• Anti-Magic: A specialty of the faction.
• Balance, Power, Skill, Gimmick: They are largely the Balance faction, as all of their units tend to have both ranged and melee options and their Myrmidons neither excel nor are terrible in most categories. They do have some elements of Gimmick to differentiate them from Cygnar, primarily in how their Myrmidons can sport Deflector Shields.
• Deadly Force Field: Retribution's Elemental Powers. While Cryx has Acid, Khador has Ice, Cygnar has Lightning, and Protectorate has Fire, Retribution use Force Fields for various applications, from the obvious Deflector Shields to the more esoteric Speed Shoes and other effects.
• Demoted to Extra: Downplayed. Due to Retribution forces and Warjacks being Jack of All Stats units, Warcasters are more of an afterthought in army building. In contrast to other factions, where the Warcaster will govern what units you can plausibly run, Retribution Warcasters have very little impact on how a list plays and are instead chosen for what specific Status Buff spell you might want or what minor feature you might want to shore up.
• Fantastic Racism: Iosans in general tend to be extremely xenophobic, while members of the Retribution are even more so. They especially hate the skorne, their ancient enemies, and human magic users, for the timing of the Rivening just so happened to nearly coincide with the time Thamar made her deal with the infernals to give humanity the Gift of sorcery.
• Good Is Not Nice: From their own perspective, Retribution are the only Elves willing to do anything to combat the Soulless Epidemic and the impending extinction of their race. To that end they will do anything if it means achieving their goals.
• Inter-Service Rivalry: Mage hunters do not appreciate the regimented style of the Retribution's professional army and chafe at taking orders from them. Conversely, the Dawnguard consider mage hunters to be lacking in discipline, respect and organisation.
• Light Is Not Good: Retribution's color scheme is white and cyan, but they're seen as terrorist assassins who kill indiscriminately by most of Immoren.
• Mage Killer: The Retribution started as a splinter sect which believed that in order to save their gods and their race, they had to kill all the humans who could use magic. The faction has since grown into a full military force but they still employ many mage hunters.
• Praetorian Guard: Both Scyrah and Nyssor benefit from the protection of Scyrah’s Fane Knights, Nyssor’s clergy and an elite cadre of ryssovass, swordsmen who once protected the Nyss homelands.
• Punch-Clock Villain: Most of the Dawnguard serve the Retribution because their leaders have ordered them, not out of any commitment.
• The Soulless: For centuries the Retribution has accepted soulless children from parents who could not have them killed at birth.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The Retribution cooperates with the Fane of Scyrah and the Seekers as necessary, but always with an undercurrent of suspicion, dislike, and distrust.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: They want to save their gods and their race from extinction. To do so, they are ready and willing to slaughter any human who can use magic, or who might be able to use magic, or who gets in their way, or who...
• You Can't Go Home Again: After the Sundering, all soldiers of the Retribution of Scyrah found their way into Ios barred by the soulless. Tired by the relentless fighting—first against the infernals, then against the skorne—most of these soldiers had no appetite for further conflict, especially against their own kind. Many subsequently crossed through Rhul and established Frostbracken, a place where people could recover and regain their purpose within the world.

The Dawnguard are the bulwark against the darkness. The Order draws its roots from the aftermath of the Cataclysm, when the Lyossan refugees fled across the deserts of Caen in search of a new home after their gods died. Over time the order grew in political power, becoming the symbol of Great House Nyarr. Now the order serves as Ios' military, and as Retribution has grown in political favor they have become able to collaborate openly.

Dawnguard sentinels charge into the enemy as an overwhelming tide of cleaving blades. These heavily armored knights use their great swords to expertly carve through any adversary willing to stand against them. Sentinels embody sheer determination made tangible in flesh and steel and consider themselves guardians of the ideals of the Dawnguard.

Invictors make up the bulk of House Nyarr’s Dawnguard order. When supported by the formidable Iosan myrmidons, invictors are unsurpassed on the battlefield. Firing their weapons as they close, the invictors are ever ready to charge into the ranks of the enemy and cut them down with the heavy blades set into their rifles.

The elite cavalry of the Dawnguard, destors thunder across the battlefield to smash apart enemy lines or bring down heavily armored foes. Armed with lance cannons designed specifically for their order, the destors can soften an enemy from afar with unerring blasts from their weapons and then finish the job with a crushing cavalry charge. Many times it is the thundering hooves of a destor charge that deliver victory for the Retribution.

Dawnguard units include:

• Dawnguard Destors
• Dawnguard Invictors
• Dawnguard Sentinels

Dawnguard Solos include:

• Dawnguard Destor Thanes
• Dawnguard Sentinel Scyrs
• Dawnguard Tridents (see: Battle Engines)
• Warcaster Vyros (see: here)

Dawnguard form the core of the "Legions of Dawn" theme force.

• Action Girl: Sentinel Officers are explicitly modelled as women, though there's no requirement in-universe that they be women. Each is a Master Swordsman who goes into battle in heavy armor, able to tear even Heavy Warjacks apart with their weapons.
• Alpha Strike: Invictors have "Combined Ranged Attack", allowing them to forgo individual attacks in favor of concentrating their fire on a single foe to be more accurate and deal more damage.
• Arbitrary Weapon Range: The Invictor Commander has a Minifeat that allows him to increase this for the entire unit for a turn, granting them the "Snipe" special ability and improving their range from 10" up to 14"!
• Armored, but Frail: Invictors and Sentinels are all high armor units with 1hp apiece.
• Back-to-Back Badasses: Encouraged, Scyirs have "Iron Sentinel", giving them +2 defense and armor and immunity to knockdown while they're in base-to-base contact with a Warjack.
• Call That a Formation?:
  • Inverted, Invictors gain +2 armor from forming a rank of troops in the musket-era style despite existing on a battlefield with artillery, miniguns, rockets, and all the other real-life weapons that ended formation fighting.
  • Sentinels have the same special rule, "Wall of Steel", as Invictors, encouraging them to form ranks despite all the Area of Effect weapons being fired at them.
• Frontline General: Sentinel Scyirs are the highest ranked military units given in the lore for Retribution, meaning their participation in battles makes them this trope, leading Sentinels from the front and commanding Myrmidons if necessary.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation:
  • Despite visibly wearing more armor, Sentinels have the same armor value as Invictors. In fact, Sentinels have Shoulders of Doom larger than the more heavily armored Destors!
  • Destors carry large shields, but they gain no armor benefit from them in-game (or if they do, this isn't acknowledged anywhere in their statline).
• Horse Archer: Despite their power on the charge, Destors really shine in this role, riding around flanking enemies and firing their Lance Cannons to soften up foes. Their limited quantity of melee attacks mean that, while they can reliably polish off a weakened squad or kill a Heavy Warjack in a single turn, if they fail to completely eliminate the enemy they'll be stuck wasting time and not doing their job, unable to quickly escape melee.
• Hulk Speak: As a Jack Marshal, Scyirs are expected to speak like this to communicate with Myrmidons under their command due to a lack of the Psychic Link that Warcasters would use.
• Jousting Lance: Destors naturally fight with their lances, which even suffer from the "Lance" penalty, meaning they can't attack enemies unless they're charging into them.
• Lightning Bruiser: Destors, naturally, as heavy cavalry pack Heavy Warjack grade armor on a platform than can move 11" per turn while also carrying both cannons that can penetrate light armor reliably and lances that will tear through heavy armor on the charge.
• Luck Manipulation Mechanic: Invictor Officers grant "Combined Arms" as a special rule to their unit, allowing it to reroll Combined Ranged Attack accuracy rolls.
• Master Swordsman: Every Sentinel has "Weapon Master" on their swords, giving them a 50% damage boost on all rolls. Scyirs keep this ability.
• Mix-and-Match Weapon:
  • Destors fight using lances that also mount cannons along the length of their prows.
  • Invictors wield a more traditional gun blade, a sword with a rifle integrated into its length (as seen in the page image)
• More Dakka:
  • Destors can not only hit enemies with their lances on the charge, but their "Close Volley" and "Dual Attack" rule lets them fire off their guns in the same turn.
  • Destor Thanes retain this ability, allowing them to double their melee output on charges solo or effectively add to the charges of a squad of Destors.
• Mounted Mook: Destors are nondescript Red Shirt units and come in squads as large as 5, and are cavalry models to boot.
• No-Sell:
  • Sentinels under the effect of the officer's Minifeat have immunity to becoming frozen or knocked down.
  • Sentinel Officers passively grant their unit the ability to ignore rough terrain while charging.
  • Destor Thanes have "Unyielding", making them Armor 20 against enemies in melee. They grant this same benefit to every Destor within 9" of them.
• One-Handed Zweihänder: Sentinels all use "Greatswords" per their rules, but the Sentinel Officer is such a badass she can do so one-handed.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Sentinels have the "Vengeance" special rule, allowing them to perform a minor version of this trope every time one of them is damaged. They can advance for free 2" and make a free melee attack, meaning enemies trying to get some last-second shots into them will quickly find themselves with a face full of Sentinel and BFS.
  • Sentinel Scyirs add to this power, giving every Sentinel within 9" of them "Righteous Vengeance", which is like Vengeance except it triggers when an ally is killed. Put together, every time a Sentinel takes damage the enemy will regret it, quickly turning a squad of Sentinels into an Onrushing Army.
• Shoulders of Doom: The big visual distinguisher between Invictors and Sentinels is that Sentinels have enormous shoulder pads.
• Status Buff: Part of the use of Destor Thanes and Sentinel Scyirs is providing these to their corresponding squad types.
• Stone Wall: The Sentinel Officer's Minifeat "Iron Zeal" turns the squad into this, granting them +3 armor and immunity to knockdown and becoming frozen in place. When combined with their "Wall of Steel" special rule, they can gain armor on par with a Khador Heavy Warjack.
• Suave Sabre:
  • The mark of an Invictor officer, they carry a sabre in lieu of the squad's typical gun blade. Unusually for this trope, the sabre curves towards the guard, rather than away from it.
  • Sentinel Scyirs carry an elaborate greatsword that curves like a conventional sabre then doubles back, curving in the opposite direction at the tip. This helps differentiate them from "regular" Sentinels.

Fane Knight Guardians are protectors of the ailing goddess Scyrah. Armed with stout shields, steadfast resolve, and spears said to carry the blessings of the Goddess of Spring, Fane Knight Guardians swear oaths to protect Scyrah, her fane, and her priesthood. While many who have allied themselves with the Retribution’s goals have done so from a sense of duty to their house or a desire for political influence, these guardians have joined the cause out of a desire to see the goddess and the Iosan people restored. The Fane Knights served the ailing goddess long before the Retribution came to prominence, and their organization’s dedication to Scyrah is arguably stronger than that of the Retribution itself.

Fane Knights only offer solos:

• Fane Knight Guardians
• Fane Knight Skeryth Issyen (see: here)

Fane Knights can defend their Warcasters in any Retribution Theme Force.

• Action Girl: Many Fane Knights are women, to the point that even the lore defaults to female pronouns when referring to them.
• Anti-Magic: Fane Knights carry blessed weapons, allowing them to ignore any Status Buff spells enemies might be using.
• Bodyguard Babes: In keeping with the Action Girl mentioned above, Warcasters can have this trope by taking a female Fane Knight as their bodyguard of choice.
• Gameplay and Story Integration: Official art (see the page image) depicts a Fane Knight guarding Elara2. Elara's second form is one of the best models for a Fane Knight to be attached to, as Elara wants to get close to the enemy to use her abilities, but lacks staying power on her own to protect against retaliation. Fane Knights solve that problem very effectively.
• Heroic Resolve: The justification for much of the Fane Knights' durability is actually just their zealous willpower refusing to let them fall while they still draw breath.
• Knight in Shining Armor: Fane Knights as a whole aspire to be this for Scyrah and for the Iosians as a whole.
• Lady and Knight: Invoked in the official art and encouraged by the Fane Knight's role. Fane Knights have Nigh-Invulnerability while within generally about 7" of their Warcaster, and most Retribution Warcasters are women. In particular, Fane Knights guarding Issyria most closely invoke the medieval depiction of this trope.
• Lightning Bruiser: Fane Knights have speed 6, Reposition: 3, armor 17 (de facto 21 due to their "Total Devotion" rule), and blessed weapons. While less powerful offensively, they're exceptionally fast and more durable than even Heavy Warjacks, while still able to reliably kill Light Warjacks by themselves.
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Fane Knights carry a shield which, the lore claims, contributes to their durability. Notably the shield lacks the usual "Only protects against attacks from the front" limitation shields usually do, meaning it's considerably more protective than most shields.
• No-Sell: While within the command range of their Warcaster, Fane Knights become armor twenty one! They also become immune to knockdown, countering one of the usual tactics for bypassing units with "Shield Guard".
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Like other Retribution warcaster attachments, Fane Knights in the first two editions were objectively inferior to simply taking Sylys Wyshnalyrr. 3rd edition nerfed Sylys heavily to try and let Fane Knights and other warcaster attachment units thrive.
• The Remnant: Originally Fane Knights were Scyrah's personal bodyguard. With her debilitation and retreat to the walls of Ios, the Fane Knights were left without a purpose. Many still stand by her sleeping form, but others have chosen to "take the fight to the enemy" as they understand it, and have joined up with Retribution of Scyrah.
• Taking the Bullet: Fane Knights have "Shield Guard", letting them intercede to block attacks aimed at nearby allies with their own bodies. Thanks to their high armor they're also considerably more likely to survive such tactics.
• Third Party Stops Attack: Fane Knights have the ability "Guard Dog", which is implicitly this trope. While it grants the Warcaster they guard "Parry" and +2 defense, the fact that it only applies as long as the Fane Knight is upright and mobile means it's the Knight doing the actual blocking
• Undying Loyalty: Invoked mechanically in their "Total Devotion" special rule, granting them +4 armor while they're near their charge.
• Weak Boss, Strong Underlings: Fane Knights have some of the highest armor values in the entire game for Infantry, making them inherently this trope for almost all Warcasters they guard.

Ghost snipers are specialized and secretive hunter-killers ostensibly employed to help patrol the borders of Ios by bringing their powerful rifles to bear against intruders. They have an ominous reputation among both Homeguard Coalition officers and the ordinary citizenry. Rumors persist that these cold-blooded killers are sometimes engaged to eliminate Iosans who are deemed potentially dangerous. Many nobles would moreover be horrified to learn that a sizable number of snipers have joined the Retribution.

Ghost Snipers are only available via the Ghost Sniper solo

They can be taken as a support unit in the "Legions of Dawn" and "Defenders of Ios" theme forces.

• Armor-Piercing Attack: Ghost Sniper's have "Deadly Shot" on their rifles, letting them ignore armor to deal 3 automatic damage and ignore Tough in the process.
• Attack Its Weak Point: The justification for "Deadly Shot", as Ghost Snipers target hoses, gasgets, eyeholes, and joints to ensure they deal maximum harm to the target no matter their armor. Their "Marksman" ability reinforces this, allowing them to decide precisely which part of a Warjack or Warbeast gets damaged.
• Bald of Evil: Ghost Snipers are dedicated assassins who kill without conscience or question (or even direction in many cases) and are totally shaved to help show that.
• BFG: One whose size governs its range rather than the usual expectation of improving damage. Ghost Snipers have a terrifyingly large 14" range.
• Forest Ranger: With "Pathfinder" and "Swift Hunter", Ghost Snipers excel at maneuvering through forests to remain concealed, popping out to fire off a deadly shot, then retreating back into the forest for cover.
• Glass Cannon: Two Ghost Snipers and Eiryss1 can output an unblockable 9 damage per turn, allowing them to reliably kill almost anything in the game in a couple turns of shooting by themselves. They also have what fans call "Victim stats", with armor 11 meaning every weapon in the game automatically damages them back.
• High Collar of Doom: As part of averting In the Hood but still wanting to show that Ghost Snipers are The Sneaky Guy they all sport the telltale Mage Hunter high collar, which in their case also helps convey that they're extremely deadly.
• Hit-and-Run Tactics: With no way of ignoring Line of Sight restrictions, this is how Ghost Hunters have to operate. They leave terrain, fire off a shot, get a kill, then use their "Swift Hunter" ability to retreat back into terrain for cover.
• The Musketeer: Ghost Snipers primarily fight with their rifles, but have a short sword they wear for defense in close combat if necessary.
• Necessary Drawback: Ghost Snipers are generic solos (meaning they can be taken in multiples, in contrast to Character solos) with a sniper rifle that deals three guaranteed damage instead of the usual 1. To prevent them from being too powerful they're limited to 1 shot per turn, cannot ignore Stealth, cannot ignore Line-of-Sight restrictions, and are a Glass Cannon.
• Nom de Guerre: Ghost snipers frequently adopt false names or epithets, preferring to keep their background and actual names a secret.
• The Sneaky Guy: Downplayed, but as part of their Forest Ranger play style Ghost Snipers specialize in hiding in terrain to avoid getting shot at until they pop out to strike. Despite lacking "Stealth", "Prowl", or other sneak-focused special rules, their defense becomes a fairly high 16 in terrain, making them difficult to hit for enemies.
• Utility Belt: Ghost Snipers carry one as a bandolier, presumably full of spare ammo.

House Ellowuyr practice a unique discipline of war among the Iosians. For untold centuries they have honed themselves, body and blade, into devastating weapons. Now they march to war alongside the forces of Retribution, seeking to earn favor with their remaining gods.

The swordsmen of House Ellowuyr practice a unique traditional discipline of fighting that utilizes perfectly balanced blades and fluid movements. Employing great sweeping motions they can cleave an opponent in two and continue to the next without losing momentum, while also being able to quickly maneuver to deflect incoming projectiles with the flat of their blades. They fight at the request of Thyron, Sword of Truth, who offered the Retribution the aid of those heroic swordsmen most loyal to him.

The Wardens of House Ellowuyr are the elite shock troops of a house renowned for its martial prowess. Initiate Wardens are handpicked at a young age, spending the entirety of their adolescent year's training to wield the arms and armour of the Warden discipline.

Among the initiates of the Wardens, there are those who excel in their training far beyond that of their peers. These individuals are capable of truly incomprehensible feats of martial strength, such as wielding a pair of the Wardens’ signature heavy voulges with the same grace as their brethren muster with a single blade. These individuals are rare and gifted and are quickly perceived by their trainers. These select few undergo a far more extreme regiment of training than the standard Warden, learning to master the art of warfare in ways few can imagine.

House Ellowuyr units include:

• House Ellowuyr Swordsmen
• House Ellowuyr Wardens

House Ellowuyr solos include:

• House Ellowuyr Warden Executioner
• Warcaster Falcir (see: here)
• Warcaster Thyron (see: here)

House Ellowuyr units form the core of the "Defenders of Ios" theme force

• The Ace: Wardens fill the same niche as Dawnguard Sentinels as Armor 18 melee units, however they are faster than Sentinels, have far better defenses in melee (defense 14 and armor 18 compared to defense 12 armor 17) without sacrificing damage output thanks to their power 15 Heavy Voulges.
• An Arm and a Leg:
  • Warden Voulges have "Critical Amputation", crippling a Warjack or Warbeast's limbs on a critical hit.
  • Warden Executioners share this ability on their axes, making them twice as deadly due to Dual Wielding them.
• BFS: All House Ellowuyr use one, even Wardens. While Swordsmen mount their blades on conventional two-handed hilts, Wardens mount them on poles to create improvised voulges
• Blocking Stops All Damage: All House Ellowuyr units have "Parry", meaning enemies attempting to land free strikes on them are automatically blocked, dealing no damage.
• Counter-Attack: Swordsmen Officers have the Minifeat "Serpent's Coil" which gives their squad this trope for a turn. Whenever an enemy advances into melee range with a Swordsman for a turn, that Swordsman can get a free melee attack against them.
• Dog Pile of Doom: Encouraged by the Swordsmen's "Gang" rule. As long as they're attacking the same person as another member of their unit they get +2 accuracy and damage in melee, encouraging the whole squad to dogpile on tough enemies to help chew through their armor.
• Dual Wielding: Warden Executioners carry a pair of axes as their weapons.
• Gold-Colored Superiority: House Ellowuyr units all wear gold with yellow Tron Lines and their forces are all designed to be better than the other Iosian equivalents.
• The Gunslinger: Warden Executioners qualify as The Woo, using a pair of axes that have cannons in them to blast enemies in melee. Thanks to their special rule "Quick Work" then can seamless switch from cleaving enemies with their axes to blasting them with their cannons.
• Jack of All Stats: Swordsmen aren't as armored as Dawnguard Sentinels but they're faster thanks to "Overtake" and "Blade Shield". They don't hit as hard individually as Sentinels, but they hit far, far more thanks to "Cleave", "Gang", and "Overtake". As a result they can take on just as many foes but with more versatility than their competition.
• Quantity Versus Quality: Wardens are tougher than Swordsmen, but less numerous. Swordsmen have better defense at range, making them harder to hit while they get to combat, but Wardens have higher defense in melee, allowing them to weather combat better. Wardens have power 15 on their weapons, allowing them to more reliably defeat heavy armor, while Swordsmen have "Gang", allowing their numbers to make up for the base power difference. Tactical wikis still debate which of the two are the better choice due to their evenly matched differences.
• Master Swordsman: House Ellowuyr train all their forces to this level. Though none of their units have "Weapon Master", they all have "Cleave" and a variety of other special rules that make them terrifying to face in melee, as they can quickly chew through a squad of almost any size.
• Mix-and-Match Weapon: Warden Executioners carry a pair of axes with integrated Vortex Cannons.
• Mook Lieutenant: Warden Executioners act as this trope to Wardens, providing them with "Side Step" to help improve their mobility in melee
• National Weapon: House Ellowuyr consider their personal design of swords to be this, and as a result both Swordsmen and Wardens use them (even if Wardens mount them on sticks).
• No-Sell:
  • Swordsmen have "Blade Shield", making them defense 15 against ranged attacks (requiring an average roll of nine on two six-sided dice to hit them)
  • Wardens and Warden Executioners have "Unyielding", giving them armor on par with a Khadorian Heavy Warjack in melee.
• Parrying Bullets: Swordsmen do this automatically thanks to their "Blade Shield" ability, increasing their defense by 2.
• Spam Attack: Every Ellowuyr unit has "Cleave", giving them a free attack whenever they kill an enemy with a basic melee attack. On an entire unit of Swordsmen this gives them up to twenty sword attacks per turn!
• Thunder Beetle: Deliberately invoked with the design of House Ellowuyr's armor; every helmet has a large horn in the style of the kabutomushi and they wear gold and yellow accented armor that closely resembles the trope's page image.
• Unrealistic Black Hole: Warden Executioners have "Chain Attack: Vortex Blast", allowing them to create one of these against an enemy who survives both their initial axe hits.
• Weapons of Their Trade: Warden Executioners naturally fight with their executioner axes, though the game still calls them "heavy voulges" despite clearly being different weapons than the ones Wardens use.

For generations the members of House Lys have acted as healers and performed funeral rites for the nation of Ios. Embracing Scyrah fully in their lives, many of House Lys become priests and healers in order to carry out the work of the goddess of spring through the renewal of life. Lys healers equally embrace both spirituality and anatomical knowledge and as a result there is a physicality to their healing practices despite their use of spiritual energies. Before the Retribution drew Ios into conflict with the human nations, Lys healers spent most of their time mending incidental injuries or driving illnesses from the bodies of Iosans, but war has forced them to the front lines where their ability as physicians is in high demand.

House Lys offers only its Healers to the forces of Retribution, seeking to ease the suffering of the dying and tend the wounds of those who yet live. Lys Healers are support solos for the "Defenders of Ios", "Legions of Dawn", and "Shadows of the Retribution" theme forces.

• Action Girl: The default Lys healer model is a woman who wades into an active warzone carrying no weapons or offensive abilities so that she can heal the sick and ease the pain of the dying.
• Actual Pacifist: Lys healers carry no weapons and have no offensive spells or abilities. They can't even improve other units' ability to kill!
• Anti-Magic: Lys Healers have the spell "Purifying Prayer", which douses Man on Fire models and removes Status Ailment effects on allies within 8"
• Caretaking Is Feminine: The decision to make the default Lys Healer model a woman is a clear example of this trope.
• Determined Doctor: Not only are Lys Healers willing to wade into battle to tend the sick and dying, but their special ability "Move to Assist" gives them free movement whenever a nearby ally is wounded, reflecting that they will charge through hails of gunfire to reach those in need.
• In the Hood: Lys healers go into battle clad in full-face obscuring hoods to help convey their piety towards the wounded.
• The Medic: Lys healers serve the Retribution in the front line as physicians.
• Necessary Drawback: Her spells all have the (* Action) tag, meaning that she can only use one of her three extremely critical abilities per turn.
• Roadside Surgery: A natural consequence of their "Move to Assist" and "Heal d3+1" abilities. Lys Healers will magically close wounds and remove penetrators in the middle of forests, bogs, or any other rough terrain if necessary. If they can get there, they will heal the injured.
• Shoot the Medic First: With what fans call "Victim Stats", Lys Healers are priority targets for enemy players. Only their small bases protect them, as they lack any other damage-mitigation abilities like "Stealth" or "Prowl".
• Shout-Out: As can be seen in their page image, Lys Healers greatly resemble the Ring Mages of Vryn, particularly their most famous member Jace Beleren.
• Status Buff: Their "Power of Faith" spell allows allies to No-Sell Knockdown and Harmless Freezing while within 5" of them.
• Surgeons Can Do Autopsies If They Want: Justifed via A Wizard Did It, Lys Healers can heal Nyss, Blighted Nyss, Iosians, Soulless, and Eldritches all equally well, despite these groups having very different biological needs due to their different origins.
• Utility Belt: Lys healers, despite using magic for their role as The Medic, carry a number of belts with pouches containing healing salves and other resources.
• Your Soul Is Mine!: Inverted, Lys Healers prevent those who die within 5" of them from having their souls collected by the enemy.

House Shyeel lent its forces to Retribution centuries before the organization gained credibility in the eyes of the Iosian noble houses. They were there when it began, and they shall be supportive until the soulless epidemic is ended. Supplying Myrmidons to Retribution's Warcasters, they have also supplied troops, those volunteers eager to feel like they matter in the face of extinction.

House Shyeel is best known for its feats of ingenuity in the engineering and production of myrmidons. Unlike other arcane mechanics in the service of the Retribution, Shyeel arcanists are equipped to wade into battle to return impaired myrmidons to the fight. These arcanists train to master both the arcane arts and the practical skills necessary to repair the damaged mechanisms of a myrmidon under fire, manipulating kinetic force for both offense and defense.

Even the most masterfully crafted myrmidon requires repair and support, particularly after the rigors of battle. Arcanists are seasoned mechanics with a broad working knowledge of arcanika that allows them to piece together shattered and broken hardware to get even a mostly ruined myrmidon working again. Their expertise also allows them to lend subtle arcane power to push these machines past their normal operational limits.

House Shyeel has assembled squads of arcanists who specialize in the application of raw evoked force. They have no fear of closing with the enemy, for they enter battle equipped with massive arcanika-charged gauntlets that lend supernatural strength to their strikes. Their control over kinetic energies allows them to emerge unscathed from even massive explosions.

Battle mage magisters manipulate invisible energies to tear an enemy limb from limb or to haul weighty machinery around like pieces on a game board. The massive arcanika gauntlets they wear not only serve as conduits for their powers, but can deliver tremendous crushing blows and send opponents flying.

The House Shyeel artificer harnesses the might of Iosan magic to blast foes with bolts of rending energy and restrict their movement with walls of raw force. In addition, the artificer can smash enemies in melee with his twin power gauntlets.

House Shyeel units include:

• House Shyeel Arcanists
• House Shyeel Battle Mages

House Shyeel solos include:

• Arcanist Mechanik
• House Shyeel Artificer
• House Shyeel Magister

House Shyeel also offer over half of Retribution's Myrmidons. For more information see: Myrmidons.

As the premiere supplier of Myrmidons, House Shyeel forces form the core of the "Forges of War" theme force. Arcanist Mechaniks can also be taken in every other theme force.

• Armored, but Frail: Downplayed but present for Artificers, who have armor comparable to a Heavy Warjack, but only 5hp.
• Bald Head of Toughness: Arcanists go into battle with clean shaven heads, a sign of their fearless devotion to keeping Myrmidons operational.
• Blood Magic: Artificers in 4th edition have "Battle Wizard", letting them gain a free bonus spell when they kill an enemy in melee. They grant this ability to nearby Battle Mages as well.
• Combat Medic: Arcanists act as this trope for Myrmidons in battle, repairing up to 4 damage per Arcanist while being able to beat enemies down with their wrenches.
• Conservation of Ninjutsu: Inverted, Arcanists cost the same as 3 Arcanist Mechanik solos, but Arcanists benefit from Force Barrier while Arcanist Mechaniks do not.
• Deflector Shields:
  • Arcanists have "Force Barrier", granting them +2 defense against ranged attacks and +4 armor against blast damage.
  • Artificers can generate one as well, granting +2 defense against ranged attacks and +4 armor against blast damage.
• Hand Blast
  • Battle Mages cast their spells via their Power Fist gauntlets in this manner.
  • Magisters do as well, in addition to using their Hand Blast attacks in melee to knock foes away.
  • Artificers do the same, casting their spell "Force/Magno Bolt" like this from their gauntlets.
• Health Potion: Artificers naturally generate one for Warjacks under their command, healing 1-3 damage on their force fields for free.
• Hulk Speak: Artificers are Jack Marshals, meaning they're expected to communicate with Myrmidons via this method due to lacking a Psychic Link that Warcasters have.
• Knockback:
  • Arcanists have the spell "Force Strike" which knocks enemies down on a critical hit.
  • Battle Mages have "Beat Back" on their gauntlets, knocking enemies back in melee. Their only spell is "Force Bolt" as well, which knocks enemies up to 3" away.
  • Artificers can use Force/Magno Bolt to launch enemy models away from themselves.
  • They can also forgo their default melee attacks to instead perform "Combo: Smite", knocking enemies 1-6" away from themselves and dealing damage.
  • Magisters also have "Combo: Smite" on their Power Fist guantlets, but they also have "Beat Back" natively, meaning their attacks push enemies 1" away passively.
  • Magisters also have Force Bolt as an offensive spell, like Artificers.
• Luck-Based Mission: Arcanists repair for d3+1, while Arcanist Mechaniks repair for d6. This means Arcanists repair 2-4, while Mechaniks repair 1-6. With the "mission" of repairing Myrmidons from damage, then, Arcanists offer more consistent repairs while Mechaniks offer higher highs and lower lows.
• Mook Lieutenant:
  • Magisters have "Veteran Leader: Shyeel", meaning they give nearby Shyeel infantry +1 accuracy
  • Artificers in 4th edition gain "Leadership: Battle Mages", which allows them to grant the "Battle Wizard" special rule to nearby Battle Mages.
• Mana Potion: Arcanists have the spell "Empower", allowing them to give 1 FOCUS to a friendly Warjack
• Mecha-Mooks: House Shyeel are the original supplier of Myrmidons to Retribution, and are still their largest contributor of models.
• Nerf: The changeover to 4th edition saw Artificers lose "Jack Marshal" and "Drive: Field Reinforcement", meaning they both can no longer command Myrmidons nor heal their shields. Artificers also lost their "Force Manipulation" spell.
• No-Sell
  • Artificers have "Pathfinder", letting them ignore rough terrain
  • They also have "Set Defense", giving them +2 defense against charges, slams, and impact attacks.
  • Magisters also have "Set Defense", as do Battle Mages.
• Power Fist:
  • Battle Mages fight using a pair of these to manipulate their spells and punch enemies.
  • Magisters mount a pair that gives them "Combo: Smite" and "Beat Back" as an innate ability.
  • Artificers mount a pair of them, which provide "Combo: Smite" as an attack option in addition to giving them power 13 melee damage by default.
• Power Floats: Compounding the Artificer's apparent lack of legs is that he floats above the ground. The model is mounted to its base via the bottom of the model's cloak.
• Shoot the Mage First: With no less than three powerful spells at their disposal, Artificers are definitely priority targets. Good luck with that though, as Artificers have defense 14 against ranged attacks and armor 17 by default.
• Shoot the Medic First: Arcanists and Arcanist Mechaniks have extremely low defense and armor, and their role in keeping Myrmidons functional makes them priority targets.
• Status Buff:
  • Arcanist Mechaniks have the spell "Concentrated Power", boosted a single Myrmidon's melee damage by 2.
  • Artificers in 1st through 3rd edition had the spell "Force Manipulation", allowing them to render themselves immune to charges or slams
  • In 4th edition, Artificers gained the Mook Lieutenant ability "Leadership", which grants a Blood Magic effect to Battle Mages within 10" of themselves.
  • Artificers also have the spell "Force Wall", which grants a target unit +2 defense against range attacks and +4 armor against blast damage.
• Top-Heavy Guy: Artificers wear so much armor on their torsos (and so little anything on their legs) that they appear to lack legs entirely!◊
• Utility Belt: Arcanists and Arcanist Mechaniks carry belts full of pouches for spare parts and tools.
• Wrench Whack: Officially Arcanists are armed with "multi tools", but they are functionally wrenches and double as the Arcanists' only melee weapons.
• Yank Into Melee: Users of "Force Bolt" can also pull enemies towards them as necessary.

Late arrivals to Retribution, House Vyre's forces have been supplied in an effort to atone for the sins of their former Patriarch. Not content to stand idly by as their myrmidons march to war, House Vyre has recently deployed its own seasoned electromancers. Arcanists trained for years under the tutelage of House Vyre’s most accomplished battle mages, electromancers have done much to further the house’s cause. The voltaic energies forced through their staves lash the battlefield with manipulated storms that arc deadly electrical surges from one target to the next. Warjacks collapse beneath overloaded systems, and scores of infantry fry where they stand.

House Vyre units include:

• House Vyre Electromancers

House Vyre solos include:

• Warcaster Ghyrrshyld (see: here)
• Warcaster Ossyan (see: here)
• Arcantrik Force Generator (see: Battle Engines)

House Vyre also supply the other portion of Retribution's Myrmidons. For more information see: Myrmidons.

House Vyre form major portions of every theme force due to their Myrmidons, with Electromancers acting as major support elements of the "Defenders of Ios" theme force.

• The Atoner: The House joined up with Retribution after Ghyrrshyld committed atrocities and vile experiments seeking to end the soulless epidemic. Now the rest of the House seek to make up for his stain on their history.
• Lightning Gun: House Vyre's forces specialize in this, best exemplified by their Electromancers.
• Magic Staff: Of the Clarke's Third Law variety, Electromancers are effectively wizards who cast lightning spells, except they "cast" them using high tech equipment inside of their Storm Inducers.
• Mana Drain: Electromancers can fire a bolt with the "Attack Type: Energy Leak", which reduces the maximum amount of FOCUS a Warjack can have by 1 for each Electromancer who hits the same target. If all three land their hits on the same target, that Warjack becomes unable to fuel itself at all for a turn.
• Mecha-Mooks: House Vyre are Retribution's other major supplier of Myrmidons.
• Required Secondary Powers: Electromancers have "Immunity: Electricity" so there's no risk of them accidentally zapping themselves or each other.
• Shock and Awe: Electromancers unsurprisingly are all about Lightning as their weapon of choice.
• Spam Attack: Electromancers have "Attack Type: Pulse Fire", which allows them to forgo their usual attacks for a randomized quantity of attacks.
• Subsystem Damage: Thanks to their "Damage Type: Electricity", Electromancers inflict 1 automatic damage to any Warjack's cortex.
• Superior Successor: Out of universe, Electromancers are the Retribution version of Cygnar Stormcallers, only better in every way.
• Touch the Intangible: Electromancers also have "Damage Type: Magical" on their Inducers, meaning they can hit ghosts and incorporeal models with their lightning.
• When Things Spin, Science Happens: The Storm Inducers used by Electromancers feature large spinning balls in the head which are the source of electricity.

Houseguard forces have served in the defense of Ios since its foundation, the protection of Ios is not a responsibility of the Five Great Military Houses alone but of every citizen. The most vital element of this common defensive effort has been the large number of riflemen ready to fire on any approaching enemy from a great distance. Companies of these same riflemen have joined the Retribution in droves, and they are expected to serve as the long reaching line for the army abroad, wielding heavy rifles capable of delivering punishing firepower against the human armies that so greatly outnumber them.

Halberdiers maintain an unbroken martial tradition predating Lyoss itself. Even in the hands of a fresh recruit, the halberd is a deadly weapon, and the majority of the houseguard are career soldiers who have spent years at drill and formation. They know every cadence march and maneuver by heart. Disciplined ranks of halberdiers form a tide of rising and falling steel that can cut down masses of enemies with deliberate ease. Because their numbers are drawn from disparate lesser Iosan households, there are noticeable variances in the uniforms and armor among the halberdiers, but their basic armament remains consistent and is based on ancient tradition. The sheer numbers of the houseguard is what enables the Retribution to engage in battle against the armies of the human kingdoms. It is a truth of war that these companies, the army’s lifeblood, will endure heavy losses in battles ahead. Halberdiers embrace this grim fact with pride as soldiers of the line.

Houseguard units include:

• Houseguard Riflemen
• Houseguard Halberdiers
• Stormfall Archers
• Heavy Rifle Team

Houseguard solos include:

• Houseguard Thane

Houseguard are the foundation of the "Defenders of Ios" theme force.

• The Ace: Riflemen are the Retribution equivalent of Cygnar Trencher Long Gunners and Khador Winter Guard Riflemen, but have higher stats than either of them.
• Alpha Strike: Riflemen have "Combined Ranged Attack", allowing them to concentrate fire on a single target for improved accuracy and damage.
• Arbitrary Weapon Range: Stormfall Archers can increase their's by 4 with their "Attack Type: Snipe"
• Armored, but Frail: Halberdiers in Shield Wall formation have armor on par with a Heavy Warjack but only a single hit point.
• Armor-Piercing Attack: The Heavy Rifle has "Armor Piercing" halving the enemy's armor value before dealing damage.
• Arrows on Fire: Using their "Attack Type: Star Strike", Stormfall Archers can choose to do no damage and instead set the victim on fire.
• "Avoid This Area" Effect: Heavy Rifle Teams naturally generate one for enemy Warcasters and other VIP models, as their 14" range, nigh-guaranteed boosted accuracy rolls, and "Armor Piercing" special rule mean that any VIP who gets within 14" of them is basically as good as dead. If they don't move, using no other units, a Heavy Rifle Team will, on average, hit anything with defense 17 or less, and then deal an average net damage of between 5 and 9. In one shot they'll take off half a Warcaster's health, or kill basically any Solo model in the game!
• Battlefield Flagbearer: Houseguard units can take an officer and a Standard Bearer. The Standard Bearer improves the officer's command range and can be picked up if the model carrying the standard dies.
• Bait-and-Switch:
  • Despite having "Armor Piercing", the Heavy Rifle Team's actual purpose is VIP infantry elimination. Their single shot per turn, even with Armor Piercing, isn't going to reliably kill Heavies quickly, but a power 8 armor piercing shot with boosted accuracy hitting a Squishy Wizard or Glass Cannon will put them down nearly guaranteed. If a Heavy Rifle Team can get within range of the enemy's Warcaster, it's practically game over.
  • Due to the way Armor Piercing rules work, enemies with armor buffs are actually considerably more difficult to take down than expected. This is because the buff is applied after the armor value is halved, so an armor 18 model is taking automatic damage from the attack (the damage is "whatever two dice roll, minus 1"), while Armor 14 units under the effect of a Shield Wall (+4 armor) have a chance to survive (the damage becomes "whatever two dice roll, minus 3")
• Bald of Evil: Heavy Rifle Snipers have the shaved heads common to Retribution, though in their case it's to showcase their brutality and lethality rather than their durability or fearlessness.
• BFG Unsurprisingly the Heavy Rifle Team bring one to the party. It's about eight feet long and counts as an artillery piece!
• Bow and Sword in Accord: Stormfall Archers carry Greatbows and short swords to engage enemies at range and in melee.
• Call That a Formation?: Inverted, Halberdiers benefit greatly from their "Shield Wall" order despite operating on a battlefield with the exact weapons that ended shield wall tactics in real life.
• Cold Sniper: Heavy Rifle Snipers sport the Bald of Evil to prove it!
• Cool Helmet: Thanes get a special one that marks their status, as seen in the page image.
• Do-Anything Soldier: Downplayed but present, as Thanes' lifetimes of combat experience mean they excel at fighting alongside any Houseguard unit, from Riflemen to Halberdiers, and their buffs are built with that in mind, giving them options that make every Houseguard unit better in some way.
• Dog Pile of Doom: Halberdiers have "Combined Melee Attack", encouraging them to dogpile on Heavy Warjacks to ensure they can take them down.
• Do Not Run with a Gun: Due to having a ranged accuracy comparable to untrained conscripts, Stormfall Archers are unlikely to hit anything unless they forfeit their movement to gain an accuracy bonus while aiming. They don't quite reach the level of Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy, however, as while stationary they are generally fairly capable of hitting their targets, even high defense ones.
• Fragile Speedster: Surprisingly Halberdiers are this trope. Out of Shield Wall they can sacrifice their attacks to run 12" per turn. In Shield Wall, they can still sacrifice their attacks to run 9" per turn, and with 2" reach and "Brutal Charge" they can be extremely effective at charging into the enemy. However, they all have 1 hp, and without "Shield Wall" active they have what fans call "Victim Stats" due to how fragile they are.
• Glass Cannon: Via Death of a Thousand Cuts, Riflemen can be absolutely devastating against enemy infantry and thanks to their Combined Ranged Attack they can even threaten heavy armor, but they have "Victim Stats", low defense, low armor, and just 1hp, leaving them prone to counter attacks.
• Great Bow: In contrast to the usual depiction of elven archers, Stormfall Archers use Greatbows that hit as hard as firearms!
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Under the command of an officer, Riflemen can perform a Combined Ranged Attack against targets in melee, improving their accuracy and damage despite their victim being constantly moving.
• Master Swordsman: Thanes have "Weapon Master", marking them as terrors with their Officer Swords.
• The Musketeer:
  • Riflemen fight primarily with their long guns but carry short swords for defense in melee.
  • Far from being helpless up close, the Heavy Rifle Team back up their BFG with swords for melee defense.
• No-Sell:
  • Halberdiers have "Set Defense", giving them +2 defense against charges, slams, and impact attacks.
  • Thanes can grant the ability to ignore the "Stealth" special rules on enemy with their "Firing Solution: Houseguard" action.
• Non-Indicative Name: Halberdiers actually wield Voulges◊, a weapon that is more about being an axe on a stick than the Halberd's intended ability to also viably fit into a spear niche. The lore does actually correctly state that Halberdiers primarily use their weapons as Voulges, hacking at the enemy like great cleavers, though it still calls them "Halberds".
• Onrushing Army: Encouraged by the Halberdiers' "Brutal Charge" special rule and their +3 movement in "Shield Wall" formation. When Halberdiers charge an enemy they gain +2 damage, and with a base speed of 6 players are encouraged to run at the enemy as fast as possible to get them into melee.
• The Power of Friendship: Somewhat more literally than the usual version of this trope, Halberdier Officers have a Minifeat called "Team Effort", which grants every member of the unit +2 accuracy and damage when attacking an enemy in melee range of one of their comrades. Note that unlike most examples in the game, this one does not require that that comrade have attacked the same target, merely be in the same melee.
• Short-Range Long-Range Weapon: The aptly named "Whites of Their Eyes" Minifeat that Riflemen Officers have gives models boosted damage the closer the model is to the squad.
• Speed Shoes: Thanes have "Desperate Pace: Houseguard" as an action, allowing them to improve all Houseguard units' mobility by 2"
• Status Buff:
  • Stormfall Archers can elect to gain free boosted damage on their attacks with their "Attack Type: Brutal Shot". Doing so requires not using "Attack Type: Snipe" or "Attack Type: Star Strike" however.
  • The Heavy Rifle Team's grunt gives the Rifle operator boosted accuracy as long as he's within 1".
• Suave Sabre: Thanes carry one as a mark of their officer status and a deadly weapon thanks to their "Weapon Master" special rule.
• Sword and Gun: Thanes are badass enough that they can wield their Suave Sabre at the same time they're firing their carbines.
• Target Spotter: The Heavy Rifle Team includes one as backup to the Rifle operator, giving him boosted accuracy thanks to his spotter scope.
• A Thicket of Spears: Halberdiers form one naturally, and can use the tactic quite effectively thanks to their "Combined Melee Attack" ability.
• Trick Arrow: Stormfall Archers fire arrows with exploding heads, meaning their attacks actually deal Area of Effect template damage. This allows them to even pose a threat to enemies with "Stealth", by counting on volume of fire and lucky deviations to still catch the target in the blast radius even though "Stealth" means they automatically miss.

Constituting the traditional core of the Retribution, Mage Hunter Strike Forces have waged a secret war against humanity for centuries. In that time the Retribution has refined its ability to recruit agents with the proper mix of dedication, raw talent, and hunter’s instinct to train them into unconventional warriors and killers. Mage hunters are expected to function in circumstances regular soldiers rarely have to face, such as surviving deep in enemy territory while isolated from friendly support. They learn to be at home in any environment, to scavenge and improvise, and to kill without a moment’s hesitation. Even in normal pitched battles the mage hunters use misdirection and stealth to gain the element of surprise.

Infiltrators along other mage hunters, are part of the traditional core of the Retribution. They bear a deep-seated hatred for human arcanists, and eliminating them is the infiltrators’ top priority. It is for that very purpose that they arm themselves with the customary purified weapons of their fellowship, blades ritually attuned to disrupt the protective magic of their enemies. Each Infiltrator is armed with a pair of these blades, one long and one short, creating a whirlwind of steel that easily slice through arcane wards.

Mage Hunter Assassins are practiced killers with the refined skills to pose a threat to anyone unfortunate enough to be selected as their target. Advancing in silence, these fanatics can bring down even mighty warcasters with deadly and far-reaching strikes. If a mage hunter assassin successfully closes with her enemy, chances are that the target is as good as dead.

Mage Hunter units include:

• Mage Hunter Infiltrators
• Mage Hunter Strike Force
• Spears of Scyrah

Mage Hunter solos include:

• Mage Hunter Assassins
• Mage Hunter Eiryss (see: here)
• Narn, Mage Hunter of Ios (see: here)
• Warcaster Elara (see: here)
• Warcaster Garryth (see: here)
• Warcaster Ravyn (see: here)
• Warcaster Kaelyssa (see: here)

Mage Hunters once formed the core of every Retribution army, but in third edition they are relegated to the "Shadows of the Retribution" theme force.

For tropes related to the 4th edition version of the Mage Hunters, see Dusk

• Alpha Strike: Strike Forces have "Combined Ranged Attack", allowing them to concentrate fire on a single enemy to improve damage and accuracy against it.
• Anti-Armor: Strike Force members have "Jack Hunter" as a special rule, giving them free boosted damage against Heavy and Light Warjacks.
• Anti-Magic:
  • Unsurprisingly for people dedicated to hunting spellcasters, Mage Hunters all carry weapons with "Blessed", allowing them to ignore any Status Buff spells on their targets.
  • Mage Hunter Officers have "Dispel" on their weapons, not only ignoring Status Buff spells, but removing them from their victims.
• Army Scout: Assasins have "Advance Deployment", allowing them to forage ahead of the enemy and potentially supply line of sight or other intel back to the main army.
• Back Stab: Implied by the Infiltrators' "Combo: Strike" attack action, letting them forgo their normal attacks to double the base damage against the target. When combined with "Stealth" and "Ambush" it implies this trope.
• Bald of Evil: Many Mage Hunters shave their heads, reflecting their chosen role as killers of innocent people whose only crime was being born with magical abilities.
• Blade on a Rope: Assassins wield Kusarigama to deadly effect, with their "Chain Strike" ability representing their skill at launching it as a ranged weapon as easily as it can be used as a sword.
• Bow and Sword in Accord: Strike Force members carry crossbows and sabers to allow them to engage foes at any range.
• Chain Pain: Assassins wield Kusarigama, what the game calls "Chain Blades", and they benefit from the "Chain Weapon" rule, allowing them to ignore the armor benfits provided by Shields.
• Dog Pile of Doom:
  • Strike Forces have "Combined Melee Attack", encouraging them to dogpile on tough foes as a group to bring them down. When combined with their "Jack Hunter" ability this makes them extremely deadly against Heavy Warjacks.
  • Infiltrators have "Gang", giving them boosted damage and accuracy against foes they dogpile onto.
• Forest Ranger: Mage Hunters are the closest thing Retribution has to the stereotypical "elven" appearance, all waring green cloaks and specializing in moving through forests and dense terrain, picking off foes with precision bow attacks and graceful sword strikes.
• Fragile Speedster: Mage Hunters universally rely on attacking before their enemy even knows they're there, relying on high speed values, Reposition abilities, and Stealth to get in and out before the enemy can retaliate. If they're forced to take a hit, they'll drop like flies.
• Gameplay and Story Integration: Mage Hunters are assassins of the highest order, specializing in killing their targets before anyone even knows they're there. Every Mage Hunter unit has "Pathfinder" and "Stealth", meaning they are impossible to hit from greater than 5" away and they can maneuver through terrain without hinderance to avoid enemies.
• Master Swordsman:
  • Assassins have "Weapon Master", giving them free boosted damage on their Chain Blades. Especially impressive as their Chain Blades are built like a Bat'leth with a chain attached to it!
  • The members of the Spears of Scyrah all have "Weapon Master" on their spears, reflecting their centuries of practice at hunting and killing.
• Mauve Shirt:
  • The Spears of Scyrah are a character unit, meaning there is only one of them canonically, yet none of the members have Nominal Importance and the positions in the squad are explicitly all replaceable.
  • Every Mage Hunter unit, including the Spears of Scyrah, can become this if they are joined by Eiryss3.
• Off with His Head!: Assassins have "Decapitation" on their Chain Blades, doubling the damage and ignoring Tough to represent their ability to inflict this trope on their targets.
• Otherworldly Technicolour Hair: Due to being elves, many Mage Hunters sport blue, green, purple, and other hair colors, marking them as more than human.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Spears of Scyrah have "Vengeance", allowing them a free move and free attack if any of their comrades took damage from the enemy.
• Stealth Expert: Mage Hunters qualify as a general rule out of the necessity of their intended role. Because human mages tend to A) be granted substantial privilege and protection within their respective kingdoms and B) tend to be quite deadly by themselves, Mage Hunters all focus on sneaking up on their targets and killing them before anyone knows they're there.
• Taking the Bullet: The Spears of Scyrah all have "Shield Guard", letting them choose to body-block incoming ranged attacks on behalf of another friendly model.

The Nyss are those poor elves who once dwelt in the land now claimed by Everblight. Their home destroyed by the dragon's Blight, they scattered to the four corners of Caen. Eventually, those who protected their god Nyssor found their way to Ios, forming an alliance with their southern cousins. Now, the remaining free Nyss join Retribution in seeking vengeance and aid for their damned gods.

The Nyss ryssovass were once proud defenders of the winding mountain passes of the Shard Spires. Having lost their sense of purpose after so many of their order were corrupted by Everblight, the remaining ryssovass relocated to Ios alongside their fellow refugees, where their frozen god is protected. They do not hesitate to join the Retribution of Scyrah in battle, seeing this as part of their sacred responsibility.

Through years of spiritual introspection and study, the dedicated priests of Nyssor learn to bend the elements of winter to their will. Reassured that their god Nyssor is safe and well defended, the priests have hastened to Ios to stand against those who would threaten the frozen god. No strangers to combat, these priests now take to the fight, drawing upon their mastery over winter so that they may aid their allies in the Retribution.

The Nyss who fight for the Retribution are those who escaped being enslaved to Everblight's will.

Nyss units include:

• Ryssovass Defenders
• Cylena Raefyll & Nyss Hunters

Nyss solos include:

• Priest of Nyssor
• Aelyth Vyr, Blade of Nyssor (see: here)
• Lanyssa Ryssyl, Nyss Sorceress (see: here)
• Scythe (see: here)

Nyss are a core element of the "Defenders of Ios" theme force as they seek revenge against Everblight and Toruk.

For tropes pertaining to the Nyss subspecies as a whole, see Iron Kingdoms Creatures.

For tropes pertaining to the Nyss enslaved by Everblight, see "Legion of Everblight"

• Alpha Strike: The Nyss Hunters have "Combined Ranged Attack", allowing them to pose a greater threat to enemies by concentrating their fire on a single target.
• Amazing Technicolor Population: Many Ryssovass and other Nyss units serving Retribution still were afflicted by Everblight's Blight, turning their skin from shades of peach and brown to shades of blue and Undeathly Pallor. Cylena's Nyss Hunters in particular are known for their pale, icy complexion. Those who avert this trope were away from their home when Everblight invaded and have never returned since.
• Attack Its Weak Point: Ryssovass Defenders have "Precision Strike", allowing them to decide which systems on a Warjack get damaged, reflecting their ability to target joints and other weak points with great skill.
• BFS: The Nyss melee weapon of choice is an odachi referred to as a "Nyss Claymore". The ones used by the Ryssovass are explicitly superior to those used by most Nyss, dealing more base damage.
• Bow and Sword in Accord: Nyss Hunters pack greatbows as their ranged weapons, and odachis their melee weapons.
• Call That a Formation?: Inverted. Ryssovass Defenders not only gain +2 defense and immunity to knockdown in formation, but they also become immune to blast damage despite explosive shells being the very thing that killed off formation fighting in real life!
• Doomed Hometown: The Nyss serving Retribution fled to Ios after Everblight's invasion of their homeland and Khador's capture of their god Nyssor. Though they managed to recover Nyssor and bring him to Ios, their homes in the north were razed and the land permanently blighted.
• Forest Ranger: Nyss Hunters pack "Pathfinder" and the Nyss lived and trained in the Thornwood and the northern forests of Khador before being ousted from their home by Everblight. They all carry bows along with their odachis well, lending the Nyss the role of "Wood Elves" in Immoren.
• Friendly Fireproof: Priests of Nyssor make all Nyss immune to the cold, allowing the priest to cast "Frostbite" as an ice blast at Nyss units stuck in melee with no fear of damaging them.
• Glass Cannon: Ryssovass Defenders have only moderately-above-average-armor and a single hitpoint, but pack "Weapon Master" allowing them to be surprisingly deadly in melee. Just don't expect them to weather any concentrated fire, "Tough" is their only real saving grace against attacks!
• An Ice Person: Priests of Nyssor draw upon the powers of winter. Their spell "Frostbite" sprays a blast of ice at enemies.
• Master of None: The Nyss Hunters' primary flaw. While they're above average melee combatants and have reasonable range on their bows, their damage output is not incredible. They have some unique abilities for mobility, and above average speed, but they lack the special rules to qualify as Fragile Speedsters. And they have reasonable defense but laughable armor, meaning they can't tank very well. They aren't even cheap, since they're 6% more expensive than Ryssovass Defenders!
• Master Swordsman:
  • Ryssovass Defenders all have "Weapon Master", giving them a surprising threat against heavy Armor despite using otherwise-mundane blades.
  • Nyss Hunters also have "Weapon Master", though their "Nyss Claymores" have 10% less base damage than the Ryssovass.
• Mind Control: Despite being a named character, Cylena's Nyss Hunters can be forcibly included in the Cephalyx "Operating Theater" theme force via the inclusion of a Cephalyx Dominator to their unit.
• No One Could Survive That!: Ryssovass Defenders all have "Tough", allowing them a 33% chance to shrug off lethal damage.
• One-Handed Zweihänder:
  • Ryssovass blades are the same greatswords used by most Nyss units, but Ryssovass Defenders are so skilled that many wield them one-handed with equal effectiveness.
  • Priests of Nyssor wield their odachis with one hand, using stances more commonly seen for scimitars. Amusingly despite (or perhaps because of) this, they lack "Weapon Master".
• The Paralyzer: Priests of Nyssor can inflict Harmless Freezing on a critical hit in melee.
• Private Military Contractors: Due to working under the command of Cylena, her Nyss Hunters will hire themselves out to Cryx, Cygnar, Khador, Circle, or Trollbloods in addition to Retribution.
• Quality vs. Quantity: In 1st and 2nd edition Ryssovass Defenders filled the "Quantity" role compared to Dawnguard Sentinel's filling the "Quality" role. Sentinels were tougher, had higher damage output, and were more aggressive/faster due to their Vengeance rule and their Officer, while Ryssovass Defenders were 20% cheaper and able to be more annoying thanks to "Precision Strike" allowing them to selectively penetrate armor to cripple systems. With the change to 3rd edition, Sentinels and Defenders were isolated from one another via them forces, meaning they no longer compete to fill the same niche.
• Required Secondary Powers: Priests of Nyssor have Immunity: Cold and grant it to all friendly Nyss models so that there's no risk of their spells damaging themselves or allies.
• Revenge: Priests of Nyssor have the spell "Winter Storm", which removes Eyeless Sight, Flight, and Pathfinder from all enemy models within 9" of them. Taken as a whole that spell cripples Legion of Everblight units.
• Smoke Shield: Priests of Nyssor generate a blizzard version, granting them permanent concealment and stealth.
• Stealth Expert: Priests have "Prowl" and "Snow Wreathed" at all times, meaning they're invisible to enemies due to the small storm around them.
• Warrior Monk: The Nyss Ryssovass were proud defenders of the winding mountain passes leading to the Shard Spires. They gave up their ties to family and shard and took to the frozen peaks to embrace an isolated existence devoted entirely to the protection of their home territories.
• Warrior Poet: Priests of Nyssor straddle the line between this and Religious Bruiser, teaching philosophy and guiding worship of Nyssor even as his physical form is dying.
• You Shall Not Pass!: Encouraged by the Ryssovass Defenders' special rule "Defensive Line", which improves their defense against melee attacks and grants them immunity to knockdown while they stand shoulder to shoulder.

After the Cataclysm, the gods of Ios were believed dead. Without gods to put the souls of dead and waiting elves into new bodies, the children who would have been born reincarnated instead were born empty shells.

To be born without a soul is to be condemned in elven society. It renders the individual a husk, unable to feel emotion, unable to live as a person. After the death of the elven gods, more and more soulless children were born, able to do little more than meander through their meager existence.

Most were put to death by their parents, either in grief or to preserve the honor of the family and House. But some parents found themselves unable to slaughter their own flesh and blood, instead entrusting the newborns to Retribution of Scyrah. The priests of Retribution would then mould these soulless children into living weapons, forging their natural Anti-Magic abilities into tools to be used against human mages.

Soulless Escorts are soulless Iosans trained and used by the Retribution as living weapons and as lightning rods against enemy magical attacks. The soulless are raised and trained at a sealed enclave on the outskirts of Iryss, where they learn to wield weapons and obey commands. While Retribution handlers endeavor to train these unfortunates as soldiers, not all are suitable; the absence of self-will unfortunately makes many of them lackluster warriors.

Soulless Voidtracers are among a select few soulless who prove particularly malleable and receptive during initial evaluations receive additional training for specialized roles. Voidtraces are skilled but expendable mage hunters who often are sent to support mage hunter infiltrators and other Retribution forces in neutralizing their assigned targets. Voidtracers acknowledge that their own value is less than that of their peers, and they are trained to sacrifice themselves for the success of the mission.

Those soulless who can be forged into true warriors are rare enough that they're only available to field as solos.

Soulless solos include:

• Soulless Escorts
• Soulless Voidtracers
• Nayl (see: here)

Soulless Escorts are available in every theme force, while Voidtracers are only available in the "Legions of Dawn" and "Shadows of Retribution" theme forces.

For tropes pertaining to the soulless elves as a whole, see Iron Kingdoms Creatures.

• Anti-Magic: Soulless are forged into anti-magic weapons. Some specific examples:
  • Voidtracers have "Spell Ward", preventing enemies from targeting them
  • Escorts reduce the range of any spells attempting to target their unit by 5
  • Escorts also have the action "Disbinding", which removes any Status Ailment spells affecting their unit.
• Bald Mystic: Escorts have shaved heads, representing their natural Anti-Magic abilities.
• BFS: Soulless units wield massive thin swords common to Iosian forces.
• Cannon Fodder: Escorts are specifically intended to be this trope. As such they're allowed to be attached to every small and medium Retribution unit in the game
• Crippling Overspecialization: Soulless are only useful if the enemy has a heavy reliance on offensive spellcasting. If all they do is Status Buff their own units, Soulless Escorts and Voidtracers do basically nothing.
• Instant Expert: Escorts lack "Ambush" and "Advanced Deployment" but gain either rule if they join a unit that has them.
• Mana Burn: Voidtracers have "Arcane Void", inflicting this trope on any model who tries to target an ally within 5" of the Voidtracer.
• One-Handed Zweihänder: Voidtracers wield their "Two handed swords" with one hand, and are sculpted using the other hand to brace the blade (as seen in the page image)
• Sleeves Are for Wimps: To show off their warrior nature, Escorts and Voidtracers lack sleeves entirely.
• Squishy Wizard: Inverted, Soulless are Squishy Anti-Magic. Instead of casting spells they prevent them from being cast, but they're still extremely squishy, being auto damaged by most weapons in the game.
• Stealth Expert: Voidtracers naturally have "Stealth" having trained themselves to pass unnoticed by the living.
• Surprisingly Elite Cannon Fodder: Most soulless elves are unfit to be warriors, due to lacking any ability to motivate themselves. Even among the tiny percentage fit to become escorts, almost none are capable of becoming Voidtracers. Despite this, Voidtracers are still considered Cannon Fodder due to Fantastic Racism.
• Your Soul Is Mine!: Inverted, Soulless have no souls to gather, and do not drop soul tokens on death.

The Arcantrik Force Generator is a machine that defies the very fabric of reality. Seen from afar, it squats amid the Iosan army like a huge and patient insect. Its shimmering fields encompass the generator’s operators, who endlessly calibrate and tune the mighty arcane instrument. As they set the generator’s field to the required frequencies, the large metal disk at its core spins up to speed, crackling with power, and an unsettling feeling washes over those nearby.As the generator begins its firing sequence rubble and other small objects levitate inches above the ground , the air grows thick, and with a gut churning sensation the generator discharges its accumulated energy in either several smaller pulses or a single blinding, roaring blast that can smash through warjacks and walled fortifications with equal ease. For truly dangerous targets, the generator’s operators bring it close to an overload to produce a cataclysmic burst that leaves the earth sundered.

• Armored, but Frail: It has armor comparable to a heavy warjack but health comparable to a light warjack. As a battle engine, it also can never benefit from cover or concealment, meaning it depends on its high armor value to keep its low health from being evaporated in an instant.
• Charged Attack: If the Generator forfeits its movement to aim, its attacks become +2 in range and +2 in damage.
• Cold Sniper: Not only can it grant itself range improvements, but under the right Status Buff it can have range 20! Warcaster Ravyn in particular loves the Generator because he has the "Snipe" spell, and together they can form an unparalleled sniping platform that can be taking chunks out of the enemy armor before they can ever hope to retaliate.
• Converging-Stream Weapon: Exaggerated even, as not only does the Generator use its three prongs (as seen in the page image) to generate its Wave-Motion Gun, it then fires them perpendicular to the angle they were generating!
• Continuity Nod: The Arcantrik Force Generator runs on magic, and to power itself it has a large spinning wheel the size of the entire machine sitting behind its frontal armor. This is the same design that is in Thunderhead, which also runs on exotic power systems instead of the more traditional steam power.
• Earthquake Machine: Thanks to its Attack Type: Blasted Earth, the Generator can produce Area of Effect attacks that act as rough terrain in addition to blasting anyone caught in them.
• Fan Nickname: Due to its appearance and emphasis as a gun platform fans refer to it as the Noisy Cricket.
• Field Power Effect: The Arcantrik Force Generator creates one, improving the range of allied Myrmidons by 2" while they're within 2" of it.
• The Gunslinger: The Generator is the Vaporizer thanks to its "Gunfighter" special rule letting it fire its Wave-Motion Gun even in a swirling melee. Unusually, it needs this trope to fight in melee, as it has zero ability to hit people with its body and no dedicated melee weapons.
• Knockback: Its Attack Type: Momentum inflicts this on small and medium-based models, launching them 1-3" away. For large-based models it simply knocks them down.
• More Dakka: Part of what makes the Generator so scary, it can fire that Wave-Motion Gun twice per turn.
• No-Sell:
  • Thanks to its "Carapace" special rule, the Generator is effectively armor 22 against ranged attacks.
  • Its "Polarity Field" special rule renders it immune to charges and slams from the front, making it difficult for enemies to close into melee with it.
• Required Secondary Powers: It has "Pathfinder", allowing it to ignore difficult and rough terrain, a necessity when its Attack Type: Blasted Earth puts out two rough terrain templates per turn.
• Siege Engines: Its purpose is to tear down walls and other defenses so that Retribution forces can break a siege and assassinate their mage targets.
• Spider Tank: The lore even compares it to a squatting insect. Unusually for this trope it actually maneuvers on five legs rather than a more common even amount, due to its rear pylon.
• Squishy Wizard: The vehicle equivalent, the Generator wants to not only fire off its Wave-Motion Gun to blast important enemies, but also provide Status Buff effects to nearby allies, turning its location into a murderous artillery battery. Concentrate counter-battery-fire on it though, and it will fold quickly, depriving its allies of their Status Buff effects and eliminating a major artillery piece in the process.
• Touch the Intangible: Thanks to its Teleforce Cannon having "Damage Type: Magical", the Generator can hit incorporeal models.
• Wave-Motion Gun: The main selling point of the Arcantrik Force Generator is its Teleforce Cannon. Not only does it have base power 14 and Damage Type: Magical, it can use "Attack Type: Destructor" to get free boosted damage putting it at an average damage output roll of 24-25, enough to reliably crack heavy armor and one-shot light armor.
• When Things Spin, Science Happens: The heart of the Generator, behind its frontal armor, is a massive spinning generator of some kind with a pair of smaller spinning wheels coming off it. In addition, the prongs on the Generator move into and out of position as it charges and fires.

• Anti-Infantry: With three thresher cannons, the Trident fills this role admirably.
• Bald Mystic: The pilot is bald, suggesting they use magic to steer and stay with the vehicle.
• Cool Bike: One of the most bizarre examples ever. It has a single wheel, three gun pods where gunners sit, but the driver doesn't actually ride on it. They float behind it instead. The occupants inside the ball turrets don't steer.
• Hover Tank: The Trident is an armoured assault platform that is also equipped with advanced gravity-mitigating fields, allowing it to move at great speed, take to the skies and pass over intervening terrain if necessary.
• Impossibly Graceful Giant: Despite being a tank, the Trident has "Coordinate Movement", meaning it never blocks line of sight nor movement for allied models. Somehow it's always able to get out of the way of its allies.
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: The Trident's Ram Prow acts as a shield, boosting its armor by 2 from the front.
• Necessary Drawback: The Trident must spend its Power Tokens either on its Psycho Matrix abilities or on boosting its attacks. Otherwise it would be an unstoppable juggernaut.
• More Dakka: It was designed from the ground up as a gun platform, to that end it mounts three thresher cannons. It can thus fire between three and nine shots per turn, decided at random.
• No-Sell: Thanks to its Force Shield ability, the Trident can become nigh invulnerable to blast damage, being defense 14 armor 24 against blast damage.
• One-Wheeled Wonder: The only contact the vehicle has with the ground is a single wheel between the center gunner and the pilot.
• Power Floats: What better way to show the awesome magical powers of the vehicle and its pilot than by having its pilot float behind it, totally unconnected to the vehicle!
• Ramming Always Works: The Trident's only melee weapon is its Ram Prow, which not only counts as a shield but also has "Smite"
• Regenerating Mana: The Trident gains 1 Power Token as long as it moves at least 1 inch per turn. It can then spend these tokens on boosting accuracy or damage.
• Short-Range Long-Range Weapon: The Trident actually gets better accuracy the closer enemies get to it, gaining +2 accuracy against targets within 5" thanks to its "Shooting Gallery" ability.
• Tank Goodness: The Trident effectively is a tank in a pre-WWI setting. With three ball turrets it also has more than a passing resemblance to a WWII bomber.
• Teleport Spam: The Trident can spend up to three Power Tokens in a turn to teleport up to three allied models 2" away from their starting location.
• Vertical Mecha Fins: A pair of antennae or struts of some kind come off the Trident's main body to help suggest its size and speed.
• When Things Spin, Science Happens: How the Pilot steers (or levitates behind) the vehicle is never explained, but the ring of spinning emitters around them probably has something to do with it.

• The Aesthetics of Technology: Due to Iosians in general and Retribution specifically being a Higher-Tech Species, Myrmidons have much smoother designs and lack the visible plating or rivets of other factions' Warjacks. In addition, every Myrmidon has pylons coming out of their backs instead of smokestacks, representing the mechanisms that they use to absorb power wirelessly rather than having to rely on boilers stocked with coal.
• Ascetic Aesthetic: Despite being weapons of war designed to slaughter humans en masse, Myrmidons are all painted in Retribution's white and cyan color scheme.
• Bottomless Magazines: Most myrmidons do not require ammunition but are also unable to charge their weapons if their generator systems are severely damaged.
• Chicken Walker: All Myrmidons use digitigrade legs, though unlike the Chicken Walker Warjacks of Cryx, Retribution Myrmidons all have arms to go with the digitigrade legs.
• Collective Identity: Officially, Retribution of Scyrah manufacture and design all their own Myrmidons. In reality House Shyeel and House Vyre are the two primary suppliers for Retribution's Myrmidons.
• Deflector Shields: House Shyeel myrmidons employ force fields with various abilities and as an added protective layer for their frames.
• Fantastic Naming Convention: Retribution Warjacks are called "Myrmidons" to mark them as different from the steam-powered robots of the iron kingdoms.
• Higher-Tech Species: Myrmidons are where Retribution really show their advanced tech, using a combination of Deflector Shields and Wave-Motion Gun weapons
• Jack of All Stats: Every Myrmidon sports two melee weapons and a gun, allowing them to fill any role with some minor specialization between each model.
• Meaningful Appearance: House Vyre Myrmidons all generally feature a pair of swooping horns instead of the single prow of House Shyeel Mymidons. This is done as an allusion to one of the classic depictions of the Wendigo as a Sinister Deer Skull creature. Wendigos occur due to a human eating another human, and House Vyre is infamous for its Patriarch, Goreshade the Bastard, sacrificing untold thousands of Soulless elven babies in the process of turning himself into an Eldritch.
• Mercury's Wings: Deliberately invoked with the head designs of Myrmidons, each of which features a backwards-swooping prow of some kind (or several). This mimics the design of the wings on Mercury's helmet, evoking the sensation of speed and helping convey that Myrmidons tend to be Fragile Speedsters or Lightning Bruisers compared to most other factions.
• Nerf: In the first three editions of Warmachine, Myrmidons had a second health bar representing their Force Fields which had to be depleted before their armor and systems could be damaged. With 4th edition, that second health bar was removed entirely, instead Myrmidons can spend 1 FOCUS to reduce incoming damage by 5. For any Myrmidon with more than 5 hp on its forcefield, this significantly reduced their health, and for the Myrmidons with Regenerating Health, they outright lost that feature entirely in 4th edition.
• Power Glows: In addition to their Tron Lines, Myrmidons generally also emit light from whatever their magically-powered weapon is.
• Shoulders of Doom: The more humanoid nature of Myrmidons means that their enormous shoulder pads stand out more compared to the hunched-linebacker posture of most Warjacks. Notably most Myrmidons actually have to mount their heads in front of their shoulders to allow them to plausibly see.
• Status Effects: House Vyre Myrmidons lack Deflector Shields and instead have the ability to inflict a variety of these with their guns.
• Subsystem Damage: Uniquely, House Shyeel Myrmidons lose several of their abilities, including their Deflector Shields, while their generator system is crippled.
• Touch the Intangible: Almost every Myrmidon weapon is "Damage Type: Magical", allowing them to hit ghosts and incorporeal models.
• Tron Lines: To better show off their superior technology and magical nature, Myrmidons all sport this trope on their chassis. Presumably the glow is also related to their forcefields, as it's more pronounced on the versions with them.

Retribution Warcaster have come to rely upon the Aspis for its great versatility. As but one example of its technological advances, it represents the first light warjack efficient enough to replicate the Phoenix Field, which gives it great resilience. A warcaster accompanied by one of these myrmidons with its regenerating protective field can feel secure in taking risks that might otherwise seem too reckless. A marvel of Iosan force mastery, it is equipped with complex arcanikal devices on each hand that allow it to manipulate its own protective force field. As the incoming fire of the enemy nears, the myrmidon performs complex gestures to reshape and strengthen its shield, applying fighting techniques similar to those employed by the battle mages of House Shyeel.

• Armored, but Frail: Inverted, the Aspis on paper is a fairly squishy Light Warjack, however its Deflector Shields and Regenerating Health allow it to take far, far more damage than other Light Warjacks with its stats.
• Bodyguarding a Badass: The Aspis' role is to act as the bodyguard to its Warcaster, tanking hits for its more valuable master.
• Boring, but Practical: Despite its elaborate and exotic technologies, the Aspis at its core is a bodyguard Stone Wall who keeps your Warcaster alive for a dirt cheap price tag.
• Crippling Overspecialization: The Aspis only does Bodyguarding a Badass. Its fists aren't particularly deadly (though they're ideal for pushing enemies away from the person they're bodyguarding), and its offensive output otherwise is nonexistent. All of its kit is built around staying alive so that it can keep its Warcaster (or any other VIP) alive.
• Crystal Ball: An unusual example of this trope, the crystal orbs that the Aspis has in lieu of hands are actually for magically generating its Deadly Force Field and allowing it to inflict Knockback!
• Department of Redundancy Department: Hilariously if the Aspis is part of the "Forges of War" theme force, the special ability it gets from the theme force is...Shield Guard, the entire ability the Warjack's already built around.
• Hammer of the Holy: Its field generator fists are a reference to the origin of this trope, the belief that holy men could not "spill blood". Similarly, the Aspis' role as a defender of the religious paramilitary organization Retribution of Scyrah is defined by its blunt mace-like fists.
• Healing Potion: In addition to its Phoenix Field, the Aspis can spend 1 FOCUS per turn to heal 5 damage on its force field.
• Knockback: The Aspis' hands are actually spherical field generators that it uses for various purposes. In melee it can use them as repulsors, hitting enemies and then pushing them 1" away from the Warjack.
• Kung-Fu Wizard: House Shyeel battle mages, artificers and magisters enter battle equipped with arcanika-charged gauntlets that grant supernatural strength.
• Meaningful Name: Aspis is greek for "Shield", which is exactly what it is for your Warcaster.
• Nerf: In 2nd edition, the Aspis had the most HP of any Light Warjack or Warbeast in the entire game. With the switch to 3rd edition that was removed, its health was lowered to compensate for its regenerating Deflector Shields.
• Regenerating Health: Thanks to its Phoenix Field, the Aspis' shield automatically regenerates 1-6hp every turn for free as long as its generator system is still operational.
• Stone Wall: Despite being a Light Warjack this is the Aspis' intended role. Its melee doesn't deal much damage but offers some movement control by allowing the Aspis to keep enemies at a distance, it's one of the few Myrmidons that lacks a range weapon of any kind, but thanks to Phoenix Field and Shield Guard it can ensure that nothing gets to your precious Warcaster while it's still standing.
• Taking the Bullet: Aspises have "Shield Guard", allowing them to intercede between incoming fire and their Warcaster (or any other allies nearby)

The appearance of the Chimera alone unsettles the enemies of the Retribution. Its active power field makes its form blur and fade, sometimes appearing to be several feet from where it actually stands. Even at rest these generators give the myrmidon an impression of shifting movement, and it can be difficult to pin down. Once it nears the enemy, a Chimera becomes a delivery device for its warcaster’s most powerful arcane powers channeled across its arc node. The Chimera will strike and kill with its scything arm-mounted glaives then vanish as nearby soldiers turn desperately to engage it. With a flicker of light it appears behind them to deliver arcane death.

• Blade Below the Shoulder: Chimeras have a pair of curved blades mounted to their forearms to improve their melee damage.
• Combo: Invoked with its "Combo: Strike" ability, letting it double its power in exchange for committing all of its attacks to a single strike.
• Flash Step: The Chimera's flicker field gives it the appearance of this, and its Apparition ability allows it to do this in-game, closing into melee then teleporting out before the enemy can react.
• Gathering Steam: The Chimera gets +1 defense against ranged attacks for every point of FOCUS currently stored on the frame.
• Health Potion: It can spend 1 FOCUS to recharge its force field by 5 hp.
• No-Sell: All Arc Nodes suffer from being unable to use their biggest feature if they get caught in melee. Thanks to "Apparition", Chimeras counter the biggest weakness of Arc Nodes, as it can simply Flash Step out of melee for free.
• Shadow Archetype: To the Cryxian Arc Nodes. Chimeras cost the same as a Defiler but are far more capable at filling their intended role. Rather than relying on a devastating spray to dissuade enemies from closing into melee range, Chimeras rely on Apparition to freely remove themselves from melee.
• Shoulder Cannon: Chimeras uniquely mount their arc nodes like this, with one on each shoulder pad, rather than the more common method of mounting it on the back of the chassis.
• Starter Equipment: Chimeras are one of the three included Myrmidons in the 3rd edition Starter Box, making them most Retribution players' first Myrmidons.
• Willing Channeler: The Chimera is an Arc Node, letting it channel Warcaster spells through it to improve their range or fire them from unexpected angles.
• Wrestler in All of Us: Chimeras sport a pair of Open Fists, allowing them to grapple enemies equal or smaller in size to themselves.

The Gorgon is able to control the flow of battle by depriving the enemy of mobility. Its core technologies involve manipulating and generating powerful kinetic fields. Its integral force cannon unleashes blasts of raw energy capable of forestalling an enemy’s forward momentum, offering a substantial ranged threat that also serves to throw an enemy off its stride. Its more powerful fields require close proximity, and the Gorgon will rush forward to seize hold of even larger and more powerful ’jacks or myrmidons to pin them in place as its energy field sparks and thrums with raw power. While its force-locked prey struggles to extract itself, the Gorgon deals punishing blows with its arm-mounted glaives, capable of tearing apart even the strongest steel

Commissioned for Garryth, Blade of Retribution, Moros is a quick and agile myrmidon that strikes using its dual curved blades with the deadliness of an assassin. Its unique power field renders Moros invisible to the naked eye and can be manipulated to lash out and stun potential victims. For many of the Retribution’s enemies, the low hum of Moros’ energy field is the last sound ever heard.

• Blade Below the Shoulder: Like most House Shyeel Myrmidons, Gorgons have a pair of blades on their forearms to improve their melee damage.
• Chest Blaster: Gorgons fire their Polarity Cannon out of their chest emitters.
• Combo: Like its sister Myrmidon the Chimera, Gorgons have "Combo: Strike", letting them trade number of attacks for a single all-or-nothing attack with higher base damage due to using both of its melee weapons together.
• Crippling Overspecialization: Moros, for all its special rules, specializes in killing living beings (i.e. Warcasters). That makes it useless against Cryx, Warjacks, and Warbeasts that are Constructs, which is not only an entire faction but also includes the two primary categories that players bring Warjacks for.
• Dance Battler: Moros under the command of Garryth becomes this, gaining "Acrobatics" and allowing the twelve foot tall multi ton robot to literally cartwheel over enemies!
• Dual Wielding: In lieu of the Gorgon's Blade Below the Shoulder, Moros wields a pair of crescent swords.
• Impossibly Graceful Giant: Don't think too hard about how Moros having "Acrobatics" works. Just accept the twelve foot tall twenty ton robot ninja can summersault over enemies' heads.
• Invisibility: Implied to be why Moros has "Stealth", as it compensates for its Tron Lines and being a giant robot by simply becoming invisible.
• Kryptonite Factor: While every Myrmidon grows weaker when its force field is crippled, Moros is so dependent on its Force Field Generator that having it crippled basically kills its entire utility. Without its Field Generator it loses its Speed Shoes, "Stealth", and can't use its ranged attack leaving it with only melee as its offensive output.
• Meaningful Name:
  • Gorgons are famous for being able to turn people to stone with their gaze. Gorgon Myrmidons similarly can freeze enemies in place with their Polarity Cannon
  • Moros' name is a reference to the greek Spirit, who was an Implacable Man and the spirit of impending doom. Much like the Myrmidon, Moros was known for appearing suddenly to mortals, giving them the briefest of warnings that their doom was at hand, before Thanatos claimed their lives.
• Mecha-Mooks: Gorgons are extremely cheap to run, costing as much as a Cryxian Arc Node, and their Polarity Cannon and "Force Lock" ability make them aggravating to deal with. A fleet of Gorgons can effectively prevent an opponent from moving anything, allowing Retribution players to completely dictate the flow of play.
• Ninja: Like its master Garryth, Moros has a number of abilities that encourage it to fulfill this trope, such as "Stealth" and "Pathfinder"
• No-Sell: Moros brings Pathfinder to the base Gorgon chassis, allowing it to ignore rough terrain while running around.
• The Paralyzer:
  • Living up to its name, the Gorgon's ranged attack inflicts -2 speed on its victims
  • Its Force Field also prevents enemies from moving if they start their turn within 1/2" of it.
  • Moros upgrades that and outright freezes an enemy in place, with the effect even being referred to as "Paralysis"
• Shoulder Cannon: Official art shows the Gorgon's polarity cannon is actually mounted to its right shoulder plate.
• Speed Shoes: If Moros begins its turn with 2 or more FOCUS it gets +2 movement. Because of how the Warjack-universal special rule "Power Up" works, this means its Warcaster need only actually give it 1 FOCUS to get this benefit.
• Technicolor Ninjas: Moros has "Stealth", meaning it's impossible to hit from beyond 5" away, despite being 12 feet tall and glowing blue.
• Uncatty Resemblance: Moros takes very aggressively after its "master" Garryth, even sharing his love of dark blue and green colors with only white accents.
• Visible Invisibility: How Moros is depicted in the official art. As seen in its page image, its feet and hands are decloaking from invisibility but are still shown outlined.
• Wrestler in All of Us: Thanks to its Blade Below the Shoulder, a Gorgon has its hands free to grapple enemies with a pair of Open Fists.

The Griffon is a sleek and fast myrmidon designed for rapid battlefield deployment and swift flanking maneuvers. Its power field enables the Griffon to become near-weightless for short intervals, allowing for long, loping strides with long pauses at the apex of each leap. Through judicious use of this field the Griffon can negotiate hostile terrain or other obstacles that would mire machines of similar weight, allowing it to sweep around enemy entrenchments to assault them from the rear or to hit perceived weak points in the enemy line. It often rushes ahead of the main line to intercept an enemy in advance of the main Iosan battle force.

• Armored, but Frail: After the 4th edition nerf to force fields, Griffons are left to rely on Armor 18 to keep their relatively low 22hp from being depleted.
• A Wizard Did It: The justification for the Artistic License – Physics of Griffons being able to move faster by using internal generators to reduce their weight but not their mass. Their systems aren't steam powered, as Myrmidons they're magic powered.
• Boring, but Practical: It's a heavily armored Light Myrmidon with a painful and long-ranged melee weapon. And it's cheap as chips to boot!
• Half the Man He Used to Be: Encouraged by the Halberd's "Powerful Charge" ability, which gives it +2 damage when charging into enemies. With the added bonus dice from charging, this gives Griffons guaranteed damage against anything armor 17 or less, and allows them to even reliably cripple and maim heavy armor on the charge!
• Lightning Bruiser: Downplayed, as their offensive output is "only" Power 15 on the charge, but Griffons can move 8" per turn if they want without running, ignore terrain, take more punishment than an entire unit of defensive infantry, and still dish out damage that can threaten heavy armor.
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: The Griffon carries a shield, which grants it +2 armor putting it on par with Cygnaran Heavy Warjacks.
• Mecha-Mooks: In and out of universe. Griffons are fairly cheap to build and fairly cheap to include in player armies, meaning they get allocated liberally to Retribution forces for their large utility in blocking bullets meant for more important and less expendable units.
• Naginatas Are Feminine: In the sense that Retribution's Myrmidons are designed to evoke similar aesthetics of grace and elegance, Griffons use a Halberd rather than any other kind of polearm to better evoke this trope's intent.
• No-Sell: Griffons have "Pathfinder", letting them ignore rough terrain like forests or thick mud while moving.
• Power Floats: The in-universe justification for the Griffon's "Fleet" and "Pathfinder" abilities, it uses its magical generators to make itself lighter than it should be, literally floating across the ground. All 15 tons of tank-destroying halberd murder robot.
• Speed Shoes: Griffons can spend 1 FOCUS to gain +2 movement for a turn.
• Starter Equipment: Griffons are one of the 3rd edition Start Box Myrmidons, making them one of the first Myrmidons any Retribution player will have.
• Stone Wall: Prior to the 4th edition Nerf to Myrmidons, just one Griffon could take more damage than an entire unit of Dawnguard Sentinels and still be standing.
• Truer to the Text: The first accounts of the legend of the Griffon stem from Aeschylus in 450BC, who implies they are flightless protectors of valuables who chase bandits. Griffon Myrmidons similarly are flightless and are intended to protect others behind their shields, being fast enough to catch fleeing foes and attack them with their halberds.

The Harpy is a myrmidon designed by House Vyre that uses technologies invented during the dark era under Lord Ghyrrshyld. Based on now-forbidden research that also led to the creation of weapons used by the Sphinx and Daemon, the Harpy can generate a field around itself that is able to defy the force of gravity to achieve short, controlled flights and to directionally project that field.

The Harpy’s primary weapon is its wind flayer, which when used in concentrated bursts tear targets apart, buckling armor and stripping flesh using the same energies used to achieve flight. Targets that survive are sent flying as they experience weightlessness for a brief time before the force the gravity pulls them back again.

• Balance Buff: The Harpy gained improved armor in 3rd edition, to help make up for its Master of None status
• Fashionable Asymmetry: The Harpy's claws are actually different sizes. Its Left claw is the Heavy Force Claw and the Right claw is the Light Force Claw. Similarly, its right arm mounts the Wind Flayer while the left mounts an oversized shoulder pad more in line with other Retribution Myrmidons.
• The Gunslinger: Surprisingly, the Harpy has "Gunfighter", letting it use its Wind Flayer Cannon as a melee weapon to blast enemies at close range, as a sort of Robot version of The Vaporizer.
• Knockback: The Harpy's Wind Flayer Cannon pushes enemies 1-3" away from their starting position, and knocks them over on a critical hit.
• Master of None: The Harpy's primary weakness in 2nd edition. It has a gun and a pair of open fists, none of which are particularly threatening despite its improved accuracy at both range and melee. It has "Flight", but also fairly low armor, meaning that it's prone to getting countersniped when it tries to shoot.
• Mecha-Mooks: With the Balance Buff in third edition, mass Harpies became one of the top recommended purchases for new Retribution players. At just 11% more than most House Shyeel Light Warjacks, Harpies can outright ignore terrain thanks to "Flight", have a rapid-firing ranged attack with greater range and damage than the Gorgon's Polarity Cannon, and with the added utility of inflicting Knockback on hit and a chance to knock the opponent prone on a critical hit. Buying 3 Harpies is generally recommended as the third purchase every Retribution player should make, behind buying a single Dawnguard Trident and then an Arcantrik Force Generator. And the Force Generator is considered optional compared to buying the 3 Harpies.
• Meaningful Name: Ancient Greek texts referred to the Harpies as personifications of the destructive habits of the wind, which the Harpy's Wind Flayer Cannon emulates quite nicely.
• Shoulder Cannon: How the Wind Flayer is mounted. It sits on the Harpy's right shoulder.
• Siege Engines: With the Balance Buff, the Harpy became a Myrmidon equivalent to the Retribution's Bolt Thrower artillery piece.
• Stone Wall: After its Balance Buff the Harpy approaches this trope, especially as a Light Myrmidon. It has 17 armor and 26hp, making it surprisingly durable for a Light Warjack of any faction.
• Wolverine Claws: Almost an exact replica of the Trope Namer himself!
• Wrestler in All of Us: Though difficult to see at first, Harpies mount a pair of Open Fists under their Wolverine Claws, allowing them to grapple and manhandle enemy units.

The Siren is possibly the most controversial myrmidon developed by House Vyre. Developed during the reign of Ghyrrshyld the siren uses dark powers many Iosan arcanists fear to study let alone put into use. After the defeat of Vyre during the war of houses remaining sirens were locked away and were forgotten. However when the skorne invaded Ios the Retribution was in desperate need of new weapons and House Vyre revealed that several original Sirens remained in their vaults and that senior arcanists possessed the knowledge to manufacture more, thus the feared weapons returned to the battlefields once again bringing fear to both ally and enemy.

• Anti-Magic:
  • The Death Driver blocks resurrection through the simple expedient of removing from play
  • Its melee weapons all have "Blessed", letting them ignore Status Buff spells.
• Bait-and-Switch: At Armor 17, speed 5, 26hp the Siren is a sub-par, but affordable, Heavy Myrmido-oh wait, no, it's a Light Myrmidon! With the stats of an average Heavy Warjack.
• Blade Below the Shoulder: Sirens wield a pair of surprisingly large ones that extend even beyond their own fists.
• Combat Clairvoyance: Its "Oracular Vision" ability lets it spend 1 FOCUS to predict and avoid an incoming attack once per turn.
• Decapitation Strike: Because of the "Remove From Play" effect on the Death Driver, Sirens excel at this. If they Remove From Play an enemy leader model, no grunts can promote themselves to take command, leaving the squad leaderless for the rest of the game.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: Like its sister the Harpy, the Siren has a light blade on one arm and a heavy blade on the other, with its gun mounted on its right shoulder and a heavy armor panel on its left.
• Meaningful Name: Sirens are greek mythological creatures whose songs would drive men to madness, dashing themselves against the rocks of their island. The Siren Myrmidon similarly forces dying men to attack their friends before expiring.
• Mind Control: The Death Driver briefly possess those it kills, forcing them to charge at their former allies and try and score a kill before dying.
• Mook Maker: The Death Driver plays with this, as it creates extremely short lived mooks out of the corpses of your enemies.
• Not the Intended Use: Death Diver's Mind Control ability is exceptionally effective at forcing enemies who are Dug In to stand up, as models lose "Dig in" if they become engaged in melee. Killing one Dug In infantryman and then having his dying corpse charge into melee with his companions before evaporating forces them all to stand up and lose their protection.
• Shoulder Cannon: The Death Driver is mounted on the Siren's right shoulder.
• Wrestler in All of Us: It continues the Retribution tradition of having a pair of open fists to allow it to grapple enemies.

The Hydra operates with a singular self-reliance in the field, as it can convert raw kinetic energy from the force of incoming attacks into a firestorm of retributive destruction. Enhanced with force generators integrated into its mighty fists, the Hydra can unleash a torrent of crushing blows before tossing aside even the most massive of adversaries. The Hydra represents a significant breakthrough in Shyeel power conservation and generation. Excess energy can be stored in a series of arcane batteries that greatly enhance the strength of the myrmidon’s attacks, overcharging its huge force cannon to produce potent and far-reaching attacks. Any energy not expended is placed in reserve, greatly increasing the myrmidon’s operational range

• Chest Blaster: The Hydra's Force Cannon is chest mounted.
• Cold Sniper: The Hydra's role is as a dedicated sniper Myrmidon, chilling behind the lines and firing its Force Cannon into vulnerable targets.
• Combo: Hydras have "Chain Attack: Grab & Smash", letting them perform a free head butt or throw if they land both initial fists in melee. This is ideal for removing the Hydra from melee and allowing it to get back to shooting.
• Gathering Steam: Thanks to its "Kinetic Capacitor", the Hydra gains 1 FOCUS anytime an enemy lands a hit on it.
• Hand Blast: Implied by the augmentations on its forearms, its "Force Fists". They supply added damage to foes in melee, augmenting the Hydra's punches.
• Knockback: Discordia's open fists have "Chain Attack: Smite", letting it slam enemies 1-6" away when it lands a bonus hit.
• Phlebotinum Battery: One of the critical elements of the Hydra is that it actually stores FOCUS over time rather than having to replenish its FOCUS amount every turn the way every other Warjack in the game has to.
• Meaningful Name: The Lernian Hydra was most deadly from its poisonous breath and its toxic blood. Its bite or melee prowess was less of a concern, and in fact Heracles in the legends beat it to death with his club/sword/some other melee weapon (it varies). The Hydra is a Heavy Myrmidon that specializes in sitting back and firing its ranged Force Cannon, and is fairly weak for a Heavy Warjack of any kind in melee. Also, like the original legends, the Hydra Myrmidon is not capable of regeneration.
• Wave-Motion Gun: The intent of its Force Cannon. The cannon gets improved range and power the more FOCUS is fueled to it. At full charge it's one of the longest ranged and highest damage ranged attacks in the entire game
• Wrestler in All of Us: Hydras pack a pair of open fists, and as Heavy Myrmidons they can basically throw around any model in the game.

The Manticore uses the power of its force generator to launch powerful offensives as well as maintain its protective energy field. The manticore's design favors adaptability, a fact that has made it a favorite of those Retribution forces performing various roles throughout the course of military campaigns. In melee it is like a force of nature, each blow of its fully empowered saber fists landing with earth-shaking intensity. At range it can tear through advancing infantry, delivering sustained firepower through its cyclone cannon.

Discordia, the favored myrmidon of Adeptis Rahn, is arguably the pinnacle of Iosan Warjack technology. Capable of projecting a wall of force energy around friendly forces or focusing that energy into a concentrated wave to shatter all opposition in its path, Discordia is a singular symbol of House Shyeel’s—if not the Retribution’s—might.

• "Avoid This Area" Effect: Manticores can use their Cyclone Cannons to create a "wall" template that damages enemies in its area, discouraging them from going near it and locking down maneuvering lanes for the enemy.
• Blade Below the Shoulder:
  • Manticores have a pair of curved blades mounted on their forearms, giving them an exceptional base power 17 in melee.
  • Discordia adds a trio of Batman-style blades coming off its forearms in lieu of the Manticore's curved blades.
• Chest Blaster: Manticores and Discordia all mount their cannons in their chests.
• Combo: Discordia has "Chain Attack: Smite", letting it knock enemies away with a free bonus attack if both its fists land.
• Jack of All Stats: Manticores are generally regarded as one of the few "bring one" Myrmidons. They offer excellent melee output, a reasonably useful and powerful ranged attack, Heavy Warjack grade durability, and all at a decent price point.
• Lightning Bruiser: By the standards of a Heavy Myrmidon Discordia is deceptively fast at speed 6 (making the fifteen-foot tall forty-ton robot as fast as a sprinting elf!) while its Blast Resistance and Kinetic Field means it has effectively twenty four armor against ranged blast attacks. On top of that it packs power 16 melee weapons, making it a reliable threat to even heavy armor. Its only weakness is that it has a price to match all that performance.
• Meaningful Name:
  • Manticores were Mix-and-Match Critters that resulted in them combining the deadliest parts of several creatures. Manticore Myrmidons are Jack of All Stats who excel in melee and at range, even if they don't reach the highest heights of dedicated specialists.
  • Discordia is the Roman personification of strife. Its Sonic Cannon creates discord and strife among its victims, deafening them and leaving them unable to organize.
• No-Sell: Discordia packs "Blast Resistance", giving it +4 armor against blast damage
• Pinned Down: Manticores can place a "wall" template representing where they're laying down "covering fire" as an action in lieu of making dedicated ranged shots.
• Shell-Shock Silence: Discordia's Sonic Pulse Cannon inflicts "Deafen" on its victims, giving them penalties to defense and preventing them from giving or receiving orders for a turn.
• Sinister Scythe: Manticores mount a pair of large scythe blades on their forearms, playing into the "Graceful" aesthetic of myrmidons while also demonstrating its devastating power 17 melee capabilities.
• Status Buff: Discordia can spend one of its FOCUS to gain "Kinetic Field", giving it +2 armor against ranged attacks. While bonded to Rahn he also gains Kinetic Field.
• Super Mode: Manticores enter super mode as long as their Field Generator is intact, giving them +2 melee damage.
• Wrestler in All of Us: Manticores and Discordia keep their hands free thanks to their Blade Below the Shoulder, allowing them to grapple almost any model in the game.

Designed to deliver its arc node directly to the heart of the enemy, the Phoenix extends a Warcaster’s reach and therefore his power on the battlefield, yet it does so in a distinctly different fashion than the elusive Chimera. Instead of stealth the Phoenix uses its durability and power to advance at the vanguard of an attacking force, delivering fiery retaliation on any enemy foolish enough to try to intercept it. Its blazing power field regenerates itself in the course of combat and can send a surge of energy to ignite the surrounding air and burn its enemies to ash. In the Phoenix, House Shyeel has created a formidable and elegantly designed masterpiece. To its enemies the Phoenix represents something else: a terrifying apparition of fiery steel embodying the rage of the Retribution of Scyrah.

Designed for Issyria’s exclusive use and fitted with experimental technology that includes a cutting-edge arc node, Hemera magnifies the warcaster’s arcane abilities. The myrmidon wades into the thick of combat to take Issyria’s place, allowing her to guide the flow of combat more effectively without putting herself in harm’s way.

As regal as its name suggests, the Imperatus was engineered to be without peer. The myrmidon wields a pair of blazing thermal blades to deadly effect, annihilating foes in a flurry of fiery impacts. At a distance it musters energy from its field to empower the Halation cannon, a weapon that can direct a concentrated burst of superheated energy with pinpoint accuracy. Its most astonishing feature is the Phoenix Protocol, a failsafe system that can rapidly restore the Imperatus to full fighting force.

• Anti-Magic: Hemera's ranged attack has "Critical: Dispel", removing all Status Buff spells on enemies it critically hits.
• Arm Cannon: Hemera sacrifices one of its melee weapons for its "Celestial Gate" ranged weapon.
• BFS:
  • Phoenixes carry a single massive "Thermal Blade"
  • Imperatus wields a pair of Thermal Blades
• Dual Wielding: Imperatus wields a pair of Thermal Blades instead of the Phoenix's singular blade.
• Flaming Sword: The Thermal Blade sets people it hits on fire despite its blue coloration.
• Implacable Man: Imperatus has "Side Step", letting it cut a swathe through enemies, moving 2" for free every time it lands a melee hit.
• Kill It with Fire: The Phoenix has a number of flame themed damage dealing weapons and abilities.
• Kryptonite Factor: All Phoenixes and their fellows depend heavily on their Regenerating Health force fields, so Grevious Wounds or any other attack which prevents removing damage will undermine their greatest strength.
• Lightning Bruiser: Hemera has Reposition: 3, allowing it to move nine inches per turn despite being a Heavy Myrmidon, all while packing durability on par with Cygnaran Heavy Warjacks.
• Magic Fire: Implied by the Thermal Blade, as it deals both "Damage Type: Magical" and "Continuous: Fire".
• Man on Fire:
  • Thermal Blades deal "Continuous: Fire", setting anyone they hit on fire.
  • Phoenixes have the Halo Cannon, which deals "Critical: Continuous Fire".
  • They also have the "Attack: Combustion", which detonates a huge fireball around the machine, setting every model within 2" of it on fire.
• Marked to Die: Hemera automatically does this to any enemies within 5" of it, improving allied model accuracy against nearby enemies by 2.
• Meaningful Name:
  • Phoenixes are a symbol of Resurrective Immortality, dying and rising anew from the ashes. Phoenix Myrmidons naturally regenerate their own force fields.
  • Hemera was the Greek personification of the Day. Hemera the Myrmidon is bonded to Issyria, Sibyl of Dawn.
  • Imperatus is Latin for "commanded", and is bonded to Dawnlord (i.e. the supreme commander of Retribution's Dawnguard) Vyros.
• Mighty Glacier: Compared to Hemera, Imperatus is more this trope. It trades "Reposition: 3" for 20% more durability on its force field and 13% more damage on its melee weapons.
• Reduced Mana Cost:
  • Hemera's Arc Node has been upgraded so that once per turn its controller reduces the cost of spells channeled through it by 1.
  • While bonded to Issyria, Hemera allows her to upkeep one spell for free.
  • While bonded to Vyros, Imperatus can run or charge for free.
• Regenerating Health: Thanks to its "Phoenix Field", the Phoenix automatically heals 1-6 damage on its force field every turn.
• Stuff Blowing Up: Enemies killed by Imperatus' Halation Cannon explode, setting their nearby allies on fire.
• Vertical Mecha Fins:
  • Phoenixes have them as part of their Arc Node functionality
  • Hemera has six rather than the usual two, arranged in two sets of three across its back.
  • Imperatus has a pair of these in the style of Winged Hussars.
• Willing Channeler: Phoenixes and Hemera are Arc Nodes, letting them channel spells for their Warcaster.
• Wrestler in All of Us: Default Phoenixes still have a free Open Fist to grapple enemies with.

The Aeternae myrmidon was manufactured by House Vyre at the behest of House Ellowuyr as compensation for an unknown agreement. Aeternae myrmidons feature some of the latest Vyre innovations in warjack weaponry. They wield a pair of Distortion Voulges, massive bladed weapons that cause their enemies to reverberate with arcane energy and be repelled with each successful blow.

• Armor-Piercing Attack: The Aeternae's Shatter Cannon has "Armor Piercing", meaning it ignores half the armor of the target.
• Awesome, but Impractical: Downplayed but present. Aeternae cost an arm and a leg due to having excellent melee weapons and devastating firepower. This means that, while a popular selection, they can't simply be taken in any list and expected to pull their weight. Players must be cognizant of their role and when and where to strike to get the maximum utility out of them, picking off targets with the Shatter Cannon before closing into melee to ensure they kill at least as much as they cost.
• BFS: The Distortion Voulges definitely qualify, with even the "light" one hitting hard enough to automatically penetrate Light Warjack armor.
• Cold Sniper: The Aeternae's Shatter Cannon has a devastating 14" range, and, when coupled with its "Armor Piercing" ability, excels at killing even Heavy Warjacks.
• Dual Wielding: Aeternaes wield a pair of swords, one in each hand.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: Like all House Vyre Myrmidons, the Aeternae wields a large melee weapon in one hand and a smaller version in the other, with its cannon being mounted on its right shoulder while it has a large shoulder pad on its left.
• Knockback: The Distortion Voulges have "Beat Back", letting the Aeternae knock any enemies they hit 1" away from itself.
• Mana Potion: Aeternae that begin their turn within 3" of any models from House Ellowuyr gain 1 FOCUS due to the proximity.
• Master of All: Thanks to Armor Piercing and a 14" range, its gun is one of the deadliest in the game, while its power 15 and power 17 melee weapons make it exceptionally lethal in melee as well. It also packs armor 19 and 30hp, making it fairly durable. All told the Aeternae excels in basically any role it can be expected to fill.
• Meaningful Name: The Aeternae are a mythical species of animals recorded in the travels of Alexander the Great in northern India. They were said to kill with a pair of saw-toothed horns on their heads. Aeternae Myrmidons kill with a pair of saw-toothed swords, and have heads with a number of saw-toothed protuberances on their heads.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "Shatter Cannon" doesn't inspire confidence if you're a heavy armor unit having to face one of these.
• Robot Hair: Aeternae heads are designed with several swooping protrusions coming off the back giving them the appearance of a mane of hair.
• Shoulder Cannon: The Shatter Cannon is mounted to the Aeternae's right shoulder.
• Wave-Motion Gun: Armor Piercing, 14" range, and "Damage Type: Magical" means the Shatter Cannon definitely qualifies.

The arrival of the Banshee is announced even before it appears by the continuous high-pitched wail it emits in battle, a disruptive emanation so strong it unravels magic in the myrmidon’s immediate proximity. When the Banshee’s force cannon begins to hum, the whine rapidly ascends into an ear-splitting roar. As the cannon’s shriek reaches its crescendo the Banshee fires, hurling its target back with a tremendously powerful resonance that can burst organs and shatter bones in an instant. These destructive audio vibrations are also known to rattle apart the chassis of light warjacks, shearing rivets and bursting the pressure chamber of steam engine boilers.

• Anti-Magic: Banshees prevent enemy models from casting spells within 5" of them due to the deafening wail they produce at all times.
• "Avoid This Area" Effect: Banshees naturally generate one thanks to their "Wailing" ability, preventing enemies from using orders or casting spells within 5" of themselves due to the noise.
• Awesome, but Impractical: It's even more expensive but less versatile than the Aeternae, due to lacking "Armor Piercing" on its ranged weapon. Grevious Wounds helps to make up for some of its exorbitent price tag, but it still costs as much as most Character Warjacks.
• Continuity Nod: Banshees have the same "double prong" head shape as Harpies and Sirens, the House Vyre Light Myrmidons.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: Like all House Vyre Myrmidons, Banshees have a Shoulder Cannon and a shoulder pad, and carry a large and small version of each melee weapon.
• Knockback: The Force Cannon has "Momentum", knocking models smaller than the banshee up to 3" away from it on hit.
• Kryptonite Factor: Banshee's have "Grevious Wounds" on their Void Blades, acting as this trope for units who rely on the Tough special rule to improve their durability.
• Our Banshees Are Louder: Pretty much a given with a name like "Banshee" and having a special rule legitimately called "Wailing".
• Shoulder Cannon: The Banshee mounts its Force Cannon on its right shoulder, like all House Vyre Myrmidons.
• Super-Scream: The Banshee's special rule "Wailing" represents this, a constant audio assault that becomes deafening within 5" of the machine.
• Wound That Will Not Heal: The Banshee's Void Blades have "Grevious Wounds", inflicting this trope on their victims.

The Daemon is often seen at the vanguard of assaults led by House Vyre and has become one of the Retribution’s foremost assault myrmidons. Heavily armored and laden with complex yet brutal weapons, the Daemon epitomizes House Vyre’s approach to myrmidon design. Vyre artificers have diverged significantly from those of House Shyeel in their arcanikal studies, and they manipulate force in a very different manner. Whereas Shyeel uses accumulated energy stores to project a defensive field to ward away incoming attacks, Vyre instead uses the bulk of those energies offensively, to empower the weapons of their myrmidons.

Hypnos, a myrmidon of the most exacting construction, is of the creation of Lord Arcanist Ossyan's own labors. The lord arcanist has forged an insoluble connection with Hypnos, allowing it to draw energy from Ossyan and become an extension of his abilities. In his presence the myrmidon’s phase gun is imbued with synchronized energy; those struck by it become nonconductive to mystical channeling, thwarting the use of arc nodes as well as the delicate synergy between warbeast and warlock. Once it closes upon an enemy warjack, Hypnos pounds it with fists armed with specially-designed force projectors. Even a glancing blow from these weapons can stagger a warjack as its cortex signals overload, causing it to seize up and become helpless.

• Anti-Magic:
  • Daemons have "Blessed" on their melee weapons, allowing them to ignore any Status Buff spells on enemies they hit.
  • Hypnos has "Sacrad Ward", making it immune to targeting by enemy spells.
• Bare-Fisted Monk: Despite the ubiquity of Open Fists in Retribution's arsenal of Myrmidons, Daemons and Hypnos are the rare version that doesn't sport a Blade Below the Shoulder to augment their damage. At most they use an implied Power Fist, but even then it appears to act more like boxing gloves than a proper weapon.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: Like all House Vyre Myrmidons, Daemons and Hypnos both carry a Shoulder Cannon on one side with a large shoulder pad on the other.
• Marked to Die: This is effectively Hypnos' role under Oyssan. Because anything it hits under the command of Ossyan suffers "Shadow Bind" and has its defense reduced by 3, that makes it considerably easier for the rest of the army to land hits on the same target. Hypnos thus wants to find a VIP and blast 'em. It doesn't matter if the shot kills or not, because at -3 defense the victim will be easy pickings for a Coup de Grâce.
• Meaningful Name:
  • Daemons were Greek spirits who would guide individuals to help or ruin. Daemon Myrmidons guide enemies together into a black hole that explodes with their Vortex Cannons.
  • Hypnos is the Greek anthropomorphic personification of sleep, and the Hypnos Myrmidon's weapons all inflict "Shadow Bind", leaving them lethargic and sleepy.
• More Dakka: Thanks to "Reload:1", the Daemon can double its rate of fire for the cost of 1 FOCUS.
• Necessary Drawback: As a relatively cheap Heavy Myrmidon that fires Black Holes, the Myrmidon seems Simple, yet Awesome. Its one glaring weakness is that, like all Warjack equivalents, it can only have 3 FOCUS at a time, one of which it needs to spend just to fire the second time. That leaves just two FOCUS to spend either ensuring that its accuracy 6 attack hits, so that its Vortex Blast can go off, or to spend on boosting the damage so that its relatively meager power 12 can ensure whatever it hits stays down. Because each choice costs 1 FOCUS and there's four choices in total across two shots, there's never enough FOCUS to go around.
• The Paralyzer: Hypnos' melee weapons have "Shadow Bind", preventing victims from moving and causing them to suffer -3 defense on a hit. Under Ossyan's control, Hypnos' gun gains this ability as well.
• Power Fist: Implied by the design and name of both the Daemon's fists and Hypnos'. Daemons mount "Rune Fists" which have copious armor attachments on them overlacing the orbs that are part of power distribution and channeling for the rest of the Myrmidon. Hypnos meanwhile mounts large ports that make its "Arcano Pulse Fists" resemble Arm Cannons.
• Shoulder Cannon: Daemons carry their Vortex Cannon in this manner, while Hynpos trades it for a Phase Gun.
• Swirly Energy Thingy: The Daemon's vortex cannon fires a dense field of distorted energies, rippling outward from a central point.
• Unrealistic Black Hole: The Daemon's Vortex Cannon generates the standard version, dragging nearby enemies into it then blowing up.
• Willing Channeler: Hypnos becomes an Arc Node, allowing it to channel spells for Ossyan.
• Wrestler in All of Us: Daemons pack a pair of Open Fists, allowing them to grapple enemies and suplex them into the ground. Oddly Hypnos does not, even though its melee weapons are called "Arcano Pulse Fists".

A dark reminder from the War of Houses, the Sphinx provides a tactical advantage that the more pragmatic Warcasters are eager to exploit. Its runespear cannon is a potent weapon against enemy Warcasters as its field-augmented projectiles make those enemies vulnerable to subsequent arcane strikes. Because of this ability the Sphinx is often employed alongside battle mages, who can send forth an overwhelming mystical barrage to follow its initial strike. The massive force claws thrum with House Vyre’s specialized offensive fields, granting them lethal strength. Even the smaller of the two claws is capable of pulling apart an enemy soldier like an insect.

• Arbitrary Weapon Range: Thanks to "Arcane Attraction" on its Runespear Cannon, Sphinxes can increase this for allied spellcasters.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: As a House Vyre Myrmidon, it mounts the usual Shoulder Cannon and paired large-and-small-dual-melee weapons.
• Marked to Die: Victims of the Runespear Cannon suffer "Arcane Attraction", allowing follow up spells targeting the same model to have boosted range
• Master of None: The Sphinx doesn't hit as hard in melee as a Manticore and doesn't shoot as well as a Daemon, leaving it only with its low price tag to fall back on.
• Meaningful Name: Sphinxes are believed to have developed in myth from the same origin as Manticores, making them counterparts in many ways just with visual differences. Sphinx Myrmidons are almost identical to Manticores in terms of loadout, just with some visual differences.
• Shark Man: Downplayed, but Sphinxes are unusual in that they have heads resembling Hammerhead Sharks.
• Shoulder Cannon: The Sphinx's particular version is the Runespear Cannon.
• Wolverine Claws: As effectively a larger Harpy, Sphinxes carry larger versions of the Harpy's forearm-mounted claws.
• Wrestler in All of Us: Sphinxes sport a pair of open fists. When coupled with their Wolverine Claws they can combine the two to tear enemies apart and then throw the bits at their former comrades.

Helios is a colossal myrmidon built by House Shyeel of Ios. Equiped with the largest field generator used by a myrmidon the monumental forces it wields push and pull opponents wherever it chooses altering the composition of a battle. Not even massive warjacks can resist the forces as they are either thrown away to be used as obstacles for the enemy or drawing them close to batter them with its massive fists. Enemy advances are halted by force barriers while those who close in are repelled with pulses of blue-white light or turned ash with unnatural flames of the same color. When the Helios is charged to full strength, the energy in the air around it becomes palpable, and mere proximity to the colossal myrmidon can make teeth rattle. A potent tractor beam replaces all other offensive weaponry, trading firepower for kinetic influence and granting the colossal’s controller strategic advantages through the repositioning of enemies. The Helios can also supercharge nearby myrmidons via manipulations of its field, allowing even a small group of myrmidons to defeat superior enemies.

• Action Bomb: Enemies the Helios kills in melee explode into a fireball.
• Armor-Piercing Attack: The Helios' fists have power 21, meaning they deal guaranteed damage to almost every model in the game.
• Cyber Cyclops: The Helios is a rare Myrmidon that sports a visible eye, a singular glowing circle in the center of its face.
• Elemental Punch: The Helios packs a pair of "Inferno Fists", letting it set enemies on fire.
• Knockback:
  • The Helios ability "Repulsor Field" lets it launch enemies 1" away from it whenever they hit it in melee.
  • Its Tractor Beam gun can push enemies 3" in any direction.
• Mana Potion: The Helios can act as one for allied Myrmidons via its "Broadcast Power" ability, spending 1 FOCUS to give 1 FOCUS to every allied Myrmidon within 3" of it.
• Man on Fire: Enemies near the Helios' melee victims get set on fire when their comrades explode into a fireball.
• Non-Indicative Name: Despite the Helios being named for the Greek God of the Sun, the Hyperion is actually the colossal with the sun-based weapons.
• No-Sell:
  • The Helios is legendary for having the ability to generate the highest defense against ranged attacks of any Colossal in the game. Its Force Barrier gives it +2 defense against ranged attacks innately, as well as +4 armor against blast damage. Its Distortion Field can be used to give it an additional +2 defense, which makes the Humongous Mecha as hard to hit as most Fragile Speedsters in the game. With a single choice status buff like "Blur" from Kaelyssa, or "Quicken" from Ossyan, the Helios can become de facto unhittable to ranged attacks.
  • The Helios has Pathfinder, allowing it to ignore difficult terrain.
• Power Fist: Both the Helios' Open Fists pack this trope, a series of augmentations that turn them from basic Open Fists into the "Inferno Fists" it wields.
• Tractor Beam: The Helios' ranged weapon is literally a Tractor Beam that allows it to drag enemies around.
• Wrestler in All of Us: As expected of a Myrmidon, the Helios packs a pair of Open Fists to allow it to grapple and throw around enemy models.

The Hyperion is a mighty colossal built by House Shyeel of Ios and recently has joined the forces of the Retribution of Scyrah. Its thresher cannons and bladed fists first clear a path to the most heavily armored and entrenched enemy position. Then the eerie sound of the Hyperion’s field generator gathering power is followed by an ominous silence that signals the discharging of the starburst weapon. Suddenly, a discharge of warped energy emanates from channels within the colossal’s chassis, too quickly to be observed. The resulting blinding sphere erases stone, steel, and flesh from existence with the surety of the Retribution’s cause. With the Retribution of Scyrah on the rise in the politics of Ios, old legal shackles have fallen away. The liberation of Nyssor has given the Retribution all the clout necessary to arm itself with the mighty colossals. Hyperions pulled from the borders now march alongside the Dawnguard.

• Anti-Infantry: The Hyperion's Thresher Cannons are specialized around this role, spraying 2-to-6 attacks per turn at power 12 to kill lightly armored infantry.
• Armor-Piercing Attack:
  • The Hyperion shares its cousin's power 21 fists, meaning it deals guaranteed damage to almost every model in the game.
  • The Starburst is base power 18, meaning it deals guaranteed damage to anything with less than 20 armor, and deals reliable damage even to things with armor 20 or higher.
• Blade Below the Shoulder: In lieu of the Helios' Power Fist, the Hyperion mounts a pair of enormous blades on its forearms for added power.
• Boring, but Practical: In contrast to the exotic features of other Myrmidons, the Hyperion is simply an absolutely devastating gun platform with a pair of brutally deadly fists.
• Disintegrator Ray: The Starburst weapon on the Hyperion is one, having "Critical Consume" and causing enemies to be Removed from Play on a critical hit.
• Meaningful Name: Hyperion is the father of Helios, and often the two were equated as the personification of the Sun.
• More Dakka: The Hyperion mounts three ranged weapons, with two of them, the "Thresher Cannons", being effectively miniguns.
• Shout-Out:
  • Its primary ranged attack is called Starburst
  • Its head closely resembles the design of the Cylon Centurions
• Wave-Motion Gun: One of the strongest ranged attacks in the game, the Starburst is fired from the gaping hole in the Hyperion's chassis and hits for base power 18!
• Wave-Motion Tuning Fork: The Starburst is fired from the curved gap in the Hyperion's hull.
• When Things Spin, Science Happens: Inside the gap in the Hyperion's hull where it fires its Starburst, there are a trio of spinning gears that do...something? to aid the firing.
• Wrestler in All of Us: It has a pair of open fists with knives on the forearms, allowing it to cut into enemies as easily as it can grapple and suplex them.