Undead - Gameplay Focus
Welcome back to Chronicles of Tactica! Today, we're taking a closer look at the Undead available in Eldfall Chronicles. While they aren't their own faction (yet!), they're an important extension of the Oni Clans, fighting under the command of either Chiyohime or Blue Rasetsu.
General Overview
The four Undead models fall into two very distinct groups.
The first consists of your classic fodder units. Individually, they're not particularly impressive, but they can be fielded in numbers, either by hiring them or summoning them with the boss lady Chiyohime. Their role is simple: establish a presence on the battlefield, clog up enemy advances, and overwhelm opponents through sheer numbers.
The second group is made up of much more self-sufficient fighters (an understatement of the century when it comes to the Riftspawn). The Forgotten Hero is the only one of these that can be hired alongside the Oni, filling one of the few gaps in an otherwise incredibly strong roster.
As a whole, the Undead are tough but generally not very mobile. Their Undead Trait grants immunity to many harmful States, making them even harder to deal with. With the exception of the Forgotten Hero, they all excel in close combat, bringing solid, or downright terrifying, offensive power once they get there. And that's the key: getting them into the fight.
Let's break them down one by one.
Vengeful Spirits
The first of the 10-Recruitment-Point fodder models.
Vengeful Spirits trade away some offensive power, which wasn't anything to write home about to begin with, for mobility and the incredibly annoying Incorporeal rule.
Infiltration helps hired Spirits get into position quickly, while Incorporeal makes it impossible to contain them with terrain. It also turns them into a nightmare for opponents who lack access to Spell damage.
Their downside is their pretty weak offense, making them much better at tying up enemy models and controlling space than actually dealing damage.
Bone Walkers
The second 10-point fodder model.
Unlike their ghostly counterparts, Bone Walkers don't have any mobility tricks, but they make up for it with noticeably stronger offense. Their shields provide solid protection against both Ranged and Melee Attacks, while their special rule lets them become surprisingly dangerous when fighting in groups.
On their own, they're still best used as speed bumps. But once they start swarming the battlefield, they become a legitimate threat that opponents can't afford to ignore.
Forgotten Hero
The final hireable Undead.
At 20 points, the Forgotten Hero isn't cheap, but you get a powerful all-around fighter for the investment. With ARM 6, 2 HP, and all the durability that comes with being Undead, it's a difficult model to remove.
It performs equally well at Range and in Melee. Equipped with Marksman and the Corroded War Bow, it fills one of the Oni roster's biggest weaknesses by providing meaningful Ranged tabletop control. Up close, its solid stats, Fencing I, and versatile Weapon options let it go toe-to-toe with just about anyone.
If your Oni list needs a dependable all-rounder, the Forgotten Hero delivers.
Riftspawn
This big boy can't be hired—and for good reason.
The only way to get the Riftspawn onto the battlefield is for Chiyohime to complete a fairly demanding Ritual. If she succeeds, she unleashes an almost unstoppable monster.
With Resistance to every damage type, Immunity to every State, and a massive 16 HP, bringing it down is an enormous challenge. Its Attacks can't be confronted—only Dodged—and when they connect, they hit like a truck.
It's not the fastest model around, so you can kite it to some extent, but that's rarely the best plan. More often than not, your best bet is to avoid it, go around it, and eliminate the source of the problem: Chiyohime.
Conclusion
For now, the Undead help shore up some of the Oni faction's most obvious weaknesses. They bring inexpensive bodies to the table, provide a capable Ranged option, and offer a variety of tools that the Oni otherwise lack.
As hires, they help round out your warband while creating a buffer between your expensive Oni and the enemy. As summons, they excel at tying opponents down and become increasingly dangerous when fielded in numbers.
Or, if you're playing Chiyohime, there's always the nuclear option: summoning the Riftspawn. If the Ritual succeeds, it can take over the game almost single-handedly.
Taken together, the Undead add flexibility to the Oni roster while filling tactical niches the faction would otherwise struggle to cover.
Order your Undead Expansion I here.
