Soulblight Gravelords News, Rumours and Speculation

[Neil Arthur Hotep]

Just now, The Brotherhood of Necros said:

Where does that leave us so far?

• Neferata/Nulahmian bloodline - playable SBGL character
• Mannfred/Von Carstein bloodline - playable SBGL character,
• Mother of Nightmares/Vengorii bloodline - playable SBGL character
• Belladama/Vyrkos bloodline - playable SBGL character(s)
• 'The Blood Dragon'/Blood Dragon bloodline - mysterious SBGL background figure, Vhordrai closest representative?
• Ushoran/Strigoi bloodline... see Flesh Eater Courts

I am dying to find out more about a) what makes the bloodlines so distinct (at the mo, I feel the Vyrkos/FEC and Vengorii/Blood Dragon aesthetics are v. similar) and b) which other new or returning bloodlines might feature. 

 

I would think that Blood Knights get their support in Neferata's or Mannfred's faction. Or maybe there is a Prince Vhordrai faction, as well. I could see room for a 1-in-4 FEC and Nighthaunt faction, too. Maybe even one that allows you to build a Deathrattle Kingdom list, but that's more wishful thinking than anything else.

[Aren73]

10 minutes ago, warhammernerd said:

I too would love a return to the customisation of Vamps from old world fantasy, but I'm not sure why we should be rewarded with greater granularity that any other faction in the game, aside from sub-faction differences? 

 

Idoneth get mount traits, why should they get more customisation than we do? 

Ogors get big names, why should they get more customisation than we do? 

I'm sure there are other examples too. 

Also, as @Neil Arthur Hotep has said, it's those customisations that add flavour to the game. 

Not every faction needs to be the same cookie cutter format, otherwise we would be rioting about our lack of shooting units. But we're not, because it adds flavour. 

[warhammernerd]

Not saying it wouldn't be good to have MORE customisation, just saying that we will almost certainly get the exact same treatment as everyone else which will include mount traits. 

Edited May 10, 2021 by warhammernerd

[Beliman]

21 minutes ago, The Brotherhood of Necros said:

Where does that leave us so far?

• Neferata/Nulahmian bloodline - playable SBGL character
• Mannfred/Von Carstein bloodline - playable SBGL character,
• Mother of Nightmares/Vengorii bloodline - playable SBGL character
• Belladama/Vyrkos bloodline - playable SBGL character(s)
• 'The Blood Dragon'/Blood Dragon bloodline - mysterious SBGL background figure, Vhordrai closest representative?
• Ushoran/Strigoi bloodline... see Flesh Eater Courts

I am dying to find out more about a) what makes the bloodlines so distinct (at the mo, I feel the Vyrkos/FEC and Vengorii/Blood Dragon aesthetics are v. similar) and b) which other new or returning bloodlines might feature. 

 

I'm new in this land and interested in doing 2k Vyrkos army (I will wait for the new no-hobgoblins until I buy something).

Is there any hint to how the army works? Are this bloodlines/dinasties just sub-faccions or can I mix them?

What happens if I use Blood Knights in a Vyrkos army? Are they going to still have their blood knight abilities  (if any) or their design has nothing to do with keywords? 

[Boar]

1 minute ago, Beliman said:

I'm new in this land and interested in doing 2k Vyrkos army (I will wait for the new no-hobgoblins until I buy something).

Is there any hint to how the army works? Are this bloodlines/dinasties just sub-faccions or can I mix them?

What happens if I use Blood Knights in a Vyrkos army? Are they going to still have their blood knight abilities  (if any) or their design has nothing to do with keywords? 

We know almost nothing when it comes to details such as this right now.

[Neil Arthur Hotep]

4 minutes ago, Beliman said:

I'm new in this land and interested in doing 2k Vyrkos army (I will wait for the new no-hobgoblins until I buy something).

Is there any hint to how the army works? Are this bloodlines/dinasties just sub-faccions or can I mix them?

What happens if I use Blood Knights in a Vyrkos army? Are they going to still have their blood knight abilities  (if any) or their design has nothing to do with keywords? 

Short answer is that it's not clear yet. We can't really go off of LoNs past mechanics because they had a weird subfaction system that is almost certainly being retired.

[warhammernerd]

6 minutes ago, Neil Arthur Hotep said:

We can't really go off of LoNs past mechanics because they had a weird subfaction system that is almost certainly being retired.

What makes you think that, and what part was weird? 

I'd imagine we will get almost exactly the same system, only this time they will be called Dynasties with each having one or more named characters leading them. The themes from LoN will probably port over, with the addition of a new one focussed on Wolves / beasts and the exclusion of Nagash's elite graveguard and black-knight focused one. I suspect they will be similar to before, with each one offering a different flavour of Vamp (Blood Knights and Heroes). 

Edited May 10, 2021 by warhammernerd

[Ghoooouls]

On the subject of the hunger special rule, I'd imagine blood knights will stay 3 wounds each... flesh eaters have multiple 'royal blood' type abilities where the arch regent heals 3 vs d3 for kings etc. So we may have different versions of the hunger for the knights and lords.

[Neil Arthur Hotep]

Just now, warhammernerd said:

What makes you think that, and what part was weird? 

I'd imagine we will get almost exactly the same system, only this time they will be called Dynasties with each having one or more named characters leading them. The themes from LoN will probably port over, with the addition of a new one focussed on Wolves / beasts and the exclusion of Nagash's elite graveguard and black-knight focused one. I suspect they will be similar to before, with each one offering a different flavour of Vamp (Blood Knights and Heroes). 

LoN subfactions were not handled like almost any other type of subfaction because of their weird relationship with the mortarchs, both locking one of them as your general and locking out of taking the others unless you had the "head" mortach in your list. They also all had their own artefact/ability lists instead of locking in your first artefact and ability in like most subfactions do. And they determined what battalions you could take to an extent. There were also the special cases of Legion of Grief and the original Soulblight allegiance.

I fully expect none of these mechanics to return. Instead, we will likely see standard subfactions like other current books get. We will definitely not see Legion of Sacrament and Grand Host return, because they make no sense in the new book. And at that point, I also expect the Legions of Blood and Night to go or be reworked.

[JackStreicher]

1 minute ago, Ghoooouls said:

On the subject of the hunger special rule, I'd imagine blood knights will stay 3 wounds each... flesh eaters have multiple 'royal blood' type abilities where the arch regent heals 3 vs d3 for kings etc. So we may have different versions of the hunger for the knights and lords.

If the BK hunger could return slain models it‘d be great.

[Aren73]

9 minutes ago, JackStreicher said:

If the BK hunger could return slain models it‘d be great.

Gotta say, Burger King hunger is REAL 

[Raptor_Jesues]

1 hour ago, The Brotherhood of Necros said:

Where does that leave us so far?

• Neferata/Nulahmian bloodline - playable SBGL character
• Mannfred/Von Carstein bloodline - playable SBGL character,
• Mother of Nightmares/Vengorii bloodline - playable SBGL character
• Belladama/Vyrkos bloodline - playable SBGL character(s)
• 'The Blood Dragon'/Blood Dragon bloodline - mysterious SBGL background figure, Vhordrai closest representative?
• Ushoran/Strigoi bloodline... see Flesh Eater Courts

I am dying to find out more about a) what makes the bloodlines so distinct (at the mo, I feel the Vyrkos/FEC and Vengorii/Blood Dragon aesthetics are v. similar) and b) which other new or returning bloodlines might feature. 

 

i think you are mostly spot on, on the other hand i would not know about FEC being in (although i hope so)

20 minutes ago, JackStreicher said:

If the BK hunger could return slain models it‘d be great.

i hope so but i also think it is VERY unlikely

[Aren73]

50 Euro for Blood Knights and for Vengorian apparently. Seems reasonable 

[Liquidsteel]

I don't expect to be able to take Neferata as General in a Von Carstein Dynasty. 

 

Though I do imagine that the rule will be that they are treated as the General "in addition".

[Raptor_Jesues]

7 minutes ago, Aren73 said:

50 Euro for Blood Knights and for Vengorian apparently. Seems reasonable 

yeah, the prices are about how i expected them to be

[Neil Arthur Hotep]

10 minutes ago, Liquidsteel said:

I don't expect to be able to take Neferata as General in a Von Carstein Dynasty. 

 

Though I do imagine that the rule will be that they are treated as the General "in addition".

It really just depends on how they structure the book. It could be that we get different lordships as subfactions with dynasties as additional customization. If they go with dynasties as a main thing, I would hope they don't arbitrary lock us out of running Vyrkos or Avengorii in certain lists for "flavour" reasons. I would really hate to have to run generic vampire lords or VLoZDs as general in most cases. Or being disallowed to have a Wight King/Necromancer general.

[Sception]

1 hour ago, Aren73 said:

50 Euro for Blood Knights and for Vengorian apparently. Seems reasonable 

That's, what, $60 Ameribucks?  Yeah, Zombie Dragon is 50 euro and us$60.  That's actually a good bit less than I had expected/feared.  Any word on the skittle/zombie pricing?

....

In terms of subfaction speculation, based on the old Avengorii lore and looking more at Lauka's recent stuff, I think she's going to be less Blood Knight / Blood Dragon related, and her faction will be more the hoard of necromantic abominations that honestly she looks like she should be leading.  Vargheists, terrorgheists, maybe fell bats, etc.

If that's right then we have:

• Vyrkos - confirmed. wolf themed, lots of dire wolves, creatures of the night / russian winter forests.  Cool theme, but other than their special characters and an emphasis on dire wolves I'm not sure what units in particular it would or wouldn't push.  Maybe fell bats?
• Avengorii - confirmed. monster themed, vargheists, vengorian lords, maybe terrorgheists, maybe fell bats?
• Neferata's Dynasty? - 90% sure there will be one.  If I had to guess, skeletons and vampire heroes in general
• Manfred's Dynasty? - 90% sure there will be one.  If I had to guess, zombies and necromancers.  He has been associated with Vargheists in the past, particularly coming out of old world lore where they were a seemingly accidental invention of the Von Carsteins, but the Avengorii seem more likely to take over that role in the new book.  We'll see, though.
• Vhordrai's Dynasty? - 40% sure there will be one.  Blood Dragon / Blood Knight themed.
• Other Vampire Dynasty? - I give about a 40% chance of a blood line other than those already listed.  Particularly the possibility of a necrarch style, nagash-loyal (to the extent vampires can be) magic heavy subfaction, particularly if manfred's dynasty isn't heavily magic themed.
• non-vampire subfaction? - A bit of a long shot, but maybe something for players who want to run undead armies ruled by Necromancers or Wights instead of Vampires?  Necromancers in particular have sometimes seen their own subfactions in oldhammer Vampire Counts books.

...

Vyrkos and Avengorii are positioned to be prominent in the lore of 3e, since I believe both are active on Ghur.  Or is my memory playing tricks on me?  Both certainly have themes that would fit well on Ghur, and if they are there they might involve themselves in the core Sigmarites plot there.  It would explain them getting the most focus so far, and the new models, while we haven't heard anything about the established vampire characters in the build up to their new book yet.  Mannfred and Neferata seem intent on turning inward to battles against each other over territory in Shyish, which would be interesting to follow as a side story but is unlikely to involve or influence other factions & realms or the greater setting narrative as a whole.

Though if one of them were to prevail convincingly over the other, that could give them ground to assert dominion over the Soulblight Lords more generally.  Neferata doing so would help shore up a villainous reputation and threat level badly eroded by misuse, and I /have/ often said that I thought Manfred being cast down and losing his mind to the insanity that has already been portrayed as playing about the edges of his mind could make for an interesting transplant to the FEC...

Edited May 10, 2021 by Sception

[Neil Arthur Hotep]

Just now, Sception said:

That's, what, $60 Ameribucks?  Yeah, Zombie Dragon is 50 euro and us$60.  That's actually a good bit less than I had expected/feared.  Any word on the skittle/zombie pricing?

~€45 for 20. Exact prices are in the rumour thread.

[Ghoooouls]

8 minutes ago, Neil Arthur Hotep said:

~€45 for 20. Exact prices are in the rumour thread.

Also these prices don't usually directly convert, as costs in certain countries are higher and lower.

[Vasshpit]

Im still overly shocked that Vyrkos bloodborn haven't been released as a unit. I bet we will see them eventually. 

[Doko]

Im happy with the prices but bats 40 seems waaaaay expensiver. They are aetherwings? I tougth more around 25 but the others are even cheap with the trend of lumineths

[Beliman]

12 minutes ago, Vasshpit said:

Im still overly shocked that Vyrkos bloodborn haven't been released as a unit. I bet we will see them eventually. 

Me too. It's a bit strange. Every bloodline could have their generic lord and generic troop to make it a bit more special than the same army with diferent heroes.

[Neil Arthur Hotep]

3 minutes ago, Doko said:

Im happy with the prices but bats 40 seems waaaaay expensiver. They are aetherwings? I tougth more around 25 but the others are even cheap with the trend of lumineths

I said this in the rumour thread, but the new Fell Bats are pretty big, I think bigger than the old ones on their 40mm bases. That and the price increase makes me think they might be more elite this time around.

[Major]

For anyone interested. These are the prices for Australia and New Zealand.

https://youtu.be/LHeW-bCZtR4

[warhammernerd]

HOLY ******

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/05/10/all-of-the-vampiric-bloodlines-are-noble-but-only-one-has-wolf-paws/