Spike! Journal 11
Sylvanian Night-Time Leagues Monster Mash
The Sylvanian Night-time Leagues are where the teams made up of Ghouls, ghosts, and all manner of things that go bump in the night, find their feet in the world of Blood Bowl. In fact, they have actually been going on for many years, though they have been largely unnoticed by ordinary folk, as the majority of their fixtures are played, well, at night. Commissioners of the Sylvanian Night-time Leagues say this is done to provide the players with the most comfortable experience they can, away from prying eyes and those pesky things like, you know, sunlight.
The Spooky Skull Cup
This is a variation on a standard Blood Bowl league season, as described in The Blood Bowl rulebook. How the league itself is organised, the number of teams, how many divisions there are, how many rounds are played, and so forth, should all be decided upon by the League Commissioner based upon how many coaches wish to take part, and what is best for everyone participating. The Spooky Skull Cup differs from a normal season, however, in a couple of key aspects.
Open to All
The Spooky Skull Cup is open to all-comers. Coaches participating may use any team they wish and will have the usual budget of 1,000,000 gold pieces to spend to recruit their team for the season ahead.
Inducements
All Inducements, at the League Commissioner's discretion, can be used in the Spooky Skull Cup. Additionally, teams taking part in the Spooky Skull Cup have access to a new Inducement (again, at the League Commissioner's discretion):
0-1 End Zone Spirits (50,000 Gold Pieces)
Available to any team: The team convinces some malign spirits to aid them in their game, attempting to grasp the legs of any player attempting to move into the End Zone to score!
Whenever a player from the opposing team moves into your team's End Zone, they must roll a D6. On a 2+, nothing happens. On the roll of a 1, the spirits manage to grab the player's legs and bring them crashing to the turf. The model Falls Over; if they were in possession of the ball, no touchdown is scored.
Many Glorious Prizes!
Teams that manage to win a league in Sylvania are rewarded well, which includes a promise that the Undead will not eat them (this season!). The top placed teams of the Spooky Skull Cup are rewarded as follows:
Glittering Prizes: As usual, the teams that finish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd receive gold pieces as described in the Blood Bowl rulebook.
The Spooky Skull Cup: In addition to their cash prize, the winner will receive the coveted, if somewhat gruesome looking, Spooky Skull Cup. As well as being able to parade this prestigious trophy around, the very presence of the cup is enough to strike fear into even the bravest of opponents. The team that holds the Spooky Skull Cup gains the following ability:
At the start of each game, roll a D6. On a 4+, your opponent loses a single re-roll for the duration of the game.
Dark of Night Weather Table
As part of the Sylvanian Night-time League, games played as part of the Spooky Skull Cup are played at, well, night-time. Teams must adapt to playing in the dark, and must be wary of all manner of things that lurk on the parts of the pitch that the limited lighting can reach. As well as the almost constant darkness, there is always the chance in Sylvania that fog as thick as pea soup may descend and make it almost impossible to see further than a player's own outstretched hand!
To represent the unique conditions teams must face in Sylvania, the following Weather table is used throughout the Spooky Skull Cup.
| 2D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 | Thunderstorm: The rain lashes down furiously, and overhead a freak thunderstorm threatens to cause havoc on the pitch. Apply a -1 modifier every time a player makes an Agility test to catch or pick up the ball, or attempts to interfere with a Pass. Additionally, at the start of each team's turn, roll a D6. On a 1, randomly select one player on the pitch from the active team. This player is hit by lightning; make an Injury roll for this player. If this causes a Casualty, it will always be treated as a Badly Hurt result. This will not cause a turnover, even if it hits a player with the ball. |
| 3 | Pouring Rain: A torrential downpour leaves the players soaked and the ball very slippery! Apply a -1 modifier every time a player makes an Agility test to catch or pick up the ball, or attempts to interfere with a Pass. |
| 4‑10 | Still Night: It may be dark and eerily quiet in Sylvania, but otherwise it is perfect Blood Bowl weather. |
| 11 | Thick Fog: Fog descends on the pitch, making it hard to see past a certain point. Players making a Pass action may not perform a Long pass or a Long bomb. |
| 12 | Can't see the Hand in Front of your Face: The fog is so thick that it is all but impossible for a player to see themselves, let alone their team-mates or opponents! Players may not make Pass actions. Additionally, a player may not declare a Blitz action against an opposing model that is more than three squares away from it. |
Sylvanian Kick-Off Table
To represent the dangers of playing Blood Bowl in the darkness of Sylvania, where most of the fans (And many of the players! – Ed) would like nothing more than to feast upon your flesh, and the restless Undead could pop out of the ground unforced at any moment, the following Kick-off Event table is used for all games played as part of the Spooky Skull Cup.
| 2D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 | Hungry Fans: The fans in the crowd have begun to get a bit peckish, and the players in the dugout look particularly tasty! Both coaches roll a D6 and add their Dedicated Fans characteristic. The team that scored the lowest (or both teams in the case of a tie) randomly selects one player in their dugout. Immediately make an Injury roll for that player. |
| 3 | Chilling Howl: The terrifying sound of baying Werewolves can be heard throughout the stadium. Both coaches roll a D6. The team that scored the lowest (or both teams in the case of a tie) randomly selects one of their players on the pitch. During each player's next turn, that player is frozen by fear and may not move, perform any actions, and does not have a Tackle Zone. |
| 4 | Thrown Pumpkins: Pumpkins are often handed out at games in Sylvania, and usually end up being thrown onto the pitch! Each coach randomly selects two players from the opposing team and make an Armour roll for them. If the Armour roll is successful, do not make an Injury roll; instead that player is automatically Stunned. |
| 5 | High Kick: Apply the High Kick result as normal. |
| 6 | Cheering Fans: Apply the Cheering Fans result as normal. |
| 7 | Brilliant Coaching: Apply the Brilliant Coaching result as normal. |
| 8 | Changing Weather: Make a new roll on the Dark of Night Weather table and apply that result. If the result is A Still Night as a result of the roll, the ball will scatter before landing. |
| 9 | Quick Snap: Apply the Quick Snap result as normal. |
| 10 | Zombified Hand: Sometimes, even parts of the Undead can keep moving when separated from their original body! Both coaches roll a D6. The team that scored the lowest (or both teams in the case of a tie) randomly selects one of their players on the pitch. That player has been grabbed by a zombified hand; until the end of the drive reduce that player's MA by 1. |
| 11 | Boo!: Ghosts and spectres enjoy nothing more than giving players a good old fright in the middle of a game. Both coaches roll a D6. The team that scored the lowest (or both teams in the case of a tie) randomly selects one of their players on the pitch. That player has been spooked by the sudden appearance of a ghost and is immediately Placed Prone. |
| 12 | The Restless Dead: Even the dead enjoy Blood Bowl, and some will climb from their graves mid-game to have one last chance at glory! Both coaches immediately gain a Zombie Lineman for the duration of the drive. This Zombie Lineman can mean that one team has more than 11 players on the pitch for this drive, and can be placed anywhere in its team's half, but not in either of the Wide Zones. At the end of the drive, remove the Zombie Lineman from play. |
Additional Post-game Sequence Rules
Games played as part of the Spooky Skull Cup follow all of the usual steps of the post-game sequence; however, there is one additional step that happens after you have recorded the outcome and calculated your team's winnings.
During the post-game sequence, a coach who had a player that suffered a 'Dead!' result on the Injury table may hire a wandering Necromancer in order to try to have the player raised from the dead.
To hire a Necromancer in this way, 50,000 gold pieces must be spent from the team's treasury and a player that was killed in the previous game is selected.
The coach then rolls a D6 to see what happens to the dead player:
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | "Hah! Suckers!" The Necromancer never had any intention of raising the player from the dead, and has instead made off with the money! The player remains dead, and you lose the 50,000 gold pieces. |
| 2 | "There was nothing I could do": The Necromancer has been unable to raise the player; they were too badly damaged. The money paid is refunded to the team's treasury. |
| 3 | "It may cost a little bit more": The Necromancer has successfully raised the player, however, they are demanding an extra 20,000 gold pieces for their services. If the 20,000 gold pieces is paid then the player is raised as described below, otherwise the player is not raised and the money spent is lost. |
| 4‑6 | "They Live!" The Necromancer has successfully raised the player from the dead, they may be added back to your roster and will gain the Regeneration trait. However, the player gains the Loner (3+) trait and reduces their Agility by 1 (e.g., a player with an Agility of 2+ would reduce it to 3+) to a maximum of 5+. |
Necromantic Horror Nightmare Blood Bowl Pitch
Stadia and pitches throughout the lands of Sylvania differ greatly from those elsewhere, often being built upon graveyards, old burial grounds, or even pumpkin patches rather than the grand monuments to the game of other teams. Games played at the home grounds of Necromantic Horror teams will, usually, be played at night, the restless dead that slumber beneath the turf becoming far more active when the sun has retreated and they, and their fans, can emerge from their graves to enjoy a game of Blood Bowl!
Using the Necromantic Horror Nightmare Pitch in Your Blood Bowl Games
The Necromantic Horror Nightmare pitch has two sides – one depicting the pitch in fair weather; though the game is played at dusk. The other side depicts the pitch at night-time, when the pitch becomes more 'restless'. If both players agree, the following rules can be used to represent the unusual conditions:
Fading Light
At the start of the game it is dusk; the sun is setting and the shadows grow long in the fading light. This makes it slightly trickier to pass the ball long distances accurately, and so all players suffer an additional -1 penalty when making a Long pass or Long bomb. At the end of the first half, flip the board over to the Dead of Night side.
Dead of Night
Night-time has fully descended upon Sylvania, making it all but impossible for players to see more than a few feet in the gloom. Players may not attempt to make a Long pass or Long bomb.
Additionally, it is during the dead of night that the pitch really comes 'alive'. During the second half of a game played on the Necromantic Horror Nightmare pitch, the following rule is in play:
Grasping Hands and Vines: From beneath the surface of the pitch, possessed pumpkin vines and the clawing hands of the Undead reach out and grasp at the feet of the players. Any player that attempts to Dodge, Rush, or Leap suffers a -1 penalty to their roll.
Necromantic Balls
Pumpkin Ball
Whenever the Pumpkin Ball touches the ground, roll a D6:
- On the roll of a 2+, the ball is fine and play continues as normal.
- On the roll of a 1, the Pumpkin Ball has smashed and is no longer usable. If this happens as part of the kick-off, it will result in a touchback. In any other situation the referee throws a new ball onto the pitch as close to where the old ball smashed as they can manage. The ball deviates from the original position in the same manner as if it was the kick-off, with the exception that it will deviate D3 squares in the rolled direction rather than D6.
Stitched Brain Ball
At the start of the game, roll a D6 to see which type of brain was used to craft the ball and apply the appropriate result.
| D6 | Type of Brain |
|---|---|
| 1 | Troll Brain: A player carrying the ball gains the Really Stupid trait whilst it is in their possession. |
| 2 | Infected Brain: A player carrying the ball gains the Disturbing Presence skill whilst it is in their possession. |
| 3 | Possessed Brain: A player carrying the ball gains the Frenzy skill whilst it is in their possession. |
| 4 | Human Brain: A player carrying the ball gains the Wrestle skill whilst it is in their possession. |
| 5 | Dwarf Brain: A player carrying the ball gains the Thick Skull skill whilst it is in their possession. |
| 6 | Elf Brain: A player carrying the ball gains the Dodge skill whilst it is in their possession. |
0-1 (In)Famous Coaching Staff Inducement: Professor Frönkëlheim
130,000 Gold Pieces, Available to any team with the "Sylvanian Spotlight" special rule
"Have you thought about an Upgrade?"
During the pre-game sequence, after step 4 but before step 5, randomly select D3 players on your team that are eligible to play during this game. These players have been modified by the professor.
Until the end of this game, each selected player gains a single randomly selected Skill from the Mutations category. However, at the start of step 3 of the post-game sequence, roll a D6 for each of these players (unless they suffered, and did not recover from, a Casualty table result of 15-16, DEAD during the game):
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | The experiment proves a bit of a failure, really: The player immediately loses the Skill. In addition, the player must miss the next game, exactly as if they had suffered a Casualty table result of 7-9, Seriously Hurt, during this game. |
| 2‑5 | The experiment proved only a short-lived success: The player immediately loses the Skill. |
| 6 | The professor's experiments have proven a success! The player retains the Skill without having to pay any SPP (note that you must adjust their Current Value accordingly, as if they had randomly selected a Secondary skill). |
0-1 Wizard Inducement: Wicked Witch
150,000 Gold Pieces, Available to any team with either the 'Old World Classic', 'Sylvanian Spotlight' or 'Underworld Challenge' special rules
Once per game, a Wicked Witch may cast one of the following spells:
Zap!
You may cast this spell either at the start of any of the opposition's team turns, before any player is activated, or immediately after any of the opposition's team turns has ended. Target any opposition player and roll a D6:
-
If the roll is equal to or higher than the player's Strength characteristic, or is a natural 6, that player turns into a Frog for the remainder of the drive, after which their coach will secure emergency magical assistance to turn the player back into their original form.
-
If the roll is lower than the player's Strength characteristic, the player develops a fresh crop of warts, but the spell has no further effect.
If the player was in possession of the ball when they were turned into a Frog, it is dropped and will bounce. When a roll on the Casualty table is required against the Frog, no roll is made. Instead, it is automatically treated as if a 1-6, Badly Hurt result had been rolled. The Frog must miss the rest of the game and cannot be patched-up by an apothecary (because it's a frog!). At the end of the game, the player is returned to their normal shape with no ill effects.
The Frog has the following profile:
| MA | ST | AG | PA | AV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 2+ | - | 5+ |
Skills & Traits: Dodge, Leap, No Hands, Stunty, Titchy, Very Long Legs
Plague of Warts
You may cast this spell at the start of any of the opposition's team turns, before any player is activated. Target any opposition player anywhere on the pitch, and roll a D6:
-
On a roll of 3+, the player is hit and their skin unexpectedly erupts into a mass of warts.
-
On a roll of 1 or 2, the player develops a few unsightly blemishes, but is otherwise unaffected.
Until the end of this drive, the MA, ST, and AG characteristics of a player hit by Plague of Warts are reduced by 1. Additionally, until the end of this drive, a player hit by Plague of Warts gains the Disturbing Presence and Foul Appearance skills.