We’ve got new models and updated old rules!

With the release of the Holy Crusaders boxed set and the Escaped Madman today, there are plenty of new rules to try out in your games of Carnevale.

We’ve also taken this opportunity to revisit a classic gang: the Commedia dell’Arte and run a little balance pass on them. Read on for the full scoop!

The Vatican

In the new box you’ve got two brand new character classes and models for another that was only available during the Kickstarter. For anyone that hasn’t had a chance, we’ll go through them as well!

Prelate of the Flaming Sword

So the Prelate of the Flaming Sword is the answer to the question of the Vatican’s fairly weak offensive capabilities. As a faction you’ll often find that the Vatican are quite slow and have a focus on defence. This sometimes leaves you with fewer options when mounting an assault, particularly compared to some other gangs like Strigoi or Rashaar.

If you’re struggling with that, here comes the Prelate of the Flaming Sword! With some decent armour he’s already kind of tough, although be weary that Concealment (-1) means that he doesn’t gain any cover bonuses. And with Mindless he’s not ideal for playing strategically.

However, 4 Attack and a +1 Damage sword is great! Especially when you add in Expert Offence (2). He should be landing most of his blows. He only has Mind 2, but Brave offsets that nicely against enemies with Fear, which will help him survive any return blows better.

But the elephant in the room is the Penetration values. With -5 Penetration, very little will be able to save against his Burning Greatsword, and the holy flames spread to those nearby, giving them -2 Penetration too! Lead the charge with a couple of these and even your lowly Priests will become scary. Veteran Prelate players will notice a little change here: Burning Aura now doesn’t effect other Prelates. They’re on fire already!

Crucifier

While we’re talking about armour penetration…

We did a little preview of the Crucifier already, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise. But still worth a look!

It’s important to note that the Crucifier is only a Henchman. He’s not as all-powerful as the Prelate, that’s for sure! Essentially the Crucifier is very similar to a Priest (he’s even the same number of Ducats). However, the Priests favour heavy attacks with a Stunning club and Expert Offence. A Crucifier is a little more specialised, as he trades the Club for a Hammer & Nails. This weapon starts off with -2 Penetration, which is pretty handy for taking out armoured foes. If he’s going after other Henchmen he’ll be laughing.

Crucifixion is the Crucifier’s big rule though (not much of surprise, considering his name). If he scores at least 3 Damage with Hammer & Nails, it gets a whopping -7 Penetration. Now, that means he has to hit with all 3 of his attacks, and with Two-handed he’s -1 to hit on Attacks of Opportunity, so it’s not easy! However, it’s 3 Damage total, which means he can put some Will Points in and still activate the ability! With 2 Will Points you’ll have to be careful when you use them. Personally I’d save them for the opportune moment and throw both into an attack to activate that sweet bonus. Vatican have several sources of Will Point replenishment – the Cross-bearing Deacon in the set is one of them!

Stigmatist

Our final new Vatican character, and he’s messy!

The Stigmatist completes the trio of “messing with your Protection”!

At first glance he’s not a big attacker. With Attack 2 and Protection 2 he’s not amazing in combat. But Stigmata causes opponents to lose 3 Protection. That’s pretty massive! Although it only lasts until the end of the round, so you’d better get someone in to deal with whoever they’ve just smeared in magical blood, otherwise the Stigmatist is going to get hit hard! I’d recommend buddying him up with an Avignon Guard or two.

The Stigmatist’s main role is with magic though. He’s a decent Mage, with 2 Blood Rites spells to choose from. Now, only having Blood Rites is a bit of a disadvantage,  but in reality it means you’re actually saving some Ducats because – behind the scenes info here – mages with more Disciplines to choose from often cost a little more. Although the Stigmatist only has 1 Will Point, Frenzied allows him to use his Life Points as Will Points. This is pretty great, as it means he’s able to cast many more spells than most characters, although you’re putting him at more and more risk every time you cast something.

Use the Stigmatist wisely – keep him protected and he’ll be a valuable asset to your gang.

Gifted

We’ve got a new Gifted to add to their ranks (or indeed to the ranks of any other gang, provided they have the Ducats to pay him).

Escaped Madman

A new character!

The Escaped Madman has ditched out from the Ospedale (although Doctors players can still catch him and use him), and he’s not looking so good for his time there! With heavy-set rags covering up all manner of tentacles and gems, he’s kind of weird.

In-game the Escaped Madman is your heavy. With decent stats (with the exception of Protection and Mind, but who needs those) and a handy 15 Life Points, he can seriously take a beating. Those tentacles are pretty fast, and also give him Parry (3) so not only does he live a long time, but it’s hard enough to hit him in the first place!

With 4 Attack and a +2 Damage Rebar, he’s a good hitter, and he does Stun as well, so makes a great character to get in first. Fear (0) is occasionally useful, particularly if going after weaker characters, so don’t forget about it.

We need to talk about Shattered Nexus though. The Escaped Madman has 3 Will Points, and every time he uses the last one, he explodes in magical energy! He does 3 damage to everyone close by (including himself) and then – and this is the kicker – replenishes all his Will Points again!  Even if he doesn’t save any of that damage, he can still do that five times in a single game, which essentially gives him 15 Will Points. Use them well, and don’t worry about a little collateral damage while you do!

Commedia dell’Arte

The troupe of performers have received a full balance pass. We’ve tweaked stats around and – most importantly – reduced their costs right down.

We’re not going to go super in-depth with these, as each has seen a few minor tweaks. Protection has gone down across the board (considering they’re just wearing costumes, you shouldn’t expect them to deflect many blows), and Mind has mostly gone up!

However: caveat to that. Il Capitano has lost Brave and his Mind has gone down. And with his special Troupe Leader rule, it means that while anyone can draw line of sight to him, the rest of the Commedia are actually down to Mind 2. It’s silly and hilarious. Il Capitano is a bit of a braggart, but also not particularly adept at his leading role, so causes more confusion than anything! Watch out!

Brighella has gained two methods of firing his crossbow. Either as a regular bolt (which comes with all the benefits that other crossbows have), or as a shorter ranged flaming bolt with -4 Penetration. That one needs to be reloaded each time though. Target something bigger and you’re getting a crazy -7 Penetration thanks to Hunter! He’s a monster hunter and no doubt.

Oh and one more thing: taking all 5 of the Commedia puts you at 90 Ducats. With 10 spare, how about adding a friendly Pulcinella? They may not be as magical, but they certainly fit the theme!

So that’s the info on all the new rules out today! A lot to go through there. All of these rules are now available as usual on the Carnevale Gang Builder, and all of the miniatures are now available to pre-order on the TTCombat webstore!

Let us know what you think of these new ones and the tweaks to the older ones. And if you’re getting some games in, don’t forget to wear your masks and stay safe.