Chimera

The Chimera has an unsettling appearance as its active power field makes its form blur and fade. Once it nears the enemy, a Chimera becomes a delivery device for its warcaster’s most powerful arcane powers, channeled across its arc node. The Chimera will strike and kill with its scything arm-mounted glaives, then vanish as nearby soldiers turn to desperately engage it. With a flicker of blended light it appears behind them to deliver arcane death.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Arc Node
• Template:Construct
• Template:Apparition
• Template:Field Dependent
• Template:Force Fields
• Template:Phantasmal Field

Weapons

Glaive (x2)
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		0.5				4				12
Template:Open Fist Template:Combo Strike

Theme Forces

• Template:Defenders of Ios
• Template:Forges of War. Chimeras gain Shield Guard in this theme.
• Template:Legions of Dawn. (1) In this theme Chimeras can ignore friendly Dawnguard models when determining LOS, and it can advance through friendly Dawnguard models if it has enough movement to move completely past them. (2) If someone 'Jack Marshals Chimera in this theme, it gains Flank [Dawnguard].
• Template:Shadows of the Retribution

Thoughts on the Chimera

Chimera in a nutshell

The Chimera is a moderately costed arc node with the ability to extricate itself from melee and potential to be annoying to hit at range. Its Apparition ability makes it tricky to engage for enemy models trying to prevent it from channelling. It has a decent melee ability for a light and can threaten tougher foes with its Combo Strike.

Combos & Synergies

• Adeptis Rahn really wants one or two of these. As the preeminent spell slinger in the faction, being able to arc spells further and with different angles is always helpful.
• Both Elara, Death's Shadow and Magister Helynna like to have an arc node to get Marked for Death and Hand of Destruction, respectively, onto enemy models from a safe distance.
• Issyria, Sibyl of Dawn usually likes to have an arc node (well, two!) to nail key enemy pieces with Blinding Light from the safety of the edge of the killzone.
• Being backed up by Arcanist Mechaniks or House Shyeel Arcanists during early turns (when the entire army is either running or manoeuvring without engaging or shooting) is worth keeping the Chimera close by to load up with Focus to use Phantasmal Field.
• Goreshade4 - He loves an arc node and if you load it up with focus you fuel both Arcane Vortex and its Phantasmal Field.
• Falcir - Arcing a Force Hammer can be crucial and with Prey Upon and Full Throttle the Chimera can even do some work.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Combo Strike will put out some good damage, but don't expect the Chimera to be a combat 'jack.
• It's rare to have focus available to invest in Phantasmal Field, so it will rarely see relevant use beyond the first turn.
• Like all light chassis channellers, plan for it to die after one turn of use as an arc node as most defensive tech (TK from Rahn, Admonition from Issyria etc.) is usually on more important army pieces.

Tricks & Tips

• Combat:
  • If you're going to use this guy offensively, give him at most 1 focus for a total of 2. Spend the first focus to either do a charge + Combo Strike, a Power Attack Throw, or a Power Attack Slam; and the second focus to boost the hit roll.

  With the charge the damage is auto-boosted, and for the Power Attacks your purpose is trying to move the target out of the way rather than doing damage, so don't waste focus boosting damage.

  • Your plan should never be to fill him up with 3 focus, charge a group of infantry, and buy attacks to kill them all. If you fail to kill any of them, you won't be able to use the arc node. If you want to waste an arc node blender-ing infantry ... maybe you should pick a different 'jack to put in your army list.
  • Throws and Slams are a great way for this guy to contribute to the fight, and start "earning his points back", while minimising the chance he gets stuck in melee and unable to channel.
  • Note that if you do Throw, you can only Throw medium bases and small bases.

• Due to the Chimera's limitations as a combat light, never have it too far out in front of your lines during the first and perhaps second turn. This allows more effective use of Phantasmal Field during the early stages and thus survivability. It can reach DEF 15 against ranged and magic attacks, which can make all the difference.

Other

Trivia

Released in Forces of Warmachine: Retribution of Scyrah (November 2009)