The Lord of Light’s Servants Go to War
The Lord of Light guides their actions and has told them that Stannis Baratheon should be the next on the Iron Throne. They’ve taken to the field as the R’hllor Faithful, brandishing their flaming swords to defeat their foes with devout fire. Soon, House Baratheon players will be able to add this pious unit to their armies in the A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game. Let’s take a look at what these devout fighters are capable of.
The R’hllor Faithful unit costs 7 points to field. They are loyal to Stannis Baratheon. Since House Baratheon is a House divided, certain characters and units will only fight for one brother or the other, and an army cannot contain mixed Loyalty figures. In this case, the Faithful can only be added to armies devoted to Stannis. The unit has a moderate Speed of 5, and they have a moderate Defense Save of 5+. However, their Morale value reflects their steadfast devotion to R’hllor, with an impressive 4+. That Morale value will also fuel their Heart of Fire special ability.
Heart of Fire stats that whenever the unit passes a Morale Test, they gain a Faith Token. The unit may then spend Faith tokens for one of two effects. The first is that after an enemy unit attacks them in melee, the R’hllor Faithful can force them to make a Panic Test with a -1 to their roll for each remaining rank in the Faithful unit. The second gives the House Baratheon player one last bonus before the unit is destroyed. If they spend a Faith Token just as the unit is removed, then another friendly R’hllor unit within Long Range may make one free Attack action as they’re spurred on by the show of devotion by the now-martyred soldiers.
Offensively, the R’hllor Faithful have trained hard with their flaming swords. They roll 8 attack dice when at full ranks and hit on a respectable 3+. Their attacks also have Vicious, which means defenders suffer -2 to their Panic Test. Nobody likes the idea of being stabbed, but being stabbed by a flaming sword by a religious zealot is even less appealing.
The R’hllor Faithful also comes with a unit attachment. It’s the Red Priestess and she costs 1 point to add to a unit. Like the R’hllor Faithful unit, she is loyal to Stannis Baratheon and can only be included in armies following him. If she’s in a unit when the unit activates, the player may have the unit make a Morale Test, rerolling all dice on a failed Test if they remove 1 Wound from the unit. If the unit passes the Morale Test, then the target of the unit’s attack becomes Panicked and Vulnerable. The Red Priestesses are able to bring out the devotion in those she leads and that show of faith can shake opponents to the core.
The R’hllor Faithful gives Stannis Baratheon players a solid melee-based unit that can be relied upon to keep on the field and not run away under poor conditions. The Red Priestess gives a real threat as Panicked and Vulnerable condition tokens can cause an enemy unit to suddenly lose any defensive sturdiness that they might’ve once had. One never knows what will happen when the dice are rerolled.
The R’hllor Faithful unit will be available August 7th. Be sure to check with your LGS to make sure they have a unit or two on order for you.
You can read more about the R’hllor Faithful here.