Fantasy Thursdays: Mydas the Mean

Image Courtesy of Games Workshop

While not the easiest rules to come by with GW's current embargo on DoW, I was able to get a copy of the rules for the DoW special characters (or as I prefer to call them, named characters). Of the five characters in the original article, four of them are lord choices. Since my focus is right now on getting ready for Vanguard in July, I thought I would explore the only hero level choice in the bunch; Mydas the Mean.

Mydas the mean is an interesting choice as he is actually three units in one. First, he is the required paymaster for the army. Second, he is protected by a regiment of paymaster bodyguard. Lastly, he comes with an independent chariot in the form of his moneylender. Considering that a standard paymaster and bodyguard will cost a player a hero and special slot, the fact that Mydas costs the same slots and gives the player an independent chariot makes him a bit of a win.

When it comes to the Sheikh Yadosh, the moneylender who acts as a chariot, his role on the battlefield is limited when compared to a standard chariot. The key difference is that Sheikh Yadosh only does d3 impacts hits, similar to a tomb king chariot. While not bad, it is not great either. The real magic of the unit is in its other special ability; all friendly units within 6” of the sheikh may reroll any failed psychology tests. Combining this ability with blocks of pikemen means a DoW army has a solid wall against faster moving armies.

The fun doesn’t stop though with Sheikh Yadosh, as the real star of the unit, Mydas, offers his own bag of wonderful tricks. The first trick is called Treasure Map. At the start of the game, roll a d6 and consult the table in his rules. On a 1 or 2, his bodyguard gets a +1 to combat resolution. So in effect, the unit gets a warbanner without taking one. On a 3 or 4, Mydas’ range as a standard bearer is increased to 18”. Finally, if a player rolls a 5 or 6, one unit in the DoW army receives a +1 bonus to all to hit rolls in close combat. All three choices are nice, but the last one can take an average unit and make it a star.

That is not all though, for Mydas has another ability that extends to himself and his bodyguard. According to the rules, Mydas and his bodyguard count all of their attacks as magical. For an army that is very limited in terms of the magical items available, this can really help with those units that ignore non-magical attacks.

Overall, for ~300 points and two limited slots, Mydas the Mean provides a DoW army with a solid foundation around which an army can be built. The ability to strengthen an army against psychology rolls is something to never be overlooked. Combined with a decent unit that can provide some much needed magical attacks, Mydas the Mean is definitely worth considering if playing a DoW army.