Praetorian Ferox

Relying on the tremendous speed and agility of their mounts to deliver singular killing power, the Praetorian Ferox serve as a formidable forward strike force. The ferox mounts leap forward with fierce grace toward any exposed enemy flank, or close fearlessly against the front line. The relationship between ferox and rider is not one of affection, nor is it similar to the bond shared between western riders and tamed horses. Rather, it is a wary respect between two skilled killers.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Cavalry
• Template:CMA
• Template:Pathfinder
• Template:Jump
• Template:Pounce
• Template:Reposition 3
• Template:Steady

Weapons

• Cavalry Spear - 2" reach, POW 5, P+S 12 melee attack
  • Template:Brutal Charge

• Mount - 0.5" reach, POW 12 mount attack

Theme Forces

• Template:Masters of War. They gain "Optional Take Down" in this theme.

Thoughts on Praetorian Ferox

Praetorian Ferox in a Nutshell

Praetorian Ferox are considered to be the best heavy cavalry unit in Hordes by many, and they are second only to the Storm Lances for the "Best cavalry in the game" title too. They sport the same, respectable defensive stats, with the added bonus to be immune to knockdown effects. Though they lack ranged attacks, thanks to Jump they threat up to 15" all on their own. With built-in Pathfinder rough terrain rarely means any problem, and though their MAT is only average, they have various tools to fix that. Also, most of the time at least one of the damage rolls will be boosted - either the pounce or the charge attack. Reposition is just the icing on the cake, giving you a very flexible and mobile - if somewhat expensive - unit.

Combos & Synergies

• Tyrant Rhadeim - The leader of the Ferox, and a near-mandatory choice due to his Veteran Leader. Dodge can also be a surprise for enemy gunlines, luring the ferox lines closer with every missed shot.
• Mortitheurge Willbreaker - Expensive and steady? No Knockdown Tough means that they are significantly harder to kill. Also, Flesh Hardening can remove pesky corrosion and fire effects that are often used to take the last remaining box of the models, who passed their Tough checks eariler.
• Tyrant Commander & Standard Bearer - extra inches on a walk-and-pounce is extra threat range.
• Supreme Aptimus Zaal - Last Stand on Ferox kills casters. Especially with the new Pounce rules.
• Zaal, the Ancestral Advocate - anything that boosts their attack rolls can kill casters.
• Supreme Archdomina Makeda - no, really, anything. Between Dash and her feat you can squash a fair number of casters with flying cats. And they are a great choice for Stay Death. There are reasons one of the best pre-errata Skorne lists was Makeda2 with two units of Ferox.
• Tyrant Xerxis - Has Defender's Ward to make them very resilient, and has a feat and a battle plan to make them capable of very high damage.
• Void Seer Mordikaar - feat boosts defense by +3. Further synergy with Tyrant Rhadeim as the boost to defense means Dodge triggers more often.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• High priority targets.
• Elite troops come with a high points cost.
• Need support to crack heavy armour.
• Average MAT, but fortunately have tools to solve it.

Tricks & Tips

• Read the rules clarifications about Jumping. If you can advance only 0" (like under Shadow Bind, or Force Lock), you can still Jump. If you are under an effect that denies placing completely (like Garryth's feat, or the Lock the Target spell), you cannot use Jump.
• There are various tools to shore up your chances against elusive targets. Cavalry charges have boosted attack rolls, CMA can also increase your chance to hit, while Jump is an easy way to acquire the back strike bonus.
• They are very good at killing most supports, but don't hope to kill an exposed caster easily. Their damage output isn't that good.

Other

Trivia

• Ferox means Wild in latin - as in ferocious.
• Released in Hordes: Evolution (2007)

Other Skorne models

Index Skorne