Harbingers of Salvation . . . or Damnation
A preview of the Warriors in the Mist for the Lords of Vlachold faction.
The defining trait of the people of Vlachold is their stoicism in the face of uending horror. However, for some a life of hopeless struggle is more than they can bear and they choose to end it on their terms. Unfortunately, obligation in Vlachold is inherited. For a Voynik family without a father, a son or mother must answer the Voivoide’s call to arms. If a serf chosen to be a Curteni choose death over service, a younger sibling will be chosen instead.
The guilt at fleeing their duties prevents these souls from finding rest. They wander the boundaries of the realm, shapeless apparitions whose sobbing faces can occasionally be seen in the nighttime mists. They are drawn to the struggles of their families and descendants. Sometimes, in the direst of times, the pull is so strong that they materialize in glowing mist. They descend upon those that threaten their loved ones with implements of their own demise, cutting at the very soul of their enemies.
The Warriors in the Mist are an Elite unit in the Lords of Vlachold faction. These ghostly warriors are unlike any unit in Battleground Fantasy Warfare. The unit has a pre-printed Close standing order, and the Uncontrollable keyword on the back, similar to the Werewolf Pack. Their lack of a Courage reflects their Fearless keyword, meaning they will never flee from battle.
However what is most unique about the unit is its Power and Toughness stats. At first glance they seem extraordinarily high, but when looking at the rear of the card you can see they follow the Life Drain and Incorporeal keywords (respectively).
Life Drain means that when the Warriors in the Mist attack, the enemy uses its Courage instead of Toughness to determine the target number to-wound. The Warriors in the Mist’s cuts the very soul of the enemy, ignoring both the plate armor of knights and the thick hide of hill giants with equal ease. Incorporeal is similar to Life Drain, only it is used when the Warriors in the Mist are attacked. The enemy uses their Courage in place of Power when trying to wound the Warriors in the Mist. The formless ghosts cannot be harmed by physical weapons, and it is the enemy’s willpower that makes the blade strike true.
The Warriors in the Mist have the previously mentioned keywords (Fearless and Uncontrollable) but also Terrifying and a new keyword: Adverse. Veteran players of Battleground will recognize Adverse as being similar to text on the back of units such as the Crazed Goblins or the Rat Swarm, and similar to text found on cards such as the Red Dragon or the Triceratops Herd. Adverse is a new keyword that simply transports that text from the back of the unit to a reminder card. The Warriors in the Mist are Adverse (Ω), meaning they cannot have Command Cards played on them. Future units will have Adverse (1) or Adverse (2), indicating that in order to play a Command Cards on the unit, 1 or 2 Command Cards must be discarded first.
The Warriors in the Mist are the first unit to feature thematic rules that captures their background, while still working within the existing Battleground system. It is a unit that gives the Vlachold player the ability to disrupt the enemy’s line with it’s unique attack and defense, however it is a unit that the player may have a difficult time controlling. The unit’s rules drive home that the Warriors in the Mist are not a normal part of a Vlachold army. They appear and attack, not beholden to the vampiric Lords’ commands.
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