High Exemplar Kreoss

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

A paragon of valour for the armies of the Protectorate, Mikael Kreoss was raised in Khador as a devout Menite. He heeded the call to arms and left his homeland to help lead the cause for his faith. A hero to all in the Protectorate and a skilled leader and general to the Exemplar Order.

Basic Info

Warcaster abilities:

• Focus Manipulation

• Battlegroup Controller

• Power Field

• Spellcaster

• Independent Model

• Leader

Feat : Menoth's Wrath

Enemy models currently in Kreoss' Template:CTRL range become knocked down.

Abilities

• None

Weapons

• Spellbreaker - 2" reach, P+S 14 melee weapon.
  • Template:Magical Weapon
  • Template:Chain Weapon
  • Template:Dispel

Spells

{{Category: Template:Cleansing FireTemplate:Defender's WardTemplate:ImmolationTemplate:LamentationTemplate:Purification }}[[Category: Template:Cleansing FireTemplate:Defender's WardTemplate:ImmolationTemplate:LamentationTemplate:Purification ]]

Theme Forces

• Template:Exemplar Interdiction. He gains Aegis in this theme.
• Template:Guardians of the Temple
• Template:The Creator's Might. He can start the game with upkeeps in play, and upkeep them for free in turn 1, in this theme.
• Template:The Faithful Masses
• Template:Si

Thoughts on Kreoss1

File:Kreoss1 classic.jpg

Original 2003 sculpt

Kreoss1 in a nutshell

Kreoss is a jack-of-all-trades caster with a combination of fiery magic, defensive buffs and anti-magic spells. His feat combined with his large control range threatens a large portion of the enemy's army, and can often be crucial to win a game with him.

He has many similarities with The Harbinger of Menoth; bearing a particularly dangerous feat, and the dreaded Purification spell. Unlike his divine fellow-caster, though, he is a good choice for a newcomer to the game/faction, as the various combinations of his feat and spells are relatively straightforward to understand and use.

Feat thoughts

His feat is very powerful, and a lot of the strategy to using Kreoss is knowing when and how to best use it. See below for more detail.

You should also refresh yourself with Knockdown page for exactly what it does/doesn't prevent. Also, you should take a quick look at Category: Anti-Knockdown to get an idea of stuff that is going to make life hard for you.

Spell thoughts

• Purification
  • It eats up a huge chunk from your FOCUS and erases friendly upkeeps too, so only cast in when you must (usually just before you try an assassination or kill a valuable targets).
  • At the start of your turn, spend a moment to seriously think about whether it'll be a good turn for Purification. If it is, don't bother paying to upkeep your own spells.
  • It is very powerful against armies that really need their upkeeps in play. Forcing them to recast every turn will hamper their play. Examples include certain theme forces like Sons of the Tempest theme forces, and upkeep-heavy casters (especially Resourceful ones).
• Defenders Ward - One of the best buff spells out there; making squishy but elusive units resistant to blasts, and pumping up their DEF to levels, where enemy will have real trouble hitting them.
• Immolation - apart of Incorporeal hunting at range you'll rarely have focus for this zap spell.
• Cleansing Fire - strong fiery AoE, but pretty expensive, even for a FOC7 caster
• Lamentation - Great denial spell both against offensive spellcasters (like Haley1), and those who like to hand out multiple upkeeps (like Stryker1). Definitely worth casting on Turn 1, if your enemies have important COST3 or 4 spells on their card.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• No mobility or damage increase spells for his army - enemy speed de-buffs and rough terrain can hurt you a lot.
• His spells are expensive to cast, so Kreoss is vulnerable to anti-magic techs (Arcane Suppression, and counter-Lamentation especially).
• Steady models and KD immunity tricks can render many of his tricks harmless.
• He used to be sold in the starter battlebox, so almost everyone in the world has played against him and know what strategy to use to counter him.

Tricks & Tips

• Before taking all the models with AoE into your army, keep in mind that working out all of the shots can eat up quite a lot of time. Do not lose a battle on Deathclock.
• his melee weapon can be used on friendly models - smack them in the back and dispel will trigger - although given his P+S you may want to make sure you don’t cripple a warjack system with a well meaning swing.

List Building Advice

Strategy

There are very few models who won't work well in Kreoss' army. His feat alleviates most of the accuracy issues, while Defender's Ward provides ample protection for your most important units (and as you have no speed buffs, you want it on your slow, tanky models).

Pop and drop assassination

Kreoss moves up the board, feats and catches the enemy caster in his extensive CTRL range. Now, melee attacks will auto-hit the enemy, while ranged attacks will usually hit on anything but snake eyes (except for Inaccurate models).

Even if the enemy caster stays out of range, affected models cease to block LOS, so you can reach them behind screening infantry models and jacks.

Remember though; Shield Guards will still work to mitigate ranged shots, and there are many ways to negate knockdown (Solid Ground, Steady, etc.). In such cases models will remain standing, and often, screening. If KD immunity is granted by spells like Heightened Reflexes, first cast Purification with the desired target in your CTRL zone, then use your feat.

Attrition

Even without killing the caster, Menoth's Wrath allows you to remove a fair bit of the enemy's force with ease. If they survive, they'll lose either their movement or action, causing some serious scenario pressure too.

Denial

Use Lamentation to mess with expensive enemy spells and upkeeps, or use Purifications if you have no valuable upkeeps in play. Your aptly named Spellbreaker also has the Dispel ability, so keep an eye out for its applications, if you want to save FOCUS on Purification. Don't forget: casting an Animus now counts as casting a spell!

Kreoss can really shine in killbox scenarios too, where the box and the threat of his feat can severely limit the opposing caster's movement.

Theme Thoughts

• Hierophant - with Harmonious Exaltation, you can cast Purification and Lamentation in the same turn, and still have a focus left. Add in a Wrack, and you can re-cast Defender's Ward too.
• Rhupert - make sure your heavy hitters will reach their targets
• Idrian Skirmishers - A great unit with lots of guns and prey.

Beside his expensive spells he'll rarely have spare focus to run an extensive battlegroup, but he does love ranged jacks to shoot knocked down enemies with, who only need one focus to boost damage.

• The Choir, Vassal Mechanik, and Vassal of Menoth will always have place in his lists, especially when on powerful jacks that almost auto-hit knocked down enemies.

Template:Header Kreoss gains Aegis in this theme, this isn’t game winning on its own but knowing that corrosion and fire will never stick to you let you play slightly more confidently.

• Knights Exemplar strong melee units with with Cleave + Overtake (from command attachment) can make quite a massacre among knocked-down enemies.
• High Exemplar Gravus no knockdown or stationary is again not game winning but it is very useful on your caster.
• Exemplar Vengers great targets for Defenders Ward and it’s easy to impact attack knocked down infantry.
• Severius0 +1/+1 is great on anything. He can also run a Redeemer for him.

• Flameguard Cleansers - nothing is easier than spraying enemies on the ground
• Daughters of the Flame, Flame Bringers - fast melee units with either multiple attacks can make quite a massacre among knocked-down enemies.

• Deliverer Sunburst Crew - Pop feat and rain down POW 15s
• Menite Archons - Double the fun this theme. They add +2 to the damage rolls of Deliverer Sunbursts.
• The Living Covenant - He can teleport Kreoss back, so you can jo-jo him in and out to do work personally. It also lets him feat aggressively.

• The Living Covenant and Severius0 are in this theme as well.

Battlegroup

File:FireOfSalvation.jpg

Fire of Salvation is Kreoss's pet warjack, that he can take in any theme.

• Judicator - An excellent gun platform and a great target for Defender's Ward.
• Dervish find it hilariously simple, combined with a Choir, to finished off knocked down enemies, then side-step to kill even more. Put one on Severius0 and watch them murder spree through enemies for little cost to Kreoss.
• Kreoss will often want a Shield Guard, so he can play up and catch more enemies in his feat. Both the Templar and the Devout offer Shield Guard and 2" reach to maximise on the feat.
• Redeemer, Reckoner - Pop feat, cast Hymn of Battle, rain fire on the enemy

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: Redeemer
2. Warjack: Redeemer
3. Warjack: Judicator
4. Solo: Severius0
5. Solo: Vassal Mechanik (x2)
6. Unit: Choir of Menoth
7. Unit: Visgoth Juviah Rhoven & Honor Guard

Other

Trivia

• He is one of the three original Protectorate casters, released way back in Warmachine: Prime (2003)