Wraith Witch Deneghra

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

Undeath has amplified Deneghra’s twisted manners of treachery and deceit, her cruelty, and her lust. She can only feel a tempestuous rage and act against those in her path, wantonly seeking victims to crush and kill at the behest of her master. However, it does nothing to ease her worries or fill the void left by her vacant soul.

Basic Info

Warcaster abilities:

• Focus Manipulation

• Battlegroup Controller

• Power Field

• Spellcaster

• Independent Model

• Leader

Feat : Web of Shadows

Choose d3 + 3 friendly non-warcaster Faction models currently in Deneghra’s Template:CTRL range. The chosen models gain Incorporeal for one round.

Abilities

• Template:Parry
• Template:Undead
• Template:Cull Soul
• Template:Wraith Walker

Weapons

Eclipse
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				7				12
Template:Magical Damage Template:Dark Banishment

Spells

{{Category: Template:Breath StealerTemplate:Curse of ShadowsTemplate:DamnationTemplate:HellmouthTemplate:Shadow StepTemplate:Venom }}[[Category: Template:Breath StealerTemplate:Curse of ShadowsTemplate:DamnationTemplate:HellmouthTemplate:Shadow StepTemplate:Venom ]]

Theme Forces

• Template:Black Industries
• Template:Dark Host
• Template:The Ghost Fleet
• Template:Scourge of the Broken Coast

Thoughts on Deneghra2

Deneghra2 in a nutshell

File:Deneghra2.png

Classic Sculpt

Deneghra2 is a toolbox caster with a variety of debuffs and offensive spells that allow her to answer many questions on the table. Breath Stealer lets her handle high def models, while Curse of Shadows allows her to stop jamming units and provides a nice ARM debuff. Her feat is flexible, able to be used offensively to bypass enemy front lines, or defensively to avoid counterattack from an enemy with few magical weapons. She lacks the large swings of Deneghra1, but she can operate much further behind the lines. Between Hellmouth, Shadow Step, and Dark Banishment, she has a lot of movement tricks at her disposal.

Feat Thoughts

• The feat can be offensive and/or defensive and thus the timing of the feat is incredibly important. Not only do you want to make sure you feat on a turn when you can maximize its effectiveness, but you must also be careful to activate Deneghra at the right time during the feat turn. You want to activate Deneghra after the models you want to apply the feat to defensively (models that want to attack, then become incorporeal), and before the models you want to feat on offensively (modes that will use the feat to enable an alpha).
• Planning the feat turn is further complicated by the fact that you will have between 4 and 6 feat targets; include a contingency plan for best/worst-case scenarios.
• The feat can be used to maximize the effectiveness of the spell Damnation, making it very difficult to eliminate LOS/charge lanes from a warjack in Deneghra's battlegroup.
• Using spells, offensive or otherwise, do not cause incorporeal to drop. As such, models such as Cephalyx Overlords, the Withershadow Combine and Deathjack can cast spells while affected by the feat and remain incorporeal.
• Many lists do not have more than one or two sources of magic weapons. Spreading out feat targets can force your opponent to make a difficult decision on where to apply them.

Spell Thoughts

• Breath Stealer - Provides a defense debuff that can be applied to multiple targets. Applying this spell to the right models can also enable an alpha against important targets or allow for more aggressive positioning on the scenario - maintain a good awareness of threat ranges to maximize effectiveness.
• Curse of Shadows - As well as a decent armor buff, this spell is arguably far more valuable due to the additional movement shenanigans it provides to a Deneghra 2 list. Just one example: Apply to a model/unit with magic weapons and your feat targets can still go through/around it without taking free strikes.
• Damnation - An impressive threat extender, this spell is a large part of why Deneghra 2 is often taken with a large and/or high-quality battlegroup. The threat saturation possible with the proper application of Damnation can leave your opponent with few places to put their high-value models (including their Warlock/Warcaster!). However, spells/effects that prevent charges can make this spell next to worthless.
• Hellmouth - Invariably considered one of the best spells in the game, with the cost to match. Probably the best infantry clearing spell in the game as it can catch infantry over a wide area with a POW 12. If your opponent spreads out infantry to avoid its effects, consider using one of your own models (a Machine Wraith is a prime example) as your Hellmouth target. With proper application, Hellmouth can also be up to a 3" threat extender and/or used to move models out of scenario or into killbox range. This is especially effective when, again, using your own models as a target for the spell.
• Shadow Step - A high-risk spell with effects that potentially mitigate that risk. Applying to a clump of melee heavy infantry can not only lock them in place but provide something of a wall to hide behind. As it does not require a roll to hit, it is a very reliable defense debuff that requires some careful thought on how and when to apply it safely.
• Venom - Venom is a cheap and effective infantry clearer. Often overshadowed by Hellmouth in Deneghra 2's spell list, it has a place against stealth models or high armor, single wound infantry.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Her armor will make her squishy but her defense means it will be hard to hit her, but with her wounds she won't last long.
• If you don't place her right when you do the spells, you will leave her wide open to the enemy.

Tricks & Tips

• Deneghra can use Dark Banishment to put an enemy heavy out of action for a turn. Charge the enemy heavy, stop her charge move 2" away from the heavy, and Dark Banish it 4" to 9". Then Shadow Step 3" backward. The enemy heavy will now be 9" to 14" away from Deneghra and, since Dark Banishment is a place effect, it will be facing the wrong way. It now can't charge anything, and most heavies do not have enough SPD + weapon range to walk 9" back to Deneghra and hit her.
  • If the enemy heavy is particularly slow or you rolled particularly high on the Banish, you can skip casting Shadow Step.
  • Just watch out for enemy spells that can change the enemy's LOS before it activates (such as Jumpstart or Locomotion). That would let it get its LOS back and then charge Deneghra.

This trick leverages Hellmouth to increase DJ's threat range. It could be any warjack, but DJ is the most worthwhile.

• Give DJ 2 focus
• Run a drudge 2.99" in front of DJ, directly towards the enemy you want to charge (the enemy caster, normally).
• Move arc nodes where you need them.
• Cast Damnation on the enemy target
• Cast Hellmouth on the Drudge, pushing DJ into base contact and doing chip damage to him.
• Feat on DJ.

Result: DJ threats 14.99" (6 base, 3 charge, 2 Damnation, 1 reach, 2.99 Hellmouth), and arrives at his target with 5 focus to spend. He ignores LOS when declaring the charge, and ignores terrain and most free strikes during the charge.

You can also "Double Cannon" it with DJ himself casting Hellmouth at a second drudge before he charges. You lose 4 focus to get a 17.98" threat range.

Note: You cannot push Incorporeal models with Hellmouth.

Deneghra herself has a long bomb assassination vector. It's a do or die option, though, because it puts her in a horrible board position.

• Start the turn Incorporeal.
• Find a charge target such that Deneghra can finish her charge within 5" of the enemy caster.
• After charging, before attacking, cast Shadowstep to get within 2" of the enemy caster.
• Bop 'em on the head and teleport them 4 to 9" into the ever-loving arms of your army.
• Total threat range is 15" (10 charge, 3 Shadowstep, 2 reach).

If you're a little bit crazy, you can extend it to a 17.99 or 20.98 threat range by using a Hellmouth Cannon. You may need to cannon Deneghra herself (unless she is incorpoteal), although the damage roll will hurt her a lot (unlike DJ).

This trick can also be used at slightly less risk vs warjacks/warbeasts that have charged your lines, or are about to charge. Catapulting stuff you don't want to deal with out of the way, out of scenario zones, even out of their owner's CTRL range ... it's pretty funny.

List Building Advice

Strategy

She likes to assassinate the enemy.

Theme thoughts

• Deathjack allows 2 Hellmouths a turn, this can create new assassination angles. Casting Hellmouth on a different model to drag the enemy warcaster a few inches closer can lead to clutch caster kills.
• The Withershadow Combine can upkeep Curse of Shadows or Damnation. Puppet Master to help out important Hellmouths is great. Spell Slaves lets them caster Breath Stealer and Venom.
• Soul Hunters - Cavalry and Curse of Shadows are a winning combination, because it lets the Hunters ride through an enemy unit and lets them make impact attacks with impunity, the -2 ARM on the targets also helps of course.
• Mechanithralls love hit- and damage-fixers and the brutes can protect her squishy self.
• Kharybdis - It already has the longest threat range for a heavy in the faction, so Damnation makes that even better.
• Barathrum is still the best (character) heavy in the faction and Damnation is an excellent spell to make it even better. It doesn't need much input besides that, so it's great for Denny.

• Bane Riders love to make impact attacks on units with Curse of Shadows. It means that if the impact fails to kill the target, it doesn't block their charge lane.
• Deathjack is also in this theme.
• Desecrators are a solid non-character heavy that gain the extra perk of free focus in this theme. Since you cannot bring Khary or Bara in this theme you have to make do with them.

This one is a little weirder. On paper, Deneghra likes self-sufficient infantry that don't need much help. She DEFINITELY likes Gang Fighter on her warjacks.

• This theme allows Kharybdis to be taken in her battlegroup, who can give her a cloud each turn to hide behind. Kharybdis also really enjoys threat extension. He can be taken with Aiakos if you want to alleviate Denny's focus strain, while getting another heavy.
  • Kharybdis' large melee threat means that he can capitalize on Gang Fighter, especially one applied by Denny herself (see the "Scoot & Scoop" above).
• Black Ogrun Smog Belchers and Dirge Seers allow for clouds, too.
  • A small note for Dirge Seers: If one casts Guidance on Denny2, she can arc a spell (preferably Hellmouth) into stealthed models.
  • If you want to cast a spell through a cloud wall, you must cast Guidance onto the arc node itself.
• Between Barathrum and Kharybdis (if bonded to Aiakos), you can have two heavy hitters that are incredibly well-deliverable, something that SotBC can struggle with.
• An oddly satisfying-yet-highly-risky run involves feating on and running Stalkers and any heavies into range of the enemy warcaster. The enemy will find that they must commit resources to dealing with them. Any that are left alive can make a fully-loaded assassination run with Deneghra running/charging to supply Shadow Bind and Gang Fighter to the enemy warcaster.

• Machine Wraiths are amazing. They contest zones, capture flags, and in this case, they allow you to laser-guide your Hellmouths into the optimal position.

Template:Header

• Doctor Stygius - He's an excellent spell slave, meaning he can caster Venom and Breath Stealer.
• Saxon Orrik can help make up for Deneghra2's lack of ghost walk.
• Asphyxious4 - A damage fixer, mobile cloud wall, and personal contribution similar to a heavy warjack that teleports away after inflicting carnage, all at no input from Denny. Pulling enemy models into his clouds can be a real hoot, too.

Battlegroup

File:Nightmare.png

Nightmare is Deneghra's pet warjack that she can bring in any theme.

• Nightmare is Deneghra's pet warjack that she can bring in any theme, which doesn't mean you should, though. It's a strong contender for worst jack in the faction, maybe even the game if the Berserker chassis or the Seether did not exist. 18 points for a beat stick heavy is too much, especially if for the same price you can get Deathjack, or Barathrum for 5 points less.
• Deathrippers are cheap arc nodes. She needs them cause five of her six spells are offensive.
• A Corruptor is a good utility jack, anti-infantry mostly, that can potentially create an arc node.

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. Warjack: Deathjack
2. Warjack: Deathripper (x2)
3. Solo: Master Gurglepox
4. Solo: Hellslinger Phantom
5. Unit: Mechanithralls + Brute Thrall (x3)
6. Unit: Asphyxious4
7. Warjack: Slayer

Other

Trivia

• Released in Warmachine: Apotheosis (2005)
• Sculptor (2005 version): Grègory Clavilier
• Resculpted in 2016.

Video Battle Reports

• 2019.04 Feat Fetish, vs Jalaam1
• Template:VBR

Rules Clarifications

Template:RC Breath Stealer Template:RC Curse of Shadows Template:RC Damnation Template:RC Hellmouth {{RC Shadow Step}} Template:RC Venom