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The tenacious and vicious nature of the cyclops brutes makes them singularly responsive to training, and the skorne rely on them to hold the flanks of formations or stand vigil over tyrants. Armed with towering shields and massive polearms, brutes constitute a virtually insurmountable threat on the battlefield. Their unique vision focuses on evading blows, and they can extend this power to those they protect.

Basic Info

Cyclops Brute

COST	{{{cacost}}}
UNIT SIZE	{{{casize}}}
FA	{{{cafa}}}
Warcaster 0
BASE	Medium
SPD	6
STR	8
MAT	6
RAT	N/A
M.A.	N/A
DEF	13
ARM	16 / 18 (★)
CMD	N/A
ESSENCE	{{{essence}}}
FOCUS	N/A
FURY	3
THRS	9
HP	22
F. Field	N/A




WJP	{{{wjp}}}
WBP	{{{wbp}}}
IHP	{{{ihp}}}
FA	U
UNIT SIZE	N/A
COST	8
N/A
N/A




(★) ARM 18 with the Shield bonus.
Warcaster 1
COST	N/A
N/A
Understanding the Statblock

Warbeast - All warbeasts share a huge stack of special rules. The short version is they're big, furious, and beat stuff up pretty good. Click here for a newbie-friendly recap, or click here for the full rules.

Abilities

Intuition - When an enemy model targets this model with an attack and the attack roll results in a hit, you can immediately force this model to cause the enemy model to reroll the attack roll.
Set Defense - A model in this model's front arc suffers -2 on charge, slam power attack, and impact attack rolls against this model.
Shield Guard - Once per round, when a friendly model is directly hit by a non-spray ranged attack during your opponent's turn while within 3" of this model, you can choose to have this model directly hit instead. This model is automatically hit and suffers all damage and effects. This model cannot use Shield Guard while it is incorporeal, knocked down, or stationary. The Shield Guard special rule can only trigger once per attack roll.

Weapons

Shield

	RNG	POW	P+S
	0.5	2	10
Shield

Halberd
	RNG	POW	P+S
	2	4	12

Animus

	COST	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF

Safeguard	1	SELF	-	-	Round	No
The spellcaster cannot become knocked down or stationary and does not suffer collateral damage. When it is slammed, reduce the slam distance rolled by 3. Safeguard lasts for one round.

Theme Forces

Recent Changes

No changes since 2021.10

Thoughts on the Cyclops Brute

Cyclops Brute in a nutshell

The Cyclops Brute is a defensive warbeast - cheap, resilient, and with shield guard. It's cheap and useful enough that you can argue for it in any army. Bumping it to Mat 6 has just made a good beast slightly better.

In other armies the argument would be made that the Brute doesn’t hit hard - but this is Skorne and beast handlers alongside warlocks fix these issues.

Combos & Synergies

Paingiver Beast Handlers - More hitting power or clear the fury after attacking.
Master Aescetic Naaresh - extra hitting power and ARM on feat turn.
Anyone who likes shield guards or immunity to knockdown and stationary (Rasheth and the Morghouls come to mind).
Wrong Eye & Snapjaw - Star Crossed skews Def, and the Brute has good starting Def that gets much better with Set Defense when he gets charged. To top it off you can use Intuition to reroll any attack rolls that do result in you being hit.
Agonizer - the Brute is a beast with a shield, and so like Tiberion and the Titan Sentry, skewing the Arm even higher can be quite effective. Also, the Brute has many advantages over our heavy shield users, such as much better speed, much lower cost, and vastly superior Def.
Basilisk Krea - Tough shield guards get enough tougher.
Makeda3 - Bulwark, Set Defence and Intuition have good synergy especially with the brutes animus, Incite gets over its weak melee output add in a paingiver and a Mat8 pow 16 spear with a free charge and possible grievous wounds doesn’t seem that bad.

Drawbacks & Downsides

The Brute has a one of the lowest damage outputs in the Skorne beast stable. If you're trying to count on his offenses, perhaps reconsider. Often enemy heavies can just move right on past him taking a pittance from the Brute's Free Strike.
Intuition looks great on paper but realistically you need caster support to make it work or you have to be very careful with your fury.
Farrow Valkyries cost the same so if you are just looking for a shield guard you get 3 instead of just one.

Tricks & Tips

It's often worthwhile to make use of the Brute's reach weapon to tie up more enemy models instead of trying to make use of his shield's much lower melee range because the shield is exceptionally weak. Just forego the shield attack.
If you run him full of fury he won't be able to use Intuition. Whereas forcing models to reroll charge, slam, or impact attacks to his front arc makes his effective DEF 15 much more relevant.

Other

Trivia

Released in Hordes: Evolution (2007)

Other Skorne models

Skorne Index (Edit)

Battlegroup & Similar
Warlocks	Hexeris1 - Hexeris2 - Jalaam1 - Makeda1 - Makeda2 - Makeda3 - Mordikaar1 - Morghoul1 - Morghoul2 - Morghoul3 - Naaresh1 - Rasheth1 - Xekaar1 - Xerxis1 - Xerxis2 - Zaal1 - Zaal2 - Zaadesh2
Lessers & Attachments	Aptimus Marketh (Warlock attachment) - Zaadesh1 (Lesser Warlock) - Makeda0 (Lesser Warlock)
Lesser	Agonizer - Aradus Scarab - Reptile Hounds - The Terrorizer
Light	Basilisk Drake - Basilisk Krea - Cyclops Brute - Cyclops Raider - Cyclops Savage - Cyclops Shaman - Razor Worm
Heavy	Aradus Sentinel - Aradus Soldier - Archidon - Chiron - Bronzeback Titan - Despoiler - Molik Karn - Rhinodon - Tiberion - Titan Cannoneer - Titan Gladiator - Titan Sentry
Gargantuans	Desert Hydra - Mammoth

Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units	Cataphract Arcuarii - Cataphract Cetrati - Cataphract Incindiarii - Immortals - Legends of Halaak - Nihilators - Paingiver Beast Handlers - Paingiver Bloodrunners - Praetorian Ferox - Praetorian Karax - Praetorian Keltarii - Praetorian Swordsmen - Tyrant Commander & Standard Bearer - Venator Catapult Crew - Venator Flayer Cannon Crew - Venator Reivers - Venator Slingers
Solos	Abidan the Keeper - Ancestral Guardian - Aptimus Marketh - Extoller Novitiate - Extoller Soulward - Hakaar the Destroyer - Immortal Vessel - Makeda0 - Mortitheurge Willbreaker - Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor - Paingiver Task Master - Tyrant Rhadeim - Venator Dakar - Void Spirit - Zaadesh1
Battle Engines	Siege Animantarax - Supreme Guardian

Theme Forces
Disciples of Agony - Masters of War - The Exalted - Winds of Death

Minions
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Skorne Minion
This index was last updated: 2021.11

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Shield and/or Buckler (Edit)

The only time you lose the Shield bonus is when the weapon is crippled, or if the attack originates in your back arc. (Infernal Ruling)
- In other words, you still get the Shield bonus while knocked down or stationary.
You don't get the Shield bonus vs stuff originating in your back arc. This includes stuff that "leaps" off models in your back arc, such as Electro Leap. (Locked thread)

	Rules Clarification: : Warbeast (Edit) (Click Expand to read)
	See also the Warbeast page for a recap of the core warbeast rules. Forcing If an ability doesn't specify how much it costs to force, it costs 1. (Infernal Ruling) Animi A single Animus can be on several models at the same time. (Infernal Ruling) Unlike in Mk2, in Mk3 if a model has an animus on it from any source and then another animus is cast on that model, it will lose the first instance of an animus and will be replaced by the second. It does not matter if either the first animus or the second animus is from a warlock or warbeast. (Infernal Ruling) An animi cast by a warlock is an animi and a spell. (Infernal Ruling) Transferring Damage If both the warlock and the warbeast are damaged by the same attack (such as an AOE), then you need to apply the 'normal' damage to the warbeast before the transferred damage. This distinction can be important when you're working out who/what actually destroyed the beast. (Infernal Ruling) Frenzy (Edit) You cannot trigger optional abilities (such as Cleave or Sprint). (Infernal Ruling) You must trigger compulsory abilities (such as Consume) ... except for compulsory abilities that also generate an extra attack (such as Berserk). In that case, you don't get the Berserk attack. (Infernal Ruling) A warbeast may not make an Assault shot as part of a Frenzy activation. If the closest target to a warbeast resolving a Frenzy cannot be charged, then the warbeast will forfeit movement and action (as per the rules of having to charge and not being able to). (Infernal Ruling) If a frenzying warbeast can't reach its charge target (because the charge lane is blocked by terrain, etc) then it will make a failed charge and end its activation. (Locked thread) If a frenzying warbeast has two melee weapons with the same POW, it can choose which one to use. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Intuition - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Set Defense - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Shield Guard and/or Shadow Guardian (Edit)

You can't use this ability vs spells.
You shift all effects onto the new model, including stuff that triggers on "when this attack hits".
When you use this ability vs an AOE attack, the template moves too. Because, with reference to Apdx A, the hit 'moves' at Step 6 and the template placement is determined at Step 7.
This ability doesn't work vs Point Blank attacks. Because Point Blank attacks are melee attacks that are made using a ranged weapon.
- On the other hand, it will work vs Gunfighter attacks.

Shield Guard only
- Since Shield Guard specifies "opponent's turn", it can't be used against stuff that shoots in your own turn (such as Watcher or Counterblast).
- The Shield Guard does not necessarily need to be in the attacker's LOS or range.
- The Shield Guarder is always hit even if they have an ability that makes them automatically get missed, such as Stealth. (Automatically missing is determined earlier in the timing sequence than the Shield Guard moving the hit.) (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Safeguard (Edit)

Subtract 3 from the dice roll, to a minimum of 0. Then apply other modifiers (such as, if the slammer is a smaller-base than the target, halve it. Or if the attacker is a huge-base making a Power Attack, add +2").
If the slam distance is reduced to 0", and the target is B2B with other models, then it does not count as contacting those B2B models and they won't take collateral damage. (Infernal Facebook Ruling)