Vulkaris Campaign Rules
Here is where you can learn how to create games of Warcry, Spearhead, and Path to Glory, that take part in the Vulkaris Campaign. For the most part, these are simple additions that “layer onto” your existing games, but further down the page you’ll notice that there are some are very minor tweaks to existing rules if you’d like to get the most out of the experience.
If you haven’t looked at the Campaign page yet, particularly the “How to get started” section, go there now, and then come back here! If you have any questions, the best place to get those answered is on our Discord. You may want to be looking at the Vulkaris Roster when going through these rules.
The Campaign Map
You use the Campaign Map to keep track of the progress your Chosen One makes along their Leader Path. Every game of Warcry and Path to Glory has an “Aftermath Sequence”. Add the following rules, called “Walking the Path”, to the end of these sequences.
Additionally, although Spearhead does not include an Aftermath Sequence, still complete “Walking the Path” at the end of each game.
Walking the Path
Walking the path is tracked with the campaign map. In this step, if your Chosen One won the battle, they move to a new location on the map; if they lost the battle, they can choose to move or remain where they are, depending on their own story. Each time a Chosen One moves to a new location, make a mark in a circle connected to their current location. There are three kinds of locations;
- White circles, which simply represent a step along the path
- Gold Circles, which represent a Trial connected to a specific Path
- And Endings (the big circles), connected to a specific Path
- To note: Origins are not locations
Warcry, Spearhead, and Path to Glory Changes
For this campaign, some changes are needed for it to work appropriately in each system. We recommend playing with others that are also playing in the campaign to make things simpler, but this isn’t technically necessary given good communication between players.
Warcry: The Vulkaris War is a Campaign Arc. As a reminder, you cannot participate in multiple Campaign Arcs at the same time.
Spearhead: The only major change to Spearhead is with regards to additional enhancements, see below under Mythic Power.
Path to Glory: Your Warlord is your Chosen One. All other units play as per usual with renown points and can take Paths. While playing in this campaign, your warlord gains a set number of Renown points per game. In Step 1 of building your Path to Glory Roster, change the text under “Your Warlord’s Path” to the following:
“Your Warlord starts with the Aspiring rank within the Warlord Path that you chose when setting up your Army. Note this on your Vulkaris Roster.”
A note on Path to Glory and Renown points. Some players may choose to still track the amount of Renown on their Warlord the “normal” way so they can use them in games outside the Vulkaris Campaign. We’ve included a slot in the Vulkaris Roster to track Renown points in this campaign so as to make this easier. We recommend just recording your “normal” points on your Path to Glory roster, but then just using the Vulkaris Roster to track what Rank you are (as well as the 6 Renown you gain for winning each trial and ending), on their Path during this Campaign – see Mythic Power below for more details.
Campaign Battles, Trials, and Endings
The positions of your Chosen One and your opponent’s Chosen One (if they are playing the campaign) on the campaign map determine what kind of battle you will face in a campaign battle.
- If both your Chosen One and your opponent’s Chosen One are on white circles, you simply play a Campaign Battle, generated or created as normal in the relevant system.
- If one or both of your Chosen Ones are on a Trial, you play a Trial as described below.
- If one or both of your Chosen Ones are on an Ending, you play an Ending as described below.
Campaign Battles
Campaign Battles are “normal” games in your chosen system. Feel free to generate or create this game however you like, as long as you work with your opponent to define the ruleset. We recommend the following:
- Warcry: We recommend creating taking cues from the description of Vulkaris to create your battlefield
- Spearhead: We recommend just playing Fire and Jade (remember, although Vulkaris is located in Aqshy, the realmgates are actively affecting the locale.
- Path to Glory: We recommend using the Battleplans from the Path to Glory Battlepack: Ascension, or from Matched Play Battlepack: FIrst Blood.
Trials
Trial battles are campaign battles with a unique victory condition. When a Chosen One’s warband or army wins a Trial battle, they gain the reward associated with that Trial as shown in the relevant Quest. These rewards are tracked in your Vulkaris Roster.
Note that the actual creation of a Trial depends on the system you’re playing, playing a Trial in Warcry will look different then if you play a game of Spearhead. That said, rewards are gained across all systems, so if you play a game of Warcry, your warband will receive rewards that can be used in Warcry, Spearhead, and Path to Glory.
Warcry Trials
Where a victory condition mentions a Chosen One, it refers to the Chosen One facing the Trial. The other player is referred to as the Adversary.
When both Chosen Ones are on a Trial, each Chosen One uses their Trial’s victory condition (and each player will treat the other player as the Adversary) – however, if both players meet their victory condition, both players treat the result as a loss. When the Chosen Ones are on the same Trial, their players roll off before deployment. The winner chooses which player is the Adversary for the purposes of the victory condition.
Spearhead Trials
Trials that are played in Spearhead use Spearhead: Fire & Jade. A unique Twist is used across the entire game, in addition to the Twists used per Round. Twists are found on the relevant Path/Quest page.
When both Chosen Ones are on a Trial, players roll off before setting up. The winner chooses which player is the Adversary for the purposes of the victory condition.
Path to Glory Trials
Trials that are played in Age of Sigmar Path to Glory use the battleplans from the Path to Glory Battlepack: Ascension. A Chosen One’s army cannot play the same battleplan twice in a row.
When both Chosen Ones are on a Trial, players roll off before setting up. The winner chooses which player is the Adversary for the purposes of the victory condition.
Mythic Power
A Chosen One can have up to three mythic traits, three mythic artefacts, and four mythic enhancements for the respective game system. If a Chosen One would gain a fourth mythic trait or artefact, or a fifth enhancement, if they wish to keep it, they must choose one of the same type to be destroyed in its place. When a mythic trait, artefact, or enhancement is destroyed, remove it from your warband roster – that trait, artefact, or enhancement is gone. This does not prevent that Chosen One facing the Trial for that reward again later in the campaign to gain it once more.
Warcry Mythic rewards
When you win a Trial you’ll win either a mythic artefact or mythic trait, for your Chosen One to use in games of Warcry. These are distinct from heroic traits and lesser artefacts/artefacts of power, though they contribute to your warband’s reputation in the same way. A fighter can have both a mythic artefact and a lesser artefact/artefact of power.
Spearhead Mythic rewards
When you win a Trial you’ll choose one of the General Enhancements to upgrade to mythic status, for your Chosen One to use in games of Spearhead. This is a permenent upgrade, so choose wisely. A mythic enhancement is distinct from your standard General enhancements. In this way, games played inside the Vulkaris Campaign will include leaders with more than one enhancement. Be sure to confer with your opponent if they are not playing in the campaign, and it is likely you simply ignore the Mythic Enhancement for these games.
Path to Glory Mythic Rewards
As described above, Warlords gain a set number of Renown Points while in this campaign. They gain two Renown Points for each Campaign Battle, regardless if they win or lose, and four Renown for each Trial and Ending won. As per the Aftermath sequence in Path to Glory, this means you’ll gain an Additional Hero ability when you reach 15, 30, and 45 Renown Points. As a reminder, your Waarlord starts with 5 renown. Renown Points are included in the Vulkaris Roster to keep track of these points in this manner.
Mythic Choices
In games of Warcry: When picking your warband for a battle as part of this campaign arc, if the Chosen One picked has multiple mythic traits and/or mythic artefacts, you must pick one of each to use in that forthcoming battle. They are still treated as having each other mythic trait and/ or mythic artefact but they do not provide their listed benefits.
In games of Spearhead: Your Chosen one is your general. When picking your Spearhead for a battle as part of this campaign arc, if the Chosen One picked has multiple Mythic Enhancements, you must pick one to use in that forthcoming battle. You can use this Enhancement in games in addition to the one they choose to use when playing a game of Spearhead.
Destiny Cannot Be Denied
In games of Warcry: While participating in this campaign Arc, do not roll to see if your Chosen One is killed in the Aftermath Sequence.
Endings
Endings are pivotal moments in a Chosen One’s journey. Each Ending they win brings them one step closer to completing their quest. Endings have unique battleplans, found in their corresponding Quest. If only one player’s Chosen One is on an Ending, you play that Ending. Note that when only one player’s Chosen One is on an Ending, the other player’s Chosen One has a chance to gain an additional mythic reward for participating in the battle!
If both players’ Chosen Ones are on an Ending, play the Endings one after another, starting with the Ending of the Chosen One who has the fewest mythic rewards. If there is a tie, roll off, and play the Ending of the winner first.
If your Chosen One is facing an Ending, your opponent is described as the Adversary.
Skaven Machinations
The arcane wards, traps, and malfunctioning weapons found in the Skaven Spires are very much active, not to mention actual Skaven defending the towers! Chosen Ones seeking to complete an Ending will need to fight through these chaotic defenses.
Warcry Endings
At the end of each battle round in an Ending, use your Chosen One’s Wounds characteristic and the number of mythic rewards they have earned on the matrix below to determine the damage allocated to your Chosen One by the Spire’s defenses.
For example, if your Chosen One has a Wounds characteristic of 20 and has earned 3 mythic rewards, the Skaven will allocate 1 point of damage to your Chosen One at the end of each battle round.
Spearhead and Path to Glory Endings
At the end of each battle round in an Ending, use your Chosen One’s Health characteristic and the number of mythic rewards they have earned on the matrix below to determine the damage allocated to your Chosen One by the Spire’s defenses.
Mythic Seal
When a Chosen One’s warband wins an Ending, the Chosen One uses their accumulated power to break or reinforce the Chaotic magic that continues to spill out of the Spire into Vulkaris. To do so, remove each of their mythic traits and mythic artefacts from their Vulkaris roster, and cross off the corresponding Trials off their campaign map. These mythic rewards are gone, and that Chosen One cannot face the Trials for those rewards again later in the campaign. Then, comment on the relevant Quest on The Great Weave, stating whether you reinforced or broke the magic on the Spire.
Skaven Tricksies
Following a Chosen One’s Ending, if they won that Ending, the Chosen One does not include “Walking the Path” in their Aftermath Sequence. Instead, that Chosen One’s player can move to any location on the campaign map – not including endings or previously completed Trials (as stated above)
The Final Spires
At the end of the Campaign each Spire will either collapse, or remain standing, depending on whether or not players reinforced or broke the magic on the Spire.