The Devotee of Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror
The Devotee of Tezcatlipoca is another Ravenous Beyond cult model, but unlike the Disciple of Malphas, she is more than able to sneak around on her own and cause damage behind enemy lines. This article will go through what the Devotee is capable of doing now, along with a quick look at a previous version, and how she might benefit your faction in a game of Pendant World.
The Present
Unlike the other cultist currently available for Ravenous Beyond, the Devotee of Tezcatlipoca can do her murderous work at a distance. It Comes From Within is a long-ish distance ranged attack with the mirror type, and although it causes Witnessing, it only does so against its direct target. This means that the Devotee can pick on specific targets in larger crowds without worrying about attracting too much (Witness) attention, and can even wear a single target down over a series of shots to get rid of that pesky token. As an added bonus, if you're willing to pay Spirit, the Devotee can reposition with a small movement of 2" after she's fired her shot.
This repositioning works well with Wind from the Deep Pool, a reaction that helps the Devotee move around even more. All told, combining these two abilities grants a reasonable distance of movement - more than enough to duck around a corner to avoid retaliation from your enemy's ranged attackers. If you feel like paying even more Spirit, you can add an additional layer of protection onto your Devotee: Hiding In Currents grants her Low Priority (at least until the next time she attacks), meaning that you can go on a little hit-and-run spree against targets that have no way to attack through Low Priority protection.
The rest of the Devotee's abilities and rules are less related to her hit-and-run power, but provide a few small bonuses nonetheless. Subtle Reflection is an odd duck that heals very little Spirit - but what this means is that the Devotee can use this ability once per turn to mitigate Invest costs for herself or for an ally. It won't be fantastically useful against an enemy that deals a lot of Spirit damage, though. Reflected Against Your Worser Self allows the Devotee of spread a little bit of Rupture around the table, especially when she uses her attacks to destroy Bystanders that may be in convenient / inconvenient places. Finally, Emergence is a bit of a back-up special rule, allowing you to use the Devotee's death as a way to spawn one of the demonic models you have waiting to manifest. As the Devotee dies, the thing inside her mirror finally breaks free...
The Past
Like many other models in the newest version of Pendant World, the Devotee of Tezcatlipoca doesn't have any direct predecessor. She was born just like the Leakings of Ahul Puh were, when I decided to add a Latin theme to the faction at the behest of one of my playtesters. I had always known that I would want to launch the faction with a second cultist-type, but it wasn't until this suggestion that she really started to take shape.
In her first few games, she could grant demons Low Priority and could attach herself to an enemy model with a sort of linked-fate spell, spelling doom for both of them if either model died. The first ability linked her more closely to demonic models, which I wasn't sure I wanted after coming up with the Disciple of Malphas. The second ability meant that she could walk up to literally any enemy and drop a death sentence on them - later versions of this ability said that the model would die if it destroyed any other model, which made it even more deadly. That much power in the hands of a non-elite, non-leader seemed to be a bit too much.
Her special rule allowed her to ignore any mirror-type urban terrain rules, which were (and are) quite sparse for now. Until the Queen in the Mirror (The Fair Ones faction) comes out with her expansion, mirror-type terrain is at a minimum - so the rule was a bit on the useless side.
Leader Kit
The Devotee of Tezcatlipoca is reasonably self-sufficient. Still, there are a few pieces of Kit that might help her out of a tight spot - especially if she's taking advantage of Low Priority and her extra movement to worm her way into enemy territory.
Andres Salinas brings the Bulletproof Vest, which grants her +2 Flesh TN against ranged attacks. This helps if you're planning on waging a more face-to-face war with your enemy's shooters, but be warned - this only puts her up to a TN of 6, which may not be high enough to avoid any serious damage (unless she takes a shot and ducks out of sight, of course).
Dr. Paul Abberline has a few more items the Devotee can use. The Amulet of Stillness makes it harder for your opponents to move around (and up to) the Devotee, which might afford her a little bit more flexibility when it comes to her hit-and-runs. Sign of the Drowned is perhaps less useful, because you probably won't be anywhere near large quantities of Ruptures with this model. Still, its second part (Rupture 3 upon destruction) can help jam your opponent up if you decide to make use of Emergence.
Despite being the most cult-oriented leader, The Koken offers a little less than you might expect. Several of her Kit (Yase-Onna Mask, Forbidden Text) rely on the model being in base-contact, which is not something you want to do with the Devotee. Forbidden Text's second rule grants the contracted tag, but that's not something the Devotee needs, with her Emergence rule. Prior Directions might be useful, as it grants a bit of a bonus to Overcharge rolls - if the Devotee is going to be activating several times in a row, this could come in handy. Finally, Stage Presence is a piece of Kit seriously worth considering, because it amplifies any Spirit damage taken by non-friendly models within 8". The Devotee can essentially hand out Spirit damage to targets of its ranged attack (via Witnessing), so this kit may help push the damage from "just ok" into something more serious.
Conclusion
The Devotee of Tezcatlipoca may seem like a traditional spellcaster, but is actually a stealthy assassin that can move around and snipe at lone models (or even clear away bystanders). She has several movement options and can fire at range without focusing, making her incredibly mobile if you're careful. If you're looking for a fearsome solo murderess who's more subtle than the usual Ravenous Beyond fare, look no further than the Devotee of Tezcatlipoca.
And just as a reminder, I'm leaving the link to the Pendant World playtest documents here. All feedback is welcome!
The Present
Unlike the other cultist currently available for Ravenous Beyond, the Devotee of Tezcatlipoca can do her murderous work at a distance. It Comes From Within is a long-ish distance ranged attack with the mirror type, and although it causes Witnessing, it only does so against its direct target. This means that the Devotee can pick on specific targets in larger crowds without worrying about attracting too much (Witness) attention, and can even wear a single target down over a series of shots to get rid of that pesky token. As an added bonus, if you're willing to pay Spirit, the Devotee can reposition with a small movement of 2" after she's fired her shot.This repositioning works well with Wind from the Deep Pool, a reaction that helps the Devotee move around even more. All told, combining these two abilities grants a reasonable distance of movement - more than enough to duck around a corner to avoid retaliation from your enemy's ranged attackers. If you feel like paying even more Spirit, you can add an additional layer of protection onto your Devotee: Hiding In Currents grants her Low Priority (at least until the next time she attacks), meaning that you can go on a little hit-and-run spree against targets that have no way to attack through Low Priority protection.
The rest of the Devotee's abilities and rules are less related to her hit-and-run power, but provide a few small bonuses nonetheless. Subtle Reflection is an odd duck that heals very little Spirit - but what this means is that the Devotee can use this ability once per turn to mitigate Invest costs for herself or for an ally. It won't be fantastically useful against an enemy that deals a lot of Spirit damage, though. Reflected Against Your Worser Self allows the Devotee of spread a little bit of Rupture around the table, especially when she uses her attacks to destroy Bystanders that may be in convenient / inconvenient places. Finally, Emergence is a bit of a back-up special rule, allowing you to use the Devotee's death as a way to spawn one of the demonic models you have waiting to manifest. As the Devotee dies, the thing inside her mirror finally breaks free...
The Past
Like many other models in the newest version of Pendant World, the Devotee of Tezcatlipoca doesn't have any direct predecessor. She was born just like the Leakings of Ahul Puh were, when I decided to add a Latin theme to the faction at the behest of one of my playtesters. I had always known that I would want to launch the faction with a second cultist-type, but it wasn't until this suggestion that she really started to take shape.
In her first few games, she could grant demons Low Priority and could attach herself to an enemy model with a sort of linked-fate spell, spelling doom for both of them if either model died. The first ability linked her more closely to demonic models, which I wasn't sure I wanted after coming up with the Disciple of Malphas. The second ability meant that she could walk up to literally any enemy and drop a death sentence on them - later versions of this ability said that the model would die if it destroyed any other model, which made it even more deadly. That much power in the hands of a non-elite, non-leader seemed to be a bit too much.
Her special rule allowed her to ignore any mirror-type urban terrain rules, which were (and are) quite sparse for now. Until the Queen in the Mirror (The Fair Ones faction) comes out with her expansion, mirror-type terrain is at a minimum - so the rule was a bit on the useless side.
Leader Kit
The Devotee of Tezcatlipoca is reasonably self-sufficient. Still, there are a few pieces of Kit that might help her out of a tight spot - especially if she's taking advantage of Low Priority and her extra movement to worm her way into enemy territory.
Andres Salinas brings the Bulletproof Vest, which grants her +2 Flesh TN against ranged attacks. This helps if you're planning on waging a more face-to-face war with your enemy's shooters, but be warned - this only puts her up to a TN of 6, which may not be high enough to avoid any serious damage (unless she takes a shot and ducks out of sight, of course).
Dr. Paul Abberline has a few more items the Devotee can use. The Amulet of Stillness makes it harder for your opponents to move around (and up to) the Devotee, which might afford her a little bit more flexibility when it comes to her hit-and-runs. Sign of the Drowned is perhaps less useful, because you probably won't be anywhere near large quantities of Ruptures with this model. Still, its second part (Rupture 3 upon destruction) can help jam your opponent up if you decide to make use of Emergence.
Despite being the most cult-oriented leader, The Koken offers a little less than you might expect. Several of her Kit (Yase-Onna Mask, Forbidden Text) rely on the model being in base-contact, which is not something you want to do with the Devotee. Forbidden Text's second rule grants the contracted tag, but that's not something the Devotee needs, with her Emergence rule. Prior Directions might be useful, as it grants a bit of a bonus to Overcharge rolls - if the Devotee is going to be activating several times in a row, this could come in handy. Finally, Stage Presence is a piece of Kit seriously worth considering, because it amplifies any Spirit damage taken by non-friendly models within 8". The Devotee can essentially hand out Spirit damage to targets of its ranged attack (via Witnessing), so this kit may help push the damage from "just ok" into something more serious.
Conclusion
The Devotee of Tezcatlipoca may seem like a traditional spellcaster, but is actually a stealthy assassin that can move around and snipe at lone models (or even clear away bystanders). She has several movement options and can fire at range without focusing, making her incredibly mobile if you're careful. If you're looking for a fearsome solo murderess who's more subtle than the usual Ravenous Beyond fare, look no further than the Devotee of Tezcatlipoca.
And just as a reminder, I'm leaving the link to the Pendant World playtest documents here. All feedback is welcome!
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