The Glass Court's forces
The Glass Court's units in Messalith: Wardens, Lucents, Iridants and Scintles. Stats, weapons, how each one fights, and how a Court force is made up.
An off-world crystalline people who came long before the exiles. They hold the western uplands, forge Neuro-Crowns and field Wardens. They mine the basin floor and take exiles as labour and as minds to calibrate crowns on.
Ruler: Regent of Facets. Soldiers: Wardens.
The whole Court is crowned, at Tier II, but Court glass is salvage-class, so their weapons never get conduction. Every Court kind acts in the Wardens' turn. For who they are and what they want, see the Glass Court.
At a glance
| Unit | HP | Aim | Defence | Mobility | Sight | Weapon | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warden | 6 | 60 | 0 | 5 | 9 | Warden Lance | 1.95 m |
| Lucent | 12 | 65 | 10 | 5 | 9 | Crystal Blade | 2.4 m |
| Iridant | 7 | 65 | 5 | 5 | 10 | Glare | 2.3 m |
| Scintle | 6 | 65 | 5 | 5 | 9 | Splinters | 2.25 m |
Warden
The Court's soldier and the core of every Court force. A Warden carries a lance and fights from cover at range.
| Weapon | Range (best) | Damage | Aim | Cover | Conduction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warden Lance | 12 (8) | 3-5 | 0 | counts | no | - |
How it fights
- Fires at the shot with the best expected damage, if its best chance is at least 35%. Below that it sets overwatch.
Notes
- Resists a Voice's command on 30% or less (a Voice's crown above Tier I takes 10 off).
- Falls with 1 Court crystal on 35% of kills.
- One Warden in each pod is drawn as a Captain, taller (2.15 m). It has the same rules as the rest.
Lucent
A melee elite, 2.4 metres tall in stained-glass plate, with a two-handed crystal blade. It joins larger forces, every siege stage and any force from a garrison of 5, and it comes at the squad.
| Weapon | Range (best) | Damage | Aim | Cover | Conduction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Blade | beside it | 4-6 | 0 | ignores it | no | - |
How it fights
- Closes in: a tile beside a known exile is worth far more to it than cover.
Notes
- Resists a Voice's command on 60% or less (a Voice's crown above Tier I takes 10 off).
- Dread doesn't shake it.
Iridant
The Court's psychic caster. Its Glare is a lance of refracted light: light damage, and an exile it hits is dazzled, with -20 Aim and 4 less Sight until the end of their next turn. It takes no Will and a Mend doesn't lift it. Iridants stand back in cover behind the line, so most Glares come out of the fog.
| Weapon | Range (best) | Damage | Aim | Cover | Conduction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glare | 10 (8) | 1-3 | +10 | counts | no | a hit dazzles |
How it fights
- Keeps its distance: it wants the nearest known exile 6-8 tiles away, in cover, and weighs high ground at 10 a level.
- Fires at an exile not yet dazzled, if its best chance is at least 35%. Below that it sets overwatch.
Notes
- Resists a Voice's command on 60% or less (a Voice's crown above Tier I takes 10 off).
Scintle
A ranged elite that flings crystal splinters from mid range, accurately, in light plate.
| Weapon | Range (best) | Damage | Aim | Cover | Conduction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Splinters | 9 (6) | 2-3 | +5 | counts | no | - |
How it fights
- Keeps its distance: it wants the nearest known exile 6-8 tiles away, in cover, and weighs high ground at 10 a level.
- Fires at the shot with the best expected damage, if its best chance is at least 35%. Below that it sets overwatch.
Notes
- Resists a Voice's command on 30% or less (a Voice's crown above Tier I takes 10 off).
How a Court force splits
Wardens are the core. Scintles join from a force of 4, an Iridant from 5, a Lucent from 6. Wardens are never fewer than a third of the force and never outnumbered: when they would be, the Iridant steps out first, then a Scintle at a time. Raiding parties are Wardens alone. In a pod, the Lucent stands nearest the squad and the Scintles and Iridant deepest.
| Force | Wardens | Lucents | Iridants | Scintles | With a Lucent forced in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 / 1 / 0 / 0 |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 / 1 / 0 / 0 |
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 / 1 / 0 / 1 |
| 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 / 1 / 1 / 1 |
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 / 1 / 1 / 1 |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 / 1 / 1 / 1 |
| 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 / 1 / 1 / 1 |
| 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 / 1 / 1 / 2 |
By mission:
| Mission | Garrison | Enemies | Wardens | Lucents | Iridants | Scintles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defence | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Siege, outer works | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Siege, walls | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Siege, citadel | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Attack | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Defence | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Siege, outer works | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Siege, walls | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Siege, citadel | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Attack | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Defence | 3 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Siege, outer works | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Siege, walls | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Siege, citadel | 3 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Attack | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Defence | 4 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Siege, outer works | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Siege, walls | 4 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Siege, citadel | 4 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Attack | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Defence | 5 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Siege, outer works | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Siege, walls | 5 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Siege, citadel | 5 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |