Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent
Jutting from the eternally belching plumes of stinking, corrosive smoke rises the accursed Iron City of Dis. Atop its shrieking, blackened keep sits the Infernal War Council, a gathering of seven of the most wicked, cunning, and diabolical archdevils in existence. Known as the Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent, each Head of the Serpent embodies one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Together, their decrees shape the course of the Great War, overseeing Hell’s relentless campaign against Creation on Earth and commanding all Infernal forces in service of the hierarchy.
In the twisted, treacherous, and changing politics of Hell, even the mightiest of devils rarely hold their seat on the great War Council of the Court for long. Towering statues of the Heads of the Serpent, representing Wrath, Envy, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, and Greed, are erected by slavering work gangs of Yoke Fiends, only to be torn down and crushed into rubble as new devil lords claw their way to power, trampling their rivals beneath them.
The hierarchy of the Court is anything but stable. Countless envious pretenders scheme against the Heads of the Serpent, each vying to seize their place and claim the glory and prestige of such a lofty position. Only Mammon is said to have held an almost unbroken reign of power as the Serpent Head of Greed for the entire Great War. The other positions have seen a bewildering parade of dukes, marquises, margraves, barons and baronesses, paramounts, princes, lords and ladies, earls, and countless other high nobles rise and fall in their eternal machinations for influence and power.
This relentless cycle of political ascension followed by utter ruin is mirrored among their mortal followers on Earth. In turn, the strength of a demon waxes and wanes with the number of mortal followers they can corrupt to their cause. The Council operates by majority vote, often decided by the slimmest of margins. It takes little for an ambitious Prince or Princess of Hell to amass enough enemies to be deposed, have their wings torn, and their power stripped away. Cast down, they are forced to claw their way up from the depths once more, their rivals’ jeers stinging like venom. While Beelzebub is the most powerful devil of Gluttony, the Lord of the Flies scorns his rightful place at the Court, waging his war against Creation through his Black Grail. This leaves his seat vacant, causing the lesser fallen angels to squabble for the prize of the Throne of Hunger.
At the command of the Court, warbands assemble at the Hellgate, ready to strike out and blight the world. Yoke Fiends muster under the banners of their Praetors and Sorcerers. The shattered forms of the Hell Knights are forced into their suits of armour, emerging from fiery tombs where their bodies lie crushed beneath massive, ever-turning slabs of black basalt while they are not serving in the war effort.
Desecrated Saints are brought forth to serve as unholy war altars, their very presence corrupting and perverting the land they traverse. Ahead of the warbands swarm Pit Locusts, the clatter of their wings heralding the Court’s approach, their venomous stings leaving burns that cannot be healed. When deathly omens stain Hell’s burning sky and black stars align, a Hunter of the Left-Hand Path will join a warband as they emerge from the Mouth of Hell.
Most warbands march behind the Wretched, mortal slaves of the Court, lashed onward by the merciless whips of the Yoke Fiends. As they march to join the Great War, joyous and triumphant music played by unseen hands echoes through the air, for taking part in one of these hunts is considered a great Warband privilege within Sheol.
Faction Rules
Goetic spells must be cast in order for them to be used. The description for the Spell will say how and when it can be cast. In addition, Goetic Spells have a cost that must be paid in BLOOD MARKERS to cast the spell (the cost is included in the title of the spell). Note that you do not have to take a Success Roll for a model in order to cast a spell.
- To cast a Goetic Spell, you must remove a number of BLOOD MARKERS from models equal to the spell’s cost. You can remove the BLOOD MARKERS from any models (friend or foe) that do not have the BLACK GRAIL or DEMONIC Keywords. The models can be anywhere on the battlefield and do not have to be in the spell caster’s Line of Sight, and the spell cost can be paid by removing BLOOD MARKERS from more than one model if you wish.
- If the cost of a Goetic Spell is a range of numbers, you must choose how many BLOOD MARKERS you will pay before the spell is cast. For example, if a Goetic Spell had (Cost 1-3), you must pay a cost of 1, 2 or 3 BLOOD MARKERS before you cast the spell.
- Some Goetic Spells can only be cast if a model takes a Cast Spell ACTION. When it does so, you must pay the spell cost as described above, and you can then cast the spell with the model. Note that a model cannot take more than one Cast Spell ACTION per Activation (as it cannot use an ACTION more than once per Activation).
- A model that is casting a spell is called the spellcaster.
Seven Deadly Sins
Many of the warriors of the Court have access to a selection of devastating Spells and other Powers as detailed in the list below which can be purchased at the indicated cost when the model is initially purchased. Depending on the type of model and which Deadly Sin the warband is dedicated to, the selection available to you may vary. All such limitations are clearly marked below.
The Sorcerer opens a portal to the Lake of Fire, drawing forth a great screaming ball of Infernal lava mixed with damned souls.
GOETIC (1-3): You must take a Cast Spell ACTION with the spellcaster in order for it to cast this spell. If you do so, the spellcaster can make a Ranged Attack with a Range of 36". The attack has the BLAST, FIRE and SCATTER Keywords, and a blast radius in inches equal to the number of BLOOD MARKERS that were paid to cast the spell. In addition, the attack has the IGNORE ARMOUR Keyword for Injury Rolls made for a model that was either the target of the spell and hit by it, or if the Burning Inferno scattered and the target point ended up on the model’s base.
Yoke Fiends are held in total thrall by the mightier members of the Court.
GOETIC (1): You must take a Cast Spell ACTION with the spellcaster in order for it to cast this spell. If you do so, you can carry out one of the following Commands with a Yoke Fiend that is within 18" of the spellcaster. Carrying out a Command does not stop the Yoke Fiend from being Activated in the same Turn (before or after the Command was issued).
Warband Options
Captains
A Praetor can have up to 2 Goetic Powers. Praetors from a Warband dedicated to Wrath can have only 1 Goetic Power.
A Praetor can have any Battlekit from The Court’s Armoury Tables.
As a GOETIC (1) spell, this model can command any friendly Yoke Fiend within 12” to do one of the following:
A Sorcerer can have up to 3 Goetic Powers, one of which must be the Blessing of the Serpent Moon Goetic Spell taken at no extra cost.
GOETIC (2/4/6) Spell: You can cast this spell before an Injury Roll is made for the spellcaster. If you do so, add a -1 INJURY MODIFIER to the roll for every 2 BLOOD MARKERS that were paid to cast the spell.
A Sorcerer can have any Battlekit from The Court’s Armoury Tables apart from Ranged Weapons and Grenades.
As a GOETIC (1) spell, this model can command any friendly Yoke Fiend within 12” to do one of the following:
Elite
A Hell Knight can have up to 2 GOETIC Powers, one of which must be the Blood Magic Goetic Spell taken at no extra cost.
GOETIC (1): You can cast this spell before making any Injury Rolls for an attack made by the spellcaster. If you do so, add +1 INJURY DICE to all of the Injury Rolls you make for the attack. For example, if the attack has the BLAST Keyword, you would add +1 INJURY DICE to the rolls for each model that was caught in the blast radius of the attack.
A Hell Knight always has a suit of Infernal Iron Armour. The Infernal Iron Armour cannot be removed or lost over the course of the campaign for any reason. The Injury Modifier for the Armour is already included in the model’s Profile above. They can also have any Battlekit from the Seven-Headed Serpent Armoury Tables apart from Armour.
Infernal Iron Armour
IMPERVIOUS, -2 INJURY MODIFIER
Injuries against this model are rolled with a flat -2 penalty. This penalty applies against injuries that ignore armour.
This armour is forged simultaneously in Hell and on Earth, so that no weapon, whether Infernal or man-made, can overcome its protection.
As a GOETIC (1) spell, this model can command any friendly Yoke Fiend within 12” to do one of the following:
GOETIC (2): You can cast this spell before the spellcaster takes a Retreat ACTION. If you do so, enemy models cannot make a Melee Attack on the spellcaster when they retreat.
GOETIC (2): You can cast this spell when the spellcaster moves into contact with a terrain piece. If you do so, you can interrupt the spellcaster’s move to remove them from the battlefield and then deploy them in contact with another terrain piece more than 1" from any enemy models, unless the spellcaster is making a charge. If the spell is cast during a charge, the spellcaster must deploy closer to the target than it was before it was removed from the battlefield. You can then carry on with the spellcaster’s move as normal. This spell can be used for a normal Move or a charge or a retreat, and can be cast more than once during the course of a single ACTION (you must pay its cost each time it is cast). However, after it has been used during one ACTION, it cannot be used during any other ACTIONS that are part of the same Activation. If it is cast as part of a charge, the spellcaster must still start the charge within 12" of the target model, and you will need to take a Risky Success Roll for the spellcaster if they do not have a Line of Sight to the target model.
This spell can be cast as part of any movement the Hunter takes during its Activation (Standard Move, Retreat, Charge, Dash etc.). If it is cast as part of a Charge, it does not need to take the most direct route possible, but it still selects the target as normal (Line of Sight, within 12” etc.).
GOETIC (3): You can cast this spell once per Turn after an Injury Roll is made for the spellcaster. If you do so, the result of the Injury Roll is changed to a No Effect result (make Injury Rolls for other models hit by the same attack normally).
A Hunter of the Left-Hand Path always has a Bow of Lethe, and it cannot be removed or lost of the course of the campaign for any reason. The Hunter of the Left-Hand Path must always hold it in one of their hands. They can also have any Battlekit from the Court Of the Seven-Headed Serpent Armoury Tables apart from 2-Handed Weapons.
Bow of Lethe
| Range | 24" |
| Hands | 2 Hands (Ranged) 1 Hands (Melee) |
ASSAULT
Before making an Injury Roll for an attack made with a Bow of Lethe, you must choose if the roll will have the +2 INJURY DICE Keyword or the IGNORE ARMOUR Keyword.
This bow is grown by the Hunters of the Left-Hand Path out of their own flesh. It can be tipped with deadly poison made from the blood of the nameless beasts that the Hunters stalk in the wastelands of Hell, or it can shoot one of the iron bolts of Pandemonium, that weigh nine tonnes on Earth.
As a GOETIC (1) spell, this model can command any friendly Yoke Fiend within 12” to do one of the following:
Infantry
A Desecrated Saint has one of the following auras. The aura it has is determined by the Deadly Sin its Warband is dedicated to.
The rules for making more than one Melee Attack do not apply to a Desecrated Saint. Instead a Desecrated Saint can take 1 Fight ACTION per Activation with each Melee Weapon it is equipped with. The Off-hand Weapon modifier does not apply to any of its Melee Attacks.
A Desecrated Saint has several arms and the STRONG Keyword. It can have up to three 1-Handed Melee Weapons from the Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent, or two 1-Handed Melee Weapons and one 2-Handed Melee Weapon. It cannot have any other Battlekit.
When a Pit Locust takes a Fight ACTION, it can make two Melee Attacks, one after the other, even though it does not have any Melee Weapons. The first attack is carried out as if it were being made with a Melee Weapon with the SHRAPNEL Keyword. The second attack is carried out as if it were being made with a Melee Weapon with the IGNORE OFF-HAND WEAPON Keyword.
A Pit Locust can have a Crown of Hellfire from from the Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent Armoury Table. They cannot have any other Battlekit.
Reinforced Armour
-2 INJURY MODIFIER
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.
If an attack made by a Wretched takes an enemy model with the ELITE Keyword out of Action, the Wretched model gains its freedom and is immediately removed from the game. It no longer counts as being part of the Warband for the purposes of Morale Checks and is removed from the Warband Roster.
When a Yoke Fiend is Activated, if it is more than 1" from any enemy models and there is an enemy model within 12" of it, that is in its Line of Sight, and that does not have the BLACK GRAIL or DEMONIC Keywords, then the Yoke Fiend must take a Charge ACTION with the closest enemy model as the target of the charge. If the Yoke Fiend was Down at the start of the Activation, it will stand up if it can do so and must then attempt to make the charge.
When a Yoke Fiend makes an attack, it can target a friendly model. If it does so, it cannot attack again during the same Activation.
A Yoke Fiend can have 1 Ranged Weapon that has a cost of 30 or less from the Court of the Seven-Headed Serpent Armoury Tables. They can have any other Battlekit from the Seven-Headed Serpent Armoury Tables apart from Ranged Weapons.
Mercenaries
A Goetic Warlock can take a Goetic Portal ACTION. If they do so, take a Risky Success Roll for the Goetic Warlock with +1 DICE. If the roll is a Failure, the Goetic Warlock’s Activation ends. If the roll is a Success or Critical Success, you can pick up the Goetic Warlock and deploy them on the battlefield anywhere within 6" of the location they originally occupied (measured from the centre of its base to the centre of its base). If this is impossible for any reason, the Goetic Warlock must stay in their original position. Note that the Goetic Warlock can redeploy even if they are down or within 1" of an enemy model (in which case the enemy model cannot make a Melee Attack before the Goetic Warlock is redeployed), and can deploy within 1" of an enemy model. In addition, if the roll is a Success or Critical Success and the Goetic Warlock is within 1" of any enemy models mounted on a 32mm base or smaller, then the Goetic Warlock can take 1 of the enemy models with them. If they do so, you must deploy the Goetic Warlock first and then deploy the enemy model within 1" of the Goetic Warlock. If you cannot deploy the enemy model within 1" of the Goetic Warlock, then the enemy model stays in its original position.
An enemy model within 1" of a Goetic Warlock cannot take a Retreat ACTION.
A Goetic Warlock can make a Melee Attack even though it does not have Melee Weapons. When a Goetic Warlock makes a Melee Attack, it can attack twice using the CRITICAL Keyword even though it doesn’t have Melee Weapons (the Off-Hand Weapon modifier applies to the second attack).
A Goetic Warlock can take a Goetic Gaze ACTION. If they do so, take a Success Roll for the Goetic Warlock. If the roll is a Failure, nothing happens. If the roll is a Success, place 1 BLOOD MARKER next to an enemy model within 24" of the Goetic Warlock and in their Line of Sight. If the roll is a Critical Success, place 2 BLOOD MARKERS next to an enemy model within 24" of the Goetic Warlock and in their Line of Sight instead of only 1.
Sword / Axe
| Range | Melee |
| Hands | 1 Hands (Melee) |
CRITICAL
Because of the martial traditions of many proud nations and due to the advances in armour technology, swords and axes are extremely popular, especially amongst elite units and officers. They are supremely useful for finishing off downed opponents and causing profusely bleeding wounds.
Reinforced Armour
-2 INJURY MODIFIER
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.
Goetic Warlocks are nightmarish creations forged in the death factories of the Third Circle of Hell. Captured priests, prophets, vicars, rectors, and monks are tortured in fiendish machines that burn away their flesh with hellfire, encasing their still-living skeletons in infernal suits of armour, and stamping them with Goetic runes. The process is so agonising that the victims, driven by desperation, willingly enter into demonic pacts, seeking an end to their unbearable suffering. Thus, a new Goetic Warlock is born, now a ruthless predator, driven to hunt the very mortals they once swore to protect.
The mere gaze of a Warlock induces necrosis. In close quarters, they clasp their enemies in a merciless embrace. Drawing on Goetic power, they portal to a secluded location, where they can savour the prolonged destruction of their victim, slowly shredding them into pieces. They revel in the grotesque act of skinning their victims alive, transforming the remains into repulsive vellum for dark grimoires and profane religious texts. Some even wear the faces of their victims to power their illusionary spells, confounding their enemies.
Due to the rarity of the victims required to create Goetic Warlocks, these abominations are reserved for the most renowned Heretic commanders, with the greatest need and the most influential connections in the twisted web of Heretic politics. Mammon, the mighty devil of Greed, offers his personal battalion of Warlocks to the highest bidder.
Treat a Scripture Guardian as having a Movement Characteristic of 3"/Infantry when it takes a Dash ACTION.
The Scripture Guardian reads words from the holy (or unholy) text it carries. A Scripture Guardian can take a Vengeful Scripture ACTION. If they do so, pick 1 enemy model within 18" of the Scripture Guardian and in its Line of Sight. Then take a Success Roll for the Scripture Guardian, with +2 DICE if the enemy model is within 9" of the Scripture Guardian and +1 DICE otherwise. If the roll is a Failure, nothing happens. If the roll is a Success, make an Injury Roll for the enemy model, with a +1 INJURY MODIFIER for each BLOOD MARKER the enemy model has (in addition to any benefits you receive if you then spend them to affect the Injury Roll). If the roll is a Critical Success, make an Injury Roll for the enemy model with +1 INJURY DICE and a +1 INJURY MODIFIER for each BLOOD MARKER the enemy model has.
Combat Helmet
NEGATE SHRAPNEL
The simple combat helmet has proven its value on the battlefield time and again.
Reinforced Armour
-2 INJURY MODIFIER
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 Eater can take a Devour the Guilty ACTION. If they do so, pick 1 model (friend or foe) that is within 1" of the Sin Eater and is mounted on a base that is 40mm or smaller. If the model is an enemy, take a Risky Success Roll for the Sin Eater. If the model is friendly, take a Success Roll for the Sin Eater with +1 DICE. If the roll is a Failure, the Sin Eater’s Activation ends, if it was a Risky Success Roll, and nothing happens if it was a normal Success Roll. If the roll is a Success or a Critical Success, the model you picked is devoured, and the following rules apply to it:
- Place the model to one side, along with any MARKERS it may have. It is inside the Sin Eater and cannot be affected in any way or carry out any ACTIONS except as described below. While it is in the Sin Eater it is considered to be Down for the purposes of Morale Checks. A Sin Eater can only have 1 devoured model at a time.
- When it is Activated, it can take a Fight ACTION and must target the Sin Eater. Add -3 DICE to the roll for the Melee Attack, and do not use any of the model’s abilities or any of the special rules for its weapons.
- If the Sin Eater is taken Out of Action, before removing them from the battlefield, deploy the devoured model within 1" of the Sin Eater and place it Down. If this is impossible, the model is taken Out of Action. In either case, the Sin Eater is then removed from the battlefield.
- If a devoured model is still inside a Sin Eater when the game ends, it is considered to have been taken Out of Action.
- Each time the Sin Eater is Activated, place 1 BLOOD MARKER next to the devoured model. As soon as a devoured model has 6 BLOOD MARKERS, it is immediately taken Out of Action and is no longer considered to be inside the Sin Eater.
- A Sin Eater that has a devoured model inside it can take a Purge ACTION.If it does so, take a Success Roll for the Sin Eater with +4 DICE. If the roll is a Failure, nothing happens. If the roll is a Success or Critical Success, deploy the devoured model within 1" of the Sin Eater and place it Down. If this is impossible, the devoured model remains inside the Sin Eater. Once released the model can be Activated normally.
Tenderizer Maul
| Range | Melee |
| Hands | 2 Hands (Melee) |
HEAVY, +1 INJURY MODIFIER
When a model armed with a Tenderiser Maul takes a Fight ACTION, instead of making only 1 Melee Attack, you can make 1 Melee Attack against each enemy model with 1" of the attacking model. Resolve each Melee Attack one at a time in the order of your choice.
Reinforced Armour
-2 INJURY MODIFIER
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 were once mortal men and women, but their overwhelming greed, combined with the corrupting influence of the Hellgate, turned them into an abominable form that matches their inner foulness. Sin Eaters are among the few creatures outside Beelzebub’s followers that he deems worthy as their boundless gluttony mirrors his essence.
Armoury
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