A venture into Brawlmachine and Disciples of Agony

Welcome to something completely different. I have attended a one day Brawlmachine event, and I though I would try something completely different. I am trying a Hordes faction that somehow resemble Khador (which I normally play) in the sense that it has very heavy Warbeasts and interesting infantry: Skorne. But why keep it simple, when I can also play Minions. Enter Disciples of Agony, where Skorne and Minions can mix. Here is some rational on my list. Reports on how it went will follow later.

Brawlmachine has become a very popular format; which is understandable. It is a marvellous piece of work that seems to be a very good way of getting new players into the game. I finally have the possibility to actually attend a Brawlmachine event, and the reflex was obviously to play Khador. However, I though that it is also an option to try the fury mechanics. So, what to play? 

I my mind Skorne has some similarities to Khador. There are slow, but dangerous heavy Warbeasts and interesting infantry. It kind of looks like a combined arms type of army. It then dawn on me, that Disciples of Agony allows me to play elephants (some of the coolest models in the game), crocodiles (I mean, it's crocodiles), and pigs (mad pigs with weapons. Hello!). What could be better. So, I settled on a Skorne Disciples of Agony list as a zoo. The list is a follows: 

[Theme] Disciples of Agony         [Xekaar 1] Beast Master Xekaar [+31]         - Blackhide Wrastler [14]         - Blind Walker [9]         - Titan Cannoneer [14]         - Aptimus Marketh [0(4)]         Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor [4]         Paingiver Task Master [3]         Farrow Bone Grinders (max) [7]         Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]

It's going to be fun to play this list. It has all the animals. The fury mechanics is somewhat different from the focus mechanics that I'm use to. Finally, a Warlock plays somewhat differently that a Warcaster. In particular, as the Warlock gets access to the 'beasts' animus as spells. This is going to be fun. 

Skorne & Disciples of Agony

Skorne has always been a thorn in my side. I usually get my middle back part handed to me when I play against them. Except for the Titians, they have never really appealed to me. However, when I stumbled upon Disciples of Agony, I was sold. I'm probably not going all in. But Brawlmachine seems like a nice place to put Skorne on the table.

The theme Disciples of Agony allows a Skorne player to take a lot of Minions model; or a Minion player to take a Skorne Warlock, 'beasts and a few units. So this list actually allows me to play elephants, pigs and crocodiles; a whole menagerie of coolness. How can this not be fantastic? 

The benefits are that a Skorne Warlock can control non-character Minion Warbeasts and are considered Skorne 'beasts (that is friendly faction). In addition, the list can include any Minion unit or solo that will work for Skorne. However, they do not become friendly faction, only friendly. They do‚ however, allows Sacrificial Pawn for Paingiver models. 

Finally, the Requisition Points can be used on: a non-character Agonizer, one Skorne Command Attachment (which is a bit weird as there isn't any available for the units allowed), two Paingiver Task Master solos (which in the case of Brawlmachine is only one, according to the rules), or one small- or medium-based Skorne solo at a cost of 5 or less.

Beast Master Xekaar & Marketh

Xekaar

Beast Master Xekaar is the Battle Box 'caster, so he should be among the easier Warlocks to play. On paper, he should be able to play somewhat 'beast heavy. 

His build-in abilities do support a 'beast heavy list, as he has Alpha Hunter, which allows his 'beasts to run, charge, or make power-attacks without being forced. If Xekaar also manage to kill a model his 'beasts also gets +2 SPD and MAT for one round. He can also at anytime during his activation Maltreat a Warbeast and remove one fury. However, the 'beast will suffer d3 damage, which he potentially can fix by casting Psycho Surgery (see below).

If he tries to kill something, it needs to be something small or already damaged. He has two initials at MAT 7 (hitting DEF 14 on average) or MAT 8 if the Master Tormenter is around, and at P+S 10, weapon master though (average damage of 10 points, or 24 points on the charge). It is range 2" so he can reach out a touch something 12" away if he can't get some speed help, which he can't. Finally, he can attempt to get out of trouble as he has Reposition [5"].

Xekaar packs four spells: Deadweight, Mortality, Psycho Surgery, Pursuit. Since he is a Hordes 'lock he can also cast the spells of his 'beasts as his own. In this case they are: Far Strike (Titan Cannoneer), Rites of Power (Blind Walker), and Rage (Blackhide Wrastler). Far Strike (he has no ranged weapon) and Rites of Power (he can't be an arc node for himself) doesn't do anything (except use focus). So, it is basically only Rage that he can use.

The Rage spell gives a targeted Warbeast +3 STR for a turn. Xekaar can cast it 6" or arc it through the Blind Walker if it has cast Rites of Power first. He can, however, cast it at a cost of 1, if Marketh has used Harmonious Exaltation first. 

Deadweight is a so so spell, at least in the context of Brawlmachine. It is a POW 12 spell that, if it destroys a living or undead model allows Xekaar to chose a model within 2" and decide whether that model must forfeit its movement or combat action in its next activation. He can only hit DEF 13 (DEF 14 if the Master Tormentor is around) on the average and do 19 points of damage (assuming he doesn't boost anything). So, for it to work the opponent needs to be brittle. This is one of the spells that Marketh can cast as Spell Slave or it could be arched through the Blind Walker. 

Mortality is the spell that will help the entire army. It is a range 10" spell with a hefty price cost of 3 focus. However, the target model or unit suffers -2 DEF, -2 ARM, looses tough and cannot have damage removed from it. All of this for one round. This is the main candidate for Marketh to cast and for Xekaar to arc through the Blind Walker. If Xekaar does nothing else, he can potentially deliver three of these in one turn. It will obviously help Xekaar's 'beasts, but is basically a prerequisite for the Bone Grinders if they expect to charge anything (see below).

Psycho Surgery is Xekaar's tool to keep his 'beasts alive. Once per activation he can cast this and it will remove d3+1 points of damage from each model in his battlegroup (this includes himself). 

Finally, Pursuit is another possibility for Xekaar to speed up his battlegroup. It is an upkeep, which allows a model in his battlegroup to make a full advance if the target (model or unit) advances. It is only range 8" so it should probably be arched or cast by Marketh. 

In addition to the list of spells, he obviously has his feat. Whisper of Torment makes enemy models within 12" suffer -3 STR, MAT, RAT and THR. It is a very powerful defensive feat. It corresponds to an increases of 3 to the DEF and ARM of the Skorne forces; and if the opponent is also a Hordes player it forces a much more sober approach to running 'beasts hot. Xekaar feast just before the enemy hits his line. 

Marketh

Xekar also have Aptimus Marketh attached to him. Marketh does a lot for Xekaar. Not only can he cast either Deadweight or Mortality as a Spell Slave. For Mortality, this means that it can target something up to 22" away from Xekaar. He can also make upkeeping Pursuit free either indirectly through Harmonious Exaltation (lowers a spell's cost with 1, which is the same cost as an upkeep); or if Marketh happen to have a soul on im that can be used to upkeep.

In addition to helping Xekaar, Marketh can do some work on his own. He has a Magical P+S 11, reach 2" weapon, which is not something he should find himself in a position to use. He does, however have a pretty cool range weapon (only RAT 5, unfortunately). Although it is only range 8" and POW 6, the latter will be added to the the target's STR for the real POW (so if the target has STR 12 it will be POW 18); assuming that the target is living or undead. 

It also ignores LOS, concealment and cover. He also has Gunfighter, so he can use his range weapon in melee. However, only against models in the same melee. Also he has to choose between his melee or range weapon since he haven't got Dual Attack. Again, if Marketh is in melee, he has bigger problems than choosing between which weapon to use.

Finally, Marketh can manipulate souls. He can have three of them at any given time. If a living friendly faction model (so, unfortunately not the Bone Grinders) dies within 8", Marketh can collect its soul. In addition to be useful for a free upkeeps, Marketh can also use the souls to boost one attack or damage roll. Finally, he get a +1 ARM per soul on him; potentially bringing him up to ARM 16.

Oh, he is free here as the Requisition Points choice. 

Warbeasts

The battlegroup consists of three Warbeasts and a Warlock attachment. There are two Minion 'beast and one Skorne. The Minion 'beast are a Blackhide Wrastler and a Blind Walker; and the Skorne 'beast is a Titan Cannoneer.

The beat stick - Blackhide Wrastler

The Blackhide Wrastler is the primary beat stick in this list. It has a P+S 17 bite and two P+S 14 claws. The latter two are both open fists so double handed throws are on the table. At SPD 5 it can reach out and touch something 9" away, and MAT 6 allows it to hit DEF 13 on the average. However, this is where animus, spells and other cool stuff comes into play.

First of all, it can charge for free thanks to Xekaars Alpha Hunter. Having this gives the Beast Handlers to stay a bit further away and use Enrage for an addition +2 STR. Rage can also be cast for an additional +3 STR, either by the Blackhide itself or preferably by Xekaar (for freeing up fury on the 'beast). Finally, if the target is already under Mortality it looses 2 ARM, which corresponds to an extra +2 STR. 

So, under optimal conditions the Blackhide Wrastler can hit something 9" away (11" if Xekaar actually managed to kill something before), arriving with an effective MAT 8 (MAT 10 if Xekaar has been killing stuff), with 7 attacks: 5 at P+S 24 and 2 at P+S 21. That is a lot of damage. On the average it is: 34+28+28+32+32+32+32 = 218 points of damage. 

Against a standard Khador 'jack it will be 78 points of damage. That is easily enough enough to kill any Colossal og Gargantuan, even if missing it a few times. 

Since Rage is an important animus, also for the other 'beasts it is kind of important to keep it alive until Rage isn't necessary anymore. Snacking (remove d3 damage when killing a living model), Xekaar's Psycho Surgery and the Beast Masters' Medicate can help.

The all-seeing Blind Walker

The Blind Walker is a weaker version of the crocodiles. Its mouth is tied up so it only has two claws (opening up for double handed throws). In a pinch it can still do a lot of damage. Following the same stacking as with the Blackhide above, the Blind Walker can touch something 9-11" away at MAT 7-9. It will have 5 attacks at P+S 21. Against a standard Khador 'jack that is 44 points of damage. Easily enough to kill a standard 'jack.  

In addition to beating things up it can be used as an arc node if it casts its animus Rites of Power. It is an extra cool arc node as it has Eyeless Sight (which is a bit odd as it is called a Blind Walker). This means that arcing will ignore cloud effects (only for LOS, not the DEF bonus) and Stealth. As an extra ability, it is also a Shield Guard. 

The elephant in the room

Finally, the Titan Cannoneer is the only elephant in the room. Yet, it is an elephant with a really big gun. It is range 12" (16" if it uses its animus Far Strike), POW 15 and AOE 4". Unfortunately, it is only RAT 5. Again, Mortality is helpful. Under Mortality, it is effectively POW 17 at RAT 7 (9 if aiming). 

Once the enemy is close (that is within 9-11") it might be beneficial to switch to melee. Following the same stacking as for the two crocodiles, the Titan can arrive with MAT 7-9 bringing 6 attacks: 1 at P+S 22 and 5 at P+S 23. Again, this is 62 points of damage against a standard Khador 'jack.

All in all, all three 'beasts are quite heavy hitters. Yet, it requires stacking of buffs. So keeping the Blackhide alive is important, getting Mortality on whatever is going to be hit is key, and keeping enough at least one) Beast Handlers alive helps. The main challenges is hitting stuff. They are all either MAT 5 or 6, which is fine against most 'jacks, but not so fine against many 'beasts and troops. Having to boost to hit quickly limits the effectiveness. So targets must be chosen carefully. Or some cooperation is required. One 'beast could make a double handed throw back towards Xekaar's line, thus also knocking down to opponent, or the titan could slam something.

Unit & Solos

The list contains two units and two solos. The ubiquitous Paingiver Beast Handlers and a max unit of Farrow Bone Grinders, "supported" by a Paingiver Task Master. Finally, a Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormenter is also around. 

Bone Grinders & Paingiver Task Master

The Bone Grinders with their "assistant"

The main Minions unit is a full unit of Bone Grinders. First of all, they serve as cannon fodder for the Paingivers in this army (that is the Beast Handlers, Task Master, Master Tormenter, and most importantly Xekar himself). Disciples of Agony gives Sacrificial Pawn to Paingiver models on Minion Warrior models. As Bone Grinders are Tough that helps a lot. The combination with the Paingiver Task Master who gives them immunity to knockdown from No Sleeping on the Job is golden.

The second usage for the Bone Grinders is supporting Xekar through Craft Talisman. This gives him and additional +2 RNG on spells that originates from him (so not when arching through Marketh or the Blind Walker, unfortunately). This means that he can now sling Deadweight and Pursuit 10", and Mortality 12". Every little thing helps. The can also almost keep up with him, in particular when the Task Master gives them Scutter (Reposition [3"]).  

Finally, they can put up a fight if required; in particular if fighting other Hordes factions. Somewhat less so if it is Warmachine factions. 

They are equipped with a Magical (which might come in handy) Cleaver, which is a meeker P+S 10, 0.5" weapon. This is, however helped a bit by the Task Master who can give them +2 STR. Against Warbeasts (living and constructs, actually) they gain an additional damage dice. This gives them an average damage output of 26 points of damage when charging a Warbeast. That is not too bad for a cheap unit. 

They also inflict Grievous Wound (denying tough and damage removal for one round) and can place or remove 1 focus on hit. Unfortunately, they are only MAT 6 (average hitting DEF 13). Something which the Task Master can't fix. Finally, they gain +2" movement when charging living models, giving them a mighty range of 10.5". 

If the Bone Grinders are to charge anything, it is probably a good idea to get Xekar's spell Mortality on it first. This effectively allows them to hit DEF 15 on average (target has -2 DEF) and do 28 points of damage on average (target has -2 ARM). 

Paingiver Beast Handlers 

The ever present Beast Handlers

The ubiquitous Beast Handlers are obvious also in this list. As described above they are instrumental in cranking up the damage output of the Warbeasts. They can also heal the beasts for d3 points of damage, they can remove and add fury to Warbeasts through Condition. If they end up in melee (which should be avoided) they can also manipulate fury on enemy 'beasts. Their 2" reach whip is only P+S 8. However, they do have Anatomical Precision, which guarantees one point of damage and denies tough for this attack.

In this theme they are a bit easier to keep alive than normal. They have Sacrificial Pawn onto the Bone Grinders, who are tough and hopefully immune to knockdown.

Paingiver Bloodrunner Master Tormentor

The Master Tormentor

The final solo is a Master Tormentor. She is here to give Xekaar a +1 to hit (both melee and spells). Besides that she is also pretty good at capturing flags and contesting. She has Apparition, Pathfinder, Advance Deployment and Stealth. With SPD 6, Apparition and Sprint she is quite mobile.

She has the same whip as the Beast Masters (P+S 8). Yet, she is a weapon master and can do a thresher attack. This is quite powerful against infantry with one box, as she can charge at MAT 9 (8 native + veteran leader) and with the 2" thresher weapon with Anatomical Precision she can clean out a lot. Unfortunately, I do not foresee too many units of easily killable infantry in Brawlmachine. 

The zoo is ready for battle

This is the list that I'm going to play at our local team tournament. We are 8 teams of three people each. This is going to be so much fun.

Battle reports will arrive shortly.