War Wagon

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Trollblood Logo.jpg War Wagon

Trollblood Cavalry Battle Engine

I love it when I hear the enemy yell, “Hold the line!” — War Wagon Driver Jormo Kelkun

Basic Info

War Wagon
Missing Info
WarWagon.jpg
COST {{{cacost}}}
UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}}
FA {{{cafa}}}
Warcaster 0
BASE Huge
SPD 7
STR 14
MAT 6
RAT 5
M.A. N/A
DEF 9
ARM 19
CMD N/A
ESSENCE {{{essence}}}
FOCUS N/A
FURY N/A
THRS N/A
HP 38
F. Field N/A
WJP {{{wjp}}}
WBP {{{wbp}}}
IHP {{{ihp}}}
FA 2
UNIT SIZE N/A
COST 16
N/A
N/A
N/A
Warcaster 1
COST N/A
N/A
Understanding
the Statblock

Battle Engine - All battle engines share the same special rules, most notably being immune to a bunch of stuff. Click here for the long version.

Abilities

  • Cavalry symbol.jpg Cavalry
  • Construct symbol.jpg Construct
  • Pathfinder symbol.jpg Pathfinder
  • Dual Attack - This model can make melee and ranged attacks in the same activation. When this model makes its initial melee attacks or a power attack, it can also make its initial ranged attacks. This model can make ranged attacks even while in melee.
  • Crushing Weight – When it charges, this model is not required to move at least 3˝ to make impact attacks. Instead of making impact attacks only once, this model can make impact attacks each time it contacts a model for the first time during its charge.
  • Line Breaker - This model gains an additional die on impact attack rolls.
  • 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.
  • Shooting Gallery - This model gains +2 to ranged attack rolls against models within 5" of it.

Weapons

Pounder
Gun icon.jpg  RNG   ROF   AOE   POW 
12 1 5 17
  • Arcing Fire - When attacking with this weapon, this model can ignore intervening models except those within 1" of the target.
  • Quake - On a direct hit against an enemy model, all models hit are knocked down.
Scattergun
Gun icon.jpg  RNG   ROF   AOE   POW 
SP 8 1 - 12
Mount
Mount icon.jpg  RNG   POW 
0.5 14
  • Knockdown - When a model is hit by an attack with this weapon, it becomes knocked down.
  • Trampling Hooves - This model can make charge attacks with this weapon in addition to making impact attacks.
  • Ton of Bricks - A model hit by a non-impact attack with this weapon is slammed d3˝ directly away from this model. The POW of collateral damage is equal to the POW of this weapon.

Theme Forces

Thoughts on War Wagon

War Wagon in a nutshell

The War Wagon is a large infantry wrecker - between its big gun and its ability to trample it can pulp infantry like there's no tomorrow. It's also tougher than any Dire Troll and very fast for a Trollblood model.

To demonstrate how powerful the War Wagon is, consider a typical activation:

  1. Declares a charge and start moving
  2. Contact a model, declares impact attacks against everything within 0.5" of its front arc (thanks to being a Cavalry model)
    • Gets 3d6 for the impact attack rolls (thanks to Line Breaker)
    • The impact attacks auto-knockdown and deal a POW 14 +2d6 damage roll.
  3. Continue moving, and make more impact attacks (thanks to Crushing Weight)
  4. Repeat step 2 and 3 until you either reach your charge target, or fail to kill something within the charge lane.
  5. After finally completing the charge move, you get to make a charge attack with the mount (thanks to Trampling Hooves).
    • You get 3d6 for the charge attack roll (thanks to being a Cavalry model), that auto-knockdowns, auto-slams (thanks to Ton of Bricks), and deals a POW 14 +3d6 damage roll (damage boosted from the charge)
    • Oh, and if you slam the charge target into something else, you can get an extra damage die vs the target and/or do POW 14 +2d6 vs the something else.
  6. Then it starts shooting (thanks to Dual Attack), getting +2 to hit anything within 5" (thanks to Shooting Gallery)
  7. Finally it repositions into a better position to do it all again next round.

That's what it does every turn, before you start buffing it. With buffs its performance can only go up.

Combos & Synergies

  • Krielstone? Krielstone. Krielstone!
    • In fact, any armor buff is likely to put it in the range where unbuffed, unboosted attacks don't do much damage.
  • While it mulches most infantry very well, it has problems with Tough, Steady, Shield Wall or Iron Zeal. The Sea King's poisoned vomit and the Hearthgut Hooch Hauler's kegs clear those very well however.
  • Anything Grim Angus does does wonders for the War Wagons, too.
  • Shooting will often leave it dinged up but alive, so it enjoys the company of Raluk Moorclaw or the Gobber Tinker.
  • Pyg Lookouts or solos in Kriel Company can fix its average RAT with Mark Target.
  • Grim Angus or a Thumper Crew can set up knocked down targets for it to shoot or run over.
  • It’s odd for Madrak1 to play in Kriel Company but his feat heals and weakens retaliation and he doesn’t typically have enough fury to run lots of beasts. Def 9 is awful and although Def 11 no knockdown isn’t much better it’s definitely an improvement. Finally having a Runebearer use guiding hand on the War Wagon lets it reliably hit its first knockdown ready for a follow up with the Scattergun and Pounder.
  • Pyre Troll - It's animus adds +2 to melee damage rolls which affects the mount and Impact attack damage of the War Wagon and also will make it so they set everything they hit on fire.
  • Storm Troll - Similar to the Pyre Troll above, except he doesn't buff damage, but rather hands out E-leaps on the melee weapons for extra infantry frying.

Drawbacks & Downsides

  • It can't boost ranged attack or damage
    • Given that its impact and charge attacks are autoboosted and leave prone targets to shoot at, this is somewhat mitigated.
  • The trample can be stopped by one bad roll
  • Quake on the Pounder relies on it hitting first. Which can be ... challenging.
  • It doesn't break heavy enemies.
  • As every other battle engine, it is not part of your battlegroup, thus cannot benefit from spells and feats, which affect your warbeasts.

Counterplay

Crushing Weight makes the Wagon a hard model to stop, but there's a few things you can try:

  • A direct debuff against its movement
    • A "soft" debuff with a SPD penalty, that will reduce how far it can charge (such as Crippling Grasp).
    • A "hard" debuff that prevents advances and/or charges, so it can't charge at all (such as Shadowbind).
    • More esoteric debuffs, like using Telekinesis to spin it around so it can't see charge targets.
  • You can block it with a model it can't reliably kill.
    • Remember, with boosted attack rolls it can reliably hit DEF 16, and with POW 14 it can reliably roll 20-21 damage.
    • You can't block it with Tough models, since it knocks you down before the damage roll (unless you have some way of ignoring knockdown)
    • So, to block it, you're really looking for a fast light warjack of reasonable durability. Fast so it can jam it quickly, and durable so it's not trivially removed prior to the Carriage's activation.
  • The second thing you can try is board positioning. Because every time it pauses to make an impact attack, that has to be a legal position to stop. It can't pause on top of terrain or other models (even if it has a rule that allows it to move over/through that terrain/model.
    • For example, even though the Carriage has Pathfinder and can charge over obstacles, this doesn't let it stop halfway on top of an obstacle to make impact attacks.
    • You can line up your troops behind obstacles, far enough away that it can't attack them in melee, but close enough that there's no room for it to "land" on the other side of the obstacle.
    • If you have Incorporeal models, a few them scattered around in front of it can really eliminate all potential "landing zones".

Tricks & Tips

  • When you slam something, it's knocked down. Finally, a target you can hit!
    • Even more appealing if it's near a target that's harder to hit.
    • Note that a failed charge is a bummer if you're saving the Pounder for after you charge, so don't count on any survivors getting knocked more than 3" back.
  • If you charge a target and get base-to-base, you can hit it with an impact attack, knock it down (and follow it, if it's small or medium: hopefully you have movement left), and then autohit with your charge attack. It's not the best model to eliminate solos, but two boosted attacks with respectable damage (and some guns to finish the job) will take care of a variety of targets.


Other

Trivia

Other Trollblood models

Trollblood Logo.jpg       Trollbloods Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warlocks

Borka1 - Borka2 - Calandra - Gunnbjorn1 - Gunnbjorn2 - Grim1 - Grim2 - Grissel1 - Grissel2 - Doomshaper1 - Doomshaper2 - Doomshaper3 - Horgle2 - Jarl - Kolgrima - Madrak1 - Madrak2 - Madrak3 - Ragnor

Warlock Attachment

Trollkin Runebearer

Lesser Warlocks

Horgle1 - Madrak0

Light warbeasts

Ice Troll - Night Troll - Pyre Troll - Slag Troll - Storm Troll - Swamp Troll - Troll Axer - Troll Basher - Troll Bouncer - Troll Impaler - Winter Troll

Heavy warbeasts

Dire Troll Blitzer - Dire Troll Bomber - Dire Troll Brawler - Dire Troll Mauler - Dozer & Smigg - Earthborn Dire Troll - Mulg the Ancient - Rök

Gargantuan Glacier King - Mountain King - Sea King
 
Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units

Dannon Blythe & Bull - Boomhowler1 - Dhunian Knot - Kriel Warriors - Stone Bearer - NK Bears - NK Fire Eaters - NK Raiders - Pummeler Crew - Pyg Burrowers - Pyg Bushwhackers - Pyg Lookouts - Sons of Bragg - Scattergunners - Thumper Crew - T Champions - T Fennblades - T Highwaymen - T Long Riders - T Runeshapers - T Scouts - T Sluggers - Warders
Special WA: Trollkin Sorcerer

Solos

Boomhowler2 - Boomhowler3 - Braylen Wanderheart, Trollkin Outlaw - Bumbles - Dhunian Archon - Fell Caller Hero - Fennblade Kithkar - General 'Thunderstone' Brug - Horgle1 - Horthol, Long Rider Hero - Janissa Stonetide - Ledfoot & Tredz - Madrak0 - Northkin Shaman - Pyg Tank - Stone Scribe Chronicler - Troll Whelps - Trollkin Champion Hero - Trollkin Skinner Valka Curseborn, Chieftain of the North

Battle Engines Hearthgut Hooch Hauler - War Wagon
 
Theme Forces
Band of Heroes - Kriel Company - Power of Dhunia - Storm of the North - Vengeance of Dhunia
 
Minions that work for the Trollblooods
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Trollblood Minion
This index was last updated: 2021.10

Rules Clarifications

RC symbol.png

Rules Clarification : Arcing Fire      (Edit)

  • Arcing Fire lets you ignore models but not terrain. You don't ignore clouds, forests or buildings.
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Rules Clarification : Quake      (Edit)

  • If the weapon misses, then it will deviate and do blast damage as per a normal AOE (assuming it has a POW to begin with).
  • Other effects of the attack will still occur (such as the Mitigator's auto-point of damage to all models hit).
  • Knockdown (Edit) - Remember, knockdown only prevents what it says it does. Refer to the Knockdown page for a recap of what a model can/can't do.
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Rules Clarification : Knockdown      (Edit)

  • Knockdown (Edit) - Remember, knockdown only prevents what it says it does. Refer to the Knockdown page for a recap of what a model can/can't do.

Rules Clarification : Trampling Hooves - None yet. (Edit)

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Rules Clarification : Ton of Bricks      (Edit)

  • You don't get the +2" that a huge base normally gets when it Power Attack Slams a small-based model. Because Ton of Bricks is not a Power Attack.


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Rules Clarification : Battle Engine      (Edit)

  • The main differences between battle engines and the other huge bases are:
    • They can be placed, and they can move outside their Normal Movement (such as Dodge).
    • They can benefit from Advance Deployment, Incorporeal, and Stealth.
    • They can't make ranged attacks while in melee.
      At least not by default; but many battle engines have Gun Platform, Dual Attack, or similar.
    • Unlike Colossals and Gargantuans, your opponent can take control of your battle engine. There are very few such abilities that work on this model type, though.
  • Being a huge-based model, a Battle Engine can never gain the DEF bonus from concealment ... but it can still have concealment and thereby trigger Prowl.

Huge Base (Edit)

But this bonus doesn't apply to slams triggered by normal attacks (such as Critical Smite or the Hurricane's Thunder Charge ability).
Also, simply being on a huge base triggers a bunch of rules scattered throughout the rulebook, click to read them.   [Show/Hide]

From the 2020.02 edition of the core rules (Edit)

Fields of Fire
Page 37 A huge-based model’s front arc is marked on its base. Its front arc is further divided into two 90° fields of fire. These fields of fire determine which models a huge-based model can target with its weapons, depending on the location of those weapons. Weapons located on a huge-based model’s left side (L) can be used to target only models in its left field of fire, and weapons located on its right side (R) can be used to target only models in its right field of fire. Weapons with locations “S,” “H,” or “—” can be used to target models in either field of fire. If any part of a model’s base is on the line separating the left and right fields of fire, the model is considered to be in both fields of fire.
Concealment, Cover, LOS
Page 49 Concealment & Cover - Huge-based models never gain the DEF bonuses from concealment or cover.
Page 60 Clouds - Cloud effects do not block line of sight to huge-based models.
Page 87 Forests - Forests do not block line of sight to huge-based models.
Huge-Based models in melee
Page 54 - Huge-based models never gain the Target in Melee DEF bonus.
Page 65 - Combined Ranged Attacks cannot target a model in melee unless it has a huge base.
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Rules Clarification:  : Cavalry      (Edit)
(Click Expand to read)

Mount Weapon
  • Although the core rulebook specifies mount weapons have 0.5" range, this doesn't "overwrite" models that have a longer mount range listed on their card. (Infernal Ruling)
  • Mount Weapons are melee weapons. (Infernal Ruling) This means:
    • Mount Attacks can benefit from any buffs that affect "melee weapons" (such as Acidic Touch and Elasticity) or "melee attacks" (such as Battle Lust).
    • Mount Weapons can be used to make free strikes.
    • If the model doesn't have any regular melee weapon (such as the Gun Carriage) then it does have a melee range, can engage enemy models, and can make free strikes; anyway.
    • Despite being a melee weapon, you cannot use a Mount's special attack on the same activation you charge. (Infernal Ruling)
      • Exception: If you have Trampling Hooves, because that allows you to make charge attacks with your mount when you charge.
  • Mount attacks will trigger "Melee attack" stuff like Battle Wizard.
  • You can purchase additional attacks with your Mount Weapon. (Infernal Ruling)

Impact Attacks - Movement

  • Impact Attacks "pause" your charge move, and as such don't normally trigger "ends an advance" abilities (such as Countercharge).
    • The exception is if your Impact Attacks include your charge target, then you have to end the charge movement and turn to directly face the charge target before rolling any dice. In this case, stuff like Countercharge will get triggered before you get to roll your Impact Attacks.
  • You cannot "pause" in an illegal position to carry out Impact Attacks. For instance: a Pathfinder cavalry model pausing halfway over an obstacle; a flying cavalry model pausing while it 'overlaps' other models; or any cavalry model pausing halfway through an Incorporeal model.

Impact Attacks - The attack(s)

  • You resolve stuff that occurs "after the attack is resolved" (such as Battle Wizard) before continuing with your charge movement.
  • If you have an ability that boosts your "first" melee attack (such as Stir the Blood), then only one attack will be boosted even though you're making multiple simultaneous attacks.
  • If you choose to make any impact attacks, you make all attacks against all models in the Mount's melee range (even friendly models).(Infernal Ruling)
  • Impact Attacks cannot be boosted, refer core rulebook.
  • You cannot buy additional attacks while resolving Impact Attacks. Additional attacks can only be bought during your Combat Action, after resolving your initial melee attack(s) / special melee attack.

Impact Attacks - Other

  • You cannot use "any time" abilities while resolving Impact Attacks. Because Impact Attacks occur during movement; and you can only use 'any time' abilities before moving or after moving, but not during movement. (Infernal Ruling)
    • Exception: If your Impact targets 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.

Cavalry unit

  • If you have a unit of Cavalry, charge them and do impact attacks, remember you interrupt movement to do impacts, but you have to resolve all movements before doing any charge attacks. So for example it would go:
    • Cavalry model A charges enemy X, and contacts model M. Stop and make impact attacks against M. Then continue movement to X.
    • Cavalry model B charges enemy Y, and contacts model N. Stop and make impact attacks against N. Then continue movement to Y.
    • Cavalry model C charges enemy Z, and contacts model O. Stop and make impact attacks against O. Then continue movement to Z.
    • Resolve model A's charge attack vs X, B's vs Y, and C's vs Z. (This can be done in any order, as per normal)

Other interactions

  • Cavalry model with no melee weapon
    • If you have a Mount weapon but no regular Melee weapon (such as the Efaarit Scout), you can still declare a charge. (Locked thread)
    • You can make Impact Attacks along the way.
    • Once you get to the charge target, however, you can't make a melee attack against it. Because you can't use the mount weapon for a charge attack, due to the way the Cavalry rules are written. (Unless you have a rule like Trampling Hooves.)
    • If you don't charge, the mount attack can be used as an initial melee attack.
  • Countercharge & Cavalry ( Edit )
    • A model with Countercharge and Cavalry can make Impact Attacks during the countercharge. (Refer "Charges Outside of Activation" in the rulebook).
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Gunfighter & Cavalry ( Edit )
    • A cavalry model that charges then makes a Gunfighter attack will not gain a boosted charge attack roll, because a ranged attack is not a charge attack. (Infernal Ruling)
    • You also won't gain a boosted charge damage roll, as per normal for a Gunfighter.

Rules Clarification : Construct - None yet. (Edit)

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Rules Clarification : Pathfinder      (Edit)

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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:
    1. Initial melee attacks and initial ranged attacks.
    2. 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)
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Rules Clarification : Crushing Weight      (Edit)

  • You can start your activation B2B with a model, declare that model as your charge target, move 0", and still satisfy the "move towards" condition required to trigger "contacts" and thus you can make Impact Attacks. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Line Breaker - None yet. (Edit)

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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 : Shooting Gallery - None yet. (Edit)