So while this blog is going to cover a lot of different things, I wanted to start by talking about what changes I would love to see for Nighthaunt. It's been discussed on the dedicated army forum on this site ad nauseum, but the army as it is does not do well at tournaments typically. This makes sense as the book is an older book, features weaker units, had some of their points dictated by how units played in a different army, and is a difficult army to play. So we all know the army needs changes. However, in the forums, nobody can seem to agree about what those changes should be. 

Some people want  the army to play like Legions of Nagash/Legion of Grief. Others want more offense. Still others want better magic. 

Personally, I want the army to stay the way they are. Their playstyle as much as their look/ease to paint is what drew me to them in the first place.

That said, there are some minor tweaks I would make to how the army works. I'm going to just go over the army rules/abilities as a whole here as this will play a role in how I view everything else. So here we go:

Aura of Dread: This rule stays the same! It fits the lore/fluff and isn't overpowered. However, the army needs more mechanics and tools to take advantage of reducing enemy bravery. 

Deathless Spirits: I'd make a significant change to this rule - give all Nighthaunt units a 6+ DPR save. No longer would they need to be within certain distance of a hero. This makes the army a lot more user friendly, though I would keep the wholly within ranges for just about everything else. It also makes sense with opponents not necessarily being able to harm ghosts the way they would other enemies. As a tradeoff with this rule, I would make the army overall a low bravery army. This makes sense to me as ghosts are not brave, and the lore describes Nighthaunt as being shock troops more than anything else. They're really not meant to stay in battle. TLDR: 6+ DPR for everyone without the need for a hero, but the army's bravery is significantly reduced as a tradeoff. 

From the Underworlds They Come: No change! This rule is the signature of the army, and is important for their gameplay. Losing this rule would likely cause me to lose interest in the army. 

Feed on Terror: I honestly forget about this rule more often than not, and I think it could be deleted without having much impact on the army. I'd keep it for now. 

Wave of Terror: After much consideration, I'd keep this rule as it is. There's a lot that could (and probably will) change with this rule such as making it easier but making it fight at the beginning of the combat phase; however, I think the rule currently works well as intended. It's swingy, but very powerful. I would however add more ability to the army to re-roll charges. 

Spectral Summons: Keep as is! 

Ruler of the Spirit Hosts: I would change this to a second army-wide command ability instead of a command trait. This would be a detriment as it would no longer be free, but honestly it's too powerful to be free IMO. It just makes the other traits insignificant. As a tradeoff, any hero would be able to do it, so your RoTSH general wouldn't get sniped and leave you without the ability. 

So that's it for the army wide rules! The only changes I'd make are to Deathless Spirits and Ruler of the Spirit Hosts. Meanwhile, I would make the army a low bravery army. This wouldn't change how the army plays at all IMO, but would make them slight more efficient at what they do. Now that I've gone over my general thoughts, I'll be going over battleline in my next post.