Plague Monks

Plague Monks is a Skaven melee infantry unit in Total War: Warhammer II. Feeling no pain, they throw themselves into battle, paying little heed to what awaits them.

Description
The Plague Monks of Clan Pestilens are zealots utterly dedicated to the spread of corruption and decay in the name of the Great Horned One. These devout disciples of disease are unique amongst Skaven society in that they are fanatically committed to their clan and its purpose of creating the ultimate disease. Once this plague devastates all surface-dwellers, the Skaven can rise up in the ruins and claim their proper inheritance - nothing short of the entire world - and the Great Horned Rat will know who brought his children to their rightful and preordained ascendancy and Clan Pestilens will sit over all and reign supreme. As the foul brethren march forward towards an enemy battleline, their chanting picks up its pace and the Plague Monks seem to incite themselves into a terrible rage. In combat Plague Monks hurl themselves into the fray with a fanatical ferocity, eager to bring death and destruction to their foes. They relentlessly attack with filth-encrusted blades, iron-tipped staves, or even their needle-sharp teeth. A Plague Monk's exposure to pestilence has rendered its toughened, boil-ridden skin immune to pain. The ability to shrug off crippling injury combined with their near-hysterical zealotry means that the only reliable way of stopping a Plague Monk attack is to wholly dismember them.

Strategy
Plague Monks suffer from two glaring weaknesses: a lack of shields and a practically nonexistent armor value, the combination of both meaning they are vulnerable to ranged attack. That being said, their physical resistance will help them survive in combat and their melee stats combined with Frenzy means they will dish out solid damage. Their leadership is also rather high for skaven and they will tend keep fighting while others rout. They are not a cost effective means to hold the line like Clanrats or Stormvermin, but instead are focused on dealing damage. if you expect a number of poorly armored infantry in your opponent's front line they are a good choice. They can also be used to flank already engaged enemy units and attack them from the sides or behind, or kept on reserve so that when your front line falters the Plague Monks can be your second line of defence with their higher Leadership values than most Skaven infantry. Be very wary of damage spells and magical attacks as either will cut right through their physical resistance and minimal armor.