Mandrakes

InfiltrationRecon
KILL GRADE [9]
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What to Know

Tactical Overview

{ "tweet": "Unleash the Mandrakes! This 9-operative team of shadowy Aeldari stalkers excels in melee ambushes from darkness. With 7" movement and save 5, they're fast but fragile - until they're WITHIN SHADOW where they become save 4! Their unique Soulstrike weapons bypass armor by targeting enemy APL instead. Teleport across the board with Shadow Passage, charge from concealment with Blade in the Dark, and strike fear with their shadow-based tricks. Master the darkness and watch your enemies vanish!" }

Core Abilities

Unusual Shooting ✓
Dirgemaw: Horrifying scream [Seek Light]
Unusual Melee ✓
Firefight Ploy: Shadow's Bite: defender strikes first when charged within shadow.
Super Conceal ✗
Out of Order Movement ✓
Strategic Ploy: Creeping Horror: free Dash after enemy activationOperative: Haunting Focus: interrupt activation during opponent's turn
Activation Manipulation ✓
Operative: Harrowing Whispers: prevent enemy activation if D6 roll exceeds APLOperative: Haunting Focus: interrupt enemy activation by activating this operative first
APL Modifiers ✓
Dirgemaw: Horrifying Scream [Stun]Chooser of the Flesh: Soul Harvest adds 1 APL to friendly operativeDirgemaw: Pareidolic Projection prevents enemy APL increases
Bitter Demise ✗
Block Rerolls ✗
Damage Reduction ✓
Operative: Oubliex: ignore damage on attack dice roll of 5+ when activeOperative: Balefire: reduce ranged weapon damage by 1 for MANDRAKE with tokenFaction Rule: Umbral Entities: ignore Piercing weapon rule for MANDRAKE operatives

Faction Rules

  • Shadow Passage: Once per turn, reposition a Mandrake within Shadow without moving, with restrictions.
  • Soulstrike: Weapon hits based on target's APL; 1s are criticals, 6s are fails.
  • Umbral Entities: Ignore Piercing when shot; Mandrakes in Shadow gain +1 Save.
  • Within Shadow: Defines conditions for being within Shadow, such as near terrain or markers.

Strategic Ploys

  • Creeping Horror: Mandrake with Conceal can free Dash within Shadow after enemy activation.
  • Gloaming Shroud: Retain one defence die as success when Mandrake in Shadow is shot.
  • Blade in the Dark: Mandrake with Conceal can Charge if starting or ending in Shadow.
  • Inescapable Nightmare: Reroll one attack die when Mandrake in Shadow is attacking or retaliating.

Firefight Ploys

  • Slither Out of Sight: change order to Conceal after activation
  • Soul Feast: regain wounds equal to APL times damage dice
  • Nowhere to Hide: move through terrain during activation
  • Shadow's Bite: defender resolves first attack dice in fight

Equipment

  • Chain Snare: Prevents enemy Fall Back action on dice roll
  • Shadow Glyph: Makes operative untargetable while concealed in cover
  • Soul Gem: Adds Blast 1" to baleblast weapon once per turn
  • Bone Darts: Provides silent, rending ranged weapon once per turn

Rules Commentary

5 Q&As
Q:
If a friendly MANDRAKE DIRGEMAW operative attempts to shoot or fight against the specified enemy operative in its Haunting Focus rule, but is prevented from doing so by an opponent's rule (e.g. SANCTIFIER CONFESSOR Commanding Declamation, NOVITIATE Blinding Aura) is the activation still cancelled?
A:
No. Continue its activation as though the requirements of the Haunting Focus rule have been fulfilled.
Q:
If a NIGHTFIEND operative incapacitates an enemy operative, then that enemy operative attempts to inflict damage as a result of being incapacitated (e.g. LEGIONARY Unending Bloodshed) and the NIGHTFIEND operative's Oubliex rule ignores that damage, does the oubliex become active again when the enemy operative is removed from the killzone?
A:
No. The enemy operative is already incapacitated when it attempts to inflict the damage, so the timing required for the oubliex to become active has passed.
Q:
If two MANDRAKE DIRGEMAW operatives select each other with their Haunting Focus rule, which operative activates in the following instance: Operative A is selected to activate normally, then Operative B would attempt to activate first as a result of the Haunting Focus rule, then Operative A would attempt to activate first as a result of the same rule?
A:
Operative B.
Q:
How does the Soulstrike weapon rule interact with rules that allow your opponent to retain defence dice results of 5+ as critical successes (e.g. ANGEL OF DEATH Hardy Chapter Tactic), or retain results of a specific number as a success (e.g. ELUCIDIAN STARSTRIDER Armoured Bodysuit)?
A:
The Soulstrike weapon rule takes precedence. For example, even with the Hardy Chapter Tactic, a 5 would be a fail not a critical success for that ANGEL OF DEATH operative, as it's higher than their APL stat (3).
Q:
When a MANDRAKE DIRGEMAW is shooting with its horrifying scream ranged weapon and negatively changes the target's APL as a result of the Stun weapon rule, does that change affect defence dice rolled for the target during that same sequence in relation to the Soulstrike weapon rule?
A:
No, as an operative's stats don't change during an action.