Seraph

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Seraph Legion Heavy Warbeast

Considered Everblight’s messengers of death, the seraphim and neraphim are winged spawn of sublime but horrific elegance. Seraphim possess deceptively slender frames that slice through the air on multiple powerful wings, their blighted energy leaving a distorted contrail in their wake. Other dragonspawn following in this slipstream are accelerated forward, while the seraph delivers incinerating blasts of blighted ash. Meanwhile the neraph closes to seize its prey in its prehensile tail before finishing it with a lethal strike.

Basic Info

Seraph
Missing Info
	COST {{{cacost}}} UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}} FA {{{cafa}}} Warcaster 0 BASE Large SPD 7 STR 9 MAT 6 RAT 5 M.A. N/A DEF 14 ARM 16 CMD N/A ESSENCE {{{essence}}} FOCUS N/A FURY 3 THRS 9 HP 27 F. Field N/A WJP {{{wjp}}} WBP {{{wbp}}} IHP {{{ihp}}} FA U UNIT SIZE N/A COST 13 N/A N/A N/A Warcaster 1 COST N/A N/A Understanding the Statblock

Abilities

• 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.
• Eyeless Sight
• Flight
• Soulless
• Apparition - During your Control Phase, place this model anywhere completely within 2" of its current location.
• Serpentine - This model cannot make slam or trample power attacks and cannot become knocked down.

Weapons

• Blight Strike - 10" range, ROF d3, POW 12 ranged weapon.
  • Damage Type: Fire
  • Flare - Models hit by this weapon/attack lose Stealth and suffer -2 DEF for one turn.
• Stinger - 1" reach, P+S 13 melee weapon.
  • Critical Poison - On a critical hit, gain an additional die on this weapon's damage rolls against living models.

Animus

	COST	RNG	AOE	POW	DUR	OFF
Slipstream	1	SELF	-	-	Turn	No
When the spellcaster ends its Normal Movement, choose one other non-huge based friendly Faction model the spellcaster moved within 2" of. You can place the chosen model completely within 2" of its current location, then Slipstream expires. A model can be placed as a result of Slipstream only once per turn. Slipstream lasts for one turn.

Theme Forces

• Children of the Dragon
• Oracles of Annihilation
• Primal Terrors
• Ravens of War

Recent changes

2021. October

• Dropped 1 point (from 14)

Thoughts on Seraph

Seraph in a nutshell

The Seraph is a support warbeast, with one of the Legion's best animus and a ranged weapon with good support ability. It's on the same "flyer" chassis as the Neraph and the Angelius, giving it excellent mobility which is further boosted by its native Apparition rule. All that is hampered by its awful combat stats, low FURY, and fragile frame for its cost, making frontline commitment a last-ditch effort.

In the beginning of Mk3 this beast was among the first purchases to be advised for new players. The Seraph could have been slotted into basically any list that was bringing even one other warbeast due to Slipstream, and 2" placement of said warbeast could often make or break battles. Now the tables turned quite a bit; whereas 3-4 years ago 13 pts had been seen as a hefty but justifiable investment for Slipstream, now this point value is being measured to super solos like Archons (our Blight Archon with the Impending Doom spell among them), Riot Quest models like the Mekanoshredder, and units/beast in general who became cheaper throughout the various CID circles both in our faction and outside.

It is not to say that Slipstream lost its value, but the price you must pay for it to be on the table is high enough that you'll have to build a plan around it rather than just having it in your list "just in case".

Its gun is the second source of support for your army. Dropping the target's DEF can eliminate the need to boost attack rolls, and can clear off Stealth for the rest of your army without Eyeless Sight (ie. your non-Lylyth warlocks and units). If MAT or RAT isn't a problem in your list, his gun is equally useful for picking off important solos or sniping down a few pesky infantry blocking your way. Unfortunately, the gun also has all the cards stacked against it:

• the Seraph has terrible RAT, making it necessary to boost against all but the clumsiest targets
• the gun has a random ROF, making it really unreliable for a 13 pts beast
• 10" range with no access to reposition will likely leave it exposed to counter-attacks

In short, this beast had been inflated from a must-have to a niche support piece (though due to its animus, quite a good one).

Combos & Synergies

The Seraph is basically universally useful when taken with literally any other non-gargantuan warbeast, and supports most infantry well too. Slipstream increases the threat range of your preferred alpha strike piece (that isn't on a huge base), a piece of tech that's especially important on SPD5 melee warbeasts like the Carnivean and Scythean. Think of a Seraph as +2SPD/+2DEF almost anywhere you need it each turn on demand.

• Any warlock with a medium-sized battlegroup will want to consider a Seraph. Doubly so for those who have late-game personal threats (Thagrosh2 being Slipstreamed by his own Seraph can then charging in on the enemy caster can be a very rewarding way to end the game.
• Warlocks who lack a MAT or RAT fixer will also think highly of Seraphs, as they can be added to any list to bump up your hit rate. That's not to say you can't and shouldn't double down on accuracy buffs for warlocks who do have such tools available, especially since Slipstream will always be valuable.
• Certain Legion models/warlocks can hit absolutely absurd melee threat ranges with the help of Slipstream:
  • SPD7 beasts like Angelius in Absylonia2's battlegroup can threaten models from up to 16" away with their Armor Piercing attack. That's longer than a lot of guns can shoot without the help of Snipe. Abby2 herself can reach that number on her own with her feat rolling, and against camping warlocks/warcasters, she can easily end the game thanks to Energy Siphon.
  • Similarly, Lylyth3's battlegroup can achieve threats this long with battle host rolling. Lylyth herself cannot be placed, but she has no problem making absurd threat ranges on her own anyway.
  • Kryssa is capable of a personal assassination threat in melee of 18" (nonlinear). Though she'll probably want her target softened and debuffed since she'll only make it there with 3 fury to finish the job and will want to boost to hit.
  • The Twins on their feat, assuming one of them has already perished, can reach a 17" assassination threat with Slipstream. If Rhyas is resurrected, this is bad news for the enemy caster, especially if she lands the Critical Decapitate.
  • The Seraph is a mandatory choice in any Rhyas1 list too. Her personal threat bubble grows to 14" (15" with Dash), not counting the additional inches from the placement during her feat.
  • With Vayl2, an Angelius under Boundless Charge threats 16", and Carniveans and Scythians push out on models 13"/14" away(not bad for base SPD5). Vayl herself has some impressive personal ranges when you factor in channeling with her Oraculus.
  • Proper positioning and use of Leash on Vayl1 gets that model hitting something 17" away if it's SPD7. Also gives a layer of security after you caught something important in your Incite bubble and be 14" away from said target.
  • Proteus gets special mention as a target for Slipstream, as his threat range matches an Angelius, but he can stay 2" further back thanks to Chain Strike.
• Never forget that your warlock has Slipstream when they bring a Seraph as well. This can be crucial in securing a proper alpha strike. Also, consider the Nephilim Bloodseer for a cheap, third source for this spell.
• The Mekanoshredder's non-self animus can be combined further with Slipstream, giving a staggering +4" charge range against constructs.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Fragile, yet high-priority target - hug cover and concealment to stay alive.
• Variable ROF makes its ranged presence unreliable, especially with its low RAT
• Prone to run hot on FURY, when you need to use Slipstream and land important shots in the same turn.
• It has the hitting power of a wet noodle and RNG 10" on its gun leaves it exposed to retaliation. You basically pay 13 pts for Flare and Slipsteam on a frail frame and that's quite a hard ask.
• Slipstream doesn't work on huge-based models.

Tips and Tricks

• Apparition happens at the end of your Control phase, after leech and threshold checks. Thus, you can't use Apparition to bring back your beast into the warlock's CTRL range for leeching, if the beast left it in the previous turn. On that note, you can place your beast even of it frenzied during its Control phase.
• If you start your turn in B2B with an enemy, who has a 2" reach melee weapon, you're still engaged, as Apparition places you exactly 2" away.
• If the enemy used Telekinesis to turn your important melee model around and render it unable to charge, place it with Slipstream - you can choose its facing afterward.
• A few things (notably Garryth's feat or the Lock the Target spell forbids placing. Take them into consideration.

Other

Trivia

• Released in Primal Mk1 (2006) ... as a light warbeast. It was reclassified as a heavy in Mk2, and everyone who had one (or several, back in those days) had to rebase it.
• The Seraph got a new sculpt in a dual kit with the Neraph (2014).
  • It's a bit annoying for its overhang issues, but not nearly as much as the ugly old Mark 1 sculpt.
• In Christian Angelic Mythology, a Seraph is the highest-ranking class of Angel.
  • In the Jewish tradition, Seraph are the 5th of 10 ranks of Angels.
  • They are featured in the Book of Revelations, as well as the apocryphal Book of Enoch.
  • Seraph means "the burning one", which is reflected in this models ability to flare up enemy models.

Other Legion models

Legion Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup & Similar
Warlocks	Absylonia1 - Absylonia2 - Anamag - Bethayne1 - Bethayne2 - Fyanna2 - Kallus1 - Kallus2 - Kryssa - Lylyth1 - Lylyth2 - Lylyth3 - Lylyth4 - Rhyas1 - Saeryn1 - Saeryn2 & Rhyas2 - Thagrosh1 - Thagrosh2 - Vayl1 - Vayl2
Other Warbeast Controllers	Beast Mistress - Blight Archon - Thagrosh0
Lesser	Blight Wasps - Shredder - Harrier - Mekanoshredder - Stinger
Light	Afflictor - Naga Nightlurker - Nephilim Bloodseer - Nephilim Bolt Thrower - Nephilim Protector - Nephilim Soldier - Raek - Teraph
Heavy	Angelius - Azrael - Carnivean - Golab - Neraph - Proteus - Ravagore - Scythean - Typhon - Seraph - Zuriel
Gargantuans	Archangel - Blightbringer
Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units	Blackfrost Shard - B.N. Archers - B.N. Hex Hunters - B.N. Legionnaires - B.N. Raptors - B.N. Scather Crew - B.N. Swordsmen - B. Rotwings - B.O. Warmongers - B.O. Warspears - Chosen - Grotesque Banshees - Grotesque Raiders - Hellmouth - Ice Witches - Strider Blightblades - Strider Scouts - Spawning Vessel - Virtue Host
Solos	Ammok - Annyssa Ryvaal - Beast Mistress - Blight Archon - B.N Shepherd - B.N. Sorceress - B.N. Warlord - Craelix - Forsaken - Fyanna1 - Grotesque Assassin - Incubi - Spell Martyr - Strider Deathstalker - Succubus - Thagrosh0 - Virtue Champion - B.O. Warmonger War Chief - Yssylla
Battle Engines	Throne of Everblight
Theme Forces
Children of the Dragon - Oracles of Annihilation - Primal Terrors - Ravens of War
Minions
Refer to Who Works for Whom and/or Category: Legion of Everblight Minion
This index was last updated: 2021.11

Rules Clarifications

Rules Clarification : Fire      (Edit) If you deploy in fire hazard terrain (Burning Earth), then you get set on fire before the game starts. Deploying a model in a hazard counts as being "put into play" in the hazard. Being put into play counts as "entering". When you enter a hazard, you trigger the hazard. Moving into "Shallow water" standard terrain does not cause continuous fire to expire. It's magic fire. You can always use non-standard terrain if you agree with your opponent before the game starts, however. A weapon can inflict continuous fire without itself being a fire damage weapon (for example, the Helios's fists). In this case, the attack can hurt models with Immunity:Fire it just won't apply the continuous effect. In terms of which player's clock is running down during the Maintenance Phase: The active player will roll for expiration of all the continuous effects. Then the inactive player will roll for all the damages of the continuous effects. (Judge Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Flare - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Poison - None yet. (Edit)

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 : Eyeless Sight      (Edit) A model that ignores Stealth must ignore both aspects: both (1) the auto-missing, and (2) the 'not counting as an intervening model' parts. This can have some strange interactions with casters & channelers, if one has Eyeless Sight and one does not. There are examples on the Category:Channeler page. Blind vs Eyeless Sight (Edit) If a model is Blinded, and then given Eyeless Sight, then that model ignores Blind ... but it is technically still Blinded. So if you somehow later lose Eyeless Sight (for instance walking out of the range of Menoth's Sight), it will immediately go back to suffering the effects of Blind. (Infernal Ruling) Also this means stuff that only works vs Blind models (ie Hidden Blade) will still trigger vs a "Was Blinded but then got Eyeless" model. Anti-Cloud abilities vs Burning Earth (Edit) If you make a piece of terrain "Burning Earth" it counts as a cloud effect in addition to it's original type. This has 2 odd rulings: If any part of the terrain piece is "hit" by an ability that makes clouds expire (such as Gale Winds) then the entire terrain piece is taken off the table. (Infernal Ruling) If a model can ignore clouds but not the original terrain type, they don't ignore the terrain. For instance if you have a burning forest, then Eyeless Sight can't see through the forest. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification:  : Flight      (Edit) (Click Expand to read)

Flight doesn't ignore: Impassable terrain. Most hazards. The exception is they do ignore Acid Bath and Burning Earth as long as they don't land in them. Templates that stay in play and do damage to models moving through them (such as a Scather). Free strikes. Trampling with a flying model (Edit) Flight allows you to trample "over" medium- and larger-bases. Although you trample "over" them, you don't get to make a trample attack vs them and you don't ignore their free strikes. Refer the core rulebook. Unless, of course, you have an exception like Blade Rush. Flight on a Cavalry model (Edit) Although flyers can move over obstacles/models, and horses can pause to do impacts while charging, flying horses cannot make impact attacks while overlapping models/obstacles. You need to pause in a legal position. Charging through models (Edit) You can't charge all the way through your charge target, with the intention to turn around and face them once you're on the other side. Because you aren't able to satisfy the "must keep the charge target in melee range" clause at the point after you are through the model but before you turn to directly face. At that point the target is behind you, not in your front arc, and thus not in your melee range. Your melee range only extends to your front arc. Refer to the latest errata. You can still "skim" through the edge of their base, if you're careful and smart with your positioning.

Rules Clarification : Soulless - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Apparition      (Edit) Apparition is an "Other" Control Phase effect, so it happens at Step 7 of the Control Phase. It happens after paying for upkeeps, Power Up, etc If you have another "Other" Control Phase effect, you get to choose the order to resolve them. If a model is B2B with you when you use Apparition then they will be exactly 2" away afterwards. So you'll still be in the melee range of anything with RNG 2 or higher. Unit members must always be placed in formation. Refer to the "Placed" section of the core rulebook. If a trooper can't be placed in formation (because it's more than 2" out of formation to begin with) then it can't be placed at all. The unit commander is always "In Formation" by definition, so can be placed where it likes.

Rules Clarification : Serpentine - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Slipstream , Dark Waves and/or Ride Along     (Edit) Technically you end your advance before you finish your Normal Movement. Therefore things that resolve at "end advance" (such as Countercharge) are resolved before you place a model with this ability. (Infernal Ruling)