Extending the Mordor List with Missing Profiles [Part 9/13]

The next Army List to be extended is Mordor. Recall from Part 2/12 that the set of missing profiles for the Mordor Army List included the following:

• Guritz
• Great Beast of Gorgoroth
• Black-Hearted Trees
• Shagrat, Warleader of Cirith Ungol
• Gollum the Murderer

Each of the SBG profiles were considered carefully and determined the best means by which they would be integrated into the WotR list. It was finally decided that there would be 2 new rare formations, 2 new epic heroes and an updated epic hero from the list above. Also, to "tie up loose ends" there are also updates for the Orc Tracker Warband, the Mordor Battering Ram and The Necromancer of Dol Guldur.

UPDATED COMMON FORMATIONS FOR MORDOR

1. Orc Tracker Warband

The Orc Tracker Warband did not have any of the options for upgrading their command company. Since there is nothing particularly distinct about them as a formation, they should have the option to include the standard set of upgrades:

• Banner
• Drummer
• Taskmaster

They still do not have a distinct Command Hero in the form of a Captain, but that should be ok since there are plenty of Epic Heroes within Mordor to choose from. The cost of the three upgrades follows the standard cost for them:

UPDATED RARE FORMATIONS FOR MORDOR

1. Mordor Battering Ram

As for the Mordor Battering Ram ... We never really knew how to treat this model ... Is it an Infantry model with 4 warriors? If so, shouldn't it have the special rule Indomitable? Or is it an Artillery Warmachine model? But then it would have 0" move and would be rather un-useful...

We finally decided to leave it a Monster and thus let it be treaded just like a Troll. So we adjusted the Move Value down, and gave it a unique ability to be more effective against Artillery (so now it has an actual purpose within an army instead of just a "light troll"), with the Disarmament Special Rule. Likewise, since it is literally a Monster profile, now - we gave it the Striking Order (Monster) Special Rule - now this is actually a more useful model to include with an Army of Mordor!

NEW RARE FORMATIONS FOR MORDOR

1. Great Beast of Gorgoroth
2. Black-hearted Trees

1) GREAT BEAST OF GORGOROTH

Up to this point, the only behemoth WarMachine has been the Mumak in the Fallen Realms Army List. Recall that we made quite a few changes to its profile wording and description in THIS POST.

It makes sense that the Great Beast follow the model of the Mumak, however we wanted it to be a more predicable model and not have the random element that the Mumak possesses.

I'm actually quite pleased with the way that this profile turned out ... I'm anxious to see it in action and watch it yield the destruction that it warrants!

2) BLACK-HEARTED TREES

These are the "fallen Ents" that have turned to support the dark plans of Sauron. This profile provides a fun new way for the Evil Armies to get in on the tree war. They have been created as Infantry (in lieu of being Monsters - since Mordor already has enough Monsters already). Ooh ... should I create a Mordor Ambusher Army?? Shelob, Grishnakh's Trackers, Orc Trackers, Morgul Stalkers, and Black-hearted Trees?? Yes, I should!

UPDATED LEGENDARY FORMATIONS FOR MORDOR

1. The Necromancer of Dol Guldur

The Necromancer is a model that I was surprised not to have seen more of in games. For the Vanilla Cost of 300 Points, he was a total steal! I think it was the broken mechanic of the Hard to Kill Special Rule that was initially prohibitive ... Remember that we fixed that problem in THIS POST. So, to make him more worthy of being the Dark Lord we have upgraded his Hard to Kill to be Very Hard to Kill. He has the Epic Ability of Epic Ruination right out of the gate, as well ... we decided to give him the option of upgrading to include 2 additional Epic Abilities that will effect spell efficiency, as well:

• Epic Distress
• Epic Shadow

There will be a post very soon that will be dedicated strictly to these new upgrades (and additionally Epic Direction and Epic Naturalization).

I think that the Necromancer wins the award for the longest profile, too ... 4 pages long! That alone should show you how awesome he really is!

UPDATED EPIC HEROES FOR MORDOR

1. Gollum the Murderer

The existing profile for Gollum is a little lack-luster. Also, once Gandalf, Aragorn or Elrond were included within the opposing Army ... he was pretty much a sitting duck. He has been given the new Special Rule Instill Terror and has had his Strangling Horror Special Rule updated. Also, he has a new Epic Ability: Epic Debilitation - this will allow him to have more impact on the opposing army and will put the precious heroes of Gandalf, Aragorn, and Elrond in harm's way to attempt to "discover" him.

NEW EPIC HEROES FOR MORDOR

1. Guritz
2. Shagrat, Warleader of Cirith Ungol

1) GURITZ

This Epic Hero is the anti-Gondor master! Just as he shows up on the pillage of Osgiliath in the films, he can wreck havoc on destroying the new Faramir profile and his precious little veterans! He fills the gap of Inspiring Leader for Mordor and provides some additional flair with his other Special Rules and Epic Abilities.

2) SHAGRAT, WARLEADER OF CIRITH UNGOL

It has always bothered me that Legendary Heroes (those heroes that are included within their Legendary Formations) could never leave the Legendary formation to aid support to other formations in the Army. I guess that's why the Epic Heroes are so much more expensive - their ability to jump around the battlefield to provide the support where they are most needed. Now Shagrat can do that, too! He provides an amazing Defense Value boost to even the most feeble of Orc Warriors ... this can make him useful in that right alone!

Well, there we have it for Mordor! Any thoughts? I know I still need to get the Status Update for Evil together and posted ... but just to pique your curiosity, yes - Mordor is also 100% complete and just needs to be put up on the Download Page!!

LINKS TO OTHER PARTS OF THE SBG TO WOTR CONVERSION SERIES

1. Describing the Process [Part 1/13]
2. Creating the Full List of Needed Profiles and Assigning WotR Armies [Part 2/13]
1. Status Update for Progress on Profile Creation and Army List Document Writing - Good Armies [Part 2a/13]
2. Status Update for Progress on Profile Creation and Army List Document Writing - Evil Armies [Part 2b/13]
3. Extending the Gondor & Arnor List [Part 3/13]
4. Extending The Kingdom of Rohan List [Part 4/13]
5. Extending The Elven Kingdoms List [Part 5/13]
6. Extending The Dwarf Holds List [Part 6/13]
1. Sneak Peak at the Profiles for Thorin [Part 6a/13]
2. Common Formations [Part 6b/13]
3. Legendary Formations [Part 6c/13]
4. Epic Heroes [Part 6d/13]
7. Creating The City of Dale List [Part 7/13]
8. Extending The Forgotten Kingdoms List [Part 8/13]
9. Extending the Mordor List [Part 9/13]
10. Extending The Fortress of Isengard List [Part 10/13]
11. Extending The Misty Mountains (Moria) List [Part 11/13]
12. Extending The Fallen Realms List [Part 12/13]
13. Extending the Angmar List [Part 13/13]
1. Common and Rare Formations [Part 13a/13]
2. Legendary Formations [Part 13b/13]
3. Epic Heroes [Part 13c/13]

WotR Magic - Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Darkness [Part 5/7]

Here is the final part of updates to Magic Spell Lists for WotR. The last one in the queue is the Spells of Darkness. Ironically it is also the set that has the most changes to the text. Let's get on with it - I know that everyone is patiently waiting for the updates!

The set of magic users that have access to the Spells of Darkness are as follows:

 As you would expect, the Darkness Users are all Evil (with the exception of Saruman in the Forgotten Kingdoms list - again who is still technically Evil). Also, the majority of the users are within the Mordor, Fallen Realms, and Angmar lists.

ON WITH THE UPDATES!

Awesome! Notice that the special rules for Epic Strike and Take Aim take precedence over the Magic Spells. We will get more into this in a future post where we will discuss resolution order based upon the "epic-ness" of the special rules in effect.

Also, as an aside, I've been working hard on compiling the updates for the Hobbit and Warbands models into my Army Lists ... The Elven Kingdoms is about 95% done, Gondor & Arnor is about 75% done, and Angmar is about 70% done. Perhaps in the near future those will be available to be posted and downloaded for your pleasure and use!

LINKS TO OTHER MAGIC RULES UPDATE POSTS

1. Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Dismay [Part 1/7]
2. Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Command [Part 2/7]
3. Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Wilderness [Part 3/7]
4. Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Ruin [Part 4/7]
5. Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Darkness [Part 5/7]
6. New Epic Abilities for Spell Caster Upgrades [Part 6/7]
7. How to combine spells effectively [Part 7/7]

WotR Magic - Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Dismay [Part 1/7]

A lot of the special rules for Magic have already been covered in several of the Army Point Analysis posts that have been put up, however I thought it would be useful to gather all the rules for Magic into a single post block to provide a single point of reference for all things Magic. I've gone through the different Magic Areas and adjusted the text to provide clarification (if needed - similar to what we have done with the Epic Rules Applicability Posts) to ensure that the Magic text indicates the target of the spell being oneself, an impacted hero, an impacted company or an impacted formation. One of the biggest gaps in the magic lists is that none of them specify any duration (although I think it is fairly well accepted that the implied duration is until the end of turn). I've added it anyway - just to ensure that there was no confusion. Likewise, I tried to fill any of the "logical holes" that existed within the rules to ensure that they were as complete as possible.

This block of posts will consist of 5 parts - one part for each of the Magic Discipline Areas: Dismay, Command, Wilderness, Ruin, & Darkness. I've also split the rules into a block for Spell Mastery 1 Magicians (which have no use of Focus - since they can only cast a single spell per turn) and Magicians with Spell Mastery 2 or greater. I suspect that in the near future there will be a post on how to effectively chain spells together for spell casters with a Master Level of 2 or greater, as well.

The following is a list of spell casters that can use the Dismay spells:

The only character in the list above that is a Spell Mastery (1) is the Angmar Shaman in the Angmar Orc Warband formation (see page 209 of the rule book). All others are at a minimum 2 and most are 3.

Notice that a roll of 1 will always result in a critical failure for casting a Dismay Spell. Also notice that the clarification to Visions of Woe was added to ensure that the number of hits is compared against the Resilience Value of Monsters.










LINKS TO OTHER MAGIC RULES UPDATE POSTS

1. Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Dismay [Part 1/7]
2. Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Command [Part 2/7]
3. Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Wilderness [Part 3/7]
4. Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Ruin [Part 4/7]
5. Updates to the Rules for the Spells of Darkness [Part 5/7]
6. New Epic Abilities for Spell Caster Upgrades [Part 6/7]
7. How to combine spells effectively [Part 7/7]

The Misty Mountains (Moria) Unit Cost Analysis

The Misty Mountains ... (aka Moria) ... swarms and swarms of goblins and gargantuan monsters. It is an army that requires a lot of real world money - because who wants to field a formation of 3 companies? No one, of course - we want to go for the full 9 companies per formation!

Also, Moria is the only army that has access to the "Extremely Hard to Kill!" monsters. That alone makes it an even more appealing army; and as we see from the previous post, with 11-12 rounds to kill an NEH2K monster makes it a very fun model to field!

MORIA WARRIORS

Keys:

(C) = Common Formation, (R) = Rare Formation, (L) = Legendary Formation

[I] = Infantry, [H] = Cavalry, [A] = Artillery, [M] = Monster, [MH] = Monster Hero

• (R) [I] Gundabad Blackshields - Underpriced by 50%
• (C) [I] Moria Prowler Warband - Underpriced by 33%
• (C) [I] Moria Goblin Warband - Underpriced by 25%
• (R) [M] Spider Queen - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
• (R) [M] Cave Troll - Overpriced by 7%
• (C) [H] Giant Spider Brood - Overpriced by 17%
• (C) [H] Cloud of Bats - Overpriced by 17%
• (R) [M] Cave Drake - Overpriced by 23%
• (C) [H] Warg Pack - Overpriced by 33%
• (R) [MH] Spellcaster Dragon of Ancient Times - Overpriced by 51%
• (R) [MH] The Balrog of Morgoth - Overpriced by 59%
• (R) [MH] Dragon of Ancient Times - Overpriced by 63%
• (R) [M] Stone Giant - Overpriced by 67%
• (R) [H] Spider Broodling Swarm - Overpriced by 167%

Applying the template from cheapest (weakest stat-wise) to most expensive (most powerful) gives the following. Of course, the Monster Heroes are at the bottom where they should be.

• 15 Points per Company:
• (C) [H] Warg Pack
• (R) [H] Spider Broodling Swarm
• 20 Points per Company:
• (C) [I] Moria Goblin Warband
• 30 Points per Company:
• (C) [H] Cloud of Bats
• (C) [I] Moria Prowler Warband
• (R) [I] Gundabad Blackshields
• 70 Points:
• (R) [M] Cave Troll
• 130 Points:
• (R) [M] Cave Drake
• 145 Points:
• (R) [M] Spider Queen
• 150 Points:
• (R) [M] Stone Giant
• 245 Points:
• (R) [MH] Dragon of Ancient Times
• 315 Points:
• (R) [MH] Spellcaster Dragon of Ancient Times
• (R) [MH] The Balrog of Morgoth

GOBLIN DRUM UPGRADE

The Goblin Drum is a command upgrade that is available to the Moria Goblin Warband, the Moria Prowler Warband, and the Gundabad Blackshields. This is actually a pretty interesting upgrade since it combines the effects of a Banner, Drummer, and Taskmaster - and gives a little extra bonus, too, for "At the Double!" failed rolls.

If we consider the individual costs of each of the upgrades that are included in the Goblin Drum Upgrade we can get a pretty good idea of what it should cost:

1. For a Banner Bearer, we have been using a base of 25 points for that upgrade and it basically  allows re-rolls for charging and panic tests. So basically, it is 5 points for being an "re-roll" upgrade, 10 points for the first re-roll that it allows for charging and 10 point for the second re-roll that it allows for panic tests.
2. For the Drummer, it works effectively the same as a Hornblower - and we understand fairly well from the post on Hornblowers that it provides an additional inch to the Move Value (which is already 8" ... 2" more than a standard rank-and-file unit - then adding the additional 1" gives 9" for the goblins, meaning that the get effectively 1.5x the amount of move of other units ... not too bad!) Hornblowers and Drummers cost 5 points for each 2 companies in the formation.
3. For the Taskmaster, it is the same thing as a Hornblower - but instead of Move Value bonus it gives an additional point to the Courage Value. Similarly, that means that that would cost 5 points for each 2 companies in the formation, as well.
4. For the "At the Double!" re-roll, this would effectively be the same as the Banner Bearer upgrade ... in other words, if it were considered simply by itself it would cost 5 points for being a "re-roll" upgrade and then 10 points for the re-roll it allows for failed "At the Double!" rolls. However, since the Banner Bearer upgrade that is part of the Goblin Drum has effectively already "paid" for the re-roll upgrade 5 point cost - that is done ... so adding it into the combined total would only cost an additional 10 points for the re-roll that it provides.

Goblin Drum Cost = Banner Bearer Cost + Drummer Cost + Taskmaster Cost + "At the Double!" Re-roll Cost

Goblin Drum = [(Re-roll Upgrade Cost) + (Charging Re-roll Cost) + (Panic Re-roll Cost)] + [(+1 Move Cost)] + [(+1 Courage Cost)] + [(Re-roll Upgrade Cost) + ("At the Double" Re-roll Cost)]

{NOTE: Again, notice that since the Re-roll Upgrade Cost is already paid by the Banner, it doesn't need to be re-paid by the "At the Double!" one ...}

Goblin Drum = [(5 points) + (10 points) + (10 points)] + [2.5 points / company] + [2.5 points / company] + [(5 points) + (10 points)] = 35 points + 5 points / company

So this means that if there is only 1 Company in the Formation of Moria Goblin Warband, the Goblin Drum Upgrade would cost 35 points + 5 points for the 1 company = 40 Points for the Upgrade! (When I updated the rule for the profiles I wrote it such that it costs 40 Points for the command company - meaning the 1st company in the formation.)

If we took the entire 9 companies worth of goblins, this would cost:

Goblin Drum = 35 points + [5 points/company*(9 companies)] = 35 points + 45 points = 80 points

Let's just spell it out, so there is no confusion:

THE SPIDER QUEEN & SPIDER CHARGE SPECIAL RULE

Similar to what we mentioned in the Forgotten Kingdoms Unit Cost Analysis for Gwaihir, It seems like whenever there is a Monster Hero that is worthy of being a "leader of monsters" (e.g., Treebeard or Mordor Troll Chieftain) they come along with a "<Race> Charge" special rule that applies to the race of which they are a member. It would make sense for the Spider Queen to have the "Spider Charge" special rule as well [in fact we have already included that in her cost above].

CAVE DRAKE'S GAPING MAW SPECIAL RULE

OK, so this is only useful if it the formation that the Cave Drake is fighting has an enemy Hero? Furthermore, the Cave Drake is not a Monster Hero and has no might - yet we are going to give him a free Heroic Duel ... really?

I think this is one of the more "broken" and "unused" rules in the game. The rule is very conditional (the target formation must have a Hero in it) and doesn't really make sense for what it is trying to accomplish. I'm not usually for an entire re-write of a rule, I try to keep to the original intent - but this one is just plain "broken". So, here is my suggested update to the rule:

This change makes the rule a lot more versatile and able to be used regardless of there being a Hero in the target formation or not, but still allows the Drake to be a Hero-killer if the situation presents itself. In fact, now that the Drake has Striking Order (Monster), Terror, Hard to Kill!, and Gaping Maw, he is a lot more of a scary beast to go up against. In fact, any formation that goes up against it will have multiple D3 casualties unless they include a Hero ... but then losing a fight with a Hero in the formation runs the risk of that Hero getting eaten! Now that is an interesting twist of tactics! Since this is an uncommonly powerful special rule - I suggest that it cost 3-times the normal special rule cost for a non-heroic Warrior-Monster ... 15 Points. This cost is included in the Cave Drake's Point Cost listed above.

DRAGON OF ANCIENT TIMES' BREATHE FIRE SPECIAL RULE

Within the WotR rulebook (pg 186), they give the Range and the Strength of the Breath Fire special rule, but what about the Movement Penalty Associated (none, half or full) with the attack and what about Long Range rule on pg 39? Also, does it does not mention if it covers a swath or if is it single target ...

As per pg 37 of the rule manual, dragons have full 360-degree Line of Sight for the shooting attack.

I think the "right answer" for this special rule is that it has no movement penalty (i.e., the dragon can move its full flying move distance and still use the Breathe Fire special rule during the shoot phase and then can subsequently charge during the charge phase). This makes the rule a lot more "epic", which I think Moria needs that to compensate for its weaker profiles for the rank-and-file troops.

I suggest that the special rule read as follows:

FLYING MONSTERS IN MORIA

Just looking at the models of the various monsters that are included in the Moria Army List, there are several formations where the monster has wings. In fact, I distinctly recall playing against a Balrog and the player insisted that since the Balrog has wings on the model, he has the Flying Monster Movement and Charge - even though his profile only says "Monster". Let's clarify it once and for all.

• Cloud of Bats = Counts as a Flying Monster for moving and charging (due to its Flock of Doom Special Rule) … It counts as Cavalry for base size (for rotation, translation and reconfiguration Move costs), charging and associated bonuses to charge (+6 dice against Infantry, Artillery & Monsters; +2 dice against Cavalry & Flying Monsters), and Earth-shaking charge.
• Cave Drake = Not a Flying Monster or Monster Hero ... just a regular Monster. The argument for this one being a Flying Monster always confused me - GW's model doesn't have wings on it, either.
• Dragon of Ancient Times = Flying Monster Hero. Scary beyond all reason (especially if it has its magic upgrade and uses Breathe Fire! per the change above).
• The Balrog of Morgoth = Not a Flying Monster, but a Monster Hero. Has magic that can be cast in 360-degree Line of Sight, but CANNOT fly over a formation of Gondor Warriors of Minas Tirith to get a rear attack every turn! (/Exasperated huff!)

SWOOP ATTACK Special Rule for Flying Monsters

Just as we talked about the Eagle in the Forgotten Kingdoms army list - it makes sense for any Flying Monster to have the Swoop Attack Special Rule. I have included this in the profile costs that are already provided above. Specifically, the rules for the two Flying Monsters in Moria's Army List should be:

• Dragon gets D3 Stg 6 Hits

• Bats get D3 Stg 1 Hits per company in the Cloud of Bats' formation

MORIA HEROES

Key: (C) = Command Hero, (L) = Legendary Hero, (E) = Epic Hero

• (E) Druzhag the Beastcaller - Underpriced by 55%
• (E) Durburz, Goblin King of Moria - Underpriced by 42%
• (C) Blackshield Captain GB - Underpriced by 38%
• (C) Goblin Captain MPW - Underpriced by 29%
• (C) Goblin Captain MGW - Underpriced by 9%
• (C) Goblin Shaman GB - Underpriced by 5%
• (C) Goblin Shaman MPW - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
• (C) Goblin Shaman MGW - Overpriced by 18%
• (C) Warg Chieftain - Overpriced by 43%

Sorting by the cost calculated by the template from cheapest (weakest stat-wise) to most expensive (most powerful):

• Heroes that should cost 35 Points:
• (C) Warg Chieftain
• Heroes that should cost 55 Points:
• (C) Goblin Captain MGW
• Heroes that should cost 70 Points:
• (C) Goblin Captain MPW
• Heroes that should cost 80 Points:
• (C) Blackshield Captain GB
• Heroes that should cost 85 Points:
• (C) Goblin Shaman MGW
• Heroes that should cost 100 Points:
• (C) Goblin Shaman MPW
• Heroes that should cost 105 Points:
• (C) Goblin Shaman GB
• Heroes that should cost 120 Points:
• (E) Durburz, Goblin King of Moria
• Heroes that should cost 220 Points:
• (E) Durzhag the Beastcaller

DRUZHAG'S SUMMON BEASTS SPECIAL RULE

LINKS TO OTHER UNIT COST ANALYSIS POSTS

1. Gondor & Arnor Warriors
2. Gondor & Arnor Heroes
3. The Kingdom of Rohan Unit Cost Analysis
4. The Elven Kingdoms Unit Cost Analysis
5. The Dwarf Holds Unit Cost Analysis
6. The Forgotten Kingdoms Unit Cost Analysis
7. Mordor Unit Cost Analysis
8. The Fortress of Isengard Unit Cost Analysis
9. The Misty Mountains (Moria) Unit Cost Analysis
10. The Fallen Realms Unit Cost Analysis
11. Angmar Unit Cost Analysis

Mordor Unit Cost Analysis & the "Monster Hero" Baseline Profile

Next up is Mordor - My initial suspect is that it will be similar to Gondor & Arnor, since it appears that those two armies were intentionally created to face-off one against another. In fact, I think that there may have been pairs like that across the development of several of the Armies. When playing against their "opposite Army", games are "fairly" well balanced for the original points, but the breakdown occurs when you step outside of those pairing since the stat lines are not normalized across all Armies (as we are attempting to do here). I also noticed that Mordor has A LOT of WarMachines - so I would suspect that a typical fielded Mordor Army would include multiple WarMachines (interestingly the Good Army that has a lot of WarMachines is The Forgotten Kingdoms with Ents [the good version of Trolls], Eagles [the good version of Nazgul], & Special Formations).

Also, with Mordor we have a new Baseline Profile that we have not yet encountered (I lied, there is already a Monster Hero profile already in the Isengard's post) ... the "Monster Hero". Typically profiles with Might have been only the Hero Profile that have no stat line entries for Ballistic Skill, Strength, Defense, & Attack; so it seems that the "Monster Hero" is a little bit like a Warrior and a little bit like a Command Hero. The way to identify the "Monster Hero" is that they are not a Command or Legendary Hero, but rather their own formation - and they still have Might.

It looks like the base profile for a "Monster Hero" character in War of the Ring is:

Monster Hero Baseline Profile:

    Cst    | Mv | F | B | S | D | A | R | C | Mt | Ar | XWpn | SpR

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 6/7/10  |   6   | 3 |  4 | 3 |  3 |  8 | 1 |  3  |  0  |  0  |     0     |   0

Key:

• Cst = Baseline Cost of the "Monster Hero"
• 6 = Rank and File Hero ... Equivalent of a Command Hero
• Examples: Mordor Troll Chieftain, Isengard Troll Chieftain, & Spider Queen
• 7 = Lesser Named Hero ... Equivalent of a Legendary Hero + 1
• Examples: Glorfindel, Lord of the West; Quickbeam; Beechbone; Tom Bombadil; Shelob; & Dragon of Ancient Times
• 10 = Big Named Hero ... Equivalent of an Epic Hero
• Examples: Treebeard; The Three Hunters; Gwairhir; The Fellowship of the Ring; The White Council; Council of Wizardry; The Necromancer of Dol Guldur; The Nine are Abroad; Winged Nazgul; The Balrog of Morgoth; Buhrdur; & Gulavhar, the Terror of Arnor
• Mv = Move value of the "Monster Hero" [Range: 0 .. INF]
• F = Fight value of the "Monster Hero" [Range: 1 .. 10]
• B = Ballistic value of the "Monster Hero" [Range: 1 .. 6]
• S = Strength value of the "Monster Hero" [Range: 1 .. 10]
• D = Defense value of the "Monster Hero" [Range: 1 .. 10]
• A = Attack value of the "Monster Hero" [Range: 1 .. 10]
• R = Resistance value of the "Monster Hero" [Range: 1 .. 4]
• C = Courage value of the "Monster Hero" [Range: 1 .. 10]
• Mt = Might value of the "Monster Hero" [Range: 0 .. INF]
• Ar = Armor level of the "Monster Hero"
• 0 = No Armor
• 1 = Light/Standard Armor (Typically called "armour" in a profile and provides a +1 bonus to the Defense Value for the company in a formation)
• 2 = Heavy Armor (Typically called "heavy armour" in a profile and provides a +2 bonus to the Defense Value for the company in a formation)
• 3 = Special Named Heavy Armor (Sometimes called something special, like "mithril-forged heavy armour" for Hurin within the Wardens of the Keys; provides a +3 bonus to the Defense value for the company in a formation)
• XWpn = Extra weapons that are equipped for the company in a formation
• 0 = Hand Weapon only
• 1+ = Any other additional wargear listed within the profile (i.e., If a profile, like Minas Tirith Archers, has "Each company has hand weapons, heavy armor and bows" this would imply that the number of extra weapons would be 1 ... 0 for the hand weapon and 1 for the bows. For the Knights of Dol Amroth: "Each company has hand weapons, heavy armour, shields and lances", this would imply they would have Ar = 2 and Xwpn = 2; 0 for the hand weapon, 1 for the shields and 2 for the lances.)
• SpR = Magic Spells, Epic Actions & Special rules that are assigned specifically to the "Monster Hero"
• For all heroes, regardless of level, it appears that Heroic Actions are not counted as special rules - and are effectively free
• 0 = At the Double!, Heroic Move, Heroic Shoot, Heroic Charge, Heroic Fight & Heroic Duel (see pages 64-67 of the rules manual for details)
• For "Monster Heroes" this value will always be the total count of Magic Spells, Epic Actions & Special rules that are assigned to the hero
• 0 = No magic spells, epic actions or special rules (only Heroic Actions)
• +1 for each magic spell (not discipline) and Mastery Level above 1, epic action or special rule available to the profile

When "Monster Hero" profiles are created it seems that statistics adjust the cost up or down by a set number of points:

• Move = +/- 5 points per value point above or below 6
• Fight = +/- 5 points per value point above or below 3
• Ballistic = -/+ 5 points per value point above or below 4
• Strength = +/- 5 points per value point above or below 3
• Defense = +/- 5 points per value point above or below 3
• Attacks = +/- 5 points per value point above or below 8
• Resistance = +/- 5 points per value point above or below 1
• Courage = +/- 5 points per value point above or below 3
• Might = +/- 10 points per value point above 0
• Armor Value = +/- 5 points per armor level
• Extra Weapons = +/- 10 points per extra weapon
• Special Rules = +/- 10 points per spell, mastery level of 2 or greater, special rule, or epic action 

COST OF MONSTER HERO PROFILE = {[(Cst)*5]+[(Mv-6)*5]+[(F-3)*5]+[(B-4)*-5]+[(S-3)*5]+[(D-3)*5]+[(A-8)*5]+[(R-1)*5]+[(C-3)*5]+[(Mt)*10]+[(Ar)*5]+[(XWpn)*10]+[(SpR)*10]}

Example:

Based upon the profile for the "Monster Hero" Shelob:

• Cst = 7
• Mv = 8
• F = 7
• B = 5
• S = 7
• D = 8
• A = 4
• R = 2
• C = 5
• Mt = 3

Wargear: "Vicious mandibles (hand weapons)."

• Ar = 0 (The Wargear entry has nothing related to Armor.)
• XWpn = 0 (The Wargear entry gives: 0 for the hand weapon.)
• SpR = 7 (The Special Rules have "Ambusher, Hard to Kill!, Pathfinder (Master), Prowler, Terror, Envenomed Bite, Hunter's Pounce" listed.)

Plugging all this into the equation gives:

COST OF MONSTER HERO PROFILE = {[(7)*5]+[(8-6)*5]+[(7-3)*5]+[(5-4)*-5]+[(7-3)*5]+[(8-3)*5]+[(4-8)*5]+[(2-1)*5]+[(5-3)*5]+[(3)*10]+[(0)*5]+[(0)*10]+[(7)*10]}

= {[35]+[(2)*5]+[(4)*5]+[(1)*-5]+[(4)*5]+[(5)*5]+[(-4)*5]+[(1)*5]+[(2)*5]+[30]+[0]+[0]+[70]}

= {[35]+[10]+[20]+[-5]+[20]+[25]+[-20]+[5]+[10]+[30]+[0]+[0]+[70]}

= 200

This gives 200 Points for Shelob's profile.

 MORDOR WARRIORS

NOTE: The profile image above is the old version of the book's rule for the Hard to Kill! special rule. For the updated version of this rule, see here: Hard to Kill! Special Rule Updates

Keys:

(C) = Common Formation, (R) = Rare Formation, (L) = Legendary Formation

[I] = Infantry, [H] = Cavalry, [A] = Artillery, [M] = Monster, [MH] = Monster Hero

• (L) [MH] The Necromancer of Dol Guldur - Underpriced by 33%
• (L) [MH] Winged Nazgul - Underpriced by 25%
• (R) [A] Siege Bow Battery - Underpriced by 23%
• (L) [MH] The Nine are Abroad - Underpriced by 15%
• (L) [MH] Winged Witch-king Nazgul - Underpriced by 10%
• (L) [MH] Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor - Underpriced by 7%
• (C) [I] Morannon Orc Warband - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
• (C) [H] Warg Rider Warband - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
• (C) [I] Mordor Orc Warband - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
• (R) [M] Mordor Troll - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
• (L) [I] Shagrat's Tower Guard - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
• (R) [MH] Mordor Troll Chieftain - Overpriced by 11%
• (R) [I] Black Guard of Barad-dur - Overpriced by 11%
• (L) [I] Grishnakh's Trackers - Overpriced by 20%
• (R) [A] War Catapult Battery - Overpriced by 25%
• (L) [MH] Shelob - Overpriced by 25%
• (R) [M] Mordor Troll Drummer - Overpriced by 43%
• (C) [I] Orc Tracker Warband - Overpriced by 50%
• (L) [I] Gorbag's Morgul Rats - Overpriced by 50%
• (R) [I] Morgul Stalker Warband - Overpriced by 75%
• (R) [A] Mordor Battering Ram - Overpriced by 100%
• (L) [I] Twilight Ringwraiths - Overpriced by 114%
• (L) [I] Castellans of Dol Guldur - Overpriced by 145%

Applying the template from cheapest (weakest stat-wise) to most expensive (most powerful) gives the following. Of course, the Monster Heroes are at the bottom where they should be of course.

• 10 Points per Company:
• (C) [I] Mordor Orc Warband
• (L) [I] Gorbag's Morgul Rats
• 20 Points per Company:
• (C) [I] Morannon Orc Warband
• (C) [H] Warg Rider Warband
• (C) [I] Orc Tracker Warband
• (R) [I] Morgul Stalker Warband
• (R) [A] Mordor Battering Ram
• 25 Points per Company:
• (C) [I] Mordor Uruk-hai Warband
• (L) [I] Shagrat's Tower Guard
• (L) [I] Grishnakh's Trackers
• 45 Points per Company:
• (R) [I] Black Guard of Barad-dur
• 55 Points per Company:
• (L) [I] Castellans of Dol Guldur 
• 65 Points per Company:
• (R) [A] Siege Bow Battery
• 70 Points per Company:
• (L) [I] Twilight Ringwraiths
• 80 Points per Company:
• (R) [A] War Catapult Battery
• 100 Points per Company:
• (R) [M] Mordor Troll
• 105 Points per Company:
• (R) [M] Mordor Troll Drummer
• 180 Points per Company:
• (R) [MH] Mordor Troll Chieftain
• 200 Points per Company:
• (L) [MH] Shelob
• 335 Points per Company: 
• (L) [MH] Winged Nazgul
• 360 Points per Company:
• (L) [MH] Winged Witch-king Nazgul
• 445 Points per Company:
• (L) [MH] The Necromancer of Dol Guldur
• 540 Points per Company:
• (L) [MH] Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor
• 585 Points per Company:
• (L) [MH] The Nine are Abroad

MORDOR HEROES

Key: (C) = Command Hero, (L) = Legendary Hero, (E) = Epic Hero

• (E) The Mouth of Sauron - Underpriced by 41%
• (E) Ringwraith - Underpriced by 40%
• (C) Guard Captain BGoB - Underpriced by 33%
• (E) Gollum - Underpriced by 17%
• (E) The Witch-king Ringwraith - Underpriced by 15%
• (E) Gothmog, Castellan of Minas Morgul - Underpriced by 12%
• (E) Kardush the Firecaller - Underpriced by 9%
• (L) Shagrat - Underpriced by 6%
• (L) Grishnakh - Underpriced by 6%
• (C) Orc Captain WRW - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
• (C) Uruk-hai Captain MUW - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
• (C) Black Uruk Shaman BGoB - Accurately Priced (0% deviation)
• (C) Mordor Shaman WRW - Overpriced by 25%
• (C) Black Uruk Shaman MUW - Overpriced by 25%
• (L) Black Uruk Shaman STG - Overpriced by 25%
• (L) Gorbag - Overpriced by 36%
• (C) Orc Captain MOW - Overpriced by 43%
• (C) Morannon Orc Captain - Overpriced by 43%
• (C) Mordor Shaman MOW - Overpriced by 54%
• (C) Mordor Shaman MorOW - Overpriced by 54%
• (C) Mordor Shaman GMR - Overpriced by 54%

Oh, this is interesting ... Apparently using big name Epic Heroes with Nazgul and the Necromancer would be a cheap way under the existing rule set to have a formidable Mordor force! Sorting by the cost calculated by the template from cheapest (weakest stat-wise) to most expensive (most powerful):

• Heroes that should cost 35 Points:
• (C) Orc Captain MOW
• (C) Morannon Orc Captain
• Heroes that should cost 50 Points:
• (C) Orc Captain WRW
• (C) Uruk-hai Captain MUW
• Heroes that should cost 55 Points:
• (L) Gorbag
• Heroes that should cost 60 Points:
• (E) Gollum
• Heroes that should cost 65 Points:
• (C) Mordor Shaman MOW
• (C) Mordor Shaman MorOW
• (L) Mordor Shaman GMR
• Heroes that should cost 75 Points:
• (C) Guard Captain BGoB
• Heroes that should cost 80 Points:
• (L) Shagrat
• (L) Grishnakh
• (C) Mordor Shaman WRW
• (C) Black Uruk Shaman MUW
• (L) Black Uruk Shaman STG
• Heroes that should cost 100 Points:
• (C) Black Uruk Shaman BGoB
• Heroes that should cost 110 Points:
• (E) Karduch the Firecaller
• Heroes that should cost 125 Points:
• (E) Gothmog, Castellan of Minas Morgul
• Heroes that should cost 170 Points:
• (E) The Mouth of Sauron
• Heroes that should cost 210 Points:
• (E) Ringwraith
• Heroes that should cost 235 Points:
• (E) The Witch-King Ringwraith

LINKS TO OTHER UNIT COST ANALYSIS POSTS

1. Gondor & Arnor Warriors
2. Gondor & Arnor Heroes
3. The Kingdom of Rohan Unit Cost Analysis
4. The Elven Kingdoms Unit Cost Analysis
5. The Dwarf Holds Unit Cost Analysis
6. The Forgotten Kingdoms Unit Cost Analysis
7. Mordor Unit Cost Analysis
8. The Fortress of Isengard Unit Cost Analysis
9. The Misty Mountains (Moria) Unit Cost Analysis
10. The Fallen Realms Unit Cost Analysis
11. Angmar Unit Cost Analysis