Jaga-Jaga, the Death Charmer

Jaga-Jaga has risen to prominence as a high priestess of the Blindwater Congregation. In her talons writhe the spirits of death drawn from the swamps, each eager to comply with her designs. She is an enigmatic creature, whispering into the darkness to converse with ravening things of shadow. Around her the unseen spirits bubble close to the surface, drawn to her as leeches are drawn to disturbances in the water.

Basic Info

• Minion - In a +2 warlock game, she can work as a Template:Circle minion, Template:Legion minion, Template:Skorne minion, or Template:Trollblood minion
• 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.

• Template:Gatorman Warlock

Feat: Vengeful Spirits

Choose up to d3 + 5 enemy models currently in Jaga-Jaga’s Template:CTRL range. RFP one friendly Faction warrior model within 5˝ of each chosen enemy model. Each chosen enemy model suffers a magical damage roll with POW equal to the base ARM of the corresponding removed model. Models destroyed by Vengeful Spirits are RFP'd.

Abilities

• Template:Amphibious
• Template:Tough
• Field Marshal [ [[:Category:{{{ability}}}|{{{ability}}}]] ]

[[Category:{{{ability}}}]] (Template:Death Rage)

Weapons

• Serpent Strike - 2" reach, POW 5, P+S 11 melee weapon.
  • Template:Chain Weapon
  • Template:Poison

Spells

{{Category: Template:Battle HostTemplate:DeadweightTemplate:Ghost WalkTemplate:Grave WindTemplate:Signs & Portents }}[[Category: Template:Battle HostTemplate:DeadweightTemplate:Ghost WalkTemplate:Grave WindTemplate:Signs & Portents ]]

Theme Forces

• Template:Blindwater
• Template:Will Work for Food

Thoughts on Jaga-Jaga, the Death Charmer

Jaga-Jaga, the Death Charmer in a nutshell

Jaga-Jaga has moved from a warlock with a plan, to a great all-round offensive and ranged warlock thanks to Spellpiercer being swapped out for Signs and Portents. This can make her very boring or just straightforward to play, depending on your tastes, as Signs & Portents and two upkeeps leave her doing little else other than camping each turn.

Feat thoughts

It presents a tough choice - to hit the enemy hard you need to sacrifice your high-ARM troops, but they're normally your most expensive ones that you don't want to sacrifice.

On the other hand it is auto-hitting and doesn't need LOS, which is sweet. You can use it after your warrior has activated, and you can boost the damage.

One option is run some of your cheap troops within 5" of the squishy enemy support solos and just smash them.

Another option is, if your Posse is already hurt and will probably for next turn, just sacrifice them for a hard hit.

Lastly, note that Signs & Portents will apply to your feat, too.

Spell thoughts

• Battle Host is excellent. Cast once then upkeep the rest of the game. 2" extra movement on your warbeasts can be scary. Especially as they also hit harder. Also between Battle Host and Spiny Growth she can be ARM 20
• Ghost Walk is a very good spell, and a reason to bring a soul slave. That and the extra upkeep. Pathfinder on a stick with some extras.
• Grave Wind either goes on a Wrastler or, frequently, her for extra survivability.
• Deadweight is a superb attack spell that she seldom has the spare fury to cast.
• Signs & Portents is frequently considered one of the best spells in the game and helps both with hitting and damage.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Negligible combat abilities and average defensive capabilities - and she's on a medium base.
• She doesn't have a magical weapon, making her one of the few casters in the game that don't.
• If you like to have to think with your warlock she's not for you - by the same token she's great for beginners in her new incarnation.

Tricks & Tips

• Signs and Portents is worth effectively +2 MAT, +1.5 damage - good for attrition.
• Look for the enemy solos that Jaga-Jaga's feat can take out to pull the army apart.
• If you can attack with the models you're going to sacrifice you get more use out of them.
• You're generally going to be upkeeping Battle Host and casting Signs and Portents with Jaga-Jaga.
• Rorsch and Brine: Brine can be given ghostly from a gatorman soul slave, rage from Wrastler, and enjoy signs and portents while getting a lot of non-linear threat to go assassinate ignoring free strikes and obstructions on the way.

List Building Advice

Strategy

Signs & Portents is the backbone of an attrition game - but she has mobility and the ability to eliminate solos for an all round threat.

She's more of a battlegroup caster than most, but her buffs are versatile enough to work with almost anything.

Theme Thoughts

• Gatorman Soul Slave rarely does Jaga-Jaga have enough Fury to cast Ghost Walk the Soul Slave solves this issue by casting it for her and giving her a free upkeep spell. With its armour of 17 it is also not a bad target for her feat, once it has activated and paid off its value.
• Scythe - Sign & Portends is excellent on ranged models and Scythe is THE ranged model with ROF 3 and a Weapon Master Bow.
• Void Archon - They are very fast so they can keep up with your battle Hosted beasts and apply Dark Shroud. But their main value comes from their high number of initials with an Assault Spay mixed in, which makes them take to S&P super well. Ghostly & Flight also means they can pretty much go anywhere they please.
• Barnabas the Conqueror - Outsourcing a Swamp Horror to him is a very good idea because it does not lose out on Battle Host, but does gain Murderous and Blood Quenched, so he runs them better than she does. Against living models his Horror can roll 4 dice on the attack roll without boosting, which is just silly.
• Underchief Mire - He contributes to a Cloud Wall to hide your Archons, Scythe and beasts, and can cast the animus of his beast for free, which should probably be a Wrastler because your Squids need Rage and Jaga-Jaga has no fury to spare to cast it. Giving Scythe Hunter via Weald Secrets is a very good use of the spell!
• Greygore Boomhowler & Co. - They jam decently and Cacophony can be very useful, especially with Ghost Walk as he takes no free strikes. The main draw is that they are 10 warm bodies with ARM 15 for only 12 points, so they are the perfect feat targets.
• Malvin & Mayhem - Ghost Walk and S&P is amazing on them and they need no fury management. Excellent for her. Elasicity can make for a backbreaking Berserk Chain.

• Croak Raiders - Any ranged unit loves S&P.
• Gatorman Posse - A nice unit for the feat.

Battlegroup

• Ironback Spitter - Something should hang back with her for the Battle Host ARM-buff.
• Swamp Horror - Swamp Horror at SPD 6 and with Overtake from the Will Work for Food theme and Signs and Portents is a lot of munched infantry.
• Bull Snapper - Can also be used for Battle Host, stacking Spiny Growth on top of it to bump her to ARM 20, in addition to screening her.
• Blackhide Wrastler - Because nothing else she brings will crack armor.

First Seven Purchases

A few veteran players have put their heads together and tried to figure out the seven best things to buy for this specific caster. This is not designed to add up to a nice round points limit, nor be balanced vs other "First Seven" lists you find on this website. It is simply going to give you some of the essentials this caster needs most of the time.

1. Warbeast: Swamp Horror
2. Warbeast: Swamp Horror
3. Solo: Kwaak & Gub
4. Solo: Gatorman Soul Slave
5. Solo: Underchief Mire
6. Warbeast: Blackhide Wrastler
7. Unit: Croak Hunters

Other

Trivia

• Released in the Hordes: Exigence expansion book (2014).
• Still the only gator without a bite attack. She prefers to let her undead snake do the biting.
• Her snake is a Tazylworm, a venomous, multi-eyed serpentine creature native to the western Iron Kingdoms that come in many varieties. Skarath is also one. Despite being part of the IKRPG Monsternomicon and begin featured as Gatorman Warbeasts in the "Wild Adventure" IKRPG book, they never made it into Hordes as a fully fledged Gator Warbeast.

Video Battle Reports

• Desperate Pace, 2019.12, vs Deneghra3
• Not Snakes Gaming, 2018.05, vs Harbinger1
• Template:VBR