Scion of the Black Blood
Scion of Black Blood is also know as Maurice. is a versatile Mercenary Nephilim Enforcer – perhaps the epitome of “jack of all trades, master of none.” He brings ranged and melee attacks, free Interact Actions and the only in-faction Condition removal available to the Neverborn. While his statline is on the low side for an 8-point model, he becomes more powerful when he’s suffered some wounds.
While Scion has a healthy Cg 7, his Wk 5 is average for Neverborn, and his only movement tricks are Triggers on less-than-accurate Attacks. But while he’s unlikely to keep up with many of his fellow Nephilim, he has a ranged Attack and his signature Ability, Blessings of the Blood, is a 6″ aura; he can afford to lag behind the rest of his Crew.
While Scion’s (0) Action, Forbidden Ritual, won’t move anyone around, it grants some pseudo-mobility: It forces another friendly model in 10″ to take a (1) Interact Action. This will let your other models spend more AP to get into position to Distract or lay down Scheme Markers.
Scion has two Attack Actions, one melee and theother ranged. Both have valuable on-success Triggers, but both have mediocre Attack stats of 5. That’s offset by his Blood Fury ability, which will give him a positive twist on all flips (except damage) when he has 6 or fewer Wounds remaining, but he’s going to struggle to hit high-Df targets.
His melee ability, Sacrificial Blade, has a strong damage range, but no built-in suits. On a ram, Blood’s Favor will heal 2 on any one model (including Scion!) in 3″. On a mask, Hide in Shadow will allow Scion to move up to 3″.
His ranged ability, Custom Shotgun, has a limited range of 8″ and a decent damage track; it also lacks built-in suits. On a ram, Spreadshot forces models within a 2″ pulse of the target to take a TN 13 Df duel or suffer 2 damage; on a mask, it can trigger Hide in Shadow.
If you’re stocked with decent Control Hand, Scion can prove surprisingly flexible. Hide in Shadow will allow him to get clear of most engagement ranges, or to attack multiple models in a single turn. An example: If Scion starts engaged with a model, you can attack that model, trigger Hide in Shadow to get out of its engagement range without taking a disengaging strike, and then shoot at a model upfield. While Custom Shotgun‘s Spreadshot isn’t quite as good as real blast damage, it has similar functionality – it can nail fragile models that were in a “safe” position.
Scion isn’t terribly resilient, at least at first. With Wd 10, Df 4, and Wp 5, he’ll be easy to hit and easy to whittle down. He has some deterrence due to Black Blood, but his real defense comes from Blood Fury. As long as he has 6 or fewer Wounds, the Scion will gain a positive to all flips (except damage). While he’s still soft to attacks that target Df, having a positive twist on Wp 5 isn’t half-bad. Either way, it’s important to keep him in cover; he’s not going to survive any sustained attack, and his Blood’s Favorhealing trigger isn’t terribly reliable.
Scion also brings the only in-faction counter to Conditions: Whenever a friendly model Activates in a 6″ aura of him, Blessings of the Blood will allow it to discard two cards to end all Conditions on it. Be careful – this ends all Conditions on the model, even positive ones. Remember that Scion can also discard two cards to end Conditions on himself – the Ability is an aura, after all. While this is a strong Ability, be judicious with its use. Two cards is very expensive.
The Scion can do just about everything – but none of it particularly well. That means that you’re going to want to maximize your options with him; if you get locked into one role, he’s simply going to underperform. Keep your eyes open and watch for openings for Scion to duck in and do something unexpected – remember his Hide in Shadowstriggers and his Forbidden Ritual Action. Keep track of your opponent’s hand, and strike when you can minimize their ability to Cheat Fate against your low Sh and Ml.
Remember that Scion’s Blessings of the Blood happens on other models’ Activations, not his. This means he can usually afford to Activate late in the turn, which maximizes the chance that he’ll have a wounded target to pick off or a well-positioned target for Forbidden Ritual. When moving him, keep in mind that he needs to be within 6″ of the models you need to keep healthy.
Scion’s auras need LoS, and you’re going to need to keep him upfield – ideally within 6″ of the action. This means he’s going to love non-blocking cover, where he’ll get a defensive bonus but will still be able to lend a hand (or force an Interact Action). If there’s no cover in a convenient place, that’s fine; in Neverborn Crews, you’ve got Waldgeists, who can provide a forest while happily sitting back to hold down a board quarter or contribute to Turf War.
Mr. Tannen synergizes well with Scion. His 6″ aura Cooler punishes opponents for Cheating Fate; this overlaps with Scion’s auras, and acts as a defensive force multiplier for Blood Fury. Similarly, Tannen’s Chatty and Scion’s Forbidden Ritual can give you a massive edge in Schemes such as Distract: Once they’re in position, you’re going to have nearly a foot-wide circle where you’re dominating any Interact requirements. Just remember that Tannen doesn’t have Black Blood, so needs to keep some distance between himself and Scion.
Scion can really shine in a Jakob Lynch Crew. Lynch’s Ace in the Hole Ability allows you to grab any aces that hit your discard pile during your other models’ Activations; with a single ace in hand, Blessings of the Blood doesn’t sting nearly as much. With 2 aces in hand, it’s 100% free.