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The elite cavalry of the Dawnguard, destors thunder across the battlefield to smash apart enemy lines or bring down heavily armored foes. Armed with lance cannons designed specifically for their order, the destors can soften an enemy from afar with unerring blasts from their weapons and then finish the job with a crushing cavalry charge. Many times it is the thundering hooves of a destor charge that deliver victory for the Retribution.
Basic Info
| Dawnguard Destors |
| Missing Info |
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| COST |
{{{cacost}}} |
| UNIT SIZE |
{{{casize}}} |
| FA |
{{{cafa}}} |
| Warcaster 0 |
| BASE |
Large |
| SPD |
8 |
| STR |
6 |
| MAT |
7 |
| RAT |
6 |
| M.A. |
N/A |
| DEF |
13 |
| ARM |
18 |
| CMD |
9 |
| ESSENCE |
{{{essence}}} |
| FOCUS |
N/A |
| FURY |
N/A |
| THRS |
N/A |
| HP |
5 |
| F. Field |
N/A |
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| WJP |
{{{wjp}}} |
| WBP |
{{{wbp}}} |
| IHP |
{{{ihp}}} |
| FA |
2 |
| UNIT SIZE |
3 or 5 |
| COST |
11 or 18 |
| 3.6 pts each |
| N/A |
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| N/A |
| Warcaster 1 |
| COST |
N/A |
| N/A |
Understanding
the Statblock |
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Abilities
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Cavalry
- Dual Attack - This model can make melee and ranged attacks in the same activation. When this model makes its initial melee attacks or a power attack, it can also make its initial ranged attacks. This model can make ranged attacks even while in melee.
- Reposition [3"] - At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 3", then its activation ends.
Weapons
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| Lance Cannon
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RNG
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ROF
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AOE
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POW
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10
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1
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-
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14
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| Lance
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RNG
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POW
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P+S
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(★)
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8
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14
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- Lance - This weapon can only be used to make charge attacks. This weapon's RNG 0 unless it charges. When this model charges, this weapon becomes RNG 2 until the charge attack is resolved.
- Close Volley - When this model directly hits a model with this weapon, this model’s ranged attacks against that model automatically hit for one turn.
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| Mount
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RNG
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POW
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0.5
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12
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Theme Forces
Recent Changes
2021.10 Mega Update
- +1 ARM
- Points cost drop to 11/18 (from 12/20)
Thoughts on Dawnguard Destors
Dawnguard Destors in a nutshell
Heavy Cavalry of the Retribution, the Destors can damage heavy targets as long as they can land a charge on them. Outside of charges, they usually stay at a distance and pepper the enemy lines with their cannons. Their recent changes allow them to shoot deep into enemy lines by charging one enemy and shooting at another. Close Volley allows them to guarantee a second POW 14 attack on anything they hit with their boosted MAT 7 (8 under Vyros2) cavalry charge attacks which can demolish multiwound infantry and many of the more DEF-oriented heavies like Warpwolves and dragonspawn. Against lighter infantry they can instead attack two different targets, though the unboosted RAT 6 shot has a hard time reliably hitting anything about DEF 12 or 13.
They can also play the role of ranged skirmishers, peppering the enemy with POW 14 gunfire and then retreating to 13" away from their targets. That puts them well outside the average unbuffed charge range, as in keeping with the Retribution's style they don't really want to eat a charge. DEF 13 ARM 18 is pretty good for cavalry but not fantastic and most charging infantry at or above POW 10ish will be able to clear them out pretty effectively; the Destory Thane's Unyielding aura can help a bit but it's still not ideal for them. They don't particularly want to get stuck in melee either as it reduces them to a single RNG 0.5 P+S 12 mount attack and their ranged attack.
Combos & Synergies
Warcasters
- Elara2 - They can get a lot of mileage out of Scything Touch and from her feat's Boundless Charge and Ghostly. Marked for Death ups their range game significantly against targets they didn't charge.
- Kaelyssa - Add Blur to replicate the same annoyance as the Storm Lances. Her feat can also help them get the charge off
- Ossyan - Excellent targets for Quicken; Fortune is a good spell if you're worried about high DEF, and they get a lot of mileage due to having up to three attacks (impact, lance, and possibly shooting other targets. Ossyan's feat combined with their innate accuracy from Close Volley means they can wreck hard targets
- Goreshade4 is an all-star with Destors, with spells that reduce the enemy's DEF and remove Stealth, an ARM debuff, handing out Ghostly, and Freezing Mists helping them get up the field. Dauntless Resolve makes them more durable, especially in melee with Unyielding.
- Issyria can improve their accuracy and protect them from shooting with Blinding Light. Crusader's Call increases their threat range, Inviolable Resolve ups their durability, and her feat can drastically improve their accuracy and damage output.
- Ravyn - Snipe gives them a walk and shoot threat of 22", and if they charge a target they can potentially shoot 25" away from their starting position! Veil of Mists can grant them Pathfinder and help get them up the field, and they don't make bad Countermeasures targets due to their boxes and potentially Unyielding from the Destor Thane.
- Thyron - 2 excellent spells to help you with rough terrain and enemy upkeeps, and a feat which increases their mobility and accuracy. Keep in mind that impact attacks won't trigger Side Step during feat.
- Vyros2 - You can reach your target easier under Deceleration, and his Veteran Leader bonus will help you both at range, and in combat.
Non-warcasters
- Scyir - Tactics is a must, if you want to deliver all of your attacks. You probably wouldn't consider them without this guy. He also allows you to charge through your Wall of Steel'd Sentinels, or Invictor gunline.
- Dawnguard Destor Thane - might be appealing due to Unyielding, however, you don't really want to get stuck in close combat for too long.
- House Shyeel Artificer - DEF15 against ranged attacks on a unit that usually gets to decide when it gets engaged is great.
Drawbacks & Downsides
- Expensive, large targets - which become even more expensive if you add support, especially so since said support can't be taken for free, in theme or otherwise.
- They really need to land the charge to cause the most damage.
- Consequently, anything that denies charges or melee attacks degrades them to a pure shooting unit, something the Retribution already has in spades.
- No native Pathfinder, Tactics, or knockdown immunity.
Tricks & Tips
- By walking and shooting, you have an effective range of 18". If you can't charge or don't have a good target, just advance, shoot, then reposition for a charge next turn.
- Dual Attack does not specify that you have to attack the model(s) you are engaged with. Use it to charge the enemy front line and then take shots into their support models, Command Attachments, or even their caster (though at RAT 6 without boosts that last one may be trickier).
Other
Trivia
- Released in Forces of Warmachine: Retribution of Scyrah (November 2009)
- The name of 'Destor' is likely a mild corruption of the historic term 'destrier' which was the label given to warhorses that medieval knights rode on to jousts and into battle, otherwise known as the 'Great Horse'.
Rules Clarifications
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Rules Clarification: : Cavalry (Edit)
(Click Expand to read)
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Mount Weapon
- Although the core rulebook specifies mount weapons have 0.5" range, this doesn't "overwrite" models that have a longer mount range listed on their card. (Infernal Ruling)
- Mount Weapons are melee weapons. (Infernal Ruling) This means:
- Mount Attacks can benefit from any buffs that affect "melee weapons" (such as Acidic Touch and Elasticity) or "melee attacks" (such as Battle Lust).
- Mount Weapons can be used to make free strikes.
- If the model doesn't have any regular melee weapon (such as the Gun Carriage) then it does have a melee range, can engage enemy models, and can make free strikes; anyway.
- Despite being a melee weapon, you cannot use a Mount's special attack on the same activation you charge. (Infernal Ruling)
- Exception: If you have Trampling Hooves, because that allows you to make charge attacks with your mount when you charge.
- Mount attacks will trigger "Melee attack" stuff like Battle Wizard.
- You can purchase additional attacks with your Mount Weapon. (Infernal Ruling)
Impact Attacks - Movement
- Impact Attacks "pause" your charge move, and as such don't normally trigger "ends an advance" abilities (such as Countercharge).
- The exception is if your Impact Attacks include your charge target, then you have to end the charge movement and turn to directly face the charge target before rolling any dice. In this case, stuff like Countercharge will get triggered before you get to roll your Impact Attacks.
- You cannot "pause" in an illegal position to carry out Impact Attacks. For instance: a Pathfinder cavalry model pausing halfway over an obstacle; a flying cavalry model pausing while it 'overlaps' other models; or any cavalry model pausing halfway through an Incorporeal model.
Impact Attacks - The attack(s)
- You resolve stuff that occurs "after the attack is resolved" (such as Battle Wizard) before continuing with your charge movement.
- If you have an ability that boosts your "first" melee attack (such as Stir the Blood), then only one attack will be boosted even though you're making multiple simultaneous attacks.
- If you choose to make any impact attacks, you make all attacks against all models in the Mount's melee range (even friendly models).(Infernal Ruling)
- Impact Attacks cannot be boosted, refer core rulebook.
- You cannot buy additional attacks while resolving Impact Attacks. Additional attacks can only be bought during your Combat Action, after resolving your initial melee attack(s) / special melee attack.
Impact Attacks - Other
- You cannot use "any time" abilities while resolving Impact Attacks. Because Impact Attacks occur during movement; and you can only use 'any time' abilities before moving or after moving, but not during movement. (Infernal Ruling)
- Exception: If your Impact targets include your charge target, then your movement has ended (refer rulebook, last paragraph of 'Impact Attacks') and thus you're fine to use "any time" abilities.
Cavalry unit
- If you have a unit of Cavalry, charge them and do impact attacks, remember you interrupt movement to do impacts, but you have to resolve all movements before doing any charge attacks. So for example it would go:
- Cavalry model A charges enemy X, and contacts model M. Stop and make impact attacks against M. Then continue movement to X.
- Cavalry model B charges enemy Y, and contacts model N. Stop and make impact attacks against N. Then continue movement to Y.
- Cavalry model C charges enemy Z, and contacts model O. Stop and make impact attacks against O. Then continue movement to Z.
- Resolve model A's charge attack vs X, B's vs Y, and C's vs Z. (This can be done in any order, as per normal)
Other interactions
- Cavalry model with no melee weapon
- If you have a Mount weapon but no regular Melee weapon (such as the Efaarit Scout), you can still declare a charge. (Locked thread)
- You can make Impact Attacks along the way.
- Once you get to the charge target, however, you can't make a melee attack against it. Because you can't use the mount weapon for a charge attack, due to the way the Cavalry rules are written. (Unless you have a rule like Trampling Hooves.)
- If you don't charge, the mount attack can be used as an initial melee attack.
- Countercharge & Cavalry ( Edit )
- A model with Countercharge and Cavalry can make Impact Attacks during the countercharge. (Refer "Charges Outside of Activation" in the rulebook).
- Warcaster/Warlock Cavalry ( Edit )
- Warcasters/Warlocks can't cast spells or use their feat while resolving Impact Attacks. Because Impact Attacks occur during movement - you can use spells or feat before moving, or after moving, but not during movement.
- Exception: If your Impact target(s) include your charge target, then your movement has ended (refer rulebook, last paragraph of 'Impact Attacks') and thus you're fine to use "any time" abilities before starting the Impact attacks.
- Flight on a Cavalry model (Edit)
- Although flyers can move over obstacles/models, and horses can pause to do impacts while charging, flying horses cannot make impact attacks while overlapping models/obstacles. You need to pause in a legal position.
- Gunfighter & Cavalry ( Edit )
- A cavalry model that charges then makes a Gunfighter attack will not gain a boosted charge attack roll, because a ranged attack is not a charge attack. (Infernal Ruling)
- You also won't gain a boosted charge damage roll, as per normal for a Gunfighter.
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Rules Clarification: : Dual Attack (Edit)
(Click Expand to read)
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* If you fail a charge, then you do not get to make ranged attacks.
- If you have multiple ranged attacks and/or melee attacks, you can intermingle them in any order. (Infernal Ruling)
- You can charge, make a ranged attack, then make your charge melee attack. Even though you made a ranged attack, that doesn't change the fact that your first melee attack is the charge attack. (Infernal Ruling)
- You must complete all initial attacks before buying attacks. You can't go: Make an initial melee attack, then buy a melee attack, then make an initial ranged attack. (Locked Thread)
- Dual Attack doesn't let you mix initial attacks with a (★) attack. Dual Attack only lets you make either:
- Initial melee attacks and initial ranged attacks.
- Power attack and initial ranged attacks.
Any other combination of (★ Attack) and initials is disallowed. See this thread for full explanation and links to relevant Infernal Rulings.
- You could theoretically make a special melee attack and then buy additional ranged attacks (or vice versa) ... but the core rules say "The rules for these special attacks indicate the nature of any additional attacks that can be made afterward, if any" so the special attack would have to explicitly allow a swap - and I'm unaware of any that do so.
- There is no penalty for shooting an enemy you are in melee with.
- Your ranged attack(s) can target a model you are not in melee with. (Infernal Ruling)
- Dual Attack & Drag ( Edit )
- This is pretty-much limited to just the Prime Axiom under Syntherion, or the Swabber, Galleon or Prime Axiom under Aurora2
- If you charge model A then utilise Dual Attack to make a ranged attack vs the same model, then you would get the free melee attack from Drag. The Drag attack is a charge attack. (Infernal Ruling)
- If you charge model A then utilise Dual Attack to make a ranged attack vs a different model, then you would lose the free melee attack from Drag. Your first melee attack must be versus the charge target, and you cannot save the Drag attack for later. (Infernal Ruling)
- If you didn't charge then ... just go nuts. There's no restrictions that I know of.
- Dual Attack & Slam/Trample ( Edit )
- Power Attack Slam and Trample combine your Normal Movement and Combat Action, and how this works with Dual Attack is:
- Slam: You must resolve the movement, the attack, and moving the slammed model. Only then can you make initial ranged attacks.
- Trample: You must resolve the movement, the attacks, and the free strikes. Only then can you make initial ranged attacks.
- (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : Reposition (Edit)
- Models out of formation cannot move via Reposition. Refer to the "Out of Formation" rules in the core rulebook.
- End of Activation (Edit)
- You cannot resolve two end-of-activation movement effects (refer to "End of Activation Movement" in the core rulebook). For EOA stuff that doesn't involve movement, though, it gets a bit more murky:
- Some EOA abilities explicitly state your activation ends as part of resolving the ability (like Reposition), and some don't (like Refuge).
- Whether it is explicit it or not, by definition an EOA ability is the last thing you can do for that activation. For instance, if you resolve Refuge and then continue your activation to cast more spells, then you have not used Refuge at the end of your activation.
- You cannot do an "at any time" ability during or after triggering an EOA ability; you cannot cast spells, purchase additional attacks, use a mini-feat, etc.
- If you start resolving an EOA movement (such as Reposition) then you cannot trigger abilities that occur "at any time" (such as Go To Ground). Because you can't trigger it while resolving the EOA movement, and after the EOA movement your activation has ended. (Infernal Ruling)
- For units: if any model in the unit starts resolving the unit's EOA movement, then no model in the unit can trigger an any-time ability. (Infernal Ruling)
- See also the training article: LPG - End of Activation.
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Rules Clarification : Lance (Edit)
- If you declare a charge but move less than 3", then it doesn't count as a charge attack and you can't use your Lance.
- If you kill your charge target with an Impact Attack, then you "lose" your Lance attack. (Infernal Ruling)
- Your melee range is 2" for the entire charge move, which can be relevant for Dug In models.
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Rules Clarification : Close Volley - None yet. (Edit)
