Nightmare

If the Slayer is a perfect killing machine, Nightmare is darkness and mortality incarnate. The cold shell of this helljack gives form to a bestial predatory instinct. It can become a ghostly specter and move through the rock and steel of any barrier before coalescing into terrifying reality. Nightmare's blackened metal chassis melts into the greater darkness - until it reaches out to rend its luckless victims limb from limb.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Construct
• Template:Prey
• Template:Ghostly
• Template:Bond

Weapons

Wicked Claw (x2)
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S				LOCATION
		1				7				17				1 each side
Template:Open Fist Template:Chain Attack Grab & Smash
Tusks
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S				LOCATION
		1				2				12				Head
Template:Hard Head

Theme Forces - Cryx

• When taken by Deneghra0
  • Template:Black Industries. Nightmare gains Carapace in this theme.
  • Template:Scourge of the Broken Coast. Nightmare gains Gang Fighter in this theme.

• When taken by Deneghra1, Deneghra2, or Deneghra3
  • Template:Black Industries. Nightmare gains Carapace in this theme.
  • Template:Dark Host
  • Template:Scourge of the Broken Coast. Nightmare gains Gang Fighter in this theme.
  • Template:The Ghost Fleet

• When taken by anyone else
  • Template:Black Industries. Nightmare gains Carapace in this theme.

Theme Forces - Other Factions

• Infernal players can use the Nightmare + Deneghra0 duo in the Template:Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Mortenebra is leading the army. Nightmare gains Accumulator [Soulless] in this theme.

Thoughts on Nightmare

Nightmare in a nutshell

File:Deneghra0.jpg

Deneghra0

Nightmare is a beatstick heavy who can get where other heavies cannot, thanks to his native Ghostly. He can gain Stealth from any version of Deneghra, which really turns up his deliverability. Nightmare wants to be coming in from an odd angle to get at his Prey, rather than try to bull his way through the centre. This often means playing up the board away from the rest of your army.

Combos & Synergies

File:34086 WarwitchDeneghra WEB.jpg

Deneghra1

• Deneghra0 allows you to take Nightmare independently of your main battlegroup, and get the Stealth bonus to boot. The two of them can operate on the flanks, making it easier for Nightmare to set up odd charge angles his Prey target wasn't expecting.

On the other hand, Nightmare is excessively expensive at 18 points and adding another 4 points to get Deneghra0 doesn't make the deal any sweeter.

• Deneghra2 apreciates Nightmare for a variety of reasons:
  • She has a bit more trouble cracking ARM than the other versions of Deneghra do, so Nightmare can help with that - at least on his Prey target.
  • She is the only version of Deneghra that has no access to Ghost Walk so she appreciates that Nightmare has it natively.
  • Deneghra2 has tools to speed up her battlegroup, which Nigthmare appreciates. Clever use of Hellmouth and/or Damnation in conjunction with Ghostly gives Nightmare a good threat range unimpeded by terrain and free strikes. Add in Incorporeal from the feat and you can even ignore most intervening models.
  • Deneghra2's Hellmouth spell can be used to open up a lane to the Prey target so Nightmare can put it in the ground.
  • Deneghra2 hands out Incorporeal with her feat can protect a few important models, which Nightmare definitely is. Also, Incorporeal stacks nicely with Ghost Walk.

• Deneghra1 and Deneghra3, and other casters, don't really care for Nightmare.

Damage Analysis

File:Deneghra2 2016.jpg

Deneghra2

Nightmare can put out some very nice damage, even with average dice.

• Flat Damage: 17, 17, 12, up to 3 additional attacks.
• Prey: +2 damage
• Caster Buffs / Debuffs: +5 damage (obtainable from a variety of models, but in particular Denny1).
• Revised Damage: 24, 24, 19, up to 3 additional attacks

Average Damage vs Khador Victor Colossal (ARM 20, 62 HP)

• Charge attack with Claw: 14 damage (-1 Focus)
• Initial attack with other Claw: 11 damage
• Initial attack with Tusks: 6 damage
• Smash & Grab headbutt: 4 damage
• Buy a Claw attack : 11 damage (-1 Focus)
• Buy a Claw attack : 11 damage (-1 Focus)
• TOTAL: 57 damage

This leaves the Victor, one of the toughest colossals in the game, with only 5 boxes on average dice. The typical Colossal/Gargantuan and anything lighter would already be dead.

Drawbacks & Downsides

File:34105 DeneghraTheSoulWeaver WEB.jpg

Deneghra3

• The 18 point cost.

A Seether has similar raw damage output for 6 pts less. For 5 pts less, Barathrum has comparable stats and brings more tech (AD, Feedback, Dig-in/Drag Below). Seethers aren't as protected and Barathrum can't do as much damage, but 18 points is still a lot.

• Nightmare is slow enough that his Prey target can often "dodge" him.
• Nightmare is the embodiment of a glass cannon statline, and his output quickly drops off when one of his arms gets crippled.
• Smash & Grab vs a huge-based model is nigh useless - you can't knock them down or throw them. (You can headbutt them and get the headbutt damage roll, though.)

Tricks & Tips

• If you put Prey on Nightmare's "real" target, your opponent will keep that model out of Nightmare's reach. So instead try putting Prey on something that is a) likely to be played forward and b) is easy to kill. Then, the turn you intend to commit Nightmare at a target, kill the current Prey target with something else in your army, cycle Prey on to Nightmare's real target, and profit.

Other

Trivia

• Released in Warmachine: Legends (2008)
• Sculptor: Jose Roig