“They are an unclean reminder of the Void but in this desperate hour I will refuse no weapon, however vile.” -Supreme Archdomina Makeda

The Void Spirits are the disembodied specters of fallen skorne souls brought back from the void.  These specters despise life.  They siphon away the life of others with but a single touch and jealously clutch onto the souls of others to torment them as they have been tormented.  The Void Seer Mordikaar has developed the means to control these spirits.  he has instructed others on this process and is currently working with Lord Tyrant Hexeris to build and army of Void Spirits to lay claim to Western Immoren. 

I love the idea of the Void Spirit.  I love the versatility of the rules, I love the fluff, and I even love the models.  However I have yet to be able how to make the best use of them.  In the games where I’ve used them I’ve often find myself wishing I had spent the points on other models.  The point of this article is to not only discuss their abilities and uses but to see if a niche can be found for them.  (Or perhaps to try and convince myself to either run them more often or shelve them)

Stats: The void spirits possess a pretty average line of stats for a solo.  SPD 6 with a respectable Mat of 7.  They have a DEF of 14 but only 12 ARM.  They have 5 health boxes.  Field allowance is 2 and they cost 24 points each. 

Weapons:  Killing Touch: The Void Spirit’s Killing touch is a P+S 12 attack with the Void Walk ability. 

Void Walk: states that when the Void Spirit destroys a living enemy model with a melee attack, its controller may place it anywhere completely within 10 inches of it’s current location assuming there is room for the model’s base.  Void walk becomes a fantastic ability for a number of reasons.  First off, the killing touch melee attack is the only attack that will make the Void Spirit become corporeal.  Most opponents will take that opportunity to try and destroy the model.  With void walk, the Void Spirit can charge in, destroy a living model and then teleport 10 inches away.  This can be used to teleport 10 inches away from oncoming threats that could destroy the Void Spirit.  It could be used to teleport 10 inches deeper into the enemy army to threaten solos and units previously thought safe.  This can include teleporting into melee with a non fearless unit to force a CMD check.  Void walk can also be used to teleport the Void Spirit in position for a next round charge.  In the current Steamroller environment a Void spirit could theoretically charge a living enemy model from 9 inches away, destroy it, then teleport 10 inches to contest an area or point that could have been 19 inches away at the beginning of the Void Spirit’s activation.   It’s also worth noting this ability triggers when making freestrikes. 

Abilities:

Annihilator:Living models destroyed within 3 inches of the Void spirits never provide a soul token.  Both a hindrance and a benefit.  This obviously can help prevent enemy models from collecting souls like the Protectorate of Menoth and Cryx.  However, it also means that our own Ancestral Guardians and Extollers cannot collect the souls of our own fallen soldiers if the the fallen soldier was destroyed within 3 inches of a void spirit.  This can be a benefit to your force but does require the controller to use some thought with their placement. 

Death Spirit: The Void Spirit gains an additional die on it’s melee damage rolls against living models.  A P+S 12 weapon is fair but nothing to right home about.  This essentially makes the Void Spirit a P+S 12 weapons master against living models.  Most multiple wound solos will die to a charging Void Spirit.  Since it’s against all living models this includes warbeast (except elemental constructions) but not the undead legions of cryx or warjacks.

Incorporeal:  I’m willing to bet just about every warmachine/hordes player who’s played more than 10 games has a decent understanding of what incorporeal entails so I’m not really going to go into it.  The important things to remember are as follows.  Incorporeal gives the Void spirit the ability to cross rough terrain and obstacles without penalty even during the charge.  It can move through other models as it charges assuming it’s base has enough room to make it past.  Combine this with an Extoller’s guidance ability and the Void Spirit can look through other models and then charge through them to get a target once thought to be protected by screening/blocking models, forest, linear obstacles, cloud effects, invisible, etc.  The Void Spirit is not considered to be engaged or engaging while incorporeal but it can choose to make freestrikes against models leaving it’s melee range.  This will however cause the Void spirit to become corporeal.  The Void Spirit ignores continuous effects and can only be effected by spells, feats, magic attacks, and animi while incorporeal. 

Poltergeist:When the Void Spirit is missed by an enemy attack, immediately after the attack has been resolved the Void Spirit’s controller may choose to have the attacking model pushed d3 inches directly away from the Void Spirit.  With a decent DEF of 14 this ability may come into play more often than one would think.  This is nice way to help protect the Void Spirit from those with multiple attacks.  This can be further enhanced with an ability, spell, feat, or terrain feature that further raises one’s DEF.  Even the Void Spirit’s own Void Leap increases his own DEF to 16 and makes the poltergeist ability more effective.  Notice that the poltergeist ability takes effect whether the Void Spirit is incorporeal or corporeal and applies to any attack (including ranged, magic attacks, etc). 

Terror:The Void Spirit is the only model in the skorne faction capable of causing terror on it’s own.  Even though there are a ton of fearless models in both Warmachine and Hordes, the combination of a well placed Misery from E. Makeda followed by running a Void Spirit into a non fearless unit to cause an automatically failed CMD check is a tactic to not be totally ignored. 

Undead: The Void Spirit is not a living model and never flees.  Of course it never flees.  It came back from the Void for crying out loud.  I mean seriously, what in the world could actually scare it?

Void Leap:  Void Leap is a * action that centers a 3 inch AoE cloud effect on the Void Spirit.  The AoE remains in place even if the Void Spirit moves or is placed.  While in the AoE, living models suffer -2 ARM.  Void leap lasts 1 round.  Void leap, IIRC, is the only means by which a skorne model can lower an enemy’s ARM.  However, since it is a cloud effect you do this at the expense of increasing the enemy model’s DEF.  Notice all living models within the AoE suffer the minus to ARM so this can not only effect multiple enemy models but friendly ones as well.  The Void leap also has the benefit of providing a 3 inch cloud effect to block LoS from enemy models.  Void leap is not an attack and therefore does not cause the Void Spirit to lose it’s incorporeal status. 

Summary:  The Void Spirit is, in my humble opinion, a tool box model.  It provides a wide range of possibilities making it extremely useful in certain circumstances and perhaps sometimes a bit lack luster in others.  It can play the role of solo assassin well with it’s ability to move through terrain and models without penalty and strike with a P+S12 weaponmaster.  It has the ability to strike and teleport away to harass enemy flanks or hold scenario objectives.  It has the capability to debuff enemy armor.  It can even fill in as a Swamp Gobber crew when need by blocking LoS with the 3 inch cloud effect.  I think this discussion ahs fulfilled the goals I wanted from it.  I feel know I have a better understanding of the Void Spirit and will strive to find the points to include them more often in my army lists.