Theme - The Faithful Masses
Template:Protectorate Theme Force
This mk3 Theme Force has no equivalent in mk4. You can build a similar army in Unlimited Protectorate (if/when the models in this theme get ported to mk4 rules) |
The strength of the Protectorate of Menoth is not restricted to its foundries and garrisons, but is found in the hearts and souls of the numberless devotees to its faith. Every person who fears and serves the Creator of Man is another potential soldier to defend the theocracy. Pious citizen soldiers minimally trained as militia often go to battle accompanied by more elite lesser martial orders, such as the Paladins of the Order of the Wall and the Allegiants of the Order of the Fist, who consider their service a life’s calling. These forces are often joined by members of the ominous Reclaimant Order, who protect the bodies and spirits of the faithful masses as they fight in Menoth’s name.
Theme Rules
- For the core rules on how Theme Forces work, see this article.
Theme Restrictions
An army made using the The Faithful Masses theme force can include only the following Protectorate models:
- Protectorate warcasters
- Non-character warjacks
- Avatar of Menoth
- Template:Deliverer models/units
- Template:Idrian models/units
- Template:Paladin models/units
- Template:Reclaimer models/units
- Template:Vassal models/units
- Template:Zealot models/units
- Choir of Menoth units
- Allegiant of the Order of the Fist solos
- Covenant solos
- Hierophant solos
- Initiate Tristan Durant
- Menite Archon solos
- Wrack solos
- Protectorate structures
- This army can also include one Mercenary solo and one Mercenary unit that will work for the Protectorate.
- These models/units can be included even if they have the Partisan [Protectorate] rule.
- Mercenary units can include non-Ranking Officer attachments
Full model list
Requisition Points
You can spend each Requisition Point on either:
- One Deliverer Weapon Crew unit
- One Protectorate CA
- Two Reclaimer Gatekeeper solos
- Two Vassal solos
- One other small- or medium-based Protectorate solo with a point cost of 5 or less
Theme Bonuses
- Protectorate heavy warjacks and colossals in this army gain Hand of Vengeance.
Thoughts on The Faithful Masses
The Faithful Masses in a nutshell
Faithful Masses (FM for short), is themetically a mass of faithful citizen militia (Zealots, Idrians, Deliverers, etc), aided by the more devoted and trained options (Initiates, Paladins, Reclaimers, etc).
In practice most competitive FM lists focus primarily on the latter part of the theme, as the available solos are of absolutely stellar quality for the most part. Aliegants are excellent contesting pieces, able to hold down a flag almost indefinitely, the various Paladin solos have virtually perfect statlines both offensively and defensively. The theme also allows the taking of two Menite Archons per list, further cementing it's status as a "super friends" theme. The only units that realistically see tournament play are the Initiates and the ever-ubiquious Choir of Menoth.
Theme Weaknesses
Battlegroup Balance
The theme encourages you to take chaff units that will die **en masse** around your warjacks to increase their efficiency. Since only heavy warjacks receive the benefit, there's a good chance that they can be left behind by your faster infantry.
"Victim Stat" Troops
The infantry unit options in The Faithful Masses are very low ARM and might have problems in melee. Bring Paladin solos and warjacks for ARM cracking, or a Mercenary unit like Horgenhold Forge Guard.
Expensive models ($)
Many models in this theme date way back to the start of Warmachine in 2003, and are still only available as metal models. They have quite a high dollars-to-points ratio making this an expensive theme to collect.
List Building Tips
List building starts with three units of Initiates as requisition choices and either a min, or max unit of choir depending on how many jacks your brought along. After that you fill the list with solos and jacks.
The whole slew of Paladins is available in theme and they are one of its main selling points.
- Paladin of the Order of the Wall are your tough to remove contesting solos, that are made better by the presence of their brothers.
- High Paladin Dartan Vilmon provides your caster with a shield guard, gives you a solo to score flags, and give other Paladins in your army Righteous Vengeance, effectively doubling their number of attacks per turn or giving them a threat extension.
- Champion of the Order of the Wall are one of the toughest solos in the faction, if not the game. They are flexible, being able to hold the line, contest, or jam, given their speed. Popularly combined with the Harbinger of Menoth due to Matyrdom. They also grant Paladins Girded, which means High Paladin Dartan Vilmon can stand next to your caster to make them blast immune, while also being a durable Shield Guard.
- Initiates of the Order of the Wall are a solid anvil for the list and provide excellent protection against shooting and control effects while in a triangle.
- The Allegiant of the Order of the Fist are cheap solos with 2 Weapon Master attacks and can reach incredibly high DEF with Shifting Sands. Very little can tilt an opponent like them sending in warjack/warbeast to get rid of one, boosting an attack, missing, and having the monk walk away.
- The Avatar of Menoth can find a home here, as many of the casters that normally want to run infantry don't have the focus to spare for many Warjacks and the Avatar makes his own. Hand of Vengeance can give him a caster-independent buff to both MAT and damage, and with a Vassal to top him off and the Choir to sing Hymn of Battle, there is very little he will not be able to kill in an activation.
- Sanctifier Warjacks are able to reach POW 20 with Hand of Vengeance and the Choir, and enough infantry will be dying that your caster will rarely have to fuel them. The Sanctifier's Exorcist aura also gives the non-magical weapons of the Faithful Masses game against Incorporeal models and lists like the Ghost Fleet.
- If you're looking for cheap warjacks to fill your warcasters WJP, the Crusader is a great choice. It's an inexpensive heavy that turns into a MAT 8 POW 20 beatstick independent of Choir or warcaster buffs - there's very little in any other faction that can compare to that kind of cost-efficiency.
- The Menite Archon is a durable, powerful beatstick solo who benefits greatly from warrior models dying around it and is able to act independently from the warcaster. With proper placement, Ashen Veil can benefit other models, bringing their DEF up to respectable numbers. Additionally, it has one of the few sources of Grievous Wounds in-faction, making it invaluable to putting down Tough troops or stopping warbeasts from healing.
- Holy Zealots and Deliverer Sunburst Crews are great choices for Malekus in this theme, because they are all about fire damage.
Mercenary options
- Idrian Skirmishers are partisans and are probably the best 10 man unit you will find in this theme. They are by no means bad, but most lists can do with out them. Especially as the faction lacks the ways to crank them up to insane levels of output like Mercenaries can do.
- Rhupert - A pure support solo that grants models Tough, Concealment or Pathfinder.
Starting a 25 point Brawl list
In 2020.11 Phillip Melvin, one of the LOS authors, put together this list for the Brawlmachine format. It was then updated for the 2021.10 errata. He even wrote about it's playstyle and expanding it beyond 25 points, which you can read here.
- Malekus, the Burning Truth: [+30 WJP]
- Hierophant: [2 pts]
- Eye of Truth: [17 pts]
- Vanquisher: [13 pts]
- Menite Archon: [9 pts]
- Vassal Mechanik: [1 pt]
- Holy Zealots (Min unit): [7 pts]
- Command Attachment: [2 pts]
- Deliverer Sunburst Crew: [Free] Template:Grey
- Choir of Menoth (Min unit): [4 pts]
Similarly, in 2011.11, Jaden Iwassa, another of the LOS authors put together this list and wrote an article that you can read here.
- Thyra1: [+29 WJP]
- Blood of Martyrs: [16 pts]
- Indictor: [14 pts]
- Hierophant: [3 pts]
- Menite Archon: [8 pts]
- Allegiant of the Order of the Fist: [3 pts]
- High Paladin Dartan Vilmon: [6 pts]
- Initiates of the Wall: [Free] Template:Grey
- Choir of Menoth (Min unit): [4 pts]
Total RRP: USD $240 (based on PP's online store prices 2021.05)
- Note - This list/article was written before the 2021.10 Errata and therefore may have incorrect point values
Caster Thoughts
Although she was designed for Exemplars, but Faithful Masses is her true home. Rock Wall combined with the one granted from the theme allows you a great deal of terrain control, and Alliegants with cover are painful to remove and every model in her army benefits from Dash, Positive Charge, and her feat. The Avatar is of special note here, as Hand of Vengenace, Positive Charge, Rock Wall and Inviolable Resolve make t an absurdly powerful model.
He works well due to Hand of Vengeance giving his warjacks the offensive buff he lacks. Paladins also benefit greatly from Deceleration.
This is her favorite theme due to access to Paladins and Allegiants of the Fist, making them even more obnoxious to remove. The Menite Archon can't be Martyred, but benefits greatly from Awe and Crusader's Call. The Initiates of the Order of the Wall should be taken at max FA, due to being hard to dislodge with Martyrdom and shoring up her personal weakness against shooting.
He loves gun-heavy Faithful Masses lists due to Spellpiercer negating buffs and allowing them to hit Incorporeal models. He likes Hand of Vengeance on warjacks, and when combined with Boundless Charge and Curse makes them accurate, hard-hitting missiles.
He makes models in Faithful Masses sing (although he does that for everything). Eye of Menoth is great for every model, Vision on your solos (Paladins and Allegiance) make them incredibly annoying to remove, and he loves having a wall to protect his old man self. Hand of Vengeance, Eye of Menoth, and the Choir can make a Crusader MAT 9 POW 23, easily handling anything short of a Colossal.
She works great with Zealots, Idrians and Paladins; the additional non-linear movement provided by her feat combined with Righteous Vengeance makes your knights slippery and agile. Occultation goes a long way toward keeping your squishier infantry safe from shooting.
He can run a mean double-Zealot force, giving one unit Defender's Ward to tarpit enemy models and the other unit Penitence to kill off enemy single-wound infantry. True Path speeds any infantry up, and his feat protects infantry, perfect for an infantry-heavy force. Hand of Vengeance provides a damage buff that he does not bring himself.
He loves all things fire related, and Zealots, double Menite Archons and Deliverer Sunburst Crews are perfect for that. CTRL-wide Ashen Veil is also very strong on high DEf models such as Alliegants. Scourge is very powerful in a theme full of Weapon Master solos.
She is at home in any theme that has the Living Covenant in it and Incite, Hand of Vengeance and Choir make for a +6 damage swing for her jacks (+8 on the melee attacks of her Red Line target). Paladins can keep her safe with Shiled Guards, which she loves.
Other
Trivia
Released in the Xmas CID (2017.01)