War Dogs¶
Ajax's war dogs—brutal patchwork soldiers—owe their new lives to the Iron Saint and fight for him fanatically. War dog minions are the freshest recruits, possessing minimal patchwork qualities and generally treated as disposable. Those who survive a battle are rewarded with gifts from the Body Banks. Those who don't survive become recycled back into the Body Banks to be reborn.
War Dog Stat Block List¶
| Echelon | Name | Level | Organization | Role | EV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | War Dog Commando | 1 | Minion | Ambusher | 3 for four minions |
| 1st | War Dog Conscript | 1 | Minion | Harrier | 3 for four minions |
| 1st | War Dog Sharpshooter | 1 | Minion | Artillery | 3 for four minions |
| 1st | War Dog Tetherite | 1 | Minion | Brute | 3 for four minions |
| 1st | War Dog Amalgamite | 2 | Horde | Brute | 4 |
| 1st | War Dog Crucibite | 1 | Horde | Artillery | 3 |
| 1st | War Dog Eviscerite | 1 | Horde | Harrier | 3 |
| 1st | War Dog Neuronite | 1 | Horde | Defender | 3 |
| 1st | War Dog Pestilite | 3 | Horde | Controller | 5 |
| 1st | War Dog Phosphorite | 2 | Horde | Hexer | 4 |
| 1st | War Dog Subcommander | 2 | Horde | Support | 4 |
| 1st | War Dog Teletite | 1 | Horde | Ambusher | 3 |
| 1st | War Dog Ground Commander | 3 | Leader | - | 20 |
| 2nd | War Dog Sparkslinger | 4 | Minion | Artillery | 6 for four minions |
| 2nd | War Dog Sweeper | 4 | Minion | Harrier | 6 for four minions |
| 2nd | War Dog War Frog | 4 | Minion | Ambusher | 6 for four minions |
| 2nd | War Dog Arachnite | 6 | Horde | Artillery | 8 |
| 2nd | War Dog Doomthief | 5 | Horde | Defender | 7 |
| 2nd | War Dog Equivite | 4 | Horde | Brute | 6 |
| 2nd | War Dog Hypokrite | 4 | Horde | Ambusher | 6 |
| 2nd | War Dog Mischievite | 5 | Horde | Harrier | 7 |
| 2nd | War Dog Thanatite | 6 | Horde | Controller | 8 |
| 2nd | War Dog Tormentite | 5 | Horde | Hexer | 7 |
| 2nd | War Dog War Doc | 5 | Horde | Support | 7 |
| 2nd | War Dog Tetrarch | 6 | Leader | - | 32 |
| 3rd | War Dog Draconite | 7 | Minion | Brute | 9 for four minions |
| 3rd | War Dog Saboteur | 7 | Minion | Ambusher | 9 for four minions |
| 3rd | War Dog Shriketroop | 7 | Minion | Artillery | 9 for four minions |
| 3rd | War Dog Aerocite | 8 | Horde | Harrier | 10 |
| 3rd | War Dog Ballistite | 8 | Horde | Artillery | 10 |
| 3rd | War Dog Blackcap | 7 | Horde | Ambusher | 9 |
| 3rd | War Dog Breaker | 7 | Elite | Brute | 36 |
| 3rd | War Dog Firestarter | 8 | Horde | Hexer | 10 |
| 3rd | War Dog Geomancer | 8 | Horde | Controller | 10 |
| 3rd | War Dog Iron Priest | 8 | Horde | Support | 10 |
| 3rd | War Dog Prismite | 8 | Horde | Defender | 10 |
| 3rd | War Dog Taxiarch | 9 | Leader | - | 44 |
| 4th | War Dog Blood Jumper | 10 | Minion | Harrier | 12 for four minions |
| 4th | War Dog Hunter-Killer | 10 | Minion | Artillery | 12 for four minions |
| 4th | War Dog Socialite | 10 | Minion | Hexer | 12 for four minions |
| 4th | Castellan Hoplon | 10 | Elite | Defender | 48 |
| 4th | Iron Champion Doru | 10 | Elite | Brute | 48 |
| 4th | Logostician Vesper | 10 | Elite | Controller | 48 |
| 4th | Soulbinder Psyche | 10 | Elite | Hexer | 48 |
| 4th | Strategos Alkestis | 10 | Leader | - | 48 |
Content Warning: Brainwashing and Body Horror
War dogs are explicitly evil soldiers built from the body parts of other humanoids. Check in with your players before running war dogs to make sure that they're okay with battling brainwashed soldiers with an appearance akin to Frankenstein's monster if he were built to be a shock trooper. If anyone is uncomfortable, modify the appearance and lore of the war dogs as you see fit.
Withdrawn From the Body Banks¶
Body Bank technology stolen from the upper worlds allows for the storage, manipulation, and reuse of biological body parts, and this technology has been put to terrible use by Ajax and his followers. For the rich and powerful elite, the Body Banks serve as a source of reliable medical materials and even enhancements. For everyone else, they are a looming threat and a warning of what might happen to the disloyal. Those body parts not claimed by the upper classes are stitched, welded, and fused together to become an endless supply of twisted warriors.
Soulless Soldiers¶
War dogs aren't undead. They still have minds, wills, and drives that separate them from zombies and mournlings. But one thing they share in common with the undead is the lack of a soul. Any remnants of a soul that didn't escape the shattered remains of their constituent parts are irrevocably damaged beyond repair in the process of making a war dog. War dogs are thus metaphysically unstable, incapable of higher spiritual functions such as empathy or love, and their personalities and beliefs are highly malleable. This makes them the ideal disposable soldier for a discerning tyrant.
War Dog Tactics
War dogs have a heavy focus on minion frontlines backed by captains with powerful control or support abilities. Those captains' tactics reflect the replaceability of their low-ranking troops, who they throw into the fray without caution. Once a squad of minions is reduced to a few stragglers, a captain will order them into position for maximum effect and manually detonate their loyalty collars.
War dog captains are intelligent, well trained, and focused on prioritizing threats to their mission. Defensive and support units focus on tying up and slowing down high-Stamina threats while offensive units try their best to bully low-Stamina backline heroes. Unless ordered, retreat is not an option for war dogs.
War Dog Sample Encounters
- Camp Patrol, 18 EV: Eight conscripts, eight sharpshooters, one eviscerite, one crucibite
- Bodyguard Squad, 24 EV: Eight sharpshooters, eight tetherites, two amalgamites, one phosphorite
- Scout Patrol, 34 EV: Eight commandos, sixteen conscripts, two teletalites, two neuronites, one subcommander
- Oppressor Force, 52 EV: Eight conscripts, eight sharpshooters, sixteen commandos, one pestilite, one neuronite, one ground commander
Enlisted at Rebirth¶
From the moment they are reborn, every war dog is part of Ajax's war machine. Fresh recruits undergo inspections and tests to ensure their viability and assess their capabilities, and those who are found lacking are immediately recycled.
Those who meet the minimum requirements are sent to a brief but intense training camp, where they are drilled in basic combat, personal fitness, and unswerving loyalty. It is here that war dogs are first indoctrinated with Ajax's ideals, and any who question those ideals are immediately recycled. Those who survive this training camp are fitted with loyalty collars—unremovable neck pieces fitted with explosive fuse-iron charges—and sent on to join a legion.
Chain of Command¶
Ajax leaves the management and tactical goals of individual legions to his hand-picked strategoi. Each strategos is an exceptionally talented war dog, often a veteran with dozens of upgrades and refinements, and is typically selected for their ability to think and plan. A strategos in turn appoints the most powerful and skilled war dogs in the legion to their inner council.
Below the inner council are hundreds of officers and thousands of soldiers. A single deviation from an order, no matter how rational or well considered, can get a lowly soldier sent back to the Body Banks. As such, lower-ranking war dogs rarely alter tactics or show initiative. Without an officer to command them, war dogs can easily turn into an unwieldy and stagnant force capable only of following their most recent orders.
War Dog Languages¶
Most war dogs speak Caelian and one Vaslorian human language.
1st Echelon¶
War Dog Amalgamite
- Several ArmsMain actionSignature
- Posthumous PromotionManeuver
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Commando
- DaggersMain actionSignature
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Conscript
- BladeMain actionSignature
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Crucibite
- FlamebelcherMain actionSignature
- Posthumous PromotionManeuver
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Eviscerite
- Chainsaw WhipMain actionSignature
- Posthumous PromotionManeuver
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Ground Commander
- Conditioning SpearMain actionSignature
- Highest Posthumous PromotionManeuver
- Final OrdersTriggered action
- End EffectTrait
- Loyalty CollarTrait
- Combined ArmsVillain Action 1
- Make an Example of ThemVillain Action 2
- Claim Them for the Body BanksVillain Action 3
War Dog Neuronite
- Synlirii GraftsMain actionSignature
- Posthumous PromotionManeuver
- The VoiceManeuver1 Malice
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Pestilite
- PlaguecasterMain actionSignature
- Posthumous PromotionManeuver
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Phosphorite
- Caustic DetonatorMain actionSignature
- Posthumous PromotionManeuver
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Sharpshooter
- Bolt LauncherMain actionSignature
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Subcommander
- Command SaberMain actionSignature
- Posthumous PromotionManeuver
- The Iron Saint Does Not Recognize RetreatTrait
- Loyalty CollarTrait
2nd Echelon¶
War Dog Arachnite
- Longarm ShrikegunMain actionSignature
- Web VialManeuver
- Eight-Eyed SightTrait
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Doomthief
- Ripper ShrikegunMain actionSignature
- Doom MagnetTrait
- Expanding DoomManeuver4 Malice
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Equivite
- Fuse-Iron LanceMain actionSignature
- Blazing ChargeManeuver
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Hypokrite
- Needle-KnifeMain actionSignature
- Feign DeathTriggered action2 Malice
- Face in the CrowdTrait
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Mischievite
- Fuse-Iron KnivesMain actionSignature
- MisdirectionManeuver
- CraftyTrait
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Sparkslinger
- Galvanic ArcMain actionSignature
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Sweeper
- Shrikegun ShotMain actionSignature
- Shrapnel-Laced Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Tetrarch
- HoundbladeMain actionSignature
- Get Them, You Dolts!Maneuver1 Malice per target
- Sneering DisregardTriggered action
- End EffectTrait
- Enter the FrayVillain Action 1
- Lay WasteVillain Action 2
- You Would Dare?!Villain Action 3
War Dog Thanatite
- Snaking EntrailsMain actionSignature
- Wall of FleshManeuver
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Tormentite
- Mark of AgonyMain actionSignature
- Vortex of PainMain action3 Malice
- Persistent PainTrait
- Loyalty CollarTrait
3rd Echelon¶
War Dog Aerocite
- Dive BombMain actionSignature
- Caustic Paste BombManeuver2 Malice
- Jetwing AgilityTrait
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Ballistite
- Biokinetic BallistaMain actionSignature
- Kill ZoneManeuver3 Malice
- Set Up and Tear DownTrait
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Blackcap
- Flesh-Eater KnifeMain actionSignature
- Ashes to AshesManeuver
- Ash ClonesTrait
- Duplicating Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Breaker
- Pile Bunker GauntletMain actionSignature
- Surging PowerManeuver
- Breaking PointTrait
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Draconite
- Greatsword and RoarMain actionSignature
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Firestarter
- Twin FlamebelchersMain actionSignature
- EnflameManeuver
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Geomancer
- EarthwaveMain actionSignature
- SiegeworksManeuver
- Dust CloudTrait
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Iron Priest
- HoundcannonMain actionSignature
- Iron BannerManeuver2+ Malice
- Chosen of the Iron SaintTrait
War Dog Prismite
- Grasping TonguetaclesMain actionSignature
- Hard Light FieldManeuver
- Tractor BeamTriggered action1 Malice
- Prismacore DetonationTrait
War Dog Saboteur
- Fuse-Iron BombMain actionSignature
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Shriketroop
- Canis ShrikegunMain actionSignature
- Loyalty CollarTrait
War Dog Taxiarch
- Stunning SurgeMain actionSignature
- OverchargeManeuver2 Malice
- ThunderstruckTriggered action
- End EffectTrait
- Magnetic TrickeryVillain Action 1
- Conductor of CombatVillain Action 2
- Unlimited Power!Villain Action 3
4th Echelon¶
Castellan Hoplon
- Inspiring StrikeMain actionSignature
- Summon the Onyx TowerManeuver5 Malice
- Shield WardenManeuver2 Malice
- Timely InterventionTriggered action
- Hold the LineTrait
- Last StandTrait
Iron Champion Doru
- HoundaxeMain actionSignature
- Bloody WhirlwindMain action2 Malice
- Hunting LeapManeuver
- Laugh It OffTriggered action
- Iron JuggernautTrait
- The ScarlessTrait
- Champion's Loyalty CollarTrait
Logostician Vesper
- Portal to the Firing LineMain actionSignature
- Portal to the MantleMain action3 Malice
- Portal to the VoidManeuver
- Portal to the SkyTriggered action
- Living Logistics NetworkTrait
- Crash and BurnTrait
Soulbinder Psyche
- SoulbindMain actionSignature
- SoulstormMain action2 Malice
- Command the AwakenedManeuver
- Spirit FormTriggered action
- Vengeance for the SlainFree triggered action
- Immortal SoulTrait
- Immortal FlareManeuver
Strategos Alkestis
- Houndgun and HoundbladeMain actionSignature
- Focus FireManeuver
- Artillery EnfiladeTriggered action2 Malice
- End EffectTrait
- Tactical BrillianceTrait
- Fog of WarVillain Action 1
- Send in the Second WaveVillain Action 2
- The Silver Wolf's Final StratagemVillain Action 3
War Dog Blood Jumper
- JumplanceMain actionSignature
- Drop TroopTrait
- Loyalty CollarTrait