Imps

Imp

A devious, flesh­-eating Mage Spawn menace found throughout the Land. They tend to fly in packs of fifteen or twenty and try to drag off the smaller members of caravans or war parties.

The Imps follow travelers through the trees like a bunch of playful, jeering children. Their happy noise only seems to increase the strain felt by the men on the road below. Trying to hit the well-hidden Imps would take luck as well as aim. Besides, the ugly little winged things could prove useful - they go quiet when the real predator arrives, afraid to draw attention to themselves.

Unless momentarily mistaken for a Screeching Terror or Ki Devil, most warlords quickly disregard Imps as weak, ineffective creatures - a nuisance. They might tie up troops better employed elsewhere or stoop to an unprotected healer or mage, but rarely do they make their own kills or captures. Of course, this casual disregard can work against a warlord when three or more Imps suddenly come winging together from different parts of the battlefield, collecting together in a fury of Imps. Such a fury can bring down creatures five times a lone Imp, and turn the much maligned Imps into a danger once more.

First Released: Mage Knight Rebellion

The Imp is the classic harasser in Mage Knight. It is fast; only the weak Imp has a speed of less than 10. Its Flight ability allows it to get to an opponent’s ranged combat and healing figures quickly and lock them down in close combat. Given the opportunity, it can also easily break away from an enemy to perform some mischief elsewhere on the battlefield. A capture attempt with an Imp is a good plan. Since the controller of a captive is no longer able to perform any actions but moving with the captive, it makes sense to have a 5-­point flying figure as the controller. Due to their inability to absorb many ranks of damage, though, Imps rarely survive a battle. They are usually left to die after buying their army some time. But, really, what more do you expect from such cheap warriors?