The Four Horseymans

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Grymkin Logo.jpg

The Four Horseymans
Grymkin Neigh Slayer Character Solo

Before the infernals came, the grymkin had been unleashed by the Old Witch to stave off the apocalypse. Well, that plan was stupid, and it failed. Now, not only did the apocalypse happen, but there's freakin' grymkin running around in the ruins of the world, and guess what? THEY LOVE IT!

One of the most notorious group of celebrating grymkin are the Four Horseymans, a group of neigh slayers that have taken up the monikers of Death, War, Famine, and Pestilence. They ride through the ash and cinders, whooping and cheering and having the time of their lives. And woe be it unto those who get in their way. The Four Horseymans bring the kind of party you never truly recover from.

Basic Info

The Four Horseymans
Missing Info
Four Horseymans.jpg
COST {{{cacost}}}
UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}}
FA {{{cafa}}}
Warcaster 0
BASE Large
SPD 6
STR 6
MAT 6
RAT N/A
M.A. N/A
DEF 13
ARM 14
CMD N/A
ESSENCE {{{essence}}}
FOCUS N/A
FURY N/A
THRS N/A
HP 4
F. Field N/A
WJP {{{wjp}}}
WBP {{{wbp}}}
IHP {{{ihp}}}
FA C
UNIT SIZE N/A
COST 6
N/A
N/A
N/A
Warcaster 1
COST N/A
N/A
Understanding
the Statblock

Riot Quest - Although this model has rules which allow it to be played in Warmachine and Hordes, it was primarily designed for the Riot Quest boardgame. RQ is set in an alternate and/or future timeline where the Infernals won the war. Some of the RQ models are slightly more goofy than their WMH equivalents.

Abilities

  • Cavalry symbol.jpg Cavalry
  • Ancient Shroud - When a damage roll against this model exceeds its ARM, it suffers 1 damage instead of the of the total rolled.
  • Relentless Charge - While advancing as part of a charge, this model gains Pathfinder.
  • Reposition [3"] - At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 3", then its activation ends.
  • The End of All Things - At the start of this model's activation, choose one of the following special rules:
    • Death - While within 3" of this model, enemy models lose Tough and cannot have damage removed from them. Death lasts for one round.
    • Famine - This model's melee weapons gain Starve this activation. (Starve - A model damaged by a weapon with Starve must forfeit either its Normal Movement or its Combat Action during its next activation, as its controller chooses. Starve can be shaken.)
    • Pestilence - Center a 5" AOE cloud effect on this model. The AOE remains centred on this model for one round. If this model is destroyed or removed from play, remove the AOe from play. While in the AOE, enemy models suffer -2 DEF.
    • War - This model gains +2 STR and Line Breaker this activation. (Line Breaker - A model with Line Breaker gains an additional die on impact attack rolls.)
  • The Last Ride [ Minifeat ] - This model can use The Last Ride once per game at the start of tis activation. This activation, this model gains the effects of all four of its The End of All Things special rules.

Weapons

Apocawypse
Sword icon.jpg  RNG   POW   P+S 
(★) 3 9
  • Armor-Piercing - When calculating damage from this weapon, halve the base ARM stat of models hit.
  • Lance - This weapon can only be used to make charge attacks. This weapon's RNG 0 unless it charges. When this model charges, this weapon becomes RNG 2 until the charge attack is resolved.
Mount
Mount icon.jpg  RNG   POW 
0.5 10

Theme Forces

Thoughts on The Four Horseymans

The Four Horseymans in a nutshell

Deadly to single targets on the charge and bringing general army support the rest of the time....

Pestilence helps models with Prowl and gives your warlock a means to advance up the board safely. It should be your default choice before lines are joined. The rest are all quite self explanatory with Death being the stand out as a pseudo grievous wounds bubble.

Ancient shroud makes the 4 very annoying for your opponent to kill, if not especially difficult they still need to dedicate 4 attacks to the quadruplets.

Combos & Synergies

  • The Heretic runs the Horsey extremely well. Both his trump & Fury pair well with the already high damage potential of the Horsey. The Heretic loves to have some large & medium bases to hide behind while approaching the front line, with Ancient Shroud making the blocking potential of the Horsey comparable to a minimum unit of Piggybacks.
  • Death is an extremely important ability for the faction, since Grymkin have so few frontline sources of Tough removal. Death will most effectively be used with Grymkin beasts, which can often deal damage but struggle to provide enough hits to get through multiple Tough rolls.
  • The Horseymans can potentially take out a light and then block a lane and soak attacks from near by models with Ancient Shroud, forcing your opponent to deal with a 6 point tar pit that just took out something equal to it's points.
    • The Twilight Sisters can then heal the Horseymans which is annoying. The Horsey has still got Neigh Slayer stats (13/14, no rules), meaning it will die to a stiff breeze in only four or five attacks.
  • This model works independently of caster buffs and can support pretty much the whole faction with the Death and Pestilence abilities.
    • Neigh Slayers & Hollowmen both need solutions to Tough on a regular basis and are capable of dishing out huge damage to low-def targets.
    • Cage Rager & Skin & Moan are often are capable of dealing tremendous damage or hitting their target accurately. Pestilence lets you focus resources on damage.

Drawbacks & Downsides

  • The Lance rule sucks.
  • Armour-piercing scales with base ARM not ARM buffs (buffs are applied after the ARM is halved). This makes the Horsey pillowfisted against targets which stack multiple defensive rules or ARM buffs instead of just having good stats.
  • 13/14 if not a good defensive profile for a large-base model, and even with Ancient Shroud the Horsey is not that survivable. Especially against tons of light shooting such as a squad of Pow-12 riflemen.
  • As a large base, the Horsey will almost always be targetable by enemy range attacks. Grymkin only has one huge base (currently) and a Dark Menagerie brick often won't have the space for a 6point combat solo
  • At 6 points, the Horsey is competing for free slots with the Malady Man, Lord Longfellow, and Kariana Rose. In most scenarios those other options will provide more for their respective force than the Horsey.

Tricks & Tips

  • Use Pestilence on the approach to protect other models in your army and use all 4 abilities the turn you engage because when your opponent realises what you can do they may not give you another combat activation.

Other

Trivia

  • Released 2020.05
  • The only model in the game with 4 hitpoints. 1 for each of the horseymen.
  • each of the decapitated horse belongs to a preexisting character Kraye, Morvahna2, Goreshade3 and Reznik2

Other Grymkin models

Grymkin Logo.jpg       Grymkin Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup
Warlocks

The Child - The Dreamer - The Heretic - The King of Nothing - The Wanderer - Old Witch 3
Arcana
Warlock Attachment: Baron Tonguelick

Warbeasts

Lesser: Crabbit

Light: Frightmare - Gorehound - Rattler

Heavy: Cage Rager - Clockatrice - Skin & Moans

Gargantuan: Slaughterhouse

Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units

Dread Rots - Hollowmen - Mad Caps - Malady Man - Murder Crows - Neigh Slayers - Piggybacks - Twilight Sisters

Solos

Baron Tonguelick, Lord of Warts - Cask Imp - Defiled Archon - The Four Horseymans - Glimmer Imp - Grave Ghoul - Gremlin Swarm - Isiah, Dread Harvester - Lady Karianna Rose - Lord Longfellow - Trapperkin - Weird Wendell - Witchwood

Battle Engines Death Knell
Theme Forces Minions
Dark Menagerie - Bump in the Night Refer to Category: Grymkin Minion
This index was last updated: 2021.08

Rules Clarifications

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

Mount Weapon
  • Although the core rulebook specifies mount weapons have 0.5" range, this doesn't "overwrite" models that have a longer mount range listed on their card. (Infernal Ruling)
  • Mount Weapons are melee weapons. (Infernal Ruling) This means:
    • Mount Attacks can benefit from any buffs that affect "melee weapons" (such as Acidic Touch and Elasticity) or "melee attacks" (such as Battle Lust).
    • Mount Weapons can be used to make free strikes.
    • If the model doesn't have any regular melee weapon (such as the Gun Carriage) then it does have a melee range, can engage enemy models, and can make free strikes; anyway.
    • Despite being a melee weapon, you cannot use a Mount's special attack on the same activation you charge. (Infernal Ruling)
      • Exception: If you have Trampling Hooves, because that allows you to make charge attacks with your mount when you charge.
  • Mount attacks will trigger "Melee attack" stuff like Battle Wizard.
  • You can purchase additional attacks with your Mount Weapon. (Infernal Ruling)

Impact Attacks - Movement

  • Impact Attacks "pause" your charge move, and as such don't normally trigger "ends an advance" abilities (such as Countercharge).
    • The exception is if your Impact Attacks include your charge target, then you have to end the charge movement and turn to directly face the charge target before rolling any dice. In this case, stuff like Countercharge will get triggered before you get to roll your Impact Attacks.
  • You cannot "pause" in an illegal position to carry out Impact Attacks. For instance: a Pathfinder cavalry model pausing halfway over an obstacle; a flying cavalry model pausing while it 'overlaps' other models; or any cavalry model pausing halfway through an Incorporeal model.

Impact Attacks - The attack(s)

  • You resolve stuff that occurs "after the attack is resolved" (such as Battle Wizard) before continuing with your charge movement.
  • If you have an ability that boosts your "first" melee attack (such as Stir the Blood), then only one attack will be boosted even though you're making multiple simultaneous attacks.
  • If you choose to make any impact attacks, you make all attacks against all models in the Mount's melee range (even friendly models).(Infernal Ruling)
  • Impact Attacks cannot be boosted, refer core rulebook.
  • You cannot buy additional attacks while resolving Impact Attacks. Additional attacks can only be bought during your Combat Action, after resolving your initial melee attack(s) / special melee attack.

Impact Attacks - Other

  • You cannot use "any time" abilities while resolving Impact Attacks. Because Impact Attacks occur during movement; and you can only use 'any time' abilities before moving or after moving, but not during movement. (Infernal Ruling)
    • Exception: If your Impact targets include your charge target, then your movement has ended (refer rulebook, last paragraph of 'Impact Attacks') and thus you're fine to use "any time" abilities.

Cavalry unit

  • If you have a unit of Cavalry, charge them and do impact attacks, remember you interrupt movement to do impacts, but you have to resolve all movements before doing any charge attacks. So for example it would go:
    • Cavalry model A charges enemy X, and contacts model M. Stop and make impact attacks against M. Then continue movement to X.
    • Cavalry model B charges enemy Y, and contacts model N. Stop and make impact attacks against N. Then continue movement to Y.
    • Cavalry model C charges enemy Z, and contacts model O. Stop and make impact attacks against O. Then continue movement to Z.
    • Resolve model A's charge attack vs X, B's vs Y, and C's vs Z. (This can be done in any order, as per normal)

Other interactions

  • Cavalry model with no melee weapon
    • If you have a Mount weapon but no regular Melee weapon (such as the Efaarit Scout), you can still declare a charge. (Locked thread)
    • You can make Impact Attacks along the way.
    • Once you get to the charge target, however, you can't make a melee attack against it. Because you can't use the mount weapon for a charge attack, due to the way the Cavalry rules are written. (Unless you have a rule like Trampling Hooves.)
    • If you don't charge, the mount attack can be used as an initial melee attack.
  • Countercharge & Cavalry ( Edit )
    • A model with Countercharge and Cavalry can make Impact Attacks during the countercharge. (Refer "Charges Outside of Activation" in the rulebook).
  • Warcaster/Warlock Cavalry ( Edit )
    • Warcasters/Warlocks can't cast spells or use their feat while resolving Impact Attacks. Because Impact Attacks occur during movement - you can use spells or feat before moving, or after moving, but not during movement.
      • Exception: If your Impact target(s) include your charge target, then your movement has ended (refer rulebook, last paragraph of 'Impact Attacks') and thus you're fine to use "any time" abilities before starting the Impact attacks.
  • 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.
  • Gunfighter & Cavalry ( Edit )
    • A cavalry model that charges then makes a Gunfighter attack will not gain a boosted charge attack roll, because a ranged attack is not a charge attack. (Infernal Ruling)
    • You also won't gain a boosted charge damage roll, as per normal for a Gunfighter.
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Rules Clarification : Ancient Shroud      (Edit)

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Rules Clarification : Relentless Charge      (Edit)

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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.

Rules Clarification : The End of All Things - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Death - None yet. (Edit)

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Rules Clarification : Famine      (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Starve - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : Pestilence - None yet. (Edit)

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Rules Clarification : War      (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Line Breaker - None yet. (Edit)

Rules Clarification : The Last Ride - None yet. (Edit)


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Rules Clarification : Armor-Piercing and/or Case Cracker     (Edit)

RC symbol.png

Rules Clarification : Lance      (Edit)

  • If you declare a charge but move less than 3", then it doesn't count as a charge attack and you can't use your Lance.
  • If you kill your charge target with an Impact Attack, then you "lose" your Lance attack. (Infernal Ruling)
  • Your melee range is 2" for the entire charge move, which can be relevant for Dug In models.