Editing Warhammer Army Project/Cathay (section)

==Army Units==

===Lords & Heroes===
==== Special Characters ====

*'''Pu-Yi, Celestial Dragon Emperor:''' 350pts. The fan assumption of who Cathay's big cheese was. We already put the work in so here he is. He is drastically reworked from version 1.0, though he won't look it at the outset. As the previously assumed faction-leader general, he grants not only an 18" IP as the mandatory general but also makes any unit he's attached to immune to psychology. Offensively, he's got a special longsword that makes him throw out 6 S4 flaming attacks that ignore armour at I6, which makes him frightening, all while protected by heavy armor that grants immunity to fire and a 5++ ward. As for that part about turning into a dragon? Now redone as a bound magic item giving him Transformation of Khadon from Lore of Beasts, but the item also provides a 4+ regen and forces enemies to take -1 to hit him. Ironically the previous version, who could resume his 'true' Dragon form, was rewritten to be more down to earth and realistic.

*'''Zhao Bei, Grand General of Cathay:''' 195pts. Zhao Bei has a more supportive role, a significant step down in cost from the emperor by 155 less. His statline is nothing to write home about, being the same as the generic General option, and he rides a normal warhorse. However, his magical spear can be thrown and acts as a bolt thrower when he does so, and his armor with the Horse gives him a good T5, but he lacks any other saves. However, his special rules are where he benefits the most: Everything within 12" with Iron Discipline that marches around enemies, redirect charges, or reforms rolls 3d6 and drops the highest. Most importantly, he can take 50 points of stratagems. This means that Zhao Bei fulfills the role of both a strategist and a warlord in your army and can very well be the only character you take besides a wizard. Also, his armor and warhorse mean that you'll be able to use stratagems on cavalry units that would often be outside of a Strategist's range. Overall he's a bit pricey at 245 when loaded up with stratagems (and why would you take him if you don't), but he's alright and can fit into smaller point games nicely.

*'''Hua Gongzhu''': 200/218pts. A mix of Mulan and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Pingyang Princess Pingyang]. She's at home when supporting a unit, as she doubles their Unit Strength. Aside from that, she lets a unit within 12" benefit from her Magic Resistance (1), and all within 12" can re-roll rally and panic checks. Combat doesn't see her slack off either, as she gets a 5++ parry from her longsword and every 6 with the parry roll sees her counterattack. You can also grab a horse and put her to use with the cavalry.

*'''Tian Shi:'''  Named character Level 4 wizard, he's a loremaster of Heavens and damn good at his job at a hefty 340 points. Of course, he ''only'' has access to Heavens, so keep that in mind. He has the rule "Grand Astromancer," which allows him to re-roll one power die in each magic phase, and his robe will enable him to generate d3 extra dice in every magic phase. Once per game, he can auto-cast any spell at its lowest level for free, but he no longer generates d3 power dice a turn. Excellent for the end game, throwing out a bolt of free chain lightning, on which he can re-roll the number of hits on due to his staff along with Urannon's Thunderbolt. He's a hell of a wizard, giving more dice and buffing two spells that he, of course, possesses automatically. If you want a great heavens wizard, he's your man, but for any other lore, you'll need the basic Wu-Jen.

*'''Guan Bu:''' 130pts for Warhammer's totally-not-Guan-Yu Captain of the Emperor's Guard, and thus must join a unit of them. His unit gets a re-rollable break test on 3d6, dropping the highest, so you know he'll be staying for the long run, but you should note that he no longer makes his Guard core. When fielding him, you will have to consider this as this ratchets up his cost a good bit. His particular weapon is Green Dragon Glaive, a halberd that deals d3 hits on every successful hit has armour piercing (1) and a 5++ parry. If you decide to take multiple guard units, pick him to lead the biggest and stack the Razor Standard to really throw in the hurt.

*'''Zhuge Yi, Grand Imperial Strategist:''' 105/230pts. AKA Fantasy [[Creed]] He is the most elite strategist, capable of buying up to 125 points worth of them. His strategies all have the double range, and his targets roll 3d6, dropping the lowest to carry them out. While he's far from a good combatant, he has used it. His shooting can either be in the form of a poisoned Cathayan repeater crossbow or an instrument that can knock out an entire unit for a turn on a failed Ld check. His only protection is in a fan that robs an attack from anyone in b2b and makes them ASL, which is the only way he might be able to retaliate.

*'''Cheng Long:''' 190pts. Grand Master of the Celestial Dragons. While he can't be general, he's plenty impressed with the fire breath, a 5++ dodge, strider, and the ability to give a pack of his boys stubborn while he possesses Immunity (Psychology). On top of being just a better monk, he also possesses upgraded versions of each style (Black Tiger adds +d3 attacks, White Crane adds ASF and +1 to hit, Fanged Snake gives HKB, Great Dragon gives +2 Strength, and Praying Mantis gives a 4++ ward).

*'''The Monkey King:''' 155pts. Because calling him Son Wukong or Son Gokuu would be too damn obvious. He's actually a mix between monk and monkey warrior, possessing strider and the fighting styles. He can provoke berserk fury (a la Frenzy) to anyone in the charging range, making him. Of course, he wants to be in combat, where his weapon can add +2 to his strength while hiding behind a 6++ dodge and a -1 to hit in combat. What you should beware of, however, is that he can only join monkey warriors.

*'''Dalan-Tai:''' 110pts. Khan of the nomads, which bars him from being general. He's the best when it comes to Steppe Nomads and lets an attached unit re-roll dangerous terrain, flee, and pursue tests. On top of this, he lets his unit fire while fleeing without sacrificing swiftstride for the turn. This archery is based on his Dragon Bow, an S5 bow that goes through armor like nothing.

==== Generic Characters====

*'''General/Captain:''' The Commander is your generic fighty lord, very customizable and with a reasonable price tag. That's it. Seriously, he on his own has no special rules that make him unique. He DOES, however, gets more interesting when you consider what you can give him, and what he allows you to take. In addition to the usual weapon options, he can take a Cathayan Longsword, he has the option for heavy armor and the gamut of mounts.

*'''0-1 War Drums:''' Counting as a war machine, the War Drums act as a musician to all units within 12", and VERY importantly, it affects STACK with actual musicians (effectively +2 if they tie during combat resolution) and let units reroll Stratagem tests. This is very useful as your core infantry has low leadership across the board, so any help in that regard is useful.

*'''Wu Jen Lord/Wu Jen:'''Standard Caster, nearly identical to an Empire wizard except for lore options. While not having access to the excellent lore of life, he gains access to the lore of Ying and Yan, which as mentioned above is quite powerful, on top of Fire, Light, Metal, Heavens, and Shadow.

*'''Strategist:''' A character truly unique to the Cathay army, he's cheap as chips at 15 points base and does fuck all in combat. His actual ability lies in the army-unique stratagems. He can take seventy-five points worth of stratagems and issues them to any unit within 12" if they pass a leadership test. While the same stratagem can't be used twice in one turn, there is no restriction on how many stratagems one Strategist can use per turn, nor is there a restriction on stacking stratagems on a single unit. If he took the cheapest stratagems, one strategist could potentially use four in one turn. This opens up very interesting possibilities tactically, such as using the "Sleeping Crocodile" stratagem to face a flank charger and then using "The Blinding Light" to eliminate their charge bonuses. All around, a very cool and solid character. have him in the middle of your formation (presumably with bodyguards while in the back)

*'''Wu Xia''': Your [[Weeaboo Fightan Magic|badass martial artist heroes]]. These guys are about on tier with a General for stats, but are your prime challengers, as they are forced into all of them. Fortunately, they have a 4++ Dodge, KB, and reroll hits and wounds while dueling to help against most man-sized foes. Against a monster, hope that your dodge holds up. Your bigger weakness, however, is your painfully average 4" movement so can only run with infantry.

====Mounts====
*'''Warhorse:''' Tried and true, you can take barding for a few extra points and slap a Commander in a cavalry unit.

*'''Qilin:''' Generals and Captains only. A swole fly(9) unicorn. M9, WS4, S&T4, I4, and A2, it gets +1 strength on the impact hit and has magical attacks. Bonus points for the image of a Cairn wraith dying from a kick to the face from your magic horse.

*'''Pixiu:''' Generals only. Winged Dog-Dragon-thing, with griffon stats. Beefier than the Qilin, at over triple the points. Causes Terror and has Hatred: Daemons of Chaos as a nifty little extra.

*'''War Chariot:''' Captains Only. Gives you a chariot and an extra man to do archery if you feel so inclined and can join a unit of chariots for extra security.

*'''Elite War Chariot:''' Generals and Captains only. A Beefy four-horse chariot in which your character can replace one crew member while two others can do backup. A very solid choice, cheaper than the Pixiu.

=== Core Units ===
'''Simple, solid, cheap, and with mostly piss poor leadership, these are guys get shit done, as long as they don't run away. Also, have many good expendable units, so make sure at least half your army's core units are not expendable.'''

*'''Levy Infantry''': Your legion of disposable peasants. It Starts Nacked at 2 ppm. You can put out a lot of chaff. Won't win many fights with WS2 and Ld 6, so avoid giving them gear that costs extra points unless you're going for a quantity+little quality instead of the average Imperial Infantry. They aren't expendable, so do keep a babysitter near so they don't cause a chain rout.
**They exist to put a ton of bodies on the board for as little as possible. The addition of Spears is for dice buckets, and polearms are a cheap ap attack provider.

*'''Imperial Infantry:''' Your legion of disposable trained peasants. The second cheapest as chips basic infantry with all average human stats, starting at 4 points a model base. They can take spears and halberds for a point each and pikes for 2, which is highly recommended, as this unit should be taken in big blocks to maximize the benefit from iron discipline. A unit with many ranks can scrape by in unfavorable match-ups due to the bonus from iron discipline, so you must take advantage of it. 

*'''Levy Bowmen:''' Your mass bows you take in blocks, 4 points each, but they only have BS2. They can replace bows for Crossbows or Repeater Crossbows or take javelins and become skirmishers depending on how you want to shoot. They can also buy a little armour and a shield, but at that price, you could've bought another levy infantryman. They are a cheap means of placing 10man bows and Crossbows. Repeater Crossbows should be avoided because you need good BS to make the most of the multishot. Javelins are also another cheap form of Piercing, and you get vanguarding chaff. 

*'''Imperial Bowmen''': Take the Infantrymen, slap bows on them, and there you get your chief shooters for 7 points. They survive longer than Levy in firefights, especially if you put Shields and Medium armour, but at a total 9 points, which gets discouraging. Stick to a shield if you're worried about archery fights. More average BS of 3 can replace bows with Handguns, crossbows, or Repeater Crossbows. They're a better candidate to hold Repeater Crossbows over Levys as there is a noticeable difference in hitting on 5+ rather than 6+ before modifiers.

*'''Imperial Cavalry''': Your fast cavalry are about on tier with your basic Imperial infantry placed on a horse for 11ppm. Be your cheap Fast Flankers and skirmish shooters with options for javelins, bows, or Crossbows.

*'''Dragon Lancers:''' Your entry-level '''"heavy"''' cav for 14ppm, they're no empire or Bretonnia knights, and they're certainly no chaos knights. They don't get that powerful Lance, but they still have intriguing options. Also, the only core choice with leadership 8. They start at 14 points but can get heavy armor, halberds, and some barding will get a 3+ save, bringing you to 20 points. You can give them bows for two points or a three-eyed gun for six if you want a bit of extra mobile ranged fire. The most impressive option is fire lances which are upgraded spears for a total of 4 points, which add on to your weapons for an extra devastating rush. Whether the extra two points a model is worth it for one handgun shot per combat is up to you, but it will make that first charge extra painful.
**Spears come with mandatory shields and kill better on their charge, suitable for if you plan on winning the first round and save points on armor, Halberds is if you plan to fight longer at any time. Flails are an alternative to spears and Halberds as they provided a total of Strength 5 attacks for the first round of the fight phase, even when you got charged first.
**Three-eyed Guns are repeater handguns for expensive fire on the move, making them like empire [[Outriders]] but with the option to have even more armour.

*'''Steppe Nomads:''' upgrading your Imperial Cavalry with bows to be expendable nomads horse archers with BS4, which is nice. They can also be given spears and shields. To add to the fast, you can also re-roll Pursuit and Flee rolls. Decent upgrade to Imperial Cavalry for skirmish shooting and flank charging. 

*'''Hill Tribesmen:''' 3 points expendable infantry with ambush rule. They're slightly better at fighting than levies with WS&BS3 but can't take armour and lack the Iron Discipline rule. However expendable, they won't panic your other troops when they inevitably run given leadership 6. Dirt cheap. Throw them in someone's flank or warmachines.

*'''Monkey Warriors:''' Anyone who's read Journey to the West knows why these guys are here. They are like [[Beastmen]] [[ungor]]s but the underappreciated best parts. They have Movement 5, two attacks, and initiative 4 with a 6++ dodge and being Expendable and Forest and Obstacle Strider. These guys are harassing skirmishers, and they can get blowpipes. Take these guys to whittle down tough units with poison darts and then flank a weakened unit in melee before they can strike back. As Expendables, they also aren't much concerned if they flee a fight.

=== Special Units ===
'''The Cathayan special units are quite interesting, fulfilling several disparate roles and filled with strange units and smaller warmachines.'''

*'''Imperial Guard:''' The simplest of the special units, these guys are only pseudo-elite infantry. These guys are here to hold the line, a definite step up from the imperial infantry, at WS4, I4, and L8 with stubbornness. They only have Medium armor and halberds, and they can take a magic banner up to 50 points(which 9/10 times should be the Razor Standard). Of the elite choices, these are the guys you really wanna go to at least 3 ranks. With halberds and Iron Discipline, you'll get lots of decent strength attacks, and they'll be able to power through many engagements through the combat resolution bonuses. At a reasonable 10 points each, it won't break the bank.

*'''Dragonblades:''' Your true elite infantry, these guys are the next step above the Emperor's Guard, with WS5, I4, and 2 attacks each, these lads will tear through most targets. They'll chop through light infantry, but they can also take on other elites with their armor-piercing Cathayan longswords and killing blow. They also have iron discipline but are 11 points, so it will be more costly if you want to take advantage of it. The main disadvantage of this unit is their durability in melee, also having Medium armor, and the longsword gives them a 6++ parry. Ranged fire is still the unit's arch-enemy, However, if you're using the lore of Ying and Yan on your wizard, a shroud of darkness will keep enemy firepower off these guys and the path of light will get them to the enemy faster.

*'''Shadowblades:''' [[Ninja]]s! In...Fantasy China...? Come on Matthias (To be fair, the basis of ninjutsu did migrate through China before reaching Japan). Historical nitpicking aside, these guys are alright. They are an upgrade to monkey warriors being significantly better at fighting and throwing things. They also possess scout, which the monkey warriors do not. They don't get as many attacks for their points, and at 10 points a model, they hurt far harder and possess significantly more staying power. 
**They are an elite middle ground between blowpipe monkeys and hill tribesmen, preferring to take down particular units with more guaranteed damage rather than taking numbers to take on multiple enemies. 

*'''Celestial Dragon Monks:''' Shaolin Monks! Now we've got our stereotypes straight! This unit is a strange one, as its role is somewhat unclear. It's a skirmisher unit with no armor and strider...with a chaos warrior statline, a 6++ Dodge, and immune to psychology. Ain't that a kick in the head? They're expensive at 15 points a model, but in addition to their beastly statlines, they can pick one of five stances that boosts their abilities every turn (+1A, ASF, KB, +1S, Dodge(5+)).
**These stances allow the monks to adapt to various situations, meaning they'll be helpful no matter what they're facing. These guys will absolutely mulch infantry with Black Tiger, have three attacks each, and did I mention that the unit champion has a Strength 3 breath weapon? Elves? See how green they get when you throw out ASF against them. Are some enemy elites getting you down? Throw some killing blow in there. I don't think I need to explain how +1 strength or a 5+ dodge save is useful. Its main weakness is its complete vulnerability to ranged fire. Skirmisher and Dodge will help a little, but they have no armor, and Dodge only works against attacks to their font arc. So get em in combat quick.

*'''War Chariot:''' your Chariot, two horses, two Imperial Guards with spears and bow. Are not core, but you can do a [[Tomb Kings]].
**'''Elite War Chariot:''' A big beefy chariot. What more do you want? It's got four horses and three crew, T4 and 5 wounds, and you can take them as a mount for your commander. Take a few and smash some stuff up.

*'''Mercenary Ogres''': They're pretty much as they are in their own book. They'll provide a giant wall of meat and muscle for you with Impact Hits (1) that add Rank to Strength when they charge. Their big drawback is their limited protection in purchased light armor.

*'''Temple Dogs:''' "Hey look at that cool statue-OHGODITSEATINGMEPLEASGODNO!!!!" War Beast is a solid choice with a different role from most. They come in units of 5+, so no singular models to catch charges or lone wizard hunters like razorgors. These guys honestly function like swifter Ogres. They have 2 attacks each at S4 and WS4, but their big pull is their durability. Toughness 5, magic resistance(1), Immune to Fire attacks, and Animated Constructs mean these guys aren't going away anytime soon. However, being Unstable means that the possibility is very there and very possible. Also, the update to Animated Construct makes them now actually slower than marching levies but still have a great change range like calvery. 
**'''Mercenary Ogres Vs. Temple Dogs:''' Getting a comparison, Both cost the same number of points per model. Ogres can march 12" when not charging while Dogs charges (7" + 3D6 drop lowest). Ogres for the points without including wargear option, they get more attacks + impact hits, Wounds, and unit strength. While Dogs lands more hits against WS3 enemies, harder to wound by most standard troops and other types of unit killing attacks. In conclusion, Temple Dogs are best used to support the flanks of your levies while shrugging of Poison arrows, Magic missiles, and Vortexes.

*'''Terracotta Warriors:''' Living stone warriors come to kick your ass! They're toughness 4 with magic resistance, Immunity to fire, and Animated Constructs at 5 points a model! can take Spears, Polearms, Bows, or Crossbows. They seem broken until you see their big downside: unstable, and leadership 3 at that. That's right. Your magical stone badasses crumble like basic skeletons if they lose a fight. They are ok fighters for their cost. The only downside is the lack of armor saves, but with unstable and no resurrection method like the undead armies, they'll completely collapse in an unfavorable matchup. Use them as tougher unbreakable Levies to maximize their time tarpiting important units while not within inspiring presence.

*'''Field Engineers:'''Essentially skaven weapon teams, 1 to 5 of these guys can be near any non-skirmishing infantry unit, granting a (4+) ward against ranged attacks and letting them Stand & Shoot when their parent is charged. The only main downside is the Duplicate restriction prevents spamming.
**Firebombs: 10ppm. for mobile and cheap, if short-ranged, firepower, breaking up infinity before charging, or discouraging charges against nearby units.
**Three-eyed Guns: 11ppm. a 3 shot repeater handgun to take down knights
**Skyrockets: 12ppm. mid-ranged mini-Fire Rocket charts.
**Dragon's Breath: 35ppm. (max Unit Size 1) For an S3 flamethrower, a tool for infantry clearing.
**Hand Mortar: 55ppm. (max Unit Size 1) A portable stone thrower! It can clear blocks at a range, though they're pretty easy to expose.

*'''Siege Crossbow''': 35pts. The classic Bolt Thrower. to cheaply impale Calvalry and skewer row of units
*'''Stormhurler Ballista:''' 50pts. A fires 6 smaller crossbow bolts instead of one big one. Unlike the Elf ones, these cannot mode change so your only pay more for the ability to wipe a rank than cleave through the unit like a normal Bolt Thrower.

*'''Catapult:''' 85pts. Your basic Stone Thrower for infantry crushing needs. When compared to a min size of 2 Hand Mortar for +25 more points, Catapults shrug off more shooting attacks and can pivot and still shoot.

*'''Flying Crow:''' 90pts. Rocket S3 fire arrows that operate as a stone-thrower with a large template. Taking Goblin Slaying Further beyond.

=== Rare Units ===
'''This is where your better guns and large monsters.'''

*'''War Wagon''': 150pts. A...wagon that can't move fast? Well, hold up. While it's true that it's moving as fast as infantry and can't move through terrain (it's a wheeled bunker), it does offer a 2+ save at T6 and a flurry of 6 spears and crossbows, making it seem more like a wannabe monster or a slow-moving [[chess#Rook|Rook]] to hold objectives. Stack Unbreakable onto the equation, and it's pretty much guaranteed that this thing will need to be the line's strongpoint or objective camper.

*'''Fire Rocket Cart:''' 120pts. Empire [[Helstorm Rocket Battery]]. More of a big multishot crossbow actually, roll the artillery dice and fire 5 times the number at an infantry block with S4 volley of arrows. A means of firing long-range arrow volleys on goblins while cheaping out on buying crossbowers.

*'''Dragon Cannon:''' 85pts. A cannon with an additional explosive ammo profile. Particularly a smaller, very precise stone-thrower that needs line of sight that deals 3(s) hits with Piercing 1, and Multiwound(d3) will wipe out most infantry and cavalry, but this mode will fall short against all the big bad monsters, so use normal mode for them.

*'''Phoenix:''' 200pts.  A Flamespyre Phoenix with one more attack and other damage-dealing abilities in exchange for losing spell casting boosters. Instead of moving or charging, it can make up to an 18" pseudo-move/charge that does a strength 5 hit to all that it passes over and engages anything it encounters at the end of its movement. It stays in the fight for better or worse, as it burns anyone in combat with it and has a 50/50 chance to resurrect and cause all in direct contact to take S5 hits. The Phoenix is good at disrupting and destroying enemy back lines with a devastating combatant.

*'''Brass Titan:''' 265pts. A Giant, Monstrous terracotta warrior but in Full Plate, S/T/W 6 and can instantly damage all models in contact to it in addition to his 5 normal attacks, And this isn't even his stomp. A real infantry mulcher.

*'''Celestial Dragon:''' 300/350pts. Your fly(7) Dragon. Not much to write home about compared to others like it, but this dragon can become a Wizard of Fire or Heavens. This makes them one of the few fire wizards that can efficiently use Cascading Fire-cloak as it has the stats to be in melee.