"Stamp and trample! Gore and Crush!"
- —Bhorgos Gorehorn, Doombull.
Doombull is a Beastmen lord unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II with The Silence & The Fury DLC.
Description[]
It is not only Wargors and Beastlords that call the brayherd - sometimes the dread Doombulls will do so instead. Whereas a chieftain will have plotted and schemed and taken counsel from his shaman, a Minotaur will simply be responding to a deep-seated urge to destroy. A ravenous hunger - known as the bloodgreed - comes upon them, and they bellow a deafening warcry that raises like an echo in every Beastmen that hears it.
When Morrslieb is full in the sky, the Doombull roar out a bellowing call that resounds across the forest for many miles, attracting yet more Minotaurs and invoking the bloodgreed that runs through all of their kind. Soon the forest will echo to the thunder of gargantuan hooves as Minotaurs gather by the hundred at the herdstone, pawing the ground in their haste to trample and crush. It is not only Minotaurs who heed the call of the bloodgreed, for sometimes the Beastmen themselves will be swept up in the rush of primal instinct to fight and to feed. As bands of Minotaurs crash through the trees towards the settlements and fortifications of the civilized races, so groups of Gors and other Beastmen follow in their wake, consumed by the desire to wolf down the hot flesh of their enemies.
Though no master of strategy or battle doctrine, a Doombull is capable of leadership, of a sort. It is he that bellows the raw will of the Dark Ones, triggering a terrifying stampede that can only end when the horde's unnatural thirst is quenched with the blood of Man or they are completely wiped out themselves. As the Doombull's army smashes its way through the dark woods, the undergrowth is flattened and trees toppled all around. This is a truly horrifying sight for the occupants of any settlement in its path, for it spells certain and violent death. Yet even forewarned by the cacophony of the stampede's approach, the defenders of such fortifications are truly doomed, for the Doombull and his Minotaurs will be upon them in short order and their escape route is almost always barred by the gross mass of the warherd.
Consumed by bloodgreed, the Minotaurs lay waste to their prey in an orgy of slaughter, smashing through barricades and buildings alike to get at the still-living weaklings that cower within. The Doombull at the head of the horned army lowers his head and charges at full speed towards the leader of the enemy army, gouging his horns deep into the foe and maiming everything within reach with his axe. When all is laid to waste the Doombull gorges himself on the choicest of prey while his followers fight over the corpse-harvest at their feet. As the last scraps are gobbled down and the steaming blood seeps into the earth, the raging wrath of the horde begins to subside. The beasts slink back to the deep forest, the Minotaurs returning to their lairs to slumber and digest until the bloodletting begins again. The Empire of Man is fortunate that such incursions only last as long as the bloodgreed is upon the Minotaurs, for otherwise the stampede might never end.
Sometimes a shaman will attempt to guide the actions of a Doombull, but Minotaurs being simple creatures, his counsel must be suitably blunt and to the point. In all likelihood, simply informing the Doombull of the location of a large amount of "meat" (Men, Dwarfs, or maybe Elves) will be sufficient to bring on the bloodgreed. This is dangerous for the shaman, for he could be caught up in the general anarchy as scores of Minotaurs stampede to war. Fortunately, the Minotaurs believe it is bad luck to kill a Bray-Shaman, though accidents do of course still happen.
Ambitious shamans may attempt to control a Doombull instead of merely offering counsel. Some even go so far as to possess the body of a Doombull, using it to call the brayherd and lead a full scale invasion. This is disapproved of by the other Bray-Shamans, for when discovered it does great damage to their ability to guide events according to their plans. A Doombull that discovers that it has been manipulated in such a manner will be driven into a rage, and seek revenge against the offending shaman, his anger overcoming the ingrained proscription against harming such a creature.
Attributes[]
- ↑ Armoured: Armoured units can block damage from any source apart from Armour-Piercing damage.
- ↑ Armour-Piercing: The damage of armour-piercing weapons mostly ignores the armour of the target, making them the ideal choice against heavily-armoured enemies. They are often heavier and attack at a slower rate though, making them less efficient against poorly-armoured targets.
- ↑ Melee Expert: Melee Experts might have a very strong melee attack or melee defence, or high values in both. Some also have melee-focused skills like Charge Defence. Use them to counter other strong melee units. When facing them, it is best to take them out before they can enter melee.
