Post by Fadril Adren on Jul 29, 2015 17:18:53 GMT -5
LORE:
Not every faction vying for control of Malifaux's resources exerts an overt presence in their bid for power. Even those who think of themselves as secretive, such as the self-proclaimed Arcanists, invariably announce their presence loudly enough to attract the attention of the other factions warring with one another.
There is one faction, however, which prides itself on avoiding attention. Until recently, their name meant nothing to people in power in Malifaux, but that has changed. The mere mention of the name Ten Thunders breeds a quiet dread in men's hearts, chilling the blood. The origin of the Ten Thunders crime syndicate is a mystery to the residents of Malifaux, save that they appear to have some sort of connection to the Three Kingdoms of Earth.
Membership in the Ten Thunders is almost exclusively comprised of residents of these insular nations. They are sworn to secrecy, and any of their number would willingly give their lives for the family rather than reveal its secrets, which has made it difficult for the Guild to break up or infiltrate their ranks. Even the Ten Thunders' locally hired agents - of which there are few - do not know how their employers have been able to reach across the Breach to establish an extensive crime network in Malifaux.
The Ten Thunders is currently headed by the Katanaka Clan, an ancient name in the Three Kingdoms, but one shrouded in disgrace and failure. Having lost their place of honor at the Emperor's table centuries ago, the Katanaka chose to fight their oppressors rather than give into their machinations, doing battle from the shadows and eventually defeating them. Such was the stain on the clan's honor that it never considered an attempt to regain the Emperor's favor, but instead set about creating an extensive criminal and spy network throughout the Three Kingdoms long before the regions of China, Japan, and Vietnam officially joined together as one massive empire.
Learning of the Breach into Malifaux Katanaka Baojun, the clan's leader, sent his daughter, Katanaka Misaki, through the Breach to learn what she could about the land before the Ten Thunders came to join her. The Ten Thunders had taken control of a lesser Breach in the Three Kingdoms, and it was this discovery that ensured the Ten Thunders had direct, clandestine access to Malifaux without the Guild's awareness of their arrival. Other criminal organizations had also seen Malifaux as an opportunity to be exploited, but the lesser Breach of the Ten Thunders gave them a significant advantage over their rivals. The bloody turf wars the Ten Thunders waged against Malifaux City's other gangs had Guild investigators working around the clock to uncover their identities, but when the violence finally receded, the Guild were no closer to learning who was behind the chaos, and the Ten Thunders had extended their reach across much of Malifaux City's criminal underbelly. .
Since then, the Ten Thunders have worked as they did back home to establish their agents in positions of power throughout the other factions of Malifaux. For now they are content to run their criminal empire as it stands, using their planted agents as spies, reporting back information the Thunders can either use to increase their power or that can be sold for a profit. When the time is right and the stars are in alignment, the Thunders intend to rise up and cut off the heads of their rival organizations from within in one bold gesture. When every other power is flailing in their death spasms, the Ten Thunders will be able to claim Malifaux for themselves once and for all.
TACTICA:
The Ten Thunders are a very diverse group of models - many of them hailing from a second faction - that don't really have any defining focus, other than their lack of focus. In many ways, the Ten Thunders are the wildcard of Malifaux, for while an opponent generally knows how a Resurrectionist or Arcanist force will approach a battle, the wide hiring pool and vast differences in how each Ten Thunders Master operates makes it hard to predict just what they'll bring to the table.
Most Ten Thunders Masters are dual-faction, and thus can bring select models from their second faction with them into a Ten Thunders crew. This allows them to exploit the resources of the other factions, often opening up tactical combinations and synergies unavailable to anyone else. The Ten Thunders also have a number of models which owe allegiance to no one but themselves, and these models tend to be balanced between melee and ranged combat, making them versatile and useful to every Ten Thunders Master.
MASTERS:
SHENLONG -
Even as a young monk in the temple of High River, Shenlong was considered exceptional. What surprised his instructors was the determination he showed to learn the other styles when exposed to them. His brutality was matched by a ruthless cunning that drove him to master every temple style. While he was fully aware of the political power this granted him in the valley, he was not prepared for what would follow.
As dusk fell one day, sunlight blazed from an isolated temple on the valley wall, said to house the Dragon. Shenlong, the only person capable of looking at the searing light, found himself drawn to the ancient building. He walked in alone, emerging the following sunrise as more than a man. He was covered head to toe in tattooed scales, sunlight blazing in his eyes. Where he trod, the ground scorched. A new era in the valley had begun; the Dragon had chosen a new host.
Although he doesn’t look it, Shenlong is thought to be more than eighty years old. The Dragon does not permit its hosts to age, holding them at their physical peak as long as it chooses to inhabit them. While this arrangement is never eternal, Dragonhosts are known to have lived for several centuries. As long as the Dragon has need of a host for his plans, Shenlong will be near immortal. With the Dragon now turning its ancient eyes to Malifaux, his current host has a great deal to do before he becomes tiresome and is cast aside.
TACTICA:
Shenlong is the only Ten Thunders Master that does not also belong in another Faction. He is a martial artist who has mastered many styles, allowing him to adapt his battlefield role to your needs. This adaptability allows him to work well with any models.
It is the use of Conditions that makes Shenlong stand out. He uses four different Conditions (Defensive, Focused, Burning, and Poison) to fuel his different martial arts styles. A savvy player is able to increment the Conditions that will be needed, allowing Shenlong to dominate his opponents. Because of this, Shenlong is a master that benefits from foresight and proper planning. Since many of his best actions are on Upgrades and he is able to cycle through Upgrades, knowing which battlefield will most need his assistance will allow Shenlong to maximize his influence on the table.
Shenlong actually has four Limited Upgrades: Low River Style, High River Style, Fermented River Style, and Wandering River Style. By making use of a (0) action, Shenlong can choose which style he needs. Low is a defensive style that utilizes healing. High is an offensive style that can inflict high damage. Fermented is a debuffing style that can flip fate modifiers around. Wandering is a support style that can move models and apply helpful or harmful conditions. Each of these styles benefits from high levels of a specific Condition, and with the right planning Shenlong can control any battle.
MISAKI -
As a child, Misaki lived in her father's shadow. It wasn't until he decided that she would be part of their first wave infiltrating Malifaux that she was able to come into her own. Already skilled at martial arts, her ability was increased greatly during the passage through the Breach, allowing her to defend herself with ease. Having entered under the guise of a Guild lifer, it was not easy to earn the respect needed to manage the Ten Thunders' affairs. Under her tutelage, those under her charge have become an elite team of fighters, working well in small groups and often able to overcome poor odds.
Misaki earned her father's respect and he granted her the title of First Lieutenant, giving her the power to act in his name as Oyabun. Misaki is constantly torn between doing things her own way and honoring her father and her family, between using the knowledge she has learned about Malifaux and obeying her leader's wishes. This conflict often brings father and daughter to disagree, though it is the elder's decisions which are typically carried out.
Her weapon of choice is the Bisento, a bladed polearm, which she manipulates smoothly despite its size. She is a master at keeping an opponent at arm’s length, and few can match her control over close combat.
TACTICA:
Misaki belongs to both the Ten Thunders and the Outcast Factions. She is a fast assassin, able to strike in unexpected locations and then escape before your opponent can react. She works well with any models, allowing for a lot of diversity, but she also has the ability to boost Last Blossom minions through an Upgrade.
The capability and power to fight in melee are certainly Misaki’s area, but her expertise is really about choosing the correct battle. One of her defining abilities is Diving Charge, which lets her charge models even when engaged, ignoring terrain and other models when she does so. Combined with her automatic trigger of Next Target on all her attacks, Misaki is capable of moving great distances while still getting her full 3 attacks. Used to her fullest extent, no enemy models will be safe from her bisento as she maneuvers around the battlefield in relative safety.
Misaki has two Limited Upgrades: Disguise and Stalking Bisento. They function differently, allowing Misaki to further highlight one of her playstyles. Disguise prevents her from being charged, allowing her to more safely move around the battlefield and pick her targets. Combined with the Deadly Dance action, she can avoid melee very easily. Stalking Bisento, on the other hand, increases her attack capabilities. With this Upgrade, she can Stalk an enemy model, allowing her to move when it does. Misaki receives multiple bonuses when attacking a model that has been stalked.
MEI FENG -
Full of fire before she came to Malifaux, Mei Feng found herself with an even closer affinity for the element after passing through the Breach. Strangely, it was not the elemental fires that fuel many Guild or Arcanist creations that called to her, but rather the blazing heat of the forges. It was the fire of creation and, through it, Mei discovered that she could heat metal and bend it to her will, creating constructs with the grace of a tiger but skin as hard as steel.
With this ability, it is little wonder that she found herself working on Malifaux's new rail lines and quickly in charge of her own crew. Between her natural charisma and her ability to offer mechanical replacement parts at a lower premium than the Guild, she has quickly found her way into the hearts of the other Union workers. Ramos took longer to convince, but she is now an established Miners and Steamfitters Union member. With her natural skill and her various constructs, Mei can speed up the construction of the rail line or slow it down based on what the Oyabun of the Ten Thunders requires of her.
Her relationship with the Oyabun is tenuous. She knows that once she has proven herself to be less than useful, he will dispose of her, but while her own ambitions are not directly tied to the path of the Ten Thunders, it is through their will that she is even in Malifaux.
TACTICA:
Mei Feng belongs to both the Ten Thunders and the Arcanist Factions. She is a fast combatant, focusing on combinations of actions to really allow her to shine. Mei can bring Foundry models from any Faction, and she tends to prefer to work with Constructs.
The Unstoppable Industry ability may best describe Mei. This ability makes her immune to Slow and Paralyzed, making sure she’s always performing to the best of her abilities. Her many actions continue the trend of her unstoppable nature. Railwalker allows her to move to Scrap Markers or friendly Constructs, making sure Mei stays near the action. Vent Steam helps keep her and those around her safe from outside influence while her Tiger’s Claw and Jackhammer kick lay waste to the enemy. Coupled with her Armor and a trigger to gain more, Mei begins to embody Unstoppable Industry.
Mei has numerous Upgrades to choose from. The majority of her Upgrades add triggers to her attack actions, allowing her to easily gain additional benefit from her actions. This helps Mei become a combination based Master, chaining one move into another and ending up just where she needs to be. One of her iconic Upgrades are the Seismic Claws. This one point Upgrade gives her two triggers on her Tiger Claw attack, each on a different suit. Both these triggers allow her to take an additional attack action without spending AP, allowing Mei to deal out massive amounts of damage.
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.
YAN LO -
Many years ago, Yan Lo committed a terrible sin and was cursed to walk the Paths between life and death for eternity. The endless torment left his mind fragmented and adrift, unable to truly die but incapable of finding his way back to the physical world. He has wandered the Paths like this for so long that the reason for his curse is lost to history.
It was Chiaki’s unique gifts that finally showed Yan Lo the way back to the physical world. As the pieces of his broken spirit drew close to the beacon Chiaki provided, Yan Lo’s mind was brought back together for the first time in decades. He could finally remember who he was and what he sought, and for short moments even return his form to the physical world. He could not gather the strength to return for long, but that brief encounter was a turning point for them both.
When Chiaki crossed into Malifaux, Yan Lo followed his little niece. There, he found the abundant aether flowing through that world enabled him to control his physical form easier. Not only could he return to the physical world more easily and often, but the aether also made the Paths clear to see at last. With some effort, Yan Lo was able to cross from one Path to the others, even managing to briefly stand upon two Paths at once before the aether rejected this affront. When he is not needed by his descendants, Yan Lo continually tests the boundaries of the Paths, seeking a combination that will twist his curse into a source of great power.
TACTICA:
Yan Lo belongs to both the Ten Thunders and the Resurrectionist Factions. He is a support Master that gets better as the game progresses allowing him to shoulder more of the Crew’s burdens. Yan Lo prefers working with Ancestor models as he can potentially heal them or bring them back to life.
Over the course of the game, Yan Lo will gain the Chi Condition. This Condition increases Yan Lo’s Casting abilities and is also used to fuel some of his actions. Its main uses are for Transcendence, which provides Armor to a friendly model, and Ascendance, which attached Upgrades to Yan Lo. These Ascendant Upgrades make Yan Lo stronger and stronger as the game progresses. As long as Yan Lo is gaining Chi, he becomes little worried about attrition. His action Instill Youth allows him to heal other models, adding to his support style. Perhaps his most game changing action is Lightning Dance, which allows him to teleport an enemy model to a friendly model and himself to the enemy model. This control of battlefield locations can easily swing a game in his favor.
Yan Lo has a long list of Upgrades. Many of them are Ascendant Upgrades that he can only gain during the course of the gain as his Chi Condition increases. That said, he has a few Upgrades that can alter his playstyle. Reliquary is the most popular, as it allows him to summon an Ancestor model that has been killed once during the game. Conversely, Brutal Khakkhara gives him a potent melee attack to try to take care of things himself.
THE BREWMASTER:
Gremlin palettes are not very refined. They will eat just about anything they can get their grubby paws on, but they still know good 'shine from bad. Where once it was Som'er Teeth who had the best stills in the area, a new face has appeared with new varieties for them to try. Known only as the Brewmaster, this Gremlin came from over the mountains with a small crew of loyal, alcohol-dependent Gremlins calling themselves the 'Tri-Chi.'
True to his name, the Brewmaster has several different varieties of moonshine, as well as some more refined variations that even humans might recognize as distant cousins to rum, gin, and beer. For the Gremlins, these new concoctions are tantalizing and alluring, distracting them from their current tasks whenever his distinctive silhouette appears on the horizon. It is nearly impossible for any other Gremlin leader to oppose him, since their minions are as likely to fight for him as against him, but that is of little matter since he does not appear to be interested in taking over the Bayou.
Many have tried to sneak into the ranks of the Tri-Chi, but the Brewmaster has strict rules for initiation which most of the Bayou Gremlins cannot understand, and these interlopers are soon routed. In addition to being Tri-Chi, the gremlins that follow the Brewmaster are masters of Drunken Gremlin Kung Fu, a swaggering style of fighting that appears to be little more than boozy missteps across the floor, but in reality tends to send an opponent reeling in broken bones and bloody noses.
TACTICA:
The Brewmaster is unique among the Gremlin and Ten Thunders factions, for while many of their masters focus upon putting out high amounts of damage or supporting their crew, the Brewmaster prefers to lock down the opponent’s crew by getting them incredibly drunk. This strategy revolves around the Drinking Contest action, which forces enemies around the Brewmaster to take a Willpower duel whenever they declare an action; if they fail, they instead take a drink, healing and poisoning them instead of whatever they had originally intended to do.
Most of the Brewmaster’s attacks are resisted by Willpower, and his high casting value makes him quite good at convincing his enemies to do whatever the Brewmaster wishes (which usually involves drinking something and becoming poisoned). His Intoxication ability lowers the Willpower of nearby enemies by the value of their Poison Condition, further stacking things in the Brewmaster’s favor. As can be expected, the Brewmaster’s crews tend to have at least a minor focus on poison, though they use the Condition more as a debuff mechanic than as a means of damaging his enemies.
In addition to Poison, the Brewmaster can also hand out the incredibly deliberating Swill Condition, which forces a negative fate modifier on every duel and flip the target makes for the rest of the turn. His upgrades provide additional debuff actions, such as the Hold their Hair Back upgrade, which allows the Brewmaster to purge an enemy’s Poison condition, paralyzing it in the process. The Brewmaster may not be very good at killing things, but he excels at turning an enemy crew into a bunch of drunken, stumbling idiots.
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.