Subscribe to download
Sons of Grimnir - Slayer Sappers

Slayers are a wild bunch. Fearless, deadly, and half-crazed. But what happens when you dial-up that last part? Ungrim Ironfist calls them "Sappers". All slayers seek a glorious death. Those in the sappers either want it more, or someone else wants it for them.

Dwarves love to fight and kill greenskins. War is in their very nature. But even for dwarves there is such a thing as too far. Those whose every thought and action is devoted toward bathing in blood and death. Murderers, arsonists, the criminally insane, all take the oath before Grimnir because they are too dangerous to allow to walk free. And almost all of these monsters end up in the sappers. Why? Because Ungrim provides them with explosives. And glory smells a lot like like burning orc and singed beard.

In addition to explosives and a wicked axe, the Sapper's mightiest weapon is his speed. Unburdened from heavy armor, fortified with runes of swiftness burned directly into their skin as part of their joining (a process that drives them even more mad), and spurred by wild bloodlust, a Sapper is the fastest dwarf alive on it's own legs. Sappers delight in being assigned as skirmishers and outrunners in equal measure. The former allows quicker contact with the foe, the latter allows a Sapper to drink deep from the font of orcish blood as they mow down fleeing foes.

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


These are quasi lore-friendly units, as nothing (that I am aware of) strictly prohibits the use of black powder. Powder kills Urki and Grobi, so I can't see any real reason why Grimnir would care either. Though, to be honest, I can see why slayers were not given grenades in the vanilla set. These is by far one of the scariest ideas I've ever toyed with, and can easily change the course of a battle if used correctly. I ended having to scale them down from regular slayers and bump their cost and upkeep just to keep things fair.

Sappers are at home flanking an enemy line and bombarding packed Urki from the rear. They're strong enough for you to then charge them into the flames to capitalize on the confusion made by their attack. They're also extremely fast (speed 48!) which allows them to out maneuver enemy infantry and run down fleeing foes to help finish off that massive army you just broke. Although they have a little protection (Leather aprons and backpacks. Whazzat? That's no armor ye crazy loon! Its ta keeps mah jimmies from roasting!), they have no shielding and are extremely vulnerable to both archers and cavalry. The latter particularly so, since these slayers are anti-infantry, not anti-large.

Balance
- Pricey, but worth the cost if you want to play a more mobile and tactical dwarf game. Vulnerable to missle units and cavalry, potentially unreliable.

Compatibility
- Unit does use some assets from the "King and the Warlord" DLC, so there may be display issues if you do not have this installed. I couldn't help myself! They were just too gorgeous! I'll release a non-KW version if there is enough interest. No known issues so far.

Art
- Thumbnaill artwork found on deviantart, which means I cannot trust the source. I left the artwork's signature on the image. Unit tile artwork is a composite I made (and modified, badly) using some CA/GW properties, which I do not own.

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


Slayer Sappers

Stats
- Unit size: 60
- Total Hitpoints: 5280
- Armour: 25
- Leadership: 95
- Speed: 48
- Melee Attack: 34
- Melee Defence: 30
- Weapon Strength: 43 (AP) (AI)
- Charge Bonus: 44
- Ammunition: 1
- Range: 55
- Missle Damage: 40 (explosives)

Special
- *FAST*
- Deathblow
- Special Ranged Weapon
- Fire Resistance - 35%

Campaign Recruitment and Upkeep
- Cost: 1450
- Upkeep: 310
- Available through the Slayer Shrine, Monument to Grimnir (Slayer Shrine lvl2), or the Great Slayer Shrine of Karak Kadrin.
- Requires a Gunsmith's Forge (Workshop lvl2) in the province.

If you like this unit, check out my full compilation!
I also have a compilation that utilizes only vanilla assets to ensure you don't have to buy any DLC.

There is now a Radious Total War compatible version of this unit in one of my compilations!

Please don't forget to rate and comment! Let me know if you like this unit, or if it needs any tweaks or changes!