With Nethermaze coming to pre-order on Saturday, warbands are starting to slink out of the shadows in an attempt to conquer the maddening labyrinth. We’ve run over the rules for up-and-coming Skaven throat-cutter Slynk Skittershank and his motley Clawpack, and today it’s the Shadeborn’s turn to step into the spotlight.
Many years ago, an outcast group of Idoneth and Khainite aelves seceded from their respective rulers in search of freedom and autonomy. Led by the Idoneth exile Queen Kia’tan, they founded an undersea haven which unfortunately turned out to be right on top of the ruins of Harrowdeep.* The fragments of her discoveries lie scattered throughout the Nethermaze… almost as though placed there for warbands to find.
Morathi brooks no rivals, even in exile, and has dispatched the Shadeborn to eliminate Queen Kia’tan and her seditionists. This elite force of Khainite killers are lead by the ancient Shroud Queen Slythael, who alone knows their true goal – to seek a way to harness the mysterious power of the Nethermaze for Morathi herself.
The Shadeborn are masters of the umbral arts, a nimble group of skilled assassins who use their mobility to bushwhack anyone, anytime, anywhere. They can manipulate tenebreal magics to wreath themselves and their enemies in living darkness, while their cards gain power if the target of the card is in a cover hex – steer clear of the shadows!
Shroud Queen Slythael takes this power one step further – being in a cover hex bathes her in shadow, allowing her to teleport to edge hexes and other secluded spots.
This warband thrives in cover, so a Shadeborn player will do well to skulk through the darkness and attack with devastating precision. Smoke and Mirrors, for example, allows Shadeborn warriors to swap one friendly fighter with another that’s lurking in a cover hex – even right across the board!** Played well, this can scramble your opponent’s plans and give your warband much more longevity.
The new Domain keyword cards also have great synergy with the Shadeborn. Moving through the murky gloom will help you get into position to push enemies into unstable walls and columns, causing extra damage as the Creaking Ceiling crumbles and cracks.
Of course, any Khainite Shadowstalker worth their realmstone knows that torture is just as important as sneaking. It may come as no surprise to learn that the Inspire condition for all four Shadeborn is to make an attack action against an opponent who is already injured.
There are also a number of upgrades that focus on the joyful sadism of these bloody-handed assassins, such as Ruthless Aim, which adds +2 dice to attack actions – but only when their victim is vulnerable.
There’s also Sadistic Tendencies, an objective card which rewards you for spreading out your attacks. With this in hand, you can creep to victory without even needing to kill your opponents – perfect for quelling tougher and more heavy-hitting warbands.
The Shadeborn are a great pick for patient players who enjoy lying in wait and encircling their opponents, luring them into deadly traps and sowing confusion amongst their ranks. This warband thrives on carefully-laid plans and inflicting a gradual, painful death on their foes.
Warbands will be able to challenge the maddening corridors of the Nethermaze when it arrives for pre-order this weekend. In the meantime, why not subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with the latest Warhammer Underworlds news?
* This is why it’s important to have a good property surveyor.
** You could even say that the Shadeborn are… shade-borne?