Blighted Nyss Warlord

The warlords of Everblight’s Legion enter combat armed with the double-bladed claymore—a weapon requiring remarkable dexterity and coordination to wield. With it, a blighted Nyss warlord scythes through enemy ranks, severing heads and limbs alike with blinding strikes.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Blade Shield
• Template:Cleave

Leadership

While within {{{d}}} of this model, friendly [[{{{model}}}]] models gain [[:Category:{{{ability}}}|{{{ability}}}]].

• Template:Overtake
• Template:Precision Strike

Weapons

• Double Claymore - 1" reach, P+S 11 melee weapon.
  • Template:Weapon Master
  • Template:Decapitation

Theme Forces

• Template:Children of the Dragon

Thoughts on Blighted Nyss Warlord

Blighted Nyss Warlord in a nutshell

The Blighted Nyss Warlord ("the Warlord"), in terms of raw damage output, is a force to be reckoned with in his point class. Obviously, he's not likely to kill a heavy warjack on his own, but if you ask any Retribution player, they'll tell you the the combination of Weapon Master and Decaptitation is a potent combo for tearing off an arm, aspect, or simply obliterating an important solo. Against the average unbuffed heavy (ARM18-20), the Warlord can expect to do 10-14 damage on a normal day, but can obviously spike much higher thanks to his four dice charge damage and the fact that each point of damage on your dice is worth two with Decapitate. Combine his solid damage output with elite levels of MAT and decent DEF against direct shooting and the Warlord is a solidly self-sufficient combat solo.

However. the Warlord isn't a one-size fits all answer to your questions. To continue to compare to Retribution's Mage Hunter Assassin, the Warlord is much better at scalpeling those critical warjack systems thank to Precision Strike, but he will struggle to make it to certain targets thanks to his lower threat range, lack of Advance Deployment, and lack of pathfinder. He won't need help hitting his targets and doing the damage you want, but he will need assistance making it there unimpeded.

The Warlord also have some extra utility if you're bringing his brothers in arms, the Swordsmen. Cut from the same cloth, he's the de facto solo to back Legion's premiere weapon master infantry, and turns them into the miniature versions of himself by granting those within 9" of him Precision Strike. With a full allotment of Swordsmen with the command attachment and a Warlord or two, these Nyss can cleave through enormous amounts of infantry (Cleave+Overtake) or even leave a vanguard of warjacks missing most of their critical systems which can be almost as good as killing them outright.

Combos & Synergies

Since the Warlord packs his own defensive tech and is capable in melee on his own, models that can grant him added mobility are ideal for his inclusion, as well as warlocks who bring army-wide force multipliers. That said, Blade Shield alone is also not a guarantee against enemy gunfire - try to leverage terrain or consider a warlock who can help pump his DEF even higher.

• Succubus - With a well placed Blizzard you'll worry less about seeking cover during your advance. Combine with Blade Shield, and even veteran ranged units will have a hard time hitting you.
• Ice Witches - Fortunately, they can be brought into the same theme force. Puppet Master can save your investment, if the dice betrayed you on the first try.
• Kryssa - A +3 STR swing during her feat is a potent force multiplier and can be thought of as adding 6 damage to the Warlord thanks to Decapitate.
• Fyanna2 - She can replicate Kryssa's trick with Fury, if there are no better recipients around. Her feat can keep him safe on the way up the board against guns (DEF19 before forests/hills/walls), or in melee once he's charged in (DEF17).
• Thagrosh1 - Fog of War stacks with Blade Shield for DEF18 against guns. Draconic Blessing can go on him in a pinch for effective +4 damage, but much like Fyanna2, save it for special cases.
• Rhyas1 - She speeds warrior models up with Dash, and offers free strike immunity as well, which lets the Warlord really dig deep on his initial strike. The extra attack from her feat is just icing on the cake with his high MAT and damage.
• Rhyas2 from the Twins gives warriors in her control area pathfinder on the charge, which the Warlord obviously appreciates.
• Bethayne1 can drop Dissolve against the preferred Warlord targets, and can also help out with Blood Thorn. Deceleration puts up his ARM level somewhat so he may survive unboosted damage rolls.
• When taking an infantry army backed by a Blightbringer, his STR aura does twice as much work on a Warlord than any other model. For some ideas, a Warlord on Kryssa's feat and in a Blightbringer's aura does effectively 10 extra damage to his target - effective 4d6+16 is about 20 damage against average heavy jack/beast ARM after Decapitate.
• If you want an impressively focused army, the Warlord, Swordsmen, Nephilim Soldiers and Zuriel can all laser in on the enemy front lines and each utilize Precision Strike to selectively disable the opponent's warjacks. This tactic is much less viable into Hordes unless you have a good way to liberally apply Grievous Wounds.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Good DEF, but middling ARM. Don't expect him to live long after his initial strike, and be wary of boostable blast damage as well.
• Lack of pathfinder makes him hard to deliver.
• A little pricey for other models in is price range, and the CotD theme leaves few space for free solos.
• If you only want a combat solo the Virtue Champion is superior against pretty much any target without corrosion immunity.

Tips & Tricks

• Decapitate ignores Tough - keep this in mind when selecting the Warlord's targets.
• There is a damage guide on the Category: Precision Strike page.

Other

Trivia

Released near the start of Mk3 (2016.11)