Paingiver Task Master

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Paingiver Task Master Skorne Solo

Slavery is one of the most deeply embedded elements of skorne culture. The Paingiver caste takes great pleasure in subjugating new beasts and races, and recent battles have only served to open their minds to new possibilities. Paingiver Task Masters are sent to oversee Skorne Minions in battle, and they are quick to apply the lash to any who grow lax in their service.

Basic Info

Paingiver Task Master
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Small SPD 6 STR 6 MAT 6 RAT N/A M.A. N/A DEF 13 ARM 13 CMD N/A 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

Abilities

• No Sleeping on the Job [ Minion ] - This model and Minion models in its command range cannot become knocked down.
• Pain Driver (★ Action) - RNG 3". Target friendly non-warlock Minion warrior model/unit. If the model/unit is in range, it gains +2 STR. Models are not affected while out of formation. Pain Driver lasts for one turn.
• Scutter (★ Action) - RNG 3". Target friendly Minion warrior model/unit. If the model/unit is in range, it gains Reposition [3"]. Scutter lasts for one turn. (Reposition [3"] - At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [3"] can advance up to 3", then its activation ends.)
• Temper Flesh (★ Action) - RNG 3". Target friendly non-warlock Minion warrior model/unit. IF the model/unit is in range, gains Tough. Models are not affected while out of formation. Temper Flesh lasts for one round.

Weapons

• Man Catcher - 2" reach, POW 4, P+S 10 melee weapon
  • Man Catcher - A warrior hit by this attack suffers -2 DEF and for one round cannot advance while within this model's melee range.

Theme Forces

• Disciples of Agony. He gains Sacrificial Pawn [Minion warrior] in this theme. Two Paingiver Task Master solos can be taken as a single requisition option in this theme.

Thoughts on Paingiver Task Master

Paingiver Task Master in a nutshell

The Paingiver Task Master buffs minions. It's what it does, and does cheaply. Two of them make a single requisition option in Disciples of Agony; if you want to use DoA for minion infantry rather than as a warbeast/animantarax/bloodrunner list you're almost certainly getting two of these.

Combos & Synergies

There are two parts to what works well with the Task Master - the choice of minion unit(s) and the choice of warlock. But the short version is that if you are bringing minion units in Disciples of Agony you probably want two of these as a requisition option.

Minion units - ideal is to take something that does something the Skorne units don't. And although ambushing is cute it means that the Task Master can't get anywhere near the ambushers.

• Gatorman Bokor & Bog Trog Swamp Shamblers - probably your best choice. This does something the Skorne simply don't (and as the Skorne collect souls and the Shamblers bodies it's waste not, want not). There's also little more annoying than a no-knockdown-tough shambler who just won't die. And a Str buff on the Bokor on a turn when you go for broke and burn all the shamblers for extra attacks is awesome.
• Farrow Slaughterhousers - a very popular combination both before the Great Skorne Errata and now after the Oblivion update these guys hit incredibly hard.
• Croak Raiders - no knockdown tough skirmishers are incredibly obnoxious and even if Croaks aren't what they once were they are still pretty effective - and Reposition is great for advance deployment shooting. These work really well if you've a caster who hands out debuffs. Reposition can even be used to give them a melee game without leaving them all bunched up for the counter-attack.
• Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew - Scutter allows the Gobbers to reposition behind their cloud, increasing their survival. This isn't a sensible package on its own, but if you're already bringing the task master for e.g. slaughterhousers it makes the bellows better.
• Farrow Valkyries Greatly appreciate No Sleeping on the Job for its synergy with shield guard and vengeance. Though pain driver doesn't affect their point blank attacks, a pow14 charge and pow14 point blank shot let them do work into debuffed heavies. In Disciples of Agony, they can protect your beasts with shield guards and your paingivers with sacrificial pawn all in the same turn.
• Hermit of Henge Hold - No Knockdown helps, but more important is that giving the Hermit Reposition 3 gives him 3" extra threat range for either telemetry or his ARM debuff.
• Void Archon - +2 STR adds up when you're buying attacks for an effective five attacks at P+S 17. Also adding reposition makes the spray safer to use when not fully engaging; 13" away is massively safer than 10" away.

Minion-friendly warlocks; warlocks like Supreme Archdomina Makeda are obviously a bad idea to use with minions. But others work really well with them; minions don't care who debuffed the targets just so long as they get debuffed.

• Master Tormentor Morghoul does very little for anything outside his battlegroup; he doesn't care where his infantry came from.
• Lord Assassin Morghoul is a strong debuffer with his feat and Mortality.
• Beast Master Xekaar is another debuffer.
• Lord Tyrant Hexeris; his feat and Parasite work no matter who does the killing.
• Dominar Rasheth can't channel through minions but otherwise works with his debuffs. And if all else fails he can channel through the Task Master.
• Archdomina Makeda - oddly enough her feat works on minions.
• Supreme Aptimus Zaal - although this isn't generally a good idea he normally brings more than enough troops that the Swamp Shamblers get to grow and grow. This is the rare case where you might buy only one task master rather than getting two as a requisition option.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• She's a faction model, but she only buffs non-faction Minions.

Tricks & Tips

• A taskmaster can support more than one unit; the no knockdown aura doesn't take an action to use so can work with already tough models like Farrow Valkyries and if you have skirmishers and hard hitting melee you don't need to buff both at the same time.

Other

Trivia

Released 2010.07

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 : Man Catcher      (Edit) Models may still be placed, so abilities like Apparition will still work.

Rules Clarification : No Sleeping on the Job      (Edit) If a model is already knocked down, and is then affected by NSotJ, it doesn't get to stand up. The "cannot be knocked down" isn't retroactively applied.

Rules Clarification : Pain Driver - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Temper Flesh      (Edit) Rules Clarification : Tough - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Scutter      (Edit) Rules Clarification : Reposition      (Edit) Models out of formation cannot move via Reposition. Refer to the "Out of Formation" rules in the core rulebook. End of Activation (Edit) You cannot resolve two end-of-activation movement effects (refer to "End of Activation Movement" in the core rulebook). For EOA stuff that doesn't involve movement, though, it gets a bit more murky: Some EOA abilities explicitly state your activation ends as part of resolving the ability (like Reposition), and some don't (like Refuge). Whether it is explicit it or not, by definition an EOA ability is the last thing you can do for that activation. For instance, if you resolve Refuge and then continue your activation to cast more spells, then you have not used Refuge at the end of your activation. You cannot do an "at any time" ability during or after triggering an EOA ability; you cannot cast spells, purchase additional attacks, use a mini-feat, etc. If you start resolving an EOA movement (such as Reposition) then you cannot trigger abilities that occur "at any time" (such as Go To Ground). Because you can't trigger it while resolving the EOA movement, and after the EOA movement your activation has ended. (Infernal Ruling) For units: if any model in the unit starts resolving the unit's EOA movement, then no model in the unit can trigger an any-time ability. (Infernal Ruling) See also the training article: LPG - End of Activation.