Age of Sigmar: A Few Things I Hope the Soulblight Gravelords Get
The OG Lords of Undeath are about to return; I’m hoping they bring some of their old spark with them.
The Soulblight Gravelords have a new battletome on the horizon, and I’m very stoked. Vampire Counts were one of my favorite armies back in Warhammer Fantasy. I was always a huge horror junky, and they scratched that itch. The last book brought in a lot of cool stuff with two brand-new bloodlines; I’m hoping this new book follows suit. However, there were a few things that made the original Vamps incredible that have been missing for a while. I know it might be pointless wishlisting, but here are a few things that I hope the Soulblight get (or get back) in the new book.
Vampire Customization
In the original Army Book back in Fantasy, you could craft your vampire into a powerful undead champion. Whether they spent their time studying the blade like that one kid from every high school or focused on unlocking ancient magic, you got to make a different character each time. As a fan of TTRPGs, it made building the perfect vampire just as fun as playing the game.
I know that this level of customization added unneeded bloat to a lot of armies, I think it benefitted the Vampires, and its return would equally benefit the Soulblighted. It exists in a diluted form in the subfaction choices, but it isn’t the same, so I’m hoping the original returns, at least a little. Vampires used to be one of the most feared heroes in Fantasy; it’s time to return them to glory.
Vyrkos Battleline
When the Vyrkos premiered in the last battletome, I was immediately hooked. I loved the idea of shamanic vampires drawing on the beast within to make them better hunters. The loss of the original bloodlines brought back the feeling of the original Strigoi. However, they don’t have a lot of non-hero model support, and that should change. Whether it’s werewolves, bestial vampires, or just a more feral form of lesser undead, I want to see something other than the triplets from Cursed City. Since they’re getting a new hero, it seems like the perfect time to bring in something new.
More Impactful Magic
This is another callback to the original Vampire Counts, but it’s one I think would improve the army exponentially. Vampires are, according to lore, beings of extraordinary martial and arcane prowess. Now, it makes sense that Nagash would dilute their power so they could never rise against him. However, Nagash hasn’t been the most successful ruler of the Realm of Death, and the Soulblighted barely follow his orders even now.
In order to combat the failings of their leader, the strongest among the vampires may crack into forbidden lore to unlock their true potential. This could translate to more powerful resurrection spells, better damage spells, or more widespread debuffs. With all the power at their fingertips, they may even try to overthrow Nagash and his Ossiarchs. How that would go for them remains to be seen, but I’d love to see either Neferata or Belladama rise up to become the new Lord of Death.
What do you want to see in the new book?
