Total War: Warhammer 3 – The Heroes And Troops Of Grand Cathay
Last time we took a look at the lords and legendary lords of Grand Cathay–today we go through the heroes and units of the Dragon Empire’s armies.
We continue going through the ranks of Grand Cathay’s great armies. Last time it was Lords, now we get to heroes and troops. Check them out!
First up the Alchemists who craft potions that can give themselves or nearby units providing massive bonuses to attack or armor.
Astromancers, on the other hand, are skilled sorcerers who practice the lore of Heavens and can mount on the Wu Xing War Compass.
Perhaps the oddest part of Grand Cathay’s armoury to an outsider, this miniaturised version of the great Compass engraved into the floor of the Celestial Court high above Wei-jin is a powerful tool for manipulation of the Elemental Winds. Imbued with the power of the Heavens and intricately designed as a weapon of war, meteors and lightning storms are summoned in its wake. While expensive to build and maintain, they are a truly unique weapon.
Notable characteristics:
- A mounted spellcaster with access to unique, long-range spells that deal extreme damage to enemy formations.
- More than capable of tearing up the ground and crashing headlong into enemy forces – making it a Yang-aligned unit, but one with significant ranged prowess.
- Regains its own power with increased speed thanks to control over the elemental winds.
Now let’s look at the troops.
Peasant Long Spearmen are the most numerous in Grand Cathay’s armies. They overwhelm their enemies through the sheer force of numbers.
- Like all melee units, Peasant Long Spearmen are Yang-aligned, increasing their Leadership and Melee Defense when within close proximity to a Yin unit.
- Their long spears give them fantastic charge defense when bracing, making them a suitable anti-cavalry and anti-large force.
- As noted, the endless ranks of Grand Cathay are expendable and expected to flee from battle when facing more than they can handle. Finishing the fight is the work of more disciplined troops.
Jade Warriors
These are troops of the line and make up trained and well equipped soldiers who are capable of tangling with Ogres, Chaos, or whatever else might come wandering in from the wastes.
Variants:
- Sword & Shield
- Halberd
Notable characteristics:
- Long trained to defend Grand Cathay against the relentless assaults from beyond the Grand Bastion, Jade Warriors adopt a Defensive Stance when immobile, making them harder to charge and kill.
- This builds as they remain that way, taking the lay of the land and bedding in to fend off the next attack, further increasing their charge resistance and armour.
- While the Halberd-wielding variant is unable to block missile fire due to the lack of shields, it is no less adept at bedding in to take a charge head-on and destroy any force foolish enough to challenge them.
Celestial Dragon Guard are elite soldiers who are officially a legion loyal to the Dragon Emperor himself. However more and more Dragon Guard have been trained over time, and they have been deployed far afield.
- Wielding Halberds, they are natural opponents to the armoured and the massive, as capable of spearing a beast from the Chaos Wastes as a man from his horse.
- However, as the most well-trained units in Grand Cathay, they are capable of defending against charges from anything – be it Chaos Warrior or Skaven Slave.
- They are superior to their brothers in the Jade Warriors in every way but one – there are, simply, less Celestial Dragon Guard out there.
Those are the melee troops. Let’s take a look at the Missile Infantry.
Peasant Archers, like peasant spearmen, represent the most numerous forces out there. They set a baseline for all missile infantry:
- As with any ranged unit among Cathayan armies, Peasant Archers are Yin-aligned, receiving bonuses when close to Yang units.
- Also expendable, though slightly less expected to be in the thick of things, as an archer.
- However, despite their mighty number and decent training, the gear of the peasantry is simply unlikely to cause much damage to heavily armoured foes.
Iron Hail Gunners are elite close-quarter troops who unload with powerful Iron Hail Guns that are capable of punching through even the heaviest armor and dealing out incredible damage.
- The strength of gunpowder gives these units a heavy, armour-piercing punch when they line up a shot.
- Their range is much shorter than either archers or crossbowmen elsewhere in the army.
- However, this can be quite an advantage when used to keep them in a useful position for Harmony and still pumping out heavy damage.
Crane Gunners crew the powerful Crane Gun which requires two people to lift, set up, and fire. With a tower shield providing cover and bracing for the gun, these artillerists are long range, precision snipers.
- Save artillery, will outrange anything on the battlefield, acting as effective snipers.
- Their armour-piercing rounds and heavy shields make them a unique and difficult unit for enemies to deal with, especially if unprepared.
- Two people for the price of one – bargain.
Jade Warrior Crossbowmen form the ranged backbone of the Grand Cathayan army. Crossbows help them punch far above their weight.
Variants:
- Crossbow
- Crossbow & Shield
Notable characteristics:
- While their armour weighs them down slightly, they will defeat a peasant archer in all other areas.
- That increased armour, especially when further improved with a shield, makes them difficult for other ranged units to trade with effectively.
- While not a melee troop, will happily survive and even defeat lesser foes in the midst of a close-range engagement.
Their counterparts, the Celestial Dragon Crossbowmen on the other hand, wield dragon crossbows–repeating, armor-piercing crossbows that can wither enemy units in a hail of fire.
Notable characteristics:
- Crane Gunners will outrange and outdamage them, the Celestial Dragon Guard are hardier and more powerful in all forms of warfare.
- Shields keep them protected, while the power of the crossbows makes their bolts armour-piercing.
- While not a true hybrid, are also more than capable of holding their own in battle.
Stay tuned for the rest of the roster
