Age of Sigmar "grand alliance of Death" incoming

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Yup. At lunch today I picked up a Tomb King batallion and a box of necropolis knights/stalkers. I also ordered 2 boxes of Ushtabi and asked for them to preorder the Grand Alliance Death when possible. My poor bank account!
 
I would be able to understand if they just merge Skeleton Warriors and Tomb King Skeletons into one, and Grave Guard with Tomb Guard. The removal of unique units like Casket of Souls, Skeleton Archers and Chariots and Skull Catapult is beyond me. This "Grand Alliance" is a sick joke indeed. Very dissappointing.
 
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They've now moved it to the last chance to buy section and also updated the death section to show the new categories and models for the VC. For example, Mannfred's old model on foot is now generic vampire lord on foot.
 
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And to think I was really optimistic for age of Sigmar, think I'm gonna go on a spend up tomorrow get the tomb king units I want and any VC I want before it all goes round. Think it'll be vargheists grave guard and black knights maybe one last box of skegs.
Long and short of it in lore and real life; chaos wins.
 
Alright, so we know we're only getting 35 units total, lets see if we can take the above list and work out who didn't make the cut. You know, apart from the entire tomb kings army.

based on units mentioned/seen in the previews:

1- Nagash
2- Arkhan
3- Neferata
4- Mannfred
5- Morghast Archai
6- Morghast Harbingers
7- Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon
8- Vampire Lord on Foot
9- Blood Knights
10- Vargheists
11- Coven Throne
12- Mortis Engine
13- Necromancer
14- Zombies
15- Dire Wolves
16- Corpse Cart
17- Wight King
18- Skeleton Warriors
19- Grave Guard
20- Black Knights
21- Ghoul King on Terrorgheist
22- Crypt Ghouls
23- Crypt Horrors
24- Unridden Zombie Dragon
25- Unridden Terrorgheist
26- Spirit Hosts
27- Hexwraiths
28- Cairn Wraith
29- Banshee
30- Black Coach
31-
32-
33-
34-
35-

So, it looks like:

8 - Vampire Lord (on foot) now has blood challace from the zombie dragon version - which would work well with Isabella's model since she's generic now, all the old special characters are now just this scroll
13 - Necromancer (includes Heinrich's model but none of his old abilities)
17 - Wight King with Baleful Blade (& Krell's old command ability)

31 - Wight King w/ Black Axe (Krell's model, one less attack than Krell but otherwise his stat block?)
32 - Fell Bats
33 - Bat Swarms
34 - Varghulf

Still not sure about number 35 though?
 
Alright, all the new unit scrolls are up on the website, lets look for any differences! Listing out all the units in the store from each subfaction, bolding items with noteworthy changes.

Deathlords:
All Deathlords: the subfaction keyword is plural now, 'deathlords', not 'deathlord'

Nagash: Looks the same to me.

Arkhan: proper title given, otherwise the same

Mannfred: His 'mortarch of Night ability triggers on successful spell casts, instead of not being able to see the sun.

Neferata: Looks the same

Harbingers: Same

Archai: Same

Vampire Lord?: the webstore lists the old models for mannfred as 'vampire lord' in the 'deathlords' section. I'm assuming this is a mistake, as it's the same scroll as below, and doesn't have the 'deathlords' keyword.
Soulblight:
Missing Units: all four vampyric special characters are gone (though I don't see why we couldn't go right on using them anyway if we wanted to). Additionally (as I predicted might happen), the Vampire on Abyssal Terror seems to be absent, though admittedly there was no model to click on to get to the rules, anyway.

Vampire Lord: as already mentioned by Oppenheimer, may have the Vampire-On-Zombie-Dragon's Chalice of Blood, presumably to represent Isabella (again, though, I'd be inclined to jut keep using her). No 'Magic Ring' or 'Red Fury' or improved casting options have been added to represent the others.

Coven Throne: same

Vargheists: Cannot be summoned.

Blood Knights: same

Fell Bats: same, only real surprise is that GW is still trying to sell these models. Apparently they already 'soublight', even? I didn't realize that.

Bat Swarms: same

Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon: same apart from the name.
Deathmages:
Missing Units: Kemmler's gone, as expected. This is a small 'faction', with only two units:

Necromancer: unchanged. Notably, the Necro keeps the nightmare option, despite there not being an in-production model for it.

Mortis Engine: functionally unchanged, however the previous optional 'blasphemous tome' effect is now caused by the interred remains of the inert necromancer in the reliquary, and thus is something all Mortis Engines do, instead of being an optional upgrade. The description has been changed accordingly. Mechanically no real difference, though.

I will note that the wail of the damned rule is slightly better than I remember it being, but that's not a change, just a manifestation of my own failing memory.

Boss factions out of the way, and to recap the notablechanges:

- Vamp Lords can carry a blood chalice, as already mentioned by Opp
- Vargheists cannot be summoned
- Mannfred's mortarch ability keys of casting a spell
- Vlad, Konrad, Izzy, Count Mannfred, Kemmler, and Abyssal Terror all missing (though the terror wasn't in the store to begin with, so jury's still out until we do the final count at the end, and get all 35 scrolls without it).

I'm getting sleepy, so I'll leave the rest for tomorrow, unless someone else wants to jump in.

EDIT: I also really hope there's a painting guide for the new scheme on the ethereal units, as I want to copy it for my entire army.
 
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That is really strange!
 

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Malisteen, I want to personally thank you for all of your expert assessment of what's happening, it has made this all much easier for a casual player like me to understand.

And having fallen for the "last chance to buy!" rigamarole from GW more times than I'd care to admit, I'm not counting Tomb Kings out yet. Wait until undead sales slow to nothing, and then BAM new codex/grimoire/whatever it's called in AoS. Everyone buying the TK stuff at the last minute now will be sitting on a pile of unpainted mini's and looking on jealously at the new stuff in 2-3 years' time, you can quote me on that. :)
 
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In the blurb for the death grand alliance book it says it represents the forces of death at the beginning of the age of Sigmar.
One thing that came to mind is that as the timeline progresses settra and some of the TK units may return. Although I may be reading too much into the wording of it.
 
Alright, looking at a few more scrolls:

Deadwalkers
Zombies: same

Dire Wolves: same

Corpse Cart
: The rider now has the option to carry either the goad (long spear with a corpse on it - same rules as current) or a lash (which trades the goad's reach for an extra attack). Additionally, regardless of whether they carry the goad or the lash, the rider may also carry a magic sword, and may choose to attack with that instead of (not in addition to) their primary weapon. The sword has 1" range and rolls one die, scoring a mortal wound on a 6. Since this roll isn't a 'hit' or 'wound' roll, it isn't modified by much.
Deathrattle (lots of changes here)
Missing Units: as expected, Krell is gone. As mentioned by opp, he is replaced by a generic character version of himself.

Wight King with Black Axe: This is the generic Krell, and he loses an attack, one point of save, and the Champion of the Dead rule, so this is a pretty noticeable downgrade. Otherwise the same Notably, he keeps his wound halving armor, which IMO was his most important trait. Honestly, I'm pretty invested in Krell as a character, and am inclined to go right on using him as is, if my opponents don't object. However, even with the changes, this is still pretty solid for an infantry general, with a good command ability, fair offensive punch, and the durability needed to have a chance of using either.

Wight King with Baleful Tomb Blade: The new name for the old regular Wight King, to distinguish it from not-Krell. All the old stats, abilities, and options (including the steed and banner), but gains Krells command ability in case you want him to lead your army. That's neat and flavorful, but I'd be inclined to stick with Krell. A 3+ save is nice, but a 4+ save with wound halving on top is much better for keeping your general around, and even with one less attack the black axes d3 damage and special rule make it more threatening. But yeah, the plastic wight king is a fantastic model, and it's nice to have it now be a legitimate commander option, at least in smaller games.

Skeleton Warriors: lose the 'tomb shield' option. Unfortunate, since that was the better shield, but not unexected.

Grave Guard: unchanged

Black Knights: Lose their 'spectral steeds' ability. Unfortunate, since that has long been one of their defining traits, and black knights already were a little underwhelming in AoS, ime.
Flesh-Eater Courts
General Changes/Missing Units: the Keyword changed from 'Flesh-Eater' to 'Flesh-Eater Courts'. Additionally, the Strigoi Ghoul King on foot doesn't appear in the online store and thus doesn't have rules to review, but I expect that's because it's not sold separately from the 'Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorgheist', and it will still have rules in the GAoD book. We'll see.

Abhorrant Ghoul King: no change, apart from the name.

Crypt Ghouls: the wording of 'ravenous corpse eater' was changed slightly, but still works the same. Wording on Unholy Masters hanged according to the new name for Ghoul Kings. No real mechanical differences from before.

Crypt Horrors: again some slight wording changes, but funtionally the same.

Varghulf: A varghulf is now a Mordant (ghoul race), and not a vampire, changing how it interacts with some effects. It is also now a hero, conceivably the leader of your army, though it lacks a command ability. It also is a single model, and not a unit of any number of models. Stats and abilities remain unchanged.

Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorgheist: unchanged, apart from the name.
Nighthaunt (no changes)
I really like the new studio paint scheme for these, I hope the book has a painting guide for it.

Cairn Wraith: same

Tomb Banshee: same

Spirit Hosts: same

Hexwraiths: same

Black Coach: same
Beasts of the Grave
Terrorgheist (unridden): no changes that I noticed

Zombie Dragon (unridden): no changes that I noticed

Notably both can still be summoned
Total List of Units Included
from the white dwarf, we're looking to add up to 35.

1. Nagash
2. Arkhan
3. Mannfred
4. Neferata
5. Harbingers
6. Archai
7. Vampire Lord
8. Coven Throne
9. Vargheists
10. Blood Knights
11. Fell Bats
12. Bat Swarms
13. Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon
14. Necromancer
15. Mortis Engine
16. Zombies
17. Dire Wolves
18. Corpse Cart
19. Wight King with Black Axe
20. Wight King with Baleful Tomb Blade
21. Skeleton Warriors
22. Grave Guard
23. Black Knights
24. Abhorrant Ghoul King (on foot)
25. Crypt Ghouls
26. Crypt Horrors
27. Varghulf
28. Abhorrant Ghoul King on Terrorghest
29. Cairn Wraith
30. Tomb Banshee
31. Spirit Hosts
32. Hexwraiths
33. Black Coach
34. Terrorgheist (unridden)
35. Zombie Dragon (unridden)

That's it, that's everything.

So, a cumulative list of changes:

- Vamp Lords can carry a blood chalice, as already mentioned by Opp
- Vargheists cannot be summoned
- Mannfred's mortarch ability keys of casting a spell
- Corpse Carts gain additional weapon options
- Krell is now a generic character with 3 attacks instead of 4
- The current wight king now has Krell's command ability as well
- Skeleton Warriors lose the tomb shield option
- Black Knights lose the spectral steed rule
- Varghulfs gain the mordant and hero keywords, lose the vampire keyword, and are single models instead of units
- Vlad, Isabella, Konrad, 'count' Manfred, and Kemmler, and Vampire Lord on Abyssal Terror are not included. I hesitate to say 'gone' because it's not like their prior warscrolls stopped existing or anything. They're still in the app and everything.

What notably isn't in the app anymore are the Vamp Counts compendium formations. That's annoying, but... *shrug*.

EDIT: updated to include remaining info from the app.
 
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@Malisteen
I can confirm that the abbhorant ghoul king on foot remains as the AoS app has all new scrolls for everyone. It has the ghoul king on foot with a new scroll (picture shows the one from the terrorgheist perched on top of a rock). The Abyssal terror does not have a new scroll and is relegated to the old Vampire Counts section for sorting. That section now lincludes:
Count Mannfred, Heinrich Kemmler, Isabella, Konrad, Krell, Vampire Lord on Abyssal Terror and Vlad. Everyone else (except the tomb kings) got resorted into their new categories.

Also Terrogheist by itself and Zombie dragon by itself got their own scrolls. Also that now clarifies that when you summon a terrorgheist it is unmounted, the combined old scroll didn't really make that clear.

Mannfred not on dead abyssal is not in Deathlords in the app, unlike the website error.
 
Hi!

I also noticed a change in Nagash's command ability:

It now (not sure it did before) re-rolls Hit and Save rolls of 1 for DEATH units, and they do not take Battleshock until your next hero phase*

*From the AoS App

EDIT: Also Krell has a 3+ Save along with his Champion of the Dead special rule, while the Wight King with the Black Axe has a 4+ Save and no such rule
 
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I missed that one on Nagash then, hehe perhaps because Settra's command ability seemed more fitting for a ruler than Nagash's somehow =)

ALSO:

Since Varghulf is now a Mordant, he can be affected by Vanhel's Danse Macabre (perhaps that is why he lost his Unit status)

EDIT: I just saw you at the BoLS page =D it's like... like seeing someone outside of school.

Nice =D
 
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I expect he lost his unit status because it was a mistake in the first place. They were always single models in the past.

I have been pretty active lately.... Frustrated about TK, about the lack of new Death releases, but still engaged with the game. Started making slow painting progress again, though I'm beginning to feel that maybe I started with too large a chunk at once, and should perhaps consider parring back to a smaller pile. I don't know. I also half feel that I should hold off on painting at all until the GAoD is out, as it might have some useful painting tips. I do particularly like the studio's new ethereal scheme....
 
Have to say that I am pretty upset with the way Death is going and I haven't even played first game ;)

I am very analytical so when I built up ~30 Black Knights in the army it was b/c I saw the usefulness of "Spectral Steed" as a way of helping use the BK to screen for a Deathrattle Horde. Now on app if you update the scrolls you have no Horde and no SS. Which is kind of meh and takes some wind out of the sails of an emerging player.
 
Not to mention I converted Mortarch Mannfred to Count Mannfred so on bigger battles I could play the fluff of Arkhan on Abyssal leading the army and Mannfred leading a large contingent of Blood Knights.

Still planning on doing this, just not too happy with the removal of CM from the warscrolls.
 
If you're playing a friendly game you can always still use the old scrolls as long as you let your opponents know ahead of time.
Tournaments however are probably going to mess things up for you. The South Coast GT tournament that the heelan hammer boys are putting on does not allow you to field discontinued models. You wouldn't be able to field count Mannfred there. I think that's a terrible idea. Does that mean no tomb kings at all? Not very fun.
 
Yea, since I ran a synergy idea with incorporation of TK Archers (some conversion and paint scheme to match also converted some HE archers into UD archers). I made a Catapult and was going to use SSC rules for it (I hate the Egyptian theme so losing TK totally doesn't really upset me if they come out with ranged replacements). But now 1/2 my army has been removed/discontinued. Luckily already touched base with people I will be playing locally and everyone is very supportive and have no problems with me fielding anything I have the scrolls for.
 

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