Karchev the Terrible

Ugh, I've been so bad lately. I do really apologize, to both of my readers. I have been busy, busy, but it's time for a new caster series. I guess that since I'm apparently only doing these lately, their length will have to make up for their infrequency. This week we're talking about Karchev the Terrible.

Karchev is one of the few 5-Focus warcasters, though like most of the others he has access to more. His statline is impressive: it's more reminiscent of a Khadoran warjack than a warcaster. His speed is the lowest of any warcaster, and his defense is near the lowest. His armor is quite high, though, and with a decent focus camp his armor gets to pretty significant levels. He is also well-provisioned in the attack area, having a very powerful 10-inch spray that automatically knocks down everyone it touches and two very powerful melee attacks, one of which has Reach and one of which can perform power attacks, like throws. Finally, his damage grid is enormous, making him very survivable. Like a warjack, if he loses systems his attacks become less powerful, and he has only limited ability to heal himself via Focus; still, the sheer damage he can take outstrips any other caster, even the 20-health behemoths like the Butcher and Rasheth.

Karchev's special rules are a major part of him. First of all is Arcantrik Turbine, which can solve one of his two biggest problems (but not both at the same time): lack of focus or low speed. It either grants him a focus point or gives him +2” of movement and Pathfinder. Note that this triggers at the start of Karchev's activation, so the focus cannot be allocated; still, you'll often be spending focus during your activation, so this isn't so bad. It also means you can look at the lay of the land before you decide which benefit to take, as your plan may change over the course of your turn.

Man in the Machine is his second special rule, and it's a really huge one. What it boils down to this this: Karchev is alive, but he's not a warrior nor a warjack. For most purposes, you can treat him as a warjack-- but non-damaging effects that specifically target warjacks, such as eNemo's Tractor Field, have no effect on him. On the other hand, effects that damage warjacks in a specific way, like Iron Rot, will affect him. Karchev can be repaired, and normal heals can only heal the three boxes of his “Body” system, which replaces the cortex and allows him to allocate focus. Karchev can trample, which means he can compensate for his low speed by moving at +3” without having to immediately end his activation for failing a charge.

On to Karchev's spells. First up is Eruption, one of his two extremely expensive attacking spells-- although this one is really worth it. It's like a fire-based Breath of Corruption, but more powerful: a POW 14 hit to the direct target AND everyone under the template. This isn't blast damage, either, so Battle Mages and Satyxis both take their lumps like everyone else. The cloud stays there, too, doing a POW 14 to everyone who touches it. Karchev will need to boost to reliably hit anyone with this, and if he does so that'll cost 80% of his Focus. Still, sometimes you don't have better options. Fortunately, even if you scatter you're still doing POW 14s, so boosting is not always necessary-- and if you absolutely have to hit someone, running a Khadoran 'jack into base to base contact with them and zapping him from behind works. They're DEF 10, going to 14 in melee, and 12 if Karchev starts his activation in their rear arc-- so you'll hit on a 7, average on 2d6, and toast everyone touching them with a POW 14.

Ground Zero is a sort of “get away from me!” spell. Karchev has a large base and is easy to engage, but sometimes you need to clear a path to get out of there. Ground Zero blasts everyone within roughly an inch and a half of Karchev's base away from him, hitting them for a POW 13 and pushing them d6” straight away. Note that if you are careful and have Sylys Wyshnalyrr, you can upkeep Tow, cast Ground Zero, then trample away, towing your 'jacks and cast Unearthly Rage. However, this will require careful placement, as you don't want to push your own 'jacks out of towing range. Remember that you push in an order you choose, so if you carefully place cheap models like mechanics touching your 'jacks, they won't be able to be pushed away. A pushed model stops if it contacts another model, regardless of base size.

Sidearms is a nice upkeep that helps keep your 'jacks safe. While they're B2B with other models in your battlegroup, your jacks gain +1 DEF for each other 'jack they're touching and can't be knocked down. Now, normally the DEF bonus won't be much, as your 'jacks start at DEF 10. If you're Towing three models, though-- and this will be tricky, since you'll have to cast or upkeep Tow, then advance, then cast Sidearms, since both this and Tow are upkeeps on the self-- then you'll be getting a +3 on Karchev and the 'jack directly behind him and a +2 on each of the others. This will put Karchev up to DEF 15, which is respectable, and if you're in a forest or on a hill the cumulative bonuses can put your DEF 14 'jacks up to something significant. More importantly, the Tow formation is vulnerable to slams, which can knock down all four 'jacks when aimed properly. If this is a possibility, it's wise to case Sidearms to prevent knockdown. You'll still take damage, but at least you won't have to spend lots of focus standing up.

Tow is the first of Karchev's signature spells, and it's a real killer. It's a bit tricky to work out, but basically it functions like this: when you cast or upkeep it, Karchev has Tow active. While it's active, if he moves, any friendly 'jack that passes within 2” of him can be “hooked.” You can “hook” up to three 'jacks, and if you do, at the end of your movement they are all placed in his rear arc facing any direction you wish. This spell is one-half of the dreaded Karchev Powerslide, the maneuver that gives your SPD 4 Khadoran 'jacks among the highest threat range in the game. Karchev can start 2” in front of a 'jack, upkeep Tow, trigger his Turbine, then Trample obliquely towards the enemy (though you can't change facing after a trample, so be careful; you can Run if you don't want to cast Unearthly Rage, but if you do make sure you allocate out all your Focus at the start of the turn). This is a 9” movement, and then the friendly 'jack can be placed in your back arc, where it can charge a further 7”. Counting the place effects and the potential of Reach, this can be a 20” or higher threat range. Combined with Unearthly Rage, Karchev's feat for free charges, and a focus to buy another attack, this is an astonishingly large number of very high-POW boosted damage rolls. Remember that 'jacks must be placed in Karchev's rear arc, so frequently he won't be able to attack himself unless you get lucky with positioning-- and enemies will be getting the back strike bonus against him, if he places his butt facing them. Frequently, of course, this won't matter, as the game will either have ended or your opponent will have bigger problems to deal with.

Unearthly Rage is Karchev's best spell, and indeed one of the best spells in the game. It's woefully simple: Karchev and his warjacks gain boosted attack and damage rolls and magical weapons. That's it. It's brutal. This is a pure focus multiplier, and on a good day with some 'jacks it's the equivalent of 4-6 focus per 'jack. It only lasts for your turn, and thus won't benefit free strikes, but also won't benefit attacks made via Domination or the like from your opponent. If your 'jacks are going into melee, you should always cast this unless you're running. Even a 'jack with two base attacks will benefit from four focus worth of boosts, making this worth it. It only affects melee attacks, though there are some very good Karchev builds using ranged 'jacks.

Karchev's feat is a bit simple and underwhelming-- it's more of a “free focus” battery like Unearthly Rage. His 'jacks can turn to face any direction at the start of their activation, can charge for free and gain Pathfinder. This is quite useful since if you're upkeeping Tow and casting Unearthly Rage, you often don't have enough left to let all of your 'jacks charge. If they charge for free, they can get into melee and benefit from Rage. Total War is for the turn where the metal hits the flesh and you get stuck in, so maximizing benefit is mostly a timing issue, but it's often easy to tell when you're going to make it in. So pop it then.

Karchev's tier list is interesting. It allows all non-character 'jacks plus Behemoth, Battle Mechaniks, Greylords, and Man-o-Wars. Tier 1 lets you take as many Ternions as you wish, and increases your Koldun Lord FA based on how many Ternions you take. Tier 2 requires two units of Man-o-Wars and lets them Advance Move, somewhat compensating for their low speed. Tier 3 requires at least one Ternion and gives you some free cloud effects on Turn 1, helping to shield you from the enemy's first turn offense (if they have one). Tier 4 requires three warjacks and makes all of his 'jacks cheaper.

The Tier 4 bonus is very nice, given how many warjacks you'll want to bring (and how expensive Karchev's favorite 'jacks are) but requiring two units of Man-o-Wars is pretty onerous. Man-o-Wars do well with casters who can support them by increasing their speed or survivability, but Karchev does nothing for them. And the points you spend on Man-o-Wars will likely outweigh the points you'll save on 'jacks. Also, the tier leaves out some key models you'll want, like Beast-09, Widowmakers, and mercs.

Let's talk about some key model synergies. Jack synergies are important, since a Karchev list is so 'jack focused. He likes the Destroyer, Spriggan, Behemoth, Beast-09, and possibly the Kodiak.

The Destroyer works well with Karchev for a specific strategy: towing it around the edge of the battlefield, dropping tons of POW 14 templates all over the enemy. If you're going for a melee-based army, which plays into Karchev's powerslide, you'll want someone else, but with the Behemoth and two Destroyers you can drop four templates per turn all over the enemy while staying out of engagement range, and still aiming. You can see over Karchev with Arcing Fire, making positioning less important.

The Spriggan is probably the best non-character 'jack for the Powerslide, largely due to Reach extending its threat range. It has a very potent POW 18 main attack, as well as some utility-- the ability to launch grenades or flares while being towed around, at least until it's time to engage, can be very helpful. Bulldoze is also a great utility ability for an army that relies on mobility and speed, as pushing enemies out of charge lanes can help three very tightly bunched 'jacks all reach their targets. Still, if you're taking a Spriggan, you're mostly taking it for that badass lance, and the ability to powerslide someone's face right off.

The Behemoth is a classic Karchev 'jack. It's tough as nails, it hits harder than almost any other warjack in the game (against ARM 18-19, it's effectively POW 21; against ARM 17, it's effectively POW 20; against ARM 20, it's effectively POW 22), and it can launch tons of bombard shots while you advance. You can rain steel on the enemy while you maneuver into position, getting the aiming bonus all the while, and then charge in and shred their heavies when you need to. A top choice.

Beast-09 is the centerpiece of any good powerslide. It's an absolute monster, hitting at MAT 7 with a reach POW 19, and with Thresher to boot. With Unearthly Rage, a single Thresher can do serious damage to multiple enemy 'jacks, if they're dumb enough to stick together, and the combination of Unearthly Rage and its Imprint mean that a thresher can reliably hit even super high-DEF enemies like Kayazy (although often you won't need both and you'll be casting Unearthly Rage anyways). Still, free runs to advance in the early game, Reach, and an absolutely punishing damage output means that it's the best Powerslide 'jack in the game, even better than the Spriggan (for just one more point) and with Thresher to boot. It can kill warjacks and infantry, it can do anything it needs you do.

The Kodiak is a possibility, if you need a midrange 'jack and if you're already running 3 others. Its cloud is a nice defensive ability, its chain attack benefits strongly from Unearthly Rage, and Heavy Boiler means it can keep up even if three other 'jacks are being Towed. It's not as powerful in melee as the others, but it's very effective against enemy 'jacks, with the ability to throw out two boosted POW 16s and then throw the target away. Note that it does not have Reach, like the Behemoth, so it's a bit trickier to get it into melee than the Spriggan or Beast.

Units and solos that work with Karchev are more valuable for what they can do for him, rather than what he can do for them-- which in most cases is nothing. Battle Mechaniks are a must, for their ability to keep Karchev and his 'jacks in fighting shape, and Greylord Ternions provide some much needed versatility. Doom Reavers work well unsupported, though they don't really provide anything that Karchev is missing except infantry removal. Widowmakers are great for their ability to surgically remove key enemy models. Nyss Hunters are excellent infantry removal, something Karchev loves. For solos, Koldun Lords provide some great support, a Widowmaker Marksman can support your Widowmaker unit, and Sylys Wyshnalyrr is an amazing support piece to help Karchev manage everything he has to manage. It's tough to argue with Sylys, but a War Dog can be helpful if you are considering committing Karchev to fight personally. Finally, an Ogrun Bokur can prevent some real problems.

Battle Mechaniks serve a simple role: they keep Karchev and his 'jacks repaired. Losing an arm or movement system can cripple you, but Mechaniks can get a 'jack right back in the fight, and they are also the only way to restore MOST of Karchev's health (except for his Body system). I'd go with two minimum units over one maximum, which gives you some strategic flexibility. It's also not hard to keep them base to base with 'jacks for Iron Sentinel, but be careful of slams!

Greylord Ternions are an interesting choice, and one that doesn't show up too often. Ice Cage is a very impressive ability for its ability to make enemies stationary, but Unearthly Rage often means accuracy is not a problem. The ability to generate cloud effects is very potent, and combined with Sidearms can often push your warjacks' defense up to the point where it actually becomes an issue for the opponent-- very rare for Khador. They can also fight decently in combat if you have a Koldun Lord, though you'll want to pick fairly weak enemies as their MAT is not great. Finally, if you have nothing better to do, a few Sprays is also nice-- note that they're far more accurate with Sprays than with melee attacks, so unless you have Battle Wizard and are fairly sure you'll be hitting and killing the enemy, you should stick with spraying. They're pretty pricey for some 13/13 one-wound infantry models, so use your jacks to keep them protected while you advance.

Doom Reavers are an interesting choice. Karchev has no problem destroying enemy 'jacks with his own, but infantry clouds can pose a threat, since only Beast can thresh and 3” AOEs can be unreliable. Doom Reavers are great at clearing infantry with a Reach, Weapon Mastering Berserk attack, but they might then gum up the charge lanes you want open unless you plan carefully so they remove each other after they're done removing the enemy. You usually don't want berserkers killing each other, but if it clears an opening to deliver Beast to the enemy caster, it can be a good thing. Just make sure you need it before you do it. They have Spell Ward anyways, making them unbuffable by many casters, but even Karchev's feat can't support them like Butcher's or Irusk's. Take them if you think you will need to, but I think Karchev has better infantry removal options.

Widowmakers and Nyss Hunters serve similar roles: both shoot out enemy infantry. Nyss Hunters can shoot right through forests, which is nice and helps keep them safe, and can fight passably well in melee. Karchev can't buff them, but they do reasonably well on their own. They both take out infantry screens without gumming up the works with their bodies. Widowmakers are slightly more accurate and have a longer range, but lack Hunter; they also have a lower defense, but Pathfinder and Camouflage more than compensate for that. They also advance deploy and have Sniper, allowing them to get into position quicker and take out even shieldwalled infantry (or do some damage to heavy 'jacks if necessary). In contrast, you get many more Nyss Hunters, the ability to CRA lets them take out high-DEF high-priority targets, and with Weapon Master they can actually fight in melee. They also have a higher base DEF, making them safer out in the open. It's up to you which you take (or take both!) but either present a compelling infantry removal option.

Koldun Lords do everything basic Ternions do (almost; they lack Blizzard) but have a very useful ability in Power Booster. Since Karchev often won't be allocating Focus, you'll have plenty of chances to Power Booster someone, which will usually go to buying another attack (since Karchev will feat the turn he engages). Koldun Lords are slightly better fighters than regular Ternions, though it's still not their preferred place to be. They can marshal, though doing so would be a mistake as you'd lose the benefit of Unearthly Rage. Power Booster is why you buy them, since one extra focus on a warjack is really three if it's used to buy an attack under Unearthly Rage, but whether this is a worthwhile expenditure of two points is up to you.

If you're taking Widowmakers and have two points free, a Marksman can help keep them safe by allowing them to Swift Hunter deeper into terrain after shooting, but he's competing with Kell Bailoch for that two-point sniper slot and Bailoch can shoot twice (and magically). How much infantry removal shooting do you need? It obviously depends on your opponent's list, which you won't know in advance, so you have to sort of dial it in based on how comfortable you are. Two points won't buy you another Khadoran 'jack, but a cloud of support models might, and that's a tough tradeoff to make.

Sylys Wyshnalyrr is a dream come true for Karchev. He allows him to upkeep Tow for free, giving him another Focus (and every one is precious) and giving him more tactical options-- like the aforesaid Tow/Ground Zero/Unearthly Rage combination. Wyshnalyrr makes offensive spell-slinging with Eruption a bit more viable with his other abilities, making it less essential to boost, though it's still almost always a better use of focus to sling Beast-09 into an infantry formation and let him Thresh them away. Still, that extra focus is not to be sneezed at, especially since it allows you to upkeep Tow even if Karchev is in the area of Lamentation, shot by a Disruptor Bolt or something like that.

The War Dog competes with Sylys and thus won't show up often, but he deserves a mention for being a combat support model for a caster who most definitely can fight. He's also very cheap, thus making him good filler. Being able to run out of combat without free strikes and Tow your jacks with you is a very valuable ability, and the +2 DEF against melee attacks may just push Karchev into “hard to hit” territory for many enemies. Finally, since you'll be spending a lot of time with your butt towards the enemy for powerslides, negating back strikes might help. It's something to think about, though I'd reach for Sylys first in many cases.

Finally, the Ogrun Bokur is there for one reason only: taking shots for Karchev. A large base with DEF 12 and the requirement to be right up in the thick of things is hard to protect, and a single Disruptor Bolt can really ruin your day. The Bokur can take that bullet, as well as any Momentum or Tractor Field shots, and keep your army moving. And he can fight, too!

Here's a sample 35 point list:
Karchev -5
Behemoth +13
Beast-09 +11
Kodiak +8
Sylys Wyshnalyrr +2
Ogrun Bokur +3
Max Mechaniks +3

A nice, simple but effective list, containing two ARM 20 and one ARM 21 'jack at 35 points. Remember that the Bokur doesn't actually have to be in the path of the shot to absorb it, just within 2” of Karchev, so keep him a bit safe. In fact, if your Kodiak is running to keep up instead of being Towed, there's a spot behind Karchev and between his friends that's nice and safe. The Mechaniks keep everything running and Sylys stretches out the Focus. Sylys does have to be within 3” of Karchev to use his little spell assist Arcane Secrets, but only within 8” to upkeep a spell for free, so keep him safe. This list lacks the delicious infantry removal options discussed above, but hits like a train. If you want, you can drop the Mechaniks to a minimum unit and switch Sylys for the dog to free up two points, which can bump the Kodiak to a Spriggan or buy you Kell Bailoch. At 50 points, you can add maxed out Nyss Hunters to this, split the one max Mechanik unit into two minimum ones, switch the Kodiak for a Spriggan and add the two-point solo of your choice: a Koldun Lord, Bailoch, Gorman di Wulfe, or Widowmaker Marksman, perhaps.