Trollblood Spoilers at PAX (and from the PP Forums) Enjoy!
Champion Character UA
Relentless is a key ability for champs, totally freeing them from the fellcaller. The UA costs as much as a fellcaller, so there is that, but with the additional benefits its quite conceivable that if you have just one unit of champs, or really like pathfinder and MAT 9, you will take this guy. Overtake is a totally sweet ability, allowing champs to either A) kill two troopers with ease or kill spread out troopers and then regain B2B for extra ARM. This further lets you rely on champs as your only melee unit, if that’s what you desire. Finally, countercharge on the UA is bonkers-strange. Mostly useless, it might be a good idea to leave this guy on his own, so that if someone charges your main champ block, he can countercharge from the side, like an empire detachment from Fantasy. It’s a strange ability. Oh, and reach. Because he likes you.
Overall Rating: Solid
Special Synergies: None really. Grissel possibly for 3 attacks and even more infantry threshing.
Oh, and the Hero. He can countercharge through his own champs. A totally protected countercharger. HAH!
Fennblade UA
Take everything you ever wanted in a charging unit, and make it an order. Or just steal No Quarter. Fearless, Pathfinder, Terror and +2” of movement. That’s fearless, so no need for a hero. That’s Pathfinder that doesn’t preclude a warcry. That’s the first instance of terror in our army. That’s a 13” threat range. Its everything you wanted and more.
Whats that? You wanted more? Fine, I’ll toss in Set Defense, for no reason at all. No, really, if you ever screw up, and don’t get the jump on the enemy with a 13” charge, they will get all missy if they charge you. And, 3” of extra formation, so that you can keep the leader safe in time for No Quarter.
Overall Rating: Auto-include.
Fennblades are now our premiere infantry, blowing Kriels out of the water for a few more points.
Special Synergies: Borka can pop his feat, giving them a 15” charge. If you pop it first turn you can catch things 1” on the other side of the halfway point, like AD doomreavers and such. And then your opponent gets to charge them, at DEF 14. Or, alternatively, you can play up the defensive aspects and combine Iron Flesh with Set Defense for silly DEF vs charges.
Sluggers
A strange unit, almost like a trollish version of Longunners. A little cheaper than champs, they also are a little weaker statwise, with less ARM and less damage boxes. That’s a problem when they cost nearly as much. Their gun is nice, but at RAT 5 RNG 10 POW 13, its not going to hit what it can hurt, with most infantry laughing off 5 shots and most jacks/beasts taking piddly little damage. When they aim, it’s a different story. You will get d3 shots per model, at RAT 7, for pure infantry exploding power. The RNG is still meh, but the effects are undeniable.
Overall Rating: Meh
While there are things you can do to mitigate the short range and required aiming, it might just be a better idea to take scattergunners. Yeah, that’s right. When you are on even terms with scattergunners, its probably a bad sign.
Special Synergies:
Gunnbjorn: Totally removes any problems they have. RNG 14 and a wall template mean that you will be spraying people with shots from downtown. Its still not the best idea (Nyss Hunters do it better, at further range), its not bad.
Grim: Hunter and Pathfinder lets them be a gnarly flanking unit. The feat lets you hit things on the move, and lets you set up a turn of aiming.
Grissel: Calamity makes them threaten almost anything, especially on an aiming turn, if you can manage it. Which you might be able to do with a hoof’d meatwall.
Janissa: She makes Rock walls and can push things away from your line of Sluggers. If you want to make them work, you can put them behind a wall and almost guarantee at least one turn of aiming. Its expensive though.
Janissa Stonetide, Ravasher of all that is unTrollblood
Did you like that little Stonetide tidbit above? Yes, its true, she places rock walls. That’s so ginormously huge that it defies all reasoning. She adds a powerful, unique, widely applicable spell to any casters spell list. Its like Arcane Shield on the Journeyman, its totally faction warping. If you have any experience with Gunnbjorn, you know that Rockwall is tied with Guided Fire as a prime reason to take the fellow. Now he gets two walls, and everybody else gets one. A whole separate guide is needed for rock wall, its that amazing and that good. Holy Cow, even now I still can’t believe it.
But that’s not all! She also has a massive push ability. Models in 3” get pushed 3” towards a table edge. Wow. Lets clear out zones, wipe models off of our units and increase threat ranges, all at the same time. Yes, lets.
But that’s not all! She has the standard Runeshaper abilities, from Pathfinder to Steady to a sweet magical AOE. Also more life than your average Runeshaper.
But that’s not all! She has Forcelock, the ability on the maligned Retribution Gorgon. Its not super great on her in most instances, which is why she gives it to Runeshaper in her command area. They are much better at it. Weeeee. Tarpit.
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!!!!!! She has a melee weapon which ‘pierces the thickest armor’. But for realsy. *AP is such a lovely ability. Why Forcelock an Ironclad when you can charge it for 11 damage. Heh.
Overall Rating: Faction Changing
As stated, getting Rock wall is like getting a journeyman all of a sudden. Every casters playstyle is affected. The whole faction is affected.
Special Synergies: Every goshdarn model in the game that appreciates a wall.
And there you go. Time will tell us more, but this book was a sweet haul, with out one stand out terrible model, one meh unit, one good unit and spectacular everything else.
