[keep an eye on the latest update posts and other chatter]

What to expect / Quick highlights:

  • This should be a comprehensive write-up: it cannot be short, but it will be interesting and quite honestly explains our project rules and exceptions. If you are interested in the mod, you won’t regret reading this.
  • BOYZ will be BOYZ a.k.a. CTT is an experiment and a gift to the tabletop crowd. Obviously something we’re proud of - or we wouldn’t be doing it.
  • Almost everything is generated via spreadsheet formulae from TT stats, and human impact is limited to in-game translation, such as creation and use of the conversion patterns, not actual micro-balancing. TT rules are translated as loyally as possible, no number juggling, no arbitrary nonsense. This mod is a product of mild dissatisfaction, stubbornness and more than 5 MB worth of Excel docs.
  • Surprisingly, it works. Really, we weren’t expecting it either.
  • Only unit abilities and similar complex cases are purely manual, and some of the nastiest conversion cases that cannot be automated and have to face the engine’s rules or possibilities. Some things still take hours no matter what. For example, re-assembling RoRs is a thorn.
  • Unit and faction balance much closer to the tabletop. Elves will always be good at attacking, Empire is a combo machine, Bretonnia is human Skaven, Lizardmen aren’t a rampage simulator. One of the most frequent comments is “each unit is useful again” because we got rid of most of the game’s forced ‘tierification’.
  • Like in TT, spear infantry is powerful as long as they have numbers, hand-weapon-and-shield units are versatile tanks, dual and great weapon units reliably bring the hurt. As much as the game is still very animation-driven, melee attacks are all standardized at 4s.
  • Missile units don’t instagib targets anymore and basic archers are mostly a serious DoT because of a more realistic accuracy. Reliability comes from ranged elites or heavy weapons. Some of them will be able to switch ammo types.
  • Characters are more varied in scope and will likely be torn to shreds by heavy duty units. Each mount brings its pros and cons, with dragon mounts being the best in terms of hp pool and damage, but still potentially prey to melee scrappers or heavy ranged.
  • Flavourful bits like artillery misfires, Eye of the Gods, four stances for Wardancers, three for Black Orcs, staged passives for Flagellants and Minotaurs, an actual Killing Blow thing for the right people, bumpy chariots and EXPLODING steam tanks.
  • Very little to no artificial changes. For example, tier and unit size will not affect model health pool and all factions are treated the same. Necessary exceptions are made begrudgingly and will be listed.
  • Rules and statlines are based on 8E, mediated with 7 and 6 where necessary.
  • Over 120 new or heavily edited unit abilities, passive or otherwise, and with them 140+ ability phases; 60+ new unit sheet tooltips.
  • New units, some from us, more from supported mods. Either way, we’ll keep them optional. No, we’ll not add Lothern Men at Arms (Dual Shields).
  • Unforgiving and bloodier battles, and a battle AI surprisingly receptive to the new unit balance. By multiple feedbacks, battle pacing is not strictly faster but single encounters may be if the match-up is favourable (if you do exactly the right/wrong thing). A lot of emphasis is put on knowing when you can afford losses, and on the right counters to the right situations.
  • Impact on campaign due to wider unit balance and changed costs that take care of a lot of little imbalances, including the dreaded Dwarfageddon in the previous patches. Autoresolve may still be fuzzy due to hardcoded issues. We also have in-house dynamic caps for all special+ units and a few specific campaign changes listed in details.
  • Friendliness towards campaign mods because otherwise we don’t directly alter campaign mechanics. You can mix and match your favourite campaign experience where balance allows.
  • Save compatible, back and forth. We intended this to be even removable mid-campaign but something prevents it, probably the numerically resized units such as Great Eagles.
  • At least a bit of confusion if you’re not tabletop-savvy. But we are gathering so many enthusiasts that were not TT players.

What NOT to expect:

  • A tabletop simulator. There are things impossible in TW, and others were impossible in TT. We’re trying to gather together the best elements of the two while preserving the feel of a Total War gameplay.
  • Heavy campaign edits in terms of economy and AI. We have no interest nor time for that. There is a plethora of compatible and optional campaign mods to enrich your experience!
  • Bias and DLC power creep. Excel can’t lie. I think.
  • Compatibility with total overhauls. Obviously not. Neither will unit mods be compatible until we can support them. Those that are will be listed appropriately. Lore/TT unfriendly mods will never be.
  • Unit by unit changes: we will NOT alter a unit with a +1 Melee Defence or such. If there is an issue and it’s not due to data mistakes, Ranald or wrong tactics, we will carefully address it either with a rework of the entire formula or some other way.
  • Reskins: we leave complete freedom of choice to you, so much that we don’t edit animations for free company or black orcs. We have only extinguished the KOTBS’s lances (which is not done on the variant) and changed the Red Duke’s setup to dual wield.

What to expect in the future (Soon®️):

  • A complete rework of Legendary Lord items and skills for custom battle. They are criminally under- and misrepresented, to the point that some LLs have one of four items in MP. It’s a very tedious work and will take a lot of time.
  • A complete rework of UI unit groupings (e.g.: Axe Infantry). They mean mostly nothing and are anyway largely obsolete. Like stuff above, it’s time-consuming stuff.
  • Gradually bringing improvements and fixes related to the two pages of to-do list sitting on our internal document, for example tweaks for units with 1< attacks (gonna need a period of peace for this). 
  • Sadly, the magic rework is on hold due to lack of time.

Sooner than that:

  • Generally more abilities for more relevant rules. We also intend on disinterring hidden bonuses like Aquatic and Forest Stalker.
  • More batches of new TT units.

That said, some FAQs:

  • Unit size: best played at Large or Ultra like the vanilla game itself. I’ve personally always played and balanced at large.
  • Difficulty: best played at Normal battle difficulty. Pump to H or more only when you’re comfy. AI stat buffs will obviously stake odds against you otherwise, and in most cases you can’t afford that.
  • “[Missing Unit Mod]” on some buildings: rare but inevitable consequence of internal unit mod compatibility when those are not used. Ignore or shop in the compatibility list below if you’re interested.

COMPATIBILITY:

Important: whatever is compatible or is made compatible, such as unit mods, currently DOES NOT need any sort of submod. We wash our dishes internally, so you can just plug and play stuff like Mixu’s characters without having a third mod sitting around. Compatibility tables are kept within CTT itself and will only start working when the external unit mod is enabled. Yeah, technology is so cool.

Some compatibility submods are being instead currently handled separately by supporters because I can only be in so many places.

As always, check that the original mod is currently up-to-date.

  • NOT compatible with:

  • Other battle overhauls.
  • Unit mods, unless specifically supported and mentioned below, and anything that smells like adding new units/mounts/characters.
  • Anything that edits unit stats, projectiles, costs, battle entities and related tables, so even unit animation swaps (e.g. from DE spearmen to HE spearmen, non-firey lance for KOTBS). Most officer mods are also not compatible.
  • Anything that adds or edits unit abilities / passives, even unit formations may screw too hard with our balance.
  • Anything that uses full data__ tables for land units abilities junc and ui unit bullet points overrides.
  • Reskins of the Red Duke unless they don’t override our stats and unless they also make him dual wield.

  • COMPATIBLE with:

  • Stuff in my main collection, some of which is actually highly recommended for your well-being, in particular: Zarkis’s Better Autoresolve.
  • DF’s tabletop caps script: optional but highly recommended additional cap core/special/rare system for campaign. We override its weights based on CTT costs. Additionally, there are a few interesting opportunities with capped units that are however Core in the script (e.g. big uns).
  • LL overrides: Plague Monks core for Skrolk; Silverin core for Eltharion; Spawns rare1 instead of rare2 for Morghur.

  • Known SUBMODS:

The following are made by helpers and other users, not to be used with the hp submod if they are unit adaptations.

  • NOT recommended:

  • Multiple skill points per level for characters. Characters may become too OP in too short notice without elite units to keep them in check.
  • Regen cap removals.
  • Careful around most landmark and artifact mods that too often spiral out of control.
  • Tier 4 towns, which likely have huge long-term consequences on unit caps.

CONVERSION NOTES

Summary on how the stat sheet is originated

  • Hit Points: directly affected by number of Wounds and secondarily by Toughness. It is also multiplied by a fixed amount if the model is cavalry/monstrous/character, for gameplay reasons.
  • Armour: directly affected by Armour Save and secondarily by Toughness. For the sake of variation, base armour value is not 0-6 but 0-10.
  • Shield: block chances are standardized to 30%, except for those rare cases that require a different amount (e.g. Swordmasters, pavises). They do not add +1 Armour save because vanilla-like effects, tied to a frontal cone, are more efficient balance-wise than a 360° armour buff; also, we like our stats non-fragmented.
  • Leadership: straightforward at fixed steps.
  • Speed: straightforward at fixed steps, scales better from 7 and above to help cavalry.
  • Melee attack: affected by Weapon Skill and secondarily Initiative. Having more than one attack or a great weapon increases it. Having more than two attacks will not increase it further (unless you want to discuss matters with 120 MA lords).
  • Melee defence: affected by Weapon Skill and secondarily by Initiative and Toughness. Parry saves and shields directly increase it, having a great weapon decreases it, all by fixed amounts.
  • Weapon strength: affected by Strength and number of Attacks.
  • The base/ap damage ratio is steadily given by how high that Strength is beyond 3 along fixed percentages (20/36/52/68/100%). You’ll start seeing the ap icon at 52%, so typically Strength 5.
  • Extra armour piercing or similar rules (e.g., Slayers), directly jump to the next percentage.
  • Bonus vs Large: fixed by weapon type, or extra wounds rules. Spears (on foot) always give +12, halberds +8 for gameplay necessities.
  • Bonus vs Infantry: only used by the Warsphinx so far.
  • Contact effect: will bring special rules that are better proxied here rather than with other abilities.
  • Manual corrections may be needed to compensate for animations, in particular around chariots.
  • Charge bonus: directly calculated on weapon type or charge rules (e.g. cavalry spears, Devastating Charge and Choppas add +1 base bonus) on a modular basis, secondarily affected by Strength and Initiative. Base bonus is also increased by mounts and chariots, with normal mounts giving 1 and monsters adding a nice 3 due to Thunderstomp shenanigans (normal splash damage will take care of the constant Stomp/Tstomp).
  • Ammunition: tweaked when necessary.
  • Missile damage: starts at 10+1 base+ap for S3 weapons, and grows from there with further strength and ap modifiers. All types start at the same basis and reload speed; Ballistic Skill is a direct coefficient for marksmanship bonus (accuracy) and will ramp up after 6 to help ranged characters (who get a straight +150 dmg like in melee). Range is also a simple multiple of TT range.
  • Average accuracy is much worse than in vanilla, where virtually any missile unit can reliably hit a unit square and murder it. Muzzle velocity is however increased.
  • Reload times are usually tuned to the maximum frequency the animation can support. Anything beyond 7 seconds is consequently and proportionately buffed in projectile damage to keep dps fair (e.g. handguns, artillery and ironically many javelins).
  • Multiple Shots and a choice with single projectile are implemented where due. When firing at multiple shots, we consider their BS lowered by 1 as also due. (Outriders can’t choose to fire single-shot because nobody would do that)
  • Resistances: directly calculated on base values at 8% steps, with special immunities/nigh-immunities sitting at 80% (e.g. Ethereal on physical res., Fireborn rule on fire res.). We are not going for a 16% base save to prevent completely broken characters.
  • There is only one substantial exception in Phoenix Guard, caused by a crossfire of gameplay issues. We will test in the future full saves on units only. Here be Dryads.
  • Unit Sizes: mediated between a realistic and proportional amount of models in a unit (never as many Big ‘Uns as there are Boyz in a troop) and their practical cost. Also a balance variable.
  • Costs: directly calculated on TT point cost, based on a coefficient and unit size. Monstrous units, chariots and lone models have it increased by other separate coefficients for practical reasons. Most characters will also have some of their cost manually cut because abilities are purchased separately in custom battle and their base cost will be based on their innate statline and stuff.
  • Campaign upkeep is currently set at a stable 20% of the recruitment cost, which is usually quite similar to vanilla. Economy per se untouched.

Further notes

  • Ranged units: pure missile units, infantry and cavalry alike, will have their LD reduced by 1 and Melee attack and Melee defence multiplied by 0.75 for gameplay reasons. This is done to avoid full-quarreler stacks and similar, and because you don’t want to get stuck on them for a week, or get slaughtered by HE Archers.
  • However, most factions will have at least one ‘ranged’ unit type that is not nerfed through this system, usually Special/Rare choices. For example, Huntsmen, Outriders, Shades, Lothern, Waywatchers, Horsemasters and Dwarf Rangers.
  • Artillery: arty units got a heavier rework to better express their potential. Bolt throwers are the small and reliable, but can finally punch monsters rather than tickle them. Stone throwers and cannons can typically get a kill on monstrous infantry in a single projectile if they can get a direct hit: a cannonball downing a charging Dragon Ogre is extremely satisfying. Additionally, they can breach towers and walls in a few volleys, making artillery sieges definitely scary. Grapeshots in first person view are *fun*. On the flip side, heavy artillery can suffer from misfires and you could see a cannon explode from the excitement when you need it more.

  • Great Weapons: we can’t straight up kill Initiative for GW users or they would be completely useless in a TW setting. Instead, we opted for a +3/-3 in MA/MD as a “stat-shaker”.
  • Similarly, lance cavalry is also bestowed this change so that hand-weapon-and-shield melee cavalry is not a completely subpar option. Additionally, the latter kind of cavalry can benefit from the Parry save as if they were on foot, for the same reasons.
  • Mounts: models on mounts will naturally benefit from mounts’ speed and armour save contributions, together with the aforesaid charge bonus (in lieu of standard attacks as a compromise). Moreover, mounts that are labeled as Monstrous Beasts or Monsters will add their entire Wounds and Attacks profile to the rider’s. Other stats, like Strength, Weapon Skill and Initiative are instead mediated, especially based on who deals the majority of the attacks.
  • Magic overhaul is NOT planned. I know first-handedly that a full CTT magic overhaul would take even more time than the entire combat balance. We’d been trying to mechanize it but it’s too unwieldy for that. Besides, TT magic was wildly unstable across editions and at the same time too samey within 8E.
  • Legendary Lords: their stats will mediate a bit of what their items would give to differentiate them better from normal lords and heroes. That is to say, we assume that they would still go around with common magic items of the same kind in lieu of their unique bling. Most of them don’t get all their items in custom battle (Thorgrim only has the Book, from 4 total items) so this is the most practical solution for now until all those items are purchasable for MP and have their right-ish effects, which I won’t hide is a humongous proposition on its own.
  • For example, Tyrion has an excellent statline on his own, and before he acquires the unique items he is still considered to have a common dragon armour, a magic greatsword, a 6+ ward save and magical resistance.
  • We will be porting as many item effects as possible from the campaign to MP battles.
  • Many current LL were heroes in tabletop, so we usually bump a couple of stats (typically Wounds and T/A) but mostly try to keep them slightly inferior to the top brass.
  • LLs won’t get huge buffs in terms of magical items if their campaign item is really strong and don’t need extra help, in order to avoid nasty stat stacking.
  • Unit Experience: we chose to rework the experience rewards, as the vanilla buffs, many of them growing in proportion with the base stats, would have made many of our units insanely OP.
  • +1 LD granted at each even chevron.
  • +1 MA and +1MD are granted at each uneven chevron.
  • +3 Accuracy at each chevron.
  • A rank 9 unit will have accrued +4 LD +5 MA +5 MD. This better simulates a natural growth of TT stats, rather than monstrous “+16 MD at rank 9” that some units would have gotten otherwise.
  • Chevron costs in MP battles are unchangeable (so far), so it might result quite expensive for the worth. It is mainly considered a point dump.
  • Regiments of Renown: this obviously means that RORs are way less OP than before. They are more reasonable with most of their original ‘added value’ attributes, sometimes a +1 in WS or something plus our equivalent for 9 chevron XP. Their TT-points-per-model is usually between +1 and +10 depending on what they bring to the table.
  • Unbalanced TT units: we try not to interfere with stat-lines beyond what has been said, because there lies a slippery slope, but certain units were disputable choices in the tabletop to begin with, like Strigoi, Banshees and 8E Slayers, while others may have been too much of an obvious choice. In these limited cases we might have to step in and nudge things on our own, especially when 6E or 7E are not of any help. See Specific Notes.
  • Tier: unit stats are not affected by in-game tiering systems. A Strength 4 unit will not miraculously deal more damage than a peer only because it was put in a higher-level building, or have double the amount of hit points.
  • The only remotely tiered stat is Armour. E.g. Longbeards will have better armour than Warriors because they can clearly afford (and also show off) better quality. As mentioned before in the Armour paragraph, 6 tiers of quality were simply too strict.
  • Some units that were majorly affected by stat changes will be moved around. Perfect example being Empire Swordsmen that swap tier with Halberdiers.
  • As you may easily see, there are a lot of new unit passives around. Some of them are a straightforward translation from 8E, others are hybridized with their 6/7E versions, such as Eye of the Gods (pretty complex case, that, being RNG), Slayer Axes, or the Flagellants’ stacking buffs.
  • Unit champions and champion units: as a rule, we don’t like having full units of champions around (Dreadknights, Nasty Skulkers, etc). However, in many cases it’s that or nothing as officers cannot be used to effectively represent them, since their only working things are appearance, hit points and ranged damage (IF the unit can fire as well). The rest is either missing or bugged. So you can see that as most champions simply have two attacks, that literally cannot be translated on an officer. As such, there are still champion units, some of them we could make peculiarly like Irondrakes w/ Trollhammers, where the champion carries a full power trollhammer, or Shadow Walkers, whose champion carries a Reaver Bow-equivalent.
  • TT statlines for units that didn’t have an official or recent tabletop entry can be read in this reference spreadsheet. This is of course only a part of the conversion spreadsheet and may not be constantly updated.

Specific notes

  • Strigoi Ghoul King: a doubtful choice in 8E, we gave the poor guy a typical strigoi upgrade by default: +1 Wounds. Which couples well with his regeneration and size.
  • All Skaven units: their toughness was reduced by 0.5 for balance’s sake. Our unit sizes give a good ‘vermintide’ effect, and we sincerely didn’t like doing this, but the buggers simply wouldn’t die. So we kept the increased numbers instead. May be reverted in the future as other changes roll in.
  • Expendable applied to ALL goblin units except for RORs, Skarsnik and the Night Gobbo Warboss. Moreover, it was also given to ALL non-knight/damsel units in Bretonnia except for Foot Squires. For example, as of 29/10 Forest Goblins and Men at Arms/Yeomen were considered worthy of attention and empathy, which is completely silly.
  • Eternal Guard and Wardancers with spears are slightly adulterated to be considered quasi-dual wielders (still ap and vsLarge) and lose their rank bonus: we’re cross-breeding them with the “we fight like we effing want” from 6E to make them more useful.
  • Wildwood Rangers: these guys are an example of how certain simple rules from TT are so tough to replicate with our tools. We had to approach their +1A against Fear+ units from three different directions to make sure they can be more effective against the most compatible targets: large targets, undead, forest spirits and even Phoenix Guard.
  • Special ghosts like ancestral dwarfs and the Green Knight do not have their full armour value. You can guess why.
  • Slayers are considered having Movement 4.
  • Demigryph Knights are the infamously “OP Empire unit”. I blame whatever they were drinking at GW at the time. We were forced to increase their cost. Nevertheless, may your tarpit and hard-hitters serve you well.
  • Swordmasters are for the moment priced up to 15pts each not be too much of an obvious choice. I like to think it’s Ward’s fault.

Notes on faction balance

More will come from wider testing, but we feel that most factions behave like they are supposed to. Do note that many of them and their tactics are way less forgiving than in vanilla, so that, for example:

  • ALL FACTIONS: like in tabletop, shielded swordsmen are balanced defensive units, spearmen are more offensive units! This is bloody important against our ingrained TW habits. Also, characters can be torn to shreds by killy units. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Protect your monsters and characters with infantry blobs if you don’t want them to be zerged.
  • All Elves: you’re all cool and speedy and killy, but you have a very short notice before even your best unit can be blown to bits if you’re not careful.
  • Beastmen: get your first attack or flanking right, and Bob’s your centigor uncle. Attack the wrong units or get tarpitted, and, well… sad mooo.
  • Bretonnia: peasants are a mean and cheap tarpit, but will be slaughtered by uber-heavy infantry. Keep Knights around to encourage them, or be very quick with your flanking. Do not forget Lance formation and do not let your Knights lose their Blessing, they depend on that and on their speed to be above-average cavalry.
  • Chaos: you field even fewer units than in vanilla, but each of them may be a powerhouse or a wasted resource, your choice (and your enemy’s). Deal with it. Aim at winning melee combats constantly to keep up Eye of the Gods, but you NEED fast units to catch or drive away enemy skirmishers. You don’t want to be pewpewed with crossbows and handguns all day. Watch for huge tarpits, squashing them is fun but even Chosen have an in-built kill limit and will eventually go down.
  • Dwarfs: remember DAT CHARGE BONUS. They’re squishier than vanilla’s overbuffed tanks but can pack more of a punch, so play accordingly. Miners and Slayers are useful again and artillery may very well save your day against big ugly things. Also shoot on sight anything that looks like an elf with a great weapon or squigs. Your ranged department is a congregation of high-strength dakka, so you shouldn’t have issues deleting tin-can openers before they can open you.
  • Empire: state troopers can be surprisingly effective en masse, gunpowder units are nasty, and your cavalry is an excellent hammer. Outriders are your mobile artillery and Pistoliers are an evergreen resource if you can micro them. Greatswords are certainly not steamrollers but will support your line. Keep your General away from most characters unless supported, or pay for the funeral.
  • Greenskins: you have a variety of choices. Keep in mind that your night gobbos are not poison stalkers anymore, but all your gobbo units may overwhelm the enemy by sheer numbers… if their LD holds. Squigs are terrifying can openers if used well; don’t waste your Giants on the lonesome to be torn apart.
  • Lizardmen: get your crocs in melee, but careful around high-stat foes like Elves and Chaos. Poison them. Your characters are among the few that can feasibly afford going around without a monster mount. Rampage is now very temporary and situational, and you can additionally prevent it by keeping Skink characters nearby. Skinks have a bromance thing with kroxis so that’s a good thing.
  • Skaven: tarpit like nobody’s business. Beware that Stormvermin are not the artificially elite units they used to be in vanilla, but Eshin ninjas are bloody good instead and come with a variety of gear. You have a ridiculous selection of scary specialist units that need to be micromanaged, so don’t dilute your attention on too many types.
  • Tomb Kings: kings of tarpit and high undead morale. You have more Killing Blow and/or poison attacks than it’s fair, and your characters and constructs are outright nasty and tough. Remember My Will Be Done.
  • Vampire Coast: just because you have undead missile units, it doesn’t mean you are supposed to win firefights. Close distances and remember to put your gunnery mobs in guard mode to allow melee potshots.
  • Vampire Counts: tarpit or die. Again. Keep your Vampires in melee. Win with your few killy units and magic. Black Knights move like ethereal units.

Against:

  • All Elves: even their basic spearmen will be bad news for most core units and you have to play smart against their fast shock cavalry. Get rid of killy units or tarpit them ASAP, especially Swordmasters and Black Guards, or expect a hole through your lines. Their elite units will probably shred your characters.
  • Wood Elves in particular field ridiculously low numbers, use that against them.
  • Beastmen: they’re susceptible to tarpitting and missile fire. Cover your flanks, and whatever you do don’t let that minobus or razortrain hit your valuable bits or your characters. Minotaurs don’t like cannons.
  • Chaos: do not play fair and do not meet them in melee if you want to tell the tale. Warriors and Chosen do not have infinite leadership, so a good encirclement might rout them no matter your losses. Bring AP. Keep something serious to block and kill Gorebeasts and Chaos Knights, or gods forbid Dragon Ogres. Bring cannons. Bring more AP. Bring tarpit beyond their installed kill-limit if your faction allows it, and keep your leadership out of their claws.
  • Dwarfs: remember DAT CHARGE BONUS. Also, outflank everything and shoot/rearcharge Hammerers on sight. If they field a large artillery battery, you better pray you have Eagles or the likes.
  • Empire: their cavalry is surprisingly nasty and Demis in particular should be tarpitted to death and killed asap (before they murder your chars and your everything). Careful around their gunpowder units, outshoot pistoliers, vanguard your way to their artillery. Kill their squishy general and their Regiments.
  • Greenskins: rout gobbos before they can bring their numbers and fire volume to bear. Tarpit the orcs’ charge and don’t bloody let chariots, squigs and boars do their thing. DO NOT meet their bosses in melee with a squishy character like the empire general.
  • Lizardmen: do not let them saurus+terror bomb you. There’s not much you can shoot at without good ap. Anything with a great weapon is good against dinosaurs. Avoid lord challenges. Baiting them into rampage doesn’t work much anymore. You definitely want artillery for those kroxis and dinosaurs.
  • Skaven: either dive into those tarpits like a bulldozer, or stay away from them. You’ll have to deal with their specialists separately, each in their own way. Weapon teams and artillery must go first.
  • Tomb Kings: what do you expect, don’t get baited on eternal tarpits, they will likely last more than you will. Hope you have hard-hitting power to get those constructs down. Watch for the chariot legion, possibly counter with heavy cav.
  • Vampire Coast: shock tactics will likely ruin any zombie’s day, BUT their roster is infamous for providing a threat overload. Between monsters, vampire lords, artillery and more monsters you may have a field day prioritizing what needs to go down first.
  • Vampire Counts: do not be baited on tarpits, kill off their flankers. Black Knights move like ethereal units so that forest won’t protect you. Curbstomp any necromancer in sight and of course be careful around vamp lords because they’re known to cleave their way through your ranks like a combine harvester to reach your vulnerables.

Generic Tips

  • Dismount your lords on monstrous mounts in campaign during peacetime. Your income will thank you.
  • You will want a few cheap units with you at all times to absorb and tarpit nasty units. There are things that you simply don’t want to hit your squishy elites.
  • Related, monstrous units are scary, but their worst enemy may be something as lowly as men-at-arms. As said, “big versus big” does not always pay off. A powerful charge or great weapons may ruin their day.
  • Read the new unit tooltips, they are created to give you precious info, more useful than a generic “anti-large” whose icon you could see anyway.
  • Considering the lower ranged accuracy on most units, “spray and pray” may not be the answer. Get closer if possible and always aim at the squishy bits for better results.
  • Shut down glass cannons and artillery ASAP. Fast cavalry, sacrificial warhounds, Eagles and such are excellent instruments to prevent that battery of cannons from removing your monsters and characters from the surface. Even a dead-run Balaclava charge may work if you’re lucky and there aren’t tarpits ahead.

Beastmen highlights

  • Most units have staged passives for the various kinds of RIP&TEAR available in the Beastmen rules, like Bloodgreed and Primal Fury. We are also using the 6E Raiders rule to add some extra versatility to most core units thanks to Skirmisher.
  • Morghur gets some love (not that he deserves it, the ugly mug) with his native Unbreakable and a new dot aura (Aura of Transformation) with as of now the same damage as the Mortis Engine’s Reliquary.

Dwarf highlights

  • Special mention for the Resolute passive, that grants resistance to fatigue, making Dwarfs degrade to the next fatigue level 10-20 seconds later than the opponent. Fatigue was an aspect completely absent in TT, so that’s a dimension we can work with.
  • Miners are serious business again thanks to closer to TT stats and their own Ambusher-type sneaky advance.
  • Irondrakes, like in TT, are more of a medium range Chosen-hunter than chaff killers. Think WH40k Meltas instead of flamethrowers. Trollhammer squads (a compromise) are big-game hunters; their champion pulls off character damage, keep an eye out for his damage spike on that troll. Norgrimgilinglinggrimling ROR drakes are the chaff killer you get instead.
  • Ironbreakers have lost their missile weapon. Cinderblast grenades were a champion upgrade only and we feel a dedicated tanky unit like the IBs wasn’t really supposed to nuke entire enemy units from afar just because CA couldn’t get single ranged officers to work. Fight me.
  • Specifically recommended campaign mods: Runic Forge.

Empire highlights

  • Faith, Steel and Gunpowder! Or, more specifically, cheap infantry, Regiments, heavy cavalry and some of the best dakka in the game. An imperial army with good numbers, tactical superiority and good terrain is a nasty proposition, because your combo machine of tarpits, shock cav and superior firepower can deal with most threats.
  • State troopers die like flies, but that’s why you have some of the best Horde units in the mod, embodied by the Regiments. On top of the usual increased size and rank bonus, they also sport Encourage and aura buffs for nearby units. Similarly, Greatswords also Encourage and are a good melange of armour, morale and damage.
  • Outriders and Pistoliers pack the best ranged damage of any missile cavalry in the game, and absolutely shred stuff if they can hit it. Outriders (GL) were given barded warhorses with all that comes with it. Their problems are friendly fire, faster cavalry and massed counter-fire. If you disable skirmish mode and can micro them efficiently, they can likely win your battle. Even without those guys, crossbowmen and handgunners will severely hurt anything in range and LOS. Massed fire from their Regiments in particular is simply brutal.
  • For heavy duty, Mortars are excellent anti-chaff (or can still hurt a character if so unlucky to be directly hit) and Helstorms are the extreme for-fun version. Great Cannons are your trademark stuff-killer and will down monsters quickly if they can hit them, thanks to their 1000 per hit dmg and excellent 320 range. Luminarks are far more accurate and mobile, but of course there is only one in the unit. Helblasters, conversely, are your mid-range brutalizer. The key to use any of this stuff is picking the right hill, avoiding that fast cav or flying units get through and pray your god of choice stuff doesn’t explode.
  • Swordsmen were swapped with Halberdiers in the t1 barracks. Likely changes will come in garrisons as well. Halberdiers don’t require a smith anymore, Greatswords and Empire Knights take only one turn.
  • First batch of new TT units is indeed for the Empire: Imperial Foot, Huntsmen, Archers (with Regiment), Knights of the White Wolf, Teutogen Guard. They all require the unit submod. Credits to Willemsen for the WW/Teutogen textures.
  • Specifically recommended campaign mods: Empire of Man.

Norsca highlights

  • Rage/Berserk passives: I chose to assume they’d have an army special rule akin to the Flagellants’. So they were kept in and reworked to work faster.
  • Frost creatures will work a bit like Forest Spirits, with magical attacks and that frostbite contact effect (I don’t exclude a rework of that).
  • Wulfrik swapped Rage for Eye of the Gods, while Throgg got his own Mutant Regeneration themed version. Similarly, Marauder Champions stopped being as powerful as Chaos Warriors, but got their own version of Eye of the Gods on top of Rage.
  • We assume Hunters would have a special rule to increase their damage potential. Like many quick-to-fire weapons with finicky animations in the game, they needed some buffs.

Skaven highlights

  • Weapon teams and specialists: the Skaven roster is packed full of more or less squishy specialists. With P&W DLC, they have access to many more of their toys. Weapon teams should be used in concert with other units, not on their own, especially Doom-flayers, who are basically lawnmowers to put in front of a clanrat/stormvermin line. Not fast chariots. Ratlings have three abilities you can choose to employ to buff their rate of fire, at the risk of losing models and/or actually getting your bullet damage halved. Jezzails are amped up handgunners, not best-than-Asrai snipers, and behave as such. Everything relies on good positioning, micro and cover.
  • Eshin troops: fast and high leadership (relatively speaking) and the true elite in the roster. Gutter Runners use different gear among their variants, creating four different combos (of dual wield, defensive net, ranged weapon and poison) instead of poison just being an upgrade. Triads are re-tooled to be a hero squad, like ninja turtles but ratty. They have the potential to kill characters and devastate common units. As such, they need to be debuffed or controlled asap or otherwise curtailed until you have dealt with the other threats of the army.

Tomb King highlights

  • Special mention for the Entombed passive, the Casket’s on-death explosion (gif), and the homing arrows on skellies and Ushabti.
  • Tomb Princes get My Will Be Done (which won’t target other characters anymore) but their Guardian passive is nerfed from 22 to 8%; they should be thankful the Heralds are not a playable character so they can keep it for now.
  • Khalida’s Blessing of Asaph ability now only targets ranged units but grants poison attacks (which is otherwise not represented in MP).
  • In campaign, Khalida’s armywide poison is supplemented by a correction to prevent her to remove Killing Blow from Tomb Guard and others. It will also upgrade KB into Venomous Killing Blow, just like the effect Necropolis Knights innately have. This mechanic will also be used for Ghorst-the-literally-who.
  • Warsphinx mount for Tomb Princes is being skipped for the moment for balance reasons, since there is no upkeep.
  • We will consider wider changes that should loosely emulate (aka, definitely not so limiting) Hierophant army rules.

Vampire Counts highlights

  • Special mention for the Vampiric attribute and the running dead! Zombies never so scary with that intact movement speed.
  • Ghosties are also scary again, Black Knights ignore terrain and barding penalties and also due to KB they are an unholy PITA in the right hands. All in all, half your roster is designated tarpits, a few are balanced options (Grave Guards, Horrors) and the rest is a furball of designated hammer units.
  • Various tier shake-ups in campaign to better balance fully powered monstrous units.
  • Due to how expensive Vampires are, Master Necromancers are a preciously cheap alternative both in battle and especially campaign, where Vamp Lords have to be very few if you want any economy to speak of.
  • Vlad the Dad has Terror by default, Isabella loses her Loremaster skill.

OTHER DETAILS

Campaign changes

  • Systemic changes on unit prices, and especially on their upkeeps, may affect a faction’s gameplay, especially around characters. Upkeep is systematically slightly lower but many are based on higher front costs (especially low tier), so on average it shouldn’t be a noticeable difference.
  • Unit caps on Special+ units deeply affect army composition until the late campaign. You won’t see Malekith going around with 19 Black Dragons. Indirectly, this also makes certain garrisons more valuable until counters and better units are produced.
  • All hidden campaign buffs for Blessed Spawnings are neutered.
  • Some of the new abilities are added via campaign skills.
  • Skaven are exempt from additional army upkeep.
  • Wurrzag doesn’t nerf his army against Dwarfs anymore upon spreading magical attacks: the same skill node also adds +16% dmg vs Dwarfs.
  • Immortal Unbeloved (Malekith’s defeat trait) doesn’t bestow Frenzy anymore. It will still show up on the tooltip (technical limitation without screwing over compatibility) but it’s replaced by Causes Fear vs Dark Elves.
  • Bugfix: Tomb King RoRs and LoLs are added to the campaign buffs recipient list to stay competitive.
  • Bugfix: Norsca is exempt from additional army upkeep.
  • Nerfs to the warp lightning campaign powercreep: techlab and ancillary upgrades to it also increase miscast chance.
  • Scripts that change the starting armies for Vlad, Isabella and Todbringer. https://www.patreon.com/posts/19585603
  • Lokhir’s Anath Raema: nerfed range bonus from 100% to 10%.
  • Changed character level requirement for Triad and Stormvermin RORs respectively to 26 and 13.
  • Lizardmen’s Rite of Primeval Dinospam nerfed to be give between 6 and 10 units instead of 10-15.
  • Script override of function shadow_SetupArmies, currently only to avoid spam of Triads in armies spawned against Malus.
  • Fellblade is nastier.
  • Greenskin scrap upgrade costs are doubled. A couple of them are further increased to a higher price tag.
  • Recruitment changes:
  • Empire Huntsmen are recruited from fur and timber resource chains.
  • Empire Halberdiers are available from tier 1 barracks, Swordsmen moved to tier 2. (mirrored for TEB sub-units)
  • The Kharybdiss is available on the Clar Karond landmark.
  • Non-feral Bastiladons are moved around a bit on the blue chains to avoid crowding.
  • Phoenix Guard earlier on second level worship chain. Frost Phoenix moved to last tier.
  • Ratling and Warpfire Throwers removed from first level.
  • DE Corsairs removed from tier 1 ports.
  • DE Edgespears removed from tier 1 and 2 main chain, reintroduced to barracks. Edgeswords are also added to tier 3+ main chains.
  • Ditto Miners. T3+ main chains currently don’t provide caps for them, only availability.
  • Ditto HE Spears and Archers, reintroduced to barracks. Armoured Archers removed from tier 1 barracks again.
  • HE Rangers are moved to the Noble chain.
  • Some secondary building requirements are added back here and there in general. E.g., Silverin Guard needing the Smith chain and Lion Chariots needing the Hunter chain.

Notable unit/character reworks

  • Red Duke is repurposed and reskinned as a dual wielder.
  • All characters: most MOBA-like get-away explosions are removed. Don’t stick your LL in crazy or pay the consequences. Skaven get to keep them because they were the only ones that could reliably refuse challenges.

New and reworked unit abilities (getting real crowded in here)

(with new or edited text)

  • Stubborn        
  • Whether because they are too well-trained, hardened or dim-witted, these troops will fight almost regardless to morale shocks.        
  • Extra Rank
  • These troops can fight in an extra rank thanks to weaponry or training, or both.        
  • Extra Rank (II)        
  • These troops can fight in two extra ranks thanks to weaponry or training, or both.        
  • Horde        
  • The clash of bodies drives even more fighters in the melee as the multitude assaults the enemy.
  • Always Strikes First        
  • By enchantments or innate ability, this unit can strike with supernatural speed.        
  • Unstable        
  • Interaction between the real world and the immaterial is fickle at best...        
  • Eye of the Gods        
  • With an unpleasant smirk, the Gods' champions are ready to unleash the Rewards of Chaos. However, the Gods are unforgiving of failure.        
  • Dangerous Overpressure (Steam Tank)
  • Uh, oh.        
  • Kaboom (Steam Tank)
  • UH OH.        
  • Hatred        
  • The highest contempt and seething loathing drive the weapon to strike that harder against the foe, at least until the battle imposes its rhythm. [PLACEHOLDER EFFECTS]        
  • Infinite Hatred        
  • A bloody mix of bestial rage and ancient rancour drive the Strigoi into fighting like an unstoppable whirlwind of death.        
  • Eternal Hatred        
  • Teeth-clenching disgust for the enemy's existence is a trained and refined trait in a Black Guard.
  • Whirling Death        
  • The Wardancers pirouette in a wide-berth and confusing flutter of limbs. Accurate stabs emerge from the whirls to quickly execute the opponent.        
  • Murderous Prowess (reworked as constant passive)        
  • Slaughter! There is no greater glorification of Khaine, the God of Murder, and no more popular form of worship amongst the Dark Elves. It is through killing that Dark Elves rise above other beings.        
  • The End is Nigh!        
  • As the final battle between good and evil looms, the flagellants ready to embrace death. The time is near; the end is nigh!        
  • Gifts of Chaos        
  • For the worthy, the Eye is watching.        
  • Primal Frenzy        
  • The enraged Beastmen become consumed by a savage frenzy, tearing apart the foe.        
  • Despoilers        
  • Bestigors are used to assert their superiority and dominance by taking trophies and desecrating enemy banners for all to see.        
  • Bloodgreed (reworked as staged passive)        
  • Minotaurs become more savage and frenzied the greater the scent and sight of blood. The stronger the frenzy, the stronger the feeding urge, that eventually makes them vulnerable.
  • Drunken Bravado (reworked)        
  • Centigors are emboldened when fighting, drinking and feasting together, although such ‘bravery’ is only temporary at best.        
  • Sober for Once        
  • Even a Centigor may come out of its state of rampant alcoholism in dire circumstances. Regrettably.
  • Cold-Blooded (reworked as passive)                
  • While Lizardmen may be slow to react due to their cold-blooded nature, this also makes them stoic in battle.        
  • Predatory Fighter        
  • Saurus Warriors are naturally disciplined, lethal and focused fighters, but their killing drive might take over and tunnel them into pursuit without Skink officers to stop them.        
  • Detachments Ready        
  • Imperial infantry tactics revolve around pinning the enemy in melee, and destroying it with flanking and missile maneuvres from the attached regiments.                
  • Scrap 'em        
  • NOT USED        
  • Chop 'em        
  • The Black Orcs reckon the squishies in front of them don't deserve the laborious beauty of their huge two-handed axes, and produce two choppas to dispatch them quickly with cunning brutality.
  • Block 'em        
  • The Black Orcs reckon they should keep the enemy attacks at bay until the right time to squash 'em comes. By virtue of shields, kicks and pummel strikes, the Black Orcs enter a brutally cunnin' defensive stance.        
  • Impetuous        
  • This unit is, due to a frenzy or some unresolved issue, susceptible to ignoring orders and getting stuck with the enemy.        
  • The Blessing of the Lady (reworked)        
  • The Lady's blessing is a wondrous gift freely graced upon all Bretonnian subjects, should they but kneel and utter their devotion.        
  • Blessing of the Grail        
  • The Grail Knights are tireless, fearless, dauntless. Some recount of a golden aura glowing about them as they destroy unholy creatures.        
  • Bumpy Ride (all chariots)        
  • On second thought, we do need roads.                
  • Slayer Axes        
  • Slayers carry a variety of axes with them - their only possession. They may have just the right one for the occasion and the target.        
  • Light of Myrmidia (Knights of the Blazing Sun)        
  • Even technique cannot explain the blinding glare on the Knights' shields as they charge into the unholy.
  • Defensive Stakes (Peasant Bowmen)        
  • PLACEHOLDER        
  • Dwarf-crafted        
  • Dwarfen crossbows and handguns are solid, reliable, just like the Dwarf that will not tire at reminding that.
  • Shieldwall        
  • The natural fighting style for the Dwarfs is at closed ranks, withstanding whatever the urk can throw at them.        
  • Freakish Mutations: Talons and Claws        
  • RIP AND TEAR!        
  • Freakish Mutations: Twisted Regeneration        
  • The unpredictable mutations warp the Forsaken's flesh. Snapping muscle and seething ichor make the mutants both impervious to damage and venomous to the touch or bite.        
  • Unleashed Souls (Casket of Souls)        
  • Jones!        
  • Venomous Killing Blow        
  • Those units that already dealt attacks with Killing Blow see their abilities further enhanced by their master via terrifying venoms.        
  • Entombed Beneath the Sands        
  • There are worse things in the Nehekharan deserts than heat strokes.        
  • Extra Boingy        
  • Squigs are hungry, obnoxious, unpredictable and springy creatures. Not a good cocktail for those on the receiving end, wherever that is.         
  • Guardians of the Wildwood        
  • Wildwood Rangers face dark spirits with an intimidating steadiness of will and stoic intent.
  • Full Steam Ahead! (Steam Tank)        
  • In a scream of tortured valves, the steel behemoth becomes an unstoppable force pointed at the most annoying foe.        
  • Overcharge Weapons! (Steam Tank)        
  • The boiler is set to pump most of its energy towards the cannons. This can be fun as long as it lasts.
  • Black Powder Misfire        
  • Black powder artillery is powerful, although there is a chance that carelessness or structural weaknesses may bring to a spectacular mishap.        
  • Artillery Misfire        
  • Any large artillery piece may or may not suddenly explode in a shower of broken nails and wood splinters.
  • Blaze of Glory        
  • The Helblaster's crew can be ordered to fire their fiendish volley gun to its full potential and against wisdom. They are fully paid up with the priests of Morr, so they may as well do it.        
  • Free? (Hellcannon)        
  • What would pass for a misfire in any other kind of artillery is for the Hellcannon's crew an attempt for the chained daemon to break free. Which wouldn't be a good thing for anyone nearby.        
  • Suspicious Misfire        
  • A mishap on the rickety Skaven mechanisms? A mechanical weakness? Or someone trying to settle a score?        
  • Free At Last! (Hellcannon)        
  • Slurp.        
  • Underground Advance        
  • Dwarf Miners are, rather obviously, expert diggers. In battle they may come out of the ground unexpectedly, or they may become impatient and emerge too soon.        
  • Ghostsight        
  • The Cygor sees the world in a blur, but magical beings it can see very well...        
  • Relentless        
  • It is common knowledge that Dwarfs are NOT natural sprinters, but their resistance is just as established.
  • Skirmisher        
  • Irregular and skirmishing units are particularly frustrating to kill off when the terrain is not favourable for heavier troops.        
  • Crush the Weak         (unit version)
  • Cowards and weaklings will suffer Ulric's furry.        
  • Solar Engine of Chotec        
  • The armoured Bastiladon is resilient enough to carry the overheated crystal, a relic blessed by the sun god. Its heat is invigorating to Lizardmen and its beam is destructive for the enemies.
  • Favoured Son        
  • See how I stroll, stride, swagger and swirl, spin, and slash and stab at stupid, senseless scum!        
  • Aura of Transformation        
  • Reality twists and whirls around Morghur. Rivers flow upstream, birds turn into poultice or maybe into teeth. Which is not healthy.        
  • Mutant Regeneration        
  • Throgg's body regenerates and twists at an unpleasant rate. The Gods look at his glorious unbeaten mass and smile.        
  • Aspiring Huskarls        
  • Norscan Champions aim to prove themselves and become Warriors of the gods. Some say their every move is watched.
  • Mark of Tzeentch        
  • Willingly or not, the best of Tzeentch's servants are living conduits for his Sorcerers. It is a good pain.
  • Vampiric (hidden)        
  • Even in their degraded and beastly shapes, Vampires are powerful beings that can exist autonomously unlike the true undead spirits bound to them.        
  • Bestial Fury        
  • Varghulfs tend to become swollen hairy masses of fury once they impact in a mass of enemies. In their beastly minds, Varghulfs are not surrounded by enemies, they are in a prey-rich environment.        
  • If One Head Is Severed...        
  • Hydras are vicious monsters, discouragingly dangerous when they have all their heads still on. No sign of hats, though.        
  • If More Heads Are Severed...        
  • NOT USED - I NEED MORE HEALTH FILTERS REEEEEEEE        
  • Black Scythes        
  • The Black Coach manifests gleaming scythes.        
  • Unholy Vigour        
  • The Cairn Wraith and the Nightmares are filled with unholy vigour.        
  • Witch-fire        
  • Blades and fangs glow with green witch-fire.        
  • Nimbus        
  • A pulsing nimbus of darkness envelops the Black Coach.        
  • Between Worlds        
  • The Black Coach flickers between the world of the living and the realm of the dead.        
  • Howling Winds        
  • Howling winds swirl around the Black Coach, lifting it into air.        
  • Shattered Reliquary        
  • Should the powerful dread relic break, a wave of destructive dark magic can be expected to hit anyone nearby.        
  • Guardians        
  • When Slann Mage-Priests go to war, Temple Guard will form up and protect him with their own bodies. The Slann's personal Skink Priest can probably hide behind the muscular pile too. But not their Stegadons.        
  • HIDDEN        
  • USED TO REMOVE THE BUFF FROM SLANN OR SKINKS ON DINOSAURZ. it's super complexicool.
  • Ghostly Howl        
  • The mind-wrecking shriek of a Banshee can kill their victims by sheer supernatural terror. REEEeEeeeeeEE.        
  • Blessed Spawning of Huanchi        
  • Those spawned marked by Huanchi, the Jaguar God, are always on the prowl.        
  • Blessed Spawning of Caxuatn        
  • Caxuatn, the predator God, lives in the scent of blood.        
  • Blessed Spawning of Tlanxla        
  • Tlanxla appears in nightmares in the meditation of Slanns.         
  • Blessed Spawning of Chotec        
  • Praise the Sun!        
  • Blessed Spawning of Sotek        
  • Sotek, the serpentine god first beseeched by the Skinks, is a savage and angry force.        
  • Blessed Spawning of Quetzl        
  • Quetzl or Quetli, the ultimate warrior god, his is the brightest star.        
  • Blessed Spawning of Tzcatli        
  • The god of strength, source of vigour.        
  • Blessed Spawning of Xokha        
  • The Arbiter of Duty inspires the disciplined Lizardmen to further devotion.        
  • Blessed Spawning of Inhamex        
  • The terrifying god of the wrathful skies makes his will known.        
  • Blessed Spawning of Tlazcotl        
  • Flocks of birds stand as still as statues as Tlazcotl the Impassive marks a spawning for greatness.
  • Blessed Spawning of Uxmac        
  • Even among the gods a Messenger is needed, his sacred spawning a vessel.        
  • Blessed Spawning of Potec        
  • Potec, guardian of the Winds of Magic and protector, wards his spawnings.        
  • Volley Fire        
  • Being able to fire in an arc means that you can put even more ranks of archers in one bunch and fire a huge somewhat coordinated volley at the enemy.        
  • Impervious Defence        
  • The natural armour of the lumbering Bastiladon is thick enough to be proof against most predators and attackers. And even if you managed to surround one, there is always the huge bludgeoning tail...        
  • Extra Rank (III)        
  • Pikes allow for unparalleled reach. As long as the formation holds, it will keep grinding.        
  • Chariot Legions        
  • Massed chariot warfare never went out of fashion in Nehekhara. Nothing ever does.        
  • Soul of Stone        
  • The mind is hardened against the ill effects of the Winds.        
  • Harrowing Scrutiny        
  • The Slann's gaze carries a measure of the Old Ones' scrutiny.        
  • Transcendent Healing        
  • The Slann's own willpower reconstitutes his body.        
  • Higher State of Consciousness        
  • The Slann is so deep in thought his own physical body is slipping away from reality.        
  • Predatory Restraint
  • Skink officers are sometimes needed to prevent Saurus Warriors from becoming... overzealous.
  • Hot Warplead I (Ratlings)
  • Yes-yes!
  • Hot Warplead II
  • YES-YES!
  • Hot Warplead III
  • SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
  • Rapid Reaction (Warpfire)
  • There-here, yes-yes!
  • Cinderblast Bomb
  • Picked Ironbreakers may carry these compact explosive devices with them. Handy to either lay waste to underground hordes or as a last resort to drop a tunnel on everyone, a cinderblast bomb is comparable in explosive potential to individual Gyrobomber ordnance.

New contact effects

  • Killing Blow
  • Chance (sub-10%) to deal enough extra damage to kill non-character infantry or cavalry targets on hit.
  • Venomous Killing Blow
  • Merger of Poison+Killing Blow. Debuffs target on top of behaving like KB.
  • Guardians of the Wildwood
  • Specific contact effect for Wildwood Rangers, exposes warded foes (continues on the theme against scary targets, to include Phoenix Guard and Forest Spirits).
  • Dance of Death
  • Specific contact effect for Sisters of Slaughter, removes rank bonuses from foes.
  • Sniped
  • Specific contact effect for Waywatchers’ aimed shot, removes block chance from foes.

Other abilities reworked

(with no text edits)

  • Primal Fury
  • Storm of Blades (Wardancers)
  • The Shadow Coil (ditto)
  • Woven Mist (ditto)
  • Lance Formation
  • Frenzy
  • Bloodshield of Khaine (Blood Cauldron)
  • Strength in Numbers
  • Blinded (contact effect, nerfed)
  • Regeneration (added physical resistance)
  • Guardian (all versions nerfed to 8%)
  • Witchbrew
  • Fury of Khaine
  • Attuned to Magic
  • Blizzard Aura
  • Martial Prowess (equal to Extra Rank plus a missile damage buff)
  • Aura of Protection (Luminark)
  • Rage
  • Berserk
  • Extra Powder (Engineer, added misfire reduction for artillery)
  • Aura of the Lady (affects the caster too)

Abilities neutralized

(Either for good or toward reworks)

  • teb_pikeline (TEB)
  • wh2_dlc09_lord_abilities_venom_wave
  • wh2_dlc09_lord_abilities_wrath_of_ptra
  • wh2_dlc12_lord_abilities_focus_instincts
  • wh2_dlc12_unit_passive_the_best_defence
  • wh2_main_character_abilities_cold_blooded
  • wh2_main_character_abilities_swiftness_of_itzl
  • wh2_main_faction_abilities_murderous_mastery
  • wh2_main_faction_abilities_murderous_prowess
  • wh2_main_faction_abilities_murderous_prowess_indicator
  • wh2_main_fimir_warlord_ability_cold_blooded
  • wh2_main_lord_abilities_sacred_spawning_of_xhotl
  • wh2_main_unit_passive_martial_mastery
  • wh2_main_unit_passive_primal_instincts
  • wh2_main_unit_passive_snare_net
  • wh_dlc03_unit_passive_bloodgreed
  • wh_dlc03_unit_passive_drunken
  • wh_dlc04_unit_passive_strength_of_the_penitent
  • wh_dlc05_unit_passive_guardians_of_the_wildwood
  • wh_dlc06_unit_passive_opportunist_murderer
  • wh_dlc06_unit_passive_squigs_go_wild
  • wh_main_unit_abilities_black_nimbus
  • wh_main_unit_abilities_black_scythes
  • wh_main_unit_abilities_blooood
  • wh_main_unit_abilities_boom
  • wh_main_unit_abilities_unholy_vigour
  • Wh_taurox_brass_body (Mixu)
  • Wh_main_unit_abilities_pour_on_the_steam (Zombieflanders)