Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Death/Soulblight Gravelords

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Grand Alliance Death

Soulblight Gravelords

I HAVE COME TO SUCK YOUR BANK ACCOUNT!!!!

Lore
Tactics
General Tactics

UNDER CONSTRUCTION Darkness falls across the land and the midnight hour is close at hand. Time to remind the Mortal Realms of the Vampire Counts of old with their successors, the Soulblight Gravelords.

Overview

Classic undead army, rebranded with new skeletons, zombies, and plastic blood knights!

Why Play Soulblight

You want a resilient army made up of undead troops and vampire generals.

Pros

Your troops aren't hard to kill, but they keep getting up Lots of different play styles, depending on which Dynasty you choose Lots of new models, particularly if you want to play the Vyrkos Dynasty

Cons

Almost zero ranged units Many battleline units are slow You need to protect your heroes far more than other armies

Allegiance Abilities

Battle Traits

  • The Unquiet Dead: Like Legions of Nagash before us, you get to place four gravesites; two in your deployment area, and two outside that must be more than 1" from terrain or objectives. One of your Summonable units for every unit that you regularly deploy can be set up in reserve and pop in within a foot of one of these, so long as there are no enemies within 9". These gravesites also act as focuses for some of your other traits.
  • Deathless Minions: The Gravelord version of the classic 6+ death save after save affects all units wholly within 12" of both their heroes and gravesites. If a gravesite is near enough an objective, you can skip a babysitter hero for your backline campers with a little less worry.
  • Endless Legions: This lets you respawn your destroyed zombie or skeleton units with the Summonable keyword wholly within 12" of one of your gravesites at the end of your battleshock on a 5+ die roll, with a +1 for each enemy unit you destroyed earlier that turn. They only come back at half strength and must be placed at least 9" from enemies as well, but you're not spending a command point like Legions of Nagash used too.
  • Locus of Shyish: Death armies lean heavily into magic, and Gravelords get to resolve their lore spells (NOT their warscroll spells, arcane bolt or mystic shield) twice if they get an unmodified 9+ on their cast roll, provided it's not unbound.
  • Reanimated Horrors: Non-death models within 6" of your Deathrattle or Deadwalker units get a -1 to their bravery, or -2 if they are within 6" of two or more of them. Begs the question on how a giant undead bat with 'terror' in its name is less frightening, but can turn the tide if leveraged properly, especially as the second level can easily be satisfied with a support unit like a corpse cart or Wight king that wants to stick tight to some of those guys anyhow.
  • Deathly Invocation: Peeled out of the various warscrolls, heroes can heal a number of summonable units within 12" of d3 wounds/equivalent models. The Mortarchs get four units, vampires can do three, while wights and necromancers can top off two. Unfortunately, a unit can only benefit from this once per turn, and can't get the healing if they were already healed by Nagash's beefed up version of this ability in the same turn.

Bloodlines

There's five subfactions for soulblight each with a full complement of relics and command traits, and all of them have access to at least one special character.

Legion of Blood

Regal and lethal, these schemers are the all around sub faction, though their specialty lies with the Deathrattle.

Traits
  • Immortal Majesty: D3 additonal models flee if they fail a battleshock test within 3" of any Legion of Blood Vampire units.
  • Favoured Retainers: Ignore negative modifiers to hit and wound rolls for Legion of Blood Deathrattle while wholly within 12" of Legion of Blood Vampire or 18" of the general.
Command Traits
  • Premeditated Violence: Unmodified hit rolls of 6 are 2 hits.
  • Soul-crushing Contempt: -1 brave within 3. Synergy with their battle trait, but probably still bad.
  • Aristocracy of Blood: 12" reroll charge aura. This is good.
  • Aura of Dark Majesty: Subtract 1 from hit rolls targeting the general in melee. Solid choice.
  • walking Death: If an unmodified wound roll is a 6 for the general, that wound does mortals equal to the damage of the weapon used. Could be good on the Vengorian Lord.
  • Sanguine Blur: +3" of pile in while wholly within 12 of the general. Doesn't let a unit fight from further away, but +3 pile in is great just in general, and who doesn't want 9" pile in zombies?
Artifacs
  • Ring of Dominion: When you fight, pick one model within 3" and roll a dice, on a 5+ you do mortals equal to the weapons damage. You can't pick any weapon that charts or has a see below rule.
  • Shadeglass Decanter: After set up, but before first round, pick a hero. If that hero and the bearer are on the battlefield at the start of your hero phase you roll a dice. If it's equal to or greater than the current battle round, the hero takes a mortal. This is hilarious.
  • Orb of Enchantment: Once per battle, pick one enemy hero within 3 and roll a dice. On a 3+ that hero can't fight this phase. This is random, once per game, and insanely power. None of those things make for a good artifact of power to pick.
  • Soulbound Garments: You're wearing a player character's clothing for some reason, this gives you +1 to save rolls. Nice.
  • Oubliette Arcana: Once per enemy hero phase, when they cast a spell and it's not unbound, you can roll a dice. On a 5+ it's unbound. Extra unbinding is always good.
  • Amulet of Screams: Once per game when an enemy casts a spell that isn't unbound you can deal d3 mortal wound to them. Trash.

Legion of Night

Mannfred's bloodline are tricksy, with their primary feature being outflank, with some nice command traits and artifacts to strategize around. They pick up an extra battleline in vargheists as a bonus.

Traits
  • The Bait: +1 to save rolls on the first turn for Deathrattle and Deadwalker units. Since these are likely the first to move into the line of fire, you'll be needing that boost to defense.
  • Ageless Cunning: You can set up one unit in reserve for every unit you have placed on the board and bring them in with ambush 6" from a board edge outside of 9" from enemy units at the end of your movement phase. At the start of round 4, units still in reserve are destroyed.
Command Traits
  • Above Suspicion: Deep strike the general from outflank onto the board anywhere on the battlefield at the end of your movement fase. (Outside of 9 from enemy units like normal)
  • Swift Form: 2+ Movement. Good if you’re using the footslogger Vampire for some reason.
  • Unbending Will: No battleshock wholly within 12 of the general.
  • Merciless Hunter: +1 to wound rolls for general in melee.
  • Unholy Impetus: If the general slays an enemy model in close combat, one friendly unit wholly within 12" gets +1 attack on all their melee weapons until the end of the phase. Changed to wholly within 12 instead of 3, probably your best choice.
  • Terrifying Visage: Subtract 1 from wound rolls against the general in melee.
Artifacts

Kastelai

Kastelai are the entourage of Prince Vhordrai in the magically teleporting crimson keep, and seem to be the replacement for the old blood dragons, and similarly lean into blood knights, who they get as battleline.

Traits
  • The Shifting Keep: Kastelai Blood Knights up to half your unit count can be placed in reserve instead of on the battlefield, and be setup within 6" of any table edge and more than 9" from enemies at the end of your movement phase. The pretty standard rider of them being destroyed if not place by round four also applies.
  • Might of the Crimson Keep: Vampire keyword units gain a characteristic bonus when they destroy units; +1 damage to non-mount melee weapons if it was a Hero/Monster, +1 to it's wounds if it had 3+ wounds, or +2" to run and charge for everything else.
Command Traits
  • Beacon of Bloodshed: After the general charges you do d3 mortals on a 3+ to one unit. Trash.
  • Master of Retaliation: At the end of the combat phase if this model was wounded and not slain, you pick a unit within 1" and do d3 mortals on a 2+. Trash.
  • Power in the Blood: If an enemy is destroyed within 6" of this model he also gets Might of the Crimson Keep even if he didn't kill them. This is bonkers, and will probably be the go to choice.
  • Rousing Commander: Once per game at the start of combat you can give all Kastelai Dynasty Vampire units the Bloodied Strength and Stolen Vitality abilities for that phase, if they didn't already have them. This is honestly one of the strongest single turn effects in the game, and might actually get chosen.
  • Swift and Deadly: Reroll charges while within 12" of the general. Always a good buff.
  • A Craving for Massacre: Run and charge on the general. Good for getting in there fast, but probably not worth it.
Artifacts
  • Sword of the Red Seneschals: If an enemy model is slain by the bearer's melee weapon, add +1 to wound roll attacks made by a friendly unit wholly within 12" of the bearer until the end of the phase.
  • Bloodsaint's Shield: Enemy Wizards within 6" of the bearer subtract -1 from casting rolls.
  • Standard of the Crimson Keep: Missile weapons shot at the bearer subtract -1 from hit rolls.
  • Shard of Grave-Sand: At the start of the hero phase, the bearer crushes the Shard and adds +1 to Deathless Minions rolls for friendly units wholly within 12". Once per game.
  • Fragment of the Keep: Enemy units within 6" of the bearer subtract -1 from wound rolls.
  • The Red Casket: At the start of your charge phase, you can add +3 to your charge rolls. Once per game.

Avengorii

Monstrous looking vampire-centaurs that only feed on the blood of great beasts. They get battleline zombie dragons and terrorgheist and appropriately have a heavy lean to these monsters.

Traits
  • Cursed Abominations: Terrorghiests and Zombie Dragons get to have a mutation. You get 1 per army, and 1 more per battalion you take.
  • Monstrous Might: Subtract 1 from wound rolls against your monsters in melee unless the opponent is also a monster. This should help keep your big guys alive for a little longer than normal.
  • Unstoppable Nightmares: In the combat phase you can pick one of your monsters to fight at the top bracket. Each monster can only do this once per battle, so having a bunch of monsters is going to be good.
Command Traits
  • An Eye for An Eye: +1 damage until the end of the phase if this model is damaged. Really solid on the Vengorian Lord.
  • Master of Retaliation: At the start of the combat phase roll a dice for every enemy unit within 3 of the general. 5+ you take a mortal wound, and can only attack this general in that phase after the general has already fought this phase. This is...weird. It protects you from attacking until you attack, so it makes you want to have him in with a unit to soak damage.
  • Unhinged Rampager: Reroll charges for the general. Boring but useful.
Artifacts
Cursed Mutations
  • Maddening Hunger:
  • Urges of Atrocity:
  • Nullblood Construct:

Vyrkos

Bestial Vampires who run with the pack, especially dire wolves. This is the kind of army that wants plenty of heroes to buff their zombies and wolves and use the kind of tactics that wolves would use.

Traits
  • The Strength of the Pack is the Wolf: Vyrkos Deadwalker and Deathrattle units within 9" of a Vyrkos vampire heroes get +1 to their wound rolls.
  • The Strength of the Wolf is the Pack: Those same vampire heroes get to reroll cast rolls.
Command Traits
  • Pack Alpha: The general gets to use of their command abilities for free once per turn, pretty good in an army that will have a lot of command abilities to choose from.
  • Driven by Deathstench:
  • Kin of the wolf:
  • Hunter's snare:
  • Spoor trackers:
  • United by blood:
Artifacts

Spell Lores

There are two spell lores to pick from, one for your necromancers and the two Mortarchs, and one for your vampires, with Nagash getting all of them. There is also an additional spell, Invigorating Aura, that ALL your wizards get for free, and may be cast by any number of spell casters in a turn.

  • Invigorating Aura: Casting Value 8. Pick 1 Summonable unit wholly within 18" of the caster. You can heal up to 3 wounds, or return slain models that have a combined wounds characteristic of 3 or less to it. Add +1 to the casting roll for each hero on the battlefield. No unit can benefit from this more than once per turn. Even more healing options is always welcome, especially with deathly invocation only being used once per turn per unit now.

Lore of Vampires

  • Blades of Shyish: Casting Value 5. Roll a dice for each enemy unit within 12" of the caster. On a 3+ that unit suffers a mortal wound.
  • Spirit Gale: Casting Value 5. Pick 1 enemy unit wholly within 18" and roll 2D6. If the roll is greater than that unit's bravery, that unit suffers a number of mortal wounds equal to the difference between the unit's bravery and the 2D6 number rolled.
  • Soulpike: Casting Value 6. Pick a unit wholly within 18". If that unit tries to charge, roll a number of dice equal to the charge value. For each 4+ the unit suffers a mortal wound.
  • Amethystine Pinions: Casting Value 5. Add +6" to the caster's Move characteristic. Does not stack with Locus of Shyish.
  • Vile Transference: Casting Value 4. Pick an enemy unit within 6". Roll a number of dice equal to half the unit's wounds. For each 6, you heal 1 wound.
  • Amaranthine Orb: Casting Value 6. Pick a point within 9" of the caster, and draw an "imaginary straight line" from the point to the caster. Roll a dice for each unit the line passes by, and on a 2+ that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. Does not work on Death units so feel free to draw a line over your own units. Sub optimal for mirror matches.

Lore of Deathmages

  • Overwhelming Dread:
  • Fading Vigor:
  • Spectral Grasp:
  • Prison of Grief:
  • Decrepify:
  • Soul Harvest:

Warscrolls

Leaders

  • Vampire Lord: The average vampire is pretty potent for a warrior with flight, a modest weapon with -1 Rend and the ability to heal d3 wounds whenever it kills an enemy model in combat - meaning that you might actually be able to hang on even if you just kill a few models in a mob each turn. It's also a wizard with a command ability that gives one summonable unit extra attacks, which you'll need because those goons are going to go down quickly.
  • Wight King: The pure beatstick of the heroes. While the weapon's about as effective as the vampire's, though the wight king also deals a mortal wound on a nat 6 to hit. His command ability's specifically made for skellies, making a Deathrattle unit within 12" re-roll 1s to hit in melee. If you're planning to focus more on the bone-boys, then you'll be just well-served by this guy as you would with a vampire.
  • Wight King on Skeletal Steed: For 15 more points than the footsloger, you get +2 wounds and triple your movement, and swap out the chance at mortal wounds on 6's for more reliably causing them on the charge.
  • Necromancer: A wizard clad in tatters. Then again, why would he need anymore when he can just have some nearby summonable units soak up the wounds for him. Indeed, he does need them around because aside from summoning them and using them as meatshields, he can also cast a unique spell that can let them fight again, a stark upgrade from the vampire lord's command ability and only casts on a 6+.

Named Characters

Nagash and Soulblight named characters with a dynasty (save the Cursed City characters) all have a special rule that allows them to be treated as general in addition to the one that you choose in an army of their dynasty (or any of them for Nagash). You can use this to your advantage if you want to utilize the generic command abilities, or in certain battle plans.

  • Nagash: The supreme lord of the undead has increased in points cost yet again, now a whopping 975. He gets access to all 13 spells in the book in addition to his own, giving him a good versatile selection for him to use, and gives him more flexibility than casters who must select their spell. Beyond that he's largely the same as he always has been, but keep an eye out to which Dynasty that you play him with, as several of their traits are tied to the Vampire keyword and he will not benefit/proc benefits.
  • Belladamma Volga, First of the Vyrkos (Vyrkos):
  • Radukar, The Wolf (Vyrkos, if you happen to have Cursed City):
  • Radukar, The Beast (Vyrkos):
  • Kritza, The Rat Prince (Vyrkos): Largely a cheaper Vampire Lord, Kritza trades off a point of armour for an extra wound, and swaps spellcasting for a -1 th hit in melee against him and a rather impressive ability to, when slain, be set up again elsewhere on a 4+ role, making him relatively resilient despite also lacking 'The Hunger'.
  • Annika, The Thirsting Blade (Vyrkos): Another lord equivalent, Annika also swaps armor for wound, and her spellcasting for 4+ wound negation and completely healing all wounds when she slays a model instead of d3.

Battleline

  • Deathrattle Skeletons: Summonable. Renamed and remodeled skeletons with mediocre weapons with no rend. Rather than the utterly pointless 6+ saves of old, they come with a 5+, and the ability to re-roll 1s on their Deathless Legion's checks. Also helping bolster their numbers is the ability to resurrect models slain during the fight phase. Granted, this means nothing for skellies shot down by arrows or artillery, but it can make them more of a nuisance once they're stuck in.
  • Deadwalker Zombies: Summonable. The real disposable fodder, not even getting a save. Fortunately, they have a much larger range to get stuck in and consolidate an additional 3", so they can get stuck in pretty quickly. Also helpful is that they can rise up again from the fight phase very easily on a 2+. They can deal a mortal wound if they roll a nat 6 to hit, and that will help if the enemy in question lacks any sort of protection. However, considering how much of a joke they are in combat, don't expect them to kill much.
  • Dire Wolves: Summonable. These are a solid option, being surprisingly tough with 2 wounds and fast as fuck. Not only are they great at grabbing objectives, but they have the same speed as Blood Knights, making them a suprisingly good option for a Khastelai army. You can also run them with Radukar for some wolf-centric buffs, although it should be noted they don't get buffs from corpse carts anymore. And of course, they're still SUMMONABLE, meaning they get all the same benefits as Skeletons and Zombies. Overall, probably one of the better offensive options for your fodder, although they lack the staying power of Skeletons even with Endless Legions.

Behemoth

Other

  • Grave Guard: Summonable. Essentially tougher skeletons with a full command group that enables them to charge at full range. While they can't reinforce themselves in combat, they have the option between either a sword and shield (giving them a 4+ save) or a big sword, and both weapons deal mortal wounds on a 6+. Since they're still summonable, you can make them a bit more reliable as a bunker against archers.
  • The Sepulchral Guard: The Shadespire warband. Though you have plenty of models, you're not going to get much out of them since most of the weapons lack any form of Rend and even a nat 6 to hit just deals an additional hit. Really, they're just a more easily maintained pack of skeletons that can't be summoned. As long as the leader remains, he can raise d3 of his boys each hero phase.
  • Black Knights: (Battleline in Legion of Blood) Summonable. Your skeletal cavalry, equipped with a full command group and 0 rend weapons. Fortunately, they can deal mortal wounds on the charge, which is what they'll rely on to make the most out of their attacks.
  • Corpse Cart with Unholy Lodestone: A mobile support unit for your necromancers and goons. All of your wizards add +1 to their casting rolls for being within 12" of this cart, which you'll need because your army depends on those spells. Your zombies also pick up a 6+ save for being within 12" of the cart, the which you'll probably not be needing.
  • Corpse Cart with Balefire Braizer: While the Unholy Lodestone makes the cart into a support unit, this is more of a debuff unit. Enemy wizards suffer a -1 to casting for being within 18" of this fiend, and enemies within 9" of this cart suffer -1 to wound in melee - not much against dedicated bruisers, but it can be annoying for otherwise normal foot soldiers like Freeguild.
  • Fell Bats: Summonable. Roving irritants and screens. They're about as flimsy as zombies with their only redeeming factor being their mobility. Not only can they fly, but they can also retreat and charge at the same turn, making them annoying to catch in a crowded space.
  • Vargheists (Battleline in Legion of Night) Some furious monsters that come with -1 Rend so they can at least rip through armor and focus more upon overwhelming enemies with their swings. However, they're glass cannons with only a 5+ save to protect them. Fortunately, you can throw them in reserves and then drop them at a later turn, primed and ready to lash out at whatever they come across.
  • Blood Knights (Battleline in Kastelai Dynasty): The moment we've all been waiting for; Blood Knights, bane of The world-that-was, are reborn in fabulous plastic! Some of the most iconic heavy calvary since Bretonnia got squatted, these guys are both tough and hard hitting, with a 3+ save, 3 wounds and vampire kill/regen, accompanied by quality 3/3+/3+/-1/1 attacks that gets +1 damage on the charge, (along with their mounts trampling, but those rarely amount to much in the long run). They can also go over units in their movement phase, if they start within 3" of one and only over those with 3 or less wounds and without mounts (so for example, Orruk Brutes are game but Kavalos Deathriders aren't) and deal d3 mortal wounds on a 2+ if they do. They are expensive, but worth investing in if you need a good hammer. Special mention should go to Kastelai Blood Knights, who can outflank if set up in reserves.

Battalions

Army Building

Given its contents, and depending on the bloodlines that you are going to play, Start Collecting! Flesh-Eater Counts is once again one of the best products GeeDubs has to offer. Get as many as you need or want for you Battleline Zombie Dragons, Terrorgheists or Vhargheists. While you can't use the ghouls, they have the same base size as zombies, and look zombie-ish...

At the moment of writing this, if you local store still has a Start Collecting! Skeleton Horde, or an even rarer Battleforce with them, you can grab them and get you Mortarch of choice (but can't use Arkhan, as he is not part of the army roster) while getting extra Black Knights and Skellies, who also happen to be Battleline choices.

Allies

  • Drogg Fort-Kicka: The Mega-Gargant allocated as an ally for DEATH armies, he's a big smashy monster with the extra ability to deal out some easy mortal wounds to a bigger unit, and most importantly, the ability to destroy terrain. This includes faction terrain, so send him after that lumineth waterfall and the wizard sitting on it, the priest standing on an altar of blood, or knock a ghoul king off his throne.
  • Nighthaunt: Sadly, since they rely on 'summonable', and most of your abilities are specifically SOULBLIGHT summonable...not actually a good deal. Still, they have some very nice units...
  • Flesh Eater Courts: You share units, they have some nice ghouls that in a pinch can 'counts as' zombies, and they have a powerful wizard AND a spell that buffs the heck out of them? A very nice choice.

Tactics

Age of Sigmar Tactics Articles
General Tactics
Order
Chaos
Death
Destruction
Others
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