KoW: Vanguard – Enter the Abyss
The Abyss is a chasm of animus and rancor that is in the lands north of Basilea. Its depths dip into other, fiery dimensions beyond natural law. It is home to wicked creatures that bring dread to all of the kingdoms of Mantica. Creatures ready to destroy the ones above, the ones they hate.
Abyssals rarely attack in numbers. They send small warbands to torment and test the willpower of the residents of Mantica. The goal of these warbands – made of Succubi, Lower Abyssals, Hellhounds and their leaders – is to send more souls into the chasm of fire below.
Before we jump in to some of the units you’ll be able to add to your Abyssal warband – you can check out the rules for free here, and Mantic has a very special half price rulebook offer right now! You can pre-order the book and warbands here.
As the name implies, these are among the weakest monsters to venture from the depths of the Abyss. Yet, they are also the most numerous. These cruel and cackling creatures often make up the bulk of an Abyssal warband. Their commanders care little for their safety and they’re typically sent to harass and delay the enemy, while the stronger units pick off the opposition.
At only 8pts, the Lower Abyssals form the perfect (and cheap) foundation on which to build your warband. Combined with the Flamebearer, which costs 9pts, you can quickly gather enough grunts to unlock spots for more powerful support models, spellcasters or commanders. They’re going to die pretty quickly… but who cares when they’re only 8pts each? That’s the Abyssal way.
Flamebearers
Similar in appearance to the Lower Abyssals, the Flamebearers are imbued with fire magic. They cast bolts of flaming energy at their foes, searing the battlefield with sorcerous fire.
While the Lower Abyssals are your cheap melee option, the Flamebearers are a cheap ranged choice. However, they have a nice trick up their sleeve (assuming they ever wear jumpers) called Firebolt. This costs 1 Power to use but increases the range of their attacks and gives them Piercing (1). Combine this with a Group Shoot action, and you can quickly take out rival grunts.
Succubus Lurker
Often the first indication of a Lurker’s presence will be a lustful whisper from the shadows. The voice beguiles and enchants the unwitting victim, pulling them closer until they fall into a soft embrace. As the hold grows tighter, the promising whisper becomes a shrill, cruel laugh that reaches a frantic pitch as a razor-sharp blade bleeds away the prey’s essence.
As well as having access to Succubi as a Warrior option, an Abyssal leader can also take a Succubus Lurker as one of their Support models. The Lurker has an array of abilities: Scout, Sneaky, Stealthy and Vicious, that will allow them to skirt around the edges of the battlefield and take out any foolish enough to stray close. The Lurker hits hard too, with 3D8 in close combat and a melee stat of 4+.
Hellequin / Helliquin Blood Masque
On the Second Circle of the Abyss, there is an eternal hunt that stretches across the aeons. Faceless riders on heavily armoured steeds thunder across a blasted plain of scorched earth, pursuing the tortured souls sent to rot in the belly of the Abyss. Leading the charge are the unrelenting Hellequins, who will stop at nothing to capture and kill their quarry.
Our second support option for the Abyssals is the Hellequin. While the Lurker is great at sneaking around and picking off the opposition, the Hellequin is a brutal hammer you can use to smash the enemy into submission. Because the Hellequin is a mounted unit, it gets a bonus to its melee stat when charging down smaller opposition, so it can quickly make mincemeat of smaller grunts and warriors.
There’s even the option to run one as a Hellequin Blood Masque. This is a commander, rather than a support model, so costs a little more. However, with those extra points you gain Crushing Strength (2) and an ability called Expert Rider, which means the Blood Masque gets its cavalry bonus even when charging models of the same height.
Warlock
The terrible dark magic of the Abyss is enough to send even the strongest mind into a spiral of madness. Its wicked tendrils weave and twist their way through the mind of one ‘gifted’ with magical abilities so they’re no longer able to tell what’s real and what’s not. As a result, the only way these gibbering wrecks can be transported into the heat of battle is on the back of a lumbering Abyssal. However, the moments when the fog of madness lifts from their addled mind, the Warlock is able to unleash horrific and powerful arcane magic upon its target.
Along with the Despoiler, the Warlock is the other Large model choice for the Abyssals – so typically you’re going to have to choose between the two. With Fireball, Hammer and Mind Storm spells, as standard, the Warlock has the ability to kill and disrupt opponents. However, it’s the Range Boost ability that’s certainly likely to catch your opponent off guard. If you spend 2 Power, you can add an extra 6” to your spells – giving the Warlock a far more dangerous range than most magic users. What’s more, the Warlock is height 3, so it’ll be able to see over your grunts and warriors.
Try Vanguard for free – download the rules here!
