SPELLS
All of our casters have their own spells, which have been mentioned in the descriptions of said heroes:
Lady Olinder: Grief-striken
Reikenor: Wraithstorm
Guardian of Souls: Spectral lure OR Temporal translocation
Briar Queen: Howling Vortex
Now, as you can notice, we don’t have that much wizards and only Lady Olinder can cast 2 spells, all the other ones just 1. Given that you almost always want to cast their unique spells, this leaves very few rooms for anything else. But it’s still better to have more tools at disposal, just in case.
Anyway, we can choose between:
- Faction spells (6)
- Generic core spells (2)
- Realms Spell (1)
- Endless spells (17)
- Faction endless spells (3)
LORE OF THE UNDERWORLDS
Soul Cage 6+ to cast; pick a visible enemy unit within 12". Until your next hero phase, that unit cannot retreat and always strike last.
Short range but anything that dictates the priority in combat is pretty good.
Spirit Drain 4+ to cast. Pick a visible enemy model within 18", roll a number of dices equal to that model’s Wounds characteristic and inflict 1 MWs for each 6+.
A situational spell, but if you know you’re going to face Sons of Behemat, then pick it ASAP!
Lifestealer 7+ to cast. Pick a visible enemy unit within 12"., inflict d3 MWs and heal d3 to yourself.
It’s an OK spell, but you’ll find better ones
Reaping Scythe 4+ to cast. Pick one of the caster’s weapons, you can re-roll failed hit and wound rolls with that weapon.
The only caster that could enjoy it it’s Reikenor, but I doubt it’s worth it.
Shademist 6+ to cast. Pick a visible Nighthaunt unit wholly within 12" and subtract 1 from wound rolls against it.
This is a REALLY solid bonus. It should almost always be your first pick, don’t leave home without a shademist.
Spectral Tether 6+ to cast. Pick a Nighthaunt Hero within 12” and heal it d3.
The ability to heal heroes is never bad, but not the most useful spell we have here.
UNIVERSAL ENHANCEMENTS
Basically 2 additional spells (since “Levitate” gives fly to a unit, but all of our units already fly).
These ones cannot be given to named characters, so only your Guardian of Souls will have one of them…. unless you plan to pick an arcane tome and upgrade your Knight of Shrouds to wizard status:
Flaming weapon 4+ to cast. Pick one of the caster’s weapons, add 1 to damage. Almost worthless for us.
Ghost-Mist 5+ to cast. Pick a terrain within 6", it blocks visibility it line of sight crosses by more than 3” said terrain.
We don’t shoot, so it can be useful when you are closing the distance and you are still far to employ other spells. Given that the first universal enhancement is for free, pick this one, full stop.
UNIVERSAL ENHANCEMENTS
ATM there is only one realm available for matched play: Ghur.
When you play in Ghur, your wizards know also:
Metamorphosis 5+ to cast. Pick a friendly hero within 12". The hero gains the MONSTER keyword up to your next hero phase.
We have no monsters, apart from the Mourngul. This spell can be handy to surprise the opponent with a unexpected Monstrous Rampage, or to increase the number of victory points for battle tactics completed by a monster.
ENDLESS SPELLS
Are you ready to pay the price? let’s see if there’s something worth it…
Aethervoid pendulum 65 pts
casting value 5+, predatory spell
6"+8" move, on a 2+ it deals d3 MW to units moved over and where it ends. Once set, it can move only in one direction, so no swing back and forth.
Stupendously worthless.
Balewind Vortex no more available in matched play. Burning head 20 pts
casting value 7+, predatory spell
6"+8" move. On a 2+, d3 MWs to any units within 1" from it (that means that if it ends near a garrisonable terrain, it deals damage to every unit inside the terrain). Then you automatically remove the head from the battlefield.
well, it's not bad for 20 pts, and if it happens that you are able to hit multiple targets, then it will repay itself pretty quickly.
Chronomantic Cogs 45 pts.
casting value 6+, range 6"; it gives "a" or "b"
a: +1 to charge for units wholly within 18"
b: every wizard within 6" can cast one additional spell.
the “b” version coould be hugely useful. But you need to don't move away from it.
What’s interesting here is the option “a”. With range 6” and a 18” radius, you can drop the spell and have an easier time to make that 9” charge with a unit that arrives from the underworld
Emerald lifeswarm 60 pts
casting value 6+, predatory spell
range 6", move 8"
heals d3 wounds / raises dead models to a unit within 1"
This is a real solid spell in certain builds. If you want to play an even more resilient army, this spell can be impressive. Yeah, d3 makes it 100% sure only on 1 wound models, and on chainrasp is poor value (2 raised models are 19 pts, as the spell is 60 pts), but reapers? revenants? it’s 31/38 pts for 2 models.
Plus, being a predatory spell, you will heal in every hero phase.
Geminids of Uhl-Gysh 80 pts
casting value 6+,predatory spell
range 9"+8" move. two different models, each one inflicts (on a 2+) 1 MW on each unit passed through or within 1" at the end and blocks all command abilities, both being issued and received. It’s a top-tier spell, but it costs a staggering amount of points.
Malevolent maelstrom 65 pts
casting value 5+,predatory spell
range 6" + move 8".
Needlessly complicated, with a doubious utility and a excessive cost. Trust me and don't take it.
Prismatic palisade 40 pts
casting value 5+, range 6"
It blocks LoS, and so it's very useful.
Purple sun 70 pts
casting value 8+, predatory spell
6"+8" move.
At the end of the hero phase on a 5+ it becomes wild, so it’s highly risky.
you deal MWs on each unit passed through AND within 1" at the end: on a 2+ d3 MWs, on a 6+, d6 MWs
It's costly but all in all a scary spell.
Quicksilver swords 90 pts
casting value 6+, predatory spell
6"+8" move. Fly over a unit and roll 12 dices for it; the spell inflicts MW for each 6+.... those MWs cannot be negated by saves.
Err... bypassing ward is great, but the damage is negligible and it costs a lot, far too much.
Ravenak’s gnashing jaws 55 pts
casting value 6+, predatory spell
6"+3d6" move. fly over a unit and roll a number of dices equal to the move; for each 6+ deal 1 MW.
oh, come on...
Soulsnare shakles 65 pts
casting value 7+
range 12"
nice denial zone, units within 6" cannot run nor charge, and can suffer MWs.
The effect is huge, but it's not a predatory spell. But it definitely can be of some use as when it kicks in is crazy powerful. It’s more a spell than we should fear, rather the none we coud employ.
Suffocating gravetide 50 pts
casting value 6+, predatory spell
6"+8" move. Roll a die for each model in a unit it passes over and deals a MW on a 6
A nice horde killer, and being a predatory spell it will act also in your opponent's turn.
Umbral spellportal 70 pts
casting value 5+, range 18"
you can cast through it only one spell each turn OR move one endless spell through it.
We are not Nagash with Hand of Dust.
Horrorghast 65 pts
casting value 6+, predatory spell
12"+8" move. Units wholly within 12” cannot receive commands in the battleshock phase and you add d3 to the fleeing numbers.
You really need to plan carefully around this.
Lauchon the soulseeker 55 pts
casting value 6+, 5 predatory spell
range 6”, Move 18”. Place a wizard on it before moving the spell, then set the wizard within 3” from it and more than 9” from enemy.
OK… this could be immensely fun, but (being a predatory spell), you move it at the end of the hero phase.
Otherwise, you could move Lady Olinder where it hurts the most, cast a couple of spells and bring her back in a safe position with Spectral Summon.
As it actually works... well, it's almost worthless.
Shards of Valagharr 70 pts
casting value 5+, predatory spell (2 models)
range 18”. Place the models wholly within 12” from each other and within range from the caster. To move, just remove one model and set it up within 12” from the other one (so your range when you cast it is potentially 30”).
trace a line between the models, each unit caught in between cannot fly and its move is halved.
Anything that messes up with movement is good, but this is not cheap. You could use it to slow a part of the enemy's army while you attack the other side.
Soulscream bridge 70 pts
casting value 6+, 2 models
range 18”. Place the models wholly within range from the caster. in the move phase, remove 1 unit wholly within 6” from one bridge and place it within 6” from the other one and more than 9” from enemy (count as a move).
You don’t want to waste points on this when we have “From the Underworlds They Come”.
As you can see, there are some spells that are truly powerful, some other ones are situational, and then there is the garbage. same spells have different values for different armies. For us:
- at the moment spells as Lifeswarm, Palisade, Gravetide, Burning Head are all good, but some of them requires some thinking and positioning, you can't just cast them
- some spells are so peculiar that you just need to build a strategy around them, but they can just take your opponent by total surprise (Shards)
- I don’t think we will ever play things as Quicksilver swords, Pendulum or Soulscream.
FACTION ENDLESS SPELLS
Our own faction’s endless spells! vertainly they will be amazing, right? …right?
Shyish Reaper 70 pts
casting value 6+, predatory spell
6"+8" move. It can move only in one direction, but you can turn it before moving it.
Roll 2 dices for every unit which he moved through (including the mere rotation) and every other one within 1” at the end of the move. For each resul equal or superior to the save, it deals d3 MWs.
It can do a carnage or nothing at all. When I spend 70 pts I would like to have a more reliable result, but the ability to inflict 2d3 easy MWs on that big hero with 2+ save is sweet…
Vault of Souls 85 pts
casting value 6+, predatory spell
6"+8" move. At the end of the move roll one dice for each model within 6” from it and deal 1 MW for each 6s.
When the cumulative total is 10, the spell explodes… roll a dice for each unit within 6” and on a 2+ it deals that number of MWs.
It’s one of the most costly spells around here, but the potential damage is gorgeous.
Mortalis Terminexus 85 pts
casting value 6+, predatory spell
18"+8" move. At the end of the move choose: roll a dice for each unit within 6”… on a 2+, you heal d3”, OR inflict d3 MWs (it doesn’t specifies friendly or nighthaunt, so be aware)
Another crazily prized spell, but got a HUGE range and you really can deliver some solid damage since T1.
Not that great as healer for us, given that it doesn’t raise models (why GW?)… ok, it works for everything inside range, but if you plan to heal then it’s better Emerald lifeswarm.
Here we are… basically, we have 3 potentially very powerful offensive spells, but they comes at a cost. You can evaluate one of them if you're planning an aggressive list with a high MWs output.