Today’s article will be focusing on the very spookiest of bois…the Nighthaunt! For an army with such incredible models (albeit a bit fragile) let’s see if their Path to Glory rules stack up well compared to other armies!
Army Special Rules:
Right off the bat the Nighthaunt get a couple of really powerful rules. The first allows them to pick up to three terrain features and secretly declare the to be “Haunted”. As such at the end of any movement or charge phase you can deploy a picked Nighthaunt unit within 1″ of that terrain feature, and more then 3″ from the enemy. This is an amazing rule although it does carry a risk. If that terrain feature is destroyed you lose the unit, so don’t be too obvious!
The Nighthaunt also use a special mission to get the upgraded form of their territories. However if they fail in this mission, their opponent can pick one of your haunted territories and Exorcise it. This is an interesting wrinkle as it has more potential for antagonism, but also more interaction then some other rules we have seen. But I suppose what better wait to bond with an army of jaded spirits then to become salty yourself?
Quests:
The Nighthaunt get four quest to choose from, one requires you to keep a tally of units you have terrified (as best as I can tell you do this by getting a Nighthaunt unit within 3″). Once the tally hits 7 you can give every summonable unit in your army a veteran ability for the next battle (good for setting up other quest battles). The Ethereal Rising quest triggers after you get 6 or more haunted territories, once complete during the next battle every summonable unit returns 1 slain model at the start of your hero phases. The next quest is the standard option to set up your custom mission. Finally, the last quest requires you to earn three victories and then you can haunt a territory.
Custom Missions:
As is becoming increasingly common, the Nighthaunt get two missions to choose from. Phantasmal Invasion sees the Nighthaunt invading a fortress. They start in the middle of the board and try to capture one terrain feature in either end. The Nighthaunt player goes first and also gets +1 to charge when coming in from reserves which makes it a bit more reliable. If you win you can haunt a territory you control as well as get +1 on your haunt rolls for other territories.
Fight or Flight is a slightly different mission wherein the Nighhaunt player is trying to run down a fleeing army. The Nighthaunt have to search a few terrain features to find a enemy hero and kill it. Initially I was a little annoyed at the focus of the mission, automatically assuming the Nighthaunt had just won a big battle, but then I remembered that you can only pick this mission after the quest which requires you to win 3 major victories so it makes a lot of sense. If you win you get a free upgrade for your hero and +1 on your haunt rolls for other territories. However if you lose your opponent can exorcise one of your territories!
Veteran Abilities:
The Nighthaunt get a variety of abilities that tie into their army rules and lore nicely. Unlike other armies their abilities aren’t gated to certain units which is a nice breath of fresh air. They have a really strong table with the option to get a 3+ save characteristic once per battle or doing D3 mortals for each unmodified hit roll of a “6” in combat (although it does end the attack sequence).
Territories:
The Nighthaunt get six new territories and a unique haunting mechanic. Each territory is tied to a standard piece of terrain that you have to haunt to get the upgraded abilities. Most of the abilities are pretty solid and fit their description. You can get additional units to reinforce, some options that only fire on a 6+ but give strong benefits (i.e. free command traits). I like how they added these options as corrupted versions of the existing territories. It shows you don’t need to reinvent the wheel and it can help build a narrative.
Conclusion:
Overall I think the Nighthaunt have a very strong set of Path to Glory rules. They have some unique abilities in their army that can help them win their custom missions(although those have some nebulous rules interactions, like what happens if the “Siege Targets” terrain in their invasion missions get destroyed?). The Nighthaunt have one of the strongest veteran abilities tables I have seen and benefit immensely from having it open to all units. their territories are a little more difficult to utilize but are very narrativly focused. All in all I htink this is a very complete set of rules for those ghosty-bois!
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