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Cataphract arcuarii are imposing warriors encased in extremely thick and finely lacquered armor. Arcuarii wield great hooked harpoons called arcus that can be brought to bear in close quarters or fired across the battlefield to impale enemies and drag them close. Once enemies are dragged in, the arcuarii use their barbed blades to put the foes to a brutally efficient end.

Basic Info

Cataphract Arcuarii

COST	{{{cacost}}}
UNIT SIZE	{{{casize}}}
FA	{{{cafa}}}
Warcaster 0
BASE	Medium
SPD	5
STR	7
MAT	7
RAT	6
M.A.	N/A
DEF	11
ARM	16
CMD	7
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	4 / 6
COST	8 / 13
2 each
N/A




N/A
Warcaster 1
COST	N/A
N/A
Understanding the Statblock

Abilities

Tough

Weapons

Harpoon - 8" range, POW 12 ranged attack
- Weapon Master
- Drag - When this attack hits an enemy model with an equal or smaller base, immediately after the attack is resolved the enemy model can be pushed directly toward this model until it contacts a model, an obstacle, or an obstruction. After the enemy model is moved, this model can make one basic melee attack against the enemy model. After resolving this melee attack, this model can make additional melee attacks during its Combat Action.

Arcus - 2" reach, P+S 12 melee attack
- Weapon Master

Theme Forces

Masters of War. They gain "Optional Take Down" in this theme.

Recent Changes

2021.10 Mega Update

Points drop to 8/13 (from 10/15)
Drag triggers on a hit instead of on damage
+1 ARM

Thoughts on Cataphract Arcuarii

Cataphract Arcuarii in a nutshell

Arcuarii are Skorne's only Ranged Weapon Master unit; and together with the Cataphract Cetrati one of the few melee weapon masters to boot. Unfortunately, they are very expensive per model and can be taken out by any charges or two hits from small arms fire. They have fantastic offensive output and will really bully small and medium based models with drag quite easily. But with they low defence, mediocre armour and lacklustre range they need to be played with the right caster to actually get work done. Otherwise they will just die.

Combos & Synergies

Tyrant Commander & Standard Bearer - Press Forward is extra threat range.
Dominar Morghoul & Escorts - Occultation provides them much needed protection from enemy guns and magic. Morg3's blind also allows them to pick off targets with impunity
Archdomina Makeda - Field marshal shield guard protects them on the approach. They benefit from her feat greatly allowing them to deliver accurate weaponmaster retaliatory strikes against foes
Primus Jalaam - Stealth, Pathfinder, and deadeye. Jalaam likes all ranged units, but this one benefits the most, perhaps.

Drawbacks & Downsides

Drag sounds good until you consider stealth, Shield Guard, Sacrificial Pawn, stuff that can’t be moved, walls/terrain/other models ... it’s a long list.
Can't drag large or huge bases
The Venator Flayer Cannon Crew performs better at shooting large and huge bases and has a longer threat range. But has no melee game at all.
Back banners are a minor nightmare (especially on the old metal ones).
Don't be fooled by the ARM 16, multi-wound statline into thinking they are actually hard to kill. Their stats will last you about two unboosted POW 12 shots (before you need Tough) or a single boosted one. What they are protected from is anti-light infantry tech that's mostly POW 10 (whether gun mages, electroleaps, or high explosive rounds) and corrosion style effects that do a single point of damage.

Tricks & Tips

Remember that you do more damage with a charge than a normal ranged attack (since charges are boosted) and the Arcuarii have a higher MAT than RAT. Irritatingly, this means that with a threat range of 13" the Arcuarii are often better off charging anyone within 10", so there's only a 3" window of walking and shooting.
Look for medium based enemies to pull and mangle.
If you have control over positioning, you can pull the enemy light jacks into backstrikes. This can be an interesting way to get around shields.
Try to use them as a second wave unit. Their defensive stats are so poor they can't survive the frontline in any capacity - but they are weapon masters with reach weapons

Other

Trivia

Cataphract Arcuarii means "armored archers". Cataphract comes the Greek word Cataphractus, which means "fully enclosed." Arcuarii is plural Arcuarius, meaning archer.
Released way back in Primal Mk1 (2006)

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 : Weapon Master - None yet. (Edit)

	Rules Clarification: : Drag , Pull, and/or Catch (Edit) (Click Expand to read)
	Timing With respect to the Attack Sequence: Pull is resolved at Step 12. Enemy effects (such as Retaliatory Strike or Enliven) are resolved at Step 13. Drag and Catch are resolved at Step 14. Ranged Attack Damage (Drag and Catch only) If a model is destroyed by the ranged attack, Drag/Catch does not trigger. Corpse tokens, soul tokens, and etc will be generated from the model’s original position. Sicne it doesn't trigger, you won't get the free melee attack from Drag/Catch (even if there's something different already in your melee range). The Movement You cannot Drag/Pull/Catch models with a larger base size than you. The movement is a Push effect, which is involuntary movement. It is not an advance and will not trigger stuff like Countercharge. They won't take free strikes because it is involuntary movement. They will take damage from any hazards they're pushed through/into (such as Scathers). You can drag your target through Incorporeal models, if there's enough space on the other side, because the rules for Incorporeal specifically allow this. (If there's not enough space, the push will stop on the far side of the Incorporeal model.) You cannot drag models through Curse-of-Shadows-ed or similar models, because those rules refer to "models can advance through this model" and a push is not an advance. You may drag models that you are already in melee with. However most models can't shoot while in melee, so this is pretty much limited to the Prime Axiom and Galleon (see the corner-case scenarios, below). If you get to trigger Drag/Pull/Catch on a free strike (mostly just Pull), the moving model will never get out of your melee range. They have to keep advancing out and being pushed back until either they run out of movement, or you fail a free strike. (Infernal Ruling) Push - General (Edit) [Show/Hide] Pushed models do not change their facing. Pushed models move at half rate through difficult terrain. Also, Pathfinder doesn't apply during pushes. Pushed models stop if they contact anything - a model of any size, or any obstacles or obstructions. You don't get free strikes against pushed models, because it is "involuntary movement" and therefore does not count as an advance. Pushed models suffer the effects of anything they move through (such as acid clouds). If you use a Push vs a charging model (via a free strike for example), this will stop the charge movement (refer core rulebook). However, if the pushed model is in melee range of its charge target after the push, then it is considered a successful charge. (Infernal Ruling) In that scenario, you measure whether the charging model moved 3" or less excluding the push distance. (Infernal Ruling) If you push a model to a position where it regains Incorporeal (for instance you push it out of range of an Exorcist) then what happens is (Being Checked by Infernals) The Free Melee Attack(s) (Drag and Catch only) If the target model doesn't end up in melee range (whether because the ranged attack killed it outright, or something blocked the drag movement) then you don't get a free melee attack and don't get the option to buy additional melee attacks. If the dragged model can't be targeted by melee attacks, you may not make your free drag attack and don't get the option to buy additional melee attacks. (Infernal Ruling) For both of the above two cases, you may still complete your initial ranged attacks and buy additional ranged attacks as per normal (if you have more guns and/or Reload). You may make the free melee attack against models that "cannot be pushed" (assuming you're in melee range already). The "After the model is moved" is a timing clause, not a conditional clause. To pull this off, you need an ability that allows you to make ranged attack while you're already in melee, so is pretty much limited to just Colossals and/or models attacking objectives. After using Drag/Catch, the attacking model may make a single melee attack without spending focus. (So Black Ogrun can make a single melee attack.) After doing the free attack, you may buy additional attacks if you have a method of purchasing them. Models with Drag but no focus/fury (such as Black Ogrun) can't buy additional attacks (despite what is implied by the rule on their card) - it's just a standarised wording for Drag. More corner-case Rules Clarifications Models that can make Ranged Attacks while in melee This section is pretty much limited to the Prime Axiom and Galleon who, thanks to being Colossals, can continue to shoot after dragging something into melee with themselves. It can also apply to any model shooting at a "can never be in melee" model (eg Scenario objectives). When you start your activation, you still need to choose either 'initial ranged attacks' or 'initial melee attacks'. If you choose melee attacks, then you will never get to shoot your Drag weapons. If you shoot a Drag weapon you need to resolve the drag move and the free melee attack, but afterwards you're still in "shooting" mode. The best way to think of it is it's "interrupting" your normal ranged attacks and after resolving it, you go back to completing your initials. So it might go: Shoot the Drag weapon. Drag the enemy closer. Resolve the free melee attack. Drag resolved. Now you finish shooting the rest of your weapons. Once you've completed all your initial ranged attacks (and any free drag melee attacks) then you have the option of buying additional attacks (ranged if you have Reload, melee otherwise. However, if you get overexcited and start buying melee attacks after the free drag one then you don't get to finish shooting the rest of your weapons. This is because shooting the rest of your guns is completing your "Initial Ranged Attacks" but by buying melee attacks you have jumped ahead to "After Initial Attacks" (refer first sentence of "Additional Attacks" pg 36 of Prime). Black Spot + Drag or Catch If you trigger Drag/Catch, then any attacks you get from Black Spot can be either ranged or melee, your choice. (Infernal Ruling) Black Spot plus Drag - Infinite Attack combo (Edit) This combo can lead to an infinite number of attacks, but it depends on your dice. Case A (Fail): Make initial ranged attack, destroy the target with the ranged attack. Drag does not trigger. Black Spot does trigger, and the free BS attack must be a ranged attack because you don't have any rule that gets around the core rule "models cannot make both ranged and melee attacks during the same activation" (unless you have Dual Attack). The free BS attack cannot generate any more free BS attacks. Case B (Success): Make initial ranged attack, damage the target with the ranged attack. Drag triggers, and now you have gotten around the core rule about mixing attack types. (Infernal Ruling) Destroy the dragged model with a melee attack, and trigger Black Spot. The free BS attack can be either ranged or melee. So you make a ranged attack and try to Drag another one to restart the sequence. Theoretically, if you keep managing to damage + Drag targets with the free ranged attacks, and destroy + Black Spot them with the free melee attacks, you never run out of free attacks. 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. Assault & Drag ( Edit ) You determine whether a charge was successful or not before making the Assault attack. If you make an unsuccessful charge but then use Drag to get your charge target into melee range, then: It is still a failed charge and your activation is going to end after the Assault attack is resolved. (Infernal Ruling) You will get the free melee attack from Drag as part of resolving the Assault ranged attack. (Infernal Ruling) Whether or not your charge was successful, this free melee attack is not a charge attack. (Infernal Ruling) You won't be able to purchase additionals (because your activation ended).

Rules Clarification : Tough - None yet. (Edit)