Cockatrice

is a , and monster unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer III with Shadows of Change.
== Recruitment ==
*
** Unlocked with: Temple of Tzeentch
*
** Unlocked with: Transmogrification Locus
*
** Activating the Feathered Abomination gift and recruiting it in the Gifted Units
== Description ==
The Cockatrice is a deadly, magical beast known to petrify those that look directly into its gaze. Said to dwell in the Annulii Mountains of Ulthuan, Cockatrices are vicious beasts obviously tainted by Chaos for both their unnatural appearance and their fierce disposition in battle. In truth, the Cockatrice is not a bold fighter and prefers to lurk around the fringes of a battlefield where it can safely feast on the dead and dying. Despite the beast's inclination for self-preservation, only a very foolish warrior will attempt to corner one, because when the beast is desperate, it goes berserk, shrinking and clawing at all who approach it with maddened ferocity that more than compensates for its inner cowardice.
== Attributes ==
== Unit Abilities ==
=== Active Abilities ===
* Petrifying Gaze
=== Passive Abilities ===
* Wounds
== Strategy ==
1300 gold is an eye-watering sum to pay for a tier 3 unit, so it has to be bloody good to justify it. The Cockatrice's stats are good, but its true value is to be found in its Petrifying Gaze passive. This reduces every nearby enemy unit's melee attack by a massive 10 points - and unlike similar hexes it never expires, so long as the Cockatrice remains in situ. 
This puts the Cockatrice in a strange sort of support role, where ideally you want it to be fighting near your front line so your own melee units are benefiting from the effect. It can still do the sort of things you want a fast flying monster to ordinarily do, like take out artillery or missile units, but Tzeentch has a lot of ways of doing that that are much cheaper. It doesn't have a great pool of health, but barrier and some missile resistance helps it out a bit there, particularly if you cycle charge it. It's very good at helping a SEM take out a tough enemy hero/lord, although it will likely lose if trying to do this solo. Another point in its favour, particularly for Tzeentch, is that it is non-Demonic: it won't up and disintegrate on you if it loses a fight.
Overall the Cockatrice comes across as a tier 4 or even 5 unit that just happens to be available at 3. It's definitely a very powerful and versatile monster that your opponent will unironically hate the sight of, but given the expense its worth considering its role in your army quite carefully.
== Gallery ==
Twwh3SoC design cockatrice-1920x1080.jpg
Category:Daemons of Chaos units
Category:Daemons of Chaos monster units
Category:Warriors of Chaos units
Category:Warriors of Chaos monster units
Category:Gifted Units
Category:Shadows of Change units