Next Death Battletome

[AthlorianStoners]

GW have been really awesome with everything lately though....maybe there is hope  ?

[pseudonyme]

11 minutes ago, AthlorianStoners said:

GW have been really awesome with everything lately though....maybe there is hope  ?

Didn’t you get the memo? The hope is dead!

[Sception]

There is hope, I just don't hold out much for deathrattle specifically.  Not after flesh eaters got no new kits, ogre riders got no new kits, savage orcs got barely a couple new kits.  Not after death ate multiple nerfs from GHII with very little positive to show for it.

Where I mostly hold out hope is in the idea of entirely new subfactions.  That seems to be more where the AoS teams interests lie.  That's where we got cool stuff for order and for chaos.

And, of course, I wouldn't at all mind being wrong about my negativity.

[SpaceOstrich]

Mostly just echoing what others have said as regards buffing black knights and so on, but if Deathrattle is going to get anything at all the two things I would prioritise are:

• A ranged unit (probably skeleton archers).
• A Wizard, preferably a Lich of some kind.

Personally, I’d love to see them go full on classic fantasy with any new models - ‘Fog on the Barrow Downs’ is why I love the Wight King so much - but a Gothic style would also work.

All that said, if there’s an allegiance ability I almost certainly won’t use it - I enjoy mixing the factions too much. On that note, I haven’t seen anyone make any suggestions on a future for Nighthaunt, so I’ll do some wishlisting here.

• Mortis Engine given the NIGHTHAUNT keyword.
• Knight of Shrouds as a proper Leader hero.
• Another infantry option?

[AthlorianStoners]

All the info around LoN has me excited me about the future of Death. Like many others I assume the end or climax of the MP event will result in a new Death faction. So I got excited and started wish listing again. In an ideal world, we get two new factions for GA Death this year. So, these are my ideas: 

Nighthaunt 

Spoiler

 

I feel Nighthaunt are going to get their own Battletome at some point in the future. Their exclusion for LoN and rich lore potential support this IMO. With the current units being: 

• Knight of Shrouds 
• Cairn Wraith 
• Tomb Banshee
• Black Coach* 
• Hexwraiths 
• Spirit Hosts 

That amounts to 4 heroes, 1 infantry and 1 cavalry. In my opinion, more troop/infantry units would be required to fill out this faction, plus a little more flavour in elite units/behemoths. Thus I propose these units- 

Grave Wraiths
Effectively a unit of weaker Cairn Wraiths, these guys would visually take their cues from that kit as well. Skull heads, large scythes and incorporeal bodies. Take them in units of ten and give them a high rend potential. 

Grave Rangers
A multi-unti kit with the Grave Wraiths, the Grave rangers are the wayfinders and scouts of a Nightgaunt, being used as a vanguard to intimidate and harass the enemy. They use spectral bows to provide some ranged support. 

Wraith Tormentors 
Angry spirits of powerful warriors, bound to chains and lanterns, the Tormentors are elite units. Used as shock troops, the Tormentors are sealed in chains until they are ready to be unleashed on the battlefield. These would be elite infantry counterparts, multiple wounds and high damage output. 

Black Coach
I think a re-release of the Black Coach model is long overdue, and there is so much potential to make it look kick-ass/more spectral. Buffing the model to make it more of a centrepiece/powerhouse is also a must imo. 

Arcane Shade 
An Arcane Shade is the ghostly remains of a Necromancer, unable to move on. Vengeful and spiteful, they are powerful magic users who use their abilities to very destructive effect. This would add some much needed magic support to the army. 
 

Thats 4 new kits, one of them being a multi kit, and a re-release.  I think this would really flesh out the faction and give them many new options. 

 

 

Cults of Nagash 

Spoiler

 

From the Malign Portents shorts and just the general lore direction AoS has taken, I anticipate a Human/Undead faction, one where the two forces co-exist. This would be a faction with almost limitless potential and I'd love to see it explored. 

As far as what it would include, I'd imagine it as an Entirely new faction, like Kharadron. To that end I would hope it is a large release, with the Overlords 5 Heroes/4 Infantry/3 big units being a rough template to follow. From what little fluff we have of the human Nagashites, we know they have ranged attacks and a propensity for Amethyst magic. They also work with Undead, using them as combat aids and support. From there, I think a lot can be extrapolated to create an awesome and fun to play faction. 

I'll start with the troops: 

Gravesworn Nagashites 
Human followers of Nagash, these are the living of Shyish trained and armed to fight. Equipped with melee weapons, these are your common infantry, designed to tarpit enemy units and hold the line. Their weapons and armour would have relics or bones of their ancestors, to guide them and aid them in battle. I'd expect these to be sold in units of either ten or twenty. 

Shieldsworn
The Shieldsworn are Archers, gifted with an arcane bond to an undead shield bearer. The skeletal warrior bound to the archer crouches in front of the archer and protects them with an amethystine shield. Mounted on their backs, the shield-bearer also has a burning torch of purple flame the archer uses to ignite his arrows in mystical fire. I imagine them coming in units of 3. These units would have high range and damage, but lower rend and number of attacks. Something similar to this:

 

Nagashite Oathkeepers
A dual kit with the Shield sworn, Nagashite Oathkeepers are composed of a similar setup, with a skeletal shield guardian, however the Nagashite would instead wield a crossbow, using the skeleton as a firing platform for greater accuracy. These units would have high rend and higher range. 

Graveknights
The elite of the Nagashite cult infantry, Graveknights are heavily armoured warriors of great renown. I imagine this to be a versatile kit, with many different weapon and armour options. Strong saves and manoeuvrability, they would be the elite and high powered weapons of the army. 

In terms of the larger kits, there are many different routes that could be taken. A few that I feel would be plausible/unique are: 

Bone Tower
A large Siege Tower, welded from bone using Necromantic energies, Bone Towers are manned by Nagashite archers, who use the large platform to fire on enemies from a safe distance. The front of the tower is adorned with sharp bone, used for ramming castles, encampments and enemies. Pikemen serve on the lower tower platforms, protectign the tower from those to close for the archers to reach. This would be a large kit, with a hero build option detailed below*. It would have a large range radius and be a bulk head for the army to rally behind. 

Marrow Wyrm
Huge, burrowing skeletal Wyrms, raised by Necromancers. Marrow Wyrms are powerful, but fragile beasts. Though they can be shattered by more powerful opponents, the latent energy in them lends itself to an easy repair if a mage is on hand. In game, this translates to this unit being hard to wipe out as it can be returned to life. 

Command Bastion* 
The hero build of the Bone Tower, a command Bastion carries a Nagashite Priest. The tower boosts his already potent magical abilities. As well as this, the totems and flags adorning the command tower, as well as the heralds who man it, serve as a powerful marshalling point for the army. In game, this would lead to various buffs and support options. This would also fill a hero slot. 

The heroes of this army would take a noble edge, being respected and skilled members of Shyish's human community. 

Nagashite Priest*
Included in the Bone Tower kit, the Nagashite Preist can be fielded by himself if the Bone Tower build is chosen over the Command Bastion. A support hero, the Nagashite Priest heals, buffs and supports troops, his amethystine energies invigorating the people of Shyish. 

Bishop of Amethyst 
The elite of the Nagashite priesthood, Bishops of Amethyst wield the fell energies of Shyish in a more destructive manner than their Priest counterparts. These heroes would have a high mortal wound and rend output. 

Champion of Sorrow
The mightiest warriors in a Nagashite Army, Champions of Sorrow have their own loved ones spirits bound to their weapons and armour. Constantly accompanied by wailing and grieving spirits, when it comes to battle the Champions are fiercely protected, both their own skill and the feirce loyalty of their loved ones keeping them alive. A melee hero beatstick, this is your hero hunter. 

Gravelord (On Abyssal Terror) 
The military leader of the Nagashites, Gravelords are stoic and determined individuals. Great tactical minds and fierce marshal skill enable them to command a battle from the backs of their terrifying mounts, raised from birth to hunt those who don't smell of death. The centrpiece unit of the army, this kit would be a little smaller and in general slightly less powerful than a VLOZD, but cheaper, and faster, with the ability to buff and support his troops. 

I also feel a cool feature of this army would be to replace slain units with Skeletons, representing the armies close ties with the realm of Death. Overall this release, while ambitious, is not hugely overblown, with less units than the KO release. Totalling 8 separate kits, and 11 different Warscrolls (12 including Skeletons), I think this is very very doable and would be very popular.  

 

Anyway, those are some of my ideas. @Sception @shinros you guys are some of the more knowledgeable and passionate death players, lemme know what you think