With Kill Team: Blood and Zeal on the horizon, we decided to seek advice from some true fans of the game: Jason Faye and Travis Cheng from Just Another Kill Team Podcast to explain more about their favorite parts of the new boxed set.
The release of Blood and Zeal zooms the struggle for the Massif Ballistus into a pitched battle between the mortal followers of Khorne and the Ecclesiarchy. The two teams present fresh new takes on blood-hungry augmented Khornate cults, and the devotaries of the imperial cult as they battle under the shadow of the Great Gun.
Sanctifiers: Prayer may cleanse the soul, but pain cleanses the body
While the followers of the imperial cult may not be gifted with armour, genetic augmentation or weaponry, they wield faith as a shield and flames to cleanse the impure. Sanctifier kill teams work as a blend of hyper-mobile melee hordes, with a dollop of Noviates-style flamer weaponry.
Faction rules
The Ministorum Sermon keeps your Confessor’s flock alive and kicking with a flat -1 to damage received when they’re within 6” (any time they take 3 or more in one go). While the Sanctifiers are only 7 Wounds they’ll often feel like 9 or 10!
The Blaze trait on the hand flamers sets enemies alight when retaining Critical Hits, and flaming activations cause opposing operatives to take D3 damage when activating. Opponents get a chance to put out the flames for an AP penalty, or they can wait for the flames to subside – naturally risking further damage. Great for forcing opponents into hard choices on how to spend their AP.
Top operatives
The Sanctifier Confessor is the lynchpin of the entire team with their ability to Lead the Procession, which grants all operatives within their Sermon range a free Charge, Fall Back or Reposition. Since your operatives can still activate normally afterwards, there is the potential for 14” of Movement at very early stages of the game!
As far as the rule of cool, the Sanctifier Miraculist is a blazing locus for the Imperial faith, launching multiple once-a-game flaming attacks at all ranges.
Top equipment
ECCLESIARCHY TEXTS
The orators of the Adeptus Ministorum carry with them many a fieryprayer and excoriating psalm scribed on tattered vellum, designed to inspire their allies and diminish the foe.
In the Ready step of each Strategy phase, roll 2D6: if theresult is less than the remaining wounds of a friendly ORATOR operative, you gain lCP. Note that this is done before the Gambit step, so if there isn't a valid ORATOR operative, you cannot use this rule during that turning point (e.g. during the first turning point).
IMPERIAL CULT SYMBOLS
Whether carved from stone or wrought in solid gold, blessed religious symbols bestow upon their bearers both fortune and favour.
Once per turning point, when an operative is shooting afriendly SANCTIFIER operative that's benefitting from the SERMON, when you collect your defence dice, you can use this rule. If you do, change one of the attacker's retained critical successes to a normal success (any weapon rules they've already resolved aren't affected, e.g. Piercing Crits).
Ecclesiarchy Texts give the CP-hungry Sanctifiers the potential to farm bonus points starting on Turning Point two – if you can keep your Confessor healthy.
Against teams who look to shred your mob before they hit enemy lines, Imperial Cult Symbols provide a new take on shooting defences, letting friendly operatives downgrade Critical Successes before rolling defensive Saves!
Top firefight ploys
REDEEMED THROUGH FIRE
There are few more blessed deaths than fiery martyrdom. Such a sacrifice stokes smouldering resolve in the hearts of fellow Sanctifiers.
Use this firefight ploy when a friendly SANCTIFIER operative that has a weapon with the Blaze weapon rule is incapacitated. Each enemy operative visible to and within 2" of it gains one of your Blaze tokens (if it doesn't already have one).
ROSARIUS
A sacred symbol of office, the Rosarius contains a powerful conversion field generator capable of turning aside incoming blows.Use this firefight ploy when an attack dice inflicts NormalDmg on a friendly SANCTIFIER operative. Ignore thatinflicted damage.
Redeemed through Fire applies Blaze tokens to all enemy operatives within 2” of an incapacitated friendly Operative with Blaze on its weaponry, letting everyone feel the heat!
The Rosarius ploy makes its thematic return, granting the ability to ignore the damage from one normal dice once per turn.
Top strategy ploys
FERVENT BRAWL
With the intolerant diatribes of the priesthood ringing in their ears, the Sanctifiers fight with a tireless fury.
Whenever a friendly SANCTIFIER operative that's benefitting from the SERMON is fighting or retaliating, its melee weapons have the Ceaseless weapon rule.
RALLY THE FLOCK
Each friendly SANCTIFIER operative (excluding ORATOR) that's benefitting from the SERMON can immediately perform a free Dash or Fall Back action (for the latter, it cannot move more than 3"). Each that does so must end that move closer to a friendly ORATOR operative. You cannot use this ploy during the first turning point.
Fervent Brawl lets our melee-oriented Sanctifiers punch above their middling melee hit stats, by granting all melee weapons in sermon range Ceaseless, a consistency enabler that easily finds windows of use.
Rally the Flock really pushes up the Movement trickery of the sermon, granting the team a strategic phase option that lets you Fall Back or Dash, and opening avenues for flamers or new charge lanes.
Goremongers: Blood for the Blood God…
Swift and vicious, the Goremongers blend combat positioning tricks and melee durability. They’re akin to the Fellgor Ravagers, albeit with the speed, killing power and action efficiency of Blades of Khaine.
Faction rules
Runes of Khorne cap incoming shooting damage at 8 Wounds per attack, making Goremongers more durable than their 10 Wounds and 5+ Save suggest.
Sanguevitae abilities function like Aspect Techniques on the Blades of Khaine, but they are regulated by Gore Tanks. You can use up to two per Turning Point, spending half a tank per use, with no repeats in the same Activation, so you can’t fight three times in a single Activation.
Fury allows a goremonger to fight twice. Nothing screams Khorne more than this!
Rake deals D3 wounds to an Operative you’ve charged, which really helps to bring down tougher targets
Top operatives
The Aspirants’ Obsessive Bloodlust ability allows them to Charge up to 2” after finishing a Fight action when no enemies are within control range, which makes them absolute murder machines.
The Skullclaimer wades through enemies shrugging off grievous injuries. His Brutish ability allows you to downgrade any Critical damage to normal damage in melee, while Claim Skull awards a Command Point for incapacitating a foe with your great chainaxe once per Turning Point.
Top firefight ploys
GORETHIRST
Goremongers are drawn to violence like insects to blazing lumen, unable to control their thirst to spill viscera.
Use this firefight ploy when you would counteract. You can do so with one friendly GOREMONGER operative that has a Conceal order, but you must change its order to Engage and it can only perform the Charge, Fight or Shoot action during that counteraction.
DESTRUCTIVE DEMISE
Empowered by the blood of their foes, mortally wounded Goremongers expend the last of their might in a vengeful frenzy.
Use this firefight ploy when a friendly GOREMONGER operative is incapacitated. Inflict damage determined bythat friendly operative's GORE TANK on one enemy operative within that friendly operative's control range. Inflict:
D3 if empty.
D3+1 if half.
D3+2 if full.
Gorethirst allows a Goremonger with a Conceal Order to change to Engage and Counteract, and to perform a Charge, Fight or Shoot Action while doing so.
Destructive Demise is exactly as it sounds: deal more damage when you die. The more you have in your Gore Tank, the more destructive your demise.
Top strategy ploys
HUNT FOR BLOOD
As blood is spilled, its copper scent fills the air, driving the Goremongers into a thirsting frenzy.
Select one friendly GOREMONGER operative. If it has aConceal order, change it to Engage. Then it can immediately perform a free Charge action, but cannot move more than 3" during that action.
GORY TENACITY
The prospect of carnage drives Goremongers into a maniacal fury.Enraged thus, they are capable of shrugging off terrible wounds.
Whenever a friendly GOREMONGER operative is fighting or retaliating, the first time your opponent strikes it during that sequence, halve the damage inflicted (rounding up).
Hunt for Blood allows you to charge an enemy (moving up to 3”) in the Strategy Phase, a powerful option to get into enemy lines.
Gory Tenacity reduces the first incoming Hit in melee to half damage rounding up. This will generally let you weather a whole extra Hit in most combat situations – and with 10 Wounds to start with, you can stay in the fight longer than most.
Equipment
WRIST CHAINS
The Gore mongers secure their weapons with lengths of chain, enabling them to be hurled towards an opponent.
Once per turning point, when a friendly GOREMONGER operative performs the Shoot action and you're selecting a ranged weapon, you can use this rule. If you do, until the end of that action, the following melee weapons are treated as ranged weapons with the Range 2" weapon rule: chain blade, chainglaive, great chainaxe (ignore its Brutal weapon rule), pickrippers.
BLOODY CADAVER
Goremongers will often stash corpses for later consumption and refuelling.
Before the battle, you can set up one of your Bloody Cadaver markers wholly within your territory and more than 2" from other markers (excluding your Gory Totem marker). Friendly GOREMONGER operatives can perform the Pick Up Marker action on that marker. In the Ready step of each Strategy phase, you can increase the GORE TANK of one friendly GOREMONGER operative that controls that marker, unless that friendly operative is within control range of an enemy operative.
Nunchuck chainglaives are all the rage in the form of Wrist Chains. These allows you to use your chain weapons as Shooting Attacks with a 2” range once per Turning Point.
The Bloody Cadaver is a prior victim whom the Goremongers drag around to harvest Gore. This token starts in your territory and can be picked up, refilling half a Gore Tank for any model controlling it at the start of a Turning Point.
Final thoughts
The pairing of the upcoming box gives players access to some of the fastest, most brutal human teams seen in Kill Team thus far! No matter how you split the box, there is something for everyone – as long as they’re planning to get in close!
Jason and Travis, thank you. If you want to hear more from our friends at the Just Another Kill Team Podcast, you can tune in this Monday to their Spotify feed. They are promising some special guests, so colour us intrigued…
