High Executioner Servath Reznik

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

The High Executioner Servath Reznik stalks the lands beyond the Protectorate of Menoth to carry out sentences of death on those guilty of sacrilege, sorcery, or religious treason against the Creator of Man. The borders of mortal nations mean nothing to Reznik, his warjacks, and his devoted followers. He embodies ancient ways of his faith when priest-kings reigned without question and all citizens knew that impiety resulted in suffering or death.

"He is nothing but a blunt instrument of the hierarchy released to obliterate any who offend. Pray your name never earns a place on his writs." - Grand Exemplar Kreoss

Basic Info

Warcaster abilities:

• Focus Manipulation

• Battlegroup Controller

• Power Field

• Spellcaster

• Independent Model

• Leader

Feat - Judgment Day

1. Enemy models currently in Reznik's Template:CTRL range lose all focus and fury points.
2. While in Reznik's Template:CTRL range, enemy models cannot upkeep spells or be allocated focus...
3. ... and those casting spells suffer the Fire continuous effect.

Judgement Day lasts for one round.

Abilities

• Template:Excruciator
• Template:Witch Hound

Weapons

Confessor
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				7				14
Template:Magical Damage Template:Purgation

Spells

{{Category: Template:Brand of HeresyTemplate:Engine of DestructionTemplate:Hex BlastTemplate:IgniteTemplate:Perdition }}[[Category: Template:Brand of HeresyTemplate:Engine of DestructionTemplate:Hex BlastTemplate:IgniteTemplate:Perdition ]]

Theme Forces

• Template:Exemplar Interdiction
• Template:Guardians of the Temple
• Template:The Creator's Might. He can start the game with upkeeps in play, and upkeep them for free in turn 1, in this theme.
• Template:The Faithful Masses
• Template:Si

Thoughts on Reznik1

Reznik1 in a nutshell

Reznik is capable of running a large battlegroup. Brand of Heresy should be cast most turns as the old target now should be dead!. While the RNG on the spell is good but not great, he may get a little exposed. Therefore an arcnode complements his play style very well.

Reznik can still be a true melee monster while under the effects of Engine of Destruction, but beware of committing Reznik too far forward and exposed. A concerted effort to kill him can often succeed. All it takes is one determined warjack/warbeast or a fully fuelled caster to ruin Reznik's day. His feat, and Engine of Destruction can help with engineering, or completing an assassination run or removing a very hard target ready for a scenario victory.

Also keep in mind that Reznik is on a medium-sized base, so he cannot hide behind small based-sized models. You will either want to keep him with a model that has Shield Guard to absorb an incoming ranged attack, or simply hide him behind his wall of warjacks, always threatening to cause mayhem.

Feat thoughts

His feat is best used for assassination because it removes warcaster's ability to reduce damage, and warlocks ability to transfer damage. Note that the feat denies the enemy the ability to upkeep a spell but does not strip enemy upkeeps during your feat turn.

If the enemy survive your feat turn, then the following is worth noting:

• The enemy warcaster will replenish their focus next turn and, being unable to allocate any of it, may decide to go for a hail-mary assassination themself.
• Warjacks will still gain 1 focus from Power Up (it is not affected as it uses the word "gains" as opposed to "is allocated"). So jacks will be working mostly-normal on their next turn.
• A warlock will have no new fury (because all the warbeasts he would "pull" it from have also been drained) so he will need to cut for fury if he wants to do anything.

Spell thoughts

• Brand of Heresy - This spell is best used every turn that you possibly can. It makes your even small 'jacks terrors to models marked by this spell.
  • If didn't kill the branded target last turn, attempt to kill it before activating Reznik, so that Reznik can then cycle it onto a new target, and allow your yet-to-be-activated jacks to tear the second victim apart.
  • With Brand of Heresy having a high cost you should focus it on high-priority, low-DEF targets, such as enemy jacks due to their lower DEF. Vs high-DEF targets it's normally best to boost the roll to make the spell hit as the spell's cost is very painful to miss with.
  • This spell is very useful in taking down enemy colossals/gargantuans, and you are likely to need an arc node to place it on the desired target without exposing Reznik unduly.
• Engine of Destruction - This spell is best used as a way to let Reznik kill tougher models. It gives him a larger threat range, and allows him to reliably hit, and do massive damage.
  • It's best used to deal with models getting past your jacks, it shouldn't be used to play Reznik aggressively and suicidally. IF you want offense, use Brand of Heresy.
  • But later in the game, when there are fewer models on the table, this spell is one your opponent will fear.
  • The SPD buff is useful though for getting Reznik where you need him to be at any point in the game. Sometimes that few extra inches are critical and worth the focus cost of the spell.
• Hex Blast - This spell is really only there to deal with the most annoying upkeep spells in the game.
  • Offensively, the POW doesn't measure up to what Brand of Heresy can offer for the same cost.
  • The spell can be used against your own models: if your key warjack is suffering a debuff upkeep, it can be worth blasting it with Hex Blast to remove the upkeep spell and allow it to function normally.
• Ignite - A good melee attack fixer spell.
  • Good to use on a 'jack to help hit those higher arm enemy 'jacks/beasts/caster, or on a large unit of infantry so you get 10x the effect.
  • Don't be afraid to 'cycle' it. Upkeep it on one unit/model, let them attack, then activate Reznik and cast it on another unit/model, and then activate the second unit/model. Then 2 units benefit from the bonus a turn.
  • Of course, just as with Feora1 this spell combined with Engine of Destruction means he won't have to boost to hit high DEF enemy casters, for example: only double ones missing anything below DEF 17 for Reznik, although the combined focus cost for the two spells means he can only buy a couple of attacks, unless he was already upkeeping ignite on himself, but worth bearing in mind. The Critical Fire is a nice bonus - if you can remember it!
• Perdition - This spell is best used to allow one of your warjacks to move up closer, and reliably alpha strike a model.
  • It's worth keeping in mind that you need the spell to not only hit, but also damage its target to allow one of your warjacks to benefit from the free advance.
  • The low POW of the spell coupled with Reznik's distinctly average magic ability, this spell may demand that you boost either the attack, or damage roll, if not both.

Drawbacks & Downsides

Reznik suffers from not having the durability you want from him. His medium sized base makes him difficult to screen, while focus reserves are often strained from fueling his 'jacks, leaving him with little or no focus and in a dangerous position.

As with Feora1, there is a temptation through his abilities and of course the wonderful buffs from Engine of Destruction to use Reznik1 to get out and personally kill things, especially in the early to mid game. Learning when to hold Reznik back and safeguard him, and when to unleash him is an important skill for success with this challenging but rewarding caster.

Tricks & Tips

• Don't forget that animi now count as spells! This is important when making the most of Purgation and Witch Hound!
• Through Excruciator, Reznik can make his own Wracks to fuel his focus needs, however the newly made Wracks don't acquire focus until the next round, this means that if you place them too close to him and they are subsequently hit, they will detonate catching him in their AOE. This means that while making Wracks can be useful, care should be taken with placement so as not to potentially harm Reznik or his army.
• Reznik can attempt to use his Wracks aggressively as well. If he kills an enemy model and places the Wrack in the middle of the enemy unit, he can then attack his own Wrack, and detonate it - catching a number of enemies in the blast.
• Between Witch Hound, and the Scourge of Heresy using Arcane Vortex, Reznik's battlegroup will rarely see spells thrown against them. This means that any Choir of Menoth that accompany him only really need to worry about denying the enemy forces from being able to hit Reznik's warjacks with ranged attacks. The enemy will have a tough time dealing with your advancing forces, and will either have to resort to spending points to get magical ranged weapons, or sling spells at you (which you can either let them hit, and deal with the effects so that Witch Hound can trigger), or use banked focus on the Scourge of Heresy to deny that spell from ever occurring (while it's cost remains spent). You won't be immune to magic, but you will have enough to dissuade your opponent from using magic against you.

List Building Advice

Strategy

Reznik's has two main win conditions, assassination and attrition. The most important part of the assassination is ensure the enemy casters is in your feat to remove focus and fury. This is usually followed by arching brand of heresy onto the enemy caster (if using warjacks to assassinate), you will likely want to boost to hit. This allows for both a potent melee and ranged assassination with Reznik. I usually try to use all available ranged attacks BEFORE committing the final melee assassin, usually if you are close enough to feat the enemy caster, you are fully committed to the assassination. Brand of Heresy plays well into an attrition style by allowing Reznik to trade up without wasting valuable resources to remove large targets. His late game potential is extremely potent. The longer you stay in the game the more powerful his threat becomes. Late game he can often be used to remove enemy heavies by trading your own. Most casters will lose the long fight against him, but know your enemy and your limitations. Don't forget witch hound applies to offensive animi, geomancy and attacks with magic ability[#].

Because of Brand of Heresy, Reznik can run a very large number of ranged jacks, they never need to be concerned about boosting attack or damage rolls. Having ranged warjacks also synergises well with Witch Hound, as while 3" of movement and a basic attack may be enough to work once battle has started, being able to use Witch Hound through a ranged warjack provides more flexibility.

Theme Thoughts

• The Choir of Menoth is near essential. Being able to have a wall of 2-3 heavy warjacks that are unable to be targetted by ranged attacks (and when one of those is the Scourge of Heresy that can negate spells by spending it's focus) allows you to march up, or even outshoot some enemy lists. When you do get into combat, they can also just help add just a little extra damage to your 'jacks (though this is less beneficial due to Brand of Heresy already being powerful enough).
• Reznik wants to run warjacks, but his focus pool doesn't always allow him to run as many as he may like. To this end, Wracks, a Hierophant, and a Vassal of Menoth or two can help dish out extra focus to him and his warjacks that allow him to comfortably run 3-5 warjacks.
• A Reclaimer Gatekeeper may be useful. Their ability to gain souls, and give Reznik the option of boosting his attack and damage rolls after he rolls can be useful for being stringent with your focus when dealing with Brand of Heresy and Perdition.

Template:Header This theme provides him with two things he loves: Severius0 and the Living Covenant. He doesn't really care about much else, because he runs so battlegroup heavy.

• The Living Covenant - It can teleport him back wards if he needs to expose himself to cast Brand, or go ham in melee and plant some new Wracks.
• Severius0 - +1/+1 is good on anything, but especially so on ranged jacks currently benefiting from Brand of Heresy.
• Exemplar Warder - It's a great solo to camp a flag with or protect Sevy or Reznik himself.

Battlegroup

File:ScourgeofHeresy.jpg

Scourge of Heresy is his pet warjack that he can take in any theme.

• Scourge of Heresy is Reznik's pet warjack, so he can take it in any theme, and it's a great choice for him.
  • It has a good threat range, thresher in one hand, and a sword that will obliterate any-and-all models that were dumb enough to challenge it in the other.
  • Its bond lets it move every time Reznik kills something, which allows the Scourge to either work as shield to Reznik (if Reznik needed to open himself up to a counterstrike), or allow the Scourge of Heresy to work with an increased threat range being able to achieve up to a 17" threat range (Bond+Perdition+Charge) which disturbingly powerful for a melee Warjack.
• Guardian to arc Brand of Heresy and Perdition. It is hardy, and can hold its own in combat, and has a decent range with it's melee weapon with a fun critical effect on it. The Revenger is the faster budget option.
• Dervish - The are very notable with him, because among Brand of Heresy, Hymn of Battle and Eye of Menoth, they can comfortably go toe-to-toe with heavy warjacks and come out on top, which is amazing at their price class!
• Redeemer - With Brand of Heresy in play, the Redeemer gets 3 boosted attack rolls and damage rolls. While it may not do as much as other 'jacks, the potential of causing a decent dent in an enemy model with a 21" threat range is nothing to sneeze at.
• Reckoner. It requires little to no focus to run fully fuelled, and its gun can decrease a model's DEF via Flare. This can make Reznik's lower focus go further on both his rolls to make Brand of Heresy hit, he doesn't even need to apply focus unto it (unless you want to boost both damage and attack rolls with it on a ranged attack).
• Repenter - Not to be forgotten, nor to miss a free handout, it shambles forward again as a 'jack that will never ask for more than its power up focus and make the most of attack and damage roll boosts. Between the spray and chain weapon rules this jack brings a very efficient little toolbox for the cost.
• Judicator - Between its reliquary rule and Reznik's Brand of Heresy spell, all of the Judicator's ranged attacks become super powerful. On top of that you can stack Ignite on it, for when you absolutely, positively want that target pasted to the floor in melee. It is one of the - if not THE - most efficient target for everything Reznik can provide.

Other

Trivia

• Released in Warmachine: Legends (2008)
• Real world origin of the word "Reznik":
  • Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): Occupational name for a Jewish ritual slaughterer, from Yiddish reznik (of Slavic origin).
  • Czech (Řezník) and Slovak (Rezník): Occupational name for a butcher.
• Reznik is another Menite of Khadoran origin, having been born and raised in the northern mountains of Khador, amongst one of the strictest sects of Menoth.
• Possible real-world origin of his first name (Servath) is from the ancient Armenian bishop, Servatius of Tongeren, who was a fervent prosecutor of Arianism, a theological view that was later branded as heresy by the church.

Video Battle Reports

• 2019.06 Feat Fetish, vs Rhyas1
• Template:VBR