Tuathan Subfaction
Rejecting the gods of humanity an embracing nature entirely are the untameable people called the Tuatha de Dhannan. These renegades have gone one step further than other Wyldfolk, by melding their souls with the remnants of Dhannya’s shattered divine essence which survives within the life-force of nature. In so doing, these Animists become fused with nature’s circle of life-death-rebirth, and thereafter dedicate each incarnation in service to one of these three aspects.
Adepts of the Life-Cult embody birth, and healing, working to aid Dhannya’s revival by scattering across the world seeds imbued with her anima. Morphos-Cult members embrace growth and change as their chosen path, invigorating the hallowed glades to blossom with verdant abandon.
Death is an inevitable phase in the eternal circle, and the members of the Death-Cult epitomize the aspect of decay and mortality. Initiates work as hunters, harvesters, butchers, undertakers, and weapon-smiths, while its priests and fighting forces dedicate their lives to protecting the sacred groves and destroying the undead.
Lord of Decay
Background
The rot of the grave envelops them; nature decomposes before them; and their touch brings the gift of decay for they are nature’s living avatars of death. Like all Tuathan, the Lords of Decay have dedicated their lives to a higher cause – resurrecting the goddess Dhannya whose wild anima courses through the roots and branches of nature. Tuathan philosophy encompasses the entire endless cycle of life, an integral part of which is the aspect of death and decay. Those Death-Cultists of a truly sepulchral nature rise to become warrior-priests of Morrigu – the death aspect of Dhannya. In their own language they are the Bás Tiarna, known to outsiders as Lords of Decay.
These Tuathan who walk upon the Path of Decay are often covered with insects and bacteria which can decompose a living creature within minutes. Shrouded in funeral robes and armed with an enchanted scythe, the Lord of Decay strikes terror into the hearts of enemies and commands the forces of doom in righteous war for the One Goddess.
Game Role
The Lord of Decay is a defuffer warlord with several tactics which can hinder or harm enemy models.
First of all Resilient gives him a 5+ protection roll versus killing wounds. Combined with his DEF14 and ARM7 he has a decent life-expectancy but it usually makes sense to spend plenty of points on his talisman and armor item options, because he often ends up in or near the fighting.
Horror is useful for potentially causing bravery tests or at least causing models to suffer Fear when fighting him, (causing -2 MEL on the enemies), effectively increasing his DEF to 16 in those cases.
For buffing friends, he has an ability whereby friendly Tuathan models have their resilient roll (subfaction ability) improved to 4+.
Most of his exotic effects are in his tactics:
- Locust Swarm causes models under a 3 inch template to suffer -1 on all stats. Remember this includes also movement and can often prevent charges.
- Mass Grave is another 3-inch template effect causing models to be knocked down (causing -2 DEF and negating active tactics)
- Finally his Aura of Decomposing causes all models within 2 inches to suffer an automatic damage roll at a POW equal to action tokens spent. With a combo of various effects, this could potentially be a POW12 damage roll.
Besides this, the Lord of Decay is a decent melee fighter with MEL8, and POW4.
Wycca Warriors
Background
Death-Cultists worship Dhannya in her aspect of Morrigu the Crone – the avenger, cleanser, and guardian of the passage of the dead. Wycca Warriors form the foot soldiers of the Death-Cult; they are the sons of Morrigu and are so closely tied to her that they are barely classifiable as living at all – poised as they are on the doorstep to the afterlife. Their most despised enemies are those who defile nature, and the undead which are an abomination against the natural circle.
When the shadow of war looms, the Wycca Warriors form the hard kernel of Tuathan armies. In quieter times they roam across the heather-cloaked mountains, rugged, stony barrens and drizzle-shrouded, emerald plains as warrior-priests, vanquishing demons and restless spirits. It is said that nothing can scare them, for they are death incarnate.
Game Role
The Tuathan are a magical subfaction, but not in the sense of spell-casters, rather in the sense of being able to make magical attacks and use tactics and synergies based on life-force (vitae tokens). For that reason, the Wycca Warriors are no regular melee unit, and their rules convey that.
With MEL6 and POW4 they are clearly professional warriors, but their DEF13 and ARM6 mean they are not so well protected. This can be compensated for by making use of the 2-inch melee range, so most enemies will not be able to counter-attack when the Wycca Warriors charge or engage. Additionally they have 5+ protection roll against mortal wounds which would kill them.
What makes them special is firstly their status as non-living, which makes them immune to a number of effects. Secondly, any model which kills a Wycca Warrior immediately suffers D3 direct damage themselves. Besides that, they can change their regular melee attack to a Magical attack using their MAG stat of 6 to attack, and doing 2D3 direct damage on the enemies.
Best of all, the Wycca Warriors magical attack provides them 1 points of healing for each 1 point of damage they inflict on the enemy.
Wycca Warriors are ideal for attacking ethereal and undead models as well as heavy infantry because their attacks ignore armor.
Blackwater Banshee
Background
Many creatures were drawn from the Otherworld to dwell in the wilderness regions of the world. Men call these creatures Fey or Fairies, and they are spirits woven into the fabric of nature.
Over the last few centuries, the Tuathan have proven their devotion to nature and the essence of Dhannya which survives within, thereby gaining many allies among the Fey. These creatures are however inscrutable, unpredictable and entirely unreliable, but being inquisitive beings they will oftentimes follow a Wyldfolk warlord around, aiding him in his quests for as long as it proves amusing.
The Blackwater Banshees are malevolent sprites with a vicious nature who have found common cause with the Tuathan Death-Cult and fight beside these warriors of doom with great delight. They are often pictured in artistic carvings as the handmaidens of Morrigu, and though they have no true gender, Banshees mimic the form of horrifying witches and crones, wreathed in dark glory and glowing with unearthly spectral radiance.
Game Role
The Banshee is a character with a unique attack method, and also a helpful support.
The Banshee collects vitae tokens when models die within her LEAD range. That means both enemies and friendly models. The bigger the base-size of the victim, the more points she gets.
These vitae tokens can then be used in her Kiss of Death tactic which inflicts an automatic damage roll on all models within a 3-inch template. Use this against bunched units of models with low ARM.
Alternatively she can make an attack on a single model using vitae tokens, causing D3 direct damage on a model for each vitae token spent. She can store up to 6 tokens, so she can potentially inflict 6D3 direct damage on a single model. Consider buffing her MAG by +2 with the Leyline Flare spell from the Druid, and she then becomes a warlord assassin able to attack from a range of 8 inches, hitting a DEF13 warlord on a 5 plus, and causing 6-18 points of direct damage (ignoring armor). That alone is a great reason to take a banshee.
Besides that, the Banshee can also assign action tokens to models and units in addition to the warlord.
The Banshee has an ARM of 2 and only 8 lifepoints, however, she has DEF14 and she is spectral, which means she can only be targeting by enchanted weapons, spells and MAG attacks. Once she uses her regular attack, she loses her Spectral ability until her next activation, so try to use her as the last model in one round and the first model in the following round, or keep her behind the battle-line.