Post by Fadril Adren on Jul 29, 2015 6:47:58 GMT -5
LORE:
The city of Malifaux is a dangerous place, but it seems as cozy as a hearth when compared to the horrors that roam the southern Badlands. Every nightmare in every monster story ever told has its counterpart in a Neverborn creature that lives somewhere beyond the relative safety of the city's walls. The abilities of these horrors are as terrible as any nightmare, since many spawn from the same dark sources that gave rise to these nightmares in the first place.
The Neverborn are terrible monsters that brutally prey upon the humans who have appeared to claim Malifaux for their own. The Neverborn take many shapes, from the winged Nephilim to the ghostly Sorrows. Some are deceptively similar in appearance to humans, able to walk among them, and these are by far the most dangerous, as their unknown designs are far more subtle and far-reaching. Where many Neverborn are satisfied by grizzly, indulgent murder, these human-looking monsters wage a campaign of terror on mankind through grand organized raids and clever attacks on human settlements. Despite this focus on the bigger picture, most of these Neverborn are not above the occasional indulgent murder.
The origin of these creatures is uncertain. Many believe that they are created by some maligned force, and thus, they were dubbed Neverborn to help mankind explain away their complete lack of human empathy and mercy. Slowly, however, as the mysteries of Malifaux are revealed, its human settlers have been granted glimpses of the world's distant past. The appearance of monsters in this world seems linked to a great cataclysm, occurring ages ago, that transformed it from a place not unlike Earth into the ruined splendor seen today.
This cataclysm marked the death of a world ruled by logic and reason, replacing it with one fraught with passion, madness, and death. The Neverborn are the people of this new age, a people completely foreign and unknowable by man. Savage and ruthless, they are prone to fits of murderous madness and capable of incredible violence. Beyond that, they are creatures possessed of a terrible secret, of sins committed in the distant past. They have endured the death of their world and will not tolerate man's trespass upon its ashes.
The Guild has tried everything possible to diminish the Neverborn threat. Willing to deputize anyone, the Guild frequently sends groups of hunters on Neverborn raids; most of these deputies fail to survive their first encounter. The Ortega family, with their matriarch, Perdita, has proven the most effective deterrent to Neverborn proliferation. This family is credited with hundreds of slain monsters, and their success has led to fame among the people of Malifaux. The Ortega family are the heroes that the people idolize and the threats that the Neverborn, despite their best efforts, just can't seem to destroy.
TACTICA:
The Neverborn are, in many ways, a faction of very fast, very fragile models which attack their enemies' Willpower almost as often as they attack their Defense. Most Neverborn crews come at their enemies sideways, relying upon unique tricks and special abilities to weaken and destroy their prey. It's not uncommon to see Neverborn models with high Defenses and self-healing abilities, but very few of their models can take more than one or two hits from an enemy and survive.
The Neverborn are essentially a faction of tricks. Their Masters all revolve around a specific gimmick, which their crews can either support or ignore to varying degrees of success. Their playstyle rewards cunning and clever play, and while they have a number of models with long-range magical effects that can be used to sow chaos and confusion among the enemy's ranks, very few of their models have mastered the use of ranged weapons, making them primarily a melee faction.
MASTERS:
LILITH -
Lilith is the first of the Neverborn. Lilith’s emotions are frighteningly mercurial, a calm and cunning leader one moment, a frenzied creature of pure hatred and malice the next. She remembers the end days of Old Malifaux as fleeting memories, impressions of a crueler, but better, time. She will not abide humanity’s incursion into what Lilith sees as her domain. When the Breach first opened over a century ago she was curious, inquisitive to see what these creatures were like in numbers. She was aware that humans had, from time to time, slipped through the walls of reality – the hag, Zoraida, being one such individual. What she learned from her observations convinced Lilith that humanity was a canker to be excised.
Lilith is concerned, as she sees the potential for the Neverborn to fracture into sects, much as it had been in the early days, before she and her sisters brought them together. For now, Lilith is content to plot on a short term basis, slowing but not thwarting humanity’s expansion beyond the City’s walls. Her steady hit and run tactics have earned her prominence on the Guild’s Most Wanted list, the bounty growing with each successful attack.
For her time is not a limitation, but a resource she will continue to put to good use. Her patience can span centuries if need be, until her planning and maneuvering once again places her in the position to end humanity’s presence in Malifaux.
TACTICA:
Lilith and her Nephilim engage in lightning raids against the human scum that have invaded Malifaux. She is a Neverborn Master who uses stealth, cunning, and combat prowess to bring her foes to their knees. Generally, Nephilim are always a good addition to a Lilith Crew, but there are many other good choices in the Neverborn Faction as well.
The Greatsword which Lilith uses is an amazing Attack and she is an expert at bringing it to bear. However, Lilith is far more than just a blunt combat instrument. She can use Tangle Shadows to teleport her models around the board, even swapping them with an unsuspecting enemy that finds itself in her waiting arms. Her excellent mobility allows her to strike where the enemy is weakest, and her fantastic defenses allow her to get away with it all.
Lilith’s Upgrades only further enhance her hit and run playstyle. She gains the option to bring enemies to her with her Transfixing Gaze, place terrain on the board with Illusionary Forest, and make free Attacks against anyone unfortunate enough to be pushed into reach of her Living Blade. Lilith is the ultimate guerilla fighter, and she is the perfect Master if you enjoy striking from the shadows.
PANDORA -
The Neverborn take on many guises, but none are so at odds with their true nature as Pandora's glamorous appearance. Pandora uses her youthful, genuine demeanor to walk the City’s streets undisturbed, thus enabling her to pursue her dark and terrible agendas without molestation. She carries with her an ancient box which remains firmly sealed until she is ready to release its contents. Even while the box is closed Pandora sometimes whispers to it, cocking her head to one side to listen to voices no one else can hear. Opening the box unleashes pandemonium, twisting sanity until the lines of reality blur into in-consequence.
Pandora became a thrall of the box for a short time, serving as a conduit. Her previously shaky sanity was further compromised by her experience. Her maliciously mischievous side has warped into a sadistically cruel streak which can rear its ugly head at any time. Even her pet Woes know better than to stay too close to their mistress when the mood strikes her. They have seen firsthand the damage the box is capable of wreaking on even their sullied existence.
Now Pandora is a force of suffering in all of Malifaux. Walking the edges of consciousness and feeding upon the terrible anguish of the populace. Unlike Lilith, she has little desire to see humanity cast from Malifaux, as they are delicious treats for her macabre whims.
Where Pandora walks, hope dies.
TACTICA:
Pandora is the Neverborn Master of misery and despair. Rather than crushing her enemy’s body, she crushes his mind, delighting in his mental anguish. She is a very unique Master who can actually use an opponent’s own Attacks against them. She can work well with any Neverborn models, but she tends to prefer Woes or anything that can target Willpower.
Pandora’s main method of offense is to force enemies to damage themselves with their own Attacks. She does this with the Self Loathing Attack for Melee and the Self Harm Attack for ranged Actions. She also defends herself with her Willpower rather than her Defense and, whenever she wins a Willpower duel, she can dart around the board. This makes her a very difficult Master to pin down. Finally, she can even control the order in which the opposing player Activates their models by using the Incite Action.
The Upgrades available to Pandora expand her options for driving her enemies mad. With them she can make opposing models Insignificant, become Terrifying, and Paralyze anyone she attacks. When all of this combines, you have a Master who is adept at manipulating the opponent, ruining plans, and generally causing mayhem. If that sounds like a good time, Pandora may be the one for you.
THE DREAMER -
Nytmare has twisted human’s dreams since the fall of Old Malifaux, feeding on the terror he causes. In that time, there is one child who has resisted his efforts.
The Dreamer simply reshaped his dreams back again, never once fearing the lurking Tyrant. When Nytmare tried to leave the boy’s dream to feed on easier prey, he was surprised to see the child follow him. In the darkness of Malifaux, the boy demanded his new playmate ‘Lord Chompy Bits’ play hide and seek. He seemed unaware that his mind was no longer inside his own dreams, but bending the very fabric of Malifaux itself as he summoned unnatural friends to join them.
The power this offered Nytmare over reality, Malifaux, and the slowly waking Tyrants, was tremendous; if he could only determine how it worked. Unwilling to risk anyone else finding or harming the boy, he has since indulged in every demand for a new game, watching gently over his charge until he can understand how a mere boy could wield such power so casually.
TACTICA:
The Dreamer is the Neverborn Master of Nightmare. He is a little boy from Earth who has no idea that his Nightmares are wreaking havoc in Malifaux, but for the moment he is having his share of fun! Depending on which Upgrades he took, he can either focus more heavily on summoning or on Crew support. Most of his Abilities and Actions focus on Nightmare models, so they are always a good choice for a Dreamer Crew.
The Dreamer is a support Master who heals models that Activate near him and uses his Empty Night Action to help benefit nearby Nightmares. However, he is only one side of a coin. As the Dreamer uses his Actions, he gains the Waking Condition. When he reaches Waking +4, he is removed from the table and Lord Chompy Bits takes his place. Lord Chompy Bits is a classic combat monster, capable of tearing enemies to shreds in Melee, and he is the Nightmare left behind while The Dreamer is awake.
There are two Limited Upgrades available to The Dreamer, which will greatly influence how he plays depending on which one is picked. Dreams of Pain allows the Dreamer to summon Nightmares onto the board, making him the best Neverborn summoner. On the other hand, Restless Dreams allows the Dreamer to wake up more quickly and makes Lord Chompy Bits more powerful while he is on the table. Of course, there are other Upgrades, but those are the two main choices. However you choose to play him, The Dreamer is an incredibly deep and interesting Master to put on the table.
COLLODI -
There are many old relics from humanity's first time through the Breach. Most of these are the usual variety- ruins, coins, books. But there are forgotten things as well, things that were imbued with magic and life.
Collodi is a living puppet, the size of a human adult. It was made to be an entertainer, a marionette that told stories through others of its kind. Collodi was a delight and a wonder of its age that was created to love its work, and so it did. At the closing of the Breach, after the mayhem that followed, the puppeteer was left alone in Malifaux, with no more children to share stories with. The next century passed slowly. To make up for its loneliness, Collodi began making new puppets from bits of wood it scavenged. These fake children became the audience for new shows and stories, but it was never quite the same. As time went on Collodi began to slowly drift away, losing its grip on itself.
When the Breach reopened, Collodi rushed to the newly arrived settlers, drawn by the laughter of children. The adults attacked the living puppet, forcing it away with torches and axes. Denied the ability to fulfill its purpose, Collodi learned to hate. It vowed to teach humanity the emptiness it had felt for so long in the absence of children. It started making a new kind of puppet, using the blood of stolen children as a template. Collodi wanders Malifaux in its painted wagon, hiding in plain sight behind the masks it wears, still committed to its now twisted purpose.
TACTICA:
Collodi is the Neverborn Puppet Master. It pulls the strings to its own personal puppet show, forcing the world to dance to its tune. Collodi is a manipulative Master who is still capable of dealing some decent damage. Many of its Abilities and Actions benefit Puppets, so any Puppet models will usually be a good thing to add to a Collodi Crew. It can also hire Puppets from any Faction, making Mannequins and Coryphee potential options for Collodi.
Collodi has the powerful Pull The Strings Action which has a good damage track and can be used to force the target to take an Action under Collodi’s control with the proper Trigger. Pull The Strings will generally be used against enemies, allowing you to use the enemy to your advantage. Collodi also has My Will, which can be used to make friendly models perform Actions, although if the target is not a Puppet it must be a Minion or Peon (generally weaker models). Finally, it can summon some smaller Puppets and sacrifice models which it has given the Personal Puppet Condition to avoid damage against itself.
Key to Collodi’s game plan are its Marionettes. Marionettes are Collodi’s totems and it can have up to four of them. These models gain bonuses to damage for being near their Master and they are some of the cheapest models in the game that count for victory purposes. It is common to see Collodi crossing the board with its four Marionettes in tow. If you enjoy pulling the strings from behind the scenes, Collodi may be ideal for you!
ZORAIDA -
Desperation drives men and women from the relative safety of the City into the Bayou, in search of the elusive swamp hag, Zoraida. Those individuals who do not fall prey to gremlins or the other creatures eventually reach her demesne. The impossibly old woman they encounter inside the rickety shack knows their names and why they have come. Her bargain is always a game of cards for whatever information they seek. They win, she answers their questions. They lose and she collects the unique ante she has demanded. Most never see the City’s lights again.
This is the Zoraida most residents of Malifaux know, the hag with second sight. The true Zoraida who hides behind this persona is a different entity. Centuries old, Zoraida is not truly a Neverborn, but is instead a human who traversed the in-between and reached Malifaux long before the first opening of the Great Breach. Over time she became one of the Neverborn. She knows more about the weaving's of fate and where to pluck at its threads than any other creature in Malifaux.
Zoraida interweaves her own designs into fate’s plan, masterfully blending her intentions with that of the cosmic will. She manipulates people and events slowly, maneuvering hundreds of disparate elements together to achieve her desired results. To Zoraida it is an art form, she is spinning an ever moving dance of beauty into reality... even if only she can appreciate it.
TACTICA:
Zoraida can be played in both the Neverborn and Gremlin Factions. She primarily focuses on manipulating other models with the Obey Action and applying adverse Conditions to enemy models. Zoraida has a broad playstyle which allows her to work well with almost any model and, on top of that, she can hire any model with a Willpower of four or less, regardless of Faction. This gives her one of the largest selections of models to hire game.
During the game, Zoraida’s main Action is generally going to be Obey. Obey allows her to force another model to take an Action. While Obey can be used on enemies, it is primarily used on friendly models, so it is a good idea to bring along a heavy hitter who will be a good target for Obey. Zoraida can also summon a Voodoo Doll and link it to an enemy model. Once this is done, any Conditions the Voodoo Doll suffers are also suffered by the enemy model, so Zoraida is happy to sit back put the fire to its feet!
Zoraida’s Upgrades add all sorts of options such as incredible mobility with Animal Shape, card manipulation with Crystal Ball, and all sorts of fun new Conditions to apply to the Voodoo Doll with Hex Bag. Due to her large hiring pool and open playstyle, Zoraida is a magnificent generalist, able to adapt to any opponent, table, or strategy that you can throw at her.
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.
JAKOB LYNCH -
Like the fates of Malifaux, Jakob Lynch can find himself in incredible good fortune, though more often than not, his luck is sour. Winning the Honeypot casino was a stroke of good luck that would only end poorly for the young entrepreneur. More used to bringing business to the casino than running it, Lynch quickly found himself in debt to the Ten Thunders.
There was no way he would be able to fight collectors off with just the small pistol he kept, and Lynch knew that he was in too deep. He was ready to throw himself into the river when two men approached him with a strange offer. They would pay his debts for as long as they could use the Honeypot's basement. Unable to pass up such a good deal, Lynch, Mr. Graves, and Mr. Tannen became partners in business.
Eventually, as he knew it would, Lynch's curiosity got the better of him and he slipped down into the basement to see what it was that had changed his business so greatly. That was when his mind was opened to the truth: there was a terrible creature in his basement that was the source of all his success.
Immune to the lure of the Brilliance, Lynch now finds himself caught between the Ten Thunders and the Neverborn, barely able to hold the two at bay. If he has any hope at surviving he may have to dive into even darker places to become the master of his own fate.
TACTICA:
Jakob Lynch belongs to both the Ten Thunders and the Neverborn Factions. He is a card shark with extremely damaging abilities. He likes to work with Darkened models, as many of these models give enemies the Under the Influence Condition, which Jakob can use to great effect.
One of the things that makes Jakob stand out against the other Masters is his totem. Jakob Lynch can bring his totem, which is also a Henchman, for free. This model is known as the Hungering Darkness, and it is a spirit of great power. Jakob and the Darkness are able to work together to deal obscene amounts of damage to the enemy. Jakob himself is well known for his focus on cards: he can draw aces into his hand in certain circumstances, he can mulligan three cards from his hand to try to improve them, and he damages enemies that cheat fate against him. His power, control of cards, and totem are offset by one key factor: Jakob does not like to be attacked.
Jakob has two Limited Upgrades: The Rising Sun and Endless Hunger. Both of these Upgrades actually increase the efficacy of the Hungering Darkness. The Rising Sun allows the Darkness to come back into play if it was killed, and Endless Hunger gives it an additional AP to accomplish more during its activations. One of Jakob’s most popular Upgrades is Woke Up With a Hand, which may allow him to draw two additional cards when he activates, and gives him an attack that deals damage equal to the number of cards in his hand.