Warmachine Kung Fu is a meditation on the styles of Warmachine. The series focuses on individual characters in the Iron Kingdoms for both Warmachine and Hordes.
As a player, I am only a student of Warmachine and Hordes. I have won no honors, no tournaments, and no rewards for gameplay in Warmachine or Hordes. What I have instead are my curiosity and shelves of painted models. In the end, I hope that will be enough to awaken some interest or knowledge.
Introduction
Kaya the Wildborn relies on the speed and strength of her warbeasts. Though she herself can use her Fury, feat, and Splinter knockdown critical effect to incapacitate models, she's more effective pushing her warbeasts forward and keeping the enemy on its toes with fast movement and a sudden crippling strike.
Models Featured in this Issue
- Kaya the Wildborn
Rating
I'm rating the warcasters and warlocks on their abilities in:
- leading Troops
- fielding Warjacks or Warbeasts
- fighting in Combat
- casting Spells and using other special abilities
- overall Background and Theme
In the end, I compile the five point system to come up with a final score between 1-5. From this point onward the series will round up as decimal points have no meaning.
Troops
Kaya does not offer anything anything to units other than the ability to grant a unit Stealth. So instead it's a good idea to consider what a unit of soldiers have to offer Kaya.
The Druids of Orboros Unit with the Druid of Orboros Overseer Unit Attachment can extend Kaya's operational range by protecting her with magic and using the Overseer to further control her warbeasts. The Druids are also effective anti-infantry models with the Devouring providing a powerful area effect spell effect.
A Shifting Stones Unit gives her warbeasts a teleportation capacity on top of her Spirit Door ability.
And a skirmishing Wolves of Orboros Unit with or without their Wolves of Orboros Officer and Totem Bearer Unit Attachment can add additional warbeast protection with fast moving single wound models.
The Farrow Bone Grinders Unit can increase her assassination abilities with careful placement and killing of friendly warbeasts.
Troops Rating: 1/5
Warbeasts
Kaya's abilities main spells and abilities focus on her warbeasts, but her low Fury stat limits her from taking advantage of their Animi.
The go-to warbeast, probably for any Circle Warlock, would be the Warpwolf Warbeast. Her Rager spell makes it very likely to trigger its chain attack when it uses a boosted head-butt before auto-hitting three times to trigger Throat Ripper.
A second heavy to consider would be the Pureblood Warbeast. Though they are somewhat obvious when run together, the Warpwolf/Pureblood duo is resilient, fast, and versatile.
It's very tempting after that to include more Warpwolves. However, the animus mechanic means that different warbeasts have abilities that can further enhance an army rather than forcing generals to rely on unit spam. A Gnarlhorn Satyr Warbeast gives you out of turn counter-attacks and board control, while the Shadowhorn Satyr Warbeast gives you more throwing options.
Kaya can also run with more lights. An Argus Warbeast can be protected just as easily as a fast moving warpwolf with her Spirit Door spell. So move the Argus to attempt a boosted Doppler Bark, then "yo-yo" it back safely. The Gorax Warbeast is a light that empowers your heavies at the cost of the calculated auto-Frenzy risk.
Constructs have versatile animi, such as Undergrowth, Arcane Killers, and Vigilance, but they never benefit from Pack Hunters or Calm.
Kaya's abilities encourage a strange mix of aggressive warbeast combat and careful control to manage her low Fury.
Warbeast Rating: 4/5
Combat
Kaya has a critical effect knockdown through her weapon Splinter, but her attack stat and power aren't always reliable to get a kill. I don't know about you, but I don't get criticals when I need them. While her feat basically increases her Fury pool temporarily, if you've spent 3 Fury to Spirit Door her into combat, you're left with 8 or 9 Fury to finish off the target. It works, but it's not as reliable as using a similar attack-feat-attack sequence as, say, the Lich Lord Asphyxious.
Combat Rating: 3/5
Spells and Whistles
Kaya's feat can be used for Combat Kaya, or to heal lots and lots of fury on her warbeasts. Her feat is such that it doesn't really benefit her without her warbeasts, so she has to keep her warbeasts alive if she wants to make use of her feat.
Calm and Pack Hunters are useful, but they are difficult to use.
Spirit Fang is probably only useful against heavy warbeasts, and then you don't want to get near enough for Kaya to try casting it at a model as it has to damage in order to de-buff the target.
So why use Kaya? Rager. Rager can make a single warbeast into a threat that can be protected by a casting of Spirit Door. Headbutt, claw, claw, Throatripper. Headbutt, fist, fist, druidic rage. Throw target one, pound on target two. It's a fantastic spell.
Spells and Whistles Rating: 3/5
Background and Theme
Kaya's artwork in Hordes: Primal is beautiful. Her storyline, as it progresses through Hordes: Evolution, is less flattering, but completely in line with her character. Her fighting is instinctive and unpredictable, and her rules don't necessarily encourage her to play the way she is presented in the fiction.
4/5
Conclusion
Kaya will have her moments, but even when playing her to her strengths she's going to have some difficulty finishing the job.
3/5
Such is the way of Warmachine Kung Fu.
