The Great Hunger
The Great Hunger is not merely a disease, nor is it an army - it is a lingering wound upon the world, a festering malignancy left in the wake of Beelzebub’s war against Creation. It is a strain of the Black Grail Virus that is not wielded as a tool of conquest by the Order of the Fly, but rather as a means of ensuring that the corruption endures, even in defeat. Where the armies of the Grail seek to march upon the living, the Hunger seeks only to consume and multiply.
The forces of the Black Grail taint the land itself. Where their influence takes root, all organic matter becomes a vector for further corruption, twisting and reshaping itself into a form pleasing to Beelzebub. Unlike the immediate, aggressive infections seen in the frontlines of battle, The Great Hunger is subtle, taking hold in the ruined remains of abandoned towns, charnel grounds, and forgotten battlefields. It does not seek to conquer - instead it waits. It endures. Even if a region is reclaimed from the Grail’s influence, the Hunger can lurk beneath the surface for weeks, months, or even years, waiting for the moment when the corruption is no longer expected, no longer feared. It is then, when it is almost forgotten, that The Great Hunger will reemerge, consuming everything, even itself, until nothing is left - nothing but a dormant remnant waiting to rise and feast again.
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.
Grail and Fly Thralls in a Great Hunger Warband cost 35 ducats, and gain the Ravenous Infection Ability and the Blighted Claws equipment. They may be based on 25mm or 32mm bases, but all Thralls of the same type (Grail or Fly) must be on the same sized base.
In addition, Grail and Fly Thralls may have the Unending Starvation and Grasping Maw equipment.
The Great Hunger often forgoes weapons in order to rend and bite the foe with bare hands and teeth. They cannot be trusted with treasured relics that are Beelzebub’s pride. In addition to this, The Great Hunger functions more like a ravenous horde than a disciplined force, and they prioritize close range combat over long ranged weapons. They do not have access to the following:
Many of the creatures within the Great Hunger have access to the Arcana Putrescere – Powers and Spells which are fueled by the very existence of the Black Grail Virus. Beelzebub’s hatred of all things living manifests itself in weird and horrible ways, and the half-dead hordes have been taught of its use. Speaking the words of power in Corrupt Enochian, they invoke the unholy powers of Ekron and warp reality to their will. As these powers require Beelzebub’s infernal essence to work, the leaders of the warband need to send their followers forth to spread the putrid disease.
Arcana Putrescere spells are marked with the Keyword PUTRESCERE (X) where the number in brackets indicates how many INFECTION MARKERS will have to be spent to trigger the effect of the Arcana. If multiple numbers or a range of numbers are listed in the brackets, any one of those numbers can be chosen.
Not all of Beelzebub’s favoured are blessed with the arcana, but those who carry rank are often proficient in its use. A MATAGOT HAG may take 0-3 Arcana, a LORD OF TUMOURS may take 0-1 Arcana, and GREGORI GULAS may take 0-1 Arcana.
These INFECTION MARKERS can be taken from any models within 12” of the caster, be they friendly or enemy models. INFECTION MARKERS used this way are removed from the game and the described effect of the Arcana Putrescere then takes effect as described – no ACTION roll is needed, unless outlined in the Arcana. Despite not requiring an ACTION roll, Arcana being cast through the Arcana Putrescere are ACTIONS and, as with other ACTIONS, spells can only be used by the model once per Activation. Some Arcana Putrescere Powers are not marked with the Keyword PUTRESCRE (X). These powers are typically passive abilities.
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.
The model may purchase up to one ARCANA PUTRESCERE Power or Spell.
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.
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.
Melee Attacks made by the Matagot Hag inflict INFECTION MARKERS instead of BLOOD MARKERS. When a Matagot Hag inflicts an INFECTION MARKER from a Melee Attack, inflict an additional INFECTION MARKER on the target.
All friendly models within 8” of the MATAGOT HAG gain +1 DICE when attempting to dash, except for herself. It requires all of the hag’s concentration to reign in the hungry fruit of her loins.
When a MATAGOT HAG is forced to roll on the Injury Table, any THRALL within 4” of her may have the result resolved against them instead. This includes any other effects being wounded may cause (such as FIRE, INFECTION, SHRAPNEL, etc). This ability cannot be used against BLAST weapons.
A Matagot Hag may purchase up to three ARCANA PUTRESCERE Powers or Spells.
A Matagot Hag is carried into battle by a writhing swarm of thralls who shield her with fanatical devotion. The Hag and the thrall swarm can never be separated and are treated as one model with a single profile. The Matagot Hag suffers no penalties to their combat ability for being unarmed. A Matagot hag cannot take any equipment except for Devouring Jaws, Grasping Maw, Grail Devotees, and Blighted Claws.
As a PUTRESCERE (1) arcana, this model can command any friendly Thrall model within 8” to do one of the following:
This arcana does not require Line of Sight.
The Matagot Hag is an undying vessel of The Great Hunger and the favoured child of Beelzebub, for in his heart he hates all things in Creation and the natural circle of life. This creature is a wretched husk of a once-human mother cursed to endlessly birth monstrosities. Her bloated and distended body is locked in an obscene cycle of constant regeneration and decay - her flesh splitting open in great, festering ruptures only to stitch itself back together, swollen with the next abomination writhing in her womb. Her skin, stretched thin and sickly pale, is mottled with blackened veins and pulsing sores, her eyes long rotted away, leaving only hollow sockets weeping thick, infectious ichor. The Grail Thralls she births carry her aloft, treating her as a living effigy of gluttony and suffering. Though mindless hunger drives her, the Hag is not without purpose - her whispered, guttural croons are hymns of devotion to Beelzebub, calling forth ever more horrors to devour the world.
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.
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.
Some infected with The Great Hunger care only to proliferate their agonizing disease. A model with the Ravenous Infection Ability may make a RISKY ACTION to spread the virus. On a success, the model may place an INFECTION MARKER on any other model within 1”, as the Great Hunger virus burns through the battlefield. A model’s Activation ends immediately after using this Ability.
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
The model may purchase up to one ARCANA PUTRESCERE Power or Spell.
All injury rolls against a Gregori Gula are made with -2 DICE, unless the attack has the Keyword FIRE, in which case works normally. The model does not suffer additional BLOOD MARKERS from attacks with Keyword GAS.
Once per round, when a Gregori Gula would be taken Out of Action, it instead goes Dormant. Remove all INFECTION MARKERS (but not BLOOD MARKERS) from the Gregori Gula and replace its model with a suitable 60mm token to represent its dormant state, which also counts as dangerous terrain. If at any point a friendly Thrall is within 1” of the Token, you must remove that Thrall and replace the token with the Gregori Gula, at least 1” away from all enemy models, and the Gula is Down. A Gregori Gula replaced this way may activate this round as normal if it has not done so already. A Gregori Gula in a Dormant state does not contest objectives, nor can it take actions, be activated or be targeted by enemy abilities that interact with terrain. A Gregori Gula in a Dormant state counts as being Out of Action for the purposes of Morale and the Trauma Step of the Campaign Phase.
A Gregori Gula never carries any type of weapons, armour or equipment, as it has no need for them. A Gregori Gula can make two attacks at no penalty, and suffers no penalties to their combat ability for being unarmed. A Gregori Gula can be equipped with a Grasping Maw.
The Gregori Gula are rare, winged predators - gaunt, angelic abominations draped in rotting flesh and hiding a myriad of waiting mouths. Unlike the mindless thralls, they stalk prey with patience, each kill chosen with eerie precision. When struck down, they do not die, but collapse into a dormant cocoon of necrotic tissue, seeping toxins and viral remnants into the battlefield. If a thrall ventures too close, it is consumed, and the Gula rises again, unfurling its wings in a storm of infectious gas that cripples all nearby. The only solution is fire and absolute destruction, for so long as even a trace remains, the Gregori Gula will endure.
Some infected with The Great Hunger care only to proliferate their agonizing disease. A model with the Ravenous Infection Ability may make a RISKY ACTION to spread the virus. On a success, the model may place an INFECTION MARKER on any other model within 1”, as the Great Hunger virus burns through the battlefield. A model’s Activation ends immediately after using this Ability.
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.
Blighted Claws
Add +1 DICE and the CRITICAL Keyword to Melee Attacks made by this model.
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.
If the scenario you are playing allows INFILTRATORS to use their special deployment rules, after any INFILTRATORS have deployed, you can deploy these Cradle Thralls within 1” of any edge of the battlefield and more than 8” away from any enemy models.
Some infected with The Great Hunger care only to proliferate their agonizing disease. A model with the Ravenous Infection Ability may make a RISKY ACTION to spread the virus. On a success, the model may place an INFECTION MARKER on any other model within 1”, as the Great Hunger virus burns through the battlefield. A model’s Activation ends immediately after using this Ability.
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.
Blighted Claws
Add +1 DICE and the CRITICAL Keyword to Melee Attacks made by this model.
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.
Non-FIRE injuries against the model are rolled with -1 DICE. Additionally, this model ignores any additional BLOOD MARKERS caused by the Keyword GAS.
Some infected with The Great Hunger care only to proliferate their agonizing disease. A model with the Ravenous Infection Ability may make a RISKY ACTION to spread the virus. On a success, the model may place an INFECTION MARKER on any other model within 1”, as the Great Hunger virus burns through the battlefield. A model’s Activation ends immediately after using this Ability.
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.
Blighted Claws
Add +1 DICE and the CRITICAL Keyword to Melee Attacks made by this model.
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.
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 scenario you are playing allows INFILTRATORS to use their special deployment rules, after any INFILTRATORS have deployed, you can deploy these Cradle Thralls within 1” of any edge of the battlefield and more than 8” away from any enemy models.
Some infected with The Great Hunger care only to proliferate their agonizing disease. A model with the Ravenous Infection Ability may make a RISKY ACTION to spread the virus. On a success, the model may place an INFECTION MARKER on any other model within 1”, as the Great Hunger virus burns through the battlefield. A model’s Activation ends immediately after using this Ability.
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.
Blighted Claws
Add +1 DICE and the CRITICAL Keyword to Melee Attacks made by this model.
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.
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.
