Borgio the Besieger
 This page is needs images. Help plz. |
Borgio the Beseiger is a former ruler of the Tilean city of Miragliano and was renowned for being both one of the greatest mercenary generals of his age, specializing in siege warfare, and being one tough motherfucker. Seriously, the dude's weapon of choice was a mace made out of a cannonball that hit him in the chest and failed to kill him. Which might of have had something to do with the armor he wore, which had been crafted from bronze statues of alien deities that had been dragged from the Blighted Marshes and melted down for for their metal. Beloved by his troops for his willingness to do things like lead the assault over the walls at the end of a siege in person and to dig trenches right alongside his men, he was reviled by political rivals and the scheming courtiers, intriguers and spies that infest Tilea's courts like maggots in a corpse.
He survived years of warfare and attempted assassinations, before he was finally killed when somebody stabbed him with a poisoned toasting fork whilst he was in the bath... the possible connection this might have to his marriage to Dolchellata, the bad-tempered elder sister of Lucrezzia Belladonna, is unclear.
On the Tabletop[edit | edit source]
Like all the Dogs of War special characters, Borgio the Beseiger debuted in the Dogs of War army book for Warhamemr 5th edition. Here, he can be taken as the army's Mercenary General for 173 points (plus a further 85 points for his three signature magical items).
Riding a barded warhorse, Borgio has Movement 4, Weapon Skill 6, Ballistic Skill 6, Strength 4, Toughness 4, Wounds 3, Initiative 6, Attacks 4 and Leadership 10. He wears Heavy Armor, carries a Shield, and wields a Mace and a Lance. He has the special rule Difficult to Slay, which gives him a special 4+ save that he can use to negate any attempt to remove his final Wound.
Borgio carries three magical items; the Monstrous Mask Helm (35 points, Magic Armor, Borgio Causes Fear), the Mace of Might (25 points, Magic Weapon, rolls To Hit of a 6 are struck with Strength 10), and the Armor of Brazen Bronze (25 Points, Magic Armor, ignores Strength modifiers to armor saves from both hand-to-hand and missile hits, including those of war machines - basically, Borgio always has a 5+ armor save).
Borgio was one of several Dogs of War special characters who returned in the pages of White Dwarf for 6th edition in the year 2003 (White Dwarf #266 by some accounts). This version of Borgio has Movement 4, Weapon Skill 6, Ballistic Skill 5, Strength 4, Toughness 4, Wounds 3, Initiative 5, Attacks 4 and Leadership 9. He rides a Barded Warhorse, costs 250 points, and can be taken for a Lord and Hero slot, but must be your General if you take him (obviously).
His gear hasn't changed much. He now wears the Armor of Brazen Bronze (Heavy Armor, 5+ Ward Save) and the Monstrous Mask Healm (Causes Fear), carries a Shield, and wields the Mace of Might (To Hit rolls of 6 strike at Strength 10) and a Lance. He rides a Barded Warhorse.
His special rules have changed a little. Firstly, Difficult to Slay now works like this: when reduced to 0 Wounds, place Borgio's model on its side instead of removing it as a casualty. At the end of the phase, roll a d6; if you roll a 4+, Borgio stands back up with 1 Wound, otherwise he's removed as a casualty. Secondly, he's gained two new rules; Beloved General lets friendly units benefit from his Leadership when within 18" instead of the normal 12", whilst Magic Banner lets a single unit of Pikemen or Heavy Cavalry take a 50 point Magic Standard.