C'est up:
Theme Forces
There are five completely new models in this CID [Bethayne 2, Blight Archon, Virtue Host, Virtue Champion, Yssylla]. Theme forces will be updated to indicate where some of these models are allowed, but we are also making a quality of life change to allow the Throne into another theme as well.
Ravens of War
Ravens will be updated to allow the Blight Archon.
Children of the Dragon
Children will be updated to allow the Blight Archon, the Virtues, the Throne of Everblight, and will already be able to take Yssylla as she is a Blighted Nyss solo.
Oracles of Annihilation
Oracles will be updated to allow the Blight Archon, the Virtues, and will already be able to take Yssylla as she has Magic Ability.
Primal Terrors
PT will be updated to allow the Blight Archon.
As you can see, the Blight Archon is playable in every theme force. as is Bethayne 2 by nature of being a warlock. The Virtues remain with the bulk of the Legion's fighting forces, represented by Children and Oracles. Yssylla, as a Blighted Nyss solo, already goes into both Children and Oracles. Finally, we decided to add the Throne to Children because it simply made sense to us to allow this great model in more than one theme force, and opened up some new list building options without causing any balance issues with existing options.
New Models
The new models in this CID are centered around Everblight's newest creations, the Blight Archon and the Virtues. Using Bethayne and Belphaor as his testing grounds, Everblight has perfected new beings for the Legion that are not only ready to go to war with the Archons of the "lesser gods", but also protect the souls of his warriors from the machinations of the Infernals.
You will notice a heavy corrosion theme through these new models, but at the same time, each model entry should stand on its own. For example, the Virtues' melee attack and damage rolls are boosted against models suffering corrosion. They also have a ranged attack AOE that causes corrosion, and assault, allowing them to trigger this benefit themselves. You could run just the Virtues by themselves if you like, but adding the Champion provides the Caustic Presence ability and the ability to make Blight Clouds (which also cause corrosion), and adding a Blight Archon can strip enemies of immunity corrosion.
Stacking the amount of corrosion based synergy you want in your list is up to you, and you can definitely go all-in, but each model entry here should stand alone as a valuable addition to the Legion without the need to utilize all the other new models.
Bethayne, Pride of Everblight
Bethayne has been permanently fused with Belphagor during Everblight's initial experimentation, having been pulled apart and put back together more times than she can recall. She is the Proto-Virtue, a truly unique creature that can likely never exist again, and that functioned as an early template for what the Virtues and the Blight Archon eventually became.
Bethayne 2 is the first "warbeast warlock", similar to how Karchev the Terrible is a "warjack warcaster". She takes damage like a warbeast, can slam and make power attacks, and suffers crippled aspects OTHER than the Spirit aspect. Unlike Karchev, who is a smash-your-face style caster, Bethayne is far more of a ranged threat and brings several potent spells and an incredibly potent feat to the table.
Between her own Breath of Entropy and the Dissolve Spell, applying -2 ARM to enemies can be fairly simple to accomplish. Dissolve cast on units like Nyss Archers or the new Virtues with their AOE assault shots can be devastating. With Spell Driver, Bethayne can hang back and cast Breath of Corruption through her warbeasts, while shooting her own Breath of Entropy out, allowing her to play a safe distance back from the enemy.
While Bethayne can fight in melee, it is not her focus. The comparison to Karchev is only really a thematic one. She does not buff her warbeasts like Karchev buffs his warjacks, nor does fight in melee as well as him. Her relationship with her beasts is far more exploitative than supporting, which we see recognized through Spell Driver, Absorb Flesh, and even the feat.
Her Feat is an absolute power house of a defensive feat, allowing your front line to absorb as much damage as you want them to, and then continue fighting the next turn. Note that models you choose to be effected by this feat cannot heal for one round, this stops triggers of things such as Rapid Healing and also means you do need to be careful with using it to shunt free strike damage to a beast on the turn you feat, as you might put them out of commission.
Just so that the intent of the feat is clear, when the feat is up if a model in your control range takes damage from an enemy attack you can split that damage between the original model and another eligible model in your control range. The model you split damage onto is not considered to have been damaged by an enemy attack, so that would not trigger Vengeance on that model.
If, after splitting, either model (the original target or the one being shunted off to) takes ANY amount of damage, they cannot heal until the feat is over. Thus they cannot heal on the turn you've feated, and they cannot heal during your opponent's turn. If a model takes no damage from the feat, either because it was never chosen to or you shunt all damage away from it, it does not suffer the no healing clause.
Blight Archon
Everblight's perfect creation is the first ever lesser warlock archon. This archon is point costed at 8, but honestly costs more like 12-20. That's with a warbeast or two of course! The new cheaper Raeks (at 6 points) make excellent warbeats for the archon, running a pair of them in conjunction with the Crimson Ballet spell can allow for some excellent harassment of the enemy flanks.
The Blight Archon offers three main support options, two of which are passive and one of which is an upkeep. Veteran Leader [Blighted] just works on a LOAD of models in the Legion army. From Blighted Ogrun to Blighted Nyss, and this includes any warlock that has the Blighted subtype as well! Additionally, the Archon supports its own corrosion based abilities with the new Meltdown ability, which strips enemies of immunity corrosion with its control range. While this helps the Archon be self sufficient with its attacks, it really shines if you are playing with the new Virtues and Bethayne 2, as we mentioned prior.
Dragon's Blood is a hell of an upkeep to become available in any Legion army, and can be cast on the Archon itself if you plan on using it more aggressively.
Finally there's Impending Doom, a spell which can set up assassinations for the rest of your army is really fun ways. While this is a bit more ranged focus thanks to a SP 10 Rat 7 (boostable) attack, it can mix it up and melee, and can make excellent use of Impending Doom when it goes that deep.
TEMPLATE NOTE: The Blight Archon has a small typo we just noticed, it will be fixed in the next update. The Veteran Leader ability will say "friendly Blighted models" so that is useful in Oracles, while also not buffing your opponent's models
Virtue Host
The Virtues are Everblight's (non-ogrun) elite. They aren't Nyss, they aren't Nephilim, they are a completely new species birthed of pure blight. This unit is versatile, capable of moving up the board quickly with solid defensive stats, and then attacking at either ranged or melee (or preferably both). Virtues won't necessarily be killing heavy warjacks, but they will go toe to toe with just about any infantry in the game.
If the unit can get into melee range on an assault charge, then their Toxic Spit AOE cannot deviate off their charge target if you miss, meaning you are guaranteed to land the corrosion of the charge target (and possibly other nearby models) which will trigger Peel back the Layers. This means when the unit charges in they are typically making six boosted P+S 11 melee attacks, in addition to potential damage from the spit, and this is before any ARM debuffs (such as Bethayne 2's Dissolve) or damage buffs (such as new Kryssa's Ignite) are applied to them.
All Virtues also have Soul Static, as aspect of their creation process and part of Everblight's plan to keep the souls of his Legion safe.
Virtue Champion
The Virtue Champion takes everything about the normal Virtue's versatility, cranks it to 11, and then hands it back over to them. Like the other Virtues the Champion is capable of both ranged and melee attacks, capable of assaulting with its AOE scather attack, and gains boosted melee attack and damage rolls against corroded models. However, the Champion is sporting a pair of massive claymores that start at P+S 14, and have longer rng than the normal Virtue's claws.
The real power of the Champion is in its Caustic Presence, Blight Cloud, and Leadership abilities. Once an enemy is corroded, the continuous effect remains while within 10" of the Champion. Blight Cloud is just brutal, especially since the Virtues can use it while within 10" of the Champion. Now the unit doesn't even need to assault an enemy to land their corrosion (for example if they are stuck in combat), they can just pop a Blight Cloud and corrode everyone around them.
These are cloud effects as well, making the Virtues a walking frontline wall to block LOS to the rest of your army, but note that the cloud goes away if the Virtue who put it into play is destroyed.
Get your AOE templates ready. Between Blight Clouds and Scather shots, the Virtues drop a load of AOEs on the board.
Yssylla
Yssylla is the mysterious blighted Nyss coming in the new Riot Quest Wintertime Wasteland starter box (pledge now on Kickstarter!). No one knows exactly who she is under the mask, but in the Riot Quest timeline we know that she escaped "whatever happened up north" and has shattered memories of the event. She doesn't like to talk about it to much, but something in her has changed.
She was clearly an Ice Witch of sorts, but her magic is now corrupted with toxic properties. She can't summon a simple blizzard anymore, instead she summons a whirlwind of frozen acid that clings to skin, melts, and dissolves.
Yssylla has lower end defensive stats as she isn't really wearing any armor, but she does has constant Stealth to help protect her. Her main strength lies in her capable arcane abilities. At Magic Ability 8, Yssylla can land her two offensive spells (Puppet Master and Toxic Blizzard) with ease. Support wise she is rocking both Puppet Master (when used non-offensively) and first the first time ever not on a caster ... Shatterstorm.
Note, this Shatterstorm can't be upkeep, as its not on a caster and Yssylla has no resource mechanic, but it still functions the same for the duration it lasts. This spell is great on the new Nyss Archers when they have their command attachment, thanks to the whole unit always having ROF 2 now if the Ammo Porter is in play at all.
While Yssylla can definitely hang back and just be a support model, her Unleash the Arcane means you can get a bit of double duty out of her. Once per turn when she lands an offensive spell, she can immediately cast another spell. This could be two offensive Puppet Masters, two of the Toxic Blizzard AOEs (which Virtues love, in case they are combating an enemy that they can't shoot for any number of reasons) or one of those spells followed up by a potent Shatterstorm.
Legacy models
There a number of Legacy changes we have tested and will be implementing when the new models release in September. We expect this will occur at the end of that month. For each of the changes below I will list what has been adjusted, and brief explanation of why the change was made.
Kryssa
Her spear gained Sustained Attack over Critical Sustained Attack
Her SPD increased to 6
Her Spell Quickness was changed to Energizer
She gained the Ignite spell
She gained the Total Obedience ability
She gained +1 FURY
Kryssa was simply under performing in comparison to other warlocks in the Faction. We wanted to maintain her fire based theme, but also further push her martial skills and army support. We found previously that she didn't offer enough to her army, and she herself didn't feel like a proper threat in melee. We feel with these change Kyrssa can support a melee focused infantry army well, and can move up the field with her troops while threatening enemies with her own personal melee potential.
TEMPLATE NOTE: Total Obedience text will be updated to indicate non-warlock as well as non-warcaster. Kryssa does not benefit from it.
Bethayne & Belphagor
Bethayne's DEF was increased to 17
Bethayne's Blood Thorn spell now grants +2 POW to the melee and ranged weapons of the model/unit it affects
Bethayne has replaced Cloak of Ash with Deceleration, and Venom with Hex Blast
Bethayne's Feat has returned to its MK 2 version, boosting all magic attack and damage rolls in her control range
Belphagor's MAT was increased to 7, and his Claws gained +2 POW
Belphagor gained Blood Boon (more on that below)
Belphagor's Bond was changed so then Bethayne can reduce the COST of one of the spells she channels through him by 1 each turn
We overhauled Bethayne 1 and Belphagor. There are still many aspects of them that remain, and are core to their character, such as Flesh Melding, but we looked at what this duo was doing while bonded and while unbonded, and tried to find them a unique place within the Faction.
Bethayne 1 has now incredibly potent support spells, and can be an offensive powerhouse in Oracles. She can also use her Bond while un-melded a bit better, reducing the cost of 1 spell each turn by 1, allowing for Hex Blasts at cost 2 if necessary.
We wanted there to be another interesting distinction between the melded and unmelded forms. You'll notice that Belphagor has picked up Blood Boon, which while unmelded simply lets him cast his animus for free when he kills an enemy. However, when he melds, this allows a spell from Bethayne's spell list for free when he kills something, which is far more potent.
The idea here is that while unmelded, you can use Belphagor as the "arc node" and get the cheaper spell, but while melded you can potentially just get a free spell. We've found this leads to some interesting decisions during the course of the game.
Blackfrost Shard
The unit gained Combat Caster
With Combat Caster, the Blackfrost shard now feels like the elite magic user 3-man group they should be. They can cast a spell before running or charging, which allows them to Stealth and run, or hit an enemy unit with Kiss before charging them.
They keep Battle Wizard, which still triggers normally, so the unit can now cast a spell each thanks to Combat Caster, charge an enemy, and then potentially each caster a second spell with Battle Wizard.
This increased versatility and output means the unit has more plays turn to turn, and can better deliver itself into a meaningful position thanks to casting their Stealth spell and running.
Nyss Archers and Command Attachment
Nyss Archers and their CA gained Reposition [3']
The Ammo Porter now simply gives the unit ROF 2 on their bows if he is in formation with the unit, no other restrictions.
For an army as mobile as Legion, we felt that the Nyss Archers were a bit too static. We wanted to see them dance around the field a bit as they moved into firing positions and let loose their volleys, so giving the unit baseline Reposition helped address that.
Additionally, the 'within 2" of the ammo porter' requirement for models to receive ROF 2 was fluffy, but was a tad annoying in practice. The Ammo Porter now simply gives the unit his benefit, and must remain in formation to do so.
Hex Hunters and Bayal
Hex Hunters and Bayal lose Prowl and gained Stealth
Bayal reduced PC to 5
Overall we're fairly happy with what the Hex Hunters do on the battlefield, but felt they needed just a slight bump to help them get into the fight. We traded Prowl for flat Stealth to achieve this, and also determined that vs the support options of other unit's Command Attachments that Bayal should come down in price by 1 point.
Nyss Swordsmen and Command Attachment
Nyss Swordsmen and Command Attachment gained Blade Shield
Tactics: Overtake was moved from the Abbot to the Champion
Granted: Cleave was removed from the Abbot
The Abbot gained 3 prayers, one that grants Cleave, one that grants Relentless Charge, and one that grants magical weapons
For baseline swordsmen, we determined that the unit simply need a slight bump in their self-delivery opportunities. While other dedicated melee units (around this cost) might have stealth, or tough, or high ARM, or other tricks the Swordsmen must typically run screaming into the maw of the enemy and hope to get there. Blade Shield should help them meet their maker a little bit later than the enemy might hope.
For the Abbot and Champion, we really wanted this two-man CA to give the unit some options that provided meaningful decision making each turn. While the Abbot has "lost Cleave", he really hasn't, as he can still give it to the unit each turn as needed. Now, instead of Cleave, you could also give the unit Pathfinder on the charge turn or Magic Weapons just in case you run into something incorporeal.
The movement of Overtake to the Champion was simply to not overload the Abbot with all these new rules on one model, and spread things out between the two a bit.
Legionnaires and Farilor
Legionnaires and Farilor become SPD 6, gain Battle-Driven
Farilor's mini feat is changed to give the unit Defensive Line for one round.
Whereas Swordsmen get themselves into combat via their DEF against shooting, we wanted Legionnaires to fill a different sort of role. We wanted to really play up their tight rank formations, and their "Hit us and we hurt you" style of play. Increasing their SPD and giving the entire unit Battle-Driven worked well to accomplish this, but we could not stack Iron Zeal on top of Battle-Driven, it was simply too powerful. Instead, we changed the mini-feat to something we feel is just as useful, Defensive Line.
Now, on mini-feat turn, if this unit is charged and one model is hurt, they become DEF 14, ARM 19 models that can't be knocked down. A pretty solid way to hold rank and prepare for a counterstrike.
Annyssa
Annyssa's PC dropped to 7
A straight forward change here and to Craelix, we reviewed all the Legion solos available in Children and Oracles, determined we were happy with the role performance and cost of all of them, with two exceptions. Both Annyssa and Craelix felt a bit high for what they did, so we decided to drop them both by 1 point.
Craelix
Craelix's PC dropped to 5.
See above
Archangel
Archangel's Dragon Breath weapon becomes RNG 12, ROF 3
Archangel's Bite gains +2 POW
Oh Archangel, one of the best looking dragon models out there. The Archangel needed a little something to really shine as the massive dragon gargantuan it is. We decided to make one of a dragon's most iconic elements, its dragon's breath, more reliable and potent while also increasing the POW of its massive bite.
Basically we looked at the model and said, "This thing's head needs to do better", and now it does.
Azrael
Azrael's PC dropped to 19.
You will see a few changes like this in the warbeast section. For several warbeasts, we are happy with their role and how they performed, but felt they were overcosted in overall comparison to other warbeasts. As such, we left their rules as they are, but decided to make the cost a bit more reasonable.
Zuriel
Zuriel's PC dropped to 17.
See above.
Nephilim Protector
The Protector's PC dropped to 9.
See above.
Proteus
Proteus' PC dropped to 18.
Proteus' Talons gained +1 POW.
In addition to the PC drop mentioned above, we compared Proteus cost and hitting power vs the other heavies that might contend for his role, and decided to give him a slight bump to his Talons.
Carnivean
Carnivean PC dropped to 17.
Carnivean gains Chain Attack: Grab and Smash on its claws
In addition the PC drop mentioned above, we wanted the Carnivean to do a little something extra. The Ravagore and the Scythean have their defined rolls, and while the Carnivean has its spray, the spray isn't the focal point of the model. Like the Scythean, this model wants to get into melee and destroy things. Giving it Chain Attack Grab and Smash means that the model can now assault in, lay on some hurt, and then toss away whatever is still standing in its path. We feel this opens up some full gameplay options for the model.
Angelius
Angelius' PC dropped to 15
Angelius' Bite gains +2 POW
We looked at the Neraph, then at the Angelius, then back at the Neraph, then suddenly the Angelius cost 15 points. Additionally, we decided to up the non-AP attack of this heavy beast to be same base P+S as the tail, as it provided a bit of extra punch and smoothness when attacking another heavy and determining how much damage you might do.
Raek
Raek's PC dropped to 6 points.
See above. Also see Gorehound.
Teraph
Teraph's Blight Blast loses Critical Fire, gains flat out Fire, and gains Burning Ground.
This 10 point gun platform needed a better defined roll without Legion, and decided to resolve that making its application of Fire more reliable and add an element of board control. Now the Teraph and can hang back, dug in, and set anyone who gets too close on fire whether during its own activation or with Counterblast. With casters like Lylyth 2, these light warbeasts suddenly become a fairly credible anti-infantry / assassination threat.
