War rages for possession of Tir Nan Og, not only in the world of mortals, but also amongst the gods. The followers of Danu the Earth Goddess must protect their lands from the ever-encroaching Sour Magic of the Drunes. Should they fail, the power of the Earth will be corrupted and bring forth the devourer of realities, Crom Cruach.
Sláine stands at the forefront of this battle, but he doesn’t stand alone. As well as allies such as Ukko and Nest, he is also aided by the druid, Cathbad.
Cathbad
High druid to Sláine’s tribe, Cathbad is an influential figure who would go on to support Sláine’s bid to become the High King.
Profile
Cathbad’s stats may appear underwhelming at first glance; but his power does not lie in his combat prowess but his druidic abilities. His Druid skill allows a player fielding him to draw two Earth magic Boon cards and assign one of them to Cathbad.
Weapons
Cathbad is armed only with a staff. Though not the most impressive of weapons, it benefits from the Versatile special rule, and allows Cathbad to hold his own in close quarters. This allows players using Cathbad to decide whether his staff has either the Defender or Double-handed Weapon attributes. Double-handed Weapon allows each [SPECIAL] result rolled by a model with this weapon to be considered a [HIT]. Conversely, Defender allows models to consider each [Special] result rolled in close combat a [SHIELD].
The Cauldron of Blood
One of the greatest treasures of the human tribes, the Cauldron of Blood is symbolic of the Earth Goddess’ power. At once dark and divine, the cauldron sustains life by providing an endless supply of food and reanimating those who have fallen in battle. Those revivified by the cauldron are thus able to defend their tribe even in death.
Profile
As one might expect, the Cauldron is very durable. Its Resist of 8 is matched only by that of Drune Weirdstones, making them harder to damage than even the durable Warped Sláine and Slough Feg.
Skills, Boons & Feats
Blood Point Pool allows the Cauldron to form its own Sacrifice pool; this pool is separate from the owning player’s Sacrifice pool. When that player gains a Blood point, he or she may place that Blood point in their general Sacrifice pool or into the Cauldron’s.
Even though the Cauldron does not add an Action chip to the player’s draw due to its Cool of 0, Cauldron Rites means players must ensure an Earth Tribes Champion, Hero or character (such as Cathbad, for instance) is within 2″ of the Cauldron if they wish to use an Action chip to activate the Cauldron. Once activated, players can use any or all Blood points stored within the Cauldron’s Sacrifice Pool.
Blood Points and Sacrifice Pools Players begin games with a small amount of Blood points. They can earn more via various acts of valour or slaughter. Blood points are used throughout the game to purchase Boons, re-roll Cool tests, alter the games current Cosmic Alignment and even drain an opponent’s lifeforce! They can also be used to summon a group of Cauldron Reborn.
The Cauldron Reborn
Mindless corpses dragged from their slumber, these shambling cadavers are little more than fodder for worm and blade. Used correctly, however, they can easily bog down and frustrate superior opponents.
Profile
These models are summoned in a Group and are immediately placed within 2” of the Cauldron. They then operate as a single entity in a group of up to six models, activated with a single Action chip. They benefit from the Feel No Pain skill which ensures they only suffer losses to their Resist stat when injured. They are considered Mindless due to their Cool of 0 and, like the Cauldron, rely on another model’s Action chip to activate. Thanks to Battle Ready, they also activate when other models either activate within or move into melee range of the Reborn. In this regard they are excellent guardsmen and bodyguards to some of your more vulnerable models and druids.
Weapons
It’s no surprise that the Reborn are armed only with rotten claws and broken weapons. These more than suffice in their renewed service to the goddess Danu.
The Cauldron of Blood boxed set contains Cathbad the Druid, the Cauldron of Blood itself and four grisly Cauldron Reborn, all in high-quality Warlord Resin™:
New to the Sláine Miniatures Game? Our Earth Tribes Warband starter bundle contains the Kiss my Axe! Starter Set – which already contains the Sláine, Ukko, and Nest characters – and adds both the Earth Tribes Warband and Heroes sets. Add in the Cauldron of Blood and/or offer worship to Carnun to call upon the powers of the Beasts of the Forest and you’ll have a wealth of options to field on the tabletop.
