The+Judge

//Not much is known about the man behind the bandana, but his hatred of Resurrecionists and their arts seems to induce inhuman abilities in the man. Second in command of the Death Marshals and a constant companion to Lady Justice, the Judge lends his calm approach and advice to the hot tempered Guild Woman. He tends to be her voice of reason and aids Justice in her pursuit of the undead with a drive bordering on vendetta.// toc
 * The Judge, Guild Minion**

== =__Overview__= Though assigned to Lady Justice's crew and afforded the title of "Death Marshal," The Judge is not restricted to her crew alone. He is highly useful in many of the other Guild crews, lending his abilities with blade and pistol to those who can convince him to leave his mistress. He works especially well with the quick paced Perdita Ortega, watching her back when she leaves the rest of her family in the dust.

=__Mobility__= The Judge has a walk of 5", which allows him to keep up with Lady Justice at her most impetuous, and keep pace with Perdita at her slowest. Preferring to be within 8" of his prey, the Judge uses his 7" Charge to close the gaps in combat.

=__Offense__= As with his mistress, Actions speak louder than words for the Judge. His vengeance will not be sated until he has destroyed all enemies in his path, and he has the perfect way to exact that revenge. The Judge is well-practiced in all of his weapons, though he prefers melee combat to ranged, but will take a foe at 8". His damage dealing is a bit deceptive as The Judge is able to do extra damage with both his Long Arm and Long Arm Pistol due to the weight of the Guild that backs him (and his ability to deliver //"Critical Strikes"// with both his attacks). He also has several spells and talents that lend to his range, making him a well-rounded fighter.

Cb - Critical Strike
This adds +1 Dg for every Ram you flip when you make the strike. The Judge automatically gets this Trigger with his Long Arm, and is qualified to get it with his Long Arm Pistol,

Ranged
The Judge uses a pistol he has built into his sword. While not as skilled with the pistol as he is with the Long Arm, he is still deadly at 8". This ranged attack also qualifies for a //"Critical Strike"// to deliver even more punishment - provided Rams are flipped or cheated.

Melee
Pistols are all well and good, but the Judge prefers his Long Arm to lay down his Law! With this deadly blade, the Judge tears through the legions of the undead. If positioned in Melee at the start of his activation, the Judge uses his //"(2) Flurry"// action to make three melee strikes against a single target and as each strike is a seperate attack, you have a good chance of hitting the target model hard enough to halve its wounds at least once. It should never be forgotten these attacks all automatically trigger //"Critical Strike"// and deal +1 damage over their norm, and can even deal +2 should they flip or cheat with a Ram card.

Vengeance runs so hot in the Judge's veins that he can destroy a living or undead model, making it unusable by even the most cunning of Resurrectionists. The Judge automatically triggers this with his Long Arm, and it states that //"after a defender is killed, it doesn't drop any counters,"// making the corpse useless to any gravedigger on the board. This Trigger can also be achieved when shooting at a model, but a Ram must be flipped or cheated.

Spells
A good Death Marshal knows he's only as good as the tricks up his sleeve. The Judge has several Spells to aide himself and his Crewmates in battle.

(1) Arrest
Facing some of the most deadly things in Malifaux can make a man very stalwart in the face of danger. The Judge knows that sometimes, slowing the enemy down helps too. //Arrest// penalizes a model for taking a **Walk** or **Charge** action. This spell is about slowing down the model, but it is also about controlling your opponent's Control Hand. If they discard a card (or two cards to get rid of //Arrest// completely) they will have fewer cards to use in duels against you later in the round.

(1) Blades and Bullets
The Judge crafted his weapon to create the ultimate Resurrectionist killing machine. This resulted in his developing unusual fighting skills. //Blades and Bullets// allows the Judge to immediately make both a Long Arm Strike and a Long Arm Pistol Strike after successfully casting this spell, effectively giving him two attacks for one Action Point.

(1) Bullets and Blades
Not only can the Judge swing at a target, then shoot it while it's squirming, He can also Shoot the darn thing, then hit it with his sword right afterwards. //Bullets and Blades// is similar to //Blades and Bullets// except that the shot comes before the sword, and the Judge has a harder time pulling it off. Each Strike receives a -2 Cb, but it is totally worth it if you can hit an enemy model twice with 1 AP at 8".

(1) Judged
With special training, the Judge has learned to exert his will to do his bidding. With this Spell, he does damage to his enemies. And while it isn't that much damage (far less than with his Long Arm or Pistol), it is designed to wreck havoc on the undead, including spirits. This spell has the longest range of any of the Judge's damage dealing spells, and is a good way to knock one (or four [or eight]) Wd off of an enemy at range.

=__Resilience__= The Judge is particularly resistant to most things that would hurt him. Resurrectionist spells and weapons seem to bounce off of him, and most of his opponents are thwarted through his training as Lady Justice's second in command. The Judge has an average defense and willpower.

Hard to Wound 1
The Judge seems to be able to move just right to avoid taking the full brunt of most attacks. //Hard to Wound 1// means that any model attacking the Judge gets a -fate flip to the damage flip on their weapons. This means that the Judge takes fewer wounds (to one degree or another). In a way, this is also deck control (if they flip over that 13 Masks with the 2 of Rams, you'll be taking weak damage, and they won't get to use that 13 this turn) so make sure you let your opponent know the Judge has //Hard to Wound//.

Never Me
Understanding the inner workings of the enemies' mind is key to the Judge's success. He knows what the Resurrectionists need, and has somehow engineered a way to make it so that he doesn't become one of their necrotic creations. //Never Me// is the result: the Judge doesn't generate a Corpse Counter when he dies.

Slow to Die
While in training, it is rumored that the Judge was exposed to strange Resurrectionist magics. Some would believe that //Slow to Die// was the result of this. Others believe it is simply the Judge's will for revenge that allows him to make one more action before he dies.

=__Tips and Tricks__=

Control Hand
The Judge's best weapon is his Long Arm; he automatically triggers both Critical Strike and Final Repose with this weapon. Holding high Rams in your hand isn't a bad thing, because he gets +1 Dg per Ram in the attack Duel Total. Flipping or Cheating to make sure the Judge has a solid attack total is key.

Melee
Moving the Judge into a good positon is key. Don't let him get stranded by himself though, as it will be detrimental to his health. As soon as you're within 8" of an enemy model, start using **Bullets and Blades**. Sure it gives you -2 Cb, but you get to make two strikes for 1 AP, and it's a good way to pick off the goons you don't really want to waste your time with. When your enemies break the 2" mark, start using **Blades and Bullets**. This gives you two attacks with 1 AP at close range. If you have a low card in your hand, using //Flurry// is appropriate, but you only get three attacks versus the four you get using //Blades and Bullets// twice.

Spells
//Judged// is a great spell, especially against Spirits. Not many things can hurt Spirits for their full damage (not many models have Magical Weapons). But the Judge has this great spell that is effective against living models, but is //more// effective against spirits and undead. Using //Arrest// is a great way to make your opponent discard cards, and a good way to make the big bad nasties stop in their tracks.

=__Master-Specific Tips__= The Judge works well with some of the faster Masters in the Guild. He has no problem watching their backs. Obviously he is boxed with Justice, and works very well with her. He is capable of being her bodyguard, and does well when destroying undead. Due to his greater speed, the Judge works well with Perdita.

The Judge's ability to stop anything, whether it's Resurrectionists, Outcasts, Arcanists or Neverborn, makes him a valuable Guild member, and worth putting in any Guild crew. His spells are good against almost anything, and he has the ability to do damage to undead.

=__Minion-Specific Tips__= (As with Master-Specific Tips, going into any specific Synergies with other Minions.)

=__Playing Against Judge__= The Judge should be a target if it looks like he's headed into combat. He has the ability to hit a model four times, given he has the right cards. He can usually hit his target at least three times. If you have longer range weapons (10"+) it would be wise to use them against the Judge. If they are closer, he can make an attack. Remember that he has //Slow to Die//; be careful not to kill him if important models are within his combat range because he can make one more shot before he is removed from the board. Making the player who is using the Judge discard cards is a good idea; without low control cards they are going to be hesitant to //Flurry//, without high Masks, the player can't cast //Blades and Bullets// or //Bullets and Blades//.

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