Spike! Journal 16
VAMPIRE NOBLE LEAGUES 'RAISING THE STAKES!'
Spending their nights indulging in the honourable sport of Blood Bowl has become a common pastime for many of the aristocratic Vampire families across Sylvania. Rather than engaging in high society cloak and dagger gossip, a large number of the nocturnal nobles now resolve their petty (and some more serious – Ed) grievances on the gridiron instead; either stepping onto the field themselves alongside a team they own or manage, or inviting teams to play on their behalf.
The Crimson Chalice Challenge
This is a variation on a standard Blood Bowl league season, as described in the Blood Bowl rulebook. How the league itself is organised, 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 Crimson Chalice Challenge differs from a normal season, however, in a couple of key aspects.
Open to All
The Crimson Chalice Challenge is open to all comers. Coaches participating may use any team they wish and, thanks to the philanthropic nature of the Vampires who organise the league, will have a budget of 1,100,000 gold pieces to spend to recruit their team for the season ahead.
A Cash Incentive
The following table is used to represent the different tasks and challenges the Vampire nobles could place their bets on. For each game played as part of the Crimson Chalice Challenge, roll a D8 at the beginning of Step 1 of the Pre-Game Sequence and consult the Wager table.
| D8 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | That one exhausts me. Will someone rid me of this troublesome player?: Select a player on the opposing team who is eligible to play in the game. Your noble wins their wager if, at the end of the game, the selected player is in either the Knocked-out box or the Casualty box. |
| 2 | It would be nice to see just a little gratuitous violence today...: Your noble wins their wager if, at the end of the game, your team has caused three or more Casualties. |
| 3 | Rumour has it they have been working on their passing game: Your noble wins their wager if, at the end of the game, your team has completed three or more successful Pass actions. |
| 4 | Did I not tell you? From end-to-end!: Your noble wins their wager if a player on your team scores a touchdown after gaining possession of the ball in your own half, and not losing possession of the ball at any point in the drive on the way to scoring the touchdown. |
| 5 | I told you, that one is going to be a star!: Select a player on your team. Your noble wins their wager if, at the end of the game, the selected player has scored a touchdown and either KO'd or caused a Casualty against an opposing player as a result of a Block action. |
| 6 | The art of fouling seems as if it's lost on modern Blood Bowl players: Your noble wins their wager if, at the end of the game, your team has committed three or more Foul actions. |
| 7 | Three already? I doubt they will stop at that!: Your noble wins their wager if, at the end of the game, your team has scored three or more touchdowns. |
| 8 | That lousy lot won't even score one!: Your noble wins their wager if, at the end of the game, you have not conceded a touchdown. |
During the post-game sequence, if your noble wins their wager, your team will earn an additional 25,000 gold pieces.
Inducements
All Inducements should be allowed in the Crimson Chalice Challenge. Additionally, if the League Commissioner wishes, the following new Inducement may be added:
0-1 Wandering Haemomancer
(150,000 Gold Pieces)
Available to Any Team:
Once per game, a Wandering Haemomancer can cast one of the two spells listed below at the end of either player's team turn, before the next one begins:
Blood Puppet: Target any opposition player that is not holding the ball and roll a D6:
- On a roll of 2+, you may immediately move the chosen player up to 3 squares, ignoring Tackle Zones.
- On a 1, the player manages to shrug off the magic and the spell has no effect.
Blood Curse: Target any opposition player that is not holding the ball and roll a D6:
- On a roll of 3+, you may immediately make an Injury roll against the selected player, treating any Casualty result as Badly Hurt.
- On a 1 or 2, the player has a momentary dizzy spell as the blood rushes to their head, but is otherwise unaffected.
Many Glorious Prizes!
Teams that manage to secure victory in the Crimson Chalice Challenge receive handsome rewards from the Vampire nobles who sponsor the event. The top placed teams of the Crimson Chalice Challenge 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, as well as an additional 20,000 gold pieces.
The Crimson Chalice: At the start of each game, randomly select a player on your team that is eligible to play in the game. The chosen player gains the Frenzy and Juggernaut skills until the end of the game.
Creepy Castle Weather Table
| 2D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 | Voracious Fans!: I pity anyone who ends up in the crowd tonight – those fans are looking more than a little peckish! Whenever a player is pushed into, or lands in, the crowd, apply a +1 modifier to the Injury roll. |
| 3 | Blood-slicked Floor: Well, it looks as if one of the servants has spilled a tray of drinks onto the field. I hope they get a wet floor sign out before anyone slips! Players attempting to Rush suffer a -1 penalty to the roll. |
| 4‑10 | A Perfect Host: The game's benevolent benefactor has made sure that both fans and players have everything they need for the game ahead, making for perfect conditions for Blood Bowl! |
| 11 | Howling Gale: A powerful gust of wind has blown open the windows and exterior doors, making passing near-impossible until they can be closed again. Until the end of the current drive, only Quick passes and Short passes may be attempted. Additionally, at the beginning of the next drive, before Step 2 of the Start of Drive Sequence, roll again on the Creepy Castle Weather table as the windows and doors have been secured against the wind… for now. |
| 12 | Deafening Downpour: The sound of the rain hammering on the windows has drowned out all but the loudest of the coach's instructions. Whenever a player wishes to use a team re-roll, they must first roll a D6. On a 2+, the coach's manic yelling can be made out and the re-roll may be used as normal. On a 1, the thunderous sound of the rain makes it impossible to communicate and the re-roll may not be used, but is not lost. |
After Dark Kick-off Table
| 2D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 | Feeding Frenzy: Well, it looks like some of the visiting Vampires are not willing to wait for their half-time refreshments and have hit the field in search of sustenance! Both Coaches roll a D6 and add their Fan Factor. The coach that rolls the lowest randomly selects one of their players from among those on the pitch. In the case of a tie, both coaches randomly select a player. Immediately make an Injury roll against each selected player, treating any Casualty result as Badly Hurt. |
| 3 | Not the Chandelier!: As if on purpose, the kicker has sent the ball screaming into the crystal chandelier which has crashed down onto the field below! Roll a D6 for each player on the Line of Scrimmage, but not in either Wide Zone. On a 3+, they avoid the falling debris and nothing happens. On a 1 or 2, they are placed Prone and are Stunned as they are struck by the tumbling chandelier. |
| 4 | Hypnotic Handicap: With so many Vampires watching the players closely, it's no surprise one or two of them are slow off the mark! Each coach randomly selects one of their players from among those on the pitch. The selected players cannot be activated in their next team turn and will lose their Tackle Zone until they are next activated. |
| 5 | Solid Defence: Apply the Solid Defence 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 Creepy Castle Weather table and apply that result. If the result is 'A Perfect Host' as a result of the roll, the ball will scatter before landing. |
| 9 | Quick Snap: Apply the Quick Snap result as normal. |
| 10 | "Klaus is helping!" It carries bags, fetches lab equipment and patches up players, is there anything Klaus can't do? Each Coach may immediately place one of their KO'd or Badly Hurt players into their Reserves box. |
| 11 | Wooden Stakes: Despite repeated warnings, and the strict "no stakes" policy, it looks as if some players have still managed to sneak a few onto the field! Both Coaches select one player on their team from among those on the pitch. The selected players gain the Stab Trait until the end of the drive, after which the weapons are confiscated and both players receive an earful from the ref. |
| 12 | Ambitious Thralls: On occasion, Thralls who are looking to escape the clutches of their Vampire masters will take to the field to showcase their talents, in the hopes that a visiting team will offer to sign them. Both Coaches immediately gain a Thrall Lineman for the duration of the drive. This can mean that teams have more than 11 players on the pitch for this drive. These Thralls can be placed anywhere in their team's half, but not in either of the Wide Zones. At the end of the drive, remove the Thrall Linemen from play as the referee ejects them from the game. |
Vampire Castle Blood Bowl Pitch
The castle ballrooms and grand halls used as Blood Bowl pitches by the Vampire dynasties are far removed from the traditional stadia that feature across the known world. The hard stone floors can make for a rough landing but, occasionally, a soft, luxurious carpet will break the fall of those on the receiving end of a bone-snapping tackle. Although these games are held inside, there are still plenty of chances for games to be disrupted!
Using the Vampire Castle Pitch in Your Blood Bowl Games
The Vampire Castle Pitch has two sides – one depicting a lavish ballroom with a large, extravagant carpet running down the centre. The other side shows the same room after some disturbance has caused a large chandelier to fall from the ceiling and ignite the finely-woven carpet! If both coaches agree, the following rules can be used to represent the unusual conditions:
A Soft Landing: At the start of the game, the hard stone floor of the castle has a large, soft carpet running down the centre of the room. Unsurprisingly, landing on a plush carpet is far nicer than being smashed, face-first, into the cold stone! Running down the middle of the field between the two End Zones there is a 5 square wide, 18 square long carpet; any square in this area is considered a carpeted square. Whenever a player is Knocked Down in a carpeted square, apply a -1 modifier to the Armour roll. Whenever a player is Knocked Down in any other square, apply a +1 modifier to the Armour roll.
Additionally, at the end of the first half, if one or more Touchdowns have been scored, flip the board over to the Raging Inferno side as the overzealous celebrations of the fans has caused the chandelier to fall from the ceiling!
Raging Inferno: Any player who begins their activation in a carpeted square must immediately make an Agility test after declaring what action they will perform. If the Agility test is failed, make an Armour roll against the player as they fail to avoid the flames. If the Armour of the player is broken, they are Placed Prone and an Injury roll is made against them. This will cause a Turnover unless the player who was Placed Prone was also carrying the ball. If the player's Armour is not broken, they may continue their activation as normal.
Vampire Balls
Bat Ball
At the end of each team turn, if the ball is on the ground it will bounce as the bats attempt to steal it away!
Restrained Vargling Ball
Whenever a player in possession of a Restrained Vargling Ball is activated, roll a D6. On a roll of 1, the player immediately drops the ball as the Vargling bites their hand – bounce the ball from the player's square. This does not cause a Turnover and the player may still continue their activation as normal.