Nexus (Cadmus Keyword) Discussion

[Jesy Blue]

So funny thing about Will Of Cadmus, it's mostly an Obey but it does not say non-master.  So you can say use Parker's Gunfighter to purposefully miss one of your own models then Highway Robbery one of your own scheme markers on the guaranteed last action of the turn/game reguardless of other marker placement.

Any other cool Master exploits you can think of?

[Sweet Tooth]

45 minutes ago, Jesy Blue said:

So funny thing about Will Of Cadmus, it's mostly an Obey but it does not say non-master.  So you can say use Parker's Gunfighter to purposefully miss one of your own models then Highway Robbery one of your own scheme markers on the guaranteed last action of the turn/game reguardless of other marker placement.

Any other cool Master exploits you can think of?

That wouldn’t work since you can’t use triggers on actions generated with triggers, but I like this question. Hmm.. 

[Jesy Blue]

It's not an action generated by a trigger, it's an action that generates an action, the trigger just tells you what type of action you can take.

[Adran]

45 minutes ago, Jesy Blue said:

It's not an action generated by a trigger, it's an action that generates an action, the trigger just tells you what type of action you can take.

If you compare yo the wording to the hunters call trigger on Marcus, it looks like the trigger generates the action instead of the general action the action creates, so I'd say short of anything official, you can't declare triggers on that attack. 

[Jesy Blue]

14 minutes ago, Adran said:

If you compare yo the wording to the hunters call trigger on Marcus, it looks like the trigger generates the action instead of the general action the action creates, so I'd say short of anything official, you can't declare triggers on that attack. 

Not really a comparison as Hunter's Call doesn't even generate an action without the trigger; it's not a Walk, you're just moving the model.

[Adran]

1 minute ago, Jesy Blue said:

Not really a comparison as Hunter's Call doesn't even generate an action without the trigger; it's not a Walk, you're just moving the model.

But the wording for both is pretty similar. It can be argued from the phrasing that in both cases instead of doing what the action said, you take x action. 

Aggressive control replaced the general action with a melee attack, rather than just adding options. It  could just be the easiest way to write it though.

[santaclaws01]

They're both triggers that generate an action. Will of Cadmus generating a certain type of action even without Aggressive Control doesn't change the Aggressive control is generating an action.

[Sagrit]

On 12/4/2020 at 5:19 AM, Whut said:

Nexus activates.

1. Citizens of Malifaux from Berserker - summon 3 EAE, removing scheme and 2 Webs(Total 2)
   1. One of these should be from a Web Marker behind the Berserker such that the resulting EAE is within 4" of Nexus for Siphon Power
2. Exoskeleton from EAE, targeting Meredith. Draw a card. (Total possibly +1 if it's close enough but I won't count it)
3. Exoskeleton from Meredith, targeting Berserker. Berserker doesn't move. Shed Skin to clear conditions. Drop Web (Total 3)
4. Last AP free to fix mistakes or Focus

On first pages of this topic i saw several comments about Nexus take her actions from other models multiple times. But how is it possible if Omnipresent Influence is onece per Activation? Am i missing something and there is a way to ignore it?

[Maniacal_cackle]

3 minutes ago, Sagrit said:

On first pages of this topic i saw several comments about Nexus take her actions from other models multiple times. But how is it possible if Omnipresent Influence is onece per Activation? Am i missing something and there is a way to ignore it?

Omnipresent Influence can be used multiple times per activation, it just has to use different models to draw the LOS each time.

Nexus also gets two activations a turn while she has the upgrade, so that'll be another set of Omnipresent Influences.

[Sagrit]

Oh i see, once per model per Activation... Omg that's strong

[Jesy Blue]

With the number of markers being picked up summoning & upgrading Eyes and Ears, Botanist would get a bunch of Grow tokens quickly and easily.

Is what they bring to the table for 6 Soul Stones enough to hire them out of this very exclusive keyword?

[Maniacal_cackle]

13 minutes ago, Jesy Blue said:

With the number of markers being picked up summoning & upgrading Eyes and Ears, Botanist would get a bunch of Grow tokens quickly and easily.

Is what they bring to the table for 6 Soul Stones enough to hire them out of this very exclusive keyword?

They seem like pretty impressive scheme runners if that is what the keyword wants. For Leylines especially (since they have planted roots). Being able to move 18 inches a turn, or 12 and interact, or 6 and interact twice, is pretty good.

For example, a botanist in one game could walk between one of your leylines to the centre, drop two markers in the centre for Leave Your Mark, and have tons of actions in between.

[Cedar]

I would pick them - probably one over Creeper. They may not hit as hard, but are harder to hit, more mobile and have injuring shockwave.

[santaclaws01]

6 hours ago, Jesy Blue said:

With the number of markers being picked up summoning & upgrading Eyes and Ears, Botanist would get a bunch of Grow tokens quickly and easily.

Is what they bring to the table for 6 Soul Stones enough to hire them out of this very exclusive keyword?

I've done it for Leylines, and it was really solid. They're also good Siphon Power batteries as they heal when they use Feed Me.

[HomelessOne]

So for those who've played her or not, anyone getting a feel for what they think Nexus' list core looks like?

Definitely been interesting to see the Creeper getting passed over in listbuilding by a lot of people.

[Arlos896]

I've played 3 games with Cadmus so far and I feel like Archivist and Meredith are auto includes with at least 1 spelleater. I have had mixed results with the nightsilk creeper but the webs and mobility it offers are hard to pass up. 

Cadmus Core (Explorer's Society)
Size: 50 - Pool: 10
Leader:
  Nexus
Totem(s):
  Shambling Nest
  Shambling Nest 2
Hires:
  Archivist
  Dr. Meredith Stanley
  Nightsilk Creeper
  Spelleater
  Spelleater 2
 

I've been using flush with cash and tried it on nexus for fear of assassinate, a spell eater in the thick of things, a shambling nest, next time going to put it on Meredith as people are getting wise to her power and will be gunning to end her.   The last 10 stones I have are usually for a versatile model to help out, botanist has been a good fit here. 

 

[HomelessOne]

What makes 1+ Spelleaters a must, in your experiences?

[santaclaws01]

1 hour ago, HomelessOne said:

What makes 1+ Spelleaters a must, in your experiences?

Down to the Last Drop as well as they're durable models and are another source of healing for the crew between Siphon Life and the Rejuvenate trigger. Elemental Backlash also pairs really well with Hive Strike or any discard effects the enemy crew has.

[Jesy Blue]

So I'm gonna try something stupid (hey look, it's Jesy acting like he always does: stupid).

I want to take Maxine into Cadmus. Activate after Nexus to give them Fast so Will Of Cadmus activation is 3 actions, giving out Focus, giving enemy models Injured & Poison & Adversary (Cadmus), some easy card draw on her own activation, more discard options, and Order In Chaos is always great.

I think she will be worth the 16 stones if that's your only out of keyword hire.

[Adran]

11 minutes ago, Jesy Blue said:

So I'm gonna try something stupid (hey look, it's Jesy acting like he always does: stupid).

I want to take Maxine into Cadmus. Activate after Nexus to give them Fast so Will Of Cadmus activation is 3 actions, giving out Focus, giving enemy models Injured & Poison & Adversary (Cadmus), some easy card draw on her own activation, more discard options, and Order In Chaos is always great.

I think she will be worth the 16 stones if that's your only out of keyword hire.

Its an interesting idea.

I'm not sure that it holds true for your efficiency, turning a Maxine action into a general action for a model via 2 duels sounds inefficient (even if you argue that she can use her trigger and make 2 models fast, she could already do that, you're just turning that Fast AP into a general action at the end of the turn following a duel rather than an action on a models activation). She only has erratic card draw, and even then its card cycling rather than draw unless you are getting lucky with Age of Inspiration (because if you cheat to get there, its still only card cycling). Only the trigger from Strike between the lines will actually discard a card from their hands, so there isn't much of that. 

Try it. I'm not convinced that the pay off is worth spending 1/3 your stones on in a cadmus crew, but I've done crazier things before and sometimes they even worked... 

[Whut]

On 1/2/2021 at 4:32 PM, santaclaws01 said:

Down to the Last Drop as well as they're durable models and are another source of healing for the crew between Siphon Life and the Rejuvenate trigger. Elemental Backlash also pairs really well with Hive Strike or any discard effects the enemy crew has.

I can't say I agree with this, so I'd like to know more. Down to the Last Drop is admittedly nice being one of the better Parasite spreaders, but Spelleaters...

• are slow-moving (granted, they can be lured around on 8's, WillOC forced to walk on probably 7-9's, or Exoskeletal'd but I consider nearly any AP Nexus isn't attacking with to be a waste)
• have a relatively terrible melee attack
• are ranged damage models, but...
  • are in a crew which already has 3 of those (Nexus, Archivist, Meredith). IMO Cadmus need to supplement their core of those 3 with some melee disruptors/threats, not double down
  • don't get in melee for Nexus to draw attacks from (and in fact, require even MORE melee support from the crew for DttLD.
  • don't get in melee to fully utilize Legion to fling damage on enemies
  • don't ignore Concealment or Friendly Fire
  • don't benefit much from Focused because of their flat damage tracks
• are one of the squishier elements of the crew with just 7 Health and Shielded+1 for 7 Stones (the whole crew has Legion)
• can't benefit or get less benefit from many friendly actions because Redirect Magic isn't optional (WillofCadmus, Transmutation, Exoskeletal triggers, Font of Knowledge)
• Burning & Poison after the first point do almost nothing (although still 1-2 damage at end of turn is decent)

I can see them being a cool Tech pick against discard-heavy and trigger-reliant crews (JackDaw comes to mind) but otherwise, I'd never hire one.

for 1 stone less you get a Husk which has Hard2Wound (and we know from Schtook H2W+DamageReduction is hella OP) letting them be roadblocks for Nexus/Meredith/Archivist, melee synergizes much better with Nexus and Legion, have solid actions and triggers, Creep and DrawnToPain make them much faster, and extra Health is a wash with Shielded.

for just 1 stone more you can get two Hopeful Prospects which do more for your shooting game, bring multiple other support benefits, can soak 2 Siphon Powers each at almost no cost, always heal off Meredith, refund you stones if they are killed near the FlushWithCash bearer, and can become Spelleaters (or Husks) if they land a kill (which is much easier in Cadmus than most Keywords because of easy Injured).

[Maniacal_cackle]

@Whut, you didn't include mention of them giving focus +2. Is that not easy to do in a Cadmus crew? I know for Witch Hunters, one of the biggest reasons to include them is that they can hand out Focus +2 with their Transmutation trigger.

[santaclaws01]

1 minute ago, Whut said:

are slow-moving (granted, they can be lured around on 8's, WillOC forced to walk on probably 7-9's, or Exoskeletal'd but I consider nearly any AP Nexus isn't attacking with to be a waste)

They get exoskeletal connectioned up turn 1 and they're generally in position from then on, being on the centerline(unless it's corner)

2 minutes ago, Whut said:

have a relatively terrible melee attack

The purpose of their melee attack is to get transmutation

3 minutes ago, Whut said:

are ranged damage models, but...

• are in a crew which already has 3 of those (Nexus, Archivist, Meredith). IMO Cadmus need to supplement their core of those 3 with some melee disruptors/threats, not double down

 

You can very easily hire 1 spelleater and not lose any significant melee presence, as the crew literally creates melee presence.

4 minutes ago, Whut said:

don't get in melee for Nexus to draw attacks from (and in fact, require even MORE melee support from the crew for DttLD.

They don't need to be, you have nests, eyes and ears, berserker husks, the nightsilk creeper and your opponents own models to attack through with Nexus. And what support do they need for down to the last drop? To just have a friendly model within 2" of an enemy model?

5 minutes ago, Whut said:

don't get in melee to fully utilize Legion to fling damage on enemies

We Are Legion is mostly to be used against melee attacks anyways. What they are however is is place for the more important back liners to throw damage to as they have multiple ways of healing and get a free shielded every turn.

8 minutes ago, Whut said:

• don't ignore Concealment or Friendly Fire
• don't benefit much from Focused because of their flat damage tracks

Yeah, they're not ranged beaters. They help support the crew.

8 minutes ago, Whut said:

are one of the squishier elements of the crew with just 7 Health and Shielded+1 for 7 Stones (the whole crew has Legion)

They aren't one of the squishier elements. They hands down one of the most durable. Opponents not being able to declare triggers against them is huge, not to mention they have multiple ways to heal themselves. The only more durable models are Nexus and Meredith, being soulstone users.

10 minutes ago, Whut said:

can't benefit or get less benefit from many friendly actions because Redirect Magic isn't optional (WillofCadmus, Transmutation, Exoskeletal triggers, Font of Knowledge)

Yes, the lack of being able to declare triggers on them even with friendly models is annoying, but also unnecessary for 90% of situations.

11 minutes ago, Whut said:

Burning & Poison after the first point do almost nothing (although still 1-2 damage at end of turn is decent)

Poison sets up Meredith to get out parasite tokens with a single use of Rancid Transplant, and they facilitate one of the best ways the crew has to force out a parasite token onto an important soulstone user. Not to mention there are plenty of discard effects in the crew, and just other sources of poison in the crew, to easily be doing 3+ damage at the end of a turn to a model from conditions alone.

17 minutes ago, Whut said:

for 1 stone less you get a Husk which has Hard2Wound (and we know from Schtook H2W+DamageReduction is hella OP) letting them be roadblocks for Nexus/Meredith/Archivist, melee synergizes much better with Nexus and Legion, have solid actions and triggers, Creep and DrawnToPain make them much faster, and extra Health is a wash with Shielded.

The only reason I'm ever hiring a berserker husk is if I want something with a dead bonus action from turns 2/3 and on to be removing markers with Treasure Map. Otherwise I'm always better off just hiring an eyes and ears and turning it into a husk, or hiring a cryptologist and making 2 husks turn 1, but neither of those options fill in the slot that the spelleater takes.

19 minutes ago, Whut said:

for just 1 stone more you can get two Hopeful Prospects which do more for your shooting game, bring multiple other support benefits, can soak 2 Siphon Powers each at almost no cost, always heal off Meredith, refund you stones if they are killed near the FlushWithCash bearer, and can become Spelleaters (or Husks) if they land a kill (which is much easier in Cadmus than most Keywords because of easy Injured).

Or I can not spend 8 stones on the hope that these mv 4 stat 4 models will actually prove useful in a crew where you actively want to stay in keyword for a tangible benefit and won't have to either spend multiple high cards on them to get use of turning into something, and on my master to set it up. Additionally, they're not going to be getting healed by Meredith, because Meredith is going to be too far away from them, as I can't exoskeletal connection them forward with the rest of my crew.

[santaclaws01]

19 minutes ago, Maniacal_cackle said:

@Whut, you didn't include mention of them giving focus +2. Is that not easy to do in a Cadmus crew? I know for Witch Hunters, one of the biggest reasons to include them is that they can hand out Focus +2 with their Transmutation trigger.

Can't use transmutation on them.

[Whut]

On 1/1/2021 at 6:44 PM, HomelessOne said:

So for those who've played her or not, anyone getting a feel for what they think Nexus' list core looks like?

Definitely been interesting to see the Creeper getting passed over in listbuilding by a lot of people.

 Inarguable Core IMO:

Nexus w/ FlushWithCash
Shambling Nest x2

Meredith
Archivist
Intrepid Emissary or Effigy w/ FateUpgrade
Austera&Twigge (or Vernon&Welles, other?) (for dropping 2+ Schemes to summon from)

I quite like the Nightsilk Creeper against non-WP-targeting crews. Fastest model in the Keyword, Tanky, Disruptive using Webs, and probably the easiest way to get Nexus attacking in Melee early. His attack is lackluster but reliable and he can attack 3 times if near a web marker.

57 minutes ago, Maniacal_cackle said:

@Whut, you didn't include mention of them giving focus +2. Is that not easy to do in a Cadmus crew? I know for Witch Hunters, one of the biggest reasons to include them is that they can hand out Focus +2 with their Transmutation trigger.

Its possible, but the suit isn't built in (and they don't benefit from Font Of Knowledge), you take a damage, and you need to stack a condition first - probably Poison from Rancid Transplant?

Two Hopeful Prospects still do this better. Not only do they give Focused with their passive ability, they can also Concentrate and have Meredith Rancid Transplant the Focused onto Nexus. Edit: Granted I understand this isn't Focused+2 unless you use both of Meredith's AP or wait until Turn 2/3

Or if you find another way to stack a +2 condition on turn 1, Nexus can Transmutation that herself and then have Meredith Rancid Transplant it onto her.

2 Poison from Transplant is still only 1 damage or Meredith can Transplant someone else (an Eyes and Ears maybe) to take it off of Nexus if you're worried about it