Void Archon

Void Archon Mercenary, & Minion, Archon Solo

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.

Whatever their nature and however they are connected to the gods, either hidden or lost or forgotten, void archons exist and join the fight against infernals. Some manifest as though of their own will, neither invited nor called, while others answer summoning rites and are bound by mystical chains. Those who fight alongside the Convergence are considered gifts of the Maiden of Gears. Others join skorne armies, thought to be ancestral spirits returned from the Void. Those who join the Retribution are said to be sent by Lacyr herself, proof that their vanished creator still protects her people. Cryxian lich lords bind archons that they view as greater banes, occult weapons endorsed by Toruk himself. Perhaps all or none of these purported origins are true.

Basic Info

Void Archon
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Large SPD 6 STR 8 MAT 7 RAT 6 M.A. N/A DEF 14 ARM 17 CMD 10 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 12 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 2 UNIT SIZE N/A COST 9 N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Mercenary - Void Archons will work for Convergence, Cryx, or Retribution.

Minion - Void Archons will work for Skorne.

Abilities

• Assault
• Flight
• Dark Shroud - While in this model's melee range, enemy models suffer -2 ARM.
• Divine Manifestation - This model is not a living model, cannot become knocked down, and never suffers Blind. Opponents cannot take control of this model.
• Entropic Force - While within 5" of this model, enemy models lose Tough and cannot have damage removed from them.
• Soul Taker: Spectral Scavenger - This model can gain soul tokens. When a living enemy model is destroyed in this model's command range, this model gains the destroyed model’s soul token. Additionally, when a friendly living model is destroyed by a continuous effect, an enemy attack, or collateral damage from an enemy attack while in this model's command range, this model gains the destroyed model’s soul token. This model can have up to three soul tokens at any time. This model can spend soul tokens for the following:
  • Soul Phase - This model can spend a soul token to become Incorporeal for a turn.
  • Strength of Death - During its Combat Action, this model can spend soul tokens to boost one attack or damage roll for each token spent.
• Soul Ward - Enemy models cannot gain soul tokens from friendly models destroyed within 5" of this model.
• Void Walk - Once per activation, immediately after resolving an attack in which it destroyed a living or undead enemy model with an attack, you can place this model anywhere completely within 8˝ of its current location unless it failed a charge this turn.

Weapons

Void Howler
		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		SP 10			1			-			14
Damage Type: Magical
Void Touch (x2)
		RNG				POW				P+S
		1				5				13
Damage Type: Magical

Theme Forces

• Mercenary
  • Operating Theater
  • Strange Bedfellows. It gains Swift Vengeance in this theme.

• Minions
  • Will Work for Food

• Other Factions
  • Convergence players can use this model in the Strange Bedfellows theme. It becomes a "friendly Faction" model and gains Swift Vengeance in this theme.
  • A few themes allow you to take the full FA of Void Archons plus another Mercenary solo. However the Archon does not become a "friendly Faction" model. These themes are:
    • Convergence - Clockwork Legions
    • Cryx - Dark Host
    • Khador - Wolves of Winter (even though it's doesn't normally work for Khador!)
    • Retribution - Shadows of the Retribution
    • Skorne - Disciples of Agony and The Exalted
  • Aside from that, Mercenary/Minion models can be hired by other Factions. Normally those Factions' themes will have a limit on how many models they can hire. Refer to #Other Theme Forces, below.

Thoughts on the Void Archon

Void Archon in a nutshell

As with most Archons, the Void Archon is a powerful combat solo. Unlike most Archons, it doesn't directly support your army but instead debuffs the enemy with Dark Shroud and Entropic Aura. Also unlike the other Archons it doesn't use Soul Ward to protect souls, instead it scavenges souls to make himself more powerful.

Void Walk makes this Archon particularly difficult to plan for, as it will show up in some inconvenient places and slap a backline model or pop up beside a really high value target to Dark Shroud it. Assault and a 10" spray gives you plenty of chances of triggering Void Walk.

The biggest question about the Void Archon is whether you can deliver it successfully. It's got a decent statline, but ni defensive abilities, soit's not invincible and it's going to attract a lot of incoming damage.

Combos & Synergies

Non-casters

• You can't always rely on getting enemy souls, so you should bring some living troops yourself.
• Shield Guards. It has a decent statline and can take a couple of hits, but it draws a lot of incoming fire. Shield Guard(s) will alleviate some of that.
• In the Strange Bedfellows theme it gains Swift Vengeance. So if a friendly model dies, it gets a soul and a free move+attack.
• In Exalted it starts with 1 soul.

Casters

• Aurora1 - Aerogenesis makes Archons go really fast, under her feat they can back up 5" to apply Dark Shroud where it is needed as well.
• Aurora2 - Aurora makes Archons really, really dangerous. Not only can she grant them Flying High to ensure delivery against guns, her feat also buff the damage of all of their attacks, we are talking about two effective P+S 17 Void Touches here, as well as a POW 16 range 10 spray attack (POW 18 against targets in its melee range), all of which are boostable with souls. If this wasn't enough, under feat and with Phantom Protocol an Archon can end up 24" from where it started its turn (Charge 11" with +2 SPD, Void Walk 8", Repo 5").
• Old Witch2 - Curse of Shadows increases its damage, Wind Storm protects it from shooting, its biggest weakness.
• Thexus - TK and feat stuff around to set up spray angles and charges, Decel protects against shooting.
• Lord Azazello, The Castellan - out of activation attacks a powerful feat and Storm Rager

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Large base, DEF 14, ARM 17, 12 damage boxes and no defence against shooting bar its statline. This thing is a bullet magnet!
• For Cryx, multiple Archons are allowed in Dark Host, but that theme is already full of Dark Shroud.
• Soul Phase only lasts a turn, not a round, so it doesn't protect you during the enemy turn. This means it lets you A - avoid non magical free strikes, and B - let your other models move through it for the rest of the turn.
• It's not a partisan to any of the factions it works for, so if you play outside of mercs or minions it can only ever receive non faction friendly buffs, unless you play it in the Strange Bedfellows theme force where it becomes both a merc and a Convergence model.

Tricks & Tips

• It can go in the Khador theme Wolves of Winter even though it's not a Khador Mercenary.

• Void Walk can trigger off a ranged attack or a melee attack.
• Void Walk + Assault
  • If you make an unsuccessful charge then you get the spray but no teleport.
  • If you make a successful charge and kill your charge with the spray - then you can teleport and make your initial attacks vs something else (or stay still and attack something already in melee range).
  • If you make a successful charge and don't kill your charge target with the spray, but kill something else - then you have the same options as before.

• Don't forget that Dark Shroud applies to ranged attacks too (but only models that are actually in your melee range, not the whole spray).

• Most of the time it is better to teleport backwards and stay safe, rather than teleport forwards to be greedy.

• Soul Phase only lasts during your own turn. Since you already have flight, Soul Phase only has two real uses:
  1. Ignore free strikes (unless the free striker has a magical weapon)
  2. Let your other models move through the Archon after it has activated.

Other

Trivia

Released 2019-10

Other Theme Forces

Convergence of Cyriss (Edit)

• Clockwork Legions
• Destruction Initiative
• Strange Bedfellows

Cryx (Edit)

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

Retribution of Scyrah (Edit)

• Defenders of Ios
• Forges of War
• Legions of Dawn
• Shadows of the Retribution

Skorne (Edit)

• Disciples of Agony. There is no limit to the number of Minion solos you can take in this theme.
• The Exalted
• Masters of War
• Winds of Death

Rules Clarifications

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

Flight doesn't ignore: Impassable terrain. Most hazards. The exception is they do ignore Acid Bath and Burning Earth as long as they don't land in them. Templates that stay in play and do damage to models moving through them (such as a Scather). Free strikes. Trampling with a flying model (Edit) Flight allows you to trample "over" medium- and larger-bases. Although you trample "over" them, you don't get to make a trample attack vs them and you don't ignore their free strikes. Refer the core rulebook. Unless, of course, you have an exception like Blade Rush. Flight on a Cavalry model (Edit) Although flyers can move over obstacles/models, and horses can pause to do impacts while charging, flying horses cannot make impact attacks while overlapping models/obstacles. You need to pause in a legal position. Charging through models (Edit) You can't charge all the way through your charge target, with the intention to turn around and face them once you're on the other side. Because you aren't able to satisfy the "must keep the charge target in melee range" clause at the point after you are through the model but before you turn to directly face. At that point the target is behind you, not in your front arc, and thus not in your melee range. Your melee range only extends to your front arc. Refer to the latest errata. You can still "skim" through the edge of their base, if you're careful and smart with your positioning.

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 : Divine Manifestation      (Edit) Archons are not living models, but neither are they constructs, undead, etc. They're just ... archons.

Rules Clarification:  : Dual Attack      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

* If you fail a charge, then you do not get to make ranged attacks. If you have multiple ranged attacks and/or melee attacks, you can intermingle them in any order. (Infernal Ruling) You can charge, make a ranged attack, then make your charge melee attack. Even though you made a ranged attack, that doesn't change the fact that your first melee attack is the charge attack. (Infernal Ruling) You must complete all initial attacks before buying attacks. You can't go: Make an initial melee attack, then buy a melee attack, then make an initial ranged attack. (Locked Thread) Dual Attack doesn't let you mix initial attacks with a (★) attack. Dual Attack only lets you make either: Initial melee attacks and initial ranged attacks. Power attack and initial ranged attacks. Any other combination of (★ Attack) and initials is disallowed. See this thread for full explanation and links to relevant Infernal Rulings. You could theoretically make a special melee attack and then buy additional ranged attacks (or vice versa) ... but the core rules say "The rules for these special attacks indicate the nature of any additional attacks that can be made afterward, if any" so the special attack would have to explicitly allow a swap - and I'm unaware of any that do so. There is no penalty for shooting an enemy you are in melee with. Your ranged attack(s) can target a model you are not in melee with. (Infernal Ruling) Dual Attack & Drag ( Edit ) This is pretty-much limited to just the Prime Axiom under Syntherion, or the Swabber, Galleon or Prime Axiom under Aurora2 If you charge model A then utilise Dual Attack to make a ranged attack vs the same model, then you would get the free melee attack from Drag. The Drag attack is a charge attack. (Infernal Ruling) If you charge model A then utilise Dual Attack to make a ranged attack vs a different model, then you would lose the free melee attack from Drag. Your first melee attack must be versus the charge target, and you cannot save the Drag attack for later. (Infernal Ruling) If you didn't charge then ... just go nuts. There's no restrictions that I know of. Dual Attack & Slam/Trample ( Edit ) Power Attack Slam and Trample combine your Normal Movement and Combat Action, and how this works with Dual Attack is: Slam: You must resolve the movement, the attack, and moving the slammed model. Only then can you make initial ranged attacks. Trample: You must resolve the movement, the attacks, and the free strikes. Only then can you make initial ranged attacks. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Entropic Force      (Edit) Affected models can still remove damage from other models. Affected models can still trigger abilities that involve removing damage, and all other effects will be resolved. For instance: Exemplar Errants can trigger Self-Sacrifice, kill themselves, and then be unable to heal their buddy. A model with Snacking can still RFP its target.

Rules Clarification : Spectral Scavenger - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Soul Phase      (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)

Rules Clarification : Strength of Death - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Soul Ward      (Edit) Soul Ward overrides "collects the soul regardless of proximity" abilities (such as Dark Fire). The model being destroyed has to be in your CMD range. The location of the enemy model itself is irrelevant - they could stand inside your CMD range, and destroy something outside your CMD range, and not be affected.

Rules Clarification : Void Walk - None yet. (Edit)

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.")