Gnolls Subfaction

Sneakiness and overwhelming numbers are the advantages the Gnolls possess, with a mob mentality that causes exaggerated bravado in large numbers but sends them scurrying away when outnumbered. Poor weapons, poor armor and poorer discipline are not a usual recipe for victory, but their agility, powerful legs and natural hyper-active nature render them tricky targets to hit, and while the most expendable troops, called Reaver Runts, try to overwhelm (or at least slow down) the enemy, cunningly placed archers hammer foes with giant bows.

With a lifespan of 15 years, Gnoll lives are considered worthless by other Troglodytes who use them as slaves and expendable arrow-fodder. Warrens are their natural habitat, and so too the immense cavern networks far underground called the Undershade.

Grondagh Filthling

Background

Like prolific vermin, Gnolls spread far and wide across the countryside beyond the borders of the Troglodyte lands, burrowing countless independent communities. Which are led with tyrannical zeal and primal paranoia by the backstabbing oppressors called Grondagh Filthlings.

Filthlings must of necessity be both domineering and devious despots, and they often possess an ego far larger than their actual size warrants. When a Filthling leads his mobs into battle, he will often drag his closest rival with him to prevent a revolution back home in the warren; then if the Filthling dies on the battlefield, this relative will immediately seize the crown of scrap, and proclaim himself the new Filthling.

Like a malevolent rat, the Filthling scampers from cover to cover using his troops as decoys and shields, but when he is finally cornered he shows his teeth, lunging and leaping in a vicious onslaught of sneaky moves and dirty tricks.

Game Role

The Filthling is a sneaky, shooty warlord who will not last long in combat, but fortunately you can take two Filthlings as a single warlord choice, and they only cost 28 points. With mediocre shooting and poor combat skills he does not look like an impressive warlord, but the Filthling is actually a strategic warlord with two impressive tactics.

Firstly his Insidious tactic allows a unit to move or fight and then still make a charge, so in effect it adds one movement to their charge range or allows them to finish off an enemy then charge into the next target. When used on a strong unit like Ironhide Brutes at the right time, this can be a game winning tactic.

Secondly, an individual model can be enabled to make a charge without moving in a straight line. This allows for example the Fleshpounder to charge in a half-circle. This is a good way to get around protective units to reach squishy warlords or characters behind.

Apart from that, the Filthrunners skills are all geared to keep him alive. Specifically he gains +2 Def vs shooting when moving fast, and he has the concealment ability and can move through difficult terrain at normal speed. HE also has advanced deployment, so he can set up 18 inches from your board edge and use concealment then shoot the enemy with his BOW until his tactics become useful. Meanwhile your second warlord can be running around assigning action tokens to Skullsmasher Oakbows, units and creatures.

Reaver Runts

Background

Just above the lowest rung in the ladder of Gnoll society are the hunters, herders and scavengers. When battle looms, these “troops” are hurriedly armed with sharpened sticks and bestowed the title Reaver Runts as if that somehow makes them soldiers. Even other Gnolls consider Reaver Runts expendable, and do not hesitate to commit them to suicidal missions to distract the enemy or soak-up arrow fire. In this role of worthless sacrifice they excel.

Gnolls are extremely agile, and while they possess as much combat skills as a rabbit, their natural hectic leaping to and fro renders them tricky to hit. In large mobs they acquire a superficial bravado which quickly evaporates as their numbers dwindle. Waves of Gnolls commonly slam into the enemy early in the battle then quickly recoil in defeat. Only the gentle caress of the Packlashers’ whips prevents the Runts fleeing the battlefield and encourages them to rejoin the fray.

Other Troglodytes think nothing of charging through a swarm of Reaver Runts, squishing them as they go. As packs of these malicious miscreants bound across the battlefield, many an opponent has underestimated the threat they pose in large numbers, only to end up staked to the ground by a dozen pointy sticks.

Game Role

Reaver runts are the ultimate horde unit. A regular 499-point warband can take up to 6 units of 10 models, and that still only costs 330 points!

When backed up with Packlashers and Hammerfists, Reaver runts become a serious threat. A single unit can potentially dish out 30 attacks per round, so the sheer massive number of attack rolls of a Gnoll Warband can bring victory based simply on probability of unlikely kills.

But there is another use for Gnolls in small numbers – speed bump. These guys can be place din front of your expensive units to protect them from charges, but then best of all, your own troops can charge over the Gnolls straight into the enemy.

Skullsmasher Oakbows

Background

Cowardly to the core, Gnolls delight in slaying foes from a comfortably safe distance while hiding in the undergrowth. Gnolls possess puny muscles in their arms, which offer only a feeble draw-strength so leg-drawn Oakbows were a natural development.

The Skullsmasher archers are celebrities within their tribe, renowned for their kill-count. Nothing sends mobs of Gnolls into shrieks of delight more than watching a famed enemy hero die from a dastardly shot in the back launched from across the battlefield.

Skullsmashers typically deploy on hillsides where they command a view of the whole battlefield, to pick off the enemies with the biggest egos and the shiniest armor. Some Skullsmashers prefer to set up at the edge of forests for added protection. Other prized targets are monstrous creatures and well-armored foes such as heavy infantry, against which their tremendous power is best employed.

Game Role

Oakbows shoot with a POW of 5, which is almost as good as a Mortan Scorpio, but where the Scorpio can move only 2 inches per round the Oakbows can move up to 15 inches. And whereas the Scorpio can shoot up to 2 times per round, a unit of 3 Oakbows can unleash up to 6 shots with the right combo. Despite this, a unit of Oakbows is only slightly more expensive than a Scorpio.

Effectively they are mobile war-machines, and their attacks can even shoot over models in the way. Even if they miss, there is still a good chance they will hit another enemy by good luck when they use their Estimated Shot tactic.

They are best placed on the flaks or on a hill far enough away to avoid being charged, but close enough to hot with their long-range of 24 inches.

Packlasher

Background

In Gnoll society a good whipping often accomplishes more than an inspiring speech. Dishing out encouragement with the tip of a bullwhip are the purveyors of pain called Packlashers. Just by the mere fact that they have survived many battles, Packlashers are renowned champions among their tribe, who become effective military officers within the warren.

Packlashers delight in intimidating underlings and prize their positions. For this reason and due to their greater size they are a bit less cowardly than the typical Gnoll. Both within the warren and upon the battlefield, Packlashers undertake the vital tasks of motivating and punishing (the same thing in Gnoll society) troops to keep them in line.

Game Role

The Packlasher is an extremely useful character to take when you have a Gnoll warband or any Gnolls in a warband.

Firstly he can a Gnoll unit with small bases to gain advanced deployment, and Gnoll models within 4 inches can reroll leadership tests, which is critical for success in a Gnoll warband because of their poor morale after losing some casualties.

He can also auto-rally fleeing units. But more crucially, he can add an action token to models and units. When combined with an action token assigned by a warlord, this can enable the Skullsmasher Oakbows to shoot twice per round or Reaver Runts to make 3 attacks per round. In a large Gnoll horde warband, it makes sense to take 3 Packlashers