Taoyan the Merciless
Hero· Trident Infantry· 1 model at Ultra size
Skill tree →Duel it in the combat calculator →vs Chaos Warriors, the unit the rankings measure against; pick any other there.
Taoyan the Merciless is a legendary hero of Grand Cathay: 4,588 HP, armour 90, melee attack 50, melee defence 60, weapon strength 420. It costs 1,200 in the campaign and 600 in multiplayer. Unit key wh3_cp1_cth_cha_taoyan. Patch 9.0.4, from the game's data tables.
Hit Points4,588This determines how many hits a unit can withstand alongside armour and melee defence.Patch 9.0.4 · battle_entities.hit_points, land_units.bonus_hit_points, main_units.num_men · (soldier + mount hit points + bonus hit points) × models
Health
4,588
top 39% of class
Armour90How resistant a unit is to missile fire and melee attacks.Patch 9.0.4 · land_units.armour → unit_armour_types.armour_value
Armour
90
top 28% of class
Leadership80A unit with high leadership is less likely to rout in the face of danger.
Leadership is improved by experience in battle.Patch 9.0.4 · land_units.morale
Leadership
80
top 11% of class
Speed34This is how fast a unit moves.Patch 9.0.4 · battle_entities.run_speed / fly_speed (mount if any) · run or fly speed × 10
Speed
34
bottom 12% of class
Melee Attack50This determines the chance of a successful hit on the enemy when the unit is engaged in melee.
Battle-hardened troops will gain experience through melee, improving this skill.Patch 9.0.4 · land_units.melee_attack
Melee attack
50
top 23% of class
Melee Defence60This determines the chance of a unit being hit whilst in melee.
This only works in melee and provides no protection from missiles!Patch 9.0.4 · land_units.melee_defence
Melee defence
60
top 1% of class
Weapon strength420 · 160 base + 260 armour-piercing, +25 vs largeBase Weapon Damage: Base weapon damageArmour-Piercing Weapon Damage: Armour-piercing weapon damageBonus vs. Large: The melee bonus this unit receives when fighting against large creatures.Patch 9.0.4 · melee_weapons.damage + ap_damage · base damage + armour-piercing damage
Weapon strength
160 base + 260 armour-piercing, +25 vs large
420
top 28% of class
Charge Bonus30This increases a unit's melee attack and damage when charging.Patch 9.0.4 · land_units.charge_bonus
Charge bonus
30
bottom 29% of class
Attributes
- Causes Fear
This unit frightens all enemy units, reducing their leadership when nearby. It is also immune to fear. Fear penalties do not stack.
- Expert Charge Defence
When bracing, this unit negates the charge bonus of any attacker.
- Charge Reflection
When bracing, this unit causes additional damage when attacking charging enemies.
- Encourage
This unit provides a leadership bonus to nearby allies. Units within range of both the Lord's aura and an encouraging unit will receive the larger of the two bonuses.
- Hide (forest)
This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
- Immune to Psychology
The unit is immune to psychological attacks (Fear & Terror).
Abilities
- Ultimate VerdictHex (Area) · -24 Melee DefenceactiveUltimate VerdictHex (Area)-24 Melee DefenceCooldown 120 s · Duration 28 s · Range 35 m"No mercy for Cathay's enemies, no redemption for corruption. The road to rebellion always ends with decapitation."
- Fuelled by VengeanceAugment · +35% Armour-Piercing Weapon Damage, +35% Base Weapon Damage…passiveFuelled by VengeanceAugment+35% Armour-Piercing Weapon Damage+35% Base Weapon Damage+35% Damage ResistanceEffect intensity increases as the unit takes damagePassiveThe end of one's life is a slight against those owed their debts of vengeance that remain unpaid.
- Will of the DragonsAugment (Area) · +4 LeadershippassiveWill of the DragonsAugment (Area)+4 LeadershipPassive · Range 35 mThe Dragons have ruled Cathay for centuries. Their power will never be questioned by their imperial subjects, who understand their place and role in the world perfectly.
- WoundsHex · -10% Speed, -20% Armour-Piercing Weapon Damage…passiveWoundsHex-10% Speed-20% Armour-Piercing Weapon Damage-20% Base Weapon DamagePassiveEven the greatest foes can be laid low with terrible injuries, and the greater the damage done, the less able they will be to effectively continue the fray.
Counters
Good against
- Large units — bonus vs large 25e.g. Rogue Idol, Dread Saurian, Khemric Titan · Grand Cathay: Terracotta Sentinel, Sky-junk
- Heavily armoured units — 260 of 420 weapon strength armour-piercinge.g. Steam Tank, Blessed Bastiladon (Solar Engine), Rotting Leviathan · Grand Cathay: Great Longma Riders, Terracotta Sentinel
- Units with physical resistance — magical melee attackse.g. Hexwraiths, Cairn Wraiths, Syreens · Grand Cathay: Tiger Warrior Stalkers, Onyx Crowmen
Vulnerable to
- Bonus vs infantry — infantry-sizede.g. Doom-Flayers, War Mammoth, Feral Mammoth
Computed from base unit-card values (no skills, items or abilities), one rule per line; examples are units with the most of that trait. How counters are worked out · Try it in the combat calculator
Taoyan the Merciless skill tree
26 skills, line by line as the game lays them out. Hover a skill for the rank it unlocks at and its effects at each level.
Plan Taoyan the Merciless's skills
- Shang-Yang's Blade & ClawShang-Yang's Blade & ClawUnlocks at rank 9
- Melee attack: +6
- Melee defence: +8
- Speed: +10%
- Wind HarmonyWind HarmonyUnlocks at rank 7
- Spell resistance: 10%
- Ranged DisciplineRanged DisciplineUnlocks at rank 7
- Missile resistance: 10%
- Fuelled by VengeanceFuelled by VengeanceUnlocks at rank 12
- Passive ability: "Fuelled by Vengeance"
- Fearsome ReputationFearsome Reputation
- Attribute: Unbreakable
- Melee defence: +5
- Hit points: +10%
- Root Out the TraitorsRoot Out the Traitors
- Enemy Hero action success chance: -25% (enemy characters in region)
- Corruption: -3 (local province)
- Control: +5 (local province)
- Ruthless StandardsRuthless Standards
- Recruit rank: +1 for Jade Warrior units (Hero's army)
- Upkeep: -15% for Jade Warrior units (Hero's army)
- Local recruitment capacity: +1 (local province)
- Not One Step BackNot One Step Back
- Leadership: +8 for Jade Warrior units (Hero's army)
- Melee defence: +6 for all Jade Warrior units (Hero's army)
- Physical resistance: 10% for Jade Warrior units (Hero's army)
- The Iron Dragon's EnforcerThe Iron Dragon's Enforcer
- Ability: "Ultimate Verdict"
- Attribute: Causes Fear for all units in army (Hero's army)
- Enemy leadership: -6 (enemy armies in local region)
- Blade MasterBlade Master
- Melee attack: +5
- Devastating ChargeDevastating Charge3 levelsLevel 1
- Charge bonus: +6
- Charge bonus: +16
- Charge bonus: +30
- Full Plate ArmourFull Plate Armour3 levelsLevel 1
- Armour: +3
- Armour: +8
- Armour: +15
- Hard to HitHard to Hit3 levelsLevel 1
- Melee defence: +3
- Melee defence: +7
- Melee defence: +12
- Deadly BladeDeadly Blade3 levelsLevel 1
- Melee attack: +3
- Melee attack: +7
- Melee attack: +12
- Foe-SeekerFoe-Seeker
- Ability: "Foe-Seeker"
- Wound-MakerWound-Maker3 levelsLevel 1
- Weapon strength: +5%
- Weapon strength: +12%
- Weapon strength: +20%
- Scarred VeteranScarred Veteran3 levelsLevel 1
- Hit points: +3%
- Hit points: +8%
- Hit points: +15%
- Fleet-FootedFleet-Footed3 levelsLevel 1
- Speed: +3%
- Speed: +7%
- Speed: +12%
- Blade ShieldBlade Shield3 levelsLevel 1
- Melee defence: +3
- Melee defence: +7
- Melee defence: +12
- Colossal StrikeColossal Strike
- Ability: "Colossal Strike"
- TrainingTraining3 levelsLevel 1
- Training action: Unit experience gain is increased by an additional 10%
- Training action: Unit experience gain is increased by an additional 20%
- Training action: Unit experience gain is increased by an additional 30%
- Spread ControlSpread Control3 levelsLevel 1
- Spread Control action: Control is modified by an additional 1
- Spread Control action: Control is modified by an additional 2
- Spread Control action: Control is modified by an additional 3
- Assault GarrisonAssault Garrison3 levelsLevel 1
- Assault Garrison action: Additional 5% casualties inflicted
- Assault Garrison action: Additional 15% casualties inflicted
- Assault Garrison action: Additional 30% casualties inflicted
- WoundWound3 levelsLevel 1
- Wound action: Additional 5% chance of wounding target
- Wound action: Additional 12% chance of wounding target
- Wound action: Additional 21% chance of wounding target
- Assault UnitsAssault Units3 levelsLevel 1
- Assault Units action: Additional 3% casualties inflicted
- Assault Units action: Additional 8% casualties inflicted
- Assault Units action: Additional 15% casualties inflicted
- SpecialistSpecialist3 levelsLevel 1
- Hero action cost: -10%
- Hero action success chance: +1%
- Hero action cost: -20%
- Hero action success chance: +3%
- Hero action cost: -40%
- Hero action success chance: +6%
Who can field it
- Grand Cathay · The Northern Provinces
Custom Battle lists factions under each race; every faction of a race fields that race's units (units_custom_battle_permissions rows of any of its factions). The name after the race is the faction the army builder uses.
Where these numbers come from
Read from the game's database tables for patch 9.0.4 (main_units, land_units, battle_entities, melee_weapons, projectiles…) as published in the WH3-Dump export (commit 099796e8). Formulas that turn table values into card values are checked against known units before they are shown — how we verify.