Houseguard Halberdiers

Template:Retbox2 This model is playable only in an Unlimited format.

The majority of the houseguard are career soldiers who have spent years at drill and formation. Though they are drawn from dozens of lesser Iosan households, all follow an ancient shared tradition and undergo similar disciplined training and drills. At the orders of their superiors, ranks of halberdiers form a tide of rising and falling steel that can cut down masses of enemies with deliberate ease.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Entire Unit
  • Template:CMA
  • Template:Practiced Maneuvers
  • Template:Set Defense
  • Template:Shield Wall

• Officer only
  • The Officer has +1 MAT, CMD, and 5 hitpoints
  • Template:Officer
  • Template:Granted (Template:Reposition 3-alt)
  • Template:Team Effort

• Standard
  • The Standard does not have CMA or Set Defense
  • Template:Standard Bearer
  • Template:Take Up

Weapons

• Everyone except Standard
  • Halberd - 2" reach, P+S 10 melee weapon
    • Template:Brutal charge

• Standard Bearer
  • Template:Unarmed

Weapon Attachment

As always, the Halberdiers may be joined by up to 3 Soulless Escorts. Theie weapons/abilities have been omitted for brevity.

Theme Forces

• Template:Defenders of Ios

Thoughts on Houseguard Halberdiers

File:HouseguardHalberdierUA.jpg

Command Attachment

Houseguard Halberdiers in a nutshell

Houseguard Halberdiers can be compared to the other, small-based units, like the IFP, the Obstructors or the Karax. They have combined melee attack, plus the role-defining Shield Wall order, which sacrifices mobility for increased resilience. They lack the hitting power of the IFP, won't survive anti-infantry tech as well as the Karax, and lack the tarpit function the Obstructors can achieve with the enigma Foundry. However, they are surprisingly fast even in Shield Wall. Between Reform from their UA, +2" from the Thane and Advanced Move in theme - they can be up to 24-27" over the board, in Shield Wall and jamming your opponent before they can get hit.

Their offensive power can also be bolstered by Brutal Charge and their minifeat (giving them what is essentially Gang), yielding an effective P+S 14, which is enough to make people hang back. More than that, their natural DEF is the highest among their peers, and grows to absurd levels with Set Defence. This can be especially valuable as enemies usually rely on charges to crack shield walls.

Thoughts on adding the CA

Adding the CA is almost always going to pay dividends. Reposition is essential in their mobility while leaving them in shield wall and the mini-feat gives them one round of decent damage (and they'll probably be dead after that anyway).

Thoughts on adding the WA

The Soulless Escort will rarely defend you against SPD de-buffs - by the time the enemy will be able to drop such spells on you, the Halberdiers already supposed to reach their position. However, against spells which mess with your ARM (like Parasite), or downright forbid you entering into Shield Wall (Rebuke), he can be extremely useful. Like in every case of him, know your enemy before you inflate further this unit's cost.

Combos & Synergies

• Elara2 - her feat, Closing Darkness, along with a Thanes +2" movement allows you to charge through enemy lines, thanks to Ghostly, and strike their warcaster with a 15" threat range.
  • Add in Lanyssa. She can be brought into the Defenders of Ios theme, and with Hunters' Mark + Boundless charge you have a very nasty assassination potential from Turn 2, hitting a warcaster/warlock that is only 14" from their board edge if you go second.
• Vyros1 - Inviolable Resolve pushes their ARM up to Khador heavy levels, plus they resist pushes. Their 2" melee range also allows you to trigger the feat's flank bonus from afar.
• Ossyan - Quicken can further protect them against ranged attacks and almost gets them faster to their destination.
• Thyron - feat, with its Side Step, coupled with Reposition 3" means that after the Halberdiers have hit (and they will hit with 3d6 effective MAT 8 attack rolls!), they can delve a further 5" into your opponent's face and be a real pain even though you know they're going to die.
• If you have a single spare point, consider adding the Soulless Escort to these guys. Not only he benefits from the Shield Wall order and the minifeat of the Officer, but his presence makes the delivery of common debuffing spells (Rebuke, Parasite, Crippling Grasp, etc.) all the more difficult/dangerous.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Like all single-wound shield-walled infantry, they are sweet targets for corrosion templates, snipers, and other attacks that cause a single damage upon hitting.
• Outside themes they compete against Dawnguard units, who - in most scenarios - do the same job better, and are not that much more expensive.
• A lack of Pathfinder outside of a couple spells and one feat and low native ARM means they can be stymied by wall templates of all varieties.
• Though their reach is far, they need to charge to be effective and anything that stops them from charging will make them sad.

Tricks & Tips

• Usual caveat for units in Shield Wall: use the arrow-formation to counter tricks which push unit members out of shield walls.
• Since Shield Wall can be applied from the start of the game, always take advantage of this, which also applies to the Advanced Move benefit from theme.

Other

Trivia

Released in Forces of Warmachine: Retribution of Scyrah (Novermber 2009)