kommand
- Wolves of Winter
- RC TBC
- Incomplete Articles