Molly

include page="inc_1.5rules" **Molly Squidpiddge, Resurrectionist Henchman**

=__Overview__= toc = = = = = =

"Ah dearest Molly ol' girl will you quit all that spluttering you are making quite a mess." = =

Molly was once a reporter for the Malifaux Record but happened to garner the eye of Seamus and he resurrected her, twice; the second time with the Gorgon's Tear. Seamus knew she had a connection with that unique soulstone.

She is quite extraordinary compared to other undead in that she has retained the memory of her previous life and has a strange affinity for some of the more grotesque undead creatures that stalk McMourning's lab, who follow her command as though a profound connection exists between her and these horrifying creatures. = = Molly leads the group of Special Forces called 'Horrors' as such she is restricted to hiring only totems and models that have either the Belle or Horror characteristic. She is also a Belle herself (very handy given her connection with Seamus) and a Graverobber. Her Henchman reserve falls at the good number of 5 allowing for a bit of flexibility in her cache if she is leading a crew. She is definitely a more support orientated model but kicks out a few offensive punches when needed.

=__Mobility__= With an average Wk of only 4 and no Cg to speak of first impressions are that Molly is quite slow, however she does have a few tricks that can get her moving a lot quicker.

Firstly if hired as a Henchman in a Seamus crew she will gain +2" of Wk when activating close to Seamus increasing her mobility as she has the Belle characteristic.

Molly can make herself or another model in her crew even faster with her (1) spell Imbue Vigour. It needs a 7+ of masks to cast but it grants an additional +3" Wk to its target. Typically a crew containing Molly only has a low to moderate need for masks so it's not too difficult for her.

Molly also increases the mobility of her crew around her with her 'always on' aura of +2" Wk for friendly Belles and Horrors close by. As it is an aura Molly herself is not affected by the buff as models are not affected by auras or pulses they generate unless specifically noted otherwise.

Another thing to take note of is the specific wording of this ability that gives it only to walk actions they initiate while within the aura, this is quite different to the wording of Seamus' Belles of the Ball ability that grants a similar movement buff. If a model were in range of both effects at the start of their activation and decided to walk twice and left Molly's aura when initiating the second walk the bonus would be as follows:

First walk: Standard Wk + 2"(Molly Extraordinary Dead) + 2" (Seamus Belles of the Ball) Second walk: Standard Wk + 2" (Seamus Belles of the Ball)

So if it was a run of the mill Rotten Belle you have just managed to move her 14" up field, not bad for a shambling zombie hooker! This of course can go even further if she cast Imbue Vigour on said Rotten Belle who has now walked a whopping 20". Although this insane movement potentially leaves the model exposed it can be a good way to quickly achieve Breakthrough or contest a claim marker late game.

=__Offense__= Molly's offensive capabilities tie in a lot actually with her defense and/or what models are in her crew as well as your opposition. This flexibility makes Molly's learning curve a little steeper but also is a great source of her strength and power. For abilities that are primarily defensive in nature I will list here quickly what they do for Molly's offense but elaborate more further down under Resilience.

First up is Necrotic Spray, this is very similar to a Nephilim's Black Blood but it only affects living models (Molly can also grant this to other friendly undead models with a (0) action. Not much to say except it encourages her to engaged at range instead of up close (for living models at least)

Next up is a nice little (1) action called Reveal Philip that makes living models with 4" make a Wp->12 Morale duel. Its not an incredibly high number but it forces your opponent to flip cards and can be useful if she is being surrounded.

Another defensive ability that has an offensive component to it is Molly's Wp trigger of Twisted Mind. If she wins the duel she inflicts 2 Wds on her attacker a nice little deterrent but also a damage dealer.

One of the things that adds to the complexity of Molly and can really let her shine is her (0) spell Whispered Secret. This spell gives you a lot more options than just purely offense but with Molly's high Ca of 7 plus Use Soulstone it means she can certainly pack a punch as an offensive caster. The spell allows you to copy a (1) spell from your target, but you cant copy spells that reference the model by name, you need a paltry 5 of crows to cast and it has a Wp resist. Dont forget that you can copy spells from your own crew as well and all you need is to successfully cast the spell as you can choose to draw the resist. Some good candidates to copy are the Rogue Necromancy's Acid Breath, The Hanged's Whispers from Beyond, McMourning's Dissection, Nicodem's Decay or Rigor Mortis or even Seamus' Live for Pain. As Molly has at least equal if not a better Ca than all the models that originally possessed the respective spells means she can certainly give an opponent pause for concern when she picks them up. You can also pick up some nice spells from your opponents too and this is where knowledge of the opposition comes into play a great deal in increasing the potency of Molly, before starting a game its always worthwhile asking to see your opponent's cards to see if there is anything worthwhile to copy. Also worth noting: Any totems connected to Molly, may also cast the stolen spell via 'Magical Extension' and not use it up.

Molly also has the ability to raise the dead possessing a (0) spell, Undead Construction, allowing her to sacrifice two Corpse Counters within 6", as of the errata, to summon a Belle or a Horror. While a higher cost in Corpse Counter's then either Nicodem or Seamus, Molly is capable of bringing back Sybelle to the field. However, she cannot summon the Rogue Necromancy, due to the spell specifying a 30mm base size. She could also use it to bring back the Necrotic Machine allowing for her to possibly use the totem to cast Philosophy of Uncertainty and then bring it back. This spell, like most of the Ressurectionist summon spells requires a decent Crow to get off so try to keep one in your hand.

A final, and very risky, offensive ability is Philosophy of Uncertainty. It's a (1) spell that allows Molly to sacrifice herself in order to kill an enemy model. While a very powerful tool it is weakened by being a WP resist and forcing you to give up a very expensive piece (either a nine point henchwoman or your master). Still there are times you just need something to die, and Molly is always ready to sacrifice herself for the cause.

=__Resilience__= Molly is actually a fairly difficult model to kill, possessing several abilities that make attacking her look rather unattractive. The easiest to mention is that Molly has both Use Soulstones and Slow to Die which allows her to spend a soulstone to make a healing flip instead of dying. This is usually a better use of soulstones then preventing damage, though there could be a time when you're okay with her dying and would rather use the Slow to Die action to cast a spell, such as Philosophy of Uncertainty. She has average defense for a Resurrectionist Master as well as a decent Willpower.

She has an amazing defensive trigger, Masterful Dead, which if she has a crow in the Defense total allows her to discard two Control Cards and take no damage. This could be a waste of resources depending on your hand and Molly's rather heavy suit dependence, but it adds another layer to protecting Molly.

Molly is also Pitiful, which she can regain through the use of a (0) action, with her Twisted Mind trigger mentioned above this allows her to stop attacks and hurt the enemy.

Molly is a member of the Superior Dead, allowing her to choose to ignore any effect that specifically targets Undead, useful against several crews. This has received some clarification, which it is indeed a choice, and if you wanted her to be affected by that Talent you may.

Molly, like the rest of the Belles is Hard to Wound 1, meaning she is less likely to take high damage. With her 10 Wounds she can take quite a bit of damage before going down.

__**Melee**__
Molly, well Molly isn't a fighter she's an abused and ill used posthumous reporter and servant of a deranged murderer. Why do I bring this up? Well Molly only has bash. She has no Melee or Ranged Attacks beyond this. If you need to kill something in Melee you should try your best to find someone else to do it. This is actually a bit of a shame, as she can give herself Terrifying 14 with a (0). However, that is one of her best defenses against Melee, instead of trying to escape from the enemy, try to make them run away. She can try to use Phillip to help her out with the (1) action Reveal Phillip, but sadly like a good deal of Molly's abilities this only works on living models.

Molly also has Necrotic Spray, which could keep models away from her, or at least encourage them to shoot at her instead. She can give this to models within 6" for a (0) action.

=__Soulstones__= Molly has, as mentioned, a reserve of 5, so her maximum cache is 5. Of that she probably wants at least 3 if not more. The majority of her spells require an additional suit as well as a decent number. Since they are also entirely WP resist she has a problem with crews containing large numbers of high-WP crews, a soulstone to burn to boost the number can help her get a spell through onto a powerful model. In addition the trick with using Slow to Die to take a healing flip also require a soulstone lying around. Indeed it might be tempting to take the entire amount of 5.

With Molly using cards for defense, (her Masterful Dead trigger requires her to discard two), you might need to be ready to burn soulstones to help cheat in. In addition her defense and willpower are only average and so it usually is easier for her to burn a soulstone to heal or discard cards to take no damage then attempt to avoid getting hit.

=__Tricks and Tips While Joining a Crew__=
 * Leveticus** - The first of the Henchmen available to Leviticus, if you want to focus on Belles and Horrors, or if you want to run a //Terrifying// list, have a look at Molly. She gives access to the Necrotic Machine or Grave Spirit Totems, which are usually off limits to Leveticus. She also has some fantastic spells and abilities that can buff Leveticus's regular Minions while being dangerous in her own right. She is expensive, but could prove to be very useful. Molly can also get value out of Corpse Counters and so makes an Undead-heavy list very viable.


 * Seamus** - A natural pairing when looking at the story but they actually work out well together on the table as well. Molly is another resilient model for Seamus' crew, adds in more Wp effects, adds more movement buffs for Belles and takes care of summoning duties which is especially handy if you have brought Seamus' avatar along to play.


 * McMourning** - Although at first glance a somewhat odd pairing, the good Doctor does have some benefits through taking Molly. She can summon in more Belles, Sybelle, or Crooligans, and gives movement buffs to models like Sebastian who usually can't keep up with Douglas and his dogs. She can even help Nurses keep up with the models they need to be near in case of healing. With handing out Necrotic Ooze you can make your opponent regret attacking the Canine Remains, and then turn them into more useful minions.

=__Tricks and Tips While Leading a Crew__=

The main problem you will be faced when running a crew lead by Molly is the lack of crew choice options and how best to use those limited choices in achieving the game objectives. Molly on first glance appears to have a good bunch of spells and abilities, unfortunately because she is primarily a support leader she doesn’t really appear to do anything significant in the game. However her biggest issue is probably when facing non-living opponents and her inability to deal with ‘immune to influence’, which completely negates her better offensive spells.
 * Overview **

However all is not lost and there is hope for the future. At the time of writing a new option for the Molly crew has been introduced in the ‘Storm of Shadows’ book, this being ‘Yin the Penangalan’, who on paper seems to be very good at scaring the enemy with her Anathema ability and also locking them into her melee range. However without any practical knowledge/trials it is not practical to try and advise on how to run a crew including Yin at this stage, so I’m going to write the rest of this section without including Yin.

Rotten Belle Dead Doxy Sybelle Crooligan Rogue Necromancy - Can’t Summon (50mm base Horror) Yin, the Penangalan - Can’t Summon (40mm base Horror) Grave Spirit - Can’t Summon (Not a Belle or Horror) Necrotic Machine Student of Conflict - Can't Summon (Not a Belle or Horror)
 * Crew Choice (including Yin) **

Malifaux Child - Can't Summon <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(Not a Belle or Horror)

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The first choice you need to make when selecting a crew, is if you need to include the Rogue Necromancy, Sybelle or both. Rogue Necromancy provides the crew some much needed punch (with a potential 19” threat range due to Molly’s movement buffs) but comes with very little durability, whilst Sybelle’s damage is mediocre, she is considerably hard to take down for her 6SS cost. Sybelle also comes with the ability to push any Belle (Rotten, Doxy or Molly) into base contact with her, both of which make her a pretty solid choice for most strategies.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The next option to consider is, if you want to take the ‘Grave spirit’, the ‘Necrotic Machine’ or no totem. Note: I don’t have any experience with ‘Student of Conflict’ or ‘Malifaux child’. The Grave spirit provides extra staying power (+2 Armour) for one model within the crew and this is normally going to be either the Rogue Necromancy or Sybelle and sometimes Molly. The Necrotic Machine is a bit of a one trick pony (see the Offensive section above), but it’s very satisfying to actually cast ‘Philosophy of Uncertainty’. Personally I would only consider The Necrotic Machine if I wasn’t also running the Rogue Necromancy, or as a summoning option. Either way both of the totems allow you to try and cast one of Molly’s spells one additional time, through the ‘Magical extension’ ability, which by default will also allow you to use any spell Molly as already stolen with ‘Whispered Secret’, without using it up.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Once you have sorted out the main hitters, it’s down to filling out the rest of your crew with Rotten Belles, Dead Doxy’s or Crooligans to suit the game size and your objectives.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Having said that, for the smaller games (up to 25SS) you may want to work out how many Rotten Belles or Crooligans you need to take first.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Generally you will want to start your first activation by linking the Grave Spirit to either Rogue Necromancy or Sybelle. From experience the remaining activation order should then be determined by the actually game situation, although Molly herself will mostly want to go sooner rather than later in order to make the most efficient use of her Buff’s, de-Buffs and ‘Whispered Secrets’ spell.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Playing the Crew **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">For further information please look at the specific crew entries on this wiki.

Strategies and Schemes for Molly

 * A Line in the Sand [Easy]**

Molly's crew usually is pretty fast, with her ability to pass out +3 Wk to a model in addition to her passive aura of walk bonuses let's her activate the dynamite very quickly. Crooligans are especially good at this scenario with their trigger that turns them into a Spirit and The Mist spell. They can move, activate a dynamite, move again due to the "Always on the Move" talent, and start frustrating the enemy again next turn. Use Rotten Belles to Lure the enemy off of the dynamite and into the waiting claws of Sybelle or the Rouge Necromancy. Molly herself provides buffs when needed, or uses Whispered Secret to fire the Rouge Necromancy's Acid Breath or an enemy's spell.


 * Claim Jump [-]**


 * Contain Power [-]**


 * Deliver a Message [-]**


 * Destroy the Evidence [-]**


 * Distract [-]**


 * Escape and Survive [-]**


 * Plant Evidence [-]**


 * Reconnoiter [-]**


 * Slaughter [-]**


 * Supply Wagon [-]**


 * Treasure Hunt [-]**


 * Turf War [-]**


 * Player's Choice**

Building a Crew
As a Henchman, Molly's crew choices are fairly limited. As of Storm of Shadows she can hire any of the Belles: Madame Sybelle, Rotten Belles , and the Dead Doxies , or Horrors: Crooligans, <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Yin, the Penangalan and Rogue Necromancy as minions. She also has the choice of four totems: Grave Spirit, Necrotic Machine , Student of Conflict , and the ever popular Malifaux Child.

Starting Molly[[image:http://www.malifaux.com/FrontPage/Products/MollyBox.jpg width="388" height="417" align="right"]]
Molly's Boxed Set is the best place to start as it contains 3 Crooligans and the Rogue Necromancy. Expanding from there is pretty straight forward with picking up a pack of Rotten Belles and even Madame Sybelle. As for totem choice you have either the Grave Spirit or Necrotic Machine both are useful but serve different purposes. Of course you can expand your options dramatically if you intend to use her more as a Henchman instead of Leader.

=__Playing Against Molly__= Bring models that aren't living and/or have high Wp or Immune to Influence. A lot of her abilities target Wp so if you can shut that down you can make your life a lot easier. That said watch out for the speed of a Molly crew as she is getting up there with Collette and for mobility centric strategies and schemes she may just have her whole crew dance around you for the game while she is picking up valuable VPs.

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 * __Ownership__ **