Nihilators

The skorne code of hoksune is an unforgiving ethos when carried to extremes. Those warriors who totally embrace their destiny are frightening, utterly committed warriors. These merciless savages endure pain so frequently that they are inured to all but the most grievous of wounds as they methodically slaughter all who stand in their path. Each nihilator wishes for nothing less than a glorious death after carrying out an unspeakable slaughter.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Tough
• Template:Berserk
• Template:Pain-Induced Bliss
• Template:Rise

Weapons

• Greatsword - 2" reach, POW 6, P+S 13 melee weapon

Thoughts on Nihilators

Nihilators in a nutshell

Nihilators are, point for point, arguably among the best threshers of densely packed infantry in the game, and certainly the only threshers that actively want a little fratricidal berserking. A good melee threat range, accurate, hard hitting, and they can (and indeed must) keep hitting until they run out of targets. And as infantry go they are pretty cheap - and tough gives them a little resilience. Nihilators are unfortunately currently facing a metagame that doesn't suit them - when the metagame gets shooting-heavy their defensive stats just mean they get shot off the board, and they aren't that good at breaking armour. A more than viable choice for chewing through melee infantry swarms - and if your meta has a lot they are pretty good at what they do.

Ultimately however, despite their generalist seeming stats they are a highly specialist unit with a lot of rivals that do related jobs better. But if you are going to be swarmed by masses and masses of infantry that don't bring anti-infantry tech or have tough they are really good at their job.

Combos & Synergies

Nihilators only appear in the Disciples of Agony theme force

• Dominar Rasheth has debuffs - his feat makes them really good at taking out circles of infantry and he has the ARM debuffs needed for them to hurt most heavies - and he also likes Skorne infantry to channel through.
• Tyrant Xerxis loves infantry and especially large units of them. And can make them hit really hard.
• Supreme Aptimus Zaal can really get them threshing tougher targets under Last Stand.
• Supreme Archdomina Makeda - free strike immunity is awesome for getting them right into the heart of enemies, and they love extra speed. And knockdown immunity on her feat turn is awesome for a tough unit. Of course more than anyone else Makeda 2 would rather take Praetorian Swordsmen in Masters of War than she would Nihilators.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• They don't counter Tough so the berserk attacks end fast.
• No Pathfinder.
• DEF 13 ARM 13 means that they aren't good at either avoiding incoming fire or surviving blasts.
• 1.5 points per model is expensive
• Nihilators excel at threshing large swathes of non-tough infantry. This was great in Mk2 - and is great against anyone running infantry hordes in Mk3. But their favoured targets are seldom seen.
• They have as mentioned a number of rivals even within the Disciples of Agony theme.
  • Paingiver Bloodrunners threat further, auto-wound single wound infantry and ignore tough, have Pathfinder, have stealth and a decent DEF to keep them alive, advance deploy, and reposition. And are only one rather than 1.5 points per model. If you're expecting to face single wound infantry in normal rather than vast numbers bloodrunners are better.
  • Farrow Slaughterhousers are near-weaponmasters who can ignore tough. They theoretically have 1" less threat range, but this is made up for by Relentless Charge. Even when not Weapon Mastering they are at +2 Mat on the charge, and the Paingiver Task Master makes them no-knockdown-tough as well as giving them even more hitting power. If you're worried about armour these guys are effective at little more than one point a piece.
  • A Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor or two (two cost a point less than a minimum unit of Nihilators and two plus a unit of Bloodrunners cost a point less than a maximum unit) is an excellent pick against close-bunched infantry. They have both Pathfinder and 2" of extra threat range, their Thresher lets them attack everyone in range without having to keep chaining berserks so is far more reliable (as well as ignoring Tough), and they can sprint back to safety (6" may not seem much but remember the CMD of Nihilators is only 7").

Tricks & Tips

• Use them in waves.
• Minimum units are the same cost per model than maximum. Since there is less of them, they don't bunch up as much and thus are less likely to Berserk into each other.

Other

Trivia

• Their name comes from the word "nihilism" which means, "the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless." Privateer Press hit the nail on the head with this one!
• Released in Forces of Hordes: Skorne (2010)