Tyrant Xerxis

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

Xerxis is a cruel taskmaster. He drills his soldiers day and night beyond exhaustion, forcing them to master intricate formations and maneuvers until they move as a single body. The tyrant himself is a student of all warfare, and the skorne’s recent wars have brought him a wealth of new knowledge.

Basic Info

This model is a Warlock.

Warlock Rules A warlock is an Independent Model. a Leader model. a Battlegroup Controller controls warbeasts. Warlocks use Fury Manipulation Uses ARC to determine how many fury points it gains each turn. Begins the game with a number of fury points equal to its ARC. Cannot exceed its ARC stat in fury points as a result of leeching. Can spend fury points only during its activation (unless a special rule states otherwise) for the following: Buy additional attacks Boost attack rolls Boost damage rolls Shake some effects Can leach fury points from warbeasts in its battlegroup in its control range. Spirit Bond allows the warlock to gain a fury for each of its dead battlegroup warbeasts. Reaving allows the warlock to pull fury points from a warbeast in its battlegroup when it dies.

Feat : Total Annilhilation

1. While in Xerxis' Template:CTRL range, friendly Faction models gain an additional die on their melee damage rolls.
2. While in Xerxis' Template:CTRL range and B2B with another friendly Faction model, friendly Faction models gain +2 ARM.

Total Annilhilation lasts for one round.

Abilities

• Template:Tough
• Template:Battle Plan
  • Template:March
  • Template:Push to the Limit
  • Template:Stir the Blood
• Template:Great Power
• Template:Overtake
• Template:Tactician

Weapons

Pillar of Halaak (x2) - 2" reach, POW 6, P+S 14 melee weapon

• Template:Magical Weapon
• Template:Combo Smite

Spells

{{Category: Template:Defender's WardTemplate:Energizer

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Theme Forces

• Template:Disciples of Agony
• Template:Masters of War. He gains "Optional Take Down" in this theme.
• Template:The Exalted
• Template:Winds of Death

Also Xerxis has a bonded warbeast, Tiberion, which he can take in any theme.

Thoughts on Xerxis1

Xerxis1 in a nutshell

Xerxis allows his army to hit hard in melee. Whatever the enemy brings, he can wreck it ; his beasts can also threaten from very far due to Energizer but it will leave Xerxis quite fury starved.

Xerxis is stronger in smaller games preferring to focus on 2 or 3 large infantry unit and a handful of beasts. His low control range makes the Archidon a great choice due to extended control area, it’s animus also allows him to bring both of his beating sticks to bear before darting back to safety.

His battle plans add a great level of depth to his kit and make up for only having 3 spells. March is obvious when to use seeing as it’s just pathfinder on a stick. Push to the Limit only effects normal walks so it’s best on ranges models or ones that need shield guard to survive like Praetorian Karax. Stir the Blood is a fantastic damage multiplier that really helps with arm cracking, especially on feat turn.

Maximising his feat & spells

• Xerxis' feat work best on fast models, because having the alpha allow to benefit from both the offensive and defensive aspect of the feat.

• Defender's Ward is best on model with both great defense and armor ; Ferox and Cetratis are the usual suspect for that. Molik Karn is interested too

• Tactical Supremacy have two main uses : move models after their attacks to bunch up for the feat or retreat outside of threat range ; and help the fairly slow Xerxis put himself in position.

• Having two great target for his battle plan is best ; with only one you are much more likely to run out of infantry before the end of the game, and they are extremely good.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• He's medium based, so is hard to screen.
• He does nothing to help with accuracy.
• He has a very small and often crowded control area. Managing beast fury and positioning in such a small control area can be a major headache.

Tricks & Tips

• Energizer and Tactical Supremacy give you a surprising amount of mobility.

List Building Advice

Strategy

Xerxis beats the enemy to a pulp; his army hits very hard and doesn't leave many survivors after that feat. Usually, the army of Xerxis is blisteringly fast while Xerxis himself is relatively ponderous and need to stay in the middle of the table.

While not a specialist of assassination, Energizer allow his beasts to have extended, semi-non-linear threat range and the feat means you don't need many attacks to drop someone.

Theme thoughts

Xerxis is a caster who loves melee infantry. This means that he has one standard theme force and one effective but unusual one.

• Masters of War is his normal theme. Praetorians and Cataphracts - what's not to love? Hard hitting and flexible melee is his meat and drink.
• The Exalted is the other Skorne melee infantry theme - and sometimes has a problem cracking armour. Although not with Xerxis it doesn't.
• Disciples of Agony is playable if he's going battlegroup heavy.
• Winds of Death is missile infantry only.

• Praetorian Ferox - Have very solid Def and Arm for Defender's Ward to push to the next level. Push to the Limit makes them SPD 10 before using Leap for a total threat range of 15" at MAT 8 and two P+S 14 attacks per Rider before CMAs are factored in. Or use Stir the Blood for a P+S 16 charge attack. And of course, this becomes even more ridiculous with the extra damage die from the feat. They are pretty much an auto-include with him.
• Cataphract Cetrati - Defender's Ward, the Agonizer, Tyrant Vorkesh and his feat make them almost unkillable. And Press forward and Tactical Supremacy get them up the board fast.
• Praetorian Swordsmen - the biggest unit around, allowing you to get the most use out of Stir the Blood or even Defender's Ward. And with Tactician you can keep them safe from infantry. With Stir the Blood combined with feat they will deliver P+S 14 5d6 charges. It does not take many of those to end a heavy.
• Praetorian Karax - the cheaper rival, Karax still get a turn of bouncing everything via the UA.
• Supreme Guardian - anti-spell tech and hits like a truck.

• Immortals - an incorporeal immortal charge hits amazingly hard, and Tactical Supremacy can make them more mobile especially if Vengeance triggers.
• Despoiler - expensive but the free upkeep makes cycling Tactical Supremacy safer or allows for a clutch cast of Energizer. Dark Shroud and Xerxis’ feat are also a killer combo
• Ancestral Guardian - pretty mandatory for immortals regardless but Xerxis’ feat will also give them a bonus damage dice on defensive strike.
• Supreme Guardian - as for Masters of War

• Nihilators are hard-hitting infantry to wreck things with and can get through a lot of infantry - while Stir the Blood lets them mangle heavier models.
• The Battle Boar helps turn light warbeasts up to 11 on his feat turn.
• The Terrorizer is easier to fit into a list over a Titan Gladiator & point blank works with his feat.
• Wrong Eye & Snapjaw can stack their Star Crossed Def buff with Defender's Ward, and Xerxis struggles to support a big battlegroup with his poor Fury stat.
• There are only 42 points of Skorne melee combat infantry units available in this list, and for all Bloodrunners are good they get little out of Xerxis' feat. Of course you can still get a Siege Animantarax or two.

Battlegroup

• Tiberion is his pet watbeast that he can take in any theme. It is particulary well rounded to work with his master. With Energizer and Overtake he has a threat range that is more often limited by Xerxis' movement than his own, his shield makes him very hard to drop under feat, with an Agonizer, or both, and the offensive part of the feat allows him to single-handedly destroy even a very solid colossal.
• Basilisk Krea for the anti-shooting.
• Rhinodon - Spiny Growth + the Krea or Agonizer aura makes it very difficult to assassinate Xerxis. Consider a Razor Worm if you are on a budget but don’t expect much from it outside of feat turn.
• Aradus Soldier - Energizer helps with its main problem of being very slow.
• Archidon - Xerxis’ control area gets full really quickly having a warbeast with Long Leash helps to mitigate that, a flyer also offers up interesting threat angles and harassment opportunities, especially on feat turn.
• Agonizer - for when you want to brick up using Defender's Ward (probably on Cataphract Cetrati).

Other

Trivia

• Xerxis has a romanticized spelling of the Persian name Xerxes. He is most likely named after the Persian king Xerxes I the Great, famous for his invasion of Greece.
• Halaak means "Annihilation" in Persian.
• Released in Hordes: Evolution (2007)

Video Battle Reports

• 2018.09 Arcane Assist, vs Maelok1
• 2018.05 WarGamerGirl, vs Old Witch3
• 2018.03 Brutal Damage, vs Irusk1
• Template:VBR