Age of Sigmar RPG

[Neil Arthur Hotep]

Maybe slightly off-topic, but does anyone know if there was ever any lore justification for vampires being so tall in AoS? I think it's not just scale creep, other models that have come out since and even other models from the Soulblight release are more in scale with regular humans. So I think it's just supposed to be part of the fiction that vampires are, like, 10 feet tall in the Mortal Realms, but I have never seen this acknowledged in the writing.

[NinthMusketeer]

12 hours ago, Neil Arthur Hotep said:

Maybe slightly off-topic, but does anyone know if there was ever any lore justification for vampires being so tall in AoS? I think it's not just scale creep, other models that have come out since and even other models from the Soulblight release are more in scale with regular humans. So I think it's just supposed to be part of the fiction that vampires are, like, 10 feet tall in the Mortal Realms, but I have never seen this acknowledged in the writing.

They aren't that big though. Radukar & friends certainly top out far shorter than that.

[Neil Arthur Hotep]

14 hours ago, NinthMusketeer said:

They aren't that big though. Radukar & friends certainly top out far shorter than that.

Judge for yourself! They are certainly very tall in my eyes:

Of course, I always put a bunch of extra garbage on character bases, which makes them look bigger. I'll try to compensate for it:

"Moms, can we get McDonald's?"

 

Radukar is roughly Ogor sized, but that is definitely part of the fiction.

 

To be fair,  though: Kritik and Papa ven Denst are about the same size. However, Kritik is the shortest new vampire and Galen ven Denst is the tallest human I have.

[MitGas]

8 hours ago, Neil Arthur Hotep said:

Judge for yourself! They are certainly very tall in my eyes:

Of course, I always put a bunch of extra garbage on character bases, which makes them look bigger. I'll try to compensate for it:

"Moms, can we get McDonald's?"

 

Radukar is roughly Ogor sized, but that is definitely part of the fiction.

 

To be fair,  though: Kritik and Papa ven Denst are about the same size. However, Kritik is the shortest new vampire and Galen ven Denst is the tallest human I have.

Warhammer FB's scale is smaller than AoS' and some of the older models you're comparing them to are clearly old WH minis or adhere to the old Warhammer size (as in the case of the WH:Underworlds skeleton) to fit into existing armies- compared to 40k, AoS models are huge as well (e.g. Kairic Acolytes (which I read as at most slightly above average height wise) next to Space Marines.... now put the Curseling next to them, who's a big boy compared to Kairics.... then Varanguard who easily dwarf the Curseling, they're Bastian Carthalos-sized (in other words: ludicrously gigantic). I could imagine the newer skeleton minis to be taller than the one you've pictured....the scale is all over the place currently.

The Bonereaper is unexpectedly short however. 

[Baron Klatz]

Lady D from Resident Evil 8 was so prominent  for this generation that her super tall vampire influence went back in time affected the designers years earlier.  
 

But yeah, I just put it down to Vampires living in the Realm of Death and having infinite Shyish energy to draw on that swells their forms. The main vampire Mortarchs were brought back from Nagash’s rib bones & Vyrkos were born from a Realm of Death God-beast so they all have an inherent connection to Shyish itself and it’s growing power.
 

Possibly could be the explanation for the Ven Densts & Jelsen if as God-King Devoted their time in Azyr enhanced them as well to better do Sigmar’s will(before Jelsen jumped ship anyway as ex-Order of Azyr. Kinda like proto-Stormcasts)

[Neil Arthur Hotep]

12 hours ago, MitGas said:

Warhammer FB's scale is smaller than AoS' and some of the older models you're comparing them to are clearly old WH minis or adhere to the old Warhammer size (as in the case of the WH:Underworlds skeleton) to fit into existing armies- compared to 40k, AoS models are huge as well (e.g. Kairic Acolytes (which I read as at most slightly above average height wise) next to Space Marines.... now put the Curseling next to them, who's a big boy compared to Kairics.... then Varanguard who easily dwarf the Curseling, they're Bastian Carthalos-sized (in other words: ludicrously gigantic). I could imagine the newer skeleton minis to be taller than the one you've pictured....the scale is all over the place currently.

The Bonereaper is unexpectedly short however. 

I included the Empire guy, the Underworlds skeleton and the Bonereaper to show that there is a more or less consistent scale for foot troops. I just compared the Underworlds skeleton to one from Cursed City, they are also start about the same. For sure, the scale of AoS is not super consistent, though. I don't even mind it, personally, I think heroes shoukd probably be a bit bigger to make them stand out 

11 hours ago, Baron Klatz said:

Lady D from Resident Evil 8 was so prominent  for this generation that her super tall vampire influence went back in time affected the designers years earlier.  
 

But yeah, I just put it down to Vampires living in the Realm of Death and having infinite Shyish energy to draw on that swells their forms. The main vampire Mortarchs were brought back from Nagash’s rib bones & Vyrkos were born from a Realm of Death God-beast so they all have an inherent connection to Shyish itself and it’s growing power.
 

Possibly could be the explanation for the Ven Densts & Jelsen if as God-King Devoted their time in Azyr enhanced them as well to better do Sigmar’s will(before Jelsen jumped ship anyway as ex-Order of Azyr. Kinda like proto-Stormcasts)

I was definitely asking a genuine question, too, not just griping about scale creep. In the Cursed City fluff, they call out Radukar and Gorslav as being unusually tall. I just had not seen the same for vampires in general.

In my headcanon, people in the Mortal Realms just get bigger if they are more (magically) powerful. The orks and giants have it right: Big = strong.

I was just trying to find out if something like this was official lore, or official when it comes to vampires, which are after all super magical. Side note, I think it would also be pretty helpful if coming into contact with magical beings made you live longer. I am worried about the future of Galen ven Denst if there is another narrative time skip, haha.

[Baron Klatz]

I imagine with CoS reboot they’ll introduce Soulbound as an official mechanic(it’s already showing up in novels like “Monsters” & battletomes like the Sylvaneth one) and have Galen become part of that to get over his aging issues. 

Probably will be used as a handwave on all the important human characters(models) to justify why they’re around in the passing eras and why they can lorefully fend off the increasing amounts of gods, god-beasts & elementals by being ageless enhanced humans. 
 

Go full Vermintide on why small bands of mixed heroes are now able to canonically fight entire armies of monsters and daemons now. (We seriously need a Soultide/Gravetide game. Makes so much more sense than Wfb where a scratch infection is fatal)

7 hours ago, Neil Arthur Hotep said:

In my headcanon, people in the Mortal Realms just get bigger if they are more (magically) powerful. The orks and giants have it right: Big = strong.

Certainly works for me. People now are born from the realms where every blade of grass and rock is composed of magic that crystallized into solid forms, that magic is controlled by the gods of those realms and reflect their rises & falls of power so too would their worshippers rise & fall(wane & swell) with their gods power.

Fittingly we see their greatest devout champions able to meet eachother face to face now as 8 to 9 feet tall warriors.

Stormcasts, Vampires, Ironjawz/Kruleboyz, Chaos Chosen.

 

Lastly, fan-made Bestiary for Soulbound with a lot of work put into it:

 

[MitGas]

10 hours ago, Neil Arthur Hotep said:

I included the Empire guy, the Underworlds skeleton and the Bonereaper to show that there is a more or less consistent scale for foot troops. I just compared the Underworlds skeleton to one from Cursed City, they are also start about the same. For sure, the scale of AoS is not super consistent, though. I don't even mind it, personally, I think heroes shoukd probably be a bit bigger to make them stand out 

I was definitely asking a genuine question, too, not just griping about scale creep. In the Cursed City fluff, they call out Radukar and Gorslav as being unusually tall. I just had not seen the same for vampires in general.

In my headcanon, people in the Mortal Realms just get bigger if they are more (magically) powerful. The orks and giants have it right: Big = strong.

It‘s a very good observation but I really don‘t know why the scale is so mixed with new releases. I know all Chaos champions become bigger than normal people, not just Slaughterpriests (who become even bigger than your typical run-of-the-mill Chaos champs). I haven‘t read anything about Vamps becoming bigger but they all seem rather tall (Underworld warband us a bit mixed) - I guess it‘s likely down to the sculptor going after a particular style/look  (thin/gaunt, longer limbs, etc.) that wouldn‘t work with a broader frame and if they made them „standard human size“, the figure might seem smaller due to being a bit slimmer.🤔

[Baron Klatz]

Oh that actually reminds me of the Silver Tower Warpriest too. In-lore he’s noted as being nearly 8-feet tall which was abnormal even for his burly tribesmen surviving in the Age of Chaos.

Which is played on in the Soulbound art as you can see him standing nearly as tall as the Stormcast heroine and a bit taller than the aelven companions.

 

So it could very well be a faith thing. Closer to your god you are the bigger you get by their Fisher King* power.

*(Arthurian term as a king whose personal mind and health also affected how healthy or ruined his lands are by a magical link. Ex, if he’s sick the lands decay)

This could also be spun into Soulbound and Galen was planned that tall to show it off later as a solution to his age problems for the reboot and a “side-effect”. Soulbind to higher beings and gain their physique. 🤔

[NinthMusketeer]

[Baron Klatz]

Neat! Are they your Soulbound party? A few look like Reclaimed. (Also look like fun designs for the Anvil of Apotheosis with tribal-turned-city Ghurian CoS heroes)

[NinthMusketeer]

On 11/13/2022 at 9:58 AM, Baron Klatz said:

Neat! Are they your Soulbound party? A few look like Reclaimed. (Also look like fun designs for the Anvil of Apotheosis with tribal-turned-city Ghurian CoS heroes)

It is an evident demonstration of scale creep, we can see the far left figure from WHFB 6th edition is smaller than his AoS counterpart to the right, and the regular empire human from WHFB 7th is smaller than a regular human from AoS on the far right. /s

It's funny how the picture changes when honest like-for-like comparisons are made instead of cherry-picked nonsense trying to prove a point. Not blaming you, dishonesty just really gets on my nerves.

Edited November 16, 2022 by NinthMusketeer

[Greyshadow]

Anyone got the Era of the Beast pdf? Has Thondia been fleshed out further?

[NinthMusketeer]

Finished my first Spulbound campaign (I was the GM). Got through a speed-run of the intro scenario; I would say it isn't actually all that good as an intro because there is a LOT more than one-two sessions worth of content. I was glazing over details and cutting parts out, it still ran three sessions.

Then rolled into the starter set campaign, very good and very well written. Has some elements referencing the pre-made characters but easily adapted for anyone (it is what I did). Replayability is high since the main 'dungeon' is heavily randomized and the major twist has five different (and mutually exclusive) ways to be executed.

Then started doing a custom-esque campaign using the various 'quest' threads from supplements (Brightspear City Guide, Cities of Flame) spun in with my own written content. Some of those seeds are better than others, with certain ones really feeling underdone and having big plot holes the GM needs to fill.

Anyways, turned half the Binding to Chaos and the campaign ended when they all killed each other, so that's a check off the GM bucket list!

[Baron Klatz]

On 12/20/2022 at 3:13 PM, Greyshadow said:

Anyone got the Era of the Beast pdf? Has Thondia been fleshed out further?

Yeah, there’s a few elements of continuation from what we already got but a lot of focus on the lands, Excelsis and what the cities are up to.

Beautiful artwork(as always);

Also a lot of stuff with Gallet to reflect the narrative moving to that land.

This makes me hope we get a Gallet Tome too.

“Lentock:

The hidden City of Hides hangs suspended far above the cliffs of the southern Mawbight, formed from a massive intricate cage of latticed bones. Specially treated iron-scale pelts from slain monstrosities form the outer walls and hold the fierce winds of Gallet at bay. Lentock’s unusual construction was designed to keep out both the insects of Gallet and to hide it from the hordes of Orruks which would otherwise assail it. A city of fierce hunters and canny traders, Lentock was built by survivors of the Age of Chaos who managed to not fall to the Ruinous Powers by fleeing deep into the wilds of Ghur. It is protected by its camouflaged seclusion, by a cadre of some of the deadliest hunters in all the Realm of Beasts, and by a circle of ferocious shamans led by the legendarily brutal beastcaller Korsa Stone-Eye. Lentock specialises in succulent meats, unusual pelts, and chitin useful for crafting armour and tools, taken from the myriads of Gallet’s insectile predators. As the dangers of Ghur continue to grow during the Era of the Beast, Lentock may not be able to hide much longer. Some Azyrites believe the time is ripe to reach out to the leaders of Lentock for an alliance once more, but it will take strong envoys to win their trust and respect.”

 

“ Dug deep into the cliffs of the Mawbight coast for protection against the fierce winds of Gallet is the Sigmarite strongpoint known as the Craw. A thriving hunter’s settlement, the Craw is protected by the Astral Templars. The Craw acts as both a trading port on the Mawbight Sea and a staging ground for Azyrite expeditions into Gallet. The Craw tends to be a raucous affair, where passing hunters and traders briefly unwind before setting out to confront the many dangers of Gallet. Of late, the Craw is filled with daring souls preparing to head out into the Gnarlwood for there are many new rumours circulating of treasure and glory; however, so many groups have been ambushed before they even reached the Gnarlwood, that the Astral Templars believe there must be a spy in league with the Ruinous Powers operating within the Craw. Finding clever sorcerous spies is not the Astral Templar’s favoured activity, that being slaying massive monsters, and they could use some assistance in the matter.”

 

But like there’s all kinds of lore from the other regions, happenings in Chamon to even the Seraphon being celebrated for saving Excelsis(the White Reaper is alive and back at work for any wondering, interesting note that despite how ruthless his practices are he’s immune to chaos manipulations because everything he does is solely to further Order)

 

 “The Skinks here have been bemused by the sudden outpouring of generosity from the citizens who have lost so much, yet have still brought many small offerings to their temple in gratitude for Lord Kroak’s recent assistance in saving Excelsis.”

 

Noticeable big push towards in-land crusades. Majority of Kharadron fleets have returned to Chamon to sort out the Chaos invasion business and destruction of many of Spiral Crux’s realmgates while the Null Brotherhood has been hounding aelves across the cities for what Morathi-Khaine did causing loyalist Privateers to up anchor and leave despite still being against her, making many free city harbors go empty since the privateers were a big source of their main sea-fairers.

Which is a big switch from the previous ages where air & sea travel is what kept the cities alive with the innerlands being too chaos corrupted to safely settle on so air travel & fishing industries were necessary. Now it’s up to the crusades and the spread of the Aqua Ghyranis waters to retake those lands and make them habitable again.

Lastly not Soulbound but the White Dwarf campaign in Lendu continues to show exciting cities, monsters and factions like the naval Kraken Blades of the Stormcasts.

 

And an amazing Flesh-Eater Soulbound character:

 

Edited January 18, 2023 by Baron Klatz

[NinthMusketeer]

Thanks for the info! And yes haha, artist included delusional self! Gotta do that for the FEC characters!

[Baron Klatz]

Covering the Ulfenkarn news so far but also seems the adventurers of the Realms have Soulblight fever again. 🦇 

“Ulfenkarn Cover by Jonathan O'Donoghue -

Deep in the heartlands of Shyish, the crumbling city of Ulfenkarn teeters upon the precipice of destruction. Its remaining peoples are desperate for salvation, before the streets are swallowed whole by the encroaching Shyish Nadir. For an age, the vyrkos vampire lord known as Radukar the Wolf, has held ruthless control over the city, transforming this once-proud gothic metropolis into little more than a ravaged hunting ground for his Thirsting Court of monsters. Will the Wolf’s despicable plans come to fruition? Or can a band of wayward heroes stand up against this unassailable foe, and save the city before it’s too late? 

Ulfenkarn: City at the Edge of Death offers players and GMs a comprehensive city guide for running Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound games in the legendary Cursed City. This book includes:

• A complete history of the city and its inhabitants, including content featured during three distinct periods in the city’s history, Ulfenkarn in Peril,  Nightwars, and Nemesis.

• Rules for playing and running games using the updated Grim & Perilous Ruleset, and other optional rules and advice to give your adventures a suitable dose of grim horror.

• Over Seventy unique city locations, featuring unforgettable characters and challenges, spread across Ulfenkarn’s haunted districts.

• Six fully fleshed out and mapped adventure locations to explore, including the Ebon Citadel mega-dungeon.

• Eight brand new player Archetypes and local Subfactions. Take on the role of a Vampire Hunter, a Doomsayer of Sigmar, an Aelven Exile, former Guard Captain of the city, and more!

• A Bestiary featuring Ulfenkarn’s rogues gallery of villains and vicious monsters, sure to put any party to the test.

https://cubicle7games.com/blog/warhammer-age-of-sigmar-soulbound-ulfenkarn-city-at-the-edge-of-death
 

https://cubicle7games.com/blog/soulbound-ulfenkarn-city-at-the-edge-of-death-scenes-from-the-cursed-city
 

‘The Barrowmark’ by Jonathan O'Donoghue 

 

Also shout-out to this great fan art!

Really hope the Askurgan Trueblades are an eventual archetype in a future supplement. What total badasses that can swing towards lawful-neutral.

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2023/02/08/askurgan-trueblades-arent-the-only-bloodsuckers-who-break-the-mould/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=warhammer-age-of-sigmar&utm_content=greatestvampires08022023
 

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2023/02/07/the-askurgan-trueblades-are-vampire-ascetics-who-dispatch-foes-with-precision-blows/
 

“Soulblight vampires spend every night of their immortal lives with a persistent hunger for blood gnawing away at them. Some, like the Askurgan Trueblades, do their best to restrain this rapacious hunger, going so far as to entomb themselves with terrified mortals to prove they can go a whole night without so much as a nibble.”

 

“Most Soulblight Vampires put on an air of nobility, ruling as the aristocracy of the night and indulging their ravenous appetite for mortal blood. The Askurgan Trueblades reject this. They are ascetics, an austere order of warrior monks who practise self-denial and live in seclusion in the mountains of Ghur.

The Trueblades follow the teachings of a mysterious and long-dead order known as the Renkai, pushing themselves to new heights of martial prowess, and hunting and devouring the blood of the mightiest beasts they can find.

To imbibe the blood of mere mortals is below them, and when they are drawn into combat with such pathetic creatures, they show Lofty Disdain, often fighting with one hand behind their back or with their eyes closed.“

(I love they’re acting like they’re not even acknowledging the charging Khornate as part of their disdain 😆)

Edited February 8, 2023 by Baron Klatz

[NinthMusketeer]

Sweet! I'm glad all the RPG content made for Ulfy won't remain confined to the contents of Cursed City.

[Baron Klatz]

New Ulfenkarn art up. Spooky sublime.(and always nice to see more Shyishian architecture)

 

Also nice bits on the foes. Vosargi are big lads even went decayed to the bone. 

https://cubicle7games.com/blog/warhammer-age-of-sigmar-ulfenkarns-bestiary
 

“Today we’re thrilled to share another sneak preview of our upcoming supplement for Age of Sigmar: Soulbound, the hotly anticipated Ulfenkarn: City at the Edge of Death. This time we’re taking a look at ‘Denizens of Darkness,’ Ulfenkarn’s Bestiary, in which we’ve collected each and every beast from the Cursed City board game! All have been given the award-winning Soulbound treatment, including some creatures featured in Cursed City that didn’t get as much attention. ‘Denizens of Darkness’ includes the full range of iconic villains, hordes of undead henchmen, several varieties of Bat, and even the tiniest of Gnawbone Strays.”

 

‘Watch Captain Halgrim’ "by Siman Vlaisavljević"

watch, to pledge his fealty to Radukar on the night of his Coup. His men had a window of opportunity to take revenge, and they were successful before the Necroquake returned the Captain to life once more. Now he commands the city’s Ulfenwatch from the Vharngate, a fortress that marks one of the inner city’s entryways. 

In a fight, under Ulfenkarn’s Grim and Perilous ruleset, Halgrim is a deadly foe, but more so with a unit of Ulfenwatch at his command. On his turn in combat, he can order a number of Ulfenwatch to make additional actions equal to the city’s current Doom! Because of this, it might be better for a party to face him alone, likely requiring a measure of subterfuge and planning to do so. Like Halgrim, each of the book’s iconic villains has a full spread dedicated to them alone, encompassing their history, advice for the GM to roleplay them in an adventure, and a boss-sized stat block packed with deadly skills and attacks. “

“

Korsargi Nightguard’ "by Siman Vlaisavljević"

The Korsargi Nightguard are a band of undead Ogor warriors, such powerhouses that a number of them act as Radukar’s personal bodyguards. Mechanically, they can Defend Radukar as a free action, but their most deadly feature is their undead resilience. Each Nightguard has an Armour value equal to the city’s Doom, meaning they become more of a nuisance the deeper into your adventure you get! But all is not lost! Brave adventurers who survive long enough can hack away at these monstrous creatures, with every attack, regardless of the damage dealt, lowering their Armour by 1. 

Depending on a party’s experience, members of the Korsargi Nightguard can make great mini-bosses early in their adventure, and become a horde to be reckoned with later. Many of the Cursed City’s rogues gallery have traits or attack bonuses that play off the city’s themes; like counting Doom, or inflicting Fear, and all of them are built with the Grim and Perilous ruleset in mind.

But that’s all we can share with you today. We’ll have more to share as we get ever closer to Ulfenkarn’s release. In the meantime, if you’d like a taste of the Grim and Perilous ruleset, and test your party against a sampling of Ulfenkarn’s monsters, look no further than Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound, Vossheim’s Holdouts – a fantastic one-shot Soulbound adventure set as a prologue to the events and state of the City at the Edge of Death.”

And we have Cubicle7 with a nice hour block at Warhammerfest! Fandom at the Edge of Hype!

[Praecautus]

Just got back into Warhammer fantasy roleplay after playing soulbound. Loving the quality of the books across the full range. Really nice to just flick through and read bits of. I had forgotten how much I like the old world. Starting a campaign in ubersreik on Thursday, my poor players won’t know what hit them

 

 

[Baron Klatz]

Cubicle7 with more Ulfenkarn teasers today.

”Artwork by:

Mortuary District by JG O'Donoghue

Estate District by Sam Manley”

 

Also wee bit off-topic but i think worth posting for the Realm of Death theming:

Guy is doing a project of a Orruk per Realm and this idea of purple-eyes ones from gazing at a Realm of Shyish sun too long, among other cadaverous effects on the body, is great inspiration for anyone’s Soulbound models in Shyish or narratives using the idea.

“Pretty much, with that first part, since Shyish has a literal purple sun that gives off a light do weak it's hard to tell night from day there, plus "ta foight da ded tings, ya gots ta look loike da ded tings!" “

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Baron Klatz

[Baron Klatz]

Heads on spooky deals! 🎃 

https://x.com/cubicle7/status/1718739232175583326?s=46&t=jCd67B32MVmYRRlrhJqWtA
 

https://cubicle7games.com/all-products?cat=65

 

Also 9 days left for the humble bundle on various supplements:

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/best-warhammer-cubicle-7-books

 

 

Also C7 have been looking for new writers so worth a look into that for people interested

And finally on cool fan stuff absolutely loving these 😍, something cool and something spooky:

Lastly in case anyone missed this big of news:

“> Emmet — 
> Welp, someone let the cat out of the bag! Yep, Champions of Chaos will be a corebook. The rules will be almost identical bar some wonkiness we want to fix (Called Shot, I'm looking at you), and what replaces Soulfire 
> And yes, we've had nothing but positivity for the Soulbound system and have multiple games in the works using the C7d6 system
> Champions of Chaos is a corebook because Chaos is so big but also it is a great new entry point for people.  Champions of Chaos will likely release almost 4 years after Soulbound. Soulbound launched during a pandmic, which did hinder it, so hopefully Champions of Chaos will be big!
> Also, no guarantee it will be called Champions of Chaos (my shelf weeps at the thought)”

 

Bolds well for next edition being Order vs Chaos again as Chaos players get a ton of material to immerse themselves with as they explore, conquer and corrupt the Realms. 💪 😈

 

[michu]

https://cubicle7games.com/blog/Ulfenkarn: City on the Edge of Death
It's finally here!!!

Edited November 27, 2023 by michu

[Baron Klatz]

Huzzah!!!

After the long wait Thursday comes our salvation!(suitable for AoS to get goodies on “Thors Day”  )

[Leshoyadut]

Oooo. I've been looking to do some Soulbound stuff with my tabletop group, and this would likely do quite nicely. Also looking forward to the eventual Champions of Chaos book, too, since one of my players is really into Skaven.