Hot on the heels of Hedkrakka’s Madmob come Kainan’s Reapers, the first-ever Ossiarch Bonereapers warband for Warhammer Underworlds. Sadly, we couldn’t get hold of Nagash to learn why he sent the Reapers to Beastgrave, but we do have the next best thing – Warhammer Underworlds' designer, Dave Sanders.
Dave: A deadly threat has returned to Direchasm – Mir Kainan is back with his Ossiarch Bonereapers to claim a tithe of bone, and in his eyes (eye sockets?), anyone who crosses his path is eligible to pay this tithe. There is a great deal to unpack with this warband, formed as they are through the utmost craftsmanship of the Mortisans and instilled with the expertise of countless fallen warriors. Kainan is almost a warband in himself and worthy of reams of text, as is the new tithe mechanic that represents the Ossiarch Bonereapers’ grisly harvest. Here, however, I’m going to focus on the Morteks that make up the bulk of the warband.
Morteks, Advance
The Morteks are designed to be greater than the sum of their parts, with a couple of abilities that allow them to work together to combat any threat. More than perhaps any other warband, the Morteks are meant to work together as a unit, and this is most obvious in their Mortek Advance ability.
Found on each Mortek in the warband other than Binar Khenta (their commander), this reaction lets you move the Morteks across the battlefield as a single unit. Once one Mortek has moved (which could be as part of a Charge action), you can use that Mortek’s reaction to move the next one, and that Mortek can use its reaction to move the next, and so on. With a bit of careful planning, you can surround an isolated enemy fighter, or wall off an area of the battlefield, or claim a couple of objectives, all with a single activation.
You must be cautious when using this reaction, as each Mortek can still only move once per round under normal circumstances. There is a balance to be struck between getting the greatest value from your activations and avoiding overextending yourself.
Activate Nadirite
The second mechanic that emphasises how the Morteks work together is Nadirite. This ability represents the power of the weapons carried by each of the Morteks other than Hakor (who just has a big sword).
This ability has the potential to allow the Morteks to punch above their weight as long as you can get supporting fighters in place, granting them a situational +1 Damage that you can make more reliable with judicious use of the Mortek Advance ability. It’s worth considering Binar Khenta and Nohem in particular – the Nadirite ability allows Khenta to strike for 3 Damage from up to two hexes away, and Nohem to strike for 2 Damage from up to three hexes away with his Nadirite arrows.
Mortek Advance isn’t your only tool for making the most of Nadirite – the Ceaseless Advance ploy also allows you to move your Morteks en masse. Meanwhile, the Exceptional Efficiency and Lethal Accuracy ploys give you re-rolls and additional dice, respectively, to help you find those all-important support symbols. In addition, the Empowered Nadirite upgrade gives one fighter a huge boost, giving their Nadirite weapons +1 Damage (with the exception of Nohem’s arrows) and +1 Dice.
The combination of these abilities and cards creates a unique role for the Morteks in Warhammer Underworlds. With practice, you’ll be able to fashion your rank-and-file warriors into a lethal machine that presents a formidable challenge to your opponents.
Thanks, Dave! We hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the mechanics that make the Morteks special. If you’ve already started planning how to ensure that Nagash gets his due (or how to stop Kainan and his bony buddies), make sure you join us on the Warhammer Underworlds Facebook page to share your ideas.