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Disciple of Nagash

Oldblood
Staff member
Feb 12, 2008
27,732
Right then, so this is the first thread of the new revamped LoN! Xd

I have decided to include in this thread the following:

Magic Lore
Rituals
Books of Nagash

They are also closely related and will likely heavily impact each other, so I think we should ensure they work together well from the start. So here’s the starting info that we have:




Magic of the Legion of Nagash

Rituals of Nagash

All casters in the Legion of Nagash know all four rituals, in addition other characters may know them in which case it will be specified in their profile. They replace the ability to channel extra PD as per the BRB, thus no casters in the Legion of Nagash may channel. They channel dispel dice as normal during the enemy magic phase.

To cast a ritual the wizard rolls D6 (not taken from the pool dice, in effect a “free” dice) and adds their magic level. On a roll of 5+ the Ritual is successfully cast at a power level equal to the total rolled. If the wizard fails the Ritual is simply not cast, though the wizard can still cast as normal for the remainder of the magic phase. A natural roll of 1 regardless of modifiers is always a failure. A wizard may choose to cast a Ritual at anypoint during the magic phase

The rules for irresistible force and miscasts do not apply to Rituals. In all other respects, Rituals are treated as normal spells. For example, they can be destroyed by enemy magic items, spells, etc. that destroy spells, which would affect the caster making him unable to use that Ritual for the rest of the game. All Rituals are augment spells.

Ritual of Birth
This ritual may be cast upon a single Undead unit within 12" of the caster. The targeted unit may raise / heal the following amount:
Core: D6 wounds (may take over original unit size)
Special: D3 wounds
Rare / Characters / Monster Mounts: 1 wound

Ritual of Life
This ritual may be cast upon a unit within 12" of the caster. The targeted unit may make a single march move. If this move takes them into base contact with an enemy unit it counts as a charge.

Ritual of Death
This ritual may be cast upon a unit within 12" of the caster. The targeted unit may re-roll all rolls to wound in combat until the next magic phase

Ritual of Afterlife
This ritual may be cast upon a unit within 12" of the caster. Any models struck down in the next combat phase may still make all its normal attacks, even though it is dead.




The Lore of Nagash

Fear Eyes of the Dark LordLore Attribute
Through the eyes of his servants the Lord sees all and punishes those who defy his rightful might.
The power of the Dark Lord is the driving force behind his legions, and this reminder is no more obvious when his potent magics cause chaos across the battlefield. When a Lore of Nagash spell is successfully cast, any friendly wizards within 12” that have a magic equal or lower to the caster are have their minds cleared as they see their Lords might. If they previously failed to cast a spell (and thus could not longer cast for the rest of this magic phase), that is now negated and they can continue to cast as normal, possibly failing to cast and being stopped from casting again. However there is no limit to how many times a wizard may have his mind “cleared” in a magic phase.
At the start of the Legion of Nagash magic phase, any users of this Lore may choose to possess any infantry or cavalry model with the Undead of Nagash special rule within 18” by taking a leadership test. If successful the caster counts as being stood at the targets position for the remainder of the magic phase for the purpose of casting spells. In addition, should the caster suffer a miscast whilst successfully possessing another model, the possessed model suffers the result from the miscast table and the caster is forced back into their own body, and may not cast for the remainder of this magic phase.


To randomly generate a spell from the Lore of Nagash, roll a D6 and consult the chart below.


D6..Spell..................Casting Value

0 - Possession Incantation of Reaping
1 - Whispering Spirits
2 - Visions of Doom
3 - Land of the Dead Amplification of Immortal Alacrity
4 - The True Gaze of Nagash Catechism of Unholy Vigour
5 - Curse of Reanimation The Immortal Legion
6 - The Great Awakening Awakening the Revenants


Incantation of Reaping - 4+ (Signature Spell)
Death is not the end, but the beginning. As the blind are brought low, so their sacrifice empowers those to spread the blessings of the Dark Lord
From the first book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 4, verses 3-4

Incantation of Reaping is a direct damage spell that causes D6 hits to the target Unit, which can be targeted anywhere within 12” of the caster. For each hit inflicted, the target unit must make a Toughness Test, causing 1 wound with no armour save.
For each unsaved wound caused by this spell make an immediate Channeling roll for the casting Wizard. For each successful Channeling roll, the Wizard may either add 1 free bonus Power Dice to his next casting attempt, or allow him to regain a would lost earlier in the battle. Any Power dice gained, does not count towards the usual limit of six power dice for casting spells, meaning that the Wizard can cast his next spell with seven or more dice (depending on how successful his casting of Incantation of Reaping was).
The wizard may choose to extend the range of the spell to 18” and inflict 2D6 hits instead. If he does so, the casting value is 10+.


Whispering Spirits - Cast on 5+
At His command the power of our Lord commands His immortal spirits, and they fill the thoughts of his foes with words fear and undermining. All who stand in their path are rendered powerless, such is the might of our Lord.
From the second book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 12, verses 4-6

Remains in Play. This is a hex spell that targets one of the enemy unit within 18". When successfully cast, this spell removes all psychological effects with the exception of stupidity, even if caused by magic items. This includes the army specific rules such as Cold Bloodied. The unit must also use its stat base Ld for all Ld tests.
Undead / DoC units affected by this spell must take psychology tests as normal. If failed instead of suffering the normal effects they will suffer a number of wounds equal what they failed the test by as per the rules for Instability/Crumbling. The wizard can choose to cast the spell at 12+, in which case the spell affects the target unit for the rest of the game. If the spell is successfully cast then it cannot be dispelled by any means.

Visions of Doom - Cast on 6+
The Lord of the Dead stretched out His hand towards His foes, and gifted them a vision of their demise. All who saw it quaked and fled, and the Lord was pleased.
From the second book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 5, verses 17-18

This spell can be cast on any point within 24" that is within the wizard's line of sight. Once cast, all units within D6" of that point must take an immediate (unmodified) ld test or flee away from the spot.

[ Amplification of Immortal Alacrity - 10+
Upon the winds the taste of death grew, and from its potent might did His follows take their strength to smite their foes.
From the sixth book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 11, verses 13-14

Amplification of Immortal Alacrity is an augment spell with a range of 18” that may target any unit with the Undead of Nagash special rule. For as long as the unit is affected, it receives a +D3 bonus to its Weapon Skill and Initiative characteristics (roll once), and it gains the Extra Attack special rule. The spell lasts until the beginning of the Caster’s next magic phase.
The Wizard may choose to increase the potency of the Amplification of Immortal Alacrity; affecting all units with the Undead of Nagash special rule within 12". If he does so, the casting value is increased to 20+.

Catechism of Unholy Vigour – 8+
As the foolish defied the might of the Dark Lord, thus he did drive forth his faithful to strike them down in His Name
From the seventh book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 16, verse 9

This is an augment spell that once cast lasts until the start of the next caster’s magic phase. Choose one unit with the Undead of Nagash special rule within 18”. For the duration of this spell the unit may march move in their movement phase as normal as per the BRB, or they may Quick Reform as per the main rulebook, with the exception they are not required to pass a leadership test. If the unit is already in combat the unit instead gains ASF and the Swiftstride special rules.
The Wizard may choose to cast a more powerful version of this spell on 16+, in which case the target unit may triple its normal movement rate when marching (this does not apply to charging). Alternatively the Wizard may choose to have the lesser power affect all Undead of Nagash units within a 12” radius (range must be measured at the start of each movement phase).

The Immortal Legion – 9+
At His command the dead will rise. Those thought broken will be whole, and even those who fought Him in life will be welcomed in death.
From the fifth book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 7, verses 7-9

The Immortal Legion is an augment spell, that targets a friendly unit with the Undead of Nagash special rule within 12".
Unit’s with the We Are Legion special rule regains a number of models equal to 2D6 + the caster's Wizards level for Infantry, or just the caster's Wizard level in the case of all other unit types.
Unit’s without the We Are Legion! special rule regains a number of models equal to 1D6 + the caster's Wizards level for Infantry, or half the caster's Wizard level in the case of all other unit types.
This can never take the unit beyond its starting size, nor can any model have its wounds increased beyond the number of wounds on its profile.
Wounds are regained in (insert something similar as the "Resurrecting Fallen Warriors" from the VC book).
The Wizard may cast the spell at 15+ which adds 1D6 when rolling the number of wounds for infantry or +1 wound to the total for other unit types. Alternatively, if a unit is at full strength already, the Wizard may grant it the Regeneration special rule, with the Remain in Play property.

Awakening the Revenants – 10+
None remain beyond his grasp. Eyes will burn, fists will clench, and at this command the dead shall walk forth in his Name…..Nagash
From the seventh book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 13, verses 19-20

When this spell is successfully cast, each player has to tally up the number of models from units that have been wiped out due to casualties in the battle so far from the Infantry and Cavalry unit types (from both sides). Do not count any models with the Unstable or Daemonic special rules.
Note down this number, and roll a D6 for each model in those units. On a roll of 4+, the model returns to the game as a Revenant.
Choose a point within 18" of the Wizard, at least 1” away from an enemy unit, and deploy all the awakened Revenants there as one unit, facing in whatever direction you want. Instead of making a new unit, Revenants may be added to an existing unit within range instead, even if the existing unit is in close combat.
Units used to successfully raise Revenants once, cannot be rolled for again and count as “removed” for the purposes of further castings of this spell.
The Wizard may cast a more potent version of this spell, allowing models all models as described above to automatically return as Revenants, with no range limit to where a unit of Revenants may be placed. If he does so, the casting value is increased to 25+.




The Books of Nagash

These tombs of ancient power possess the knowledge of the Great Necromancer himself. Re-written after his resurrection, a copy is given to each Neophyte when he joins the ranks of the Legion. As he progresses up through the ranks, he gains access to the more powerful and rare books. The ninth book is reserved for the Dark Lord himself, as he guards his most devastating magics closely.

All magic users must choose one book and only one book. Duplicate copies of a book cannot be taken until all available books have been chosen, after which you may take copies. e.g. If you have 3 Level 1 casters, then books 1 & 2 must taken, while the third caster has a choice between a duplicate of book 1 or book 2.

The books are limited by caster level as follows:

Lvl 1 - may choose between books 1-2
Lvl 2 - may choose between books 1-4
Lvl 3 - may choose between books 1-6
Lvl 4 - may choose between books 1-8

The book does not count towards the character's magic item allowance, nor can it be negated by any means (e.g. Law of Gold, Vaul's Unmaking, etc).

Book 1 - The Book of Summoning - 25pts
Once per magic phase the bearer may re-roll all dice when casting a summoning / healing spell to see how many models / wounds are raised or healed. In the case of the Great Awkening, you may only re-roll the dice for one unit.If re-rolled, you must abide by the second result.

Book 2 - The Book of Binding - 25pts
If a unit containing the bearer suffers wounds due to CR, this book will negate D3 such wounds to the unit itself. The book has no effect against CR wounds inflicted upon the bearer.

Book 3 - The Book of Control - 40pts
At the start of each combat phase, the bearer may select any unit with the Undead rule within 24". The target unit gains +3 WS and +1 I during that combat phase.

Book 4 - The Book of Fear - 40pts
All enemy troops within 6" of the bearer suffer -1 to their shooting and close combat rolls to hit.

Book 5 - The Book of Everlasting - 60pts
The bearer adds D3+1 to his unit's CR at the end of combat. This has no effect if the bearer is not within a unit.

Book 6 - The Book of Undermining - 60pts
In your opponents magic phase you may re-roll upto D3 of your opponents casting dice. This may be the dice from one spell, or split over multiple spells. Your opponent must stand by the second result. This may cause a miscast or IF.

Book 7 - The Book of Power - 75pts
Each magic phase the bearer may decide to add an additional power die to each spell cast. This decision can be made after rolling the initial power dice for the spell, but the additional die cannot cause IF but can still cause a miscast.

Book 8 - The Book of Knowledge - 75 pts
The bearer knows all spells from the Lore of Nagash and may choose another four spells from the Lore of Death, Shadows and Metal. The bearer may choose spells from multiple Lores.




Fully Removed Entries

Possession - Cast on 4+ (Signature Spell)
Through the eyes of his servants the Lord sees all and punishes those who defy his rightful might.
From the first book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 16, verses 11-12

This spell can be cast on any undead model within 18".
For the remainder of this magic phase the caster counts as been stood at the targets position for casting spells. If the caster suffers a miscast the target suffers the effects as if were the caster with the exception that if the result is to loose a magic level or spell, the caster looses that as normal. A more powerful version of this spell can be cast on 7+, which increases the range to 36”

Land of the Dead - Cast on 7+
Who dares stand against Him, when the spirits of the land conspire to keep His foe at bay?
From the first book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 8, verses 9-10

Land of the Dead is a hex spell that targets one enemy unit within 24". Once cast, the enemy unit halves any movement it makes (including flying movement or fleeing) is halved until the start of the casting player's next turn. The wizard can choose the more powerful version which reduces the target’s movement to one quarter (rounding up), in addition they cannot make any reform movements, even the free reform granted by the presence of a musician. The upgraded version has a casting value of 14+

The True Gaze of Nagash - Cast on 9+
His gaze fell upon them, and He judged them. Dammed in His sight, their flesh abandoned them, and they became dust.
From the fifth book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 9, verses 6-8

This is a magic missile with a range of 24", If successfully cast, the Gaze of Nagash hits its target and causes 2D6 Strength 5 hits. A powered up version can be cast at 16+ with a range of 36” causing 3D6 Strength 5 hits

Curse of Reanimation - Cast on 10+
Pity the fool who comes against our Lord, for their souls are forfeit and their lives His for the taking.
From the third book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 3, verses 12-14

The Curse of Reanimation may be cast on any one unengaged enemy unit within 24".
If successfully cast, it causes D6+4 Strength 4 hits, with no armour save allowed. Any models killed by this spell are immediately raised as zombies and placed in BtB in front of the affected unit. They are ranked up as per the normal BRB.
In the following combat phase they count as charging, and any Ld or break tests the affected unit has to take for the remainder of this turn are at -1Ld. (Due to the unnerving nature of their comrades attacking them).From this point on the zombies are classed as a normal unit worth 25VP
Alternatively the wizard can cast the powered up version on 20+. Instead of zombies the raised models will be Pinnacle Guard with basic equip as per their army book entry. The raised unit of Pinnacle Guard will instead be worth 100VP.

The Great Awakening - Casting Value - 14+
At His command the dead will rise. Those thought broken will be whole, and even those who fought Him in life will be welcomed in death.
From the fifth book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 7, verses 7-9

Once this augment spell is cast, every undead unit you control within 24" automatically regains the following number of wounds:
Core - D6+3
Special - D6
Rare - D3
Characters (not in units) - D3
In the case of core units, this can create additional models above the number the unit started with, whereas in the case of special and rare units it can only bring the unit back to full strength.
This can also heal undead characters as noted above, though it will not work if they are specifically within a unit unless there are excess 'healed wounds' to be passed on, in which case they can only a maximum of 3 wounds may be passed on. In the case of mounts, roll D3 each for the character and the mount.
The range of this spell can be extended to 36” on a casting value of 21+
 

Disciple of Nagash

Oldblood
Staff member
Feb 12, 2008
27,732
So my thoughts on what we have so far:

Lore of Nagash – rename to Lore of Necromancy

Firstly I should note I really like the fluff of the spell descriptions, as if reading from a holy book. So I would like to stick to this concept for any changes / new spells.

Fear of the Dark Lord – I like this as an attribute, thought I think the name Might of the Dark Lord would be more fitting. It certainly keeps the magic going which is in line with the concept. However that said I do agree with previous comments about showing that Necromancy is more “stable” with the magic being focused through the dead under the casters control. Something along the lines of:

When a user suffers a miscast (casting from Lore of Necromancy only) they may attempt to divert the effects through the dead under their control. If any Undead of Nagash are within 12” roll D6 and consult the following chart
Level 1 wizard – successful on 5+
Level 2 wizard – successful on 4+
Level 3 wizard – successful on 3+
Level 4 wizard – successful on 2+

If unsuccessful the wizard suffers the miscast as normal. If successful nominate one model with the Undead of Nagash special rule within 12”. That model suffers as if they had rolled ?? on the miscast chart - I need to check the BRB for the correct result which is basically one where the model suffers a high strength hit. This is to avoid an issues about loosing magic level etc.

I personally like this as it does depend on how competent the caster is and is not guaranteed. It would be nice if both elements could be incorporated in the attribute but that may be too much?


Possession – I really like this spell and would like to keep it in some element. Fits well with the subtlety of Necromancy.
Whispering Spirits – Again quite like this one….
Visions of Doom – Not sure on this one…..seems a bit boring
Land of the Dead – Not too bothered either way about this one.
True Gaze of Nagash – I agree that we need to design a spell more unique to the Legion. I suggest it actually be quite potent though as this should be the only direct damage spell.
Curse of Reanimation – like the thought behind this one….though it seems a bit cumbersome?
The Great Awakening – Like this one.

I think if we are changing the rituals we may need to look at swapping some of these spells out to replace loss of support to undead units. Something to move / raise etc.

In line with previous comments, I would like a spell that allows Nagash to take possession for a short time. This would be limited to Level 4 wizards and I strongly think this is the best way of including Nagash somehow that is not too over the top. If no one has any objections I will refine and post the suggested spell?


Rituals – I would like to see Uziels suggestion regarding how they could affect Nagashi units?


Books – As said before, I am sticking to my guns for these. I really like the idea, just to recap; the concept is that the priests / liches in the Legion learn from the Books of Nagash, gaining access to higher books as they progress. These books grant them knowledge, which they can use to supplement their powers in battle. This translate basically to them being like “powers”. When choosing the caster, the player must choose one book (representing the area he is been recently focused on) restricted to the books he has access to. He must pay the points cost however they do not come from his magic item allowance, they only count towards the character point allowance (so in reality this is more balance than vampires having both 100pts magic items and 100pts of powers). Book 9 is the uber book that only Nagash has ever seen.

Now what I am open to is discussing the books effects, it is mainly the concept I want to stick to.

So, thoughts?
 

The Dread King

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Jan 28, 2012
1,897
Right, here's what I think of this stuff (it looks great, BTW):

Rituals

These are good. They are unique and not OP. No problem with them. Though maybe the ritual of life could move units, but also, when it works on living units, you could choose to swap that effect for a healing of that unit. It would be suitable, considering this is a ritual for life. But maybe this would make it OP... Rituals could have boosted versions, but I think not, as this would probably make them OP, and would make them similar to spells - and we wanted them to be unique.

Lore of Nagash

Fluff: I love the way it's written. Great job, DoN. xD

Lore attribute: good and original, but if our spells get powerful (e.g. the one DoN was thinking of where the caster gets possessed by Nagash for a turn) then this could become OP as due to one side usually having more PD than the opponent's DD, it would make it very hard for opponents to stop our spells from being cast almost every magic phase.

Possession: I don't have a problem with this, but this spell will probably have to get FAQ'ed (if we do FAQ for the Legion xD) due to the confusion it would cause. There are so many situations in which this could cause rules confusion, and you haven't mentioned much about models being in combat. This spell looks great, but its description needs to be more detailed and explanatory, otherwise sheer ambiguousity will occur.



I will write more later, but I'm a little short of time now, so goodbye for now...xD
 

The Dread King

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Jan 28, 2012
1,897
Part 2

Name change

Lore of Necromancy seems like a good name change.

Lore of Necromancy (continued)

Whispering Spirits: I assume that units affected by this spell can still use the leadership of a character in them. Please clarify this in the spell, or correct me if I'm wrong. That clears up the confusion. Furthermore, if the effects of this spell cannot be removed for the entire game on the boosted version, the boosted version seems particularly powerful to me for its casting value. A permanent affect on a unit for only 12+ casting value? I'm not saying it's OP, but it's getting close to being that.

Visions of Doom: please clarify on the following: this does not affect friendly units (it says ALL units in the spell description).

Land of the Dead: perhaps the casting value of the boosted version should be 15+?

The True Gaze of Nagash: this is fine.

Part 3 coming soon...
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
Ok, having looked over the old stuff again, here are my initial thoughts:

The Lore Attrubute:

I quite liked the initial idea you had DoN, perhaps just adding a LD test as a requirement to continue casting. Could "Will of Nagash" be added as a name change option?
I think it is a good idea to keep the lore attribute quite simple overall, which is why I liked the initial option the best.

Lore of Necromancy:

It seems we mostly agred as to what spells/ideas are good and what could be improved on etc.
I like the fluff you have on them as well DoN, and I think this is a thing to keep. Anything that gives the LoN that kind of a flavor is a good thing. :-)
We must update the spell descriptions with spell types etc though.

As to the spells themselves I have some suggestions;
Make the Incàntation of Reaping from the trilogy as the signature spell, or at least a spell featured in the list at the very least. This is basically a power boosting spell, based on drawing on the power of the spells victim. It also fits well as being the only way we can heal our characters...
Possession aspect could be included in the powerful nagash-presence spell. I like the idea of nagash being able to personally see through the eyes of all his lesser servants and influence things...
I think we should have two summoning type spells, one a minor one that can only be used on the "skeletal/we are legion" element of the list (to raise them back to maximim starting size), and a great awakening type spell to raise all the dead mortal infantry on the table (roll a die for all said dead on the battlefield and on lets say 4+ that model is raised as a revenant/better type zombie)
I think we are in serious need of decent buff spells, and I'd be happy to sacrifice the classical magical missile to do so. Magical missiles is not what first comes to mind when thinking on necromancy to be honest. If one needs to be included, I suggest making it a part of the Incantation of Reaping already mentioned. Magical missiles can be gotten from other lores if this is what ine wants after all..

The Rituals of Nagash:

I don't have any specific ideas here yet, apart from the idea that we tie them to the mortal/cultist part of the list and that we make the meaningfull on their own and not something based on the mechanics of thebmagic phase.
As rituals of any potency takes lots of time and typically requires sacrifice in one form or anorher, I suggest a pre-battle type sacrifice being made (in blood/models from the mortall section) to get an effect that might last the entire battle.
The benefit of this is that one build nore advanced arny tactics and the like around this consept.

Anorher benefit to this, is that it can make the priests of nagash a much more interesting alternative as opposed to pure necromancer types etc.
On a small side note DoN, I can really imagine the "Desciple of Nagash" being made into a very interesting, living, mystical,priest/fanatic type special character in the list. The cult would need a dynamic leader after all...

Books of Nagash:

Ok, I'll admit I was more sceptical than perhaps justified. I think it is very workable.. Not sure we can justify not letting the books come from their own points pool though. Vampire powers are the exception, not the rule after all, and we have to be seen as striving for balance and fairness to get acceptance for the list, not as looking for loopholes to make above average powerful characters.
I think we should present the books in the fluff part as not the actual nine books themselves, but as "pages of" or "secrets of", just to remove the misconseption that we're talking of the actual physical books themselves.

I suggest we take closer look at them once we're done with the spells themselves etc, as many of them build on the spells themselves ans so on.
 

Disciple of Nagash

Oldblood
Staff member
Feb 12, 2008
27,732
Well it looks like we may do the magic reasonably easily, as there doesn’t seem to be any major sticking points – excellent xd

So from the comments made I have had some thoughts and think the following would work well:

Rituals – As long as we ensure the undead boosting elements from the rituals are replaced by the changed spells in the Lore of Necromancy, I would be ok to change this to affect the mortals in someway. It does actually make sense balance wise, otherwise we have one element of the army that works well in conjunction with magic, and one that does not, meaning it may affect whether the player chooses them.

So as a basic rule I think the rituals should require a wizard (who does the mumbo jumbo before the battle). We need to limit how many can be used, so I think the wizard should purchase them and then before battle select a unit to apply a ritual to. Then during the game the wizard can choose to activate the already “primed” ritual (maybe expending a PD to do so?). The ritual then triggers and the player can sacrifice mortals. The amount sacrificed as an effect on the rituals result. So a ritual may look something like (note the following is an example only, I have not properly thought out the balancing of the ritual).

Ritual of Death – 1PD consumed to activate
As the blood of the living pours forth, the spirits of the dead infuse those that remain, lending them unholy speed and energy
Minimum of 2 models scarified. Effects (cumulative):
2 models: The unit counts as charging if already in combat. If the unit has already charged, they gain +2CR instead of the normal +1CR
4 models: The unit may re-roll any failed to wound hits in the next round of combat
6 models: The unit benefits from ASF in the next round of combat

It would need carefully balancing between the points cost of a ritual, the number of models to be sacrificed, and the end result. But it should make a very good tactical option and a surprise for the enemy!

Now, onto the Lore of Necromancy.

Attribute – Yes I agree that we keep the attribute as is, as it really does reflect well on the concept behind the Legion (plus I have an idea for the miscast mitigation elsewhere xd). The Will of the Dark Lord I personally think is the best option for the name. As for the effects, personally if we stick to the original effects then I don’t think we need the Leadership test. It still requires another caster to be in reasonably close proximity and for them to successfully cast. Yes if you are really lucky in some games it could be very effective, but in most cases I think you may get your wizard casting again in a few instances. Plus the extra casting attempts will be limited by the PD available anyway.

So the spells we have are:

0 ....Possession – Keep / tweak
1 ....Whispering Spirits – Keep / tweak
2 ....Visions of Doom – I suggest replacement
3 ....Land of the Dead – I suggest replacement
4 ....The True Gaze of Nagash – Replace with damage spell. Suggest this is Uziel’s idea of the reaping spell (i.e causes direct damage to provide magic boost to caster)
5 ....Curse of Reanimation – Replace. Suggest we do this with Uziel’s suggestion of raising back the mortal elements of the army?
6 ....The Great Awakening – Keep but tweak

I have marked up what I think should be done. Here are some of my ideas:

Possession
I think we can combine the whole concept of this spell to include both Nagash possession and also miscast mitigation. After all the whole idea is that the wizard is taking possession of one of the undead and casting from their body. We can add to that a third level for Nagash taking possession which can only be used by level four wizards. This way as a signature spell all level four wizards have a choice to take this spell (and thus possibly have Nagash taken possession) but they are not given a free extra spell to do so (thus avoiding additional special rules for that character.

Possession - Cast on 4+ (Signature Spell)
Through the eyes of his servants the Lord sees all and punishes those who defy his rightful might.
From the first book of the Cult of Nagash, Chapter 16, verses 11-12


This spell can be cast on any undead model within 18".
For the remainder of this magic phase the caster counts as been stood at the targets position for casting spells. If the caster suffers a miscast roll a D6 and consult the following:
Level 1 – 5+
Level 2 – 4+
Level 3 – 3+
Level 4 – 2+

If the roll is passed, the target (possessed model) suffers the effects of ?? on the miscast table, leaving the caster entirely unharmed. However the Possession spell is immediately ended at that point.
A more powerful version of this spell can be cast on 7+, which increases the range to 36”
Level 4 wizards may attempt cast a third level of this spell on a roll of 25+. This spell may only be attempted once per game, regardless of the number of wizards or whether it passes or fails. It must be attempted at the start of the Legion magic phase, once the Power Dice pool has been finalised (after any relevant additions or subtractions) but before any other spells are cast. If successful the above effects do not apply, instead the honoured servant is instead possessed themselves, by the Supreme Lord of Undeath – Nagash. The presence of Nagash swells the winds of magic, and all PD expended for casting the spell are returned for use to the PD pool.
The caster immediately takes on the below profile for Nagash. The spell remains in effect until the start of the next Legion magic phase, at which time Nagash leaves and the possessed wizard returns to normal. However the strain of harbouring such a potent being causes D3 automatic wounds to the caster than cannot be saved in anyway.


Nagash – Supreme Lord of Undeath

Profile – as per possessed wizard

Magic
Level 5 wizard who knows all the spells from the Lore of Necromancy (should there be additional Lores?)

Equipment
As per possessed wizard

Special Rules
Terror
Undead of Nagash
Supreme Lord of Undeath
The Ninth Book of Nagash

Supreme Lord of Undeath
In the presence of his might, the very skies darken as the stench of death grows ever stronger. Unrivalled by all in his master of undeath, the dead will never lie, the loyal living will never fall, and the world shall be his for the taking
Whilst Nagash is present he must be the army general, and thus all the normal rules for the Legion of Nagash general apply to him, and in turn do not apply to a different model that may have been the armies general. In addition all Nagashi on the board become unbreakable, and all undead units suffer one less wound from any crumbling results after combat.
Nagash also ignores all miscasts when casting from the Lore of Necromancy, and may continue to cast if he fails to cast any spells.
Finally the model being possessed by Nagash benefits from a 3+ ward save.
Once the spell is ended the original general retakes the role and thus the rules transfer back to that model.
Should the model possessed by Nagash be killed, Nagash is immediately banished back to his body in Nagashizzar. In this instance the generalship of the army does not transfer back and the effect of a killed general remains for the rest of the game. Such is the horror at their god being banished in such a way, all Nagashi on the board regardless of range must take a panic test. This may involve them fleeing from combat, for which the enemy unit(s) may choose to pursue etc as normal.

The Ninth Book of Nagash
Many have spoken of the knowledge and power in the Books of Nagash, yet only the Dark Lord himself knows the knowledge held within the greatest of them all – the Ninth Book. The only one in existence hangs from his side, and in battle Nagash recalls its arcane teachings with devastating effect
The book combines and grants Nagash the benefits of previous Books of Nagash 1-8. In addition it grants him the unique spell The Dead Shall Walk

The Dead Shall Walk – 24+
The greatest, the most potent spell the Dark Lord ever created. It was this spell cast at the height of his power that allowed Nagash to raise land of Nehekahara into everlasting death. Whilst no longer at such a pinnacle, its power is still beyond question when cast by Master of Necromancy
Roll the following for each unit on the board:
Core units: 1D6+6
Special: 1D6+3
Rare: 1D6
Characters: D3
Monster Mounts: D3

The number rolled is the number of wounds that are recovered by each unit. Core units may be taken over their starting size (including those not normally permitted to). All other units are healed upto a maximum of their starting size / number of wounds. Characters within units may still roll seperatly to the unit roll. Finally all undead have the regeneration special rule for the remainder of this turn.


Now before anyone starts screaming OP just a note. To actually get Nagash on the board you have to have level 4 wizard who has chosen the signature spell. Then he has to cast a very high level spell, risking a miscast. This can only be attempted once per game, so chances are it will be quite rare it is pulled off. Now even if it is pulled off, Nagash only has one casting phase to do damage, and then again the Dead Shall Walk spell is high level to cast.


Phew….that’s a lot xd

I’ve got some more ideas, however for the time being I’ll wrap up by replying to the Books of Nagash by Uziel. I would like to keep the name….it just sounds right. I think as long as we clearly show in the fluff (I will post an example later) that it represents the knowledge from the books, rather than lugging them around in each battle, that should work.
 

Chaos_Born

Master Necromancer
True Blood
Jan 17, 2012
2,053
Omnipresent
Okay, I just think that the Nagash possession thing is way over the top. No signature spell ever has that much impact on the game. It's not so much that it's OP, but it's so...different. So much totally unprecedented stuff in a sig spell? I thought when you said possession by Nagash that he'd just be able to cast through the caster for the magic phase, not lasting into combat and the beginning of the next turn.

I think if it was not only one shot(although obviously only one guy can be possessed per turn!), but only gave the extra casting power of being Nagash it would be less ridiculous.



Other than that, I think the rest of what is summed up in your post, DoN, is all good
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
DoN:

The Rituals:

I think we should look to incorporate the bits we like from the old rituals into the spells as well. After all, if it feels and functions like a spell, then it is probably a good idea to let it be just that...

The mechanics for the Rituals that I had in mind, was more along the line of the pre-battle prayer option of the Bretonnians or something of that nature. Not something attributed to a specific character, and the benefit lasting the entire battle, or at last being resolved before the battle starts.
To prevent it from becoming a free bonus from a point cost perspective, I suggest we pay for the effect with a random number of living casualties from our living section.
Having a "priest", could very well just be a prerequisite for getting to use a ritual. Maybe a Lord type priest could give access to greater rituals than the hero option and so on.
I don't think these effects should be too necromantic in nature, or at least not resembling any of the spells that we have, and I think it would be best if we kept them out of the magic phase entirely.
If we keep the ritual aspect tied to the living cult idea of the army, then we encourage players to have to make more of a choice in playing style and so on.

I haven't had the time to come up with some good rituals yet, but If the concept I propose sounds like a good idea, I'll get to work on presenting some more solid ideas so that you get a better picture of what I'm talking about.

The Possession Spell Idea:

While I am on board with the idea of having the spirit of nagash being able to do something meaningful on the table, I think we have to make it a whole lot simpler DoN...
Your proposal in this case is just much, much too complicated. I have never seen any spell having anything close to that much detail too it in fact. I don't even want to spend time considering if it is OP or not, and neither will any player we play against (until that spell wrecks his army at least).
We can't expect anyone we face to have a clear understanding of what spell we are casting with that much information tied directly or indirectly too it. Just the nine books of nagash alone has potentially staggering implications, and that's just one thing to consider.. As it stands, it is the kind of spell one would have to stop the battle for a good 15-30 minutes to explain and let the opposing player get a true understanding of, before he decided to spend Dispel Dice or not... I say we need something A LOT simpler...
An A for effort and enthusiasm DoN, but due to the complicated nature of it it is clear that it spun a bit out of control there (and I'd guess that there would still be a lot of unresolved issues that would add significantly too it if play tested properly)...

Books of Nagash:

As long as it is abundantly clear from the fluff that we're not talking of the actual books being logged around by lvl 2 necromancers and the like here, then I'm fine with it. :)

Spells:

I'll get to work on some spell suggestions here. I already have some thoughts. I'll focus on the mechanics and so on, and then maybe you can add the fluff to them DoN (as you seem to have a bit of a knack for that sort of thing)?. :)

Chaos Born:

Nice to see you getting involved again. :) We need all constructive criticisms that we can get (even if you should not have the time to involve yourself and do a lot of the creative work for the project this time around), as that is at this stage the closest thing we get to the kind of feedback/first impressions we'd get from our future opponents. :)
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
Spell ideas:

Incantation of Reaping
Cast on 4+ (Signature Spell?)
The Necromancer inflicts horrible pain upon his foes, then rips out their unwilling souls and feeds on them, increasing his own magical powers or using the energy from the souls to strengthen himself.

Incantation of Reaping is a direct damage spell that causes D6 hits to the target Unit, which can be targeted anywhere within 12” of the caster.
For each hit inflicted, the target unit must make a Toughness Test, causing 1 wound with no armour save.
For each unsaved wound caused by this spell make an immediate Channeling roll for the Wizard. For each successful Channeling roll, the Wizard may either add 1 free bonus Power Dice to his next casting attempt, or allow him to regain a would lost earlier in the battle. Any Power dice gained, does not count towards the usual limit of six power dice for casting spells, meaning that the Wizard can cast his next spell with seven or more dice (depending on how successful his casting of Incantation of Reaping was).

The wizard may choose to extend the range of the spell to 18” and inflict 2D6 hits instead. If he does so, the casting value is 10+.

I'll post more spells a bit later..
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
Chaos_Born said:
I like possession (in it's basic form) as the sig spell, but that seems to be a cool and balanced for a No.1 spell

I like the possession idea as well, but it seems to me that if that is going to have anything to do with the spirit of Nagash, we're not talking about a easy to cast signature spell here...

Possession is also really a proper necromancy spell as long as we're talking about possessing the dead. That distinction seems to have been lost in the proposed description as well. Nagash does not have the ability to posses whomever he wants after all (which makes living characters a bit of an issue).

Also, for those that have read the Nagash trilogy (of which is perhaps the key material for the newer fluff), the Incantation of Reaping was in fact the key for Nagash magical rise to power, as well as the very first necromancy spell, which I think makes it a very natural fit for the Signature spell option.
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
An idea for a buff spell:

Amplification of Immortal Alacrity
Cast on 9+
The Necromancer imbues his undead minions with the power of Shyish, granting them unnatural speed and skill, too better serve their undying lord.

Amplification of Immortal Alacrity is an augment spell with a range of 18” that may target any unit with the Undead of Nagash special rule. For as long as the unit is affected, it receives a +2 bonus to its Weapon Skill and Initiative characteristics.
The unit may also make an immediate free Reform, even if in close combat, following all the normal rules. This may also allow any unit with the We are Legion special rule to alter their Legion or Auxiliary tactics. The spell lasts until the beginning of the Caster’s next magic phase.

The Wizard may choose to increase the potency of the Amplification of Immortal Alacrity; granting the unit the additional benefit of the Always Strikes First special rule as well as granting a +1 bonus to Attacks; Or he may choose to target all friendly units with the Undead of Nagash special rule within 12” of himself with the lesser version of the spell. If he chooses either of these options, the Casting Value is increased to 18+.
 

Chaos_Born

Master Necromancer
True Blood
Jan 17, 2012
2,053
Omnipresent
I don't really know about the fluff, but from a gameplay point of veiw, possession seems like an odd spell not to be the signature. It's the kind of spell you would choose: it's dead weight if you didn't want it or scuppers your plan if you did. Kind of like IoN or Shield of Saphery (off the top of my head)

As for that new spells, I like it, but I think it needs to be harder to cast.
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
Chaos_Born said:
I don't really know about the fluff, but from a gameplay point of veiw, possession seems like an odd spell not to be the signature. It's the kind of spell you would choose: it's dead weight if you didn't want it or scuppers your plan if you did. Kind of like IoN or Shield of Saphery (off the top of my head)

As for that new spells, I like it, but I think it needs to be harder to cast.

I see your point as far as the "dead weight" if you didn't want it angle and so on Chaos Born. Makes sense from that point of view, as long as the initial basic possession spell is what we're talking about.
Been thinking here though, and when compared with the other Lore attributes, ours is not all that powerful... Maybe the possession idea could be worked into the Lore attribute somehow, instead of being a spell. That would open up the field for some changes, particularly making room for some buff and hex spells in addition to our two summoning spells and so on.. I think we're going to sorely need those options, as we are going in the direction of a proper horde army with "less" in the way of monster support and so on.

Starting to wonder here, am I and DoN the only ones familiar with the trilogy?

Yes, you are correct regarding the casting value Chaos Born. Good catch. I modified my initial spell idea quite a bit. Forgot to change the casting value. I'll change it now.
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
An idea for the great summoning spell we have discussed previously in the Core units section:

This spell might at first glance look very powerful, but one has to keep in mind that it is only really useful once there has been a lot of killing (preferably on both sides), and thus it is limited in usefulness early on in the game for one thing, and one has to time it quite well for it to be a huge success, and unless cast with irresistible force, a dispel scroll can really screw things up. It is pretty much an all or nothing spell. The fact that it may benefit us to actually sacrifice out cultists as pawn to get a better effect from this spell also has a great appeal to me. :)


Also, one of the ideas I like about this option, is that it has no range at the higher casting value. Instead, the disadvantage of razing a unit too far from the general and the rest of the army, is that the Revenants will be a bit out of control.

Awakening the Revenants
Cast on 10+

The Necromancer uses his powers to twist and corrupt the spirits of the recently slain on the field of battle, binding them back into their former bodies, creating a horde of Revenenats with only one thing on their mind, to sink their teeth into the flesh, guts and brain of their former friends and allies…

When this spell is successfully cast, each player has to tally up the number of casualties in the battle so far from the Infantry and Cavalry unit types. Do not count any models with the Undead of Nagash, Undead, Nehekharan Undead or Daemonic special rules.
Note down this number, and roll a D6 for each model. On a roll of 5+ (open for modification after game testing), the model returns to the game as a Revenant.
Choose a point within 18" of the Wizard, at least 1” away from an enemy unit, and deploy all the awakened Revenants there as one unit, facing in whatever direction you want. Instead of making a new unit, Revenants may be added to an existing unit within range instead, even if the existing nit is in close combat.
Models successfully raised as Revenants once, cannot be rolled for again and count as “removed” for the purposes of further castings of this spell.

The Wizard may cast a more potent version of this spell, allowing models to return on a roll of 3+, with no range limit to where a unit of Revenants may be placed. If he does so, the casting value is increased to 20+.
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
Here is a suggestion for a spell which could be sort of the basis spell to keep the Eternal Legions from perishing too quickly, both the Legions, the Auxiliaries, or any other unit of a skeletal nature which gets the We are Legion! special rule.

The Immortal Legion
Cast on 9+

The Legions of the Undying Lord, shall forever walk the land and slaughter his foes...

The Immortal Legion is an augment spell, that targets a friendly unit with the We are Legion! special rule within 12".
The unit regains a number of models equal to 2D6 + the caster's Wizards level for Infantry, or just the caster's Wizard level in the case of all other unit types. This can never take the unit beyond its starting size, nor can any model have its wounds increased beyond the number of wounds on its profile.
Wounds are regained in (insert something similar as the "Resurrecting Fallen Warriors" from the VC book).

Alternatively, if a unit is at full strength already, the Wizard may grant it the Regeneration special rule, with the Remain in Play property; or he may increase the range of the spell to 24". If he does so, the casting value is increased to 12+.
 

Chaos_Born

Master Necromancer
True Blood
Jan 17, 2012
2,053
Omnipresent
Awakening the Revenants:
I think the whole 'totting up casualties' bit in the revenant spell is quite annoying and I know that opponents, especially if they're loosing, could get very ratty about it.

Plus the power of razing a new unit of decent troops, even if it's only on a 5/6+ per guy already killed, is too much. What if you're playing skaven? Say you broke and killed their two 40 slave blocks as well as normal battle wear and tare. 30 revenants? Game breaking.

Lets say I'm not entirely convinced by the spell

The Immortal Legion
You'll want is to reduce the wounds regained for monsters down to 1. Other than that the raising side of it is fine.

As for the regen thing, I'm not sure if making the spell that versatile is too good. Making this spell raise (an awesome ability) but also grant regen if stuff hasn't died? Maybe if it was regen (6+) or something, but straight up regen is very good for a tag on to a spell.

In fact I think avoiding secondary modes that are completely different from the first is a good rule to go by. This goes for the possession thing as well: it means that your wizards essentially gain more, free spells which is very powerful.



Hmm, that ended up being more critical than I expected it to be.
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
Chaos_Born said:
Awakening the Revenants:
I think the whole 'totting up casualties' bit in the revenant spell is quite annoying and I know that opponents, especially if they're loosing, could get very ratty about it.


Plus the power of razing a new unit of decent troops, even if it's only on a 5/6+ per guy already killed, is too much. What if you're playing skaven? Say you broke and killed their two 40 slave blocks as well as normal battle wear and tare. 30 revenants? Game breaking.

Lets say I'm not entirely convinced by the spell

I think I have to disagree here, just on the basis of the VC IoN spell alone... In the VC army, if it is your playing style, it is certainly no problem raising 50+ zombies in one go, on a casting roll of 6+, and equally easy to do it multiple times, with additional benefits to any other nearby undead as well I might add...
With this spell, you have to inflict the casualties, then cast the spell at the right time, without being dispelled, at a much higher casting value.
Some players are always annoyed when they loose, no matter what, but it is not as if this is something they won't have ample opportunity to stop. Also, it can't really happen effectively multiple times, due to the lack of bodies to raise. But yes, a skaven player will probably find it annoying, but then again, they are not exactly anyone with a good reason to complain in 8.ed in the first place...
You also have to consider that the spell won't be all that good vs more elite armies, unless you go with a large mortal force, and are ready to gamble and sacrifice them all for a unit of slightly better than average zombies possibly becomming available late in the game.
It is not as if it can compete with other game-wrecking spells, like purple sun in any case.
Besides, the spell has an easy fix built-in in case it shows itself to be unbalancing, just modify the dice needed to awaken a model..


Chaos_Born said:
The Immortal Legion
You'll want is to reduce the wounds regained for monsters down to 1. Other than that the raising side of it is fine.

As for the regen thing, I'm not sure if making the spell that versatile is too good. Making this spell raise (an awesome ability) but also grant regen if stuff hasn't died? Maybe if it was regen (6+) or something, but straight up regen is very good for a tag on to a spell.

In fact I think avoiding secondary modes that are completely different from the first is a good rule to go by. This goes for the possession thing as well: it means that your wizards essentially gain more, free spells which is very powerful.



Hmm, that ended up being more critical than I expected it to be.

Regarding the monsters, that is entirely possible that that will have to be done. I don't imagine many monsters in the list will have the We are Legion! special rule though, and if they do, we can just make them with this spell in mind instead.. That is why I decided to keep it this simple in that regard.

You might be right regarding the regen issue though. It is certainly a flexible solution (just had a browse through all the lores for comparison reasons). I might just change that so the standard AOE boosted effect instead common for most spells of this kind. I'll leave it for a bit of feedback from the boss first though..
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
Chaos_Born said:
What unit were the revenants again? I feel we are talking about a different unit

Ahh.. I understand the confusion.. :) Yes, with the previous Revenant Character, the spell would be insane... Mega insane in fact. hehe
Check the Core section. Basically, slightyly better than average zombies. Revenants is the term used in the Nagash trilogy for the "zombies".
 

Chaos_Born

Master Necromancer
True Blood
Jan 17, 2012
2,053
Omnipresent
Ah, see I thought that revenants were closer to ghoul level quality, at some point when I was still discussing here, such a unit was mentioned.

In that case, it isn't that unbalanced then. However, I still think the counting casualties thing is very annoying. In larger games, I might consider not casting it purely because of the accompanying irritation (you can bet that my opponent would leave me to count his as well: it's my spell after all)
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
Sorry there Chaos Born: I didn't realize that the new Core section that we had almost finished was removed. We had done quite a lot of changes to it, but then we started on the army special rules and so on.

Maybe DoN can put that post back soon, as I imagine we'll keep most of the changes we made there. Or not? I don't know at the moment to be honest.
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
Chaos_Born said:
Ah, see I thought that revenants were closer to ghoul level quality, at some point when I was still discussing here, such a unit was mentioned.

In that case, it isn't that unbalanced then. However, I still think the counting casualties thing is very annoying. In larger games, I might consider not casting it purely because of the accompanying irritation (you can bet that my opponent would leave me to count his as well: it's my spell after all)

Yes, they were in the grey area between zombies and ghouls somewhere. Thay packed some punch, but were quite unreliable if you dind't have anyone close to keep them supervised.

I see your point as far as counting goes, but I still think it is worth it just for the unique tactics it brings along with it in this mixed undead/living army, and lets face it, I don't think this is a list that will ever see that many large battles in the first place. we can always hope though, but it is still optimistic.
If it does prove to be too annoying, we can always just keep the principle, just make it X D6 Revenants for each enemy or friendly unit that has been wiped out instead. Maybe we could earn "grave markers" (there are some additional gravestones on some plastic sprues ideal for keeping track) too keep count of units destroyed on both sides instead.
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
So, I've been putting a some thought into how to bring the presence of Nagash across on the battlefield, without making it to complicated, and I have a suggestion, which also incorporates the possession idea nicely.

The will of Nagash (Lore Attribute)

Even though he sits immobile on his throne, the presence of Nagash sometimes reach out to aid his legions across the Old World...

Whenever the LoN player has 12 Power Dice in his pool (for whatever reason), the magic in the area is strong enough for Nagash's will to influence things directly. The LoN player may then cast any Lore of Necromancy spell as from a Bound Item with a casting value equal to the spell's casting value. The LoN player may use up to 12 dice when casting this spell however, and any Miscast is ignored. The LoN player may count any model with the Undead of Nagash special rule as being the caster of the spell for range and vision purposes.


-At first glance, it might seem like Nagash will only make his presence known 1/36 of every magic phase, but that is until one considers that we have Channeling as one of the areas in which we excel (with the BSB bonus, the support of the cultists, possible rituals (I have an idea here btw) etc..)

-The other thing, is that the will of Nagash can at times give our army a great flexibility to where we want a spell to be used, and the ability to use up to 12 PD certainly gives Nagash's immense casting abilities some justice (he did after all slay some members of the council of thirteen half a world away as they attempted to protect Alcaddizzar just with a magical power backlash).

-More important than anything though, is that is it simple for any non LoN player to grasp. I also like the fact that it opens up a spell slot, since an army not based on monsters and uber characters, will be in need of some decent augment and hex spells to maximize their potential.
 

Uziel

Vargheist
Aug 29, 2011
687
Ok, as for the rituals themselves, here is an initial suggestion to what I was talking about. I haven't spent too much time on the fluff part etc, just enough that one gets a sense of what each Ritual is about.

- The Great Rituals -


"Doom of Quatar"

When Nagash's armies marched upon Quatar at the entrance of the Valley of the Kings, he cast a great ritual, causing a rain of blood over the city, which brought with it plague and death...

Every living unit (not units with the Unstable or Deamonic special rules) on the table takes 1 wound with no armour save on a d6 roll of 4+ at the start of their own turn.

One unit of Nagashi Acolytes suffers 3D6 wounds, with no saves of any kind, immediately after their deployment. This can not cause a panic test.


"Shroud of Locusts"

The armies of the Undying King often march under the shadow of billions of Locust, shielding them from the hostile sun, and preventing enemy flyers from going too high...

All BS test for living troops (all units without the Unstable or Daemonic special rules) suffers an additional -1 for the first D3+1 enemy turns. In addition to this, any enemy flyer making a March or Charge move using its flying movement, immediatly suffers 2d6 S1 hits at the end of their movement, distributed as from shooting.

One unit of Nagashi Acolytes suffers 4D6 wounds, with no saves of any kind, immediately after their deployment. This can not cause a panic test.


"The Reaping Sacrifice"

The cultists has been instructed to sacrifice themselves for the glory of their dark god, using the powers of their souls to feed the Necromancers great plans...

Each unit of Nagashi Acolytes may make a Channeling test at the start of each friendly magic phase, with a +1 to the roll if the unit consist of 20 or more Acolytes.

At the start of the LoN players turn (after any Rallying tests), any unit wishing to Channel in the magic phase must be stated (marked with a coin or something). Said units, immediately suffers D6 wounds, with no save of any kind. Furthermore, the units may not Charge, March or Reform during its turn, as they are busy sacrificing some of their members, and they may not do so if they are already engaged in close combat. This may not cause a Panic test. A fleeing unit may not Channel.


This is just an example of three kinds of rituals that don't work as spells, but that can have a huge impact on how one wans to play the LoN army tactically.
How they are introduced to the army is the key issue. Personally I'd like to tie it to the leaders of the Cult of Nagash, so that they bring something with them to the table that the "necromancers" don't. an other alternative, is to tie it to the books of nagash, but then, all the power gets back in the hands of the "necromancers" gain, leaving it very hard to find a proper use for a high lvl cutlist leader in the army..
Also, I'm thinking that one has to select one ritual to affect the army before the battle starts, not all of them...
 

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