Tactica: Exemplar Errants

As promised a couple of entries ago here is my take on Exemplar Errants and their use in the game, I’ve included the Errant Seneschal in this tactica too, given the obvious synergy.

Errant Unit Overview:

Exemplar Errants unit

The Exemplar Errants are possibly the best unit available to the Protectorate of Menoth and arguably one of the best units in the game, quite a statement and something I’ll attempt to justify in this article.  Errants are a medium cost unit at 5 points for a minimum unit and 8 points for a full unit, the unit attachment being an average 2 points; in all fairness this is quite cheap for what they bring to the table.

Offence:

The Errants are speed 5 without reach, so their threat range for a charge is mediocre (without buffs); they do however possess a RNG 10 crossbow and therefore can provide ranged support.  Errants have a huge array of abilities, some of which are provided by the UA (the UA is mandatory by the way) and solo (Errant Seneschal).  Regards melee capability, they have a high MAT of 7 and are weapon masters at P&S 9, this will average a score of 23 on the charge, something to bear in mind when selecting a target.  They are RAT 6, one less than their melee stat, but still respectable, hitting DEF 13 on average rolls.  The Errant crossbow is Blessed and magical, which means it ignores the bonus to enemy DEF and ARM buffs created by spells (note however it wouldn’t ignore cover or concealment benefits if these were gained through a spell) and can damage incorporeal models.  In summary they are fairly elite in terms of their offensive aptitude and highly versatile given they possess good ranged and melee capabilities.

Defence:

The Errants have a fairly low-to-medium DEF stat of 12, but a very high ARM of 16.  These stats can be improved with certain Warcasters’ spells as well as in game effects and from other sources e.g. terrain and buffing solos.

Errant Abilities:

Errants have Advance Deployment, Self Sacrifice and Fearless as standard.  The Unit Attachment brings tactics: Quick Work and tactics: Pathfinder to the unit as well as being non-targetable by enemy spells.  The merits of the UA and solo abilities are discussed below.

Advance Deployment:

This is a double edged sword, on the pro side it allows the Errants to be placed ahead of the army by up to 6”, this helps with their fairly slow speed, but as I came to realise it brings them closer to the enemy more quickly and their inevitable deaths.  Basically they are always going to be ahead of the main Protectorate force and as such will be the first unit in range and get targeted first.  Positioning them on a flank, or not advancing them quite so quickly can mitigate this and on a serious note the tendency is to simply hurl them forwards as fast as possible into the jaws of the enemy army!

Fearless:

A simple one, they won’t flee from terror causing or abomination models, nor will they need to check command should they sustain 50% casualties.  This makes them very reliable and can be counted on until the bitter end.

Self Sacrifice:

A whole article could be written on this ability; however I will try and be succinct.  Simply put, if you would loose an Errant to an enemy attack, you may choose to Self Sacrifice and destroy another Errant within 3” of the disabled Errant.  In other words you can get a measure of control over which of your models die.  Now the above statement can be pulled apart with many ifs and buts, some of which I will explain below as well as how to get the best use out of the ability.

Self Sacrifice means that another Errant destroys itself allowing the target model to heal 1 point of damage, therefore in-game effects which trigger on boxing or destroying an enemy model DO NOT occur, examples include additional attacks or moves which are triggered when an enemy is killed such as Beserk, Snap Fire, Warpath, Shanghai and many more.  Souls/corpses are also not generated, though if the model which Self Sacrificed is within range of the soul/corpse collector its soul/corpse will be collected as these trigger off destroyed models – so choose carefully.  Be also aware that effects which prevent healing will make sad days for Self Sacrificing Errants, basically if you chose to Self Sacrifice you would loose two models as the original can not heal!  Additionally you can not Self Sacrifice on a simultaneous attack, such as Thresher or that of an AOE, only sequential attacks.  See p.66 & p.244 Prime MKii for further explanations of this.  As noted above there could be a whole article on this skill, but the basics are covered; as a player getting the best out of Self Sacrifice is what makes Errants shine.  Read on for some hints and tips in this department!

Exemplar Errants Officer and Banner Bearer

UA ability- Pathfinder:

Errants aren’t slowed down by rough terrain, this is something that Protectorate models lack somewhat.  If you intend to take gaming seriously, i.e. attending tournaments, some thought should be focused on mitigating this flaw as a board with loads of terrain could spell disaster before a single dice is rolled!

UA ability- Quickwork:

Similarly to Self Sacrifice, this skill can be maximised by good planning and spotting opportunities, positioning your models after a charge in order to get the second shot off is key.  Remember that after a charge you must face your opponent directly, which will dictate the Errants field of vision.  Additionally if the Errant is still engaged, i.e. if it entered melee with two enemy models it will not be able to make the shot.  It is worth noting that in certain circumstances this ability is unbelievably powerful allowing each Errant to kill two enemy models, dubbed as a ‘live the dream’ round on several internet forums!  I would recommend using it wherever possible and should the extra dice or distance not be critical, just advance the Errants into melee so you can get a more favourable arc of vision.

UA ability- Purity:

Whilst the banner bearer is in formation Errants can not be targeted by enemy spells, note however that they can still be affected by them, just not targeted – so sprays and AOE’s for example could be exploited by a canny opponent.  Also note that friendly spells can still affect Errants as Purity differs from Spell Ward for example which means a unit can not be targeted by spells period.

The abilities the UA brings are what brings the Errant unit up from good to excellent and to be honest is mandatory if you are fielding Errants.  It should be noted that both Pathfinder and Quickwork are tactics, which unlike granted, are not lost if the officer is slain.  Often sniping out the officer in a unit will render it less battlefield potent as the abilities die with the model granting it, not in this case however!  Additionally the banner bearer must be alive and in formation to give the Errants Purity.  A good tip, if the enemy, has no real offensive spell casting and Purity is virtually useless, Self Sacrifice this guy early on as he has no weapons.  Obviously the reverse is true if you really need the immunity to spells; use Self Sacrifice and Take Up to keep him alive.

Exemplar Errant Seneschal

Errant Seneschal ability- Hunter:

The Errant Seneschal essentially brings Hunter (within his CMD of 9”) to the Errants already vast toolbox; basically the ability to ignore forests and cloud effects for LOS purposes as well as not incurring the negative ‘to hit’ penalties for cover or concealment.

The Errant Seneschal has the same stats and weapons as the Errant Officer as well as having Pathfinder and Assault (similar to Quickwork), he can also have a friendly Errant within his CMD Self Sacrifice to keep him alive.  As a solo, if he dies then Errants will loose the Hunter ability.  As far as this model goes I am undecided whether it is worth the 2 point investment, however there will be times that it will win games; obviously it is game-to-game specific and highly dependant on terrain.

Advanced Errant Tactics

The various skills and abilities of the Errants have been discussed above, as well as a few tactics for each of these.  Below I will attempt to highlight how to get the most out of the Errants, expanding on the above.

*They’ve got Advance Deployment, so you can position them opposite the unit you want to focus on, alternatively not opposite a nasty threat (something that Preyed them for example).  Plan where they are going to fight and with which unit, use their Pathfinder and Hunter skills to your benefit, only practice and experience will tell you where best to position them.  Also remember the urge to ram them down the enemies throat will get them killed quickly, so you don’t have to run them a full 10” on the first turn.

*Look for ways to exploit Quickwork, sniping out support pieces is an added extra, consider the range: 8.5” charge, then a 10” crossbow shot, with Hunter you might see through a forest where something juicy is waiting unawares for example; or just the raw additional extra kill – remember to always look for a ‘live the dream’ round!

*Self Sacrifice and tar pitting an enemy down is where the unit really shines, denying your opponent that important charge lane and making them over commit resources can turn the tide.  I’ve played tournament games where a single Errant has held up an entire unit of Trollblood Cavalry or preventing an enemy Avatar from charging because the opponent underestimated Self Sacrifice.  Use it whenever you are charged, so that the opponent doesn’t get to attack with half his models, simply take off one within 3” where the opponent hasn’t attacked yet and has no other targets in range – this is possibly the simplest and most effective use, just practice positioning to get the most out of it.  As noted above continuously keep looking for a way to deny your opponent, but practice and experience is the key here.  You’ll know when you’ve got it right as your opponents will moan about how good Errants are more than anything else! ;-)

Synergies

Errants themselves don’t make up an army, though a full unit with UA and the solo take up a fair few points, though I feel they’re a bargain for their cost.  I’m not so convinced by the Seneschal, but certainly a unit and UA.  They will go with any Warcaster the Protectorate can offer as they bring their own toolbox to the table, however I have found that Menoth Warcasters with the Defender’s Ward spell make the Errants incredibly hard to kill, basically their mediocre DEF of 12 increases to 14, where MAT and RAT of enemy troopers needs to be 7 to hit them on average, meaning only elite troopers will hit them on an average roll – obviously not being hit is the first step to surviving and achieving their goal.  The added +2 ARM combos even better than the DEF bonus as ARM 18 is very hard for basic troopers to crack reliably, POW 10 guns will need to roll quite a bit above average to kill them and only charging infantry and weapon masters pose a serious threat.

There are several Protectorate Warcasters with Defender’s Ward and other similar DEF/ARM buffing spells and Errants make ideal targets given their proximity to the action  Other positive Warcaster synergies include the Harbinger, she can make the Errants melee threat range greater with Crusader’s Call, Feora et al can give the Errants Ignite to make them hit harder, Thyra can even make them stealthed, as well as many others; but when playing them with Defender’s Ward you’ll really notice the difference.

I have found that perhaps the dirtiest combination is using the Errants with a Defender’s Ward Warcaster and the following solos: Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord and the Covenant of Menoth.  This combo elevates the Errants from excellent to just obscene.  Rhupert gives the Errants Tough, whilst the Covenant issues ‘no knock-down’ in its CMD meaning that each Errant remains at DEF 14 and ARM 18, has tough, can Self Sacrifice and can’t be knocked down, nor targeted by enemy spells!  Errants can take a tough roll first and if that fails then Self Sacrifice.  This is why the unit becomes so powerful as your opponent will have to dedicate significant resources to shift them.

Clearly there are weaknesses that a skilled, canny opponent will exploit, snipers will hit DEF 14 fairly easily and opt to cause 1 point of damage.  Eiryss2 will shoot Defender’s Ward off the Errants, as will any other models with upkeep removing abilities.  Some units specialise in ignoring tough and others will prevent you from healing, spotting these threats and picking your fights is a skill of the game.

Summary

In summary I hope this article has highlighted the strengths/weaknesses of the Errants, stressed the importance of the UA’s abilities and will inspire you to use Errants wisely.  I have touched on the intricacies of Self Sacrifice and using this ability to great effect is the key, but if you’re a beginner or just not that confident read and re-read the sections on how it works (pages of relevance are quoted in the main body of the text above) as you’ll need to explain it to your opponent no doubt!  Look out for a ‘live the dream’ round with Quickwork, I managed it once facing a full Winterguard ‘Deathstar’ and fully Kayazy, knocked them all down with Kreoss’ feat and each Errant killed two infantrymen each, effectively ending the game!

Thanks for reading :-)