Dawnguard Sentinels

Mk4 has been announced, and we need to talk about what it means for the future of this website. Please join the discussion either on the WMU Facebook Group or the Talk:Main Page area of this wiki.

Dawnguard Sentinels Retribution Unit Officer & Standard Bearer Command Attachment

Dawnguard sentinels charge into the enemy as an overwhelming tide of cleaving blades. These heavily armored knights use their great swords to expertly carve through any adversary willing to stand against them. Sentinels embody sheer determination made tangible in flesh and steel and consider themselves guardians of the ideals of the Dawnguard.

Basic Info

Dawnguard Sentinels
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Small SPD 5 STR 6 MAT 7 RAT N/A M.A. N/A DEF 12 ARM 15 CMD 8 ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY N/A THRS N/A HP 1 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA 2 UNIT SIZE 6 or 10 +2 CA COST 9 or 15 +3 CA 1.5 pts each (incl CA) N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Abilities

• Entire Unit
  • Vengeance - During your Maintenance Phase, if one or more models in this unit were damaged by enemy attacks during the last round, each model in the unit can advance 3" and make one basic melee attack.
  • Wall of Steel - While this model is B2B with one or more models in its unit, it gains +2 ARM.

• Officer only
  • He has +1 MAT and 5 hitpoints
  • Officer
  • Iron Zeal [ Minifeat ] - This model can use Iron Zeal once per game at any time during the unit's activation. Models in this unit gain +3 ARM and cannot become stationary or knocked down. Models are not affected while out of formation. Iron Zeal lasts for one round.
  • Tactics: Relentless Charge - Models in this unit gain Relentless Charge. (Relentless Charge - While advancing as part of a charge, a model with Relentless Charge gains Pathfinder.)

• Standard only
  • Standard Bearer - While this model is within 5" of its unit commander, the unit commander gains +2 CMD.
  • Take Up - If this model is destroyed, you can choose a Grunt in this unit within 1" of it to be destroyed instead. Effects on this model expire, and it gains the effects on the chosen Grunt. Remove the Grunt from the table instead of this model. This model has the same number of unmarked damage boxes as the chosen Grunt.

Weapons

• Leader, Grunts, & Officer
  • Great Sword - 2" reach, P+S 12 melee weapon
    • Weapon Master

• Standard Bearer
  • Unarmed - This model has no weapons.

Weapon Attachment

Sentinels may have up to 3 Soulless Escorts added to them. His info has been omitted from this article for brevity.

Theme Forces

• Legions of Dawn

Recent Changes

2021.10 Mega Update

• Base unit points cost drop to 9/15 (from 11/18)
• CA points cost drop to 3 (from 4)

Thoughts on Dawnguard Sentinels

Command attachment

Dawnguard Sentinels in a nutshell

These guys are your expensive tank infantry, they can be taken out if hit right but when they get to where they are going they make sure you remember. All in all they are a basic armor unit who specialize in being their own delivery system with wall of steel and iron zeal, and when they get to where they are going weapon master coupled with high MAT mean a few models just got sliced in half.

Thoughts on adding the CA

Since the Officer amends two of the most important issues with assault troops (Pathfinder during charges and extra ARM in a crucial turn, while advancing toward the enemy), their attachment is kind of mandatory.

Combos & Synergies

Any caster that can increase their ability to get to where they're going is good, plus there are a few other good options that are non-caster that make great combinations.

• Helynna is a fantastic with her Deceleration spell to assure that the Dawnguard can safely make it across the board (taken to absurd levels with her feat). This is shared with Vyros2 who also brings his Veteran Leader ability to bring their MAT to truly elite levels.
• Issyria and Vyros1 both have have Inviolable Resolve which makes the Sentinels unmovable jerks who spit in your opponents face and proceed to paint their white armour red with their blood.
• Goreshade4 also buffs their ARM considerably with Dauntless Resolve, which also makes them Tough.
  • Lys Healers grant them knock down immunity, which is potent under Dauntless Resolve and also prevent their souls from being stolen, which is great for his feat.
• Discordia is yet another delivery vessel of armored goodness. Discordia's imprint gives armor against shooting so just keep him around and you will have some scary support with your troops.
• House Shyeel Artificer is good against shooting and blasts just like Discordia but he serves to increase defense with Force Wall which gives Force Barrier to all models nearby. Even though you might not get blasted you can still get caught on fire so be careful against Menoth.
• Dawnguard Sentinel Scyir is useful to have around for Tactician, which means they'll never get in their way for charges or making Vengeance moves. He, and his jack, also get their own Vengeance move and attack if one of the unit dies close by.
• Death Archon - They provide corpses to it and it makes them tougher.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Even at SPD 5 they can be slow to get to where they need to go. Spells like Issyria's Crusader's Call and Elara2's feat can help with this when it's time to make an alpha-strike.
• As all high-ARM single-wound targets, they are vulnerable to effects that cause fixed damage irrespective of ARM (Sniper, Corrosion, Puncture, Anatomic Precision, etc.)

Tricks & Tips

• Keeping them in the triples arrow head formation to better keep their armor bonus is great, but there is a better option. Keeping most units spread out to prevent AOE blasts and corrosion is key so remember your mini feat. So turn one move out, turn two mini feat and turn three slice and dice.
• If you have to, leave one or two guys a bit further up as a sacrifice with a purpose. This tactic has two purposes, one you have a weapon master with decent range up close so they can block charge lanes or make your opponent deal with them before they get closer. Two dying, let them die (or attack if left alone) and you will have triggered Vengeance giving the unit a free three inch move and attack before your turn really begins.
• This can be supplemented if you have a point left over at list build: adding a Soulless Escort provides another such body for much cheaper than the regular Sentinel grunt, still contributes to triggering Vengeance with his death and also helps out against spellcasters early game (mid/late game, not so useful since everything will be quite close in by then, so you don't mind the SE's passing so much!).
• Couple them with things that increase armor or prevents blast damage (Artificer or Discordia) POW 10 can take them out pretty easy unless buffed so just remember to keep them safe.
• The Standard Bearer will benefit from the Vengeance move, if not the free attack.
• Watch out for abilities and spells, that can be triggered by Vengeance moves - most commonly Admonition, Counterblast, Counter Charge, Watcher/Guardian Beast.

Other

Trivia

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

Other Retribution models

Retribution Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warcasters	Elara2 - Falcir1 - Garryth1 - Garryth2 - Goreshade4 - Helynna1 - Issyria1 - Kaelyssa1 - Ossyan1 - Rahn1 - Ravyn1 - Thyron1 - Vyros1 - Vyros2
Warcaster attachments	Fane Knight Guardian (Retribution) - Sylys Wyshnalyrr (Retribution) - Madelyn Corbeau (Mercenary)
Other Warjack Controllers	Elara1 (BGC) - Sentinel Scyir ('Jack Marshal) - Artificer ('Jack Marshal)
Light Warjacks	Aspis - Chimera - Gorgon - Griffon - Harpy - Siren Moros
Heavy Warjacks	Aeternae - Banshee - Daemon - Discordia - Hemera - Hydra - Hypnos - Imperatus - Manticore - Phoenix - Sphinx
Colossal	Hyperion - Helios
Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units	Cyelna & Nyss Hunters - D Destors - D Invictors - D Sentinels - Heavy Rifle Team - H Halberdiers - H Riflemen - HE Swordsmen - HE Wardens - HS Arcanists - HS Battle Mages - HV Electromancers - MH Infiltrators - MH Strike Force - Ryssovass Defenders - Spears of Scyrah - Stormfall Archers Special: Eiryss3 (CA) - Soulless Escort (WA)
Solos	Aelyth Vyr - Arcanist Mechanik - D Destor Thane - D Sentinel Scyir - Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios (1) - Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (2) - Eiryss, Fortune Hunter of Ios (4) - Elara, Tyro of the Third Chamber (1) - Fane Knight Guardian - Fane Knight Skeryth Issyen - Ghost Sniper - Hermit of Henge Hold - HE Warden Executioner - HS Artificer - HS Magister - Houseguard Thane - Lanyssa Ryssyl, Nyss Sorceress Lys Healer - MH Assassin - Narn, Mage Hunter of Ios - Nayl - Priest of Nyssor - Scythe - Soulless Voidtracer
Battle Engines	Arcantrik Force Generator - Dawnguard Trident
Theme Forces
Defenders of Ios - Forges of War - Legions of Dawn - Shadows of the Retribution
Mercenaries
Refer to Category: Retribution of Scyrah Mercenary
This index was last updated: 2021.04

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Weapon Master - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Unarmed      (Edit) Since this model has no weapons it does not have a melee range. This means it can't engage other models, declare charges, or make free strikes Also it can't gain abilities that require a melee range (such as Ragman granting this model Dark Shroud). However, other models that do have melee weapons can engage this model. So this model can still gain the "target in melee" shooting bonus.

Rules Clarification : Vengeance and/or Righteous Vengeance and/or Retaliation and/or Swift Vengeance and/or Tantrum     (Edit) Vengeance moves do not have to be towards an enemy model. You can choose to not move, but still get the attack. One is not conditional on the other. In this case, you will not count as advancing and thus will not trigger stuff like Countercharge. (Infernal Ruling) Vengeance is not an activation. It does not prevent the model/unit from activating and acting normally later in the turn. Stationary and knocked down models may not perform Vengeance moves nor attacks. Units only Out of formation models cannot make Vengeance moves nor Vengeance attacks. However if the unit commander uses their movement to bring the Grunts back into formation, then they can move and attack. When resolving Vengeance, move all models in the unit before making any attacks. (Infernal Ruling) If you have more than one unit with Vengeance, move all of unit A then complete all of unit A's attacks, before starting to move unit B. If you manage to spawn new models during the Maintenance Phase (such as with Reconstruction or Blood-Bound) then those new models can also make Vengeance attacks. (Infernal Ruling) Due to the way it is worded Vengeance can be "inherited" by unit attachments that do not actually have the Vengeance ability themselves. For instance, a Soulless Escort attached to the Spears of Scyrah. If anyone is damaged, including the attachment, everyone in the unit gets to trigger Vengeance. But if everyone is killed except the attachment, then he doesn't get to trigger Vengeance because the rule is "no longer on the table". 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) Triggers Only enemy attacks trigger Vengeance. There are plenty of ways enemies can damage you without attacking you (such as Electro Leap) and these will not trigger Vengeance. If a CA has Granted: Vengeance then only models in formation have it. However, models that are damaged while out of formation can trigger Vengeance, they just will not benefit from it. (Locked thread)

Rules Clarification : Wall of Steel      (Edit) If you're slammed or thrown into a model with Wall of Steel, you'll immediately benefit. So you'll get the ARM bonus vs the slam/throw damage, too! It's not possible to be B2B with someone at the same time you move, so you can't gain Wall of Steel at the same time you enter a damaging template (such as Covering Fire). No, you cannot move an infinitely small distance and thus travel in an arc. This is Warmachine, not calculus. However, if you can move through a model, ignore the above.

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 : Iron Zeal      (Edit) 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 : 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 : Relentless Charge      (Edit) Pathfinder (Edit) - Pathfinder does not apply to involuntary movement (pushes & slams). (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Standard Bearer      (Edit) If the Officer dies, the Standard Bearer can give the CMD bonus to the Leader model.

Rules Clarification : Take Up      (Edit) If you use Take Up the attacking model cannot trigger anything that needs the attacker to "Destroy" a model (such as Alpha Hunter, Killing Spree, Berserk, etc). Although the model that was attacked reached the Destroyed step of the timing sequence, Take Up negates that entirely. (Infernal Ruling)

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