With the Realm of Death (A.K.A. Shyish or Amethyst Realm) starting to get in a tizzy, let’s cover the Sepulchral Guard from everyone’s favorite ghost town Shadespire!
This covers only the Sepulchral Guard set along with the core set universal cards. Be sure to check out the other tips and tactics pages for the other Shadespire factions: Garrek’s Reavers; Steelheart’s Champions; and the Ironskull’s Boyz. As always, I like to start building around the objective cards. With seven models in this warband, they will focus on objective grabbing and defense.
Universal Objectives:
- Bloodless (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if no fighter suffered any damage in the preceding action phase.
- Crushing Force (1 Glory): Score this immediately if a friendly fighter makes a successful attack that deals at least twice as much damage as is needed to take their target out of action.
- Determined Defender (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if the same friendly fighter has held the same objective at the end of two consecutive phases.
- Flawless Strategy (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if you scored two or more objective cards in this phase
- Plant a Standard (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if your leader is holding an objective in enemy territory
- Reaper (2 Glory): Score this immediately if a friendly fighter’s attack takes two or more enemy fighters out of action.
- Stymied (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if your opponent played no power cards in the preceding action phase.
- Swift Advance (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if all of your surviving fighters are in enemy territory.
- Tactical Supremacy 1-2 (2 Glory): Score this in an end phase if you hold objectives 1-2
- Tactical Supremacy 3-4 (2 Glory): Score this in an end phase if you hold objectives 3-4
- The Harvest Begins (2 Glory): Score immediately if a friendly fighter makes an Attack action that damages three or more enemy fighters.
Sepulchral Guard Only Objectives:
- Battle Without End (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if two or more friendly fighters returned to the battlefield in the preceding action phase
- Claim the City (5 Glory): Score this in an end phase if you hold every objective
- Fearless in Death (1 Glory): Score this in the third end phase if there is only one friendly fighter on the battlefield.
- March of the Dead (2 Glory): Score this in an end phase if all your surviving fighters (at least five) made a Move action in the preceding action phase.
- More Able Bodies (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if your warband took two or more enemy fighters out of action in the preceding action phase.
- Peerless General (3 Glory): Score this in the third end phase if you have four or more surviving fighters, and none are Inspired.
- Skills Unforgotten (1 Glory): Score this immediately if your leader takes an enemy fighter out of action.
- The Invigorated Dead (1 Gory): Score this in the third end phase if all your surviving fighters (at least three) are Inspired.
- Undead Swarm (1 Glory): Score is in an end phase if each enemy fighter is adjacent to at least two friendly fighters.
For my objective deck I am going to put in the Hold Objective cards 1-4 and Supremacy cards from the core set, then add in the Claim the City and both tactical supremacy cards from this set. This leaves five more objective cards that you can play around with. I suggest Battle Without End or March of the Dead, which is both excellent ways to get easy glory for a more defensive warband. My goal with this set up would be to try and claim glory by parking the petitioners on objectives on my side of the board while moving forward with your better troops. If they die, it is not a huge deal as long as it isn’t your warden, but you do not want to give up free glory to your opponent either.
Universal Upgrades:
- Army of One: If this fighter is the last friendly fighter on the battlefield, they have +1 Defense and all their attack actions have +1 Dice.
- Blessed Armor: When you roll a critical for this fighter when they are targeted by an Attack action, remove 1 wound token from them before damage is dealt.
- Coordinated Attack: Range 1, 2 Dice Duel Swords, Damage 2. When rolling for this attack action add an extra attack dice for each other friendly character adjacent to the target.
- Cunning Duelist (Reaction): During this fighter’s Attack action that succeeds against an adjacent enemy fighter, instead of driving them back you can switch the two fighter’s places.
- Helpful Whispers: If this fighter has no adjacent friendly fighters, rolls of half circle are a success when they make an Attack action.
- Katophrane’s Plate: Cumulative armor that if you have 2 pieces allows you to re-roll defense dice. At 3 pieces re-roll attack dice. At 4 pieces After this fighter’s action, you draw two power cards. Finally, at 5 pieces you gain 4 glory points.
- Shadeglass Sword: Range 1, 3 dice hammers, 2 damage. (Critical deal bonus 1 damage) On a successful attack discard this upgrade.
- Sixth Sense: Your opponent can never consider a full circle as a success for Attack actions that target this fighter
- Soultrap (Reaction): During an Attack action or ploy that takes this fighter out of action, roll a Defense dice. If you roll a shield or critical they suffer not damage and are not taken out of action, and you discard this upgrade.
- The Dazzling Key: If this fighter is holding objective 4 in the third end phase, score two glory points.
Sepulchral Guard Only Upgrades:
- Ancient Commander (Warden) Action: Choose three other friendly fighters. Make Move actions with these fighters. This does not allow a fighter to move twice in a phase.
- Assumed Command (Prince): Each friendly fighter that supports this fighter is considered to be two supporting fighters
- Deathly Charge (Champion): This fighters’ Attack actions with Range 1 or 2 have +1 Damage in a phase in which they make a Charge action.
- Fatal Strike (Champion): Range 1, 2 Dice Hammers, 2 Damage. Reaction: Make this attack action during an Attack action that takes this fighter out of action, before they are removed from the battlefield. It must target their attacker.
- Lethal Lunge (Warden): Range 2, 2 Dice Hammers, 3 Damage. The attack has cleave.
- Focused Attack (Harvester): Range 1, 2 Dice, Hammers, 2 Damage. If you roll a critical this Action has cleave.
- Frightening Speed (Harvester, Champion, Prince): +2 Move
- Grim Cleave (Harvester): This fighters’ Attack actions gain Cleave.
- Remembered Shield (Warden, Prince, Petitioner): This fighters’ Defense characteristic changes to shield.
- Undying: +1 Wounds
For sure I am taking Ancient Commander, Frightening Speed, Remembered Shield, and Undying from the Sepulchral Guard only upgrades. Then taking the Dazzling Key, Shadeglass Sword, and Coordinated Attack from the universal cards gives us a little offense along with some buffs to your troops. I like Great Speed and Great Fortitude as well, from the universal set, to continue to make your Prince, Champion, and Harvester more powerful. Even inspired, this warband has a hard time going toe to toe with models like Steelheart’s Champions.
Universal Ploys:
- Forceful Denial Reaction: Play this when an opponent plays a ploy. Roll a defense dice. On a roll of a shield or critical that ploy has no effect.
- Fortify: Friendly fighters holding objectives have +1 Defense for the next activation.
- Illusory Fighter: Choose one of your fighters on the battlefield. Place them on a starting hex in your territory.
- Mighty Swing: Your first Attack action with a Range characteristic of 1 in the next activation targets all adjacent enemy fighters. Roll for each.
- Scavenge Reaction: Play this after a friendly fighter’s Attack action that takes an adjacent enemy fighter with an upgrade out of action. Gain an additional glory point.
- Shattering Terrain: Any fighters that make a Move action, are pushed or are driven back in the next activation suffer 1 damage.
- Stumble Reaction: Play this after a friendly fighter’s Attack action drives an enemy fighter back. They are driven back an additional hex in the same direction.
- Time Trap: Choose a fighter. They can take an action. Skip your next activation (you cannot play this card after your fourth activation)
- Triumphant Roar Reaction: Play this after a friendly fighter’s Attack action that takes an enemy fighter out of action. You can push each enemy fighter adjacent to the friendly fighter one hex.
- Trust to Luck: Discard any number of power cards and draw up to that number of power cards from your deck
Sepulchral Guard Only Ploys:
- Bone Shrapnel (Reaction): Play this after an Attack action that takes a friendly fighter out of action. That fighter that took them out of action suffers 1 damage
- Ceaseless Attacks (Reaction): Play this after a friendly fighter’s Attack action fails. Make an Attack action with another friendly fighter.
- Clawing Hands: Each friendly fighter that is not on the battlefield is considered to be supporting the first Attack action in the next activation
- Danse Macabre: Any friendly fighters that make a Move action in the next activation can move one additional hex.
- Grasping Hands: Reduce the Move characteristic of the first fighter to be activated in the next activation by the number of friendly fighters that are not on the battlefield, to a minimum of 0.
- Restless Dead: Place a friendly fighter that was taken out of action (other than the Sepulchral Warden) on a starting hex in your territory.
- Spectral Form: Any friendly fighters that make a Move action in their next activation can move through other fighters, but must end their movements in empty hexes.
- Swift Evasion: Choose one friendly fighter and push them up to two hexes. Their new position must be further away from all enemy fighters.
- Terrifying Screams: Choose an enemy fighter and push them one hex
- The Necromancer Commands (Reaction): Play this after a friendly fighter’s Attack action that fails. Make the Attack action again
Ploys are where you make your money for this warband and you need to be very smart about what you play and when you play it. Bone Shrapnel can be used with a dead model to instant wound, maybe even kill an enemy so it can be very useful. Ceaseless Attacks, Clawing Hands, and The Necromancer Commands are great ploys to get extra attacks in. Also, Restless Dead is a must have, along with Sprint from the universal deck. You need to get around the battlefield and use numbers to your advantage so blocking enemies, or switching places are all great ways to get the much-needed support rolls.
There you have it my take on how I would play the Sepulchral Guard, remember this is in conjunction with only the core set, but getting the Ironskull’s Boyz expansion also adds a lot of options to this build as well.
Check out more “newbie” tips for the Hobby
