Rager

Khador 5th Division Armored Korps Heavy Warjack

Model stats and abilities

Model Statistics

Base size = 50 mm		SPD	MAT	DEF	ARM
Health = 34
FA = C
Cost = 15		4	8	10	20
-
-

Model Advantages and Abilities

Headbutt Power Attack	This model can make Headbutt power attacks. No errata for Headbutt Power Attack (Create)
Slam Power Attack	This model can make slam power attacks. No errata for Slam Power Attack (Create)
Trample Power Attack	This model can make a trample power attack. No errata for Trample Power Attack (Create)
Construct	This model is a construct, and is not a living model. No errata for Construct (Create)
Hyper-Aggressive	When a model with Hyper-Aggressive suffers damage from an enemy attack, after the attack is resolved it can immediately make a full advance directly toward the attacking model. No errata for Hyper-Aggressive (Create)
Murderous	This model gains an additional die on melee attack rolls against warrior models. No errata for Murderous (Create)
Bond	If Rager begins the game in {{{1}}}'s battlegroup, then it is bonded to {{{1}}}. Rager is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent's control. While Rager is bonded to {{{1}}} and in their control range, it gains {{{2}}}. Sorscha - Category:Sorscha No errata for Bond (Create) No errata for Sorscha (Create)

Weapons

AbilitySingle

Open Fist
	RNG	ROF	AOE	POW	LOCATION
	1	-	-	15	L

}}

{{Weapon|weapon=Ice Breaker|type = M |rng = 2 |rof = - |aoe = - |pow = 19| loc = L|abilities =Critical Freeze

A critical hit occurs if the attack directly hits and any two dice in the Attack Roll show the same number. This Critical grants the following weapon qualities or has the following effects: Freeze

A model hit by this weapon becomes stationary for one round unless it has Resistance:Cold.

No errata for Freeze (Create)

{Special Attack}

Changes and Updates

Release Trivia

• Released in Warmachine: Legends (2008).
• Beast is one of the few remaining warjacks that doesn't have a plastic/resin (re)sculpt.
• When he was spoiled in mk1, the image filename was "Mammoth.jpg". If you translate the runes on his cowl, it spells Mammoth. Obviously the name "Beast-09" was a last minute change.

Lore

Soon after the first Berserkers proved their worth in battle, hacking into infantry with their twin axes, the Khadoran High Kommand borrowed its chassis to develop other equally brutal machines. With the Mad Dog trampling forward to crush enemies with bloodthirsty glee and the shield-bearing Rager standing firm as an imposing eight-ton bodyguard, these warjacks are far from obsolete on the modern battlefield.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Construct
• Template:Point-Blank
• Template:Shield Guard
• Template:Unstable

Weapons

Shield Cannon
File:Gun icon.jpg		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW			LOCATION
		8			1			Template:-			15			Left
Shield
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S				LOCATION
		1				2				13				Left
Template:Shield
Gladius
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S				LOCATION
		1				4				15				Right

Theme Forces

• Khador
  • Template:Armored Korps
  • Template:Flame in the Darkness
  • Template:Jaws of the Wolf. This model gains Pathfinder in this theme.
  • Template:Legion of Steel
  • Template:Warriors of the Old Faith
  • Template:WG Kommand
  • Template:Wolves of Winter

• Other Factions
  • Cygnar and Mercenary players can use this model in the Template:Flame in the Darkness theme.
  • Infernal players can use this model in the Template:Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Malakov2 is leading the army. This model gains Accumulator [Soulless] in this theme.
  • Protectorate players can use this model in the Template:Warriors of the Old Faith theme.

Thoughts on the Rager

Rager in a Nutshell

"Archaic" Khadoran warjacks are typified by their Unstable cortexes that have begun degrading over their many decades of use. Not one to waste resources, the Khadoran military continues to employ them even as their cortexes have become vulnerable to critical malfunction when overexerted, resulting in spectacular explosions. These cheap and expendable 'jacks have only become more vicious with age and their propensity for blowing up under strain is more typically seen as a benefit, than as a limitation... Treat them as light warjacks on heavy bases and pick their targets accordingly, tailoring their functions to their three very different possible loadouts:

• Berserkers wield heavy twin War Axes to rampage through enemy lines, each kill spurring them on to more destruction as their Berserker frenzy sets in.
• Mad Dogs are specifically engineerd to trample through enemy infantry, flailing their Hammer Spikes against anything in reach.
• Ragers are stout guardians equipped with a heavy Shield fitted with a Shield Cannon, backed up by a massive Gladius shortsword to function as a Shield Guard for their controllers.

You can't talk about the Rager without thinking of its "main purpose" as a Shield Guard. Compared to some alternatives like the Vanguard, Bulkhead, or a Ogrun Bokur those options can be cheaper and faster, but none of them are bigger or nastier than the Rager. It's a Khador heavy with the armor to match and the weapons to do serious damage for its cost, especially with a bit of support. It has 3 initial attacks, none of which are trivial and the Point Blank on its Shield Cannon lets it benefit especially from global buffs that boost melee accuracy. And, well, it needs that bit of help hitting. The Rager more than justifies its additional cost with a potent mix of defensive and offensive abilities for any encounter.

Combos & Synergies

Warjack controllers that play forward and/or are difficult to screen due to their base size love the Rager. Shield Guard is a very useful ability to keep chip damage and status effects away from your important models and having it on a cheap and Large model is the Rager's main claim to fame. Don't think of the Rager is just a defensive piece though, it has three decently powerful initial attacks to mix it up in melee with and revels working under controllers that can boost its SPD, MAT or POW on its weapons. It's a great battlegroup warjack, but also performs expertly as a Marshaled 'jack under commands like Crush!, Hurry! and Strike True! to bump its combat prowess.

• Butcher1: Despite being unable to help them with their mobility, Orsus is an excellent warcaster for archaic 'jacks. In fact, you'd think the Rager was custom built for him. With it's Shield Guard ability, it can block shots heading towards his big, fat Medium Base without it having to be particularly close. His Fury makes two of the Rager's initial attacks an effective P+S 18, allowing it to adequately threaten Armor. His extremely efficient Full Throttle spell will make the Rager's attacks reliably hit things without ever triggering Unstable, and combining with his Blood Frenzy feat can turn them into absolute melee monsters for a turn. A small horde of Berserkers and Ragers make for a terribly efficient battlegroup, at a rock-bottom cost.
• Butcher2: If he's able to take the lead to trigger his Conferred Rage, archaic warjacks under Orsus' "supervision" become dangerously quick and accurate--further pushed by his classic Boundless Charge spell to help them over rough terrain--and they're great vessels for rage tokens from his feat.
• Kommander Harkevich supports it with Broadsides, Mobility, and feat synergy. Harkevich also likes a Jack to stand by his side for most of the game, due to his Iron Sentinel ability.
• Karchev the Terrible: The Man in the Machine loves a volume of archaic warjacks to multiply the effects of his feat, Battle-Charged, Jumpstart and Road to War to create a roiling engine of destruction. He needs to knock his targets down to help his warjacks hit things however, so be sure to take that into account.
• Sorscha3: Flank Man-o-War elevates Ragers from meh to pretty good in melee and her Stoke the Fires spell pushes their mobility and aggression to match their appetites.
• Vladimir1: Both thematic and extremely synergistic, archaic warjacks thrive under the combined effects of Boundless Charge, the signaturate Signs and Portents and his devastating Forced March feat. Vladimir efficiently boosts them in every way they care about, they're excellent together.
• Vladimir3: He fixes its SPD and accuracy against warriors with Infernal Machine and works well with his feat. Remember that point blank makes his shot a melee attack so he will get side step and benefit from murderous on this attack.
• Zerkova2: While relying on focus allocation through Sacrificial Lamb to push archaic 'jacks, she can run a large battlegroup for the cost of something like a Mechanik per activation. They don't roll for Unstable unless they actually spent the focus allocated to them so there's no risk of blowing up your horde before you're good and ready. Beyond that, her armies tend to Freeze models regularly, and stationary models make for great targets. And they'e completely respectable Telgesh Mark-created Arc Nodes to boot!

Template:Header Archaic warjacks are great picks for Battlegroup Controllers because the controllers themselves can be quite vulnerable and losing a big stack of points to an inert warjack is a good way to lose a match. Ragers warjacks are very cheap and pack Shield Guard for protection, mitigating the risk of losing a battle if a controller goes down.

• Malakov1: His signature Redline spell is excellent on these expendable warjacks and he has enough focus to load one up and send it in for a glorious assault.
• Sorscha0: Fog of War offers protection against ranged attacks and Boundless Charge is excellent on the sluggish archaic warjacks. She has just enough focus to load one up up for a frenzy and will continue to help her Winter Guard comrades even after it has done its job and either retired for the day, or exploded into a ball of white fire.

• Greylord Forge Seer: Both a great Marshal and support model for the Rager, it likes being safely Empowered and makes decent use of his Drive.
• Man-o-War Kovnik: Ragers are great Man-o-War bodyguards and can acually make good use of the Kovnik's Drive. While Point Blank already lets it use the Shield Cannon in melee, the Drive extends its ranged threat range, which is very nice on a weapon with just RNG 8.

• Battle Mechaniks: The Rager can be Repaired, and it's the one archaic warjack you might actually invest the effort in.

• Colbie Sterling/Gobber Tinker/Raluk Moorclaw: These three are Mechanikally Adept, meaning they can Repair Khador models.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Typical for Khadoran warjacks, it has low native SPD and DEF.
• If the enemy doesn't want to shoot at anything near it the Rager loses some of its utility.
• Its POW 15 attacks aren't very threatening against high-ARM models without a damage buff.
• Its reduced number of Cortex boxes makes it more vulnerable to targeted attacks that can easily cripple critical systems.
• Unstable: It never works when you want it to, and it always works when you don't want it to.
  • You can't rely on it to block charge lanes, threaten free strikes, etc. You always have to plan your other models' positions around the assumption that Unstable removes this model.

Tricks & Tips

• Remember that the Point Blank range on its Shield Cannon is only 0.5" while the RNG on its Shield and Gladius are 1". Don't miss out on an initial attack by assuming the Rager can reach anything within 1" of it!
  • This issue is somewhat mitigated if it is controlled by a model that gives it Assault, like the Man-o-War Kovnik.
• Point-Blank is a melee attack, so make sure you add modifiers (such as Unyielding) accordingly.
• Never forget that Unstable can work to your advantage. There are a lot of things that don't like taking an auto-hitting POW 14 to the face. And remember, that ear-splitting KABOOM isn't a 3" AOE; it's everything within 3" of the model.
  • For this maneuver to work, the Rager needs both it Cortex and Movement systems to be functional.

Other

Trivia

• Originally released in the Warmachine: Reckoning expansion (2015)