M2E+Samael


 * Samael Hopkins, Guild Henchman**

=__Overview__= A blend of bullets and fire make Samael a fantastic choice for **Burning**-synergy crews, like his Crew Box Master Sonnia.

However, just because Samael has fantastic synergy with Sonnia, don't ignore him in other crews. Samael is a great attack model, bringing up to three fantastic ranged attacks per round, a decent melee attack, and a situational Df debuff. If you have any other ability to add **Burning**, his ability to ignore Cover and line of sight can be devastating.

If your crew needs a ranged attacker, Samael Hopkins is your man.

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=__Mobility__= In general, Samael won't be moving very far, with a Wk of 4 and a Cg of 5, he is one of the slowest Henchmen. This is, however, mitigated somewhat by **Unimpeded**.

Outside of Severe terrain, it is often better to use other models to Push or Place him, and then allow Samael to shoot away with his full activation. Either bringing some models who can move him or choosing Schemes where the enemy has to come into his range is recommended.

=__Offense__= The good stuff. Samael is included in his crews because he kills things. He does it at range, he does it in melee. He can even do it by lighting you on fire.

__elee__
The **Huntin' Tools** (supposedly, that's that mallet he carries around) have a good Ml, but low range. At first glance, the damage profile is rather bad for such an expensive model. However, he has the Ram for the Guild typical //Critical Strike// built in, making it acceptable, even great, if you Soulstone and/or flip additional Rams. If your victim is **Burning**, however, things get ugly. His Dg spread is now a ridiculous 5/6/7 to make even Lady Justice envious, and that's even before flipping additional Rams. Alternatively, Samael can declare //Drain Magic// on a Crow and force the opponent to discard a card. A good trigger, especially if the target would die even without //Critical Strike//.

__Ranged__
With an above average Sh and a decent range of 12", the **Custom Collier Revolver** is a precise weapon with a very good Dg track for a ranged weapon. If the target is **Burning**, Samael may add an additional damage for a Dg profile of 4/5/6. Note that the revolver doesn't have the //Critical Strike// trigger. Instead it has //Ricochet// which allows a damage flip against another model nearby. This flip may not be cheated (and isn't all that high) but it's still modified by the Accuracy modifier and the **Focus** condition.

This attack would be very good all by itself, but Samael can **Rapid Fire**, too. If he does, he unloads three attacks into a singular target. May Fate have mercy on their souls if they are **Burning** already.

The Witch Hunt upgrade adds the **Burn Them Out** spell to Samael's abilities. It's a good alternative for casting into engagements or getting at people in Cover. See __Upgrades__ below.

__Support__
In addition to his considerable attacking power, Samael has a nice enemy debuff in his arsenal. **Flaming Bullets** is a big Pulse and needs an 8 to go off. Enemies within face a difficult Wp duel if they don't want a negative fate modifier for Df duels (which they usually do not). Needless to say, this is a great start to an attack on multiple models. Sadly, Samael doesn't have enough AP to use this and **Rapid Fire** in the same activation.

=__Resilience__= Resilience is not Samael's defining feature. It's more of the other way around. With a moderate Df, and slightly above average Wp, Samael will tend to get hit against anyone determined to hit him. With relatively low Wd for his cost, if a crew focuses on killing him, he will die. However, with **Unimpeded**, Samael rarely has trouble getting into Cover and making the enemy come to him, which can give him an extra round or two in which to make them sorry.

Don't forget that Samael can Soulstone for Defense or Damage Prevention. It's a good ability, but don't waste all your Stones on keeping him alive if a heavy hitter guns for him.

=__Upgrades__=

__Witch Hunter Upgrades__
Samael struggles with models in Cover (as all ranged models do). He ignores Cover if a model is **Burning**. Now what would you say to a spell that puts **Burning** on a model near terrain and isn't a Projectile attack? This upgrade offers such a spell. **Burn Them Out** has a mediocre Ca value but good range. The **Burning** value alone is high enough to severely threaten many models. The spell offers great synergy with Sonnia, but it makes Samael more self reliant, as well.
 * __Witch Hunt__**

If you play with a lot of melee Witch Hunters, this can be a very good upgrade. It's a pain to deal with for Ca heavy crews, and those are not rare in any Faction. Remember that the effect is gone if Samael dies, and as he's not very resilient, you should not overextend Samael if you rely on this.
 * __Disrupt Magic__**

__General Guild Upgrades__
Samael is flimsy for such an expensive model. He gets way more expensive this way, but adding **Armor** makes him considerably more resilient, especially against pot shots. Consider it if you want to declare Bodyguard on him or if Kill Protege is in the Scheme pool. A good, but expensive upgrade.
 * __Lead Lined Coat__**

__**Dampening Field**__ Because Samael doesn't have a (0), he is a pretty good carrier for this upgrade. **Dampening Field** doesn't need any duels and can have a rather tremendous effect on certain models (like Sebastian or Toshiro) while not doing much if the enemy crew doesn't rely on Auras. Worth a consideration.

__**Expert Sleuth**__ Getting Samael to speed up is a good idea, and he doesn't have a competing (0) action. However, getting near enough to target Scheme markers is not so easy, if the opponent uses them in the first place. Help in getting Initiative is always good.

If you really need those Scheme markers, this upgrade is not a bad choice. Samael is expensive in the first place, so consider carefully if you really, really need this upgrade.
 * __Plant Evidence__**

__**Vengeance Bullet**__ Turning Samael's damage up, while also adding to his accuracy? Sadly, it's one use only. This can seal the deal against Masters or Henchmen, but if you declare this attack, they will surely do their utmost in Soulstones and cards to prevent it. It's a good upgrade for Samael, but decide yourself if you want to place your bets on this one shot.

=__Tactics and Tips__= Samael is a killer. He exists to do damage. A classic glass cannon, you want to spend as much time hurting things with Samael as possible. Almost all of his abilities are focused on it, and he does it so well that it is hard to use him for anything else. However, keep in mind that killing is not the only thing he can do. If you can tie up a VP with him, do not hesitate to do so, unless there is another model that can do so and Samael is in range to hit an enemy.

Keep in mind that **Burning** just makes Samael better but isn't mandatory. His Weak Dg is 3 for his ranged attack, and **Rapid Fire** will still be devastating even without it.

=__Master-Specific Tips__= Any crew that needs a self-reliant ranged attacker can make good use of Samael. He doesn't have too much synergy with anyone besides Sonnia, though, and that's just because of her Burning theme. Other synergies depend on the Master's ability to support ranged attacks. Perdita can cast **Obey** on Samael to make him cast **Flaming Bullets** so he can **Rapid Fire** on the same Turn. Also, Ortegas with Diestro can make him shine. McMourning can grant **Precise** so Samael can take out threats with **Armor**. McCabe can speed him up and do his usual support tricks.

=__Leading a Crew__= Samael can lead crews in smaller games but he'll have to play more cautious if he does. He's a good damage dealer and can thus skew small games by taking out models quickly. He's fragile, though, and the opponent has even more reason to take him down fast.

Strategies and Schemes
Reckoning and Make Them Suffer are the Strategy and Scheme Samael enjoys the most. He does a good job at Assassinate or Kill Protege, as well. Schemes that need him to move (like Breakthrough) are best avoided. Bodyguard is risky. He can stay back but once you announce it, your opponent will gun for him and he's not very resilient. In Reconnoitre he can handle holding a quarter by taking out objective runners, but don't expect him to take other quarters. He's just not fast enough.

Building a Crew
Samael gets better if his crew can apply **Burning**, and thus Witchling Stalkers and their Handlers are good additions to any crew including him. He also doesn't like any melee he didn't initiate himself. Some speed bumps like Traps or Hounds are excellent.

=__Playing Against Samael Hopkins__= Obviously, don't stand in the open if he is nearby. If you get set on fire, he even ignores Cover and line of sight, so melee might be your safest place. Some Condition removal can deal with the **Burning**, but don't underestimate him even then. If you can get him into melee, do it, but don't forget that his melee damage is good, too.
 * Slow** takes a lot of his edge off, as does **Paralyze**, of course, but most of the time he can deal with those due to the Stalkers who accompany him.

Your best bet may be to lure him out into the open (preferably by some **Lures**) and dogpile him.

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 * __Ownership__ **