Bringing life back to DEATH - pt 1: DEATHLORDS, DEATHMAGES & DEATHRATTLE

[WoollyMammoth]

The Following is an example of how Death could be easily transformed into a legitimate grand alliance through some new rules and a few new models

Bringing life back to DEATH - pt 1
 

DEATHLORDS
Allegiance - The Lords of Death: 
- Instead of setting up a unit during deployment, you can declare that it is in the Realm of Death. Any unit with the DEATH keyword can be set up in the Realm of Death (the unit does not require the DEATHLORDS keyword)
- Once per turn, in your hero phase, you may summon one unit from the Realm of Death (18" from caster, 9" from enemy, this is their move).

"Traits of Nagash"
Nagash may gift his Mortarchs with his aspects (Similar to allegiance traits -but named chars can take)
1. Sight of Nagash: +6" to spell ranges
2. Speed of Nagash: Re-Roll failed charges
3. Will of Nagash: +1 to all casting and unbinding rolls
4. Anger of Nagash: Reroll wound rolls of 1
5. Defiance of Nagash: -1 to hit in the shooting phase
6. Vigor of Nagash: Heal 1 wound in each Hero Phase

Spell Lore: Lore of Undeath
Morkharn: 5+ Heal D3 wounds or models on a unit, or D6 if the unit has 10 or more models. 
Sulekhim: 6+ cause D6 wounds to any model within 3" of the caster
Khizaar: 5+ 12" 2D6, unit takes wounds for each point exceeding bravery
Razkhar: 5+ Summon any unit of of any size (any unit, any size, except behemoth or hero)(18", 9" from enemy, this is their move).
Ryze: 7+ Summon any behemoth
Khandorak: 8+ Summon any hero (inc. Behemoth)

Scroll Changes: 
Nagash - knows every spell in Lore of Undeath as well as every spell available to any DEATH allegiance. 
Mannfred - Wind of Death: pick a direction, then roll 4D6". Every unit touched suffers D3 wounds.

DEATHMAGES
(sub faction of Lords of Death)

All DEATHMAGES have the following rule
Puppetmaster: This model can be fielded with any DEATH army without breaking the allegiance, despite not sharing the particular allegiance.
- They also may know 1 spell available to the current allegiance.

Scroll Changes: 
Mortis Engine 
- Add NIGHTHAUNT keyword
- Change to 250pt 
Add the following rules:
- Partially Ethereal: this model ignores rend of -1
- Death Trampled: This model gets +1 to hit (all attacks) on any turn it has charged
- The Reliquary: All death models within 2D6" have a 6+ save to all wounds. If you roll doubles, the model takes D3 wounds instead.
- Also, when this model dies, all enemy models within 3" suffer D3 mortal wounds. 

DEATHRATTLE
Allegiance Ability: Dying in Wait
Instead of setting up a death unit, you can instead place them to one side as "Dying in Wait".
In any movement phase, you can roll a D6 for any of these units:
1-2: The Dead Slumbers: Nothing happens, roll again the next movement phase
3-4: Unearthed!: set up at least 9" from enemy models & this is their move
5-6: The Restless Dead: set up at least 9" from enemy models - the unit can still make a normal move

DEATHRATTLE Allegiance Traits
1. Steadfast Horde: Units within 10" of your general do not have to take battleshock tests
2. Skeletal Horror: Enemy units within 10" of your general have -1 bravery
3. Bonemaster: All Battleline units within 10" of your general gain +2 models when using their banner to restore models
4. Reinforce the line: units dying in wait treat a roll of 2 as a 3 if setting up within 15" of your general
5. Veteran of 1000 wars: Reroll save rolls of 1 for your general
6. Eternal Hero: Your general heals 1 wound in each of your hero phases

DEATHRATTLE Artifacts
1.Venerable Armor: -1 to hit in the combat phase
2.Blackshield: +1 save vs all shooting attacks
3.Sword of the Ages: When this model piles in, all units within 3" immediatly suffer 1 mortal wound
4.Decrepit Crown: This model can reroll faied charges 
5.Cursed Pendant: this modle can unbind 1 spell as if it were a wizard
6.Doom Axe: Pick one weapon to be a Doom Axe. All hit rolls of 1 cause a mortal wound

Warscroll Changes:
Black Knights (180 pts): 
- 2 attacks each, 3+/4+; 3 damage on the charge
- improve armor save to 4+
- For every 6+ wound roll, the attack does one mortal wound in addtion to normal damage

Grave Guard (140 points for 10)
- 1 attack each, 2 damage
- 4+ natural save
Standard bearer: D6 heal:
1-3: restore 1 model
4-5: restore 3 models
6: restore 5 models

Wight King > Wight Lords (5 man box set, 220 points)
- Absorbs all existing wight king models
- 3 wounds each
- Standard of the Forsaken: all Death units within 10" of this standard have +1 attacks
- - OR Standard of the Eternal: all Death units within 10" of this banner have a 5++ save (1 standard per unit)
- Weapons: Tomb blade (3) attacks at 4+/3+, -1 rend 2 damage
- - OR Black Axe, (3) attacks at 4+/4+ -2 rend 2 damage. 
- Champion has +1 attack

New Units
Wight King: Awesome "celestant on dracoth" size model on a cool skeletal mount. 
- Commander of the horde: all deathrattle within 8" of this model have +1 to wound
- Lord of Bones command ability

Skeletal Dragon: Dragon model with zombie-dragon like attacks. 
- No breath attack, 5++ save, 16 wounds.

Skeletal Arbalest- New skeletons with bows kit
- Same as skeletons, but with shooting instead of melee. 20" range. Always 5+ to hit no matter what, or 4+ if within 10"

[AverageBoss]

I would love for skeletal crossbowmen to come back .

 

[FRoper]

the lore of undeath could be improved with some not heaing or summoning as it is unlikely they are going to get rid of the reserve points idea. i would say maybe so other spells such as lowering bravery, direct damage, maybe some buffs. etc one or 2 heals/ summons and rest alternative as the lore is very boring otherwise.

graveguard, i would just change banner to D6, to keep it simple.

the alliegence ability for death rattle, seems not very good. i would say there trait should allow them to move in the hero phase much like the detruction one.

Death walkers/Death mages (combine into 1 fraction)

Grand Necromancer ______________________________________

8 wounds, 4+ save, move 10, bravery 10.

missile weapon: Poisen globes, D3 mortal wounds per hit

melee: staff and hooves attack

Fly, would have special spell allowing zombies to move twice in movement phase, casts 2 spells a turn. 

command ability : all death units with 12 add +1 to there death alleigence saves (cannot remember name)

Abominations: huge giant constructs of flesh, behemoth, 12 wounds, heals d3 wounds per turn

Necromancer acolytes: small units of minor necromnces that provide buffs to zombies and other death units,

Scroll Changes: 
Mortis Engine 
- i approve of most changes apart from the Reliquary, becuase it is just another 6+ save and it would become very confusing with how many 6+ and 5+ save additonally death units can get. 

For deathrattle

Lich: armoured skel caster, mybe with some form of fireball, direct damage

Skel crossbowmen are awesome, still have some of those models some where

wright lords: i would say keep them as kings it just is better, but with magic banners.

Black nights are great with your changes, but i would have them at 160pts.

* Instead of artifacts per fraction, why not like the stormcast book have a selection of them. I think that Death will get a large book like stormcasts as indivdual books would be to small.

This sounds awesome,  thanks for starting the thread.

[Gotrek]

Liche (160points) 

4+/5++ save. Some token melee attack like the necromancer.

Spells (choose one, plus shield and bolt):

Endless ranks: casting value 6. immediately restore 1 model to each deathrattle unit within 18" 

Unyielding will: casting value 5. until next hero phase all deathrattle units within 18" ignore wounds and mortal wounds on a 6+ (remember by choosing deathrattle allegiance we lose deathless minions)

Unholy vitality: casting value 4. Pick one unit within 8", that unit may make an immediate move action. This is in addition to any move they can take in the movement phase.

Bone explosion: casting value 7. Pick one unit within 18", that unit immediately suffers d6 mortal wounds and halves it's movement value until your next hero phase

desiccation: casting value 7. Pick one enemy unit within 18". That unit subtracts one from the attacks characteristic for each of its weapons until your next hero phase

Unnatural coordination: casting value 5. Pick 1 death rattle unit within 18". That unit gets a +1 bonus on all attack rolls made until your next hero phase.

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Import the bone giant from the TK list and give us a flying unit as well (first thought was skeletal Pegasus riders, but they'd just be black knights with fly. Seems lacking)

 

 

 

[TerrorPenguin]

Needs an artefact like stormcast mirror shield -2 to hit

[Rob Hawkins]

A better Necromancer would be great.  I'd even settle for GW dropping Heinrich Kemmler and passing his rules along to a generic "Master Necromancer" the same way they made Ikit Claw into a generic "Arch Warlock."  Fingers crossed for the next General's Handbook. 

[WoollyMammoth]

i don't know about the next GH but they could easily release a death book with a bunch of allegiance stuff in it

[Bradifer]

This was really well made and I certainly hope they take some inspiration from this post and the many others like it (although the others lack detail.)

This would be a cool way to push the death faction while keeping it centered around the Grand Alliance, and the Faction-Neutral leaders (or so we would want them to be.)

 

[Killax]

Great topic, keep it up, wanted to share this here:


Let me know if you like some more creative cards for Artefacts/Command Traits and such.

Cheers,

[Bradifer]

5 hours ago, Killax said:

Great topic, keep it up, wanted to share this here:


Let me know if you like some more creative cards for Artefacts/Command Traits and such.

Cheers,

Cool idea, would be pun to bring down on the table.

Although I think I would prefer a more obvious art to match each object, even if it's starting to look like a WoW icon of a book with tendrils or something. I may print a few of these out and put them in some old sleeve with a swamp behind them to keep it from bending.

[fued]

what happens if another faction changes it to a different realm? e.g. realm of fire from drazaroath? you lose your ability? lol

[Killax]

15 hours ago, Bradifer said:

Cool idea, would be pun to bring down on the table.

Although I think I would prefer a more obvious art to match each object, even if it's starting to look like a WoW icon of a book with tendrils or something. I may print a few of these out and put them in some old sleeve with a swamp behind them to keep it from bending.

I agree with you in the Artefact style, the issue is that I cannot find Warhammer/Age of Sigmar art clearly depicting such Artefacts. I ran into the same issue for the Blades of Khorne Artefacts but the advantage there is that most Artefacts arn't specifically mentioned as being a Sword, Axe, Lance, Ring, Amulet, Book etc.

If players could profide the art or simply state that they don't care if the art is GW related feel free to speak up  For the 40+ cards I've designed for Blades of Khorne only 1 piece of artwork isn't from GW for example.