https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2018/9/25/return-of-the-exile/

My phone doesn't copy graphic links, so I'll let someone else copy the spoiled upgrades here. His dial wasn't part of this preview—did they spoil it before this? I don't remember.

Tabletop Admiral updated.

Thematic disconnect: he wields a moonblade - the weapon of the Darnati - but he is a leader. The Darnati do not speak. How can he be a leader and not speak? So is he not Darnati? Then why use their signature weapon?

@Xelto Yes, they revealed his command tool in an earlier preview.

Cool. I hope the previews suggest that he is closer to release than I thought.

26 minutes ago, Budgernaut said:

Thematic disconnect: he wields a moonblade - the weapon of the Darnati - but he is a leader. The Darnati do not speak. How can he be a leader and not speak? So is he not Darnati? Then why use their signature weapon?

@Xelto Yes, they revealed his command tool in an earlier preview.

He can mime an inspirational speech that would make you weep.

It's very impressive.

41 minutes ago, werdnaegni said:

Tabletop Admiral updated.

**** you’re fast.

Also, Faolon has three uniques. Legendary Prowess has a nice high res picture in his anouncement article.

13 minutes ago, Church14 said:

**** you’re fast.

Also, Faolon has three uniques. Legendary Prowess has a nice high res picture in his anouncement article.

Added, thanks!

Ehtaryon Etharyon of Ailatar (EDIT: This thing is a challenge to spell, and even harder to pronounce. Hey, Josh @xelveki , you want to read this one outloud for us on the next episode of the Runecasters? ? )

One thing I really like about this upgrade is that as a skill, Prince Faolan chooses an ally at range 1-3, but the ally still has the choice of whether or not to perform the reform/shift because of the word "may." So unlike File Leader, when this skill is dialed in, you don't have carry out the rest of the text if it would put your unit in a bad spot.

(Granted, even if it didn't say "may" you could simply reform 360 degrees, but I like the inclusion of the word "may.")

Figure upgrades are neat, add some interesting utility. Darnati probably benefit the most from it?

• Leonx's charge is at +1, so they probably prefer that to his, but free turns and wheels are still good.
• Ventala already have a free turn, and the free charge is probably not much good (unless they have close quarters targeting...)
• Darnati get to charge further than 2!

I would have bet all the money that his figure upgrade was going to be: “MELEE: Add [STABLE] Blue dice. After rerolls, remove one.”

29 minutes ago, Bhelliom said:

Figure upgrades are neat, add some interesting utility. Darnati probably benefit the most from it?

• Leonx's charge is at +1, so they probably prefer that to his, but free turns and wheels are still good.
• Ventala already have a free turn, and the free charge is probably not much good (unless they have close quarters targeting...)
• Darnati get to charge further than 2!

Since it's a 'may', that opens up a lot of possibilities for the Leonx. They get a late-turn march in whichever direction they feel like at the maximum distance that type of maneuver gets, and if you throw metered march onto them, they can also go as little as they want. And if they end up pointing at or near the direction of a good target, the next turn, they can do an initiative-3, distance-2 charge that can include turns or wheels.

53 minutes ago, Church14 said:

I would have bet all the money that his figure upgrade was going to be: “MELEE: Add [STABLE] Blue dice. After rerolls, remove one.”

Haha, I told you it would be auto charge! Faolan fits great in all 4 units he can be embedded in, I think that's a first in this game. Hunters guile gets you a double white deepwood unit with charging capabilities, MoI gets darnati 2 white, 2 blue, discard 1. I think leonx get the least out of him due to the wording not allowing cat bounce charge. Ventala will like him though.

The die replacement is nice, but for-the points you have to be able to get whatever the turn and charge brings to the unit to justify the cost.

leonx: there are so many other good upgrade choices, which combine with Leonx’ Dial to trigger flanking charges. I think you give up metered march.

archers: paltry amount of damage improvement. You’re probably getting more performance by taking the same points in other updrades. And do you realky want to charge with them?

ventala: I’d have to sit down with them further. He might make them extremely hard to catch and much more reliable at getting that extra die for range 1-3. The die substitution is a small bonus.

darnati: I think the big winner for him. Having a charge always available is nice, which gives you the option of setting a move skill and doing a skill after your attack. So he greatly expands what you can connect with in the event of a charge. The white die is a nice damage increase. One wonders if a 2x2 with moment that sets up its own flanking charge really well would suddenly be a high performance unit.

4 hours ago, Budgernaut said:

Thematic disconnect: he wields a moonblade - the weapon  of the Darnat  i - but he is a leader. The Da  rnati do not speak. Ho  w can he be a leader and not speak? So is he not Darnati? Then why use their signature w  eapon?

@Xelto Yes, they revealed his command tool in an e  arlier preview.

If I've learned anything in my life it's that leaders don't have to conform to the rules of their subjects.

Is is just me or is the miniatures / art direction for the game obsessed with excessive head gear. If I ever get the death-knights first thing I would do is trim off those silly antlers. The prince here doesn't look much better but here's hoping I am just in the fussy minority.

19 minutes ago, Dusty27 said:

Is is just me or is the miniatures / art direction for the game obsessed with excessive head gear. If I ever get the death-knights first thing I would do is trim off those silly antlers. The prince here doesn't look much better but here's hoping I am just in the fussy minority.

Hmm, you might be on to something. The Deathborn Legion have a thing for antlers, horn-crowns seem to be a status symbol in Latari society, and Kethra is very proud of her hat. Come to Daqan, Hawthorne is about as glam as it gets for the humans.

40 minutes ago, Dusty27 said:

Is is just me or is the miniatures / art direction for the game obsessed with excessive head gear. If I ever get the death-knights first thing I would do is trim off those silly antlers. The prince here doesn't look much better but here's hoping I am just in the fussy minority.

As was mentioned, each army has its own traits. Human armor looks similar from one unit to the next; elven royalty have horn-crowns, various undead have the antlers, most Uthuk come with spikes all over.

What gets me about the sculpt is his chicken-dino. It just doesn't have the same panache as a war moose or a rune golem bull.

5 minutes ago, Xelto said:

As was mentioned, each army has its own traits. Human armor looks similar from one unit to the next; elven royalty have horn-crowns, various undead have the antlers, most Uthuk come with spikes all over.

What gets me about the sculpt is his chicken-dino. It just doesn't have the same panache as a war moose or a rune golem bull.

I'm actually a fan of the chicken-dino. It's not a combat mount, but an agile one that can get him places fast. It also looks like it could grow up to be something pretty scary.

8 hours ago, Xelto said:

As was mentioned, each army has its own traits. Human armor looks similar from one unit to the next; elven royalty have horn-crowns, various undead have the antlers, most Uthuk come with spikes all over.

This is interesting. Looking at Wildcall's head adornments, they very closely resemble Prince Faolan's head gear. Aliana, on the other hand, has a much more modest head piece.

19 hours ago, Budgernaut said:

Thematic disconnect: he wields a moonblade - the weapon of the Darnati - but he is a leader. The Darnati do not speak. How can he be a leader and not speak? So is he not Darnati? Then why use their signature weapon?

@Xelto Yes, they revealed his command tool in an earlier preview.

He leads by example

Also, he is "Eolam", but I don't know/can't explain the weapon.

So this makes him pretty useful around archers right? He can make them shift-disengage and allow them to fire again? The enemy unit is playing another 50-50 game of should I charge, or should I melee?

2 hours ago, Glucose98 said:

shift-disengage     and allow them to fire aga   i  n

Leonx could disengage and charge again. Avoiding the opponent's melee attack and delivering more impact (Aliana + Bull Pennons for Impact 3). Repeated Impact 3 charges should cause havoc nicely.

Or Darnati with Avenger with a charge dialled in. Disengage before the opponent's melee - if the opponent dials melee then charge back in after that melee; if the opponent dials a charge then you still get to counter because of Avenger. So, the opponent has a 50/50 chance of successfully attacking but yours is guaranteed.

Can someone clear up what the general consensus is on Spirit Sword? It says to spend an inspiration to remove a dice icon of course choice.

For 6 points, that cannot mean:

Death Knights attack, roll double hit, hit, hit.
"Imma spend an inspiration to remove all hit icons from your dice. . . ."
Zero damage.

I am sure it only applies to one dice, right, right?! If it's all dice in the attack, how do you kill him?

35 minutes ago, Viktus106 said:

Can someone clear up what the general consensus is on Spirit Sword? It says to spend an inspiration to remove a dice icon of course choice.

Remove Icon: When an icon is removed, it is ignored
and cannot be spent. To track which icons have been
removed, players can set aside the die that contains that
icon or rotate that die—if an icon is removed from a face
with multiple icons—to a face without the removed icon
showing.

From the rulebook 51.4. So, it means to remove one icon, not die face or icon type.

Oh, and worth noting that the remove icon step comes after the modifier enhancement and after the add icon step. So, Death Knight's mortal wound modifier dial and Aliana's ability to add a mortal wound icon occurs before the remove icon ability - and can be removed again with the Spirit Sword.