Using Ferox: My First Impressions

One of my favorite things about Skorne right now is the all new Praetorian Ferox.  I talked up Ferox a fair amount in my take on growing a Skorne army through a Journeyman League last week, where I recommended Ferox if players were planning to switch to a troop-oriented 'caster like Xerxis 1 or Makeda 2 at the 50pt level, and mentioned them as an option with Xekaar when expanding from 50pts to 75pts.  This time, I'm going to take a look at the pros and cons of the cat-valry so people have a better idea of whether they want to invest in a unit.




Drawbacks

Before I get started on the good stuff, Ferox are an investment.  They're still all metal, and are more expensive to buy than 10-strong infantry units or heavy warbeasts.  They have a lot of parts, which means a lot of time on the hobby table cleaning, gluing, and painting.  Finally, they cost a lot of points - 21 for the full unit - making them the most expensive cavalry in the game, and up there as one of the most expensive units period.

For the cost, Ferox are fragile, and have a pretty mediocre statline.  If the only other advantage they had were Cavalry, they'd be shot to pieces before they ever did anything.  Fortunately, the winning combination of Jump, Pounce, Pathfinder, and Combined Melee Attack makes them one of the most dangerous skirmishing units in the game.

Abilities

Jump is their bread-and-butter ability.  After Ferox make a full advance, you can place them completely within 5" of their current location.  This already gives them 2" more movement than a charge would, and a Place can go across any terrain, obstacle or model.  All you need is room for the base.  There's also no target for a Jump, meaning that you don't need line of sight to jump into melee, and there's no requirement to move in a straight line either on the full advance or the jump, so you have a lot of flexibility in how you engage.  Finally, if you land in a model's back arc, you get +2 to hit, which starts to make up for the Ferox's low Mat of 6.

Pounce is a straightforward rule that gives Ferox boosted damage rolls on their Mount attacks when they use Jump.  Fantastic and adorable.  Note that Ferox can use this rule if they're stuck in melee, even if they don't move very far with their Jumps.  You have to move 3" to get all the benefits of a charge attack, but Ferox can Jump in place and get the boosted damage rolls from Pounce.  Now Ferox are starting to come together as a mobility unit, something that can do good damage without a charge, and ignore a lot of the restrictions that let players protect models from being charged.  They even do good damage when not charging.

Pathfinder is the rule that lets Jump and Pounce work at full effectiveness.  The ability to move through terrain at no penalty means makes Ferox much more resilient on the approach.  A forest becomes a little bunker for your cats.  They can hide behind it, safely out of the enemy's sights.  Meanwhile, they can move right through it when the enemy is close enough, and deal very decent damage to most target types when they do.  In particular, people need to be very careful with their 'casters against Ferox, because it's very hard to hide from them behind models or terrain.  Even if you need to be in line of sight of the enemy, this rule makes it much easier to gain Cover and Concealment to help defend your cats.

Ferox also have Combined Melee Attack, which is nice when you're using Ferox to jump at a high-value target like a Warcaster or other dodgy or tough target.  When Pouncing, Ferox can use CMA to combine one model's spear attack with another model's mount attack.  This means you can make up to 5 Mat 8 Pow 14 attacks with boosted damage if you need to - Mat 10 if the attack leader has the back strike bonus.  It's often better to get that accuracy and damage boost than take 10 Mat 6 Pow 12 attacks, half with boosted damage, especially when attacking 'casters.

It is important to remember that Ferox are Cavalry, and they get a lot of bonuses on the charge.  If you have the opportunity to charge with your Ferox, it's not a bad idea to do so.  But you'll often be able to get better results by advancing a jumping.  You'll go further, threaten second line models, and you won't need LoS  or straight lines.  In my games so far, I've almost never charged with my Ferox, because Jump was able to put more models where they needed to be.

Non-Warlock Synergies

All their abilities make Ferox good, but few units really shine without support from your Warlock or other units, and Ferox are no exception.  Here are some of the non-Warlock interactions that Ferox can really benefit from.

Tyrant Commander and Standard Bearer - Push to the Limit.  Apart from sounding like the title of an 80's power ballad, this ability gives the Ferox 2 more inches of movement on full advances (but not charges).  The unit can threaten 15.5" with their mount attacks (17" with the spears) from virtually anywhere on the table, and with any 'caster.  The downside to the TyCom is that it's a 6pt unit that's supporting your 21pt unit.  It's still often worth it, because 2" more threat range is fantastic.

Mortitheurge Willbreaker - Flesh Hardening.  Remove continuous effects from the Ferox, and give them Tough for a round.  This ability helps the Ferox out a lot with their overall fragility.  Especially since Ferox are Steady, and won't ever lose Tough for being knocked down.

Tyrant Rhadeim - Leadership.  Rhadeim gives all Ferox in his Command Range Dodge, which lets them move 2" if they're missed by an attack.  At Def 13, they'll be missed some of the time, which can let them move away to safety, engage a model to gain a defense bonus against ranged attacks, or move forward to threaten more of the table.  Dodge is especially useful on 'casters who have a way to increase Def.  Rhadeim is also a scary model in his own right, with an Armor Piercing *Attack and the same mobility as his fellow Ferox.

It's possible to go down a deep rabbit hole of support for your Ferox, which can cost you a lot of points.  However, it's also possible to just go full Ferox, like Hans over at Skornergybuster.  He's had a lot of success with two full units backed up by Rhadeim, a Tyrant Commander, and two Willbreakers.  His Ferox also have support from Makeda 2, which brings us to Warlock Synergies.

Warlock Synergies

These are what I'd consider to be the best Warlocks to run Ferox under.  There are certainly arguments to be made for running them with any of our 'casters, but these are the ones I think offer the most support, who wouldn't usually be happier with something else for the points.

Supreme Archdomina Makeda.  Makeda 2 is currently my favorite 'caster for Ferox (though I haven't played them all at this point), and is probably one of the best.  She's nearly perfect support for them, giving them extra speed, accuracy, flexibility, and durability.  Here's what she has to offer.

• Feat:  Boosted melee attacks.  At Mat 6, the Ferox really appreciate this.
• Dash:  1" more threat range is great, and Parry makes the Ferox absurdly mobile.
• Deflection:  If Ferox must be shot, it's often worth it to raise their Def to 15.  That's 17 or even 19 if you're taking advantage of terrain like you should be.
• Stay Death:  Her best ability for Ferox.  Leave 6 Fury on her, and watch as your kitties simply refuse to die.

Archdomina Makeda.  Makeda 1 isn't getting a lot of love right now, but she has some solid support for Ferox, and after Fabint at Skornifest Destiny and others have had success with her, I'm giving her a serious look.  Here's what she brings to the table.

• Feat:  With good positioning, you can save a couple Ferox from death.  Models brought back won't be able to attack or Jump in the next turn, but this does help keep the unit alive longer.
• Carnage:  +2 to melee attacks for just 2 Fury.  Ferox love it.
• Quicken:  +2 Spd makes Mak 1's Ferox the fastest we can field.  +2 Def against ranged and magic attacks helps keep them safer.
• Subjugation of Will:  Pawn ranged hits off onto your battlegroup.  Great for keeping the unit in the game on your Feat turn, or protecting it right before it rides into melee.

Tyrant Xerxis.  Xerxis 1 does for Ferox what he does for all units - make them tougher and hit harder.  Ferox will need to stay pretty close to Xerxis to benefit from some of his abilities due to his small CTRL and the short range of his Battle Plans

• Feat:  An extra damage die, and +2 armor if they're base to base.  Extra damage is amazing on such a quick unit, and Reposition makes it much easier to get B2B after attacking.
• Defender's Ward:  Amazing boost to defense.  Turns Ferox really resilient, especially with the Feat up.
• Push to the Limit:  No need to take a Tyrant Commander.  Xerxis has it covered.
• Stir the Blood:  Ferox usually only make one important melee attack per turn, so make it better.
• Tactician:  If the Ferox are close to Xerxis, they can move through each other, and other units, and vice versa.  Great flexibility.

Dominar Rasheth.  Rasheth 1 runs everything well, so it's more a question of what Ferox can do for him.  He does appreciate their speed, which can help him time his Feat.

• Feat:  Helps the Ferox out offensively and defensively.  They don't even have to be close by.
• Blood Mark:  Make a model easier for the Ferox to kill.  Combos well with his Feat and...
• Carnivore:  Mat bonuses are great.  Combos with the Feat, and RFP's, which is a nice bonus.
• Dark Rituals:  Ferox make for some of the best arc nodes with their extreme mobility.

Void Seer Mordikaar.  Mordikaar 1 likes some fast things that can help deliver his Void Spirits.  Ferox are a threat that can't be ignored.

• Feat:  Def 16 Ferox are great.  Poltergeist + Dodge seems cool with Rhadeim.
• Essence Blast:  Ferox are some of the best nodes for this.  Str 7 and super high speed.
• Revive:  Keep your Ferox in the game longer.  This is a good spell for high value models like them, even if they can't activate immediately.

Supreme Aptimus Zaal.  Zaal 1 turns everything into a murder machine, and the faster something is, the easier it will be to deliver to the enemy 'caster.  If the opponent is preoccupied with Ferox, they won't be able to commit as much shooting toward Zaal's Ancestral Guardians.

• Feat:  Boost attack and damage rolls as you please.  A great way to get work out of the spears or make the Ferox super accurate on a turn they jumped.
• Last Stand:  Apply with caution.  Whatever the Ferox hit will die, but so will they.  This is one of the biggest 'caster killer spells out there though, so it's always worth keeping in mind.
• Death Pact:  More armor is good, and you often won't be close enough to collect Ferox souls with your Gatekeeper models anyway. 

Beast Master Xekaar.  Ferox are fast enough to keep get to Xekaar 1's Mortality target where the rest of your army (barring ranged units) might not be.

• Feat:  Makes the Ferox really hard to kill for a round.
• Mortality:  More accuracy and damage, and no Tough checks for the Ferox's targets.

 Zaal, the Ancestral Advocate.  There's a little direct synergy for Ferox here, and the tactical synergy of often having other (slow) constructs who need time to be delivered.

• Aura of Power:  Boost for all.  This makes Ferox very dangerous, especially to 'casters.
• Vision:  Make the Ferox more durable by letting them ignore one hit.  Stopping one hit can have a surprising effect on a game, especially if you manage to do it every turn.
• Soul Taker: Reclaim:  Zaal can get the Ferox souls, and spend them as Fury later on.

There are definitely reasons to run other Warlocks with Ferox, but I feel like if I stray too far beyond this list, I'll start to stretch things a little far.  Ferox appreciate any support their Warlock can provide, especially if it helps them move faster, hit harder, or take more damage.

That's my take on Ferox right now.  I'll be back again on Monday.

Thanks for reading!