Kriels maintain martial traditions that go back to the beginning of the trollkin as a people. Armed with axe and shield, kriel warriors have long waged bloody wars to keep ownership of their lands, and their tales of valor are carved into the faces of krielstones to inspire those generations that follow in their footsteps. These bands of warriors give rise to new champions, who earn their acclaim in battle against the enemies of the trollkin. They emerge from the wilderness in a tide of steel and stone to strike down all who stand before them.
Theme Rules
- For the core rules on how Theme Forces work, see this article.
Theme Restrictions
An army made using the Band of Heroes theme force can include only the following Trollblood models:
Full model list
The models allowed in
Band of Heroes are:
[Show/Hide]
This list was last updated: 2020.11 (Edit)
Warlocks
Warbeasts
- All non-character Trollblood warbeasts
- Character warbeasts can be taken, but only if they have a bond and they're in their bonded model's battlegroup.
Units
Solos
Minions
(★)
Since Boomhowler3 is a Champion, he doesn't use up a Minion slot. Requisition Points
You can spend each Requisition Point on either:
- One Trollblood CA
- Five Troll Whelp solos
- One other small- or medium-based Trollblood solo
Theme Bonuses
- Trollblood warrior models in the army gain "optional Take Down".
- "Optional Take Down" (aka the Theme Force version) - Models disabled by a melee attack made by a Faction warrior model in this army cannot make a Tough roll. When a model is boxed by a melee attack made by a warrior model in this army, you can choose to have the boxed model be removed from play.
Recent Changes
2020.11 - Horgle1 added to the list of available models
2020.12 - Boomhowler3 released
Thoughts on Band of Heroes
Band of Heroes in a Nutshell
This is the Trollblood melee infantry theme.
No Pygs, no Fire Eaters, no guns, no spellcasters. It's a smashmouth infantry army made up of pure melee infantry that gives you extra points for taking the biggest and smashiest trollblood infantry (or cavalry) around. The only covering fire comes from your warbeasts. If you enjoy smashmouth play it's great. If not then don't play this list.
A quick note on sportsmanship. Though your warriors' attacks can RFP a model, it is not the same as having RFP on them all the time. In the spirit of fair play always inform your opponent whether or not you'll use the RFP feature. If you miss that, they can assume that the model was destroyed and not removed from play, causing a whole lot of confusion (soul collecting, eligibility for revival, etc).
Theme's weaknesses
The lack of anything shooty.
The models in the Storm of the North have a lot of overlap with this theme, but Storm is far more flexible.
List Building Tips
- Units
- Trollkin Champions regardless of theme are a great unit. Most caster will want two, they are the backbone of the faction.
- Trollkin Fennblades die in droves unless you can improve their DEF and ARM. Their dedicated solo the Fennblade Kithkar helps them hit but doesn’t do anything amazing on his own. Their main shtick is being fast thanks to no quarter. After killing two models a piece they can then repo to jam some more.
- Sons of Bragg - a good alternative to a min unit of champions - less survivable but with the benefit of fell calls and a spray.
- Trollkin Warders - they don’t have that much offensive output but point for point they are some of the hardest to kill models at range.
- Support
- If you are choosing this theme over Storm of the North your exclusive infantry support model is the Stone Scribe Chronicler - while not as versatile as a Fell Caller Hero all melee infantry like him, especially bigger units doomed to die, but you're most likely still going to take the Fell Caller because he's better.
- Horgle1 by casting the Pyre Troll or Slag Troll animus and improving the very limited ranged game in this theme you can do interesting things with Horgle.
- Horthol hits hard and buffs the long riders.
Starting a 25 point list
If you want to try this theme but are still stuck for ideas, try this. It's relatively newbie friendly. It can be played in Storm of the North too!
Casters of Note
- Kolgrima1
She is good all-round, and works with infantry lists in general.
- Madrak1
He is an excellent infantry caster so really likes this theme. Even Ground is excellent, and Trolls like not being charged.
Other
Trivia
Released 2017.09
Other Trollblood models/themes
Rules Clarifications
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Rules Clarification : Take Down (Edit)
- If you have Take Down innately, then the RFP is not optional.
- If you have Take Down granted by a theme force benefit, then the RFP is optional.
- If you choose to RFP at boxed, you don't get to trigger anything that happens at destroyed (such as Cleave).
- If you choose not to RFP them, they're destroyed normally. They produce corpses, can be returned to play, etc, and most importantly you can trigger stuff at "destroyed" (such as Cleave).
- Technically the theme benefit doesn't actually grant models Take Down, it just gives them a rule with almost the exact same wording as Take Down.
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Rules Clarification : Band of Heroes (Edit)
- Boomhowler uses up your Minion slot. His Fell Calls ability is not enough to make him a "Fell Caller model/unit". (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification: Theme Forces (Edit)
Themes that change a model's Faction [Show/Hide]
- Many themes swap which Faction a model counts as. They're slightly inconsistent with how exactly this is worded. Despite this inconsistency - whenever a model is considered a different faction to normal, it will not be its original faction. (Infernal Ruling)
- For instance Lukas stops being a Crucible Guard model when taken in an Infernal army, and as a consequence he cannot take Toros or Vanguards in Infernals. (Infernal Ruling)
Rerolling the starting roll [Show/Hide]
- You cannot use the theme benefit to reroll if it is a draw. Instead both players reroll until there is a loser, and then the loser can use their reroll benefit (if they have it). (Infernal Ruling)
- If both players have a reroll, first the original loser uses their reroll.
- If the original loser still loses, fine.
- If the original loser now wins, the other player can use their reroll.
- If it is now a draw, both players reroll until there is a loser. Then the player that hasn't used their theme benefit reroll can still use it, if they want.
Warjacks/Warbeasts with bonds [Show/Hide]
- A warjack/warbeast with a bond can always be included in a theme force, whether or not they're in the list of allowed models, but only if they're controlled by that bonded model.
- This applies even if that bonded model isn't a full warcaster/warlock (changed as of 2018.06).
Including Mercenaries [Show/Hide]
Number of Mercenaries
- If your "up to one Merc" ...
- ... can take warbeasts/warjacks, then you can add warbeast(s)/warjack(s) (without exceeding your "up to one" allowance)
- ... comes with a Companion model, then you'll get that Companion (without exceeding your "up to one" allowance)
- There is a bug in Warroom that allows you to not only take one Merc solo/unit, but the entire FA of that Merc solo/unit. It's a bug.
Mercenaries and Ranking Officers
- Adding a Ranking Officer to a Merc unit doesn't increase the number of Merc units you can take.
Other
- See also the section on Partisans
Including Partisan Mercenaries [Show/Hide]
Partisans & Theme Forces (Edit)
- Since Partisans are Mercenary/Minion models, there are two ways you can add them to a theme force:
- If they are on the list of allowed models, then you can take as many as you want, plus another Mercenary unit/solo.(Infernal Ruling)
- They can be explicitly allowed (for example: Cephalyx in Black Industries or Kayazy in Jaws of the Wolf).
- They can be implicitly allowed (for example Scourge of the Broken Coast allows "living Cryx models" and Partisan Cephalyx fit that criteria). (Infernal Ruling)
- If the Partisan isn't on the list of allowed models, it does use up your "Up to one mercenary" slot, and you can only take one.
- Whether you used option 1 or 2 above, once they're in your theme force they count as a Faction model and so:
- They can be taken as a Requistion Option (if they fit the Requistion description).
- For example Eiryss1 can be taken as a free solo in the Legion of Dawn theme. (Infernal Ruling)
- They will get any theme benefit that they fit the description for.
- For example Storm Division gives all Cygnar models Immunity Electricity, so Partisan Mercs in that theme get immunity too.
- For example Nemo4's Mechaniks get Reposition [3] in Heavy Metal. (Infernal Ruling)
Requisition Points [Show/Hide]
- You can choose the same Requisition option as many times as you like, as long as it doesn't put you over a FA limit.
- You can't mix and match models from different options. Say one option allows 3 Machine Wraiths and another allows 3 Necrotechs. You can't use your Requisition Point to get 2 Wraiths and 1 Necrotech.
- If you have an option that allows one other solo, you can't use it to get something already on the list. For instance, Ghost Fleet allows 3 Misery Cages (which are FA 4) for one Requistion Point, and it allows 1 other solo. That "other solo" can't be a 4th Cage.
- If your theme allows "3 weapon attachments" as a Requistion Option, you can spread them into different units. (Locked Thread)
- Models with the Man-Sized rule count as small-based models for the purposes of being a Requistion Option. (Locked Thread)
Free models and Specialists (ADR) [Show/Hide]
- If your theme only allows one merc solo, you can't have one in your main list and a different one in your specialists.
Unit Attachments [Show/Hide]
- If a unit is allowed in a theme, any-and-all of its attachments are allowed too. Exception: Ranking Officers are not allowed unless explicitily mentioned.
- If the theme force gives a benefit to a specific unit, any-and-all attachments to that unit will benefit too. Even if it is a "generic" attachment like the Void Leech. (Infernal Ruling)
For example, a Trollkin Sorcerer will gain Serenity if its attached to a Dhunian Knot unit in a Power of Dhunia theme force.
- If your theme allows "3 weapon attachments" as a Requistion Option, you can spread them into different units. (Locked Thread)
When to apply theme benefits [Show/Hide]
- With reference to special abilities that themes give to models, Ranking Officers, adding new models, and/or taking control of models:
- Theme force benefits are applied when you construct your list or put a new model into play. A model already in play will not lose or gain any theme benefits mid-game based on any changes of faction status or otherwise. (Infernal Ruling)
- However, if the theme gives a benefit to models "at the beginning of the game" (such as Devourer's Host letting models begin the game with 1 corpse token) then this benefit does not apply to new models that are put into play mid-game. (Locked Thread)
- Example 1: Sons of the Tempest says "ATGM units in this army gain Pistoleer". If your opponent takes control of one of them, it keeps Pistoleer while under their control even though it's currently not "in the army".
- Example 2: Storm Division gives Immunity:Electricity to "Cygnar models in the army." If you include a Mercenary unit with a Ranking Officer, they will get the theme benefit and also keep it even after the Ranking Officer dies.
- Example 3: Stange Bedfellows gives solos Swift Vengeance. If Nemo4 creates a new solo mid-game, that solo will have Swift Vengeance.
See also these Theme-Specific Rulings [Show/Hide]
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Rules Clarification : Black Industries (Edit)
- The entry which allows "Cephalyx models/units" only applies to Partisan Cephalyx. That's because the theme's rules start off with "this army can only include the following Cryx models". Partisan Cephalyx are the only ones that fill that condition.
- The Cephalyx Agitator also works for Cryx and can go in Black Industries but, because it is not a Partisan, it will use up your Mercenary solo slot.
- (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : The Creator's Might (Edit)
- Elias Gade is allowed in Creator's Might. (Infernal Ruling)
- You can spend the "Two Vassal solos" requistion option on one Vassal Mechanik and one Vassal of Menoth. Warroom has a bug and tells you that you can't. (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : Flame in the Darkness (Edit)
- You can take any number of Mercenary jacks. You can also select two additional jacks from Khador and Cygnar in any combination you like. Character warjacks with a bond don't count against this limit of 2. (Infernal Ruling)
- There is a bug in Warroom that allows you to take two Cygnar and two Khador jacks.
- Morrowan Battle Priest:
- If your warcaster is a Cygnar model that makes every unit you take a Cygnar unit, and Battle Priests can be attached to any unit.
Warroom has a known bug where it doesn't allow this interaction.
- If your warcaster is a Mercenary or Khador model, though, the only units the Battle Priest can attach to are the Morrow ones.
- If you attach the Battle Priest to The Devil's Shadows Mutineers then it can be returned via Blood Bound. (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : The Bones of Orboros (Edit)
- Una1 cannot be taken in this theme (yet) due to the conflict between the theme's "Only Construct warbeasts allowed" and Una1's "Must take warbeasts with flight". There are no construct warbeasts with flight (yet). But if/when there is, then Una1 can be taken in this theme. (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : The Devourer's Host (Edit)
- Bradigus1 is not legal in this theme. The theme only allows living warbeasts, his rules only allow construct warbeasts, and you can't just 'skip' his battlegroup - you have to spend your warbeast points.
- If you create a new model mid-game (ie with the Well of Orboros and that model can have corpse tokens, that model does not enter play with a corpse. Because it's not the beginning of the game. (Locked thread)
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Rules Clarification : The Wild Hunt (Edit)
- The animus benefit doesn't apply to enemy warbeasts. (Infernal Ruling)
- The animus benefit doesn't stack with the Druid Wilder's Herding ability. (Infernal Ruling)
- When it comes to other things that alter COST (such as Lamentation), follow basic maths: Double/halve first, then add/subtract.
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Rules Clarification : The Exalted (Edit)
- If a Construct model loses the Construct advantage mid-game, it keeps the theme benefit anyway. (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : Band of Heroes (Edit)
- Boomhowler uses up your Minion slot. His Fell Calls ability is not enough to make him a "Fell Caller model/unit". (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : Magnum Opus (Edit)
- If Mosby is attached to a Mercenary weapon crew unit, they would gain 3" reposition and would not lose it if Mosby is no longer in the unit. (Infernal Ruling)
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