Cult of the Black Grail
Epidemics of typhus, malaria, typhoid, smallpox, yellow-fever, pneumonia, trench fever, Markisian disease and countless others ravage the trenches and battlefields of the Great War, but they all pale in comparison to the most dreaded of them all: the Black Grail.
Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, stands apart from the other lords of Hell, who act mainly through their mortal followers. Instead, when he periodically gains supremacy in the bitter power struggles of the archfiends, he sends forth his deadliest curse.
Infused with demonic essence from the bowels of the seventh layer of Hell, where the putrid fortress of Beelzebub stands, spews forth a torrent of demonic hell-flies, scorpions, locusts and other infernal insects. The Hellgate opens and a veritable tidal wave of foulness emerges, flowing across the land at startling speed, consuming everything and leaving indescribable horror in its wake. After nine days the insect swarm exhausts itself, devouring its own in its insatiable hunger.
The Black Grail is indiscriminate in its hatred of all living things: its infections can spread to virtually any living biological matter, which bursts forth with tumours, boils and weeping pustules. Puddles and ponds of melted flesh are left in its wake, endless mouths left screaming in their agony, for the Black Grail destroys the body but leaves the mind intact to suffer. The Scientist-Priests of the Church and the Alchemists of the Sultanate fervently look for a way to inoculate their people against this foulest of diseases, but thus far they are without success. The only answer is to burn the infected settlements with specially-constructed flamethrower tanks that use holy anointing oil as the fuel for their weapons.
But if this is not done, or the countermeasures are too late, what happens next is even worse: bodies of men, horses, dogs, insects and other animals of every kind that are infected by the Black Grail lurch to their feet, driven by a demonic will. Not living, not dead, they become vessels to spread the corruption of their master ever further, forming warbands that strive to find and infect life of any kind. They also gather things that mortals value and bring this loot as well as grisly trophies to the feet of the idols of Beelzebub they erect. Thus the Cult of the Black Grail mocks the devotions of the Faithful and their prayers.
At the head of such warbands stand the knights of the Order of the Fly: those most depraved men and women who willingly embrace the Black Grail and whose devotion Beelzebub finds sufficient. They are granted weapons, armour and equipment corrupted by the hand of the Archfiend in exchange for sacrifices brought to the altars of Beelzebub, which these warbands build wherever they go, objects of grisly horror constructed from the remains of their victims shaped into the form of monstrous flies.
Faction Rules
Some attacks by the weaponry of the Black Grail causes their opponents to suffer INFECTION MARKERS. These work in a similar fashion to BLOOD MARKERS. INFECTION MARKERScan be used to modify dice rolls exactly like BLOOD MARKERS (i.e. ACTION rolls and injury rolls and used in Bloodbaths). Use a different coloured dice (the more disgusting the better!) to indicate these markers and place them next to the infected model.
A model may have up to six INFECTION MARKERS and six BLOOD MARKERS at the same time. If a model had any INFECTION MARKERS before, but has none when it is Activated, no new ones are added to the model – though it can still be re-infected by further attacks if a model has one or more INFECTION MARKERS when activated, it gains +1 INFECTION MARKERS.
When your warband is created, you must choose whether it will be led by a Lord of Tumours or a Plague Knight.
Captains
Non-FIRE injuries against the model are rolled with -1 DICE. Additionally, this model ignores any additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword GAS.
If a melee attack by the Lord of Tumours hits the target and causes at least one BLOOD MARKER or INFECTION MARKER, the Lord of Tumours inflicts an additional INFECTION MARKER on the target. Additionally, the Lord of Tumours is never considered unarmed and any of its empty hands count as Trench Clubs.
A Lord of Tumours can be equipped with any weapon, armour and equipment from the Black Grail Armoury.
A high-ranking noble officiant in the Cult of the Black Grail, the Lord of Tumours spreads filth and corruption amongst friend and foe alike. They commune with the Lord of the Flies through a trance-like ecstasy and can channel the very power of the seventh circle of Hell which Beelzebub rules.
Non-FIRE injuries against the model are rolled with -1 DICE. Additionally, this model ignores any additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword GAS.
A Plague Knight cannot be fielded, unless it is equipped with a suit of armour. In addition, a Plague Knight can be equipped with any weapon, armour and equipment from the Black Grail Armoury
Plague Knight Ranks You may have one rank per Plague Knight if you pay the necessary cost, as indicated.
Ranking lowliest in the nobility of the Black Grail, these armoured great warriors were once truly depraved worshippers Beelzebub. When the Black Grail came for them, they willingly submitted themselves to the authority of the Lord of Flies. As a result they retain a semblance of sentience and the ability to wield weapons as they did in life. They aspire to win favour in the eyes of Beelzebub and one day be promoted in the hierarchy of the Order of the Fly.
Elite
Non-FIRE injuries against the model are rolled with -1 DICE. Additionally, this model ignores any additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword GAS.
If the Corpse Guard inflicts one or more BLOOD MARKERS or INFECTION MARKERS with a melee attack on a non-BLACK GRAIL model, it can remove one of its own BLOOD or INFECTION MARKERS.
If a BLACK GRAIL model within 1” of the Corpse Guard is hit, the Corpse Guard can redirect the hit to itself. The injury and any additional effects of the attack are resolved against the Corpse Guard instead of the original target. This ability cannot be used against BLAST weapons.
Corpse Guard can be equipped with any weapon, armour and equipment from the Black Grail Armoury.
Only the strongest human devotees can survive the blessings of the Black Grail. The ones that do are inducted into the ranks of the Corpse Guard, bodyguards to the nobility of the Black Grail. If they serve with distinction, they may one day join the ranks of the Infernal Nobility.
Non-FIRE injuries against the model are rolled with -1 DICE. Additionally, this model ignores any additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword GAS.
A Plague Knight cannot be fielded, unless it is equipped with a suit of armour. In addition, a Plague Knight can be equipped with any weapon, armour and equipment from the Black Grail Armoury
Plague Knight Ranks You may have one rank per Plague Knight if you pay the necessary cost, as indicated.
Ranking lowliest in the nobility of the Black Grail, these armoured great warriors were once truly depraved worshippers Beelzebub. When the Black Grail came for them, they willingly submitted themselves to the authority of the Lord of Flies. As a result they retain a semblance of sentience and the ability to wield weapons as they did in life. They aspire to win favour in the eyes of Beelzebub and one day be promoted in the hierarchy of the Order of the Fly.
Infantry
This model ignores any additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword GAS.
An Amalgam is a vast bulk of diseased flesh and is extraordinarily difficult to kill. Injuries against the Amalgam are rolled with -2 DICE.
Once during its Activation, the Amalgam may make an extra Melee Attack ACTION against a Downed enemy model on a 32mm or smaller base. Resolve the attack as if the Amalgam was armed with a Trench Club. This attack ignores armour as the Amalgam stomps their enemies into pulp.
Enemy models never get free attacks against the Amalgam when it Retreats. Additionally, the Amalgam can move out of Melee Combat using its Standard Move, Charge and Dash.
The amalgam has six functional arms. They can carry six one-handed weapons or three double-handed weapons, or any combination thereof, as long as the six arms can carry them. The amalgam uses the Black Grail Armoury for weapons – it never carries any other gear except weapons, though one of its arms may carry a single trench shield (representing pieces of armour it has absorbed). It may not carry Grenades and it can only wield up to two weapons with the same name. The Amalgam can take a Ranged Attack ACTION once per Activation with each ranged weapon it is equipped with and it can take a Melee Attack ACTION once per Activation with each melee weapon it is equipped with. None of its weapons are off-hand weapons. The Amalgam cannot benefit from Shield Combo.
An Amalgam is a huge, shambling mass of dozens of bodies of infected fallen enemy warriors, insects, mammals and any other living creatures that had the misfortune of succumbing to the agonising blessings of the Black Grail together. These shoggoths shamble across the battlefield like walking mountains of corpulent, diseased flesh, its flailing arms still wielding weapons its victims used in life. Anyone or anything unfortunate enough to be in its path is crushed into a disgusting pulp beneath its elephantine feet.
Non-FIRE injuries against the model are rolled with -1 DICE. Additionally, this model ignores any additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword GAS.
For each friendly BLACK GRAIL model within 3” of the model, it gains +1 DICE to its Melee attack rolls, up to maximum +4 DICE.
Thralls cannot be equipped with any weapons, armour or equipment. They do not suffer penalties for fighting unarmed.
The boons of the Black Grail lead slowly but surely down the path of utter corruption. Only very few of the chosen can withstand the blessings of the Lord of the Flies. Most are turned into Grail Thralls, and join the endless legions of empty, hollowed-out and diseased husks who must obey the whims of the Black Grail nobles for all eternity, while suffering the torment of their countless supernatural infections.
Thralls come in two varieties: Grail Thralls that have become almost impervious to pain and Fly Thralls, controlled by the gargantuan hell-flies that have buried their proboscis deep into the central nervous system of their victims, allowing far greater mobility in exchange for less resistance to pain.
For each friendly BLACK GRAIL model within 3” of the model, it gains +1 DICE to its Melee attack rolls, up to maximum +4 DICE.
Thralls cannot be equipped with any weapons, armour or equipment. They do not suffer penalties for fighting unarmed.
The boons of the Black Grail lead slowly but surely down the path of utter corruption. Only very few of the chosen can withstand the blessings of the Lord of the Flies. Most are turned into Grail Thralls, and join the endless legions of empty, hollowed-out and diseased husks who must obey the whims of the Black Grail nobles for all eternity, while suffering the torment of their countless supernatural infections.
Thralls come in two varieties: Grail Thralls that have become almost impervious to pain and Fly Thralls, controlled by the gargantuan hell-flies that have buried their proboscis deep into the central nervous system of their victims, allowing far greater mobility in exchange for less resistance to pain.
Heralds do not suffer penalties for fighting unarmed, and they cause INFECTION MARKERS with their unarmed attacks instead of BLOOD MARKERS. If this attack inflicts an INFECTION MARKERS on a non-BLACK GRAIL enemy model, the Herald can remove one of their own BLOOD MARKERS.
This model ignores any additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword GAS.
Heralds can be equipped with any ranged weapon from the Black Grail Armoury. They cannot be equipped with any other items, except for Compound Eyes Helmets or a single Grail Devotee. When they fight unarmed in Melee Combat, the attack is always modified by Infected Proboscis. One Herald can have the Maddening Buzz ability (see below) at the cost of +10 ducats.
Some victims of the Black Grail suffer a far worse fate than becoming a Thrall. They are bestowed with the black honour by being melded with hell-flies, growing into a grotesque winged insect made of bloated flesh. After this torturous metamorphosis they take to air as Heralds of Beelzebub, the winged squires and scouts of the Order of the Fly. Their vestigial human bodies are still conscious as they are slowly eaten from within to be used as fuel by the Herald, all the while their warped bodies fight for the glory of Hell against their will.
The Heralds are the vanguard in any assault of the Black Grail, and the ear-numbing otherworldly drone of their wings strikes terror in any defender, breaking their focus and sapping their willpower. Heralds wield discarded weapons, contaminated with horrible worms that churn through them, which in turn infect their victims. Each diseased bullet has sentience of its own, finding even the smallest chink in any armour, burrowing into the nervous system and liquefying the internal organs from within.
Non-FIRE injuries against the model are rolled with -1 DICE. Additionally, this model ignores any additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword GAS.
Hounds roll to Dash with +1 DICE and they do not suffer any penalties to movement after they Stand from being Down.
If an enemy model is Activated while in Melee Combat with a Hound, that model suffers one INFECTION MARKER.
The Hounds cannot be equipped with any weapons, armour or equipment. They do not suffer penalties for fighting unarmed. At the cost of +5 ducats, they cause INFECTION MARKERS with their unarmed attacks instead of BLOOD MARKERS.
Parasitic carcasses of canines infested with maggots and flies spawned from the body of Beelzebub himself. Their unholy mission is to prowl No Man’s Land and spread diseases and pestilence in the name of their dark master.
Mercenaries
Scripture Guardian has a halved Dash distance (i.e. 3”).
The Scripture Guardian reads words from the holy (or unholy!) text it carries. This is an attack ACTION with 18” range, and it can be used in either Melee or as a Ranged attack (though not both during the same Activation). Use Ranged and Melee Characteristics as appropriate. This attack ignores armour and cover. For each BLOOD MARKER the target has, add +1 to the Injury roll. Note that if armed with a melee weapon, both the Melee attack and the use of the Vengeageful Scripture can be used simultaneously.
Combat Helmet
Ignores additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword SHRAPNEL.
The simple combat helmet has proven its value on the battlefield time and again.
Reinforced Armour
Grants a -2 modifier to all injury rolls against the model wearing this armour.
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
As a RISKY ACTION, the Sin Eater can attempt to consume a model, friend (in which case the ACTION is not RISKY and is done with +1 DICE) or foe, that is on a 40mm or smaller base and is within 1”. If successful, remove the model from the table and set aside any markers that the model has (BLOOD, INFECTION, BLESSING etc.). While it is devoured the model cannot be targeted by any attack or ability. When Activated, the devoured model may make one melee attack ACTION available to it, but the attack suffers a -3 DICE penalty when rolling to hit. A devoured model counts as being Down for all rules purposes (including Morale) and, if it is still devoured at the end of the battle, it counts as being Out of Action instead.
Whenever the Sin Eater is activated, the devoured model suffers one BLOOD MARKER automatically that cannot be avoided by any means. If the devoured model suffers a BLOOD MARKER in this way when it already has six BLOOD MARKER, it is immediately taken Out of Action and it is no longer considered devoured. If the Sin Eater is taken Out of Action, the devoured model is placed Down where the Sin Eater was. The Sin Eater can only ever have one consumed model in its belly.
The Sin Eater attempts to purge a model it has devoured as an ACTION with +4 DICE. If successful, the model’s controller places the model within 1” of the Sin Eater. If no suitable space exists, the vomit fails and the model remains devoured. The vomited model is Down. The Sin Eater can only use this ACTION if it has a model devoured.
Tenderizer Maul
| Range | Melee |
| Hands | 2 Hands (Melee) |
| Modifiers | +1 to Injuries |
HEAVY
Its huge reach means that the Sin Eater may make one Melee Attack ACTION against each enemy model it is fighting in Melee.
Reinforced Armour
Grants a -2 modifier to all injury rolls against the model wearing this armour.
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
Sin Eaters are horrific creatures: once they were mortal men and women, but their overwhelming greed and hunger for human flesh tainted with Sin, combined with the corrupting influence of the Hellgate, has turned them into a form that matches their inner foulness. They’re swollen into monstrous proportions and are always at a point of nearly bursting, yet forever ravenous for more flesh and human sins to devour.
The Sin Eater is one of the very few creatures that Beelzebub approves of outside his own followers due its insatiable gluttony.
