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The Story So Far
A beam of moonlight pierces through the dense canopy of Mistwood Forest, illuminating the feared champion Blackjaw and his loyal followers The Unburnt Reavers. Suddenly a shrill whistling sound breaks the hushed silence as two Unburnt Reavers stagger and fall to the leafy undergrowth, clutching the arrows that have embedded in their chests. As a terrified Blackjaw and his remaining Followers flee, the midnight gloom reveals the forms of Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind and her Mistwood Rangers, lethal protectors of the sacred forest.
Fatal Attraction
Having picked up a starter set of Steamforged’s Godtear two years ago (on a complete whim) I have been completely blown away by how a game can be so ridiculously simple yet so incredibly engaging. Recently I made a venture to my favourite on-line gaming store looking to add to my small but growing collection of expansion champion sets. As I browsed their impressive assemblage my eyes were drawn to a quartet of majestically lithe elven warriors who looked completely different to any of the expansion sets I currently owned. My mind was made up, Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind and Mistwood Rangers would be arriving in the post soon!
What’s in the Box
On opening the beautifully crafted box (I especially love the artwork of Lorsann on the cover) I was greeted with four superbly crafted red miniatures and a set of three faction cards depicting their unique abilities, written in clear and concise wording and with striking artistic flair. Although you can play with these models as they are, as an avid model painter I couldn’t wait to get out my brush and paints. The design of the champion Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind and Mistwood Rangers is my favourite one yet. She stands on one foot atop a crumbling stonework leaning back as if putting all her concentration and power into one last deadly shot from her trusted bow. There is a gracefulness to Lorsann that captured the undoubted elven design and a poise to her stance that gives her the impression of floating on air.
The trio of Mistwood Rangers that accompany Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind are no less striking than the champion they follow. Each Mistwood Ranger is clothed in a full length sleeveless robe that has some nice subtle details like creasing and flaring which gives them a sense of style and movement. The exposed arms of the Mistwood Rangers are rippling with muscles and sinew and represent perfectly the life of an elite warrior. There is a sense of nobility that has somehow been crafted into these models and I like how each one has a different pose with bow and sword respectively.
A champion makes their mark on the battlefield and can strike fear into an opponent with a well placed banner and Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind has a fitting one at her disposal. Carved from the very heart of Mistwood itself, this gorgeous model rises from the ground with a trunk like appearance dappled in twine and leaf. A circular wreath focal point sits above this trunk and is intricately designed with foliage. I can imagine this banner standing proud on the battlefield being worshipped by all who gaze upon its beauty.
Lorsann Abilities / Plot Phase
Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind begins the plot phase with a speed of 2, a dodge of 4, protection of 1 and health points of 6. This gives her a combination of decent mobility whilst being difficult to hit. Her protection of 1 does make her very vulnerable to high damage attacks and her modest health points of 6 can see her become knocked out quite quickly if not protected. Lorsann has two skills at her disposal in the plot phase, Field Instruction and Fairy Fire. Field Instruction is a ranged 2 skill which gives +1 damage to a friendly champion or follower. This is a powerful tool as no dice need to be rolled and the range of 2 has ample reach when combined with her speed of two. Fairy Fire is a range
3 accuracy 5 skill ( no damage roll) that targets an enemy champion or follower. On a successful hit the target will suffer -1 to their protection. I have found Fairy Fire to be an invaluable skill when trying to damage models with high protection ( I am looking at you Rhodry) and this ability fits in thematically for Lorsann being depicted as an expert with a bow, finding the smallest of chinks in what seems like an impenetrable defence!
Lorsann Abilities/ Clash Phase
Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind begins the clash phase with a speed of 3, a dodge of 4, protection of 1 and health points of 6. The only difference to her base stats in the clash phase compared to the plot phase is that her speed is increased to 3. This extra speed in the clash phase can be a game changer as when combined with her range 3 shooting skills gives her a potential 6 hex attack range which can catch your opponent off guard. Lorsann has three skills at her disposal in the clash phase. Piercing Shot which targets an enemy champion or follower is a range 3 accuracy 5 skill with a hit effect “ the target gains one wound”. This is an awesome skill that has literally won me a number of games. The hit effect of the target gaining one wound is very strong as it ignores their dodge and protection stats. It is extremely satisfying to use Piercing Shot to knock out another champion who has 1 health point remaining. Mystic Arrow which targets an enemy champion or follower is a range 3, accuracy 3, damage 5 skill which has the added ability “ after the mystic arrow damage roll make a damage 5 roll against the target”. The low accuracy of 3 makes Mystic Arrow quite hard to successfully hit but if you can add a +1 accuracy boon and target champions or followers with a low dodge stat (eg. Luella ), getting to make two damage 5 rolls is a nice reward. Snipe, which targets an enemy champion or follower is a range 3 accuracy 8, damage 4 skill. I have used Snipe a number of times to target champions with a high dodge and a low protection like Sneaky Peet (dodge 5 protection 1) and when combined with Piercing Shot can make Lorsann formidable.
Lorsann Ultimate Skills and Traits
Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind has Deathblow which targets an enemy champion or follower as her Ultimate Skill. Deahblow is a range 3 accuracy 6 skill with the hit effect “ the target gains 2 wounds” and can only be utilised once per game. Deathblow is an upgraded version of Piercing Shot adding 1 to your accuracy roll and causing the target to gain 2 wounds instead of 1 (no damage roll required). If used at the right time Deathblow can turn a game on its head and is one of my most trusted champion Ultimate Skills.
Shoot and Scoot is Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind’s ongoing trait that is in effect until a game of Godtear ends. Shoot and Scoot gives the ability “ after Lorsann uses a skill that inflicts 1 or more wounds, she may move up to 1 hex”. At first when I started playing with Lorsann I would use Shoot and Scoot to move one hex closer to my target after I had inflicted wounds. I soon found out that because she is quite vulnerable with her low protection and health points she would take a lot of damage or become knocked out on my opponents turn. Although this is still a viable option I now prefer to pepper my enemies from distance then move one hex away to safety. I have found this tactic to be more lucrative as it keep Lorsann at arms reach from a potential counter attack.
Slayer Champion is another ongoing trait that Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind has, and like Shoot and Scoot, is in effect until a game of Godtear ends. The Slayer Champion trait reads “ a Slayer moves the turn token +1 step when they knock out an enemy champion.” As Lorsann is classed as a slayer (red models) she is basically being rewarded for hunting down and knocking out enemy champions. Her skill like Piercing Shot and Deathblow superbly tie into her Slayer Champion trait making her a truly feared presence on the battlefield.
Mistwood Rangers / Plot Phase
The Mistwood Rangers are Lorsann’s faithful followers and start the plot phase with a speed of 2, dodge of 3, protection of 1 and health points of 1. Like Lorsann, this gives them decent mobility and dodge, but low protection. The Mistwood Rangers have two skills to choose from in the plot phase, Blur and Fairy Fire. Blur is a skill that gives them +1 dodge automatically putting their dodge stat up to 4 making them highly evasive. Fairy Fire is a skill that targets an enemy champion or follower and is a range 3 accuracy 3,4,5 ability with a hit effect of -1 protection. This differs from Lorsann’s Fairy Fire as it gives you a higher accuracy when the Mistwood Rangers are grouped together on the same hex. E.g if one Mistwood Ranger is using this skill alone on a hex they would get three accuracy dice to roll, if there are two on the hex they would get four accuracy dice to roll and if all three Rangers are on the same hex, 5 accuracy dice to roll. This is a great skill for weakening champions and making them more vulnerable to attacks, plus the range 3 keeps the Mistwood Rangers at arm’s length.
Mistwood Rangers/ Clash Phase
The Mistwood Rangers start the clash phase with a speed of 3, dodge of 3, protection on 1 and health points of 1. Like Lorsann the extra speed in the clash phase lets them cover the battlefield more effectively getting them into better defensive or attacking positions. The Mistwood Rangers have two skills available in the clash phase, Aim and Fire (nice and simple!). Aim lets you add +1 accuracy making their shooting skill Fire more potent. Fire is a skill that targets an enemy champion or follower and is a range 3, accuracy 3,4,5, damage 3,4,5 skill (as described by Fairy Fire). As already mentioned combining Aim and Fire together will ramp up the odds of slaying the enemy.
Mistwood Rangers Traits
The Mistwood Rangers have the trait Kill Shot which reads “ when the target is a wounded enemy champion, the Mistwood Ranger skills have +1 damage”. Merging Aim, Fire and Kill Shot together can be very gratifying as you watch a wounded champion get knocked out from a deadly hail of arrows.
By Quiver and Bow
Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind and Mistwood Rangers are a combination of speed and ranged fire power on the battlefield, leaving the enemy panicked and broken. This is a terrific expansion set for Godtear and will compliment my currently owned sets perfectly. From the high production values of artwork and model design to the unique capabilities they possess on the battlefield like ranged attacks and champion traits, Lorsann, The Autumnal Wind and Mistwood Rangers scores a bullseye!