Post by Fadril Adren on Jul 29, 2015 6:25:20 GMT -5
GUILD LORE:Make no mistake, the Guild exists for one reason and one reason only. There is talk of justice and peace, but these are secondary concerns, byproducts of their primary interest. The Guild exists to maintain the production of Malifaux Soulstone above all other things. The citizens abide by Guild law because it offers some amount of protection, but no one is confused about the way the Guild exerts its hold over Malifaux and its resources.
For thousands of years, sorcerers have been a clandestine and erudite group. Their concerns lay with scholarly pursuits, experiments, and arcane rituals. Rarely did they concern themselves with social or political concerns, except where those issues interfered with their own private matters. In such times, these sorcerers would gather together to protect their shared interests and leverage their might against the world.
There has been no greater discovery in the history of man than Malifaux and its Soulstones, and there is no room for subtlety in its production. Desperate to control this priceless resource, conjurers, magicians, and wizards came together to establish the Guild of Mercantilers. This organization brought law and order to the chaos and violence of Malifaux. Above that, they ensure that the Breach never closes and that the supply of Soulstones is never threatened.
The Guild exists as a largely self-governing body, both on the frontier of Malifaux and back on Earth, where it is one of the world's most influential organizations. Its first duty remains to the enforcement of laws that allow for maximum Soulstone production, but over the years, a number of specialized branches have been developed to combat the unique dangers of Malifaux.
Chief among those dangers are the nightmarish Neverborn. So zealous is the Guild in stamping out the threat of Neverborn that almost anyone can become deputized as a Neverborn Hunter. The job comes with a rather high casualty rate as many deputies fail to survive even their first contact with these creatures. However, there are some who excel in this role, most notably the famous Ortega family, which is credited with hundreds of slain monsters.
The magic of Necromancy has proven to be a difficult issue for the Guild to police. Those who practice Necromancy, the madmen who call themselves Resurrectionists, often act via proxy through their reanimated minions. This frequently makes it difficult to identify and locate the perpetrators of their crimes. The Death Marshals are the grim, stoic faces of final death responsible for hunting down these criminals and bringing them to bloody justice.
While the efforts of the Death Marshals and the Neverborn Hunters are almost unanimously appreciated by Malifaux's citizens, the Witch Hunters are seen as villains of the highest order. People who live in Malifaux sometimes become empowered by the rich energies of Malifaux and develop magical abilities. These Arcanists represent a danger to the Guild's authority by practicing magic without their express consent. Untrained and undisciplined, these rogue elements are as much a danger to themselves as to the general population, and many Arcanists quickly take to crime upon discovering their new talents. No citizen escapes the vigilant eye of the Witch Hunter, and in the eyes of the Guild, it is best to cut deep to remove this cancer, lest it spread.
Together, these bodies enforce the fascist rule of the Guild and ensure the obedience of the population. The weary workers of Malifaux may dig the Soulstones out from the ground, but it is the Guild and its benefactors who enjoy the spoils of their labor.
GUILD TACTICS:
The Guild tend to favor direct tactics over subterfuge. They have a strong focus on ranged combat, with plenty of models who are capable of putting out good damage at long range. There is also a minor focus on scheme marker manipulation, particularly among the Guardsmen, who are trained to notice strange things while on patrol and react accordingly.
The Guild mostly deals in Living models, though they also have a number of Constructs capable of providing support for their Living allies. Their Enforcers and Henchmen are quite dangerous, but since just about everyone has a gun of some sort, even their Minions can prove dangerous to their enemies.
GUILD MASTERS:
SONNIA CRIID -
Where there is order, there is always someone trying to disrupt that order. Sonnia has spent her professional life perfecting the use of her own magic in order to fight against the Arcanists and other illegal magic-users, literally fighting fire with fire. Many members of the Guild feel that she might be overstepping her boundaries, becoming more mage than Guild, but Sonnia understands that sometimes you must cut yourself free of traditional methods and answer your enemy's tactics in kind.
While the Guild battles many threats in the open, Sonnia's task is much harder. The Miners and Steamfitters Union is loved by many in Malifaux, but she has seen through their front. It is more than a worker's rights group: it is a full crime syndicate that must be stopped by any means necessary. It is not enough to raze the offices with fire. Instead, the Witch Hunter Task Force's job must be more subtle. Accidents must happen and conflicts must always be painted such that the M&SU leaders appear to be the instigators. It is a careful war that Sonnia must wage and there are few loyal enough to stay by her side.
Sonnia's great runed blade has struck down more than one witch, enchanted as it has been to confer even greater power over others who use magic. Even when it does not strike a killing blow, the long blade will bind a witch's powers with even the slightest graze. Sonnia will not say where she learned the art of such runed magic, but the Guild has given her free reign in her pursuit of illegal magic use and soulstone recovery.
Tactica:
Sonnia Criid is a Guild Master who enjoys blasting her enemies into the next century. She uses fire magic, making great use of Blaster Markers and the Burning Condition through her spells. Although her speed and Defense are relatively low, she has a fun bag of tricks which make her an interesting and competitive Master. Her Crews will generally favor Witch Hunters or models which hand out Burning, although most Guild models are good choices.
Flameburst is Sonnia’s key damage-dealing spell, so expect to use it frequently while she leads your Crew. It has a great Casting value and range, but Sonnia’s Abilities really make it shine. Flameburst can place Blast Markers, and Sonnia can has a much wider range of where she can place Blasts than other Masters, allowing her to cause damage where she needs it. Also, if the target has the Burning Condition, she can target them wherever they are, regardless of Line of Sight (there is no hiding from the head Witch Hunter). Finally, with Confiscated Lore, Sonnia can boost her Defense, Willpower, or Casting. While boosting Sonnia’s defensive stats is always a good option, boosting her Casting gives her one of the most frightening Attacks in the game.
Sonnia’s Upgrades give her a variety of options including the Ability to place Flame Wall Markers to impede enemy movement, the Ability to summon Witchling Stalkers, and a number of ways to thwart enemy spells. Ultimately, Sonnia is a Master who has some weaknesses in terms of speed and defense, but she more than makes up for it in her tendency to burn her enemies to a crisp, wherever they may be hiding.
LADY JUSTICE-
Though her eyes are covered with the traditional band of her station, there is little that Lady Justice of the Guild does not see. Few who earn her attention are lucky to live long enough to appreciate the perfect grace inherent in each movement as she lifts her greatsword for the final blow. Such is her speed and skill that Justice is able to turn even the mightiest blow against the rare individual brave enough to attack her.
Lady Justice leads the Death Marshals, a group she trains personally to hunt and kill those creatures which defy the very laws of nature – the undead. No one is more deserving of judgment than those who recall the dead from their peaceful slumber. She and her Death Marshals are trained in dark magics which give them an edge over their quarry, though each has payed a heavy price for such knowledge.
There is a quiet determination to everything that Lady Justice puts her competent hands to. With the purest understanding of what is right and wrong, there is little she cannot accomplish with her sword and Peacebringer. There is justice to be served and she is its willing servant.
Unlike many other members of the Guild, Lady Justice and her Death Marshals are viewed as protectors of Malifaux and have earned the favor of the populace. Many sleep more soundly knowing that Lady Justice is there to protect them from the horror of a Ressurectionist incursion.
Tactica:
Lady Justice is the up close and personal Guild combat Master. She wades into the enemy, cutting them down with her Greatsword and inspiring her Crew to acts of bravery along the way. Due to the versatility of her playstyle, any Guild models work well in a Lady Justice Crew, although thematically she favors Death Marshals.
The Greatsword Attack which Lady Justice has access to is one of the best Melee Attacks in the game. There are very few models that can stand toe to toe with her; and none of them for very long. She also has an above average amount of Wounds, an Action which can be used to heal herself, and access to cover wherever she goes. These defensive capabilities allow her to get where she wants to be: up close.
In addition to her amazing combat skills, Lady Justice can inspire others around her. Inspiring Swordplay gives friendly models a bonus when they see her kill an enemy, and her Last Stand Upgrade allows other models near her to follow her as she makes a Charge. Her other Upgrades add a fun array of options such as Triggers on her Greatsword to make more Attacks, Actions which specifically target Undead, and the Ability to prevent enemies from running away from her in combat. In total, Lady Justice is a straight-forward Master who always proves satisfying as she hacks enemies to pieces.
PERDITA ORTEGA -
The name Ortega is known throughout Malifaux as the first resource in fighting the war with the Neverborn. The family's history is ignoble, welcomed into the Guild only when times were too desperate for them to turn anyone away. Perdita Ortega is one of the finest shots in the family. In addition to renowned skill with a Peacebringer, she has an iron will that leaves no room for disrespect from anyone, family or not. Traditionally, leadership should have fallen to the eldest: Francisco, but such was her skill with diplomacy and tactics that he recognized her ability and stepped aside for the good of the entire family.
Stories have spread through all of Malifaux about the exploits of the Ortegas under Perdita's command. They say that she can shoot a target with her eyes closed, that she once killed three Neverborn with a single bullet, and that she can hit a target around a corner. Few have been brave enough to go to the source of these rumors, but those who have leave with even more questions.
Despite being one of the best hunters in the land, Perdita shares a strange connection to the Neverborn that approach her camp. She is one of the few who have managed to capture one of them alive and has bound it to her will. This has been the foundation of many rumors about her mother's identity. People who dare to ask such questions directly to the family, however, are not often able to ask questions again.
Tactica:
Perdita Ortega is the Guild gunslinger. She is capable of laying down a volley of fire to keep her enemies at bay while commanding her battle-hardened family. Although Perdita has a lower number of Wounds than average, her Attacks, Defense, and mobility are all excellent. She has a number of Abilities which benefit from having Family models around, so they should be a prime choice when assembling a Perdita Crew.
Perdita is known for cutting her enemies down with her Peacebringer, and this is definitely her most frightening Attack. She has an impressive fourteen inch range, but she can still use her shooting Attacks up close, meaning that she isn’t vulnerable to close combat like so many other ranged models. In fact, her shooting Attacks actually become more potent when she is up close. When that is coupled with the ability to Obey other models into following her orders, some amazing Triggers, and the capability to reposition at the cost of a card at the start of every Activation, Perdita becomes a force to be reckoned with.
In terms of Upgrades, Perdita has some great options. She can gain the Ability to ignore a number of pesky obstacles with her Attacks such as cover, Armor, and Incorporeal. She can also gain defenses against ranged Attacks, bonuses to her Willpower, and she can even boost the Willpower of Family models near her. All around, Perdita is just a solid Master with a lot of fun ranged and movement tricks, who doesn’t crumple when she gets in the thick of things.
C. HOFFMAN -
Lady Justice has her blindfold, sword and scales, Sonnia Criid her metal mask and flames, the Ortegas their gunplay and white-hot family pride.
Charles Hoffman has an office. A small, tidy office, with his name on the frosted-glass door. C. HOFFMAN. DIRECTOR, AMALGAMATION CHARTER ENFORCEMENT. He likes it in there. It's a tiny pocket of calm in the madness that’s been his life ever since he came through the Breach.
Hoffman is barely recognizable as the painfully shy, physically crippled young engineer who followed his brother onto the Malifaux train. Too much has happened: the Breachfire flare that wrecked Ryle's body and mind, their abduction by Viktor Ramos and the flowering of his uncanny magical bond with machinery, his careening path through the Arcanist movement and into the arms of the Guild, and above all his new role as his maimed brother's keeper.
Hoffman is a man of authority now, a senior Guild official with a remit to shut down Amalgamation, the burgeoning secret industry in creating construct-organism hybrids. That this strictly speaking includes his brother Ryle is irrelevant: Hoffman isn't in this for the purity of the calling. He's here because the Guild has the resources and knowledge to perhaps one day bring Ryle back.
Or perhaps the Arcanists do. Hoffman keeps his lines of communication to Viktor Ramos open, letting Ramos think he's infiltrated the Guild while he lets the Guild think he's infiltrating the Arcanists.
Hoffman knows that sooner or later these interlocking, recursive deceptions will unravel on him. But not today. Today there's his brother to think of, and work to be done.
Tactica:
C. Hoffman is the Guild Master of Constructs. His Abilities and Actions allow him to manipulate Constructs in a number of ways, even sharing stat lines with them at times! He is a Master with weaker stats who relies on the models around him to do the dirty work for him. Because of this, Constructs are the ideal models to add to a Hoffman Crew, and with the proper Upgrade, he can even add M&SU Constructs from the Arcanist Faction.
Although Hoffman is limited in a number of ways (such as his lower stats and restriction limiting him to two Walk Actions per Turn) he makes up for it by enhancing his Crew, and allowing his Crew to enhance him. For example, Hoffman may be slow on his own, but whenever a nearby Construct takes a Walk Action, he can tag along with it. Additionally, he hands out the Power Loop condition, which allows any model with the Condition to share stat lines. This creates a style of play where Hoffman and his Constructs advance up the board as a team, destroying anything in their path. With his Machine Puppet Action, he can also force his Constructs to perform Actions, making them tools he can adapt to any situation. And, if the enemy gets to close, his Soulstone Torch is not a fun thing to get blasted with.
Hoffman’s Upgrades add a lot of fun options. They do everything from giving him the capability to add Modification Upgrades to his Constructs which enhance them, to turning Scrap Markers into explosive mines. Hoffman is a meticulous and pragmatic man, and he rewards players who are able to use him in that manner.
McMOURNING -
Some Resurrectionists are content to raise the dead and take pride in how well the zombies resemble their living counterparts. McMourning is different. Working as the Guild's coroner provides him with plenty of bodies which will not be missed. Given his position within the Guild, he is able to study many of the creations of others, and even some of the monstrosities predating humanity's arrival to Malifaux.
His work began as pure research, funded by the Guild to see if they could use the information to their advantage. Initially, the tests showed little success. Without magic they were little more than a conglomeration of parts. The project was closed, but McMourning wasn't finished.
With the cloying scent of embalming fluids and slowly decomposing bodies, the morgue itself was located far enough away from the main Guild Headquarters that it was a simple matter to create a secret tunnel further into the sewers, where he established a proper lab. Within this sanctuary he was free to practice the skills he had learned and expand them to include his own creations. Each time a body comes to him, he picks the best parts before having the rest buried.
Over time his lab has grown, and he has surrounded himself with depraved sycophants. With his "nurses" to aid with each operation, and Sebastian to help him cover his tracks, he has managed to stay one step ahead of the Death Marshals... more or less.
TACTICA:
McMourning is the Master of Poison and unnecessary surgery and he can be fielded in either the Guild or Resurrectionist Factions. He is a highly mobile combat piece who heals as he does damage, and he greatly benefits by afflicting models with Poison. Because of this, any models which can hand out or benefit from Poison are great options for his Crew.
In many ways, McMourning is a scalpel. He can target problem enemy models and quickly remove them using his Surgical Implements Attack. The more he Attacks a model, the more Poison it acquires, before he finally uses Expunge on it, purging it of its Poison while dealing a potentially massive amount of damage. With Impossible to Wound and the Ability to heal with every Attack that connects, the good doctor is not afraid to get up in the thick of things. Because he ignores Armor and Hard to Wound (two of the most common defensive Abilities) he’s great for taking out the enemy heavy hitters while his Minions deal with the rest.
McMourning has two Limited Upgrades, and which one he can choose is determined by which Faction he is currently working for. Moonlighting can only be taken when he is siding with the Resurrectionists, and it allows him to summon his Undead abominations. On The Clock can only be taken if he is working for the Guild, and it allows him to buff his Minions and push them around. Of course, he has lots of other fun options such as Evidence Tampering and Plastic Surgery, both of which enhance his highly mobile combat playstyle. If you can relate to a man who conducts twisted experiments that create obscene mockeries of life by night and still holds down a day job, McMourning may be the Master for you.
LUCAS McCABE -
Earthside, Lucas McCabe had a respected family name, money, education, anything he wished for. Instead, he ended up choosing a life of exploration and historical study. At least, that was his description of it. Numerous police forces across the world listed it as tomb robbery, smuggling, and black market dealing, although the charges were never proved.
After the tragic death of his fiancée, Karen, in Egypt, and his subsequent arrest, McCabe became more reckless in his pursuit of artifacts and excitement. The enemies this made him, along with the promise of adventure and priceless artifacts, left McCabe in no doubt as to where his future lay. As an extra layer of security against his past, McCabe orchestrated his arrest by the Guild with the intention of being recruited to serve their purposes. This worked better than he had expected, with the Governor’s Secretary himself becoming involved. What the Guild was not aware of was that McCabe already owed a debt of allegiance to the Ten Thunders….
TACTICA:
Lucas McCabe belongs to both the Ten Thunders and the Guild Factions. He is a support Master that gives his Crew a number of buffs to make sure they can get the job done. McCabe doesn’t have a strong preference for who he works with, but he is capable of hiring Black Sheep and Guardsman models from out of Faction.
There are two core aspects of McCabe. The first is the man himself. McCabe rides a horse, making him one of the fastest Masters in the game. Coupled with a few attacks, such as the Netgun which gives out Slow, McCabe can get where he needs to be and disrupt the opponent’s plans. Even if he is badly hurt, McCabe just dismounts and keeps on fighting. The second are his Upgrades. McCabe is a treasure hunter, and he has many powerful items at his disposal. Each of these items are an Upgrade, and McCabe is able to give them to his Crew to give them additional abilities. As the game progresses, McCabe is a great force multiplier as he passes out and takes back his numerous Upgrades, ensuring that everyone on his side has the tools to get the job done.
McCabe’s Upgrades define his playstyle. The Badge of Speed allows him to reactivate a Minion, but also to give a friendly model Nimble. The Glowing Saber gives McCabe many triggers on his melee attack, but also provides a powerful new weapon to another model. Elixir of Life provides healing in a variety of forms, and Strangemetal Shirt passes out Armor to help the Crew survive.
LUCIUS -
The Right Honorable Lucius Gustavius FitzWilliam Mattheson. Here he comes, gliding through the Vice-Regal manor like a perfectly-groomed shadow, his voice as soft as his footsteps, as smooth as the cognac he pours for his most favored visitors. A Master of Letters from Geneva, a Doctorate of Laws from Salzburg, Empire Day honors for services to the realm. And by all accounts a capable fencer and polo player and a rather fine violinist, too. What brought such a sophisticate out of the halls of Parliament and into a world like Malifaux?
So those, sir, are the facts available to us, and if you- ah, just so. A wise decision, Your Excellency. If I might take the liberty of arranging the details on your behalf?
Nobody knows. No-one truly understands what's behind that perpetual expression of polite, chilly amusement carved into his bronze mask. Lucius has no friends, lovers, confidants.
No need to trouble His Excellency directly. I assure you I shall represent your concerns to him with utmost faith and discretion.
No-one realizes exactly how much influence Lucius wields, or how many in Malifaux are now loyal directly to him instead of to their duties. Nobody knows how many spies he has, how far his reach extends. Nobody knows who comes to speak with him in dead of night, or the company he keeps when he vanishes into the Quarantine Zones or the Neverborn-haunted wilderness.
I speak with the Governor's voice, and the Governor's voice will be obeyed. Now.
Nobody knows. And that fills Lucius with quiet glee.
TACTICA:
Lucius is a Master of deception, and he can work for either the Guild or Neverborn Factions. He relies on manipulating the battlefield and those around him to achieve victory. Many of his Actions benefit from targeting Guardsman or Mimic models, so models with those traits will generally be a good choice for a Lucius Crew.
Lucius wins games by getting the most out of his Minions. The simple act of walking up and down the lines and inspecting his men can instill a fear in them that drives them to take action. He can also swap places with his Minions, leaving the enemy confounded about his position. Finally, he is an expert at getting the most out of Scheme Markers and Interact Actions; those are the things which generate VP, and VP wins games.
His Upgrades bring a plethora of new deceptions and lies to further undermine the opponent. He can gain things like Purposeful Misinterpretation, which can allow him to steal enemy Scheme Markers and Loop Holes which allows him to benefit from enemy Abilities. Some of his more straight-forward Upgrades include hiring a hidden sniper and simply packing some hidden weapons. If you have a devious mind and can delight in the simple joys that lies and treachery bring, then Lucius is the Master for you.