Attendant Priest

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Attendant Priest Protectorate Command Attachment

The attendant priest brings the strength of Menoth to mercenaries who choose to receive the deity’s light and truth. Through his earthly vessel, Menoth blesses the weapons of those who do battle in his name, moves aside obstacles in their path, and wards them from the heathen magic of their enemies. Under his watchful gaze, mercs learn to act in concert with Menoth’s legions.

Basic Info

Attendant Priest
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Small SPD 6 STR 4 MAT 4 RAT N/A M.A. N/A DEF 13 ARM 13 CMD 9 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 5 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 2 UNIT SIZE N/A COST 3 N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Attachment [ Small- or Medium-based Mercenary ] - This model can be added to a small- or medium-based mercenary unit.

Ranking Officer - This model is a Ranking Officer. While this model is in play, models in its unit are Protectorate models instead of Mercenary models.

Abilities

• Officer
• Prayers - This model can use one of the following prayers at any time durimg each of its unit's activations. Each model in the unit gains the benefits listed.
  • Aegis - Models in this unit are immune to continuous effects for one round.
  • Imbued Force - Affected models' weapons gain Damage Type: Magical for one turn.
  • Warding - Affected models cannot be targeted by enemy spells for one round. Models are not affected while out of formation.

Weapons

• Battle Staff - 2" reach, P+S 7 melee attack.

Theme Forces

• The Creator's Might

Thoughts on Attendant Priest

Attendant Priest in a nutshell

Attendant Priest is a ranking officer - a model who takes control of a unit of Mercenaries and makes them Protectorate while he's alive. He also gives that unit a little more durability with his Prayers, which can be really useful against certain enemies (such as Deneghra2) but you need to know your local metagame.

There are three different reasons you'll include a Ranking Officer:

1. You want to get a "friendly Faction" spell/buff from your Protectorate caster onto a Mercenary unit.
2. You want to get a "friendly Faction" spell/buff from a Mercenary unit onto your own forces.
3. You want to include a Mercenary unit anyway, and they will get better with the Prayers.

Combos & Synergies

• Mercenaries worth taking in Protectorate
  • Steelhead Halberdiers - They come at a bargain price and all of their stats are just at the threshold where any buff makes the hit way above their weight class.
  • Horgenhold Forge Guard - They are Weaponmasters so they are a hard-hitting unit absent in Creator's Might.
  • Press Gangers - They are Tough and Advance Deploy and thus are are great jamming unit.
  • Aiyana & Holt become a faction damage buff.
  • Captain Sam MacHorne & the Devil Dogs trash jacks well and with the High Reclaimer can be brought back for point blank nets.
  • Croe's Cutthroats do something the Protectorate doesn't really get natively. And they work really well with Thyra, Flame of Sorrow

Drawbacks & Downsides

• He is only allowed in the Creators might theme, gets no work done himself and is very liable to being sniped out by things like Trick Shot. Also not many available merc units are better than Idrian Skimishers, who are partisans already.
• The Mercenary unit can't take their normal CA, and some Merc units only get decent when they get that CA.
• The only order a Ranking Officer can issue is Press Forward (plus any on their own card, which is zero for the Priest). This means Merc units can't use speciliased orders such as Shield Wall, at least not until the Priest dies.

Tricks & Tips

• Even though he is FA 2, the one theme that allows an Attendant Priest only allows one Mercenary unit, so he's effectively FA 1. Don't bother buying a second Priest. Which only applies to theme forces. Without theme, you can have 2 attendant priests in normal games and up to 4 in double caster games.

Other

Trivia

• Released in the Warmachine: Wrath expansion (2011)
• It is as of yet unexplained how he is able to make elves or dwarves convert to the Creator of humanity

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Attachment      (Edit) You cannot field this model "just by itself". Adding an Attachment doesn't change the unit type for targeting purposes. For instance, if you add a Soulless Escort to a Houseguard unit, it is still a Houseguard unit and can still be targeted by stuff that only works on "Target Houseguard unit" (like the Houseguard Thane's abilities). (Infernal Ruling) If you can add an Attachment to multiple unit types (such as the Soulless Escort, Trollkin Sorcerer, or Ranking Officer) then there's a few weird interactions: The Attachment will benefit from any Granted abilities, and any Orders given. If the unit gets a benefit from a theme force, the Attachment will too. (Infernal Ruling) For example, a Trollkin Sorcerer will gain Serenity if its attached to a Dhunian Knot unit in a Power of Dhunia theme force. The Attachment can benefit from and/or trigger any "models in this unit..." style abilities that aren't actually on its card, but only if at least one model with that rule is still in play. Depending on the wording of the rule, the attachment may have restricted benefits. Example 1 "If a model in this unit is ... each model in the unit can ..." : an Attachment can benefit from a Vengeance move and attack. Or, conversely, its unit can get Vengeance if the attachment is killed. But if everyone except the Attachment is killed, the Attachment won't benefit from Vengeance. Example 2 "This model can ... to other models in its unit" : an Attachment can have damage assigned to it via Sanguine Bond, but if it takes damage it can't share it to the main unit.

Rules Clarification:  : Ranking Officer      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

General If a Ranking Officer with its own subtype joins a unit then that unit doesn't become the same subtype. For example, if Murdoch, who is a Trencher model, joins a mercenary unit that will not make that merc unit a "Trencher unit". Refer the final paragraph of 'Game Terms, Model Names & Rules References'. A Ranking Officer can join a Weapon Crew unit, even though one model is on a large base, due to them having the Man-Sized rule. (Infernal Ruling) Models added to the merc unit after the game starts are also friendly Faction (ie Alexia1 adding Risen). You cannot attach more than one CA to a unit. You can't add a Ranking Officer to a unit that already acts as a Partisan for your Faction. Gaining abilities The Ranking Officer benefits from any Granted or Tactics that the 'normal' officer hands out (such as Cylena1 giving her unit Hunter). Unlike a normal Officer, a Ranking Officer cannot issue special orders that the unit has but he does not (such as the High Shield's "Shield Wall" order). This means you can't use that order at all until the Ranking Officer dies, but once he's dead it's fine to use. If you add a RO to a unit with Ambush, the RO can Ambush too. (Locked thread) Ranking Officer death The merc unit will immediately lose any friendly-Faction "auras" (such as Stryker's +5 ARM feat). The merc unit will keep any friendly-Faction spells that were cast on them specifically, until that spell naturally expires. You can pay to maintain a faction-only upkeep on the mercs, for example. If the merc unit is supplying a buff to 'friendly-Faction' models, that buff will immediately 'swap Factions' too. For instance, if Lady Aiyana casts Kiss of Lyliss it will affect models that are currently the same Faction as her, not whatever was friendly-Faction at the time she cast it. (Infernal Ruling) If the Merc unit got a Faction-specific theme benefit (such as Cygnar models getting Immmunity Electricity in Storm Division) then they keep that benefit even after the Ranking Officer dies. (Infernal Ruling) 'Jack Marshal & Ranking Officer (Edit) If a Ranking Officer joins a unit with the 'Jack Marshal ability, then they can still only take Mercenary warjacks - they don't gain access to Faction warjacks. (Infernal Ruling) They can control that mercenary warjack as normal, even though they're technically no longer the same faction as the jack. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Officer      (Edit) Even if they're not on the Officer's card, an Officer can give (and benefit from) any non-standard orders that are on the unit's card (such as Shield Wall). Refer main rulebook. A Ranking Officer can't do this, though. When the Officer dies, the Leader model becomes the new Unit Commander (you don't get to choose). But if your unit doesn't include a Leader model, then you do get to choose any of the remaining models to be the new Unit Commander. You don't swap the model, but it may be worth putting a token down so you can tell that grunt apart.

Rules Clarification : Prayers and/or Follow the Leader and/or Tactical Flexibility and/or Witchcraft     (Edit) All models get the benefit, regardless of whether they're in formation or not. Sometimes this rule is put on the whole unit, and yet specifically mentions "the Leader model" as the one that uses the ability (for instance the Gatorman Posse). As a result, if the Leader gets RFP'd you can't use the ability. See Unique Leader Model for a fuller explanation. Restrictions on "Any Time" abilities     (Edit)         [Show/Hide] "Any Time" abilities can be used at any time during a model/unit's activation, except: Before any compulsory forfeiture of movement/action. See step 2 of the activation sequence, appendix A. After the model with the "Any Time" ability has had their activation end "prematurely". By this I mean you resolved something which includes the phrase "its activation ends". Examples include: Running, failing a charge, or failing a slam. Abilities that include "then its activation ends" (such as Reposition and Teleport). In between declaring your charge target and making your charge movement. (Infernal Ruling) In between completing your charge movement and determining whether it was a successful charge. (Infernal Ruling) When you're in the middle of moving. (Note: Impact Attacks count as being in the middle of movement). When you're in the middle of an attack. Which also includes effects that occur "after the attack is resolved". (Although the attack is "resolved" at Step 11, in terms of using an "Any Time" ability the attack is not "finished" until after Step 14. Refer to the first paragraph of Apdx A.) Your opponent interrupted your activation to trigger one of their own abilities (such as Countercharge). Warcasters/warlocks/etc can normally cast a spell or use their feat "At any time". However, there is a core rule saying they cannot do so on the same activation that they run. So, they are subject to all the same restrictions listed above, plus they can't cast/feat before running. Units: See below. In general you can use "Any Time" abilities while you're knocked down or stationary (except Spells and Feats which specify you can't). If you have a gun with a random ROF, you can use an "Any Time" ability inbetween rolling the number of shots and actually making the first attack. (Infernal Ruling) Units with "Any Time" abilities You cannot use an "Any Time" ability before issuing/receiving orders. See step 1 and 2 of the activation sequence, appendix A. A model in a unit can't use an "Any Time" ability after they run (Infernal Ruling) or fail a charge. Because that makes that specific model's activation to end even though the unit's activation is still ongoing, and you can't use abilities on models that are not active. You can use an "Any Time" ability before running, however. A model in a unit can't use an "Any Time" ability after anyone in the unit has begun a Reposition move. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Aegis - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Imbued Force      (Edit) Rules Clarification:  : Magical Damage      (Edit) (Click Expand to read) * The "Damage Type: Magical" is not inherited by "secondary" damage from a weapon. That is, stuff like arcs (Electro Leap) or hazards (Scather). (Infernal Ruling) All spells have "Damage Type: Magical" (refer errata). This is inherited by "immediate" secondary damage (such as Eruption of Spines). (Infernal Ruling) and might be inherited by "lingering" secondary damage (see below). If a spell leaves a template in play that does damage to models that walk around in it, then: if it is not described as a hazard it will do magical damage to models that walk around in it. (Example: Razor Wall) if it is a hazard then it will not do magical damage to models that walk around in it. Instead, it does whatever damage type is specified by the spell description. (Example: Breath of Corruption). (Infernal Ruling) If a weapon/spell includes Magic Damage and another kind of elemental damage it will still damage Incorporeal models. Incorporeal models are not affected by the rule "if an attack does multiple types of damage and a model is immune to at least one it is immune to the entire attack." The phrase "immune to non-magical damage" should be interpreted as "immune to damage that doesn't include Damage Type: Magical" (not interpreted as "has immunity to Corrosion and Electricity and Cold and etc.")

Rules Clarification : Warding      (Edit) Models can still be affected by spells that target someone else, such as AOEs and sprays.