McMourning

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Dr. Douglas McMourning, Morgue Master //The Guild’s chief coroner and runs the morgue, McMourning is slightly unhinged and is very much the mad scientist who loves to experiment. The Doctor will see you now!// toc

= **__Overview__** = The 'good' doctor is very offensively focused, rivaling the offensive punch of Lady Justice and Lilith.

Though not as versatile as Nicodem, McMourning remains very capable of summoning "frankenstein" themed minions; typically starting with a crew of numerous "little" minions (e.g.: Canine Remains and/or Necropunks) which provide materials to "stitch up" bigger abominations (Flesh Constructs or the rare Rogue Necromancy)

Unlike the other Resurrectionists, McMourning doesn't suffer when facing non-living/ undead forces; able to collect "body parts" from a number of sources thanks to his abilities. He is impressively mobile, allowing him to swiftly switch between savage slayer to supportive summoner with some decent speed.

Generally he wants to be just behind the front line where he can apply pressure and aid his own crew.

=__Mobility__= McMourning's move is above average (+1" to both Walk and Charge) which is notable before you even consider his tricks.

// Passion for his Work (+1) // McMourning will gain a lot of Body Parts, so discard one each turn to gain Fast. Players should always have McMourning start a game with 1-2 Bodyparts to fuel this.

//Scalpel Slingin' (0)// McMourning's signature technique. Though predominately an attack, it does allow McMourning a free 6" move. This can be used to exit combat without checking for disengagement (as McMourning is pushed out of combat) or to cross severe Terrain.

= **__Offense__** =

Melee
McMourning is a close combat summoner and needs to get into (or at least near) Melee to be at his best. Due to a number of abilities, McMourning's Melee attack comes with the following abilities: As such you will find that McMourning's damage output is consistent against whatever he is facing as even the 'tankiest' of models he can quickly dispatch.
 * Ignores Armor and //Hard to Wound//
 * Gains McMourning +1 Body Part whenever he deals damage
 * Heals McMourning an equal amount to the damage he deals (i.e: deal 6-damage to an enemy and heal 6 wounds on McMourning)

// (0) Scalpel Slingin' // McMourning's money maker. In addition to everything mentioned in Mobility, it can be used as a free (0) melee attack on a target McMourning is already hacking up. Also, as it is a melee attack, it bypasses some defensive abilities and triggers that work on ranged strike s. Use it as a pseudo-charge to get around Perdita's //Quick Draw//.

The disadvantage of Scalpel Slinging is that it prevents McMourning summoning anything (the other main use of his (0) action). It is rare that you will be summoning more than a couple of times in a game due to its high cost in body parts and cards so this shouldn't be too much of an issue most games.

Spells
// Trigger - Scalpel Magic: // KNOW THIS TRIGGER. If you cast //Rancid Transplant// or //Dissection// with a Mask (7/8+ value), or even //Wracked With Pain// while within 1" of the target, McMourning make a free Melee Strike against the same victim (which can grant you another Body Part).

// Dissection (1) // This deals 1/5/10 damage and ignores Armor and //Hard to Wound// (thanks to //Precise//) and, if it kills its target, it produces 3 Body Parts instead of a Corpse Counter (//i.e.// you gain +1 free Body Part when killing small models). The downside of this spell is if it inflicts severe damage, McMourning's activation ends. If you are going to use it, best to use it as your last action if at all.

**//Note://** //Never, EVER use this ability against Sonnia Criid or Ramos as it is a spell and they have Advanced Counterspell. They can simply discard cards to stop it working. Stab them instead - they will die.//

// Rancid Transplant (1) // //Rancid Transplan//**t** gives you two positive spins on //every damage flip made against that target for the rest of the game// which is awesome if you can trigger //Scalpel Magic// when cast (launch right into a free attack). The kicker is that, once cast, all your minions benefit from this debuff too//.//

**//Note://** //Because Mourning ignores// Hard to Wound //even the worst possible hit results in a Straight Flip, so you can still cheat for damage! Hit someone with Rancid Transplant, trigger Scalpel Magic, then cast Dissection, they are in for a world of hurt. You might need a few Soulstones to make sure it comes off but this combination tends to kill just about anybody, particularly since this can be done in only two actions.//

// Wracked with Pain (1) // McMourning's only "Wp resist" and long-range (12") spell.

Its another control-type spell that gives McMourning a body part when successfully cast. Target suffers 2 Wds which bypasses a lot of things (Armor, //Magic Resistance//, //Hard to Wound//, even //Hard to Kill//) and prevents the target making any (0) actions until the End Closing Phase which can really mess up the Instinctual models/Masters. Some models (Kirai) NEED their (0) actions. Being able to shut a model down for a turn at good range, while inflicting wounds, AND gaining a body part (essentially giving you more options) makes this a very useful spell. This spell can greatly assist in softening up resilient models like Snow Storm. It is also be easily cast by totems.

//**Note**: This spell grants you a Body Part regardless of the subject. It is possible for McMourning to gain Body Parts from Spirits and Constructs via this spell (as they ignore Morale Duels - **NOT** Wp Duels)//

= **__Resilience__** = Even with //Hard to Wound 1// and 12 Wd, McMourning falls quite fast. Should he get jumped by Lady Justice or Lilith, they will spend Soulstones and take him down quickly! However, if he survives, he frequently comes back to full health very swiftly.

// Organ Donor // Whenever McMourning deals damage with his scalpel, he recovers an equal amount of life //(i.e.: if he deals Severe Damage, he heals 6 wounds)!// This is a VERY good ability, particularly when you consider the Precise ability, and it really can’t be stressed enough: "**//Unless you have something that absolutely must die straight away it is better to activate McMourning later in the round//**//!"// That way, any damage he suffers can be recovered as he kills others.

//**Note:** Do not feel bad spending Soulstones on McMourning’s defense, particularly when facing other melee masters and high damage monsters like the Mature Nephlim. McMourning is good enough to finish off, or at the very least critically injure almost anything and heal himself at the same time. This is why you activate McMourning later in the round. If however, you won the initiative and he was already engaged with a melee monster, it might be worth activating him and killing it, assuming that nothing too dangerous could be brought to bear on him after he was done…//

Do NOT overlook McMourning's terrible Wp and **Do not let him fail a morale duel!** Spend Soulstones, cheat, but make sure he doesn't fail as it can be game breaking if McMourning falls back. It will give your opponent a full turn (plus the remainder of their current turn) to attack him and allows him no chance regain his wounds. Furthermore, because he is so dangerous, a turn without McMourning hassling them will probably alleviate a lot of pressure and give your opponent board control.
 * Willpower**

= **__Soulstones__** = McMourning starts with 6 Soulstones, which is an extremely large amount, however McMourning needs them for his defense (both Df and Wp - ESPECIALLY low Wp) so be grateful he has such a sizable cache.

Take 1-2 Bodyparts to assure you'll have Fast on your two turns (to collect MORE Body Parts) but avoid taking more. McMourning needs his Soulstones for defense so keep him with 4-6 stones.

= **Tricks and Tips** = Stockpile 8+ Mask cards until you are ready to cast your (1) spells. Get your free Melee Strike to gain your Body Parts

Don't consider this JUST an attack. Use it on your own models to push McMourning out of combat he doesn't want to be in (avoid all disengaging strikes). This adds to his versatility. If you are using it to start a combat don't be afraid of burning a SS to make sure you hit, he needs to deal damage to push. You can also use sling on models to jump straight through severe terrain that would otherwise slow McMourning down, bringing him into a fight quickly.
 * Scalpel Slingin' (0)**

Because it means you can't hurl scalpels, you probably won't use this much. Enemies need to be living or undead and within 3" (well within scalpel throwing range), Mcmourning is much better off healing himself through attacks, and many of your minions are fodder. On the other hand, keeping Bete Noire alive or your Rogue Necromancy above half Wds are good uses of this ability.
 * Master Surgeon (0)**

**Monstrous Creation (0)** - 10+ Crow Given its high cost, its generally best to use this spell to summon powerful beasts. However these are your options: > NEVER waste this spell on a dog unless (the //ONLY// exception) it is to make another Canine Remains non-insignificant to complete an objective. > > Situationaly good against enemy Living Models (causing lots of Morale Duels), and rival Resurrectionists (they drop no Corpse counters - and remember that McMourning is not dependent on Corpse Counters). > > You will summoning this most of the time as they are McMourning's main "summon", providing decent damage and screening for a somewhat low cost. > > Summon if able as it gives McMourning a host of options. Its e specially good if summoned in melee as it has Melee Master (+2 for Melee Attacks) when it has more than 50% health
 * //Canine Remains: 2 Body Parts//
 * // Guild Autopsy: 3 Body Parts (described on Guild Autopsy Card) //
 * //Flesh Construct: 5 Body Parts//
 * //Rogue Necromancy: 8 Body Parts (described on Rogue Necromancy card)//

Summoning

 * How to summon a Flesh Construct on your first turn in one activation**//://

Spend -1 Soulstone to gain +1 Body Part at the beginning of the game, leaving you with a max cache of 7. You also need your Zombie Chihuahua and one Canine Remains each in base contact with McMourning.
 * 1) Zombie Chihuahua uses McMourning's //Wracked with Pain// on the Canine Remains (gains 1 BP).
 * 2) McMourning casts //Wracked with Pain// on the Chihuahua within his melee range. Cheat if necessary with a Mask to trigger //Scalpel Magic// (+1 BP = 2 BP total).
 * 3) Use the //Scalpel Magic// melee strike to kill the chihuahua (+1 BP from //A Piece for Me// trigger= 3 BP).
 * 4) Pick the Corpse Counter and Body Part up (+2 BP from Corpse Counter = 5 BP).
 * 5) Cast //Monstrous Creation// to summon Flesh Construct.

**How to summon a Rogue Necromancy on your first turn in one activation**//:// Should you want the rare Rogue Necromancy, use the following formula. The first 4 steps are identical to the one above. It simply replaces step 5 with +2-steps that will get you the additional Body Parts needed.
 * 1) Zombie Chihuahua uses McMourning's //Wracked with Pain// on the Canine Remains (+1 BP).
 * 2) McMourning casts //Wracked with Pain// on the Chihuahua within his melee range. Cheat if necessary with a Mask to trigger //Scalpel Magic// (+1 BP = 2 BP total).
 * 3) Use the //Scalpel Magic// melee strike to kill the chihuahua (+1 BP from //A Piece for Me// trigger= 3 BP).
 * 4) Pick up the Corpse Counter and convert for Body Parts (+2 BP from Corpse Counter = 5 BP).
 * 5) Use melee strike to kill wounded Canine Remains (+1 BP from //A// //Piece for Me// = 6 BP).
 * 6) Pick the Corpse Counter up (8 BP) and Cast Monstrous Creation to summon Rogue Necromancy.

There are a couple of reasons behind the extra body part but it basically comes down to McMourning gaining //Fast// by spending it. You can either run up a bit closer and cast or cast and then scoot away.

= **Strategies and Schemes for McMourning** =


 * A Line in the Sand [Moderate]**


 * Claim Jump [Easy to Moderate]**


 * 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**

= McMourning in Brawls = So who does the Good Doctor play well with? Let's have a look.

**Seamus** is a fantastic choice because he is incredibly resilient and this adds an excellent addition to McMourning's style of play because the two balance each other out nicely. Seamus also has a low cache (2) compared to McMourning's (6), but he can keep up with McMourning because he's fast and he has a delightful ability that lets him draw cards when models nearby die (a practice McMourning is exceptionally good at taking advantage of). Seamus also brings with him some ranged attacks, a welcome addition given the way McMourning plays. Don't look past this combination, as they are connected in the fluff for a reason...

**Nicodem** is good with just about any undead master, though the one trick he brings with him that really benefits McMourning is his abilities to paralyze models. This is good because it means if there are multiple threats, McMourning can kill one and Nicodem can lock down the others, allowing McMourning to kill them in the next round. Nicodem's buffs (sadly) do not affect McMourning himself but they are going to affect all your minions and they really help. The only problem with Nicodem is that he's slow and Mcmourning is....not. So you have to give this careful consideration.


 * Kirai** works well with most Resurrectionist masters, and McMourning equally appreciates her. She has no interest in the bodies of her victims which means she will leave behind Corpse Counters for the doctor's dogs to fetch and deliver to their Doctor to produce more undead monstrosities.

= **Starting McMourning** = The Body Thieves starter box isn’t the best crew straight out of the box, but it does contain pieces you are going to want to use and have in your collection.

Sebastian goes well with the doctor, as expected. Although slow, he does inflict some really nice damage when he hits, and is a source of extra healing for the crew and can provide pulse damage for hordes.

Next purchase would be a 2 pack of Canine Remains and either Autopsies or Necropunks.

Rotten Belles and Crooked Men also work well as they give a ranged and control element to McMourning's crew which can certainly help him out against some other crews.

= **Building a Crew** = Canine Remains as they work really well beig cheap, provide a good amount of activations and are a good source of body parts for when you want to chop your own minions up. They are also quite mobile and can keep up with McMourning as he advances, providing additional threats and ensuring there are nearby corpses when they die.

Staying in theme, a Flesh Construct is good, but only start with one maximum, as they are easy to summon. You will get better bang for your Soulstones summoning them on top of an enemy but it does consume your important (0) action. A single canine provides four body parts, two weak strikes and the corpse - meaning a 2ss model can nearly cover the cost of a 7ss summon.

A Nurse (as in single, only one) is an interesting support option and can really buff your Canine Remains to be even faster and hit quite hard.

Necropunks are quite inexpensive and have some good speed and durability, plus another trick or two (outlined below).

Rotten Belles are a solid workhorse for any of the original 3 masters and can play on an area that McMourning's typical crew is a little weak (attacking Wp). Their Lure spell can be very useful to reel in targets for McMourning to focus on.

Guild Autopsies provide some cheap ranged attack access and have some morale abilities against living models especially the Guild. They do suffer from some low attributes and don't drop corpses making their use questionable.

Crooked Men also give some ranged and control abilities which are nice to have around plus they can avoid taking some damage from incoming ranged attacks.

Some more advance minions and mercenaries that work well with McMourning are below:

Killjoy: Heavy Hitter and can be delivered very reliably via Necropunks.

Bete Noire: With lots of things dying and cheap minions she can pop up a lot.

Rogue Necromancy: McMournings pet works beautifully but I would say almost always as a summon due to his high SS cost.

Desperate Mercenaries: They are very cheap, and provide some ranged cannon fodder, especially when drugged by a Nurse. Remember though, you can only hire two out of faction models, so they can't totally replace the dogs in your crew.

Convict Gunslinger: Works great with all Book 1 Resser masters, because of their easy acces to Lure, which makes getting Rapid Fire off much easier and he is very cheap for what he is capable of.

A typical 35ss crew might look something like this: McMourning with Grave Spirit totem 4x Canine Remains 2x Necropunks (or Autopsies) Flesh Construct Nurse Sebastian 8SS cache and 11 models which is pretty decent

Another, less "fluffy" one, with more focus on the use of Lure and Mercs: McMourning Grave Spirit or the Chihuahua (optional) - 1 SS 2x Rotten Belles - 8 SS  Sebastian - 6 SS  Convict Gunslinger - 6 SS Nurse - 5 SS 3x Canine Remains - 6 SS Desperate Mercenary - 2 SS 7 SS, 11 models

An effective tournament list at 30ss is roughly: Chihuahua - To spam **Wrack with Pain**, help speed summon and eventually sacrifice for more parts. Sebastian - To provide a backstop beat stick, chain activate canines and hold objectives. Bette Noir or the Dead Rider - As a mobile beat stick to back up McMourning as he crosses the table. 3-4 Canine Remains - To assist with speed summoning, threaten low defense targets, add cheap mobility and provide plentiful activations. 1-2 Crooked Man or Rotten Belles - To provide utility and ranged support.

= **Playing Against McMourning** = McMourning hits hard, but only by attacking can he recover from whatever damage he takes. If he exposes himself or gets too far away from his support crew then focus all of your crew on him to force him to burn Soulstones and take wounds. You may also force him to activate early which can give you more chances to burn through his 12 wounds. Winning initiative when he is wounded and exposed becomes very important.

McMourning has very pitiful defenses. Anything you attack him with will often hit him. High minimum damage can reduce the impact of his high Soulstone pool and puts him under pressure quickly. A dedicated beatstick may take him out in one activation but you need to ensure he dies. Committing the bare minimum will only leave a wounded McMourning with an easy meal in front of him to heal back up.

If you are facing him, use Terrifying. McMourning will often run for the hills and getting him out of the game will relieve a lot of pressure on your crew (he'll be gone for at least a whole round). It will help if you can challenge his control hand as well to ensure he can't just drop a high card.

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