Nighthaunt

This will be the page for all things to do with the Nighthaunt, the newly expanded Death faction for Age of Sigmar Second Edition. .

Check out my Age of Sigmar Second Edition page for news on the new edition as it breaks. If you are after something more good and golden, check out the companion Sacrosanct Chamber page.

NB: This page now needs to be updated with release of the battletome.

So what do we know so far about the new Nighthaunt for Age of Sigmar Second Edition? You’ll find a lot of pictures below but the key points are:

a whole wave of new Nighthaunt models – both heroes and units
- three newly announced heros
- a new Knight of Shrouds
- Guardian of Souls – wizard
- Lord Executioner – combat hero?
- Spirit Torment – support hero
- Grimghast Reapers – heavy combat infantry?
- Glaivewraith Stalkers – combat infantry?
- Chainrasp Hordes – horde battleline?
- Black Coach!!!
a new Mortarch of Grief is coming (all we have so far is a silhouette in the back of a preview video, but a popular guess is Isabella von Carstein) – there are a few people suggesting that she may also be the female vampire who keeps appearing in some of the Malign Portents ebooks.
a new battletome
All Nighthaunt units ignore Rend so will keep their usual 4+ save against normal damage
have access to a “deluge of mortal wounds, whether at range or with their Frightful Touch“

Nighthaunt lore and aesthetic

Warhammer Community put out a great piece on the design aesthetic and origins of the Nighthaunt army. A link is in the notes below, but the points that jumped out for me were:

“The Nighthaunt were meant to be more than “just” an army, but a way to explore death and the underworlds in the Mortal Realms. The Nighthaunt aren’t a force of brave soldiers, or mechanical automatons, but rather a motley collection of prisoners – complete with wardens, jailors, and guards. Rather than weapons, the Nighthaunt wield ancient instruments of torture, or simple implements from their former lives, like the clubs and daggers wielded by the Chainrasp Hordes.”

“While the Nighthaunt units have similar silhouettes, and lack a great deal of specific iconography, each manages to look distinct from the others. This was achieved by each being given a distinct form of movement. The Glaivewraith Stalkers, for instance, are drifting inexorably towards their foes, while the Grimghast Reapers are poised in frantic, slashing stances.”

“Finally, the Nighthaunt provided a chance for our loremasters to delve into Nagash’s personality and explore just how this god has changed during his time in the Mortal Realms. In Legions of Nagash, the militant side of the Death God was explored through examining his armies, while the Nighthaunt shed light on his twisted sense of justice – or petty cruelty. These souls were not twisted by natural means, but by the direct intervention of Nagash himself, with the Great Necromancer finding a flicker of fulfilment in meting out punishments to those who thought death would be an escape…”

New Heroes

At the UK Games Expo, Games Workshop revealed there would be three new named characters to lead the Nighthaunt faction – the Mortarch of Grief, Kurdoss Valentian (the Craven King) and one other. Check out the awesome silhouettes of these miniatures.

Kurdoss Valentian is described as an arch plotter and schemer, embittered and cruel, but an incredibly astute commander.

Lady Olynder, The Mortarch of Grief

Lady Olynder is the most recently chosen Mortarch of Nagash. She has gathered the disparate forces of the Nighthaunt into a combined legion.

“In life, Olynder was a plotter and schemer who showed false remorse to improve her standing – now, in death, she is the possessor of a misery so deep and black it projects from her in vast, deadly waves. For most, to face her in battle is to lose hope and accept the inevitability of death – while those few with the will to stand before her are quickly obliterated by her deathly magics, or torn apart by spectral attendants.”

Mystery Mounted Hero

A new Knight of Shrouds

First released as a foot character Harbinger with Malign Portents, we now have a mounted version of the Knight of Shrouds.

Guardian of Souls

The Guardian of Souls is a wizard for Nighthaunt, drawing more Nighthaunt units into combat with the living.

Lord Executioner

Hangmen and headsmen who killed the innocent, now enslaved in permanent service to Nagash.

Spirit Torment

A personal favourite from the Warhammer Fest reveals was the Spirit Torment. A model previewed in the Lightning in a Bottle Malign Portents story.

Grimghast Reapers

“Grimghast Reapers are the souls of schemers, plotters, assassins, and those who murdered through subterfuge in their former lives. Nagash has punished these souls by turning them into frenzied, indiscriminate murderers, blind to their foe and attacking with wild, unfocused slashes.”

Chainrasp Hordes – Nighthaunt

Eternal prisoners of Nagash, the Chainrasp Hordes take joy in using the chains that bind them to Nagash to attack enemies. Horde unit with low points cost and SUMMONABLE – so useful for Legions of Nagash.

Glaivewraith Stalkers

Glaivewraith Stalkers hunted men for pleasure when alive, and now do so in Death.

New Black Coach

The Black Coach is such a cool concept that it is great seeing it getting an updated model. The model has so many nice touches, including that the ghosts are carrying the possessions of the vampire inside the coach.

Reinforcements for the Starter Set

On release weekend you will be able to buy a range of push fit kits to bolster the Soul Wars units – for instance a Deathbeat Drummer for your Glaivewraith Slakers or Myrmourn Banshees (diabolical wizard-hunters with the power to feast on magical energy).

More Nighthaunt units coming

More pictures from Warhammer Fest 2018

Nighthaunt Accessories

Along with the new Nighthaunt models, and battletome, there are also Nighthaunt dice and some new technical paints (so you have more options than just Nihilikh Oxide). The new technical paints are Nighthaunt Gloom and Hexwraith Flame. Perfect for going straight over white spray.