Mahud shaman

Grungehog · **Posted:** Mon Sep 15, 2014 3:18 pm

Mahud witchdoctor shaman: 55
These spiritual leaders go into battle in a kind of trance without any armour to protect themselves, spurring their tribe into a battle frenzy, and with doll like effigies curse the leaders of their enemies. In many tribes the Witchdoctor will scour the battlefield, in order to feed the tribes cannibalistic victory feast...

F S D A W C M/W/F
3/4+ 4 4 1 2 3 1/3/1
Wargear: staff or spear
Fury (Mahud): 6"/ 14cm 3+
Curse: 12"/28cm 5+

What do you lot think of it? the one group that really deserves a shaman.

EDIT: I have updated the points cost to 55 instead of 50, inkeeping with the trend, whereby a shaman should cost more than the captain/chieftains

JamesR · **Posted:** Mon Sep 15, 2014 3:21 pm

I like it. I've always felt a Mahud shaman would be very thematic. It's a better idea IMO than an Easterling shaman

rigg1313 · **Posted:** Mon Sep 15, 2014 4:16 pm

Good to see someone on the same wave length!

I've been using my "Mahud Witchdoctor" for the past month or so gaming locally.
What we agreed on was to copy the Easterling Warpriest profile but -1D and +1S. Easy profile thats pretty legit! We have the Fury including Mahud and Half Trolls.

I've also converted Mahud Taskmasters (regular Harad Taskmaster but with +5 points for a +1S), a Banner Bearer, a Troll to lead the half-trolls (use Burhdur's profile) and plenty of Watchers of Karna (from regular Haradhrim) so to add some model variety (using the many spare Easterling swords you get in the Kataphrats box). It really creates a fleshed out list that can be used with out allying in anything.

I think I should really post some pics sometime soon. haha

And by the way, easy 'Mahud Shaman' to convert is using the Uruk-hai shaman (the one with basically no clothes), just remove the top of the spear tip and glue on one of the Harad Raider wooden back stick/spike things and paint like a mahud.

Rangefinder · **Posted:** Mon Sep 15, 2014 4:28 pm

Very smart creation!

After taking away the extra attack, Mahud got nothing in return.
Nice way to add a twist on a terrific looking army!

I am totally going to get a conversion going on this.
Thank you for the inspiration and sensible stat line ideas.

Grungehog · **Posted:** Mon Sep 15, 2014 6:57 pm

What do you guys think about the curse spell, kind of there to represent voodoo doll animist side of things?

And thanks for the positive feedback so far, I was thinking about sculpting one

Zarathustra Suicuine · **Joined:** Sun Nov 17, 2013 7:24 pm **Posts:** 183

Not sure on it effecting half trolls, they are already hard enough to deal with as it is, they would need a points increase if you could give them fury.

Grungehog · **Posted:** Tue Sep 16, 2014 11:39 am

I can't say I agree there, look at orc shamen, they can give fury to the like of bolg and azog, it doesn't however mean that eith of those orcs need to be more expensive because of a synergy

rigg1313 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 16, 2014 1:37 pm

We classified it as "Men of Far-Harad" so that includes Mahud and Half Trolls. Watchers of Karna at this stage are out of it although the ruins of Karna are in Far-Harad.

Curse is a very strange spell but for Far-Harad it would be better than Blade-Wrath (the warpriest profile) as they already have high strength. Good bit of fluff I think as they do that wierd voodoo witchdoctor stuff.

legion · **Joined:** Fri Dec 27, 2013 6:58 pm **Posts:** 205

Although Bolg and Azog can benefit from Fury, they cannot be spammed like Half Trolls can. You can make an already difficult force to be very unstoppable if they have channeled fury effects. I have seen players put down up to 12 and even 16 half trolls in large point matches. If they all had 5+ saves from a channeled fury, then they would be ridiculous.

Additionally, the Muhad HalfTrolls only real weakness is thier courage values....taking this away makes even breaking them to 50% irrelevant.

So to be honest, I am personally opposed to them having fury. I believe Games workshop also wanted to avoid it for some reason, or else they would have just had the Easterling Warpriest affect all of Harad, or just make it a Haradrim Warpriest.

Grungehog · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2014 10:51 pm

I think you may have missed the point there legion, this being a house profile means it would not be for tourney play but friendly house games, in those less competitive circles I have never seen someone field such half troll heavy lists. Plus lets face it the half trolls are synergistic, on their own they're not as terrifying as when they have spear support or even camels helping outflank enemies, playing a pure Mahud army takes some tactical finesse.

When I made this profile I was thinking more for friendly matches or in the context of a campaign centred around the Mahud.
Also I do understand that the Mahud weren't given a shaman because the Harad and umbar have access to two evil units able to field warhorns, which is rare indeed...

Hodush · **Posted:** Thu Sep 18, 2014 3:58 am

Nice profile. A "tribal" culture as GW makes them should certainly have a shaman, makes more sense than orcs having one. I agree on the profile as well and curse is a very thematic choice, but wouldn't get much use even if it were an official profile, better to stick with immobilise generally I feel, but I'd take him either way

Rangefinder · **Posted:** Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:34 pm

Since we are brainstorming house rules...,
It seems appropriate, to me, that the foot warriors with spears should count as equipped with Throwing Spears. I dumped my Mahud w/Blowpipes on ebay a month or so ago. I would fill the Howda with them equipped this way.

JamesR · **Posted:** Thu Sep 18, 2014 1:14 pm

Rangefinder wrote:

Since we are brainstorming house rules...,
It seems appropriate, to me, that the foot warriors with spears should count as equipped with Throwing Spears. I dumped my Mahud w/Blowpipes on ebay a month or so ago. I would fill the Howda with them equipped this way.

How do you figure? Throwing spears/javelins are very different from a long spear used in support of a friend

Rangefinder · **Posted:** Thu Sep 18, 2014 1:39 pm

Well..., maybe just have them with Throwing Spears while in the Howda?
Tack on a couple extra points for the upgrade. I would do that.

It all just came to my mind when this thread about Mahud cropped up.
I had the Mahud Wartribe Battlehost, then I diversified my collection.

Still have quite a horde of Mahud & Half Trolls.
Loved the look of the blowpipies in the howda, but that is not happening now.

With the two poses available, I would use the "lunging" one for Spear.
And then use the other for Throwing Spear.

rigg1313 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 18, 2014 3:03 pm

A special throwing + regular spear rule would be good for them perhaps? As tribesmen they would use throwing spears no doubt.
Mahud was one of the areas with great potential for exploration by GW but unfortunately they never expanded it further :/
Throwing spears, Witch Doctors, and I think some sort of Elite Bodyguard (Kings Guard) with the old Mahud rules (2A, F4) would be appropriate.

Grungehog · **Posted:** Thu Sep 18, 2014 4:02 pm

I was a big fan of the old warrior pride special rule, it gave them a different flavour to all other armies, it made them fun to play against because normally when you break an army you charge their leaders in order to prevent them getting a standfast, but in this case it mean't you had to avoid doing that, otherwise it gave the mahud player an advantage.

Gondorian Captain · **Joined:** Mon Aug 06, 2012 1:13 pm **Posts:** 267

Aye I do think the Mahud should get their warrior pride back again.
Concept of a shamn is pretty thematic and cool in my opinion, one of the issues for Mahud is courage.
Not sure whether it should affect half trolls or not but I guess the proof would be in the playtesting

Grungehog · **Posted:** Sat Sep 20, 2014 12:29 am

I have been thinking it would be good if the shaman had access to a camel for those battles where speed may be needed or simply as a sign of status within the tribe

JamesR · **Posted:** Sat Sep 20, 2014 1:52 am

Grungehog wrote:

I have been thinking it would be good if the shaman had access to a camel for those battles where speed may be needed or simply as a sign of status within the tribe

With the Mahud I believe this is an absolute must. It just wouldn't feel right w/o the mighty camel lol

Highlordell · **Posted:** Sat Sep 20, 2014 11:33 am

Really like the profile Grungehog. As a regular Mahud player I do wish there were some other profiles. I may try and convert a Banner Bearer, could always just say its a Haradrim Warrior with banner.

Will be on the lookout for one of those dodgy old Uruk shamans on ebay.

I also think a 'Big Men' or 'Chosen Ones' elite would be thematic.

Perhaps the shaman could have a special rule concerning entering a trance state and travelling to the sprit world, much like many tribal shaman do in real life. Not sure how it would work in game though.

Mahud shaman

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