The deathless warriors of the Barrow Kingdoms are the immortal chaff of the Soulblight Gravelords – and the stars of the Deathrattle Army Set. Yet despite the cruel might of their lords and masters, they are simply pawns in a much larger game.
Battletome: Soulblight Gravelords gives you all sorts of ways to construct an army of the unliving, but vampires are given special attention with a powerful new hero to supercharge your Kastelai cavalry and a dedicated Army of Renown.
No longer will your crimson-caparisoned Blood Knights ride without oversight, as the Vampire Lord on Nightmare Steed bucks imperiously at their head. With a cry of For Glory! For Blood! this carrion cavalier hammers into the enemy ranks, rerolling their charge rolls and urging along a unit of Blood Knights beside them.
VAMPIRE LORD ON NIGHTMARE STEED
Reaction: You declared a CHARGE ability for this unit
‘FOR GLORY! FOR BLOOD!’
The Vampire Lord and their retinue of favoured knights charge into the fray, driving deep into the enemy lines.
Effect: You can re-roll the charge roll for that Charge ability.Then, before the charge move is made, you can pick a friendly Blood Knights unit that is not in combat, is wholly within 12" of this unit and has not used a Charge ability this turn to be the target. If this unit charges, then, immediately after the Charge ability used by this unit has been resolved, the target can immediately use the ‘Charge’ ability even if it is not your charge phase. In addition, you can re-roll charge rolls for the target this phase.
This reaction can trigger off the Counter Charge command, with a free reroll making it more reliable – no hole in the enemy line will go unexploited. Your Vampire Lord can command their minions to Strike at the Heart, increasing Rend by 1 – bad news for those at the business end.
Any Combat Phase
STRIKE AT THE HEART
Focusing upon their own cursed hunger, the Vampire Lord stokes the predatory urges of a formation of Blood Knights, whose lances and blades strike with great precision and force as they impact with the foe.
Declare: Pick a friendly Blood Knights unit that charged this turn and is wholly within 12" of this unit to be the target.
Effect: Add 1 to the Rend characteristic of that unit’s Templar Weapons for the rest of the turn.
You might be thinking this potent combo is good enough to hang a whole army off… which is exactly what the Knights of the Crimson Keep provides. This Army of Renown has a limited roster: Prince Vhordrai, the Vampire Lord on Nightmare Steed, Blood Knights, and Revenant Draconiths. The purity of the Kastelai Dynasty must be maintained.
Crimson Keep itself fights for you. Up to half of your units may be deployed off the table, arriving on a battlefield edge as they thunder out From a Quarter Unseen. If any units are kept back in reverse from the Crimson Keep in the third battle round, you may Carve a Bloody Path for free.
This is your unique Command ability: it allows a unit of Blood Knights engaged in combat to use the Charge ability even if they’ve already charged that turn! Carnage ensues as you trample through enemy units with their Riders of Ruin passive, before wheeling around and starting the killing anew.
Once Per Battle (Army), Any Movement Phase
FROM A QUARTER UNSEEN
Prince Vhordrai has mastered the art of trapping the foe betweenhis main force and reserves that sally forth from the Crimson Keep at his signal.
Declare: You cannot use this ability in the first battle round. Pick each friendly unit that is in the Crimson Keep to be the targets.
Effect: Set up each target wholly within 9" of the battlefield edge and more than 9" from all enemy units. If you used this abilityin the third or a subsequent battle round, do not spend any command points when using the ‘Carve a Bloody Path’ command this turn.
Your Charge Phase
CARVE A BLOODY PATH
With unstoppable force, a wedge of Blood Knights punches through the enemy’s lines leaving a trail of broken foes in their wake.
Declare: Pick a friendly Blood Knights unit that is in combat to use this ability.
Effect: That unit can use a Charge ability even though it is in combat and even if it has already used a Charge ability this turn.
This is one of two Armies of Renown in Battletome: Soulblight Gravelords. On Friday, our expert contributor will discuss both in more detail alongside the rest of the Battletome, while tomorrow we’ll be lifting the lid on Cado Ezechiar and the Regiments of Renown.
