A Rose Knight By Any Other Name…
Beyond the various characters of the court, different military units also feel that one side or the other would be more suited to rule. In the case of the Rose Knights, they are fiercely devoted to Renly. Their loyalty is paid in the form of funding for the best armor around, elite training, and resplendent, green attire to match Renly’s own sensibilities. These Rose Knights will soon hit the field in the A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game. Let’s take a look at what they’ll do in the game.
For starters, the Rose Knights cost 7 points to field. Weighed down by their heavy armor, the unit only has a Speed of 4. However, that armor comes in handy with their 3+ Defense Save. On average, they’ll turn away 2/3 of the attacks thrown their direction. That should keep them in the fight longer. Another thing that will keep them in the fight is their Morale of 6+. It’s not easy to get a Rose Knight to simply run off the battlefield. Offensively, the unit rolls 8 Attack dice at full ranks and all that training has paid off, letting them hit on a 3+.
The Rose Knights have three special abilities that play off each-another. The first is Perseverance and Valor. Whenever the unit makes a melee attack, before Attack dice are rolled, the unit may Restore 1 Wound. That can potentially bring back another rank, giving them more Attack dice to roll for an attack. At the very least, any time a unit is able to Restore Wounds, that’s going to keep them fighting longer. But that’s not the only way that the Rose Knights can regain Wounds. Dauntless, their next special ability lets them restore 1 Wound whenever they pass a Morale Test. As mentioned above, their 6+ Morale value means they’ll pass more often than they fail, meaning what could have potentially lost them Wounds, such as a Panic Test, can actually bolster the unit’s ranks.
The Rose Knights go a step further and have turned their own gain into the opponent’s loss with their final ability. Deadly Bloom states that whenever the Rose Knights Restore Wounds, an opponent engaged with them suffers 1 Wound. So, in an average melee exchange the Rose Knights initiate, before the dice have even been rolled, the Rose Knights will gain 1 Wound from Perseverance and the enemy will suffer 1 Wound. Meanwhile, whenever the enemy attacks them, the Rose Knights, with a passed Panic Test, will restore 1 Wound, possibly negating any gains made by the opponent as well as once more dealing that foe an automatic Wound. Any sort of automatic damage like that, since Wounds ignore Defense Saves, is rare and puts the Rose Knights in a unique position where a commander can be certain of doing at least a little damage to an enemy with an attack, regardless of what the dice might roll.
The Rose Knights are a hearty unit that have plenty of defense and restorative powers that they can also turn into offensive might. House Baratheon players looking to support Renly for the Iron Throne will gain a powerful unit when these troops hit the battlefield on August 7th. Be sure to ask your LGS about getting some for you.
You can read more about the Rose Knights here.
