We continue our topic about Guild bands of Malifaux.
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 favoured visitors. A Master of Letters from Geneva, a Doctorate of Laws from Salzburg, Empire Day honours 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.
Lucius Mattheson’s box comes with seven models, including Lucius himself. The Guild Guards are cheap, solid minions that can hold their own at range or in melee, and their effectiveness improves greatly when near the formidable Captain Dashel. The Guild Lawyers support their crew by suing everything that moves, while the Scribe serves Lucius as a totem, providing a bit of extra support and protection for his mysterious master.
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.
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.
Douglas McMourning’s box comes with seven models, including McMourning himself. His loyal henchman Sebastian tags along behind the good doctor, cleaning up his messes and taking care of his yipping totem, the Zombie Chihuahua. The larger Canine Remains brings speed to the box, while the hulking Flesh Construct provides a truly absurd resilience to just about any kind of damage that can be thrown its way. Rounding out the crew are McMourning’s Nurses, who provide a wide variety of buffs and debuffs for their allies and enemies.
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.
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 rumours, 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.
Perdita Ortega’s box comes with six models, including Perdita herself. Her older brother Francisco provides a dangerous melee counterpoint to the blazing guns of her other brother, Santiago. Papa Loco brings far more dynamite than any man truly needs to the fight, while the stealthy Nino watches over everything from a distance, picking off his enemies with careful precision. Perdita’s totem is the Enslaved Nephilim, which regretfully supports her crew as they hunt down its brethren.
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.
