KuronoGray

Seems like a very interesting idea. 
Can be countered, but still.
What about Blessed of December? I see how it can be worse than the Cerberus in some aspects, but Critical Strike and Pouncing Strike may come useful. 
Have not played Marcus or his crew in third yet, but going to soon, so this was helpful and interesting indeed 

So can you say "No , I don't want to treat my Shooting as a Melee action" if you need to? 

Essence CAN buff his df\wp but there is a problem. It needs an activation before something will try to bully Deep- and since he is a summoner , most of the time your opponent will be the one with pass tokens and initiative. 

Usually I would have 2-3 academics in the crew too - Banasuva, Kandara and an OX-Mage. Shastar is a bit pricey for my taste and you can hire Casandra for +1 SS for better crew control and mobility. Same goes for Kudra. 
Sometimes I take a Silent One to the team. She is pretty cool and not afraid to heal anything (since golems and Elementals are not LIVING- its kind of hard to heal them directly with most models). She gets all pillars she needs via Demises(Banasuva, Ice Gamin\Golem) and can create her own. 

On the topic of Sandeeps defense- yes, Medical Automaton can help him, and yes he is a backline summoner- but same goes for many other summoners who have better defense abilities still. 

I'm a little bit concerned with Sandeep's defensive capabilities. 10 wounds 5/7 and Shield +2 is a bit weaker than almost any other summoner. Shields don't help that much, DF of 5 makes it easy to hit him in the face. No Protected(Elemental) also seems weird. No healing in his Keyword for him.  Anybody else or it's just me? 


As for the post above- Banasuva can DIE reeeealy fast (even with the SSCache). Idk if it is wise to throw him into action carelessly.
Also, don't know if its common tactic, but...
Tried taking lady  Feng as a second master to Deep- abundance of scrap, Big Sized golems, Kandara's Stagger- compliment her abilities and her Bonus action pretty well. Giving Burning to enemy models makes your Fire Golem happier. 

I still can't comprehend why Sandeep has only 10 Wd. No Protected(Elemental), no Df or Wp triggers. Seems kind of unfair. 
Those Shields are useless 80% time

Dancers are awesome. Would love 1" range instead of 0" on melee. 

7 hours ago, trikk said:

Raspis shockwave is Mv14

My bad, got it mixed up in my head - meant to say--Shatter

30 minutes ago, Adran said:

A few points -

Several models have Greatswords in the game, so the effect for them is universal. Yes, obviously the more you get to use your abilities the better they are, but having 2 opposed abilities like blade rush and a greatsword just means that you'll always get at least one of the bonus'.

 

My view from what you say is that you haven't really looked at the ways to abuse pyre markers. The walk action from the gamin or the golem not only potentially gives itself 2 points of damage reduction, it can place the pyre onto enemy models, setting them on fire. And friendly models. Almost the whole crew has use for beign on fire, even if its just spending it for positive flips. 

My intent would be to use gamin to get enemy models in pyres. Then either they have to leave that area (which will put them on Burning +2) or they very quickly get to dangerous levels of burning. And if Kaeris is the leader you can also be getting high levels of injured as well.

 

Good point about greatsword. 

I did notice that possibility - place markers under models with gamin/golem, but pointed that it could be even better if it didn't specify Walk. 

I'll try gamins more, but I don't think they are worth their price right now. 

7 minutes ago, gertermit said:

I didn't read it but i like it (just kidding)

What's interesting - how Kaeris boys maintain Burning condition? Are they had to hit each other? I see Firebranded, and Piro markers for now. Other ways? Is it complicated, or Burning is just what happend when you play Wildfire, and you don't need to pay a lot of attention?

What amount of Burning points your models have during the games? Kaeris has Armor, so, to suffer 2 damage from Burning she must have Burning +7 at least. I don't believe she needs immune to it.

Just walking through a Pyre Markers gives +1 Burning. If you are crazy enough you can stay in it, any action taken +1 Burning. The only model who needs a lot- Fire Golem (maybe his little brah-Gamin). Golem steals it when he places himself, can Feed the Flame. Also I mentioned,Golem can Tornado himself and get +4 Burning, if I am reading it correctly and haven't  forgoten any rules. 
Other models should be careful, you don't need to much burning- just enough to be able to spend it on Blaze of Glory. I honestly don't understand how Kaeris can die from burning (ok, maybe if she has no stones, 1 Wd< already activated and nobody is arround to help
 

Recently played a couple of games with thematic Kaeris crew, would like to share some thoughts about her and her models. 
Any suggestions\commentaries  are much appreciated)

Models, starting with our cheap  elemental boi

• Fire Gamin. Low cost of 4, low Df\Wp stats with the same value (4), and a health to match (also, 4). Nice move of 5, but that's it, no movement tricks of his own. 
  Flaming body is nice, but wont save him for too long, without using his tactical action. Obviously Flameborne and (Demise) Smoldering Heart .
  Dancing in the Flames - will discuss this ability a bit later, when we get to the Big Boi. 
  Melee - pretty good 1' range 5(Tomes) stat Claws, but  with low damage (1\2\4)  on Weak\Moderate cards, which means his first trigger (Blaze) can be avoided if target has some shielding or ability to use Stones. Second trigger (Feed the flame) is also built in, can be useful to preserve him a little longer. 
  Ranged - kind of weak projectile attack. Range 8' stat 4.  Damage line of 1\2\3 with BLASTS even on Weak . Burning +1 to anybody who's been damaged by that action. Trigger (Blaze) - can give additional burning to damaged models, but is not built in, so it's kind of meh. 
  Tactical bonus action- Pyreheart. By removing a Pyre marker in 3' he Heals 1 and gains Burning +2. Most of the time you'll want as many Pyre markers as possible, so i can't see much use for this ability in 80% of matches. 
  In conclusion- 2 stars out of 5, wouldn't hire it most of the time- those 4 stones can be spent much more efficiently. 
   
• Our next guest is new to this world- meet Firebranded, a 6 stone rare 3 minion. 6 Health as to be expected, an average Df of 5, but an awful Wp of 4.  VERY vulnerable to any Wp targeting ability, Terrifying TN checks won't always go that smooth either. Would be great for that Wp stat to  be a bit higher, or at least giving them Ruthless to compensate. Mv is 5. Also not a good sprinter. 
  Abilities - Promised to the flame - Pretty nice damage reduction of 1 if you didn't forget to stand near a Pyre marker.
  Df\Wp trigger (Ignite) (Tomes) - signature resistance ability for most model in  the  Wildfire crew., gives attacking model Burning +1 after resolving. It's not built in on this model, but it's perfectly fine that way. 
  Blaze of glory - Awesome ability to get a positive flip on a duel, by lowering the value of Burning on this model by 1. In this case you should be careful- Firebranded will still suffer damage from burning at the end of the turn if you forget to spend it. 
  Melee- Burning Touch- 0" range 5 (Tome) stat. Melee is not their forte. Damage line is 1\2\3, but always gives Burning +1. You can give target some additional burning with (Blaze) ( if you manage to damage it), or, if you flipped Rams and the target is already on fire- deal 1 damage from Burning condition to it, but lower targets Burning by 1. This Ram trigger, Smolder is shared by some other models in this crew, and can be very helpful - most of the attacks with that trigger give burning +1 as part of the action, so lowering it by 1 to deal 1 damage shouldn't be a problem. 
  Ranged - Elemental Bolt. Projectile, Range 10" stat of 5 (Tomes). 2\3\4 damage with built in Blaze trigger. Pretty good attack, but I feel that it should have the same ability as Kaeris - ignoring friendly fire for models with burning. 
  Tactical action - Embrace the flame -Range 6" stat 6 TN 10. A nice healing ability- you may lower the value of burning condition on target and any model within (3) of it. After that, target model heals Wd equal to the total value of Burning you siphoned this way, but no more than 3. Fine utility tool for the team, but Range is a little bit short for mu taste. 
  Overall - a good minion for it's price, with a little problem (Wp 4). Usually hire one and give him Upgrade (Arcane reservoir). 
   
• Next we have our Good old pal- The Firestarter. INSANELY mobile henchman, with move of 7 and Flight. And Reckless. Be careful with it - 7 Wd and 5 Df\Wp, he wouldn't last for long, even with soulsotones, if you decide to gain that Yummy Fast to often. 
  Ignite Df\Wp trigger - good for him. Not built in- well, can't have it all for free I guess)
  Pyromaniac - can be pretty useful in some scheme pools- enemy models that are killed by bor...Burning may be counted as killed by the Firestarter. 
  Hot spot - At first this ability seems pretty good - enemy models that Assist their teammates to lower their Burning will suffer 1 damage afterward. BUT to suffer that sweet-sweet 1 point of damage they must be within 6" of the Firestarter. Since the Assist action may be taken within 2' of the model you assist- most of the time that aura will do nothing. You CAN  position The Firestarter closer to the enemy lines, but it would almost certainly lead to his untimely demise.  The ability is nice, don't get me wrong, but it's not suited for a guy that fragile. 
  Melee- Flaming fury, range 1" stat 5. 2\3\4 damage and Burning +1. Blaze (Tomes) is not built in. Adequate. Would not recommend throwing him into Melee anyway, but if it's necessary- he can deal some damage. 
  Ranged - Conflagration -Range 8" stat 6. It ignores Burning    models for the purposes of Friendly fire. Same 2\3\4 damage +1 burning. Triggers are - Blaze(who would have guessed?)) and Flame Wall on Rams. Neither are built in. Flame wall seems strange to me- creating additional Pyre markers is OK, but target must have Burning 3 or greater to do so. Also you can't create them touching other models or markers and Firestarter himself cant move them. Though he can do smf interesting with his last Attack Action , I would prefer his Ram trigger to be Smolder. 
  The last but not the least of his Attack Actions is "Light under your feet" - Range 8"(no projectile) stat of 6 and its resisted with Mv. You may lower targets Burning by up to 4.  You may push target a number of inches equal to 2+ TWICE the amount of burning (4 burning max.) . It is a very good push ( from 2 inches to 10). You can use it on your own models. The trigger is also pretty sweet- Draw out secrets (Tomes)- Place a Scheme Marker in base contact with the target. 
  His bonus action is Reckless- Suffer 1 to gain Fast. It is very good, just be careful with it. 
  I like this model very much, he was a great scheme runner is ME2, seems here he can be even better here. My complaints are mentioned above. 
   
• A guest from the Star Theater- Carlooooos Vaaaasqueees (the one and only, autographs after the show, baby). Henchman, cost of 8, has two keywords - Wildfire and Performer.  8 Wd, 6 Df and Wp 5- overall average for a Henchman of his cost. Mv is 6, which is great. With one of his bonus actions and one particular ability - a very mobile guy. 
  Abilities - Fiery Presence. It gives models (enemy and friendly) Burning +1 when he activates. Good ability, you can boost Burning on your models for their abilities or  light up some enemies who ended up to close. 
  Don't mind me- He is a Performer, he can Interact in Engagement. Anybody who played Malifaux should know how useful it is. 
  Butterfly Jump- this ability shines in ME3 right now, though not in the same way it did in ME2. After resolving enemy Attack that targeted Carlos he can move up to 3 . Can save you after smb charged you, can get you into Cover- if you survived the  Attack that is. 
  Next two abilities, Fireproof and Playing with Fire work together. With Fireproof you can reduce damage from Burning by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and Playing with Fire says, that when Carlos would suffer damage from Burning, he can give a model in 6" Distracted +1. Since his movement trick (see below ) sets Carlos on fire- pretty neat combo. 
  His abilities are good, no arguing their. Inclusion of the Ignite trigger might be a good idea, but he is fine even without it.
  Attack actions- Melee - Flaming Baton -range 1' stat 6. 2\2\3 damage with Burning +1 and Distracted +1. Not very damaging, but pretty good. Triggers are not built in, but also nice. We have Blaze(Tomes), Critical strike ( Rams) and Reposition (Masks). 
  Ranged - Breath of fire. Range 6" (no projectile) stat of 6. Target suffers 2\3\4  . Models damaged by this action gain Burning +1. Two triggers, neither are built in- Blaze(Tomes) and Up in flames (Crows). The later can be of great use- It removes all Scheme marker in 2"  of the target. Range is rather short, but Carlos can move across the table easily, so it's not that much of a problem. 
  Tactical actions-Two bonus actions, lets start with The Dance of Flames. Stat of 6, TN -11. If successful, Carlos can move up to 5 and gains Burning +1. Great mobility trick, also sets him up for Playing with Fire.
  Second one, On the Pyre. Bonus action Stat of 6, TN is 12 Tomes. Creates a Pyre marker in 12" . Requires a suit,  can be helpful in Wildfire crew, but most of the time I would rather use his Dance to move him around. 
   
• Another addition to Kaeris crew- Mister Elijah Borgman, Enforcer with the cost of 9. Wd 9, Df 6, Wp 5. Mv 5 is not very good for a model of that cost, but his Melee  Attack has 2" range, so it evens things out a bit. 
  Abilities- Promised to the Flame - Damage reduction while he is near a Pyre marker. can be useful sometimes, but requires some set up. 
  Blade rush - Can charge through models and deal 1 damage for that. I'll get deeper into it when we get to his Melee.
  Ruthless - Good for him, Ignoring Terrifying and Manipulative is much appreciated for a beat-stick with 5 Wp. 
  Df\Wp Ignite- not built in, still can come in handy. 
  Blaze of Glory - good ability, already mentioned it above. 
  Attack Actions- Melee- Greatsword- Range 2" Stat 6. Good damage line of 3\4\5. Triggers are not built in, but he has Smolder (Rams) and Blaze (Tomes). The interesting part is, that this attack gets a positive flip on damage BUT if he didn't Charge this Activation. Kind of weird in combination with his Blade Rush. I don't know if it would be too much to ask for restriction applying only on attacks generated by the Charge, so he can strike second time with his bonus flip. You want to use both to your advantage, but most of the time you can't. It's possible to strike somebody. kill the enemy and Charge after that, but rarely so. 
  Ranged - Immolate - Range 8" Stat 5 Resisted with Df. Target suffers damage from Burning condition equal to the value of it's Burning (5 max) and then lowers it's burning condition by 5. Neat trick, trigger is not built in but good too- Good for a laugh (Tomes) Draw 2 cards and discard 1. 
  Tactical action - Call to the Burning Man ( I didn't knew he had a phone, but OK)- Bonus Action- Stat 6 TN 11- Elijah Heals 1\2\3 and gains Burning +1. Trigger (Rams) Ignition - models in  2"   also gain Burning +2. Interesting ability, can give himself Burning for Blaze of Glory, can set enemies of friends on fire- good.
  My only issue with this guy is that he is an Enforcer, not a Henchman. I gave him Arcanist Upgrade, making him Attuned- works fairly well, but is rather costly. 
• And now, our Big Boi- Fire Golem. He is big. He is elemental. He is ready to start some fires. Cost of 10 - a fair price. Df\Wp\Mv- 5, he has a good movement trick (see his bonus action) so it's his mobility doesn't suffer. 10 Wd- you can't ask for more.
  Abilities- Fiery Presence - Just look at him. You can argue that Carlos isn't that hot ( and you are right, unless your are a teenage girl) but Fire Boi- He is HOT. Sets models on fire in 2"  wehn he activates (Burning +1). Since his base is 50 mm -  good chance of Burning multiple models, if properly positioned. 
  Flaming Body- can reduce damage up to 2 by reducing Burning condition on himself, just like his Younger brother Gamin can.
  Demise (Smoldering Heart)- quite sad if he dies, but at least you have smf to remember him. 
  Flameborne - 0 damage from burning.
  Dancing in flames - Once per turn. After this model resolves the Walk action it can place a Pyre marker it moved through into base contact with itself. This ability confuses me a little bit. If we are not talking offensive uses for that- it can be helpful, moving markers closer to your models so they can benefit from it. But for offense - you would want to Charge with your Golem, not Walk. Yes, it's a Place effect, and you can place marker under your opponent, but why not just Charge him and deal probably more damage that way? I think Once per turn restriction should stay, but change the Walk into any Move effect. 
  Attack actions- Melee- Flaming Fist - Range 1" Stat 6(Tomes) 3\4\5 Damage +1 Burning. Triggers are both built in : Blaze and Feed the Flame. The second one helps Golem stay Fire and Healthy, giving him Burning +1 for each Tome in the Duel. 
  Ranged - Flame Tornado- Range 8" Projectile Stat 6 TN 12. It's a Shockwave, Pulse 2, Mv 13, Damage 2 and Burning +2. If a model with Flameborne would suffer damage from that , it gains burning by the same ammount instead. A very good action- Tornado your enemies, Tornado your Flameborne friend, Tornado yourself- who cares, do it! On (Crows) you can trigger Burnt to a crisp - remove any scheme markers caught in the Shockwave. Nice.
  Tactical action - Draw off Flame- Bonus action, range 8" stat 6 TN 12. Doesn't require any resistance. Target a model with burning- Place into BTB with that model. Target reduces her burning by up to 3. Golem gains equal amount of Burning for himself. A very nice movement trick. You can place to your own models. you can place to enemy models, you gain additional burning. 
  Big Boi is pretty god in my opinion, but i don't know if i should use him as a more aggressive melee tarpit of more accurately from range. 
   
• So ... Kaeris and her totem. Lets start with the Eternal Flame. He is free if Kaeris is your leader, otherwise pay 3 (2+1) for him. 4\4 Df\Wp Wd 3(sic!- but has Armor +2. K? Good? Meh) Mv 5.  Not so bad, for a flaming rusty box. 
  Abilities- Armor +2. Even with that would die in seconds, if somebody will try to kill ... which they will, probably.
  Insignificant - Can't interact , Ignored for Strtegies and Schemes.
  Heat Exhaustion - During the start phase enemy models with burning gain +1 Injured. Interesting, can be used, but he is fragile and wont last long on the front-lines.
  Attack action - Melee- Burning touch- Range 0" stat 5. Damage 1\2\3 and Burning +1. Of course it is weak, hi is not some brute with iron fists, his is a more complicated guy. Although. 5 is not THAT bad of a Melee stat ( range 0" still is). Trigger is good (for him) - Rising flames- On Tomes Enemy models within  3  of him suffer 1 damage and gain +1 Burning.  Can be possibly used to spank your own models for trigger...but a don't think the opportunity will present itself very often. 
  Tactical actions. This is there the Little guy shines. Let's start with his bonus action Control the Flame - Range 10" Stat 5 TN 10. Place target Pyre marker anywhere within 3" of its current position. Place it under your enemies, make them suffer the effects. And then...Flaming Detonation - Range 10" Projectile Stat 5 TN 10- Target a Pyre marker. Models within 2"  of the marker must pass a 13 Mv Duel or suffer 1 damage and Gain +1 Burning. It's a good opportunity to lay some Duels on your opponent. if placed correctly.
  Little guy is of great help for his Mistress in my opinion.
  Oh. look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, It's a plane! Nope... It's fire and pain (excuse me)
   
• Kaeris- So, our main girl at this crazy pyro-party. 12 Wd, Df 5 (Tomes) Wp 6. Nothing outstanding for a master model, but fairly good.  Mv 6 (with flight) - great mobility. No movement tricks other that that, but it is enough.
  Abilities- Armor +1 - Not much, but good for her. 
  Flight- those wings aren't just for decoration, you know.
  Df\Wp (Tomes) Ignite- Built in on Df, i don't know why not on Wp.
  Blaze of Glory- Perfect way to help her with duels- just get some burning first and don't forget to spend it!
  Run and Gun - May take her Projectile attack instead of Melee than Charges. Very good.
  Third Degree Burns- key ability. Enemies treat Pyre Markers as Hazardous (Burning +1 Injured +1 ) and may NOT ignore them. 
  Attack actions- Melee - " Up we go!" - Range 2" Stat 3 resist Sz. Teach them how to fly (Unless they already know, you can't target flying models) and than teach them to fall. Damage 2\3\4 and you  can place target anywhere within 3" of its current position. A very nice way to grab your target from his safe place and bring them a little bit closer to your friends. Or into Pyre Marker. Or both). Trigger on (Masks) allows you to push enemy models within 2"  of the target 2' inches away and also give them Burning +1. Great attack. Unless your target can fly also.
  Ranged - Conflagration-Range 8" Projectile- Stat 6 (Rams) Ignores burning models for purposes of Friendly Fire. 2\3\4 damage and Burning +1. Smolder (Rams) is built in +1 damage, if the target has Burning +1 (lowers it by one, but Burning is in the attack already). Blaze (Tomes) as usual. Burn it all (Crows)- removes all non-Pyre markers within 2"  of the target. Interesting and good.
  Her offence is average, but with Injured from pyre markers and Burning can be very dangerous. 
  Tactical actions- Bonus action- On the Pyre Range 12 Stat 7 (tomes) TN 11 (Tomes) Creates a Pyre Marker. Trigger on (Masks)- Repeat the process. Nice, you'll need it to set some fires.
  Fan the Flames - Range 8" Stat 6- Target a Pyre Marker. Push it up to 4" in any direction. Enemy models that came into base contact with it must pass a 12 Mv Duel or suffer 2 damage. Additionally, they get the effect of the marker, since it passed through them. 
  
  So, band specializes in setting their opponents on fire and benefiting from it. Burning is not a very good damage source early on and can be removed via Assist- so either concentrate on one model and burn it to a crisp, or set them all on fire. Condition removal is a big danger to the crew. Seconded by high armor models, have nothing to deal with those.
  
  If anybody read this- send he... I mean Thank you. I understand, that it is not that interesting to read, somebody already wrote it, my English is Horrible etc. 
  But feel free and very welcome to comment, suggest any combos\uses for models. 
  Fro example - I didn't test Iggy ( he has Wildfire Keyword now). Is he good for Kaeris? Is he good at all? 
   

7 minutes ago, Liched said:

They won't have a different TN on different models. That would just be confusing and one of their design goals is to avoid confusion and unnecessary complexity. 

In M2e, Glimpse had a Tn of 13, and even if the Wp on average was one higher that edition, it usually never happened. Lowering it to 12 will make it almost useless again - and back then it buried indefinetly

13 Wp duel  in ME2 is not the same WP Duel   that it is  now, in the third edition. 

14 is even harder. Average Stat is 5 (and don't even bring up poor green bayou boys) 

I agree, that they wouldn't change it on different models. As for me- never had an issue with many different abilities, idk why it should be THAT simplified 

HmmVoid wretches can be very useful. 

Incorporeal means good mobility, plus, even with their low stats you'll need to waste some ap putting them down. 

Their attack Stat is only 4, yes, but if it managed to land a hit- model is buried, unless you're lucky or spend a moderate/high card. If it doesn't - who cares, other models can finish the job. 

Can scheme-run pretty well, they are cheap. 

I'm only suggesting either lowering their Glimps TN, maybe to 12,or somehow limiting the number of models that can be buried at the same time. Hunters can do pretty good even with 13, btw. 

7 minutes ago, Liched said:

It's also the only thing Tara does - and if you get her out of the 8" Karina aura then she dies super quickly. 

Hunters are a pretty fair minion - and it's not worse compared too a lot  of other crews who also triggers tests and/or discards.

The crew can target you while buried, so you can't heal or support your models down there. Also she un- buryies you near any of your models, which can lead to a very long way back,even if you'll survive the trip. 

I have no problem with Tara having it, though her 5 ap per turn give her ability to bury multiple models per turn. 

But hunters with that ability can syphon your hand easily, with their melee. After that, even wretches will have a chance at pulling you into the void. 

5 minutes ago, Liched said:

Excuse me? Built in? Three models have it built in. Two models can stone for it, in a crew where Tara needs on average 5 stones to herself. Around 40% of the time you don't even want to use because it's a free reposition

If a model has already activated this turn, it's not a reposition, it's a chance to tear her face off-every model can target buried enemies in Obliteration crew. 

Playing against Tara's signature crew, it is hard not to notice that Glimpse the void trigger is a very powerful tool, maybe even a bit overpowered. 

Almost every model in her crew has it built in on their attacks, with the same TN- 14 Wp. The average Wp Stat is 5/6, which means you pass it with 9+ card. 

Even  void wretches are perfectly able to bury a leader or henchman. 

I think either the TN should be lowered on most models or some kind of restriction be applied. 

Right now, her ability to dissappear is a Tome trigger on df/Wp. It's a damage reduction by 2, which can be as useful as a paper umbrella in some cases. 5 df and 10 wounds are not that great either. 

Maybe it should become anability once again instead of resistance trigger? With the same damage reduction but some cost, like discarding a card? 

Relying on luck to hit him, while your opponent is able to cheat doesn't seem fair at all. 

He is a henchman, so he can negate even successful hits via soulstones. 

Being able to cheat against him discarding a card in the process (maybe even with some ability for him to benefit from it) would be much more preferable 

But how can he give distracted now, if he reduces damage from burning to zero early on? 

Zero damage is no damage, or am I wrong?