Cultist Band

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Cultist Band Infernal Unit Dark Sentinels Weapon Attachments Master Preceptor Orin Midwinter Character Command Attachment

Tempted by boons and offers of power, many mortals have chosen of their own free will to serve alien beings from beyond Urcaen. Infernalist cultists are corrupted and manipulated into surrendering their former loyalties to become willing collaborators in the infernal invasion. Wielding rune-covered ritual blades that whisper to them and pulse with inner heat, the most prodigious killers are elevated to dark sentinels, bestowed with more formidable swords and entrusted to take on special tasks.

Orin Midwinter is a man who has gone through several transformations in his checkered past. Some people seem destined to lead, others to serve, and Midwinter has always felt driven to assist those in power. Perhaps it was inevitable that he would become one of the most influential secret infernalists in western Immoren, playing a key role in the great invasion. He has earned a special place of power and influence among the infernalist cultists, collaborating with the infernal masters. In doing so, he has earned the unending enmity of the rest of humanity.

Basic Info

Cultist Band
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Cultists / Dark Sentinel BASE Small SPD 6 STR 5 MAT 5 / 6 RAT N/A M.A. - / 6 DEF 12 ARM 12 / 16 CMD 6 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 1 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA U UNIT SIZE 4 or 6 +0 to 3WA +1CA COST 5 or 7 +2 per WA +4CA N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Leader & Grunts

Abilities

• Leader & Grunts
  • Gang - When making a melee attack targeting an enemy model in the melee range of another model in this unit, this model gains +2 to melee attack and melee damage rolls.
  • Magic Ability [ N/A ] - This model can cast spells. Normally this uses up the model's Combat Action and as such is limited to one spell per activation, but exceptions do exist.

    They have a N/A score because they only have non-offensive spells.

• Dark Sentinel (WA)
  • Battle Wizard - Once per turn, when this model destroys one or more enemy models with a melee attack during its activation, immediately after the attack is resolved it can make one Magic Ability special attack or special action.
  • Gang
  • Magic Ability [6]

    He has the same spells as the Cultists, plus one offensive spell

Weapons

Leader & Grunts	Hand Weapon  RNG   POW   P+S  1 4 9
Dark Sentinel (WA)	Great Sword  RNG   POW   P+S  2 7 12 Damage Type: Magical

Master Pereceptor Orin Midwinter (CA)

Orin2
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Small SPD 6 STR 4 MAT 6 RAT 4 M.A. 7 DEF 13 ARM 12 CMD 8 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 5 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA C UNIT SIZE N/A COST 4 N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Abilities

• Battle Wizard
• Gang
• Granted: Self-Sacrifice - While this model is in formation, models in its unit gain Self-Sacrifice. (Self-Sacrifice - If a model with Self-Sacrifice is disabled by an enemy attack, you can choose a non-disabled model in this unit within 3" of the model with Self-Sacrifice to be destroyed and the model with Self-Sacrifice removes 1 damage point.)
• Magic Ability [7]

  He has a completely different spell than the Cultists & Dark Sentinel

• Marked Soul - This model is a Marked Soul.
• Soul Taker: Shepherd - This model can gain soul tokens. When a model in this unit is destroyed while in formation, this model can gain the destroyed model's soul token. This model can have up to five soul tokens at any time. This model can spend soul tokens for the following:
  • Arcane Vortex - This model can immediately negate any spell that targets it or a model within 3" of it by spending 1 Soul token. The negated spell does not take effect, but its COST remains spent.
  • Knowledge of the Damned - When a model in this model's command range makes an attack or damage roll, this model can spend a soul token to make that model reroll the dice roll. Each roll can only be rerolled once as a result of Knowledge of the Damned.
  • Strength of Death - During its Combat Action, this model can spend soul tokens to boost one attack or damage roll for each token spent.

Weapons

Twisted Staff
		RNG				POW				P+S
		2				7				11
Damage Type: Magical

Spells

		COST	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
Leader, Grunts, WA
	Ritual of Shadows	(★ Action)	3	-	-	-	-
	Target friendly horror. If the target is in range it gains 1 essence point.
Leader, Grunts, WA
	Touch of Darkness	(★ Action)	3	-	-	-	-
	Target friendly living soulless model. If the model is in range, remove d3 damage points from it.
WA only
	Hex Bolt	(★ Attack)	6	-	13	Round	Yes
	Models hit cannot make special actions, special attacks, or power attacks for one round
Orin only
	Annihilation	(★ Attack)	10	3	10	-	Yes
	Models hit suffer a POW 10 damage roll. Models destroyed by Annihilation are RFP'd and do not generate corpse tokens. When a living enemy model is destroyed by Annihilation, the spellcaster gains the destroyed model's soul token regardless of the proximity of other models.

Theme Forces

• Dark Legacy
• Hearts of Darkness

Recent Changes

2021.10 Mega Update

• The Sentinel(s) gained +4 ARM

Thoughts on the Cultist Band

Cultist Band in a Nutshell

Weapon Attachment

The Cultist Band is the heart and, er, soul of most Infernal forces. They provide the delicious soul goo for your Masters to consume to replenish their Essence, while also providing a versatile light combat unit to mix things up. They also have support actions to add Essence to your Horrors, or heal them. Later in this document, you'll also notice they have some attachments, which adds a bit more combat prowess to the unit. In the Dark Legacy theme force, you can also Ambush a unit of them.

Thoughts on the Attachments

Dark Sentinels are, for all intents and purposes, just a powered up Cultist; they have the same statline and support spells plus they bring a longer range, higher damage sword, battle wizard and a range-damage spell. They can help turn a cultist unit into a much scarier melee unit. Keep in mind they do not have improved defensive stats and will die to a stiff breeze.

Orin is a powerful wizard who swaps the support spells for the powerful Annihilation spell that gives him the souls of his victims, which he can then spend for effects to protect and augment his unit, such as Arcane Vortex, or rerolls from Knowledge of the Damned, or just save them for next time he wants to cast Annihilation. Battle Wizard lets him bonk things with his staff, and then blast enemies.

Combos & Synergies

Battlegroups stand or fall on their ability to use Cultist Bands - notably they synergise with

• Any Horror - the ability to add Essence to Horrors both keeps them alive and makes them useful.
• Any Infernal Master - cheap living troopers for Essence refreshes.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Stats: The basic unit of Cultists has victim stats and a fairly low command radius.
• Positioning: They cannot be held back without losing a great deal of support, and generally need to be played just behind your front lines in order to keep your horrors on the table. This opens them up to getting wiped out by ranged units, AOEs, and many solos.

Tricks & Tips

• If you are taking them for support it is more points efficient to take two minimum units (10 points total for 8 models) over adding the weapon attachment to a single unit. (11 points for 7 models). Furthermore, a pair of basic units could provide more tactical flexibility.

Orin

• Orin gives Self Sacrifice to the whole unit, and you can use it for so much more than just saving Orin's life:
  • Using Self Sacrifice prevents anything triggering on destroy. For example Sprint, Berserk, Swift Hunter, Snap Fire, Overtake, War Path, Quick Work, etc.
  • Sacrifice the basic Cultists to keep the more powerful Dark Sentinels alive.
  • Cavalry can't move on after charge impact if the model they "killed" is still in front of them.
  • It can be used to keep something engaged. This especially helps to keep an Arc Node engaged to prohibit that caster or 'lock from channeling through it.
  • Cultists can sacrifice themselves for each other. Say you're being attacked by an enemy unit. If there are multiple enemy models that have a Cultist in range, then sacrifice that model as soon as possible to minimize the number of attacks the enemy can make. If a Cultist gets destroyed but there are no more enemies that can make any more attacks against it, then keep that Cultist alive. Whatever you do, don't keep a Cultist alive if there are more enemy models in range to attack it, because that just results in further casualties to the unit.

• Orin's Knowledge of the Damned is one of the most powerful and versatile abilities in the whole faction, like a multi-use Puppet Master that doesn't take an action to activate. It can be used on your rolls or your opponents', and is best used on rolls that had unlikely outcomes: either your rolls that you needed average but rolled badly, or opponent rolls that they did much better than average.

Other

Trivia

Disco Infernal (WA), Limited Edition Sculpt (Mini Crate)

• The Dark Sentinel WA has a limited edition sculpt, released in 2019.11.
• Released with the Faction launch (2019.06)
• There's an official short story, The Mind Beneath by Doug Seacat 2019.06, with Faustus' origin story.
• Prior to release, PP hid the identity of Orin2 from players. His concept art was "unfortunatley not complete in time for CID" and he was called a completely different name (Lord Adept Quintus Faustus). He was revealed via the short story in the week just before the Faction was released.
  • "Faustus" is a reference to "Goethe's Faust" a tragic play by the titular poet. "Faust" was portrayed in goethe's adaptation of the legend as a dissatisfied scholar who made a pact with the devil, not unlike Orin in this universe, who is an accomplished arcanist.

Other Infernal models

Infernal Index       (Edit)
Unique Rules : Masters, Horrors, Essence, & Summoning
Battlegroup
Infernal Masters	Agathon - Omodamos - Zaateroth
Attachment (1)	Lord Roget d'Vyaros
Master Infernalist	Princess Regna
Lesser	Foreboder	Heavy	Desolator - Soul Stalker - Tormentor
Light	Lamenter - Shrieker	Colossal	Guardian of Souls - Harvester of Souls
Units, Solos, & Structures
Structures	Infernal Gate
Solos	Eilish1 - Eilish2 - Great Princess Regna Gravnoy (Master Infernalist) - Hermit of Henge Hold - Lord Roget d'Vyaros (Attachment) - Lynda the Forgotten - Nicia2 - Orin1 - Saxon Orrik - Runewood2 - The Wretch - Umbral Guardian - Valin Hauke, The Fallen Knight
Units	Croe's Cutthroats - Cultist Band - Griever Swarm - Howlers
Theme Forces			Mercenaries
Dark Legacy - Hearts of Darkness			J.A.I.M.s
This index was last updated: 2021.07 (1) - Note that an Infernal Master Attachment is not part of the battlegroup, they are merely listed there for convenience.

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Gang and/or Gang Fighter and/or Tag Team and/or Team Effort     (Edit) You can gain the Gang bonus on free strikes, but generally only the first "Ganger" will get it. For example, if a target is engaged by two models with Gang, when it leaves the melee range of the first Ganger it suffers a free strike with the Gang bonus. Then it leaves the melee range of the second and suffers a normal free strike.

Rules Clarification : Magic Ability      (Edit) Using a Magic Ability counts as a spell, for effects such as Spell Ward, Witch Hunter, etc. Combat Action Nearly all Magic Ability spells require the spellcaster to use their Combat Action to cast the spell. As such it is not an "at any time" ability (like it is when warcasters/warlocks cast spells). This means ... You must complete your movement before you use a MA. A model in a unit cannot use its Combat Action to cast a spell until all members of the unit have completed their movement. (Infernal Ruling) You cannot make initial ranged or initial melee attacks on the same turn you use a MA. You cannot buy additional melee/ranged attacks after using a MA special attack. Refer to the core rulebook, "Special attacks listed as a rule of the model itself are neither melee attacks nor ranged attacks. The rules for these special attacks indicate the nature of any additional attacks that can be made afterward, if any." You cannot use a MA on the same turn you charge. Because a charge must (almost always) be followed by a melee attack. Non-Combat Action There are a few models that can use a Magic Ability without using their Combat Action. These models get around all the restrictions listed above. Models with Geomancy or Necromancy can use a Magic Ability at "any time" just like a warcaster/warlock. Models with Battle Wizard or Necrophage can make melee attacks then get a bonus "free" spell. Models with Combat Caster can cast a spell before charging, then do a normal charge + melee attack. Note that Battle Wizards, Combat Casters, etc have the option to use their Combat Action to cast a spell. Their special rule is in addition to the normal spell casting, not instead of.

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 : Battle Wizard      (Edit) A Battle Wizard doesn't have to kill a model to cast a spell. They can instead skip making melee attacks and use their Combat Action to cast a spell. Cavalry Battle Wizards can trigger it from their Mount Attacks. (Infernal Ruling) This does not, however, allow them to trigger it twice in the same turn. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Tactics vs Granted     (Edit) Granted = The unit loses the ability as soon as the model that grants it is taken off the table. (think "G for Goes away") Tactics = The unit keeps the ability for the entire game, regardless of who dies. (think "Tac-Tick = K for Keeps")   Granted [ Vengeance ] If the model granting Vengeance dies, the unit will not get any Vengeance attacks. It is "If you have Vengeance, and you were damaged last turn, you get a move+attack." It is not "If you get damaged, you get Vengeance next turn." If you lose Vengeance halfway through resolving Vengeance, then you stop resolving Vengeance immediately. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Self-Sacrifice and/or Roth's Mercy     (Edit) The model that is destroyed is not destroyed by an enemy attack, instead it is destroyed by the Self-Sac ability. (Infernal Ruling) This allows you to nullify many enemy abilities (such as Overtake and Blood Boon). However, it will not nullify all abilities, some abilities don't care who destroyed what (such as Soul Taker or Body Snatcher). An enemy ability that prevents healing (such as Entropic Force) does not prevent you triggering Self-Sacrifice ... it just prevents the part where you heal. This means you could end up with 2 dead models and 0 healed models; an opponent is perfectly within his rights to let you declare self-sacrifice, remove a 2nd model via self-sacrifice, then refuse to let you heal the first one. If multiple models are caught in the same attack (for instance, an AOE), then they can't self-sacrifice to each other (because they're all disabled at the same time). However, if you have Self-Sacrifice & Tough they trigger at the same time. So you resolve tough first and if anyone in the AOE passes they become non-disabled. Since it's simultaneous, that model is now a valid target for self-sacrifice for the other guys in the AOE.

Rules Clarification : Magic Ability      (Edit) Using a Magic Ability counts as a spell, for effects such as Spell Ward, Witch Hunter, etc. Combat Action Nearly all Magic Ability spells require the spellcaster to use their Combat Action to cast the spell. As such it is not an "at any time" ability (like it is when warcasters/warlocks cast spells). This means ... You must complete your movement before you use a MA. A model in a unit cannot use its Combat Action to cast a spell until all members of the unit have completed their movement. (Infernal Ruling) You cannot make initial ranged or initial melee attacks on the same turn you use a MA. You cannot buy additional melee/ranged attacks after using a MA special attack. Refer to the core rulebook, "Special attacks listed as a rule of the model itself are neither melee attacks nor ranged attacks. The rules for these special attacks indicate the nature of any additional attacks that can be made afterward, if any." You cannot use a MA on the same turn you charge. Because a charge must (almost always) be followed by a melee attack. Non-Combat Action There are a few models that can use a Magic Ability without using their Combat Action. These models get around all the restrictions listed above. Models with Geomancy or Necromancy can use a Magic Ability at "any time" just like a warcaster/warlock. Models with Battle Wizard or Necrophage can make melee attacks then get a bonus "free" spell. Models with Combat Caster can cast a spell before charging, then do a normal charge + melee attack. Note that Battle Wizards, Combat Casters, etc have the option to use their Combat Action to cast a spell. Their special rule is in addition to the normal spell casting, not instead of.

Rules Clarification : Marked Soul      (Edit) Marked Soul interacts with how Infernals summon new horrors. It has no other in-game effect.

Rules Clarification : Shepherd - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Arcane Vortex      (Edit) Warjacks and warbeasts can spend focus or fury, outside of their activation, to use Arcane Vortex. (Infernal Ruling) Mulg spends fury to use it, he is not forced for fury. (Infernal Ruling) Arcane vortex can be used to counter spells with "Range: Self". (Infernal Ruling) Some spells do not have a target, mostly CTRL area spells (such as Siege's Foxhole) but also some (★ Action) (such as Ragman's Death Field). These cannot be cancelled by Arcane Vortex. Infernal Ruling) The "Cost" for non-warcaster models includes stuff like "using your special action" or "killing a Mind Bender Drudge." Arcane Vortex triggers at step 3 of the spellcasting sequence. (Resolve effects that occur when a model is targeted by a spell.) (Infernal Ruling) If a channeled spell is cancelled, it doesn't count as being channeled, so the channeler can't trigger stuff like Reaction Drive or Spell Martyr. (Infernal Ruling) There are a couple of odd spells: (Primal Shock and Essence Blast) - Both these spells "Choose" model A, then gets to "Target" model B with an attack. In this case you can trigger Arcane Vortex only when model B is targeted. (Crevasse) - This spell attacks model A, then gets to use model A to make another attack vs model B. In this case you can trigger Arcane Vortex only when model A is targeted. (Infernal Ruling for both of the above.)

Rules Clarification : Knowledge of the Damned      (Edit) If both players have a Knowledge of the Damned, then only one player gets to use it. The active player chooses whether to use it first. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Strength of Death - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Ritual of Shadows - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Touch of Darkness - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Hex Bolt - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Annihilation      (Edit) Not blast damage (Edit) Due to the way it is worded, this spell/weapon does full POW to all models in the AOE. It is not blast damage and it is not halved. For the same reason, it doesn't do "two damage rolls to the model directly hit". (Infernal Ruling) Models that are immune to blast damage have no defence vs this spell/weapon. "Regardless of proximity" soul takers (Edit) The model which ignores distance doesn't always get the soul. Abilities which say you "can't" collect souls (such as Soul Ward) trump it, due to the general rule that "can't trumps can". If there are multiple models that all have the "regardless of proximity" clause, then you randomise who the soul goes to. (Infernal Ruling)

Note to Editors To edit the WA's tagged abilities, Click here To edit the CA's tagged abilities, Click here