Spears of Scyrah

The trio known as the Spears of Scyrah count among the most fanatical mage hunters in the Retribution. Worshiping Scyrah in her guise as Avenger of the Vanished, they aspire to appease the goddess by striking down those who have caused harm to the lost Iosan gods. The Spears have had many members over the centuries, starting from the first years of the Retribution’s existence, and all have accepted their mortality to serve without fear of death.

After years of hunting human spellcasters and gathering intelligence on the armies of mankind as a mercenary, Eiryss has returned to her proper place as one of the foremost leaders of the Retribution. Now she takes to the field leading other mage hunters, inspiring them to feats of incredible bravery and peerless precision while lending her own deadly skills to rid the world of humanity’s blasphemy against Scyrah.

Basic Info

Leader & Grunts

Abilities

• Template:Pathfinder
• Template:Stealth
• Template:Duelist
• Template:Reposition 3
• Template:Shield Guard
• Template:Vengeance

Weapons

Spear
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				?				11
Template:Blessed Template:Magical Damage Template:Weapon Master

Eiryss3 (CA)

Retribution of Scyrah Shadows of the Retribution Command Attachment (Mage Hunter)

Model stats and abilities

Model Statistics

Base size = 30		SPD	MAT	DEF	ARM
Health = 5
FA = C
Cost = 4		7	9	16	12
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-

Model Advantages and Abilities

Command Attachment	This model is a Command Attachment. It can be added to the following: Mage Hunter
Stealth	Ranged and magic attacks targeting this model from a point of origin greater than 5˝ away automatically miss. This model is not an intervening model when determining line of sight from a model more than 5˝ away.‎ No errata for Stealth (Create)
Pathfinder	This model treats rough terrain as open terrain while advancing. While charging, slam power attacking, or trample power attacking, this model does not stop its movement when it contacts an obstacle. No errata for Pathfinder (Create)
Dual Attack	This model can make melee and ranged attacks in the same activation. When this model makes its initial melee attacks, it can also make its initial ranged attacks. A model with Dual Attack can make its initial melee and ranged attacks in any order you choose. This model cannot make ranged attacks after making a power attack.   Errata-Dual Attack and Unit Charges (2023-10-27) Question: If a unit with Dual Attack charges a single model, are all placed in melee range, and the first model kills the charge target, can the remaining members of the unit make ranged attacks, or do they forfeit their Combat Action because they don't have any enemy models in their melee range? Answer: The check for melee range is done at the end of movement. If you kill the targets before they attack, they can still do their ranged attack. (Malkav13) Explanation: This post is correct. Infernal Ruling: elswickchuck (Bulldog) - PP Community forum   Errata-Dual Attack and Special Attacks (2023-08-10) Question: Can a model with Dual Attack make any combination of ranged special attack and normal melee initial attacks, or its melee special attack and normal ranged initial attacks? (Example: Bison Both Barrels and Ram, or Mariner Thresher and gunshot). Answer: No. Explanation: The bison can not use dual attack and also make a special attack. That is correct in that (Thresher) example too. Infernal Ruling: elswickchuck (Bulldog) - PP Community forum
Quick Work	When this model destroys one or more enemy models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after that attack is resolved, this model can make one basic ranged attack. No errata for Quick Work (Create)
Granted	While this model is in play, models in its unit gain the following: Advance Deployment - In most scenarios, this model can be deployed after normal deployment, up to three inches beyond the established deployment zone. Reposition - At the end of this model/unit's activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 3 inches, then its activation ends. No errata for Granted (Create) No errata for Advance Deployment (Create) No errata for Reposition (Create)

Weapons

Crossbow
	RNG	ROF	AOE	POW	LOCATION
	12	1	-	10	-
Blessed	Attacks with this weapon ignore bonuses from spells, including animi, that add to a model's ARM or DEF. No errata for Blessed (Create)
Pistol	A model making an attack with this weapon targeting a model it is in melee with ignores the Target in Melee bonus when resolving this attack.   Errata-Pistol (2023-09-17) Question: Does the pistol benefit apply to models not in melee with the attacking model when the pistol is on a spray? Answer: No, it only applies to models with which the attacking model is in melee. Explanation: The intent is that a model only ignore the penalty for being in melee with the models that model is in melee with. Pistol only works against the models in the melee with the attacking model. Infernal Ruling: Dark Legacy - PP Community forum
Weapon Master	When resolving an attack with this weapon, add an additional die to damage rolls. No errata for Weapon Master (Create)
Dispel	When this weapon hits a model/unit, upkeep spells and animi on that model/unit immediately expire. No errata for Dispel (Create)

Saber
	RNG	ROF	AOE	POW	LOCATION
	1	-	-	9	-
Blessed	Attacks with this weapon ignore bonuses from spells, including animi, that add to a model's ARM or DEF. No errata for Blessed (Create)
Weapon Master	When resolving an attack with this weapon, add an additional die to damage rolls. No errata for Weapon Master (Create)
Dispel	When this weapon hits a model/unit, upkeep spells and animi on that model/unit immediately expire. No errata for Dispel (Create)

Bayonet
	RNG	ROF	AOE	POW	LOCATION
	1	-	-	7	-
Blessed	Attacks with this weapon ignore bonuses from spells, including animi, that add to a model's ARM or DEF. No errata for Blessed (Create)
Weapon Master	When resolving an attack with this weapon, add an additional die to damage rolls. No errata for Weapon Master (Create)

Command Attachment Rules

This model is a Command Attachment. It can be added to the following:

Changes and Updates

Release Trivia

• Released in the Warmachine: Vengeance expansion (2014)

Lore

From Eiryss, Angel of Retribution: Eiryss has spent years cutting down humans who would profane Caen and her goddess with foul sorceries, but she has seen first-hand that the wars and magics of mankind threaten to destroy her people and her gods. Eiryss has returned to her lonely fight with renewed conviction and new tools to hunt and slay human spell-casters and their perverse machines.

Eiryss, Mage Hunter Commander: After years of hunting human spellcasters and gathering intelligence on the armies of mankind as a mercenary, Eiryss has returned to her proper place as one of the foremost leaders of the Retribution. Now she takes to the field leading other mage hunters, inspiring them to feats of incredible bravery and peerless precision while lending her own deadly skills to rid the world of humanity’s blasphemy against Scyrah.

Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios Loyal only to her own convictions, the Mage Hunter character sells her sword and crossbow to any army that provides an opportunity to eliminate a Warcaster from her world.

Weapon Attachment(s)

As usual, they can take up to 3 Soulless Escorts as a Weapon Attachment. Info omitted here for the sake of brevity.

Theme Forces

• Template:Shadows of the Retribution - This unit gains optional Take Down in this theme.

Thoughts on Spears of Scyrah

Spears of Scyrah in a nutshell

They're an elite combat melee unit, fast, agile, and hit hard thanks to Weapon Master. They rely on their insanely high DEF to avoid hits (because anything that hits them tends to make them splatter). What makes these guys special is the presence of Shield Guard and Vengeance.

The Spears of Scyrah are elite melee Mage Hunters/suicide squad. Where they differ from other mage hunter units is that they are not simply hit and run harassers/assassins. Their long melee reach and their bonus defense in melee makes them want to stick it out more than other Mage Hunters. They also have Shield Guard, which on first glance seems pointless on a unit that can barely withstand a stiff breeze. But they are the only shield guard unit with stealth, which makes them ideal meat shields for your stealthy mage hunter assassins, Narn, or Eiryss. Yes, you'll almost certainly lose a model every time you trigger shield guard which is unfortunate, but you'll have protected a strong solo and also triggered vengeance.

Thoughts on adding Eiryss3 (CA)

• Pros: Adding Eiryss3 to the unit grants them Tough and due to the wording of Vengeance, Eiryss will benefit from it too so long as at least one spear is still alive. With the help of a Lys Healer you can thus have a shield-guard-no-knock-down-tough-veangence combo which is pretty nifty. Add in the Soulless escorts when points allow if going for this tactic.
• Cons: The mark target bonus is kind of wasted because you want your shield guards next to stuff you want to protect, not within 5" of stuff you want to shoot. Only models with dual attack or quick work typically want both. Plus Eiryss will benefit more from being added to Infiltrators as they have ambush and advance deployment, which puts her nearer to the enemy caster.

Thoughts on adding Soulless Escort (WA)

Totally worth it. Worst case scenario, he gets killed without achieving anything worthwhile... but that will still trigger an extra Vengeance move.

Combos & Synergies

• Goreshade4 can also give the ghostly, making them immune to free strikes and therefore allowing them to do lots of melee range movement mischief safe from extra attacks.
  • As the Spears are not named characters, but rather Leader and Grunts, Goreshade4 can Revive them, even though they cannot attack the turn they are bought back, they can Shield Guard again
• Elara2's Feat can provide them with ghostly as well as boosting their already impressive charge range. At 2" melee range they are also excellent Scything Touch appliers.
• Issyria can bump up their armor, making shield guarding slightly less deadly.. at least being able to survive an average pow 10 shot.
• Vyros1 and Vyros2 can likewise slightly boost their armor.
• Garryth1 has a nifty trick up his sleeve with Mirage and Eiryss3. He can upkeep Mirage on the unit and have them shield guard something, which causes Eiryss to make a Vengeance move during you next turn, which stacks with the move from Mirage. This results in a 24" non-linerar threat range on an Arcane Hemorrhage crossbow bolt (or even 27" if you charge, kill and Quick Work). Due to Garryths proviciency at assassinating casters, this can win you the game outright.
• Narn gives them sprint

Drawbacks & Downsides

• If you're looking just at their offensive potential versus their cost, there are more efficient units and solos.
• You pay extra for having 5 wounds, but have such a low armor value that each model effectively only has 1 wound.
• Vengeance is okay, but nearly impossible to trigger without losing a model, making it less effective than with a larger unit with more disposable grunts like Dawnguard Sentinels.

Tricks & Tips

• Be super selective with when you trigger Vengeance to minimise the chances of losing one of them, but also because the resulting Vengeance moves may turn out to be pointless, and they need to threaten a fair bit to make it worthwhile.
• If you plan to charge, but one can't, run to engage. With native high DEF and Duellist, they're better off in combat than close enough that Stealth is not a benefit any longer.

Other

Trivia

• Released 2017.04