Steampunk Saturday - Earthborn Dire Troll

After a break last week, Steampunk Saturday is back with one of my favorite sculpts in the entire Privateer Press range: the Earthborn Dire Troll!

EBDT wants to eat your face.

Trollblood heavy beasts are known for being big and nasty, and the EBDT is no exception! While his stats seem like the standard slow, easy to hit Trollblood beast stats, coupled with somewhat pillow-fisted attacks, looks can be deceiving. First, he has Pathfinder- a super rare trait for Trollbloods. That means he won't be slowed down by terrain or obstacles when it comes time for him to charge. In addition, its Elemental Communion rule gives significant bonuses to SPD, DEF, and ARM depending on what kind of terrain is nearby. These stack with each other, though it's rare to get more than one or maybe two.

In terms of Melee attacks, the EBDT has two P+S 15 open fists, 5 Fury, and a very high Fury Threshold. Like many Trollblood beasts, his two open fists mean he can do some fun throwing shenanigans. But, the EBDT also has Adaption- a special ability that replaces his POW with the POW of a model in his melee range. Depending on his target (or backup- friendly models count too!) he can gain an impressive bonus to his POW and therefore damage. Couple all this with the super high fury value and he can do some crazy damage.

Finally, like all Troll heavies, he has the ability to regenerate wounds at an impressive rate, high ARM that can easily be buffed much more, and plenty of damage boxes.

All in all, this guy is a beast well worth taking! The EBDT is often used as a Troll cruise missile: buff his speed, clear him a charge lane, and watch things die!

Side view

Side view part deux

Thank goodness for that loincloth... O_O

This particular model was a rehab of a somewhat poorly-painted model acquired from the fantastic used model section at Gamers Sanctuary. Anyone reading this who's close enough- I definitely recommend checking the used section often! Lots of great deals to be had, but the good stuff tends to go fast. He's missing a tusk, but being a Trollblood beast, I doubt that would bother him much.

Truth be told, this is a great looking model but annoying to paint. Keep in mind that is a big hunk of metal, in a pose that's very awkward to paint. I got some serious hand cramps just holding him, and had to repaint those rocks in his back many times thanks to paint rubbing off while I maneuvered the model to paint everything. Still, all in all a fun model. Can't wait to try him out on the battlefield!