Bile Thralls

Template:Cryxbox2 This model is playable only in an Unlimited format.

Disgorged from the hellish workshops of Cryx, bile thralls store volumes of corrosive digestive and decomposition agents within their bodies, with hoses and tubes leading from their distended mouths to crude firing mechanisms. With a lurching death spasm, each bile thrall can force a startling volume of caustic acis over a wide area to dissolve flesh and devour metal.

Soldiers assailed by a skarlock commander and its thralls are tormented by the sight of their comrades brutally slaughtered, only to have their souls used as fuel to power the commander’s dark magic.

Basic Info

Biles

Abilities

• Template:Undead

Weapons

• Bile Cannon - 8" spray, POW 12 ranged attack.
  • Template:Corrosion Damage
  • Template:Continuous Corrosion
  • Template:Purge

Skarlock Commander

Abilities

• Template:Undead
• Template:Officer
• Template:Battle Wizard
• Template:Magic Ability
• Template:Soul Cage
  • Template:Invigorate
  • Template:Strength of Death
• Template:Tactics

Weapons

• Fell Spear - 2" reach, P+S 10 melee weapon.
  • Template:Magical Damage

Spells

{{Category: Template:Dark Fire AttackTemplate:Disbinding Spell }}[[Category: Template:Dark Fire AttackTemplate:Disbinding Spell ]]

Theme Forces

• Cryx
  • Template:Black Industries

• Other Factions
  • Infernal players can use this model/unit in the Template:Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Mortenebra is leading the army.
  • Mercenary and Convergence players can use this unit in the Template:Strange Bedfellows theme.

Thoughts on Bile Thralls

Bile Thralls in a Nutshell

Bile Thralls are a support unit, and Purge is their entire purpose in (un)life. This allows a Cryx player to get around high DEF and "cannot be targeted" abilities, and to remove large swathes of single-wound infantry (because even if they survive the initial purge or trigger Tough, they've got a 2 in 3 chance of dying to the continuous corrosion).

Thoughts on adding the CA

A Skarlock Commander leading a Bile Thrall unit allows to spread out the Biles further and in this way to cover more enemy models under the bile cannons.

Moreover, he can be sniping models with Dark Fire on turns when the unit isn't running. All-in-all, probably worth it if you have points left.

Invigorate is a bit of a trap: the Biles RAT is so poor you shouldn't bother buffing it, just keep using Purge. It's not like they're going to survive for a 2nd round of shooting.

Combos & Synergies

Bile Thralls work well in any army that allows to speed them up or helps them get down the field intact. The following options increase their survivability:

• Occultation gives them stealth, protecting them from ranged attacks.
• Ghost Walk gives them the option of advancing through terrain giving concealment or cover.
• Terminus's "Shadow of Death" ability can help keep a few alive.
• Sturgis2's feat "Dead on Arrival" pushes all non-warcaster, non-warlock enemy models in his control area directly towards him a short distance leaving Biles with the task to clear jams of single-wound infantry.
• Using a screening unit such as Mechanithralls can keep your opponent busy.

A lot of the strategy for using Biles revolves around getting them as far forward as possible, to let their Purge cover as much of the enemy army as possible.

• Telekinesis or Darragh Wrathe's "Death Ride" ability can be used to speed the Biles up.

Drawbacks & Downsides

Due to their high damage potential, most opponents will make an effort to remove them before they can Purge. With their low DEF, ARM and SPD your opponent has a good chance of killing them all while they're still waddling up the field. Alternately, your opponent can just run to engage them and the Biles can't make any attacks at all (no melee attacks, and can't Purge while in melee because it's a ranged attack). In either case it isn't necessarily a bad thing, as your opponent may often commit excessive resources to eliminating Bile Thralls while leaving the rest of your army free to advance against minimal resistance.

Tricks & Tips

When the Biles Purge, spread the unit out as much as possible to cover a maximum number of enemy models. The best target is single-wounded infantry since if they will not die from Purge, they may suffer from continuous corrosion damage. There is no more Excarnate trick in Mk3 using Bile Thralls.

Other

Trivia

• The unit (without CA) was released way back in Warmachine: Prime (2003)
• The CA was released in the Warmachine: Vengeance expansion (2014)
• Sculptor: Will Hannah