Fiannor Subfaction

So restless and free-spirited are some Wyldfolk that they cannot stand to settle in villages, and choose instead to brave the wilds, living as nomads upon the prairies, meadows, moors and downs. These Wyldfolk, called Fiannor.

The Fiannor tamed the Horned Lynx and Fian-Elk to serve as their mounts, upon the backs of which they herd their cattle and do battle with their innumerable enemies. Not all Fiannor are herders, for a portion of each tribe is specialized instead as hunters. These frontier folk known as the Fyagair, live for weeks at a time in the virgin wilderness and are exemplified by the Scabhta Hunters who scout the terrain ahead, and Ogre Beast Hunters who track and slay predators.

An increasing number of Fiannor find themselves overtaken by the urge to leave humanity behind altogether and join the beasts. These Wylders gather to them packs of wolves, bears and Sabrefangs with whom they develop bonds of friendship.

Fiannor Farfarer

Background

Circling every large Fiannor tribe like vigilant guard dogs are a dozen small clans who patrol when the main tribe has camped to graze, and scout ahead when the hoofed leviathan is on the move. The head of such a guardian clan is called a Farfarer.

When faced with overwhelming odds he directs his warriors to employ hit-and-run missile attacks, and commits them to melee only when all other options are exhausted. Fiannor clans spend their lives upon the grasslands and heath-lands of Calydorn, preferring the open sky and the boundless seas of grass.

Farfarers typically wear light armor of supple leather, and their primary weapon is the bow, while the bastard sword is carried for melee. Speed is the Farfarers greatest advantage, for on the plains the only slow creatures are the ones whose carcasses are now rotting in the sun.

Game Role

The Farfarer is the shootiest warlord in Godslayer, and his MIS8 demonstrates that. In addition, he can measure the range and then cancel without losing all action tokens for the attack if the target is not in range. His Hailshot tactic allows him to shoot twice for the cost of one attack. When combined with an ACT from the Banshee and 2 from the Megalith, he can potentially shoot 8 times per round.

If that were not enough, he also has access to a number of great magical bows and plenty of magical arrows. She he can rain death on the enemies from afar.

This warlord also has tactics for buffing the shooting of units. Bullseye means shots ignore cover and screening, and better still, Steady Shot allows the unit to spend one less action token on its first missile attack each round, which means the Scabhta Hunters can make 2 longbow shots per round or Bladeslingers can make up to 3 Bladesling attacks per round.

Perhaps his best tactic is Ambush, which allows you to activate an extra model or unit in a single activation, so you could potentially activate one warlord and two units in a single activation.

Although he has a DEF of 15, he should be kept out of melee because he has ARM5 and no access to armor items.

Scabhta Hunters

Background

Although all Fiannor are practically born in the saddle and spend most of their lives there, their scouts prefer to rely on stealth, travelling by foot. The Scabhta Hunters are one such group – the elite rangers of the Fiannor who blaze the trail for migrating tribes and guard the perimeter of the grazing herds from morning mist to evening haze.

Whether creeping through the high grass of the prairie or the undergrowth of woodland, the Scabhtas are silent death. It is said that the one and only time you hear a Scabhta Hunter is when he slides his knife out of your back. From 200 yards, they can kill an armored man with a single shot from their longbows. Such skill requires training from youth, because the 30-inch draw of their longbow requires tremendous strength. Scabhtas dress in natural shades of soft leather and use dyes to paint themselves with intricate patterns – their skin becomes permanently stained after some years.

Game Role

Scabhta Hunters are probably the best missile unit in Godslayer due to their MIS stat of 7 and their longbow weapons, which have a long range of 24 inches and POW of 3 (which is not reduced at long range). This can be buffed further with spells of the Druid and tactics of the Farfarer. They also have an effective tactic of their own called Bow Veteran which increases their chances to score critical hits with longbow attacks.

Naturally as scouts they can move through difficult terrain at normal speed, so they are excellent hit-and-run troops. Additionally their camouflage ability makes them harder to be seen.

Their final trick is the ability to fire off a shot while they charge the enemy. This should be a last-ditch option because they are really not melee troops in any way.

Their best use is long-range missile fire with a couple of buffs on them to make them deadly.

Stormbow Beasthunter

Background

The Prairies, heaths and barrens over which the Fiannor roam are plagued with monsters of heart-stopping terror and gigantic, carnivorous creatures. Standing between these ultimate predators and the herds they prey upon are the Fiannor Ogres, aptly named Beasthunters.

Beasthunters are loners, spending weeks away from their clan, and when danger is sensed, Beasthunters drench themselves in mud to mask their own scent, then take the fight to the enemy, tracking the very horrors that rational men would run from. One of their primary tools is a detailed knowledge of the anatomy of each of their prey.

The Stormbow is the primary weapon of the Beasthunter – a bow of great power made from a compound of oak and yew. Some hunts require a Beasthunter to spend days hiding before exploding into furious action, launching lethal bolts. Once the target closes, the hunter unsheathes his massive machete and hacks arteries open with brutal efficiency.

Game Role

This guy is essentially a war-machine that can move around the battlefield. That is because his bow has a basic POW of 4. Against Creature models, this POW increases to 5, and his basic MIS of 6 increases to 7. Add to that his subfaction ability, and he can up the POW to 6. Hits shots can also knock models out of formation and knock them down. So the BeastHunter is an ideal model to take against heavy infantry.

Better still, he starts the game with secret deployment and has concealment until he begins shooting.

Another trick he has is a decoy which can lure creatures into shooting or charge range.

Besides being a great missile killer, he is also good in combat with a basic MEL of 6 and POW of 4.

The Beasthunter is a great versatile character to have in your warband. Best of all, you can take 2 of them.