Check out the bad guys of the Warhammer Underworlds Nightvault starter set as we break down the Briar Queen and her gang of undead thugs.
Nagash has released the Briar Queen and her minions to repel invaders and keep all of his treasures within the city. All these models become inspired when they start their activation adjacent to an enemy fighter. Also, they can all move through lethal, occupied, and blocked hexes if they end their movement in empty hexes.
Unlocking Underworlds: Briar Queen Tactics
Briar Queen (Level 2 Wizard): Move 3, 2 Dodge Dice, 4 Wounds. (Becomes 4 Move when Inspired). Briar Whip Attack: Range 2, 3 Duel Swords Attack. 2 Damage. (Becomes 3 Damage when Inspired)
The Ever-Hanged (considered a chainrasp): Move 4, 1 Dodge Dice, 3 Wounds. (2 Dodge Dice when Inspired). Range 1, 2 Hammer Attack, 2 Damage.
Varclav the Cruel: Move 3, 2 Dodge Dice, 4 Wounds. (Move 4 when Inspired) Range 1, 2 Hammer Attack, 2 Damage. (3 Damage when Inspired) Has an action that can push all friendly chainrasps up to 2 hexes.
Four Chainrasps: All have Move 3, 1 Dodge Dice, and 2 Wounds. (4 Move and 2 Dodge Dice when Inspired). Then 3 different attacks, the first one has a Nighthaunt Blade: Range 1, 1 Hammer, 1 Damage. (2 Hammer when Inspired)
The second one has a Nighthaunt Club: Range 1, 2 Duel Swords, 1 Damage. (3 Duel Swords when Inspired) The third and fourth chainrasps have a Nighthaunt Axe: Range 1, 1 Duel Swords, 2 Damage. (2 Duel Swords when Inspired)
Objectives:
- As Nagash Commands (2 Glory): Score this in the third end phase id no enemy fighters are holding objectives.
- Death Sentence (1 Gory): Score this immediately if three or more friendly fighters are adjacent to the same enemy fighter.
- Drag Them Down (2 Glory): Score this immediately if three or more friendly fighters made a successful Attack action in this phase.
- Execution (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if your warband took an enemy leader out of action in the preceding action phase.
- Swarming Spirits (1 Glory): Score this immediately if two or more friendly fighters moved through a hex occupied by an enemy fighter in this phase.
- Take the City (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if you hold all objectives on one or more game boards.
- The Vengeful Dead (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if all surviving friendly fighters (at least 3) are Inspired.
- Treacherous Foe (1 Glory): Score this immediately if your warband makes a reaction.
- Vengeful Advance (1 Glory): Score this in an end phase if all surviving friendly fighters are in your opponent’s territory.
I want to be pretty aggressive with this deck so I’m going to include all the cards from the Briar Queen set as well as a copy of Annihilation, Conquest, and Denial from the core set.
Gambits:
- Drifting Advance (Ploy): Push all friendly chainrasps up to two hexes. This push must take them closer to the nearest enemy fighter in each case. If there is more than one nearest enemy fighter, you can choose which the Chainrasp is pushed towards.
- Endless Malice (Ploy): Reaction: Play this after a friendly fighter’s Attack action that fails. That fighter can make another Attack action that targets the same fighter.
- Grasping Chains (Ploy): Each friendly Chainrasp providing support in the first Attack action in the next activation is considered to be two supporting fighters.
- Howling Vortex (Spell): (1 Swirl) If this spell is cast, push all enemy fighters up to one hex.
- Maddening Cackle (Ploy): Reaction: Play this after an enemy fighter’s Attack action that fails. That fighter is no longer Inspired and cannot be Inspired. The effect persists.
- Rending Scream (Spell): (2 Lightning Bolts) If this spell is cast each enemy fighter adjacent to the caster suffers 1 damage.
- Spectral Parry (Ploy): Choose a friendly fighter that does not have a Guard token. Place a Guard token next to them.
- Spectral Touch (Ploy): The first Attack action in the next activation has Cleave
- Sudden Appearance (Ploy): Choose a friendly fighter and place them on any starting hex.
- Vengeful Curse (Ploy): Reaction: Play this after an enemy fighter’s Attack action that takes an adjacent friendly fighter out of action. Their attacker suffers 1 damage.
A lot of this warband is about placement of your troops and your opponents’ troops so I want to make sure I include a copy Confusion and Sidestep for sure. That means I need to remove two cards from the Briar Queenside. I will take out Spectral Parry and Spectral Touch to do just that.
Upgrades:
- Chill Touch (Chainrasp): Rolls of (dodge) are not success for defense rolls made during Attack actions made by this fighter.
- Creeping Terror: Reaction: After this fighter makes a Move action, roll an attack dice for the first enemy fighter they moved through in that action. On a (Hammer or Critical) the enemy fighter suffers 1 damage.
- Curse of Unbinding (Briar Queen): Reaction: During an enemy fighter’s spell or spell Attack action, if the spell is cast and the caster is within three hexes of this fighter, roll a magic dice. On a Roll of (swirl) that spell is not cast and is not resolved.
- Driven by Hatred: +1 Dice to their Attack action when this fighter makes a Charge action
- Face of Death (Chainrasp): Reaction: During an adjacent enemy fighter’s Attack action, before any dice are rolled, roll a defense dice. On a roll of (Shield or Critical), your opponent rolls 1 fewer dice for that Attack action (to a minimum of 1).
- Grasping Thorns (Briar Queen): Reaction: After this fighter’s successful Attack action, you can push the target of that Attack action up to two hexes. They must end this push adjacent to this fighter.
- Inescapable Vengeance (Briar Queen): When this fighter makes a Move or Charge action, instead of moving them normally you can place them on any starting hex.
- Sadistic Strike (Varclaw): Range 1 , 3 Hammers, 1 Damage attack. If the target has any wound tokens, this Attack deals +2 Damage.
- Shacklegheist Chains (Varclaw): When this fighter’s Attack action takes an enemy fighter out of action, gain 1 additional glory point.
- Strangling Coil (Ever-Hanged): Range 1, 3 Duel Swords, 3 Damage attack.
I like Great Fortitude, Great Strength, and Escape Artist in this warband from the core set, so will need to remove 3 cards from this list to equal my 10-card gambit deck. Taking out Curse of Unbinding, Driven by Hatred, and Inescapable Vengeance.
My goal of this deck is to overwhelm my opponent and hitting them using lots of support dice. Especially if you can get Varclaw going and can get 2 glory for every warrior he takes out of action. You don’t want to just throw your models away because you can’t bring them back. Using Varclaw’s action and ploys you can get your guys close enough to become Inspired when they activate. Or if you have your Briar Queen’s Grasping Thorns upgrade, pull models in closer so you can then swarm and kill. The more support you have, the more successful attacks you’re going to get.
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