We have another introductory article to a Warmachine faction - this time by Wildwing.
There is no God above Menoth. There is no labor unendurable in the name of Menoth. There is no pain unbearable in the name of Menoth. There is no fear unassailable with faith in Menoth. There is no object that cannot be given up for Menoth. There is no word other than the word of Menoth. There is no end. There is a place for us all at the feet of Menoth.
- Canon Of The True Law
The religious rival of Cygnar, the Protectorate of Menoth is the youngest of the Iron Kingdoms, and a splinter of Cygnar itself. Don't be fooled by this statement however, as Menoth is far more religious and fanatical than any other nation. This is represented by the synergistic playstyle of the army, along with the large amount of fire-causing effects the army brings. Individually, nearly every model in the army is weaker than the other factions' counterparts. United however, and the Protectorate become a force to be reckoned with.
So then, how do you know if the Protectorate is right for you?
1) Protectorate Warcasters aren't for the most part assassination 'casters.
Out of all our current 'casters, only 4 of them have the strength for assassination runs unassisted, and two of them require a spell of their own to do the deed. Our stat-lines as well are slightly lower on average than the other factions. Instead, our casters are more support-based, either based on denial or augmentation of our units and warjacks. We also have the only warcaster with 10 Focus innately, a feat no faction in either Hordes or Warmachine can currently claim. Our biggest strengths in our warcasters is that they can support their army aggressively and defensively very well, forcing our opponents into damned if you, damned if you don't situations.
2) Our Warjacks on their own are above average at best, and sub-par or poor at worst.
This is no secret, our light jacks have the defense of a Cygnar heavy (middle-low), and the armor slightly above Cygnar's light jacks (decent). Compared to other lights, they are surprisingly resilient, though they are comparatively easier to hit than the rest. Our heavies aren't better off stat-wise, with the defense of Khador (low) and the armor around Cygnar's highest (middling), with damage grids in between the two. All of our 'jacks are also slow, with lights being Speed 5, and the heavies split between 4 and 5. Our Warjacks are also cheaper than Cygnar and Khador. Now for the upside: jack support, specifically the Choir of Menoth and the Vassal of Menoth. Our Warjacks are deceptive, and in reality can become the strongest hard-hitters without assistance from a warcaster. The Choir of Menoth is a support unit that can deny your opponent ways to damage our warjacks every turn until we are ready to strike, and when we are ready, our Warjacks surge with strength and accuracy to heavily damage even Khador. The Vassal allows our warjacks to move away once they're hit to prevent retaliation, or to make an additional attack out of activation.
3) Being a fanatical nation, we have a wide array of troops, ranging from volunteers to trained military.
We have a wide variety of infantry, from the largest amount of weapon masters in the game, to the average citizen fighting in the name of Menoth with zero military training. While our average citizens are weaker than most, if they're allowed to hit, they'll bring devastation against Menoth's enemies. Our units also have more than the average amount of innate magical weapons in armies, with most of them lying in our weapon masters, the Knights Exemplars subset. Even widowed women fight, and they fight with a vengeance. Indeed, our main weakness is that most of our troops are easy to hit, and our untrained troops easy to kill. The other is that our infantry, like our Warjacks, are slow. Only one unit exceeds SPD 6, and a majority are SPD 5.
4) Synergy, what makes Menoth stand out from everyone else is the level of synergy our units and solos provide.
Some, like the Choir and Vassal of Menoth, provide synergy to our jacks to buff and create out-of-activation movements and actions. Others however provide synergy in death. We can gather the souls of the fallen with certain models, second only to Cryx in the amount, and convert the souls into focus-like energy depending on who it is, as well as grow stronger as we fall. Indeed, some solos and units, and even some jacks become stronger as those around them die. It is entirely possible to have a list where a good chunk of our army is nothing but support.
Protectorate of Menoth Warcasters
Amon Ad-Raza: Our light 'jack warcaster. He is unique in the entire game in that he can run an effective army of nothing except light jacks, and expect to do reliably well (Kraye might argue with you on this, given the new Minuteman). This ties into his feat, and spells Mobility and Synergy. Combined with the Choir of Menoth, and you can see a ridiculous assassination come in very quickly on an unprepared 'caster.
Feora: The leader of the Flameguard, she is one of the more offensive casters of Menoth. Sacrificing defense, Feora's spell set boosts her army's fighting efficiency, and punishes her enemies' magical abilities, if she can get them in her CTRL area. She is also one of 2 casters with the spell Engine of Destruction in the army, so she's quite capable of doing the assassination herself with minimal assistance. She also promotes fire....lots of it.
eFeora: Take Feora's love of fire, throw it on Warjacks, and call it a day. Our second 'jack Warcaster, she loves setting things on fire, causing fire, and having Warjacks that cause Fire. Her Warjack Bond: More fire! So throw it on someone who can set lots of things on fire. Hint: It's a light who's her best friend. Infantry who can set things on fire themselves are also quite welcome. Her feat gives her one immediately allocatable focus for each Fire continuous effect on an enemy in her control, so setting things on fire is both a thematic and game play advantage!
Harbinger: 10 Focus. Easily our most adaptable Warcaster simply because of that, and huge pauldrons. She can run warjack heavy, or infantry heavy with focus-camping. Being empowered by Menoth himself, she has spells that casters wish they had in Menoth, and is one of the few casters who can accelerate the army. Her feat can easily stop an infantry heavy army in their tracks for an entire turn. Her base stats are squishy, but her MAT means nothing as she automatically hits in combat, and focus-camping negates her low ARM. She's also on a big large base, so only Warjacks and Vengers can screen her.
Reclaimer: Our lowest focus stat, the High Reclaimer also is our best prime Caster for Souls. He can mitigate his low Focus stat with claiming souls, and most of his spells cost 2 or less. He also is somewhat Cryx-like, capable of bringing back the dead. His playstyle also lends to the slowest in our army. With the ability to put out multiple ash clouds a turn, High Reclaimer can play a “rolling smoke” style game, where a horde of models moves up behind a wall that blocks line of sight for most enemies.
Testament: The High Reclaimer went to Urcaen (world of the dead), and came back fully intact. In the entire game, he is one of two who can 100% prevent the enemy from claiming souls in his Control. His playstyle changes to a bit more offensive, and can bring back Grunts every turn. He's the best 'caster for an attrition style of play in the Protectorate. He also needs lots of troops, just like the High Reclaimer.
Kreoss: Our Battlebox caster. He is a jack-of-all-trades 'caster, with a simple yet fearsome feat that can end any 'caster with the right weapons. His set of spells are slightly counter-intuitive, but a mixed arms force is where he shines.
eKreoss: Kreoss got a big promotion, and pauldrons that put most to shame. He's switched from a mixed-arms force to a near pure infantry block. His feat and Elite Cadre also say that he wants lots and lots of Knights Exemplars of all kinds. He can be considered a point-and-click 'caster for melee, but he has his own denial abilities as well.
Reznik: A pseudo-'Jack Caster, he tends to run more with heavy jacks and heavy infantry, and is the only Protectorate caster with the spells Iron Aggression and Perdition. He also really hates sorcery, and both his own spell list and abilities lend to it even more. As a final touch, he also has Engine of Destruction, capable of being a situational assassination caster. He is on a medium base, which means screening him can be difficult at times. However, he has the amusing ability to replace living models he personally kills with Wrack models, either to use for Focus or to blow up for yet more damage!
Severius: The old man of Menoth, Severius is our heavy-magic caster, and is quite capable of running aggressive and defensive lists easily – it's very hard to make an army with him that doesn't work. Carrying the unique spell Eye of Menoth, it's like giving the Choir of Menoth's Battle hymm to the entire army, though not as strong. His feat also surprisingly shuts down all enemy magic for a turn, and can prevent the army from running jacks against your army. Severius is still an old man though, and is quite fragile.
eSeverius: Severius is now the leader of the Protectorate of Menoth, and has traded his old spell list for a new set of spells. He switched from heavy-magic to finesse control. Constant casting of Influence can really hurt an unprepared opponent, and Awareness gives all his Warjacks 360 degrees LoS, along with a few other bonuses that make you wonder if Everblight himself somehow snuck his Warbeasts into the army. Remember though, he's still an old man.
Thyra: Our newest addition to the Protectorate as of Wrath, she is a true assassination caster with a couple useful unit buffs. Our fastest caster and a Daughter of the Flame, both combine into a devastating melee monster. And just like eKreoss, she has her own elite cadre that buffs the Daughters into a bit more of a dangerous unit. She opens up a lot of new tools and tricks to the army, providing a faster playstyle not seen in our army. She's also one of the few Warcasters who can deny tough, something Trollbloods really hate. She has the highest Def among Protectorate warcasters, but shares the lowest Arm value, so anything that gets through will hurt. (Note-Can't say squishiest, given Severius, Kreoss, and HR's stats!)
Vindictus: The first MkII Warcaster, Vindictus is a primary infantry caster. Running best with Zealots for safety, he helps infantry models move faster and through cover, allowing for speed usually not seen in Protectorate lists, while also having one of the best defensive spells in the game, Defender's Ward. He works well with a very solo-heavy list, or with several units. He also has a limited but surprisingly efficient way to spread focus around, especially with Zealots nearby. Use of that spell though really shines when 3 or more warjacks are on the field.
Summary:
This is only the tip of the iceberg for the fanatical who are empowered by their angry God. Their combat infantry, warjacks, and support provide greater insights into how they fight. If you feel that following a synergistic army combined with the support of a God that punishes the unfaithful is up your alley, then perhaps the Protectorate of Menoth is for you. Any questions can be asked in the comments, and I'll do my best to answer them.
